Healthy Eating On The Go...

In a strange ideal world somewhere in time someone would perhaps create a couple more hours in the day and a little more motivation to do something with it...

During this time my extremely busy clients would plan their food for a week setting out what healthy and delicious options they were having at breakfast, lunch and dinner complete with healthy snacks in between...

They would then get onto Ocado buy exact quantities of food and prepare their meals in advance thus eliminating the challenges or pitfalls of eating healthy on the go and completely doing away with any excuse for failure...

Until this day, in the real world my clients are still sometimes too busy or too disorganised to plan and prepare food for the day and end up having to make the best of a bad situation and eating on the go or eating out. 

Therefore I’m sure you guy would love to know my top tips for eating on the fly...

I’m gonna level with you it doesn’t take two minutes to prepare a lunch to take to work and if you want to be in great shape you want to be in control of this stuff, BUT in reality some of you guys just struggle with this. And, lets be honest, sometimes you just get caught out.

So here are my top tips for eating on the go or eating out...

Make Better Choices - When all else fails just make better choices. With places like Marks and Spencer Simply Food and others you have closer to what I consider to be healthy convenient food to grab on the go. They have a variety of relatively healthy salads and some not so processed cold meat to choose from so do your best. I often opt for the sushi in these places because for me it is quite filling and tasty too. Failing this you default setting is to choose a smaller portion or if you’re in a restaurant leave a little bit on the plate. Again, this is not ideal, but needs must.

Add, Subtract and Substitute - I think it must be a British thing to be too polite to ask for what you actually want. If you are in a restaurant it will not be a problem for them to swap the chips or jacket potato for vegetables or salad. You could also ask for the sauce to be on the side of the plate or perhaps not at all. I have found when clients do this confidently and discretely nobody questions a thing. Doing stuff like declining a bread roll at the start of your meal in a restaurant is the way to go.

Avoid Starters and Deserts - I didn’t want to state the obvious but... These are called appetizers for a reason. They are often a knee jerk reaction. If you must opt for the soup of the day (without the roll!) or a salad to start and just have a coffee to finish.

Note: I have become pretty good at finding stuff for lunch on the go. I tend to always start my day with a good breakfast and rarely snack either. At lunchtime I tend to favour the independent cafes and delicatessen's as despite having to pay a little more they generally tend to sell better quality foods that fit in with my plan. Failing that shops like Waitrose and Marks and Spencer are normally your best bet for a healthy salad or sushi.

I generally avoid places like petrol stations as there is rarely any fresh food to eat. And steer clear of fast food. If I’m eating out and I’m being good I tend to make the best choice. Generally this is something with a portion of protein (meat, poultry or fish) to stabalise blood sugar and accompany this with salad or vegetables.

If you are keen maintain a healthy bodyshape planning and preparing is essential. Finding healthy cafes and delicatessens and thinking ahead is my top tip for eating on the fly.

Amazing RESULTS on Beach-Ready Plan

So a couple of weeks ago I launched my first internet based diet and fitness plan.

The Beach-Ready Plan is run through my facebook page and includes a fat-stripping beach-ready diet plan designed to make you look and feel amazing and a daily time-friendly 15-minute bodyweight workout.

I had a HUGE sign up and we have a brilliant and supportive group and I’m not one to boast but I just wanted to share some of the results...

Total so far - 9lb and 11" lost - Nat

total 10lbs and 7" loss - Ally

No weight loss this week, but another 1.5" gone! Better than that though, a noticeable reduction in cellulite on my legs!! - Debbie

OMG! 4lb and 2" this week, so pleased! - Laura

1lb & 4" lost this week. In total that's 7lb & 9.5". Greece here I come !! - Tina

lost 4 1/2" mostly from my apple middle - Theresa

Steve what have you done to me!! I don't enjoy fatty foods anymore, I get excited for cheat day every week and it is always a massive let down.. - Maddy

Mixed results this week, gained 2lbs (not sure how!) but lost 2". Please with totals still of 7lbs and 9" lost . - Karen

The chart at the end of week 4 see's weight down by 2lbs but size up by 1/4"... Total 8 3/4" & 9lbs. Very pleased with the results! - Ben

Total 15lbs. Not found tape measure so never have taken measurements :( - Kat

Total weight loss 8lbs. Total 2” loss all over. - James

Total in 3 weeks 10 lbs lost and 7". I'm totally stunned and raring to get on with next 3 weeks! - Jill

10 lbs and 12.5" - Joanne

6lbs and 5" - Fiona

Totals are 10lbs and 13 1/2" - Scott

Total of 5.5lb in 2 weeks - Lizzie

Total loss 9lb & 8" - 2.5" off belly. - Debbie

Total loss = 4lbs and 5" and a much firmer stomach....love it! Ibiza...here I come..... - Claire

Total loss of 5lb and 4" - Jan

Total = 9lbs and 5 inch off tummy - Becky

Total loss 6lbs and 8 inches :) - Michelle

Please bear in mind this is only three weeks in... Imagine how great these guys are gonna look and feel after six weeks!!

To stay updated join my Facebook page here

Ten Secrets of Fit People

By looking at people who are successful and copying them you will find a quick way to success in health and fitness. Here are my top ten secrets of fit people. There are hundreds more I’m sure, but take a look and let me know what you think...

Ask yourself a better question. By simply asking the question ‘what would a fit person do now?’ you will start to make better decisions. If you look closely I think you will find genuinely fit people will often decline the ‘one for the road’ drink in a pub, they will get to bed a little earlier in the week when nobody is watching and not shirk training on cold and wet days. You need to be aware it’s not an individual decision we are talking about here but a culmination of decisions which leads to the ultimate end goal.

Get out your comfort zone. To develop fitness at some point you will need to challenge yourself. This need not be during every training session. It might just be once or twice a week. Working at a slightly higher intensity, lifting a little more weight or running slightly further and taking yourself beyond your capabilities can lead to huge improvements in fitness. If you are a beginner this can be slightly daunting, but if you do this on a regular occasion it will soon become a habit and you will develop confidence doing it.

Choose the right fuel. Perhaps I talk about nutrition too much, but it is important. At a cellular level the food you eat will become a part of you. It will affect the quality of tissue, speed of repair and regeneration after exercise and it will fuel your performance. You wouldn’t put diesel in a petrol car and expect it to perform. The same is true of you and your body. Choose the right fuel and your body will respond better.


Don’t get weighed down by the scales. There are many ways to measure improvements in fitness. Rather than the number on the scales you could perhaps get addicted to the feeling fit or improvements during training. We all know when we are progressing. The weight you lift feels easier, the run seems to ‘flow’, or day-to-day you just feel brilliant. Try listening to your body a little bit more rather than depending on one single independent measure. It will offer you a far greater insight into fitness.

Don’t tie yourself up in knots doing exercise. If you are a busy person living in the real world you will need to look at rest, relaxation and regeneration a little more. By spending more time stretching, foam rolling or treating yourself to a massage once in a while you will be fitter for longer. Other tips are to manage stress better or sleeping better. Easier said than done I know. By doing these things will make huge contributions to your fitness.


Anticipate obstacles. By looking for opportunities to exercise rather than obstacles you will realise you can fit in a workout. This simple change of mindset and by looking ahead and anticipating obstacles you will be left with no excuses. This is a fundamental of any fit person. We all have family commitments, work, social occasions to work around. By looking ahead yosu can make plans.

Write stuff down. By keeping note of what you are doing, how you are feeling, what you are eating and progressions you will have the ability to compare how your body responds to stuff. This can provide powerful motivation when you get in a training rut (we all get them!) and can give clarity when trying decide what to do next.

Beware of the crabs. I really like this analogy. People can be like crabs in a bucket. Have you ever been to the beach and caught crabs? If you catch a few lively ones they will do there best to get out. One will make a valid effort only to be dragged down by another. Despite getting close to the edge of the bucket when they are close to succeeding another crab will always pull them back or hold them down. This analogy refers to social support. Despite your efforts to succeed if you are surrounded by friends and family who are intent on holding you back achieving your fitness aspirations will always be a challenge. To challenge this you can join a running club or a group of fit people and support each other. If you don’t have access to this or lack the confidence to get out and try take a look online. Social media is full of people who are happy to help. Follow me on twitter (@stevekeywoodPT), type in the #fitteam12 and you will soon realise there are whole communities of fit people to help you along.

I think therefore I am. You ever realised how positive fit people are? Annoying isn’t it! Fit people generally have a great attitude. They generally carry this over to whatever they do. Despite the challenge they do there best. This one is simple - become the sort of person who is willing to give it a go. Only you control your attitude and by changing the way you look at fitness you will begin kicking ass and will start to enjoy it.

Forget willpower - make a plan. If you schedule workouts and know what you are doing and when you will be less affected by mood and energy levels. You would of made a commitment to yourself and will keep it. Willpower is temporary, a plan (preferably written down) is solid and ongoing.

There you have it - Ten Secrets of Fit People - I’m sure there are loads more. If you are a fit person (or even an unfit person?!) and have any more get on facebook or twitter (@SteveKeywoodPT) and let me know.

The Strongman Run

What a weekend?! This weekend whilst many chose to do jobs around the house or visit aging relatives (both admirable...) a small team of British adventurers set off to conquer Germany. Armed with a couple really cool PR girls, a case full of Fisherman’s Friend and a photographer this team touched down in Cologne on Friday evening with a job to do. After surviving a somewhat hairy taxi ride they arrived at a small town in the middle of nowhere called Nurburg. You might of heard of it... It is world-renowned for hosting the German Grand Prix, but this weekend there was a far more epic battle to be fought...

The Strongman Run is fast becoming known as ‘the’ race to do. During the 13-mile (ish), hilly muddy adventure race, the 13,000 competitors are pushed to there limits by various water obstacles, electric fences and muddy swamps.

Starting on the iconic race track the course leaves the comfort and safety of the tarmac and pretty soon it all gets a bit messy...

I feel a bit of a muppet. When I was posted a quote by the girls for an article they had written for my local newspaper I scoffed. It said something along the lines of ‘having competed the six-marathon in six-day Trans Britain Race, Ironman France, various London Marathons and Tough Guy this I know will be one of my hardest challenges to date...’ Perhaps I should given the quote the respect it deserved. To be fair The Fisherman's Friend Strongman Run was a bit of a bitch.

Made even more challenging by weather conditions which nearly saw it cancelled twenty-minutes before the start this race The Strongman Run is in my opinion a must-do for anyone who wants the ultimate in trail run/ adventure race.

The race for me was even more special given that we were racing on behalf of Team GB. This meant I had a fantastic team of people to share this experience with. Arriving on Friday evening and leaving on Sunday afternoon and being catered for by the brand was amazing. Ordinarily I pay to do stuff like this for fun, being sponsored to do something I love and hanging around with cool people is a bit of a dream come true. The weekend was made even better by the HUGE party on the Saturday night. Given it is a small town in the middle of nowhere this made it even better. People came in there droves and hung around. I’m please to report not only did Team GB do the business on the run, we also were the last man standing at the party in the evening too! I have a couple of people to thank... Firstly, massive thanks to Fisherman’s Friend for putting on an fantastic race and hosting us all weekend. We didn’t want for anything. It was brilliant. Secondly, to Nicky and Nicola from the PR agency for co-ordinating the team. It can’t be easy organising a group like this especially when one of the racers thinks it’ll be funny to pretend he was left behind... Thirdly, to Steph our photographer. What a legend. She ended up as muddy as us! Went to every effort to get the best shots which invariably involved laying in the mud. If you’re doing a race/ event and you want the shots you NEED her. And finally, to my Team GB teammates. Pitching up in Germany with a group of people like this was genuinely inspiring. To share this experience with others was awesome. With six-weeks to go until my 69-mile Hadrian’s Wall run, I now feel in a good position to knuckle down and get the high-miles in my legs. Epic.

Doing Big & Scary: The Strongman Run

This time next week I will probably be waking up with a hangover. Next Saturday I’m representing Team GB in The Strongman Run in Germany.

Having competed in Trans Britain (six marathons in six days), Ironman France, Tough Guy (amongst others...) and now training for The Wall the selectors (a PR company) were looking for a team to take on this EPIC challenge. For me personally, this is a fantastic opportunity. Firstly, I love to do this type of race and the Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run is clearly one of the best. Secondly, hanging out with other like minded people who love their fitness and love to take on a big and scary challenge I find inspiring. And thirdly, who doesn’t like to be treated like a VIP and flown out to Germany with a couple of nights accommodation to do something you love with the promise of a HUGE post-race party...

The race itself is MASSIVE. It has kind of a a cult following in Germany. I think there are about 12,000 entrants. It is an off-road adventure race. If you take a look at the website they do a bit of a bio on each of the obstacles. You can tell by the tongue in cheek descriptions this is a race not to be sniffed at... Check out just three of the obstacles... Obstacle 8: Panic Pool

The ultimate desire of most StrongmanRunners – the „real“ water obstacle! Here you have to swim because with 2 meter depth and 40 meter length there is no other possibility to cross. For nonswimmers we have a pussylane, of course, but be sure – you won’t have any advantage by using it! Hardfacts: Km 8,9 swimming pool Depth: 2 meters Length: 40 meters Width: 15 meters Gear: digger Obstacle 10: Tension Killer

It’s better you’re dry again when approaching this obstacle cause it’s gonna be electric – the wires hanging down of this construction are loaded with 12 volt of power and you have to pass them! For StrongmanRunners with cardiac pacemakers we have an alternative track. Hardfacts: Km 9.6 Truss construction Wires loaded with 12 volt electricity Obstacle 13: Mud Mass

Same length, width and depth as the obstacle before but the major difference is the ingredient - 300 cubic meters of pure mud! Hardfacts: km 10.2 Length: 30 meters Width: 10 meters Depth: 1 meter Tools: garden hose, shovel Take a look at the race map for the rest -http://www.fishermansfriend.de/strongmanrun_eng/trackmap2012/ Stay tuned on Facebook and Twitter and I’ll keep you updated...

London Marathon - Eat Right, Run Well

This weekend is the London Marathon.

The London Marathon is an iconic race I feel everyone should do.

The atmosphere, the support along the route and the achievement make it a very special day.

To get to the start line in great shape is an achievement in itself. At this stage the training is done (or not!) and the best thing you can do is rest, eat and taper.

If you have followed a plan and this is your first marathon you will most likely feel pretty anxious at the moment - this is normal. You will question if you have done enough, your mind will start to play tricks on you and you will start to be concerned over imaginary aches and pains - this is normal. You will be tiptoeing around, walking on egg shells for fear of injury or illness. Don’t despair - this is normal too.

At this stage you will not get any fitter by training, in fact quite the opposite. Your time will be best used relaxing, eating, stretching and confirming your race strategy.

The final point is the one I feel is most relevant to many.

If you have done the long runs (up to 20 miles), depending on your goals (i.e. A time goal or a just finish goal) for the day, you will have an idea about roughly what time you will be expecting yourself to do. You can work out roughly where you should be at what stage and this will tell you if you are going to fast or too slow.

I feel hypocritical because although I start each race with an idea of a finishing time I have been known to self-destruct on occasion and end up running far to quick. Over twenty-six miles for a novice this can be a major problem. It is an awfully long way to travel and pacing yourself is crucial. My first tip is to have a plan and stick to it.

My next tip is around eating and drinking. In the days leading up to the marathon you will be well advised to eat more. Often this is called carb loading, but I kinda have an aversion to pasta and bread and tend to make do on potatoes, rice and chocolate. You must fuel your body and your muscles for the day. Therefore my next tip is to just eat more the day or two before the race.

One of my recommendations is to stick to food that you know, I tend to chow down the night before a race on bangers and mash. I’m pretty sure a sports nutritionist would have a field day with this stating ‘it doesn’t have the right amount of...’ The truth of the matter is only you know you. Eat energy-dense food that digest well, avoid fibrous stuff and just relax.

On the day get up early and have your breakfast. I prefer to eat three-hours before a race that way it is digested and then I have a snack an hour before the off. I stick to foods I know and that I have eaten before training runs, normally porridge and boiled eggs for breakfast. I snack on fruit and chocolate milk.

You must start drinking from the moment you wake. I drink lots of water, a cup of coffee (or two) and chocolate milk. This is very important.

You should of practiced your race day nutrition in training, but if you are like most people you probably haven’t. Race nutrition is very individual - but seeing as you have no plan I figured I’d give you mine. Therefore the following is what I do...

The marathon itself can be likened to an eating competition. My best advice is to eat and drink everything on offer. There are drink stations every mile or so and even if you don’t feel thirsty take it. Have a sip or two and throw it. You will be given jelly babies, gels and even bananas on route. Eating regularly will help you on the day.

Failure to do so will lead to a scene likened to the end of the film Gladiator...

You will burn up blood sugar, your vision will narrow and all your hard work in training will be wasted. Your body depends on the steady stream of energy, so make sure you get it in.

You don’t have to eat all of this there and then. Take a little bit if you want, but just staying on top of it is the name of the game. I also take 4-6 energy gels with me from the start. I typically start taking energy gels from the first hour, and then every 30 minutes thereafter until I finish.

There are a couple of very important things to understand about this.

If you leave it too late it is very difficult to recover. This means if you wait until two hours in and decide ‘oh yeah, I haven’t had a gel yet and I feel f**ked’, it might be too late. Eat before you need to and you will be ace.
Once you’ve started you cannot stop. Once you have spiked your blood sugar you need to continually do it. Hence the reason you need to have a gel every thirty minutes thereafter.

It will get to the stage when you don’t want anymore sweet stuff. Persevere. You need it.

Take your gels with a big slug of water (or two) to ease the burden on your stomach and you will be rewarded with a killer performance on race day.

I have tried various types of gels in all types of fancy flavors. My personal favourites are Power Bar gels. Too be honest they all taste pretty minging eventually and make your hands sticky but needs must.



I also use blocs. These are like little blocks of jelly. They are basically the same (two blocks are the same amount of energy) but feel different. I kinda use them on top of gels as a reward for hitting certain mile markers. Please don’t make the same mistake I made on an ironman training camp last year and get bored and eat one whole pack in one go. It only ends in tears! That was not a good day...

This is pretty much it. My post race strategy is not very scientific but running this distance is a huge achievement and after all the training you will thoroughly deserve a beer and a curry!

This Sunday is going to be a fantastic day if you pace it right and eat well.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask - head over to my Facebook page and fire away!

Good luck to all the runners and I’ll see you on the start line!!

Steve

Please feel free to share this with any runner - in the marathon or not!

The Reading Half, The Strongman Race & The World Record (PLUS a bonus inspiring gym video)

This week has been EPIC.

Firstly, I’d like to give a shout out to three of my clients who totally OWNED the Reading Half-Marathon this weekend. Joe, Lindsey and Ben all ‘manned up’ and on a tough course on a hot day KICKED ASS. I’m so proud of you guys. I’m pleased to say I made it round in 1:32 and to be honest that’s the best I could of done on the day. I have a couple of weeks now until I take on London and ten weeks until ‘The Wall’ (I feel this should be followed by some kind of evil laugh - mwahahahahahaaha) so it’s time to knuckle down.



I have also been asked this week to represent ‘Team GB’ in The Strongman Run in Germany. This looks like it could be great fun. It seems to be similar to the Tough Guy race I did in January. It has lots of obstacles and covers about ten-miles so it should be a great challenge. Take a look at this video to see what I will be putting myself through...

The Strongman Race

Tell me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure it was Alan from The Hangover dressed up as Superman at about 28s in...

Also, I wanted to give some love to my buddy Lee Chamberlain. Similar to me, Lee likes to ‘go long’ (street slang for ultra distance racing...). To be fair Lee puts me to shame on this front. Lee is actually training to regain his world record. He is preparing to run seven days on the treadmill to a total of 560-miles - you don’t need to be a genius to realise this is a really long way. Give Lee some support and check out his progress at www.leechamberlain.co.uk

Finally, I wanted to leave you with a video clip that has had a profound impact on me and my career.

The BONUS Inspiring Gym Video

Be careful out there. :-)