Posted on

Thursday, 30th August

To follow on from all of the positivity yesterday, its vital you practice this each and every day, and after just a few days your life WILL change.

Let’s get one thing straight, EVERY SINGLE PERSON i know get their moment of doubt in what they are doing, and sometimes different parts of every day.

The key is to try and keep crushing those doubts by carrying on with certainty in what you are doing. If you believe in what you are doing, then the key is to carry on with that belief until good things happen.

Those moments of doubt and indecision are the critical moments in deciding whether you’re ultimately going to be successful or not.

When i first started off in my career, there were countless times when i wondered whether i was doing was right, but the more practice and the more results i had, the more certain i became that what i was doing was going to work time and time again. This is what comes with plenty of experience, we all make mistakes sometimes but the more experience you develop, those mistakes should become less and less as long as you have done your research!

So if we trying to have a really big effect on our bodies through exercise and eating well, we had better start learning how to become positive every day. Exercise is one of the most positive things you can do, and if you are planning to do some form of exercise most days, then your chances of being a much more positive person should be pretty high.

So accept that you WILL get those moments of doubt and indecision, on whether you should show up for your workout, whether you should eat that high fat meal or not, whether you should have another heavy night on alcohol or not, whether you should go on a new faddy diet or not, whether you should listen to all of the magazines on how to get fit, all of these decisions and more will dictate on what kind of physical condition you get in!!!

Your future is shaped by everyday questions, what kind of future is dictated by your answers!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 28th June

We always talk about how to get more out of yourself, and being the best version of yourself is something that most of us are aiming to get to at some stage.

All of this talk is fine, but can be more than a little off-putting for some individuals I have found.

Not everyone wants to be some kind of high-achiever that is focused on giving 200% every time he or she trains. In practice, that is not often possible anyway!

The way I get around this is to give people little and often exercise sessions.

If I told an individual that they had to constantly do a complicated exercise programme, then I know a number of individuals I train would shy away from that and find it very difficult in reality!

The approach to use is to give someone a fairly simple (but still very productive) exercise programme that lasts them around 20-25 minutes maximum.

Then to include no more than 6 exercises in their programme so things never become in any way complicated, or difficult to remember.

Most people have complicated lives as it is, the last thing they need is a headache when going through their workouts.

For example, cleaning your teeth is one of the most simple things you do, pretty straightforward for everyone you would hope.

The result from all that brushing?

Good mouth health and hygiene, your teeth and gums in good shape and when done twice a day, you tend not to have too many painful visits to the dentist!!

The same should be true about your exercise programme, keeping it simple encourages a lot more participation and regular exercise. Get the actual exercises right and your results will become strong.

No need to over-complicate unless you’re training for something very specific. To the average exercise, simplicity is always best!

Twitt
Posted on

Monday, 30th April

One  big reason to practice functional training instead of “run of the mill” workouts is sheer range of movement and “real life” application.

You aren’t going to get as many meaningful benefits from just using machines compared to the multi-benefits of functional exercise.

For instance, a simple test i do on individuals and turn it into an exercise is simply standing up and down on a chair.

Most people can do this, some cannot however and will really struggle to get up. This shows a lack of mobility and underlying strength.

This shows a lack of strength in the core more specifically, and this will give me significant clues about the programme that needs to be prescribed.

How many people do you know who need a lift up from a chair? Quite a few i would imagine especially after the age of 50? When you think about it, this is FAR too young to be experiencing mobility problems and work needs to be immediately done on this vital source of power and movement for the body.

Every exercise i give an individual, i will be looking for “real life” benefits from it. Every workout should help the individual live a better quality of life, that’s my mission every time.

So you can i get more than a little frustrated with people whose sole focus is “losing weight”! This means the individual doesnt really know the vast and true possibilities and opportunities that correct exercise selection brings.

Yes, you WILL drop some weight, body fat from the exercises i give you, sometimes a substantial amount if needed, but appreciating the big picture will make your health and fitness programme far more rewarding for you.

 This is why i really despise weight loss clubs and their false claims. They only focus on the weight, usually done in an unsustainable way too, so in my book they will always be a total “no no”!

Enjoy your training and the many real life benefits it brings.

Twitt
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

Thursday, 8th March

Following on with the family food advice, you need to keep considering why you are doing this whole thing, and this will keep you strong in your times of doubt and uncertainty.

  • Eating often is fun and good for you!

–     This day’s eating is all about eating every 3 hours or so, raising the rate our bodies burn calories so we burn more fat, feeling full throughout the day so we don’t feel the need to binge at certain time, and actually feel about hundred times better than we have before.

Positive trade off’s

–     You CAN keep this way of eating up if you really try and all it takes sometimes is  5 minutes preparation the night before making a packed lunch.

–     Plus, all that money you will have spent on junk food can go on something worthwhile, like a new dvd or some new clothes!

  • Summing up

–     changing your lifestyle to a rewarding healthy one starts with what you put into your body. Make it a priority when you go to a supermarket to influence your parents on what you want to eat. As a parent, you can inspire your kids to eat well too. They will listen if you tell then you want good food (and vice-versa) and soon it will become second nature.

–     Make sure you try and work up to 5 servings of fruit and veg a day

–     Try and get 2 servings of protein such as fish, chicken, eggs, lean beef, nuts, lentils etc per day.

–     Choose 2 portions of milk, yoghurt, cheese etc for calcium and extra protein

–     Use whole meal/wholegrain versions of pasta, bread, rice, cereals, potatoes to give you lots of energy every day.

–     Try to limit these in your diet using them more as a treat-Crisps, cakes, biscuits, pastries, chips, mayo,  salad cream, margarine, cooking oil, pop/fizzy drinks

You have had a pretty good overview on how you should be making your healthy lifestyle count, and its benefits.

If you adopt all or most of these guidelines, then you and your family’s quality of life in terms of health will be enhanced out of all recognition.

Once you do it this way, you won’t fall for the next “big” diet, those slimming classes that never ever worked long term (scientific studies back all of this up), or any of the faddy ways to lose weight.

Trust in your own instincts of what is right, is sensible and likely to work for you over a lifetime!

Twitt