TRENDY HIPSTERS AND THE FITNESS INDUSTRY

So what exactly does the fitness industry and trendy hipsters have in common?

The answer is simple - a seemingly insatiable apetite for all things new...

Hipsters love to be at the cutting edge of fashion and music, wearing the coolest of clothes and listening to the newest music. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard a hipster say something along the lines of ‘Oh I used to love that song before it became too popular’ (as a slight aside, why on earth your liking of something is dependent upon the number of other people who do or don’t is beyond me).  Or you hear them say ‘Oh that song is so old, I was listening to that three months ago’ (as if somehow a song is like a perishable product diminishing in quality over time!

And if you think about it, the fitness industry is the same...
There are no end of new products being launched, all claiming to revolutionise the way we exercise. Allied to this are the countless number of individuals claiming to be exercise and nutrition ‘guru’s’ each with the newest, secret formula to make you fit and healthy provided you follow their unique training programme (oh and pay a lot of money for the privilege of course).

And Just like the trendy hipster, who, in his quest to be newer and cooler than his friends puts on the latest, trendiest clothes always fails to ask himself one simple, one vital, one all important question:  does he actually good? The fitness industry (especially the consumer) does exactly the same in not asking the one simple, one vital, one all important question: do these fitness products actually work?

And when I mean work, I mean actually look for independent research which verifies the claims being made. Don’t be fooled by celebrity endorsements, hell they’d say anything for a couple of quid, look at Peter Andre, are you telling me he shops at Iceland! And don’t be fooled by clever looking scientific studies highlighted on products either, delve a little deeper and you’ll likely find the study was funded by the people who actually make the product in the first place!

If you are new to exercise, don’t get caught up in trying to find the perfect plan for you, most of the time spent procrastinating is wasted time. Keep things simple, try to do some form of cardiovascular exercise, running, cycling swimming etc. whichever is the most enjoyable or of course the most bearable! And combine this with some resistance training using heavyish weights.

For much more detailed advice please do not hesitate to get in touch.

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SLEEP YOURSELF THIN

Well, sort of! It is not so much that the more you sleep, the more weight you lose. It is more a case of if you are not getting enough sleep, you are more likely to put weight on.

Think about it, if you've had a really late night and the following day you're extremely tired at work, you're more likely to reach for a fizzy drink and a bar of chocolate for that much needed quick burst of energy rather than opt for some water and a piece of fruit. Come the evening you're so 'cream-crackered' you don't do any exercise, and because you're energy levels are lower than a sausage dogs belly, you reach for something highly processed to eat rather than preparing yourself a decent meal.

So exactly how does this lack of sleep affect our ability to lose weight?

Researchers are not exactly sure, but much of the science points to a lack of sleep affecting some of the body’s hormones, in particular leptin and ghrelin which are responsible for controlling our appetites. Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone which tells us when to eat. When we do not get enough sleep we produce more of it. Leptin, on the other hand is the ‘stop’ hormone that signals for us to stop eating. When we do not get enough sleep our bodies produce less of it.

In short, more ghrelin plus less leptin makes it harder to control your appetite which almost certainly leads to weight gain. And some studies have shown that sleep-deprived individuals can chomp through an extra 600 extra calories per day!

Incidentally. the good people over at Harvard School of Public Health have also reported that weight gain due to lack of sleep could also possibly be caused by a number of other factors too, such as:

Giving people more time to eat. It seems glaringly obvious but the more time spent awake gives you more opportunity to eat.

Prompting people to choose less healthy diets. One study found that those who are sleep deprived are more likely to eat out, have irregular meal patterns and snack more.

Decreasing physical activity. Some studies have shown that sleep deprived people spend more time watching TV and less time being physically active than people who get enough sleep.

Lowering body temperature. Sleep deprived people tend to see a drop in their body temperatures which could possibly lead to decreased energy expenditure.

So how much sleep should we be getting?

Most experts agree that on average we need about seven and a half hours of quality sleep per night. If you are not getting enough there is plenty of information out there on how you can improve your sleep habits; and I urge you give the advice on the NHS website a whirl first, but if you are still really struggling the lovely people at examine.com have compiled a list of supplements which may help too.

If you are getting enough sleep already, please be aware that an extra two hours sleep per night will not make you lose half a stone, but if you are a four or five hour per night sleeper and you start sleeping for seven to eight hours, you may well start seeing the weight dropping off!

In conclusion…

Despite there being many weird and wonderful diets out there and the seemingly endless number of food supplement companies producing pills which will make you slim, sensible diet and sensible exercise regimes are proven methods of achieving weight loss. It therefore seems sensible to conclude that these regimes would be more difficult to adhere to if you are not getting enough sleep.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

TO BOOK YOUR FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION, OR TO BOOK A PLACE AT MY BOOT CAMP CLASS, PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH.

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WHY I HATE CELEBRITY FITNESS DVDs

There is little doubt that we live in a celebrity obsessed world, the popularity of the ‘characters’ from reality TV shows is testament to this.  As is the huge numbers of people who follow them on social media and are seemingly more intent on watching them live their lives rather than live their own!

 

In line with this growing celebrity obsession has been the rise of the celebrity fitness DVD.

Now please do not get me wrong I am not against these DVDs per se. In many ways I am quite positive towards them. After all, they provide people with an exercise routine that can be performed at home with very little equipment, thus breaking down some of the barriers which prevent people from exercising (expensive gym membership and expensive equipment). So in that sense they are great. They are also short in length which fits in with most people’s lifestyles and often expertly taught by excellent personal trainers.

So, all good there then.

He's normally so positive, what’s he complaining about I hear you say.

Well…my major complaint concerns the way in which they are marketed, especially the DVD covers. I appreciate they have to be eye catching but more often than not they are damn right deceitful.

Many show a ‘before’ and ‘after’ shot of a particular celebrity with the ‘before’ shot being taken of the unsuspecting celebrity in an unflattering pose, normally wearing a bikini whilst relaxing on their summer holidays. And surprise, surprise the ‘after’ shot is taken in a professional studio, using the best lighting with the celebrity adopting the most flattering pose possible, and hey presto giving the impression of the most incredible fat loss imaginable.

And another thing... 

Another bugbear of mine is the intonation that the celebrities have solely followed the exercise programmes on the DVD to help them achieve their new svelte-like body. To the trained eye it is glaringly obvious that they have obviously undergone some form of additional training for a sustained period, almost certainly performed under the supervision of a knowledgeable personal trainer!

Oh, and another thing... 

And finally my last complaint is the misinformed views of the viewer. I often hear people say ‘oh celebrity X has the most a-maz-ing body, just look at her on the front of the DVD'. Now I have already spoken about the magic of the camera and how, given the right lighting and the correct pose (and dare I mention airbrushing?) can all combine to give the impression of the most dramatic body transformation!

But what must also be made clear is that the celebrities are not (to coin a phrase used in boxing) ‘walking around’ at that weight all year round as people often think.

Much like a boxer preparing to lose weight for an upcoming bout, so does the celebrity in preparation for filming the DVD; and I am sure with the pressure they are under to look ‘good’ some these weight loss methods will be extreme and unsustainable (unlike the nutrition advice given on the DVD itself!)

And once again, much like a boxer puts on weight after a fight, you can bet your bottom dollar so does the celebrity once filming has finished!

So what’s my point?

Use celebrity fitness DVD’s as a tool to motivate you to exercise in the comfort of your own home, they are great for this, but do not be surprised if your ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos are not so impressive!

Thanks for reading.

Matt

TO BOOK YOUR FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION, OR TO BOOK A PLACE AT MY BOOT CAMP CLASS, PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH.

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IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT SOMETHING WORTHWHILE TO SAY DON'T SAY ANYHING AT ALL

Sorry that I have not blogged for a while, I’ve a mild form of writers block! The reason being I haven’t had anything new or worthwhile saying when it came to the latest developments in the fitness industry. 

 

Similar to what your parents used to tell you ‘if you haven’t got something nice to say, don’t say anything at all’. I have followed this advice but switched the ‘nice’ to ‘worthwhile’. Unfortunately this same advice is not followed by many of the journalist who contribute to fitness magazines.

It seems every month there is a new and exciting training regime which is guaranteed to boost your physique within weeks. If you have the time or inclination, do a quick google search of fitness magazine front covers. You will soon see there are endless headlines guaranteeing you bigger biceps or a 6-pack within weeks and logic tells us they can’t all be right!

 

Simply speaking, these magazines have a vested interest in hyping up a particular training regime, after all if they didn’t they’d have nothing to put in their magazine and therefore no one would buy it. So in effect their livelihoods depend on creating a buzz around these training programmes.

And these articles are not falling on deaf ears! I have lost count of the number clients that have come to me asking my opinion on such programmes which have seen a Hollywood A-lister go from skinny to beef cake within weeks ready for their latest role in an action movie. My reply is always the same: there are numerous ways to reach the same destination and just because that said celebrity went through a supposedly gruesome training regime he may well have got their anyway with a more conservative, less fancy regime.  (Oh and the use of performance enhancing drugs may well have helped him too).

What I am trying to get at is don’t always believe what you read in the magazines, remember these magazines have a financial interest in hyping different training regimes. Choose a regime that works for you and stick with it. After all by the time you keep flitting from one regime to another you will likely find that you would have benefitted from sticking with the first one and just tweaking it slightly rather than constantly changing. After all consistency is often the key when it comes to exercise improvement!

For sound, balanced fitness advice please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for reading.

Matt.

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matt@mlrpt.co.uk

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Dieting is like riding a bike – you have to expect to fall off every now and again!

If you started your New Year diet and exercise regime with all of the enthusiasm of a 4 year old boy in a soft play centre the chances in recent weeks you have struggled to keep up with this new lifestyle of yours and reverted back to the old you!

 

So why do so many diets fail?

Trying to remain on a diet is like learning to ride a bike – You’ve got to expect to fall off from time to time! And unfortunately the more extreme the diet or exercise regime for that matter, the more often you fall of.

 

So if you have been following some sort of fad or extreme diet since the New Year and fallen off too many times that you have given up, now is the time to get back on that bike and a begin a more sensible diet.

For many people diets which prohibit particular food groups or require you to semi-starve yourself for X amount of days per week are just too hard to follow for any real length of time. They either restrict your food choices so much that you are constantly craving that forbidden food or they leave you feeling too hungry too often.

So rather than trying to cycle the equivalent of the tour de France with an extreme diet and training regime just make a few changes that will make it less likely that you fall of that diet bike again.

For example, the single most important factor when it comes to weight loss is calorie restriction. This does not have to be done by following a fancy diet, it can simply be done cutting down on your portion sizes through serving your food on a smaller plate!

If you’ve been following an extreme high intensity interval training DVD and found it so hard that you have injured yourself or been left so exhausted that you simply cannot bring yourself to continue with it any more, remember it does not have to be this way. People often ask me what is the best form of exercise and invariably by common response is ‘it depends’. At this point I could baffle you with various pieces scientific research to support various training methods but I am not. The ‘it depends’ simply refers to it depends on what the individual enjoys doing. Find something you enjoy doing which gets your heart rate up and make a commitment to keep doing as often as you can.

In short…

Diet and exercise should not be like a form of extreme religion which guides your whole life. It should be viewed as something that compliments you but does not define you! So choose a diet and method of exercise which can fit in with your lifestyle with the minimum of fuss this way you are more likely to stick to it for the long haul not just a few weeks of the year when you are feeling highly motivated.

Thanks for reading.

For any training advice please feel free to drop me an email matt@mlrpt.co.uk

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THE BUSH AND BLAIR APPROACH TO WEIGHT LOSS

Hello and welcome to my inaugural blog post. It is something I have been meaning to do for a while now but have only just found the time to do so!

With this in mind I have purposely steered away from making the post something akin to a Kate Winslet Oscar acceptance speech - long, rambling and self indulgent and deliberately opted for something more John Bercow-like...short and to the point!

Those of you that know me, will be aware that exercise and politics are big interests in my life (not the two most obvious bed fellows I know!) which is why for my first post, I have included the two (well tried to anyway!). 

Back in 2003, the US and UK's invasion of Iraq certainly divided public opinion. Some of the British public whole-heartedly backed the invasion, in search of weapons of mass of destruction. Others vehemently detested it. Whatever view you take there can be little argument that neither Bush nor Blair spent much time planning for what was going to happen in Iraq once the invasion and subsequent war had reached it's conclusion.

This lack of planning may not be a good way for a government to run it's foreign policy, however it may be good way of designing your exercise programme!

PROCRASTINATION IS THE ENEMY!

I have lost count of the times people have asked me endless questions about what is the best form of exercise for them. Unfortunately they get way too bogged down and confused with the clever marketing surrounding the latest exercise craze.

They want to know whether they should be doing HIIT training, functional training, tabata training, kettle bells, battle ropes, fixed weights, machine weights, cross-fit, box-fit, or flippin' whatsit! There are endless exercise modalities out there and it is not surprising that people suffer from what I call 'paralysis by analysis'. They spend so much time thinking about the pro's and con's of each type of exercise,  they become so paralysed by this information overload and end up doing nothing at all in fear of doing the wrong exercise.

This is where the Bush and Blair approach works just fine. Sometimes you just need to go out there and get on with it, to borrow Nike's strap line - Just Do It! Choose an exercise you enjoy. If you like going for a long run go for a long run, forget that high intensity interval running leaves you with a potentially longer post exercise calorie burn. If you like spending time in the gym using the Smith  machine forget that free weights may be more functional. If you enjoy pounding the streets, go run the streets, forget that the treadmill may be kinder to your knees.

Please do not get me wrong I am not saying that these training methods do not have their place in a well-rounded exercise plan but for the average person wanting to get fit or increase their activity, doing something, anything, is incredibly more beneficial than doing nothing at all. Within reason there are not many (if any) exercises that are more dangerous to the human body than doing no exercise at all. 

If you are into your gym workouts forget about following the same training regime as the muscle-bound hulk who trains beside you, grunting and groaning and smashing the weights around, the chances are he's on steroids and therefore you will never be able lift or recover as quick as him. If you're into your fitness magazines forget about following the exact training regime as the cover model, these models are so genetically gifted he/she would have that physique (or very close to it) if they followed almost any half decent weight lifting programme.

Choose something you enjoy and go out there and enjoy it. Exercise should be fun that way you are more likely to stick to it and do it for years to come as opposed to some people I see who train their backsides of doing stuff they absolutely hate. Sure it may be effective in terms of reaching their exercise goal but because they do not enjoy it, they can not maintain it so any improvements are soon lost!

THE MAIN POINT TO REMEMBER:

Choose an exercises you enjoy doing - You are much more likely to keep doing it!

HOWEVER:

Having said that, if you do still want to some detailed information on training methods forget about listening to your sister's milkman's uncle who used to train in the 1970's. A good starting point is to refer to the position stands produced by the American College of Sports Medicine. 

http://www.acsm.org/access-public-information/position-stands

These position stands are produced by scientists who analyse all of the available research on a given topic and give their well educated view. A much better starting point than putting blind faith in what the bloke down the pub tells you to do!

Thanks for your time.

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TO BOOK YOUR FREE TRIAL PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION, OR TO BOOK A PLACE AT MY BOOT CAMP CLASS, PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH!

 matt@mlrpt.co.uk                 www.mlrpt.co.uk                          07939316401 www.twitter.com/mlrpt      www.facebook.com/mlrpt        www.twitter.com/mlrpt

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