Weight = 82.2kg

Loss this week = 0.7kg

Total loss = 9.8kg





If you told me 6 weeks ago that I’d weigh 82.2kg at the end of this program I would never have believed it. I’m ecstatic with the result. The only dampenor is that I’m realising I’ve spent a good part of my life looking like my before pic instead of looking like my after pic. I’ll tell you one thing, I don’t plan on going back.

In my final week, I did a hard run on Friday. For you inner westies out there, I did the bay run (little under 6km) in 29min 54sec, had 5 minutes rest and then did it again in 30min 22sec.

Saturday’s workout was a 2 hour class that I ran and participated in at Rushcutters Bay. 15 of us did a mix of things. 4 massive hill sprints in between functional strength circuits of Kettlebell swings, burpees, box jumps, skipping, dumbbell push press, deadlifts, a 6 minute boxing round and a game of touch footy to finish off. The session had a great vibe and it was a really good way for me to finish off the program and I appreciate those who came along.

I took Mia, my 3 year old to the park on Sunday for one of our usual little workouts. We ride to a park at broadway and I do heaps of chinnups and other body weight exercises in between playing with her on the play equipment. She’s cute because she’s like my trainer, she says ‘come on dad’ and runs me to the various stations and then try’s to copy me. Alyson (my wife) met us down at the park after that and took the ‘after pictures’. Mia took her shirt off just like dad and had a pose.

Darren, one of my clients, organised an ocean swim for bondi surf club on easter Monday so I decided that if Brooklyn wasn’t out of hospital by then, I’d give the swim a go and then have a few beers after at Bondi to celebrate the finish of my program.

Brooklyn had a bit of a setback, he had an apnea and chocked on his vomit after a bottle. He was off the monitors but luckily the nurse noticed him as he was turning a little blue. The doctors are saying that it’s not an uncommon thing and sometimes premature babies just have problems coordinating swallowing and breathing. He’ll be monitored for another week before he can come home.

I’ll probably read over this blog in years to come when I want to remember how Brooklyn came in to the world. Perhaps Brooklyn might even read it one day. So, i just wanted to say to Brooklyn that although we don’t even really know you yet, you’ve already touched so many people’s lives and me, your mum and your big sisters love you and can’t wait to have have you home with us. You’ve been my driving inspiration to go to the next level and give this last 6 weeks everything I had.





Since Brooklyn wasn’t home, I did the 1km ocean swim a Bondi. I weighed in on Monday morning (82.2kg) before the race. I’ve never been a fantastic swimmer and this was my first swim race, let alone ocean swim race. The chop from the surf was something that i obviously don’t get in my pool swims but I felt pretty strong. I didn’t go crazy hard as I didn’t want to get 500 meters out to sea and have a panic attack after getting kicked in the head or something by another swimmer. I did it in 20 minutes and 37 seconds. The average time for the race was 20 minutes 46 seconds so I was stoked to be faster than that. It was a satisfying accomplishment and a high note to end my 6 weeks on.





After the race, first thing I’d did was have a sausage on a roll. Second thing I did, was have another sausage on a roll. A couple of hours and a couple of beers later the guys were bringing in the cans from the race and they had to chase a shark back out to sea – bit scary.

Where to for you…

People have said to me ‘I could never do it’, ‘I could never have the discipline’ to do what I’ve just done. Part of the reason I think that people don’t give it everything they’ve got is because they don’t truly believe that by following a healthy diet and exercising regularly that they can have the body they’ve always dreamed of. They think that there must be something else to it and they are stuck with the body they have. There is nothing else for me to say or do, I’ve told you as much as I know, I’ve shown you how do it, done it under pretty hard circumstances so the ball is in your court. If you want to transform your body, just go for it, enjoy the challenge and I guarantee you’ll surprise yourself. If you’re a Box Class participant, you’re already in pain in every class -  ensure you get a reward from it!

Thanks so much for reading. If you have any questions, want help embarking on your own body transformation challenge, want to come and train with me at Box Class or just want to pay me out about shaving my chest and posting pictures of myself all over the net then I’d love to hear from you.

Weight = 82.9kg
Weight loss this week = 1.4kg
Total weight loss = 8.9kg


Exercise this week…


Monday - none (still a little sick)


Tuesday - 12.50pm pain in the Domain (free interval 6km run class) + 5.45pm Kettlebell Class


Wednesday – Kettlebell Class 6am Rushcutters Bay


Thursday - 15 x 400 meter sprints, every 2min 30sec, all less than 1min 23sec (1 min 7 sec rest)


Friday – Boxing 60 minutes (Check out my boxing video from last week’s Blog if you missed it)


Saturday - 2km swim (including sprints)


Sunday - 1km rower & 1km treadmill x 5, slowest split on the rower was 3min 40 sec, treadmill each 1km was done on 16.5km/hr + 10 minutes abs





What happened this week…


My second last week of my 6 weeks was another pretty good week. I struggled finding time for a few of my workouts after missing Monday because I was sick. I would have liked to do a bit more. I was lucky enough to be able to participate in a couple of the Kettlebell classes as I knew I’d be struggling juggling everything and finding time this week.


Brooklyn is still in hospital although he is doing well. I’m hoping he’ll be out before I finish the challenge. We were told that his B12 levels were low and that there was a possibility, he could have a rare case of vitamin B12 deficiency where it can lead to problems with his brain development. We stressed over this for a few days but results came back later in the week which had him in the low but normal range.


Highlights this week…


Thursdays workout I completed 15 x 400metre sprints on the 2min 30sec, all laps less than 1min 23sec per lap, with 1 min 7sec rest between laps. That probably means nothing to you but it was bloody hard, and I’ve really noticed a big improvement with this session in particular from my initial couple of 400 meter sessions in the early weeks.


Saturday’s workout on the treadmill and the rower was a good one. I did my best splits ever. I was on 16.5km/hr on the treadmill for every run and my slowest time on the rower for 1km was 3min 40sec. I feel pretty fit and I feel like my body is used to being pushed to its limits.


Nutrition this week…


Calories per day were around the 2200 mark at a split of about 40% protein, 35% carbohydrate and 25% fat (same as previous weeks). I’ve noticed on myfitnesspal that my Iron levels are never high enough so I’ve started taking an iron supplement everyday to compensate. Here is a short video of a day’s meals that I’ve had:





To ensure my body gets all its required fuel in a limited calorie diet, I frequently eat the following types of foods:
Oates (fibre rich, antioxidant rich, carbohydrate rich, low in sugar and fat)

Brown rice (fibre rich, good source of complex carbohydrates, low in sugar and fat)
Seeds (good fats)
Vegetables and Fruits (vitamins and minerals)
Chicken (rich in protein and low in saturated fat)
Tuna (rich in protein, low in fat and convenient to eat on the run)
Whey protein powder (protein rich, low in fat and sugar, convenient way to increase protein in your day)


As I said, I haven’t been getting my recommended daily intake of Iron according to myfitnesspal. Keep an eye on not just your calories and macronutrients but also your RDI of saturated fat, sodium, iron, sugar and vitamins and adjust your diet accordingly.





I haven’t been allocating myself a ‘cheat meal’ as I think if you’re changing your diet up a little everyday you will naturally have some days slightly higher in calories than other days (some research suggests this prevents your body from going in to ‘starvation mode’ when eating low calories every day), I’ve just been making sure that when I average the week out, I come in within my calorie goals. Sometimes on a Saturday and Sunday I have to eat according to what macronutrients I need to eat more of or less of. Usually it’s less fat and more protein to make sure my weekly % macronutrient goals fit into my goals of approximately 25% Fat, 40% protein, 35% carbohydrates. If you’re having trouble getting started with myfitnesspal, perhaps the video below will help. Take note of his instructions on how to change your macronutrient goals.





What’s been my secret to success?


Accountability has been the biggest thing for me. Writing this blog has kept me totally accountable. I know if I stray from the plan I’m going to have to write it in this blog. That’s been the main driver for me in staying on track. If I didn’t have to reveal that I had a couple of beers, or that I only did 3 workouts this week then I would have probably strayed a lot more often over the past 5 weeks. For those embarking on their own challenge, this accountability is the key. You can replicate the accountability I’ve felt with my blog simply by telling people about your goals and what you’re doing. Being accountable to a mentor or people that you respect is a very powerful motivator.


I’m a little surprised by the amount of negativity that I’ve received from some people. I’ve being questioned ‘why on earth would I do this?’ or ‘why would I want to lose weight?’ or ‘don’t lose any more weight!’ and, I’ve been thinking about how society views weight loss. It’s like a dirty word. After all, I’m being extremely healthy, exercising, eating the best foods and best amounts of foods to fuel my body that I know of. Yet, some people question if it’s healthy, good for you, and why do it. It baffles me. For me, I’m proud to be able to say that I’ve achieved something and I think this whole experience particularly in following through with the 6 week challenge with all the adversity has made me a stronger character and it has helped me believe in myself a little more. Whatever challenges are thrown at me in the future, I’ll be or the more confident in my strength to overcome them.


With only a week to go I’m storming home and I’m looking forward to revealing a totally new and transformed ‘ME’ in my final post for the 6 weeks – prepare to be amazed at the difference!

Weight = 84.3kg
Weight loss this week = 1.6kg
Total weight loss = 7.5kg

My calorie intake and calorie expenditure was pretty similar to my previous weeks so I won’t list a heap of numbers this week. Meal plans were also very similar to previous weeks.

I had really good week in terms of weight loss and I’m really surprised at how much weight I’ve lost.

I had some really tough sessions. With my workouts, as you should do with yours, I’m progressing as I get fitter and stronger. By progressing I mean doing exercises faster, longer, heavier, more repetitions etc. Here is what I did this week:

Monday
12 x 400 meter sprints on 2min 40sec, all under 1min 23sec per lap (1min 17sec rest between sets)

Tuesday
Run Class (1.10pm Circular Quay) about 6km of intervals, stairs etc
Kettlebell Class (5.45pm Observatory Hill) series of functional resistance training circuits and exercises

Wednesday
Boxing 45 minutes heavy bag, 15 x 2 min rounds

Thursday
Kettlebell Class ( 5.45pm Observatory Hill) series of functional resistance training circuits and exercises
Box Class (joined in the Rushcutters Bay (joined in the evening class as we just had a small group of the die hard regulars)

Friday
Run 10.7km

Saturday
Run 3.5km + 2km of swimming (combination of sprints and continuous swimming)

Sunday
Nothing – Sick

You can see by comparing my numbers to previous weeks I’m adding extra intervals and completing various splits quicker than when I first started. I obviously love boxing and love the competitiveness of group classes but I also enjoy being able to do things to a certain time like the interval splits involved in some of my workouts as I like having my last session as a benchmark to try and beat. Training like this prevents slacking off and taking short cuts.

I did 15 x 2 minute rounds on the heavy bag on Wednesday, check out my video of the workout http://youtu.be/Rmyr_Tl-GmU.





I joined in the Box Class at Rushcutters Bay on Thursday as I only had a small group of regulars (loved the session Des, Vanette and Gil you guys are seriously fit!).

On Sunday I woke up with a bug which floored me for the whole day. I laid on the lounge all day and after my usual oats in the morning I could only stomach a few crackers the rest of the day.

As you know if you’ve read my previous blogs, I’m preparing most of my meals in advance so that I’m prepared for the coming day. This is something that you have to do to stay on track. I have however been stuck a couple of times throughout the program.

Sushi Rolls are a great healthy fast food I’ve grabbed on the run on occasion. I’ve had a take away Barramundi, brown rice and salad from the AMP food court in Sydney a couple of times – an awesome healthy lunch for about $10. I’ve also taken the kids out a couple of times to the fish and chip shop and just ordered a grilled fish and salad for myself. You have to account for the fact that these places use a fair bit of oil in cooking (I’m not using any when I cook at home) so be sure to enter that into your calorie counter as well to get a more accurate intake.

My wife and I went out for dinner on Friday night as a bit of a celebration, the first time we’ve relaxed a bit with each other. We bathed Brooklyn for the first time (for those new readers my son Brooklyn was just born premature 2 weeks ago) and then went up to Newtown. I ordered an entree of smoked salmon and Duck with Lentils for main. I had 2 glasses of red wine with dinner.

Although this meal would obviously contain way more calories than my usual dinner, in terms of the week as a whole, it didn’t affect my total calorie intake much at all.

I’ve been extremely tired throughout the week. I’ve felt pretty depleted in some of my workouts as well. I’m putting most of this down to lack of sleep as opposed to diet and exercise. I’m pretty much running on 5-6hrs of sleep. My day looks something like this:

5.15am
Protein Shake + Fruit

6am
Teach Box Class

8.30am
Oates and coffee

9.30
Answer Emails + Admin etc

10.30am
Egg + Shaved Turkey + Rocket + cherry tomatoes

10.45am
Answer Emails + Admin etc

11.45am
Brown Rice + Tuna + Mushrooms
Protein Shake



12pm
Teach Box Class

2.30pm
Chicken breast + Salad

3pm
Workout

5.00pm
Chicken Breast + Salad
Protein Shake

5.45pm
Teach Classes

8.30pm
Salmon + Veggies



9.15pm
Go to hospital to see Brooklyn

10.30pm
Cottage Cheese + seeds + Blueberries

10.45pm
Bed

Brooklyn is doing really well in his second week on the planet. He has progressed to not requiring any oxygen and the nurses are gradually upping his feeds to pack on the pounds. He’s progressed out of the first ICU room into the high dependency room and he is now out of the temperature controlled crib and into a cot – good work you little champion! One of my mates sent me a text when he found out we named him Brooklyn saying ‘…he sounds tough like his old man’, he’s certainly had to be tough in his first few weeks of life and we’re very proud of him already.

Brooklyn’s uncle (Alyson’s Brother), is Paul Gallen who plays Rugby League for the Sharks. He sent a nice SMS to Alyson before he ran out of the dressing room to play last year premiers Manly. He said ‘…this one’s for Brooklyn’. Paul went on to lead the team to a massive upset, did some super human amount of hit-ups and tackles and got man of the match. Great stuff Paul – loved it!

I’ve had a number of people say they want to embark on a similar challenge to the one I’m doing. It’s great to see I’ve inspired some of you to have a go. The program and nutrition plan I’ve put myself on is individualised for me. The meals work in with my daily commitments. And my workouts I do, take in to account what I feel will get me the fastest results, my current fitness level and what type of exercises that I enjoy doing.

Both men and women can most definitely embark on a similar program to what I’m doing but you need to individualise both the fitness and nutrition components to make it work for you.

I’m not a nutritionist but from what I know, it’s best to eat clean healthy unprocessed foods including meats, fish, vegies, fruit, seeds and complex carbohydrates. For weight loss, women should aim for about 1400 – 1800 calories a day. Men should aim for about 2100 – 2500. See http://www.boxclass.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/calorie_cheat_sheet_1.0.pdf for more information on calorie amounts. To count your calories use www.myfitnesspal.com. For most people, it doesn’t need to be more complicated than this. You don’t need to look around for some other magical way to do it, this will get you results – I’m proof.

There are different views out there as far as how much protein and carbohydrates that should make up your calorie intake for the day. I’ve gone with about 25% fat, 40% protein and 35% carbohydrates. Some of the advice out there suggests to have more carbs than protein (eg 45% carbohydrates and 30% Protein) and you may prefer a diet richer in carbohydrates. Either way, if you are staying under your calories you will probably get similar results.

Women will most likely find it a little harder and time consuming to drop the weight than men (sorry ladies it’s just the way it is) but the calorie intake and calorie expenditure equation I mentioned in week 1 still applies. Don’t throw in the towel just because your hubby is losing weight twice as fast.

As far as the type of exercise. Choose appropriate exercises to your fitness level. A 5km jog/walk could leave you as tired as what 10 x 1km intervals on the treadmill and rower leaves me. The main thing however is you’re getting your heart rate up high, pushing yourself and doing it frequently so that you’re burning loads of calories. If the Zumba class isn’t cutting it – get to a Box Class.


Thanks for reading and tune in next week.

Weight = 85.9kg

Weight loss this week = 1.5kg

Total weight loss = 5.9kg

Food

14646 total calories for 7 days

Average per day for 7 days = 2,092

Average Carbohydrates per day = 38% = 203g

Average Protein per day = 38%=199g

Average Fat per day = 24%= 55g

A sample day – Sunday

Meal 1

Rolled Oates 75g

Seed mix Kapai Puka 12g

Blueberries 17

Strawberries 2

Banana 1/3 medium

Protein Shake (GNC Low Carb Delite)

Meal 2

Light milk 100ml (coffee)

Apple

Dark rye toast  1 slice with vegemite

Meal 3

Chicken breast 135g

Brown rice 125g (sun rice 90 second)

Mushrooms 2/3 cup sliced

Fresh herbs

Meal 4

Protein Shake (GNC Low Carb Delite)

Smoked Salmon 50g

Cottage cheese 20g

Apple

lite milk 100ml (coffee)

Meal 5

Protein Shake (GNC Low Carb Delite)

Shaved leg ham 50g

Peach slices canned 100g

Meal 6

Lamb Chops Lean 135g

Capsicum 70g

Chinese Broccoli 125g

Sweet potato 75g

Meal 7

Cottage cheese 75g

Seed mix Kapai Puka 13g

Strawberries 2

Peach slices 62g

LSA 4g

Chia Seeds 4g

Exercise

5395 total calories burned during exercise

771 average calories per day burned during exercise

Monday

11 x 400 meter sprints on 2min 50sec, all under 1min 25sec per lap

Tuesday

Run 3.4 km, swim 1km freestyle, run 3.4km

Wednesday

Boxing 20 minutes heavy bag

5 x 500m rower 1 min rest

40 minutes crossfit weights circuit

Thursday

10.7km run

Friday

Nothing…boo

Saturday

Boxing 20 minutes on heavy bag

1km run treadmil (1-16.5km/hr, 2-16.5km/hr, 3-16.3km/hr, 4-16.3km/hr, 5-16.2km/hr) 1km rower x 5 all under 3min 45sec

Sunday

Swimming 1km freestyle, 500metre breastroke, 5 x 100 meter freestyle sprints on 2min 30sec

Crossfit functional strengh 60min.

Circuit A – 5 sets

Chins 10

Db push press 10 x 15kg

Burpees 10

Db press 10 x 25kg

1=2min 30sec

2=2min 42sec

3=3min 08sec

4=3min 36sec

5= 3min 25sec

Circuit B – 5 sets

Squats 10 x 90kg

Cable crossovers 10 x 20kg

Decline situps 7.5kg med ball 10

Toes to bar 10

1=3min 30sec

2=3min 02sec

3=3min 02sec

4=3min 17sec

5=3min 01

What happened this week…

This was the hardest week of my life.

Brooklyn Luke Wardle (yes he has a name) was born last Sunday morning at 32 weeks (8 weeks premature) so I’ve spent much of the week up at RPA. With preemie babies the issues are breathing – their lungs aren’t fully developed, temperature – they can’t regulate their own temperature and feeding – they can’t suck yet. Other than that, once he gets on top of these things, the fantastic staff at RPA has assured us that he will be absolutely fine.

I spent all my time sitting with Brooklyn and then visiting my wife who was a few floors up who didn’t get to actually see Brooklyn until Tuesday. I brought my meals in to the hospital and although the staff didn’t really appreciate it, I’d taken up half the cupboard and fridge space in the kitchen. I stuck to the plan the whole week, kept my fat intake at an average of 55g a day (24%) and my average calories although higher than last week was still very good at a little over my target of 2000 calories a day. After such a stressful week I had 2 glasses of red wine Friday night with my mum as a little bit of a celebration and put some music on and had a nice time with Mia my 3 year old who has had to deal without having mum or dad around all week.

On Monday I went back down to see Brooklyn at 4pm. I wasn’t allowed in as the doctors where doing their rounds so I made myself get my exercise gear on and go for a run to clear my head. Initially it was going to be an easy jog but I found an oval at the university and decided to do my usual Monday 400 meter sprint session.

Having been a personal trainer for several years, every now and again I get a client who bursts out in to tears during a workout. It must be something to do with hormone release. After 6 or 7 sprints I found myself thinking of Brooklyn fighting to breath. I couldn’t help but think, the harder I run and the more pain I’m in then it could somehow help him be in less pain. I really pushed myself extra hard with the last 5 or 6 sprints and found myself fighting back tears in between each interval. It was really emotional and after trying to be strong for everyone for the past 2 days it was a bit of a release for me.

Brooklyn’s courage and fight really inspired me to work extra hard and smash myself in all my workouts and that showed with my weight loss. Whenever I was struggling to breathe I’d just think of him and tell myself to toughen up. If I wasn’t by his side then I better be doing a workout that’s worthwhile otherwise I’d be better of being with him.

Tuesday’s session was a satisfying one. I swim with my sister Melissa and she beats me fairly convincingly, much to the amusement of my nephews. I was pretty chuffed to have kept on her feet for the duration of the first 500 Meters. The loss in weight seems to have helped my swimming heaps.

Saturdays session was a killer. I started with 20 minutes boxing, then 5 sets of 1km runs on the treadmill + 1km row (give this a go it’s a good one). I kept all 10 intervals under 3 minute 45 seconds. Sunday afternoon’s workout was also very tough. After an early morning swim the weights circuit I did really smashed me (I’ve listed specifically what I did above under Sunday).

I’ve been really proud of myself this week for going so well under the circumstances. Here’s another you tube clip that has given me a bit of inspiration to keep it going (http://youtu.be/obdd31Q9PqA).

Lastly, I’ve had so many people send their well wishes this week and I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you very much for your support. I’ve really appreciated it.

Our families have also been overwhelmingly supportive and it’s so nice to know that we have so many wonderful people in our lives only too willing to drop everything for us and help us out.

If any of you have any questions about my exercise or diet please let me know on my Facebook page and I’ll answer them. I’ve posted a lot of stuff about my personal life in the past 2 blogs so if you have any questions about the routine I’m following or you’d like help with your own similar routine or if you’d like me to cover something next blog please let me know on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/boxclass.


Thanks for reading! Tune in next Monday, I’ll have some video footage of me melting the calories away and burning of some steam with a killer 15 rounds on the punching bag + heaps more.

Weight = 87.4kg

Weight loss this week = 0.3kg

Total weight loss = 4.4kg

Food

11,221 total calories for 6 days (Sunday not included as it was a right off)

Average calories per day for 6 days = 1870

Average Carbs per day = 34% = 161g

Average Protein per day = 39% = 182g

Average Fat per day = 27%= 56g

Sunday was a total right off but probably had about 4000+ calories I haven’t included it in my calculations but it obviously would have had a massive impact on my figures (read on to see what happened).

A sample day – Thursday

Meal 1

Rolled Oates 75g

Seed mix Kapai Puka 12g

Blueberries 13

Banana 1/3 medium

Protein Shake

Meal 2

Sough dough toast  1 slice

eggs 2

Lite milk 100ml (coffee)

Nectarine

Meal 3

Chicken breast 175g

Brown Rice 150g

Meal 4

Chicken breast 133g

Garden salad 2 cups

Cherry tomatoes 5

Green Beans 7

Mushrooms 2/3 cup sliced

Meal 5

Tuna in spring water 168g

Apple

Meal 6

Beef strips 167g

Capsicum 38g

Chinese Broccoli 150g

Green Beans 7

Meal 7

Cottage cheese 40g

Seed mix Kapai Puka 13g

Blueberries 12

Exercise

4612 total Calories burnt in the week

659 calories average per day

Monday: 11 x 400 meter sprints on 2min 50sec, about 1min 25sec per lap

Tuesday: Run Class and Kettlebell Class

Wednesday: Nothing…boo

Thursday: 10.7km run

Friday: Sandhills 45 min (4km run + 5 Sandhill sprints)

Saturday: Boxing 20 minutes on heavy bag and 40 min Crossfit weights circuit – dips, squats, deadlifts rows 3 rounds of 20 reps, cable cross overs, dumbbell push press, decline sit-ups 3 rounds of 20 reps.

Sunday: Nothing….boo

Some FAQ I received this week:

Is it healthy to lose 4kg in only 1 week?

Most of the weight was water. When you are eating a high carbohydrate diet you retain a lot of water. By cutting down my calorie intake and carbohydrate intake as well as ramping up my workouts I lost a lot of that water. Absolutely it’s safe and fine to lose that in the first week.

Carbs in morning?

Yes I’m trying to have most of the carbohydrate and sugar rich foods in the morning (Oates, brown rice, fruit) and less at night. This is called carb tapering. I’m also decreasing the size of my meals as the day goes on – calorie tapering (visit http://forums.kitakitz.com/post?id=5257379 for information on this).

More meal plans?

I’ll post a sample day of meal every week. Most days are fairly similar. Some staples are Oates, chicken, protein shakes, tuna, vegetables. I suggest you choose healthy foods that you like. I hate Brussel sprouts so I don’t eat them, I like asparagus so I eat them.

Weighing food?

Yes I’m weighing each and every meal. This is the only way you can be truly accurate and know what you’re eating. Just enter it in to myfitnesspal on your iPhone or iPad and it will do or the all calculations for you.

Is this sustainable long term?

I’m learning a lot from just calculating my calories and fat, carbs and protein every day. So, the education of the program will definitely help me in the future when understanding how much food I’m eating each meal/day and what is required to burn this off in my workouts. In the future I obviously won’t be weighing my food every meal but I will have done it that many times by the end of the program I won’t need to, I’ll just know how much is in the meal.

How do I feel?

The first 3 or 4 days of the 6 weeks I had a few headaches but after that I’ve felt great.

Stop doing so many weights and do more cardio!

Weight training can be just as effective if not more effective for weight loss as traditional cardio type exercises. The key is to select functional weight training exercises that incorporate major muscle groups together and complete them back to back with little or no rest in between sets and reps. For example on Saturday my workout included traditional power lifting exercises – squats and deadlifts along with bent over rows, dumbbell push press, decline sit-ups, cable cross overs. When you work out this way your major muscle groups all require blood at the same time which means your heart and respiratory system will be working overtime. By training this way you’re simultaneously working your cardiovascular system and major muscle groups.

Another important point.

As I said last week, calories in vs calories out is the key to wait loss. Myfitnesspal will help you keep track of both. It’s also important to know track how much carbohydrates, fat and protein that you’re eating. You don’t want your calories to be made up of too much fat for example or not enough protein. In my plan I’m aiming for:

25% fat (mostly all good fats)

40% protein

35% carbs (mostly complex carbohydrates and fruit)

What happened during the week…

I had two major things happen to me this week. The first was the opportunity to purchase a house with my sister and potentially subdivide the property. With a growing family I’ve been trying to move back to the shire where I grew up as it’s more affordable and we can hopefully have a little more space than where we are at the moment in Annandale. I put my unit in Drummoyne up for sale and I spent a good part of the week doing figures with my mum who is a mortgage broker, inspecting the property etc. I missed a workout on Wednesday because I had too much I needed to do and there were a few meals that I could have prepared a little better if I’d had more time.

As I mentioned last week, my wife is having a baby. During the week, Alyson started to get pains and also some bleeding. After going to the GP a couple of times during the week she admitted herself in to hospital on Saturday afternoon and she started getting contractions. The baby wasn’t due for another 8 weeks so it was a very scary thing for us to be going through. The doctors told us that what would most likely happen is the contractions would stop and the baby would go full term. The doctor gave her two steroid injections that would speed up the babies lung development in case it was born premature. They said that the steroids wouldn’t take full effect until Monday 4pm so if the baby came before then, it could have problems breathing. We were both in denial and just thought the contractions would go away and she’d go full term – that didn’t happen.

Alyson called me at 6.15am the next morning and said she was being admitted in to the labour ward. I had some breakfast and dropped Mia (my 3 year old) to my mother in laws and got to the hospital at 7.30am. Within 38 minutes of arriving I had a son (we are that unprepared we haven’t even got a name for him yet).

At 32 weeks he had trouble breathing so he was rushed off and placed in an incubator and put on oxygen. It was a very terrifying experience.  The next 24hrs was obviously very stressful and the last thing I was thinking about was my diet. I had a few toasted sandwiches, cappuccinos, banana bread and a number of other things throughout the day.

That evening, I contemplating throwing in the towel but I decided to keep at it. I spent a good hour cooking and preparing my meals for the next day so that I could get back to the hospital at the crack of dawn.

The baby and my family need me to be at my best to help us all get through this and I somehow feel like I’m letting my son down if I give up. After all, he is toughing it out fighting for every breadth all I have to do is do a few workouts and plan my lunch.

It will also wipe anyone else’s excuses right off the table. I’ll be juggling running a business, a wife and newborn baby in hospital while my two daughters have to go on with life as normal. It’s going to be tough but I’m up for it and at the moment I feel strangely even more determined.

A Motivational Video that gets me fired up

A little bit of background. I’ve never really restricted my diet. In fact, up until I was about 23 (I’m 32 now) I would try and eat as much food as I could to put on muscle. Playing semi professional Rugby League you needed to have a fair amount of muscle behind you. Since then, I’ve always worked in the fitness industry and the nature of the job keeps you fairly fit. I eat healthy food but I don’t really restrict much of the foods that I know I should probably cut out. I love cheese, beer, wine, sourdough bread, pasta, fruit, yoghurt, cappuccinos, fried eggs, meat pies, pizza etc.

I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve shown people how to lose weight but never really adhered to a strict diet myself. I mean I eat good foods but lots of them and I don’t hesitate to indulge on the odd occasion.

I’m going to show you how do it, not just tell you. Hopefully you’ll get more out of the process. However, as much as I want to help you, for me to give up some of the foods I love and to get me out of bed to exercise in the pouring rain on the only day I get to sleep in, I need some other goals to motivate me. I suggest you do a similar thing before embarking on your own program.

So hear goes;
-My wife and I have our third baby due in early May. My house is going to be a bit of a mad house and I want to be in good healthy shape to be able to withstand the sleepless nights after long working days.
-When the baby comes, I want to get some professional pictures taken with him/her. Most likely with my shirt off holding the baby or something. I just think it will be a good way to look back and be able to say that I was in good shape then (in case I get very stressed and fat in the next 10 years) and a great way for me to celebrate and bond with the new baby.
-Compete in the Urbanathalon on the 22nd of April, the half marathon on the 22nd of May and later in the year tough mudder and city to surf.
- lose a Minimum of 6kg

To do this I plan to
- Restrict my calories to under 2000 calories a day
- 25% Fat, 40% Protein and 35% Carbs
- Eat Majority of Carbs in the morning,reduce in the afternoon and night.
- 6-8 meals a day
- Exercise every day, with a combination of strength, high intensity and endurance workouts

To find out how many calories you should be eating see http://www.burnthefat.com/calorie_cheat_sheet_1.0.pdf. To easily track how many calories that I should be eating to reach my goal weight I’m using www.myfitnesspal.com (has an awesome free Iphone app).

What I actually did in week 1:

Week 1
Starting weight 91.8
Finishing weight 87.7
Total loss = 4.1kg

How I did it…
Total calories intake: 12,648
Average daily calorie total: 1,807
Average daily carbohydrate intake per day: 34%, 158g
Average daily protein intake per day: 38%, 173g
Average daily fat intake per day: 28%, 58g

A sample day (Tuesday):

Meal 1
Protein shake 44g
Apple 100g

Meal 2
Rolled oats 75g
Seed mix (Kapai Puka) 12.5g
Protein Shake 44g

Meal 3
Hard boiled egg
peach

Meal 4
Chicken breast 125g + Brown rice 62.5g with fresh herbs

Meal 5
Chicken breast 125g + Rocket 50g + Cherry tomatoes 50g + Red capsicum 25g + Seed mix 12.5g
Cottage cheese 20g

Meal 6
Tuna in sunflower oil 92.5g
Rocket 50g
Cottage Cheese 20g
Red Capsicum 25g
Carrot ½ large carrot
Green beens 3 beans
Mushroom 1 large
Seed Mix Kapi Puka 12.5g

Meal 7
Beef 150g
Mushroom 2 large
Carrot ½ large
Green Beans 3
Broccoli 4 spears
Pumpkin 75g

Exercise week 1:

Weekly calorie exercise expenditure = 5616
Monday: 400 Meter interval runs on 3 minutes x 10 (under 1.25m per lap)
Tuesday: 30 minutes strength, 15 minutes boxing + Run Class (5.6km intervals)
Wednesday: 10.7km run
Thursday: Kettlebell Class + 45 minutes swimming
Friday: treadmill and rowing intervals – 1km treadmill + 1 km row x 5 (under 4 minutes each interval)
Saturday: 30 min easy bike ride 20min body weight exercises in the park
Sunday: Boxing 45 minutes, spin 45minutes

I stayed under my 2000 calories a day goal (average was 1800), this was made up of about 28% fat as opposed to my goal of 25% fat so I’ll try and get it down a bit more next week. Majority of it is all good fats but still, I don’t want to be eating too much as my goal is to drop weight. I was happy with my workouts that I did during the week, I felt pretty good most of the time and most of the sessions where pretty intense workouts.
I haven’t given too much away in this first blog but I just want to set the tone of what the plan is and I look forward to going in to a bit more detail as I go on my 6 week journey.

Stay tuned to next Monday’s Blog and learn how two MAJOR events threaten to totally derail me from my 6 week plan.

I’m always getting asked how to lose weight. There are many conflicting views which often just adds to the confusion. The media is driven by people who are looking for an easy way, a revolutionary new pill or product that will transform their bodies with minimal effort. For most people, what is required is dedication, commitment, hard work, knowledge, preparation and planning.

THERE IS NO EASY WAY PEOPLE!…but it’s not complicated once you know how. I can talk all day about what you should be doing but I think a much better way is to show you.

Welcome to my 6 week challenge in which I’ll show you how to lose 6kgs of body fat and get a 6 pack in 6 weeks. Every Monday I’ll update the blog on how I reign in my diet and bump up my fitness routine. I’ll show you how to count your calories, give you meal examples, training ideas + more. This won’t be easy for me but I’m committed to the challenge and I’d love you to follow my progress as I’m sure you’ll learn a lot of things and may be even inspired to have a crack at your own personal weight loss challenge.

(1st post coming Monday 12th March and every Monday after that for 6 weeks)

Why?

Enjoyment

It makes exercise social. Exercising doesn’t have to be chore. Yes it can be hard and uncomfortable. Yes your mattress is a much more comfortable place to be at 6am in the morning than at your local park doing burpees (if you don’t know what they are then you need to pay close attention to this article). Working out and being able to chat, can make the time go by quickly, and it’s so much more fun that you may actually forget you’re even exercising.

Accountability

It’s easy to break a commitment to yourself, but much harder to break a commitment to a friend. Having someone who’s counting on you to be there makes it less likely that you’ll skip it or put it off. It’ll motivate you to go knowing your friend expects you to be there.

Intensity

Your leisurely jog around the park doesn’t cut it. One of the first things you learn as fitness trainer is that Exercise Intensity is one of the most important aspects that will get your clients the results they want. Put simply – the harder you push yourself the better result you’ll get. By going further, faster and heavier you’ll magnify your results exponentially. The right training partner will help you boost intensity. Just like they help keep you accountable to show up, they’ll help keep you accountable to push yourself to do the best you can do. They’ll encouragement you to find your competitive spirit.

PS: What I’ve found in over a decade of fitness training is that the people that stay most committed to working out and get the best results are those that train with friends. As a trainer for over a decade, I’ve had thousands of clients who have come and gone. For the most part, the people that stay are those people that develop friendships. In fact, I’ll go as far as saying I’ve built my business with this in mind. If people become friends in my group fitness classes, they’ll more likely enjoy the workouts, want to turn up so they don’t let their friends down and push themselves harder because it feels good to get one over your mate.

If you have the wrong attitude about fitness, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Most people look at exercise as:

• Punishment for bad eating
• An obligation
• Painful
• Time consuming
• Impossible to sustain over a long period of time
• Boring

If any of these sound familiar, how long do you think you’ll stick with your program? Nobody wants to do something painful, boring or obligatory. Before you throw yourself into weight loss, suss out your attitudes about exercise and figure out whether these attitudes are true or just lies you’ve been telling yourself for years. Then, try a different perspective and look at exercise as:

• A break from a stressful workday
• A way to boost energy and mood
• The only time you’ll have to yourself all day
• A chance to get totally physical and let your mind rest
• A chance to reward your body for working so hard
• A way to improve your quality of life immediately

The importance of sleep in your overall program to wellness and improving your fitness level cannot be overstressed. Not only is sleep going to be the primary time when your body is in high-recovery mode, repairing all the torn down muscle fibers from the workout that you completed that day, but by sleeping enough you’re also going to help keep your immune system strong, help keep your metabolism running efficiently, and help to ward off hunger the next day.

Those who don’t get enough sleep often experience a higher rate of overall obesity, as noted by a study conducted by the Sleep journal, so if fighting off weight gain is a concern of yours, you’ll definitely want to be sure you’re sleeping enough.

What you eat in the hours leading up to your night-time slumber will influence how quickly you fall asleep and how well you stay asleep, so giving some consideration to your late night snack can help promote better overall sleep quality.

Let’s have a look at a few of the top snacks to eat before you turn in for the evening.

Half A Turkey Sandwich

The very first snack that will definitely induce slumber is half a turkey sandwich.  Getting in some protein before bed is important so that your muscles have amino acids to feast on during the overnight period as this is what they will use to build and repair those muscle tissues.

Turkey is a protein source that is rich in one particular amino acid, tryptophan, which is going to have sleep inducing qualities.

By serving it up on a slice of whole wheat bread with some fresh vegetables you help keep the total calorie count low, making this a nice light snack that won’t weigh you down.

Cottage Cheese With Almonds

The next snack to consider is a small bowl of cottage cheese along with some almonds.  Cottage cheese is perfect before bed because this source of protein is known as casein protein, and will digest much more slowly in the body.

To add to that, dairy is also rich in tryptophan so yet another food possessing this sleep promoting quality.

With the almonds added to that, you’ll supply some healthy fats to your body so the protein takes even longer to break down in the overnight period.

Yogurt With Cherries

If you’re someone who prefers yogurt over cottage cheese, then having some yogurt with cherries on top will be another great snack before turning in for the evening.

Cherries are a great source of vitamins and antioxidants and will also contain melatonin, which is a substance that’s naturally found in the body that will help to regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

By serving this up before bed you should notice that you have an easier time falling asleep and then staying asleep as the night progresses.

Cereal With Milk

Finally, the last option to serve up before bed is a small bowl of cereal with some milk.  Again, the milk being a dairy product will provide you with some tryptophan, and the carbohydrates in the cereal will also cause a serotonin release in the brain, which will help to reduce stress and put you in a feel-good state of well-being.

Many people find that this will have a calming effect on their body and promote drowsiness, so this could also help you fall asleep faster.

So next time you’re headed to bed for the evening, consider any one of these great snacks. All are going to come in at under about 200 calories, so will be an easy-add to your diet plan.

Reference:

Cappuccio, F.P. et al. (2008). Meta-Analysis of Short Sleep Duration and Obesity in Children and Adults.  Sleep. May 1; 31(5):619-626.

The importance of sleep in your overall program to wellness and improving your fitness level cannot be overstressed. Not only is sleep going to be the primary time when your body is in high-recovery mode, repairing all the torn down muscle fibers from the workout that you completed that day, but by sleeping enough you’re also going to help keep your immune system strong, help keep your metabolism running efficiently, and help to ward off hunger the next day.

Those who don’t get enough sleep often experience a higher rate of overall obesity, as noted by a study conducted by the Sleep journal, so if fighting off weight gain is a concern of yours, you’ll definitely want to be sure you’re sleeping enough.

What you eat in the hours leading up to your night-time slumber will influence how quickly you fall asleep and how well you stay asleep, so giving some consideration to your late night snack can help promote better overall sleep quality.

Let’s have a look at a few of the top snacks to eat before you turn in for the evening.

Half A Turkey Sandwich

The very first snack that will definitely induce slumber is half a turkey sandwich.  Getting in some protein before bed is important so that your muscles have amino acids to feast on during the overnight period as this is what they will use to build and repair those muscle tissues.

Turkey is a protein source that is rich in one particular amino acid, tryptophan, which is going to have sleep inducing qualities.

By serving it up on a slice of whole wheat bread with some fresh vegetables you help keep the total calorie count low, making this a nice light snack that won’t weigh you down.

Cottage Cheese With Almonds

The next snack to consider is a small bowl of cottage cheese along with some almonds.  Cottage cheese is perfect before bed because this source of protein is known as casein protein, and will digest much more slowly in the body.

To add to that, dairy is also rich in tryptophan so yet another food possessing this sleep promoting quality.

With the almonds added to that, you’ll supply some healthy fats to your body so the protein takes even longer to break down in the overnight period.

Yogurt With Cherries

If you’re someone who prefers yogurt over cottage cheese, then having some yogurt with cherries on top will be another great snack before turning in for the evening.

Cherries are a great source of vitamins and antioxidants and will also contain melatonin, which is a substance that’s naturally found in the body that will help to regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

By serving this up before bed you should notice that you have an easier time falling asleep and then staying asleep as the night progresses.

Cereal With Milk

Finally, the last option to serve up before bed is a small bowl of cereal with some milk.  Again, the milk being a dairy product will provide you with some tryptophan, and the carbohydrates in the cereal will also cause a serotonin release in the brain, which will help to reduce stress and put you in a feel-good state of well-being.

Many people find that this will have a calming effect on their body and promote drowsiness, so this could also help you fall asleep faster.

So next time you’re headed to bed for the evening, consider any one of these great snacks. All are going to come in at under about 200 calories, so will be an easy-add to your diet plan.

Reference:

Cappuccio, F.P. et al. (2008). Meta-Analysis of Short Sleep Duration and Obesity in Children and Adults.  Sleep. May 1; 31(5):619-626.

If you’re a female looking to get in shape, it’s going to be very important that you don’t let yourself fall for any one of the common strength training myths that are out there. Many women tend to shy away from weight lifting altogether as they feel that it’s more of a ‘guys’ exercise and instead they should opt for cardio training or something like yoga or Pilates.

This is a big mistake however as strength training has numerous benefits to offer a woman including a faster metabolism, increased fat loss, enhanced muscle and bone strength, and a much better overall toned look about the body.

To ensure you don’t skip out on this variety of exercise, let’s take a quick look at some of the most common women’s weight lifting myths that you should know about so there’s no question in your mind that this form of exercise is for you.

You’ll Develop Big, Bulky Muscles

The very first myth that circulates around with regards to women’s weight lifting is that you will build big bulky muscles when you weight train. This, however, is furthest from the truth.

The fact of the matter is that women simply do not have the hormones present in their body, namely testosterone, to develop that degree of lean muscle mass. This is the predominant thing that separates males from females.

Women will build muscle at just a fraction of the rate males will and often aren’t eating nearly enough calories to support muscle growth in the first place.

Remember, muscle growth is a high-energy process so unless you’re making an active effort to eat plenty of food each day, which most women aren’t, you won’t get bulky.

You Will Lose Breast Tissue

The second myth that circulates around about women’s weight lifting is that it will cause you to lose your breast tissue. Women fear that they will get flat-chested if they start working these muscles.

Again, this isn’t the case. The only way that you will lose breast tissue is if you approach very low body fat levels. Since the breasts are primarily made up of fatty tissue, any time you lose weight, you will see a slight reduction in breast size.

If anything, weight lifting will actually enhance the look of your chest as it’s going to increase your cleavage line.

You Will Gain Fat If You Lose The Muscles

Finally, the third myth that many women fall for with regards to weight lifting is that if they lift weights and then stop, all that muscle they build will turn to body fat.

This again is not the case. Muscle can never be converted into body fat just like body fat can never be converted into muscle mass. It would be like trying to change and apple to an orange or vice versa. It just isn’t going to happen.

What may happen if you stop weight training is that you may lose lean muscle mass and as you do your metabolism slows down so if you don’t make a corresponding adjustment in your diet you could put on body fat, but you will never see muscle turn to fat.

If anything, weight training will help to prevent fat gain since it does cause the metabolism to increase.
So there you have the three most common weight lifting myths that are commonly believed by women. Are you falling for any of these?

If you’re someone who has set out to make any type of body transformation, be it losing body fat or building up lean muscle mass tissue, without a question of a doubt, assessing your current diet will be a must.

Having good nutrition in place is going to account for up to 80% of the results that you see with your approach so it’s something that must not go overlooked.

One of the key components of formulating a good fat loss or muscle building diet is making sure that your protein requirements are being met, so the question often arises as to whether or not you should be using protein powder.

You’ve seen many others using it in the gym before you but may have had this notion that protein powder was only for professional bodybuilders or guys who really wanted to get big and muscular.

So what’s the real deal with protein powder? Do you really need this for good results? Or can you do without it and still achieve your goals?

Let’s take a closer look into the protein powder controversy so that you can separate fact from fiction.

Point #1: Protein Powder Will Build Muscle Quickly

The very first point to address is the notion that using protein powder will help you build muscle fast. There are those people who think that simply by taking protein powder, they’ll build more muscle. After all, since muscles are made of muscle, by using protein powder you’re giving your body what it needs to build muscle quickly, right?

Not quite.  What you must remember here is that there’s no magical property about protein powder that’s going to instantly pack on muscle to your frame.

Protein powder, just like chicken, fish, or egg whites contains all the amino acids the body does require to build up lean muscle tissue, but there’s nothing amazingly miraculous about protein powder that sets it apart from the other sources listed.

So whether you eat three ounces of chicken breast or drink a protein shake, you’re still just delivering protein to the body.

Point #2: Protein Powder Is Rapidly Absorbed

Now, one thing that you must consider however that does give protein powder a slight edge over chicken, fish, or egg whites is the fact that if you purchase a whey isolate protein powder, this has been designed to break down incredibly rapidly by the body, thus it’ll be absorbed much faster.

Since immediately after a workout you want to get those amino acids to the muscle tissues as quickly as possible with no time to spare, this does make protein powder slightly superior in this instance.

Point #3: Protein Powder Offers A Convenient Way To Get In Protein

Third, also keep in mind the convenience factor of protein powder.  If you’re like most people, you don’t have time to prepare and eat six chicken breasts a day. That would just be a bit too much for almost anyone as you have a life to lead.

But, if you fail to reach your protein requirements, this will definitely influence your progress.

Since protein powder is incredibly quick and convenient – just shake and drink, this makes meeting those requirements much easier.  For many people, using protein powder can mean the difference between meeting their protein requirements or not, therefore also the difference between seeing results from their efforts or not.

So what’s the bottom line? Do you need protein powder to reach your goals? In short, no.  As long as you are sure to get protein from other great sources such as chicken, fish, lean red meat, egg whites, or low fat dairy products you certainly still could achieve dietary success.

But, your results may be slightly better using the protein powder due to that rapid absorption factor when used in the post-workout period.

If you’re someone who doesn’t get enough protein in with their diet unless protein powder is used though, then yes, protein powder will be a must for you.

So assess your situation. Realize that there’s nothing magical about protein powder that will transform your body but that it does offer many benefits that most people find highly appealing. 

As you go about putting together your workout routine, one form of cardio training that you might hear quite a bit about is that of interval training.

Interval training has been touted as the best form of cardio workout for rapid fat loss results as it will not only burn more calories while you’re completing it, but will cause your body to continue to burn calories in the hours after you’re finished through a process commonly referred to as EPOC.

In fact, in one study researchers noted that comparing groups who performed either short-duration, high intensity exercise, short duration, low intensity exercise, or long duration, low intensity exercise, the short duration high intensity exercise was the form to produce significantly more net total calorie expenditure, therefore proving to be valuable for long-term weight control.

And not only is this workout great for helping to rev your metabolic rate, but it’s also going to dramatically increase your fitness level, increasing your ability to work hard without fatigue.

But before you jump on the interval training bandwagon, there are a few things that you must know first so you can implement it into your workout program properly.

Let’s take a look at the key things that you must remember at all times.

Build Up A Cardio Base First

First things first, before you go adding interval training to your workout program, you need to be at the fitness level to do it. If you’re new to working out, you should first work on building up a base fitness level so that you can perform 30 minutes of continuous moderate paced cardio activity with ease.

Once you’re at that level, then you know your body is ready to step it up a notch and start doing interval training.

Choose Your Interval Style

Next, you need to choose which style of interval training to do.  You can either adopt the longer interval style where you’ll perform intervals at a slightly longer length of 45 to 60 seconds, or adopt the full-out sprint style, where you keep the intervals shorter to 15-30 seconds.

If you adopt the longer style, your rest periods should be just as long as the intervals using a 1:1 ratio, while if you adopt the sprint style, you’ll need slightly longer rest intervals in comparison since you’re pushing your body to the max, so should keep them at a 1:3 ratio (so 45-90 seconds long).

This will ensure that you are taking the appropriate amount of rest based around how hard you’re working so that you can see optimal results.

Once you’ve decided upon the length of the work and rest intervals, you’ll want to repeat them 6 to 10 times depending on your current fitness level, making sure to add a five minute warm-up and cool-down at the beginning and the end.

Incorporating It Into Your Overall Workout Scheme

Now that you know the structure of the interval set-up, it’s time to look at how you’ll go about incorporating it into your overall fitness routine. 

The important thing to remember is that this form of interval is a lot more taxing than moderate paced cardio sessions are, therefore you can’t do it quite as often throughout the week.

Plus, if you’re also doing resistance training workouts which are equally as taxing on the body, there needs to be a good balance between those and your intervals.

You should aim to have no more than five hard workout sessions per week, so this can be a mix of both strength training and interval training.

This will allow for at least one full day off for rest and recovery and then at least one other day where exercise should be kept much lighter.

Also take note that you should never perform interval training right before or after your weight lifting as this will be a little too much for the body to handle in a single workout session.

So there you have everything you need to know about incorporating interval training into your workout routine. If you are looking for a way to step up your progress, you will definitely not be disappointed with what this workout style has to offer.

Reference:

Fissinger, J.A. (1989). Effect of exercise intensity and duration on post-exercise energy expenditure. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Vol. 21; Issue 6.

If you’re someone who is just embarking on a making some positive changes to your health by getting started with a workout and diet plan, then it’s important at this point to figure out some key methods that you can use to stay motivated.

There’s no question that as you progress along with the program your motivation will come to wane at times, so by having these techniques ready to turn to you can assure that you stay fully committed to your success.

Let’s have a quick peak at four different methods that you can use to help yourself stay motivated at all times.

Set Some Smart Goals

The very first thing that must be in place if you’re going to stay motivated with your workout plan is some smart goals.  Smart goals stand for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and ones that have a timeline in place, so have a good look over the current goals you have set and make sure they satisfy all of these requirements.

If you don’t have some smart goals in place, you’re going to find that you’re often just moving along your program aimlessly. 

Make sure that you also set both body composition goals such as losing fat or building muscle as well as performance oriented goals such as increasing your running speed or lifting a certain amount of weight.  In doing so, you’ll make sure each workout session has a purpose.

Find A Workout Buddy

The second great way to stay motivated with your workouts is to find a good workout buddy. Ideally this workout buddy should be working towards the very similar goals you are and is someone who you feel comfortable to be around.

This way, when times get difficult you can turn to them for support and they’ll be able to offer words of encouragement.

Going through the process of striving to your goals with someone is always more motivating than doing it alone, so make sure you don’t overlook the benefit of having that interpersonal support system in place.

Schedule A Photo Shoot

Another quick and easy method to ensure that you’re maximally motivated as you go about your workout program is to book a photo shoot for the end date of when you want to reach your goals.

This photo shoot should be aimed to help you take some memorable pictures to show off all your hard work – whether or not you’re even trying to get into modeling or not does not matter.  The point is this photo shoot is for you.

When you know you have that professional photo shoot approaching, you will without a doubt work harder so you can look your best.

Make A Training Journal

Finally, the last great way to stay motivated with your workout program is to start writing in a training journal.  This training journal should keep track of how much weight you’re lifting, how many sets you’re doing, how many reps were performed, as well as how you feel in general about the entire workout session.

Make sure to list the date along with your current body weight, which will then allow you to look back over time.

On those days when you’re not feeling so motivated, you can then use this journal to let yourself see just how far you’ve actually come and that can be the inspirational push you need in the right direction.

If you can add a few progress pictures to this training journal, all the better.

So don’t let motivation get you down any longer. Suffering from low motivation is a perfectly natural feeling to experience however, with these simple yet highly effective techniques, you can combat this head on.

A ‘portion’ is the amount of food we consume at one time. Portion size implies the number of calories we consume. Dietitians say that portion control is the central key to healthy eating and keep our weight under control. Here are some tips to maintain the portion size under control.

ü  Increase quality not quantity: Consume fiber- rich foods like cereals and vegetables than fast- foods. Fiber- foods make us feel fuller for long time and so we eat less. Fast foods do not have nutrients and hence we feel hungry and tend to eat again thus consuming lot of calories.

ü  Cleaning the plates:  Completing the food in the plate is usually a good habit but a very bad habit for the people who try to lose weight. Skipping the leftovers in the plate can save a lot of calories.

ü  Reduce the size of dishes: The bigger size of the plate, the more we consume. So, if we can reduce the size of the dish, we consume a little lesser than usual.  Eat with a small spoon and savor the meal.

ü  Concentrate on eating:  Watching TV or working with the computer will distract us and that will lead to over eating. So sit down and focus on eating but not on any other issue.

ü  Eat regularly: Eating regularly at regular intervals will maintain the metabolism rate otherwise we may consume more food in the next meal thus gain weight.

ü  Water: Water keeps us full for a long time. Being hydrated avoids overeating; if you don’t like drinking too much water, drink green tea. Green tea thirty minutes before meals can curb the appetite.

ü  Eat slowly: Eating slowly gives the brain a message that you are full. Savor the meal; put the fork down between the meals to keep the portion under control.

ü  Avoid dine out: Eating out is the biggest enemy of weight loss. Avoid eating out while you are starving. Even if you eat outside make sure that you order fiber- rich foods which will cause less damage to the weight loss goal.

ü  Calorie count: measuring and weighing everything you eat can help you consume lesser calories. Read the labels on the purchased food for the amount of calories and make the measuring cup and scales an important part of your daily life.

ü  Share a meal: Sharing a meal has many benefits, apart from socializing, both of you can still be full after sharing the meal thus ensuring less calorie intake.

Though, cutting on a meal and maintaining the portion size is tough in the starting, later it would maintain very efficiently our weight and thus ensure good health.

Today, twenty four hours- a- day are not sufficient for us to match with the hectic life style because of which we are always on the toes to meet the deadlines and in the due course neglect the most important thing that keeps us healthy- Healthy food! We eat; eat anything that is fast to cook and tasty to eat but how many of us realize that these kind of eating habits are unhealthy? Even if they realize how many are changing their food habits from unhealthy to healthy?

So, eating is easy but eating healthy isn’t easy. But with little consciousness towards our health and little amount of planning we can be assured that we intake nutrient- rich food and help ourselves to stay healthy. Here are some tips and tricks to get started towards leading healthy life by eating healthy.

• Try New- Not fast foods but ‘Nutrient- rich’ foods:

Our body needs forty different nutrients to maintain good health and these can be obtained from various varieties like whole- grain products, fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, meat, eggs, fish and other protein- rich foods.

• Too little or too much can make it worse:

Eating too little or too much at- a- time will not help staying fit or healthy but still worsens the health. Eating moderate portions is the only option to survive healthy. We should be aware that eating a medium piece of fruit is equal to one serving but one pint of ice cream is equal to four servings. A recommended amount of cooked meat for a person is three ounces (eighty five grams) which equals to the size of a deck of playing cards.

• Cut down on Sugars, Salts and other Refined- Grain foods:

Sugar is the main ingredient of many varieties of foods; may it be donuts or desserts or even soft drinks. One soft drink (three hundred ml or nearly ten ounces) a day, which has about 130 calories per intake, can cause an increase of six kg (13 pounds) to your weight in a year.

ü  Instead of a donut and a highly sweetened coffee, eat whole- grain breakfast cereals like shredded wheat or wheat flakes, oatmeal, muesli and bran cereals.

ü  Choose whole wheat pasta over conventional pastas.

ü  Eat fruits and vegetables frequently as they contain less salts and sugars (unless preserved) than prepared foods.

ü  Turn it over to read the nutrition facts on a prepared food before consuming.

ü  Opt for fresh or frozen fish, poultry, meat and shell fish instead of canned or processed varieties.

• Do you have these included in your diet plan?

Have you noticed if you consume 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruits? Surveys scream to include 6- 11 servings of bread, rice, pasta and cereals and strongly suggest that any three of these ‘should’ be whole grains.

• Say ‘YES’ to Water:

Most of us are aware that 75% of our body is water. It plays a vital role in maintaining good health. Water flushes wastes and toxins from kidneys and bladder. Do you still want to say ‘no’ to water?

• Say ‘No’ to Fat:

The fat in animal products is saturated fat. Saturated fat when consumed turns into cholesterol, which increases the level of blood- cholesterol which, as we all know can have harmful effects. Small amounts of mono- unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats may be beneficial to health but still do you want to say ‘yes’ to fat foods?

• Dieting is controlling of meals; not skipping them:

Skipping meals leads to out of control hunger thus leading to consume more than usual food. Skipping meals is skipping essential nutrients’ intake. Will you still skip meals?

• Limit but need not eliminate that food which you love:

Food is not just nutrition but pleasure to our taste buds too; but sometimes! Limit your favorite food if it is high in fat, sugar or salt and watch the consumption amount and frequency.

• Alcohol- Bottoms up is not fashion but is fatal:

Alcohol is definitely not for children and adults should also have control over their consumption. Two standard drinks for men and one standard drink for women is a high limit per day.

• Snacks:

Now what could be said about snacks?  Well, giving a treat to the taste buds is definitely fun and they even satisfy our sweet and salt cravings but foods that have high amounts of salt or sugar are not good for health so it better to reduce eating them often.

• Eat slow, chew more:

This is one of the best fitness mantras. We often tend to rush our food forgetting the flavor, texture and even the item that we are eating. Eat slowly, enjoy each bite, reconnect to the joy of eating.

• Say ‘no’ to stress while eating:

Watching TV (especially crime or other related disturbing programs) or arguing while eating may upset the digestion and can even cause problems like heartburn. Avoid these as much as possible.

• Early eating and eating often:

Jump start your day with a healthy breakfast and eventually consuming your food of day early gives the body enough time to digest them. Also, by eating often and moderate portions we can help our digestive system to digest the food without any complications.

• Food checklist:

The main tool to change the diet plan and lose weight is to have a checklist of what they consume. It helps in tracking what we eat, when we eat and how much we eat; which makes a great difference while trying to reduce weight.

Lastly, a child learns to walk by taking one step at- a- time; similarly if you are planning to change your diet take one step at- a- time. Remember ‘slow and steady wins the race’. Have a great day!

Why Salt Is Called ‘SALT’?

The word ‘salt’ is derived from the Latin word Sal, meaning salt. An interesting fact is that the English word ‘Salary’ is related to salt, as salt was the currency in the olden days in many parts of the world.

Why Do We Need Salt For, Other than Taste?
Salt has much more importance than just adding taste to our foods. We have salt flowing in our blood and other fluids without which our nerves and muscles won’t work properly. Salt is important to help our stomach in breaking down the food consumed. It also plays a vital role in transporting exhaled carbon- di- oxide back to lungs.

How Is Salt Helpful?
Salt is helpful to us in many ways.

- Salt is strong anti- stress element
- Salt is important and used to extract acidity from cells, especially brain cells.
- Salt is vital element for kidneys to extract excess acidity and pass it through urine without which body becomes highly acidic.
- Salt is essential in treating emotional and effective disorders.
- Salt is main element in treatment of diabetes and regulating the blood sugar levels.
- Salt and water play a vital role in reducing the secondary damage caused by the injection of insulin.
- Salt aids in communication and information processing of nerve cells right from conception to death.
- Salt is important to absorb food particles from intestinal tracts.
- Salt is used for cleaning lungs of mucous plugs and sticky phlegm mainly in the patients of asthma, emphysema and cystic fibrosis.
- Salt on tongue reduces dry cough while water enhances it.
- Salt prevents gout and gouty arthritis
- Salt is helpful in preventing catarrh and sinus congestion.
- Salt is helpful in preventing muscle cramps and excess saliva production during sleep.

How Much Salt Is Good?
4.2 grams is the ideal amount for an average adult per day while 1.5 grams is the minimum amount. Government advises 6 grams of salt intake for an adult and less for children but it is 10- 12 grams at the moment. Pro- salt arguers claim that kidneys pass out the extra amount salt over the needed through urine.

What Are The Effects Of Excessive Intake Of Salt?
as said earlier, it depends on our intake that makes salt a friend or enemy to our bidy. Excessive intake of salt causes hypertension and osteoporosis. Very young or very old people and people with kidneys disease cannot excrete extra salt and that may lead to health complications.

How to Control Salt Intake?
- Choose fresh foods over prepared foods that have high amount of salts.
- Flavor foods with salt alternatives like lemon, garlic, onion, herbs and spices.
- Make your own soups and pastas to cut down the salts
- Leave out salt while baking or cooking vegetables.
- Check for lower levels of salt during purchases.
- In snacks, opt for low salt varieties of crackers, chips and popcorn.
- Limit high salt pickles and sauces.

Many people feel that their food is tasty just because of salt and they feel so because they are accustomed to this kind of food. So if you cannot avoid salt then at least cut down and limit to minimum required amount.

So, How Do I Lose Weight?
Many of us follow the concept of dieting to shed weight. But eventually our plan goes for a toss in the meadows and food craving and hunger pangs fly in. With many varieties and delicacies around us, it is naturally tough for us to stick to our plan and stop craving. But dieting would be much easier if we could subtract this craving and hunger pangs. Here “Appetite Suppression” comes into picture.

How to Suppress Appetite?
Appetite is both a physical and mental feeling. Body fat can be controlled by curbing appetite. This sounds simple but is not so easy to practice. We can decrease weight only we stop over eating, control hunger and drop the calorie level down our normal maintenance level.

What Is The Strategy To Reduce Hunger?
Follow these tips to reduce hunger.
1. Get rid of junk food: grabbing a bag of chips is the easiest thing we can do when we are hungry. But these are the main cause in increasing weight. Stay away from junk food as this can show a significant difference in the weight.

2. Start the day with protein and fiber: fiber when mixed with water makes the stomach feel full and heavy and on the other hand protein is a slow digesting variety which keeps us away from hunger for a longer time.

3. Drink lot of water: sometimes to stop craving, we may have to fool our brain. Water is a zero calorie diet that when consumed a lot makes us feel full.

4. Green tea:  if you tired of drinking water all the time, try sipping a cup of green tea. Green tea can be consumed any time and any number of times.

5. Exercise: many people feel that exercise causes hunger pangs but in fact, exercise reduces calories and also hunger pangs and keeps us fit all the time.

6. Sleep: get enough sleep every day since lack of sleep causes lack of leptin which gives the feeling of hunger.

7. Drink meals: studies show that people who drink whey and protein milkshakes instead of meals gain less weight than others.

8. Eat small but frequent meals: this is self-explanatory. Eating small meals frequently satisfies hunger and also we do not gain much wheat.

9. Brush: studies show that brushing teeth gives a feeling of freshness and craving reduces to the most extent.

10. Blue, blue, blue! Surveys say that blue color makes us feel not to eat more and thus reduce the intake.

There are other artificial appetite suppressors available in the market but these may have negative effects on our health; so it is safe to follow natural ways to suppress craving and over eating.