Reverse Fitness by Alana

Home
Bahrain
Manama
Reverse Fitness by Alana

I help men and women over 30 ditch the fad diets and get results in the real world! Hello! You can eat your favorite food & still make progress. Alana x

My name is Alana & I am a Strength and Conditioning coach from Ireland, currently living in Bahrain for the past 9 years. I started out with a degree in Sport + Exercise Science & have almost 10 years experience in the health & fitness industry so I would like to consider myself good at what I do.⁣
⁣⁣
I started a health and fitness blog back in 2014 called ‘𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘴’ to help my clients with common myths they were reading online & give them tasty recipes and the name has stuck with me since.⁣
⁣⁣
Having worked with clients ranging from total beginners to sports teams & athletes throughout the years, I have experienced a wide variety of issues that people struggle with when it comes to health & fitness.
⁣⁣
Surprisingly, these varied clients all have 𝐨𝐧𝐞 thing in common; They all think that their journey to their goal has to be harder than it actually does.⁣
⁣⁣
If it’s not difficult, painful & hard to stick to - it mustn’t work, right?⁣⁣
Why do we always think if it’s simple it won’t work?⁣ Usually, because we are impatient & want to see results yesterday, so we give up too early!⁣

Basically, my goal with ‘𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬’ is to teach you to:⁣⁣
-𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐨 the damage caused by fad diets⁣⁣
-𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 the bullsh*t fitness & nutrition myths the media has fed us⁣⁣
-𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐡 your potential⁣⁣

You can go out at the weekend & still make progress. You can train twice a week instead of six & you guessed it - 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 & 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬s❗️⁣
⁣⁣
That’s where Reverse Fitness can help you - to 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 how you think about food & exercise!⁣

Check out my website for more information.

22/04/2024

FREE Fertility Webinar tomorrow evening 5.30pm Irish/UK time with fertility specialist Ruth O’Dwyer from Unfolding Fertility

Register below or share with someone who might need it 🫶🏼

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAof-itpzkvGtXG6Q8Vv1uOo9mlmrW1xCZB

06/01/2024

Get in touch if you’re interested!

01/09/2023

It can be so dangerous to buy into the wrong coaching.

But how do you know if you’ve got the wrong coach, that’s the big question?

Well, lots of people will take your money even if they’re not sure they can help you…

They don’t have a clear plan.

No plan = no clear vision.

And when you don’t have a clear vision on how to reach your goal…

You err on the side of caution. Play small.

Because you’re not confident that you COULD aim bigger.

I don’t do that.

I never take ANYONE into the ReverseFit program if I’m not 100% CERTAIN I can help them.

I make sure everyone thinking about coming on board gets a call first to make sure we’re a match - sometimes we don’t click and that’s absolutely fine too.

I match with clients on things like:

▶️Vulnerability (I like to get deep on certain topics so if you’re not ready for that, I’m not the person for you😅)

▶️Trust (That everything I ask you to do will be in your best interest, so even if you aren’t sure about it - just go with it & trust me)

▶️The ability to have a bit of craic (we obviously need to be able to have a laugh along the way)!

Why?

Because everything else I can teach you.

Are you ready to go to work?

16/08/2023

"Sure you don't need to lose weight!"

It can sometimes feel scary to become someone different.

Someone who makes better food choices... No matter what anyone else comments.

Someone who commits to a new training programme despite friends saying, “You look fine as you are, you don't need to lose weight.”

Someone that has the courage to tell those around you “No” when they need to.

Putting yourself and your goals front and centre for a change.

Putting yourself first.

You might be asking, “Well, why would that be scary?”🤔

Because when you start making changes to your health for the better,

You often expose others' inability to do something about theirs.

They push back, telling you that you’re fine as you are, you’ve no need to change.

Or the classic “go on, one won't hurt”.

I'm sure you have been in a situation before at work where someone brings in a box of doughnuts or cupcakes for someone's birthday and all of a sudden you become the centre of attention just for saying 'no thanks' to eating one. 🤦🏻‍♀️

It almost makes you feel as though people think you are trying to be ‘better’ than them in some way. when in fact, you are just trying to make better choices for yourself.

All these comments are meant to pull you back to the person you once were, to make them feel better. News flash: It's not your job to make anyone else feel better.

I want to give you the heads up…

Get you prepared for some pushback on your journey.

And tell you, don't let others' inability to change affect yours.

It might be time to become the person that they can’t...

31/07/2023

DO’S & DON’TS when trying to stick to calories

DO:
▶️Eat regularly and often; find your sweet spot with meal frequency and get consistent. Your body likes routine.

▶️Include some of your favourite foods; never rule out the things you love! It will make the process a lot easier.

▶️Slow down when eating and recognize when you are feeling full; usually we eat too fast and end up overeating before realizing it.

▶️Increase passive activity/NEAT. Simple move more. In any way! It doesn’t have to be exercise, it can be walking to the shop instead of driving, it can be taking the stairs instead of the lift, or walking up the escalator instead of standing, whatever!

DON’T:
▶️Go long periods without eating anything; your blood sugar levels will drop and you’ll get cravings. Stick to a regular eating routine where possible.

▶️Eat only ‘clean foods’; this goes back to including some of your favourite foods. Restricting yourself to only ‘clean’ or ‘healthy’ foods isn’t realistic or sustainable.

▶️Add hours and hours of intense exercise each day; this can often be counterproductive as people think the more calories they burn through exercise, the more weight they will lose - when in fact it increases hunger levels and often means people will either eat more or else struggle to stick to their calorie target and end up giving up sooner.

Hope this is useful! Save for when you need a wee reminder 😄

29/07/2023

“Just drink some water if you feel hungry, you’re probably just thirsty.”

Ever hear this line before? 😂

You’re actually probably just hungry and that’s ok.

Dieting isn’t supposed to be super easy and you will find yourself hungry at times.

However, from working with hundreds of clients I have noticed that more often than not, the clients who always feel hungry are the same clients who’s food diaries are filled with low quality food.

Low quality food being low in fibre, low in protein and high in refined carbohydrates.

A recipe for hunger! 😅

Protein and fibre are key for filling us up especially when dieting.

Being Irish, I do fall into the stereotype of loving potatoes 😆 but for good reason!

They are a fantastic food for satiety/keeping you full as you can see from the study cited in this post.

So, if you’re struggling with hunger, try adding in some of these foods to your diet and notice the difference!

You don’t have to ‘just drink some water’ 😂

28/07/2023

Sustainable Weight Loss > Fast & Short Term Weight Loss

9 Tips to lose weight & keep it off 👇🏼

1️⃣Expect challenges - it’s not going to be easy. You will lose weight faster at the beginning so don’t get disheartened when it slows down
2️⃣Aim for long-term weight loss - remind yourself of the bigger picture. The long game. You didn’t gain weight overnight so don’t expect to lose it super fast.
3️⃣Diet on as many calories as possible - you can eat more food than you think at the beginning of your dieting phase, take advantage of it! You’re also leaving room to reduce calories when weight loss slows down.
4️⃣Prioritise protein - it’ll keep you fuller for longer, and will help maintain your muscle mass.
5️⃣Start strength training - for your body composition, for your metabolism, for your bones. Lift some weights!
6️⃣Implement some diet breaks - dieting months and months on end will take a toll on your body. Factor in diet breaks every 8-10 weeks where you bring your calories to maintenance
7️⃣Eat volumous & fibrous foods - think of foods that are low in calories, and high in fibre like fruit & veg to bulk up your meals/snacks. This will reduce hunger and help you stay within calories.
8️⃣Readjust to the new baseline - unfortunately when you lose weight your calorie needs reduce, that’s just how it is. You will have to adjust your calories to your new weight eventually.
9️⃣Reduce your stress levels & sleep more (where possible) - can be easier said than done but sleeping more and having good stress management techniques can aid weight loss a lot more than you might think.

Stick to these tips & you’re guaranteed to make progress 🔥

27/07/2023

Hard truth:

You hide away from taking ownership of your goals by jumping from one coach/trainer/program to the next telling them that you

‘just need some accountability’

Does this sound like you? 👀

Don’t be offended, this is a huge % of people I speak to who are considering coming onboard as a client.

They tell me they know exactly what they’ve to do, they just need some accountability.

Cool.

That makes my job easy.

However,

If that were really the case, then wouldn’t it mean that they would need a coach forever?

If you don’t know how to keep yourself accountable to YOU, then you’ll always rely on someone else.

Of course coaches are needed, it’s my job at the end of the day.

But wouldn’t you prefer to learn more about yourself, your behaviors, and your emotions when it comes to training and food, so that you can keep yourself accountable in the long term?

Instead of jumping from one coach/program to another, and repeating that over and over for years upon years, why not commit yourself to a year with a coach/trainer you trust and learn everything you need to learn to be self accountable long term when it comes to your health and fitness?

Just some food for thought 🙂

17/07/2023

👇🏼This in just 6 weeks😳🔥

🔻Scared
🔻Stuck
🔻Not ready
🔻Unhappy

These are a few of the words this lady used when explaining how she felt before starting coaching.

“I’m ready to start taking my life back”

Ownership 🙌🏼

That’s when you know someone is gonna be a good client…

-5.5kg
-11cm from her waist
-10cm from her hips

And just 6 weeks in - she is more active and energetic than she’s been in a very long time.

So what changed?

✅She made the decision that she was done feeling the way she was feeling, and committed to investing in herself joined the ReverseFit program.

✅She’s now the person who gets up for morning walks instead of hitting the snooze button.

✅She pays attention to her portions and knows the importance of protein in each meal.

✅Introduced home workouts alongside her yoga and swimming.

✅She pre plans her meals if she is travelling (she brought her overnight oats to the airport instead of picking up a croissant or something handy like she used to do🙌🏼).

✅She was able to buy new clothes for holidays and feels fantastic in herself🤩

Things she enjoyed:
* Her weekly check in & feedback.
* The private podcast (and getting a shout out in one of the episodes😆)
* The app for accountability.

Join me in showing her some love! 🫶🏼 I’m so proud of the work she put in & can’t wait to see her continue to progress 👏🏼👏🏼

14/06/2023

“What macro split should I be on to lose weight?”

I get asked this question a lot…

The quick answer?

It really doesn’t matter…

Why?

Because 9 out of 10 times the person asking this question has way more to work on than their macronutrient breakdown…

Yes, a protein target is important for weight loss, yes it’s key that you support your body and hormones by not restricting fats too much, and carbohydrates are going to be needed for energy by the brain & body…

Does that mean the majority of people should worry about hitting certain numbers in each? Nope..

Here’s 5 things you should focus on instead when trying to lose weight, before you even consider your macro breakdown:

1️⃣ Just stick to a calorie deficit (average it across the week so you can have some higher and some lower days eg if your calorie target is 2000 per day, you could do 6x days @ 1800cals and 1x day @ 3200cals)

2️⃣ Increase your steps by 2-3,000 per day from what they currently are (don’t worry about 10k, just increase from where you currently are; you could also set a daily minimum target and a weekly target)

3️⃣ Sleep! 7+ hours (try to get consistent with the time you sleep & wake for extra bonus points 😆)

4️⃣ Drink water! 💧(35ml per kg of your bodyweight if you want a specific target for you - and round that number up)

5️⃣ Do something daily that makes you happy! 😁(Mightn’t be what you expect on this list but focusing on the small things that make you happy on a daily basis can make the whole weight loss process more enjoyable and in turn more sustainable - this could be having a coffee outside in the morning, talking to a friend on the phone, going for a dip in the sea, playing football with friends, the list is endless)

So, there you have it. 📝

It might not be the perfect macro split you were looking for, but it’s 5 steps you can take right away to start losing weight ✅

Let me know if you found this useful! 🙌🏼

24/05/2023

I received this lovely message last week from an old client and it made my day! 🤩

I love getting random updates from people I have worked with through the years, especially when it's updates like this! 🙌

The keywords that stand out for me from this message are:
-structure✅
-confidence ✅
-the basics ✅

Of course, the fact he doesn't feel like he has to think about what he is doing now to maintain the progress he has made & feels like a new man is obviously a bonus!

There's a trend you notice as a coach when it comes to clients...

Those who get the most progress (doesn't have to be just physical progress), have a few things in common:

⭐️They know WHY they are doing this. They have a big enough reason that they can remind themselves of when it gets difficult to stay on track. Not just a generic 'i want to lose weight' goal.

⭐️They don't overlook the basics. They understand that when the basics are done well, and consistently, they = progress

⭐️They check in no matter what. Good week, bad week, it doesn't matter - they know that checking in is key to their success

⭐️They ask questions. Wanting to learn the 'whys' around what they are doing so that they understand the importance of the process and can remind themselves of these things when they are long finished coaching.

⭐️They set themselves goals that aren't just physical.
Maybe it's to start running then they've never run before, maybe it's to sign up for an event, to have the confidence to wear something, to step into the gym on their own, to complete a triathlon - whatever!
They know that having a goal to work towards makes things fun!

⭐️They know that it's not a short-term fix. You have to think about the time that it took to get you to the point where you reached out for help and understand that it's going to take more than a month or 2 to get you to where you want to be.

The good thing is, that time passes anyway!

Cian had already lost a couple of kgs before joining coaching, then he lost a further ~8kg in 2 months with me, AND THEN he continued to put the work in himself to get to almost -20kg total. 👏 Probably around a year in total.

Now it's his lifestyle!

I want you to think about how long you have been feeling stuck, feeling unhappy in yourself in how you look, how you feel, your energy and mood levels, etc., then think about how, in 1 year from now, you could be a totally different person.

12 months.
52 weeks.
365 days.

We keep talking about how fast time is flying, yet we complain when we don't get results in 4 weeks. 😒

Think about it. 💭

Drop me a DM if you want me to send you my free training on 'Planning Your Transformation'

22/05/2023

Having and worrying about a hectic social life is definitely a first world problem - so let’s not get us feeling overwhelmed! 💃🏻

It’s a good complaint to have - but I know it can be hard when you are trying to make progress and lose weight etc.

I have a few tips to help you plan and think about your upcoming events to make them feel less daunting, to give you control over them, and to keep you making progress! 🙌🏼

Using a ‘traffic light system’ is a great way to think about events you have coming up.

Categorizing them into Green, Orange and Red means you have a plan for each event and are, in turn, much more likely to stick to that plan rather than just winging it saying ‘I’ll try to be good’ at every one.

Green = Light
Orange = Moderate
Red = Heavy

I explain each of them in the video!

Hope you find it useful! And let me know if you try it out 😊

Address

Manama

Website

https://www.reversefitness.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Reverse Fitness by Alana posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Reverse Fitness by Alana:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Manama?