Hi and welcome to another week,
A bit of an abridged blog this week – I am writing this one from Melbourne having been lucky enough to come over to watch the Grand Final this year. It has been a fun weekend watching the footy and catching up with old friends – an experience that has been great to be able to share with a couple of my kids.
With the challenge starting this week – and the week 1 food rule being all about ‘cutting out’ sugar and sweeteners of ALL kinds (see the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuaridW1k7Q) I thought I would try to talk a bit about what I know about sugar. Please keep in mind as you read this that I am NOT a dietician.
First off – there is a place for sugar in life…and there is particularly a place for sugar when it comes to SPORTS. Who hasn’t seen one athlete or another sucking down some sugary drinks or gels during breaks in play (or in the case of long distance athletes such as cyclists and marathoners, whilst they are running/riding along). Sugar and it’s substitutes are simple in nature and are able to enter the bloodstream ‘quickly’ and are very good at helping replenishing glycogen stores…which in translates to feelings of ‘energy’ and – as numerous athletes can attest – improved performance. The use of drinks and gels to increase glycogen levels in endurance athletes AND in athletes involved in ‘multi-event’ format sports is pretty much ubiquitous.
When you read all of that though, please keep in mind that most of us are NOT endurance athletes and most of us are NOT participating in multiple gym sessions each day.
The feeling of energy or the ‘rush’ you can get by eating something sugary – whilst helpful during exercise is not necessarily helpful for life. The quick ‘burst’ you get in the afternoon after you drink that can of coke or eat a chocolate bar is the same spike athletes talk about utilising during their endurance efforts…it is also a very addictive feeling and one that many of us quickly find ourselves ‘craving’ day after day. I have told many people of my daily ‘Coke Zero’ that I used to drink every afternoon immediately after lunch back in my I.T. days. I ‘needed’ that drink whether or not I had slept well or poorly the night before, whether I had a busy afternoon ahead (or not) – I needed that drink regardless.
Sugary foods are also incredibly dense in terms of calories – you can very quickly consume 500 calories (or more) from a snack when sugary foods get involved. For example, a banana has 89 calories whereas a ‘Mars Bar’ has 449 calories. Not everything is about calories in/calories out when it comes to body composition and weight loss but I think we can all agree that a Mars Bar and a Banana could easily be considered substitute snacks and 449 is a LOT more than 89! Drink a can of coke to go with it and add another 161 calories…as you can see, when it comes to snacks, sugary options can quickly ‘blow out’ your daily calories no matter HOW WELL behaved you are the rest of the day. And when it comes to meals, if you are washing your healthy food choices down with a can of cool drink, well – that is not a health food choice any more.
Now – I agree that the challenge takes all this sugar obsession a ‘little’ far in that it takes out sugars and sweeteners of any kind for an entire month. This really forces you into some discipline about reading food lables and ONLY eating foods that don’t have ANY sugar or ANY sweeteners of ANY kinds added in. You will be amazed at how many food types you regularly consume have added sugars and sweeteners in that you were not aware of (again, check the video for some of the more obvious examples).
That’s it. I am back in the gym on Monday morning (after another horrific midnight flight tonight!) and looking forward to seeing everyone then. Whether you are ‘IN’ for the challenge or ‘OUT’, I would encourage you to have a real focus on food this month and try (where you can) to cut out as much sugar as you possibly can.
See you all in the gym.
Michael.
The October 2016 challenge starts tomorrow, Monday October 3rd. If you haven’t done it yet, you can sign up to do the challenge here:
https://tms.ezfacility.com/OnlineRegistrations/Register.aspx?CompanyID=1214&GroupID=1660561
With the sign-up, there are four (4) options:
– Members who want to do the challenge: $15
– Members who want to do the challenge and get a t-shirt: $35
– Members who want to do the challenge and get a t-shirt and do 2x Body Scans: $55
– NON-Members who want to do the challenge: $99
I have added in the ‘non-members’ option because we regularly get asked by people about their friends joining if for the challenge but without a membership it quickly becomes a bit of a question of economics – at $18 per casual class completing the challenge for a non-member is a big ask. But if you could access all the classes you need for $99, well, hopefully that is something that might make it possible for your best buddy who isn’t ‘sure’ about wanting to join the gym long-term but DOES want to have a go at the challenge to get involved.
The first two (2) Challenge ‘How Too’ videos are up as well – these are on our YouTube channel which is HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk0rPGfBb0Hso5traupLg8w
Good luck everyone – I have done my registration and am keen to get started!
The Food Matters program is ‘GO’ and consists of 4x 1-on-1 consultations over a 2-month period. There will be a one-hour kick-off session then 30-minute follow-up meetings every 2-weeks thereafter. The cost of all these sessions – and the before and after body scans AND the program hand-book – is all included in the program price of $200 (do the sums…this is a pretty good value package!).
We have sent out invitations to the first group of TEN (10) registered people asking them if they would like to participate – please let us know ASAP if you want to take up the offer of a place in the program OR if you would rather ‘WAIT’ and do it later or ‘WITHDRAW’ from the waiting list altogether! There is a big group of people keen to participate so whilst this might all sound a bit ‘abrupt’ the idea is that we want to get started helping people who are in a position to be ‘helped’ as soon as possible!
If you are interested in ‘Food Matters’ and haven’t told us about it yet, please register your interest in the program via email to info@round1fitness.com.au.
Just a quick note that the new Round 1 Fitness website is getting ‘close’ to being ready to go live. The biggest change is in look and feel I guess – most of the content we ‘want/need’ is already there – but in terms of modernising the site, make it more easily viewable from iPads and mobile devices…well, the current format leaves a lot to be desired!
Hopefully more info in the next couple of weeks but it is getting to the ‘Get Excited’ stage!
We know this can be a daunting time. You’re probably wondering if we really are the right fit for each other. And it’s OK! Many people before you, have felt the same, and that’s why we want to offer you something special – our $29 Health Check.
Let’s work out together to see if we’re the right fit. Just hit the button below to let me know if you’re ready to see what’s included.
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