Posted on

Wednesday, 13th February

If you feel a bit run over by the weather lately, then my advice is to strike back and do the very opposite of what you are feeling!

There has been a vicious wind this week, along with a fair amount of sleet and heavy rain, while at the same time remaining brutally cold.

The natural reaction to all of this is to stay curled up on the settee, feel sorr for yourself and spoil yourself with tea and biscuits, which seems to go on and on, until the spring comes!!

Here’s the bad news-carry on like that and you have a serious problem!! You are very likely to end up like the michelin man by easter, and feel like you need an oxygen mask just to walk up the road!!

The very thing you need to do is to get out in the fresh air, don’t worry about the wet and cold (you’re going to shower after the workout anyway!!), and train like you normally do. Get some gloves on to save your hands from freezing and you’re all set.

I have done numerous outside workouts this week with numerous variations of running, strength, speed and endurance workouts. Everyone has said without fail, that although the first 5 minutes in the rain or sleet was not pleasant, that the workout soon got more fun and everyone felt enormous satisfaction when the workout was done.

The other thing was that they felt their body temperature rise and keep steady for the rest of the day. They found that actually “being out” meant that for the rest of the day, there was NO shivering for the rest of the day, NO laying down on the settee, they got far more work done the rest of the day and generally the experience was highly positive.

The main point here is to use this weather to your advantage, show your strength of character and take your determination and guts to a brand new level!!

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 12th February

We were talking yesterday about foods that can raise our moods, stop us feeling down and in general make us feel better.

That statement needs to be taken much stronger than you think.

Our moods affect EVERTHING we do, and i see that every day when i deal with people.

If we are in a good mood, we tend to undertake positive activities. We will be keen to do things that benefit us, we will be keener to take on challenges and we will be far more likely to enjoy the process that much more!

If we are in a bad mood for most of the time, then the opposite is true. We tend to go into our shell and not do anything worthwhile. We tend not to want to take on any new challenges, and things become a chore in life, meaning we are less likely to keep those things up.

Moods as you know will be only boosted if you exercise regularly, so exercising should be now an absolute must in your life!

Moods will be boosted greatly with your food selections. Eat more natural foods, fresh when possible, and avoid all of those foods that are highly processed, and you will create a natural buzz in your day, purely from what you put into your mouth!

Moods can be initially boosted by alcohol, BUT will lead to an inevitable crash and alcohol can classed as a depressant. The more you rely on alcohol, the more downward a spiral your life will become.

One forgotten element is sleep, if you do not sleep well, then bad moods are sure to come thick and fast!!

So apart from just “thinking positively”, there are many things you can do to change your mood for the better, leading to a far better result in all areas of your life!!

Twitt
Posted on

Monday, 11th February

Here’s some ideas to make you feel really “up for it” in February, traditionally still a tough month in terms of weather and light, but food can make a big difference to you.

Oranges and papaya

Both these fruits are high in vitamin B6 and folic acid, both of these have been found to be lacking in people who have felt continuously down.

A lot of people like the tangy scents of these fruits, and have been proven to wake up your senses quicker than most foods.

Fish oils

It has been well documented how important fish oils from oily fish are for your body. What hasn’t been so well known is the effect it has on your mood. Fish such as salmon and mackerel have been proven to work at raising individuals moods, as well performance and general health.

Saffron

Saffron is a herb that is popular with middle eastern, Spanish and indian cuisine. This is another big help in mood elevation and powering you on to achieve greater things. Saffron is a main spice used with the famous Spanish dish of paella, which gives it the famous yellow colour and spicey taste.
Paella can be very health when made properly and from scratch.

Chocolate

Most people eat chocolate from time to time, but if you’re wise then it has to be dark chocolate. There is a higher degree of cocoa beans in the darker stuff and will usually mean its better for you in terms of less saturated fat and less overall calories.

Dark chocolate will usually deliver a rise in your performance levels and give you another mood boost at usually your least energetic times of the day!

These are handy little tips that will help you along February and in general times that you will need a boost, and none of us are immune to this!

Twitt
Posted on

Friday, 8th February

A funny thing happens when you start exercising.

For example, if you went for a bike ride, a run, a weights session or just a tough hilly walk, then a funny thing happens just as you end your exercise session.

You should know by now that you feel better straight away after exercise. You have a feeling of wellbeing like never before, and this is one of the reasons why you exercise in the first place.

The funny thing that happens is when you eat or drink after exercise.

You may well feel like a big plate of fish and chips afterwards, or alcoholic drink afterwards. Have you actually tried doing this in practice?

Most people i speak to feel like absolute rubbish afterwards, due to the stodge, fat and chemicals in those products i just mentioned.

So you have just done something REALLY GOOD for you in the exercise session, and your body will soon notice that the chips or alcohol, or both rally do not agree with it! Your body is really craving GOOD food, in order to repair itself from all of your hard work!!!

You must realise by now that all of that hot and sweaty work done in your workout deserves good food afterwards, or a lot of that hard work WILL be wasted. Most of us want a good reward for our efforts so try listening to your body, don’t fight your natural instincts and really look after your body interally.

The time for having any alcohol is usually once a week and usually the weekend.

The time for having the fish and chips is a one off and again, most people choose to do it as a treat at the weekend.

This is not a piece about telling you what to do, its about allowing you to make the best choices to complement your workouts, and enable you ultimately to get your best results!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 7th February

Thinking about your programme in a healthy way is not only important, it will unburden you of unnecessary pressure.

If you just look around you, how many of your friends, work colleagues, family, people you sort of know etc are trying different ways to lose weight/get into shape?

Most of you can probably list 5 ways that people use or have used to lose weight. Most of them will be classed as unsuccessful or not sustainable.

This will often be classed as a waste of time and money.

Then there are all sorts of so called celebrities that people want to look like. This will involve using unhealthy methods to get there such as starving yourself, using a liquid shake diet, and generally putting a “particular look” much further ahead than one’s health!

If you use short term and often dangerous thinking to get into shape, then you need to re-think that strategy right now, and change it right now. Use HEALTH as your number one goal, and the rest of the way you WANT to look will happen in its own natural way.

How can you go wrong if you mostly eat good natural food every day?

How can you go wrong if you drink 1.5-2 litres of water a day, and drink alcohol just once a week?

How can you go wrong if you exercise a minimum of 3 times a week, and improve on a regular basis, however small?

These changes will lead to your clothes feeling better, you will have far more energy in your life, AND YOUR HEALTH will be in terrific shape!!!

Forget all the faddy things you often read in the papers and magazines, they are trying to sensationalise your most important subject-your health!!! If you’re sensible and use your common sense, you will always remain on the right track and achieve the big results you always wanted!!!

Twitt