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Wednesday, 4th January

If you are approaching this new year with an attitude that enough is enough, and you’re not willing to take being out of shape, unfit, no energy, no drive ANYMORE, then you are in the perfect situation to change your life around and you’re really ready for change this time!!!

Its time to get rid of your internal fear that stops you doing good things for yourself. Your negativity can be smashed if you employ the right tactics and you can banish it forever!

Some people thrive in negatvity and others being sad, you have to avoid these people at all costs, or they will drag you down and will always try to spoil your ambition and future success.

When i start off training someone these days, i make sure they REALLY want to improve because if they are half-hearted, then those no way they can get the kind of results they want. Commitment is everything in getting what you really want.

There’s an old saying that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. When you are ready, you will find all the avenue’s to success appearing all over the place for you.

Smashing through the fear you have right now and looking and feeling your best physically may seem impossible, but once you take the first couple of steps, you will not only get where you want to be but you will ENJOY the process too, perhaps this will be the most important and most developing part of it all.

When you get out of your comfort zone, you will be initially scared, thats the exact point when you don’t step back anymore, use the fear to not only push forward but to create your new life!!!

Don’t be stuck in your thinking and you should realise that the change in the way you think will directly change your life from where it is now, and for some can literally transform it!!!

Hope you found yesterday’s breakfast ideas helpful, try some of these lunch and evening ideas!

Lunch and dinner choices often mix so here’s some options

Making the time for lunch is essential, so no skimping on time and take time out for yourself!

Chicken breast with 100g pitta bread, add a serving of salsa and a serving of lettuce

489 calories

A chicken breast, a serving of lettuce, 100g of boiled potatoes, 100g asparagus, plus 2 dates to finish

437 calories

A generous piece of salmon, a sweet potato, 100g of spinach, 10g of peas and a nectarine to finish

423 calories

A piece of turkey, 50g of brown rice, 100g of broccoli, 100g of carrots and an orange to finish

402 calories

125g lean roast chicken without skin, 225g of new potatoes and 100g butternut squash, brushed in tsp olive oil and baked, 60g peas, 100g dark leafy greens, 50g home made rice, apricot and nut stuffing, 5 tsp pan juices made into a sauce with a little wine and cornflour

631.5 calories, 21g of total fat, 4g saturated fat, 45.7 protein, 68.5g of carbs

Thinly sliced naked turkey breast, one tablespoon of cranberry sauce in a small bowl for around 30 seconds. Poor sauce over turjey breast. Serve with a portion of brown rice and broccoli.

455 calories

Grill a lean cut of steak until it’s to your liking. Squeeze the juice from half a lime over the meat and sprinkle with pepper and garlic powder. Then slice and serve with brown rice and salsa.

396 calories

Grill any fish with a selection of steamed vegetables-around 100 calories and that’s plenty of veg!

100g haddock-81, mackerel-220, canned salmon-153 etc

Lemon chicken and potato

Smother a grilled, skinless chicken breast with a freshly squeezed lemon, either a jacket potato or boiled potatoes with it.

303 calories

Brown rice salad with beans and asparagus

263 calories

In a small saucepan, mix one can of chicken broth, a sliced, grilled chicken breast, a 50g portion of cooked barley and a handful of your favourite mixed vegetables and frozen ones can work just as well. Heat for around 5 minutes and you’re ready to go.

400 calories

Tuna salad

Drain a can of tuna in brine, place tuna in bowl and mix one tablespoon of very light mayonnaise and some juice from a lemon. Pile tuna on top of lettuce and serve with a portion of fruit. This is a light meal with plenty of good stuff throughout the meal.

Pasta and tuna salad

50g of wholemeal pasta, 100g of carrotes, 100g of tomatoes, 100g of cucumber, a can of tuna in brine and an apple to finish

373 calories

I medium baked potato or sweet potato with 100g cottage cheese and tomato and cucumber

160 calories

I medium wholemeal roll, 100g tomato, a good slice of 100g turkey breast plus some strawberries and low-fat natural youghurt.

393 calories

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 3rd January 2012

Its fantastic news that on the first day back working for many people, some common sense has taken over the world!!! Or most of it anyway!!!

The government is persuading us all to eat healthy, no faddy diets, in fact they tell us faddy diets DO NOT WORK, they detest them in fact, just like i do!! Its great these charlatans are finally being exposed!!!

Some papers advise proper exercise and good healthy food in sensible portions, and to forget the diets that never worked for the last 30 years, a lot of people got rich out of them, but to see them ridiculed is great news for all of us today!!!

Hope you have made sensible resolutions this year, and made attainable goals that can be achieved gradually, and not by the end of the week. Don’t forget that 99% of new year resolutions are usually broken in just 14 days!!! Most diets are all over by valentines day, and most gym memberships are never actually used in the first place!!!

I like to give tried and tested sustainable advice that’s going to work for you, that’s going to inspire you to greater heights and take you on to new levels when you get there. If you don’t progress, you will go backwards so life ends up being a case of constant improvement, or you get left behind.

If you are treating this day as your first day of self-improvement, then you have to be eating well first thing in the morning to give yourself the most energising start possible. Breakfast is classed as a meal eaten within one hour of getting up. This fires up your metabolism and gets you into a fat-burning machine when practiced regularly.

A big mistake at breakfast time is not drinking water when you get up. This will get rid of impurities built up in your system overnight, and get your body functioning closer to its capacity. Water also helps enormously in the fat-burning process too, and will get you performing a minimum off 33% higher according to latest research!!!

So lets get on to breakfast, and here are some ideas for you to get you performing at your best!!!

Breakfast

Vitally important and a very good start to the day

150ml of natural yoghurt with 1 medium banana chopped in, half a grapefruit, a slice of wholemeal bread with either a small amount of honey or a small amount of olive oil spread

400 calories

150ml low-fat bio yoghurt topped with 50g of no added salt/sugar muesli and a portion of strawberries, with a small piece of bread with a small smearing of olive oil spread

414 calories

Beat 2 egg whites and one whole egg with 2 tablespoons of skimmed milk. Toss eggs in a bowl coated with low-fat spray or no spray at all. Have one piece of wholemeal toast with no butter and you have a god meal with a good balance of carbs and protein. Have a big glass of water and a great breakfast!

317 calories

Two Weetabix with a big spoonful of walnuts and skimmed milk, a small portion of apricots, a piece of wholemeal bread with a small smearing of olive oil spread, with a little honey, and a glass of diluted orange juice

507 calories

Some low-fat natural fromage frais with a level teaspoon of honey and a slice of melon, plus half portion of chopped almonds, with a piece of wholemeal toast with a very light olive oil spread

487 calories

Porridge with skimmed milk and sultanas as a sweetener

284 calories

Wholemeal toast with cottage cheese for energy

166 calories

2 poached eggs on toast without spread on one piece of wholemeal toast

275 calories

1 big banana mashed with kiwi fruit and some lemon juice on a slice of wholemeal toast with no spread, with a glass of skimmed milk

273 calories

2 egg white omelette with peppers and mushrooms with one piece of wholemeal toast

219 calories

Fruit salad with natural low-fat youghurt

156 calories

A milkshake with 200ml of skimmed milk with a banana, small amount of orange juice, 1 teaspoon of honey and drink chilled

268 calories

100g of Muesli with no added sugar/salt plus 100ml skimmed milk

215 calories

Twitt
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Friday, 30th December

After the christmas festivities, and the impending new year celebrations, a big thing is looming for many people and that is doing something about feeling better again. Most people are scared of doing so for whatever reason and this applies to just about everything.

Some people want to be more assertive, some feel they can’t make the right decision or ANY decision, some fear getting intimate, some are scared of changing careers or jobs, some are scared of being  alone, some people are scared to learn to drive, some people can’t end a destructive relationship, and some people yes are scared of getting fit and healthy!

No point making fun of that last paragraph because most if not all of us have been in this situation at some time or another?!!!

A lot of us fear being successful or being a failure, some of us hate living and all of us worry about dying at some stage!!

I talk on here all the time about the power of actually DOING something about it, and the massive positive difference that can bring to your life.

If you are depressed and find your current life painful, making a fresh start in 2012 will bring much more power and excitement to your life, if you set off on a sustainable course.

You should accept fear and being scared as a fact of life, rather than a obstacle to your success. Use the fear to your advantage for a change, how many people who become successful say that the number of people who said “they couldn’t possibly achieve all they did” was actually a massive spur for them in their careers and  they used all that fear and negativity as a tool, rather than a hindrance.

I’m sure there are lots of you dying to prove a lot of people wrong who have previously written you off? Its time to accept the fact that you are actually very capable after all, and its a case of re-educating and re-programming your mind, rather than writing off your obvious potential.

The people who tell you that you had better not change your situation, there’s nothing else in life for you or you’ll never do it all on your own are the negative people you want to delete  from your life. After doing this, you can move on to great things!!!!

Have a great new year and we start on monday with how you can really fulfill your true potential!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 29th December

If you got into your workouts gently yesterday, then today is a day to step up the ante.

You have to face reality that your first “proper” workout will hurt a little bit, and it will be a little uncomfortable, due to the high likelihood of your eating too much and drinking too much maybe. Throw in some lack of sleep and you have the perfect combination for inferior workouts!

The great thing about getting through a good workout today is that you are bound to feel better from it. It may be painful to get through at times, but after you have managed to get your blood flow going, the aches and pains will slowly go and you will leave the scene of your workout in much higher spirits than when you first started!

Another neglected part of Christmas for most people is the lack of water consumed.

Water is the most important part of feeling and looking food. Without it and its not going to happen for you full stop. Your internal workings and your vital organs wont function properly if you don’t hydrate yourself adequately every day. Water is vital to human life, so lets make every effort to get something that is so fundamental to your health 100% right now.

I was guilty of it myself over Christmas, drinking too much tea and coffee, and in a matter of days, realising your energy levels have gone so far south, you don’t have the inclination to exercise, and even if you have, your performance is unlikely to be anywhere near your normal levels.

I guarantee that if you get a good workout in today, and you sip water throughout the day and especially in your workout, you will feel 100% better and as close to your normal self as is humanly possible.

After all, the sooner you feel better, the sooner you are going to perform better and eat well too. A lot of people I know don’t feel they have the incentive to eat well unless they have trained.

It all starts with today’s workout, don’t follow the crowd and wait until the new year, hit it today and lets get the feeling good process moving right now!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Wednesday 28th December

Back into it today as far as work goes, and judging by the sessions i have done so far, everyone  seems very happy they have got their first session under their belts!!!

Most people who are employed or self employed are back next tuesday, or some in the public service are back on the 9th January would you believe!!!

The sooner you get back into exercise the better, and its a good idea always to  get into your programme nice and gently!!!

If you attempt your pre-christmas efforts today, then you are risking injury or disappointment, as these levels will take some getting used to again.

Same with your food, no need to attempt to be  ultra-strict already as its likely to fail, getting into healthier habits gently can be more sustainable and more enjoyable.

With alcohol, if you have been drinking every day or most days, its time to cut that down as exercise and alcohol don’t really mix too well! New Year’s eve is coming of course but surely you can last until then?!!

The bottom line this week is to get outdoors and actually do something, however small, its guaranteed to make you feel better.

Being active or moving more every day should be a new year’s resolution for you.

Another new year’s resolution is not to fall for faddy diets, i keep on saying this but you only have to observe the hard facts, 97% of people on these diets not only fail, but put on an EXTRA  5%  on top!!!! PLEASE DO NOT FALL FOR THESE CHARLATANS AGAIN THIS YEAR!!! Save the money and spend it on something nice for yourself, maybe new clothes when you have dropped a couple of sizes, its entirely possible if you eat well and train regularly, and drink a maximum of once a week.

So its small things advised this week, a gradual change from over the top christmas habits to a sustainable healthy future. Make the change and reap the benefits!!

Twitt