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Less of the why, more of the “do”!

One common question i get asked quite a lot is “how long do i have to keep this up?”, or “do i have to keep this up for ever and how can i  possibly do that?”!!

Okay, perhaps two or three questions there but they are more or less the same things. Some people don’t just get the fact that you must change your lifestyle for good and are often puzzled on why!

There is really too much thinking going on there and really not much “doing” going on. How many people do you know start fishing for example and buy all the waders, the expensived rod and tackle etc, and go out fishing a couple of times and never go out again.

Lots of people start any sport, any activity and never keep it up. Nothing wrong with that of course but when it comes to looking after your body, its best not to try and trash it too much, and its much better to look after it a bit better than you possibly do now.

Its like the person who keeps their car in pristine condition, shining it every week, taking it for a service regularly and then smoking and drinking every day, and taking no exercise and deriding anyone who does. Is that the meaning of irony i dont know!!

The fittest people i often see are the ones with the oldest workout gear, dont care how they look when they train but they DO care about HOW they train and the intensity they give to their workouts! Its this kind of no BS that i like in people.

These are really the people who DO, they get on with their lives, don’t brag about their workouts all day long to all and sundry, and usually are in pretty good physical condition.

Workouts are part of their daily life and very important for them to look and feel their best. Once feeling good about yourself is important to you, its then you will realise how important training well and eating well is to that very important goal.

You can’t plan every day for the rest of your life, you never know what is ahead, but what you can do is make yourself as prepared as possible for any eventually that comes your way. If you’re fit and healthy, thats a great place to be and gives your life solid foundation so lets get out there and do it!!

Twitt
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Time flies

So its 12 short weeks to christmas and have you got into your pre-christmas regime yet?

Seasons and years pass you by in an instant seemingly and this year has been no different. Many things have probably happened to you this year, some good and some not so good probably, but you’re still here and you’re in a great position to make a lot out of yourself by the year end.

Its time to forget the cards you were dealt. We all now have the same tools when it comes to getting in shape.

We all have the same access to the same supermarkets or shops for food. We all have the same access to the outside to train, or use our living room to train, this is entirely possible and this cannot be argued.

We have the same opportunity to get a good night’s sleep and get energised for the next day’s exercise. This is possible isn’t it?

So you don’t have to be rich or be born into the right family to be fit and healthy, that has to be correst doesn’t it?

So what more excuses have you got not to be in shape and getting excited about feeling good about yourself again?

The facts are that time really does fly and christmas and the end of the year WILL really come along, that is a fact. What you do from now until then will dictate the way you look, the way you feel, your self-confidence and self-esteem, in a nutshell all good things will happen from this day on as long as you commit yourself to 12 weeks of really good eating, really good training and a healthy lifestyle when feeling good becomes paramount.

Some people rely on alcohol to feel good, some rely on drugs, some rely on negativity etc etc, you could be relying on the natural and best way of doing it. Good natural food, simple natural training and plenty of sleep will take you a very long way!!

12 weeks saturday is christmas day and time flies, what are you waiting for?!!

Twitt
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Let’s get it on!!

The success or failure for most of you to get it on in terms of training is the reason why most of you are either successful or failing most of the time.

I did a group measurement today for a workplace session, and it was clear to me they didn’t achieve the big things they normally do. After further questionning, it  became clear that those who hadn’t had a great month were missing some of their normal workouts they did without me. It was clear that they had lost their momentum and missing workouts was becoming “too easy” again. Its always surprising to me how quickly people pick up bad habits and how things can change very quickly.

This is why constant monitoring is vital and doesn’t allow anyone to slide their way into medicority.

This is why i bang on about that dreaded word “consistency”! Its an old subject but maybe it should be a new subject for some of you because some of you may not be getting it?!!!

This is the most common problem i hear time and time again, missing workouts for various reasons, none of them more convincing than the last!

Most people who have jobs have a set job description to get through and if they don’t, they get reprimanded because they are not doing their job properly. If you are missing a couple of workouts a week more often than not, you should really look at yourself again to see how committed you are to your health and fitness programme.

The failure to be honest with yourself is a big hurdle to get hold of, and this is when a false sense of reality sets in. It is good to congratulate ourselves on big achievements and dangerous to congratulate ourselves when we reward ourselves for the slightest effort.

One rule i set for myself many years ago was that if i am feeling physically better year in year out, then i will have been successful. Simply allowing myself or others to get old before our time is not acceptable when we have a whole host of tools to really slow down the effects of old age, yes of course it can be done!!!

One thing i ask this week is to PLEASE make the effort on your own, DO your workouts, EAT good food, SLEEP well and DO your best. Not too much to ask if you want to be your best!!!

Twitt
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Fall of the machines, rise of your body!

The move from machines to more free-flowing methods of training has been remarkable in the last few years.

As anyone who has ever trained with me will know, I always emphasise the need to be able to support your own bodyweight/use your own bodyweight to achieve your goals and there are many, many ways to do this of course.

Machines can be limiting sometimes because of their limited range of motion, when perhaps sometimes the human body wants to figure out the exact movement for itself, and therefore get a much better workout in without the aches and strains that sometimes come from machines.

For me, I would rather be out there walking or running out in the wild countryside than be cooped up indoors on a treadmill, plus I like my body running in a natural movement than in a more artificial way in the gym/house.

I would rather be out on a proper bike in the outdoors than be stuck on a bike that doesn’t go anywhere. Riding a bike outdoors can be very exciting, you don’t get that inside and I think your body learns much more about balance when you have to handle all the twists and turns of the great outdoors.

I like all the stuff you can do in a house/gym involving medicine balls, fit balls, and exercises that make you use your own bodyweight and get you into different positions that you simply can’t do on machines.

I like working on unsteady surfaces to boost my own and a client’s balance and strength, if you’ve never done any of this, I’m telling you now that you are missing out big time and really denying your body of some wonderful results that will help you in every single area of your life.

The good news is that a lot of people have caught on to this way of training and that includes doctors and physiotherapists, the benefits have been proven by science and are now used from rehab programmes to professional sport programmes and everything in between.

If you’re one of those who are very bored with the same old stuff, get yourself away from all those boring machines, start burning more calories and fat with a different all over programme and literally the variety of programmes available are only limited by your imagination.

A change is as good as a rest so never be afraid to mix it all up.

Twitt
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Showing up IS success

Many or probably most of you have had real problems with your training on and off for many years.

The problems though tend to stem from you being “on and off” with your training.

How many of you have stories about how you “used” to be in shape, how you were always going to be in your best ever shape one last time, how you were going to rediscover your youth and feel like you did when you were 21 again?

These are familiar thoughts and while you may not have shouted it loud, you would be feeling those thoughts at certain times in your life with at first hope, and then maybe regret if you never did anything about it!

I see it all the time with people, they make romantic stories up on why they never really got into shape. They forget the one thing that will make them ultimately very successful. SIMPLY SHOWING UP!!

If i didnt show up and write this every day, i would soon make excuses until i never showed up, and this blog would collapse. Some days i feel like writing more than others, but once i get pushing the keyboard again, i realise i was trying to help people again, which is important to me and gives me great satisfaction.

If you dont show up for work when you’re supposed to, you dont get paid so its a must.

If you dont show up to the supermarket, you dont get food and you dont get fed, so this is a must if you want to eat!

If you dont wash every day, your personal hygiene will be a problem and people will stand a few feet away from you! Washing your body and brushing your teeth is a must!

So how about getting shape? How the heck are there all of these romantic stories you tell yourself? I hear many stories all the time. I quickly come to the point though these days as my patience is usually short with people who talk a good game.

Lets come straight to the point. If you show up all the time for your workouts and you eat well, then you WILL be in shape full stop and please lets not make it complicated. Please, please lets not do that!

Its quite hard to keep on thinking of more and more elaborate excuses, if you dont show up, you’re cheating yourself and you will not get into shape full stop!!!

Good luck and its about time you cut the mustard if you’re still not getting where you want to be!!

Twitt