The Blog is moving!

This blog is moving!!!

I have decided to move this blog to WordPress which gives more features, and I feel will give a better service.

Therefore, if you could update your link, visit the new blog, and re-bookmark the new website it will be much appreciated!

The new link is www.Markpt.wordpress.com

Thanks for your interest, and feel free to let me know what you think of the new site!

Healthy Banana and Protein Muffins!

Here is a cracking recipe for HEALTHY yummy muffins!

Makes 10 muffins

Ingredients

50g Butter

75g Brown Sugar

1 Egg

225g Spelt or Wholemeal Flour

2-3 Mashed Bananas

Pinch Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Vanilla or Almond Essence

5 Tbsp Milk

Optional

100g Chocolate Protein Powder (Add extra liquid if you add the protein)

75+% cocoa Chocolate, few squares crushed

2 handfuls of Oats

- Combine everything in a large bowl

-Spoon into 10 non stick muffin cases

- Bake at 190degs for 20mins

Calories - 165kcals Protein - 4.1g (or 14g with 100g protein powder), Carbs - 27g, Fat - 5g, Fibre 2.2g

Great for mid morning or afternoon snacks, and with the oats and protein powder great for pre-workout. Get on it and feedback!!!

Fit or Unfit for what you need to be?!

Yesterday we went to Alice Holt, a nice little woodland forest area, with bike tracks, walkways and lots of hidden kids playgrounds. We had just bought a tag-along for our bikes so we can take our 4 year old old on the bike rides, meaning extra leg work! This is another great way to get the family out and about and get some exercise without really thinking about it!

However, we came round one corner and just caught a glimpse of a "Dad" taking his son down from his shoulders, after presumably carrying him for a bit. The child was about 5, nothing too big, and the Dad was probably about 30lbs overweight. What I saw next disappointed me, but also made me realise just how unfit for everyday tasks people are.

As the child wandered off, the Dad spent the next 30secs, doubled over, stretching out his lower back, putting his hand on his hips and arching, bending forward, and generally grimacing!

He was obviously not in any condition to carry his son any difference, and now his back and muscles were paying the price! Come on! What are you gonna do when your son wants you to play games with him? Tell him you've got some work to do and move off?!

This really does annoy me, as you're supposed to be setting an example to your kids, and if you can't keep up with them, what is that going to show?

I'd hope the Dad will look into his diet, and his exercise "regime" and do something about it, but I guess he'll probably just say he can't do too much because of a bad back..............

Set an example, lead from the front, and eat natural, eat clean, and exercise properly.

Post Workout Nutrition - What's yours?

Sometimes these posts just write themselves!

I was at the gym this afternoon, primarily working on strengthening my glutes, after attending a Kinetic Chain Assessment course in London with Dax Moy last week. A post on postural issues and correction will be at a later date!

However, there was a girl at the gym running through the usual "lost sheep" routine of moving from one exercise to the next with really no intensity, and no workout plan. The only thing going for her was that she was in pretty good shape. This was by no means down to a good workout routine however!

She then spotted a gym instructor and asked him about putting on some lean muscle and protein shakes.

I could just overhear him suggesting big, compound exercises (good so far!) and going to the high street to buy some protein powder, but to "buy one of the big brands" because they have done more research and their products are proven!

Hang on! Protein powder is just skimmed and extracted from milk!! There is no secret formula or proving to be done by anyone!!?

Anyway, she went back to her workout and eventually left.

I left shortly after and as I went through reception, I saw the same girl, standing at the vending machine!

In this machine you could buy chocolate bars or crisps! She bent down and pulled out a bag of crisps!

Now, post nutrition is probably the second most important meal of the day, after breakfast.

Your body, if you've worked out correctly, will be looking for nutrients to refuel, repair and re-grow your muscles. It wants quality foods, and fasting acting ones.

It doesn't want artificial, packaged fats and useless calories.

Look to drink chocolate milk or soya (or another flavour!) as you'll get some fast acting carbs and protein, the perfect mix, or a protein shake with half a banana.

You should then be aiming to eat a meal with a balanced amount of carbs, protein and good fats within the next 2 hours to continue the refuel and repair process.

Don't waste your efforts in the gym, or even during the week by neglecting post workout nutrition!

Eat REAL chocolate

With this weekend being Easter, your diet/training is going to be tested with "over the top" amounts of chocolate on offer, and additional wheat and sugar in the form of hot cross buns.

You may well have only just got back on track after the Christmas binge, so don't let this weekend put you back in your goals, aims and targets.

If you're going to eat some chocolate, do me, and yourself a favour, and actually eat CHOCOLATE !! By this, I mean eat some chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa, where possible aim for 80%. Real cocoa contains antioxidants which will help the body eliminate damaged cells in the body. It will also not give you the bloodsugar crashes which "normal" chocolate will.

Have a look at the ingredients of an 80% cocoa chocolate and you'll maybe see some sugar listed, and if so, it will probably be in the last 2 ingredients. The order of ingredients is from the most used/concentrated, down to the least amount used in the product.

Compare this to a "commercial brand" chocolate and sugar will be one of the first ingredients, meaning it is mostly sugar. Also, don't look just for sugar in the list, anything that ends in xxxxOSE is a sugar, so you may see glucose syrup, glucose etc. These products ARE NOT chocolate, they are just a sugar rush and calories in a packet.

Buy a good quality chocolate, have a piece a day rather than binge, and don't eat excessively - you know what the outcome would be.

Also, it really is no excuse to overload your children with the same rubbish. Do they really need 3-4 eggs? No, you're not helping them, you're rotting their teeth, and if they're consuming high amounts of sugar through juices, crisps, biscuits, cakes etc, you're pushing them further towards obesity and diabetes.

Be responsible, not just for yourself but your children.

Fat Binding tablets

On a forum I was looking at the other day, posters were discussing the benefits, and questions over fat-binding pills. Nobody was getting great results, just a few extra pounds here and there, but still the questions and interest kept coming!

After about 15 replies to the post, I had to interject, with my favourite line of, "If 1 pill worked, everyone would be taking it, and nobody would be obese!"
To which I got the reply, "It does work, it works, by binding to the fat you eat in your diet, and not allowing about 30% to be digested. You then excrete this fat, and so you don't store fat"

At this stage, I was shaking my head, and my fingers just couldn't type fast enough to get my reply in!

"Eating fat, does NOT make you FAT! Excess calories make you fat, be it carbohydrates, protein, fat, whatever! Plus if you're eating excessive amounts of saturated fat, why not just cut back on the fat you're eating, instead of almost eating what you like and then taking a "Fat binding pill"
Plus, what about the fat already in you're body, it's doing nothing for that?!!"

They just couldn't get it!

When I looked at the ingredients, one was talc (yep talcum powder!) and the other was a laxative. OK, maybe we're now getting to where any weightloss may come from! Plus, posters were saying that if you eat something with a reasonably high level of fat while on the pills, you will get an oily, orange seepage from your skin.......how nice!

OK, ENOUGH!

These pills are crap! Full stop!

Be accountable to yourself, don't look for "easy options" or magical cures - they just aren't there.
Pay attention to what you eat.
Think about what you eat. - "Will this danish pastry get me closer to my goals or further away?"
Eat a balanced diet, minimising man-made or processed food, with the majority of your diet coming from natural foods, and drink lots of water.
Combine this with exercise and you will have a lean body, a steady supply of energy, and hopefully won't have any oily seepage!!

Get Sensible - Get Real!

What's in that Energy drink?

More and more people are drinking "energy" drinks for pre-workout pickups, the morning after a heavy night on the drink, or just as a pickup during the day.

But what's really inside these drinks?

CAFFEINE

Jump starts the nervous system, helping to kick the body and brain into gear.

The energy boost is short-term. Caffeine is a stimulant and addictive, therefore people will often follow the first drink with more, to keep the stimulant effect. This can lead to dehydration, lack of appetite, and irritability.

TAURINE

Increases Awareness and energy levels.

Combined with caffeine it will provide a boost, but some studies have found it raises blood pressure and heart rate.

B VITAMINS

These essential vitamins helps your body convert energy from food, and will help your body burn fat.

Your body will absorb some of the B Vitamins from drinks, but most will be urinated out. B rich foods like green vegetables, cheese and whole grains are better, sustainable options.

SUGAR

Most energy drinks contain sugar in one or more forms, and often in the largest quantities. Will provide a short term energy boost, due to the quick release of the sugar.

Most people consume too much sugar as it is! You will get a huge blood sugar spike and then crash resulting in an energy slump shortly after. This often resolves in a further sugar fix to pick you back up again. As well as tooth enamel damage, excess sugar can lead to fat gain and possibly diabetes.

GUARANA

Said to improve concentration, aid weight loss and enhance your mood.

It's just caffeine in a different form.

GINKGO BILOBA

Improves circulation to the brain, heightening awareness.

Studies go back and forth over it's possible benefits. At least it is safe with few proven side affects.

L-CARNITINE

An Amino acid which is said to take the fat out of your blood, improve circulation and help with fatigue.

Often used as a supplement for those with heart disease. Never really been proven to affect energy levels though.

CoENZYME Q-10

Produces ATP, your bodies immediate energy source for body cells.

Quite expensive still, and although it does create ATP, whether this is enough for an "energy lift"

Like anything, in moderation these drinks are acceptable if you do need an immediate energy, awareness lift. But if you do, go for the sugar free versions.

Alternatively, drink 1.5 - 3 litres of water a day, keep eating every 3-4 hours, choosing low GI foods, protein rich foods, and those with B vitamins, and you shouldn't need a daily fix of energy.