Tag Archives: training

Todays Training – Back & Legs….Sort of!

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Back TrainingSo here’s today’s training diary or log. I’ve spoken a few times about being flexible and able to change your plans at short notice. Today was a prime example. I had about 70 minutes and thought i could fit in a really good back and leg session + some cardio. As i got to the Gym i bumped into someone i used to work with and hadn’t seen for about 4 years. He kept me chatting for about 20 minutes. It was good to see him but my workout plans were blown. However it turned into a positive as i decided to really blast my back and finish with an intense HiiT style weighted circuit focusing on legs at the end. Here is the workout.

Deadlift: 1 x 8 warmup set @70kg, 2 x 5 @100kg, 2 x 3 at 110kg, 2 x 8 at 70kg. For me doing reps at 110kg is a big step up (i know it won’t be for some of you who smash that sort of weight) so i was delighted with that, although I’m a bit concerned as my lower/middle back is still shaking.

Then the Lat pulldown machine. 3 sets of 8 @ 50kg, 55kg and 60kg. Then across to a cable machine, fitted a straight handle and did 3 sets of straight arm lat pulldowns in front of the body. This is similar to a tricep pushdown but keep your arms straight oin front and squeeze down with your lats 3 x 8 at 40kg, 50kg and 55kg.

Then the cable seated row. 1 x 10 @50kg 2 x 10@60kg and 1 x 10 at 65kg.

I tried to finish by doing some wide grip pull ups but to be honest both my grip and my back had gone so managed a measly 4 sets of 3 and even then it was more like 2 and a bit on the last set.

Then onto the circuit. I wanted to focus on legs as i hadn’t done the session i wanted, but also wanted to incorporate some metabolic/cardio training and some abs. This was the circuit.

I grabbed 2 12kg kettle bells as extra’s and did the following, no rest between exercises.

12 squats (weight in each hand by my side), 12 Press ups, 12 reverse lunges (6 each side), 25 jumping jacks, 45 second plank, 12 alternate touch your ankle straight leg v sits, 12 goblet squats (with just one of the 12kg weights). Then rested for approx. 1 minute and repeated twice more for a total of 3 sets. By the end i was blowing smoke out of my backside and my legs were throbbing. Given the limited time i was really pleased.

That’s it. Not sure when the next workout will be but I’ll keep you posted. By the way my back feels 2 hours after finishing training it might be a few days.

Take Care,

John

My Daily Training Diary!

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No Pain No GainI’ve had a bad couple of weeks from a health and training perspective. I have lots of good excuses (I’m in the middle of getting a loft extension done, the kids are off school on Easter holidays, it was my birthday and we had a couple of days out to celebrate etc etc, but the truth is I’ve just neglected things a bit and not been training as much as i should. I’m only human, and very much the Ordinary Guy that this blog is about.

So I’m determined that for the next month or so I’m going to be very strict, get back on track and smash the training and healthy eating again. A few people have asked me how i train, what i do, how often etc? So i thought it might be an idea to do a quick daily post outlining what training i have done, what it involved, weights lifted etc. Hopefully some of you will be interested and I’d welcome any comments. It won’t be every day as i tend to do some sort of activity 4 to 5 days per week. If any of you would also be interested in what i eat and my diet then please let me know and maybe I can start to include that as well. So here is day 1.

Thursday: I only had about 50 minutes to squeeze a session in today so the aim was to hit shoulders and arms and maybe do some cardio/abs if i had time. My left shoulder is buggered (that’s a technical term) and as soon as i start to lift any heavyish weights in terms of shoulder press or bench press it becomes sore and stays that way so i have to work around it. Therefore i started with 5 minutes of shoulder joint stretches, muscle stretches, rotator cuff stretches to try to loosen it up as much as possible. Then here is the routine i hit.

1 x warm up set of 10 reps @ 14kg of seated dumbbell shoulder press

1 x 10 reps @ 20kg, followed by 2 x 8 reps@ 22.5kg, followed by 3 x 10 @ 16kg. Rest between all sets was approximately 50/60 seconds.

Then moved on to standing side lateral raises.

I took a 10kg dumbbell in each hand and did alternate reps for each side, 10 reps per side. Then immediately dropped those and picked up 7kg each side and with no rest went into a strict set of 10 reps (both sides at the same time). So effectively supersetted side lateral raises. Repeated 3 times. Rest between sets was about 1 minute max.

Then sat on a bench, leaned forward and went into bent over rear lateral raises. Again i did a superset style. So did 10 reps with 9kg, dropped them and straight into another 10 reps with 5kg. I realise the weight for these lat raises may sound light to some people but… a) I am trying to protect my shoulder and b) If you do them really strictly and only engage your deltoid muscle without “throwing” the weight up, it still gives you an amazing pump and is very effective.

Then picked up 2 x 30kg dumbbell and did 3 x 15 reps of shrugs, concentrating on shrugging my shoulders up and back to really work the traps (trapezius). That’s shoulders done.

For arms i normally work with free weights but i watched a video by a guy called Jeff Cavaliere from Athlean X who i rate very highly and would massively recommend his videos. The video is here and it is a cable machine workout that works both biceps and triceps at the same time and wow is it effective. Basically you set a flat handle on a cable machine. I was lucky as at my Gym i had two right next to each other. Have 1 handle up high to do Tricep push downs and one down low for bicep curls. You move from Biceps to Triceps with no rest and move the weights up or down after each set. So…..

1 x 10 reps@ 60kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 12 reps@20kg bicep curls. Then 1 x 10 reps@50kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 12 reps@30kg bicep curls.  Then 1 x 10 reps@40kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 12 reps@40kg bicep curls.  Then 1 x 12 reps@30kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 10 reps@50kg bicep curls. Then finally 1 x 12 reps@20kg Tricep push down, followed by 1 x 8 reps@60kg (That’s all i could manage). I rested for a few minutes then squeezed out 2 sets of 15kg hammer curls and 2 sets of 50kg overhead tricep extensions. My arms were fried by the end of it.

I was running out if time so couldn’t do any cardio but quickly did a little ab superset of 8 hanging leg raises, followed by 10 v-sits, followed by 45 second plank. Did it three times and then headed for the door.

Tomorrow I have slightly more time so plan to do back and legs + some cardio stuff.

I hope you like this and enjoy it over the next few days. Please let me know your thoughts.

Take Care,

John

 

 

Setting achievable Goals – 5 ways not to fail.

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Mountain GoalsWe all have dreams and aspirations of some sort. Every one of us at some stage has lain in bed at night and thought “if only” or “i wish i could…”. So why do some people seem to be able to achieve those aims and make them reality, and others just don’t.

Setting goals is a bit of a cliché. We have all worked at companies or in jobs where tired bosses sit us all in a room and we “brainstorm” a set of goals that we’d like to achieve. However the trick is to get away from that negative mindset around goals and bring them back into a sense of reality. What is a “goal”? Very simply it’s just something you’d like to do or an aim you’d like to achieve. So how can you turn that goal or dream into reality. Use the 5 tips below and by implementing these simple techniques you WILL achieve your health and fitness goals.

  1. Be Realistic: This is THE most critical point of all. We may all have dreams but look at yourself in the mirror and genuinely ask yourself “is this possible?”. I’m all for setting high standards and reaching the top of the mountain, but we do also have to look at our limitations and be real. If you currently get out of breath running 50 yards for the bus then setting yourself a goal of running the Marathon in under 3 hours is too big a leap. You have to make a realistic assessment of where you are now and set a challenging but achievable target of where you would like to get to. So if you are struggling to run to the bus stop, set a target of running 3 miles without stopping. If you are 6 stone overweight, don’t commit to losing all 6 stone immediately, set a target of losing half of that weight in a set period. That brings me onto the next point….
  2. Change and reset your goals regularly. People seem to think that if they set a goal it is cast in stone. Life isn’t like that. Life throws you curve balls all the time. Your circumstances change, your health, job, family situation may all change for the better or worse and you have to be flexible enough to accommodate those changes and the effect they may have on your goals. Similarly as you work towards the goal you may surprise yourself and need to reset the goal. If your aim is to run 3 miles and you suddenly find you have an aptitude for running then push it out to 5 miles or 10 miles. If the weight falls off of you very easily change the time period you are looking at. I’d also suggest that the best way to set goals is to take it in small chunks. If you do want to run a marathon you don’t go out and hit 26 miles on day one. You aim for 5 miles, then 10, then 15 and work your way towards the end goal. That should be the same in all areas of your health and fitness regime. Constantly appraise yourself, where are you at, what can you change and are you making progress towards the ultimate target?
  3. Make sure your goal is measurable in some way or that you can keep track of it. If it’s just about appearance then take a selfie in front of the mirror once a week. You will be amazed at how motivating it is to see and be able to detail those small incremental changes. Keeping a record of the improvements you are making whether that is more weight you are lifting, kilo’s you are losing, dress sizes you are dropping or just how much more toned you look in photo’s will inspire you to keep up the good work. Sometimes progress is slow or moves forward in almost unseen steps. if you can document it, however small, it will keep you on track and moving forward.
  4. However the flip side of point 3 is this. Don’t panic if you have a setback or it isn’t working. At some point in whatever it is that you are trying to achieve you will hit a plateau, a point where you get stuck and don’t seem able to make any more progress. You may stop losing weight, just can’t improve your running times or can’t get your bench press above 100kg no matter how hard you try. It’s really important at those points not to be become negative or demotivated. Cut yourself some slack, step back and take a look at a)how far you have come already and b) what you might be able to change to continue moving forward again. In many cases just taking a week off, recharging your batteries and giving your body and mind some time off is all you need. Start again after the week off and see what happens. If that doesn’t work you may just need to change your routine a bit. Your body is very clever and if you do the same thing all the time it adjusts and stops making progress. That’s why changing your approach and making small changes to your goals on a regular basis is so important.
  5. Make your goals public and put a time frame on them. That doesn’t mean you need to put an advert in the local newspaper, but DO tell a few of your loved ones and close friends what your aims are. “Why would i want to do that?” you ask, “that’s embarrassing!” Well for two reasons really. Firstly if you tell other people your aims then almost everyone i know will feel the same way. They feel that by publicly committing to something you are letting not only yourself down but other people as well if you stray away from your target, and that can be a very powerful motivator. Secondly however, those people can and will help you. If you have a bit of a blip, fall off the wagon or just start to struggle then those close to you can give you the support and help you need to pick yourself back up and keep going. They can push you towards your targets and give you the impetus to keep going even when it becomes tough.

So to summarise what i have said very briefly. Set realistic targets that are achievable based on where you are now. Set a time frame and a way of measuring your progress. Appraise and if need be change those goals on a regular basis and finally tell some of your closest friends and relatives so that they can help you out (and give you some friendly stick if you start to wilt).

Don’t hesitate, start now. Get a piece of paper, write down 5 things you’d like to achieve and then pick one that you want get started on. Set a date, figure out how you are going to go about it and get cracking. Climbing the biggest mountain starts with the very first small step, so do that RIGHT NOW!!

Take Care,

John

8 Easy ways to start losing Weight NOW!!

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Lose weight text with measure tape and fruits

You’ve tried every weight loss trick and diet out there from the Atkins to the Paleo and it just doesn’t work. You can’t stick to it for long and no matter how hard you try after a while the weight just creeps back on.

I could be wrong but you are probably just over complicating things and making your life too damn hard. Below is a list of 8 quick tips that if you follow, or even adopt just some of them you WILL lose weight. I’m not saying they are easy but they are simple. Follow them for a couple of months and watch the inches fall away just in time for Summer.

  1. Cut Out Sugar as much as possible: Sugar is a killer both in health terms and from a calorie and weight gain perspective. Stop putting sugar in your tea and coffee, stop eating cakes, sweets and chocolate and watch the rapid change in your body.
  2. Stop Drinking Fizzy or Sweetened Drinks: We all love a nice refreshing coke now and then but it is loaded with sugar and loaded with calories. In fact almost ALL artificial drinks and even many fruit juices are packed with calories. Wherever possible stick to water, black coffee, green tea’s or other completely natural drinks. Even be careful with fruit juice which is often full of sugar.
  3. Cut Out White Carbohydrates: What are white carbs? Well most  breads, pasta, potatoes, white rice. Believe me, if you can cut back heavily on these ingredients, especially the bread, then you will notice a rapid difference. Stick to sweet potato, brown rice, beans (all types) and veg for your carb sources.
  4. Cut back on Alcohol consumption: Yep unfortunately folks booze contains loads of calories. Beer, wine, mixers, even spirits are a) not great for you and b) pile on the pounds. You don’t have to stop completely but cut back as much as you can.
  5. Ditch processed and packaged foods: Generally speaking if it comes in a packet, has pictures and a label with ingredients on it, it won’t be good for you. Almost ALL processed food contains chemicals, preservatives, hidden sweeteners and processed fats. Just avoid them. Buy  fresh fish, meat, poultry and vegetables. You may need to spend a bit more time (not much) but if you cook it yourself and don’t eat from packets i GUARANTEE you will lose weight.
  6. Fill your house with healthy snacks: We ALL get the munchies from time to time and you are lying to yourself if you think you can be good 100% of the time. So when you want a snack you grab a choccy bar and worry later. However if you have bags of nuts, banana’s, apples, a small bar of high cocoa dark chocolate within easy reach then you can satisfy your short term craving and not feel too guilty about it.
  7. DON’T skimp on food or miss meals: I know this sounds strange but cutting back on food and missing meals will not help. If you cut calories too drastically and too quickly your body will start to store fat…and you don’t want that. Eat regularly and eat well BUT make sure it is healthy. Fresh fish or meat/poultry and LOADS of veg, salads, beans.
  8. Move it, Move it: It’s pretty obvious really but the more exercise and activity you do the more calories you burn. Of course working out is important but actually it’s the small things that add up over a period of a lifetime. Always take the stairs, not the lift or escalator. Walk the 10 minutes home instead of jumping on the bus. If you are going somewhere walk quickly don’t stroll. Carry stuff from the DIY store don’t get a trolley. It’s an attitude of mind really. Always try to use your body and take the harder option, it really really pays off.

That’s it. 8 simple things that you can start to implement in your life that WILL make you lose weight. Now I am a realist and this is a blog for Ordinary people. I can visualise the large “GULP” you are all taking at the thought of all those things you need to give up. However this is a long term plan and the odd blip or weekend break out is not going to harm you. Read this previous post here which explains why if you are consistent in your approach you can allow yourself the odd naughty moment. If you can regularly adopt 5 or 6 of the points above and use them 80% of the time then you will be well on the road to a slimmer, lighter, healthier and better version of yourself.

Take Care,

John

 

Drink Beer & Get Fit – What do You Want?

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Beer Fitness Image

Hi Again Everyone,

I’m in the process of writing a book, the title of which will be “Drink Beer and Get Fit”. I can sense fitness professionals around the world throwing their hands up in horror at that title and castigating me for setting a bad example. If you’ve followed my blog you will know that I am approaching Health and Fitness from the perspective of an ordinary person and the truth is that most ordinary people will not live the life of a fitness model or a monk and WILL sometimes indulge in a beer or three or bottle of wine. Below is an extract from the first chapter of the book. I hope you like it and it strikes a chord with you. If it does then please let me know in the comments section.

Chapter 1. The First Step-Knowing what you Want.

So I’m guessing that if you’ve bought, borrowed or possibly even stolen this book you must have a reason. Maybe you just love Beer, saw the word in the title and couldn’t resist. Maybe it made you curious “can I really drink Beer and get fit? How does that work?”

More likely however you are unhappy with some aspect of your health, weight, shape or fitness and want to do something about it? Right? It must be or why else would you be here.

It’s important though that you really think about what it actually is that you want to achieve. You can change your lifestyle and change or improve your health, fitness, size, shape and weight in many different ways. What you actually want to achieve is important because it will to some extent dictate what you need to do and how to go about it.

So let’s break down some of the most basic needs and desires that might be driving you.

Weight:

Most people are slightly overweight to some degree but the changes you need to make to your lifestyle will be to a large extent dictated by just how much weight you want to lose. It is possible to become much fitter without actually losing much weight. You will still be healthier, stronger, fitter, but may still be carrying some extra blub around your middle, chest, arms and backside. You may be happy with that. Losing weight may not be that necessary, either because you are already close to where you want to be, or because you are comfortable the way you are. That’s fine, be true to yourself and certainly don’t be led by the images you see in magazines and the media.

However there are a few points to bear in mind. Carrying an extra stone around won’t do you too much long term harm but two, three stones or more, anything bordering on or straying into the territory of obesity will definitely have long term health effects as you get older. Diabetes, Heart problems, knee and joint issues and just general length of life are all directly linked to being heavily overweight and without wishing to lecture you, you really should think about doing something about it.

If weight loss is your key aim then the food and dietary parts of this book are the bits you should pay attention to and actively try to incorporate into your lifestyle. That is not to say that you should ignore the fitness chapters completely, in fact they go hand in hand. Following the tips and tricks around food and diet will 100% help you lose weight, however if you incorporate that alongside the fitness advice in other chapters two things will happen.

Firstly it will be easier to lose the weight and you will lose it faster. Not only that but it will be easier to keep it off. Why is that? It’s very simple really. Exercising burns calories, the more calories you burn the more weight you’ll lose. It really isn’t a Stephen Hawkingesque concept. Not only that, but the exercise will help to fire up your metabolism. Certain types of exercise which I’ll explain later not only burn up calories whilst you exercise but light a forest fire under your metabolism which mean that your body will continue to burn calories at an increased rate for many hours after you stop exercising. How cool is that? You can be sitting on the sofa watching Masterchef and lusting after all the food you can’t eat (only kidding) and still have a firing metabolism that is eating calories and weight hours after you left the Gym or got off the bike.

Secondly and more importantly the exercise itself will start to repair, improve and counteract the adverse health effects that we already discussed. Your heart and lungs will become healthier and work more efficiently, your joints and muscles will become stronger thus improving your mobility and the likelihood of Diabetes and other similar diseases will decrease.

Fitness:

Again this is an area where you really need to give some thought to what it is that you are seeking to achieve. Are you trying to get fit for a specific reason or event such as doing a 5/10k charity run, playing for a 5-a-side football team or climbing Everest? Or are you, as most people are, just seeking to be a fitter, stronger, leaner version of your current self. It’s also very important to be honest with yourself. We may all have grand dreams (I still cling to the hope of becoming world Middleweight boxing champion) but the reality is that was never ever a possibility let alone now that I’m 47.

That is not to say you should set your sights too low or not too dream, but do be aware of your initial limitations and set yourself some goals that for an initial period at least are achievable. What do I mean by that? Well you know yourself far better than I possibly can. If you currently get out of breath walking to the bus stop a little too fast then quite clearly your initial aims need to focus around improving your general fitness and aerobic capacity so that you can walk and do some decent exercise without getting out of breath or collapsing at the bus stop. In fact if you are very unfit, have had health problems or are very overweight it’s always sensible to have a quick chat to your doctor before starting any exercise regime.

Alternatively if you are already reasonably capable and can run, or possibly already play some sport then absolutely set your eyes on the horizon and have some ambitious goals. I have a friend who is a fantastic Personal Trainer and he has achieved some amazing things with some of his clients. Taking them from injuries and disabilities or extreme obesity, to running marathons, losing half their body weight, transforming their body shape. It can be done, anything is possible, but you need to have a plan and be realistic at the outset. In a later chapter I will cover the subject of your mindset, mentality and how one of the most critical things you can do is alter how you think about challenges and your attitude to your life, your health, your diet etc…..but that’s for later. All good things come to those (that read the chapters in order).

Shape:

If you eat better over a period of time and also exercise then inevitably your shape will change, and for the better. So why am I giving this a separate category? Well because when I refer to shape and people who want to change their shape I guess I am talking more about the people who have some sort of a goal in mind. We may not be talking Arnold Schwarzenegger type ambitions but certainly you’d like to add some muscle, possible reveal some abdominal muscles, even achieve that wide shoulder , v tapered look that athletes and superhero’s have.

So can that be done? You bet. Of course it depends to a degree on your starting point but you CAN get there. To lose weight and become fitter as outlined in the two sections above you need to work hard and be reasonably dedicated. To dramatically change your shape and become muscular and/or lean and sleek you need to do exactly the same thing but just work a bit harder and change how you exercise slightly.

Again a degree of realism is the key here. If you are 55 years old and carrying an extra four or five stone around with you then sculpting a six pack and arms that Hercules would be proud of is a big ambition that is going to take a great deal of work and some serious dedication. However I am not here to put you off, in fact I’d positively encourage you to think positively, set goals and work your butt off to achieve them.

That’s it, that’s part of the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. There is much more to come and I hope to have the book done and published by the end of the year. As i said earlier I’d welcome your comments. If you like the sound of it then please subscribe to my emailing list on the website. That way you won’t miss any more posts and all subscribers will get the first notification of availability as well as fantastic chances to get freebies of the book and other offers to follow. Once again, thanks for reading.

Take Care,

John

THE 5 pieces of essential home fitness equipment!!

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Resistance Bands 1

So you want to improve your fitness and become stronger and healthier but can’t get to the Gym. Maybe you just don’t have the time to get out for an hour, don’t want to lay out the money (some gyms are very expensive these days), or one of the most common reasons is embarrassment. You may not feel confident in a Gym environment as you may not be completely sure what you are doing or could feel self conscious about your shape….

All of these are valid reasons for millions of people. However that doesn’t give you a reason to kop out and do nothing. As I’ve said in previous articles, you can do fantastic workouts that will transform your body and health from the comfort and privacy of your own home. However in order to do that effectively it would really help to have a few bits of kit and equipment to help you achieve your goals.

Listed below are 5 pieces or types of equipment that will help you do all the exercise you need to tone, flatten and pump your body as well as improving heart and lung function and general health. Most of these are relatively inexpensive, easy to source (Amazon) and easy to store.

My number one choice is a good set of resistance bands with handles. I probably shouldn’t advertise but something like this would be perfect.

They are very easy to use and enable you to literally do dozens of different types of exercises that very effectively mirror a weights or resistance training programme that you could do in a Gym. Many Gym goers sneer at them but unless you are already a hard core gym bunny who throws a lot of weight around you genuinely can do as much as you could do in a gym and the various bands add degree’s of resistance (weight) up to a fairly decent level. For women, beginners or youths they are particularly fantastic. Just check out Youtube for examples of the training you can do.

A set of Dumbbell’s or possiblly Kettle Bell’s. This is by far the most expensive item in my list. However if you prefer real weights to bands and want to shape and tone your body then a good set of dumbbells are a fantastic addition to your home fitness kit. What you buy will to some degree depend on how strong you are and what you want to do with them. Personally speaking, adjustable ones that you continually need to keep changing the weights on bug the hell out of me but they are a cheaper option. Otherwise like me go for 4 or 5 different weights. For beginners, those only looking to tone, or some ladies then you can keep it fairly light A set of dumbells that comprise or can be adjusted to 1.5kg, 3kg, 5kg and 10kg is fine. For guys or those looking to add some muscle then I’d say something like 4kg, 7kg, 12.5kg and 20kg would be perfect.

A professional style skipping rope. What?? A skipping rope? That’s a kids toy isn’t it? Very far from it actually. Some of the fittest professional sportsman on the planet, professional boxers and MMA fighters swear by them. Skipping well is not easy and when you start you will be deeply disappointed in yourself and tempted to ditch it. DON’T!! Persevere, keep practising and you will improve and when you do the benefits are fantastic. 10 minutes of skipping is a brilliant cardio workout. It gets your heart pumping, your metabolism racing and also tones your legs, forearms and even shoulders. Honestly, it’s a great exercise.

A Swiss gym ball, exercise ball, fitness ball…they have lots of names but you all know what i mean, an inflatable shiny ball. They may seem a bit naff but they work. They are great for a variety of abdominal exercises, good for stability exercises for your core and can also be used to support your body whilst using your dumbbells and weight training. Again this is a very cheap piece of equipment. Make sure you do not buy a ball that is too big, especially if you are a lady or smaller guy.

An Abdominal roll out wheel. Again not the most well known piece of equipment but fantastic for toning and shaping your abs and building deep core strength. It will also increase shoulder strength if used correctly. Another relatively inexpensive item although i’d recommend spending £15/20 and buying one that has good recommendations and is fairly robust so that it lasts some time.

That’s it. 5 very simple, cheap (apart from the dumbbells) and easy to buy equipment that will transform your home workout programme and help you to transform your body. There are lots of other things you could buy ranging from pull up bars to full home gyms, but seriously, you don’t need them. More home work out programmes will follow in later posts so get buying and lets get you ready to rock and roll in time for Summer.

Now go off and enjoy your Easter eggs without any guilt.

Take Care,

John

 

 

Daily Eating Tips to Guarantee you Lose Weight!!

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Scales

Yep that’s right, if you follow most of these tips I Guarantee you will lose weight. I’m going to stick my neck out and personally promise you that if you follow this guide for 4 weeks you will have lost weight, possibly even a significant amount of weight depending on your starting point.

Firstly, to allow me at least some chance of being right, there are a few rules here that you need to stick to.

  • You MUST exercise. By that i mean at least twice a week you need to do some form of energetic exercise that gets you blowing hard and works your muscles. That could be running, a weight session in the Gym, some form of exercise class, or even just a vigorous home work out. The other 5 days you need to do at least 20 minutes of some form of activity that raises your pulse and brings on a mild sweat. That could be a brisk walk, a 20 minute home circuit as detailed in one of my previous posts here, or a quick session with some dumbbells in your garage.
  • You MUST attempt to eat healthily and stick to the plan for a minimum of 4 days and ideally 5 days of each week. If you go to less than 4 full days you will negate all the positive effects and to be honest may as well not bother (I will cut you some slack if you have a lot of social activity but for one week only)
  • You MUST be hardcore about cutting out the big evil in your kitchen…..SUGAR! That means on your good days, No biscuits, No chocolate, No fizzy drinks (or any other juice or sugary drinks) and if possible cut out or definitely cut back drastically on any alcohol from Monday through to at least Friday evening.

Got That? Gonna stick to it? Of course you are. So here we go…

Breakfast! We all know that old saying “The most important meal of the day”. Well i hate to break it to you but that ain’t necessarily true. Many people now believe that intermittent fasting (going for lengthy periods without food, or only eating at certain times) is the way forward. I have to say that i do believe it works but it’s probably a bit unfair to drop you newbies straight in at the deep end. So here are a few simple ideas for breakfast that will satisfy your overnight cravings but won’t break the Calorie bank.

A boiled egg, or two if you insist (No soldiers to dip in it), followed by a banana. Black coffee, no sugar.

A medium sized bowl of Greek yoghurt or Skyr yoghurt with a large helping of blueberries thrown in. Drizzle with some organic honey if you need a hit of sweetness.

A small bowl of oats and nuts with the same yoghurt as above, again with some honey to sweeten.

A small portion of scrambled eggs (2 eggs is fine) with some flakes of smoked salmon broken into it. Add pepper and you have a breakfast for kings.

One slice of wholegrain toast smeared with Nut butter/peanut butter and if it floats your boat also add sliced banana on top.

That’s it. 5 breakfasts and I’m sure you can conjure variations on these themes. The key is not having big volumes and avoiding crappy sugar filled cereals and loads of bread. So what about lunch?

Lunch to some degree depends how active you are. If you hit the gym in the morning or have an active job that involves physical exertion then you are allowed a little bit more. If not then be good and stick to the plan and remember it’s only for 4 to 5 days.

Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl, sprinkle some salt, add a fair bit of pepper and microwave for between a minute and minute 30 seconds. Get a spoon and eat. It’s surprisingly filling and has lots of protein and not many calories.

Get a ripe avocado, mash it up with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and some chopped chilli until you have a rough paste. Spread it on a piece of wholegrain toast or ryvita, drizzle with lemon. Job done.

If you are training hard and want something more substantial try this. I make a batch up on a Monday and it lasts me 3 days. Boil a decent amount of brown rice for 20/25 mins (until soft). In another pan fry (coconut oil) some chicken, onions, peppers, carrots, Garlic and a LOT of fresh chopped ginger. Mix the rice in with the chicken, give it a good stir and drizzle with some light soy sauce as you stir it. Let it cool down, put in some Tupperware and stick in the fridge. Microwave for 2 minutes when needed and easy to take to work with you.

How about a chicken drumstick – cooked or cold with a mix of salad leaves , drizzle of Olive Oil and some balsamic vinegar. Again just use your imagination, stick to meats, proteins, veg, eggs or maybe small portions of cheese and you’ll be fine. The idea of lunch is just to fill a hole and fulfil your nutritional needs, NOT fill you up!

Right, most people’s main meal….dinner. Here you have a new best friend….salads! “Whaaaat? Salad, that’s rabbit food”. Not true. You can supercharge salads and make them hugely enjoyable. Use  the standard ingredients and then add the extra’s that add flavour. These include blue cheese, feta cheese, parmesan, walnuts, grapefruit (yep), basil, coriander, olives, chopped/sliced chilli, chopped/sliced ginger. Exciting dressings using lime/lemon juice, different types of vinegar, a drizzle of soy sauce. You can easily have a variety of salads 3 to 4 nights a week. Don’t panic though because alongside the salad you will have one of the following: Grilled or pan fried chicken with whatever spices and herbs you fancy, sweet chilli turkey breasts, a couple of lamb chops, grilled or pan fried salmon, mackerel or pretty much any fish you fancy.

Or if you don’t fancy a salad one night how about some chicken, turkey, fish or pork, a big serving of Brocolli and some sweet potato mash with added spices, olive oil and loads of pepper.

What about snacks? Well if possible try to avoid them but we all know that ain’t gonna happen. So have a bag of mixed nuts in the cupboard and grab a handful a couple of times a day. Always have banana’s on hand and peel one if you feel the need. A bag of carrots in the fridge and grab one (unpeeled) to munch on whenever you want. Of an evening 2 or 3 squares of genuine full cocoa dark chocolate won’t break the bank.

The other key as I’ve said is what you drink. Wherever possible it’s going to be water (add lemon, lime, mint, ginger if you need some flavour). Otherwise black coffee, a glass of milk a day is fine and if you really must a glass of red wine a couple of times a week is also fine of an evening.

Then what happens at the weekend. Well that comes down to you. It would be stupid to spend every weekend deliberately cramming bad things down your neck. Try to be good. Avoid the processed crap we have talked about, try to stick to good snacks and not bad ones, but otherwise reward yourself. If you want a few drinks, have them. If you are going for a meal, have what you want, fancy a good breakfast, have a healthy fry up. The key is to be sensible. If you go for a big curry and beers on Saturday night, why not skip breakfast on Sunday. You’re a grown up (hopefully) so just be sensible and stick to what you know is right. Enjoy your weekend and reward yourself for your sacrifice in the week, but unless its a big event keep thinking about the long term goals.

There will be a lot more recipe’s and details on food and eating patterns in the weeks to come. As always, any questions or comments please fire them at me, I’m ready and willing to answer.

Take Care,

John