So where can I start?
It’s all very good for athletes and trainers to harp on about “advanced training technique X” or “the secret training system for extreme fat loss” but really what most people (and by this I mean people who may not be gym goers, overweight, self-conscious etc.) want is an idea of where to start without killing themselves!
I had the pleasure of competing at the Muscletalk show this last Sunday in Bedford. It was an excellent event and professionally organised. The big buzz of the day was about Jodie Marsh competing for the first time in a real federation (UKBFF). I’m sure most of you have followed her story to some extend and seen the madness first hand, her malnutrition and poor advice
she was given throughout has, I fear, painted this sport in a bad light. There
are a million trainers around and even more diet and training plans. What is
clear to me is that there is no “one-fits-all” approach, despite what the big
businesses would have you believe. You need to have real advice from someone you can trust and more importantly to put your faith in that person to deliver you the results you want without straying from their plan, the worst thing you can do is to seek professional advice from multiple places or overthink the
advice given to you. I can’t tell you how many opposing views have been
presented to me during my pre-contest prep – but I stuck with the advice from my coach and achieved success.
Don’t stray from the advice given!
Now with that being said there 10 basic rules that apply to everyone:
1.
Clean up your diet: remove: sugar, crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks, cakes, chocolate, pizza, chips, burgers etc.(you know -the bad
things!).
2.
Do at least 30 minutes of something each day, running, swimming, football – anything that makes you sweat! (yes including bedroom cardio, 30 minutes might be pushing it though)
3.
Get a good night’s sleep; don’t fall into the trap of sleep debt. Sleep is when your body heals itself, it’s so important!
4.
Don’t skip breakfast; by doing so you mess up your metabolism and cause your body to be more likely to store fat. This one is so important and every person I speak to who says they “just can’t eat breakfast” soon sees the benefits once they start.
5.
Don’t overeat, binge eating is a great way to get fat - you should never feel bloated after a meal.
6.
Alcohol and recreational drugs; fun? Yes –helpful for healthy living and a good body composition? No. (Moderation)
7.
Green veg; so important to leading a healthy life I can’t begin to tell you how much my health improved after upping my green veg intake (see my kale shake recipe). Goodbye constipation.
8.
Low fat arrgh!?!?! Generally speaking “low fat”products are worse than the regular versions, instead of having fat they are usually full of sugar instead (which in my opinion is much worse). I'll have a full-fat yoghurt over the low-fat version any day.
9.
Processed food; avoid at all costs – everything should be from a natural source if possible.
10.
Vitamin pills: Forget apples, one of these a day will help to keep the doctor away!
It’s all very good for athletes and trainers to harp on about “advanced training technique X” or “the secret training system for extreme fat loss” but really what most people (and by this I mean people who may not be gym goers, overweight, self-conscious etc.) want is an idea of where to start without killing themselves!
I had the pleasure of competing at the Muscletalk show this last Sunday in Bedford. It was an excellent event and professionally organised. The big buzz of the day was about Jodie Marsh competing for the first time in a real federation (UKBFF). I’m sure most of you have followed her story to some extend and seen the madness first hand, her malnutrition and poor advice
she was given throughout has, I fear, painted this sport in a bad light. There
are a million trainers around and even more diet and training plans. What is
clear to me is that there is no “one-fits-all” approach, despite what the big
businesses would have you believe. You need to have real advice from someone you can trust and more importantly to put your faith in that person to deliver you the results you want without straying from their plan, the worst thing you can do is to seek professional advice from multiple places or overthink the
advice given to you. I can’t tell you how many opposing views have been
presented to me during my pre-contest prep – but I stuck with the advice from my coach and achieved success.
Don’t stray from the advice given!
Now with that being said there 10 basic rules that apply to everyone:
1.
Clean up your diet: remove: sugar, crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks, cakes, chocolate, pizza, chips, burgers etc.(you know -the bad
things!).
2.
Do at least 30 minutes of something each day, running, swimming, football – anything that makes you sweat! (yes including bedroom cardio, 30 minutes might be pushing it though)
3.
Get a good night’s sleep; don’t fall into the trap of sleep debt. Sleep is when your body heals itself, it’s so important!
4.
Don’t skip breakfast; by doing so you mess up your metabolism and cause your body to be more likely to store fat. This one is so important and every person I speak to who says they “just can’t eat breakfast” soon sees the benefits once they start.
5.
Don’t overeat, binge eating is a great way to get fat - you should never feel bloated after a meal.
6.
Alcohol and recreational drugs; fun? Yes –helpful for healthy living and a good body composition? No. (Moderation)
7.
Green veg; so important to leading a healthy life I can’t begin to tell you how much my health improved after upping my green veg intake (see my kale shake recipe). Goodbye constipation.
8.
Low fat arrgh!?!?! Generally speaking “low fat”products are worse than the regular versions, instead of having fat they are usually full of sugar instead (which in my opinion is much worse). I'll have a full-fat yoghurt over the low-fat version any day.
9.
Processed food; avoid at all costs – everything should be from a natural source if possible.
10.
Vitamin pills: Forget apples, one of these a day will help to keep the doctor away!
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