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Posts Tagged ‘nutrition’

The HARDEST exercise you will ever do!!

The HARDEST exercise? What is it?

What is the HARDEST exercise you have ever been asked to do? Sometimes as trainers we ask a lot of our clients. Run here, jump there, pick up this heavy bit of iron, now pick it up again….. and again…and again. I have asked clients to do “burpee’s” for a whole hour, asked them to sprint up hills until they couldn’t stand and attempt lifts they never thought possible. However, sometimes I ask clients to do one thing that seems so hard that many, even after years of training, are reluctant to do. They shy away from it and come up with excuses.

So What is this incredibly hard exercise that scares so many????

Keeping a food diary!

“So what are you eating?” the conversation usually starts.

“Oh! Er…. I eat quite healthily,” comes the reply.

“What sort of things do you eat?” I ask.

“Oh the usual stuff, salads, some chicken. You know.”

“No, actually I don’t know. Do you drink?”

” Er…Occasionally. Not too much,” the nervous client replies

“Do you snack? Eat out a lot? How much protein do you eat?”

” Er ….a decent amount I think”

It’s about this time the conversation falls apart and the dreaded request comes from me:

” Okay, for the next 2 weeks I want you to write down all the food and drinks you have. Then we can get a baseline of what you are fuelling yourself with, so we can help you make adjustments to support your training regime”

Most people think this is a good idea, but inevitably this is the last we hear about it. It never happens.

Sure you may be busy and yes you may have forgotten about it but I think the real reason so few people do this is because they feel uncomfortable examining their lifestyle, nutritional habits and being honest about how poor their diet really is.

Do you want those results or not?

As Personal Trainers we can give you everything we have for your hours training but we cannot stand with you in your kitchen for the other 23 hours a day. As good Sherpa’s we can guide you up the difficult mountain path but we need to know where you are starting from. We will show you the best routes and the pitfalls to avoid but a map is useless if you don’t know where you are or where you want to end up?

So it is time to stop living in denial and start being honest with yourself. Get out a notebook or keep a record on your phone. For the next two whole weeks  write down EVERYTHING you eat and drink and at the end of those two weeks come and show us. We will help you with those changes so you can fuel yourself correctly and make sure your macro nutrient’s are suitable to support your goals. Diets are a short term fix that do not work over the long haul, but good lifestyle nutritional choices for the rest of your life do work 100% every time.

Its time to grow up and eat your vegetables!!!!

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for many but it’s time to take your medicine. Writing a food diary should NOT be the hardest exercise. So pens and notepads at the ready….

Three two one GO……..

RAB 

 

New Year, New you! – Part 2

Part 2 – Top Tips

Its all in your HEAD

In part one of my blog I talked about how the biggest thing that is stopping you from achieving your goals is yourself! That voice in your head that says: “stop now, you feel uncomfortable” or “stay in bed, you don’t NEED to go to the gym”

Rarely are most people required to push themselves past the point of being uncomfortable or in pain. Most people stop way before they are at their “limit”. I am going to tell you some simple tricks that I incorporate into my own Personal Training

During a set of press ups for example. If you normally get to ten then “need” to put your knees down before carrying on, try getting into your head that you will get to at least 11 before even dreaming of putting those knees down. Then when you’re able to achieve this regularly, employ the same mentality and have 12 reps as a target, then 13 etc.

If on a run, you can use landmarks or street furniture as targets. When you are getting tired, tell yourself you’ll just run to the next lamppost or sign, and when that target arrives tell yourself you can just run to the next one. See how far you can get!! This is also a good example of when employing a personal trainer can help. Having someone running with you or cycling next to you telling you to run to the next lamp post is more likely to make you do it. It is easier to quit when there is nobody to see it.

A little mental tactic I like to employ during a tough run or a workout is to tell myself that a loved one is in trouble and needs my help, and that I need to get to them/complete a given physical task in order to rescue them from danger. I find this keeps my mind focused on keeping going no matter how tired or uncomfortable I am, and pushing back any negative thoughts that try and creep in, until the job or workout is done!

If you can start with simple tactics like this to try and complete a run or a workout, you will soon see progressions in your fitness and strength levels. Likewise, if you suffer a setback throughout the year that could potentially derail your efforts thus far, put into practice the same mindset- focus on pushing that little bit further and keep moving forwards!

Later this year, I will be “yomping” (marching over difficult terrain whilst carrying kit/equipment) 100 miles in 36 hours for The Royal Marines Charity  During this event and training for it, I am going to have to certainly dig deep into my physical reserves to complete the distance. But more so than that, I am going to have to keep ignoring those little voices that tell me to stop or take a day off and keep putting one foot in front of the other till I cross that finish line!

So if you were one of those people that started off the new year with a boom and have now fallen off track then get back out there again! Get out running, walking, swimming, employ a personal trainer or a nutrition adviser.

BUT most importantly IGNORE that inner voice!

Remember

Its all in your HEAD!

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P.s If you wish to donate for my 100 mile “yomp” here is the link:

Adam’s Just Giving Page