Age is an excuse.

I was discussing the age old issue of age and exercise with some fellow trainers and thought I would make it into a blog. Even though most don't want to think about it, it will affect all of us at some point.

A lot of older people often ask tongue in cheek if I am still doing my job. Part of it is a misunderstanding as to what I actually do. I don't pound the streets, or teach 100 classes a month. I used to play competitive sport and have had my fair share of operations and injury. A younger Chris sat in my doctor's surgery with a frozen shoulder at the age of 16 reminds me of how I need to respect my body!!

Older people will always moan to those younger than them. A 90 year old will still moan to an 80 year old that they aren't as old as them!! It's quite funny when you hear it. Mostly it's the need to feel superior. Sometimes, it is regret or feeling sorry for themselves. I know, I have done it. However, I am noticing the 'age' argument coming into play with younger and younger people. Before we accept the age argument, I need to point out a few things.

Most people are out of shape and have poor condition. By condition, I mean readiness for activity. Exercise doesn't have to be a 10 mile run. It could be running for the bus, or playing with your kids. So when this group of people complain about age, we have to treat the sample population as a poor one. We can't base our beliefs and opinions on a society of people who can't negotiate their own body weight very well. We certainly shouldn't be making statements based on false conclusions either. "You look much younger than a 35 year old." When actually, you look EXACLTY like a 35 year old. The problem is, other 35 year old's look like they're 10 years older. Mainly because their diet is terrible and they don't exercise. The main thing all of my clients were told then they lost weight was how much younger they looked. However, there are other age related factors which we can't necessarily escape.

Your ability to build muscle mass.

VO2 max.

GI levels.

Fertility.

Enzymatic activity.

cognitive processes or capacity.

Myelination.

Reduction in IV disc space.

Wow, there is a lot to feel sorry for in the list above. However, Just because they are in decline, doesn't mean that they all cease to function. At first glance, one might think that we are screwed. However, despite those who think exercise, gyms and training are for those who are vain, there are scientists scrambling to replicate the effects of staying fit and active into old age. One example of this is muscle atrophy. Scientists have discovered that elderly people have less blood flow than younger people which seems to affect the supply of nutrients as well maintaining muscle mass and an optimum balance of hormones. The study showed after following a 20 week resistance training program, 3 times a week, the participants were able to restore the blood flow to that of a much younger person. This increase nutrient absorption and your ability to maintain muscle mass. The last thing you want to do is lose too much muscle mass as you age because it means you are getting weaker. Despite the perception of muscle, it has a function other than vanity.

Similarly, Myelin, which insulates nervous pathways to improve efficiency, drops off around the age of 50. However, you don't lose this ability completely. This isn't specific to exercise. It could be learning a language. Our body is able to keep itself young so long as it is exercised in the right way. I think it is crazy that in one corner, scientists are trying to reduce the aging process to improve health and fight disease. Then there are younger people who have the ability to do this but chose not to because they would rather just wait and get old. I think it is a sad waste.

I had a chat with a 72 year old and this is what he said. "Until recently, I used to lift heavy weights, but I still train. I also go rambling with other elderly people. I exercise my mind by reading and I'm still waiting for the decline to happen. I haven't felt a thing." Even though, life can deal us the unexpected, to do nothing, will take you closer to a life of degeneration. Quit with the excuses. It's ok to feel sorry for yourself, but don't blame your age. Change your expectations, get in the gym and start giving your body what it wants.

P.s My oldest client who is 65 bangs out 50 press ups.

Chris.

I'm going to drink so help me.

OK, so in an ideal world, any client who trains with me would cut back on the booze. Most do, but for those who still drink more than I would like, I help them balance out the booze as much as possible. Before I go any further, this isn't a guide to prevent the side effects of a night on the source. This is more quick guide as to how you can help your body deal with the poison/toxin, high insulin levels and excess calories from drinking.

1. Alcohol is a toxin/poison. Sure you hear of medicinal uses of alcohol. A shot of Vodka was often used as an accompaniment to your meal to kill any bacteria that may have survived the cooking process. A glass of wine can help relieve stress. However, Vodka is also good at stripping floors and cleaning jewelery so I wouldn't cling to the hope that you are making a positive health choice. Also, you can get the goodness from the grape without having it in the form of alcohol. So to help your liver cope with a night out, use milk thistle before and after to restrict and even prevent the damaging effects of alcohol.

2. Work out how big the night out is and prepare the day before and after. If you know you are going to have a skinful, you don't deserve to eat the same that day or the day after. In fact if you work out the calories consumed, you probably should think about a fast the morning after.

3. Alcohol counts towards your carb quota. If you have a few drinks, no refined carbs for the day. Take sugar out as well. Eat plenty of dark green vegetables instead.

Remember, these are 'take it our leave it tips.' This is the info that my clients want and i'm sharing them with you. If you think they are unrealistic for you, don't do them.

4. Eat a protein rich meal before you drink. This will slow your blood alcohol concentration rate. You will be putting your body through some of the symptoms a diabetic would experience. When you drink, your liver's ability to use carbs or fat as energy is completely switched off. So your blood sugar will drop and your body will not be able to provide you with any energy as you can't access the calories you consume from alcohol. This is why you hear stories of people falling unconscious and dying in the cold. Your body shuts down and has no energy.

5. Have a break from your session with a drink of water. Ideally water in between your drinks, but water isn't cool apparently. You may have been one of the people who gave me a dirty look when I asked you to get me a glass of water from the bar.

6. Take an electrolyte drink when you get in. Not a sports drink.

7. Drink hydrating fluids the day after. Coconut water is great for restoring pottasium levels.

8. Use Cinnamon in your midday smoothie. This helps to get your blood sugar back under control.

9. Get a bit out of breath in the morning. You can't sweat out a session. This is a myth. What you can do is oxygenate your blood which is probably trying to detoxify after your night out. A brisk walk will suffice.

10. Get a good gym session in the day before. Most of my clients have specific workouts to do before they go out. Most don't know that I am doing it and get one anyway. A good run isn't enough i'm afraid. You need to hit the weights and hit them hard.

Here are a few of the many different tricks and tips that I use. If you want to know more, drop me a message on my Facebook page.

Chris.

Healthy eating for under 30 quid.

I frequently get told that healthy eating is expensive. I will not deny that healthier options do cost more. However, for most, to eat healthier than they currently do would not cost anymore money. The main cost to us is convenience. We pay for food to be packaged, look and taste the way we want it to because it is convenient. So if you want to eat healthier without spending more money, you are going to have to get used to a bit of inconvenience. This means, searching out deals, not buying everything from the supermarket. Using a butcher if there is one local to you and preparing meals from scratch.

So I was told by someone that they couldn't eat healthily for the budget they had. I was then challenged to make a menu for their budget. When I scoured the supermarkets, there were various 2 for 1 offers which made a saving. The main saving was on making things last. Food was to last for 2-3 meals and leftovers. Mackerel and pouting are great low cost fish alternatives. Liver again is a low protein option (even though it isn't on this menu).

The plan is a 20% protein as this individual isn't very active. Porridge is soaked to speed up the cooking time and to aid digestion by breaking down phytic acid. I guarantee that if people have a bad diet, their digestion and absorbtion of nutrients will be poor. Fruit and veg portions are around 7 a day. Oily fish and flax seeds are to ensure optimum intake of omega 3

So here's the menu.

Monday

Porridge with flax seeds, banana and maple syrup.

Lentil soup with vegetables

Tuna salad with vegetables

Tuesday


Mackerel, tomatoes and rice

Lentil soup with vegetables

Roast chicken and vegetables


Wednesday

Porridge, flax seeds, banana and maple syrup

Chicken salad

Sweet potato with tuna and stir fry veg

Thursday

Smoked mackerel, cottage cheese and raw vegetables

Lentil soup with leftover roast vegetables

Thai green chicken curry

Friday

Porridge, flax seeds, banana and maple syrup

Omelet with spring onions and salad

Curry leftovers

Saturday

Fast in the morning (gut cleanse)

Chicken salad

Pouting (fish) with vegetables

Sunday

Porridge, flax seeds, banana and maple syrup

Nicoise salad

Roasted veg with oregano and tomatoes + chicken leftovers.

I didn't even include vegetarian days which bring the cost down even further. This is for one person so economies of scale would bring the cost down a little more. I also added some extra little tips such as a starting the day with water and lemon juice to aid peristaltic action of the colon. I am also recommending a protein shake which is to be turned into a smoothie to make a nutritious meal. Every little bit helps. It's all about being creative and planning what you are going to eat for the week.

Chris.

Are you really doing a bootcamp.

When you get multiple leaflets through your front door advertising bootcamps, it is safe to say that bootcamp training is everywhere. Yet something doesn't quite sit right with me. Earlier in the year, I downloaded Marc Kent's Commando Fitness, bootcamp blueprint book. As Marc used to be a commando it seemed a pretty good place to start get to the bottom of this bootcamp phenomena. Also hearing from Patrick Dale about the disparity between actual military style bootcamps and the one done in the park with friends, has led me to this post.

The original bootcamps were long (32 weeks), hard endurance runs in full gear and life changing. They were designed to hone people into elite commandos so they could earn the right to wear a green beret. Not everyone will make it but those who pass the test have done well. X factor have bootcamps in which good singers are brought up to scratch to see if they can make it as world-class performers. Again, many don't make it. I recently saw an add for an investors bootcamp which was a full weekend learning how to become an investor. The end result is to earn money. All these bootcamps have in common is a STANDARD OF PRACTICE. They challenge you to be different. If you don't like it, see you later. Even though fitness bootcamps today don't need to be military based, they still need to incorporate some of the original functions. If they don't you are doing an average to good circuit class. There is nothing wrong with it, you are just kidding yourself that you are doing a bootcamp.

So here is my checklist to see if you are doing a bootcamp or if you are simply doing a circuit class. You are doing a circuit class.....

1. If you say, "i'm going to my weekly bootcamp class." 'Weekly' and 'bootcamp' shouldn't be in the same sentence. The only exception is if you are doing technique work for hours at a time. I used to attend these for sports. I expect fitness bootcamps to be 3 times a week at least as well as take home material, homework and a strict nutrition plan to follow.

2. If you enjoy it. Bootcamp shouldn't be fun. Why? Because you are trying to change yourself and you will meet resistance. The results and the destination are the fun part. You shouldn't base your decision to do bootcamp on whether you enjoy it. Some people do though.

3. If you have to miss bootcamp because it clashes with something else. The result you are trying to achieve in bootcamp training should take priority over everything else (withing reason).

4. If you go out the night before knowing that you will be OK in the morning for bootcamp.

5. If you stop doing bootcamp because it is getting cold. You haven't bought into bootcamp training. You were doing a circuit class.

6. If you tell the instructor what you can and can't do. You should have been screened before so when you turn up, you get on with it. No excuses.

7. If it is easy. Getting in shape, mentally and physically is hard work and if you are going to change your mind and body, and you find it is easy, you aren't being challenged in the way bootcamp is designed. You're circuit training i'm afraid.

8. If you stop doing your bootcamp because you don't like being told what to do. Most likely you are going to bootcamp because doing it your way over the years hasn't worked. If you don't hand over control to the instructor, you are doing a circuit class because it is all done on your terms. Eventually, something will get on your nerves and you will leave.

I'm sure there are more but I hear these a lot.


Feel free to add to them.

Chris.

Are we more mentally unfit than physically unfit?

Around 1 in 4 men and 1 in 3 women in the UK are obese. 25% of young boys and 33% of young girls are also obese. The gov keep telling us that the numbers are growing despite 'efforts' to reverse this trend. Even though we shouldn't ignore this growing trend, my concern is the apparent decline in our mental fitness. Confused? Check this out.

We all know that we need to eat less and move more (sort of) to lose weight. It is the worst kept fitness secret out there, yet people seem to ignore the advice. Others put it down to motivation, time money...yet if we look behind the reasons, there appears to be something else going on as to why we can't lose weight. First we need to look at other growing trends.

The highest percentage of road rage victims are found in the UK. The UK is the road rage capital of the world with 80% of people being victims. Domestic abuse is also on the rise. Hospitals are seeing an increase in shaken babies. It needs to be stated that this can be seen during times of economic gloom. Alcohol intake and treatment has risen sharply. The number of units consumed doubled between 1997 and 2008. Unsurprisingly, there has been a 24% increase in the number of drink related deaths. Is this all down to the economy? Even if the economic climate makes us feel down in the dumps, why does this make us consume to excess?

People are stressed everywhere we look. But what is stress? If you perceive a situation stressful, you will experience stress as if it were real to you, despite the fact that you are getting worked up over not getting the dishes done. My observation is that we are becoming less able to deal with the demands of day to day life and we are becoming less mentally fit. If you become physically fit, your body is better equipped to resist the physical exertions placed on it. How much of the day is spent on getting our minds better equipped at resisting the stresses of day to day life? We are even now so afraid that our kids can't deal with not winning at sports day that everyone has to win. Getting back to the food issue, we have also lost the fine art of resisting urges as despite economics or finances, there is an abundance of the things which can do us harm. We seem to also have lost the art of saying 'no'. Someone asks if you want some of their deep fried chicken. We are so afraid of hurting their feelings, we would rather damage our own health than speak our minds. Many years ago, someone asked me if I wanted a cigarette. I said, "eerrr, I'm OK thanks." I had to back step and acknowledge my nervous response and tell them that I didn't smoke and for some reason, I gave the impression that I did as I didn't want to appear rude. The parent's of obese kids were asked if they thought their kids were obese. Most said no as they don't want to label their kids. Haven't the parents done that already with their diet and lifestyle?

Obesity isn't about just about being overweight. In my experience, there is always a mental issue that has not been addressed which manifests itself physically as weight gain. Smoking, drinking and now eating are all being used to seek comfort. So it makes sense that the more 'uncomfortable' we feel, the more we will use a 'crutch' that makes us feel better. Education only informs people about the consequences of comfort eating, smoking and drinking to excess. It doesn't deal with the issue as to why we need comfort. Dealing with emotions, managing expectations, negativity, conflict resolution, taking responsibility for your life.....this is what we experience everyday yet we don't even touch these issues. Any youth worker who deals with the 'disaffected youth' will tell you that kids today don't know how to deal with their emotions and feelings and it manifests itself in criminality.

I know plenty of guys who are physically super fit yet can get wound up easily. Footballers spring to mind. I watched a game where a player was moaning about being fouled and the referee not acting on it. He ran up to the ref, showed him the mark from the challenge and said "he got me first look, see!" When have you seen a ref say, "oooh, that looks bad mate. You know what, I think you're right. I'll have a word with him. You'd better get some TCP on it." Yet this is seen by most (not me) as the accepted way to behave. Golfers and gymnasts on the other hand have to be aware of their emotions, then in control of them as they only get one chance to execute a shot or move. They get direct feedback that something wasn't quite right. The flip side is this can make you over critical which also isn't good.

So what do we do? Firstly we need to stop labelling people with mental illness as 'them'. We are all on the same spectrum, just further down. We all have our 'stuff' to deal with. When you get wound up, ask yourself this question. If I had won the lottery, would I care? How much time in the day do we spend unwinding compared to being wound up? How much negative talk do we use? Do you use a vision board or have an end step so you know all the hard work is for a reason? Do have have an anchor to help you put life into perspective when you get mad? I use a picture of my wife and son. Do you meditate? When was the last time you stepped outside of your comfort zone? I believe the balance we need for optimum health addresses all the elements of fitness, not just the physical. Also, most people need to use their mind more than their body, so surely it's worth spending time getting it in shape?

If you have any other ways which you work on mental fitness, feel free to post.

Chris.

Drinking and weight loss.

All my clients on the initial stages of my programme aren't allowed to drink (amongst other things). The reason is that I don't want anything to hinder the effects of the system. I hear people say, "what about a gin with slimline tonic? It has hardly any calories." Calories in alcohol aren't necessarily the main problem. You actually don't store much alcohol as fat (so long as you haven't consumed excess calories for the day). I can see you reaching for the bottle as I type. The problem with alcohol is your liver converts it into Acetate. Acetate is then released into your bloodstream and stops fat burning. No protein, fat or carbs get a look in when you have Acetate in your bloodstream. Acetate also contributes to your hangover.

So if you don't put on weight from alcohol alone, where does the weight gain come from? The weight comes from the excess calories consumed after your session. This could be from alcohol or food. While Acetate is in your bloodstream, your body will convert excess calories into fat. I refer to alcohol as 'all the calories and non of the benefits.' You can't use the calories in alcohol to exercise the same way you would with a chicken salad. It would be like saying 2 bottles of wine will get you through a triathlon. However, the excess calories from your session count to your 'allowance' for the day. So whatever you eat after pushes you over. You can also get water retention which can add to the weight gain.


So it is far easier to knock it on the head for a short while to accelerate your fat loss plan.

Done.

Top tips for healthy skin.

Every since I was a child, I have had sensitive skin. For years I didn't use soap. I was told not to by doctors as apparently I was allergic to it. I was never allergic to soap. I was sensitive to the chemicals used in soap. The side effects showed up much quicker on me than other people. Combined with being given strong steroid cream which left scars on my skin, I have to stay natural to keep my skin healthy.

Here are some top tips a doctor will not tell you about keeping your skin healthy.

1. Avoid common soaps that contain Sodium Laureth Sulphate. If a soap foams, it most likely has this in it. It is an ester of sulhpuric acid and is commonly contaminated with dioxane, a known carcinogen. It is used because it is cheap and it leaves you squeaky clean. It also cleans cars very well and is used in garages. Your liver can't metabolise it and your skin is being stripped of its natural oils.

2. Improve your diet. If you eat garbage, the condition of your skin will deteriorate. Your skin is the last part of the detoxification process of the body. Look out for allergens, intolerances and try an alkalising diet which has plenty of fruit and vegetables. Also eat lots of oily fish or get a fish oil supplement (see below).

3. Salt baths. Soaking in a salt bath helps to alaklise your skin. It will also give you relief if you have dry or itchy skin. High skin acidity again can be related to diet, so it is pointless to have a salt bath only to then have a Mcdonalds.

4. Only use botanically based products on your skin. This includes moisturisers, cleansers and makeup. Steroid creams and prescribed cleansers can be harmful so you have to look around. Finding them is hard work. Even when you see the word 'sensitive' they still contain harmful substances. Just not as many as you would find in a regular bottle. Baby products aren't safe either. See the link below to see a range botanical cosmetics for adults and babies.

5. Use the steam room or sauna. Not only are they great for your muscles, they will help detoxify your body and encourage your skin to produce its own moisture.

I have used these methods to keep eczema at bay. It also helped to clear up my son's eczema. If you want to know more about skin health, send me an e-mail.

www.alimentnutrition.co.uk (their fish oil is flavoured with orange so it won't repeat on you. Mention my name and you should get your order a little quicker).

www.arbonneinternational.co.uk. (look at their skin range. The baby products are excellent and I use them on my son. I get a discount so if anything interests you, let me know).