You will NEVER look how you want to look

I’m not one to be a detractor from people trying to better themselves; if you’re going to work hard, eat well and be honest with yourself about the effort that you’re going to put in then that’s great!

However, for the other 95% of gym users, it’s important to realise “You will NEVER look how you want to look.”

Here are some reasons why:

Miss-sold perceptions of how much work is necessary
If you take a glance at the magazine rack at your nearest shop you won’t need to look far before you see promises of a “6 week body” or “simple plan”. In reality there is NO “simple” route and NO way you can look like the person on the cover in 6 weeks (unless you are already in very good shape). Being healthy and getting the body you desire is a long-term plan that requires consistency and commitment for months on end... not a few weeks!


Miss-sold perceptions of what actually went on
Most leading health and fitness magazines have at some stage featured a plan claiming “This is how (insert celebrity) got into shape.” However, there are some things that have been overlooked: 1) There is often insufficient information on the nutrition required for these results. 2) The trainer involved is unlikely to offer all of their methods and techniques they used for free. Instead, this is probably an example of one workout that they used (or, in many cases, just a random workout), 3) This is the job of the celebrity. They were able to focus their entire day on exercise, proper rest and nutrition. You probably have a full time job to contend with so it’s unlikely you can put in the same level of effort, 4) There was probably some supplements involved. Some legal and often some illegal. That’s the truth.


You don't train hard enough
In reality, the physique that you have in mind takes a LOT of hard work. Training with a purpose and a relevant plank and intensity is something that a lot of people overlook. Chatting to people while you train, using your phone at regular intervals, watching TV or entering the gym without a clear and distinct session plan are all guaranteed to leave you not achieving the results you want.


You don't eat well enough
The quality of your training is only half of the battle. The other side is your nutrition. It’s essential to invest in your nutrition and focus on planning your meals and snacks. I often tell clients: “When it comes to nutrition - Common sense doesn’t always apply”. You may think that you’re “eating well”, however your efforts may be misguided. It’s always best to seek professional nutrition guidance and take away all of the guess work. Some of the food you need to focus on may be more expensive but look at it as an investment. Remember: Eating well isn’t expensive. Eating bad food is cheap!


You're not consistent enough
This is where you need to be honest. If you’ve ever “tried” something, did you just “try”? Or, did you give it your full effort? Did you stick to your eating plan 100%? Did you never miss a single gym session? Did you ever have a good week then a bad week? Or, a good day then a bad day? This is not to say that you can NEVER have a treat or enjoy yourself but... you don’t instantly have treats and things you shouldn’t. If you’re seriously trying to lose body fat and you’re more than 14lbs away from your ideal weight then for now, you should minimise “cheat meals”; especially if they keep on appearing time after time. Don’t have the logic “I worked hard at the gym today so I can have this pudding.” That kind of habit building will get you nowhere.


You're not applying enough time to your goals
Again, you’ve been fooled by the sales of these “6 week plans”. Give your body time to adjust to your changing lifestyle. If you’ve suddenly reduced your calories and/or increased the amount of exercise you’re doing then your body will take some time to understand this and establish a routine. If you’re consistent with the amount of calories you consume and the amount of exercise you do then your body will be able to regulate calorie use and hormone levels in order to help you gradually improve body composition. If you don’t apply yourself for at least 3 months then this won’t happen and you won’t see any changes and yet again, you’ll pack it in.


It doesn't actually matter enough to you
Here’s the one that accounts to about 95% of people. Either A) You’re not in terrible shape so you “wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds”, or “Wouldn’t mind getting a bit leaner” but if it doesn’t happen then you’re not that bothered. Or, B) You like the idea of being in better shape, but not as much as you like the idea of drinking alcohol regularly, eating take away food, not sleeping enough, eating high levels of sugar and not prepping your food. Basically, it all sounds like too much hard work.




REMEMBER:
This is not meant to be a negative, moaning blog putting you down and making you feel useless. Instead, it’s designed for you to take a closer, more honest look at your behaviour and realise why you aren’t in the shape you want to be in. If you’re happy with that, that’s fine. If not, then perhaps now you can look at address these behaviours.




Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and  YouTube

"I haven't eaten ketchup all year..." - Breaking Habitual Eating Habits

Since January 1st 2016 I haven't eaten any ketchup.


What a great achievement! Well not really. I've had other condiments on some occasions such as brown sauce and mayonnaise.


So what's the point?
Well, I wanted to see if I could make conscious decisions and replace habitual eating with conscious eating.


To put it into perspective, I was not exactly a ketchup addict. But, it did find its way onto eggs occasionally in the morning when they seemed a bit dry and onto some dinner plates too. It was becoming unconscious and I wanted to see what I could do about it.


What about you?
Many people will eat or drink certain things at certain times just because "that's what I've always done."


But what if these things are benefiting them? In fact, what if these small things are regularly steering them away from their goals.


What do you do unconsciously? Biscuits with your daily cup of tea? Sugars in your tea? Pudding after dinner? Alcohol after work?


What should you do next?
Try to remove these habitual things that are taking you further from your goals for 3 weeks or more. Know that you're not going to go without them forever.
Then, as you choose to, gradually re-introduce some of the things on a less frequent occasion.


Building these conscious habits with your eating can be a great way to increase your awareness of the foods you consume and in doing so, strike up a much more beneficial balance between "good" and "bad".


If you're not sure where to start then perhaps write a food diary and look through it after a week to find recurring detractors that keep reappearing such as foods that are high in sugar.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT)

The A-Z scale of Lifestyles and Physiques

Recently I have been talking to my clients about what I imagine as an A-Z scale of lifestyles and how these lifestyles usually offer you an exact reflection of your physique.

Or as some people say: "You get out exactly what you put in."

Yes, there are exceptions to every rule. The people that seem to eat whatever they want and stay lean or those at the other end of the spectrum and live a seemingly healthy lifestyle but can't shift any extra body fat.

Yes, there are exceptions but also remember: "What you eat in private, you wear in public". Sometimes all is not as it may appear...

So, what's an "A Lifestyle" and what do these people look like?

An "A Lifestyle" is a clean diet involving no processed foods, no preservatives, no refined sugars, no alcohol and no days off from this regime. An "A Lifestyle" person will train frequently with purpose, intensity and direction with progressive overload. They do not skip days, they do not "just do a bit today" and they do not approach their week without a plan.

As a result, they probably look something like this...

So, what's a "Z Lifestyle" and what do these people look like?

A "Z Lifestyle" has no structure. This person does not exercise, eats what they want and the majority of their food choices are dependent on what's most convenient rather than rich in nutrients. Take away food, instant meals, sweats, puddings, sugars and fatty foods are frequent in their diet.

These people will usually end up looking something like this...

For the vast majority of people, sustaining "A Lifestyle" is not achievable. And you're far from being a "Z Lifestyle" person." However... I like to start the year aiming to move myself close to "Lifestyle A". Take note of changes in my body, mood and energy.

Then not through habit, but through conscious choices I add in things which don't belong in "Lifestyle A" (the odd bit of alcohol, sugar etc) until I reach a point/letter that I'm happy to settle on. THIS is my sustainable lifestyle; ideally closer to "Lifestyle A" than I was before this process.

What I'm trying to say is...

Don't "end up" with a lifestyle, exercise and eating habits accidently. Experience a style of living far "better" than one you intend on sustaining and then consciously set your lifestyle guidelines.

Give it a go and see if you can move a little closer to an "A Lifestyle."

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

Crowding Out: Add in to make progress. Don't take away!

Many of you may be aiming for a healthier lifestyle in 2016.

More often than not this mean "get rid of X", "stop doing Y", remove all "Z's". Doesn't sound like much of a deal right?

Well, what if instead of taking things away, you could add more to your life and still make progress?

Recently I have been reading about "crowding out". An economic (something about public sector vs private sector spending) which is now being used in a nutritional sense.

In basic (my) terms, the idea of "Nutrition Crowding Out" is about focusing your efforts on good, introducing more "good" so that you are less interested with the "bad" elements of your life.

For example: Rather than seeing clean eating as a task why not put more effort into it so that it becomes more enjoyable and interesting? Do some additional reading, find some interesting recipes, shop for new and interesting ingredients and focus on food preparation and creating interesting tastes and meals. Fill yourself with so much "good" nutrients that you won't have the same cravings for any of the "bad".

With your lifestyle habits why not spend more time and energy on healthy pursuits rather than time and effort thinking about bad foods, lazy habits and activities that compromise your progress.

For example joining an exercise group (fitness classes, walking or running groups, climbing clubs, sports teams etc etc) so that you now have more of your free time committed to exercise.

Soon enough your mind will be less attracted to the "bad" in your life given hat you are applying so much physical and mental energy to the "good".

Give it a go, don't take away from your life but add in and "crowd out".

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

Staying Active and Healthy on Holiday

WAIT, WAIT! Don't move on just yet!!

 

I'm not about to tell you to live a fully healthy and exercise filled life while on holiday.

But... there are a few groups of people out there (me included) that might wish to just keep things ticking on holiday and also limit the damage to their hard work which has been taking place leading up to the holiday.

 

People that actually enjoy exercise (yes, they/we exist), people that are a long way from their goal and want to avoid as many backwards steps as possible, people that don't want to "start over" when they get home (remember the pain of last time) or people that simply enjoy feeling healthy and active - read on.

 

TAKING STUFF WITH YOU:

If you want to travel light but take the odd piece of equipment with you while you're away and without a gym then there are a few great options.

 

TRX: While it may seem costly, the TRX (or similar suspension training equipment) are extremely versatile. They allow you to work the entire body and have progressions/regressions for most exercises meaning that everyone from an experienced exerciser to a gym-novice can challenge themselves. There are also a number of great apps with free TRX workouts on them so, if you're unsure what to do, you can have someone walk you through a workout step-by-step. They're also lightweight to pack and don't use up much valuable luggage space. A few quirky ideas here if you want to try some tougher exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNtzl7ui-c4 

or 15 other exercises here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-z6X4ifYiA 

 

GLIDERS: There are a few options available to you, personally I pack the purple disks below as most places on holiday will have a tiled floor for these to work on. These particular disks aren't that cheap so an alternative is to use two small hand towels/flannels. The majority of the exercises that you can do with these are core based exercises but they're easy to pack and offer you some challenging workouts that you can even do in your room.

if you want cheap disks that can be used on carpet and astroturf, I tend to use furniture moving disks from Amazon. Very cheap and do exactly the same thing. If you're on holiday and forget your disks you can even use an upside down Frisbee - no excuses now!

 

RESISTANCE BANDS: These take up a little more space and are a little heavier BUT... offer you a chance to do standard resistance work on the move. Again, they are really versatile and can offer you a different workout with improved time under tension if used correctly.

(cheesy) Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7M2nwbh2Cg

USE YOURSELF:

Alternatively, body weight workouts can be highly effective and challenging too. Plus, it's probably something a little different to your normal exercise regime so it might be a refreshing change for a couple of weeks while you're away.

There's loads you can do and plenty of people on YouTube have pieced together workouts for you to follow too. Check this one for a few bodyweight ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R819KfRrRe0 

Or, if there's a kids park nearby you have even MORE exercise options available to you. Like this park workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td4tRul_u5w

STAY ACTIVE:

Whether you decide to have structured "workouts" on holiday or not, it's important to try and stay active on holiday. Walk, swim, climb, play, crawl and play. Rest is important but stopping your body from moving freely as it should is an absolute no-no.

QUICKFIRE GYM CIRCUITS:

If you're on holiday it's usually hot (you'd hope) - which might be bad for exercising. However, the gym hotel is usually empty - which is good for exercising. Why not make the most of this rarity and put together quick gym circuits? You can blitz through a number of exercises quickly and have the rest of your day to relax and enjoy your holiday.

Be creative: recently on holiday I set a timer up for 30 secs work, 15 secs rest. I had a spin bike, my body and a single dumbbell that was about 10kg. During the working 30 seconds I simply alternated between the spin bike and a bodyweight or dumbbell exercise. I soon worked up a sweat and covered all major muscle groups and movements in 20 minutes or so. Then a recovery swim in the sea - beautiful start to the day!

THE FOOD STUFF:

Remember: "you can't out train a bad diet". So while cake and pudding might seem tempting at breakfast, lunch and dinner, aim for a MINIMUM of 50/50 as a good/bad food ratio. Be aware of what you're consuming. Try to avoid unnecessary sugars and aim for the high protein options at all times.

 

Also: remember to drink plenty of water. Not JUST when you're dehydrated by sip it throughout the day and remain hydrated; especially with the increase in temperature and alcohol levels that you might be consuming.

 

REMEMEBER... YOU'RE ON HOLIDAY!!!

 

Don't let health and fitness ruin your fun. But likewise... don't let your fun ruin your health and fitness!

 

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

Christmas is a time for giving... Here are some free workouts

With the festive season just around the corner, I wanted to give you all something from me.

Christmas time can be a common time for people to fall off the wagon in every unhealthy way imaginable. Late nights, extra alcohol, extra food, extra chocolate or nibbles and no exercise.

I can't stop you from doing ALL of that, but what I wanted to do was offer you 10 quick workouts that you can do in or around the house.

Ideally, you would drag yourself to the gym. But, if you're not going to do that, you could at least spare 20-30 minutes to do some of these at home over the holidays.

As a promise, I'm going to do each of these as a MINIMUM this holiday just to up my activity levels.

I HOPE some of you might take these and give them a go; if you do, let me know how you get on.

I'd ALSO like to remind you of this handy article which explains how you can approach Christmas in order to limit the damage you cause yourself: Brilliant Christmas article - click and read!

WORKOUTS

WORKOUT 1 - 22 mins

Set your watch or timer for 10 minutes. Leave your house and run as far as you can in 10 minutes. Don't think too much about where you're running, just run in the most continuous and straight way you can. When the alarm goes, stop and rest for 2 minutes. After that, reset the alarm and try to make it all the way home in 10 minutes.

WORKOUT 2 - 20-25mins

Set a time to go off every 30 seconds for 20 minutes. You'll work for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds and carry on until you complete 4 or 5 rounds

A1) Press Ups

A2) Bodyweight Squat or Jump Squats for more advanced

A3) Mountain Climbers

A4) Plank

A5) Alternating reverse lunges while raising your arms and opening your shoulders

WORKOUT 3 - 20 mins

Set your timer for Tabata (20 secs work, 10 secs rest). Perform each of these exercises against the Tabata timer until you have completed all 8 sets of 20 secs. Then, rest a full minute and move on to the next exercise.

Exercise 1: Mountain Climbers

Exercise 2: Burpees

Exercise 3: Plank-Push Ups / Suicide Push Ups

Exercise 4: Kneeling - squat (do a squat, climb down to kneeling position, and back up, squat and repeat)

WORKOUT 4 - 21 mins

Set your timer to sound every 60 seconds for 21 minutes. Start each exercise when the buzzer sounds and rest for the remainder of the minute. For examples, if the exercise takes you 30 seconds then you still have 30 seconds rest. But, if it takes you 50 seconds for example, you only have 10 seconds rest until your next exercise. Speed is of the essence. Complete 7 rounds of these 3:

A1) 10-15 press ups and reach. As you come up from the press up extend your arm and the opposite leg and hold at the top position for a second. Change arm and leg each repetition.

A2) 20-40 Mountain Climbers & 5-10 Crunches

A3) 10 reverse lunges or 16 Jumping switch lunges

WORKOUT 5 - 21 mins

Set your timer for 30 second intervals. Complete each of these exercises for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R819KfRrRe0 

WORKOUT 6 - 22 mins 

Repeat the 20 minute run in workout 1 and aim to run further.


Workout 7 - 15 minutes or so
Bodyweight complex - do 1 repetition of each of the exercises below in this order. Keep going until you have completed 8 repetitions of each. That's 1 set. Then rest for 60-90 seconds and repeat it again until you have done 3 sets. ie: by the time you've finished, you will have completed 24 repetitions of each exercise by doing 3 x 8 reps. Make sense?


A1) Squat
A2) Reverse lunge each leg
A3) Burpee
A4) Press Up
A5) Lower Back Extensions
A6) 8 mountain climbers
A7) A "pop up"
That's 1 rep.

WORKOUT 8 - 11mins

Roxanne Challenge: Play the song "Roxanne" by The Police. When they sing the words "Roxanne" perform exercise 1. When they sing "Put on the red light" perform exercise 2. Rest for 2 minutes and then try it with the next exercises.

A1) Press Up

A2) Up/Downs or Plank-Push Up or Suicide Push Up (whatever you want to call it)

B1) 2 x Squat Jumps

B2) Burpee

WORKOUT 9 - Ladder: As fast as you can without rest

A1) 10 Press Ups

A2) 10 Squats

A3) 10 Lower Back Extensions

A4) 10 Burpees

A5) 10 Crunches

Then 8 of each, 6 of each, 4 of each, 2 of each, and finish with 10 of each.

WORKOUT 10 - 20 mins

Set the timer for 30 second intervals. Work for 30 secs, rest for 30 secs.

A1) Press Ups

A2) Plank

A3) Squats

A4) Left Side Plank

A5) Split Squat - Left leg Forward

A6) Right Side Plank

A7) Split Squat - Right leg forward

A8) Plank

A9) Lower Back Extensions

A10) Left Side Plank

A11) Plank Crawl Outs

A12) Right Side Plank

A13) Burpees

A14) Plank

A15) Mountain Climbers

A16) Left Side Plank

A17) Crunches

A18) Right Side Plank

A19) Straight leg Raises

A20) Plank

There you have it - 10 workouts - all under 30 mins and all without equipment.

make it your challenge to do at LEAST these over Christmas. I'm going to make a start on them December 20th or there abouts to finish them this month. I'll be moaning about them on Twitter.

Enjoy.

Try them out and let me know how you get along.

DON'T FORGET: You can follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

There is literally NO excuse for eating badly

So before you read the headline and think I'm either unrealistic, militant, a moron or all three, read on.

I'm not asking you to never eat a chip again, never touch alcohol again and never touch another Haribo (I know I could never fully say "bye" to my friend Mr.Haribo).

What I AM saying is there is ALWAYS a choice. So when people say: "I know I'm going to eat badly this week because of...." then that's fine. But that's your choice.

Make the choice: Do you want to carry on optimising your training 100%? Or do you want a beer? Do you want to continue to make steady progress in reward for all of your hard work? Or, do you want some chips?

Neither is necessarily the "wrong" answer. But don't tell me how badly you want to lose weight the day before you eat a tub of Ben and Jerry's because you had organised to go the cinema so it was inevitable.

Obviously there will be times where you turn to the dark side and eat something from the less desirable list. But, use a little forward planning, know when these are and then avoid other easier and less appealing slip ups.

For instance, you're heading out for a meal with your partner and you're looking forward to a drink before hand and probably pudding after. Fine, but knowing this is coming you can't just grab some breakfast on the way to work which ends up being a croissant and a coffee, grab a sandwich and a bottle of coke at lunch and then some sweets for an afternoon pick-up. If you're booking in some slip-ups, you need to be flawless before and after.

Here's some ways to spot these hurdles and some choices you can make. Do them all and you're a far better person than me. Avoid the majority and you're likely to be doing better than you are now:

"I have to go out for dinner"

That's fine and no one would expect you to stay in and never venture out for food. There's usually a varied menu at most places you visit and, if you really want to focus on your food choices, you can ask for a tweaked version of the listed meal. For instance, if you're at an establishment that seems to believe chips are an essential addition to any meal, then simply ask them to trade the chips for additional vegetables. No one will blink twice at the request and you won't even be faced with the temptation of chips on your plate. Of course, there will be some restaurants that you deliberately visit for an unhealthy food option such as a pizza place or your favourite burger and beer combo. But... if that's the case be sure to consider that as a treat to yourself and not a "go-to" dinner. Also, be sure to make sure your food before this meal is outstanding. If you can, try to exercise that day. Exercise has been heavily linked with improving decision making around food choices.

"I was in and out of meetings all day"

This is a common one and often an excuse for "grabbing a sandwich on the go". Instead, why not prep your food the night before and eat it in instalments between meeting. You must get 5 minutes surely? Another idea is to have a casein protein shake just before your meeting. It will keep you fuelled and alert through longer meetings and also supply protein to your body over a prolonguied period. Finally, if it's not a bit Captain Keeno, why not make healthy protein snacks? 1) Your boss will love you, 2) You can eat healthy snacks throughout and not be forced into picking at junk.

"I don't have time for breakfast in the mornings"

Simple. Wake up earlier. Breakfast doesn't need to take hours to create. You can make and eat a nutritious breakfast such as scrambled eggs with mushrooms and turkey (my favourite) in a matter of minutes. There's no excuse! If you're tired in the mornings then go to bed earlier. Or, just stop moaning, get up and make your breakfast while you're tired and get on with it. You want to be in better physical shape? But not as much as 15 minutes more sleep? You obviously don't want it that badly.

"I don't have time to prepare my lunch"

Prepare it the night before. Either cook extra dinner and put that aside for lunch the next day or just take the time to prepare your lunch before you settle down for the evening. You DO have time, it's just a case of identifying the time and addressing the issue in advance. Remember: Tupperware is your friend!

"I don't get home from work until late"

Your problem is similar. The solution is: preparation. While you're happy to wait a few minutes for your microwave meal to cook or for your take away to be heated and delivered this time could easily be spent cooking a quick meal such as grilling some basic meat that you had ready to use. It's perfectly manageable; it's just a case of if you can be bothered or not.

"They only serve junk food"

If you know that you're heading somewhere with poor food options, perhaps even your workplace, then you'll need to prepare your own food. The easiest option is to take left overs from last nights dinner. Failing that, you'll need to find 5 minutes either the night before or in the morning to throw together something to take with you.

"I had to take clients out"

Often people will use client entertainment as a green light to let lose with food and drink. While you don't want to make people feel uneasy or appear boring and unable to let your hair down, ask yourself: would they ACTUALLY care if I didn't drink? If you can avoid mid-week drinking or drinking for the sake of it on a regular basis this will have a huge impact on body composition and dietary choices. If you think you might be pressured into drinking why not drive and use that as your excuse for not drinking? They're unlikely to put pressure on you throughout the evening to drink then. Just as above, if it genuinely is unavoidable, take this into consideration with your food and exercise regime in the time before and after your client night out.

"I'm flying that day so can't control my food options"

This one is tricky but again, if you REALLY don't want to let things slip you have choices. many long-haul flights won't allow you to take food produce into another country. However, if you eat the food in the air they won't mind. This means that you can prepare all of the food you want and eat on-board. Alternatively, make sure you're fuelled pre-flight by eating ahead of time and even having a casein proteins hake or bar on flight or just before hand for high quality, slow releasing nutrients.

"My family won't eat healthy things if I cook it for them"

Firstly, if they're children, yes they will. Children learn from their environment and only understand from experience. If you don't make a big fuss about it and even try to make interesting meals with fresh produce then they can be enjoyable and the children won't think anything of it. If the problem (child) is a little older or your partner is the issue then either try to cook something a little more diverse (millions of options online) or cook separate meals. Don't suffer failure as a result of someone else's narrow mindedness.

As I said, you're unlikly to stick to all of these examples in your life but, be aware of them before they arise and plan around them where possible rather than accepting them and falling at the first hurdle. All it takes is a little foresight and a hell of a lot of will power... That's all!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube

“If you want to make a change, you have to make a change”

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying:

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

 

Yet, all these years later, some people are BAFFLED as to why they’re bodies aren’t behaving as they wish it would.

So here are a few easy adjustments that you can make to your dietary and lifestyle habits in order to improve your metabolism, health and general body composition:

-          Take the stairs

It’s an oldy but a goody. Once you do it EVERY time you’ll realise how many steps there are in the world. You’ll burn more calories and improve leg toning. Every little helps!

-          Eat more protein

This isn’t just for the guys in pursuit of big muscles, everyone can benefit from eating high amounts of protein. It improves metabolism, alertness and is a great source of energy. Furthermore it will help with repair and recovery from everyday strains and exercise. Aim for at least 1g protein per kilogram of bodyweight every day

-          Get outside

If you can, exercise outdoors. If not, make sure that you get some time outside everyday – lunch breaks are a great opportunity. Exercising outdoors improves both mental and physical wellbeing. Outdoor exercise has been found to offer greater feelings of revitalisation, increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression

-          Be your own transport

Do you always NEED to take the car, bus or train? Why not walk or ride a bike? Get off the train a stop earlier and walk? You’ll burn some extra calories each day, improve lower body toning and feel revitalised and alert when you reach your destination

-          Drink more water

It’s basic but heavily underrated – water is your bread and butter... if that makes sense? The human body is made up of around 70% water, a large majority that needs regular topping up. Water is responsible for regulating metabolism, bodily functions and flushing out unhealthy toxins and waste products

-          Control your food portions

From a young age, many people are told “Finish what’s on your plate”. This is a terrible habit to learn and one that’s tough to break. Be conscious of your food portions and differentiate if you’re eating the food because you need it or because it’s there. Remove some of your food, eat what you have and wait 10-20 minutes before deciding if you need the rest of the food.

-          Don’t eat with emotions

A large number of people eat to improve their emotional state. Comfort eating is present in most of us. Try to replace this tendency with exercise. The rush you get from endorphins released during exercise is much more fulfilling and is also likely to improve your food making decisions post-exercise

-          Snack more often

Don’t be afraid to snack, in fact structure them into your day. Often people will wait until they’re over-hungry before eating. As a result, food choices are often compromised as is the perception of portion control. As a result you eat less clean and healthy food, and more of it

-          Do some resistance work

You may consider yourself a “cardio person” or similar but EVERYONE should perform resistance work each week. Benefits included improved strength, posture, bone density, metabolism and reduces the chance of injury, to name a few.

-          Eat before food shopping

If you eat prior to food shopping you’re much less likely to impulse buy and purchase food based on your current state. Instead you will be clear thinking and able to make healthy, appropriate decisions to fit your lifestyle and diet

-          Leave nothing to chance

When it comes to living a more “healthy” lifestyle, it’s essential you plan meticulously in order to make sure you follow through with your good intentions. Have food prepared, ready and easy to access. Plan gym visit times and exact sessions for each visit. The more difficult you make “being healthy” for yourself, the less likely you are to achieve anything

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @MichaelD_PT and YouTube 

 

 

 

 

Christmas 2013 - DOUBLE BLOG: 10 Things to Focus On & 10 x Free 10 Min Workouts

 

So it's Christmas season and I'm feeling generous - here's a double blog to take care of you over the Christmas break and make sure you don't go completely off the boil with your health.

First up...

PART ONE: 10 Things to Focus on Over Christmas...

1) Exercise: Obvious right? My advice is just to "Get it done!" Most people will take advantage of the relaxed Christmas schedule and rise a little later than normal. But if their plan is a 10am breakfast of Cadbury's Heroes then it means you'll need to be out of the door at 9am and off exercising. One hour less sleep and you can have your workout for the day complete and be home in time to join in the usual festivities.
DON'T wait until later or plan to get it done "at some point" - it won't happen!

2) Hydration: Don't neglect the simple things. Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day and help your body to ease some of the strains you're putting on it with your week or so of excess. try to link drinks with daily events; for example: Target a pint of cold water within 10 minutes of waking, before you go to bed, and before lunch and dinner - that's 4 every day as a minimum. Add a pint of water every time you're going to leave the house for an extended period to ensure hydration and you're averaging at least 5 pints a day - make that a minimum.
DON'T leave it to chance and realise you haven't had much water today - ESPECIALLY when alcohol levels will be higher for many of you!

3) Turkey: Yep, that's right: "Target The Turkey!" My point being, go big on high protein, lean meats (turkey being one of the best for this)at meal time. It will offer you prolonged energy, aid recovery from exercise (you WILL need to exercise!), keep you fuller for longer and also curb your hunger a little before pudding shows up! Avoid taking your first few bites of any dinner from foods that aren't high in protein such as roast potatoes. If there's lean meat left, DON'T save room for pudding!
DON'T approach your days differently to your working week. have a plan for rough meal times and meal content ahead of each day. Leaving things to chance and eating "whatever's going" won't rub!

4) Sleep: Easiest one! Take advantage of the break from work (if you're fortunate enough to have one) and sleep where possible. Don't fear a day time nap - embrace it. Sleep is one of the easiest and cheapest medicines going; the value of sleep should never be over looked.
DON'T burn the candle at both ends and go back to work after your break, needing a break!

5)R&R: Following on from the sleep suggestion focus on taking care of your body. Spend some time foam rolling and stretching, doing yoga and pilates and generally making sure you feel in top notch for 2014. you might not have this much spare time or flexibility again for a few months.
DON'T waste this opportunity to really let your body recovery and repair ahead of 2014.

6) Fun: Don't take activity seriously all of the time. In fact, be creative and try to exercise elsewhere apart from your usual gym. Some of the workouts listed below don't require any equipment so why not head of to somewhere scenic and workout there for a change?
DON'T just head to the gym and go through the motions

7) Next year: Have a moment of reflection. What did you do with the last 12 months? Where did you start? Where did you finish? Are you in a better place physically than you were 12 months ago? How do you intend to improve again? What is your new "Why"? Get a focus for the year ahead and plan it out with micro plans of 1-3 months that will take you to your end goal stage by stage with no chance of failure.
DON'T just do next year what you did this year - life's too short!

8)Life: If you want to have a successful year ahead in terms of improving your health then it's important to have all other areas of your life in balance such as your work, family and other commitments. More often than not people struggle with results as their health isn't a REAL priority. They may say it is, but they're not willing to manage other areas of their life to MAKE time for exercise and living healthily.
"I didn't have time to go to the gym this week..."
"I was in a rush at lunch so just picked up..."
"I don't have time for breakfast in the morning..."
"I had to drink as it was..."
" I'm going to struggle to make the gym next week. I'm running my kids around..."
"There aren't enough hours in the day!.."
If you say these things, your health is not your priority. You need to plan in the inevitable and figure out solutions when met with barriers.
DON'T "try" to do anything next year... just do it! Plan with accuracy and thoroughness and create a fool proof regime.

9) Alcohol: Don't focus on drinking it; focus on being aware of when you're most likely to drink it. For example, if you're planning your exercise regime for the week then consider social occasions too. Don't plan an early morning sprint session on a day when you'll be recovering from a family gathering where you might drink. Likewise, don't drink "because it's Christmas" - you're not a child; have some self control. Sure, you may drink more than normal but remember, you don't HAVE TO drink! Try saying "no", then wake up the next day and workout - you'll be glad you did it. Just be realistic with your plans and don't instantly let lose on the alcohol.
DON'T see Christmas as a green light for daily drinking!

10) Embracing your surroundings: In my opinion, there is no better time of the year to get outside look around and listen to what's around you. Reflect on the year gone by, think about the year ahead and be grateful for what you have and how fortunate you are. Go for a walk, discover somewhere new, enjoy scenery and spend time absorbing your surroundings. Life can be very go-go-go... stop... be aware!
DON'T sit in all Christmas eating chocolate and watching repeats of Christmas films or playing with your newest toy!

PART TWO: 10 x 10 min workouts...

NB: ALWAYS take time to warm up first though with either a lower intensity of the exercise you're about to do such as tempo runs before sprinting or a mobility flow such as the two on the links below before doing resistance work. The warm up may last only a few minutes but it's necessary to get the most from your 10 minute workout.
Mobility Flow 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1cpIOjiVs4
Mobility Flow 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cnMTfq_ON4

WORKOUTS: 1) 10 x "1 minute 100's" : Run 100m in 15-17 seconds, turn and immediately jog back to the start in the remainder of the minute (ie: 45 sec jog if the sprint took you 15 secs), try to keep an eye on the time so that you make it back on time. When the second minute starts, turn and sprint again. Do this 10 times - much harder than it sounds.

2) Tabata Push and Core: Set your timer up for Tabata Intervals: 20 secs work, 10 secs rest x 8 (4 mins total). During the 20 second working periods alternate between these exercises:
A1) Push Ups and Tuck (as you perform the push up, during the upwards "push" motion lift one knee and raise it towards the wrist on the opposite side of your body, drop into the nxt push up with both feet on the floor and this time, as you push raise othe other knees under the body and across to the opposite wrist) Similar to exercise 3 here (link) but with push ups in between
A2) Plank and Reach https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAzQqEF50PE

B1) Shoulder Press Push Ups (push ups with your feet standing nearer your hands to create an upside down "V" shape with your body. Lower the top of your head towards the floor rather than your chest) Exercise 10 here (Link)
B2) Frogs Exercise 12 here (Link)

3) Short Running intervals: Set your GymBoss or interval timers to sound every 15 seconds. Simply run as fast s you can for 15 seconds, walk for 15 seconds trying to slow your breathing as much as possible in that time. It might be necessary to break this into 2 x 5 minute blocks with a short rest between.

4) Tabata Pull and Core:
A1) Pull Ups or inverted row under a bar or tree or climbing frame A2) Side Plank on your left side
B1) Heavy Deadlift (find something heavy and pick it up with a flat back, heels planted flat and feet either side of the object. be creative: plant pots, logs, old Christmas trees anything "heavy".) B2) Side plank on your right side

5) Broken 1000m Row: Row 100m - Climb off and do 10 x heavy Kettlebell Swings - repeat for 10 rounds

6) Tabata - Legs and Core:
A1) Squats or jump squats (add weight if accessible)
A2) Laying Leg Raises

B1) Alternating Reverse Lunges
B2) Crawl Outs - (Link)  

7)10 x Minutes of 5 x exercises: 1) Push Ups, 2) Squats, 3) Plank 4) Walking Lunges, 5) Burpees - Twice Through with minimal/no rest

8)Tabata - Conditioning
A1) "Up/Downs" or "Suicide Push Ups" (start in a push up position climb down to a plank and then back up again as fast as you can as many times you can without your knees touching the ground) Exercise 21 here: Link
A2) Animal Crawl 2-3m Forwards and Backwards (Link)

B1) "Pop ups" - (Link)  
B2) Mountain Climbers (Link)  

9) Short variation of "Cindy" (it's a Crossfit workout"): 5 x pull ups, 10 x push ups, 5 x bodyweight squats - 10 minutes. Aim to do a round a minute every minute and you'll be doing well.

10) Walk. The easiest option going but if you at least walked every day that's streets better than the majority of the country. Add variety to it though - whether you add in some intervals, hill sprints, bodyweight exercises, combine walking lunges between regular walking, race a friend, take a dog and sprint around with them, whatever you do, just try to be active.

So there you have it - 10 things to focus on and 10 EASY to fit in workouts. You're telling me you can't sacrifice 10 minutes from your day?

You must REALLY want to be fit and healthy! (sarcasm intended!)

PRIZE for anyone that does all of the 10 workouts above and shares evidence of it with me (pictures along the way). I mean it - I'm offering to reward you for putting aside 10 minutes of your day! How easy is THAT!?...

Hope you found this useful. Feel free to share with your friends, family and networks.

Have a lovely break from Christmas... but not from life! Until next year....

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