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VAT On Nutrition & Sports Drinks

Posted by LORD ZiON on May 16th, 2012

The Government in the UK are going to add 20% VAT onto the price of Nutrition and Sports drinks. Obviously, this is outrageous. Sure, tax heavily alcohol, cigarettes, fatty foods and anything else that may cost the NHS a lot in future healthcare, but don’t tax items designed to make us healthier! Completely illogical.

If you agree that this is a dumb idea, sign this petition – it might just help.

Fitness Starts In The Mind

Posted by LORD ZiON on April 23rd, 2012

Let’s get one thing straight from the off: if you are not 100% dedicated to improving your health, wellbeing and fitness, you will fail. Anyone who exercises regularly or who has followed a strict diet will testify that, at times, the going gets tough. It is very easy to diet at the beginning; you are excited at the potential changes ahead and, to begin with, those changes will be rapid and vast. But, what about a few weeks or months in, when the improvements slow down or maybe even stop – what then?

That is the point when most people quit. They come up with some bullshit reason as to why they quit and, before you know it, they’ve put on any weight they lost, plus a bit more.

Everyone has a different motivator to lose weight. My body heroes were people like Arnie and Sylvester Stallone, so, for me, it was all about putting on hard muscle and having a defined physique. Some people want to lose weight for an occasion, like a wedding and some people need to lose weight for health reasons.

If you want your weight loss to be permanent, you have to understand right now that, the ONLY way to make it permanent is to permanently change your outlook to food and exercise. I don’t consider myself to be “on a diet”, there are just certain foods I won’t entertain the notion of eating. To achieve the look that I want, I have sacrificed certain foods. Yes, I am extremely strict on myself, but that is because I like being toned all year around. Most people don’t need to be as strict as I am but everyone wanting to maintain weight loss will need to look hard at their diet and just get used to the fact that they may never look a Kentucky Fried Chicken in the eye again!

Healthy living is a lifestyle choice in just the same way unhealthy living is. Some people strive on filling themselves full of junk, smoking and drinking to excess – like they are badges of honour. Others want to feel good, look good and add years to their lifespan – quality years. It is the latter that have adapted the way they think to conform with the goals they want to achieve.

Your Question Answered: Tone Up Abs & Bum

Posted by LORD ZiON on April 23rd, 2012

If you have any specific questions, email them

I’m losing weight really well but need to tone up my tum and bum – what do you recommend?

The best way to tone up the stomach is through direct abdominal exercises like crunches and reverse leg raises. The abs are kind of in two halves – the upper abs are exercised by moving your head toward your knees, the lower abs the opposite way.

So, lay down in front of a chair or your bed and put your legs up on it. Place your hands just behind your ears then, keeping your back flat on the floor, crunch your head and shoulders toward your knees. Do as many repetitions as you can (this will count as one set), and do four sets.

To work the lower abs, lay on the floor then raise your legs so your knees are bent and your calves are horizontal to the floor. Now straighten your legs on the horizontal then return to the original position. The first time you try this, you should find it really difficult, but persevere as it is one of the best ways to work the lower abs.

As for your bum, well, stay laying on the floor so your back is flat on it, you are bent at the knees and your feet are flat on it. Now, raise your pelvis toward the ceiling and squeeze your glutes (bum). You should feel a burning in them, as well as your lower back and your thighs (both to a lesser extent). Return to the original position. This is one rep – do as many of these as you can x 4.

For both abs and bum, you can do isometric exercises anywhere: tensing your stomach muscles and pulling your tummy in as far as you can and holding it, for example. And, whilst standing or in the car, you can squeeze your bum tight.

Remember, if you have lost a lot of weight, it may take a while for the skin to re-tighten in certain areas – so do bear that in mind.

GOT A QUESTION? Email it in!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and have no professional qualifications in diet, health or fitness. However, I have followed a healthy eating plan and have regularly exercised throughout my adult life, absorbing all kinds of information and knowledge. All my advice is given under the proviso that you seek professional advice before following my suggestions

Your Question Answered: Energy Crashes After Workouts

Posted by LORD ZiON on April 23rd, 2012

If you have any specific questions, email them

Training extra hard, having some trouble with energy crashes after workouts fuzzy head and extreme tiredness. Any suggestions?

One word: fuel. Just like a car cannot go on mile after mile without needing refueling, nor can a person. Your muscles are a storage tank for energy and, when you exercise, that tank empties. Depending on how fast it empties will depend on how much fuel is stored within it.

This is where Creatine comes in. Creatine is fuel for your muscles so make sure you are taking some of that if you are exercising regularly. About half-an-hour before working out, make sure that you have some carbs (porridge/similar) as this will give you sustained energy during the workout. Immediately after exercising, have a small piece of fruit to give you a fructose spike and also a good quality whey protein shake. Whey is easily and quickly digested by the body so will help the muscle rebuilding.

The energy crashes and fuzziness are symptoms of low blood sugar – the above should help remedy that.

GOT A QUESTION? Email it in!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and have no professional qualifications in diet, health or fitness. However, I have followed a healthy eating plan and have regularly exercised throughout my adult life, absorbing all kinds of information and knowledge. All my advice is given under the proviso that you seek professional advice before following my suggestions

Your Question Answered: How Should I Measure Progress?

Posted by LORD ZiON on April 23rd, 2012

If you have any specific questions, email them

Yardsticks in fitness are great motivators, but there are lots – weight, body fat percentage, fitness tests, measuring the width of body parts, how much you can lift… Which measuring system do you use to chart your progress, and what would you recommend for others?

What an interesting question – thanks for asking it! I made the mistake once of buying some scales – fancy ones that also measured your fat percentage. At the time, I was particularly shredded (in a near death kind of way) and my measurements were in the low single figure percentages. Of course, I would find myself weighing and measuring every hour or so, becoming obsessed. If I went up a % or two (as, when you are that low, the slightest bit of food makes a difference) I would freak out. I have body dysmorphic issues so, as far as I was concerned, I was “getting fat”.

So the scales got dumped. Personally, I would not recommend that ANYONE rely on the scales to measure progress. Whatever your aims, there are better ways of seeing how your progress is going. With muscle weighing three times the amount of fat, unless you are going to do BMI measurements every time you weigh yourself, you aren’t going to learn much. Not only that, weight can fluctuate throughout the day.

The biggest and best way to measure your progress is to use a mirror. An honest mirror! Not one that is slightly convex or concave (be wary of cheap ones). Some harsh lighting is also necessary. It will show up the wobbles, yes, but it will also show up the muscle progress thanks to the shadows it casts. Particularly handy if you have a pale complexion that doesn’t show definition (like my own).

Beyond that, it really depends what your goals are. If it is to get larger muscles then I would suggest keeping a workout diary. You can use this to see if you are progressing with heavier weights or more reps – a sure sign that you are getting stronger. If the goal is general overall fitness, by all means take fitness tests but I suspect the results would be spurious. If you are exercising regularly, in a progressive fashion and are liking the results in the mirror, whilst maintaining a healthy diet, you are getting fitter! If you start finding your cardio too easy, find a way to make it harder again: increase the resistance somehow; do things faster; longer or, best of all, move to a different cardio regimen. I always find that, if I do the bike for ages then switch to something I used to find easy, like a stepper, it is exhausting all over again. Different machines have different cardio affects.

Really though, the absolute best way to measure progress is by what you see in the mirror and how you feel. If you like what you see and feel good, keep on keeping on!

GOT A QUESTION? Email it in!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and have no professional qualifications in diet, health or fitness. However, I have followed a healthy eating plan and have regularly exercised throughout my adult life, absorbing all kinds of information and knowledge. All my advice is given under the proviso that you seek professional advice before following my suggestions