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Wednesday, 15th November

On from yesterday means more about the importance of proper nutrition for sports.

So we assuming the client is 14 years of age again and looking to get bigger for rugby.

Then we explained how important it was still important to eat good quality food, and in bigger portions gradually over time.

Now we have to explain why you need to eat every 3 hours ideally, and its importance in rugby and sports in general.

When you play rugby usually on a saturday, its a tough sport and you will naturally break down muscle tissue in all the mauling, ripping of the ball and wrestling and big hits all over the field for 80 minutes! You need to recover from this on the saturday night and sunday and this is done by showing great interest in the power of food in recuperation terms.

Whenever you break down muscle tissue, you need to replace it again through the power of food and the power of good sleep.

So putting a meal together of good protein and good carbs, along with vegetables will replace a lot of the broken down muscle tissue and help you not only recover, but make fresh gains.

This same principle applies to weight training too, as we have talked about in the last few days.

Whenever you do a weights session, you naturally break down muscle tissue. So guess what? Yes, its the good quality protein, good carbs and vegetables you need to put back into your system again within an hour of finishing weight training and throughout the day.

You need your porridge for breakfast, wholemeal bread, wholegrain pasta throughout the day packed with lean proteins such as white meats and fish, and try to pack in a meal with veggies included in it at least once a day. This will make sure your body is in fine shape inside and out!

Tomorrow we have an insight on how important water is in your diet and how it affects your performance and health overall.

Twitt
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Tuesday, 8th November

So now we have got used to the idea we can get in great shape, no matter what the time of year and whatever the weather, you can focus all your attention on actually doing it!!!

Showing some resiliance right now is vital to keep you going in the 6 weeks of so left to christmas.

One of the best ways to that is do something different.

Once we change our programme, we freshen our minds and body to fresh stimulation and the reaction is always positive.

You do the same thing day in day out, week in week out and your results are likely to be average at best. You change things every 6-12 weeks and you are setting yourself up for regular changes to your  physical condition.

The idea of freshening things up is very exciting this time of year, the mere fact that we are talking about big improvements before christmas should excite you.

I have  numerous questions lately about a bad back and how you get around it.

First of all, the number one cause of back pain is weight around the trunk area, so you have got to start eating healthy and drink alcohol a maximum of once week only.

Then there’s posture. Lounging around on a settee can be vicious for your back, and lead to weaknesses. Sitting in a chair in a poor position for longer periods can also destroy your back.

Driving for longer distances is another common disaster waiting to happen, regular breaks in your driving would help.

After you do all of these things, you need to strengthen your core (your back, hamstrings, thighs, stomach) in a well thought out way.

A fit ball would work well, those huge inflatable balls, there are various exercises you can use as discussed previously, and this ball would be a great start.

Apologies for the lack of videos on here but i will rectify that at some stage. If you google how to use a fit ball/swiss ball for back pain, that should give you a decent start as there a ton of videos on the net.

Good luck and start right now by changing your food, it will lessen the strain on your back over time and help make you a new person!!!!

Twitt
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Monday, 7th November

The very cold weather has finally arrived and its a big wake up call to your body today!

The first reaction is to stay indoors as much as possible and do your best to “hibernate” until april!!! Just like many animals do in the wild!

Then we have to get real and go about our daily lives the best we can.

So now we have got over the fact that we are not going to curl and freeze for the winter, its time to set out a plan!!

Most of you won’t be on salads for the winter, and you may be already switching to hotter, more filling foods already.

The great news is that you can easily stay fit and healthy in the winter and all of this cold weather is no excuse to go into your shell, or “pig out” on fatty and sugary food!

Take soups for example. Are you the type to make your own version of soup full of natural ingredients or the type to rely on tins of soup? The difference can be startling!

For one, the soup you make naturally has the opportunity to be full of vegetables and a good nourishing meat if you fancy meat.

The soup in a tin is absolutely loaded with salt and usually sugar which is seriously bad news for your health. Salt and excess salt is the best way to develop problems with blood pressure and water retention, so if you want to feel horrid and bloated, go ahead and stick to the tins!!!!

If you’re into feeling and looking healthy, then this winter you STILL need to make fresh natural food your absolute priority!!! Without eating well, you won’t get anywhere near your goals in health terms so its important right now NOT to fall into the trap of tinned toup and other high salt and sigar products. There are lots of winter vegetables you can use to make soups and broths that will nourish your body in a first class way!!

The ideal time to commit yourself to a whole winter of healthy eating is today so lets give it your best!

Twitt
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Thursday, 3rd November

Alarming figures today regarding our dietary habits in wales.

It turns out that we consume a lot more sugar and saturated fat than our English counterparts.

This leads of course due to serious health worries such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers.

The NHS is a ticking timebomb and unless we change our habits now or at least very soon, the NHS really wont be able to fund the massive increase in money its going to need from the government.

The biggest problem is the lack of genuine solutions.

They try to encourage kids to eat better in schools, yet are cutting budgets in school canteens to impossible levels, meaning the lowest quality of food is going to be served every break time and lunch time in schools.

I have worked previously in two large comprehensives in the area, and was appalled at what they were serving our future generation. I interviewed the canteen manager and she was desperate to be able to serve more nutritious food, but was stopped doing so by the local authority manager for school budgets.

I then met the local authority manager in charge of this, and she flat out denied that there was rubbish being served every day. I tried arguing my point, AND the canteen manager’s point, but she tried unsuccessfully to shout me down. The person concerned in charge hadn’t the first clue about proper nutrition, she was much more concerned with her figures, which was in my book disgraceful and I told her so!!!!

Then one large comprehensive school near trostre shopping area we all know, actually HAD A SWEET VAN ALLOWED TO COME INTO SCHOOL EVERY DAY!!!

I wanted to meet the headmaster on this point and he refused, or at least try to put me off 6 weeks until he retired!!! What a coward and an example of a public service official more interested in his gold plated pension!!!

With leadership like this in schools, our future and our kids future, AND THE NHS FUTURE is definitely NOT SAFE!!!!

Unless we get kids educated and their parents educated, then we are not going to get fitter and healthier as a nation, that’s for sure!

These high profile campaigns always lack substance and are always just photo opportunities!!! To be honest, seeing ministers trying to fake joining in exercise turns my stomach, the leadership if you can call it that stinks from right from the top, and if that happens, what hope have we got!

Fortunately, there are some good teachers out there still trying to carry the message in the right way, its about time our so called “leaders”  start walking the talk!!!

Twitt
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Wednesday 2nd November

One of the biggest misconceptions about exercise is what you need to do, and what is considered enough!

There are a lot of people who dont do ANY exercise at all, and unfortunately never will, perhaps because they think that they “know better” somehow??!!

Then there’s the people who think that just walking is enough, they think that walking is the ultimate exercise, is the most enjoyable exercise and you would be a lunatic to do anything more than this!!! I agree that walking is a very good exercise indeed, but to say it covers all your body and health needs is at best misguided and to be frank, downright wrong!!!

Fitness is about so much more than having a walk, walking is part of it no doubt because its a great activity, but isn’t there so much more?!!!

Of course there is more and what about resistance training? Weight training of all kinds strengthens your joints, bones, tendons and ligaments, it tones your body and in particular muscle tone, it speeds up your metabolism because lean muscle tissue burns far more calories per 24 hours, for instance one pound of fat burns around 2 calories a day, one pound of lean muscle tissue can burn up to 50 calories a day.

Then there is walking as we have previously mentioned here and there are great walks all around us.

You can also take part in running on many of the great coastal paths around the county, and cycling gives you an opportunity to do the same routes, but a lot quicker and no strain on your joints! Swimming is a favourite for many and again doesn’t stress your joints and can become a serious part of an individual’s day, i know many whpo participate daily and absolutely love it.

Then there is stability, balance and endurance work which anyone who has ever trained with me, will know an awful lot about!!! This will solve any back trouble, hip weakness and most joints problems if done cautiously, and can apply to a pro athlete or an absolute beginner!!!

There are a million and one options so please don’t restrict yourself just to walking please!

Twitt