Are you obsessed?

As people we tend to get OBSESSED about certain things whether it’s cars, clothes, sports, other people etc. It must be something in our DNA that we become so attached to these things. We think about them all the time when we aren’t directly involved with whatever our obsession is.

Currently it seems that as a nation we are obsessed with LOVE ISLAND.

It’s on the TV every night and it’s basically people watching people try and find LOVE. I use the word love lightly it’s more like try and find £50,000 prize money. Things like this take over people’s lives. They watch it religiously and talk about it at work and with their friends.

Now that isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does start to create an imbalance. We focus so much on one thing that we forget about everyone else. So whether it’s a TV program or sports or clothes or anything else we need to remember the other important things in life.

Does anyone get obsessed about their health and fitness?

Of course they do. They are maybe a bit harder to find than the Love Island addicts but they are out there. You probably expect me to say that’s a great thing and we should have more people like that. Don’t get me wrong I wish more people cared about their health and fitness as much as they cared about their favourite TV show. But it’s still an obsession so finding balance in all aspects of life is definitely the goal.

That is easier said than done but by focusing on the right things then we can allow ourselves time to indulge when we can on the things we really enjoy. Sometimes we need to be obsessed with something to achieve great things but I am referring more to everyday life and the things we put a lot of importance onto in terms of our time and thoughts. This will ultimately take away from the things that NEED to be done rather than just the stuff we want to do.

Don’t worry you will maybe still have time to watch LOVE ISLAND.

You are wasting your time…

People always use the excuse of not having enough time to get stuff done.

Especially exercise, it’s most people’s favourite get out clause as to why they haven’t been to the gym or a class or done anything at all. Now I am fully aware that life gets in the way of the things we would like to do or at least feel we need to do.

That’s ok.

In those times you need to write it off to focus on what’s important or you need to push back and CREATE time to do the things we need/want to do. But that isn’t really the point I am trying to make. What I am trying to say is that people use the excuse of not having time but blatantly waste time doing things that in all seriousness could be done some other time or not at all.

I am guessing you want me to give you some examples?

My pleasure.

TV is a big one and always has been. I’d like to see how many hours people actually watch TV per week. I am sure the number would surprise you. Then we have the ever-present mobile phone. Now I am first to admit that for my business I couldn’t live without my phone but I try as much as possible to restrict my time on it and especially out of working hours. Social media is along side TV the BIGGEST time stealer we have. You can get lost in your phone for a long time.

Before you know it you have spent 30 minutes going from video to video or scrolling through your news feed.

Time is precious. You don’t get it back. Don’t waste it.

I would suggest blocking out a specific amount of time to get the important things done. Now it’s obviously my job to tell you to use that time to exercise or food prep. If getting a better body and feeling good about yourself is your goal then you should but it can also be used to get other important tasks done.

Set aside some time and don’t let anything get in the way of what you are doing.

Turn off your phone, record your favourite program and get to work.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face…

Thankfully I haven’t been punched in the face, well not recently and hopefully not anytime soon. I did however attend a charity boxing event recently and I was there to support a good friend who was taking part.

Rather him than me!

But in all seriousness it takes real guts to do something like that. Having never done anything like that it must be pretty nerve racking to get up in front of 4 or 5 hundred people and try to punch someone in the face while try to avoid the same fate.

It comes down to the whole concept of the comfort zone and making sure we are stepping outside it on a regular basis. Obviously the people involved in the charity boxing event had to train for weeks prior to the event trying to get themselves physically fit enough to take part while learning to box at the same time.

Not a lot happens in the comfort zone but when you step outside and challenge yourself then that’s when good things start to happen. You find out who you are and what you are capable of. Where that’s in your life, career, health and fitness it’s all about trying to be better than you were yesterday.

I have massive respect for the boys that took part in the boxing event because once you step into that ring and all eyes and lights are on you it’s a different ball game. Of course it was all for charity and great causes. But as Mike Tyson once said

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”

So if you are wondering why you aren’t achieving things or aren’t getting results then maybe it’s because you are hanging about in the comfort zone too much. We are all guilty of it at times. Comfy clothes on, sitting on the couch in front of the TV with some snacks. That is my vision of the comfort zone. Sometimes it’s needed but don’t hang about in there too long.

You might not find your way back.

Knowing when to stop…

Most of my health and fitness advice is aimed at helping people improve their routines and habits to make their nutrition and exercise more effective. Also so that it leads people to reach their goals and feel happy/healthy. However today I would like to discuss something slightly different.

Taking time off!

I am going on holiday and taking a week away from it all, well as much as possible to re charge the batteries and spend some quality time with the family.

My question is do we do this enough?

If you are a hard worker with a busy schedule that has to maintain a work, social and family life then you need to ensure you throw in some down time to cope with the demands of everyday life. Now don’t get me wrong if you also look after yourself in terms of your health and fitness by eating right, sleeping well, drinking enough water and exercising then you will be able to operate at a high level. Sustaining energy levels on not feeling tired most of the time.

But long term we need to schedule in downtime to re charge mentally as well as physically. When we break that everyday day routine and go somewhere different or try something different then we can reap the benefits when we go back to normal everyday life.

I know most people don’t need to be told to take a break or a holiday but some of us do. When you are working hard to provide for your family and be successful sometimes it’s hard to take time away. But like I mentioned before it will only benefit you in the long run.

Our bodies are amazing machines but just like if we eat too much food or drinking too much alcohol it will start to fail on us. So if you have the chance to get away or do something different then make sure you take it.

I mean actually take it…

Don’t spend it checking in Facebook to see what everyone else is up to or doing the same old stuff you always do but just not going to work. Be present and enjoy the moment because before you know it you will be back to the grind.

That’s what I intend to do.

My Ideal Day…

Now this is my ideal day in terms of health and fitness. Not my ultimate ideal day as I am not that sad.

If I had sufficient time to train, eat, sleep and move the way I wanted to then this is how it would go down. Now you may say that if these things are so important then surely I would make time for them.

Well the truth is I do. Just not everyday as life gets in the way sometimes.

Ok here goes.

I would wake up after 7.5/8 hours sleep as this amount is great for me and I feel good for the whole day. I would consume my go breakfast of 4 scrambled eggs with some vegetables through it and this would be washed down by my greens smoothie. So this would constitute my first meal of the day.

I would then do a 20 minute mobility session to help keep my body moving well and pain free. This is made up of various exercises/movements working different parts of the body. I would follow this up with a 30/40 minute walk at an easy pace. Again this gets me moving outside in the fresh air.

Going back to the eating side of things I would have a snack of Greek yoghurt with some fruit and a naked bar and then lunch would be Salmon with vegetables and some rice or quinoa. These two meals would be spread out by a few hours depending on hungry and activity levels.

My last bout of exercise of the day would be a gym based training session. This session would focus on big compound movements such as squats or deadlifts along with some other movements such as pull ups/push ups/Overhead Press and some kettlebell work.

I would have a post workout shake filled with milk, water, oats, protein powder and some fruit. This will help to start refueling the system after the work out. I would need to fit some dinner in at some point to complete the day. This would be a chicken stir-fry with lots of vegetables and maybe some noodles/rice.

This would be an ideal training/eating day for me and doing this consistency will keep me on the right track and moving forward. Some of the details will change on a daily basis like ingredients of food and exercise selection in the gym but the principles remain the same.

This is not everyday, just an example of a really good day.

What would yours look like?

Do you ever get the feeling you aren’t getting anywhere?

Sometimes it’s like you are on the treadmill of life and it’s going nowhere.

We put all this effort into trying to stay fit and healthy. We try and eat the right things, we try and exercise a few times a week. Yet we see minimal progress and this isn’t the best thing for motivation. So what reasons could cause us to see minimal or little progress?

1. We are just going through the motions and not pushing ourselves.
2. We aren’t consistent enough with our habits.
3. What we are doing isn’t working for us.

Let’s look at the first one. Sometimes we think we are doing all the right things in terms of eating and exercise but often we are just going through the motions and doing just enough to get by in the gym. So we do our classes or training program but keep doing the same things hence once your body has adapted progress will slow right down. We need to keep mixing it up and keep pushing ourselves.

The second reason of not being consistent with your habits is another BIG reason we don’t get where we want to. When we start new programs we get really excited and are all in with all the things we need to do. Diet, exercise, water, sleep etc and then we get lazy and stop doing the things we know we should be doing. Consistency is the KEY to success. End of.

The last reason is not something many people realise but sometimes what you are doing isn’t working for you. Like the exercise you are taking part in isn’t making much difference to your body shape or that you think you are consuming healthy food but are over eating on your calories which will not help with weight loss.

All these things play a part in your chances of success when it comes to losing weight, changing your body shape and being healthy/happy. Without them our chances of success are slim. We need to trust the process and follow it. Find a plan that you enjoy and that works for you. Make small changes regularly within that program to ensure continued progress and you should be onto a winner.

Turn up, put in the effort and reap the rewards.

You are getting old…

We all are…

Exercise and make good choices with your nutrition.

Why Don’t You Sleep?

Now I am not tarring everyone with the same brush… However I keep seeing the same thing happening. People not going to bed early enough! Now you may be thinking how do I know this.

Don’t walk around in pain…

You always have a choice!

We see a lot of people coming into the gym for treatment for different things. Lower back pain, shoulder pain and just general aches and pains. Now luckily we have great people at the gym who can treat these ailments and get people moving again. But this is where the problem lies. People think a couple of sessions of massage or with a physio then everything will be sorted and it’s back to normal.

If only that was the case.

What happens is people get treated and then go back to doing whatever it was they were doing before being that their day job or playing their sport. The majority of the time they have the pain or discomfort is due to the things they are doing on a daily basis. Like sitting at a desk 6 – 8 hours a day. You do get injuries that are accidental like broken wrists or tearing a muscle but 9 times out 10 it’s poor movement that gets people in trouble.

People don’t want to put the work in. When our specialists treat a client they will then send them away with corrective exercises to do DAILY which will help with the pain and should be them back to full function. The problem is most people don’t do it. They are too busy, too tired or just can’t be bothered. But 3 weeks later they come back with the same problem. There is no sense in this whatsoever.

We all want the quick fix, the 30 minute appointment that will take care of everything and we can get on with ours days. However I am almost certain that this pain/discomfort has been built up over time and you just put up with it for a while before doing anything about it. So we can’t expect to be fixed in one appointment and without putting any work in to make it better.

It’s the same with people looking to lose weight. They spend months if not years putting weight on but end up expecting to lose it all again in 8 weeks. I am not the best at maths but it doesn’t work like that. You don’t need to walk around in pain because movement with  a purpose on a daily basis will make you feel great and keep you feeling great. Not everyone has the ability to move freely so if you do make sure you take care of business.

I think I finished last…

This week I had my son Jack’s first ever nursery sports day. It was a big deal and he is still wearing his medal. At the age of 3 he loved it and it was good to see all the kids having fun.

Even in the rain 🙁

At the end of the kids events they announced a Mothers and Fathers race. I thought I should be ok at this, after all it is my job to be fit. That was until it was evident that it was an egg and spoon race. Needless to say I was brutal and finished pretty much last. Now obviously this was a bit of fun and it was great to get all the Mum’s and Dad’s involved.

Not that I am bitter 🙂

It just shows you even in silly things like this we aren’t good at everything. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Some people say you should focus on your strengths and not worry too much about your weaknesses. Which is great in some instances like keeping fit. You might think for example that you need to run to lose weight. But in truth you suck at running and hate it. You also aren’t very likely to stick to it.

So that case don’t do it. Don’t force yourself to do something you aren’t good at and don’t enjoy. There is more than one way to lose weight. Sticking to something you are good at and are more likely to stick to will produce better results. I see people all the time trying to push through and do something they don’t enjoy. Join slimming clubs, run in the street or eat rabbit food. It doesn’t have to be this way.

It won’t come overnight but if you keep adding layers of good habits on top of the good ones you have already introduced then you will start being more consistent and ultimately get better results. Which is what we all want at the end of the day. So the message here is don’t get caught up and worry about things you aren’t good at, focus on the things you are good at and use them to your advantage. You will be happier in the long run to. It sounds like a win/win to me.

Right I am away to practice for next years egg and spoon race.

Mark