The 5 steps to Fat Loss!

This is courtesy of top Canadian Fat Loss specialist Craig Ballantyne.
It's simple, yet to the point, so I thought I'd share it with you all.

"Once you accept that discipline is needed to lose fat, then you'll discover that losing fat is as easy as following a few simple steps! (Consistently, of course!)

Once you understand that you must...;

- Plan, shop, and prepare your meals in advance...
- Do three high-intensity workouts per week...
- Keep yourself active on off days and keep your butt off the couch for at least 30 minutes...
- Develop rituals that help you avoid night-time eating...
- Take time to set goals and to plan solutions for every obstacle that gets in your way each week...

Only then will fat loss become 2nd nature to you, so much so that you couldn't get fat if you tried!

Once you accept this truth about fat loss, you'll succeed and you will be able to lose as much belly fat as you want. Heck, you can apply this to any aspect of your life and you'll experience success beyond your wildest dreams.

The time to change is NOW!

Happy New Year!

Goals and targets for 2009

I think a lot of people, when the words "Goals" and "targets" come up, switch off, or gloss over! I know I used to! However, they are SO important when it comes to achievement and focus.

If you don't set a specific end target, how do you know if;

a)You're on the right path towards the goal?

b) You've reached your target goal?

Why not set a goal or target for health and fitness NOW?! When setting them, look to write down;

1) Exactly what you are looking to achieve (ie 10 pounds, a dress size, 20 bodyweight pressups, 5% body fat). Make sure it is exact. If you say "I want to lose weight", where do you stop?! Be specific

2) Write down a date that you want to achieve this on, or by. If you just say I want to lose 10 pounds, then you leave yourself open to failure, to days of "Oh well, I'll have a takeaway tonight and start tomorrow" Be specific with the date, and you really do have a target.

3) Another good idea is to write down some obstacles, or possible barriers that could stop you from achieving your goal. (E.g. I often leave more than 4 hours between eating, or I normally have a beer as soon as I come in from work) Then you can sit down and workout how you will get around these obstacles. (Will take pre-prepared snacks into work, I will not have beers in the fridge until the weekend, or I will have a glass of water as soon as I get in from work)

Write the date, and your goal in your diary. Add it to your email calendar. Write it on a piece of paper and put it on the fridge and by your bed. Then it will be at the forefront of your mind, and you will have less of a chance of 'falling off'.

Don't just be another 'chancer'. Set yourself a target, and you will feel such a sense of achievement when you reach that date!

OK, Christmas food and drink is OVER!

OK! Enough!! Your "Christmas eating" period should be over! Like the majority of people, I let the food and drink 'go a little' over Christmas, and Boxing day. But that is it NOW! If you're still off work, or even back to work, do just that, and get back to a healthy eating routine. Extra drink and food between now and New Year, could easily total up a further 7lbs in fat, so make your New Year goal easier and get back into it NOW!

I must admit, I feel pretty crap at the moment! Throughout December, I removed wheat and dairy from my diet, and felt great. My stomach was flat, my energy levels were sustained throughout the day, and I felt good. (All ready for my holiday to Australia in Feb!!) But even as I sit here and write this, I feel sluggish, my stomach feels bloated, and throughout the day my energy levels have fluctuated. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I get back into my 'routine'.

1. Aim to drink 2 litres of fresh water a day
2. Remove wheat from your diary for January
3. Remove dairy from your diary for January
4. Aim to consume at least 3 pieces of fruit a day, and vegetables at 2 separate meals (include raw carrot, peppers etc as a snack)
5. Remove alcohol for January (Come on, don't you think you've had enough by now?!)

Start now, and results will come quicker!

FREE Personal Training?! - Uh huh!

Don't overeat this Christmas!

With Christmas just a few days away, no doubt your party celebrations and excessive consumption has started?! Company Parties? Invites to friends or family? Extra visits to the pub? All of these extra 'celebrations' often result in extra pounds of fat being added, making your New Year targets longer, harder, and less likely to achieve.

We've all got to mid afternoon on Christams day and collapsed on the sofa with the "Oh...I'm stuffed" phrase.

Well, why get to that stage this year? Sure, eat a few treats, drink some alcohol, but don't go silly. Also, from Boxing Day, why not get back onto your usual routine? It's not an all week bender! Months of hard work at the gym, and with your food plans, could easily be undone in that one week. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll achieve your results.

Why not signup to my 6 minute workout to the right. Everyone can spare 6 minutes, and you'll start to melt away that additional fat you've probably added!

New Fat Loss & Fitness Forum

Are you looking for further information to help you lose fat, get fitter, and new ideas for workouts? Why not pop over to my new forum, setup for YOU! Over at Fat Loss and Fitness Solutions (http://www.fatlossfitness.ning.com/) you will find videos, photos, forums, blogs, articles and free downloads, relating to everything health and fitness related.

It is free to join, and is setup FOR YOU to read and contribute to.

Don't be shy, pop over, signup and say hello!

Make yourself stand out in 2009!

So, Chris Hoy deservedly won Sports Personality of the year 2008.

His, and the British cycling teams performance at the Olympics was outstanding, for such a "small country"!

Let's be honest for a moment.......many of you had probably never even heard of Chris before the Olympics?!?

Yet, the British team, and Chris in particular had faith in their training, their regime and more importantly, themselves, that they could win at the Olympics.

If you can do the same in 2009; work hard, have a goal and a vision, and eat sensibly, then you too can stand out from the crowd, and have more people noticing you for your efforts.

You'll feel great for your efforts and sense of achievement, and will know the efforts were worthwhile.

Go on, set yourself a challenge..........!

Cut the rubbish at Christmas!

At Christmas, there is more than enough food going round, often into the New Year. People generally tend to overeat at this time, because they are off work, and feel they have a free pass to gorge! On top of the Christmas food, mince pies, chocolate log, there are always chocolates! Nowadays pots of chocolates are getting bigger and bigger, and so are the calories and sugar content.

Basically, they are empty calories, which will spike your insulin levels, releasing fat storing hormones. On top of the 'gorging', this will lead to excessive fat storage, and come the New Year, a heavier you! Depression, sets in.

If you get given chocolates, take them to someone elses house when you get invited round! Pass them elsewhere! They are empty calories, non-nutritious to the body, and just encourage your body to store fat. Sure, have a couple of them, but if you know you're the sort of person who can't say "No more!" then don't start, throw them away, give them away - they really are FAKE, artificial FOOD!

PLEASE put down the light weights!

I had limited time for a workout today due to a busy schedule, so at the gym, after a warmup, I set my watch for a 15minute timer. From here I moved from one exercise to the next, completing 15reps at each exercise, with limited rest before the next. I chose multiple muscle exercises like pullups, kettlebell swings, lunge with press, pressups and squats.

Suffice to say by 15mins I was toast!! I collapsed to the matted area, to catch my breath with sweat running off my head! A fair few calories had been burnt!

Just then a middle aged lady asked, "Have you finished on here?" pointing to the Lat pulley.
"I'm definitely done!" I replied!
"What weight did you use?" she asked?
Now, unless she was being competitive, I decided to help out!
I asked her what she was attempting to do, to which she replied, "I'm supposed to be doing 2 x 16 reps, and I'm using weight number 1" Now, I was tired, and exhausted, but this lady needed helping! I rolled over and said, "Well basically, you should be selecting a weight whereby your last 2 reps are getting pretty tough, so therefore you probably need to be selecting a heavier weight, do you think?!"
"Ummmm maybe" she replied, "I have my programme review next week, so maybe I'll wait til then"

NO!

It is a myth that women will get big by lifting heavy. To get anywhere near "big", women would need to eat thousands of calories, lift heavy and often, and probably inject a touch of testosterone.
After progressing, you need to start lifting heavier weights. Choose weights which will challenge you around the 8-10 repetition mark. Only then will you start seeing your body change and adapt. You'll see nothing by using such light weights.

This particular lady probably lifts heavier weights carrying her shopping to the car, lifts her children on a daily basis, or carries the hoover up the stairs. Just because it is called 'a weight' it doesn't mean you need to go light!

Quite why the weights pictured above are sold I do not know. In fact it is laughable that such small weights are made with the intention of using them separately for exercises, when the whole lot together is packaged in a case with a carry handle, meaning you have to carry them all together at some point!
PLEASE, ladies reading, ditch the sub 4kg weights, and allow your body to change for the better!

Bianca Garcia !

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Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail!

Today I went into town to do a small bit of Xmas shopping. Nothing much, something for my wife, and maybe some stocking presents for my 2 young girls. I knew from the time of leaving the house my trip may well be a waste of time......

Suffice to say, 2 hours later I returned home empty handed. I'd been into plenty of shops, nearly bought a few things, but in the end came back with nothing. That thought I had when I left the house, was constantly in the back of my mind.

What was this thought?

It was that I didn't really know what I was going in to buy, not specifically. I knew I needed presents, but I didn't have anything in particular in mind, and that was the downfall.

You can match this mistake with fat loss. If you don't write down, or plan exactly what you want to achieve, you are leaving yourself open to chance. You may lose a couple of pounds here and there (like I could have bought a couple of things, but not really what I wanted), but without having a plan, a target, a specific goal, you will always leave yourself open to failure.

Therefore, I shall sit down, work out what I need, and go shopping on the internet!

Plan your goals (which my clients will be doing over Xmas!) be specific with them, and set physical dates, and you will be that step nearer to achieving what you are after.