Over the past 2 weeks we have had an influx of around 11 new Bootcamp clients.

The best bit about new clients joining the group is i get to work with new people, new routines, new challenges and get to put my coaching skills to test.

We work with everyone on a 1-2-1 basis when it comes to nutrition and of course we see patterns with people.

The most common pattern we see amongst new clients is the lack of food they consume when weight loss is the primary goal.

Does this surprise me

NO

You see, for the past 30+ years we have been brain washed by the “diet” culture and its forced people into confusion when it comes to foods to the point they eat very little expecting to lose weight in the process.

I can tell you one thing as a coach, its fantastic helping people eat more to lose weight.

Now, when it comes to helping people eat more to lose weight, its all about eating the right things.

Its not simply about them just eating more

Lets start by talking about the knock on effect of eating too little each day

>Your body starts to store Fat instead of burning it

Your body uses carbohydrates and fats as energy. Now, in the absence of carbs it will use any carb stores it has as energy and once depleted, it will start to use your fat stores for energy.
Now that sounds amazing doesnt it, and people generally think eating no carbs automatically means you will burn the fat.
Now, that’s true in once sense but around 7-10 days of no carbs for energy and the body will in fact start to shut you down rather than continue to burn the fat.
Without getting scientific on you, your fat is basically an emergency store for survival.
Think of being stranded on a desert island with no food, your body will start to eat away at its own fat for energy and to survive.
No in real life, what happens is, you will stay low carb, you will lose weight initially, 7-10 days time you will start to feel very light headed and even dizzy, like you are going to pass out. The more active you are, the worse this will get.
Its the body saying it does not have enough energy for your day to day routine and it wants carbs. It will make you feel awful.

How anyone follows a low carb diet 100% of the time is beyond me, they must feel awful.

>Your hair, Nails and Skin deteriorate

Yep, through a lack of nutrients the health of your skin, nails and hair will reduce.

>You will feel tired and run down

Again, through a lack of energy and nutrients your body will feel shattered and tired all of the time. You will also find you catch every cold going as there are a lack of nutrients to help build your immune system.

These are generally the main side effects people see, there are others but i want to just get the point across in this post.

Now, how do you know you are under eating?
Generally if you feel any of the above or maybe you are fighting that constant hunger feeling day to day?
Maybe you have suddenly stopped losing weight?

Now the major factor we have not discussed is metabolism.

The faster your metabolism, the faster you burn carbs, fats etc

Under eating will slow your metabolism down in a big big way.

So, where do you start with sorting this out?

First things first, make a note of how often you eat each day.

A general start with clients is we work on getting 5 meal times worked into there day, sometimes 6 if we can.
You will aim to eat Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and 2 snacks.

You will aim to get a decent hit of protein in your 3 main meals (meats, fish, lentils, pulses)
Your snacks will be cleaner than normal (no crisps, cakes, chocolate bars etc)

Sounds simple right?

Until you try to put it into practice.

This is where our 1-2-1 caching comes in.

Now, for the sake of this blog i will give you some meal suggestions at the bottom to get you started.

So what benefits will you notice from upping your food intake (if you have been under eating)

>A huge increase in energy
>Healthier skin, nails and Hair
>A faster metabolism which means you should start to lose weight a little easier
>Fuller for longer with less hunger pangs

Here are some tips on meals you can be aiming towards eating. Dont stress over times, just aim to get the meals in when you can and take some time to implement this as your body may not be used to the amount of food.

Breakfast Options

2-3 Eggs (Fried, Poached, Scrambled, Omlette) Serve with green leafy veg if you can)
Porridge

Hey,

I hope you are well?

Im freshly back from a week away in Cornwall with the family and it was such a refreshing week.

The week was great for me as i had limited wifi access.

Having limited wifi access is a big thing in my world as a business owner. You see i am forever on the internet.

My marketing runs through the internet, my website, my client support group, our membership site, my emails and of course facebook which i used to waste a stupid amount of time on! (there will be a blog post about this!)

Whilst away i was forced into spending my time away from the internet and this allowed me to actually sit back and watch people a bit more.

Now coaching people is my career and something i enjoy and im constantly learning.

However one thing has been coming to the forefront of my mind each week and that is

HOW IMPORTANT MOBILE PHONES HAVE BECOME TO US

Now im going to throw this out there

I believe they play a big role in the fact that people are less healthy nowadays

Yep, you heard me right.

A mobile phone now not only makes phone calls and texts, it takes photo’s, it stores apps, it holds our emails, it basically runs our lives.

Now i speak from experience here

Just over a year ago i upgraded my smart phone to brand new amazing Samsung Galaxy phone and 2 months later dropped it at bootcamp and smashed the screen up!
I was mortified.
However, fast forward 12 months and its actually the best thing i have ever done!

Hear me out

Whilst i was away this is what i witnessed (oh and i would go as far as saying i witness this everyday)

People walking there children to school with there heads in there phones not even watching what there child is doing along a main road

People sitting in parks choosing to browse there phone rather than play with there kids

People sitting at home browsing there phones instead of playing with there kids or doing something productive with there lives.

Dont even get me started on the people in the gym on their phones!

No apps have become the major problem with this oh and one other major thing we see i life

EVERYONE HAS A SMART PHONE!

Now dont get me wrong, there are certain aspects of phones i think that are great like the camera’s on them and the fact we can send out pictures of our kids to loved one’s that are not local to us, oh and not forgetting the fact of emergencies etc

However what annoys me is the fact that to most people these phones are the most important part of their lives even to the point where the neglect important parts of their life like their children and their health!

Now, you can call me an old man (that happens a lot!) but honestly tell me it doesnt happen?

Next time you go out, sit back and watch it happen before your very eyes.

I want you to imagine something

What if your phone could only text and Call people?

Thats it, no apps, no camera, nothing!

How much more could you achieve in your life?

Ask yourself how much time you actually spend browsing on your phone?

Now ask yourself how much of that browsing is actually important?

How much of that time is wasted on pointless apps?

Now ask yourself what you could be doing with that time instead?

Suddenly all of this time becomes available that we are wasting.

Could you go to the gym? Spend some time cooking healthier meals, socialise (in person!), have a conversation with your family? Play with your children?

No im not blaming mobile phones solely on ruining our health but i really do feel the have become a huge factor and it worries me for the next generation.

What ever did we do before these apps were available?

Now, i dont want it to be all about moaning, there is an answer and its about being strict with ourselves.

Here are my top tips for reducing your time on your mobile and improving the quality of life you have

1) When you go out leave your phone in your bag. Take photo’s of the children etc if you want too and capture those memories but hey, you dont need to upload them to facebook straight away when you can be playing with your children!

2) Have your email and social media on a separate device – This may not be easy if you dont have multiple devices but most households now have phones, tablets and computers. I have Facebook and email on my 7 inch tablet and nothing on my phone. Im forced to not use social media during the day when im out and about. I check my email and facebook at set times during the day. The rest of the day im actually enjoying my life.

3) Be aware of how much of your life is spent on your phone. Actually take some time to make a note of it and then ask yourself is it necessary?

4) Downgrade your phone? Now this is the one most people will struggle with. Why? Because we all like to be part of the crowd and that means having a phone that others accept. Seriously. When i pull my battered old samsung phone out, you can guarantee there will be a comment “OMG, Look at your phone”. Im ready for it now, but what do these comments change? Nothing, they dont matter. My phone calls people and it texts, i bet yours does aswell?

What’s that, i dont have access to whatsapp? i dont have access to upload my 300 selfies on a night out? i have to concentrate on having a conversation rather than proving to facebook i have a life every 5 minutes?

If your somebody that struggles to get off of there phone and wants to reduce the time on it, downgrade your handset, not only we you be forced not to have access to apps, email etc etc, you will even save some money in the process. oh and no, your not going to lose friends just because you dont have an iphone!

Come on, we get one life, spend it doing something productive and focus on improving the things you hate about your life.

If your happy being on your phone all day, ignoring the world, ignoring your children, ignoring your health then this blog post probably isn’t for you!

One of the subjects i have been asked to write about is Motivation.

To be honest this is an open ended subject as everyone is different.

One thing that is for certain though is the initial motivation to change something has to come from within.

So that’s the first thing you need to be certain of, the changes you want to make.

Now from there, what is truly going to motivate you to make those changes?

I truly believe that if you dig deep enough, the emotional reaction to how you are currently feeling and the fact you are wanting to make changes will motivate you enough to make the first steps.

The first steps are looking into something or somebody that will help you achieve what you want to achieve.

Now you have the changes you want to make and you have made an enquiry, had a consultation call, hired a personal trainer etc etc

Well done

Now the motivation has to continue from within

You start to feel anxious, nervous and start questioning whether you can make these changes.
This is all perfectly natural.

Our bodies and minds like comfort, pushing yourself out of your comfort one will bring your best results. I guarantee it.

This is where my role as a coach comes in.

Now, if your enquiry, consultation etc has been good enough from my point of you, you should be motivated enough to come and try the sessions, the nutrition plan etc

This where my job comes in for motivation.

Once you are at the sessions, its my job to motivate you to exercise by making it a nice atmosphere, a place you want to come to at the end of your day or before you start work, a place that other clients around you motivate you, a place you really want to come too.

This is what we have at Bootcamp.

I always say to my clients, i can motivate you once you are at Bootcamp, but i cant motivate you to get out of your house and come to the session.
This is where desire to change comes in.

We work closely with clients all the time, during sessions and away from sessions. Vital coaching calls with clients when they need them.

Motivation will always go up and down but a good coach should always be there to talk things through with you and overall keep you motivated.

Money

Now, many believe the key to motivation is investment and i have to admit there is some truth in this.
Investing something of value to you to get the results you desire.

For example.

If you invested £10 on a 1 month training plan or £100 on a 1 month training plan, which one do you feel you will follow best?
The answer is generally the £100 training plan because the investment means more to you.
No one likes losing money, especially a lot of money.

This is why i personally think PT’s out there discounting programs on a regular basis, offering different clients different prices for things are actually not helping you overall.

For most people money is a huge factor in life.

I suppose it comes down to how much money you have and the actual investment.

All i will say is there is a reason our prices are dearer than a bog standard gym. Obviously our service is also better and value is better however we are looking for people really serious about investing in their health.

Here are my steps to staying motivated

1) Dig deep into your emotion to set some goals/changes you want to achieve
2) Look for someone to help you (invest in an expert to get you results)
3) Set goals
4) Make sure you see results for your investment – this will build confidence and motivation in itself
5) Find something you enjoy doing – this will help with long term motivation
6) Continue to invest in yourself and your happiness

Remember, to achieve something you have never achieved, you have to try something you have never tried before.

I hope this helps

Ross

One of the most common comments i get on social media and also hear in person is

I cant believe how much it costs to eat healthy! or
I would love to lead a healthier lifestyle but cant afford it!

Now i would like to start this post of by saying this is a very individual subject and very hard to cover on an individual basis.
There are more than a few people that will be reading this post that are genuinely struggling financially and in no way i this post directed at these people.

I have been running my own business for 4 years now and came off the back of a redundancy from Barclays in Poole which at the time was paying me the most money i had ever earnt in a job.
The reality of my first 2 years self employed was one that smacked me straight in the face and left us as a family struggling way beyond what i had to before.

I cut my mortgage back, we lived off of cheap meals for 4 months, we cut all luxuries back in our house like Sky TV, Takeaways, Gym memberships etc

Why am i telling you this?

Because i have been there and it snot nice.

One of the biggest miss-conceptions out there is a healthier lifestyle cost more than a unhealthy one.
Yep, i mean it, its all rubbish!

I will happily argue this out with anyone.

Hear me out.

Its hard to live a healthy lifestyle, you have to be on your toes all the time, you have to stay motivated and most of all you generally have to go against the norm.

This is what i thrive at though.

I offer something within my business away from the norm.
Normal is boring!

Now, the main problem in life is people jump on the cost of healthy food and forget to weight up the cost of an UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE

So, A takeaway once a week will cost in the region of £20 (depending on how many people you are buying for)
Alcohol, lets say £5 a week (im sure people spend more!)
Cigarettes if you smoke?
Now lets come onto food. Pizza and Burgers etc in the frozen section will come across cheaper, but how many of these do you go through a week?
No, the general c=thing that happens when you eat processed foods is your blood sugars are not stable so you snack more and crave sweet things.
So, ho many biscuits, cakes, breads, pastries, ice cream tubs etc are you buying each week?

You see, it all adds up

Now, away from food it comes down to priorities.
I have had people tell me they cannot afford a healthy lifestyle and then pull out a brand new iphone or drive off in a brand new car.
Wow, an iphone costs what, £40-£50 a month? A car on finance roughly £200 a month?
How about the coffee in costa once or twice a week, the trips out etc etc

You see, once again it all adds up.

Im not here to judge remember, what you do with your life is your choice however like most things it comes down to priorities.
I look to work with people that are at a stage of their life where they are fed up with how they feel and want to change things, if that means making sacrifices in other areas then fine, that’s something you need to look at (i will help you further down with something)

Now, the biggest thing people do not look at it and its hard to put a price on, is there health.
I mean, how can you put a price on it?

Generally when someone’s diet is bad, they are run down, tired, lethargic, lack motivation, sometimes depressed and in general hate themselves.
How much does feeling this way cost you?

Lets break it down

You dont go out as much as you should because you lack confidence
You are always making doctors appointments because you are run down and don’t feel 100%
You live on different medications to help you feel better and in turn they make you feel worse

Again, how much does this cost you of your life?

None if us know how long we are going to live for, harsh, but true, we dont

If our lives had a counter ticking down and you knew exactly how long you had left, would you change things?

Its something to think about

Now we have gone through the reality of things, its time to t help put some things into place and move forward

The biggest thing i can urge you to do is track your finances.

This is something people generally only do when the shit hits the fan

Its something i did when my income dropped.

I earnt £5750 the first year i was self employed, yep thats right and i have a wife and 2 kids to support.

But we survived! and are better off for it now.

You see, you learn so much about yourself when you actually sit down and writ your life down.

So, track your finances down to every penny. Go through your bank statements if you have to.

I have a spreadhseet.

Down the left hand side i have every monthly outgoing and along the top each month and the income we bring in as a household.
The spreadsheet then has an entry for every cost that comes out of our bank account. The first thing that hits you is how many outgoings you have!

You need to list every outgoing so Petrol, Nights Out, Mobile Phone’s, Shopping all need to be in there.

What you end up with is your monthly outgoings written down in front of you.

Now you can re-assess everything.

We were spending £75 a month on Sky Tv for example. £75 a month!
The worst bit was, when i phoned them we did not even watch half the channels we were paying for.

Basically, once you have your spreadsheet typed up, look through and see if you can make any savings anywhere.

Everyone likes saving money hey?

What also becomes evident is how much you spend on food.

Now hen it comes to healthy food, it can appear to cost more. However, like anything, its getting into a routine.

I spend no more now than when i use to eat crap.

Here are some tips on managing your budget

> Batch Cook things like Burgers, Stews, Curries, Bolognese etc
Mince is a great thing to buy and can make 3-4 meals at a time.

> Always check the cheaper isle in the supermarket
Its not embarrasing and you can pick up some bargains. At the end of the day, the food is going out of date that day, if you can freeze it when you get home, job done!

> Buy frozen berries instead of wasting fresh.
Fresh berries dont last long and if you find you are always chucking them in the bin, why not buy frozen?
Greta for smoothies and you can always defrost them!

> Buy frozen veg to stop waste
As above really, veg is veg at the end of the day. Forget about fresh is best when it comes to healthy eating unless you can buy from a green grocer or get one of those posh organic boxes delivered however we are talking about saving money here so you cant afford that option. Frozen veg is just as good.

> Plan your week of meals
Something people always smirk at but this helps in a big way.
Plan your meals out for the week before you shop and then right down what you need to buy and stick to that list!

> Online Shopping
Now, it amazes me how many people are against this option but i guarantee you, you will save a lot of money doing it this way.
But i have to pay to get it delivered!?
I still guarantee you will save money as you cannot succumb to the tricks that supermarkets play as your not walking down the eisle’s.
Shopping online against a list you have made (see above) is a great way to avoid the unhealthy treats and snacks you pick up whilst walking around the supermarket.
Most companies do very good offers for new customers.
TRY IT, TRUST ME IT WILL HELP YOU!

Overall, i want you to be aware of everything you spend and create an honest look at your life financially.
As i have said above, if you then realise you are on a tight budget and cannot afford to invest in a bootcamp or personal trainer then try some tips below

> Walk
Do not under estimate the power of a walk.
Get out in the fresh air and go for a 20-30 minute walk. Its great for relieving stress and once the sun is out you will be helping increase your vitamin D levels.

> Start a walk/run program
There are some fantastic walk run apps out there for smart phones/computers.

> Home exercise routines
Motivation is a huge thing here but if you can, do some exercises at home like Squats, Push Ups, Crunches, jogging on the spot, star jumps, lunges all just using your own bodyweight.
Walk up and down your stairs until you feel out of breath.
Remember, its all about doing a little bit more than yesterday, start off slow and slowly build up.

If you have any questions on the above or need any help, please feel free to email me at Admin@liveyoungbootcamp.co.uk

Take some time to look at things overall and ask yourself how you currently feel and how much your health is a priority in your life.
Investment is they key to everything we do in life, getting your money’s worth or more in everything you spend.

I hope this helps

Ross

I have today received 2 messages from followers asking me the bets way to get through Easter as healthy as possible.

Generally with clients, im a big fan of letting people make their own decisions however when it comes to eating clean and dieting (as much as i hate that term) there is nothing worse than undoing all of your hard work in one weekend!

Here are some tips to help you stay focussed

1) Easter means big money for supermarkets

For weeks now, even months, Easter has been pushed in our faces.
If you go to the supermarket, the cheap eggs are everywhere, then the even bigger eggs at the end of each isle oh and don’t forget all the signs up reminding you its easter!
You get through all of that and then there is the chocolate at the tills aswell!

However, with all this in your face marketing, you have the power to say no and if your determined to stay on track you have to say no because it all starts with not buying the sweet treats and not having them in your cupboards.

2) But friends and family will give me chocolate as gifts

This is a tough one as nobody likes to come across ungrateful and if your like my family, you will receive some if not a lot of chocolate on Sunday (if not before).
If this is the case you once again have a choice over whether you eat it or not.
As tough as it is, you do have the choice.
There are plenty of companies out there that take unwanted easter eggs and give them to people less fortunate than others or charities.
If you choose to eat it, please see my next 2 points.

3) Allow yourself some chocolate

What’s that! a fitness instructor telling you to have some chocolate!
Have i gone mad!?
No, sometimes when we deprive ourselves of something we really want, we end up wanting it even more!
So maybe allow yourself to have some chocolate, but please read my next point!

4) You do not have to eat it all in one day!

Now there is allowing yourself to have some chocolate and there is binging out on the stuff!
One thing we are always trying to stop is a binge on any food.
Now chocolate is a very hard thing not to binge on once you have started eating it so this needs a lot of discipline.
The sugar alone will have you gripped so its always best to have some after a decent meal and then put it away.
Oh and dont even think about having it for breakfast!

5) You do not need to change your eating routine

Easter weekend is a long weekend, we have Good Friday bank holiday, the weekend and then Easter Monday bank holiday aswell.
Generally people unwind a little bit more over long weekends and rightly so.
We all work hard and deserve to enjoy ourselves and i dont want this blog post to take that away from you.
However, one big thing i have noticed from working with clients for over 4 years is that the long weekend means all food routines go out of the window.

Once again, this is a recipe for disaster.

Make sure you get your meals in as normal.

Breakfast, a decent protein hit, Lunch and Dinner also the same and any snacks you need along the way.
Try not to include sweet snacks like chocolate too often or you are in trouble!
The sugar creates spikes in your blood which initially make you feel amazing and then your blood sugars crash causing your body to want that feel good spike again, you eat more chocolate and the cycle starts again.
Its called a reactive food.
Making sure you have eaten sensibly during the day and including a decent amount of protein in your meals (meats/fish) will stop the sugar spikes and keep your blood sugars level and therefore the need for sugary snacks/treats is a lot less.

Overall, enjoy yourself, send time with family and your loved one’s and make the most of the long weekend.
Enjoy a treat or 2 and try not to binge.

Have a fantastic Easter

Ross