Post Holiday Weight Blitz!

The idea behind this course was to target people as they returned from their summer holidays!

Let me explain the format of the 6 week course.

WEEK 1

A brief introduction to the course was followed by 7 individual mini-questionnaires relating to how much water people were drinking, what their current eating habits were like, what daily symptoms they may have been suffering from, what their antioxidant intake was like and what stimulants they were having on a daily basis (some of the results were astounding with some people taking on more than 80 stimulant units a week! Not good for overall health or well being). Also as part of the course everyone was given the opportunity to have 1 personal training session per week with me.

WEEK 2

Feedback from the previous weeks questionnaires were fed back to the group with some shocking results to reveal.......it was clear these people were in serious need of detoxification! Some of the symptoms that were being suffered on a daily basis included headaches, lethargy, tiredness, cravings for sweet things, low blood sugar levels and dry skin & lips (there were many more but you get the picture)

Something needed to be done....and fast!

It was at this point that I gave them The 6 Rules to Detoxification.

The rules were very simple. Over the following two weeks the group were not allowed to have any stimulants (coffee, energy drinks, caffeine pills), no alcohol (wine, beer, spirits), no processed foods, everything had to be fresh & natural, they could only drink pure bottled water and they had to cut out wheat (in all of it's disguises!)

WEEK 3

Confession time! Victim number 1 (Caroline) fell at the first hurdle and told the group that she'd had two glasses of wine and a Chinese take away at the weekend. Needless to say she dropped out soon afterwards and lost NO weight!

The rest of the group (5 remaining) all lost 1-2lbs each and were now into a regular exercise routine.

WEEK 4

By now the group had been following the 'Rules' for two weeks so I asked them if they had noticed any physical, mental or psychological changes. Once again, the feedback was excellent. We had people sleeping better, we had spots that had cleared up, we had more regular visits to the loo, we had money being saved from not buying endless coffees all day, we had more energy amongst the group and one guy was having a better relationship with his family due to not being tired and grumpy all the time! All this was after ONLY 2 WEEKS of making healthier food choices and eating good, wholesome fresh foods.

WEEK 5

By week 5 we'd lost victim number 2 (Sam), giving into the temptations of wine, vodka and take away at the weekend. Once again, she lost NO weight (unsurprisingly). Everyone else in the group (now 4 remaining) had lost between 4-6lbs.

WEEK 6

The final week and the final weigh-in. The 4 remaining guys had managed to maintain their new way of eating for the last 4 weeks (originally 2 weeks was the goal) and they had all continued to lose weight over the 6 week period. They had all lost now between 7-14lbs (1/2 to 1 stone)

They had also kept up their personal training sessions and were exercising at least twice a week, some of them 3 times.

SUMMARY:

The two ladies that continued to drink alcohol and eat take aways whilst doing very little exercise lost NO weight at all. They were in completely the wrong frame of mind to see the 6 weeks through, they were not prepared to make the small lifestyle changes necessary for their bodies to change and to begin to lose weight and as a result, they are no further forward than they were 6 weeks ago.....nothing changed, therefore, nothing changed!!

However, the four guys that stuck to the 'Rules' for 4 weeks whilst being alcohol free, ate more fruit and vegetables than they've ever eaten before and made those very small but significant changes to their lifestyles are STILL losing weight at a rate of 1-2lbs a week. Is this just a coincidence?? Absolutely not......

So the moral of the story is this:

Healthy food choices combined with regular exercise is the BEST, most EFFECTIVE way to lose weight and keep it off. No calorie counting, no points counting, no red or green days, no meal replacements, just normal, healthy everyday food that can be bought in a supermarket!

TO READ SOME OF THE TESTIMONIALS TO BACK THIS BLOG UP, PLEASE LOG ON TO MY WEBSITE AT www.markefitness.co.uk/testimonials.php

Tony Marke

Personal Fitness & Weight Loss Coach

e: tony@markefitness.co.uk

m: 0781 809 5619

skype: tonymarke1

52 Fat Loss Tips

Welcome to my Blog.

Over the next 52 weeks I am going to bring you 1 Fat-Loss Tip per week!
So just think, one year from now you will have 52 of the best Fat-Loss Tips to get you started on your way to feeling slimmer, fitter and healthier.
All the tips are easy to implement. Some you may have heard of in the past and some may be new to you, but try them anyway......what's the worse that can happen!!

Tip #1
EAT FAT TO LOSE FAT
Believe it or not, fat is essential to the human body. But it has to be the right fat!
Saturated Fat is not good fat....the fat found in sausages, burgers, cakes, crisps, biscuits etc is saturated (hard at room temperature) and the body can well do without this type of fat.
Unsaturated Fat on the other hand is essential. Essential because the body cannot make it so we have to eat it. The type of fat found in avocados, nuts, seeds (and their oils) olive/sunflower oils and oily fish are are high in good fat. Omega 3 & 6 are good fats.
Next time you pick up a food with a high fat content on the label, check where the fat comes from. If it's saturated, put it back on the shelf. If it comes from Poly or Mono-unsaturated fat, buy it!!

Tip#2
EAT PROTEIN WITH EVERY MEAL
Adding protein to every meal will keep you feeling fuller for longer as it takes longer for the stomach to break down protein than it does carbohydrates, and chances are you'll consume less calories with each meal!
So, add chicken, lean beef, oily fish, nuts or eggs to meals for a great tasting, satisfying breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Why not snack on a handful of nuts and/or seeds instead of high calorie alternatives as these also contain essential fats (see tip #1) as well as proteins.

Tip#3
PLAN & WRITE DOWN YOUR FOOD
By doing this you are more likely to make better food choices during the day as opposed to leaving it to chance and hoping it goes well on the day.....it seldom does!
Having a food diary is a great way to keep track of EVERYTHING you are eating and drinking and you're more likely to notice trends or bad habits and be able to change those habits for better ones!
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14 Day Intensive Bootcamp

I'm going to keep this blog short because I want to get straight to the point!

Are you looking to lose weight?
Or are you trying to lose that last stubborn 5-10lbs of fat?
Maybe you're looking to increase your current fitness level?
Are you getting the most out of your current gym membership?
Are you bored with your current classes?
Has your body reached 'that plateau'?

If you've answered 'Yes' to one, or all, of the questions above, you should seriously consider the following!

My 14 Day Intensive Bootcamp could be just the thing for you.

Here's what will happen:

• You must complete as many workouts as you can over the 14 day period
  





• You will be weighed on Day 1 and again on Day 14






• Waist measurements will be taken on those days as well
  





• You will receive a handout booklet with all the information that you need to complete the two weeks






• Meal plans will be provided






• Morning sessions will run from 06.45-07.30






• Evening sessions will run from 19.00-20.00






• The exercises will be progressive over the two week period






• Only 12 spaces available






• Sessions will be held at Down Grange, The Fitness Experts and Stratton Park, all in Basingstoke, Hants.
  
  

START DATE

Monday 12th Sept until Sunday 25th Sept (inclusive)

THE COST

All this for only £80.....

Here are some of the things that current Bootcampers have said about the Bootcamp sessions:

What keeps you coming back?
Every session is different plus I find it easier to work out as a group.
The 'feel-good factor' after the session.
Really enjoy every session and can definitely see the results.
It's fun and it works!

What made you come along to your first Bootcamp session?
The gym wasn't working for me.
Wanted to get in better shape.
Improve fitness & weight loss.
Boredom with other classes/gyms.

Can you give me 3 words to best describe the sessions?
Hard but do-able, fun, energising
Intense, varied, rewarding
Rewarding, Results, Winning!
Hard, fun, relaxed
Tough, fat-burning, fun

So there you go, genuine comments from some of my current Bootcamp members.

If you would like to secure one of the twelve spaces available I suggest you act now as they will go pretty quickly and I'd hate for anyone to miss out.

I would require a £10 deposit upon signing up and the rest of the money on day 1 (cash or cheques are fine)

So what are you waiting for?
You're either in or you're out!

In just Two Weeks you could lose as much weight as you have in the last 2 month's if you follow my guidelines......the rest is up to you!

I can be contacted on the following:

Mobile: 0781 809 5619
Web: http://www.markefitness.co.uk/fitness-bootcamp.php
Twitter: @markefitness
Facebook:

All the best and I hope to see you soon

Tony

No time to train, really?

It appears that as a nation we have very little time to exercise, or at least, that’s the excuses we make!

Over the past 30 years almost everything that man has designed has been to save us time, yet, the excuse I hear most as a trainer is that ‘I don’t get the time to exercise’. How much time do you need?

Think back over the past 12 months. Did you walk to a post box to post a letter, or did you just send a quick email? Did you walk to the nearest telephone box to make a call, or did you send a quick text or just call from your mobile? When did you last hand-wash your car, or do you take it to a car-wash, or get one of the polish guys to clean it for you! The point I’m making is this: almost everything we do now is quick, easy and convenient when compared to the past 30 years, but we still have no time to exercise! Or is this just a quick, easy and convenient excuse?

If you put your mind to it, could you spare 30 minutes everyday for the next 5 days? Half an hour, that’s all we’re talking. Is everyone so busy that we can’t find 30 minutes in our day for ourselves! I think we could if we tried!! EastEnders is 30 minutes long, Corrie is the same, but I bet you make time for those?

When I’m short of time and need to exercise I can be in and out within 30 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes is more than enough! Think I’m joking? Try these time-saving tips the next time you have a spare 30 minutes to exercise and you’ll see how easy it is to squeeze a tough, all over body workout into your busy lives.

1. WORK MULTIPAL MUSCLE GROUPS
Exercises such as squats, lunges and press-ups target multiple muscle groups at the same time and require maximum effort from the body. This means you’ll burn more calories in a shorter space of time. AND, you don’t even need to be in a gym to do them!
2. USE YOUR OWN BODYWEIGHT
One of the most effective training tools is your bodyweight. It’s free, it can be used anywhere and it provides great results. Try this: perform 20 of the following exercises back to back with no rest in between: star-jumps, press-ups, jump squats, lunges and burpees......Out of breath yet? And again, NO GYM REQUIRED!
3. BE TIME EFFICIENT
Interval training is the most effective way to burn bodyfat and boost your metabolism. 40 minutes on the cross-trainer is so yesterday- Tabata drills are the way forward. Perform 20 seconds of an exercise followed by 10 seconds rest for four minutes at a time. Try star-jumps, squat-thrusts, high-knee running-on-the-spot and burpees!! No gym required......
4. GET TRIM WITH SUPERSETS
A superset is when you perform two exercises back to back before resting. It’s a great way to save time and boost fitness levels. A great example is squats followed by lunges. Perform 16-20 reps of each then rest for 30 seconds before repeating three more times. Just make sure the rest is only 30 seconds!!
5. EXERCISE EN ROUTE TO WORK
Make a conscious effort to be active at work. Take the stairs instead of the lift, walk to meetings that are just around the corner or go for a walk at lunchtime......it’s as easy as that, and it’s free! Or why not try jogging to work or even cycling. Think of the money you’ll be saving on expensive fuel costs.
6. FILL UP ON WHOLESOME FOODS
Don’t waste the money you’ve saved by cycling to work on buying pre-packaged, processed foods that are full of sugar. Instead, try eating protein with every meal like chicken, fish or eggs as this will keep you feeling fuller for longer and save you money in the long run.

Well I hope you’ve found this blog of interest?

As always, I welcome your feedback and if you need that extra bit of help with diet, exercise or general health and fitness related topics, you know where to find me!

Call me on 07818 095 619 or check out my website at www.markefitness.co.uk

Diet, Exercise and Weight Loss

A couple of year's ago there was a video doing the rounds on YouTube called, "Diet versus Exercise". In the video, one guy was eating a pizza while another guy was running on a treadmill. In less than 10 minutes he had consumed over 1200 calories, while the 'runner' had burned around 100 calories!

So what's my point I hear you ask?

My point is this: Diet is far more important to your fat loss program than exercise, and that You can't out-train a bad diet, unless you're seventeen years old or a genetic freak!

So, I want to try to highlight this fact with some more simple experiments......!!!


A few weeks ago I went out for a friends birthday and consumed a fair few pints of lager. Each pint was roughly 300kcals and I had about 6 or 7 (plus some vodka's!).......so that's about 1800-2100kcal (not including the vodka) plus food etc, etc.


A few days later whilst teaching a Spin class I wore my heart rate monitor which also monitors the amount of calories I burn during exercise. Now, I wasn't hanging about and after 34 mins of pain, sweat and a maximum heart rate of 184bpm, I had managed to burn something in the region of 470-48okcals!! But I'd consumed 1800-2100kcal two nights previous from alcohol alone......so what happened to the excess calories from all that alcohol?? You got, most of them would have been converted into fat and stored in my fat cells!


Food will do the same. Lets say you have a 'unhealthy snack' every day, say, a packet of crisps that contains 184kcals and 11.6 grams of fat (per 35 gram bag)
That's 184 x 7 = 1288kcals a week.

Multiply that by 4 = 5152kcals a month.

3500kcals is equal to 1 pound of body fat.......


So, just with the packet of crisps every day, you are taking in over 5000 empty calories a month!

Need I say anymore?


To conclude, if you are trying to loose weight, EVERYTHING you consume is important and you'd have to exercise for hours a day to out-train a bad diet.


Keep a look out for my fat loss nutrition program coming soon.


If you have any questions about this blog or any other questions you would like to ask me, please feel free to contact me at:


tony@markefitness.co.uk

Setting Realistic Goals

As we’re now in January I’m guessing some of you made a New Years resolution or at very least set yourself some goals for 2011 (well done if you did). I did, and I’ll share with you exactly what mine is: “My goal for 2011 is to build up my fitness business to a point were I can work part time with my current job and spend the other 2 days of the week working on further increasing and growing my business.” There, it’s out there for the whole world to see! It somehow makes it very real now. It’s not just an idea I have in my head, it’s a realistic, attainable goal.

"A goal is not a goal unless it is written down"

The purpose of this blog is to try to make you realise that for a goal to become real, it has to be specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and time specific. It has to be something that you are 100% dedicated to achieving, not 75%, nor 90%, but the full 100%. Set yourself a goal, one that really means something to you and then break it down into easily achievable chunks, weekly then monthly. You are more likely to reach your end goal.

If your goal was to get fit, is going from no exercise to going to the gym 3 times a week really something that you can sustain beyond January? Are you still going to be attending the gym in 6 months time? Because that is how long it takes a lifestyle change to fully become your new way of life. Six months......most people who set themselves a fitness based resolution have given up within 6 weeks!

Surely it would be more realistic & achievable if you set your sights lower to begin with, say, go to the gym once a week, then, once you’ve achieved that you’ll feel good about yourself and probably want to extend that to twice a week. Once you’ve managed twice a week for a period of time, then, and only then, add the third session. Before you set your sights on a marathon, sign up for a 5k run!

Set yourself REALISTIC & ACHIEVABLE goals.

Healthy eating, or the dreaded diet, is another great resolution made on 1st January by millions of people. But how many of those actually stick to it beyond January? Research shows that the average diet in the UK last between 7-10 days. And why is that? Because it is usually an unrealistic goal in the first place!Start slowly and introduce healthy foods gradually. Are you physically and emotionally ready to completely change your eating habits over-night? My guess is NO, you’re not ready.

So, to conclude, goal setting is great, provided it is done sensibly. Goals should be specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and timed.

So what do you want to achieve in 2011? Think about it, believe it and make it happen!

If you need any help setting or achieving any fitness or nutrition related goals then i’m always willing to lend a hand.

Look me up and give me a call.

6 ways to....Burn more calories when you workout

Welcome to my first ever markefitness blog!

Seeing as it's January and most people are looking to lose weight, exercise more and start eating healthy, I thought what a great blog to get 2011 underway.

6 ways to Burn more calories when you workout.......

1. GET HEAVY: The heavier the weights you lift, the more muscle fibres you'll recruit and the more calories you'll burn. Also, try running/walking with a weighted rucksack (no more than 5kgs so as not to change your running gait)

2. KEEP MOVING: Don't sit there and rest between sets, keep moving! Try 15-20 lunges, squats, press-ups and star-jumps one straight after the other in a circuit. Repeat 3 more times.

3. MULTITASK: Go for exercises that work the upper and lower body together. Try swimming or rowing. Also try and do squats with an overhead press or lunges with a bicep curl. This way the heart rate will stay raised and therefore burn more calories.

4. SLOW DOWN: Try doing your toning and strenghthening exercises slower! Lower for 4 seconds and raise for 4 seconds. The muscle will be under tension for longer, will be working harder and therefore using more energy (calories)

5. MIX IT UP: Try interval training: mixing bouts of high intensity with medium and lower intensity work. This can be done whilst running, cycling, swimming, weight training. You'll work at a higher intensity overall and burn more calories than if you were to exercise continuously at the same pace.

6. ROCK ON: Research has shown that we subconsciously match our pace to the speed of the music we work out to. Put together a playlist of up-tempo dance or rock tunes to keep your work rate high throughout your session.

I hope these have been useful?

If you have any questions on any of these points or any other fitness related questions, please feel free to email me on tony@markefitness.co.uk

Yours in health

Tony