Top Health and Fitness Articles by Greg Brookes

What Babies Can Teach Us About How We Should Exercise

By Greg Brookes

Have you ever noticed the postural similarities between a baby and the elderly?

Understanding the development of the human body will help you realise why certain exercises are great for your posture and why others are destroying it.

Later I’ll be showing you what exercises you should focus on but for now lets look at what human development teaches us.

It Starts with Pronation

When a child is born, and even prior to birth, they adopt the fetal position. In anatomical terms this is referred to as being in pronation.

During Pronation the arms and legs are turned inwards and the body is in flexion or bent forwards.

It is also interesting to note that this position is adopted as a defensive position during times of danger, it’s comfortable and protects the vital organs. Shock most people and they will instinctively move into pronation.

Moving into Supination

As time passes the body starts to open out like a flower in spring. The spine begins to straighten and the limbs, through the development of muscle, start to turn outwards. The body moves from Pronation into Supination.

Finally we get to a position, all being well, where the body is fully upright. The spine develops its natural “S Curve” and the strength of our back muscles and Buttocks keeps us upright and open.

Maintaining an upright and Supinated position signals to the world that we are strong, confident and mean business!

Ends Back in Pronation

As we age gravity starts to take its toll. Muscles start to weaken and the body, slowly at first, and quickly towards the end brings us back down towards the fetal position.

Just like a wilting flower the body starts flexing forwards and the limbs begin to travel inwards.

Elderly people in their final years struggle to straighten their limbs and spend most of their time looking at the ground 🙁

How to Prolong Your Healthy Posture

The way you exercise will have a huge impact on how your body looks and reacts.

If you want to maintain your upright posture and stay in Supination rather than moving back into Pronation then you need to take action.

Exercising to improve your posture is not as difficult as you may think. All you need to do is promote more Supination within the body.

Here are the 3 key areas you need to address:

# 1 – Extension

Rather than spending all of your time on Flexion based exercises like Crunches that take you further into the fetal position.

Work on exercises that promote extension like: Back extensions, Cobras, and Sky Divers.

Here’s an example of the Back Extension exercise (note how it counteracts forward flexion)

# 2 – External Rotation

Have you ever seen someone running and flicking their feet outwards at the back?

Take a look next time you are in your local park and you’ll be surprised! When the knees come in and the feet flick out at the back that is usually due to weak external rotation of the hips. In other words, their buttocks are too weak to keep their legs in a straight line. The legs are being pulled into a pronated position.

Question: What is the biggest problem with feet today, and hence why the orthotic industry is booming? Answer: Pronation of the feet! Strengthen your External Rotation Muscles or Buttocks and the Pronation of the feet will more times than not disappear.

Work harder on exercises like: Bridges and Single Leg Deadlifts

Here’s a Tutorial video of a the Single Leg Deadlift:

# 3 – Supination

Most kinds of pushing exercises will put you into Pronation, or in other words fold everything inwards. Most kinds of pulling exercises will put you into Supination, or open everything outwards.

So hours spent on Push Ups and Bench Press Exercises will only help to promote bad posture, and turn the body inwards.

It’s ironic that most people work on their chest muscles to increase the appearance of their chest when they are actually only turning their posture in on itself and hiding their prized possessions. If you really want to reveal a good chest then work on exercises that lift the chest and open the body out like a beautiful flower.

Work harder on Pulling based exercises like: Rows, Deadlifts or Cable Pulls.

Here’s a video of an Single Leg Dumbbell Row:

Conclusions

We all only have a finite amount of time on this earth. We start off in a Pronated position and end in a Pronated position but how long you remain strong and upright is up to you.

You can either work hard to destroy your posture or you can work hard to improve it. With any luck you will work hard to maintain a beautiful flowing posture well into your twilight years.

21 Quick Actions That Will Radically Improve Your Health

By Greg Brookes

#1: Drink a Pint of Water as Soon as you Wake Up

We all know the importance of water, right?

We evolved from water. Our body is made up of approximately 70% water. We are basically a walking, talking, big mass of mostly water.

First thing in the morning your body is dehydrated from 7+ hours of no water. Drinking a pint of water before you do anything else will give your body the top up it needs to start the day.

In Dr. Batmanghelidj famous book “The Body’s Many Cries For Water“ he explains, in great detail, the importance of drinking water. He believes that often we are not hungry but thirsty as the body confuses signals for water.

Drinking 2 litres of water per day is a good starting point for most adults. Performance, concentration and sickness are all symptoms of dehydration. Your intestines will also squeeze and extract water from your feces if you are really dehydrated and nobody wants their body made up of that type of water, do they?

#2: Start a Workout Habit of 7 Minutes a Day

It doesn’t take long to form a new habit, usually in less than 30 days.

Don’t try to do too much too soon. Start by just developing an exercise habit rather than killing yourself at the gym.

Using my Daily 7 Minute Workouts is a great start:

1. Choose one movement pattern for each day of the week (Monday – Friday)

2. Movement Patterns include: Squatting, Pulling, Lunging, Pushing, Bending

3. Try to perform as many of that movement pattern as you can in 7 minutes

My advice would be to run through your 7 minute workout nice and early before breakfast. Early workouts work in tune with your hormonal system and leave you not thinking about exercise for the rest of the day.

Start your 7 minute exercise habit today and before long it will feel as natural as brushing your teeth!

#3: Ditch the Table Salt and Start Eating Real Sea Salt

The majority of people are still overloading themselves with processed salt.

Salt isn’t actually the problem, it’s the type of salt that matters. Did you know that human blood has the same salt content as sea salt?

Table salt is highly processed, often using chemicals, that leave it clean, white and absent of all those precious trace minerals. Most table salt resembles something you would find in a science lab rather than in nature.

There are lots of great unprocessed sea salt brands out there. Look for sea salt that is slightly grey in colour. My favourite is a French sea salt is called “Gros Sel de Guerande”.

Buy a good brand of sea salt and it will last you for months.

#4: Set Up an Organic Food Delivery

Eating seasonal food is important. The more local seasonal food your eat the less time it has spent in transit and the more nutrients the food will have. Fresh fruit and vegetables lose nutritional value from the moment they are picked.

To ensure you get the most seasonal and local food I recommend you sign up with a Local Organic Food delivery service like Riverford (the one I use) or Abel and Cole.

Organic Delivery is great because:

1. You get fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to your door weekly

2. You get to try some weird and wonderful foods that maybe you have never tried before

3. Organic food is not drenched in nasty pesticides and other chemicals

4. It actually works out cheaper than buying from the supermarket

5. It saves you time and effort of shopping each week

Set up an Organic food delivery today and you will be amazed at some of the great food you will be eating!

#5: Start to Breathe Deeply Through Your Belly Again!

Stress causes shallow breathing through the upper chest and neck. The more shallow you breathe, the more of a stress response you get.

Have you ever watched a baby breathe? They breathe deeply through their bellies right? As we get older and stress starts to creep into our lives we start to take that breathing from the belly and shift up and into the chest and neck.

Shallow breathing causes headaches, upper back and neck tension! As well as keeping you highly charged and your hormonal system on overdrive.

Learn to slow down your breathing and take your breath to your belly. Deep breathing through the diaphragm stimulates the “Parasympathetic Nervous System” and causes the body to relax.

1. Try taking 10 deep breaths counting to 5 on the IN breath and 5 on the OUT breathe

2. Push your belly OUT as you breathe IN and pull the belly IN as you breathe OUT

3. 2 thirds of your breath should come from your belly and 1 third from your chest

Take some time each day and learn to breathe deeply. It’s a wonderful stress reliever!

#6: Re-Assess Your Medication and Make Some Changes

The sale of Drugs, whether over the counter or via prescription is a multi-million pound industry. Many people are far to easily convinced to take drugs based on TV ads or Doctors recommendations.

The truth is, ALL drugs are poison to the body. It takes a lot of energy for the body to process drugs and most drugs have side effects.

If your are suffering from a sickness or disease then start to question what may be out of balance in your life. Are you stressed out, eating dead foods, dehydrated, lacking in quality sleep?

If you have been taking medication for a long time then book an appointment with your doctor to reassess your situation. Don’t just reach for the drugs every time you have a headache, backache, constipation etc. Start to question the source of the problem rather than addressing the symptoms every time.

#7: Eat More Living Food

If you want to bring life into your body then you need to eat live foods. Dead foods only equal a dead body!

So think about what foods you are eating. Do you eat fresh and seasonal foods (see action #4) or are you eating packaged and processed foods?

The fresher the food the better. Try steaming or eating some of your foods raw to get the maximum nutrition from them. Boiling vegetables only leaches all the vitamins and minerals out into the water. So if you do boil vegetables make sure you use the water to make soups and sauces.

#8: Get to Bed by 10:30pm, it’s When, Not How Much Sleep that Counts

The human being operates on what is called a circadian cycle.

We evolved from nature and have always been influenced by the fall and rise of the sun. In the mornings the hormone Cortisol is stimulated, this prepares the body for action. In the evenings Cortisol levels should be reduced and Anabolic hormones are released to stimulate tissue regrowth and repair during sleep.

If you go to bed too late then you miss out a large portion of the the Growth and Repair cycle which usually runs from around 10-2am. From 2am to 6am most repair is mental rather than physical.

We are creatures of the earth and need to work with our hormones rather than against them.

It’s not necessarily how much sleep you get that matters but more when you sleep that counts!

#9: Take Your Shoes off and Start Earthing

How often to you touch your bare feet on the grass or earth?

Earthing is based on the principle that we have lost our connection with the earth. If you think about it, do you ever walk around in bare feet anymore? Our ancestors used to have constant connection with the earth and this is something that has been lost today.

There is lots of research coming out now that shows positive reasons why we should all get out there and dance on the grass or paddle in streams.

Just connecting your body to the earth will give you lots of natural energy.

So get out there today for 5 minutes and get connected back with nature.

#10: Avoid Wheat for the Day, You Won’t Regret It

Wheat is a major problem and probably the most influential food action your could take today.

It’s not actually the wheat that is the problem but the wheat’s protein Gluten that is the real nasty. The sticky protein Gluten is a big irritant to most peoples gut.

Being Gluten intolerant doesn’t just mean having gut problems like wind and a bloated stomach. Gluten can also cause an auto immune response from Leaky Gut Syndrome resulting in: Arthritis, Headaches, Back Pains, Depression and more.

Gluten is everywhere so be careful. Common foods include: Breads, Pasta, Sauces, fillers in Sausages, and Cereals.

You can take a food sensitivity test to find out if you are Gluten sensitive or you can avoid Gluten for 30 days and see just how amazing you feel without it.

#11: Free Your Mind With 5 Minutes of Meditation

Stress is the number one killer. Meditation offers you a chance to take your mind away from the daily grind and be with yourself for a few minutes.

There are many ways to mediate, here are 2 of my favourite methods:

1. Sit quietly and breathe deeply through your belly. Concentrate on your breath as you breathe through your nose. Count each breath and see how high you can count.

2. Again sit or lie quietly and breathe through your belly. Concentrate your vision on an object about 10 feet in front of you. Keep your eyes relaxed and focus on that object ONLY.

If you do start to think about your worries and problems don’t give up just accept them and refocus on your meditation.

Start with 5 minutes and work up to 30 minutes per day.

#12: Avoid Drinking Caffeine in the Afternoon

Coffee and Tea both contain caffeine which adds extra stress to your body and mind.

The stress that caffeine causes effects your nervous system. With every cup of caffeine your adrenal glands release hormones that fire up your system and prepare it for action. As the system gets fired up glucose is released into the body to give it energy. This energy response all dates back to our survival days when we needed energy to fight or run from wild animals. We don’t usually need this energy anymore so it gets stored in the liver or in the fat cells for later.

The roller coaster that the blood sugar levels are put on due to caffeine intake and subsequent cortisol and insulin responses is very damaging to the body. Adrenal fatigue is all too common these days, as is Insulin Resistance and Diabetes.

Caffeine really does get on your nerves so take a break from it as much as you can, especially in the afternoons when you should be winding down.

#13: Choose BIG BANG Exercises and Save Time

If your goals are to improve your fitness and lose fat then you shouldn’t waste your time with small exercises.

Small exercises only target small muscle groups, like the biceps or triceps. To get a quicker response from your workout you need to focus on big exercises that hit large muscle groups.

Here’s my list of top 5 Big bang exercises:

1. The Lunge – a basic movement that not only works most muscles of the body but improves your balance and movement skills

2. The Row – pulling your hands towards you is excellent for recruiting most of the muscles in your back. Perform this exercise standing up and you will use the legs and core muscles too!

3. The Squat – uses most muscles in the body but in particular the buttocks and thighs

4. The Push Up – avoid the bench press and stick to the push up. The push Up targets the chest, triceps and core muscles and you can do them anywhere.

5. The Deadlift – again uses most of your 600 muscles but heavily works the back of the body so great for posture

Put these exercises together in a circuit in the same order as above and you have a quick and highly effective workout.

#14: Take a Walk in Nature

There is nothing more natural and uplifting than taking a walk in nature. If your mind is busy, you are feeling the pressures of the day, or you simply need a break from the office. Taking a quick stroll through a park, fields or woods, is great for the soul.

Walking in nature can offer you some active meditation. A time to let yourself go and reassess your situation. Remember we all come from nature so get out there and reconnect.

#15: Plan Out Your Meals for the Week

OK, don’t turn your nose up at this suggestion. A little planning can go a long way.

There is nothing worse than opening the cupboards and finding them bare. Empty cupboards usually means eating and drinking things that you know you shouldn’t.

Take 5 minutes and write down a list of meals for the week. Once you have your meals jotted down, split each meal up into ingredients required. You then have your shopping list for the week.

This is a simple technique that only has to be done once a week, but the time and aggravation it saves is well worth it. Also, once you have written down a few weekly lists you can combine them to save even more time.

#16: Follow the Rainbow Diet

It’s a fact that different coloured vegetables contain different nutrients.

Next time you are out grocery shopping try and choose as many variations of colours as you can find. The brighter and more colourful your shopping basket the better.

#17: Dream about What You Really Want

Do you know what you really want out of life? Have you ever taken the time to think about it?

Setting goals and taking control of your life is important for your overall happiness. There is something very intrinsically rewarding about achieving a goal. Generally the harder and longer a goal takes to achieve the more rewarding it will be.

The subconscious mind has a clever way of finding solutions for you but you have to set it a goal first. Dream big and don’t worry about how you will get there, just let your subconscious take care of it.

Here’s my proven goal setting technique:

1. Close your eyes and dream about what you want your life to be like in 5 years. How will it look and feel?

2. Now ask yourself what skills you need to achieve your dream? List them down.

3. Next work backwards and plan out your pathway to your dream. Where will you need to be in 3 years, 2 years, 1 year, 6 months, 3 month, 1 month, 1 week?

4. Write out your road-map and stick it on the wall. Tick off each week as you progress towards your 5 year dream.

This technique is highly effective. Don’t sweat over the small stuff, it will sort itself out. As I said before trust your subconscious to find a way. Take control of your life and you could be living your dream in only 5 years!

#18: Spend More Time Standing

For some people the idea of standing more often terrifies them but the truth is sitting down is not very good for our backs.

When we sit down huge amounts of pressure is transferred to the lower back, far more than when standing. It always amuses me when people say their back hurts and so they need to sit down. If you have a bad back you are better to either lie down or stand up.

I’m sure you know that we live in a sitting world. We sit going to work, at work, going home from work, and finally at home in the evening.

Try to spend more time on your feet. One simply technique to prevent prolonged sitting at work is to set a stopwatch on your computer. Every 50 minutes take the time to get up, move around, drink some water and look at something other than the computer screen. You will be amazed at how much more productive you will become by using this simple method.

#19: Turn the Lights Down and Chill Out in the Evening

Dig out those candles, dim the lights, and play some soft music. In the evening it’s time to relax and work with your hormones not against them.

I mentioned earlier how we are influenced hormonally by the sun and how these hormone levels change throughout the day. Well, in the evening we should be winding down and preparing to sleep. Bright lights and stimulating TV will activate the cortisol hormone. High cortisol levels should naturally occur in the morning when its time to wake up and get going, and not in the evenings.

So in the evenings try to avoid all stimulants, relax and wind down the right way.

#20: Limit Your Fruit Intake to 1 Piece Per Day

What? I know what you are thinking. Reduce fruit, I thought that was good for me?

Fruit is good for you but only in small doses. Fruit contains high amounts of sugar. I know it’s the natural sugar Fructose but it’s still sugar.

Sugar is the largest cause of obesity today. No its not fat, its sugar. Sugar consumption has drastically risen over the last 50 years and fat consumption has drastically dropped, but we are all in worse shape than ever. We have more gyms, medical practitioners and health carers than ever before but we still can’t stop the obesity epidemic. Stop sugar and it all goes away!

Here’s my quick guide to Fruit and Sugar:

1. Avoid all Sugars including syrups and artificial sweeteners (they are even worse than sugar).

2. All ingredients that end in “ose” are a sugar. For example: Sucrose, Glucose, Fructose, Maltose etc.

3. Limit fruit to one piece a day. Only eat seasonal fruit. Fruit is not a meal.

Fruit has changed a lot over the years. Our ancestors would have eaten fruit that was much smaller and more sour. They would have only eaten it when it was in season and usually to fatten up for the winter.

Be very very careful with fruit and sugar!

#21: Do Something Different

Remember the feeling you last had when you did something different? We are creatures of habit and although most habits keep us safe they don’t always challenge us.

Have some fun by changing a habit and doing something you haven’t done before. It can be as simple as taking a different route to work or waking up in the middle of the night and looking at the stars. The challenge is to experience something new.

Spend 5 minutes looking through Google for something new. Try a new sport, join a new club, start a new business, try a new hobby, reconnect with an old friend, go to the theatre, book a weekend break.

Life is short. It’s amazing what happens when you try something new. With new experiences come more new experiences. Without change you get the same results so get out there and explore.

How many of these Quick Actions will you take today?

18 Valslide Exercises from Beginner to Advanced

By Greg Brookes

Valslides, created by Valery Waters, are an excellent addition to any fitness toolbox.

They are great for reducing impact during certain exercises or for intensifying Core and Abs exercises.

There are 2 types of Valslides that you can use, one is for use on Carpets and the other for shiny flooring like Wood, Stone or Vinyl.

Here are a list of my favourite Valslide exercises to get you started:

Beginners

# 1 – Fast Mountain Climbers

A nice introduction to using the Valslide. You will have one Valslide under each foot while in the Push Up position.

Next keeping your arms straight and core nice and tight you alternate sliding your knees to your chest.

Start off slow to get a feel for the movement and then work on picking up speed.

This exercise is not only demanding for your Core muscles but is also a great cardiovascular exercise.

Perfect for beginners because it takes the high impact out of the movement.

Try 30 seconds for a good pulse raiser!

# 2 – Reverse Lunge

Performing a Reverse Lunge with a slider under the moving foot adds a different dimension to the regular reverse lunge.

As you bring the foot back through to the starting position you will notice that you will have to deal with the friction that the Valslide produces.

Be careful that during this movement you do not just slide backwards and forwards without dropping the back knee.

Remember you are still performing a lunge and not just a rear hip flexor stretch.

Work on one side first and then switch to the other side.

# 3 – Hamstring Curl

This exercise is great for working into the hamstrings.

Start by lying on your back with both heels on the Valslides.

Next raise your hips and keep them up as you pull both heels in to your buttocks and then push them back out again.

When you first start this exercise you may want to just pull in one leg at a time.

Ensure that you straighten the legs at the end of the movement to fully lengthen the hamstrings.

# 4 – Slow Mountain Climbers

Valslide Slow Mountain Climbers Exercise

A beautiful Core exercise that works on stabilisation.

The exercise looks very similar to the Fast Mountain Climber except the knee is brought to the outside of the elbow.

The movement should be performed at a very slow pace allowing the Core muscle to engage correctly.

The slower you move the more difficult the exercise. Attempt to keep your hips as still as possible throughout the movement.

# 5 – Side Lunge

One of the more difficult beginner exercises that requires good flexibility through the hips.

Starting from a standing position place one Valslide under your one foot.

Next slide that foot directly out to the side and push your hips backwards.

Keep your chest held high and back flat. Keep pushing your hips backwards and leg out to the side until your thigh is parallel with the floor.

Pause and then return to the starting position. The deeper you drop into the lunge the more you engage your buttocks.

# 6 – Forward Lunge

Very similar to the Reverse Lunge but moving forwards. You will find this lunge variation more difficult that the Reverse Lunge.

Using a Valslide for the Forward Lunge teaches you to load the back leg in a different way because overloading the Valslide would throw you off balance.

The friction produced from the Forward part of the lunge is also something that you would not usually have to deal with when performing a regular Forward Lunge.

# 7 – Clock Lunge

A great exercise to finish of the beginners section.

The Clock Lunge works your Lunge pattern through all the different movements listed above.

Start by performing the Forward Lunge with the right leg, then the Side Lunge with the right leg, and finally the Reverse Lunge with the right leg.

Next switch legs and perform the Reverse Lunge with the left leg, followed by the Side Lunge with the left leg and finally the Forward Lunge with the left leg.

Next switch legs and repeat.

You will notice that you are Lunging around a clock in a clockwise direction: 12, 3, 6, 9 and 12 O’clock.

Advanced

# 8 – Squat Thrust

Another good cardiovascular exercise that works the Core hard too.

Set yourself up as if you are about to perform the Fast Mountain Climbers.

Next with both feet on the Valslides pull your toes into your chest and then back out again.

Keep your Core tight and ensure you complete the full movement to straighten your legs at the end.

A great exercise if impact is a problem for you.

Try 30 seconds without stopping to really get your heart beat racing.

# 9 – Double Lunge

One of my favourite Valslide exercises for testing the legs.

You will have your foot on one Valslide and then imagine that the other foot is stuck to the floor.

Next slide backwards into a Reverse Lunge and then Forwards into a Forward Lunge.

Keep the pace fairly brisk and ensure that your knee gets as close to the floor as possible for every repetition.

One repetition counts as forwards and backwards.

Try 10 on each side for a nice leg workout.

# 10 – Alligator Walk

This tasty exercise works both your Core muscles and your shoulders too.

I like the shoulder stabilisation that is required to perform this exercise correctly.

Start in a Push Up position with your feet on the Valslides.

Next with your Core engaged and back nice and flat start dragging yourself forwards on your hands.

Only move your hands as you continue to walk forwards dragging your legs behind you.

Find some room and move forwards for 10 and backwards for 10. If your hips start to sag towards the floor then stop the exercise.

# 11 – Hand Slide Outs

Very powerful Core exercise that can be modified depending on strength.

Start in a Push Up position with your hands on the Valslides.

Next taking it in turns slide your one hand out forwards as far as possible.

Next return the hand slowly and repeat on the other side.

The crucial part about this exercise is keeping the Core engaged and the back flat.

Only slide your hand as far forwards as you can manage with good form.

# 12 – Reverse Lunge with Overhead Reach

Valslide Reverse Lunge with Overhead Reach

A nice full body movement that lengthens the back and mobilises the rear hip flexors too.

Perform the regular Reverse Lunge as mentioned in the beginners section.

As the back knee drops down into the lunge reach up with both hands and look up at the same time.

Next bring both arms down as you drive from the front leg back into the standing position again.

# 13 – Plank Slide Outs

A demanding Core exercise that requires a good deal of foundational core strength to begin with.

Start in a regular Plank position with your feet on the Valslides.

Next keep your Core engaged and hips up as you slide your feet backwards.

Slide your feet back as far as your Core muscles can handle before sliding back to the starting position again.

If you are new to this exercise work on only sliding backwards and forwards a few inches before really going for it.

# 14 – Push Up to Squat Thrust

A nice Valslide combination exercise that starts with a regular Push Up and then adds in a Squat Thrust.

Begin the exercise in the Push Up position with the feet on the Valslides.

Perform a single Push Up and then when back at the top of the movement pull the knees in and out for a Squat Thrust.

Keep the pace steady and don’t sacrifice your form for speed.

Keep that core tight and your hips up.

# 15 – Cross Body Mountain Climbers

A similar Core exercise to the Slow Mountain Climbers but this time a little more focused on the Obliques.

From the Push Up position with the feet on the Valslides take the knee underneath the body and as close to the opposite elbow as possible.

Return the leg to the start position and repeat on the other side.

Keep the movement slow and controlled.

# 16 – Pikes

A nice core exercise that demands good core stabilisation as well as hamstring flexibility.

Start in a Push Up position with both feet on the Valslides.

Next keeping your legs straight pull your legs in towards you and push your buttocks up into the air.

Try to get your feet as close to your hands as possible without bending your legs.

Next slowly slide your feet back into the Push Up position.

# 17 – Side Plank Reach Through

This Core exercise works the side of the body as well as your Upper Thoracic mobility.

Start in a Side Plank position with your top hand on a Valslide.

Next sliding the Valslide along the floor take the hand underneath the body as far as possible.

Rotate the body as much as possible as you reach through.

Next pull the arm back through and start again. Move slowly throughout the exercise and keep your hips nice and high.

# 18 – Push Up Slide Outs

This exercise takes the regular Push Up to the next level and really challenges the one side of the Chest and Triceps.

Start as with a regular Push Up but with both hands on the Valslides.

Next as your descend down into your Push Up slide one arm out to the side as far as possible.

As you push up from the bottom of the push up return the arm back to its original position.

You can either work on one side for a certain number of repetitions or switch sides after every rep.

Loaded Exercises

The above selection of exercises require no equipment other than the Valslides.

You can, when you are comfortable with the Valslides, start to add loaded movements like Reverse Lunges while holding Dumbbells or a Kettlebell.

Take your Valslides with you wherever you go, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Have you tried using Valslides yet?

Is it Time to Go Against the Grain?

By Greg Brookes

What I’m about to reveal about grains is based upon empirical evidence.

Nothing has had a bigger impact on my life, my wife’s, my friends and my clients lives than grains.

If there is one major piece of nutritional advice that you need to seriously take note of then this one about grains is it!

OK, lets dive into it…

What are Grains?

Grains are seeds. Examples include:

Corn (yes it’s a grain)
Wheat
Rye
Millet
Barley
Spelt

Grains are excellent for business because they have a long life and store well, unlike fresh vegetables.

It is important to realise that we have been living and evolving without grains for millions of years. In terms of human evolution grains are a relatively new addition to our diet.

What is Wrong with Grains?

# 1 – Heavily Sprayed With Chemicals

Similar to many other non organic foods, grains are sprayed with Pesticides, Herbicides, and other chemicals to keep bugs and insects from destroying the crops. As I’ve mentioned in other articles ingesting poisons from pesticides takes a lot of nutrients from the body as you try to neutalise all those ill effects.

Lets put it another way:

“If someone handed you a small vial of poison every morning to go with your breakfast would you drink it?”

# 2 – Grains are Highly Processed

There are 3 main components of a grain, for example a wheat grain contains:

The Bran (The outer layer, hard and full of Fibre and Nutrients)
The Germ (Nutrient Rich Embryo that sprouts)
The Endosperm (Mostly Starch and makes up most of the grain)

Unfortunately when grains are processed both the Bran and the Germ are removed leaving just the Endosperm or the part made up of mostly starch, which is sugar!

The food industry now knowingly having removed all the nutrients from the grain try to put the nutrients back into the grain by adding synthetic vitamins.

As you know, we come from nature and so don’t like things that don’t come from nature. Digesting synthetic vitamins takes more nutrients from the body as it struggles to digest them.

# 3 – High in Carbohydrates

As you can see from above, the majority of the grain is made up of starch, which is a white tasteless sugar (glucose to be more precise). If the grain is processed then almost 100% of the grain is starch.

So put another way White Flour is pure sugar! Whole Wheat Flour has less sugar because it includes all 3 parts of the grain but it is still high in sugar.

Sugar is our worst enemy; it increases demands on our hormonal system as insulin fights to maintain blood sugar equilibrium, it damages blood vessels and arteries, and it forces the body to store fat in our adipose tissue.

# 4 – Very Addictive

Grains contain Exorphins which are morphine like compounds which basically get us excited and make grains very addictive, so one reason why we crave grains is because of the Exorphins. You can read more on Exorphins and Food Heroin in this excellent article by Eric Yarnell

Grains are also addictive due to their sugar content. When we eat grains it spikes our blood sugar levels that leaves us feeling energised, alert and happy. But the highs never last too long and as blood sugar levels drop the cravings begin.

The higher we climb the harder we fall. This starts off a vicious cycle of eating grain based foods like breads, cakes, cookies to lift us up and then getting dropped like a stone as our blood sugar crashes.

# 5 – Causes Mineral Deficiency

Phytic acid is in a lot of grains. This specific acid binds with the minerals in our body like Calcium and Zinc and stops our body from absorbing them. Phytic Acid also helps to eliminate these minerals from our system.

So if you eat a lot of grains, then it’s very possible that you’re also mineral deficient.

One way to get around the problems of Phytic Acid is to ferment, sprout or soak the grains. That’s why I always recommend to clients if they can eat things like oats, for example, to soak them overnight because that eliminates or practically removes most of the Phytic Acid problem.

So a little tip for you: soak, ferment or sprout as much as possible.

# 6 – Gluten Sensitivity & Intolerance

Gluten (Latin for Glue) is a protein contained in grains like Wheat, Barley and Rye. Gluten adds a gluey, fluffy texture to foods. So the lighter and fluffier your bread or cake the more Gluten it usually contains. Processing is often used to increase the Gluten content because everyone wants a light fluffy cake right?

Unfortunately, the gluey structure of Gluten does not generally agree with our digestive system and most people now suffer from some kind of Gluten Sensitivity without realising it.

Gluten Sensitivity

Sensitivity to Gluten causes an immune reaction, that can show its ugly head in many different areas. A lot of people associate Gluten Sensitivity with just bloated bellies, but it can affect you from head to toe.

Gluten Sensitivity can:

Block blood into the brain
Cause skin problems
Respiratory problems
Fatigue
Depression
Mental disorders
Physical disorders

“In fact, the New England Medical Journal associated 55 different diseases with gluten sensitivity”

Celiac Disease

One of the most extreme diseases caused by gluten sensitivity is called Celiac Disease. Those suffering from Celiac disease have destroyed their Microvilli and Villi in their small intestines.

The small intestines main job is the absorption of nutrients found in food. In our small intestines, we have tiny needles called Microvilli and Villi. These little fingers run all around our intestines and increase the surface area.

If you suffer from Celiac disease then your Villi and Microvilli will have atrophied, and been destroyed. The small intestines become smooth with no Villi. When you have little or no Villi then absorption of nutrients from foods becomes very difficult.

The only conclusive way to check for Celiac Disease is by taking a biopsy of the small intestine and examining the Villi and Microvilli content. No Villi means you have Celiac Disease.

Leaky Gut Syndrome

Damage to the small intestine through excess consumption of gluten can also lead to leaky gut syndrome.

As the cell walls of the small intestine become irritated and damaged greater permeability can occur. The result is foreign bodies, like badly digested proteins, that can pass through the cell wall and into the blood stream. These foreign invaders are then attacked by the immune system resulting in food sensitivities and allergies, they can also cause autoimmune disorders of the body.

Gluten is Everywhere

So you may be thinking about avoiding Gluten but unfortunately gluten is in more things than you may think.

Gluten causes fluffiness and stickiness so you can find it in:

Lipsticks
Stamps and Envelope Adhesives
Sausages and Hamburgers as Fillers
Pasta
Bread
Shampoo

It’s used in everything.

It could be time to become a Gluten detective, like me!

Gluten Cross Contamination

Another problem with Gluten is the wide spread cross contamination within factory’s.

Take oats for example, that don’t naturally contain gluten. But if the oats are processed in the same factory as something that contains gluten, like wheat, then the oats can become cross contaminated.

It only takes a miniscule amount of gluten to cause a reaction in your body if you’re sensitive to gluten. Don’t think you need to eat tons of flour or gluten to have a problem. Simply using a lipstick or shampoo that has gluten in it can cause a problem.

Don’t think that you cannot absorb Gluten through the skin because you can. Gluten will permeate the skin just like Steroid Creams or Nicotine Patches do!

Cross-reactivity

If you are sensitive to gluten then cross-reactivity can also be a problem. With cross reactivity the body starts to associate similar things to gluten and react to those as well. For example if you drink your tea with a biscuit then the Gluten from the biscuit can become associated with the tea and caffeine.

One of the most common cross-reactivity foods is Casein which is the protein in dairy products. Think Cereal with Milk.

So often when people eat dairy products, they’ll have a reaction even though there’s no gluten in the food because there has been cross-reactivity from the gluten.

So I always insist that my clients avoid gluten, but also avoid dairy as well just to make sure. Research shows that most people that have got gluten issues also have dairy issues as well.

Cross reactivity foods include:

Dairy
Oats
Coffee
Tea

How to Deal with Grains

As you can see from the list above there are many reasons not to eat grains. Grains are one problem and then grains that contain Gluten are an even bigger problem.

Not only are most grains low in nutrients but they are high in sugars (cause weight gain), chemicals (take nutrients from your body) and have the potential of causing a whole host of diseases.

Lets Take Action!

Here’s my 3 step plan that you can try to first determine your reaction to Gluten:

Step # 1 – Remove all Gluten for 30 days

If you want to know if you have Gluten Sensitivity issues and I’m sorry to say that most people do, then remove Gluten from your diet for 30 days.

This means going totally Gluten Free, so avoid all foods that contain Gluten such as:

Cereals
Bread
Pasta
Sausages and Burgers
Beers

Most supermarkets now have a Gluten Free section and most foods have a requirement to list whether they contain Gluten. So become a Gluten Detective and keep an eye out!

Go here for a good list of Foods Containing Gluten

Step # 2 – Introduce a Small Amount of Gluten

Now comes the real test. If you have been strict and avoided Gluten for the complete 30 days then I can guarantee you will have lost weight and feel 10 times better.

But, to see if you do have Gluten Sensitivity issues try eating a small portion of grains that contain gluten (a slice of bread for example) and then gauge your body’s reaction.

Look out for the following symptoms:

Bloating and Cramping
Fatigue and lack of Energy
Skin Irritations
Lack of positivity
Headaches and Clouded Thinking

If you experience any of the above or indeed any negative effects then chances are you’ve got Gluten Sensitivity Issues.

Step # 3 – Make Your Choice

Now you have a clear choice. If you reacted to Gluten then you need to pay attention, fast!

Gluten is simply not for you and you will need to avoid it as much as possible. If you don’t pay attention then disease will follow. It may sound drastic but you may only be a few steps away from Celiac Disease and then a whole host of other problems.

If you didn’t react to the Gluten then you can do what I do and that is avoid grains as much as possible but treat yourself every now and then.

For example I may have a Croissant on the weekends. But to be honest with you, there are so many Gluten free options out there that you never need to go without.

Try baking your own treats: Gluten Free Brownies made with 90% Dark Organic Chocolate are heavenly 🙂

In Conclusion

We all eat far too many grains. They have become a staple choice for breakfast (Toast), for Lunch (Sandwiches), for Dinner (Pasta), and for Treats (Cakes & Biscuits).

Our survival is not dependent on grains and as you can see they don’t really offer a nutrient rich food. Non organic grains are covered with chemicals that draws existing nutrients from the body. Grains are high in starch, which means high in sugar and not only cause fat storage but hormonal issues too. Those struggling with blood sugar issues like diabetes should certainly be very weary of grains.

Finally, many grains contain Gluten that has found its way into almost all prepackaged foods. Gluten Sensitivity is on the rise and many of use suffer with Gluten issues without even knowing it.

I urge everyone to take part in my 3 Step process above and witness for yourself the huge impact that eating no grains can have on your health.

Are you willing to give up Grains for 30 days?

10 Things You Need to Know About Juicing

By Greg Brookes

Last year I received a Juicer for my birthday.

I have to say that juicing vegetables was one of the best things I started doing in 2012.

Once my wife and I started drinking juiced vegetables we noticed a number of benefits:

Even more energy
Better Skin, my wife noticed this one especially
Better Hydration, extra water first thing is a good start to the day
Quicker workout recovery and healing time

I’m totally converted to juicing and believe that everyone should discover the benefits it has to offer.

Before you start, here are 10 things you need to know:

# 1 – Don’t Juice Fruit

Fruit has way too much sugar to be used for juicing. You can get a very quick high from juicing fruit as your sugar levels escalate but this puts heavy demands on your hormonal system. What starts out as a boost of energy will soon turn into an energy crash. Juicing fruit is a very quick way to pile on fat as your body stores excess sugar in your liver and fat cells. If you are diabetic or struggle with your insulin levels then juicing fruit is especially dangerous.

# 2 – Drink Immediately

Have you ever cut an apple in half and left it for 15 minutes? Goes brown right? This reaction is called oxidation, it’s the fruit reacting with oxygen. This is the reason why most foods are stored in air tight containers. So when you juice your vegetables make sure you consume the juice as quickly as possible to ensure you absorb all that goodness.

# 3 – Gets Absorbed Quickly

When you eat vegetables they take time to get absorbed into your blood stream. The fibre in all vegetables is the reason why absorption is slowed down. Now we definitely need fibre in out diets and it’s especially good for improving digestion so I would NEVER recommend replacing meal after meal with juices. But juicing vegetables will give you those important other nutrients quickly and effectively.

# 4 – Gives Digestion a Break

We all eat far too much for our needs. Having a juice now and again gives our digestive system a break and time to recover from digestion overload. Juicing is often used for cleansing as well as part of a fasting diet. The principles of fasting and cleansing are all based around giving the digestive system time to catch up and recover.

# 5 – Only Juice Organic

I know there are a lot of non-believers out there who don’t buy into Organic food but juicing should be one exception. Organic foods are not covered in chemicals that when juiced you are drinking. Toxic juice drinks will take more nutrients out of your body than you can put in. Plus, vegetables grown in good organic soil provide more nutrient dense veggies. Remember you are what you eat, carrots eat soil nutrients, just the way we eat carrots. Healthy soil is the source of all healthy foods including meats.

# 6 – Add Fat to Juices

If you are a fast oxidiser meaning you absorb carbohydrates (sugars)Â quickly then you may want to add a little fat to your juices to slow down the absorption. This is the case for me, so I add either some good quality flax oil, coconut oil (my favourite), hemp oil, or olive oil into my juices. By adding approximately a teaspoon of this fat I find it gives me a nice even energy release.

# 7 – Use the Vegetable Pulp

After you have juiced your vegetable you will be left with a considerable amount of pulp. The pulp still contains nutrients and lots of fibre. You can use this pulp to add to other meals like a vegetable hash with eggs, or save the carrot pulp for making Gluten Free Carrot Cake 🙂 If you don’t choose to use the pulp for cooking then at least use it for compost.

# 8 – Juice Early

I always drink my juices in the morning when I first wake. You can of course juice at any time but I like to have the intake of nutrients and energy first thing so I can use it throughout the day. I would not recommend juicing too late in the afternoon as additional energy is not what you want when the body should be winding down along with a decrease in cortisol levels.

# 9 – Don’t Peel

Always wash your vegetables before juicing and if you buy organic they will be covered in soil anyway so this is a must. If you are juicing lemons then I recommend you remove most of the peel because without doing this you get some serious zesty zing in your juice. Experiment for yourself but too much zest can be overpowering. If you do juice the zest make sure your lemons are not covered in wax as many are these days.

# 10 – Buy a Good Juicer

Now I’m no juicing machine expert but my wife did do some serious research before buying my juicer. Many juicers can be hard to clean and others do not extract that much juice from your vegetables. My juicer is amazing, we bought it from Amazon and it’s super easy to clean, very sturdy and generates loads of juice. Its not that expensive either.

The juicer I have is a Philips HR1861 Whole Fruit JuicerÂ (affiliate link).

Finally if you a wondering what I like to juice then here is a list of my favourite ingredients I like to throw in my juicer, not all in one go though 🙂

Kale
Cucumber
Spinach
Celery
Carrot
Beetroot
Watercress
Lemon
Lime
Ginger

Oh and did I mention that these juices taste delicious, bonus!

(I mentioned above an affiliate link for my juicer. This means that if you purchase a juicer through that link I get a small commission at NO EXTRA cost to you. I have only included this link because I’m 100% happy with this product and would like you to experience the benefits of it too. Just wanted to be totally transparent with you.)

What are Your Juicing Experiences? Leave me a comment…

How to Reduce Belly Fat in 2013: I Asked Over 4700 Personal Trainers

By Greg Brookes

I asked over 4700 Personal Trainers and Fitness Professionals this one question:

“What is your Best Advice for Reducing Belly Fat?”

how to reduce belly fat — Image by Vipez…..NOT everyone is Lovin It

I stipulated that I wanted a little more than just increasing exercise and reducing calories. After all we know this already right?

I think you will find some interesting answers below, some I agree with and others I’m not so convinced. I’ve also included my answer at the bottom of the page.

Enjoy!

Jessica Rapp, Personal Trainer Unique Physique for Life

Less Stress =Better Sleep=Better Workouts=Cleaner Eating=Reduced Belly Fat & Overall Fat!

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Aim for 8 hrs of sleep per night… a better rested YOU will be less stressed & less likely to over eat.

Physical activity such as metabolic training involving all muscle groups and cardiovascular trainingÂ into one workout 3-4 times per week.

Include one day per week of Core Training for 30-45 min straight.Â (results are asÂ noticeableÂ in core as very next day)

Eat clean, NO processed foods!Â Keep calories within your daily allowance!

Visit Jessica’s website:Â www.uniquephysiqueforlife.com

Sandra O’Hagan, Personal Trainer Â So Full of Life

Since you cannot spot reduce belly fat, it is important to reduce fat on your entire body and my recommendations are:

Weight Train, Green Smoothies, Decrease Stress…but wait, thereâ€™s more…

Â It is essential toÂ reduce processed food and alcohol and consume fresh fruits, vegetables, high quality protein and healthy fatsÂ and adding a green smoothie (spinach, fruit, avocado, chia, flax, hemp, ginger, water and any other super foods you like) can provide excellent nutrients, detox and antioxidant properties as well as keep you satiated and provide great energy which will make it easier to say NO to other unhealthy choices.

Ditch the Barbie weights and lift to build muscle and rev up your metabolism.Â Do full body workouts combining weight training and cardio into circuit training for an excellent way to blast the fat that collects around your middle.

When you feel great you do great and that helps you eliminate the stress that can cause you to hold belly fat.

Visit Sandra’s website:Â www.sofulloflife.com

Rose Scott, Health & Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer

The first and foremost is that you must have the right mindset and really want to achieve this goal.

Proper nutrition is vital as what we eat reflects what we become, “we are what we eat” therefore eat healthfully of good sources of protein, vegetables and limit fat, carbohydrates and eliminate sugar in all of its forms.

Sleep is important for regeneration of cells and body metabolism.Â People that do not obtain adequate sleepÂ binge late at night on unhealthy food.

High interval intensity exercises burn fat.Â Also try doing other exercises such as planks and core strengtheners that force you to “suck in that gut”.

Visit Rose’s website: www.riseabovewithrose.com

Alex Robinson, Personal Trainer Twickenham

Exercise and Diet will in most people get results, and specific’s can be altered to achieve perhaps greater results, although frankly this method is a bit ‘hit and miss’. If a client is paying a premium for a service to reduce specifically belly fat then a programme taking into account their Oestrogen levels, one which will promote the storage of fat cells in the abdomen, how well their gut is functioning and testing their Cortisol, Leptin and Ghrelin levels will make sure your client achieves outstanding results.

Visit Alex’s Website: www.stokehealth.com

Nadja Lewis, Personal Trainer Los Angeles

Change yourÂ dietÂ (eating patterns) and yourÂ exerciseÂ routine (if you have one).Â Cut down on salt and sugar intake, increase w/foods that will keep you feeling ‘full’ for longer such as veggies, fruit, and include some fiber.

Get enough sleep and handle your stress (don’t let it handle you).Â Stress sometimes leads one to turn to ‘comfort foods’…instead drink more water.

Exercise FREQUENTLY…and CONSISTENTLY.Â It’s nice to ‘tighten’ up your abs/stomach muscles, however working the core (the plank is an EXCELLENT exercise) really helps to ‘shape’/reduce your belly fat if done CORRECTLY.

Visit Nadja’s website:Â www.fitnessbynadjalewis.com

Angela Hope, Pre & Post Natal Fitness Specialist Ipswich

To begin reducing belly fat immediately: Eat clean – cut refined carbs, caffeine, alcohol and processed food from your diet. Sleep well – have 8 hours good quality sleep every night. Stay hydrated – drink at least 2 litres of filtered or bottled water daily. Exercise regularly – be consistent but mix it up, just have fun!

Visit Angela’s website:Â www.hopefitness.co.uk

Pete Luffman, Bristol Personal Trainer and Kettlebell Club

My top tip to reduce belly fat is to take longer breaks between eating meals, effectively going into a semi short fast. During this fasting period wonderful things will happen to your body, like switching to burning fat to fuel your activity, stabilise hormone secretion, improving insulinÂ sensitivity, and a whole host of other health benefits.Â

Plan your exercise sessions to commence towards the end of this fasting period to further enhance your results. Bare in mind this will only work if you are currently eating to support your metabolism, eating from natural whole food sources (no junk or fast food), and you are controlling portion size.

Visit Pete’s website:Â www.mybristolpersonaltrainer.com

JoeyÂ Shillolo, Personal Trainer Canada

Eliminate sugar and manage your carbohydrate intake.Â Fat loss is a hormonal process and I teach all my clients to understand the role of insulin as the chief mediator of fat storage.Â Knowing what foods have the greatest impact on insulin (ie simple sugars and processed carbohydrates) is key to loosing belly fat and keeping it off.

Visit Joey’s website: www.js3pt.com

Tracy Steen, Inside Out Fitness

Increase your metabolism, and your body will burn fat FOR you! The #1 way to do that? Increase your lean muscle tissue. Â In other words, pump some iron ladies!

Visit Tracy’s website: www.insofit.com

Mr. America Jason Kozma, Los Angeles Personal Training

First you’ll need to eliminate all simple carbohydrates from your diet while you are trying to reduce belly fat. Â This includes not just candy and alcohol, but fruit, juice and carbs that break down quickly like pasta and bread.

For exercise, you’ll of course need a full weight training and cardio regimen. Add fat burning cardio for an hour 6 days per week and you should train your abs with 3-4 exercises, 3-4 sets each, 3 times per week on nonconsecutive days.

Visit Jason’s website: www.lapersonaltrainer.com

Michael Caulo, Personal Trainer and Certified Fitness Nutritionist

Most people know that exercising and eating clean will help reduce body fat. Â Sometimes exercise and eating the right foods aren’t enough especially when dealing with reducing fat in the mid section. Â Now I’m not here saying that you can target fat loss because that is not how the body works , but you can guide your body in the right direction by doing the right things. Â

If eating clean and exercise aren’t enough you can add supplements into your nutrition plan that can aid in metabolizing fat which will help burn fat off your body and thus reducing the fat on your belly.

Two supplements that have been associated with breaking down stored fat and allowing it to be used for energy areÂ gamma linolenic acid (GLA) andÂ L-carnitine (Amino Acid). Â Both allow for your body to use its fat cells as a source of energy instead of your carbohydrate intake for the day which only burns food eaten that day but doesn’t directly break down and lose fat on your body.

Visit Michael’s website: www.lifeofafighter.com

Rich Blackburn, Personal Trainer Harrogate and Martial Artist

Change your breakfast to a protein breakfast.

Carbohydrates such as cereals for example, have a strong effect on your bodyâ€™s insulin production, especially after a period of fasting (sleeping).

Your Insulin levels spike, and sugars are drawn out of the blood and stored Â elsewhere as fat.

By having a protein breakfast you are starting your fat burning furnace, but not spiking your Insulin levels.

Visit Rich’s website: www.360totalfitness.co.uk

Igor Toronto, Personal Trainer

Balance your hormones

Your Hormones determine your body fat much more than calories (although calories still count). The first steps to balancing hormones are to improve your nutrition, manage your stress better, and improve the health of your digestive system.

Take care of those 3 things, and you’re well on your way to a flatter belly.

Visit Igor’s website:Â www.TorontoFitnessOnline.com

Chris Janke-Bueno, Personal Trainer My Core Balance

My recommendation is to focus on health first and fitness second. For the workouts, I highly recommend high intensity interval training. But what you do on your off days is probably more important. When you’re exercising at a high intensity, recovery is key.

Drink at least 1/2 gallon of water a day. Eat a huge salad daily for lunch. Take warm baths and try to relax. Get to bed by 10:30. And perhaps most importantly: make sure you’re doing some sort of balancing exercises, whether its Yoga, Pilates, or Core Balance to ensure that you don’t overtrain.

Visit Chris’ website:Â www.mycorebalance.com

Brian Underwood, FMS Expert and Nutritional Specialist

I’ve competed in 3 Natural bodybuilding shows so honestly, it’s 100% diet!Â I don’t honestly agree with calories in, calories out because I feel that any excess protein will turn into waste and excreted.Â I could have 3 twinkies all day and yes, I’d lose wait but if you continue this practice you’ll begin to lose LBM bc your body will go into starvation mode. Those are also empty calories with low amino acid profile.Â

Amino acids should be the #1 macronutrient ingested for any goal. Â Yes, your activities of daily living are important too.Â Moving rather than sitting will help facilitate the weight loss.

Bryna Carracino, Personal Trainer

The best way to reduce belly fat is controlling what foods you put in your Body. 80% of getting fit and staying there is food consumption. The other 20% is exercise… Â I tell my clients you want a six pack eat clean! Don’t eat anything from a bag, can or box. Eat unprocessed foods, Lean proteins, veggies, fruits, good fats and whole grains. Keep it balanced keep it clean.

Visit Bryna’s website: www.itrainwithbryna.com

Heather Lowe HBK, CPT, CFCÂ Personal Trainer atÂ Heat Fitness

The best way to help reduce belly fat is by eating less dairy and breads. These foods go straight to your abdomen and make you look bloated. By avoiding these foods in your diet you will see a great improvement to your stomach.

For the best exercise, I would say the plank as it targets all of the muscles in the abdomen and helps to keep the rest of your body strong 🙂

Visit Heather’s website:Â www.Heat-Fitness.vpweb.ca

Lucy Howlett, Personal Trainer

My top tip for reducing belly fat is to have a daily greens drink. I use one which contains wheatgrass, alfalfa, barley grass and peppermint, both for myself and with my clients. As well as many other benefits, greens drinks help digestion and alkalise the body, making it more efficient at removing toxins and excess fat.

I had a small, stubborn patch of fat around my belly button for years, despite training hard and eating well.Â Adding a greens drink helped make a difference and my stomach became flatter. This of course needs to work alongside training wisely,Â using full body movements and functional training, keeping stress levels low, getting enough sleep and keeping a watchful eye on your diet.

Visit Lucy’s website:Â www.lucyhowlett.co.uk

VitÂ MÃ¼ller,Â Personal trainer / Group Fitness Instructor / SYDNEY

If you are struggling with that stubborn belly fat and you’ve tried everything but nothing seems to work (especially doing those 1000 sit ups you keep doing 🙂 – spot reducing doesn’t work! ) Â try this , move your body across more joint than one – focus on Compound exercises as they are the best to increase your metabolism which aids with fat burn .

Exercises like Squats, Push ups, Pull ups, Dead lifts, Turkish get ups for example. Now mix this kind of resistance training with some HIIT (High intensity interval training) on your other days and you are on the right path to loose that stubborn fat.

Off course not to forget the importance of healthy eating and healthy sleep otherwise all the hard work get wasted. My best advice is to hire a qualified trainer who will guide you through proper technique and keeps you motivated shall you struggle.

Visit Chris’ website:Â www.vitfit.com.au

Paul Edgar, Personal Trainer Body and Mind Fitness Company

Donâ€™t follow the latest weight loss diet. The reality is that only 2% of weight loss diets (eat less, exercise more principle) are successful for long-term health [all diets have their benefits but the reality is that they are all high-fad diets where the weight loss is not sustainable.Â There is no diet that is going to be the perfect diet for everybody

Look at what you are eating and when you are eating it. Why do we become obese? Generally, it is to do with ALL of the following:Â The quality of food we eat,Â The amount and type of calories,Â The type of fats and carbohydrates

When you eat makes a difference. It is ALL of the following:

The type, balance and quality of carbohydrates, protein and fats

The amount of fibre

The type of phytonutrients (plant chemicals)

The vitamins and minerals

The timing of meals and portion sizes

The frequency of meals

Control your stress levels. If you donâ€™t subdue stress, youâ€™ll have more visceral fat due to an increase in the stress-hormone cortisol, which means more inflammation and therefore more obesity. The body shuts down your digestion under stress and the blood goes to the muscles, brain, heart and lungs for the fight or flight response

Build up your muscle by incorporating strength training into your workouts. Muscle burns 70 times more calories than fat so when you lose weight (i.e. on a restrictive diet), you lose muscle and fat â€“ when you put the weight back on, it is just fat and this burns 70 times fewer calories than muscle so you need fewer calories to maintain the same weight.

Visit Paul’s website:Â Â www.bodyandmindfitnesscompany.co.uk

Brian Danley, CFT Personal Trainer

Reducing abdominal fat requires a combination of intense anaerobic circuit training (i.e., upper-lower body circuit), short high-intensity cardio interval training (HIIT), and a healthy, clean diet of minimally-processed foods. Â Training legs at a relatively high-intensity level (e.g., 70% 1-RM) while performing circuits can go a long way toward leaning out one’s midsection. Â

Rest durations between sets should be fairly brief (e.g., less than 2 minutes) to stoke the metabolic rate intra- and post-workout. Â HIITs of up to 20 minutes incorporating intervals of 30s to 1-minute intervals is ideal.

Bottom line: Â Living the lifestyle of eating healthy, working out regularly, and sleeping well are the keys to being lean and in fighting condition!

Visit Brian’s website: www.briandanleyfitness.comÂ

Angela Sladen-de Rox, CNC, RSNA, Weight Management Expert

Eat a minimum of 4 cups (pushed down and packed) of a mixed salad (minimum 6 different veggies: eg. lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes, cumber, red onion, celery, red, green or yellow pepper, snow peas, etc.)Â ANDÂ a minimum of 2 cups of steamed mixed veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.)Â EVERYDAY.

Visit Angela’s website:Â www.totalhealthmethod.com

Mike Esparza, Personal Trainer

Donâ€™t think you only need to do stomach exercises, youâ€™ll be greatly disappointed. If you really just want to focus on losing stomach fat, do full body weight training with light weight for higher reps and do lots and lots of cardio. If you have an hour to train, do 20 minutes of weights with short rest periods followed by 40 minutes on non-stop cardio.

You can throw in some stomach exercises every night before you go to sleep. If you do this 5 days a week mixed with a healthy diet youâ€™ll get good results. Donâ€™t be the person to do 1000 crunches every day and expect to lose your stomach. Youâ€™ll just go from having a fat belly to having a strong fat belly.

Visit Mike’s website:Â www.yourbody-yourgoals.com

Anna Ferguson, Personal Trainer, Lifestyle Coach & Nutritionist

1. Water!!! It’s an old one but true!! You can guarantee if a person is dehydrated they will be carrying a few pounds. I’ve seen it time and time again when using my body analysing scales. So get drinking.

2. Sleep, it’s amazing how a lack of sleep and poor quality sleep can really get the body storing fat. I have seen clients go to bed 1-2hrs earlier every night for a week and lose up to 5lbs. The body needs that rest and recovery. It resets the body and metabolism, and also helps people be mentally ready to make healthy choices. When tired its all too easy to reach for convenience foods.

3. Regular exercise. Consistency and persistence will win the day every time whatever you do. People are often sporadic with training and also healthy eating. Binge and starve or hard training verses nothing, just shocks the body. The clients that are in the best shape have trained regularly and consistently their whole lives. Make exercise like combing your hair or brushing your teeth, a habit that is impossible to break.

4. Focus on metabolism. You need only a very small amount of iodine in your diet that helps the function of the thyroid gland. Increase your oily fish and green leafy veg especially spinach will give you a boost and help burn that belly fat, at rest and during exercise. If struggling as you don’t like fish or green leafy veg then maybe you can try a kelp supplement.

5. Reduce stress now….. When cortisol (stress) is high in the body, the body will lay down fat around the middle. “They say” it takes 10secs to get stressed and 12 hrs to come down from that. If that is true we could get stressed a couple of times a day and become a fat storing machine. So take time out to breathe, meditate and relax every day….. This is as important as exercise and healthy eating and the one thing people tend to over look. If you want to reduce belly fat chill out!!!

Visit Anna’s website:Â www.fitness-fusion.co.uk

Mark Beard, Personal Trainer

In most adults who are overweight, the protruding belly is often due mostly to visceral fat. This is fat that has built up over a period and surrounds the stomach and other organs causing a swell at the abdomen. This fat is different to the subcutaneous fat that sits just below the dermis and is evenly distributed all over the body within fat cells.

Visceral fat is usually a direct result of poor eating habits over a sustained period and it can be more difficult to shift than subcutaneous fat. The methods for achieving this are however much the same as for sub C fat and rely upon the clients reducing their simple sugar intake, ensuring that most of their carbs are in the form of medium-to-low GI carbs and that intake of carbs generally is reduced/tapered towards the end of the day.

Whilst body fat generally cannot be attributed to fat intake. a build up of visceral fat may well be as a consequence of both saturated fat intake and simple sugars. In any weight loss campaign it is commonly accepted that the calorific intake will be of significantly more consequence than exercise.

However, it is important to stress that regular high intensity interval training ( for fat burning) combined with resistance training for the development and improvement of muscle density (for sustainable calorie burning) should not be overlooked and should be part of a balanced exercise and Â weight loss programme. I would also add that any serious attempt at weight loss generally will be considerably less successful without also cutting back on alcohol intake as alcohol can impede a person’s metabolism by up to 70%.

Visit Mark’s website: www.get-me-fit.co.uk

Stuart Seymour, Personal Trainer

1. Eat breakfast….Most people neglect breakfast thinking they will lose weight, butÂ eating a healthily breakfast helps your insulin levels thus helping keep your LDL cholesterolÂ (bad) levels low.

2. De-stress….. when stressed the body produces a hormone called cortisol which increases body fat

3.Aim to increase exercise- just walking 10,000 steps a day really helps

4.Switch to wholegrain foods

5.Drink plenty of water… Drink water through out the day can lead to a more active metabolism. Aim for 2 – 2.5 litres a day.

Visit Stuart’s website:Â www.motiv8personaltraining.co.uk

Lamar Mckay, Personal Trainer NY

The best means of reducing fat is to increase the intensity of gross motor function exercises.For example the cornerstone of many of my training programs is the deadlift.

The deadlift when done properly is recruit nearly if not all of the muscles in the body utilizing a mixture of anaerobic and aerobic muscle fiber. The body to reacts when placed under a significant amount of stress . To paraphrase a 80’s video game “Evolve or Die.

For most of us we know what foods are a bad choice for our health. Nutritionally we are what we eat. Unfortunately many of us eat because food is available as opposed to eating for their needs.

Learning to eat to serve the bodies needs versus gluttony is the obstacle some will struggle with. And for others the details become more refined when we come to understand food sensitivities and allergies.

Visit Lamar’s website:Â www.mckaystrength.com

Pamela Brown, Personal Trainer Peak Success Fitness

The resistance workout should consist of multi-joint exercises using short rest periods (less than a minute) and non-competing exercises (i.e.,supersets, circuit workouts) using challenging weight.

This should be followed by interval training, whether it’s cardio intervals, aerobic intervals, or sprint intervals, or body weight circuits from 10-25 minutes (depending on what you do).

Consume healthy fats, low-glycemic carbs, and lean meats at regular intervals throughout the day along with plenty of water (at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces.

Visit Pamela’s website:Â www.peak2successfitness.com

Ed Ley, Personal Trainer Absolute Health and Fitness

The reduction of Belly fat is a mine field of possibilities. This question highlights perfectly why diets donâ€™t work. A blanket reduction in belly fat is possible to achieve but how best to achieve belly fat loss can vary dramatically from one person to another.

We know that a post menopause woman will require a different intervention to a 25 year old male. There are a thousand different lifestyle, genetic and health related considerations when it comes to losing belly fat. Different hormones are at work and blanket prescriptions can be careless.

What becomes confusing in the world of nutrition is that people feel the need to narrow down to specific foods and micro and marco- nutrients yet the world provides us with evidence to the contrary.
Populations closer to the equator seem to thrive well on a diet close to 60% carbohydrate, the further from the equator we move the more fat and protein dense a diet seems to become and many populations seem to thrive under these circumstances.

To take a blanket approach to losing belly fat I would recommend lifestyle changes above any targeted method.

Visit Ed’s website: www.absolute-health.co.uk

Amanda Wright, Personal Trainer

Get motivated, be committed and determined to make a lifestyle change.

Set realistic goals

Eat clean, at least most of the time

Variety is the Spice of Life

Visit Amanda’s website:Â Â www.mw-pt.co.uk

Conor Doherty, Personal Trainer Star Factory Fitness

The best way that I’ve come across to burn belly fat involves a combination of a high protein and moderate carbohydrate diet and the use of interval training.

I’ve tried many different food and nutrient combinations and I always seem to lose the most fat when I make sure that each meal consists of a high quality protein source like a chicken breast, egg whites, or lean ground beef as well as including a bunch of different veggies with each meal. I find that spinach is the easiest veggie to include in my diet because I can pack a bunch of it in a shake and not even taste it, and I always use it for salads.

As for training, I train athletes, so my focus and training always comes with performance in sports in the back of my mind. An awesome way to help burn belly fat is to run intervals either on the treadmill, on the slideboard (I train mostly hockey players), or through kettlebell swings. The after effect of interval training is a lot different than steady state cardio because your metabolism is firing on all cylinders hours after an interval workout, where as a steady state cardio workout doesn’t provide that effect on the body. I’ve had the most success burning belly fat with that combination of nutrition and exercise.

Visit Coner’s website: www.starfactoryfitness.com

Renee McLaughlin, Certified Health Coach

Looking to blast belly fat?Â Excess belly fat is a signal your body isn’t processing your food (particularly high glycemic carbs) efficiently.Â It can also mean your liver is getting tired and toxic!Â What to do? Learn how to eat to balance your blood sugar.Â Blood sugar gets balanced by eating 5 – 6 small, balanced (balance of lean protein/low glycemic carb) mini meals a day.Â This will allow your body to balance blood sugar and turn off that insulin pump that makes you hungry, tired, cranky and craving sweets.Â It will also allow your body to shift into a “belly fat burning” mode.

Visit Renee’s website:Â www.healthcoachforsuccess.com

Levon Basso, Personal Trainer Superhuman Fitness

In addition to exercising more, I tell my clients to try and change first the things that are the most easiest to change (as opposed to attempting to turn everything in your world upside down and trying to change everything at once, which is very difficult to sustain).

When it comes to food, one thing I suggest to my clients is to switch out the dishes in their kitchen cabinets. Rather than a full-sized dinner plate, only make smaller plates or bowls available to yourself too eat off of. I’ve tried this myself and I was surprised at how satisfied I felt, despite how much less I obviously ate than I usually do.

And going back to the rationale of change that I mentioned – this is an easy first step as there’s no food changes involved, no re-making your refrigerator contents. Just simply eat less, and a smaller dish is an easy way to ensure this, especially if it’s the only option in your cupboard!

Visit Levon’s website:Â www.superhuman-fitness.com

Chris Hitchko, Personal Trainer Show Up Fitness

The million dollar question is, â€œWhat is the best way to reduce belly fat?â€ My students and clients ask it daily, â€œHow do I lose my gut, spare tire or beer belly?â€ In the end, they all want that goddess and/or herculean shape! My answer usually mystifies them, â€œWhen do you think you were in the best shape of your life?â€ So begins the much needed thought process for clients to understand that this goal will take time.

The average person was in the best shape of their life in high school or in the beginning of college – before their freshman beer drinking days! If youâ€˜re in your 40â€™s, that means you have treated your body like crap for over twenty years. If you are close to retirement, that means you have probably had unhealthy habits for almost 4 decades!

We continually set unrealistic goals that usually result in failure. I have been a trainer for almost 10 years and have been teaching personal trainers for over three. My mantra is tough love. You either Â show up, listen and put in the hard work, or continue to be unhealthy and fat. The USA is an inactive nation that sets unrealistic fitness and health goals! Many of us do not comprehend that the best way to decrease the giggle in your pants is via realistic goals and proper behaviour modification.

You need to begin with exercising a minimum of five days a week – three of those days should be full-body workouts with weights. One day needs to focus on higher intense cardio or an aerobics class. The last day can be Pilates, yoga or functional movements such as push-ups, lunges, jumps or using a TRX. Once you have jolted your fat butt into gear by exercising more; begin the behaviour modification via nutrition.

You need to eat breakfast and drink Â½ of your body weight in water daily! It is unacceptable to have two-three large meals a day. Now is the time to eat 5-6 small meals spread out every 2-3 hours. The consumption of vegetable and fruits needs to increase to fight off all of the bad chemicals we have been ingesting for the previous 10 â€“ 30 years. Implement these few bullet points of exercising, changing your habits and you will have entered the precise realm for reducing belly fat.

The results depend on you deliberately modifying your behaviour and continuing with this lifestyle for the rest of your life!

Visit Chris’s website:Â www.showupfitness.com

Olly Hermon-Taylor, Personal Trainer Lean Green Human Being

The best way to reduce belly fat is to find a strong enough REASON toÂ make the changes to your diet and lifestyle you’re going to need to makeÂ in order to burn fat, flatten your stomach and build a lean, toned body.

What’s going to get you out of bed in the morning when it’s dark and coldÂ and help you fight the sugar cravings when they start to sink their teeth inÂ around week 3?

The answer is a big, powerful, emotional reason to want to change.Â Something stronger than will power and self-discipline that will fuel youÂ to reach your goals, whatever life throws in your way.

Find YOUR big reason and then make the following, simple changes forÂ 30-Days:

Eat NO “Bad Carbs” (bread, pasta, white potatoes, white rice, cakes,Â pastries. Avoid the white or beige stodge).

Walk EVERY DAY for 20 – 60 minutes. Leave your phone, ipod, ipadÂ etc. behind and walk in nature (field, park, woods).

Lift Weights. Start with the basics: squats, lunges, pushes, pulls, bends, twistsÂ and keep it simple. Hire aÂ goodÂ personal trainer if you’re a beginner.

Visit Olly’s website:Â www.leangreenhumanbeing.comÂ

Becky White, Personal Trainer

My best advice for reducing belly fat is to reduce your carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrate is the body’s preferred energy supply and can be found in foods such as bread, cereals, pasta, sweets, fruit etc. Carbohydrates are not ‘bad’ but in order to burn fat we need to replace carbohydrates with protein & healthy fats. Carbohydrates are also NON-ESSENTIAL to the body so there is no harm in removing them from your diet.

A low-carbohydrate diet should be a way of life and not a short-term fix. Here’s a typical day’s food plan: breakfast – 3 egg omelette with mushrooms & tomatoes or some meat. snack – 1 handful of nuts and an apple. lunch – chicken breast & avocado salad. snack – cottage cheese with chopped carrot, celery & peppers. dinner – salmon fillet with lots of steamed green vegetables. snack – natural yogurt with pumpkin seeds.

Visit Becky’s facebook page:Â onesixeightfitness

Antony Phillips, Personal Trainer AWP Fitness International

Reducing belly fat is best accomplished with a combination of proven techniques. First, and foremost, is proper nutrition. No matter the clients age, or respective metabolism, this is priority #1. It would be beneficial to measure RMR (resting metabolic rate) to get the exact daily caloric requirement. Then daily meals can be planned using this figure, minus no more than 20% of this figure to create a caloric deficit.

Note: this does not take into consideration a person who is exercising, which requires a caloric bump equivalent to the need to be effective. Meals should be spaced out at no more than 3 hrs. This can work as 4-6 meals per day.

Foods to avoid: I like the saying “if it’s white, don’t bite!”. This applies to products with flour, sugar, dairy, white rice & potatoes. These tend to be high glycemic creating blood sugar spikes, and thus fat deposits when inactive. Consume ‘clean’ proteins, ‘power’ greens, and ‘good’ fats. Next, and equally important, is hydration. For an inactive individual, 1/2 the total body equivalent in ounces of water per day will provide appropriate hydration.

The metabolic equation for fat loss requires proper hydration. The remaining tools, and least important, are increasing muscle mass & cardio activity. Increased muscle mass burns more calories during exercise as well as when at rest.

Remember, it is not possible to train properly without proper fuel at the right time. Most are genetically programmed to deposit fat in the mid-section first, and it is the last place the body will retain it when leaning out. Patience & resolve are vital. Good luck.

Visit Antony’s website:Â www.area44.com

Greg Brookes, Holistic Health, Fitness & Wellbeing Coach

We are all unique both inside and out. The huge array of diet and fitness books is testament to the fact that just one standised blueprint does not work. If you really want to lose your belly then you need to look inwards. You need to connect with your dreams, motivations and desires. You need to discover what really makes you tick. This is the true essence of happiness and ultimate secret to achieving a healthy looking body.

The biggest reason why most people can’t lose their belly is not usually down to the advice given but more to do with adherence. People just give up!

Your first step should be to develop a habit, the habit should be small, simple and manageable.

Second you need to look at effectiveness. What small habit will have the biggest impact on your belly? Exercise doesn’t even come close to nutrition when it comes down to reducing belly fat so my advice is to develop a small nutrition habit. Reduce sugar intake, eat more protein, go gluten free, avoid dairy etc. All these options can be broken down further into manageable habits. e.g.. Avoid eating wheat for lunch, reduce sugar in tea and coffee etc.

Develop small habits slowly and add to them day by day week by week. Once nutrition is in order start adding exercise. Try one exercise per day, like Squats, Push Ups etc. Again think about effectiveness and adherence!

Finally, anchor your innermost desires, motivations and dreams to your healthy lifestyle. Work on your nutrition to improve the lives of your kids. Improve your health to better enjoy life with your partner, family and friends. Nothing can stop the strongest desires of a man or woman who’s acting from within and following their dreams.

Over to You

What do you think of these answers? What are you going to do to reduce your Belly in 2013?

7 Things You Need To Understand About Breathing

By Greg Brookes

Breathing is THE most important thing for human survival. You can remove limbs, organs, Â and tissue from the body but stop breathing for only a few minutes and the damage can be fatal. The importance and art of breathing has been well known for 1000â€²s of years, itâ€™s at the centre of yoga practice, Tai Chi, Quigong andÂ all Martial Arts training. The breath does far more than just oxygenate the blood it also interacts with the nervous system.

Here are 7 Things you need to understand about breathing:

1. Itâ€™s Lifeâ€™s Most Important Function

There is nothing more important than breathing. The body is a slave to the breath. If you cannot breathe correctly then the body will make some drastic changes in order to gain oxygen. If you suffer from sinus problems or cannot breathe through your nose correctly then you will be forced to breathe through your mouth. Mouth breathing can result in a forward head posture effecting the cervical spine, the thoracic spine and ultimately the lumbar spine. Food allergies can result in excess mucus production and ultimately the inability to breathe consistently through the nose.

2. You Need to Use Your Diaphragm

Have you ever seen a baby breathe? When they are lying on their backs you can see their big bellies push OUT on every IN breath. This is the correct way to breathe. As we take a deep breath IN the diaphragm falls like a large parachute. This forces the belly out and draws oxygen in as the ribcage expands. Following the IN breath recoil due to the elasticity of the lung tissue, the intercostal muscles and the rise of the diaphragm drive the air out of the body.

Almost all of my clients and the majority of the population have learnt to breathe with limited use of the diaphragm. You can easily spot this type of breathing, it is shallow and you can see the shoulders move on every breath. This type of breathing not only short changes the Oxygen intake but also stresses the upper back and neck muscles.

3.Â Massages the Internal Organs

As we breathe deeply and utilise the large diaphragm muscle correctly the gentle upward and downward travel of this great muscle massages our internal organs. This process is vital because shy of being an open heart surgeon it is impossible to gain access to the organs and massage them. Gentle massage of the organs increases condition and stimulates movement of fluids.

4. The Diaphragm Stabilises the Spine

Have you ever noticed that during a heavy lift like a Deadlift or a Squat you hold your breath? The reason for this is that the diaphragm is used for both respiration and stabilisation of the spine, but it canâ€™t do both at the same time. So when the lift gets too heavy the diaphragm joins in and helps to protect and stabilise the spine. So when you exercise you can tell when the diaphragm is being engaged on not by whether your body tells you to hold your breath.

5. Breathing Excites Certain Muscles

Take a deep breath IN and notice how tall you get, this lengthens and straightens the spine. Now take a breath out and see how you collapse and the spine shortens and bends. When you exercise you need to work with your breathing and not against it. All spinal extension based exercises should involve a deep breath IN and all spinal flexion exercises should involve a breath out.

6. Ribcage Expands in 3 Different Planes

As we breathe the ribcage expands and contracts. The main bulk of expansion and contraction should originate from the bottom of the ribcage. If you hold your hands on the bottom of your ribcage with each IN breath the ribcage should expand at the front, side and back. Donâ€™t just limit your breathing to the front, breath in through all 3 planes.

Â 7. Effects the Nervous System

Every breath has an impact on the nervous system. If you want to calm down and relax then you need to take long and deep breathes through your diaphragm. If you want to stimulate a stress response then take short and fast shallow breathes. There is a reason why meditation concentrates on slow, deep breathing. The more deep breathing you can perform the better you will feel!

10 Health & Fitness Lessons for Life

By Greg Brookes

Today is my birthday! 39 years of me rocking and rolling on planet earth. I’ve had some great times!

Every year at this time I always get a little contemplative on achievements, friends, family, ambitions and so on.

I took my first fitness qualifications back in 1992 but didn’t really start Personal Training seriously until 2006 when I started GB Personal Training in Hampstead, North London.

So to commemorate today’s special date I thought I would list down 10 lessons I have learnt in the Health & Fitness industry over the years and hopefully we can both learn something for the future.

# 1 – Just be Consistent

It doesn’t matter whether you want to lose weight, put on muscle or be as flexible as a gymnast, consistency is what really makes the difference. You need to stay on track day after day after day.

Being consistent can be difficult at first but it doesn’t take long to build a habit, good or bad. Don’t worry too much about getting it right first time just start and keep going. For example perform just 10 bodyweight squats every morning before you hit the shower. The reason my 5 x 30 mins per week personal training sessions are so successful is because they build consistency.

# 2 – Be Progressive

There is a tendency in the health and fitness industry to keep dazzling you with the latest exercises, movements and equipment. None of this really matters unless you are consistent and progressive. So once you have developed a small habit of exercise start to add a few extra repetitions or a little more time. Progression is about challenging your system and forcing adaptation. Your body will always try to preserve precious energy so you need to keep up the challenge.

# 3 – Move More Often

The more you move the more you pump nutrients around the body. Imagine the difference between a fast flowing river and a stagnant pool of water.

Many of the bad backs I have had to rehabilitate have been from ‘weekend warrior’ type exercisers. In my opinion you are better to exercise little and often then to go nuts every now and again. Better to keep your river flowing than to just disturb the water every now and then.

# 4 – Mobilise in the Evenings

Over the last year I have been having clients mobilise their joints just before bedtime and the results have been fantastic. The spine loses 20% of its disc fluid during the day and has a very minimal blood supply to bring fresh nutrients to assist in healing and recovery.

Simple joint mobility just before bed opens up the joints and pumps fresh nutrients to the stagnant areas. The result is a rejuvenated body overnight and a deep restful nights sleep. Yoga movements together with deep breathing are excellent choices. Depending on your daily activities and skeletal structure will determine which exercises are best for you. For most people focusing on Thoracic, Foot and Neck joints are important.

# 5 – Exercise is NOT for Fat Loss

What you eat affects you at a cellular level. Eat well and you will lose weight regardless of what exercise you do. Exercise helps pump the body, add muscle and increases wellbeing and although it will help with fat loss the impact is far less than most people think.

Eating 21 meals a week compared with 3-5 workouts a week is simply no competition. When you think of fat loss think nutrition before anything else.

# 6 – Supplements are Supplements

Supplements are exactly that, they are designed to supplement a good diet. If your diet is not yet 100% bang on then you shouldn’t be taking supplements. I personally never recommend supplements. I think there is always room for nutritional improvement without the need for something that is produced in a chemical lab.

Too many supplements are backed by self funded research and are run my multinational companies with a huge marketing spend. If you want to take the plunge then good luck but nothing will replace natural food that has been tried and tested for millions of years. Without it we wouldn’t be here.

# 7 – Exercise Early

Not only is your hormonal system more ready for exercise in the morning but it will help you psychologically too. I have had far more success with morning programs than evening ones. Once you leave something until later in the day things always get in the way. You spend the day anticipating the workout. It gives you time to think up excuses. The best thing is to get up and get started. Don’t over think it just get it done for the day and forget it. It won’t take long to build a habit of exercise.

# 8 – Carbs for Fat Loss

Everyone has a different dietary requirement. There is no one diet fits all. One thing that I have found to be true is that Carbs are responsible for the obesity epidemic we have today. If you want to lose fat then reduce your carb intake. Just eliminating Sugar and Gluten from your diet will see you drop weight quicker than anything else.

If you want to Lose 7lbs in 21 days then see my all natural nutrition plan.

# 9 – Do Something you Enjoy

Going to the gym is not for everyone. Neither is weight training or Fitness Classes. Have a think about what you really enjoy. If its walking, then do more of that. If its playing badminton then play more badminton. You will get a lot more joy in your life from doing something you love over the next 12 months then from forcing yourself to do something you dislike. Â Plus you’re more likely to stick to it.

Clean up your diet and do something you love as often as possible and your life will be better physically, mentally and emotionally.

# 10 – Don’t Stress It!

When I started in the fitness industry I focused more on the short game. I now realise that it’s the long game that is far more important. Start building habits for the future. If life gets in the way don’t worry just get it next time.Â Make a plan but don’t be too strict. Stay flexible but focused.

All good things take time so its worth bearing this in mind as you are bombarded by quick fixes and the latest gadgets and gizmo’s.

Over to You

Any pearls of wisdom you think I should add to this list?

How Often to Exercise: 7 Factors that Effect Recovery

By Greg Brookes

Today’s post has been inspired by the following great email question that I received:

“Hey Greg!

I was just wondering about how often one can train?…I’m a 40 y/old postman who likes to keep fit! At the moment I’m doing bodyweight tabatas 3 times p/w and kbells ( snatches swings and clean and presses ) sometimes 2 or maybe even 3 times a week…each session lasts about 30 to 40 mins at most and i do change my workouts about every 7-8 weeks…is it too much?..I can’t run due to a torn Achilles back in the day!!”

Exercise is highly subjective. What is good for one person may not suit another. How one person recovers from exercise can vastly differ from person to person.

The amount of exercise you should do per week will depend on how quickly you recover from each workout.

how often to exercise — Image by estherase

7 Factors that Effect Exercise Recovery

# 1 – Age

As you get older things start to slow down. It will take you a lot longer to heal from an injury than it did when you were young.

Workouts cause micro-trauma to the muscle tissue and this needs time to repair. It’s all part of the Supercompensation cycle. So young people can usually get away with training more often than older folk.

# 2 – Genetics

We all have different quantities of muscle tissue and different proportions of muscle fibres too. Some people naturally have more Type II muscle fibres and are powerful and explosive athletes. Others have more Type I muscle fibres and are better suited to endurance events.

Based on your genetics some will find exercises easier and recover quicker and others will do the complete opposite.

# 3 – Nutrition

In order to recover from a workout you need to feed the body with the correct nutrition. Â Ever noticed that after a heavy weight lifting workout your hunger increases?

The more you break your body down the more nutrients it requires to heal itself and return back to balance. Eat junk food and you will take longer to recover from exercise.

# 4 – Intensity

The harder you exercise the longer it takes for you to recover. For example if I perform a heavy set of Deadlifts I will feel beaten up for days. It will take me 2-3 days to fully recover. The same applies to interval training, I will only ever perform 2 interval workouts per week.

You could exercise everyday if the movements were easy and the resistance was light.

# 5 – Occupation

The more physical your daily job the more time you will need to recover. So if you spend all day on your feet you will need more time to recover than someone who sits down all day. So a builder will need more rest than a receptionist.

There is an argument here that being more physically active will help increase your recovery due to the pumping of the nutrients around the body. However, there is a big difference between walking around during the day and lifting and digging.

# 6 – Stress Levels

Never underestimate stress. Stress effects the whole body on a continuous basis and will prolong recovery.

Everyone is effected by emotional, physical, and mental stress. Many believe that exercise alleviates stress but what is actually happening is your mind is being taken away from your worries while your body is still subjected to stress.

For many highly stressed people hard exercise is NOT the answer. They would be better off performing Tai Chi, Meditation or Yoga to bring energy back into the body rather than spending it.

# 7 – Recovery Methods

There are certain additional recovery methods that are believed to speed up your healing process.

Taking cold showers or ice baths is believed to help flush the body of toxins and replenish the nutrients of the body. Soft tissue work like massages and foam rolling will help to increase blood flow and increase the quality of muscle tissue.

How Often to Exercise

Now that you have a better understanding as to what effects the recovery process you can look at your own workouts and see how much rest you need.

Remember that it is during recovery that you grow stronger so that you come back fitter than before, this process is known as the Supercompensation Cycle.

You are always far better to under-train than to over-train.

My advice is to start off with 3 workouts per week

No matter what your level begin with 3 sessions per week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Work Hard during those sessions. Don’t socialise, don’t talk, focus and get on with the job in hand. Many people exercise more than 3 times per week because they don’t work hard enough in their 3 sessions.

If you find 3 hard sessions is too much then add an extra days rest: Monday, Thursday, Sunday, Tuesday etc.

If you find you can do a little more then add an easier 4 session:

Monday: Hard
Tuesday: Easy
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Hard
Friday: Off
Saturday: Hard
Sunday: Off

Conclusion

So to answer the initial email question. As an active 40 year old Postman I would recommend no more than 4 sessions per week. I would increase the intensity of the workouts and reduce the length down to 20 minutes.

So the weekly schedule would look like this:

Monday: Kettlebells (Intense)
Tuesday: Bodyweight (Moderate)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Kettlebells (Intense)
Friday: Bodyweight (Moderate)
Sat / Sun: Off

We would also need to assess goals and change workouts accordingly. If the above schedule is too much then I would add an extra days rest after the intense workouts.

As I mentioned everyone is different so workout planning is always a case of seeing what works best for the individual.

Over to You

How often do you workout? Are you training too much?

Interval Training Infographic

By Greg Brookes

Here’s an Infographic that you may also find useful….

For all my Interval Training I use a Gymboss Interval Timer