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‘6 easy steps’, New Check-in process, Functional Patterns

Hi and welcome to another week,

Loved my training this week – but I think attempting the ‘No Rules’ session on both Thursday lunch-time AND again on Friday night was probably biting off a bit more than I can chew. Those repetitive bin-runs – particularly pushing hard to hit a time limit – have left my calf muscles feeling somewhat less than ‘perfect’. That said, it is a really good feeling to push hard and just keep going – and to line up at the start line next to someone and when you say ‘Are you going to hit the time on this one’ and have them answer quick as a flash ‘I am going to give it my best shot – lets really have a go’ is just a great feeling and quite inspiring. So thanks for that JD…but no thanks for leaving me to finish those stupid wall balls all by myself!

I read a great article this week about clean eating and weight-loss and thought I would steal (heavily) from it in terms of this weeks blog. If you want to read the (much better) original article, you can find it here: http://chriskresser.com/6-tips-for-successful-weight-loss-on-a-paleo-diet. I have kept the six points the same and simply swung around the words a little to make it a little more R1 specific…the original article is by far the better one but if you want my take, then read on:

Action Point 1 – Eat simple food, cooked simply!

Stick to simple food at every meal – select a protein (meat, fish), as many non-starchy vegetables as you can swallow and finish off your plate with some whole-food based (NOT grain based) carbohydrates (like some sweet potato)…AND some healthy fats (like avocado). If weight loss is your focus, cook simple meals that don’t need a ‘whole bunch’ of flavorings/extra ingredients that aren’t contributing to you achieving your goals. I have said it before, personally I find that making lunch look like breakfast and making dinner look like lunch is a great recipe for success – and for everyone who says that they get bored eating that way, maybe I am lucky but I have found I never get bored of bacon, pork bellies, steak, lamb chops, kangaroo, chicken, roast beef etc. And a plate of mixed roast vegetables is a great addition to any meal (every meal?).

Want something fancier? Something different? Write it down. And when your next ‘cheat meal’ (Free-eating day in Life Plan language) comes along, that is the time to go and track down that ‘special’ dish you have been craving.

Portion sizes matter – make sure you eat ENOUGH!

A bit frustration for me is the focus on calories in/calories out for weight loss. Yep – it is ONE consideration – but only one. If you aren’t getting in enough food then you are depriving your body of nutrients which is causing your body stress…and this will not help you lose weight. If you NEVER eat breakfast – and aren’t ‘hungry’ in the mornings, this doesn’t mean you don’t need food. It means you have gotten used to not eating brekky and your body has learned it is a waste of time sending down hunger signals till lunchtime or so. Get some good food – protein and veggies – at each meal, in decent quantities – and you will feel better and the ‘need’ to ‘snack’ will be much, much reduced…therefore the hunger for sugars to get you through the afternoon will also dissipate.

I know this will be controversial, but honestly if you stick to meat and vegies (and stay away from the bread, pasta and rice) you really will have a hard time over-eating – so destress a little about eating too much and instead focus on getting enough quality food into you.

You need carbs to support your exercise – but that doesn’t have to mean pasta!

The whole ‘no carb’/’low carb’ thing is pretty individual and some people deal with it well, others not so well. I find that when I focus on getting my fuel for tomorrows activities TODAY – rather than tomorrow night – I cope a lot better in terms of energy levels. If you have a big day planned tomorrow, get some whole food based carbs into you TODAY – and you will cope a lot better. Exercise tomorrow = Sweet Potato today (well, that’s my motto anyhow!). That said, if you aren’t planning on doing too much tomorrow, you can probably drop your carbs right back today – why gorge on sweet potato if you aren’t going to burn it off?

The gym isn’t enough – you have to get moving (regularly)

I worked in an office for 20 years – and know that spending an hour sitting in the car followed by 8 hours (10 hours? 12 hours?) at a desk then another hour in the car on the drive home is not great for energy levels or weight loss. And because you have been sitting down all day your energy will be down…which will mean that your day will probably finish with you sitting on the couch. So…what can you do??? Well, as disruptive to your day as it might be, you have to – simply HAVE to – find a way to get up and moving 2-3 times each and every day. If you have a sedentary job, you simply MUST walk at lunch-time – this should be non-negotiable and 20 minutes is all you need. From there, the challenge is to find another 10 minutes mid-morning and 10 minutes mid-afternoon to get outside and stroll around and the outcome of your training at the gym will be magnified. You just have to get up and moving.

You aren’t alone – so don’t do it alone
You really do need help to get going – doing it alone isn’t impossible but it is harder than it needs to be. Having your friends or family join you on your journey really does increase your chances of establishing a long-term lifestyle change – particularly when it comes to diet. It is so hard to stick to a ‘clean eating’ diet when the person on the lounge chair next to you is drinking red wine whilst eating an icecream!

But – if your immediate family and friends aren’t able to support you – don’t give up. Become an ACTIVE participant at the gym – contribute to FaceBook, get out of your comfort zone and TALK to people who seem to be training at the same times that you do, engage the trainers for advice…you will find that the shared interest you have with other people at the gym in become just a little bit healthier will enable you to establish a connection and (hopefully) move you from ‘nodding’ acquaintances to something more. If you aren’t comfortable with this

There is more to life than diet and exercise – be holistic
It isn’t just food and it isn’t just drink. If your sleep is continually being interrupted – or if you are ‘choosing’ to stay up late when you know you have to get up early, well – you aren’t going to get results. If you are training six (6) days a week but never taking the time to stretch, never taking the time to relax, never taking the time to get out and walk in the sunshine, well – you aren’t going to get results. I know it is hard to understand that training hard in the gym is good – but training hard in the gym AND spending 15 minutes laying on a foam roller is twice as good…but it just is. You have to look after your whole self – not just focus on training hard.

Like I said, the original is better and you can still find it here – : http://chriskresser.com/6-tips-for-successful-weight-loss-on-a-paleo-diet – for me it is just the best article I have seen with regards really ‘simplifying’ a successful approach to diet/lifestyle which will enable you to live a little bit healthier.

See you at Round 1,

Michael.

Gym Update #1 – Reception Changes Coming Soon Are HERE!

As promised last week, a new sign-in setup is in place and working. Rather than checking in ‘at the desk’, there is now a scanner (for members) on the right as you enter the gym. This will enable everyone to ‘sign-in’ without having to queue up at reception. It has been done to enable members to ‘fast track’ their way into the gym without having to line-up behind/squeeze past people who are filling in paper-work, buying drinks, whatever else they might be doing at reception.

When you sign-in, please WAIT for the system to show your membership status – a big green ‘TICK’ means, all good, a red ‘CROSS’ means expired or otherwise in error. If you have a cross appear – or something else seems to be wrong – please don’t just ignore it…let someone know so we can help you sort it out.

Gym Update #2 – 6-Month Life Plan

Week two of month two is now underway. I know that some of the Life Plan rules for this month could be a bit of a challenge for a lot of people – staying away from sweets, chocolate and cool-drinks/cordials/sport drinks will really be challenging those sugar addictions – but remember the long-term benefit of ‘being strong’ will far outweigh the short-term gratification that the sugar will give you. Stick at it – results will come your way.

All of that said, the ‘RULES’ for Month#2 are as follows:

Two (2) group training sessions per week
One (1) 30-minute walk/stretch per week
No SWEETS! (And this means Lollies, chocolate, icecream or donuts/biscuits/cakes) Monday to Friday
No COOL DRINK – And this includes the ‘DIET’ versions – Monday to Friday.
No bread – At ALL! (Well, free eating days I guess)
Five (5) alcohol free days each week – and only two (2) drinks allowed on the other days.
Two (and ONLY 2) days during the month when you can eat/drink outside of the ‘rules’.

Good luck everyone – and for anyone who wants to jump on board, it is not too late!

Gym Update #3 – New Equipment is on the Way

You might remember we had a KrankCycle on trial a few weeks back? Well, our very own will soon be in the gym! We will have a slightly ‘modified’ version – with full electronics so you can track your speed/distance etc – in the gym by the end of the month (he says with a hopeful smile). So – for everyone who found the Krank a great way to get their cardio up whilst struggling with knee issues, it will be BA-ACK (and very soon).

Gym Update #4 – February ‘Get it Done’ Challenge is Underway

The February ‘Get it Done’ challenge is underway and to be on-track for your free ‘Get it Done’ t-shirt you should have around about 15 classes or so completed by now. Remember, there are only 28 days in Feb so you will need to plan ahead if you want to get the 25 done – you are allowed to use three (3) x Doubles (two in one day) to help boost your numbers if you need too.

Remember also, there is some room down the bottom of each sheet for every participant to record three (3) goals for the month. Whilst this isn’t compulsory, it is always good to target a little bit ‘more’ with your training – having a focus point such as completing 10x consecutive chin-ups and working towards it at the beginning/end of every session you do is a really good way to accelerate your development/improvement.

Gym Update #5 – 12-month Memberships: Bags

As mentioned last week, our latest order of bags were returned to the supplier as they had faulty zips – a new set are on the way however they may be another week or so. We are keeping a list of everyone who has missed out and will give out the backpacks as soon as they arrive. Please don’t stress – the bags have been ordered and paid for but we simply couldn’t take delivery of a faulty product.

Gym Update #6 – Round 1 DreamTeam Competition

With footy season (nearly) upon us, the 2014 Round 1 Fitness DreamTeam competition has been kicked off. If you are interested in joining, go to http://fantasy.afl.com.au and enter code WNV7KZLV to access our competition.

Gym Update #7 – Trent Harding – Everyday Hero

6am’er Trent Harding is another on the charity trail – and this coming weekend he will be swimming to Rottnest to raise money for the Duchenne Foundation. If you can spare a couple of bucks for this great cause and to support Trent in his efforts to support Klair and Justin Bailey as they go through life with their son Logan suffering from Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy. Support Trent here: https://give.everydayhero.com/au/trent-7