Posted on

31st May 2011

Make the grade with your workouts and eating this week and you’re going to be off to the biggest flier ever after a bank holiday weekend!!!

The monday workouts i talk about being the most important transfer to today. This now becomes a very important tuesday and one which will set the tone for early june and make a huge statement of intent for you!!! You need to be fired up right now to achieve the best results possible going into flaming june, or so its called anyway!!!

I know personally today that i have already had a few very good runs, and i feel ten times better for getting out there in the fresh air. The fresh air can have a very powerful effect on everything, not only wellbeing and feeling good, but will encourage excellent sleep of course. Sleep is always one of the most important factors in getting into great shape!!!

How many of you have spent all day outdoors and NOT had a great night’s sleep? Thought not!

 Fresh air is the best sleeping aid i know, its always best not to go down the sleeping tablet route if possible and rely instead on the natural alternatives. The good thing about staying outside is that it encourages fat loss because you’re going to be moving around a lot more too. Have you noticed how you never sit still when you’re outside? You will sit still all day long watching the television at home, but outside you’re going to be far more active and burning calories without even thinking  about it!!!

If you can’t spend anytime outside in this weather, then you’re seriously missing out!! Its great to do workouts at home or at the gym of course, but there is ALWAYS a place for the great outdoors, and if you live in the area there will be multiple opportunities to sample the beautiful scenery!!

A great day for swansea city getting in the premiership yesterday of course, and this will encourage many more visitors of course into the area, brendan rogers the manager said yesterday that wales doent end when you get to cardiff and that swansea and surrounding areas such as the gower was among the most beautiful areas in the world, and that spreads all the way down to llanelli, and burry port/pembrey too, where the millennium coastal path is renowned for its stunning beauty.

Take your opportunities for a great start to the week, and use the great outdoors to help you in that quest!!!

Twitt
Posted on

27th May 2011

The issue of recovery is never usually mentioned in the press, but is always a vital factor in your development and always underrated.

I for instance, have been running with a sore toe for the last few weeks. This is now fine but those few weeks of running with a weaker toe on my right foot has caused extra strain on left leg, and mainly my calf. This has now made my running uncomfortable again, although i am getting through it.

This is very common for most people when they develop a problem with a knee, calf, hamstring, hip or just about anything. Everything must balance itself out in the end and this is all part of the process. You must give time for your body to recover or the injury will most likely to hang around for a long time to come!

The way i have been getting over it is eating very well, as  much fresh and natural food as possible, enough sleep (thats not always possible of course with two small children!), plenty of water and smart training which means not putting too much strain on the affected area, in this case my calf. The most important thing to do straight away of course is ice my calf, this should always be done for around 20 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes. This can be done once or even twice a day if you have time, it will stop further damage and make a huge difference trust me!!! This can be done easily with a bag of frozen peas.

I have followed all of this to the letter when i got in last night at 745pm, and after getting up at 420pm today i have been able to cycle hard today, and run a little. This is not to make myself sound like some kind of hero but more like to illustrate to you that you CAN recover quickly from injuries, AS LONG as you follow these simple rules, they have worked for years for me and i highly encourage you to do the same!!!

NEVER run through injuries though if you are having ANY pain at all, the perfect advice is to make sure you recover 100% before putting through the affected area through any sustained effort in your workouts again. Simple but the smart way to do it!!!

Twitt
Posted on

May 26th Thursday

If you are developing momentum, you’re into your training, you are even more careful on what you eat, you are ultra positive on your health, you are beginning to receive compliments and life is on a roll.

Isn’t it much easier to be on a good path? There’s been enough chat on here about being on a downer,  being negative and puzzling how to get back on track. Life has changed for the better for some I am glad to report.

Being on a good track is a massive positive, and enables you to exercise without too much bother. Motivation is never a problem because you feel you’re close to the top of your game. Life is going to going to be good and you’re confidence is high. There is no better feeling.

Remember this feeling when you fall out of shape in the future, because you’re in the groove now and its easy to remember how it is right now. In fact, if you are feeling good now, it’s a good idea to write down how you feel in your diary and you can look back on how you did it in the future if you ever get  into trouble again with your health and weight, because they are very much interrelated!!!

We all say that we wish we were 21 again, but no all of us were in amazing shape at 21. I know lots of people I train are in better shape at 51 than 21. I have many individuals who would certainly out-perform most 21 year olds, and I have some 60 year olds entering marathons and triathlons for the first time ever!!

People are living longer these days and with a far better quality of life. The ingredients will always be eating as much healthy and natural food as possible, and training smart with a real purpose. Throw in plenty of good sleep and a good amount of water every day and you have the perfect formula.

You may deviate from it from time to time, be sucked into faddy weight loss methods/clubs from time to time, but you will always need to come back to this perfect formula so why waste time?!!!!

Twitt
Posted on

25th May 2011

Cyril brings a great point up this week about should he split training up into different body parts.

You can do this of course, but having done both myself, i am now a big fan of working the whole body in one session. It used to be extremely fashionable in the 70’s and 80’s, and 90’s for that matter doing a split routine, when you would work chest and arms on one day for example, then the next day you would work legs, and the day after you  would work shoulders and back, then have the next day off.

Then you would repeat the whole cycle again over the next three days and thats how your training was. You would usually do three exercises for your back, then three for your shoulders or even four, then hammer yourself so much, you would think that this was indeed the holy grail of workout programmes, haven’t done both as previously mentioned, i now love working the whole body in one go!!!

The reason for this is that it tends to burn more fat, burn more calories, i end up feeling and looking harder on it, i end up leaner and it just feels like a much better workout.

The other simple fact is that this type of whole body workout is MUCH TOUGHER!!! A lot of people do split routines simply because its easier in my book, i certainly found that. To work your whole body in one workout takes guts and determination, and these are things not everyone’s got time after time, workout after workout, week after week. THIS IS the way to do it though if you’re looking for a leaner, stronger body that is full of huge amounts of energy at all times, the whole body workout is literally the best all rounder you can get!!!

If you are currently on a split routine, try going back to a whole body workout where you work every single body part, you will find you work much harder and therefore are bound to get a much better overall result. Sometimes going back to basics delivers the best results, hard work will always bring its big rewards so what are you waiting for, lets do it!!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Debbie’s 1st week

Hi Keri and The Gang!!
 
Well, I did it. Got through a whole 7 days without “buckling under”.
I started with a gentle work out last Tuesday in the gym with Himself, which led to a rather more intense workout on Thursday.
Then Himself really moved up a gear or three on Monday (you know what I mean, don’t need to describe it!!).
I walked, went to Zumba and ate as well as a chubby Welsh woman with an overactive stomach possibly can!!
 
I am feeling great and I think it’s more to do with attitude of mind than anything else.
 
I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 2lbs. Great stuff!!!  2lbs a week is 4 stones a year. That is my goal.
 
My menu for today has been:
 
B: 2 weetabix with 1/2 a banana and soya milk
L: Homemade butternut squash and red pepper soup
T: Chicken salad with 1/2 an avocado and 3 ryvitas
S: dry roasted soya nuts/apple
Also drank plenty of water and 4 coffees
 
Cheers all, will report in again to let you know how it’s going.   Deb xx
p.s. saw jean at the gym going for it !!!
 
Twitt