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.

Burn off the FAT -

"With this great Abs workout!"
Well, that was a headline on the front of Runner's World last month, and is often a headline you'll see on most "fitness or celebrity" magazines, every month.

Will it do as the headline says?

Largely, No.

Yes ab and core exercises will help strengthen those muscles and improve posture, but they're not going to burn fat alone. Just how many calories would a set of ab exercises burn? 30, 40, 50 at most if you're going for a while!

Ab and core work should be built into your workouts, along with big full body exercises like Squats, Lunges, Pressups, pullups, Kettlebell or dumbell swings, Rotational work etc, and again using freeweights and not machines, unless you're using assisted pullup work.

Add in some interval training, be it on CV equipment or with resistance exercises, and cut back on sugar, wheat and processed foods, whilst eating more protein and natural foods, and you'll be on your way to really burning off the fat!

If you want more information on Interval Training, signup to the box on the right and you'll receive my report on how to integrate Intervals into your workouts for maximum results!

1 BIG Fat Loss Tip for a flat stomach

I've been reading posts on other forums recently, where people are trying "slimming" pills, "appetite suppressant" pills, cutting out fat from their diet, even dropping below 1200kcals a day. All of these are damaging to your body and health - all in search of quick fix. Surely it's better to do something sustainable? Well here is 1 BIG tip that will allow you to drop fat, and flatten your stomach!

WHEAT! Yep, don't add it to your diet, REMOVE it!

Wheat is a cheap bulking agent that is used in many food products nowadays, meaning that we consume far too much of it, knowingly, or unknowingly.

A typical day could be;

Wheat based cereal for breakfast

Sandwich for lunch

Pasta for evening meal.

That's a lot of wheat.

Wheat is listed in the top 8 food allergens along with peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, shellfish, fish and soy.

Most people eat wheat so often their bodies adapt and cope, and so they experience mild forms of the symptoms (known as wheat intolerance) without ever really being aware of where the problem lies. These symptoms can be anything from diarrhoea, lethargy, bloating to skin rashes and mood swings.

Withdrawing wheat from the diet and therefore ridding the body of wheat can lead to immense improvements in health and wellbeing, along with a drop in excess water, toxins and bodyfat.

Alternatives would be Oats, or eggs and rye bread for breakfast, a lean protein and salad lunch, or sweet jacket potato, and a great alternative to wheat past is SPELT, which is so much lighter and easier to digest than wheat, you'll wonder why you didn't change before!

Go on, break your routine and give it a try. I guarantee after 4 weeks you'll be thanking me, and loving your new flatter stomach and increased energy levels!

A tree is only as strong as it's roots!

While PT'ing at the gym today, the freeweights area was unfortunately full of men, and boys, performing set after set of bicep curls and tricep work! All with tracksuit bottoms on.

Yes, the weather is getting warmer, and T-shirts are starting to make an appearance, but soon, it will be Summer weather (hopefully!) and the shorts and skirts will have to come out!

If you're not training your legs, and this applies to women too, how are you going to feel when the legs are on show?! Yes guys, you might have a nice set of guns, but it looks a bit comical when there are a set of chicken legs further down! Or ladies, are you fed up with shapeless, round legs, and no bum to speak of?

Then get working on the lower body! Stretch your hip flexors and start performing Squats, Lunges, Straight Leg deadlifts, Deadlifts, Good mornings, weighted steups, Sumo squats, and you will soon start shaping that bottom and building definition in those legs!

Add in 2-3 interval workouts a week, be it on the bike, running, or circuit-format weights, and you will start to see your results!

Combine your exercise with some clean eating, more water, nuts, lean meat, fruit and vegetables, cutting back on sugar, wheat and processed foods and you'll be bringing out the shorts and skirts before the majority!

Interview with Craig Ballantyne - Turbulence Training

Craig was kind enough to supply me with the following interview recently.

If you haven't checked out any of his workouts before, they are definitely worth investing in, as have thousands of people throughout the world!

1) Hi Craig, thanks for taking the time to talk to me and my readers!
Give us a quick biog of yourself and how TT started?

Answer:
Turbulence Training is the combined result of over 6 years of University study (including a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology), 16 years of hands-on, in the trenches gym experience, over 5,318 personal training sessions, and careful scrutiny of over 723 medical research papers.
It started in 1999, when I was a struggling grad student at McMaster University in Hamilton , Ontario , Canada . We had just finished one of my graduate research studies and I was spending up to 16 hours a day in the lab analyzing my research data.
As a former athlete, I knew that I had to find a way to stay lean and muscular and avoid the fat gain that comes from working long hours in a lab and at a desk as a researcher.
The workouts were a combination of my experience and the research I was going over at that time.
Now we use even more bodyweight exercises and the workers are sometimes even shorter, but it's all based on that original TT philosophy.

2) With so many diets, programmes, ideas out there, what do you think are the top 3 things that people do wrong when starting a fat loss/fitness programme? A few months back, I made a post on my blog saying people had to "buy-in" to the whole package (exercise, nutrition, and think about it
daily, integrating it into their lives, rather than just at workout times, if they are to achieve successful results.)

Answer:
i) They cheat too much on weekends and snack mindlessly. Diet is the biggest factor in fat loss, and most folks cheat a lot more than they like to think.
ii) They do too much long, low-intensity exercise (i.e. low intensity cardio). You don't need to do that much exercise to lose fat. Just focus on your diet and quick workouts instead.
iii) They neglect resistance training. If you really want to change your body, you need to do some resistance training twice per week. But again, most fat loss comes from diet, not exercise.


3) You talk a lot about the ‘social support’ aspect when setting out your fat loss goals. Can you tell us more why this is an important key towards your success?

Answer:
It's difficult for most folks to lose fat on their own. Worse, a lot of folks live in environments that are unfriendly to fat loss (friends, spouse, significant others, etc., want to eat bad foods and sit around).
So you must get support outside of your normal social circle. This can be online or at the gym, or maybe you could even find a nutrition buddy at work.
But it's too hard to do it when you are the only one who wants to see you succeed.

4) What would your top 5 bodyweight and ‘gym’ based exercises be?

Answer:
My big 5 fat loss movements are...
i) A squat-type movement (squatting, kettlebell swings, jumps, etc)
ii) A pushing exercise (pushups, dumbbell chest press, kettlebell press)
iii) A pulling exercise (pullups, dumbbell rows, bodyweight rows)
iv) A single-leg exercise (split squats, 1-leg lying hip extensions)
v) A total body ab exercise (Knee ups, planks, side planks)
That's a well rounded total body, fat burning, body sculpting routine right there.

5) What are your top 5 foods that people should and shouldn’t be eating?

Answer:
Should be eating...
- more fruits
- more vegetables
- more raw nuts
- more protein (to a point...but the average person doesn't eat enough...but you don't need to eat more than 1 gram per pound of lean body weight) Nothing specific...just a wide variety of whole, natural foods.
Should NOT be eating...
- liquid calories
- anything with added sugar
- anything with trans-fats
- processed carbohydrates


6) Can you give us a quick breakdown of what you ate today/yesterday?

Answer:
A typical day goes like this:
6:30am - water and vitamin C before dog walk
8:30am - breakfast bowl of blueberries, pecans, a banana, a tbspn natural
peanut butter, coconut flakes. Green Tea.
11am - 4-egg omelet (omega-3 enriched eggs) with green & red peppers,
asparagus, broccoli, onion, mushrooms, spinach and a bit of cheese. topped
with salsa. Green Tea. Greens plus drink.
2pm - After a workout, I drink 2 cups of chocolate milk.
3pm - Lunch of salad and chicken and an apple and raw almonds.
7pm - Dinner of either:
chicken breast plus broccoli, asparagus, spinach and soup.
or
Amy's Organic Chili plus added vegetables
10pm - raw nuts and apple or pear

7) If you’re aiming to put on muscle, how you should eat differently to a fat loss specific programme?

Answer:
Eat more carbohydrates at all meals. Pretty simple.

8) Do/should you train women differently to men for fat loss? Are they
any exercises women/men benefit from more, or should perform more often?

Answer:
Not really. Sometimes we just do fewer sets.

9) Should workouts for fat loss be a set followed programme, with weight increases each session, for say 4 weeks, or does a challenging, varied workout each time have the same effect?

Answer:
It depends. There's nothing wrong with sticking to the same program for 4 weeks straight (each program consisting of 2-3 workouts of course). But you can change the workout each time and still lose a lot of fat.

Thanks to Craig for his time during his busy schedule! Checkout his work at http://www.turbulencetraining.com/ or his blog at http://www.turbulencetraining.blogspot.com/

Is it wrong to be proud of an ex-doping cheat?

I must admit, since Dwain Chambers tested positive for doping back in 2003, I haven't really followed his comeback that much. He was refused entry into the last Olympics by the British Athletics board, despite serving his ban and being one of the fastest still in Britain.

I saw yesterday he set the fastest ever 60m time in the semi-finals in Turin. Today was the final.
He won that, and got the gold medal, and crowned European Indoor 60m champion.

Chambers is running faster than ever, and admits taking drugs in the past was a BIG mistake, and he has proved to himself, and others that you can do well, even better in Chambers' case, without drugs - he is now running faster than he did on "performance enhancing drugs".

I actually feel pleased for Dwain.
Yes he did wrong, he cheated. But unlike a lot of other drug cheats, he didn't just retire and take the easy option. He's trained, improved, and set his focus and targets to get better and stronger than before. He's also proved to people that you can achieve everything you want without resorting to drugs, and that they are not "the golden key" to results.

I hope he can improve further, go on, and get himself back in the English and British athletics squad. It will be a personal triumph for him, and a show of determination and self belief, training day in, day out for what you want to achieve. All of this while people still call him a cheat, and don't want him competing - that's quite some self-motivation on his part.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/7931339.stm

Am I wrong in supporting someone who was labelled a "cheat?"

How hard do you push yourself?

I've just got back in from a run, and had to write a post about what I've just seen!(After a protein shake and a banana!)
I was on the home leg of the run, when to my right a bike pulls alongside, and slowly starts to edge past me. The bike had all of it's "brand" stickers and markings removed, and in it's place was "POLICE", and riding it was a pretty overweight policeman. This by itself, looked amusing, but also disturbing.

Next, however was the worst part. The road starts to go up a slight incline, nothing much and not for too long. I'm just about to pump my arms and shorten my stride a little, when the "Bike bobby" grinds to a halt, and gets off!! There was no dropping it down a gear, and pushing on for 2 mins, no, he had decided things were gonna get tough, and he was going to walk up this little incline.

To me this is a pretty poor show. To me, a police'peson' should be in good shape. They are required sometimes to chase people, to be involved with overly aggressive people, to restrain people, and to look like a 'guardian of the law'. They should be in a decent physical state.

A friend of mine Jon Le Tocq recently started a post, on Dax Moy's PT Success Academy site, which had us all commenting, stating that as Personal Trainers, we should be accountable for ourselves, and should be an example to our clients(how we eat, look, train, and talk), otherwise how can our clients be expected to trust, follow, and be inspired by us.

This same sight struck a chord, and showed a lot of what is wrong with not only our policeforce, but also many people today.

Many people are overweight, and they're not prepared to put the work in to change this. Getting lean and staying there is not easy.
You have to make changes to your diet, and your lifestyle, breaking habits that you may have had for some time.
You have to work out regularly and challenge yourself outside of your comfort zone.
You'll need to realise that these challenges are there to test you, and by achieving them you will be on your way to achieving your goals, and building a positive mindset with it.

Don't be a "get off and walk" person, be a "stay on and push through it" person! You will become a stronger, fitter, leaner, more confident person for it.

Do we help or hinder our childrens nutrition?

I took my youngest daughter to our local softplay this afternoon (An inside play area with ball pit, padded climbing area, etc for toddlers).

The first thing that hits you when you go in is the smell of grease and fried food! I cannot believe the amount of cr*p food available to buy there! Sweets, crisps, chocolates, pizza, fizzy drink. The healthiest thing was a box of raisins! No wonder kids get hyper and obese if these sort of foods are on offer.

And how ironic is it that this sort of rubbish is sold at a place for kids to burn off energy, and get some exercise?!! A bit ironic really!

I feel like doing a Jamie Oliver, going in, giving them an overhaul and trying to get some healthy options in there!

At the weekend I went supermarket shopping - I love trolley watching when at the supermarket!

Especially when you see someone who is clearly overweight, and then at their trolley contents and you can see how they got like this!

Multiple bags of crisps, bottles of 2litre coke, frozen meals and pizzas, biscuits, cakes, sweets, white breads and pasta. Nothing natural, just loads of additives, stimulants, artificial food, which does nothing for the body, and just piles on the calories.

It shocks me even further when you see their children with them, who may well be overweight, and you just feel sorry for them, they have no chance really.

It is just laziness when it comes to this type of shopping. OK, not everyone has the money to buy organic, but it only takes a few cook books, a browse of the internet to see how to make a dish with some chicken, mince and vegetables etc.

I've seen TV programs where the parents have said, "But they don't like that stuff, I'm not gonna waste my money on stuff they won't eat!"More cr*p! They don't like it because they don't eat it enough! They are used to high salt, high sugar foods, and their taste buds are ruined!

As my Dad used to say when we were at home, "It's not a cafe!, Eat it or go hungry!"

Come on, give your kids a chance, even if you don't give a cra*p about yourself!

Don't Fear the Fat!

Do you think eating fat makes you fat?

I was scanning some posts on a "weight loss" forum the other day and this one post was all about cutting out fat from your diet, or eating low-fat this and that, as THE way to lose weight.
Suffice to say this thread had several pages, and not many people with results!

If I told you that eating fat DOES NOT make you fat, would you believe me?!

Well, the simple fact is, excess calories, above the amount your need to maintain your current bodyweight, is what makes you overweight.
Not carbohydrates, not fat, not protein, not, not eating after 6pm in the evening, not missing a few workouts in a week.

Sure, saturated fat is not good for you in large amounts, but monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats have some great health and fitness benefits for you, and will certainly not make you overweight! In fact they could actually help you lose weight!
Our body needs fat to function properly. Besides being an energy source, fat is a nutrient used in the production of cell membranes, as well as in several hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids. These compounds help regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting and the nervous system.

Worry more about excess calories and packaged, man made foods - these could make you fat!

Home made protein snack bar

We all look for healthy snacks to eat between meals, and it can often be hard to find one with a good balance of carbs / fats / protein.
Well here you go! Some of my own home made protein bars! They take about 5 mins to make, and 12 mins in the oven, so no excuses!

150g Oats
2-3 tablespoons of Whole Earth Organic Peanut Butter
3 Handfulls raisins
140g Chocolate Protein Powder (great with a chocolate and banana mix!)
2 Bananas mashed
50g Golden Caster Sugar
400 ml Milk (goats, rice lacto free for those that are lactose intolerant!)
5 tablespoons of ground almonds and brazil nuts

Pre heat the oven to 160degs.
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, then spoon into a buttered/greased cake tin or tray. Aim to keep it no more than 1" high.
Place into the oven and cook for 12mins.

Once you remove them, I cut them into good 6" by 3" slices, leave for 5 mins then remove to cool. I have found they keep fresher by cling film wrapping them individually once cooled.

Eat these as a snack, or pre workout and you won't go wrong! Enjoy!
Let me know if you have any additional ingredients you have tried.

Stretching for results

Having flown home for 13 hours yesterday with 2 young daughters, I had a touch of jetlag to say the least!
Not just that, but my body felt it had been squashed into a tiny box for most of the journey, and my notoriously tight calves felt like concrete for the next 24hours! Suffice to say my plantar fasciatis reared it's head again for a few hours afterwards.

If you have tight muscles, not only will you be affecting your posture, but you could also be hampering your results.

Ladies - are you continuously trying to firm up your bottom, and give it a better shape, but the only things that seem to change are your legs? This could well be down to the fact you may have tight hip flexors, located at the top of your thigh, connecting to your hip. When tight, these muscles will inhibit your glutes from working correctly, and will therefore limit your potential for results.

Men - Struggling to get a decent shape to your back? Well, if you bench press too much, and have tight pectorals, your shoulders will round forward giving you a stooped look, and inhibiting your back muscles from firing correctly.

If you stretch occasionally when you go to the gym, you really are cheating yourself from results! Ideally, look to stretch any tight muscle groups, 3-4 times a days for around 30seconds each stretch. If you're working out, stretch the tight Opposing muscle between sets. Ie if you're performing Deadlifts, and extension exercise, and you have tight hip flexors, stretch them between sets.

NOTE: It has been found that stretching a muscle, prior to using it in an exercise can actually have a detrimental effect on the exercise, and the power output will be decreased. An example would be stretching the pecs before performing a pressup.

In summary;

Perform dynamic, movement based stretches prior to working out.

Perform static stretches on any tight muscles before working the opposing muscle.

Perform static stretches, 3-4 times a day for 30secs each on tight muscles during the day

Perform static stretches on all tight muscles after a workout.

Sorry Skippy!

Earlier this week, our last week in Perth, we went to a restaurant for lunch, and I had.......some kangaroo! Yep, sorry skip, I ordered some.....and it tasted great. If you've not had it before, it tastes like a great fillet steak, very tender, meaty, and a great flavour!

The best sources of protein, will be from those animals which are active. They will be leaner, more tender, and a better flavour, than from those animals which move less. Other protein sources, like fish, has little fat.
Why? Well, do you ever see a fat fish that doesn't move much?! Exactly!

Do yourself and your body a favour, eat less manufactured carbs, more leaner protein, workout 2-4 times a week, and you could look leaner, and trimmer, and maybe good enough to eat?!!

Are you having your life and efforts sucked away?!

While in Malaysia we all managed to get bitten by Mosquito's except my eldest daughter who didn't get bitten once! Not sure what we did wrong?!

Mosquito's are literally sucking your life force (blood) to feed themselves - thankfully though, with a mozzie bite you're left with nothing more than a few marks for a few days.

However, if you have people around you that will 'suck your life force' or positive energy you could well find your efforts and targets slowly fade away.

I'm talking about people who knock your attempts at fitness, who always question why "you're eating healthily or rabbit food", people who are always looking at the negative aspects of life. People who always seek out the negative in the things that you do to improve your health, your fitness, your life.

Everyone knows somebody like this, be it a family member, work colleague, even a friend?! These people could endanger your chances of success, if you let them.

It's not always possible to "reason" with these people and their views, so where possible you will need to either limit your time with them when you are at a crucial stage of your success, or associate yourself with more like-minded people who are attempting to achieve similar goals, and feed off each others positive views and efforts.

An example of this is Weightwatchers and similar clubs. Although I don't really agree with some of their rules (counting calories all the time) it works for most people, because they go for weekly weigh-ins, and will be around like-minded people who are after the same goals, and can talk the same language. They are also help responsible for their own actions and success at these "weigh-ins" and so they are more likely to be strict with the food during the week. Health and fitness forums are also great areas for people to talk, discuss, and find people who are working towards the same goals.

If you want to succeed, find like minded-people, be positive, be responsible for your actions, plan your goals, and keep your focus. You should then be much further towards success than the "negative people" around you.

If you want to join like-minded people, come and join our community forum, Fat Loss and Fitness Solutions, and you too will be on your way to achieving what you are after!

I've found the Fat Loss Secret!

YES! I've finally found the secret formula for Fat Loss and Fitness whilst holidaying in Malaysia!!


Seriously though, whilst walking through the shops in Langkawi, I came across the above in the tea section. Maybe this is why there are no gyms here on Langkawi?!!


As posted previously, the diet here comprises of fresh foods and fruit, nothing processed, hardly anything packaged. This must say something?


There are NO secret potions, pills or powders that will give sustainable fat loss or fitness benefits. It will just be hard work on the fitness front, and sensible, fresh, natural eating to give you maintainable weight loss, sustained energy and vitality, and a healthy life.


Oh, and a touch of sunshine always helps!
One more day and then off to Oz for the next update!
A quick pic of our beach! ;-)

Further confirmation that Fat Loss is food!

Well after a long flight, we arrived in Malaysia! The weather is a change from the snow we left in the UK - lovely and hot, a welcome sight!

We are staying on an island called Langkawi, and like many of these islands, there aren't the luxuries of back home, in the form of gyms and the alike.

One thing which is apparent is that there are no obese people here on the island - or none that I have seen!

WHAT?! How can that be? There are no gyms! There is no one out running, I've not seen anyone working out!!

Well, just another confirmation that weight loss, or maintenance is about the calories you consume.

Here there are no coffee shops, bakeries, fast food shops, crisps, burger chains etc.

The food people eat is fresh, and natural. Food your body can do something with.

Everything is based around fruit, meats, fish, rice, noodles, vegetables etc.

The choices we make, are just that, choices. Sure you can treat yourself now and then, but stick to the 'core' foods, outlined above, and you will notice the benefits.

Be in control of your choices, take 100% responsibility for yourself and your actions.

OK, back to the beach, and some fresh fruit!

Away but not gone!

Well tomorrow, fingers crossed myself and the family will be jetting off for our annual holiday, stopping at Malaysia for a week, before spending time with my brother in Australia.


The temperature and climate will certainly be different to what we've been experiencing in England recently!


Everyone needs to recharge their batteries at some point during the year, a change of scenery, a change in daily routines and lifestyle. You (hopefully!) come back fresher, invigorated, and ready to take on new challenges, even when travelling with a 4 year old and 14th months old, half way around the world!

Sure, holiday's are now not the relaxing, lay on the beach reading, or doing nothing, that they used to be! Going to bars and restaurants when you have children is now more of a challenge, and often a mission in itself! But like anything, when you have to adapt, you do so, you plan and prepare, and this becomes part of your new 'routine'!


If something new becomes a challenge, or is different to your usual 'routine', but could well benefit you in the long run;
allow yourself to adapt, resolve the obstacles, and accept this into your routine, and you will reap the benefits of it's addition.


Well, it may be quiet postwise on here for the next week, but once we land in Oz, I'll get some updates back on, so keep checking back!

Thanks as always for your continued interest, I really appreciate it :-)

Mark

An unwelcome sight this morning!

We had it forecast, but still waking up this morning, this was the view from the back of our house! OK, to some of my readers in 'snowy' countries it may not look a lot but in England, this is quite severe!

I was supposed to have a busy day today, with 8 PT clients - I now have zero!

Even worse, myself and the family are supposed to be flying to Malaysia and then Australia on Wednesday night, and currently our two main airports are closed, with flight backlogs due to be a problem.......hmmmm we didn't plan for this?!

Sometimes though, things happen which are outside your control. With these issues, you just have to "ride with them" and make the best of a bad situation. Deal with what you can and plan ahead as per usual.
Only when you are creating your own problems by eating too much too often, eating the bad types of food too often, are you making things harder for yourself, and affecting your OWN outcome.

I'll just use today as an extra day to pack, plan my upcoming bootcamps further, and then take the kids out for a bit of sledging.....getting an unexpected workout in at the same time!

Here's to the snow clearing soon......!

Should you workout when ill?

One question I get quite a bit, and often discuss with my PT clients, is whether you should work out when you're ill.
These views are my personal opinions, and I feel it's pretty individual to the person. If you are in doubt, I would say do not workout, until you are back to normal.

With any kind of illness, be it viral or bacterial, you're body will be working overtime to fight this infection, and so "clean" nutrition and water, is essential to help speed the bodies response, and assist your immune system.

** If you have a virus, chest infection, or temperature, definitely DO NOT WORK OUT. These are some pretty severe symptoms, and you will be doing your body more harm than good by working out. **

However, if you just have the sniffles, or a slight sore throat, and you work out regularly, then there should be no harm in doing a light workout. Certainly do not work to failure, or a challenging set of intervals!

Personally, I do not work out when I feel ill. My body tends to ache and I find that resistance work makes my muscles and body feel worse the next day, and I'd rather rest, eat and drink water, and get myself back to near 100% before returning. Also, if I'm ill and can't work, I lose money as I'm self-employed!! I always steer clear of big exercises when ill, as I've performed Squats a few times when slightly ill, and my body has ached big time for a few days afterwards - but that could just be me!!

Just remember, any form of exercise is a stress on the body, and when it is already stressed though illness, you could be doubling the effort the body is going through to rid the illness.
Often a rest from the gym can be as good as a workout in terms of recovery to the body. Plus, if you're goal is weight loss, remember the key is nutrition, so it would be more crucial to watch what, and how, you ate during this period, rather than whether you should be working out or not.


At the first signs of illness, or sore throat, I will dose up with Echinnacea and Olive Leaf extract. If I keep these running, I find the symptoms will dissapear in a few days, or if I caught it late, the symptoms will be a lot less severe than what they would have been without this supplementation. If you choose to take these, just ensure you continue for a few days after symptoms have dissapeared to ensure the virus/bacteria has been erradicated.

What are your views? Do you workout when ill?
NOTE: This is my personal view, and I will not be held responsible for any injury or illness that could be sustained from following my views above. If in doubt do not workout when ill, and contact your GP. (Mark)

Heed the warning signs!!

Yesterday, I had to take my car to the garage to have the cam belt changed. I'd been holding off, as to me, a non-mechanical sort of person, it seemed like a waste of money! It was going to cost me over £300, for something that, at the time, didn't seem like I needed.

(Supposedly the cam belt, or timing belt, has a lot to do with the running of the engine, and the valve system?! Who know's I'm just a PT?!)

However, I was already 8,000 miles and a couple of years over the recommended time for changing it, so felt now was as good a time as any!

If the cam belt snaps, I've heard that the damage to the engine can often be beyond repair - so with this in the back of my mind, I collected the car and paid my money.

Driving home, the car felt, and drove no better, and part of me thought, "What a waste of £300!", but looking logically, it was overdue, needed to be done, and if it had snapped, I would be looking at a much larger bill!

If you compare this with your exercise and nutrition regime, there could be comparisons.

Sometimes you may think, "oh it won't matter if I have this cake today, or take-away meal tonight, it won't do that much harm", but if you don't pay attention to your intake on a regular basis, it WILL mount up and eventually YOU WILL pay the price!

Yes, you can get away with things for a short period of time, but keep pushing the risks, or don't pay attention to the warning signs, and the end cost could be a big shock, and something you weren't planning for.

Be it eating too many, or the wrong type of calories, or performing exercises incorrectly, or with bad posture, the bad side of things will catch with you in the end!

Address the underlying issue for long term results

I see Kerry Katona (a very minor 'celebrity' to my readers outside of the UK!) has recently spent a reported £10,000 on liposuction and other weight loss surgery.
Quite amazing really, when she declared herself bankrupt late last year?!

No doubt a few of those shocking TV appearances, or magazine sob-story articles paid for most of it.

However, mark my words, some point this year, she will no doubt be back to the size she was more recently.
Kerry obviously has underlying issues, alcohol has been named as one, and I'll not dare guess at others, but if the underlying issue to her weight gain, unhappiness, and emotional problems are still there, then you are not addressing the root cause. She has just given herself a short-term solution, but with the underlying issues, they will fight themselves to the top, as negative issues do, and take control again.

If you are on a fat loss programme, ensure you address the initial cause first, and prepare for those obstacles.
Do you eat too much junk food or processed food?
Do you exercise?

Do you drink too much?
Do you eat through boredom?
Do you eat badly through lack of preparation?
Do you just make excuses?

Seek professional guidance or help if you genuinely cannot explain YOUR underlying reason, but when you have that reason, do all you can to eliminate it, find solutions, take 100% responsibility for your actions, instill a positive "can-do" mindset and you will benefit from your newly instilled confidence and goal setting.
I hope Kerry can do the same.

Pills and diets - Just an empty void

I've been posting on a forum recently, where some of the main topics have been;

"How do I lose weight fast?"

"Which diet pill is best for fat loss?"

"Which diet should I choose for quick weight loss?"

I decided to post, to try and give a professional, experienced view, and let these people know that the questions above have no VALID answer, or more correctly, are not even valid Questions.

You should not be thinking like that.

The problem is though, people want results, and they want them yesterday.

But what about the damage you are doing to your body, internally, where you can't see it? Damaging organs, your hormones, your metabolism?

To the "Which diet pill?" question, I simply posted, "There isn't one - if there was, every overweight person would be using it, and everyone would look lean, and slim!", to which the reply came, "Actually product X has been shown to inhibit fat absorption by your body from the food you eat!"

NO!

It is not eating fat that makes you fat, it is excess calories! Be this fat, carbohydrates or protein, the basic facts are, if you're eating more calories than your body needs, or is burning off, you will gain weight.....period.

90% of people that "go on a diet" put that weight back on or more, 3 months after finishing it. Plus the phrase, "Going on a diet" means at some point, you will be "coming off of it". Do you really want to be trying this, then that, then this, all your life?

Stick to something that is sustainable. Please don't endanger your health with diets, pills and potions. Stick to regular exercise, healthy, natural foods, and you will not only lose fat, but you'll get healthier, and fitter at the same time.

Surely this is what you want, especially long term when you want to be playing with your children or grandchildren?