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Monday, 13th August

The Olympics have ended which brings a big gap in TV viewing for most people over the next week or so! Most people have been addicted to it, and some more obscure sports have found plenty of new-found respect from the general public. If it encourages more people to exercise, then this will be the true lasting legacy for me.

The problem  comes from where to start for most people.

Most people don’t automatically run down to their local athletics track, and suddenly ask to become the next Mo Farah, unless they are usually 11-15 years of old and already a pretty good runner!

Many people feel that most athletic events are beyond them, especially when they may be 40-60 years of age, and perhaps they haven’t exercised since school!!! This is part of the important generation to get exercising again, the generation that may have totally given up on themselves, and without any major action now will become more prone to serious disease and ill health.

This is why starting an exercise programme should be done with caution and safety as the number one concern.

If one goes at it like a bull at a gate, then injury will surely follow. Most people will realise that they can’t do what they did when they were 16, but some don’t realise this and go at it so hard that they get injured, and then their ego gets so crushed that they never try and exercise every again. This is a sad situation but so true of many people i see.

If you listen to good solid advice, and do indeed start off slow with a good plan, then you are HIGHLY LIKELY to succeed if you give yourself enough time and set some short term goals that are attainable. 1-2 pounds a week would be realistic, instead of the 5-6 pounds a week that faddy diets often promise. Also, don’t make the scale your number one indicator, this is setting yourself up for failure.

A plan that is sustainable that develops all the time is what you need and we will talk about this the rest of the week!!!

Twitt
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Friday, 10th August

Another friday and a very good one because its 25 degrees and sunny-for a change!

Hope you’re not one of those to write off your workout for the day just because its warm? I’m all for slacking off a bit in performance terms during this weather, and cutting some time off your workouts, that’s only sensible advice, but cancelling all together is definitely not on in my book!! Especially if you’re after great results, this weather should be seen as part of the challenge and should be embraced!

Look on the positive side, if you lived in certain parts of australia for example, this would be a nice winter’s day!!! And what excuse would you make then?!!!

The positives are that a day like today requires very little warm up, your muscles are already warm and the workout will be over fairly quickly!

Another great way of working out in this weather is to combine it with your day out of beach/mountain activities.

Playing games on the beach is always fun, and all of that running around can be draining, but a great workout. All you have to do is make sure you take onboard plenty of water to make sure you don’t get dehydrated!

I know plenty of people this year who have been on tent or caravan holidays, and there are usually plenty of trails this time of year to trek on, full of ups and downs that can and will test you to the limit, whilst taking in some great sights along the way! Don’t forget the terrain under foot will also test you further, due to the soft sand in places and uneven surfaces, it also burns a lot more calories!

Another key tactic in this weather is do try and workout your hardest first thing in the morning, or in the evening obviously because its a lot cooler, this simple thing to remember will save you a lot in terms of feeling far more comfortable when you train.

All in all, no excuse to skip your programme, embrace the nice weather as another challenge on your journey to being in your best shape!!!

Twitt
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Thursday, 9th August

So if we are looking at 1% improvement in everything we do, then we need to examine what areas we need to look at, both to increase our performance and health in general.

First thing is quality of food.

Are you eating healthy at least 80% of the time?

Are you eating breakfast every day?

Do you have mid-morning snacks and mid-afternoon snacks?

Do you have a good nutrient-packed lunch each day?

Do you have a variety of vegetables with your lean proteins and good carbs in the evening?

Do you drink enough water throughout the day?

Do you sleep enough to recover both from your training and get up for the next day’s training?

Do you keep your portion sizes sensible to make sure you’re not overeating?

So after your weigh all of these things up and you have answered of all these questions honestly, how much in percentage terms do you think that you can improve in all of these areas, or at least most of them?

I will bet that most of you can improve hugely in percentage terms in most of them.

So imagine after i have made that statement, how much does it all add up for you? I will definitely bet with any of you that it adds up to MUCH MORE than 1%, that’s for sure!!!

There should be 10, 20, 30 or even 50% improvements in there if you really put your mind to it!!!

So when we set the original 1% goal, it must amaze you how much you’re not really doing at the moment to maximise your potential!!! It’s all a matter now of really putting your mind to it and executing a good game plan, designed to fully support your nutritional needs that a demanding training programme will absolutely need!!

This should be a daily and weekly list and a great reminder for you on how to eat well, and gear you up for putting in consistent performances and add huge percentages to your overall progress!!!

Twitt
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Tuesday, 7th August

The success of the olympic cycling team and indeed, the Sky cycling team has one important philosophy.

They aim to improve 1% every week, and if they can do that, then they have calculated that they are going to become very successful.

1% at their level can be pretty monumental, and 1% for anyone once a week can be spectacular over a period of a few months.

Remember when i always talk about improving every four weeks, and this is why we measure this way without fail? This is the reason!

If i try to get everyone to concentrate and improve just one per cent every week, this will already lead to a 4% improvement each and every month. To tell you the truth, in the beginning stages of any programme, most people are capable of more than 1% a week with a sound training programme.

This is why most people i know are capable of staggering progress if they stay consistent with their eating, training and rest.

The 1% figure was an illustration of elite athletes at the very highest level! So can you imagine the effect that a well-designed professional programme would have on the average person?!!!! This is when results get really interesting and this is why people  never stop surprising me with the levels that they are capable of attaining!

If you think of yourself when you started training, and assuming you have been training for a while now, then you should be significantly further down the track than when you first started! This is a more than 1% improvements and its important to remember that!

So if the pro cycling teams can get that 1% improvement out of every area of their performance, this is why they have done so well for so long in the olympics and now the tour de france of course. The last statement said it all, a 1% improvement out of EVERY AREA OF THEIR PERFORMANCE!!! This is what we will talk about tomorrow and how you can achieve the same improvements in relation to your own ability!!!

Twitt
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Monday, 6th August

There was a survey out in one of the online newspapers at the weekend, asking the readers if they had been inspired to exercise on the back of the british achievements in the olympics.

76% said no, 23% said yes and 1% didn’t know!

A surprising result you may think but one that doesn’t surprise me as i have seen studies like this for many years.

Unfortunately, it usually takes a massive jolt for someone to get going again and exercise, and this jolt isn’t always a pleasant one.

A doctor telling you HAVE to lose weight is no fun at all, and can be devastating to an individual’s already perhaps fragile ego.

Just when you think you’re at rock bottom, then someone comes and kicks you when you’re down!!

The good news is though that out of desperation can come inspiration.

When we have a strong reason to do something, we usually do it and get the job done when it all hits the fan!

This is my experience anyway, and almost all of the people who have ever started training with me have wanted to lose body fat, gain strength, change shape, get off blood pressure tablets, or whatever their particular problem was-FOR A VERY STRONG REASON!!

Let’s face it, you are unlikely to do anything unless you have a good reason to do it.

I don’t get up at 4am most mornings because i find it some kind of pleasure! I get up at that time because someone needs me to help them out, and i am deeply committed to making big things happen for them!! This is what makes getting up early really meaningful for me and the person who i am training.

The same reason keeps me going for my last session, finishing around 7pm. If i was half-hearted at ANY of my sessions all day, my business would collapse. The thrill and satisfaction keeps me going every session and every day, this is when performances can remain very high and why job satisfaction stays sky high, its a two way street so lets keep the motivation huge and start the week off in a big way!!!!

Twitt