How much I eat in a day…
You may be surprised!
I like to blabble on about focusing on the simplicity of nutrition and sticking to the basics.
Like eating single ingredient foods, have a good variety in your diet, prepare your own food and get a good mix of protein, carbs and fats.
Hopefully you read that and paid attention to what I was saying, if not go back and read it if you get a chance.
Moving on from Fridays topic I want to keep it on the same path.
I have created a video based on what I eat over the course of a day…
It’s roughly about 2500 – 3000 calories, I know I know lucky me.
But as much as your calorie intake will be different it will give you an insight into:
- How much food I eat
- What types of food I eat
- How many meals I have
- The food prep that is required
So hopefully you can take something from it that will help your own nutrition and as always if you have any questions then don’t hesitate to ask.
I am always free to chat.
Now this is not how I eat everyday, it’s a good day and a fairly normal day for me.
You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H5vwHMxTOs
Right it’s time for some eggs and smoothie so I am off.
Mark
Is rice going to poison us?
One of my clients asked me the other day about…
‘Arsenic in rice’
She had seen a story in the news that had stated high levels of arsenic can be found in rice!
Sounds pretty scary right???
I hadn’t heard the story (shame on me as a health and fitness professional)
So I decided to do a little digging.
It seems to the increase in arsenic levels in rice is definitely a thing.
This is due to the increase in pollution all over the world.
Now the million dollar question is how does this effect you.
It seems from the research that has been conducted that if you consume rice ALL THE TIME…
Then you may have issues further down the line.
However if you eat it in moderation then you will more than likely be fine.
You can’t really know what types of rice have been effected without testing it.
Sadly neither you or I know how to do that…
As with everything ‘The Devil is in the Dosage’
If you eat too much trans fat it’s bad for you, if you drink too much alcohol it’s bad for you…
So lets just focus on eating single ingredients foods consistently.
I know I say that all the time but I say it all the time because thats what works.
Right, short one for today.
I am off…
Curry with Rice for tea tonight 🙂
Mark
“It’s kind of obvious… But”
You know what you need to do to get results…
- Exercise regularly
- Drink More Water
- Eat Healthy
- Be Consistent
Sounds easy right?
So…….
It’s kind of obvious… But we don’t do it.
The longer we put off taking action.
Not putting in the work.
Not doing the things that are mentioned above on a consistent daily, weekly and monthly.
The longer we put off and avoid achieving the results we want.
Sounds bonkers right?
That’s because it is…
However if it was that simple then we would all do the things mentioned and all be the in great shape.
So why don’t we?
Well life gets in the way.
Stress, work, temptation, tiredness, laziness and all the other stuff we have to deal with on a daily basis.
We need to try and cut through all this and follow the basics mentioned above.
Don’t get me wrong I know it’s not always easy but if we don’t we will keep going backwards and things will get worse not better.
Apparently some guy named Benjamin Franklin (I think he was a big deal back in the day 😉 said:
“Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today”
If it’s good enough for him then it’s good enough for me.
If you don’t want to change and are happy with the way you are then great.
But if you don’t to change, improve and see a difference then stopping avoiding and start moving towards it.
Mark
What the FU*K is Inertia?
Now in my house we have a TV like most people…
This isn’t where I tell you about how I don’t watch TV because it poisons the mind and you are lazy for sitting on the couch all the time.
Have you seen SUITS???
I would happily sit and watch that.
But my point is in our house we generally find ourselves watching kids TV programs like Paw Patrol or Peppa Pig.
There is another program called ‘Blaze and the Monster Machines’
So if you have children between the age of 2 – 5 then you may be familiar with Blaze.
If not don’t bother watching it, I will just tell you what he is about.
He is quite a smart dude this place, very educational.
Not only for my son but for me too.
The other day he was talking about INERTIA.
Now me being a simple fella didn’t have a clue what it meant.
I assumed it meant momentum, I also think it’s more of an American word?
Anyway…
Here is what inertia means:
‘a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force’
So from that it means that if something is moving forward in a straight line it will keep going unless stopped by an external force.
This made made me think of us and our journey in our own health and fitness.
We get going initially and get up a bit of momentum or inertia in this case and things are going well.
We are cruising along at a decent speed with no obstacles in sight.
Then BOOM. Something comes up and we get slowed down and fall off the tracks.
This happens far too easily.
It should be the case where if something does come into your path and tries to knock you off the track it better get out the way before you smash right through it.
Control your environment, don’t let it control you.
Mark
P.S
We can give you 7 days of Inertia in the form of our FREE trial:
Don’t wait till it’s too late…
My wife was away on a hen do at the weekend.
So on Saturday night I went wild…
I put my son to bed, watched a film on Netflix and eat a bar of Whole Nut.
Crazy eh?
Anyway, the film was called ‘The Big Short’. Great film about the world financial crash that happened in 2007/2008. Some big time actors in this one too.
So if you like Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Christian Bale then it may be for you.
The story is loosely based on a true story about how several people put money on the housing market crashing.
Pretty crazy how it went down and in America 8 million people lost their jobs and 6 million people lost their homes.
How did this effect you?
It may not have effected you at all, you may not even remember that it happened (Although you should as it was a pretty big deal)
What this taught me though?
Was that no matter what happens it”s down to you on how you react and how you deal with the situations that life throws at you.
- Not happy with your job?
- Not happy with how much money you have?
- Not happy with the way your body is?
- Not happy with the way you feel?
Then its down to you to sort it. People will support you and help you but they won’t do it for you.
So what I am saying is don’t wait for things to go wrong before you try and change for the better.
People wait till the fall ill to do something about their health.
Instead of taking precautionary measures in the first place.
That’s CRAZY.
Mark
Do you have a choice?
We all have a choice but we don’t always seem to make the right ones.
By Mark Gallagher 22/04/2016
Everything we do requires choice. The clothes you wear, the food you eat and the TV programs you watch. In most cases we choose what we like and not necessarily what is good for us. This is why we aren’t happy with our body shape or weight most of the time because we make bad choices. The choices you make when it comes to the clothes you wear and TV shows you watch aren’t really going to be detrimental to your health (unless you constantly sit on the couch watching TV and eating junk). The choices we make when it comes to food and exercise are the main reason you are where you are. If you are not happy then why not? I could keep this really short and simple by saying make a change and choose differently and this will lead to being happy with your body.
Sadly it’s doesn’t always work like that.
What are my choices?
Choice is everywhere as I have previously mentioned. Every single food you eat and every time you choose to exercise or not is a choice good or bad. So how do we make the right choices?
Firstly you have to want to change. You have to be at a place mentally where you have made the choice and decision to change for the better and stick to it. The thought of change is EASY. Carrying it out and sticking to it is where some of us fail.
Secondly you have to start actually making better choices and it doesn’t have to be everything. It can be small choices that will make a big difference in the long term. That could be swapping your breakfast cereal for a healthy omlette 3 times a week or going out a walk with friends twice a week now the better weather is here.
Circumstances play a part in choice and success. Work, family life, sleep, stress and everything else that life throws at us. But we can only look at ourselves for the answers. Are you doing the work required by making the right choices on a regular basis to ensure you are going where you want to be in terms of your health and fitness?
Now I didn’t say it was easy but it is simple. The more we complicate things the more we mess things up.
Stop choosing the wrong things!
We have to look at making choices that we ultimately don’t always make us happy in the short term but will in the long term. Surely you can go without that take-away once in a while or put in an extra shift at the gym this week to help you towards your goal.
We can’t moan that we aren’t losing weight or aren’t seeing results if we aren’t making choices that will help us get there and deep down you will know yourself if you really making the right choices.
“If we keep doing the same things, we will keep getting the same results”
Mark
Synergy Performance
Is Insanity just insane?
Why do we feel the need to go all out on workouts and diets to achieve our goals?
By Mark Gallagher 15/04/2016
I see and hear people all the time talking about how they want to feel like they can’t walk or breath by the time they finish at the gym (hence my reference to Insanity) or how they are on some extreme diet like drinking juice for 3 days or they can’t eat carbs EVER!!!! Now all this seems crazy to me but I get it. We want results and we want them last week, that’s the problem. We start something new and get impatient then give up after a few weeks because we aren’t seeing results fast enough. What would happen if we kept going with the program and became CONSISTENT? I know that word is seen as boring and not very sexy but it’s what we all need. If you are consistent with good habits like structured workouts and eating the right foods you will see results, you will be happy and you won’t have to start again.
Why put yourself through it?
No one wants to start over and over again doing the same thing and getting nowhere. So STOP doing it. Lets get to a point where you are confident enough to let loose for a few days for a special occasion or go on holiday and not have to worry about what foods you are eating or if you get any exercise in. That is a great indicator of where you are at in terms of health and body weight/shape.
Don’t STOP, keep going and take it a step at a time. Lets look at a couple of reasons people go all out then give up.
- These fad diets, cleanses and juice diets are designed to make you lose weigh, which is obvious. If you don’t eat any proper food you will lose weight. It’s not rocket science. What happens when you go back to eating real food? I don’t really need to answer that question. Severe calorie restriction is UNHEALTHY and SUCKS! No wonder you quit.
- Every workout you do doesn’t need to be an all out physical attack on your body. There are times when it’s good to train hard but as long as your workouts are structured and you enjoy them you will see results. You don’t need to be crawling out the gym every time you go. Do what you enjoy don’t put yourself through something you hate because you think it will help you lose an extra pound.
- The enthusiasm wears off pretty quickly. We are all excited and keen to start new diets and a new program at the gym but then realise it’s not easy and we give up before we have the chance to really see results. Give it a chance, it works.
It all comes down to being happy!
If you aren’t happy do something about it, make a change. Then stick to that change for a significant period of time to see if it works for you and you enjoy it. If it works and you enjoy it keep doing that. Get consistent with the basics and you wont have to start another FAD diet or join a new gym AGAIN.
Mark
Synergy Performance
Why don’t you make time?
Are you making excuses for not having time to exercise or eat healthy by preparing food.
By Mark Gallagher 31/03/2016
We all lead busy lives and free time can be sometimes at a premium. I get that I really do, it can be tough at times. Although I would argue if something means that much you would make time for it. Some things cant be controlled, like how many hours you work or having to use your time to care and look after your family. These things can’t really be traded off for something else. The term TRADE OFF is really important here and should be something we think about a LOT. Why I mean by trade off is what can you trade time wise to have more things to do what you really want to do. Lets have a look….
What can I trade?
Now in terms of health and fitness this all comes down to how much you want to lose weight, look and feel better. There are things in everyday life that you can trade off to become healthier and a better version of yourself. I know I am biased but I would think most people want that.
If you want it enough you can make it happen, lets me time not excuses.
- This is probably the biggest one I think people could change. People say they have no time yet watch 2 – 3 hours of TV per day. Trade 30 – 60 of those minutes for some effective exercise that you enjoy 3 – 4 times per week and you will notice a massive difference. That’s potentially 2 hours per week. You have 168 hours at your disposal. You can spare 2 of them.
- Sleep is a tricky one because I don’t want you cutting into your quality sleep time and getting less but it’s a fine line. I am sure we could get up a bit earlier in the morning to make a nutritious breakfast, prepare your lunch or put something in the slow cooker for dinner. You could even do it the night before if that’s easier but the point is that you do it in the first place.
- People say eating healthy food takes too long to prepare, hence the last point about getting up early to make your food for the day. I would beg to differ. It takes 10 minutes to make an omlette for breakfast or 15 minutes to grill a chicken breast and boil some vegetables. Now that’s fast food.
Lets stop using time as an excuse!
You may not want to TRADE OFF things in your life to incorporate exercise or healthy eating. If you are happy with that then that’s fine keep doing what you are doing. However I suspect you wouldn’t be reading a blog about health and fitness if you didn’t want to improve that very aspect of your life
The TV and the BED will always be there your HEALTH may not.
Just think about it!
Mark
Synergy Performance
Where are you now?
The best program is the one that is designed for where you are and where you want to go.
By Mark Gallagher 21/03/2016
We see pictures of people in magazines or people on TV and we want to look like them. Nothing wrong with having aspirations! I won’t get into the whole airbrushed saga and how these people have a squad 10 deep making them look the part for a photo shoot or film premier. That’s stuff we already know and should be aware of when we looking to get in shape or lose weight. We focus too much on other people, what are they doing and why can’t we be like them. It’s not about them it’s about YOU! What you are doing or not as the case may be and what you need right now and what’s going to work.
Where do we start?
We actually start at the end, stay with me.
Firstly lets identify what it is you REALLY want. Lose weight, drop 2 dress sizes or fit in your old jeans in 2 months time. It has to be specific to you and then we can figure out how we are going to get there. There is no point in you trying to run a marathon if you haven’t done much running before or jumping into an insanity class for your first time at the gym.
So that goes back to my original question. Where are you now?
Start where YOU need to start and not where it would be suitable for someone else. Here are a couple of tips to get you started.
- Start small. Pick 3 things and make them habits by doing them all the time and they will become second nature. They could be things like. Drink 2L water every day. Attend a minimum of 3 fitness classes per week. Go a massive walk at the weekend to catch up with a friend. Once these 3 are part of your routine and become effortless, we can add 3 new habits in to build on what we have already introduced.
- If you need help getting motivated seek out a friend in a similar position and start the journey together. Ask someone who knows a bit about what you want to achieve and seek their advice/help in how to get there.
- Record your progress. Whether that’s tracking your meals or pounds lost, this will give you a better understanding of what is working and what is not.
- Have fun. If it’s not much fun, you won’t stick it.
It’s time to get started.
Motivation doesn’t always come to us as much as we would like but it’s in there some-where, you just need to ignite it. It may be something as simple as a wedding or a holiday you have coming up this summer.
Don’t get on that plane or turn up to the wedding thinking you could have been in better shape or could have done more.
Turn up looking the bomb!
Mark
Why am I not seeing results?
The fundamentals of exercise and your progress.
By Mark Gallagher 16/03/2016
Last time out we discussed weights and if lifting heavy will make you bulky. Now that we have covered that it’s time to look at progress and results. The two topics are closely related and you don’t get one without the other. The most important factor of getting results and making progress in the gym is the human body. Obviously we are trying to change our bodyweight or shapes to be something more like our idea of ‘Perfect’ (we will talk more about that another time). However the human body itself is the key to success, as well as a good mindset. If we use these two effectively them we are on to a winner.
Why do we not see results in the gym?
Basically it’s because we keep doing the same things over and over again. The body is a very smart piece of kit and will adapt to most things you put it through. That includes exercise! As soon as you do a workout your body is looking for the easiest and most efficient way to do that workout. So next time you do it the body will adapt to the stimulus. So if you do the same workout 6 times in 6 weeks your body will have adapted so much that you will potentially plateau and stop making progress.
This is frustrating and annoying as you feel like you are working hard and getting yourself to the gym multiple times per week.
So how do we combat this and keep pushing forward to reach our goals?
- We need to increase or change the variables in any given workout. This could be through increasing the weight or the amount of reps you do on an exercise. Maybe even the type of equipment you use for that exercise like kettlebell or dumbbell. If we keep changing these variables and essentially making it harder as the weeks go by, because we mentioned before the body is always trying to make it easier.
- The other thing we could do is change the workout complete and do something totally different. If you attend fitness classes this will generally be the case unless all classes are the same. If you following a training program changing every 4 – 6 weeks can be beneficial to seeing changes and making progress. It needs to be applicable to you and your goals, also to what you enjoy. Otherwise what’s the point.
What’s next?
It’s as simple as this. If it’s working keep doing it.
If you stop making progress then lets look to change it up. Add some weight or some extra reps to challenge yourself and ensure we aren’t standing still or maybe even going backwards in terms of moving towards our goals.
Don’t go through the motions, you won’t get very far.
Mark
Synergy Performance