Lift, Lift, LIFT!

“I want to be big and strong”

 

^^ A sentence many a man has said over the years and continues to say to this day.

 

“I want to be lean and strong”

 

^^ Something I’m pleased to announce more women are saying, it seems there has been a shift in them saying ‘I just want to be skinny’ to now learning the benefit of being lean and strong, it’s great to see.

 

While it is only my opinion, I feel everybody should be strong.

 

I’m not talking about record breaking strong, just strong enough to stay healthy and stave off the effects of ageing on the body.

 

These sports all centre around lifting:

 

– Weightlifting (olympic lifting)

– Body Building

– Powerlifting

– Strongman

– CrossFit (some may not like this one)

 

Did you know lifting weights can have the following positive effects on the body:

 

– Improved bone density

– Ligament/tendon health

– Delayed sarcopenia

– Hormonal benefits: Higher testosterone, better insulin regulation, more growth hormone, lower cortisol to name a few

– Lowers body fat (great for improving health)

– A higher TDEE (total daily energy expenditure, more calories burnt in a day)

– Increased strength for sport/daily life

– A boost in confidence

– Looking better naked (the most important benefit, obviously)

 

Those are only some of the benefits, there are numerous more.

 

Personally I’d say the mental improvement is the pivotal one as this can have the biggest impact on a persons life in a very positive way.

 

However….

 

If you’re not an athlete and lift for health/confidence you should do it because you enjoy it, not because you feel you have to, that’s the secret to balance and long term sustainability.

 

Don’t eat yourself up if you miss a session, chalk it up to life and sue it as a rest day, that way you’ll be more motivated when you get to go in, excited to train in fact. Keep this in mind and you’ll find you don’t fall out of love with training.

 

What if lifting isn’t for you?

 

That’s cool, find soothing you do enjoy, here are some other options for improving strength and all achieving all the other benefits mentioned above:

 

– Calisthenics: bodyweight/movement training, loads of fun

– Martial Arts

– Gym Classes

– Track & field

– Kettlebells (sport or hard style)

– Climbing/outdoor sports

 

There are almost endless options.

 

Find something you enjoy, training shouldn’t be a chore.

 

Now go, have fun and make progress.

 

Ross.

Unhealthy Health Foods

Not all foods are created equal, lots of people know this. However it’s the so called ‘Health’ Foods that can be something to watch out for.

Today we are going to give you our top ten Unhealthy Health Foods.

1 – Vegetarian Meat Substitutes – They are often devoid of anything the body needs from the meat alternative. They can too be filled with ‘filler’ such as soya to make them palatable.

2 – Sports Drinks – How often do you actually see an athlete drinking them? Precisely… More often than not these brightly coloured calamities will be filled with sugar and other nasty things.

3 – Special Cereals – Not naming names here, but there are plenty of cereals that claim to be staples of a healthy diet when in fact these sneaky little flakes will add inches to your waistline because of all the extra sugar in them. Don’t fall for the cereals clever trix.

4 – Smoothies – A hidden source of high calories. Many of the nutrients are often compromised in the process of making the smoothie, but the fructose will still be there waiting for you.

5 – Dried Fruit – Better than sweets right? Wrong… Loaded with extra sugar and preservatives, along with the fact that they’re incredibly easy to eat (stick with whole fruit).

6 – Fat Free Anything – Ok, some fat free products are not all bad, but the majority are loaded with lord only knows what to make them edible. This will send the caloric content through the roof and straight to your thighs.

7 – Protein Bars – While these handy snacks might save you from post workout catabolism (yea, some people still believe that… oh dear) they are easy to eat and not necessary if you’re diet is filled with whole foods.

8 – Skinny Coffees – Opting for the lighter option in the coffee house is an admirable choice, but this often leads to people having more than one which can mean up to 700 calories in less than 30min.

9 – Meal Replacement Shakes – These are pretty much a one way ticket to problems. There is no replacement for whole food.

10 – Diet Drinks – The Grandaddy of them all is the fabled ‘diet’ drinks. Apparently because they have less sugar, calories and whatever else is in the normal product it means you can have more guilt free… This clever marketing ploy has kept the fat cats lining their pockets with your hard earned cash for years, and it will continue to do so. Opt for water, you need that to live.

Now these simple truths might seem like common sense, but you will have an onslaught of people who defend these products because they have become reliant on them.

You are by all means free to make the choice on what to eat, it’s your body after all, just be aware of the choice you make and don’t start moaning when you’re adding the pounds.

Enjoy
Ross

“I Just Want To Be Skinny!”

“Nutrition is hard, diets are hard, why can’t I just eat what I want and be skinny!?”

This has been said to me on several occasions by various people, but what they seem to miss is that nutrition is as complicated as you make it.

I have always been a strong proponent of eating large amounts of single ingredient whole foods (80%); meaning lots of meat & veg essentially, with the freedom and choice for people to allow 20% of what they want, from any sources they so desire.

I have received a fair share of hate for these views, along with our views that by eating either 80/20 – 90/10 or even 95/5 will be largely responsible for achieving a certain look. The reason we have always stuck by this can be answered by one simple word: Sustainability.

Everyone is the same but different. What works for one won’t always work for another and this is why some people may walk around looking like they’re carved out of stone from Mount Olympus eating 80/20, while for others they might need to eat 95/5 to achieve that look.

Whether you agree or not, that is what we have found to be true for a large amount of people.

Back to the one word answer; Sustainability. A powerful word it is, if you can say that you have found something that you can sustain then you’ve found the secret to YOUR success. It doesn’t matter if it works for anyone else because it works for you and that’s the important thing.

If you’re one of the thousands who hasn’t yet found YOUR secret, the helpful tips we will give you below should help you out because as we’ve said before; Nutrition isn’t hard.

– Eat Like an Adult (Meat, Veg, Fruit – Whole Foods)
– Avoid Excess Amount of Processed Foods (High in Refined Sugar)
– Drink Plenty of Water
– Never Regret Your Choices, If You Do You Shouldn’t Have Made That Choice to Begin With.

Enjoy
Ross