21 Things You Must Do to Stay In Shape This Winter

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I like lists. Here is one to help get you through winter. My favourites are 1, 8, 18 and 21.

  1. Train 5 days per week if you want to lose 10kg or less.
  2. Use your weekends: walk, run, ride or lift, just stay active.
  3. Find someone to buddy up with to do each session with. Make each other accountable.
  4. Train everyday if you need to lose more than 10kg.
  5. Buy some thermals and stop whinging about the cold!
  6. Buy some waterproofs and stop whinging about the rain!
  7. Train indoors in the above 2 don’t work.
  8. Harden the f#*& up if the above 3 still don’t work!
  9. Avoid the usual heavy meals that are often eaten in winter.
  10. Kick the footy with your kids…..don’t just watch.
  11. Eat leafy green vegetables every lunch and/or dinner.
  12. Eat less casseroles and curries.
  13. Keep drinking at least 2-3 litres of water per day.
  14. Set goals that will guide you to success.
  15. Don’t allow the weather to dictate your outcome.
  16. Cold nights do not give license to eat comfort food.
  17. Aim for a minimum 4 Alcohol Free Days per week. Minimum.
  18. Stop buying crap for the kids that you will end up eating.
  19. Realise every excuse made has been used before by losers.
  20. Stop checking the weather: it’s cold everyday so get over it.
  21. Plan or think about your holidays and ask yourself if you’d be happy looking like you do now on the beach.

 

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

 

Preparation is now

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Winter is coming and the inevitable begins to happen as the mornings get colder and the nights become darker.

Motivation wanes as the temptation to stay in bed instead of getting up to training at 6am is too great, or it’s too easy driving straight home and not leaving again for the gym.

For years I’ve seen winter completely unravel people’s amazing achievements in turning their health and fitness around. It’s sad to think that the weather, indeed the temperature outside, is such a determining factor in people’s lives.

One of the best books I have read is Lance Armstrong’s “It’s Not About the Bike”, where he describes his incredible journey from his death bed to Tour de France triumph. Given less than a 10% chance of surviving (I think it may have been something like 7%), he not only successfully fought a vicious illness for basic survival, he achieved what no other man had ever achieved before.

What has this got to do with you not getting out of bed in the morning?

Everything! One of my favourite parts in the book is when Armstrong describes his training and how he planned to not only participate and finish the Tour de France, which most people would be pretty satisfied with, but win it against the odds.

His training and preparation was focused around the Tour, which is in June each year. So was he going hard in April and May to get himself fit for the race? No. In November he would relocate to France and train everyday in the Pyranees, right through to February. In April and May he would be fine tuning and tapering his training off because the hard work was done.

That’s when the hard work needed to be done. When everyone else was resting, or “sleeping in”, he was slogging out in the mountains.

Basically, the Tour de France was won in December and January, in winter, when Armstrong was doing what needed to be done to win.

Let’s face it, most of you want to be looking and feeling your best in summer, when you’re on holiday or at the beach, so it’s hard to justify working out so much during winter. But that’s your Tour de France! Deciding to get in shape in November for the December holidays will do you no good!

You need to be putting in the hard yards now, slogging it out in the cold and the wet, getting yourself ready for the race later in the year.

Here’s an interesting point: the majority of my most successful clients to date began their journey in the coldest months of the year. Why? I’m not sure, but I think it has a lot to do with being so inspired and determined to achieve something of significance that you’ll do whatever it takes, regardless of a little rain outside.

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

 

If You’re Not Eating These…Eat Them!

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If you’re still stuck in a rut eating chocolates and Easter eggs, then it’s time to pull yourself out and get yourself back on track.

Here are 5 foods that should be eaten just about every day:

  1. Greens. No, not green Easter eggs, or green M & M’s. Leafy, green vegetables are considered a “super” food for the vast amount of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals they contain. Greens such as lettuce and spinach leaves, which can be simply washed down and eaten raw, can be included in salads, sandwiches and accompany just about any lunch or dinner meal. They have the added benefit of containing fibre and water to help flush your body of toxins and waste and keep you not only looking and feeling better, but functioning optimally at the cellular level.
  2. Fish. Packed with protein and essential fatty acids, fish, in particular salmon and tuna, is a great alternative to red meat several times per week. Consuming sufficient protein can be difficult without risking an increase in cholesterol if red meat and eggs are your main source. While fish contains relatively high levels of fat, it’s the “essential” omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids which actually help reduce your cholesterol and manage your appetite. Fish has all of these! Eat it fresh from the market or deli or out of a can with spring water.
  3. Almonds. The raw, unsalted variety! Almonds are a wonderful snack and travel very easily in a container or bag so you are never without a healthy snack at hand. Almonds contain essential fats and small quantities of protein and fibre. Almonds are preferred to other varieties of nuts as their fat content isn’t too high and they are easily purchased raw and unsalted, unlike most other nuts.
  4. Green Tea. It’s not a “food” but green tea is a fantastic alternative to coffee and regular black tea. Caffeine gets a lot of negative reviews, however studies show that in moderate quantities it can enhance your metabolism. Green tea doesn’t contain as much caffeine as regular coffee does plus it is full of antioxidants. Combined with the other foods mentioned here, it is a very good “food” to consume to maximise your health.
  5. Water. You can’t get enough of it, that’s why it cannot be left out of this article. Water is literally “the source” of health and vitality. Most of your body is made up of water and it is so easily secreted from the cells that it must constantly be replenished and “topped up.” Gorge yourself with water each day. Don’t be afraid of flushing minerals and salts from your body, that doesn’t happen very easily. Your body is in a constant state of repair and renewal and needs water to help it keep you functioning properly.

There you go. Go out and buy these foods right now and start replacing the chocolates with almonds, the booze with water and green tea, load your plate with salad and cook yourself a nice juicy steak for dinner…..a tuna steak, that is!

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

 

The Tipping Point

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They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, however it is often very easy to become accustomed to a particular pattern of behaviour, whether it’s good or bad, in a much shorter time span.

This recently formed pattern of behaviour can easily become a way of life if we revert to it regularly, either consciously or sub-conciously.

The recent Easter break is a very good example of how easy it is to form a new habit in a very short period of time.

Over the 5-day break, chocolate, alcohol, cakes and other indulgent foods may have been consumed on a daily basis. Whereas previously you may have been maintaining a moderate, sensible and even disciplined eating and exercise routine, a short holiday such as Easter may have given you the chance to relax the rules for “a few days.”

The problem is not straying from the path of leading a diligent lifestyle for a few days. It’s when a few days turns into a week, then a week turns into a month and then before you know it, your clothes don’t fit you anymore.

Now, this period of time I call the “Tipping Point”, is the most dangerous. We are well past the “few days” period and it’s been a week since most of us have last consumed more water and vegetables in a day than we have wine and chocolates.

This is the time when, with some discipline and good old fashioned “pulling the finger out”, you can get it back. The fitness, the muscle tone and great shape. It’s easy to put in a couple of days to revert back to healthy habits.

Or you can tip over into the downward spiral of feeling flat, saggy and bloated and staying that way for the duration of winter. That’s how easy it is and you are right on the knife’s edge of a complete catastrophe unless you do something now!

So throw away the Easter eggs and chocolates, put down that glass of wine and get outside and into the gym. Pick up the fruits and veggies and fill your glass with water and do it before I have to say “I told you so.”

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

Daylight Savings Hangover

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With Daylight Savings over and the days getting shorter, here are 4 things you should do to ensure you maintain your routine and avoid a sedentary lifestyle over winter:

  1. Reset your clock: obviously you’ve done this by now! I’m talking about the clock on your wrist, I mean the one that’s inside you, your body clock. You need to find what works for you and quickly go about establishing a routine you can stick to from now until Spring, when it gets warmer and lighter again. Are you a morning person or an evening person? Is it unrealistic for you to try to set your alarm every morning? Do you prefer the lighter mornings to the darker evenings? Perhaps you will allocate more time on the weekends to exercise if you know it’s unlikely you will do it enough during the week. Find what works for you and stick to it.
  2. Go indoors: schedule as much exercise indoors if the colder, wetter conditions are going to prevent you doing enough exercise. People lose their momentum over winter because of unrealistic expectations. If you know you won’t exercise when it’s raining, then have a plan to train indoors.
  3. Embrace the conditions: what activities can you do that suit the winter climate and will keep you fit? Skiing, snowboarding, ice skating are winter activities that will keep you fit. They may not be activities you do often, but you get the picture.
  4. No excuses: there simply is no excuse to lose your sh@t over winter and have to start all over again in time for summer. Don’t allow yourself to do what everybody else does and revert to excessive eating and drinking and avoiding exercise.

Here’s an interesting fact for you: the majority of clients I have helped over the years that have achieved the best results started in Autumn or Winter. People who start in Summer are usually full of New Year’s Resolutions and don’t last as long, but those starting in Winter seem to come willing to learn and stick with it and not let the weather conditions determine their level of success.

So will you let the next few month ruin your health or will you use it to take your results to the next level?

 

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

 

Supplements…Yes or No?

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Much is written in the media and in the newspapers about the latest supplement or dietary product that will leave you thin and beautiful.

However, do you really need these products? They cost money, sometimes lots of money and require several repeat orders, but what is the return on your investment?

Well, the truth is, a supplement is just that. A strategy to “supplement” what is missing or inadequate in your diet.

There really is no magic pill or powder that will instantly achieve your goals for you. The marketing or advertising on these products will tell you it can, but the truth is it really can’t.

Take fat burning supplements for instance. They will tell you in big, bold writing how much weight (which is simply water weight) it can shed from your body in the next week or two.

Then it has in very fine print on the back of the box that this product is inapprorpriate for pregnant women, people under a certain age, people over a certain age, people with certain conditions, people on certain medication and people who are sensitive to caffeine.

And what it fails to tell you is the fact that hundreds of people have suffered serious illness or even died using some of these products, including heart failure and stroke!

If you are deficient in a particular vitamin, mineral or macro nutrient, then a specific supplement may be suitable for you.

For example, if you are deficient in Vitamin C, through a proper medical diagnosis, then a vitamin C supplement is obviously suitable for you. Same with magnesium, iron, zinc etc. These are all items that can be “supplemented” in some form of tablet or liquid to ensure you are getting enough of it.

We recommend protein for most people, as we know most people do not get enough of this in their diet. Protein is an essential macro nutrient (which means you need it!) and is found in foods that are generally not eaten in large quantities, for example eggs, meat, fish. A good protein supplement will also help you avoid food cravings and suppress your appetite through the body’s biochemical response to it.

But a protein supplement is just that, as are all supplements. A way to ensure you are getting enough of that particular nutrient so you have the energy and vitality to enjoy a healthy lifestyle and have the energy to work, rest and play to your optimal potential.

So instead of turning to a supplement to solve all of your problems, first look at your current diet to see if there are any gaps or deficiencies that are obvious to you. The first place to start is to ensure you are eating plenty of vegetables and drinking plenty of water. Then look to see you are including fruits, meat, fish, whole grains such as oats and other items such as nuts and legumes.

Ask us if you need any help!

Then, if you find it is difficult to get enough of a particular nutrient, such as protein, through food, ask us about a protein supplement and we can recommend one to you.

But whatever you do, don’t blindly go and purchase a supplement based on advertising or a self diagnosis. Ask someone who is qualified and knows what they are talking about first and save your time and money!

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

 

Workshop Review

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We had our first workshop for the year on Tuesday night and it was awesome!

Ryan Levick joined me in what was more of an open forum discussion, rather than a straight presentation like our last workshop. This gave everyone an opportunity to have their questions answered and lots of discussion was generated from each question.

Here are the main points that were discussed:

  • Breakfast: not just a mandatory meal for the day, but also the time to load up on fibre, carbohydrates and some good protein. Food choices include oats (porridge or muesli), yogurt, fruit.
  • “Meals” not “snacks”: most people refer to their meals in between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner as “snacks” and this usually leads to eating typical snack items such as muesli bars, biscuits and other starchy or sweet foods. Think of these as meals, that must be balanced with fibre, carbs and protein and you are more likely to make better choices.
  • Fibre is essential: it is an insoluble nutrient that is not absorbed by the body. It passes through and acts as a “broom” for your insides, cleaning it of waste and toxins. Most people are severely deprived of sufficient fibre.
  • You can eat before a workout but don’t have anything heavy and don’t have it sooner than 1-2 hours prior to exercise.
  • Dinner is not the main event: protein and lots of veggies and salad is all you need. Dress up the salad with a healthy dressing.
  • Green tea is a very useful supplement. Either use the tea bags or supplement form to help promote your metabolism and fat burning as well as the antioxidants in it.
  • Skipping meals is not allowed: it will leave you tired, anxious and cranky not to mention hungry. Avoid cravings by eating at regular intervals.
  • You can eat later at night if you exercise late, however it’s your food choices, not simply the time, that will determine whether you will gain weight.
  • Supplements are very useful but should not replace fresh, whole foods where possible.
  • “No carbs” is not recommended. Cutting foods with essential nutrients and vitamins and minerals is nonsense and will leave you hungry, malnourished and depleted.
  • “Reducing” carbs is recommended. You do not need to eat heavy meals laden with pasta, bread and sugars. Occasionally is fine, but most of the time eat lean, light and be hungry in a few hours.
  • How do you know your metabolism is fast enough? You should be hungry every few hours.
  • Water is essential. You must be drinking litres of water every day.

These are just a handful of the things that were discussed during the workshop. I have not even gone over the video of it yet, but this is enough to show you that the information is common sense, but the application of it is not as simple.

 

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

 

Rule of 5

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Managing your weight is not rocket science and it’s certainly very achievable with a bit of planning.

Executing this plan is another problem altogether. Once you have your “ideal” plan, which can be sorted into yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly and even daily segments, it is easy to think that the road to your ideal level of health and fitness is all smooth sailing.

The reality is, once you stop planning and start doing, things can go downhill very quickly.

Life’s distractions and excuses will inevitably give you every conceivable reason to not work out, not eat the right food at the right time and not to keep pushing on.

The “Rule of 5″ is a simple yet effective way of breaking things down to a very achievable plan:

Train five days a week and eat 5 small, healthy meals per day for 5 weeks straight.

Then after the fifth week, assess your progress, evaluate what has worked and where you need to improve, then get ready to go immediately into the next phase.

The 5-week stretch gives you enough time to achieve measurable progress but not such a long period that you feel the end is nowhere in sight.

The reality is that you need to put in the effort over a prolonged period of time, ie. the rest of your life, to manage your weight, however this time frame seems insurmountable to most and can be very demotivating.

So try the rule of 5 every day and every week for the next 5 weeks, then relax, take stock of your progress and adjust the “settings” of your program to make the next 5 weeks even more productive.

Short term, achievable goals are far easier to go after than lofty, long term goals, so simplify things and go for it!

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

 

Very Low Calorie Bull@#*t!

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Watching television the other night I was distracted by an ad that came on.

It had this pretty dull looking man, who looks like he’s never worked out himself, say something to the effect of “Very low calorie diets, or VLCD’s, are the most effective way to lose weight….” then went on to push the latest “shake diet” going around.

I’m all for using shakes to ensure you get a meal, or if time is an issue and it’s a shake or nothing, and if you add healthy nutritious food with protein powder it’s a great food choice.

However shake diets, in general, are useless. They usually result in a quick, short term reduction in weight, which most people then mistake as fat loss when it’s likely just fluid loss, and if you survive the cravings, mood swings, anxiety attacks and severely low energy levels you will quickly reach a point when you stop losing weight as your metabolism shuts down.

As for these “VLCD’s”, if the CSIRO quotes the daily calorie intake on it’s “Total Wellbeing Diet” (I’m not promoting or suggesting this diet, just using it as an example here) at 1,400 per day, then a VLCD would probably be dropping under the 1,000 calorie per day mark.

At this very low level of calories several things will happen to your body, and this does not include the general hatred towards life itself from trying to exist on such low food intake:

You will quickly go into a state known as ketosis, where your body basically feeds on itself….if you won’t give it enough food, it will find another source for energy and metabolic function and this will be in the form of eating up muscle tissue.

Looks fine on the scales for a few weeks as the weight comes off, but soon enough your metabolism slows down to ensure it can feed off your muscle tissue during this “starvation” period. So you will lose 5 kilos or so, then it will stop and just when you were planning a new wardrobe, the gains cease to continue.

Instead of shakes for meals and dropping the calories so low your body eats itself (!!!!), try eating small, frequent and healthy meals. Nutritious foods eaten at regular intervals throughout the day is the best way to manage your weight.

You need to eat to lose weight as well as eat to gain weight.

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

Drink Up!

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The majority of the earth is made up of water…so is our body.

Most don’t realise it, but your skin, cells, organs, even bones comprise a vast amount of water and this water needs to be constantly replenished to survive.

Likewise, our metabolism and daily bodily functions require us to be well hydrated in order to operate optimally, at full capacity, 24/7. Just a slight level of dehydration, even 2-3%, can slow down your system and make you feel sluggish, lethargic and tired.

What’s worse, most people, when feeling tired or run down, usually turn to caffeine for a hit of energy. While this may give you an initial burst of energy or alertness, it is short-lived and you will soon find yourself in a rut again.

“Super hydration” is a term used to describe a process of loading up on an excess amount of water in a relatively short period of time. Even though I used the term “excess”, often this is merely the amount of fluid required to restore normal hydration levels.

By super hydrating your system, you will flush toxins and waste product from your system, restore your metabolic rate and other important systems to full capacity and feel a whole lot fresher and alert.

So, before you go to the cafe first thing in the morning, down at least 1 litre as quickly as you can, then commit to drinking at least 2 more litres throughout the duration of the day. Some would argue this is not even close to super hydrating and is what would be deemed the requisite amount of water each day. Forget about worrying about washing away salts or such nonsense, you won’t even come close to that. Just drink as much water as you can and feel the difference!

About the Author

Ryan Mitchell is the owner of Evolution Fitness Centre and is a qualified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. Ryan is dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals and draws on his experience and knowledge gained from training people of all ages and fitness levels. Ryan is a former Australian Powerlifiting Champion and Australian team member.

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