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
Posted on

Tuesday, 10th April

Great to be back after the long weekend off, and already it seems as if the people i have dealt with today are firing on all cylinders.

Despite the indifferent weather, and plain dreadful weather yesterday in particular, it seems as if most people i train have been very active most of the weekend. When you are fitter and healthier, you WANT and sometimes NEED to be more active. Having all weekend off and doing absolutely nothing doesn’t wash very well for most if not all of my clients!

Good energy levels don’t somehow “just happen”, they develop and grow by the investment in exercise and good food you have made over the years. There is a direct relation!

When your energy levels are high, you want things to happen in your life. Your enthusiasm is likely to be very high to and this enables you to plan to be active in life, its all a knock on effect when you think about it!

So if you feel a bit low and lethargic today, it may have been because of the “lack” of activity you had the weekend?!

Moving from the lethargy you may experience now and fairly regular, to a life of high energy and drive you really want and need, is really down to the lifestyle you HAVE to lead. There’s no “beating the system” with being healthy, there is no magic pills or injections to make you suddenly fit and healthy, common sense tell you that this can’t happen and deep down you know it!!!

So the big question is how you workout this tuesday? Have you got the plan in place to hit everything hard today?

Have you got a good supermarket shop in? No leaving eating to chance or you will simply pick up fast food or snack on rubbish?

Are you hitting the sack early this week? Or are you going to rely on the madness and bad side effects of dodgy energy drinks?

Keep it simple and reach the lifestyle you want with ease!!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 5th April

Having your blood pressure checked regularly is one of the easiest things you can do to keep yourself healthy, or rather MAKE SURE you are keeping yourself healthy.

Most chemists these days will do it for free, and blood pressure testing is one of the most fundamental testing methods I use, usually once a month but sometimes more frequent depending on the client’s history.

Higher blood pressure which is usually a reading over 140/90 is a warning sign that you have mild hypertension and your doctor will tell you what to do next, if it is slightly over he or she will tell you that it will be monitored over the next few weeks, to see what direction it takes.

The doctor/nurse or even pharmacist should be able to tell you that a healthy lifestyle will have a direct and long lasting effect on your blood pressure.

When I see someone with a blood pressure issue, I know the plan of attack has to include the three keys to success.

I know that if I include these three fundamentals in my approach, then the blood pressure will be dramatically improved over a period of months, as long as the client is willing to accept responsibility and show some determination themselves.

After all, I am only there for training a brief period of time, the other 23 hours are down to the individual and how he or she handles and applies my advice.

Number one key is avoiding salty food, in other words processed food. Never cook in salt, never add salt to your food, throw the ready meals in the pain and get used to cooking food from scratch. This will be a HUGE difference to you and you will immediately feel better.

Number two is alcohol. Nothing is worse for somebody trying to bring their blood pressure down than booze. Until this matter is addressed and lower consumption or even eliminate until your blood pressure comes back to normal, progress will be slow.

Number three is what you should be doing most days anyway! Exercise! Working out regularly in a moderate way

Twitt
Posted on

Wednesday, 4th April

Finding out your deficiencies and strengths in your body is absolutely the first thing you should do when you are trying to formulate a very good training plan.

I have trained a lot of people over the years, and most of them DO have issues and problems with their body before they start to train.

Some examples include blood pressure issues, heart issues, obesity issues of all different kinds, joint problems, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis just to name a few, all of these issues need a tailored programme and with exercise, it is definitely a case DOES NOT fit all!!!

The typical general gym programme doesnt work for everyone either, and in my research over years of training, EVERYONE needs a different programme!!

Core stability work you may have heard of, but it has to be done in a proper and holistic way, something i have become to totally focus on the last few years, and develop to new levels. The number one concern for me is client safety and overall improvement free of injury.

The annoying part for me is that a lot of people have a swiss/fit ball, one of those big balls you seem in gyms or at home. The problem is that nobody is really showing you how to use them, when they can have so many benefits to you in term of core stability, relief of back pain, strengthening of the back, hip strength and flexibility, hamstring strength and flexibility, the list seriously goes on and on!

Then you come into a whole range of core stability tool, from a bosu ball, a club roller, balance pad and wedges, all of these tools are designed not only to make you look better, you will feel better, perform better and guide yourself safely and strongly into a grand old age!!

This is the current phenomenon in training and will be for years to come!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 3rd April

As the abundance of sore throats, bad stomachs, vomiting viruses continue to abound around the area, its even more important to consider what you putting in your mouth to help remedy the situation.

Nutritionists talk about “superfoods” all the time and how important it is to eat them.

Porridge, blueberries, beetroot, strawberries, an array of vegetables, spring onions, small amounts of honey, raspberries, blackberries, etc are vital in your immune system development and keeping it up in times of constant attack like right now with all the illnesses around. A weak immune system will collapse under the pressure of different germs and this side of health is often forgotten by those only interested in losing weight.

This is why when i devise a programme, i have thing of the whole big picture, and not just the vanity angle and sometimes the worst of indicators, the weighing scale!

The weighing scale is not EVERYTHING like most people imagine.

Your waist size and hip size are far better and much more meaningful indicators. If these come down nicely and end up in good areas, then your weight will look after itself, thats for sure.

When we talk about “health” and fitness, the “health” part often gets ignored and sometimes dismissed by a lot of the plain dangerous and faddy diets on the market.

I try to concentrate on getting your health right first, making sure your “insides” are functioning properly and well, and this is truly where your big workout performances come from, which in turn to you burning fat, and creating ultimately fresh energy and good health in your body.

Always start from the insides and the outside, the visual part, will look after itself. DO NOT COMPROMISE and fall for these “false” prophets of the diet clubs, they often sell longer term misery in exchange for a little short term weighing scale relief.

Time to put health first and start off as you mean to go on!!

Twitt