Cut the CRAP*

*That’s Caffeine, Refined Sugar, Alcohol and Processed Foods.

Its not rocket science.

It’s fairly simple really…

If your goal is to achieve the most incredible results in the shortest possible time it’s simply something you have to do.

I’m not talking just fat loss - I’m talking health.

The foods we eat have the most profound effect on the way we look, think and feel.

By eliminating caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and processed foods from your diet for just 30 days you will reduce the amount of toxicity your body has to deal with and therefore improve the way it functions.

Try replacing the CRAP with rice, vegetables and meat (i.e. clean and nourishing foods) and avoiding the above offenders and experience the difference. You should also avoid dairy and wheat - although I couldn’t think of an acronym for that!!

After 30 days try reintroducing certain foods and see how your body reacts.

This simple protocol has lead many of my clients to report everything from weight loss, inch loss, improved sleep, elimination of joint pain, better temperament, healthier looking skin and even improved mental clarity.

Just a word of warning… The first week is tough!!

Let me know if you try it and how you get on.

Burn Fat Faster - Sleep!

I can regularly be heard to talk about the benefits of a good nights sleep in the battle against the flab and now I present some scientific evidence…

Research this week presented in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that when dieters got undisturbed sleep they lost more fat than their sleepless counterparts.

I’m not saying that sleeping will get you slim… although I wish it were that simple!! In the battle against the bulge eating properly and exercising are clearly most important, BUT if you want to speed up your results and burn fat faster evidence suggests getting to bed on time is clearly very important.

The researchers also found that after a disturbed night sleep the dieters produced higher levels of the hormone ghrelin – a hormone that triggers hunger and reduces energy expenditure – not a good combination!

So… what counts as adequate amounts of sleep?! In the case of this study one group got 8.5hrs sleep a night in comparison to the 5.5hrs in the other group.

I realise for some people with young children getting a full night sleep is not an option, BUT for everyone else there is no excuse.

If you want to burn fat and stay in shape get to bed five times per week before 1030pm.

For tips on how to get a good nights sleep check this out: http://stevekeywoodspersonaltraining.blogspot.com/2009/07/o-sleep-o-gentle-sleep-natures-soft.html

Client of the Week

This week my shout out goes to Paul Hull.

I’ve actually known Paul for a long time and when he called me in February and said that he needed to get into shape for his wedding I had my reservations.

Having worked with Paul as a labourer whilst studying I was aware of his unhealthy lifestyle and that he enjoyed the odd beer or two…

When Paul reported to me back in February its fair to say he was in bad shape.

Weighing in at in excess of seventeen and a half stone, and with a BMI that put him in a morbidly obese category, I made it clear to Paul that if he wanted to work with me he had to change his lifestyle. I realised that Paul initially had some reservations but these were soon put to rest after a couple of simple exercises proved quite how unfit he was.

Since that first session Paul has made the most incredible changes.

By following my recommendations, Paul has lost more than three and a half stone. His improvements in strength, flexibility and general fitness have been astounding.

Not only did he look great on his wedding day, but also in the lull that followed such a fantastic day he made great use of his time, and set his sights on running a 10k.

This weekend, after eight weeks of training, Paul competed in his first 10k in the most treacherous of conditions and even beat his target time by two and a half minutes to finish in 57minutes.

I’m incredibly proud of Paul’s effort and can’t wait to see him get his feet muddy in the grim in December. In the meantime I will keep kicking his ass on the boxing and he will no doubt continue to claim that I quit before he did J

Congratulations Paul and keep up the good work!