define success – Page 51 – Keri McKibbin Personal Training

June 7, 2012

Thursday, 7th June

Please let’s not hear that excuse about it being too “wet” and damp to exercise, because if you are committed to truly exceptional results, then you know deep down that this is not going to wash when it comes to questioning why you are not achieving your goals.

This is exactly when variety of exercise comes into it, to cut out these so called excuses so you’re not caught up worrying about what the weather is doing all the time.

If it is torrential rain outside, and you don’t fancy going for a run or cycle, or even a walk, then you should have the option of working out inside.

A simple circuit of the following would be very valuable, straight to the point and cut out your excuses not to exercise.

Press ups-10

Arm dips on chair-10

Sitting up and down on a chair-10

Sit ups-10

Alternate squat thrusts-20

Nobody can seriously tell me that five exercises are impossible to do!

Nobody can tell me that ten minutes is too hard “to fit in to your busy lifestyle”!

Most people will make up excuses not do any exercise, please take yourself out of that large group of the general population, or you will become one of the people in this country (the majority in fact) who are classed as overweight and obese.

It makes me laugh when I hear of all the sometimes complicated exercise programmes you hear of in magazines, which are adopted with limited success by the general public.

For most individuals who are just interested in getting fitter and healthier, a simple programme that takes 10-20 minutes three times a week can work surprisingly well.

In fact, I have seen people start off on a programme just like this and go on to achieve great things, such as take part in triathlons, race the London Marathon, go on to ultra-endurance challenges, etc etc.

The starting point can be as small as you want, but the road you take after that is entirely up to you as long as you show commitment and consistency, that’s all it takes!

May 31, 2012

Thursday, May 31st

You either move forward or you fall back, and this is true in everything you do. Standing still is not often possible, and certainly not desirable for most people.

In exercise terms, there has never been a more true statement.

When you start an exercise programme, its natural that you will progress over the short term, but what happens after all of those initial improvements end?

You have to keep moving forward, keep strengthening your mindset and focus on what is to come, rather than keep looking back to what has been and gone.

If you focus all the time on going through all the same exercises, at the same performance level, for the same amount of time, then this is the perfect recipe for mediocrity in your training, and of course overall results.

If you are on the right programme to start with, then you should be looking forward to new challenges that require you to improve your skills, agility, strength, endurance, this is the way it should be.

If you are on the right programme, you should be guided gently and cautiously to these new levels, and your self-confidence will grow and grow all the time.

One of the biggest reasons to be excited about your training is that all the new exercises you will be able to do, will bring the most important factor of all to you-big time results!

If when you start training, your capacity is going to be naturally quite low. If you are on the right programme, that capacity will naturally go up quickly and can easily continue if you keep showing up for workouts, you keep shopping well for good food and cut down on the rubbish, you don’t drink more than once week in terms of alcohol.

A lot of people don’t believe that they can constantly improve their health and fitness. This shows they haven’t been on the right programme, and this has caused them usually to give up in their quest to look and feel their best.

I’m here to tell you there IS another way, all you need to do is take action and make it work for you, and having a commitment to being more active is your first most important step!

May 25, 2012

Friday, 25th May

Apologies i havent been able to post every day the last couple of weeks, but my schedule has been crazier than ever, so even the limited time i usually get to post has gone out the window so to speak!

Anyway, just like i try to encourage you to make your exercise sessions count, i’m going to try and make my posts count too!

We have a 26 degrees day today, and although the temperature may make it hot and sweaty to train, its still important not to miss exercise just because its very warm, and some simple precautions would go a long way in making the whole process a lot more comfortable for you.

Number one is not to exercise in the middle of the day when temperatures are at their hottest. This is the time of day when it really is difficult to exercise, and totally takes you out of your comfort zone. Try early mornings and evenings as much better time slots.

Number two is to drink water throughout the day, and avoid dehydration. Sipping water at regular intervals will keep your body’s core temperature constant and keep you feeling comfortable, and be able to put in a decent workout performance.

Talking about dehydration, this can be a very serious state to get in, chances are if you’re still thirsty, then you are already in a state of dehydration and should look to immediately up your fluid intake. Severe dehydration can be seen in individuals who have white around their lips, this can lead to hospital treatment so beware.

Another key measure is to exercise within yourself and dont push it too far, in fact working slightly short of your normal performance will be a good idea, and being cautious will always lead to sound exercise habits in more extreme heat!

Bottom line is be sensible, and you can still get some good workouts in!!

May 10, 2012

Thursday, 10th May

Adjusting your eating in the first place to become a healthier, fitter person is one of the hardest, most uncomfortable processes we go through.

Although most of us show great enthusiasm when we say we will and want to change our lifestyle, the actual knuckling down to it all can be much harder than we thought.

Most people who are overweight and unhealthy exist on a diet of high refined sugars and high in saturated fat. This is the ultimate double whammy in becoming the most unhealthy version of yourself, and the bad news is that this way of eating can take a lo of getting used to.

Not only that but those of you who eat a lot of “bad” and “empty” calories (in terms of nutritional value), will usually be prone to drinking a lot of these worthless calories in too.

If you see someone carrying a big bottle of coke or pepsi down the road for instance, then its fairly reasonable to expect them to be overweight.

If you see someone who “calls for a pint” every night or every other night in the pub, then is usually guaranteed they will be overweight, and if not, certainly unhealthy inside which can be even worse.

Since most people who live this lifestyle have been on it most of their lives, then of course it is going to be very difficult indeed to get off this path.

The great news is though that once you leave the path of making yourself extremely unhealthy over the long term, the changes can start happening fairly quickly, and happen much quicker again when you start exercising properly, or just even moving around more.

As I said, the hardest decision is often to change your diet in the first place and get on the right road. I don’t consider the right road to be slimming clubs either, they are the quick path to yo-yo dieting and ultimate failure and self-confidence destruction (scientific studies say that 97% of dieters put the weight back on and 5% more).

Im talking about eating healthy, eating fresh when possible and eating foods as much in their natural state as possible. This is the right road that will eventually take you to ultimate health and a strong standard of fitness.

May 8, 2012

Tuesday, May 8th

The revolution in training goes on and some remarkable changes have happened the last few years in particular.

The return of bodyweight training, and the rise and rise of functional training (exercises that have real life meaning) has been fantastic for me, because it what i have done for many, many years and its great to see a lot of people embracing this style of training!

I spoke to an equipment supplier last week and he told me what i already thought-that steppers, cross trainers, treadmills even were on the way out, and that steppers were totally out, and on the way to joining the dinosaurs!!! A lot of companies dont even make steppers anymore!!

I have been banging on for years that these machines should not form the foundation of your training. Steppers in particular don’t offer much value in terms of results, and are an example of a machine doing a lot of the work for you, plus wasting a lot of money.

Treadmills have their place if you are forced to exercise inside, but there are a million other options thats for sure!

If you’re fed up about me talking about medicine balls, bosu balls, swiss balls etc, then tough! This is the way you should be training for all kinds of amazing results. If you want a strong back, then this is for you. If you want a strong tight stomach, then this way of training is for you, if you want great balance, then this way will work big time for you.

Bottom line is that if you want to be fitter, stronger, better balanced and healthier in every single way, then you have to learn how to handle your own bodyweight and really “find” your body again and its true source of power. This isnt some kind of mystical thing either, its entirely possible and its about time you made it happen!!!