Don't Blame It On The Rain

The alarm goes off and you tell yourself this is good sleep in weather and you should roll over and skip your workout today.. Don't Do It!

There are a variety of excuses for not showing up when it's raining and when you really take the time to stop and think about it. None are valid they are all just in your mind. Truth is once your shoes are a bit wet and your shirt is too, there is no real difference, if anything it's more comfortable training in the rain. So get out an older pair of shoes and wear a thick t-shirt if you have to but get out there and be true to your commitment to look after your health. The feeling you get from doing it anyway is priceless.. TRUST ME!

If you are working out right you end up saturated anyway.. right!?

Go After It! It's that simple.

Are You Down For The Count?

You here it all the time, 'don't waste time counting calories' and 'only obsessive people count calories' or even 'our program has no calorie counting in it'. The good old method of calorie counting is being vilified in an effort to sell you things you don't need... there I said it. In the early days of a body (and life) changing health and fitness journey, calorie counting can seem like the most tedious and confusing thing in the world. Truth is it's a stepping stone to being in true control of your shape and fitness levels.

A lot of the people I work with really have no idea when it comes to nutrition. I had one gentleman tell me that he thought a ham and cheese croissant was good because he was getting much needed fibre from the bread, protein from the ham and a much needed serve of dairy from the cheese and of course he was obeying the golden rule 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day'. So when they start looking after themselves, most people need to start with the basics. Brought down to its most simple level eating well starts with 'energy in energy out' or knowing how much food goes in versus how much gets burnt off.

I hear fitness professionals, athletes and of the like spout on about the evils of calorie counting, truth is they do it themselves it's just on a more sub-conscious level because they 'just know' when it comes to the energy in part of the equation. They go on about Macro's, Carb Cycling, Intermittent Fasting and other confusing nutrition speak hoping to educate you, when the truth is you got to crawl before you can walk. Calorie Counting is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to nutrition. It's like your baby child sitting up for the first time. It's the first stepping stone and it quite simply has to be stepped on if you're gonna make it across the pond.

In short learn how to count calories first and the rest will come as you start to make progress, then you can worry about organic, paleo, vegan and all the other weird and wonderful ways to get the most out of your fitness training.

Oh No.. Shin Splints

You've just gotten back into regular exercise and then they strike, the dreaded shin splints. I get asked this a lot 'What can I do about shin splints'. My first answer is always always going to be, go and see a podiatrist or other relevant health specialist. First let me explain a little what your looking at.

Shin Splints is a more common term for tibial stress syndrome it's pretty much pain anywhere between the knee and ankle. It has a number of possible causes I am going to cover the three of the most common.

Incorrect or older shoes can tend to cause shin splints because they may be causing your running technique to be off. If you have flat feet or a poor running style, you may just find shin splints are a problem for you. Short answer get new shoes, Longer answer go see a podiatrist and see if you need inserts or if they recommend a certain type of shoe for your foot arch situation and the activity you are doing.

Overuse is another big one. If you run a lot for sport or you just like running you may have problems with this. You can always rest for 6-8 weeks and see how you go, and by rest I don't mean lying on the couch eating pies. Change to low or no impact exercise such as swimming, cycling or deep water running.

Tight muscles in the legs and hips can also throw everything out and cause shin pain. This is one you will definitely need to go see a health specialist about. You can start by making sure you are stretching everything effectively such as hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, groin, calves.

When I have had them in the past I switch my shoes and ice the area and generally it goes away but this may not work for you so as they say in the paracetamol ads 'If Pain Persists See Your Doctor'. I have been accused of being a little 'tight'when it comes to money, but good shoes are something I don't mind dropping a lot of cash on and neither should you.

The Greatest Gift Ever!

It is the most precious gift you have ever been given. No matter what you believe in God, Evolution etc. fact is you have been given a life and a human body (possibly the most complex and grand design ever) to live it in. You will experience many things come and go in your life.. houses, cars and even other people. The one thing that will never leave you is your body.

We all have a choice on how we look after it, and the sad fact is that most people in this country don't, can't or won't look after there body. There are a variety of excuses, I am going to simplify and eradicate some right now...

Injured.. Work other body parts
Children.. Get them involved
Time.. Do 10 minutes
Work.. You'll be better at it if you exercise

I could go on an on and I could write a whole other post if not a book on each point, I'm just hoping you get the idea in the short amount of time I have to type today (I have to go workout). What I want you take away from this is. No matter what cards you've been dealt you have the choice to be the best possible version
of yourself, in fact I'd go as far as to say you owe it to yourself and to the marvelous machine you have been given as a very special gift.

I am confident I have a program that will help you be the best you can be despite any and more of the obstacles above Click Here For a free consultation ($87 Value).





yourself

Worried..?

You can't beat a classic and 'legend' is forever. Jack LaLanne is known to a lot of people as the Godfather Of Fitness. He died at the ripe old age of 96 almost 2 years ago. I truly believe his teachings will go on for a long time to come. Today I want to share with you a short video of his from long before my time, but it's still relevant (perhaps more than ever) today.


I believe that everybody needs heroes in their lives people that stand up for what is right and true. Please take the time to listen to the words of one of mine.. you won't regret it .. I promise.

Avoid At All Cost!

I've seen it a lot and heard about it more, It's the Seven Day Diet Cycle and it is vicious! Why because it will literally have you chasing your tail for the rest of your life. I know because I have been stuck in it myself and it really stings when you look back on all the wasted time. Here's a look at the cycle.

 

Weekend Before
Your starting your diet on Monday because it's the start of the week and it seems like the logical time to start well anything. Wrong! I'll talk more on the later. So yo have ''one last hoorah'', you eat and drink to excess because come Monday it's all going to change I wont be drinking or eating anything 'Bad' until I reach my goal. You put on 1-2 kg in 48 hours.

Monday
Awesome breakfast with oats and fruit and unsweetened tea. Your feeling good and you hit your workout like a champion athlete. Your killing it today and riding a wave of smugness you look at 'Jan From Accounts Payable' with pity as she guzzles white coffee and inhales choc chip cookies. Your on your way, perfect days eating great workout and you just can't help but get back on the scales to see how well you've done because you 'just feel lighter' you lost a kilo (half of the weekend's gain)

Tuesday
You wake up and put your feet on the floor only to feel the muscle soreness kick in. Your body is sore because it's not used to this all and it's letting you know in a big way. It's okay though because your on your way and still very positive about the whole process. Besides, soreness is a badge of honour only bestowed upon the most disciplined and healthy individuals. You shuffle past Jan with the same smug thoughts as she takes the edge of with a glazed doughnut.


Wednesday
Why has the soreness yet to subside?! You eat your breakfast while thinking about pancakes and craving a caramel latte. You turn up to your workout but really struggle with motivation throughout and are full of regret on the way home for not making every rep count. Your only solace is that you are still a 'better person'' than Jan, who seems to be using a freddo frog as a spoon for a slice of chocolate mud cake.

Thursday
You miss your workout due to an early meeting at work, which also makes you miss preparing breakfast at home. In your haste to get to work you grab drive thru brekky. Throughout the whole meeting you feel bad for your lack of attendance and poor breakfast choice. You see Jan eating her double beef burger and chips lunch and you 'pinch a chip' to make yourself feel better. An opportunity arises to get in a workout on the way home but you have a headache from the questionable food you ate earlier. After all tomorrow is a new day..right?

Friday
Your back on track, great breakfast, renewed vigour at step class and the smugness is back with a vengeance you feel like you have this whole exercise thing licked and it's time to start spreading the word. You have a 'little chat' with Jan. She ends up in tears and you feeling like the horrible person that, let's face it.. you are, take her out after work for beer and wedges. An afternoon treat turns into an early evening small binge, before you pull yourself away and realise your 'better' than this.

Saturday
Starts off with good intentions but you can't perform at the gym and you are craving everything that made Jan a horrible person on Monday and Tuesday to eat. You make it lunch before declaring to yourself and anyone else you know won't lecture you, that 'I've been good all week and I deserve a night out!' It turns into a massive binge drinking session with a kebab at the end of it and you finally get to bed at 1am.

Sunday
You wake up hungover and craving deep fried potato and bacon. In an effort to make yourself feel better you indulge only to find yourself feeling worse. You have an afternoon nap and weigh yourself only to find you are half a kilo heavier than you were on Monday morning. You vow to start again tomorrow and have one last hoorah at dinner time.











Repeat that for the rest of your life.. or change the way you do things. If you would like a free consultation to sit down with me and discuss how I can help you break this vicious cycle Click Here

Food Stress

Today I want to bring your attention to a concept call 'Food Stress'. Your body is a marvelous machine that can deal with a lot. Our breathing an circulatory system's alone rival any man-made structures plumbing and air conditioning set ups. However, sooner or later if you put something under enough stress it's going to buckle. There are certain foods let's call them alcohol and junk food, that will put your body under stress.


Our bodies were designed to accept the good stuff and reject or 'pass' the things we don't need. If you put in good stuff your body will work better, you'll have more energy, your brain will function well and when your with that special someone and one thing has led to another (wink) you'll flat out perform well.

Now you only have to look around to see that the body can take a hideous amount of bad food without shutting down, so you can get away with a bit here and there with minimal damage. You have to ask yourself though, do I want to survive or do I want to live.. I've made my choice, whats yours??