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Tuesday,4th June

Assuming you started the week off very well yesterday by having a very positive workout, then its surely time you became very serious about supporting that effort with some serious eating.

Apart from all the energy you need, you also need to consider how your “engine” is performing inside your body, after all if this was not happening then you would never even consider top quality workouts, especially in the hotter weather we are experiencing right now.

Are you taking enough fruit in?

Are you taking enough wholegrain carbs in with a slow energy release?

Are you taking regular intakes of protein which repairs all the breaking down of lean muscle that takes place during one of your tougher exercise sessions?

Are you eating regularly and really taking advantage of keeping your energy stores high at all times?

And how about the most important factor in all this talk about tough workouts and warm weather training-WATER!!!

If you are not taking regular sips of water throughout the day, then your body simply will noty cope with the extra hard workouts done in a much warmer temperature. This is the thing that I have to keep on to everyone about during a week like this!

If there is one thing you can do this week, please become much more aware of the need to stay hydrated. If you are already thirsty, then you are already dehydrated according to studies done over the last several years, so remember that thirst is NO GUIDE to hydration levels, and the temperature rise only makes that problem worse!!

So like we talked about yesterday, you should be celebrating all the nice weather AND the opportunity to exercise in it. The big thing to remember however, is to prepare properly and treat your body like a car engine or hopefully much better, and prime yourself ready to perform!

Don’t forget the sunscreen though, another forgotten tactic that should be a whole subject on its own!

Twitt
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Monday, 3rd June

With the temperatures finally rising, there is even greater opportunity to train hard and expand your options! This is what you would think anyway.

My experience with people i bump into in general life says that people usually get diverted in the warmer weather, and the summer months are not usually the best throughout the year. My own experience with the people i actually train is that because they have a good level of commitment, and i do a lot of early morning sessions, then the weather becomes less of a factor and my summer months of training individuals can be very productive indeed.

I do a lot more cycling sessions in the summer. I run more in the summer, i even do swimming sessions sometimes in the summer! I do some hiking up mountains in the summer due to the much more pleasant conditions, and i still manage to get a lot of indoor work done too. I love the variety at this time of year due to the extra light, the better surface running conditions and generally everywhere is so much more accessible!

So the message here today is to get away from thinking that its “too warm” to train, or you could be doing “other things””, its time to be more positive and realise how many more different options you now have in your training, and have the courage of your convictions and actually do them, instead of talking a good game!

Plan your training sessions in advance, work hard when you get to your training venue, follow through on what you planned to do, drink enough water and make sure you have some available at all times, and eat well afterwards.

This is a successful way to do it, then keep planning your sessions and exactly what you intend to do.

Don’t gie up on yourself, recognise what all this nice weather has to offer and embrace it for much better results!!

Twitt
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Friday, 31st May

The standard you have set for yourself will dictate how healthy you are, what performance levels you put in, and how regular an exerciser you are.

If you have a good standard of personal achievement, then you will never miss a session, unless you are ill or something big came up in your day or week that stopped you training.

If you have a lower level of standards, or don’t really care what you do, then you will miss numerous sessions, never really perform close to your potential and your achievements could be described as mediocre at best.

I write this on a very warm (for us anyway) and sunny Friday, and there must be a million reasons for you not to train today. Your decision today usually tells me what your level of commitment is really like.

Even if you are going away the weekend, there’s no reason why you couldn’t have put in a session this morning before you went, no reason why you couldn’t have packed your tshirt, shorts and trainers so you can do a workout when you are away, and this all comes down to what personal standards you have set for yourself.

If you are struggling for direction right now, and achieving very little, then you had better set yourself higher standards, and leave yourself no other option but to achieve them.

For example, if you want to eventually want to row 3600 metres on the concept 2 rower, and currently you go through the motions and are hitting just 2500 metres, then you need to try and start improving.

Ask someone who knows how to improve on the rower, commit to rowing 3 times a week, set yourself a target of improving 100 metres every 2 weeks, within 20 weeks you should be within touching distance of your goal, there you have it, within 4 months you could be a very decent rower, and as a results you will have lower body fat, stronger heart and lungs and the satisfaction you can achieve anything you set your mind to, then KEEP that standard in everything you do!

Twitt
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Thursday, 30th May

The pain and frustration in coming back from injury or illness is always difficult.

Its times like these when you really appreciate what you were capable of in the recent past, and you will do anything to get back to where you were.

First of all, you may be tempted to come back too early, and what usually happens is that you re-injure the problem that stopped you in the first place, which adds to the frustration again!

You have to learn not to work through the pain, and allow your body to re-adjust in its own time, this is the tried and tested way to do things properly.

When coming back from illness, you must take it easy, and allow your body to get fully used to training again, meaning you should do far less than normal. You should only be training if you feel well enough, not rushing back into things.

If you take the following example into account, you will see what i mean.

Studies show that when a pro athlete takes a week off, it usually takes them one to two weeks to get back where they were. If they have four weeks off, then it can take four to eight weeks to get back to normal. This shows that you MUST take your time when returning from injury or illness, take advice if possible and look for guidance on your journey back to full health.

Twitt
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Wednesday 29th May

Just to recognise melanie bowen for her excellent post the other day, and the very positive reaction from you, here is her blog address.

www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/melanie

I am sure she has a big future in front of her.

Melanie is currently a Master’s student with a passion that stems from her grandmother’s cancer diagnosis. She often highlights the great benefits of alternative nutritional, emotional, and physical treatments on those diagnosed with cancer or other serious illness. To read more from Melanie, visit her blog for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In her spare time, you can find Melanie trying new vegan recipes, on her yoga mat, or spending time with her family.

Twitt