Over the past 28 days i have been helping a client through our 28 Day Online Program.

28 Days ago this client reached out for my help, was sent the guidelines and actually started off with a free 7 day detox.

The client joined 14 others in deciding they were going to make a change to their lifestyle.

Now, im going to be honest, 28 days really is not that long in terms of changing a lifestyle however everyone wants quick results right?

Now i probably receive around 6-8 enquiries for Bootcamp and Personal Training each week and out of this maybe one sign up.

You see, people need to trust me, im a stranger after all.

That’s part of the reason i send emails 2-3 times a week with valuable content for everyone

When they are ready, they know where i am should they want my help

It also the reason we now offer a free 7 day online detox once a month

The problem with free is there is no accountability

There is no reason for that person to follow my instructions as they have nothing to lose, we dont meet face to face so who am i to tell them what to do.

However, everyone that contacts me has one thing in common

THEY WANT TO CHANGE SOMETHING

Now, back to my client

Sarah is a single Mum who is a Nurse who works very long shift including night shifts each week

Sarah decided she would give the 7 days her bets shot, she lent on the group of ladies for support online, asked for help, asked for recipes to fit in with her lifestyle and we provided the coaching each day to help her stay on track.

Was it plain sailing?

HELL NO

Did she have to put some work in

HELL YES

Sarah got herself prepared and didnt let anything get in her way

She even cried over some lettuce (but thats a whole different story!)

The 7 days increased her energy levels and made her feel so amazing she decided to stay with us online for the whole 28 days.

Sarah ate Carbs, she exercised maybe 3-4 times across the 28 day period so the majority of her changes were all through clean eating nutrition guidelines around a very busy job.

Sarah was preparing her food when she could and managed to work the program into her hectic lifestyle.

The results?

Well i can honestly say in the 5 years i have been doing this, they are some of the best we have ever had on the program!

Take a look yourself (below)

Oh and then Sarah sent me this very emotional testimonial to go with the photos

I had a lump in my throat when i read this and it really allowed me to sit back and realise the power my job has to change people’s lives.

Im assuming the investment was worth it!?

Pics below and testimonial underneath

Testimonial

The biggest change I have noticed is finding my confidence and happiness again. When I joined I was in a very unhappy almost depressed place – too much information, but I had 6 months before thrown my abusive husband out of the house. But he was somehow still controlling me and I wanted that control back. I lived on a diet of caffeine and crap or no food at all because I didn’t have enough hours in the day to do everything as a single parent who works full time in a really stressful job, well that was my excuse. You gave me the confidence to realise that I could do this. You have a no-nonsense approach which makes you take a deep breath and say I can do this (if you remember I cried over lettuce!!!) kind of like the good angel on your shoulder who shuts the bad one up (the one that’s saying don’t bother prepping food, just get a plate of chips at work tomorrow!!) I didn’t think I could give up coffee and chocolate and to be honest I still love my morning coffee, but that’s pretty much the only one I still have. I’ve remembered how much I love cooking tasty food…. And it is so much tastier than ready meals or stuff that came out of a jar.

Plus your cheaper than the psychologist.

The Summer is here and we have had some fantastic weather recently

This can make losing weight tough as the social events in our calendars increase, the invites to BBQ’s with friends and families, the dining in the garden, the glasses of wine in the evening etc

We all know it happens right?

Relax

Summer is there to be enjoyed

However, if you are sat there every Monday morning thinking

“i have to get back on this, i have to start losing some weight”

Something fundamentally is wrong

Now dont get me wrong, everyone likes to relax on the weekend but im talking to the people that really are getting on their own backs.

For example

2 weekends ago i was invited to a family BBQ out at the New Forest

It was a gorgeous hot day and i would be away from work with no wifi access, a BBQ and a big field to run around with the kids.

Bliss

Now, most of my family are following slimming world

Well, when i say following slimming world

When they feel like it

The usual comments were coming out

I didnt go to my weigh in last week, i know i hadnt lost”

“I didnt eat the day i had a weigh in to trick the scales”

etc etc

However, what happened next really made me smile and of course, i even commented

I had the BBQ already, im a real man and love to do the cooking

It also keeps me busy while people start munching on all kinds of naughties

We cooked most of the Burgers and i was then handed some sausages which were in fact Chicken Sausages

Apparently these are lower in points

So i watch my family not have burgers or any other bits because they were being good

They waited for the chicken sausages to be cooked and then had them with some salad

All good you would think

But then, one of them mentioned they had been baking

An BAM

Out came a lot of cakes, biscuits and a lot of delicious looking treats.

I will be honest, i had a couple but i was firmly in control of what i was eating.

The people that had the chicken sausages

Yep, you guessed it, were eating the cake and a quite a bit of it

I was smiling to myself

Now the thing is

If they had a burger without the bun and had it with the chicken sausages and the salad they would have been a lot fuller from the protein and stood a better chance of not being hungry and would have eaten less cake

Remember, its protein content of food that fills you

Not bloody salad!

So out of thinking they were being good, in fact they brought there own problems on and probably didnt go to that weeks weigh in either.

This is where i think most dieting clubs guidelines let people down

I will have a separate post on this next week

The one thing we do at Bootcamp and our online programs is educate people on their food choices and structuring their foods in terms of proteins, carbs and Fats.

Yes we have foods lists we utilise with clients but everything is about that structure.

I mean, imagine being able to go to a social event, eat out, enjoy yourself and still manage to be accountable to your weigh in????

Now that is what i pride myself on offering our clients

Of course its still down to each individual client to follow our guidelines but i guarantee you will stand a much better chance of fighting that battle.

So, dont ditch the protein, fill up on it and have less treats

Over the last few weeks i have been speaking to ladies looking for my help through online programs and Bootcamp.

During the consultations its amazing how many people that have tried one of the shake diets that are out there.

Now, i dont want to get into the names of the companies at this point as im sure most of you are aware of 1 or 2 of them.

The bit that really annoys me is most people get into these schemes though PT’s!

So, do Shake Diets work?

The answer to this question really comes down to

WHY YOU SIGNED UPTO THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE?

The most common reasons for people signing upto shake diets are the following

>Looking for a quick fix
>The marketing is hard hitting and appealing
>The idea of drinking a shake 2-3 times a day to lose weight seems easy
>Seriously fed up with not getting results
>low self esteem
>Poor relationship with food
>Confused from all fo the diets they have tried before

Here is the hard truth about diet shakes

THEY WILL MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT

Yep, shock horror, they actually do what they say they will, they actually help you lose weight which lets face it, is the reason most people start taking them.

Now, this is the worrying bit most people overlook

They allow you to lose weight because they put you in a calorie deficit each day

At the end of the week your body has lost weight and you are encouraged by the results

The trouble is the calorie deficit is too much and your body starts to crave food, probably sugar as this is the quickest form of energy it can convert.
Eventually you end up giving in and start eating and probably end up binging because you get gripped by food again and end up with a lot of expensive product just sitting in the cupboard.

If you are one of the mentally strong, hard bodied people that actually manages to take these things long term using will power at its best to beat of the cravings when you stop taking them at start eating food again, the viscous cycle starts again, the weight piles on and you end up really confused and down hearted.

One of the biggest things the people selling wont actually tell you is where the weight loss comes from.

Generally you will lose a lot of water, muscle and a little body fat.

The body will also get less nutrients in the shakes so you will become pale, light headed, shaky, dizzy and generally feel shit!

Is it worth it?

So, do they actually work?

Short term, possibly (weight loss), long term NOT AT ALL!

All that happens is you waste a shed load of money on poor products.

I say poor products because the ingredients are so so poor in these things, cheap protein, artificial sweeteners and a whole host of chemicals (that’s another blog post in itself)

Anyone selling you these products is not thinking of your overall health, they are simply making money from you.

But we all have to make money dont we?

Yes we do, but for me, not out of sacrificing someone’s long term health.

So, lets get back to the question, DO THEY ACTUALLY WORK?

I would answer No

The reason?

Because they are not teaching you anything, they are not educating you in the long run.

Do you realise that if you decided to not sign up for one of these shake diets and invested the money in Protein Shakes with better ingredients and replaced each meal with a protein shake you would actually get the same results but actually a lot cheaper?

NOW IM NOT TELLING YOU TO GO AND DO THAT!

When you come off of these shakes your relationship with food has not changed so why do you expect to keep the weight off long term?

You go back to eating all those foods you did before and eventually you end up putting the weight back on.

Lets face it, we have to be brutally honest here

Eating those foods before the shake diet got you in this position, it will get you there again.

Unless you are changing your eating habits, unless you are being coached on how to change those habits to suit your lifestyle and unless you start eating healthier foods YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD WILL NOT CHANGE.

Well, you could of course take shakes for meals for the rest of your life and hope that strong mindedness and will power dont give in to the tempting treats all around us.

You can turn every invitation down for a mela out or special occasion and continue with your shakes.

Or you can make a decision to hire a coach who can help you improve your relationship with food.
Someone you can speak to daily about your worries, your cravings, your lifestyle, your struggles with food and lean on them and other people that have been through exactly what you are going through to improve the situation long term.

To me, its the only way to true happiness with weight loss.

All of our clients online or at Bootcamp are coached to making smarter choices with food and as a result when they walk away from us are better educated to make smarter decisions in the long run.

As a result, those special occasions get easier, those meals out and nights out get easier and your life in general becomes happier.

So next time someone offers you a shake diet or you see an advertisement for one, think about long term changes rather than quick fixes

THINK ABOUT YOUR HEALTH!

You deserve to lose weight the healthy way and keep it off

YOU DESERVE TO FEEL A MILLION DOLLARS WHEN YOU LOSE THE WEIGHT

I have been thinking about writing this post for a while and have put it off

Why have i put it off?

Well because i feel slightly silly saying it if im honest

I have 37 Bootcamp clients, 3 Online clients, 2 Children under 6 years old and my wife works 2 days a week and also one in 4 weekends.

Over the last 12 months i have been focussing so much attention on building my business i have forgotten to actually focus sometime on myself.

So im going to say it

I have been struggling!

Over the past 3 months business has been crazy which of course has been fantastic but of course this has an impact on things.

Im more tired, im more stressed, i have become lazier with my own nutrition and also my exercise
I have also been bad company to be around at home as i literally work all of the time unless i have my kids.

Why am i telling you this?

Well, i suppose to prove im human and also for accountability.

One of the biggest pressures i have on myself is my job and being labelled a Personal Trainer.

You see, everyone thinks we are naturally fit and dont need to work at this like they do.

How wrong that actually is.

If anything i actually find my training slightly lonely and have to train at awkward times due to supplying training to my clients at the more popular times.

Over the last few months i have put so much pressure on my self because i knew my fitness and health were slipping that i have actually made it worse for myself.

So 2 weeks ago i made the decision to do something about it.

To stop feeling this way
To stop moaning
To feel better about myself

and i put myself in my clients shoes and did exactly what they do

I INVESTED IN SOMEONE THAT CAN HELP ME!

Yep, thats right, i invested money in a nutrition coach, not because i dont know what to do when it comes to nutrition but to be accountable to someone for my own results.
I submit weekly results and it also gives me a chance to speak to someone weekly.

I have also accepted that my business is very busy and that i finally need some help.
The problem with help is it costs money and every business owner will tell you, its hard getting someone in and paying them to do something that technically you have the time to do but always feel too shattered.

For a long time i have been telling myself, this is just how it is by owning a busines

WRONG!

I have now invested in a business mentor
Someone who has been where i am in my line of work, again that i can speak to and who can also help me make some strict targets for my business and also help with any problems.

The first thing, get some help on jobs i find it hard to do.

Over the course of the next 3-4 weeks i will be bringing in 2-3 people to help me with things which will lift a huge burden from me and actually allow me to focus on the things i enjoy doing and in return reduce my stress and get more done.

Im 2 weeks into this process and while im investing a lot of money i cannot tell you how much better i feel already.

I very rarely make anything i do about me however i have come to realise i am actually a very important part of what i do and i need to be happy.

The reason im sharing this is simple

Do you feel the same way with your health and fitness?
Do you never feel like you commit the time you need?
Do you always put others first?
Are you unhappy?

You need to really sit down and ask yourself these questions and then you need to do one thing

You need to come up with answers on how you can improve these things!

The longer you leave it, the harder it gets

Everyone struggles

but it doesnt have to be that way

There are people that can help you

Money is money and a good investment is well worth it

After all, your time is worth way more than money

Once time has gone, you wont get it back

Anyone that has ever worked with me will tell you i put 100% in with my clients, isnt it strange i dont so the same with myself and my family?

We are officially 8 days into Summer and my inbox is crazy with enquiries.

You would be amazed at the difference in the enquiries i am sent.

I think because people are speaking via email they forget their manners!

Now one thing that always makes me smile with some of the enquiries is the way they get straight to the point

Here is one from last week

“What the cost?”

Now, first of all im in a very lucky position to turn people down from my serice, especially if they are rude!

You see, i dont need rude people’s money

Secondly, we offer 3-4 services so im supposed to guess which one im pricing up?

Third and final, if you focus on cost alone how are you able to see if you are getting great value?

What i mean is, shouldnt the question be, im interested in Bootcamp, how much is the package and what am i getting for that price?

You see the difference?

Now i understand everyone has a budget but surely it makes sense to see what you are getting for your money?

One of the reasons we offer a lower end value trial is to get people through the door and experiencing first hand what we do.
Get them into the female only environment, have a giggle at sessions and see what its all about.

You will never experience this through just asking “whats the cost”

Now, i believe one of the biggest things my job offers is accountability, i also think we do a very good job of supporting our clients.

How am i supposed to show the value of that in an email?

Im not

I can however show you on a trial.

You see most people out there that join us not only need exercise education, not only need nutrition education but they also need support.

Im going to be honest aswell, that support does not always come from friends and family as you would imagine.

So, what do we bring to the table on all of our programs

A Private Support Group

All programs include a private facebook support group.
This is a group that only the clients in the group can see posts. A place for people to support each other, answer questions and generally share how they are feeling.
These groups also allow me to see where people are struggling and i regularly post up educational videos.

Anyone that has been part of any of our groups will tell you how valuable the groups are.

Accountability

This comes in the form of weekly measurements and weigh-ins all done from your own home.
Now, how do you feel your week is going to be if you know at the end of it you have to supply your measurements and weight, what if someone was asking you for those measurements and weight on a Monday (me) if you have not submitted them?

I can honestly tell you your week will be much better! You have more chance of succeeding if someone is holding you accountable.

It also noticable the amount of people that come through our free programs and submit end results is a lot less than the people that pay and finish the programs.

Why?

Accountability usually comes in the form of money. We all hate wasting it right?

The next time you look at a diet, a bootcamp, a fitness class, personal training etc ask yourself the value you re getting out of that program and how it is going to keep you accountable to our goals.

You never know, you may even achieve them 🙂

Ross