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Thursday, 12th April

Back pain relief is great like we talked about yesterday, and once you are allowed to exercise again in a more expanded way, you suddenly feel “free” again.

To get to this stage though, and never to go back there again, you MUST keep your core stability work up ideally for the rest of your life, or back pain can often return in the same way as before, and sometimes worse especially as you get into your “senior” years, when re-starting physical activity suddenly seems far more daunting.

As I have said many times, “core stability” work seems the most in fashion term in fitness, and has been for a while, but unfortunately most people who train and some of those who teach exercise, do not know the principles needed to work through an all round programme to engage the muscles necessary to relieve back pain, and increase power throughout the body in general!

Core stability is more than a big exercise ball and just “sitting” on it. For a beginner it will mean light exercise learning the basics, for a professional athlete it can mean aggressive powerful movements that enhance their game.

If like most of us, you are somewhere in between, there is much to learn.

If you belong to a gym that includes only machines to do exercise, then you really are not in the most efficient and “functional” place for your body and its longer term future.

If you are doing the same old routine with machines or just run or cycle every day, then you are missing out on a considerable amount of potential progress. We talk about this all the time on here.

If you have never worked out with a medicine ball, a bosu ball, a club roller, a balance wedge, balance pads etc, then you are cheating yourself out of a body and mind that could be significantly stronger. These are not compromise exercises, they are movements that will give you the edge and take you a million miles further in development!!!

All up to you and expand your mind!!!

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
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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

Thursday, 29th March

The positive feeling you get from exercising is an old cliché but one thing is for sure, it can never be underestimated.

If you’re just relying on the weather to get you feeling good about your life, then I wouldn’t hold out too much hope!

Exercise is something you can literally do any day of the year and it will make you feel better.

A walk up steep hills may seem intimidating to start with, but when you are able to do it and ACTUALLY do it, there is never a better feeling of wellbeing. This is both from the buzz you get from the walk AND the deep feeling of satisfaction you get from reaching such a good level of fitness. Again this example is something you can achieve ANY DAY OF THE YEAR!!

The same goes with eating well and healthy, if you have done this for any appreciable length of time, then you will know about having a lot more energy already, and I won’t have to tell you about that.

Eating well also gives you that inner feeling of wellbeing that you are doing your best for yourself internally. If you eat well then you are likely to be avoiding serious disease, your skin is going to glow and all your vital organs are going to really appreciate the good care you are giving them!

For all of this positive evidence, a lot of people still ignore this and find ways to avoid the fundamental ways of staying healthy.

I have heard virtually all the classic excuses and the way people rationalise their unhealthy lifestyles is often hilarious, and sometimes deeply saddening and even disturbing.

I started this piece off talking about “positive” feelings, and unfortunately, an unhealthy lifestyle will bring you nothing but negativity.

Food and lack of exercise will offer you the exact opposite of the positives I gave you earlier on. Most people don’t realise the chemical reaction that food and exercise gives the body, and its consequences.

The bottom line is eat and move to stay positive, eat poorly and lead a sedentary lifestyle and prepare for negative consequences over time.

Twitt
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Wednesday, 28th March

Hate to bring this subject up so early in the year, but people are already seeing the effects of warmer weather training.

I know some people who will actually give themselves some time off training completely, simply because it is so warm and there may be “better things to do!!”. Its a free country and a democracy so good luck to them on what they want to do!

To those of us getting  or at least wanting to get into great condition, we need to find ways of countering these temperature issues!!!

Number one thing to do is treat the situation in a professional manner, even if you do not consider yourself a pro athlete!! Doing things the professional way is just another word for doing things the “right way”!!!

Plan to take onboard more water, your body’s core temperature can go up quickly when exercising in this weather, and drinking water in moderate amounts throughout the day will counter this. No need to overdo it but water will work for you in a number of important ways.

Wear sunscreen!! I remember, and perhaps many of us remember being on the beach when we were kids, and not wearing ANY sun protection!! We are wiser hopefully and i slap on factor 50 every single day now that the seasons have changed!

Try and exercise earlier in the morning or after 5-6pm, when it gets cooler. This will encourage greater performance in exercise, plus simply it will be a lot more pleasanr than exercising in the midday sun!!!

ENOUGH OF ALL THIS NEGATIVITY!!!

Exercising in the sun can be joyous and make you want to get out in the first place, it certainly works for me so why not give it a crack!

This weather also reminds us its time to get into great shape!!! No excuses any more, no time to waste and all of those new year’s resolutions should be about to come true IF you have stuck by them and done all the hard work over the winter!!!

Still not too late so lets get ready for a monumental effort right up the summer months!!!

Twitt