Motivation comes in all forms!

Motivation can come in all shapes and sizes.

Sometimes for me… it’s for the love of fancy dress parties.

Twice now I have pushed a little harder at the gym and modified my workout and diet for the sake of dress ups.

Once for an Akuma costume, and once again for a Chris Angel costume.

Once again I find myself pushing a little harder for a new challenge.

However to keep the final costume idea a secret till the reveal day I cannot say right now what costume I am to be. As I know that one of my frequent readers is the person throwing the party.

However I can tell you that knowing that having the goal over the last couple of weeks has pushed me that little bit further.

Now in the last week of prep, diet and extra exercise has become paramount.

The end goal is in sight.

Bring on Saturday night!

I will post pictures as soon as the secret is revealed

Power in food and nutrition.

The more you know the easier it is to stay fit. These 7 little facts might help in planning your day to day, week to week diet needs. Not my own info but all knowledge is power!

Copied straight from the site link below;

To successfully lose weight and keep it off, it is necessary to improve your eating habits with good diet nutrition (and to increase your physical activity). Below are 7 little-known diet nutrition facts:

1. Appropriate Fat Intake

Your total fat intake should be 15 – 30% of your total calories.

2. Bad Fats Versus Good Fats

Saturated fats and trans fatty acids should be avoided and replaced with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats for optimal health and weight loss. Saturated fats found in dairy products such as butter and cheese, red meat and hardened oils, such as margarine, can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity. They should be excluded from your diet.

Healthy fats can be found in fish, soybeans, olive oil, sunflower oil and canola oil. They can actually decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease and help you maintain a healthy body weight.

3. Avoid Refined Sugars

Refined sugars found in desserts, and processed carbohydrates found in white bread, white rice and white pasta, should be replaced with whole grains found in wheat bread, whole grain pasta and brown rice. Make sure your intake of refined sugars is less than 10% of your daily calories.

4. Potassium Increases Metabolism

Potassium helps with weight loss by helping to build muscles. The bigger your muscles become, the more calories they will burn. With a healthy intake of 1600 – 3500 mg of potassium per day for healthy adults, your muscles will get bigger, and burn more calories—all day, every day. Potassium also helps balance sodium in your cells, which helps with weight loss and blood pressure regulation.

5. Vitamin D Helps With Weight Loss

Vitamin D can help you lose weight by aiding your body with insulin secretion and metabolism. Recent research has linked obesity with low levels of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is found in milk, salmon, sardines and cod liver oil. Vitamin D also comes from sunlight.

6. Try Agave Nectar

Agave Nectar is a healthy, natural sweetener that is gluten free and allergen free. It has a low glycemic index, so it will not over stimulate the production of insulin the way refined sugar does. Agave Nectar should be substituted for refined sugar for help with weight management, insulin regulation and other health benefits.

7. Sweeten With Honey

When honey is consumed with warm water, it can help in digesting the fat stored in your body. Honey has also been proven to help maintain blood sugar levels. Athletes often consume honey to help maintain blood sugar levels after a workout. Honey also helps with muscle recuperation and glycogen restoration. Honey contains several vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B1, B2, C, B6 and B3. It also contains magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, iron and phosphate. Honey is easily digested and converted to glucose. It is beneficial to your intestinal tract and kidneys, and it promotes rehydration. Substitute honey in your cookie dough to bake healthier, moister, naturally sweetened cookies.

Take these 7 facts into consideration, and get on a road to a healthier body today!

Link to website,
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/7-little-known-diet-nutrition-facts.htm

Don't wax and wane, that pain is your gain!

Perhaps you need to be a little bit of a masochist to be into fitness!?

Perhaps that pain that we all know is gain, is an acquired taste.

Perhaps.

I know I love the feeling, I have even experienced that of what A friend calls jizz legs. That ache in your upper thigh that you get from pushing your legs to an euphoric level, the tingle feels good.

So is it really a case of no pain no gain?

Well of course but you choose the level to suit your goals. The body is very good at adapting. So when you make it to goal point, you will have many less days of pain. It's the getting there that can be the painful bit.

But remember it is going to help, if you already a masochist!

No gloves, no loves.

I like to train with my gloves.

Perhaps in some circles that's a sign of weakness.

Perhaps.

But if I can't have my gloves I like to use my versa grips.

But today… I seem to have misplaced them.

So do some pieces of clothing have magic in them or are they just costly accessories?

Some believe in the power of Caps worn on heads, others a favorite singlet.

Here is a list of training must haves.

1. Proper joggers! Properly sought out joggers will last a long time and lessen injury on your legs.

2. Gloves! These are needed for 2 things, weight training to stop calluses and to wipe the sweat from your brow.

3. For serious lifters, a lifting belt and lifting straps are ideal.

4. Determination! And Focus! Yeah these are free, but without them you will be weighed down.

So keep your magic hats if you need them, wear your superman undies. But remember the real power will come from yourself.

How do you unwind?

As leaving work today, it was proclaimed, "it's Friday, relax you don't have to go to gym!"

Besides the fact that I was already kitted up in my singlet and boardies, I couldn't think of anything more relaxing then heading to the gym.

It was 6pm already which made it later then I usually get to the gym. But once I was there it was almost only me, and my thoughts to contend with.

But like most days, an afternoon of exercise seems to melt, not only the kilos, but the stresses of the day away.

Am I the only one? I don't think so. Are there easier ways to unwind... Yeah probably. But this is still the fittest way.

Read this little excerpt if you want a little bit of extra reasoning as to why exercise is good for a stress head.

Me, I'll be sleeping like a baby tonight due to my efforts at the gym this eve!

http://www.ivillage.co.uk/stress-busting-fitness-tips-exercise-relieve-stress/77481 (copy and paste this in if the link doesn't work)

Hump day heave Ho!

Yeah I know it's not Wednesday yet. But I don't plan to post tomorrow. So here's the post for tomorrow now.

Quite the transformation, and considering the motivation he had it shows your never to old to make health choices to benefit your fitness.

Tech Tuesday!

Well I mentioned last week that I would review “Zombies, Run!” an App that was recommended by a reader in response to Map My Run.

So here is how my test run… bad pun I know… went.

Early morning, 5am. I’m already kitted up for a jog, so you can imagine how early I had woken to be ready for a frightening jog.

Ear buds in and start the App.

I had previously set up all of my parameters, such as random Zombie Chases and getting my GPS location fix.

I was ready…

Step outside, everything is dark, unless a street lamps light touches it. And the Audio commentary begins.

The voice acting is a little bit… odd. Not camp, not too poorly acted and not over the top. Perhaps as good as any regular Zombie movie dialogue, which I guess in this case is a good thing.

I jog from Ecclestone St to the beach and back, using a line that travels past Retravison, beach road Fish and Chips and the Hungry Hollow. So by the time I get to the lights at Retravision, my first Zombie chase is on.

I fail the chase, not knowing exactly how fast I would need to be to escape the horde. Items get dropped to distract them, and I escape.

The story continues in-between songs that I have on my iPhone. And I make it to the Hungry Hollow drink fountain. However on my way back… another chase ensues. This time I run harder and start to make a difference in distance between me and the un dead. As I run back up the hill, I scared the crap out of myself! Sitting on a bricked letter box in the dark is a man, waiting for a lift into work, but as I am currently being chased by zombies I get a fright when he moves as I go past. This zombie chase I win!

As the story progress’ further the end of the mission is approaching, I’m on the home stretch to arrive at Abel township. But alas, one more chase ensues. This time it is an ex runner turned zombie! This chase proves to be too much for my tiring body and I distract the zombie once more with goodies that I have collected.

Within another minute or two my 35 minute long mission comes to an end, as I am welcomed into the township with my collected goodies.

As of the moment, I have only completed one mission, I do hope to play some more, and I hope that it gets scarier as I go along.

So for the moment I give this App a big thumbs up for creativity and interaction, especially if you are getting a little bored of the regular jogs or walks.

I would recommend an iPhone arm band however, as it is annoying to hold the phone while you jog.

This app will be available soon for android users.

Setting goals!

Fitness like many other things requires hard work and focus.

Sometimes you need to set short term goals to help with achieving fitness.

But what about setting some lifetime goals?

Do you have potential long-term illnesses that you want to postpone or be clear from?

Perhaps some grandparents have passed before their prime due to illness or poor health.

My goal is to become a great grandfather and to remain fit throughout my 50’s, 60’s and beyond.

Time will be my only test to see if I can pull it off, but keeping this long-term goal in mind helps me take steps with the short term goals to getting there.

So what’s it going to be for you?

Perhaps long-term isn’t as far away as a lifetime away… perhaps it’s yearly or perhaps it might even be half yearly or in 10 years’ time.

So set yourself a long term goal as well as the short term.

Without them, you will lose track of where you want to be in your fitness.

Burning the candle!

I don't normally require 2 days in the week to rest but, it happened this week.

A mix of light cold, intense workouts and lack of my protein powder meant I was recovering a lot slower.

If you can't give your workout 100+% you're are best to rest a day or so and return to your workout routine amped up and re energized!

Now I have my nutrition sorted again, and I'm rested… watch out Saturday!

Hump day heave ho! - Revised 11/10/14

Are you trying to break a hump day or days? I still dare you to watch this dose of inspiration and not get fired up!

It's no wonder that Arnold became the governator of California.

I have been struggling myself lately to find the motivation some morning, but now that I am in holiday mode, i can sleep in and hit the gym later rather than first thing before work like I normally do. At time, this can become a drain. However, I think I'm going to have some trouble training while away on my trip... but we will see how that goes.

Tech Tuesday!

Next week I will give a review on Zombies, Run!

But for now, if reading my blog isn't enough inspiration, there is an app for the iPhone called Anabolic minds.

There are many informative forum posts here so get it, get inspired and get informed!

Easter alert!

Oh boy, it's that time of year again.

Easter. Which means, Easter eggs.

Which means chocolate.

Hopefully you have all thought ahead and asked for less chocolate this year. If you didn't and your going to be f Ed with mountains of chocolate, what should you do?

My 3 top tips are;

1. Share. Share your egg collection with others. That way your not consuming it all.

2. Have a bit before a workout. Use the power of sugar as an energy boost to fuel an intense set.

3. Enjoy it for 1 week only. If you space it out too long, you will most likely create a sugar craving habit.

So choc it up a little, try and keep your routine going if you can. You have a whole long weekend to get some fitness in.

Hump day heave ho!

This video proves you don't have to be a heavyweight giant to be strong. I'm sure there are many climbers who would like these skills.

Also wouldn't it be awesome to bust this out down at your local park?

Hump day heave ho!

I have decided today to do 2 clips of, well… I guess, inspirational bodies.

Not everyone is looking for a super svelte physique, but I’m sure that we can all draw inspiration from the obvious dedication and intensity that these people go to, to create super bodies.

Some get a little bit scary with size and for the females, the masculinity… GULP.

Hey there pretty lady, I can see your Adams apple…

But enjoy these clips for the motivational powers that lie within.

Tuesday tech

Like to run?
Want to record how far you go?
If you have an iPhone try iMap my run app.

It will use gps to locate and track you but it does one hell of a job.

It will also give you some extra stats about how your tracking with pace and distance covered.

The only problem is what to do with your iPhone… an armband perhaps. Or do what I did, hold it in your hand as you jog.