Is your NYR really just an ADS?

I've talked a bit before about why I generally find the whole "New Year, New You" thing bloody annoying. In case you missed it, in a nutshell it's because most people make the same "Resolutions" year after year, and have given up by Paddys day if not much sooner.  

Not so much of a New Years Resolution then, as an Annual Delusional Statement. It might sound harsh, but it's probably true. So, how can you tell if you're delusional in terms of your health, fitness and/or weightloss goals for this year? You start by asking yourself the following questions:

What's your goal?

Why are you doing this?

What does your plan look like? 

What are you gonna focus on first?

What are you missing?

What are you doing but shouldn't be?

What aren't you doing but should be?

If you haven't answered those questions, then your resolution is more of a delusion, at the moment.  The good news is that going through this process every few weeks will help you to focus on what's important to you so that you get better results, faster. 

If you'd like my help to make sure this year you really do achieve your goals, get in touch and we'll see what your next steps should be. 

Malachy.

How I stayed motivated while losing weight.

My weight loss journey took some time, during which I got rid of over 70lbs of fat, and at the same time put on enough muscle that i looked good rather than gaunt! It wasn't easy, of course. Nothing of significance ever came easy. This was back before hashtags and #fitspo, hell, you could be on the phone or the Internet but not both, and broadband didn't exist.

My motivation was the one and only Mr Arnold Schwarznegger, the skinny Austrian kid who went on to become the Austrian Oak, a mighty champion. While I had no interest in becoming a bodybuilder or champion of anything, his story inspired me, and in the space of about a year I transformed myself from very fat to very fit. 

This required making some changes to my lifestyle, some more dramatic than others. The one most fundamental to my success though, was a change in attitude, from I wish to I am. No more "I wish I could lose weight"; that became "I'm in control of my weight".

I took responsibility, and I took control; I made mistakes and I learned from all of them. I cooked all my own meals from scratch (except for pasta), nothing from jars or packets; I stopped eating in front of the tv; I introduced more physical activity as I became more able, using what I had (my bodyweight & some rocks). Eventually, I was cycling instead of taking the bus every Friday for my 11mile each-way commute. After a while I was just as quick cycling as taking the bus. 

Some of those early meals were bland, some were borderline poisonous, but with practice you learn what combinations of seasonings make a dish mouthwatering instead of eye watering (hint: use cayenne and chilli peppers sparingly until you know what you're at!).

20 years later and I'm still no bodybuilder, but then, I'm not trying to be. Annie inspired in me an attitude which allowed me to take responsibility for my actions, and to take control of my life to make it go in the direction I wanted. 

Hopefully this will inspire you to take more control of your own life. If you'd like some help along your journey, I'll happily be your guide. You have to take each step though, nobody else can do that for you.

If you are ready to take those steps, drop me a line mal@malkelly.com or pick up the phone 086 1945 040. If I can't answer, please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I'm free.

How A Personal Trainer Can Help You Lose Weight Fast

With summer just around the corner, thoughts are turning to the holidays. This leads to the beach and the prospect of removing layers of clothing, which somehow manages to fill us with both delight and dread at the same time, and before you know it you're googling "how to lose weight fast" and things like "beach ready workout" or "summer shape up". I really hope you're not looking for things like "starvation diets for beginners"!
The good news is that is possible to achieve surprising results in a relatively short period of time, and without going on some crazy bloody diet!.

The recipe for my weight loss success

I frequently get asked for the "one thing" that allowed me to lose the 5 stone (70lbs/32kg) and keep it off. My answer is simple. There wasn't 'one' thing, but several different factors. I'll try to keep this post short, but no promises..

Step 1
Take responsibility & identify the problem. Sounds obvious, but most people steam ahead into trying to improve things with really knowing what they are trying to improve, and most importantly, why it's important to them.

Step 2
Identify current habits. Being overweight is a chronic condition, meaning it's a state that persists for an extended period of time. Eating too much on Christmas day and noticing that you weigh more on December 26th than you did on the 24th doesn't make you overweight. That's acute weight gain, you gain rapidly, and you lose it rapidly so long as that kind of eating isn't your average day. You're looking to identify your habits around food, activity, stress and sleep. Are you having a little or a lot?

Step 3
Start where you are, use what you've got, and do what you can. You're looking for small improvements in each. This can be as simple as a couple of forkfuls less, an extra 50 steps, 10 deep breaths exhaling with a sigh or going to bed 10 minutes earlier. If and when you can do better, do better.

Step 4 (optional but likely)
Screw up, fail or fall off the wagon. Congratulations, you're human. We all make mistakes, it's an essential part of the learning process. The trick is to identify why you failed, and plan a way to deal with that kind of situation for when it happens again so you can do better. Notice I say "plan" rather than aim or hope.

Step 5
Stay positive, and congratulate yourself on your success so far, even when you're not making progress as quickly as you'd like. Remember even if you're only shedding a half pound per week that's 26lbs in a year.

So my recipe for success?
Take a little self knowledge and add a handful of ambition; Add water. Reduce plate size and eliminate deep fried everything; Raise the temperature by exerting yourself more than normal at least 3 times per week, mixing activities to avoid boredom. Maintain a positive mental attitude; Reduce waistline and enjoy.

If you'd like to know exactly what I did to get rid of excess fat and drop 4 sizes, leave a comment.

500 calorie lunch/dinner

To celebrate reaching the milestone of 500 'likes' on my facebook page, I've decided to give you some help with one of the big challenges people are facing, namely.. healthy eating. It doesn't have to be rabbit food you know.. So to get things started, here is a tasty and filling lunch/dinner idea that comes in under 500 calories. Each burger comes in under 200 calories, and a portion of the sweet potato adds about another 280kcal.

Mexican beanburger with salsa - less than 200 calories per portion!

Rosemary sweet potato  - about 280 calories per portion.

9 Steps to Fitness & Weight Loss Success in 28 Days

A lot of people struggle with motivation and staying on track with their diet (I HATE that word, and here's why) and exercise plans. Does this sound like you, or someone you know?

There are a number of ways to improve your chances of sticking to a program.

1. Get a training buddy.
You're less likely to skip out on a training session if you know you'll be getting a call from your buddy cursing you for flaking out of your session. Likewise, it's easier to chow down on junk food if you're not comparing nutrition notes with someone else working towards a similar goal.

2. Keep a record.
Whatever you're trying to change, keep a diary of it. From logging exercise or nutrition, to monitoring cigarette smoking or tracking sleep or weight, you have a better chance of successfully changing things when you keep track of what you're doing. Whether you use a smartphone app, or good old pencil & paper is up to you. Just do it!

3. Ask questions.
Don't just blindly accept whatever 'expert advice' is being touted in this weeks/months glossy magazines. At best, this info is so general its next to useless for most individuals; at worst, the 'expert' or 'celebrity trainer' is giving outdated or disproven theories, and being misquoted or quoted out of context by the reporter. Talk one-to-one with a health and fitness professional to discuss your situation, and get tailored advice. Ask why specific recommendations are being made. Once the WHY makes sense to you the actual DOING becomes a little easier. If they can't give you the why, go elsewhere.

5. Expect and Accept Failure.
When you were born, did you pop out and start running around and doing handstands straight away? Of course not, you fell on your face a lot before you got the hang of walking upright. Why? Because you were learning something new. And that takes time and persistence. Expect to fail lots when learning something new. It's a good thing. Laugh at failure, (it makes it less scary), learn from failure (so next time it's something different you stumble on) and move on.

6. Focus.
Does it ever feel like you're putting in the work, but it's not working? Focus could be what's missing. There are 2 main kinds of focus that are relevant here:

• General focus - you're generally mindful throughout your normal day of what you're trying to achieve, and how your actions or lack thereof will help or hinder you in achieving your goal. You take responsibility for your choices and actions.

• Specific focus - this is more of a 'right now' kind of focus. By focusing your attention on which muscles are active as you exercise, you actually get more benefit due to the enhanced brain body connection. And this is true for all kinds of physical activity, not just what we've come to think of as exercise.

7. Be realistic.
Life has its ups and downs, and achieving any worthwhile goal is no different. Don't expect to see visible progress every day. instead focus on improvements 3 weeks in 4. Then for the next 4 weeks, repeat the process. The aim is progress over time, not instant perfection. Don't beat yourself up for not attaining unrealistic goals, congratulate yourself for making improvements by doing something you enjoy. Warning, this is not food related enjoyment!! This is common pitfall, celebrating achievements with a behaviour thats undermining what you're trying to achieve. Don't fall into that trap!

8. Breathe deeply and relax.
You'll often hear people say "take a breath and count to ten" when someone looks like they're about to lose their cool. But why wait till you're getting annoyed to enjoy the benefits of breathing well. Breathing can be very relaxing when you've had a bit of FOCUSED practice. Check out this breathing exercise and give it a whirl.

9. Keep an eye on my facebook page for challenges to keep things interesting.

 Rebalance Your Life.

What is the BEST...?

I hear this kind of question all the time, and it makes me cringe a little every time.

We seem to be conditioned into thinking that we have to have the best whatever-it-is before we can even get started. Everyone seems to want to know the 'one thing' they have to do in order to be happy.

The truth is, there is no instant or perfect solution I can magically give you to help you reach your goals.

What I can do is suggest ways you can do things a little better than you are currently. The 'best' will keep changing as science and technology pushes forward. Doing things a little better than you were before allows you to BE a little better than you were before.

So when is the best time to exercise? Now, as in right this very second. This is the best moment to get started!

Eat well to lose weight, gain weight or stay slim

Eating well isn't a case of eating caviar and kobe beef everyday. How do you know if you eat well? Take out a sheet of paper, and answer the following 5 questions honestly. It won't give you an exact solution to your nutrition, but it'll allow you to identify which areas are the ones you should work on improving first for the greatest effect.

1.What do you eat?

This is the obvious one. Do you eat a lot of deep fried food, fast food or take out? Do you get your 5-a-day of fresh fruit and veg? Do you eat 'treats' such as biscuits, cakes, milk chocolate, sweets/candy several days of the week. Do you eat a lot of ready meals, microwave dinners, or instant (just add hot water) foods? Do you choose lean or fatty meats? Do you trim the fat/skin off, or leave it on? Do you eat a lot of refined carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta or white rice? Do you drink plenty of water? The key thing here is to identify the foods you eat several times per week.

2.When do you eat?

Do you eat breakfast? Do you regularly skip meals? Do you frequently allow 6 hours or more to go by without eating, and then eat until you feel stuffed?
We've all heard that you should never eat after 'X' in the evening. The time seems to change every few months, depending on what fad diet is popular. A good guideline is to never eat a large meal within 2 hours of going to bed; make it fit your own lifestyle. 

3.How do you eat?

This isn't a case of knife & fork or chopsticks! Eating infront of TV leads to more calories being consumed due to delaying the onset of satiety. the brain body connection is important in experiencing the colour, shape texture and flavour. Without experiencing the meal, it's unlikely we will be satisfied by it. 
Example - in the cinema, you can taste the popcorn until the movie captures your attention. After that, the next time your brain is engaged by the popcorn is when your hand reaches the bottom of the container. 

4.Why do you eat

Serotonin levels are linked to blood sugar levels, in that when blood sugar rises, so does serotonin. High GI foods that give the quick sugar spike will boost mood in the very short term, but lead to a double dip when both blood sugar and mood drop, causing us to reach for more. 
Example - any sugary sweet/candy. Toasted white bread, when was the last time you had a single slice? 

5.Who do you eat with? 

There's a significant amount of research that tells us that birds of a feather flock together; we will tend towards the norm for our peer group. If our friends are mostly overweight, chances are we will be too. 
There's a school of thought that we are the average of our 5 closest friends, in terms body composition and physical health. Next time you're out with friends, thats something to think about..

Is That It?

There's more to eating well than just these 5 questions of course, as the different demands of our lives will place different demands on our nutrition (I hate the word diet).  Those looking to increase weight will have different requirements from those trying to lose it. I'll go into more detail on those in other posts, and link back to them from here.

How to increase your waistline

Diet Soft Drinks Not Healthy

"They may be free of calories but not of consequences"

Research presented at the recent scientific conference of the American Diabetes Association suggest we avoid diet soft drinks.

Waistlines of those who regularly consumed diet drinks increased by 70% more than those who didn't drink them. For frequent users (those who drank two or more diet soft drinks a day) the increase in average waist size was five times greater than for non-users.

Waist circumference is often used as a measure of visceral fat around the belly area, which is known to be a major risk factor for diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions.

Dieters misled by food labels

Those of us who are on a diet, (or simply taking steps to improve what we eat) are frequently misled by food packaging, according to a recent study published in the journal of consumer behaviour   

The study showed that "Dieters tend to take negative rather than positive steps - they will make an effort to avoid foods they perceive as unhealthy, rather than seeking out good foods."

A fat and calorie laden milkshake that is labeled as a fruit smoothie is more likely to fool the dieter, because of its healthy-sounding name. A non-dieter is more likely to check its nutritional information before making the purchasing decision. 

In one of the tests, subjects were given a chewable product (jelly belly candies) which was labeled either fruit chews or candy chews, even though both products were the same. 

Those on a diet perceived candy chews as less healthy than fruit chews. More fruit chews were consumed by dieters when hearing fruit chews than candy chews. Non-dieters were much less influenced by the product's name.

Whats the moral of the story?  As i've said before, most of the front of a food package is marketing bull$hit! Read the nutritional info and the ingredients list and ignore everything else on the packet.

Related: How much bull$hit is in your breakfast cereal?

Is your dinner giving you cancer?

In the UK, one in four people die of cancer. In Ireland, one in three will die from it. This is a startling statistic, and may be a damning indictment of modern lifestyles. With the wealth of research that has been carried out on all aspects of cancer, why is it still killing one in three in this country? (one in four if skin cancer is excluded).

What are the factors which cause cancer? Many associations are well known and high in the consciousness of the general public, such as tobacco smoking and excessive exposure to UV radiation from sunlight. What is much lower in the awareness of the general population is that we may very well be eating ourselves to death.