Three Fundamental Principles To Getting Results

I find that most people do not get the results they want at the gym because they fail to focus on three key aspects and instead get distracted by the little things such as 'wonder supplements'.  No pill or powder will fill in for not getting these 3 key principles right.

1, Train consistently in the gym with the required frequency and effort every training session

You must train hard and be prepared to bust your ass in the gym. This is one of the secrets of why facilities such as Ultimate Performance where I coach get our clients such great results. We push people harder than they have previously ever done when training.

Training harder also means getting stronger. There must be progression of some sort, whether it be using more weight, doing more reps or reducing the rest period which would serve to increase training density.  Muscle is metabolically active a tissue so the more you build of it the better your metabolic rate will be which increase your bodies demand for nutrients at rest. Its also not easy to build so don't concern yourself whether you are male or female about getting 'too bulky'. Being 'bulky' is normally because your body fat is too high.

Consistency means getting to the gym enough times per week in order to stimulate an adequate training effect. Put the date in your diary, block out that hour at least three times per week. Your body will thank you for it.

The type of programme you use is important but in my opinion is secondary to actually putting in effort. There is no such thing as a ‘perfect programme’ and many people have created great results with less then stellar exercise regimes because they dug in worked hard!

Keeping a log of your training is an important aspect as you need to be able to access how you are progressing and adjust future programmes accordingly to enhance the training effect. If you don’t bother to write down your performance how are you supposed to target to beat that in the next workout? Every one responds differently to a style of training so without this critical analysis it’s like shooting a shot gun into a dark room in the hope you hit something.

This guy knew that he had to put in the work to see results

2, Eat to support your training goal.

If your goal is to add muscle then you must consistently intake a small positive nutrient intake to provide your body with the raw materials to build new muscle tissue.

For fat loss you must create a deficit in order to encourage your body to use body fat as fuel. Yes there are lots of arguments about “is a calorie a calorie” however that is a deep topic I won’t expand on in this article. 

Whether you try to create a positive or negative calorie intake accuracy is important here. For fat loss it’s very easy to overeat and ruin the deficit you are trying to create even when eating primarily whole foods. Typically this happens when someone over consumes nutrient dense foods such as nuts and oils which can quickly add a lot of calories to a persons overall intake. 

This is why I give students specific numbers or weight of nuts/oils they are to consume rather than a guideline of ‘a handful’ as there is far too much variability in what someone would consider a handful. 

Creating a deficit is most effective when it is created through a combination of diet and exercise.When trying to add muscle its also very easy to overeat, putting on too much body fat at the same time which in future can be troublesome to remove.  

Whether it be a positive or negative intake you are trying to create you have to choose to make the effort regarding your food choices. You always choose how much you eat; it will never magically jump into your mouth. 

If you over consume food and ruin the deficit you need to create to encourage fat loss or eat too much when adding weight and make yourself over fat then you should take responsibility for this and accept that you choose to make this happen.

This guy confused creating a positive intake for muscle gains with preparing for sumo wrestling

3, Ensure adequate Recovery

Sleep

Sleep is crucial to support recovery as it is the most restorative time for you body. Lack of adequate sleep has a whole host of negative side effects including interfering with hormone balance in, increasing inflammation and reduced cognitive function.

In my experience there is no way to get around not sleeping enough, you simply have to make the effort to prioritise this and ensure that you get enough hours of quality sleep that includes full sleep cycles.

If you find that you have trouble getting off to sleep or wake up during the night then this needs to be investigated more deeply as to why this is happening and then addressed.

Artificial lighting and over stimulating entertainment (TV, Computers) have contributed to interfering with the evening time which should be focused on winding down and relaxation.

Stress

Managing stress is the second area and this is a combination of emotional, physical and environmental based stress.

Emotional based Stress

How you hold your stress in important too. The stress response as explained excellently in this book ‘why zebras don’t get ulcers’ by Robert M. Sapolsky is largely governed by how you react to things.

Elevated stress affects many bodily functions including digestion, blood pressure and cognitive function. This is the ‘fight or flight’ response which gives you the ability to get out of danger quickly and then be able to resume a normal level. The mechanism was never designed to experience a constant ‘background’ level of stress over an extended period of time.

Environmental Stress

We unfortunately assaulted daily with environmental stressors including air pollution, chemicals contained in cosmetic and cleaning products, artificial additives in food and contaminants in water. This area is very important to address as its becoming an ever growing problem. 

A book I recommend on this is subject is ‘Achieving Victory In A Toxic World by Dr Mark A Schauss

Physical Stress

Exercise in itself is a stressor on the body. Its this stress which is planned correctly promotes the body to adapt and get stronger so that it can better deal with the same stressor the next time. This is the basis of progressive overload. 

That being said the ‘prescription’ of exercise needs to be appropriate and needs to encourage a positive adaption. Excessive exercise through bad exercise programming is actually negative and the lack of recovery from will halt someone’s progress very quickly.

Creating too great a deficit with your food intake is another sure fire way to quickly stress out your body physically. Dieting needs to be done at the appropriate speed that doesn’t lead to the body perceiving the event as ‘famine’ and putting the stoppers on fat loss.

Ways to improve recovery

There are many ‘force multipliers’ that you can use to enhance recovery which include massage, magnesium baths, contrast showers and soft exercise such as some forms of Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi gong or even gentle swimming and walking.

There are also some supplements which can assist in promoting recovery such as adaptogenic herbs and certain vitamins however I feel that without addressing the key psychological aspects of stress that these are no better than a band aid and might only work temporarily.

Recovery also means if you are genuinely training hard you cannot expect to go 100% in the gym all of the time and the need for periods of ‘de-loading’ and active recovery where you do some less intensive forms of exercise are important to ensure continued progress and avoid burning out.

Investing the time utilise active recovery methods such as foam rolling, massage, Yoga, Tai Chi or just ensuring you give yourself enough 'you time' to relax is crucial

To wrap up if you are not getting the results that you expect first relook over what you are doing and ask yourself if you are doing the right things in the three key areas outlined above?

Flavouring your food- Spicy Combinations

A question I often get from students is how to use herbs and spice to flavour there food so it tastes good. Food when eating for fat loss doesn't have to be bland at all if you put some simple thought into your cooking. 

There is a belief and stereotype promoted by some bodybuilder's that you must stick to only to plain chicken breast, tuna, rice and broccoli when on a fat loss mission in order to get in shape. This in my opinion is unnecessary and in fact negative from a health and psychological point of view

It no wonder that most bodybuilder's who follow this kind of regime then after their diet binge on what they perceive to be flavoursome food (Junk). Then again I find that a lot of people who are deep into body building are dealing with some issues relating to their psychology and health is often the last thing on their mind but that's a different topic that is worthy of its own article.

Back to flavouring your food. Here are five tips that I think will help improve the taste of the food that you eat.

Tip 1- Make sure your flavourings are real!

I advice to avoid all ready made sauces as they are heavily processed and normally contain excess sugar and  artificial flavour enhancers. This includes chinese plum and sweet and sour sauces, ready made bolognese or creamy sauses. Organic Passata and tomato puree which is only made from tomatoes is acceptable to use. 

Learn to read the label. If there is something on there that you don't know what it is then avoid it. Anything containing Mono Sodium Glutamate should be avoided like the plague.

I'll use wholegrain mustard for example. A real mustard should contain mustard seeds, vinegar water and salt and not much else. If you look on most mustards in supermarkets they will contain dextroses, flavour enhancers and all sorts of other crap. 

Tip 2 - Use good quality herbs and spices

I would to use organic herbs and spices where possible to get them. Your best bet to find these is at farmers markets. I further recommend to use fresh herbs as the taste they impact is markedly superior to the dried varieties. Fresh herbs are seasonal but can be frozen to extended storage life.

Herbs and spices also provide numerous health benefits as they contain trace amount of micro nutrients and also many have an anti inflammatory or anti parasitical properties.  Here is a good site listing some of the health properties - Health Benefits of Herbs and Spices

Tip 3 - Choose a flavour theme

I find the easiest way to plan flavouring is to stick to an ethnic theme. Here are some of my favourite basic combinations. These of course can be massively expanded on and I understand that I have left out many options.

Indian

Cumin

Coriander

Garam Masala

Turmeric

Chilli Pepper to taste

Thai

Thai 5 spice

Lime or lemon

Garlic

Ginger

Turmeric

Chinese

Garlic

Ginger

Gluten free soy sauce

Italian

Basil

Oregano

Garlic

Tomato Puree

Black Pepper

Sea Salt

Tip 4- If using salt use the right type

I personally highly recommend Pink Salt as it contains more trace minerals and adds a very nice flavour. 

Avoid processed table salt (sodium chloride) as this is chemically made and often contains anti clumping agents which are toxic to the body (aluminium).

Tip 5 - Don't over flavour you food

Practice moderation with the amount of spices you use in your food, its easy to over flavour food and thus ruin its taste. This is especially true for pungent spices used in Indian cooking.

Of course there are many varieties and the above are only some easy basic combinations. You are only really limited to your flavouring by your imagination.

Pretty much any recipe can be modified to fit into your eating whether you are eating a high or low carbohydrate routine. Here is a site I like for some recipe ideas - http://www.paleofood.com/

Fats can be added in appropriate amounts as needed. I recommend to cook with either ghee (clarified butter) or extra virgin coconut oil as both have quite a high smoke point. I would recommend to add extra virgin olive oil or macadamia nut oil to your food at the end as these are damaged by excessive heat.

One book I recommend which gives you lots of information and ideas on the best things to use in your cooking is Jonny Bowden’s The-150-Healthiest-Foods-Earth.

Wrap Up

I'm a bit believer that food is the best medicine and if you base your eating primarily on REAL whole foods that your health will be a lot better. Variety is important to provide a wide range of nutrients. The human body is a incredibly smart organism and if you give your body the right raw materials it will use them in a positive fashion.

A caveat to this is that you still need to eat the appropriate amount of whole foods, you will still put on fat or sabotage your fat loss goals if you eat too much of them for what your body needs.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-150-Healthiest-Foods-Earth/dp/1592332285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343461444&sr=8-1

Your results are reflective of the choices you make

A recent observation I made and to me it has been somewhat of a ‘light bulb moment’ in my ever evolving coaching skills is that people often set themselves up mentally for failure before they even begin. This shows up through their language patterns. They affirm that they are going to ‘try’ to do something. They ‘hope’ that their weekend will be good when referring to the foods they consume.

What a student will receive very quickly from me is a proverbial 'splash of cold water in the  face'. I enlighten them to the fact that what happens to us is almost always governed by the choices that we make.

You CHOOSE to consume that extra slice of pizza, it didn’t just jump into your mouth.

You CHOOSE to get drunk and stay out until 4am which then compromises your recovery and leads you to having a shitty workout on Monday morning.

You CHOOSE to react negatively and aggressively to a work colleague because of a mistake they might have made, raising your cortisol levels and making you fatter.

As a wise little green man from a popular science fiction movie once said “do or do not, there is no try”.

This little guy had some wisdom

Yes I accept some events are out of your power to control; for example a train is delayed which makes you late for a meeting. However you always have the power to choose how you react to it.

You can choose to get worked up and pissed off about it or you can choose to take a deep breath and practice some patience. Getting angry is not going to help this particular situation and the latter is going to be more beneficial to regulating you stress hormone levels which is crucial if fat loss is your goal.

The emotional largely governs the physical response when it comes to the stress. A great book on this subject I recommend which goes more into the science being this is ‘Why Zebra’s Don’t get Ulcers’

Another book a highly recommend about choosing your reactions is ‘Man Search for Meaning’ by Victor Frankyl. Its an account of a Austrian Jewish psychiatrist chronicling his experiences as a concentration camp inmate.

It goes to describe how some people chose to give their power away and loose hope and how others despite how awful and terrible their situation was CHOSE to make the most of what they had and remained. The last freedom the Nazi guards couldn’t take away from there was their right to CHOOSE how they feel and reacted to things. 

I find reading this book a real leveller and gives you can give you a sense of perspective. Is loosing your WiFi connection for 60 seconds so tragically bad that you have to get all worked up and stressed out about it??

This is not to say that you should accept and be content with what you have, I understand it takes pain and unhappiness to spur growth and achievement. You often have to be sick to your stomach of something to be ready to change it.

This ‘spark’ could something such as a small comment someone makes about your weight, or maybe more profound such as a doctor telling you that unless you improve your blood results you will likely die in five years. There is always a breaking point where you have absolutely had enough and are ready for change. You reach that point where you are ready to CHOOSE to change you reality.

Are you ready to realise how powerful a being you are and that you are absolutely capable of choosing the successes you make in life? 

Here is a good video I highly recommend you watch- Secrets to Success by Will Smith

Big changes take persistence, patience and hard work, are you ready to CHOOSE to do the work? If so consider getting in touch.

Simple guide to Batch Cooking

As a strength coach and nutrition adviser the biggest complaint I head from students is their ability to be consistent with their eating habits. This is a key area that to get right consistently over a period of time in order to see fantastic results.

Yes I understand that we all work a lot of hours and have family commitments but I doubt that its impossible for someone to find a spare 45 minutes to prepare food if they also can somehow find time to watch their favourite television show or spend an hour on Facebook.

 Preparing multiple meals in advance with just a bit of planning ahead allows you to have the meals ready to eat. With a small bit of planning to figure out hitting your macro nutrient targets which is easy to do with online tracking software you then have a plan of attack in which to cook up the food that you need. Like anything this takes practice and gets very easy over time. I recommend coming up with four to five variations of batches and then simply rotating them. This covers your bases in regards to getting a broad range of nutrients.

Here is how to put it all together-

1, Protein First

Whether you choose salmon, chicken, beef or another meat I find the best two ways to cook meat up in bulk is to either bake it or stir fry it. The key to making meat taste good is not to overcook it and dry it out, this is why I am not a fan of grilling lean meats.

The Stir fry simply chop the meat into small pieces so they cook quickly and then use a wok with a teaspoon of coconut oil and whatever herbs and spices you choose to flavour the meat. It should take not more than 5-10 minutes if you stir it vigorously to ensure even cooking. You can add a bit of chopped onion here for extra flavour.

To bake meat or fish in bulk chop it into small pieces and then place in a baking tray with added herbs and spices to your taste. Add a very small amount of water in the bottom of the tray, this allows the meat to ‘steam’ and prevents sticking to the tray. Cover with silver foil and then bake for around 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius until the meat is tender and cooked through. For added tenderness place the meat in a pot and cover and leave for another 20-30 minutes while you prepare your vegetables and other food. This will serve to tenderise it further as it will ‘steam’.

2, Vegetables

To preserve the nutrients in your vegetables I recommend to either steam or stir fry your vegetables. Cook them for the minimum time so that they still have some ‘bite’ to them and are not soggy. I recommend to choose at least three different vegetables and combine them so that you get a broad range of nutrients. Some of my favourite options are - broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprout's, spinach, chard, kale, green beans, red peppers, tomatoes, green peas, carrots, beetroot, celery.

3, Fats

Having adequate fats in your eating crucial as they are used everywhere in the body for processes such as hormone production and cell growth. If you have used a lean source of protein above then you will need to add some extra fats.

This can come from adding nuts to the side of your meal or your could add extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil or organic ghee to your meal. Its good to vary your fat sources in order to get a broad range of nutrients.

4, Add additional carbohydrate as required

The amount of carbohydrate I recommend for you will be very specific to you. The general rule is that the leaner you are the more carbohydrates you can eat.

My preference for complex carbohydrate are from the highest to the lowest fibre content-  lentils, beans, chick peas, butternut squash, turnip, sweet potato,  potato, quinoa, millet and wild rice.

Its best to choose sources that are high in fibre as this will lead to a more steady release in the body and negate and bit spikes in blood sugar. This will serve to keep you feeling fuller for longer and lessen the likelihood of cravings. I recommend to avoid pasta and other processed sources of carbohydrate.

5, Combining the above

Once you have all of the above its simple a case of combining them. You could keep it all in one large food container (BPA Free please) or you could divide it into individual containers for each meal. Its your choice, the main thing is to keep it cool to avoid food poisoning  so either use a cool bag with ice packs or keep them in the fridge.

Fermented foods for a healthy gut

I would further recommend to add to above a serving of Sauerkraut or Kimchee to each meal (mono sodium glutamate free) as these are foods which are high in 'good' bacteria which will help nourish your digestive tract and keep your gut healthy.

Batch Example

My protein goal is 250grams. I know that in a 100 grams of most meats contains around 20-25 grams of protein. I decide I will prepare for 2 days so I bake 2000 grams of chicken breast. I use ‘Dunn’s River Jerk Seasoning’ with the chicken as this doesn’t contain any added sugars and will add a delicious flavour to the chicken breast. I will also add a bit of turmeric as this enhances the flavour and has anti inflammatory benefits.

To this I decide that on day one I will add broccoli and green peas and carrots. On the other day I will have green beans, red peppers and tomatoes. I prepare 250 grams of each veg and steam them if needed. 

The 750 grams of vegetables will ensure I have a high fibre intake, will keep me full and also that I get a broad range of nutrients

The chicken breast is very low in fat so I add 100 grams of cashew nuts to my meals this will give me around 48 grams of fats. On my other day I add three table spoons of olive oil which will give me around 45 grams of fat.

I have some allowance for carbohydrate so I add a tin of chick peas (400g weight) to one batch and a tin of kidney beans to the other batch which will add around 60-65 grams of carbohydrate.

Finally I combine all of the above and add extra fresh garlic and ginger to the batches for extra taste and season with sea salt and pepper.

So the two batches looks like this-

Day 1

1000 grams of chicken breast ‘flavoured jerk style’

250 grams of broccoli

250g grams of green peas

250 grams of carrots

100 grams of Cashew nuts

400 grams (1 tin) of chick peas         

Day 2

1000 grams of chicken breast ‘flavoured jerk style’

250 grams of green beans

250g grams of red peppers

250 grams of tomatoes

45 ml grams of extra virgin olive oil

400 grams (1 tin) of kidney beans

Job done, I have just prepared food for 2 whole days and its taken more no longer than 45 minutes. This can of course be expanded in the quantities and you could prepare a week ahead if you choose. I have students who do all of their cooking on Sundays and then freeze half of the batch cooked food.

There is no excuse, start cooking

As you can see from the above the whole process is very simple to follow however you have to choose to put in the effort. Making time in the kitchen to nourish your body is a key component for both fat loss and muscle gain.

Your results are always reflected by the choices that you make. Learning to cook for yourself is a skill that is  crucial to learn if you are to guarantee long term fat loss. Choose to invest the time and you will reap the rewards.