Weight Loss Health Disaster!!

When it comes to health and fitness solutions, you absolutely need to choose something that is going to keep you fit strong and healthy in the short and long term.

You need something that adheres to basic principles and sound science.

There are lots of 'shiny object' solutions - things that shout out for your attention and often seem appealing at first glance.

Sometimes these can get people who are desperately in need of help to do something, but the consequences can be disasterous.

Other times these false hopes can derail an otherwise sensible approach that might not quite be optimal, but is still healthy.

I warned people about such 'solutions' in my nutrition talk.

I've had clients who are recovering from such choices.

Yes people will lose weight, but according to an article in the Daily Mail last week, one company's 500cal a day, meal replacement only diet, has been linked to "memory loss, heart attacks....and even death".

Apparently this has 15,000 followers in the UK - and that is absolutely crazy!!

One person is quoted as achieveing great weight loss but after being on the £66 per week diet for 8 months, she now blames it for causing "muscle pains, poor vision, memory loss and tiredness".

Is it any wonder!

Apparently this regime is endorsed by a celebrity chef - again ridiculous! A chef, someone who loves food, recommending an approach in which you consume no real food!

It's like me as a Personal Trainer recommending a fitness solution that requires no exercise!

The article went on describing an obesity expert blaming the death from a heart condition of someone who had followed the diet for 6 months, on losing too much weight too fast and that this had reduced the lean tissue in her heart.

Also a dentist talked of how he has experienced and had to treat patients for the deterioration of their dental health due to not eating real foods.

Other cases have reported hair loss and menstrual disorder, and problems learning to cope with real foods again.

Again my take is that this type of approach is absolute madness. It makes about as much sense as cutting off a limb to see a lower number on the scale!

It's your health and your life. You and your family deserve to have you live it to the fullest, and that is what a tried and tested approach to exercise and nutrition will achieve.

Seek out a true professional and you will be amazed at real results!

Be an Everyday Athlete!

Steve Cork
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
www.everydayathletes.co.uk

Nutrition Talk For Bootcamp Clients in Haywards Heath

At the end of last week - after the excitement of our pumpkin session! - i gave our current bootcampers a nutrition talk.

We are at least with our clients for their 3 bootcamp sessions each week, but this still leaves a lot of room and time for other lifestyle factors to impact on results.

Nutrition is one such area and although we give everyone some great information, it is sometimes better delivered in person with a chance to focus on that alone and ask questions.

We are always seeking to deliver more value to our clients and this was one such way we could do it.

Here is an overview of my talk

Overview of Successful Weight Loss
Correct Exercise
Nutrition
Attitude

Overview of Nutrition
Confusion
Extreme Choices
What Most People Do
The Solution

Supportive Nutrition
Frequency
Building a Meal

Tweaks
Timing
Multi Vitamins
Protein / Meal Replacements
Lower Carb Days

Tips
Food Diary
Shopping List
Not in The House = Not Eaten!
Goals and Mental Commitment

Questions?

That was the bare bones of what we covered. Hopefully this reinforced for our clients the importance of doing what they can and sticking with some core principles.

If you are interested in having me speak on topics of health and fitness i am available to do so.

Best Wishes,

Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
www.everydayathletes.co.uk

What Does A Personal Trainer / Fitness Professional Eat?

I get this question from time to time - "what do you eat?"

Often after talking through the nutritional guidelines i recommend to clients.

So here we go - a fairly typical day of my food intake.

Bowl pretty full of nuts, seeds, small amount of dried fruit, oats and 250ml of low fat yogurt.

1 Slice of rye bread and 4 poached eggs, plus a few veggies.

Serving of chicken or fish along with a good helping of raw vegetables.

Handfull of brazil nuts almonds and handful of dark chocolate!!

Serving of chicken or fish along with more veggies, occasionally some kind of sauce and occasionally some kind of carbs - rice, pasta.

Somewhere (either with the nuts and chocolate or after evening meal) i'll usually have another bowl of yogurt and nuts etc.

Variations?

Up to a couple of servings of red meat a week.

Usually no more than a couple of alcoholic drinks a week.

I tend to eat fruit as and when it is available locally in season.

Hydration?

Probably get through 1 - 2 litres of water, and up to 8 cups of green tea a day!

4 cups of black coffee a week.

Supplements?

1-2 doses of Seagreens seaweed supplement.

What i have covered here is probably ridiculously consistent for me! I just find it easy to do something similar at the same time most days. Most of the time food is simply fuel, although i definitely enjoy eating!

I eat and drink nearly 100% organic, and as mentioned with the fruit i prefer local and in season produce.

I have tried quite a lot of variation in my nutritional approach, which included five and a half years as a vegan.

I think that everyone should start out with all the basic nutritional guidelines in place and then optimise and make changes gradually from there to find out what works specifically for them.

Avoid extreme fads and 'miracle' products!

To your health and vitality!!

Steve

www.everydayathletes.co.uk
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk

Get Moving!

I have been busy recently moving house. What a joyful experience it is!

It has taken out - or i have allowed it to take out - quite a few training days. The day itself was probably physical enough though!

For those of you local to the area, i've moved from Haywards Heath to Plumpton Green.

Moving to this area is going to be great for me for a couple of reasons in particular. I love being so close to the Downs, and also the peace and quiet it brings.

However this is partly due to the noisy traffic on the road i've lived on in Haywards Heath.

If that was my only consideration, i could have achieved it by moving 100 yards in the right directions off this road rather than 6 miles!

How does this relate to your fitness training or nutrition?

Well, have you ever felt that the only way for you to make significant progress was taking some massive change of direction? Maybe you have actually done this. Maybe it was exactly what was needed and maybe it got you exactly the results you were after.

However i think that all too often people make drastic changes in their health and fitness approach, when they could have achieved the same or even much more by staying much closer to home and making some less drastic changes in the right directions.

Ever heard someone say that squats make their knees hurt - and then seen them squat! Is it the squat that should be banished from their routine or the technique that needs to be fixed??

The same can be said for diet or nutrition. Big sweeping, drastic changes are rarely the answer for long term health and success.

Luckily i'm not left feeling that was my only criteria for moving and i made a mistake!

I'm looking forward to getting some seriously great sessions on the Downs. The worst thing right now is the fact my pull up bar does not fit any of the door frames in the new place!

Now that is a criteria worth moving for! Maybe i need to get out more??

Hope the moving in your life is getting you where you need to go.

Until next time....

Steve Cork