Would you hire a car if you didn't know how to drive?

You're probably wondering "what on earth is he on about?" but you'll see where I'm going with this shortly.  I wrote this article as there seems to be a lot of people with gym memberships who don't use them, throwing hundreds of pounds down the drain.  Sound familiar?  I wanted to write a piece that will give you something to think about.

So, would you go to hire a car if you didn't know how to drive?  Of course the answer is no.  You would be wasting your money. You wouldn't even be able to drive out of the rental shop, let alone to wherever you wanted to travel to.  Your options are limited to buses, trains and taxis etc.

The way you train and your mode of transport

I am going to flip it around now and say your local gym is your car hire company.  You pay them to hire their facilities and you sort of know what to do to lose weight, tone, build muscle and nutritionally educate one’s self. You’ll try what you know for a few months and then you’ll stop seeing results.  This is like understanding what is needed to drive, but not actually knowing how to.  You start to move, but then you stall and you are back to square one.

 So, the next option is to try classes.  However, the workouts are generic and don’t get you to where you want to be.  (This is like your bus or train that will take you part of the way but you still need to travel that last little bit).

Then there are Personal Trainers who will guide you on what you need to do.  Tell your Personal Trainer what you want to achieve, let them do all the programming for you to help you reach your health, fitness and nutritional goals. These are your knowledge knowing cabbies.  You told them you wanted to go from A to B and they took you there.  It cost you a little bit more but your cabbie took you right where you wanted to be and you didn't have to worry about a thing.  It was quicker too.

Don't waste your time or money.

Think wisely about your fitness choices.  If you are currently training and unsure of what you doing, or you’re training for hours and not getting anywhere with it, reconsider your options.  Don't push all that effort you made to the side, to stall like the car and go back to square one. 

Don't give up; we would love to see you succeed no matter what you do!

Contact Us

'Pound Lost, Pound Donated'

'Pound Lost, Pound Donated' is an idea conceived to give the clients of LiveLife Personal Training some extra incentive to lose weight.

I like to give all the clients of LiveLife Personal Training the best chance of achieving their goals but I would like to reach out to a few more people that need help at the same time. Every client of LiveLife Personal Training that loses a pound towards their fat loss goal or gains a pound for their muscle developing goals will have a donation made on their behalf from LiveLife Personal Training of FIVE pounds.

To that end, I've set the goal of raising £10,000 or more for Marie Curie Cancer Care in the first three months of 2012

We are inviting anyone interested in fat loss or muscle gain to enter our 'Pound Lost, Pound Donated' challenge. You will receive our elite support and expert information resources to help you lose fat and gain muscle. As if that wasn't incentive enough you'll be raising money for a fabulous charity in the process!

We will be awarding prizes based upon the biggest fat loss, body fat percentage change and subsequent money raised for charity as part of this event.  The event will start in January 2012, book in for a FREE, no obligation Health Assessment (Usually £100). during which we will provide you with the template you need for successful weight loss, and if you sign up for the challenge we will support you along the way with exercise programs and support!

If you are someone who is genuinely interested in changing anything to do with the way that your body looks, moves and feels and have the will to do something about it then we would love to work with you.

Please e-mail me if you are interested in taking part in the challenge!

Kindest Regards,

Matthew

White Potatoes Vs Sweet Potatoes

Should you avoid white potatoes and eat sweet potatoes instead?

Both white potatoes and sweet potatoes contain a variety of nutrients. Here’s the comparison:

7-ounce white potato with skin: 220 calories, 5g protein, 51g carbs, 20mg calcium, 115mg phosphorus, 2.8mg iron, 16mg sodium, 844mg potassium, 4g fiber, .22mg thiamin, .07mg riboflavin, 3.3mg niacin, 16mg vitamin C
7-ounce sweet potato: 208 calories, 3.5g protein, 49g carbs, 56mg calcium, 110mg phosphorus, 1mg iron, 20mg sodium, 693mg potassium, 5g fiber, 4350 RE vitamin A, .14mg thiamin, .13mg riboflavin, 1.2mg niacin, 49mg vitamin C.

So, as you can see, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin A, and have a little more vitamin C and calcium (but less iron) than white potatoes; otherwise they're pretty much equal. We eat the potato skins as well as the flesh; the skins of many vegetables and fruits are concentrated sources of nutrients and fiber.

Simples.

10 Nutritional rules.

Here are ten key nutritional rules.

1. Eat every 2-4 hours.

Are you doing this – no matter what? Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-4 hours but you do need to eat 6-8 meals and snacks that conform to the other rules below.

2. Eat complete, lean protein each time you eat.

Are you eating something that was an animal or comes from an animal – every time you feed yourself? If not, make the change. Note: If you’re a vegetarian, this rule still applies – you need complete protein and need to find non-animal sources.

3. Eat vegetables every time you eat.

That’s right, in addition to a complete, lean protein source, you need to eat some vegetables every time you eat (every 2-3 hours, right?). You can toss in a piece of fruit here and there as well. But don’t skip the veggies.

4. Eat carbs only when you deserve to.

Well, not ALL carbs – eat fruits and veggies whenever you want. And if want to eat a carbohydrate that’s not a fruit or a vegetable (this includes things like simple sugars, rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, etc), you can – but you’ll need to save it until after you’ve exercised. Yes, these often heavily processed grains are dietary staples in North America, but heart disease, diabetes and cancer are medical staples – and there’s a relationship between the two! To stop heading down the heart disease highway, reward yourself for a good workout with a good carbohydrate meal right after (your body best tolerates these carbohydrates after exercise). For the rest of the day, eat your lean protein and a delicious selection of fruits and veggies.

5. Learn to love healthy fats.

There are 3 types of fat – saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Forget about that old “eating fat makes you fat” maxim. Eating all three kinds of fat in a healthy balance (about equal parts of each) can dramatically improve your health, and even help you lose fat. Your saturated fat should come from your animal products and you can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for cooking. Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil. And your polyunsaturated fat should from flaxseed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.

6. Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).

In fact, all of your drinks should come from non-calorie containing beverages. Fruit juice, alcoholic drinks, and sodas – these are all to be removed from your daily fare. Your best choices are water and green tea.

7. Focus on whole foods.

Most of your dietary intake should come from whole foods. There are a few times where supplement drinks and shakes are useful. But most of the time, you’ll do best with whole, largely unprocessed foods.

8. Have 10% foods.

I know you cringed at a few of the rules above. But here’s the thing: 100% nutritional discipline is never required for optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible. So you can allow yourself “10% foods” – foods that break rules, but which you’ll allow yourself to eat (or drink, if it’s a beverage) 10% of the time. Just make sure you do the math and determine what 10% of the time really means. For example, if you’re eating 6 meals per day for 7 days of the week – that’s 42 meals. 10% of 42 is about 4. Therefore you’re allowed to “break the rules” on about 4 meals each week.

9. Develop food preparation strategies.

The hardest part about eating well is making sure you can follow the 8 rules above consistently. And this is where preparation comes in. You might know what to eat, but if it isn’t available, you’ll blow it when it’s time for a meal.

10. Balance daily food choices with healthy variety.

Let’s face it, when you’re busy during the week, you’re not going to be spending a ton of time whipping up gourmet meals. During these times you’re going to need a set of tasty, easy to make foods that you can eat day in and day out. However, once every day or a few times a week, you need to eat something different, something unique and tasty to stave off boredom and stagnation.

Eat Well

Train Hard

Live Life

BioSignature Modulation

BioSignature Modulation

Have you ever imagined what it would feel like to get rid of that stubborn localised fat? Dreamed about losing your 'love handles', 'bingo wings' or 'man boobs'?

BioSignature Modulation was developed by world-renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin. It tells us where you store your body fat, but more importantly why you store your body fat in those certain areas. After noticing trends and correlations, Charles noticed that where people store their body fat is an indication of their hormonal profile. If you over or under produce a certain hormone, you will store fat at the related body site.

Knowing this means we can manage your body fat levels and the corresponding imbalanced hormone levels with effective exercise protocols, targeted supplementation program and lifestyle adjustments. So if you've ever wondered why you can't seem to gain the muscle you crave or lose any unwanted body fat then this is the solution for you!

Not only are the results fast and effective, but they are long lasting as well. You can expect to drop 1%-2% of body fat a week. BioSignature Modulation doesn't just concern people looking for a decrease in body fat but will also help by nutritionally supporting the body to optimise health levels. The end result will be a happier, leaner and healthier you!

The phrases ground breaking, innovative, and spectacular are too often used without thought or real context. That isn't the case with BioSignature Modulation.

It will have a positive impact upon:

• Stress
• An under active thyroid (Hypothyroidism)
• Insulin Regulation
• Androgens (Testosterone) & growth hormones
• Sleep Disorders
• Energy levels (no more lack of energy in the morning or afternoon)
• Body Composition - fat loss and muscle building.
• Overall health and wellbeing
• Localised fat reduction
• Digestion problems
• Plus many more

The result is improved performance in ALL areas of your life - physical, mental and intellectual. By following an outlined plan, every single one of our clients has emerged leaner, stronger, healthier, happier and more energetic.

BioSignature Modulation is the closest thing you will ever come to real spot reduction! Yes, all fitness professionals worth their salt will tell you that localised fat reduction is impossible, but if localised fat deposits exist, as we know they do, surely eliminating their cause will also eliminate their existence.

Interested?

Battling Ropes: Can Rope Replace Gym?

Battling ropes training puts both strength and speed to the ultimate test. This high-intensity workout helps you reach your maximum heart rate quickly and revs your metabolism. The routine effectively engages the entire upper-body and core muscles. It not only increases arm and hand strength but also improves speed and balance. The nature of battling ropes training is fast and intense, raising your heart rate to the max very quickly. In as little as 15 minutes, you’ll be burning hundreds of calories.

The Battling Ropes system is an easy to implement, highly effective form of training and conditioning for athletes and general fitness enthusiasts alike. Battling Ropes drills will improve grip strength, improve your ability to create power and sustain the power output for longer periods of time, improve your aerobic and anaerobic capacity, teach the muscles of the entire body to work together to maximise performance, and add a fun new twists to your workout.

There have been hundreds of exercises created as well as many more variations. Drills may be performed independently or with a partner. Traditional strength exercises like pressing and squatting drills may be performed as well as exercises unique to the ropes themselves. The wave system drills are a good example. The athlete doubles a length of 20m rope around a pole or immovable object creating two 10m lengths. Holding an end in each hand the athlete swings the rope up and down creating large waves in the rope. This sounds like nothing but I guarantee 99% of you reading this would have quite a bit of trouble lasting a mere 30 seconds! It's that tough!

Granted I don't think Battling Ropes will ever replace barbells and dumbbells, but in my opinion they deserve a spot right next to them and make an excellent addition to any strength training and conditioning program. Just ask any of my athletes who are lucky (or unlucky, depending on if you ask them or me) enough to have this method as part of their training arsenal.

So, the question is whether you’re ready to lose weight, get stronger and get in the best shape of your life? Yes. Get ready for Battling Ropes. Prepare for mind blowing gains of strength, stamina, and power. Battling Ropes is a no impact, kick butt, fast and furious, high velocity, pure adrenal surge functional training workout! You have never experienced a cardio workout at this level.


Do you want to view this article on the LiveLife Personal Training Website?


Are you interested in learning more about training with Battling Ropes?

Skill Is Not Enough

Surely the average club sportsman doesn't require a fitness program - even those with ambitions of winning competitions? 

After all... Sportsmen aren't athletes... right?

Make no mistake - Sportsmen (at any level) ARE athletes, I am yet to find a sport that doesn’t require a great deal of athleticism.

Strength, power, flexibility, balance, core stability, body awareness, endurance... they're all physical traits that every consistent sportsman (even the fair-weather players) must possess.

The sports industry is littered with gadgets and gimmicks for increasing performance. Yet for all their claims and guarantees most remain independently unproven. Compare that to a basic fitness or sports conditioning program...

I’ll use Golf as an example. After 5 weeks of completing 15 minutes of very simple home exercises 5 times a week, golfers increased their club head speed by an average of 24%. While it could be argued that club head speed is only one small facet of a golfer's overall game, it is highly correlated with a player's handicap. In other words, the lower a player's handicap is, the higher their club head speed at impact tends to be. In fact, a 24% increase relates to a reduction of 4 shots off a golfer's handicap. This is just one of several studies that proves the benefits of conditioning for golf.

For the more serious sportsmen, conditioning can no longer be seen as an unnecessary add-on to their practise routine. Just as a committed amateur athlete spends time on their technique AND their fitness, so must the sportsman who demands to be the best they can. There is a caveat however...

In order to improve performance in any sport, training must be specific to the demands of the game involved. 

Of the few sportsmen who do appreciate the importance of physical training (sadly it is only very few), most still make the mistake of following a general fitness routine.

If you want to consistently perform at a higher level, you need to take a different approach. Not a more complicated approach and not a more time-consuming approach, a more specific approach.