Saturday, 4 July 2009

5 Beach Body Myths (and 3 Steps to Look Amazing)


There's a good chance that you'll find yourself in a bathing suit sometime this month.

If you are like most people then that realization will 1) bring a grimace to your face and 2) will motivate you to lose some weight.

While I commend your desire to slim down before baring it all, I'm here to warn you of the 5 myths that most people fall for. Don't waste your time on these:

Myth #1: Starve the pounds away.

Attempting to lose weight by starving yourself is not only ineffective, it's also dangerous. It may seem that severe calorie restriction would deliver the quickest weight loss, but your body is complex and by doing so you'll disrupt your metabolism and slow your results.

Tip: Don't starve yourself - instead eat healthy small meals throughout the day.

Myth #2: Take diet pills to boost your effort.

It's so tempting! The commercials make compelling claims about the power of diet pills, but don't fall for it. The 'magic pill' has yet to be discovered (it has been discovered - exercise. It's just not in pill form…). Diet pills are more likely to damage your health and burn your pocketbook than to slim you down.

Tip: Don't pop a pill - instead burn calories with exercise.

Myth #3: Do extra crunches to flatten your abs.

We all want our midsection to look toned as we stroll down the beach, but excessive crunches aren't the answer for tight abs. In order to achieve a lean look you'll have to focus on burning off the layer of fat that is covering up your abs.

Tip: Don't obsess about crunches - instead focus on fat burning.

Myth #4: Eat packaged diet foods for speedy results.

It is amazing to see the kinds of foods that are packaged as 'diet' or 'weight loss' aids. More often than not these products are packed with refined sugar and other artificial ingredients that your body doesn't need.

Tip: Don't eat packaged diet foods - instead stick with nutritious whole foods.

Myth #5: Avoid all carbohydrates in order to slim down.

Carbohydrates have been given a bad rap, which is unfortunate because you can (and should) eat carbs while losing weight. The key is to stick with whole grains, oatmeal and brown rice while avoiding processed and refined flours and sugars.

Tip: Don't swear off all carbohydrates - instead stick with wholesome carbs.

Now that you know what not to do in order to look great this summer, it's time to go over your beach ready game plan. Here's what you need to know in 3 simple steps:
•Step One: Cut out the junk.

The best way to do this is to start by purging your kitchen. Get rid of sugary, processed and fat-filled foods. Once the junk has been cleared out don't buy any more of it. Remember that your beach ready abs depend on what you eat - don't eat junk!


•Step Two: Focus on whole foods.

Replace the junk food in your life with plenty of the following: cooked and raw vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, moderate amounts of seeds and nuts, lean meats and low fat dairy. Clean eating really is that simple.


•Step Three: Come train with me.

This is the most obvious step. You're ready to get into great shape and I'm in a unique position to make that happen for you. Call or reply to this email to get started on an exercise plan that will make you look great on the beach, and all year round

Until next time...

Stay Strong Stay Focused and Keep Faith

Friday, 26 June 2009

You got to Make That Change


Life is a strange and unpredictable thing...here today gone tomorrow. Sounds harsh but that is the way it is.

Michael Jackson is a LEGEND and will always be a LEGEND for his music. I don't know anyone that does not like Jacko's music.

Mow I am pretty sure Michael Jackson has loads to be proud of with what he has achieved in his personal life, his family life, his contribution to the world of music and many other things.

Sometimes a major incident has to occur for people to change and live a more positive productive life. For me it was when my girlfriend Gemma passed away from an agressive form of Leukeamia in December '08. It changed my perspective of life and how I saw things. Life is short and should be cherished. Now MJ's passing away will definitely have that effect on loads of people's lives or at least get them thinking.

We all have dreams and aspirations to what we want to achieve. My dream is to become the South West Coast Premier Bootcamp Comapny. Now that's a big dream I am going after. But you know what...the bigger the gream the bigger the success.

Some people might be reading this and laughing, but with the right mind set, belief, and faith, anythng can be achieved. I am sure MJ had a dream and that dream has made him the King of pop.



So keep dreaming and visualizing your success. Be positive with what you want to achieve and have Faith. Share that positive energy with others, get excited about what you want to achieve and TAKE ACTION. Rome was not built in a day, Edison failed 2000 times before he got it right with the light bulb. It does not matter what your goal is, whether it is weight loss, your dream house, that job you are after, wealth, success, joy, happiness, whatever it may be. GO AFTER IT.

Live your dream...don't let you dream live inside you.

Until Next time.....

Stay Strong, Stay Focused and Keep Faith

PS. Dont forget to leavce a comment. What is your Dream?

Monday, 15 June 2009

It's Anyone's Game

When was the last time that you accomplished something huge?



That's an easy question for Helen Phillips.

Last month Helen wowed the world with her dramatic transformation on the NBC show The Biggest Loser. At 48 years of age she is the oldest contestant to win the weight loss competition, shedding 140 pounds and 54.7% of her body weight.

I'd call losing more than half of your body weight a huge accomplishment - wouldn't you?

The crazy part is that Helen was clearly the underdog. She was simply too old and too fat to win. At least that was what the other contestants thought.

And that's what Helen thought too.

"I never believed in myself in the beginning," she admits. However when a doctor told her that she was living in the body of a 60 year old woman, Helen got serious.

"I'm tired of doubting myself," she decided and something inside of her head clicked into place. "The minute I started doing that, things changed for me."

And, oh, how she changed.

Helen buckled down and made losing weight her only focus. Her hard work paid off, giving her the prized title of the Biggest Loser.

She accomplished something huge and now her life is vastly improved. "I feel so good! I feel like I can do anything," she told reporters with a huge smile.

Helen also had a message for you. "If I can do it, you can do it."

I have to agree with her.

If a 48 year old, 257 pound woman can transform her body from a size 22 to a size 2, then anyone really can do it. Think for a moment of that huge accomplishment that you haven't made. Maybe it's a weight loss goal that you've had for years. Maybe it's something completely unrelated to your weight.

What's holding you back?



Are you afraid you'll fail?

The fear of failure is a powerful thing. No one likes to fail, and repeat failure is even worse. So what can you do to conquer it?

* Realize that failure isn't the worst outcome. Not trying is.
* You only fail when you decide to give up. Get up and try again!

Are you afraid you'll succeed?

You may not realize it, but most people fear success. Success means change and change can be scary. It is important that you embrace the idea of success and ditch any negative self talk.

* Close your eyes and picture yourself accomplishing your goal. What will that accomplishment do for your life? List the benefits you'll enjoy.
* Spend a few minutes each day visualizing yourself accomplishing your goal. How great does it feel? Savor those victorious emotions and use them to drive your motivation.

Helen didn't believe in herself, until one day she decided that she was done doubting.

Are you done doubting?

When you're ready to transform your body, like Helen did, I'm here to help. Is NOW a good time? Call or email, and let's get started on a program that will really improve your life.

It's your turn to accomplish something huge.

Who Knew?

While being interviewed after her victory Helen revealed the secret behind her staggering weight loss. "Who knew diet and exercise really were the answer?" It always comes back to diet and exercise. When it comes to losing weight forget about the fad diets, the pills and the potions. Focus on your diet and focus on your exercise plan then you too will see amazing results.


Until next time...

Stay Strong, Stay Focused and Keep Faith

PS. Dont forget to leave a comment.

Friday, 5 June 2009

Your New Favorite Thing

We all have a list of our favorite things. It may not be written down anywhere, but you know the things that make you happy.

The list holds your favorite foods, music, TV shows, movies and even people in your life that you can't get enough of. This is the stuff that you really enjoy. It's the stuff that makes your life worth living.

Somewhere on the list is your health and appearance. You know that looking and feeling great make a good life even better.



The interesting thing about your list is that without fail you'll always make time for it.

* When your TV show airs, you watch it or record it to watch later.
* When your favorite actor stars in a new movie, you do your part by going to the theatre.
* When you're hungry, you turn to your favorite foods.
* When the weekend rolls around, you do everything you can to spend time with the special people in your life.

Yet when it comes to exercise you automatically say, "I don't have time."

Time for TV, but no time for exercise... We live in an age where life is full. You don't have extra time anymore.

You no longer have time. You make time.

* You make time for your TV show.
* You make time for your hobby.
* You make time for your friends.

It's time to drop the charade of "I don't have time to exercise" and call it what it really is.

An excuse.

You know how to make time for your favorite things. You know you want good health. You know you want to look great. You know you want more energy.

Exercise delivers all those benefits - and more.

I believe that exercise belongs on your list of favorite things.

Make It A Favorite: How do you turn something that you've dreaded into something that you enjoy?

1. Block the Negative: Your thoughts play a big part in determining your favorite things. Block out any negative thoughts you may have about exercise. Focus your energy on creating a positive attitude that will get you excited about hitting the gym, rather than dreading it.
2. Focus on the Benefits: With exercise you have so much to gain and nothing to lose. Exercise makes you stronger, sexier, happier, and gives you more energy. Pick the benefit that moves you the most and fixate on it.
3. Get Guidance: The easiest way to put exercise on your list of favorite things is to experience it at its best. Get onboard with one of my personal training programs and I'll show you the most effective and enjoyable techniques that will get you into the best shape of your life.

Until next time....

Stay Strong, Stay Focused and Keep Faith

Thursday, 21 May 2009

Tips for your beach body training

So last time I did the 5 Steps to your beach body. This week we are going to focus on exercises that will help get closer to your beach body, but I am going to come to that shortly…

Your choice of exercise is very important. Use compound movements instead of isolated movements. I can see that slighty confused look on your face regardingthe difference. Isolated movement is a simple bicep curl whereby you use recruit just the bicep to move the weight. Now on the other hand a compound movement recruits more than one muscle group over a joint. This can be a squat and a bicep curl. The benefits of doing compound movemnets is 1. its harder 2. its quicker and as a result save you loads of time and 3. it will increase the intensity of your training session. Not bad so far…



Reps and sets is the next variable you need tolook at. Personally I aim to do 24-32 reps of each exercise. Now this can be 6 sets 4 reps which is 24; 4 sets of 8 reps= 32 reps; 10 sets of 3 reps = 30 reps; you get the idea. Depending on which sets and reps range you choose it will have an effect on the weight you use. Lower reps will require the use of heavier weight and as the reps increase the weight decreases. Remember that at all times use the correct technique. Whatever reps and sets range you do decide to go for, you can do it for 2-3 weeks and then change to another reps and set range for another 2-3 weeks. Your body will now have to adjust to a new set of variables again.


On each training session you need to set a personal best (PB). This way you are constantly pushing yourself to do better than your last training session and in so doing improve your performance. A PB can be an extra rep or two, a heavier weight or a shorter resting time.

So here are 2 sessions you can get started on:

Weights based session:

1.Sqaut/shoulder press

2. pushup/row

3. lunge bicep curl

4. wood chops

5. side plank/rotation

Body weight session

1. push ups

2. squats

3. tricep dips

4. lunges

5. burpees

So there you have it. You can alternate days that you do weights and days you do the body weight exercises or if you want you can do them all on the same day depending on your fitness.

Dont forget the 5 steps to your beach body!!!!

So crack on with it and make sure and leave a comment to let me know how you get on. Better yet hop on and log what you have done on http://www.pspersonaltrainers.ning.com

Until next time….

Stay Strong, Stay Focused and Keep Faith

Monday, 18 May 2009

The Sweetest Scam of All Time



The correct answer to the following question will shock you.

Would you survive longer on a diet of just water OR on a diet of water and refined sugar?

The answer: You would survive longer on just water.

Sound impossible? Just ask the five sailors who were ship wrecked in 1793.

The ship was filled with sugar, thus giving the marooned five a diet of sugar and water. When they were finally picked up, nine days later, they were in a wasted condition due to starvation.

The story of the five sailors intrigued French physiologist Francois Magendie to conduct a series of experiments in which he fed dogs a diet of sugar. All of the dogs died.

Magendie proved that as a steady diet, refined sugar is worse than nothing.

How can sugar be worse than nothing? Plainly put, refined sugar is an anti-nutrient.

It starts out as sugar cane, and then goes through an extensive refining process that destroys all of the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals. What you're left with are empty, naked calories.

The problem is that your body needs the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals that were taken out in the refining process in order to metabolize sugar and use it as energy. So it takes those nutrients from your own body.

So while you are enjoying that chocolate bar, sugar is draining vital nutrients from your body. Like a sweet parasite.

And it doesn't end there…

* Sugar creates false hunger (as a result of the insulin rush and then ensuing plummet in your blood sugar levels), which makes you overeat. This means a constant struggle with your weight in which you never seem to achieve your ideal size.
* Sugar promotes aging (due to the advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, that occur when insulin levels are consistently elevated as a result of eating too much sugar). Sugar has even been dubbed the negative fountain of youth.
* Sugar weakens your bones - making you vulnerable for osteoporosis, and weakens your teeth - making you vulnerable for cavities (both due to the calcium being pulled from your bones and teeth in order for your body to process sugar).
* Sugar in excess is stored as fat (after your liver has no more room to store it, sugar is converted to fat and deposited on your belly, thighs, hips and the backs of your arms).
* Sugar can impair brain functioning (as a result of depleted B-vitamin production).

If you're still not convinced of the danger of sugar here are more ailments linked to its overconsumption: varicose veins, constipation, hormonal imbalances, ADD and ADHD, increased emotional instability, depressed immune system, increased risk of cancer and degenerative diseases.

The average modern person consumes 46 teaspoons of sugar every day. That comes out to roughly 175 pounds of sugar each year.

And it's no wonder, since sugar industry is big business. They sneak sugar into any product that they can.

Go through the foods in your home and you'll see that sugar has been added to everything from ketchup and spaghetti sauce to crackers, oatmeal, peanut butter and even ‘healthy' items like weight loss bars.



Where does this leave you?

You are in a unique position. Your personal judgment determines the foods that you eat and the foods that you avoid. It is my hope that you approach sugar with new eyes.

While all other foods offer you caloric energy PLUS some nutritional benefit, sugar doesn't. Sugar is simply caloric energy with a sweet habit forming taste, and a hoard of health risks.

Use your judgment wisely and limit your sugar consumption - you'll love the benefits of low sugar living.

And while you're at it contact me to start a training program that will turbo-charge your results.

(Oh and if you're ever in a ship wreck with only sugar and water at your disposal - just drink the water!)


The Many Names of Sugar

While you're checking out nutrition labels for sugar content be on the lookout for the following names that all describe refined sugar:

* Sucrose
* High fructose corn syrup
* Fructose
* Organic sugar
* Maltose
* Dextrose
* Glucose
* Lactose

Until next time....

Stay Strong, Stay Focused and Keep Faith

http://www.pspersonaltrainers.co.uk

Monday, 11 May 2009

5 steps to your beach body


With summer is on its way and fast approaching, I am sure you are all thinking I am going to be on the beach looking HOT!!!which I am sure you will be. Your focus has now changed and all of a sudden the gym is a nice place to be or going for a run is a good idea and cutting down on those extra calories is a brilliant plan. No more desserts :)

You are probably also thinking somethng else as well...how do i get rid of some of some those extra pounds to look hot in my bikini or so I can show off my six pack....

Well you still got some time on your hands to get that beach body by taking some positive steps in the right direction.

So here we go with 5 things to do to get ready for the summer and closer to your beach body:

1. Increase the intensity of you workout:One way of doing this is by taking less rest after each set. Dont sit around waiting to start the next set. Move on to the next exercise and work your way down till you get to the last exercise then rest. So your workout is more like a circuit.

2. Increase workout frequency:If you do 2-3 sessions per week increase it to 4-5 times. This does not mean you have to kill yourself on every session. Alternate days of cardio with days of weights. Increasing your weekly sessions will create a bigger caloric deficit and the amount of calories your body burns.

3. Lift heavier weight: If you are female you are probably thinking right now...'I dont want to get muscular' This is just a myth. The more lean muscle you have on your body the more calories you burn at rest. Lifting weights also increases your metabolism which is what everyone wants to do. Dont be afraid to hit the weights ladies. It will get you results quicker as well.

4. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Reasearch has proven that HIIT burns calories up to 24hrs after your have completed your workout. So you can be burning calories the day after from your workout the day before. How great is that!!! This works very closely with point number 1. HIIT is periods of low level intensity work followed by a period of very high intensity. eg. 1 minute jog followed by 30 second sprint then repeat. 20 minutes of this will sure get you sweating buckets

5. Drink water. By drinking water you can drastically reduce your caloric intake campered to other forms of liquids such as juice which tend to contain loads of sugar which if you want to drop those pounds is not what you want to be comsuming. Aim for 2L of water a day. More on days that you workout.

So there you have it. 5 Simple positive steps to get you on the road to your beach body.

Until next time...

Stay Strong, Stay Focused, and Keep Faith

PS. dont forget to leave a comment....