Fat Map UK

There has been a lot of news across the media today about the UK’s ‘Fat Map’; highlighting obesity hotspots across the country. The main concern seems to be that the South of the country is now becoming obese; it was okay when just the Midlands and the North were affected.

Over 1 in 10 people were reported to have a BMI (body mass index) of over 30; which is classified as obese. BMI measurements take into account your height and weight to determine your score, rather than actual body fat. I know a few people who are classed as obese because of their weight but are very lean and well muscled; this is however the minority.

We need to take this information as a wake up call to start to take action, if you feel you fall into the category above and would like to do something about it, do so. These figures will keep rising, if we don’t take the steps necessary to facilitate change. The steps don’t have to be radical, small changes all count. It could be just having 2 less biscuits with your cup of tea in the afternoon; 2 biscuits = approx. 150kcals, x 5 working days = 750kcals x 48 working weeks = 36000kcals per year saved. That’s 10.3kg of body fat for having just 2 biscuits less per day; add to that a little activity and you can get massive results.

If you would like help making a change, my next fat loss course is starting in September at Esporta Warwickshire, Coventry.
The programme focuses on good quality foods that work for your body.
I will tell you how to identify which foods work for you (one size fits all diets do not work).
I will give you recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner to allow maximum choice and variety.
I will tell you snack ideas to minimise hunger and cravings.
You will receive:
An exercise and nutrition journal to complete daily.
A stretching programme to ensure optimal posture, alignment and tone.
An easy to follow home programme; including core exercises which take inches of your waist, legs and arms.
Which exercises work, how many to do and correct technique to use to ensure maximum strength, tone and balance in every single muscle of your body.
E-mail and text support throughout the programme.
If you don’t lose at least one full clothing size in 6 weeks, I will give you back your money and continue to train you for free until you do so.

If you are interested in taking this course email me darren@achieve.me.uk.

If you don’t live in the Coventry area but are interested in serious fat loss, my friend Dax Moy runs a fantastic online 90 day Look Great Naked Challenge. This programme gets results fast and Dax is rated as one of the UK’s top trainers, he helped X-Factor’s Michelle McManus lose over 10 stone (140lbs). Click Here for more details

Be strong, eat clean

Darren

What’s holding you back?

I mentioned previously about achieving like an Olympian by setting yourself specific goals with fixed deadlines. Over the past two weeks I have spoken to many people regarding my half marathon training programme (Click Here), many have said that they would love to do a half marathon but couldn’t. When I have asked why not, many excuses have been given; I’m too old to start running, I haven’t got the time, I don’t think I could do it, I’ve got family commitments. Many people like the idea of running a half marathon but are scared to commit to it in case they fail; they have talked themselves out of finishing before they have even tied their shoelaces. I see this every week with people only setting goals that they feel they can achieve with minimum discomfort; I believe if a goal is worth setting it’s worth setting well. The more you have to put into achieving your goals the greater sense of accomplishment you feel when you get there.

We are constantly being told what we can achieve by others; these people are often scared to tackle big goals themselves and by holding you back it makes them feel more secure that they aren’t going for it. If you are told often enough that you can’t do something you start to believe it; at 6’5” Usain Bolt would have been told throughout his athletics career that he was too tall to be a sprinter, he chose not to listen and now holds the Olympic and World Records for 100m, 9.69s and 200m, 19.30s. Staying with the athletics theme, it was thought to be impossible for a runner to complete a mile in less than 4 minutes; Roger Bannister believed he could do it and set about training specifically for it. In 1954, he became the first man to run a sub 4 minute mile; he set his goal and took the necessary steps to achieving it.

For the excuses above, you’re not too old; John Keston, 83, holds the world record for 80-84 age group half marathon with a time of 1:39:28 (I would be pleased if I could get near this time), he started running at 55.

You don’t need a lot of time to achieve your goals, take action and make a start. My drop a dress size groups do less than 20 minutes of exercise per day and this can be split up into 4 minute blocks.

If you believe something is not possible, it won’t be. Think about the tag lines for nike and adidas; just do it and impossible is nothing, respectively. They are designed to inspire you to take action and achieve.

We all have family commitments; but it is important to allow time for yourself, this is true for all goals not just health and fitness. 41 year old Dara Torres has a young family and has claimed three Olympic Silver medals in swimming; her swimming career started 26 years ago with an American record in 50m freestyle. She keeps her workouts short and intense to allow time for her family, averaging 90 minute sessions (short for an Olympic swimmer - they train for up to 5 hours per day).

The Olympic games show us what the human body and mind are capable of; if you want to achieve, you can if you take the necessary steps. Set goals that excite you, be very specific and have a deadline; losing weight is not a goal, losing 12kg by 5th December for the office party. Positively focus on achieving your goal, set small targets and take steps every day towards achieving them. Hold yourself accountable; don’t put the blame on somebody else, take responsibility for your achievement, if things happen that you can’t control find another way to keep heading in the right direction. Let everybody know what your goals are, ask them to help; social support and motivation can keep you on track when you feel like quitting.

If one of your goals is to drop a dress size; I will be running my next 6 week course at Esporta, Coventry from Monday 8th September 2008. I guarantee that you will drop a full clothing size in only 6 weeks or get your money back. For more information email me darren@achieve.me.uk.

Be strong, eat clean

Darren

Achieve like an Olympian

I have spent much of the past week watching the Olympic Games; it is amazing what the human body can be pushed to do given the right training and motivation. Olympic and world records are being destroyed in all events by athletes fully committed to their goals (click here to see the list). I have mentioned previously the total body strength and control required by the gymnasts; but athletes in all events have conditioned their bodies and minds to do exactly what is required to compete at this level.

You may have heard commentators talking about competitors gaining Olympic experience; this is for athletes who are not aiming for a medal at these games; but the next in London 2012 (however, they said Rebecca Adlington was there to gain experience and she has won 2 Gold’s and smashed one world record that had stood for 19 years). The athletes have targets set for an event in four years time; they will have a very specific plan to follow detailing exactly what they are required to do to be in Olympic condition in 2012.

How do you plan for your goals?
Most of us will have some sort of plan in mind when training for a set event; such as a swimathon or a run of some sort (for a detailed plan to complete the Coventry Half Marathon click here). Often the plan is vague, for example, I will try to do two runs this week; the Olympic athletes plans will include the time of day, the pace, the distance, pre and post fuelling and recovery times. Now most of us don’t need plans as detailed as an Olympians but having set tasks to complete and work towards is an important part of achieving any goal.

Weight loss goals tend to be even more vague; for example, I would like to lose some weight. They don’t normally have an end date in mind or a plan of what is required; hence, most of us don’t achieve our weight loss goals. It is important to set deadlines for goals and stick to them; for larger goals it may be necessary to break the goal down into smaller mini goals, this helps you to keep on track and establish how successful you are at regular intervals. Visualisation and positive thinking are often over looked in goal achievement strategies, but provide the mind with stimulation to help the body achieve. I’m sure the Olympic athletes see a Gold medal every time they close their eyes; you can see the gymnasts practising their routines in their heads before they enter the competitive area.

I believe you should set goals that excite you, even scare you a little, if you were to achieve them. I’m about to accomplish some goals (more about these another day) that I have been thinking about for years but didn’t take action towards them. It was only by taking action, writing them down and focusing on my goals everyday that they are coming to fruition. I set my goals using Dax Moy’s Magic 100 programme; your goals don’t have to be limited to only health and fitness, many of mine on my last list were personal and business related. This truly is the best goal setting programme I have come across in over 12 years of helping people set and achieve their health and fitness goals. For more information Click Here.

If you want to achieve your goals you have to have strategies in place that ensure you work towards them; this includes breaking your goals down into small blocks, visualising the end goal and setting deadlines, but most importantly taking action. If you are committed to achieving your goals and you're not in the position to see someone who can help you set them, Dax's Magic 100 does exactly what it says on the tin.

Be strong, eat clean,

Darren

Be Strong

What does it mean to be strong?
It could refer to the physical; being able to exert great muscular force or power.
It could refer to the mental; having the ability to continue in adverse situations.
In fact, it could refer to any number of things; an online dictionary has nearly 30 definitions for strong. Everybody has their own personal definition of what being strong means to them. It could be having the ability to bench press 100kgs, lift your grandchildren above your head or being able to make it up the stairs without any pain. It may be attending school or work every day knowing that you will get picked on, finding out you have an illness and still putting others ahead of yourself.

I prefer to treat the body and mind as one; having a strong and active body helps the mind to function well. However, if the mind is weak it is hard to maintain a strong body. With a strong positive mental attitude it is possible to overcome the physical; an example is Joe Simpson (Author of Touching the Void) who had a mountaineering accident after reaching the summit of Siula Grande, he was presumed dead by his climbing partner who had to descend the dangerous mountain alone. Joe had survived a 100ft fall into a crevasse with an already broken leg. He chose to survive and kept a strong mental attitude, he spent three days, without food and only splashes of water from melting ice, crawling and hopping five miles back to the base camp. The story is one of great mental strength and how having a survivor’s attitude can lead the body to overcome great physical trials. Lance Armstrong’s story (It's Not About The Bike) is another fantastic example of how with a strong mental attitude you can overcome your weaknesses and achieve your goals.

Fortunately, most of us are not put in to a position of survival but having a positive thought process to achieving your goals makes it more likely that you will. I teach Shaolin Freestyle Chinese Boxing and I use the term black belt attitude to describe to my students how they need to focus their minds to achieve their goal, ultimately their black belt. During their grading they will be pushed way beyond their physical capabilities and only those with a strong mind will keep pushing on, overcoming their weaknesses to achieve what they desire the most.

As mentioned above, a strong body makes it easier to achieve a strong mind; I’m referring to true strength though not merely being able to lift a heavy weight when your body is supported. The best example of this I can give is that of a gymnast (the Olympics start on Friday, check them out), they have total control over their body throughout all ranges of movement. If training for physical strength you need to focus more on bodyweight and free weight exercises that allow your body to function as it was designed, not along preset pathways that only increase your strength in that exact motion. We have 7 basic movement patterns that we have had since we were cavemen and to function efficiently and with true strength we need to combine them into our exercise routines. I will go into more detail about these in future blogs.

Be strong, eat clean

Darren