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.

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!

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!

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/

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.

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!

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!

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?

Situps and Steady pace Cardio - The route for minimum results!

It never amazes me when at the gym, how many times I see the 2 exercises above being performed. The "situp" and the "steady Treadmill run".

Quite often, people will go from the treadmill to some situps and then home! To them, that is their workout done!

"The Situp"
Yesterday at the gym, I saw some overweight men, huffing and puffing on the treadmill, who then moved to the matted area and wrenched out a few variations of the situp. Each repetition looked strained and performance wise, would have been ineffective.
Let me state here and now, Situps WILL NOT REMOVE BELLY FAT .... period! If you're doing situps in an attempt to lose that belly, then I'm afraid you're fighting a losing battle. It takes 3,500kcals to rid just 1 pound of fat, how many calories do you honestly think some situps will burn?!

Agreed, to a degree, situps or crunches will be strengthening the muscles, but if there is a huge layer of fat overlaying them, it's pretty pointless.

If you have say a stone or more to lose, and you're hoping situps will rid that tummy, think again, no matter how many you do.
You will be better off performing BIG exercises, like the Squat, Pressups, Pullups, Deadlifts etc. Learn the correct form and each of these exercises will burn more calories, use more muscles, and work your core at the same time.

"The Treadmill"
Again, if the treadmill is your choice of exercise for Fat Loss, then you need to re-think your workouts.
Sure the occasional run is fine if you enjoy it, but if you are doing multiple runs a week to try and lose weight, there are so many better routes to take.

If you are just going to run for say 30mins, sure you will burn some calories, maybe around 400kcals, but that will be all, after you finish your heart rate returns, and you've burnt off 3-400 kcals...wow! A sandwich or latte later, and you've re-instated those calories.

However, if you were to perform say 15-20mins of interval training, combining a period of intense running, backed with a period of recovery (even walking) you will burn a greater number of calories, both during the workout, and for up to 36 hours later, because of your EPOC, or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption.

When performing strenuous exercise, your body has to process oxygen throughout the body at a much higher rate, resulting in your metabolism being highly elevated, and your body working overtime to replenish energy stores, rid by-products which have been produced, and generally return the body back to a "recovered state." This system requires calories to work, and therefore your body will be burning those additional calories for hours after your workout.

Throw in some full body resistance or bodyweight exercises after your intervals, and you have 'ramped up' your body and it's metabolic state, big time! You will leave the gym knowing you've worked out!
Compare this to a laboured run on the treadmill, and 2 strained sets of 15 on the ab cradle or situps, and hopefully you can now see the benefit!

As I aways relay, exercise and results is about INTENSITY. Only with INTENSITY, and a clean diet, and commitment, will you get worthwhile results.

What excess weight are you carrying?

The other day I was talking with one of my PT clients, as we were setting his goals for this year. His target was to lose a stone, and at that stage he asked, "What does a pound of fat feel/look like?!"

I said, "Let's forget a pound, let's look at the bigger targets!" and picked up a 7kg dumbbell.

"There you go, that's about a stone of FAT!"

Now, to those of you that workout, you will know that a 7kg Dumbbell is quite a weight! Imagine that as excess FAT that you're carrying. Imagine even further if you're targets are 2, 3 or 4 stones of fat?!

That is quite an extra load you are carrying around, and your joints have to support.

For your interest, the picture top left is what just 1 pound of fat looks like, and the picture at the top right, is just 5 pounds of FAT. Pretty gruesome, and quite a size, when you think what most people are looking to, or need to drop.

Start eating sensibly, workout regularly and with intensity, and you will drop fat.

Who wants Fat like the above in their body?

Everyone wants abs, a flat stomach, shapely arms and legs, but without shedding the fat you won't see, or get those results.

Make the choice, make the effort, and make the change.

Gym Users - Don't waste your valuable time and money!

To people using gym's or planning on joining a gym - "read this post to ensure you don't waste your time, money and effort!"

Most of the equipment you will find at the gym, and most likely are inducted on, are a waste of time, and will get you minimal results.

Let's forget the X-trainer, stepper etc for now, I'm talking about the 'fixed range of motion' gym kit/machines that take up most of the gym floor space. Born in the 70's and primarily designed for Bodybuilders, these pieces of kit will do nothing to shape your body, and assist you in losing body fat.

Take the machine in the picture above for example, the shoulder press. Firstly you are sat down, so all the muscles from your hips down are switched off - already you are using less muscles and calories than you could be. Secondly, as you push the handles up, to work the "shoulder muscles", the arms will only move in 1 fixed, plane of motion.

Therefore, every time you use this machine, you will use the same group of muscles, in the same fixed movement.
Swap this to an everyday functional movement, such as lifting a box up or down from a top shelf - that box isn't going to move straight up and down is it?

The load will shift, it might wobble to the left or right, it might even start to topple backwards, but because you have trained your shoulder and tricep muscles to work straight up and down, you will not be in a strong position to correct the imbalance, and re-adjust to push that box up, or bring it down safely. Basically, you are not working additional muscles such as you core, and assistor muscles to the primary moving muscles.
It is just not a functional movement.

On the other hand, if you perform a kettlebell, dumbell, or sandbag overhead press, it will NOT move in a straight line, it WILL be more challenging, and therefore will use more muscles, will burn more calories, and fat, and will shape your body in a quicker time compared to static, fixed range machines.

I would go as far as to say 80% of the machines in gyms are a waste of time. Click here to see my video, and comments on the machines at my gym!

This evening while training one of my PT clients at the gym, I saw an induction being carried out, and every exercise the instructor gave them was on a static gym machine. The Chest Press, the shoulder press, leg press, leg extension..... the useless list went on!

Get people carrying and supporting their bodyweight when exercising, get them moving and using multiple muscles and calories, get them moving in a functional way that will help them in their daily lives, but will also get them results, in a reasonable time frame.

Use bodyweight exercises, cable machines, dumbells, barbells, sandbags, kettlebells etc, all external resistance which will move erratically and challenge the body further.
If you want further ideas for workouts, and places to talk about exercises, workouts and nutrition, come and join my Fat Loss and Fitness Solutions forum, it's free, as is the information, and my aim is to help you get your results!

No wonder, so many people give up early when joining a gym, they don't see results, they lose motivation, they lose interest, and most of this is because of such inductions and exercises.

Signup below for my 'controversial' list of Exercises that WORK and DON'T WORK at the gym!

Then feel free to comment about what you have seen and read, or your thoughts?!!

The Fat Loss Secret for Success!

The post below is taken from Craig Ballentyne's Turbulence Training Blog. If you read it, digest it, and keep it at the forefront of your thoughts, you can succeed at anything!

//////////////////////////

"You want the secret to fat loss?

Well, you're not going to like it.

It has nothing to do with Green Tea, acai berry gummy berry juice, or the Master Cleanse.

Instead, the secret to fat loss is a state of mind. Once you're in it, you can't fail.

So here it is...

"Once you accept how HARD it is to lose fat, then it becomes easy."

Do you understand what I mean?
It's like saving money.
Once you understand and accept how much discipline is required to save money then it's easy, and becomes 2nd nature to do so. You understand the difficulty but just do it automatically.

It's the same with fat loss.
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!
Seriously, once you "get it", you literally couldn't get fat if you tried, because your mind is on autopilot to stop you from binge eating or from skipping workouts.

So work on that...apply that secret mindset and you'll succeed.
You'll lose as much body fat as you want.

Heck, you can apply this to any aspect of your life and you'll experience success beyond your wildest dreams.

If only you accept the reality of the situation.

The secret doesn't come in a pill, potion, or powder"
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I would just add that anything that you want to achieve needs to be one of the most forefront of you thoughts. If you are thinking about the task, and have planned for it, then you are prepared for any obstacle that may occur. This doesn't just have to be fat loss again, but any task you have set for yourself. When you 'buy into the whole package', as talked about in this previous post of mine, you are fully focussed on the task at hand, and there should be nothing but a successful outcome. It's again the old favourite of "Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail"!

Set the goal / Accept the task / Plan for obstacles and solutions / Follow the goal / Success!

Madonna - good or bad body at 50?

In the paper at the weekend was an article with Tracy Anderson, Personal Trainer to Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and other celebrities. Some of the quotes pulled from there were, about Madonna, "I want to keep her body looking like it's 20 years old ".

Now, I know a lot of people actually dislike Madonna's body! Fair play to her for exercising regularly, but when veins start popping out of arms, well, I haven't seen that on a 20 year old! Author Fay Weldon put's it as "Madonna does not have the body of a 20 yr old. She has the body of a 50yr old who is well-exercised and half-starved!"

"Using her training system, The Method, Anderson uses low weight (only up to 3 pounds) but high reps - 60 for most people, but 100 for Madonna. She exercises with Madonna for 2 hours per day, 6 times a week".
- COME ON! Up to 3lb weights?! How is that challening? Though the fact she probably eats so little, could make that challenging?! What is 3lb going to do for anyone?! And 2 hours a day?! No wonder, the weights have to be so light!
Do yourself a favaour, lift heavy/challenging weights, keeping reps under 12, keep workouts under 50mins, and 3-4 times a week is more than enough! I have a client who is 51, and I've trained for 5 years now. She has a much better look to her body than Madonna! We will often Deadlift 45kg, DB Press 15kg DB's, 25 full pressups, Bodyweight rows etc. She would have words to say if I handed her a pair of 1kg weights!

"When Anderson first met Paltrow and Madonna, they were horrified by her junk food diet. I had gotten cocky about the fitness programme I designed and I was eating 4 cupcakes a day, cheeseburgers, dunking Oreo's in processed icing. But I had such a serious sweet tooth, and because I got such good results from my fitness regime I could get away with it!"

- No, you probably have a high metabolism from exercising regularly, which generally means you can get away with eating a few extra cheat meals, but come on?! Food and calories are what put weight on. Either you did that junk food diet for about 2 days or you weren't telling us how much weight you gained during that time, because you would have put it on!

The lives of celebreties are there for us to read about! To follow, or emulate their lives would be wrong, and not very practical!

For us 'normal' folk;

Write down your specific goals, and the date you want to achieve them by.

Reduce wheat, dairy, sugar and alcohol in your daily diet.

Eat more fresh meat and fish, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit.

Exercise 2-4 times a week, incorporating challenging weights, and short, sharp, interval training.

You will then see good results...I can't promise a 20 year old body, but I can promise a body you will be proud to show off!

What do you think?! Does Madonna have a good body at 50 or not?! Feel free to comment!

Are you a "Can DO!" or a "I Can't Do That?" person?!

Recently I've had a few comments from people finding it hard to stick to the specifics of my MRPT nutrition plan. With the plan, you eliminate wheat, dairy, caffeine for 4 weeks, and eat natural, wholesome foods. In return, you can lose a dress size, drop a considerable amount of fat, have a flatter stomach, and more energy and vitality.

Sounds good doesn't it?! I won't deny it, It is challenging to stick to, because you are breaking your 'usual routine.' Normally you would probably eat cereal and toast for breakfast, a few coffees during the day, a sandwich at lunchtime, then maybe some pasta in the evening. That is a lot of wheat and dairy that you are consuming, which you need to eliminate! Therefore, change will be tough!

But, if it was easy, everyone would look great, there would be no obesity issues, and everyone would have the body they are after! And that, is what separates the;

"Can's" from the "Can'ts"

the "I CAN DO THIS", from the "Oh, I can't do that",

the "Look what I HAVE DONE", from the "I'm NOT happy with how I feel or look".

Look at it as a challenge. Everybody wants to achieve, and everyone feels fantastic when they do conquer, or achieve something. So be strong, be focused, be committed, and DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF, STARTING TODAY! You won't regret it.

Talk to one of the world's TOP Fat Loss Trainers!

I will have the pleasure of interviewing one of the worlds leading fat loss specialists, Craig Ballantyne, later this week. Craig's Turbulence Training system is used throughout the world, with everyday people shedding pounds of fat, and gaining lean muscle, and finishing with outstanding results, and figures!

Here's your chance to ask Craig any questions you may have, about his TT system, or health and fitness in general. Post your questions in the comments section of this post, or email me at Mark@Markspt.co.uk, and I'll select the best ones.
The interview will appear on here in the next few weeks, so bookmark, subscribe to this blog and get ready for some of the most important facts about fat loss and exercise!

6-pack Abs or 6-pack Flab?!

So it's over! The Christmas period has gone, and work looms! How do you feel? Honestly? Added a few pounds? Feeling bloated? Feel sluggish?

Chances are you overdid things, and some work needs to be done.

The thing is, you will need to;

1) Start immediately, or your current 'routine' will continue, and start dates will be put back.

2) Have a set plan to follow, which has been written down with specific aims, and dates you want to achieve them by. Otherwise it's a black hole, and a recipe for failure. Did you know only 8% of people who set 'goals/resolutions' will achieve them?! That's pretty poor. Be it motivation, will power, additional help? Do all you can to ensure you know what your aiming for, how your going to do it, and when your going to achieve it by.

3)Use resources such as here and other reputable blogs etc to get the information you need and use it! My information is tried and tested, it works for a reason.......people stick to it!

If you want to watch some workout ideas try here for starters. In the next few weeks I will be releasing my Fat Loss and Fitness Home plan, which WILL get you results. Keep an eye out!.

If you want further nutrition information have a look at my FREE articles on my website at http://www.markspt.co.uk/

Do yourself, and your body a favour. Start now - be focused, work hard, and get YOUR results!

Feel free to comment with your aims and goals, and if I can help I will.