Christmas is a-coming!!

As much as we try to avoid it, the days keep on passing by and the inevitable is going to happen- Christmas and the Christmas Parties!

For someone eating clean, and especially someone new to eating clean, this can be a worrying time. The promise of pastry clad, bread-crumb coated and deep-fried party food, whilst tempting and tasty, could set us back weeks in our training and goal achievement. For those who don't eat clean it's not a big deal, for those who do, it's a potential recipe for disaster. So if you're trying to not undo all your hard work, here are a few tips to help you through the party season.

• Try eating a small meal before you go to the party, make sure that this is as on programme as possible. Be sure not to be too full as this will not tempt out the party animal in you, but it will mean that you're not ravenous around all the food you're trying not to eat too much of.
• You could move your “Treat Day” to the day of the party, eat on programme for the whole day, and then you're free to have a few treats and foods you wouldn't normally eat, while you're at the party. Just remember not to also have “Treat Day” on the normal day too!
• Make sure you have a good training session the day of the party, this will increase your metabolism for at least that day, and will allow you to have a few guilt free foods while you're partying the night away. Not only that, it'll help to make you feel great in your party outfit, giving you a massive confidence boost before your big night out.
• Dance dance dance!! It is a party after all! Dancing is a great way to get moving and make a start on burning those extra calories
• Every buffet has at least some salad! Whether it's celery, carrot and cucumber sticks with humus or a mixed leaf salad, chances are you'll be one of the only ones eating it, go nuts! It's a great way to fill up on healthier options, whilst allowing yourself the treat of some of the party food!

Although the thought of all that party food might fill you with dread, it's important to remember that a little splurge every now and again is ok! It's not like you're eating these foods every day! You'll be back to training the next day (or maybe the day after) and you'll smash it! Even if your results do get a bit worse, and it seems you're getting further away from your goals, make sure you focus on the days when you're not going to be partying or visiting family, and you'll bounce back quickly after the party season.

If you're going to be away from home and your gym for more than a few days, then make sure you buy foods to take that you can make for yourself to eat wherever it is that you're staying. I'm pretty sure no-one minds if you bring your own breakfasts, lunches and snacks! Plan some home workouts you can do, if you're not sure how, get in touch (vtpersonaltraining@gmail.com) to arrange a free consultation, I can then write a suitable programme for you to take with you!

These are just a few ideas, if you have any tips and tricks of your own, please feel free to share them in the comments box.

Enjoy your festive season, you've earned it!!

Doing What Needs To Be Done

During this year there have been many changes to my life, and these have have had effects on many areas of my life, including some that I had not expected , and these have proven harder than anticipated to navigate.

My motivation to train has suffered hugely since my career change in April, but I've managed to force myself to train at least 5 days a week whether at the gym or at home (I HATE to train at home).

Many people ask why I bother, I've met my target so surely I don't have to train as much now?! The truth is I don't train as much now, literally not even half as much! But I still train! So, why do I? Because I don't ever want to go back! I never want to go back to how I was; overweight, depressed, eating take out, playing computer games and suffering a bad back!! I did meet my target, and while that was great, my main drive now is to maintain my results! That means eating on programme, training on programme and remaining as committed after the weight-loss phase as during it! Training also helps my back to feel better. I have suffered from low back pain for the past 2 years, and probably always will, but I know the exercises I need to do to help to strengthen it, and make it hurt less. And besides, no-one wants a fat trainer!

I believe in being honest with you, so I'm not going to lie and say that it's easy, it's not! But the benefits far outweigh the negatives, I can't really argue with that! Sometimes I don't want to train, sometimes the last thing I want to do is run sprints for 20 minutes, do burpees or squat more than I weigh, sometimes I'd rather be eating a greasy pizza, but that doesn't mean I get to do that. And neither do you. Not if you want to achieve your goal and maintain what you've achieved! Most of us don't want to do the house work, or get up and go to work on a morning, or walk the dog, but these things need to be done, in just the same way as exercise and eating well! Not only for your "dream body" but for your health!

It's about lifestyle, pure and simple! If you're calling it a “diet” you're setting yourself up to fail. The second you stop exercising and start eating all the things you used to eat, you're going backwards. You're more than likely to re-gain the weight you lost, and probably a whole bunch more, meaning that a year down the line you've got to start again, further back than you started in the first place, trust me, I've been there!

I used to do all those things, I was scarily unfit, and honestly my health was declining because of it. In the past I've had weight loss drives, crash dieted, lost what I thought was the maximum I could lose, gone back to the way it was before the diet and gained the weight plus more. I even lost 2 stone at one point, went to the gym 7 hours a week, ate- what I thought at the time to be- good food, and even considered becoming a trainer back then. But, I got out of the habit, stopped exercising, started eating whatever I felt like and boom, gained the 2 stone back, plus a whole 2 more!! Not this time!

So if you'd like to lose the weight, keep it off, and build the toned and lean body that you dream of, you need to work at it. Every. Day! I can certainly say, I'm not sorry I have!

To find out how I can help, get in touch, we'll arrange your free consultation and get started.

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The Resistance You May Face

This picture really hit home with me, and I'm sure it has with a lot of you too! Over the past 24 months I have been accused of being obsessed more times than I care to remember! Some have suggested that it's started to “interfere” with my life; when all I can see is that I do more with my time now than I ever have!

My question to these people, the negative influences that seem to surround us, is what was I doing before that was so right? I would spend upwards of 5 hours a day sitting at home playing Farmville and all those other games on Facebook, essentially doing nothing! Yes, I may have been at the gym for 10+ hours per week, but what else would you have me do? There are plenty of people who play computer games, go mountain biking, ride horses, baking, learn an instrument and play golf for that amount of time per week, are they obsessed?! No, they are simply pursuing a hobby! To this day I still don't see the difference.

About a year ago, at the mid-way point, when I had lost roughly 35lbs people were telling me constantly “maybe it's time you stopped losing weight” or “I think you've lost enough weight now” etc. Whilst I did appreciate the compliment, after a while it started to become a daily argument about everything I could possibly be doing “to harm myself”. I was telling a friend about this, and she suggested that I respond with “Well thanks for your input, but there was no point at which you suggested that I stopped gaining weight, why do you get to say that I need to stop losing weight?” This became a bit of a running joke! But it's true, it's nobody's business but yours!

Don't get me wrong, not every single person will be against you! Most of them will ask questions out of genuine interest, hoping to glean some information they can apply to their own lifestyle! Some will be genuinely supportive of the work you're doing to improve yourself. And even some of those who seem to resist the most, will actually be happy for you underneath it all.

There is also an element of over sensitivity on our part! With seemingly every move we make being questioned and criticised because it's not what everyone else does, it can get boring, annoying, and can make you doubt yourself. All of which is enough to make anyone a bit touchy!!

At times, it got to me, their words running through my head while I was trying to train, and yes, sometimes it defeated me. I'd leave the gym half way through a workout, devastated with myself for quitting, and angry with them for making me doubt myself. I'd come home and cry on Guy about how people were making me worry that I was going too far, and doing too much. He would reassure me that I'm fine, I'm not too thin, and I enjoy training, so why shouldn't I do it?! I am forever grateful to him for not jumping on the bandwagon, and for helping me to push through the times of doubt. I would return the next day- stronger!

So, ignore the criticism, ignore the people who think they know better than you, or more than you and trust in yourself to guide you through your journey. Try to remember that the resistance could really be coming from a place of love and genuine concern. Educate yourself about what you're doing, what you're eating, and why you're doing it to get you to your goal in a healthy and sustainable way. Then you can educate them! Answer their questions with facts, reassure them with real information that you're safe, and that you're not harming yourself,

Never lose sight of your goal, and where you're going, trust in yourself to get there! If you need reassurance, talk to like-minded people who train and will give you evidence based information and not information based on something someone told them once, or some “feeling” they've got. Make sure you have someone you trust who you can turn to, I have Guy, who will always give me his honest opinion, will tell me if he thinks it's going “too far” and will do nothing but encourage and support me in the meantime!

Work hard, stay focussed, you'll reap the rewards!

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt "Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Making the Change

“Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness” - Edward Stanley

Every journey has it's testing times!! Whether it's related to the journey or not, life will try to trip you up at every opportunity it can, just to make sure you will have work extra hard to get to where you want to be! On the weight-loss journey it can be the tempting “treats” in the office, an injury, tiredness, work and family commitments or boredom, to name but a few!

For me, there were all of those things; “Treats” in the office, mid-week office nights out, a bad back, an injured shoulder, constant shin-splits, MOT, car service, overtime, vet trips, friends to see, weddings to go to, festivals, training pals bailing on me, being lazy, being disorganised, redundancy notice, training to become a trainer, starting my own business... You know, life!

What keeps us going? Every step of the weight-loss journey and the beginning of a healthy lifestyle is a test! Seeming to add stress to your life rather than taking it away, or helping you to cope. You've got all that to deal with, AND THEN fitting in your exercise for the day, prepping tomorrow's food and clothes etc! Realising that all that “extra” stuff is just as important as the original to-do list will really help!!

As a society, we've lost sight of real food and become obsessed with “low fat”, “healthy” and “convenient” fad foods and opted for every “easy” option going that allows us to sit down and do the minimal amount, when what we really need a is fresh, real food to keep us healthy. As a species we haven't evolved for the sedentary lifestyle that so many of us find ourselves living. But movement, activity, exercise, sport, whatever you want to call it, is now required in order for us to stay healthy, or at the very least, less unhealthy. Movement helps everything in your body to work better: your cardio-vascular system, digestive system, your brain, muscles, joints, hormones and your nervous system all work better when you're active. Why? Because we are supposed to be active. We were designed to be up and about all day, walking, running and standing, not sitting in the car, sitting in the office and sitting on the sofa!

So how do you start? How do you begin to re-introduce “healthy” into your life? If you need some time to prepare, set a deadline! Plan what you're going to change and when. For example, if the first change you're going to make is to start drinking 2 litres of water per day, make a note in your diary for Monday to start drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water a day. Set a reminder for Sunday to buy a 2 litre bottle to put the water for the day in! Tea and coffee don't count, neither does juice, water-containing foods or water consumed whilst exercising. Everything else is a bonus! Then set alarms for regular intervals (every hour perhaps) to remind you to drink from your water bottle! Within a few weeks you'll be in the habit well on your way to proper hydration! (NB, do not drink 2 litres all at once just to get it done, this can be very dangerous and potentially fatal). Set the goal, help yourself every way you can- instead of using modern technology to make our lives less active, use it to help make your life healthier.

The principle is the same for everything. Set the goal, help yourself to achieve it! Set diary reminders, alarms, leave yourself notes, do whatever you need to achieve your goal! Try it with the water, its one teensy change to make, stick to it, and see how you get on!

Remember that life is still going to happen, that's what it does, but it doesn't mean that you and your health have to suffer! Heart disease and diabetes aren't going to wait because the car needed a service, or the kids needed to go to x, y and z event! It's time to make time for you, for your health, for your life. You will see the benefits echoed in all other parts of your life.

Next time, other challenges along the way...

The First Day

So, Monday August 2^nd 2010 had arrived! I had made my lunch, packed my healthy snacks and my gym bag and set off for work. After my induction with Joe the day before I was sore but excited to be going to the gym that night to do my programme for the first time.

That day in the office was like any other day, with a concentrated effort to drink at least 2 litres of water and to drink less coffee. For a caffeine addict like me, that's pretty hard to do. So, I was making my 4^th coffee of the day, the last one I was “allowed” and there was a bit of an accident with the kettle - I managed to get my arm in the way of the steam, and gave myself what would turn out to be a pretty horrendous burn. Now, the Viv from last week probably would have gone home miserable and not gone to the gym! But I was determined and even though I'd spent the whole afternoon crying (I respond terribly to an adrenaline rush like that, and burns hurt horribly enough to make me cry - a lot), I went to the gym.

Joe was covering reception, and I showed him the burn! He looked worried. He gave me a bandage to put over it while I worked out. I was pretty miserable, but we laughed over how he only had an eye patch, and how my arm was now a pirate. He cheered me up and off I went to do my workout, still sore from the day before. I wasn't going to let anything stop me this time, I'd made my mind up and this was happening, burnt arm or not!

I had bought myself some workout trousers from Asda, not very flattering at all, but at £3 a pair, I decided that they were good enough and I had no intention for them to fit for very long. I also wore one of Guy's Everton (I know, right!!) training tops - Extra Large. I wanted to hide as much as possible from everyone else in the gym. Although I was under no illusion that it made me look any smaller, I felt that hiding under this huge top would hide the “jiggle” and I just hoped that no-one would notice me.

The gym was busy, a lot busier than the day before. Obviously Monday is the day everyone hits the gym the hardest before they lose the will by Friday! Walking through the weights area was even more daunting this time, due to the large number of enormous men. I just remember thinking, keep your head down, and no-one will notice! It turns out, that those enormous men are actually lovely! And have since become friends of mine! Just goes to show, you can't judge a book by its cover.

I worked my way through my programme, and chuckled to myself at the little stick men Joe had drawn. They were great, and good for reminding me what to do for a certain exercise! It was hard, but I left feeling very proud of myself!

Every day that week I went to the gym, DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) or not. Guy and I had planned a weekend away in Amsterdam and I was worried about the break in routine so soon after starting. Worried I'd never go back, worried I'd stay fat forever, and get even fatter! Despite walking around 10 hours each day, I was also worried about the bad food I'd eaten while away!

Upon our return, I was delighted to discover that I was in no way “out of the habit” of going to the gym and was back there straight away- it had only been the weekend, so really there shouldn't have been any doubt! That pretty much confirmed it for me - I was hooked!

Next time, I tell of the difficulties I faced, as have many of you!

The Beginning

It was July 2010 when it really dawned on me just how bad things had got, just how much I had let go of everything in life and how much I had let go of me!

Attending the wedding of two of my oldest and closest friends was the start of this, having to find an outfit appropriate for such an event was almost impossible when everything looked, as far as I was concerned, horrifying on me. Luckily I did find something, just in the nick of time, but I didn't feel better.

Following the wedding we travelled further to join our friends from York on holiday in Cornwall. It was here, whilst getting into my swimsuit, that I realised, just how fat I'd allowed myself to become. I tried to pull in my tummy while looking in the mirror, and nothing happened...Nothing! I knew, that it was either now or never that I lost the weight.

So, upon return from the holiday, I announced that I would be joining a gym- again!

There were two feasible options as to which gym I would attend; the one practically next to my house, or the one practically next to my job. I visited both, was shown around and ultimately chose to join the gym next to my work. Why? Because, as much as the gym near my house would be easier to get to at the weekend, going there after a full day at the office, followed by a 45 minute commute home consisting mainly of sitting in traffic, was highly unlikely to happen. I decided to remove the hugely de-motivating drive home from the equation, therefore meaning I'd be more likely to attend.

On July 31^st I went down there, signed up, and booked an induction for the next day with the fitness manager, Joe. He would turn out to be the trainer I needed to get me through this task, and he did so, very well, going well above and beyond the call of duty to help me through the tough times and keep me motivated.

On August 1^st 2010 I arrived at the gym for my induction. In true Viv Style, I was hugely early so the receptionist recommended I went to warm up! I hadn't been in a gym in a couple of years and I was nervous! Especially walking through the weights area to the cardio area! As I rounded the corner, it all looked completely foreign to me. I approached what I thought was an elliptical trainer (my former warm up equipment of choice) and hopped on! It seemed a little high, and hard to get going but I went for it, thinking 5 minutes will have me all warmed up. 2 minutes in, I thought I was going to die!! How had this become so hard? How the hell had I let myself get THIS unfit? I got off and went to meet my trainer!

We talked about my goals and if there were any time scales. I declared that my goal was “thin” and the time frame was “as soon as possible”- for a trainer, this is a nightmare response! But he went with it! We also talked about nutrition. I had never really become too bad with the food I ate, there were never chocolate bars or packets of crisps- the occasional “treat” in the office? Sure! But nothing regular. But, due to a bout of depression brought on, in part, to a horrendous work situation, I'd become lazy at preparing our evening meals, and so take- out was on the menu more often than it should be! In the 2 weeks leading up to joining the gym this had stopped and I had started to prepare my meals and snacks for work and was cooking our evening meals again. Joe was comfortable that I had the basics right and just encouraged me to “Eat the Rainbow” (a phrase I now pass on to my clients) meaning I should try to eat vegetables that are all colours of the rainbow every day as they all contain different nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Having established my exercise likes and dislikes we went into the gym. Another warm up was now required and Joe led me to the Elliptical Trainer, it would seem that the equipment I had been on earlier was in fact a Summit Trainer, and, as I would very quickly learn, is one of the hardest pieces of equipment in the gym!! To say I was relieved to be able to easily complete a 5 minute warm up on the real elliptical trainer is an understatement!

Joe took me through all of the exercises he was going to put into my programme, explaining what each exercise does and why I should be doing it, taking into account various old injuries (a very old ankle injury and a dubious shoulder). After 2 hours, I was RUINED! I tried not to let it show though. I was embarrassed, even ashamed. A few years previously I had become quite fit and lost 2 stone, and was convinced that I shouldn't have found it so hard. Joe had no idea how fit I was before, so had no comparison, but I knew! He was very encouraging, apparently his favorite phrase is “breathe it out”!

I left that day, exhaused, and excited about my programme, and looking forward to getting started!

Next time; The First Step of oh so very many!