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Workouts that mean something

Another key basic is doing your workouts that mean something, not merely going through the motions!

How many of you have gone through the same old workout over a period of months, then wondered why you weren’t getting any results?

How many of you may have been the same workout for years even, not making any noticeable improvement in your numbers, and everything has become too much like routine for you?

If this is the case, you are likely to be totally uninspired, and your chances of making meaningful progress are limited to say the least.

If your workouts are lame, you can be sure your eating is too. The same old stuff on the same old days can lead to a complete halt in your progress, and really make you wonder if its worth all the effort in the first place.

So enough of all this please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lets fix it right now, rip up your current workout routine, throw it in the bin and start again.

Throw out those boring walks on the flat ground, aim for hills instead. You will be far more satisfied climbing something substantial, you can measure your progress better, plus you will usually get a gret view at the top of the hill. See my running workouts section for ideas.

Throw out your normal weigh training exercises for a while. Substitute your old exercises with new ones working the same body parts, you will feel refreshed after feeling a bit uncomfortable the first week or so. You will feel stiff again, with the different angle of the exercise working your muscles in a different way, thats always good.

What about your bike rides? Are they the same routes? There’s a million and one routes around here to challenge yourself on, and who knows, you may actually find them more enjoyable!!!

Back to the subject, so you’re going to change everything around to allow you to freshen everything up, then you have to think about how much effort you’re putting into each exercise.

As discussed previously, think of 1-10 in terms of effort, 1 being sitting down, 10 working at your very max. If you aim for a 8-9 on each exercise, you will be guaranteed success because you will be getting so much more out of yourself. This will freshen you up and you actually feel alive again.

So in terms of your workouts every week, think 5 minutes before you start “let’s make it really mean something today”, and you’re not going to take medicore progress any more!!!

Twitt
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Do the basics change?

So we have made all of these posts, over a whole range of topics, and the big question is, has it made things easier, do the same problems exist and has your approach to solving them changed?

We started this blog off preaching the basics, and no matter what, these basics will always serve you well and will be key elements in your progress. This never changes.

Your progress will naturally go down a bit, and go up a bit, but when you REALLY want to get in your best shape, if you revert to eating well and every 3-4 hours, eating the right portion size, snacking healthily, as well as putting some quality training sessions in, you know that big things will happen for your body and your health in general.

I think society always looks for the “magic” cure, the one way that will really work this time and if you can only keep it up for two weeks, you will somehow be in great shape!

You know by now that this is nonsense and many of you will have spent A LOT of money finding out the hard way, which is never good!

That’s why many of you are here, you’re fed up with people who lead you a merry dance, people who promise short term weight loss, and are not around to pick up the pieces when everything falls apart and you put all the weight back on. How many times has that happened?!!

I see many times of people, from a professional rugby player who suddenly finds out that his training methods are not so great after all and needs to be put right, to senior people who are worried if their joints are going to seize up on them, from teenagers who are all consumed with their appearance, to housewives who have been on every diet going, and see me as their last resort!!

If you’ve followed this for a while, you know i always keep on about the importance of doing the right things, day in day out if you are interested in long term success, both inside and out. It can be done and i have huge evidence to say so right now, and seen it with my own eyes.

This is week of the basics, so lets make sure we’re all back on the same page!!

Twitt
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Weekend sights on the coastal path

Hall of fame inductee from my point of view goes to Alan Thomas of Llangennech, who if you’re on the coastal path any morning from 5am to 7am, you will see happily not only riding his bike from llangennech to pembrey country park, but also SINGING along the way!

I see Alan on saturday mornings and now and again on  sunday morning riding his bike, and i have never seen anyone happier to be riding his bike, and his voice would also give Tom Jones a run for his money!

Alan used to make as a Metallogist with the old Duport Steel works. Once the steel works was shut down by the Thatcher government in 1981 i believe, Alan moved to Alcoa who he worked for many years. He also has a job in 1987 setting up the first steel plant in dubai, when it was a desert of course. He also worked in new orleans for a bit with Alcoa and then worked with them until his retirement around 6 years ago.

Alan smoked until he was 43 and still regrets it until this time, worst thing he ever did he said!

He then took up the bike when he was 60 years of  age, and enjoyed it so much, he said not a day goes past when he’s not on it!

His breakfast of porridge, a tomato, some figs and some water is consumed at 4.15am every morning and leaves Llangennech at 4.55am every morning, come rain or shine.

The only days off he has are due to ice or snow, which we had quite a lot of this year. He said he got fed up of coming off his bike this winter so had days off instead!

So next time you tired and are feeling sorry for yourself, think of alan who gets up at 4.15am every morning, no matter what the weather is! Plus add the fact that he feels stronger than ever, even though he is advancing into his 70’s!!

Have a great day and hope you’re putting a big one in today!

Twitt
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Friday…………are you proud?

So we have done a week of day by day emotions and what played out, or at least what was likely to play out in your week.

So what happened? Did you have an ideal week or did you throw in towel early?

Has the weekend started early already or perhaps it never ended at all for you?

Living the lifestyle you want is entirely up to you, are most of you are grown adults able to make responsible decisions in your life. It shouldnt really have anything to do with me on what you do in your life, how many workouts you put in during the week, what your shopping basket is like, and how guilty you feel by not exercising in the first place?

I am here to help though as many people i train or have trained use the site from time to time, and thats what its all about, helping other people simple as that, no money involved and no catches!!

If you have had a good week already, then you deserve something special the weekend, or a treat or two you don’t really do anymore in the week, good for you, you deserve it!!

You will find on your treat days, you’re probably living your life like most people live every day or their life. Most people accept the fact that they will never re-discover their lost youth and powers of being able to be as active as they liked. They really believe those days are behind them, and those of you who have transformed your life, will know they are talking rubbish as ambition has left their lives. Sometimes temporary, sometimes forever unfortunately.

So im taking it lots of people have had a good week, congratulations on it and you’re in a perfect position now to inspire others, so do someone a good turn and tell them they can really turn their lives around just like you!

Twitt
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10 reasons why you don’t “just do it”!

Here’s a set of conditions which may be hanging around with you this Thursday, and causing you not to have as great a week/month as you’re really capable of.

  1. You may not have had your Monday blast, as I suggested on Monday, increasing the chances of you not having the week you’d like to have.
  2. You may have carried on your weekend treats into Monday and Tuesday, therefore not exactly developing the drive and energy to train hard or not even train at all.
  3. You may be worried about your job or business, with all the government cuts coming, I hear of a lot of pessimism again and it is very worrying for a lot of people.
  4. You may have emotional strife, worries on a personal level that make it hard to get workouts done and certainly not big performances.
  5. Your shopping list may not have been done last week, instead you are relying on bits and bobs from the local shop, petrol station and the odd takeaway, after all it seems a lot easier doesn’t it?
  6. Your sleep is terrible, its unsettled and you wake up shattered, leaving no energy and your irritability is at an all time high!
  7. You may have a glass of wine every night, that turns into a bottle sometimes? Number one way to destroy your training for the week and put extra body fat on!
  8. You hang out with friends who make fun of exercise, who ridicule exercise and give you pearls of wisdom such as the famous “one life you have, its too short to exercise”! This is one of my “favourites”!
  9. You have turned into a story teller, you tell your kids and maybe grandkids that you were really in shape “once upon a time”, but that was in the past and those days are “behind you now”. This is getting pitiful isn’t it?
  10.  You have lost all self-belief and self-confidence and reached the bottom of a big deep rut, nothing can help it seems and life is now one big day to day struggle! Desperation is good, it will mean to you that you are finally desperate to change it all around, as life is unbearable surely being that much overweight, inactive and depressed? The ONLY way is up surely?

 

EVERY SINGLE ONE of these reasons why you’re not performing well is helped TO A GREAT DEGREE by exercising and eating a whole lot better, this is an absolute fact and the big question is, like every day this week, are you going to actually do it or is life going to be one big feel sorry for yourself exercise?

I don’t say this to pick on anyone, but im saying that I know the truth and the all natural remedy for your lack of energy, lack of optimum health and lack of real attitude to conquer all TEN of those scenario’s.

The big question is are you going to do it right now or not? It all starts again with the first step and im right behind you so lets do it!!

Twitt