Organic vs Non-Organic

Anyone that tells you that Organic produce is no different to commercial produce is either lieing, been misinformed or works for the government.

This week I read a report in The London Times suggesting that "organic food is no healthier than other produce" according to the Government's food watchdog.

This "recent research" was carried out for the Foods Standard Aency by experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who studied data collected over 50 years.

They concluded that organic food contained no more nutritional value than factory-farmed meat or fruit and vegetables grown using chemical fertilisers.

You can read the report in full here.

The year-long review which cost £120,000 was led by public health nutritionist Dr Alan Dangour who said and I quote: "Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced crops and livestock on the basis of nutritional supremecy."

I hate absolutely EVERYTHING about this research.

This research (funded by the government incidentally) fails to take into account one major impact.

The impact of pesticides on people and the overall effect on the environment.

Organic farming bans the use of any chemical fertilizers on it's crops and has stricter animal welfare rules than conventional farming so how can these so-called experts say that organic produce has no extra health benefits?

What a pointless study! £120,000 worth of our money to tell us THAT? How can such a study take place where a key arguement is that pesticide residues in non-organic food are detrimental to health?

I have no problem in accepting the reports conclusion that organic food may have no real nutritional supremacy over conventionally produced crops and livestock,

however, I don't eat organically because the food has more nutritional supremacy over conventionally produced food and I haven't met anyone else that does so either?

There are other reasons as to why people want to eat organic.

1)Taste.

It's not rocket science. I eat organic because it tastes better.I don't know about you but I can definitely tell the difference. The organic meat I eat is more flavorsome, the vegetables are crunchier and you can often SEE the difference between organic and non-organic produce.



2)Animal Welfare.

This is the main reason for me. I eat organically because I KNOW the livestock are treated better and have had a good life. I'm a bit of an animal lover at heart and although I'm a big meat eater I still like to know that the livestock I'm buying has at least seen the light of day and had some kind of life before it get's to me.

I came across this disturbing footage on you tube and was completely shocked (and saddened) at the conditions of some factory-farms as well as the cruelty inflicted to the animals. Take a look at these vids but I warn you, please don't open if you're an animal lover or are easily shocked.

I was disgusted when I first watched these.










Yup, shocking isn't it? The government don't tell you about that in their 50 year review do they! I wonder why?

Still want to eat factory-farmed meat?

3) Pesticide Free

I like to eat my fruit and veg knowing that they haven't been sprayed with a ton of chemicals. The bottom line is that we really don't know the long-term side effects of pesticide residues. Pesticide residues are the very small amount of pesticides that can often remain in (or on) a crop after harvesting or storeage and will make their way into the food chain.

Pesticides are designed for one thing, and one thing only.

To kill animals.

Now, I realize that mice, roaches, fleas and spider mites are small animals but still - they are animals right?

If a small amount of a pesticide will kill a small animal such as an insect or mite, why wouldn't a larger amount or a prolonged exposure to the same pesticide kill a larger animal - like for example a cat or dog or a human?

I'll leave you to make your own mind up on this one.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you MUST eat organically ALL the time. It's up to you at the end of the day. We all lead busy lives and sometimes it just isn't practical to shop like this, however trying to eat organic whenever we can has more benefits than the government would like us to believe.

Dr Alan Dangour concluded by saying "Consumers will decide for themselves."

We sure will Al, and I for one will continue to eat organically whenever I can and will be telling my clients this aswell.

Thanks for the advice though. = >

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Please let me know your thoughts on this in the comments section below. I'd be interested to hear what you have to say about this latest science report.

Is YOUR "Inner Voice" Holding You Back?

Take a look at this powerful message in this commercial and then carry on reading:



Success is built into us. We all want to be successful in our life whether it be personally or professionally yet why is it that some people have more drive and success than others?

Why is it that some people achieve their ideal body shape, live in the house of their dreams or simply earn more money over others?

I’ve studied plenty of people who are successful in their individual fields and I can give you a thousand secrets and formulas as to what makes up success but to be honest it all comes down to one thing, and one thing alone and it’s really simple (although not always easy!).

The ability to block out your inner voice.

Let me explain what I mean…

This is the voice in your head that likes to keep you in your comfort zone. The voice that thinks it’s looking out for you when in fact it’s holding you back from achieving success.

Sometimes the voice is loud, sometimes it’s quiet and sometimes it can be downright stubborn! It doesn’t like change and digs it's heels in at the very thought of anything new. It tries to trick you into thinking that you’re happy with your current circumstances but deep down you know you’re not, you want more.

Only last week one of my private clients had to overcome his own inner voice. We were doing a tough session. We’d done a gruelling hour of supersets and interval training throughout the workout and were finishing with a 5-minute steep hill run.

This was the perfect opportunity for his inner voice to present it self. It sensed a struggle. It wanted him to stop, to give up. He was tired and he was breathing heavy. He nearly quit, his inner voice had almost convinced him but after some encouragement from me and a little shouting in his ear (ok a lot!) he dug deep, blocked his inner voice and finished the hill run.

This is a classic example of the mind wanting to give up before the body. The fact that he finished the hill was all the proof we needed.

His inner voice tried to trick him into stopping.

The inner voice disguises itself and it can present itself anytime, anyplace, anywhere. It will kick in whenever you want to move forwards in your life.

I’m sure there’s been a situation in your life where your inner voice has held YOU back? Maybe it’s been during a workout, it could have stopped you from that career change or even booking that exotic holiday you’ve always promised yourself.

Remember, your inner voice wants you to stay in your comfort zone. It doesn’t want you to evolve. To progress.

Learning to block your inner voice has to be the single most important factor when it comes to success. If you lack the ability to dig deep, come out of your comfort zone and overcome difficult obstacles in your life, then it won’t matter where you are or what you’re doing you’ll always let your inner voice win and you will break. You will never evolve into the person you want to be.

If you refuse to quit and succeed in blocking out your inner voice, you can achieve anything you want.

Anything.

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

PS - If you want to change your life, come out of your comfort zone and achieve amazing success from all areas of your life then you should definitely check out this goal setting program from my good buddy Dax Moy.

Dax’s goal getting program The Magic Hundred will help you achieve your dreams in just 100 days. Don't believe me? Then go check it out here for yourself.

My Trip To Prague (plus 5 diet rules to help you stay lean)

It's amazing what a few days away can do isn't it.

I've just come back from a wonderful city break in Prague, Czech Republic where I was on a stag-do for the weekend.

I've never been to Prague, what a great city! One of the very few cities that wasn't bombed in the war so it's managed to keep alot of it's architecture and history.

Behind me is the famous River Vltava than runs straight through Prague.

I'm not going to lie to you, it wasn't ALL sight seeing.

I didn't eat exactly how I intended and as you can imagine, there was plenty of drinking going on (although not copious amounts)-

Hey, it was a stag-do! give me a break! = >

However, a few of us DID manage to do some sight seeing.

We passed through the famous old town square on several occassions and everytime it was always real busy. Tourists taking photos of the old square clock, market stools selling and horse drawn carriage tours were just some of the things going on.

At times it was hard to walk through due to the sheer volume of people.

I really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the old town square.

I managed to get my brother to take another snap of me with the famous square clock in the background.

As you can see, plenty of people milling around!

A great place to people watch!

So anyway, I haven't written this just to show off my holiday snaps to you

There IS a reason why I wanted to write to you today..

As I strolled through the town square with my buddies, people watching, my personal training instincts decided to kick in (it happens suddenly, I can't help it!)and I kept noticing one thing.

And the more I saw of this, the more it confirmed my thoughts.

(And it REALLY stood out for me!)

How so many Czech Republicans WEREN'T overweight!

I'm serious. I hardly saw one local that was overweight.

Ok, maybe a couple here and there but generally speaking, hardly any.

Which led me to the question...WHY?

Why is it when we go to other countries, certain cultures seem to be thinner, leaner, less over weight than Britain and the States?

Now the typical answer I usually get is "our diet is far worse than other countries" which is true to a certain extent, but walking around Prague, there wasn't any evidence that that they WEREN'T consuming a western world diet?

MacDonalds was there, KFC was there,and amongst some nice restaurants there was the usual fast food outlets like any other city you'd find in Britain or the States.

This is strong evidence that the western world diet is already in Prague wouldn't you say?

They are already subject to it so why aren't they overweight?

After a lot of thinking this lead me to the conclusion that this pure and simply comes down to calorie restriction.

Simple I guess...it's not rocket science.

Whether the Czech Republicans are exercising more, eating less, or simply can't afford to eat like we do (after all, Britain and the States are considered to be richer countries than the Czech Republic and richer countries usually means over indulgence in everything, including food),

whatever the reason they're doing something right!

They're simply consuming less calories than us.

This was plain to see just from people watching in the Old Town Square of Prague.

There is growing evidence suggesting that a calorie restricted diet is not only great for staying lean but also increasing longevity too.

Somtimes I think our fitness industry over complicates things when it comes to diet. We need to take note from the Czech's and do what they're doing.

Eat Less!

Stick to these 5 diet rules and you'll be well on your way to achieving great fat loss success this year.

******

Rule 1) Eat fewer foods from a bag or box, and eat more whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts.

Rule 2) Avoid wheat, dairy and gluten whenever possible

Rule 3) Try to consume some protein with every meal.

Rule 4) Be consistent with your diet plan but don't stress out if you've had a bad day. Just get back on the wagon again knowing that tomorrow will be MUCH better

Rule 5) And most importantly...CONSUME LESS CALORIES.

Eat Stop Eat will help you consume less calories. Flexible Intermittent Fasting is an easy and effective way to reduce your overall calorie intake while still enjoying the foods you eat.

******

And that was my trip to Prague.

Catch up with you very soon,

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Bootcamp Budget Training

>>> Full Video Demo Below <<<

You really DON'T need to be a member of a gym to see results.

I feel very strongly about that.

Unfortunately, the big health club chains and their shiny equipment have led many of us into believing that we need the latest and greatest hi-tech equipment to succeed.

Gym machines DO NOT play a part in your overall success.

What's important and what REALLY matters is the INTENSITY of your workouts and how it's applied to a logically planned program.

I've been teaching Bootcamp style classes for well over 10 years now and as many of you will know I'm a big fan of bodyweight exercises.

They're both convenient and effective. In addition to bodyweight exercises, I also like to use Speed Ladders and Kettlebells. Simple pieces of kit that are inexpensive and don't require alot of space.

The video below includes all modalities.

Here are the exercises for my Bootcamp Budget Workout.

Bodyweight Exercises



The video starts with a series of bodyweight strength exercises including Chin Ups, Dips,Push Ups & Plank.

There's also a series of Power Jumps that really get the heart rate up!

All these exercises are great for overall strength. Strength training is real important when it comes to fatloss. The more muscle tissue you have, your bodies ability to burn fat speeds up.

The movements shown are not intented for beginners. A strong core and foundation are required before you attempt any of these. You can visit my you tube channel for the beginner versions of each exercise.

Speed Ladder Drills

Next, I switch gears to conditioning and demonstrate how to use the Speed Ladder. The speed ladder's main purpose is to improve foot speed, agility and acceleration in many team sports although is a great tool for burning body fat aswell.

It's also alot of fun too. The speed ladder is a permanent tool in my Bootcamp classes.

Kettle Bell Swings

Moving along to Kettlebell Training. Kettlebells are a great tool for burning bodyfat aswell. In the video you'll see me perform a regular Kettlebell Swing which will work you from head to toe. It can be performed just as well with a dumbbell. Using a kettlebell is slightly more comfortable thats all.

Alot of workouts that you'll see on this blog will include the kettlebell.

Burpee Conditioning

To conclude the video, I finish with a Burpee Drill. Burpees are great all-round conditioners. If you come train with me, they'll be a good chance that you'll spend some time performing some sets of burpees.

Here, burpees are performed along with a lateral shuttle run followed by sprinting on the spot. Or if you're a beginner you can just perform burpees on their own . Whichever option you choose, you can expect to come out of your comfort zone!

Enjoy the video demonstration and remember it's not about the fancy equipment you're using, or the shiny chrome you'll see in most health clubs,

you can do ALOT with a little!

Avoid the health club and use your body the way it was intended!



Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

PS - if you're looking for more Bodyweight Workouts like this then you'll love this free report that my buddy Craig Ballantyne emailed me only the other day.

Craig's 4-week Bodyweight program is a fully-illustrated e-book with workouts designed for beginners, intermediates and advanced fitness levels using ONLY your bodyweight and it's completely FREE!

Just click here and download it with my compliments


PPS - Here's the best place to get hold of your speed ladder and kettlebells if you're interested = >



Any questions then let me know in the comments section below

Interview With Fatloss Expert Brad Pilon Of Eat Stop Eat

Those of you that have been following this blog regularly will know I've been experimenting with Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat Diet over the last 6 weeks.

Since I've started it, I've had a bunch of questions from clients, readers, fellow fitness professionals (and friends aswell!) about the effectiveness of the diet.

So after all this interest, I decided to set up an interview with Brad about Eat Stop Eat so that we could answer some of the questions that have been flooding in.

Here's how the interview went below, and if you have any doubts about trying out intermittent fasting as a tool for your fat loss plan then definitely make sure you listen to this.

The interviews in 4 parts:

Part One




Part Two




Part Three




Part Four





Brad was really interesting to interview.

I think the biggest message he wanted to get across to me was that we shouldn't have to stress about nutrition. When we start a weight loss plan we should STILL be able to enjoy our favourite foods and not get bogged down with the detail of everything.

Keep it simple.

Intermittent fasting gives you flexibility as well. You fit it in around your lifestyle, not the other way round.

If you have any more questions for Brad then let me know in the comments section below

Train hard and be strong,

Sam Winkworth
CPT,SPN

PS - If you want to find out more about eat stop eat and Brad's nutritional philosophy then you can visit his website over at www.eatstopeat.com

PPS - And if you want more fatloss strategies that work then you should download my free fatloss report if you haven't done so yet. It has everything you need to know to burn bodyfat the fast and healthy way (meal plans and food diary included)

>Click here to grab your free report<