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?"

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!

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......!

How hard is it to get Help?!

How hard is it to get help nowadays?!

You either have to pay for it up front, or there is some hidden extra, and you will pay, in some form, somewhere down the line.

I'm currently marketing my upcoming BootCamps. Shouldn't be hard I thought, choose a park, get some leaflets, emails, blog and web information up and get planning.

WRONG!

Not only do I have to pay the local parks to use them, I've since found that the initial cost they quoted me will go up after 4 weeks! So much for trying to get some use out of our under-used parks, and helping the local community get fitter and lose some weight?! (I'm off to Australia in February, and their parks are over-run with children, adults, playing games, exercising etc. Sure the weather helps, but when they put up basic exercise equipment such as pullup stations, hurdles, bars etc, they are actively encouraging people to use them)

Today, I decided to go and visit some of the local shops in town, and see if I could distribute some leaflets. Again, another barrier! The only ones who were really interested in helping were the small, privately run businesses, who know how challenging marketing can be, and were only happy to help out with displaying them.

Even the local library, a 'community' establishment, wouldn't put a leaflet up, because I would be making money from the business! Very supportive of your local work and businesses!

Anyway, I'm an upbeat person, so I won't let this get me down (just a quick off the chest moment!!), I'll continue to look for additional locations, areas to market, and ensure that I get a positive outcome.

BUT! If YOU would like something for FREE, visit my Fat Loss and Fitness Forum here, where you can signup in 1minute, and start asking me and other members questions, post up workout information, get FREE advice and help, and get those 2009 goals on the right track!

You have to pay for most things, so why not make use of those that you don't!

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"
///////////////////////////////////////////////

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!

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.

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.

The 5 steps to Fat Loss!

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

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

Once you understand that you must...;

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

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

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

The time to change is NOW!

Happy New Year!

Goals and targets for 2009

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

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

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

b) You've reached your target goal?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make yourself stand out in 2009!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail!

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

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

What was this thought?

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

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

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

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

Don't let go of your target!

The England rugby team are in a bit of a re-building phase!! South Africa have done it, Australia have been through it, New Zealand.....well they always seem to be great!!

Although under heavy pressure to make wholesale changes after heavy defeats in the past few weeks, new England manager, Martin Johnson, has resisted and stuck mostly to his crop of young (mostly!) players. This not only shows faith, and instills confidence in the players, but is a building block for future success. You get nowhere by making changes, and upsetting the balance week-in, week-out. The same can be said for your eating habits.

Occasionally there will be times when you 'fall off track' such as meals out, holiday's etc, but DON'T lose heart. Don't use that occassion as a "Oh, this isn't working (like the current rugby results!), I won't worry about the rest of the week". If you can keep to a sensible eating plan for 80% of the time, your results will come.
Set yourself a target, set a goal, and if "a bad result" occurs, minimise the impact, stick with your initial ideas, and you will get your results.

Fingers crossed for Saturday then!! It can only get better!

You should be eating more of;

- Lean protein (fish, white meat, good quality lean read meats)

- Lots of vegetables and fruit

- Lots of water

- Wholemeal rice, and oats

and grazing every 3 hours or so.

and eating less of;

- Sugary foods

- man made or processed foods

- wheat and pastas

- Alcohol, coffee

Have confidence, have belief, have self-motivation.