Archive for May, 2008
Are You A Fair Weather Trainer?
29.05.08So much for doing ForestFit regardless of the weather…
Sadly this morning we had no choice but to cancel the workout because of the thunder and lightening. Certainly the right decision despite the fact it cleared about 15 minutes later, and it was actually quite pleasant!
So like any “crazy” individual I set out into the Forest by myself to catch a quick intervals session.
Splashing through the deep pools of water, mud splattering up the back of my legs, dodging the heavy, low and very wet branches, leaping from one side of the trail to the other to avoid the slippery roots and rocks. Charging up the hill using every ounce of energy to get to the top, refusing to be defeated by gravity and that awkward, uneven slope. As I walked back down the hill I started thinking about those poor souls stuck in the gym…
Pounding away at their treadmill, in their pristine white training shoes and colour coordinated workout attire. The only thing to dodge is the choice of music and the mindless crap on the tv screens. The pre-programmed, laser sharp accuracy of the angle of slope on the treadmill, knowing to the meter the distance you have traveled, the exact number of calories burnt and how much longer you have to stay on that thing to really start burning fat!
Who was enjoying the act of losing body fat more?
I wonder ;o)
Tim Goodwin
www.getfit.lu
www.forestfit.com
ForestFit June @ 09:30
28.05.08Joining forestfit is now really a no-brainer.
We are in the last week of ForestFit May, and all but two participants have re-joined plus we have almost filled the 07:00 group, when I last checked we had only two places available.
The 09:30 group still has a number of places available, but we are hopeful of filling this group too!
Just think, by 10:30 every Tuesday and Thursday you’ll have had your healthy breakfast, got the kids to school AND finished a fun and rewarding, fat burning workout. On Saturday’s we’ll start a little earlier giving you the rest of the weekend to do all the things your weekends are filled with.
Get over to www.forestfit.com to register today.
Tim Goodwin
Nutritional Tip The Organic Debate
24.05.08 The Organic Debate
by Dr. John Berardi The average person should consume two pieces of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day as a minimum. Athletes probably need even more - I recommend 10-15 servings per day for each of my athletes. Expert often spend too much time arguing about organic vs. regular fruits and veggies. I agree that raw, organic fruits and vegetables are best since they have a higher micronutrient count, but any fruits and veggies are better than none! Get sufficient fruits and vegetables in your diet before worrying about whether they’re organic or not. Once you’ve done that, worry on.
SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.
Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!
Don’t make it so complicated
22.05.08Don’t make it so complicated. - Extract from Nutritional Responsibility by Tim Goodwin
The manufacturers of this modern diet don’t help the situation much either, the labelling and packaging of most products are designing to sell more of the product rather than aid better “choice” of the product!
Low fat
Low salt
Low sugar
Low carb
If it is “low” in all this stuff, what the hell is in this stuff then!
Is low fat really what we want, does low carb mean we will be missing out on some good old vegetables?
The real answer to all this is we don’t want to be even entertaining these products in the first place. The problem is often too much information rather a lack of it!
If I said that eating fresh and clean produce that has not been processed in any way is the BEST way to optimise your nutrition, would you disagree?
Maybe this sounds TOO simplistic for many people?
But really it is nothing more than that, why is it we feel compelled to ignore this simple fact and eat all the other junk that is placed in front of us?
This is not the place to answer that question, all I will say is that we need to find a way to change the availability of fresh and clean produce in our households to improve our chances of getting this into our normal nutritional habits.
We need to start taking responsibility for the foods and fluids that we consume on a daily basis and reverse all the health problems that currently afflict us!
In the next few weeks I’ll be telling you more about Nutritional Responsibility and an exciting new online program to help you take back control of your nutritional habits… Keep reading the BLOG for more details
One of my ForestFit clients was asking me the other day why even though she had trained for a marathon, she had not lost any weight, or more importantly not seen any significant change in shape. This throws up a whole discussion on the effectiveness of aerobic type workouts, and what your overall goal is. Once again I’ll try not to bore you with the science of this but hope to clarify what happens to the body when you are training for an endurance event like a marathon.
Your body is more clever than you, it does everything in its power to survive despite its owners best efforts :o)
If you starve yourself, your body does everything to economize, holding on to all energy, and breaking down all substances that use fuel too much.
When you run a little your body burns fuel of which you have a limited amount.
If you run for a long time your body will burn all its immediately available fuel as well as some of the stuff that is reserve.
If you keep eating into your reserves your body will start to go into that economy mode as if you where starving yourself, breaking down substance that uses fuel(muscle), and start trying to store more of the fuel that goes into your reserves(fat).
Prolonged training of this nature over a period of 6 months, whilst great for burning calories whilst doing the training, causes massive damage to your metabolism, breaking down all that muscle, thats why elite marathon runners are all skin and bones and really low levels of muscle mass.
As a side thought, it is very common to see retired elite marathon runners, cyclists etc pile on huge amounts body fat when they stop their doing the huge number of kilometers training each week.
For the ordinary guy and gal on the street training for a marathon may be a great goal, and something that I am happy that people do. BUT, and this is a BIG BUT! Unless you are training to go and do the Olympic marathon, I would certainly advise you to do other styles of training that promote fat loss and boost your metabolism, otherwise you will be disappointed.
ForestFit June Group 2
20.05.08A quick post to tell you all that Jess and I will run a 2nd ForestFit group for the month of June.
As well as the Early Morning group starting at 7 in the morning, we are also offering a 09:30 start time to accommodate those who have family priorities early in the morning.
So pack you kids off to school and join us for some energising workouts in the woods, and you’ll done before 10:30.
Go to the ForestFit website to register today for your place.
Tim
P.S. Places are limited, once they are all gone we cannot accept any more!
1. Write down your goal. Get a sticky note, write down what dress/jean size you WILL fit in by the end of June. Stick it on the side of your computer monitor, fridge door etc etc.
2. Schedule your workouts for the next 3 weeks: Write them into your scheduler now, they cannot be moved, skipped, deleted, it is like missing an appointment with the hair dresser, you wanna look good yes?
3. Drink more plain water, especially now the weather has turned for the better. Everything from better skin condition, to better elimination of waste. It will also help absorb and utilise those nutrients you are eating much better.
4. Don’t Jog - Run, Don’t free wheel - Push the pedals hard, don’t do breast-stroke - do freestyle/front crawl! Intervals are the best cardio method in your arsenal to a better body.
5. Eat more often: Yep, eat every 2-3 hours of the day, NEVER miss a meal, have snacks between meals. Keep your metabolism on full burn by eating regularly, never famine and feast!
Try it.
If you are in Luxembourg, we can provide you with workouts three times a week with “ForestFit June” starting June 10th
If you are not in Luxembourg, try our “Corporate Athlete Handbook“
What Happened to the REAL food?
15.05.08Extract from Nutritional Responsibility by Tim Goodwin
White is the new black… it seems that our “food” is colourless, everything from bread, pasta, rice, chips, fries etc… it is all without colour.
And without colour, means without any nutritional value either!
Unfortunately these products make up a huge percentage of our modern diet…
When you go to a restaurant, it is rare to find on the menu, something that is served with REAL vegetables, and I don’t mean potato wedges either!
Green stuff, red stuff, yellow stuff, orange stuff…
This means carrots, broccoli, beans, peppers, lettuce, pulses, beans etc
Go to the local supermarket and you’ll find aisle upon aisle of pre-packaged, vacuum packed, heavily processed “meats” and “other” products.
You rarely buy a simple chicken, you now get a chicken filet covered in breadcrumbs, packed with something described as cheese and a microwave only sticker to nuke this poor excuse for food!
The “fresh” fruit and vegetable stand gradually gets smaller and smaller, the meat deli counter contains less raw produce such as lean cuts of meat, poultry and fish and the space is given over to the bland, artificial tastes of the mass produced convenience foods of the 21st century!
The situation has got so bad, many people have forgotten what REAL food actually tastes like!
What’s worse is our health is gradually deteriorating because of this low nutritional intake. We get ill more often, our body fat levels are rising at an alarming rate and the structural health of our body means we have more joint problems than ever before!
More coming soon, including how to get the nutritional responsibility program and get your eating habits in order in 30 days.
Nutritional Tip The 10% Factor
10.05.08 The 10% Factor
by Dr. John Berardi If some people eat one food not on their plan, their failure to be perfect sets in motion a psychological chain of events that leads to frustration and the inability to get right back on the plan. The all-or-nothing mentality sets in and BAM, they’re back to nothing. But it doesn’t have to be this way. 100% nutritional discipline is never required for optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible. So allow yourself the extra 10% wiggle room. This will allow you the freedom to eat a few extra things not on your menu without the guilt and subsequent crash.
SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.
Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!
ForestFit June registration now open
08.05.08No sooner have we started with ForestFit May, then we have opened up June for registration.
The weather this week has been great, the participants are just great fun and the workouts are the perfect start to the day, in an incredible location.
A few minor changes having got some feedback already from the popular May group. We are going to change the start time to 07:00 to allow folk a little more time so they can get to work for 09:00. This will be for the Tuesday and Thursday sessions, for Saturday we may make it a little later ;o)
Sign up today to reserve your place. Again the group is limited to 20 people, and 2 spots are already taken by current members of the May group! So get cracking!
We are also thinking of running a second group mid morning, to accommodate those with kids as their early morning priority. I want to hear from as many of you as possible to tell me you are interested, drop me an email “tim @ getfit.lu” (take out the spaces in this address)
