Posted on

Tuesday, 17th April

We talked about nutrient dense foods, and perhaps a little more detail is needed!

Lean proteins, whole grains, and the right kinds of fats are vital to your ambitions in life.

You need to fuel your body to increase your metabolism.

The less you eat, the lower your metabolism goes and eventually your body goes into starvation mode and your body will do everything it can to hang on to as much fat as possible! Exactly what you DO NOT NEED!

If you eat breakfast like a king and eat your evening meal like a “peasant”, you won’t go far wrong!

Your breakfast should be larger and each meal after should be a little smaller. When you think of  it, once you eat breakfast, you have your whole day in front of you and this means you have a whole day of calorie burning to do!

By the time you get to evening meal, your body is slowing down and the last thing you need is calories sitting on your stomach all night, a lighter meal would be perfect and keeps your fat burning process going along very nicely!

Your evening meal should be a lean protein with salad or lots of veggies. Remember also when we talk about having the right amount of carbs, the size of your fist would work big time because you are getting enough energy you can actually use, instead of eating too much and the extra carbs despositing as fat in your body!

The main focus of your meal plan every day should be eating clean nutritious food and doing your best to eliminate all the “empty” calories from your diet. If you try and accomplish this, you are bound to be in great shape for a lifetime. Eating “clean” is the key to being in really good shape, all the training in the world would be no good without good nutritious food going in on a regular basis!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Monday, 16th April

Are you thinking yet of food as “fuel” instead of just a way to lose weight? This is the healthier way to look at your food and health.

You’re going to need all of the good foods we talk about all the time just to get through your day, especially if you have children, have a big career or both or if you’re in any situation where performance and energy levels are crucial!!!

On top of this,  you should be looking forward to a big workout today!

If you are not eating well, then you will be probably thinking of some excuse not to train today, or an excuse not to put much effort in. It can make SO MUCH of a difference that  it will alter your mindset and really affect how active you are, and how much effort you put into it.

With Formula one back on our screens, its a known fact that they use the high octane fuels in their cars, because they are interested in just one thing, RESULTS!!!

It should be the same for your body and imagine how well you would do if you bought into the whole idea of how powerful fresh natural food would be for you!! This is high octane food  for your body.

Good foods can be termed as “nutrient dense” meaning its going to be good for you in layman’s terms!!

You should eat a small nutrient meal or snack every 3 hours to keep energy levels high, and keep you lean.

Indeed, you should eat 5-6 times a day to keep your metabolism going strong and keep you firing on all cylinders.

You should try and include a meal with protein each time you eat, to keep you feeling fuller for longer, and keeping your lean tissue intact, so you burn more calories 24 hours a day.

Eliminate processed and refined sugars from your diet, this will be key to stay lean and keep the quality of your calories good.

On this start to the week, its vital you get your “fuel” right in order to burn body fat, stay strong and perform at your highest levels!

Twitt
Posted on

Friday, 13th April

Making the most out of your training has been a common theme on here since i started, and back pain/weakness has also been a major talking point.

We also talk about the importance about core strength, and how it helps you relieve the painful symptons of a bad back.

The fantastic part about fixing your core, getting it nice and strong, is that your training performance will literally go through the roof once you get strong in your lower back, hamstrings, thighs, stomach areas. The momentum and power you will feel can be dramatic and make you into a much better athlete!

Don’t laugh at being called an “athlete” either, everyone is an athlete in their own way. I do train individuals who could be considered serious athletes, and i train individuals who are trying to walk gently again after a serious operation or illness. Both are very much athletes to me.

An athlete in my book is someone who wants constant improvement, who wants to learn how their body reaches peak performance and what can let them down. An athlete to me is someone who continuously eats well, and tries to keep on improving in this vital area because they know how vital it is.

An athlete is also someone who hits the sack early most nights because they know how important recovery is to them.

There is a time to enjoy and eat what you want of course at times, but there’s nothing wrong with being serious about your training, eating and resting, after all this what being an “athlete” is all about!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 12th April

Back pain relief is great like we talked about yesterday, and once you are allowed to exercise again in a more expanded way, you suddenly feel “free” again.

To get to this stage though, and never to go back there again, you MUST keep your core stability work up ideally for the rest of your life, or back pain can often return in the same way as before, and sometimes worse especially as you get into your “senior” years, when re-starting physical activity suddenly seems far more daunting.

As I have said many times, “core stability” work seems the most in fashion term in fitness, and has been for a while, but unfortunately most people who train and some of those who teach exercise, do not know the principles needed to work through an all round programme to engage the muscles necessary to relieve back pain, and increase power throughout the body in general!

Core stability is more than a big exercise ball and just “sitting” on it. For a beginner it will mean light exercise learning the basics, for a professional athlete it can mean aggressive powerful movements that enhance their game.

If like most of us, you are somewhere in between, there is much to learn.

If you belong to a gym that includes only machines to do exercise, then you really are not in the most efficient and “functional” place for your body and its longer term future.

If you are doing the same old routine with machines or just run or cycle every day, then you are missing out on a considerable amount of potential progress. We talk about this all the time on here.

If you have never worked out with a medicine ball, a bosu ball, a club roller, a balance wedge, balance pads etc, then you are cheating yourself out of a body and mind that could be significantly stronger. These are not compromise exercises, they are movements that will give you the edge and take you a million miles further in development!!!

All up to you and expand your mind!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Wednesday, 11th April

Causes of back pain are usually associated with familiar themes.

Lack of core stability, the muscles used in particular to support your spine are prime reasons for that often sickening pain you can get from back pain.

Being overweight though is a massive factor, and because the majority of the population are carrying too much weight, then back pain if a fact of life for the majority of people in this country.

Its not only the extra weight but in particular it’s the weight around the trunk area that makes the problem a lot worse.

Imagine carrying a chair around with you every day and you often will have the feeling that a lot of people have, it’s the uncomfortable and awkward feeling that really makes life a misery at times.

This is why exercise and eating properly really helps from day one.

The moment you start losing weight in the trunk area, your back will become stronger and more flexible, allowing you to do more in life and substantially ease that very unpleasant pain you have been having for a while.

Simply moving every day will create pain relief.

What’s the alternative of NOT moving?

Usually sitting down and this is the root of the problem. Also when you sit down you can tend to lounge and put even more pressure on your weak back.

 Poor posture when you sit even is responsible for long term back pain, the same as poor posture if you work at a computer all day, and most people have experienced a bad back on long car or bus journeys, which when you think about it is a totally unnatural position for your body to be in.

If you do just one thing every day, promise yourself that you will become just a LITTLE more active, this is the first step to ridding yourself of back problems that according to latest statistics, affect 87% of the working population at some point in their lives!!

Twitt