So you woke up this morning after a great weekend ate and drank all you can and lazed in the chair as you knew that today is the first day of your big fat pre Christmas countdown and you have to eat all those bland foods,stand in a corner without a drink at the pub for the next 5 weeks or stay in to avoid temptation.You have decided to take up running as your friend down the road has lost three stone even though you absolutely detest it!

Are you getting excited yet about this new plan? No I thought not you are probably just wondering if you can delay the kick off until tomorrow as by now your friend has texted you to meet for lunch and that sounds much more fun than the run.

If all of the above is how your mind works then this is probably why you are struggling to adopt a healthy lifestyle that you can maintain. Lets get your mind set right first.
Start to understand life’s balance, we fall into behaviour patterns because they feel comfortable and fit into our lifestyle even when they are not necessarily what we really want or good for us.So think about it if you detest eating apples and running do you really think you are going to feel comfortable and enthusiastic for very long?

So to begin a successful lifestyle change you need to find healthy choices that feel comfortable for you.
Eg. For me to start to go to Zumba and eat a high protein diet forever I would miss the runner’s high and would crave other foods. So there is no way I would want to do either as I know I would mentally battle to stay on that diet and regain the weight very quickly creating a Yo Yo effect. Therefore I would not be comfortable with that plan.

So we need to change our behaviour first of all..To make lifestyle changes we have to

Understand what we are doing.

Find other things that make us feel comfortable and know we can have fun following them.

Practise them lots until they feel comfortable.

Small steps = success

Get excited, you have made up your mind you are going to be a better, healthier version of you.. Celebrate..Find an alternative way to celebrate that doesn’t involve food and drink.Think of all the new fun things you are going to find out about yourself and life as you go through this journey to success.

I am going to keep you posted and motivated for a fun festive season, watch out for my regular Party Postings. XX

I work in a fantastic positive industry with some experts in their field and if you have a desire to jump in then you have a amazing opportunity of signing onto one of the Freestyle Pump Course and Freestyle Step course on the 11th September at Esporta Lichfield. £50.00 .With Karl Frew.
Message me for more info! Karl will be presenting both courses!
Take a look at Karl;

Like everyone else these days I have very busy lifestyle, my own business,four boys to keep checks on, I have to do the workouts, manage the house, not enough hours in the day.. you know what I mean.

All those things are mandatory for most in today’s world.

A few weeks ago another hurdle was thrown into the day and a transport problem was thrown into the equation.

Fortunately I work within a three mile radius and have train stations also within that area to take me out to the nearest city.

With the offer of a few lifts which I refused (as I am fiercely independent!) I pulled my dusty bike out of the shed which had only had one outing in 18 months.

Planning the scenic and safe routes and packing a rucksack off I went slightly concerned I was going to be late for the next client.

Within 3 minutes of cycling I relaxed took in the beautiful English countryside, the sun  was shining, I was getting my daily cardio in without it taking a chunk out of my day and I felt as though the 17 minutes (which I had thought would be more like 30) had given me back an hour of head space…the’helicopter’ time of daydreaming, appreciating the world had finally become achievable.I felt immediately mentally fitter as well as physically .

So for the next two weeks I dumped lifts, cycling to the train station for appointments in the town.

Whilst waiting for the train again I found ‘helicopter’ time..People watching … Achieving more exercise in walking up, down steps and across town, I suddenly felt so liberated and looked forward to travel.

In the last three weeks I have become more organised as I know I have to leave earlier for appointments and if I forget something I can’t turn back and at the end of a long day I finally reach home feeling energised from the 17 minute exhilarating cycle ride and not depleted and drained from the work.

I now have a car again and choose not to jump in it and go now. If I did I feel I would be losing some quality time from my day.When I feel like mixing it up I jog in for variety.

I know this option is not available to everyone all the time but I totally recommend whenever you can, DO get down to basics and you will find a little bit of YOU time, as well as improving your fitness.

INDIANAPOLIS – The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has just released new recommendations on the quantity and quality of exercise for adults, definitively answering the age-old question of how much exercise is actually enough.

The position stand, titled “Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise,” reflects current scientific evidence on physical activity and includes recommendations on aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility. Consistent with the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, ACSM’s overall recommendation is for most adults to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week.

“The scientific evidence we reviewed is indisputable,” said Carol Ewing Garber, Ph.D., FAHA, FACSM, chair of the writing committee. “When it comes to exercise, the benefits far outweigh the risks. A program of regular exercise – beyond activities of daily living – is essential for most adults.”

The basic recommendations – categorized by cardiorespiratory exercise, resistance exercise, flexibility exercise and neuromotor exercise – are as follows:

Cardiorespiratory Exercise

•Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
•Exercise recommendations can be met through 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (five days per week) or 20-60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise (three days per week).
•One continuous session and multiple shorter sessions (of at least 10 minutes) are both acceptable to accumulate desired amount of daily exercise.
•Gradual progression of exercise time, frequency and intensity is recommended for best adherence and least injury risk.
•People unable to meet these minimums can still benefit from some activity.

Resistance Exercise

•Adults should train each major muscle group two or three days each week using a variety of exercises and equipment.
•Very light or light intensity is best for older persons or previously sedentary adults starting exercise.
•Two to four sets of each exercise will help adults improve strength and power.
•For each exercise, 8-12 repetitions improve strength and power, 10-15 repetitions improve strength in middle-age and older persons starting exercise, and 15-20 repetitions improve muscular endurance.
•Adults should wait at least 48 hours between resistance training sessions.

Flexibility
Exercise

•Adults should do flexibility exercises at least two or three days each week to improve range of motion.
•Each stretch should be held for 10-30 seconds to the point of tightness or slight discomfort.
•Repeat each stretch two to four times, accumulating 60 seconds per stretch.
•Static, dynamic, ballistic and PNF stretches are all effective.
•Flexibility exercise is most effective when the muscle is warm. Try light aerobic activity or a hot bath to warm the muscles before stretching.

Neuromotor Exercise

•Neuromotor exercise (sometimes called “functional fitness training”) is recommended for two or three days per week.
•Exercises should involve motor skills (balance, agility, coordination and gait), proprioceptive exercise training and multifaceted activities (tai ji and yoga) to improve physical function and prevent falls in older adults.
•20-30 minutes per day is appropriate for neuromotor exercise.

In addition to outlining basic recommendations and their scientific reasoning, the position stand also clarifies these new points:
•Pedometers, step-counting devices used to measure physical activity, are not an accurate measure of exercise quality and should not be used as the sole measure of physical activity.
•Though exercise protects against heart disease, it is still possible for active adults to develop heart problems. All adults must be able to recognize the warning signs of heart disease, and all health care providers should ask patients about these symptoms.
•Sedentary behavior – sitting for long periods of time – is distinct from physical activity and has been shown to be a health risk in itself. Meeting the guidelines for physical activity does not make up for a sedentary lifestyle.

“It is no longer enough to consider whether an individual engages in adequate amounts of weekly exercise,” said Garber, who is an associate professor of movement sciences at the Teachers College of Columbia University. “We also need to determine how much time a person spends in sedentary pursuits, like watching television or working on a computer. Health-and-fitness professionals must be concerned with these activities as well.”

The position stand’s purpose is to offer health-and-fitness professionals scientific, evidence-based recommendations that help them customize exercise prescriptions for healthy adults. The position stand is published in the July 2011 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official journal of ACSM. To access this position stand, visit http://www.acsm-msse.org/.