This blog is going to be more about the nutrition side getting in shape and how important it is to maintain a healthy diet if you are going to sustain your desired lifestyle. In my opinion, it is much more important to make sure that you're fuelling your body with the correct nutrition rather than eat loads of junk food and spend two or three hours in the gym burning it off. As I said recently, if you're dieting it is okay to treat yourself everyone once in a while, but not everyday! Once or twice a month, depending on the treat, was enough for me to control my cravings but everyone is different and you may need a few more treats or even none at all, depending on you and your cravings. I must stress though that the occasional treats are only okay and won't damage the progress you've made, if you're able to sensibly moderate them. There is nothing worse than spending all week either being in a calorie deficit or eating healthier foods to then go and ruin it all by losing control and splurging out, reversing all of the hard work you've put in, so make sure to control your cravings! A few methods that I implemented into my routine to prevent me from binge eating was to not buy any high calorific foods that would be detrimental to the progress that I had made if I was to eat loads of it in one go. That meant that any kind of chocolate, sweets, fizzy drinks, ice cream, pizza had to go, although if you live with someone, whether it's your parents or children, get them to eat it all up before you do! But don't get confused, don't think that if you want to lose weight then you can only eat three meals a day and no more because that just simply isn't true. During a typical day, when I go to the gym, I will have three meals as well as a snack or two between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner, but the difference is that they are nutritious and moderated rather than having a high calorie value and being full of sugar. Some examples of healthy snacks that I often have include Snack-A-Jack's rice cakes (a maximum of two at a time though), fat free greek yoghurt, fruit (the obvious one), nuts (although a maximum of 20g) or protein bars, but I encourage you to do your own research into this to find the snacks that can be bought within your budget. Something else that you can try to prevent binge eating would be to include meals into your diet that you enjoy eating so it doesn't feel like such a chore eating healthy. Originally I started off eating just chicken, salmon and salad as the majority of my meals for about two months but as you can guess, this got boring very quickly so I decided to buy some recipe books to help mix it up! Some of the books that I cannot praise enough and I would urge anyone who wants to go on a diet to buy themselves a copy would be Joe Wick's 'Lean in 15', as well as Gino D'Acampo's 'The Italian Diet' as they both have so many yummy recipes that you'll want to eat over and over again, both of which are pictured at the bottom of this blog. At the time of purchasing these books I was adequately inept, however by following the recipes in these books, I was able to develop my catering abilities to the point where I am no longer a novice. My final piece of advice when trying to avoid binge eating is to actually eat some of the foods that you want to chow down on, but as i've said so many times before in other blogs, it must be very occasional! I'm a nutella-lover and I could it jars upon jars of it without question and if I was to do that, then no matter how hard I worked in the gym I would never get into the shape that I want to. Some people are lucky enough to be able to cut indulgence foods out of their diet completely and feel no yearning for anything sweet at all and can easily stick to their guns. But for me, and many others, we aren't able to do this and therefore need to indulge in treats every now and then, but it must be just that, every now and then. The rule I have set myself and still stick to today is one treat a month as this, for me, is enough to meet my desires for sweet food without being detrimental to the fitness goals I am trying to achieve. By still having these special treats on a regular basis, you end up feeling less deprived of them if you were to cut them out completely and therefore you're more likely to stick with it for longer, changing your diet into your lifestyle. So there you have it, three tips for avoiding binge eating when you're trying to lose weight. Make sure that you stay strong, learn to say no when you must, but then enjoy the treats when you can and keep your #WillPower, by doing that you'll no doubt achieve your goals and lead a much healthier lifestyle that will make you feel better about yourself.
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So I guess if you've made it to this blog, then you've read my previous topics and have decided that you're dedicated to applying yourself to try and achieve your desired goal. The topic of this blog is going to be more specifically about the process of working hard to get to where you want to and the resiliency that will be required on your part. This will be more about the physical and mental aspects of being active and not so much about nutrition as that'll be in my next blog, so if that's what you're looking for then head over that way. So you've just got your gym membership card and you've stocked your fridge full of the healthiest foods you could get your hands on at the supermarket, but where do you go from here? I can tell you, you've got to set yourself a sustainable gym regime that you can stick to, that has the suitable number of rest days depending on you as well as at times that you can be committed to. At the bottom of this blog will be a download link to my gym regime that I made on my first day just before I left my house for the gym. Feel free to use my template or alter it to fit your requirements, if you need to add a rest day or take one out then do so. I made this on 21st July so it was during the summer holidays meaning that I had all day to go to the gym as I had very little planned, but this can be changed to before or after work or school. The time that you go to the gym in the day doesn't matter, in my opinion, it is just important to make sure that you get active at some point during your "gym" days, even if you can't make it to the gym. If you find yourself short of time, you can just go for a run for 20-30 minutes, or if you're extremely tight for time and find yourself only having 20 minutes to get a workout in, then you can always complete a HIIT session. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training, is when you perform a series of interval exercises to a very intense standard for a short period of time (e.g. 20 seconds), then a rest period for a longer period of time (e.g. 30 seconds). This cycle is repeated for anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes, depending on the fitness levels of the person training. This training method is very effective for those who are trying to burn body fat but don't have a great deal of time to workout so I would highly recommend this if this situation applies to you. So you've got your gym membership, you've stocked up on highly nutritious food and you've got your colour coded gym regime that you've stuck on fridge door or learnt off by heart, what now? The next step before you enter the gym (don't worry, we'll get there) is to educate yourself on the area of fitness you're trying to develop yourself in, whether it is decreasing body fat or building muscle, you need to know the biological side of it but don't worry i'll give you a quick guide to both. First decreasing body fat, in order for you to lose weight you've got to make sure that you have a calorie deficit at the end of every week. A deficit is where you have taken in less calories than you have expended, meaning that you're body will turn to your next available energy source to make up for the lack of calories, which is your body fat. Even though each day this may not feel like you're making a whole lot of progress, over a period of time, the two hundred calorie deficit that you've out upon yourself will add up. Nutritionist recommend that a healthy and natural speed to lose weight is 1 to 2lbs a week and with 1lb of body fat being the equivalent of 3,500 calories, therefore you want to average a 500 calorie deficit every day. Even though this may sound daunting at first, all you need to do is eat your standard 2000 calorie diet and burn 500 calories by being active. By constantly achieving the 500 calorie deficit, you're certain to lose that excess body fat that you're desperate to shrug off. Originally when I started losing weight, I was so focused on being in a calorie deficit that I would never treat myself and so I found it very difficult to keep on track. But from my experience i've come to learn that your body reflects your work and commitment over a long period of time, therefore a treat every now and then won't make any difference, it is just vital that you make sure it is in moderation and not every other day. That is pretty much it with regards to the physical side of losing weight so now onto building muscle. Whenever you put your muscles against any kind of resistance (which lifting weights counts as) then tiny rips, known as micro-tears, occur in the tissue. Your body will automatically repair these rips, predominantly during your sleep which is why it is vital to get a minimum of 8 hours a night, which will make the muscles stronger and bigger. This process, however, is much much slower than losing body fat and therefore if this is what you're aim is, you will have to be patient and consistent with your training to get the results you want. A lot of people believe that you need to have a calorie surplus (more than you burn off) to build muscle which I can tell you is absolute rubbish! What you do need most importantly is a positive nitrogen balance within your body which is attained through getting good nights sleep. This, accompanied with consistent training, will provide your body with what it needs to build muscle. A common misconception among the fitness community is that in order for your to build muscle quickly then you need to annihilate them every time you train, however it is more beneficial for the growth of the muscles to stimulate them. So remember when you're lifting weights to "stimulate, not annihilate" so that you aren't too exhausted to come back the next day or a couple days after to train them again. To help your body recover quicker, there is always supplements (such as protein powder) that you can incorporate into your diet. So lets recap, you've got your gym membership sorted, nailed the nutrition, colour coded gym regime check and you're educated in the department of fitness that you want to develop yourself in. The next and final step is to get yourself to the gym and get working towards your goals. It is going to be difficult and it's going to take time and commitment, but always remember that it'll be worth it and that nothing can stand in your way! So get out there, get after it and use your #WillPower!
I suppose the first thing you want to know about me is who I am and why I do what I do. I am just your run-of-the-mill teenager, no special talents, no links to fame, no major achievements worthy of note, just a guy who really enjoys fitness and health eating. Born in Bristol and raised in a small, and quite frankly irrelevant, town called Nailsea, I never really imagined being anything other than average, at school, sports, relationally, financially; I think it was fair to say I was content with just getting by, until a few bad choices and an unfortunate event took place that changed my life. I was always into football as a young-en, despite not being the most technically gifted player, I would play and play and play whenever and wherever I could. The act of playing football was my subconscious introduction to the physical side of fitness, although I was yet to delve into the nutritional, and in my opinion more important, aspect of healthy living. I was never one of the skinny lads at my school, this was down to my friends being big football lovers like myself and the fact that I was partial to a bowl of profiteroles every now and then, but I always wanted to be but I never had the discipline of motivation to change myself. The old saying that life is a rollercoaster couldn't be more applicable to my life thanks to decisions that i've made. Whilst playing football at my local school on a cold January evening with my friends, my body pivoted but my knee didn't which resulted in me hearing a "snap" before tumbling to the ground. After making it to my feet to discover my knee was no longer able to take my weight, I thought the best decision was to draw my evening to a close and make my way home. I gave it a couple of weeks rest and wearing a knee brace at all times before trying to play again, but I was rudely introduced to another "snap" and yet another tumble to the ground after trying to run on it. It was at this point that I knew that the injury was far more severe than I first thought. After a visit to my local GP and then hospital, the doctor was able to diagnose me with a ruptured ACL ligament, although I needed to have a CT scan to see the extent of my broken knee. The results came back supporting the diagnosis as well as highlighting that my cartilage was torn in three places and therefore if I ever wanted to kick a football again I would need to endure an operation and 12+ months of agonising rehabilitation, but to me, it would be worth it. Wednesday 10th June, 2015. The overwhelming realisation that this would be the day that I would go in for my operation and that to follow this would be over 12 months of learning to walk, run and kick again seemed repelling. My dad and I made our way to the hospital, although struggled to make conversation as it was evident that we were both apprehensive of the hours ahead. After being escorted to my room and selecting my post-op meal, it started to sink in the seriousness of the situation. My dad had to leave as he was needed at work and so after the door got pulled to for what seemed like an eternity and I saw the back of my father drift out of sight between the crack in the door, I sat on my bed and waited. Time seemed to pass slowly due to my constant checking of the clock, but with every glance I spared its way, I became more and more nervous. I was given hospital gowns to change into which, as you'd expect, weren't particularly flattering and I continued to play the waiting game. When the time came, my hospital bed and I were carted down to the operating theatre where I was greeted by a doctor who appeared as calm and collected as anyone I'd ever seen. The gentleman explained to me what was going to happen within the forthcoming five minutes and how before I knew it, I'd be waking up post-op and all this anticipation will be over. As general anaesthesia slowly made its way into my system, the terrifying feeling of seeing the world around me fade to black knowing that I didn't have an inch of control over is something that'll stick with me, although I didn't have long to dwell in this feeling before I fell into an unconscious slumber. I always knew that rehabilitation was going to be the highest mountain for me to climb on my way back to playing football, so it was no surprise to me the difficulties I had when learning to walk again, but I was determined not to give up that easily, I just had to make it to the elusive 3 month mark. As soon as I got to 3 months post-operation I could get to the gym and begin adding resistance to my training which I considered the next step to returning to full fitness. Rehab had been going well and I was well on schedule to returning back to sport by 12 months, which still seemed like a lifetime away at this point. However, I could slowly feel my determination start to wither away. The amount of training that I was doing was on the decline and the amount of unhealthy food I was eating was on the increase. It got to the point where I was getting about an hour of intense physical exercise a week, at most when I should have been getting about an hour a day. I was gaining weight rapidly and the chances of me ever returning back to sport was becoming more and more like a unachievable dream. Despite encouragement from my family and friends to regain my spark that I originally had for rehabilitation, I was unable to do so and continued down the path of a poor nutritional diet and no exercise. I brushed off rehabilitation for about 8 months. It got to the point where I had pretty much assured myself that I never wanted to return to sport and that I was content with travelling down the route I was on, the comfortable and easy option at that point in my life. For me to realise the error in my ways and relight the extinguished flame of motivation that had gone, I had to babysit a puppy on a scorching hot day in July while glugging down a 1.75litre bottle of Coca-Cola and watching The Jeremy Kyle Show. I was puppy-sititng my sister's doberman, who was unknowingly giving me more physical work than I faced in the previous 8 months by infusing endless amounts of energy into my day. As puppies do, they bound around everywhere creating mess and causing chaos before sleeping for a couple hours, leaving you to clean up before they wake up and start the cycle again. During a rare peaceful five minutes, I was able to stop chasing after the mischievous mutt and watch the tv. All of a sudden, as I rested my chin on my chest to form my own opinion on the distraught and implosive family on Jeremy Kyle, I was disgusted as my ever-expanding gut cut off the synopsis that features at the bottom of the screen. The fact that I had to pick my then 16 stone body up just to read what a group of strangers were arguing about which had no relevance to me, I considered an abomination. It was at this point that my 8 months of laziness had caught my attention and in a split second, I had gone from being perfectly content and comfortable with myself to being angered and disappointed. It was from this moment forth that I decided I was going to change the way I live by getting into the best shape I possibly could and leading a healthier life in general. The day after my puppy-sitting, I got myself to the gym and I had never been anywhere that felt so alien to me, but I was hellbent on not being put off. I set up a routine, which I believe is vital if you're going to be successful in fitness, I would go to the gym 5 days a week, resting on Wednesdays and Sundays. I set myself daily goals, depending on how I was feeling on the day, of the number of calories that I wanted to burn, some days it would be 300, some days it would be 800. The mentality that I developed was to make sure that every time I walked through the double doors of my gym, I would push myself as hard as I physically could. I recorded the number of calories I burned in each gym session on my iPod touch to make me feel as if I was making progress. I quickly discovered that if anyone is going to lose weight and get themselves to an exceptional physical level of fitness, then nutrition is just as, if not more, important that exercise. I went from a diet heavily composed of Coca-Cola, chocolate bars, sweets, pizza and other low nutritional food to nothing but salmon, chicken, salad and water. I was so desperate to change how I was so I decided to cut out carbohydrates from my diet completely, which I wouldn't recommend as it isn't the healthiest way to lose weight. I went on a crash course of losing weight to the point that when I weighed myself five months after 21st July (the day I started), I clocked in at 11 stone, meaning I lost almost a third of my previous body weight. I suppose the one thing most people want to know is, was it worth it? I can confidently say that it was the single best decision of my life. Not only do I feel better about myself, but i'm also happier in general, more confident and so many other positives that have come out of it. Not only this but about a month ago, I was able to return back to the sport I love, football. A goal that, at one point seemed unachievable to me, I was able to reach and return back to the sport that gave me so many happy moments during my school life, all because I made some important decisions that I would urge others to make. It was undoubtably the hardest mountain i've ever climbed, but it has been one hell of a ride and if I could go back to 21st July, I would do it all again. One of the biggest reasons that I began exercising daily and eating a healthy, balanced diet is because I realised a goal that I had always wanted to achieve but never had the discipline to go after it. Even when I was in my early teens, I had always wanted to be that guy who had an amazing physique, toned muscles, ripped six pack and that "upside-down triangle" body composition. Instead of being that upside-down triangle, I was more of a rectangle who then slowly reshaped into a more oval like shape after my knee surgery. The most important aspect and the first step of leading your life into a healthier direction is to find your motivation for why you want to do it. This can be applied to everything in life if you are attempting to make a change, whether it is academically, financially, relationally, physically, anything.
Motivation is the key and it will be the part of you that makes you say no to that slice of cake you're being offered or getting out of bed half an hour earlier to go for a run before work. However, before you start making changes to your life just off the cuff, you need to ask yourself two questions and give honest answers, why do you want it? How bad do you want it? I would love to sit here and tell you that the goals you want to achieve are easy to get to but unfortunately if it is worth chasing then you're going to need to grit your teeth, be committed and work your behind off. Again this applies to anything, whether it's getting the grades in school that you need to go to university or college or whether it is making a relationship work with a girlfriend, boyfriend, mum, dad, sister or brother. By establishing what it is you want to gain, you can define why it is you're doing it. So for me, my goal was to lose weight and get myself to an exceptional level of physical fitness. My motivation to do this (and what drove me to turning down offers of chocolate and cake) was remembering how amazing it feels when you look in the mirror and see success and progress. For me, no amount of Oreo Dairy Milk chocolate could match that sense of pride of being able to set myself a challenge and not only fulfilling it, but smashing it. I completely understand that this is different for everyone and that some people may have completely opposite feelings to myself which is perfectly fine. The purpose of this blog is for those who read it to get an inside to what it is like to completely U-turn your life so they can decide whether they would like to do that same thing. My advice to someone who reads this blog and decides "this is what I want to do", ask yourself, how badly do you want it? It is all well and dandy saying you're committed, going out and purchasing all of this new sporty clothes and gear for you to smash your goal out of the park, but before you spend money on, make sure it is what you want and that you're not going to give up. A saying that i've developed throughout my experience is to "invest yourself, not money". A lot of people feel that by purchasing the equipment, then they will get the results they want, but the hard work comes from the person and their mentality, not the sporting brand that they're representing. So unless you're 100% dedicated with getting to where you want to get to, then I wouldn't recommend trying to the #WillPowerDiet because it will be extremely hard and will push you and test your commitment. As we all know, healthier food tends to be more expensive, which is why a lot of people chose the unhealthier options, but as nutrition is so important you must apply yourself to the #WillPowerDiet so that you don't waste money on the necessary food, supplements and gym membership. So once you've decided on the goal that you want to achieve, decide how badly you want it and what you're willing to sacrifice to get it. When you've confirmed all of this and you're ready to get out their and chase it, apply your #WillPower and get after it, because trust me, it's worth it. |
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