EVOLUTION FITNESS & NUTRITION

The Toxic Age And Why Your Doctor Is Making You Sicker (PART ONE)

2011-12-30T08:31:00.000-08:00

Ever get the feeling when you visit your doctor that you actually know more about nutrition than them? Let me put this another way, when you look at your doctor do you think that this is a person following the healthy lifestyle? A person that is truly living and breathing optimum health? Someone that is practising what they’re preaching?

I think it’s fair to say that most of the doctors I’ve visited are the exact opposite to this. Sadly, most look overweight, stressed out from all the long hours they do and their knowledge on nutrition appears extremely limited. OK, not ALL doctors are like this but the harsh reality is that the majority are.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not Doc bashing here, I think they do a great job primarily. Their knowledge on medication is second to none at the end of the day they’re trying to help us which is a good thing right?

But (and there’s always a but right!)

Are we truly any better off with medication?
Is medication making us healthier or sicker?
Have we forgotten how to heal our bodies naturally?

In this article I’m going to address some of these burning questions and hopefully give you more clarity on what’s going on underneath the surface of the medical profession:

The cold facts

There’s a valid reason why doctors knowledge on nutrition appears limited.
By law, no med schools HAVE to have nutrition on their syllabus. It’s not a requirement. So, knowing this, only 25% of all med schools have a nutrition program on their syllabus.

In 9 years of studying medicine a doctor on average receives 2 HOURS of nutrition education. Yep you heard me right, 2 hours. So, in all of those 9 years of study, only 2 hours are dedicated to nutrition and even then, the exam at the end of it is optional, so they don’t have to take it if they don’t want to.

Is medicine helping or hindering?

Let’s look at the facts:

In the last 100 years:

- Cancer has risen from 3% to 30%
(¼ of ALL deaths are cancer related)
- Diabetes has risen from 0.1% to 20%
- Heart disease has risen from

Between 1974 and 1997 there has been a 300% rise in brain disease (Alzheimer’s etc.)

When doctors went on strike

Research shows that when doctors strike, there’s a reduction in death rate:
In the year 2000, doctors in Israel decided to go on strike; demanding increases in pay. Before long, morticians began to notice a bizarre trend.

“The number of funerals we have performed has fallen drastically”. — Hananya Shahor, the veteran director of Jerusalem's Kehilat Yerushalayim burial society.

The longer the doctors' strike continued, the more the death rate fell. In some locations, the death rate dropped by an astounding 50%. Unfortunately, the doctors eventually stopped their strike, and the mortality rates returned to normal again.

In 1976 in Bogota, Columbia, there was a 52 day period in which doctors disappeared altogether except for emergency care. The "National Catholic Reporter" described "a string of unusual side effects" from the strike. The death rate went down 35%. A spokesman for the National Morticians Associations said, "It might be a coincidence but it is a fact.”

He also tells about an 18% drop in the death rate in 1976 when doctors went on a strike in Los Angeles County. After the strike, the death rate returned to pre-strike levels.

When we stop interfering with medicine, there seems to be a reduction in death rate.

In the UK, medical errors account for an estimated 40,000 deaths each year and have officially become Britain's third biggest killer behind cancer and heart disease.

Something’s going wrong down the line. The human body is an amazing piece of machinery and it’s not really designed to get sick. Way back in the cave man days they seemed to do just fine without medicine so why have we become so heavily reliant on it over the years? Have we forgotten that with the right nutrition and lifestyle that our bodies can heal naturally?

It’s clear from these statistics that we’re not getting healthier, we are becoming sicker and medication doesn’t appear to be working.

Now the most common reply I get when I talk about how we’re getting sicker is “well, we’re living much longer now than at any point in history. Our life expectancy is much higher now than before so we must be healthier as a result.”

Well here’s the thing…

Yes, there’s no denying the fact that we are definitely living longer (not by much) but I can assure you it’s not because we are healthier.

These “extra years” are hardly quality years though are they? Yes diseases are being caught earlier these days but most people will spend those “extra years” albeit drugged up.

Also, life expectancy increases when infant mortality rates decrease. With better sanitation procedures, infants die less than when they did over 100 years ago so life expectancy increases.

So, to come back to the title of this article “Is your doctor making you sicker?”

Well, you have some of the facts now. I’ll let you decide…

What’s happened to us? Why are we getting sicker?

I believe that we’ve fully entered a new age.

The Toxic Age.

Toxins and chemicals have been polluting our environment at an alarming rate. Think of the most remote place in the world, the polar ice caps right through to the amazon rain forests. We have successfully polluted EVERY part of our planet. There isn’t anywhere in the world that is free from pollution.

Our food and water is currently more toxic than it’s ever been in our history and we are now the most contaminated species on the planet.
We spray our crops with an alarming amount of pesticides. From seed to supermarket the average seed is sprayed over 20 times from 20 different pesticides and we stuff our livestock full of antibiotics and steroids for no reason other than to bulk them up quicker for market day.

We are experiencing the birth of the toxic age.

We’re in it right now.

So how does this affect us I hear you say? Surely the body can cope with all these toxins?

Well, a lot of so-called health experts and “professors” will have you believe that the body is perfectly designed to deal with these toxins and that we don’t need to go on “detox” diets to sort this out.

Well, I agree with this up to a point. One of the liver’s roles is to detoxify any nasty’s coming in but what happens when they’re coming in at an alarming rate? (i.e. too many for the liver to deal with?)

You see, the more polluted your body is, your body is more likely to hold onto water. When the liver and digestive system are compromised your body will store the chemicals in fat cells. If you're VERY polluted then you will be fatter and unhealthier.

If there was a small amount of toxins coming in then yes you’re liver could probably just about cope but the problem is this:

No one is doing anywhere near “small amounts of toxins” and we haven’t for a while now.

The reality is that most peoples livers are overwhelmed with chemicals and toxins from our food on a daily basis and these toxins will build up over a period of weeks, months and decades so your liver never really has a chance to properly detox these nasties from your system.

And it doesn’t stop there; most of these toxins have a very negative health effect on the body.

Pesticides

Let’s take pesticides as an example. Pesticides used by commercial farms that are sprayed on our crops to help them grow.

Pesticides are designed for one thing and one thing alone.

TO KILL pests right?

So who’s to say over a period of years, decades they’re not going to do the same to a human being?

And it just so happens that there’s now very strong and alarming research linking pesticides to Parkinson’s disease.

Some pesticides are also designed to make these crop pests infertile so they stop reproducing. It just so happens that male infertility has gone up dramatically over the last 100 years as well.

You don’t need to be a rocket science to work out that ingesting pesticide is bad news – for ANY species on this planet! It’s poisonous.

Preservatives & Processed food

Most of the food we see in our supermarkets these days has been denatured. Anything tinned canned or packaged has some kind of preservative in it to preserve its lifespan. Even the pre-packed meats and fish that you see have been treated with chemicals so that they last longer.

Cereals, breads, anything tinned that you might consider to be healthy (like tinned tuna) would all come under this category. Sugar has also found its way into pretty much EVERYTHING these days. We have become a fast food nation. We live our lives at 100mph and want everything quickly, even our food. We very rarely find the time to cook our food how it should be.

Basically, any food that has been processed before it gets to you, or any crop that has been sprayed with chemicals, then the nutritional value will decrease. This means on a cellular level, your body won’t get enough nutrients and will eventually become sick. Sick cells lead to sick organs, sick organs lead to a sick system, a sick system (e.g. digestion, cardiovascular, hormones) leads to more sick systems and sick systems lead to a sick body which leads to the body breaking down which in time, results in disease.

Medication cannot stop this from happening. Medication is a disease management. Doctors can only help when your body is broken. Disease is the end result of a body that’s been sick for quite some time.

A doctor is happy to label conditions and offer prescriptions, but cannot offer any sound protocols on burning fat or how to heal with wholesome foods.

What can we do?

Now before you get your knickers in a twist, I’m not suggesting for one minute that we should all come off our medication and slag doctors off for the rest of our days but simply understand that with the right lifestyle and the right nutrition then our bodies can heal ourselves naturally without the aid of medication.

Removing chemicals from our diet, eating organically whenever we can and eating the way Mother Nature intended us to eat is a start. Although taking control of your health is more than just sticking to a diet. It means asking questions like "What lifestyle would suit me better?" It means no longer seeing the doctor as "the go-to guy" for your health but more as a partner to help find the best healing process for you.

In part two of this article, i'll be talking about how we can achieve all of the above and before you say eating organically is expensive and eating healthy is really boring and it feels like you’re denying yourself then you should definitely read part two of this as this will apply directly to you.

Here’s to a healthy toxic-free 2012,

Sam Winkworth – the south east’s leading fat loss coach

PS - Because you have this article, I'd like to offer you a free nutrition & lifestyle consultation (worth £56) with me based in Tonbridge, Kent. The training system I use with all my paying clients is designed to bring about great results in health, wellbeing & weight loss and what's more I guarantee results or you don't pay me a penny!

Simply call 07817 403398 or email sam@evolutionfitnessandnutrition.com to secure your place but hurry though, places are offered on a first come, first served basis and places fill quickly!!!

Is Weight Watchers Healthy?

2011-09-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me just set the record straight and clarify that I won't be slagging off Weight Watchers in this article. I really don't feel the need to anymore as I know what I do gets the best results possible without compromising health.

Before we get into the meat of the article, I'm not disputing the fact that Weight Watchers definitely works and gets results so please don't think Im saying that it doesn't, HOWEVER IAM asking one simple question and that is:

Does it promote optimum health?

I believe that there's some MAJOR flaws in the weight watchers fatloss model, some of which I'd like to tackle in this article. so read on and lets get it on:

Is Weight Watchers Healthy?

As a fitness professional that promotes health and focuses on nutritional cleansing, I simply CANNOT advocate a system that allows you to:

1) Eat in moderation,
2) Consume sugar & processed food,
3) Focus on overall weight loss and not fat loss!

Eating In Moderation

As you may already know, the Weight Watchers model encourages you to "eat in moderation" which is fine (if you're actually eating in moderation!)but as I've said before in previous articles, the problem with eating in moderation is that no can do it?

Be honest, when was the last time you ate (and drank) in 'moderation' and got outstanding, draw dropping fat loss results that left your friends absolutely dumbfounded by your transformation?

Ask yourself this,

If eating in moderation worked then why is the UK now the fattest country in Europe?
If eating in moderation worked then why is there currently an obesity epidemic?
And if eating in moderation worked then why is no one getting AWESOME fat loss results from their programmes?

You may have guessed that I have a real problem with this piece of dietary advice and if you want to lose bodyfat (NOT WEIGHT) anytime soon than you simply HAVE to stop listening to this advice! Its not working for you!

2) Consume Sugar & Processed Food

When I first saw this picture above I couldn't believe it! The label above is from a Weight Watchers cereal bar. Interesting isn't it when you read the ingredients, especially when you'd think a weight watchers cereal bar would be considered "healthy" right?

Well, it's quite staggering the amount of sugar and cr*ap thats in this bar. MOST of the ingredients in it is basically sugar, chemicals and preservatives.

REALLY not great if you want to dump bodyfat anytime soon.

The problem with most of these so-called healthy cereal bars (not just weight watchers!)is that they are stuffed full of chemicals and preservatives. Chemicals that your body won't recognise and in order to get them out of your system will dump them into your fat cells. If you want to lose bodyfat then the first thing you need to do is get rid of the chemicals and toxins from your adipose tissue (fat cells).

Don't get me wrong, once you've achieved your fat loss results it's ok to have a dessert or a treat every now and then but there are healthier treats out there that are free from all these chemicals and preservatives that won't overburden your liver, so just because its from weight watchers, don't automatically think its a "healthy" option cos it aint!

3) Works with Weight Loss and Not Fat Loss!

The problem with overall weight loss is that you have to use the scales as a way of measuring your progress which is a TERRIBLE way of tracking your results. I'll give you an example:

You've lost BODYFAT and increased lean muscle tissue (which is a good thing because the more muscle tissue you have, your bodies ability to burn bodyfat quickens up considerably which is EXACTLY what you want) BUT on the scales your overall weight may not have changed? This often then leads to disappointment, demotivation and worse still, dropping out of the healthy eating plan completely.

This makes a mockery of the whole weight watchers way (and other slimming clubs that like to use scales to monitor progress), they look at overall weight loss and not fat loss.

Let me put it another way, would you be happy to be the same weight that you are now but have no bodyfat, have an amazing killer physique with an abundance of energy?

I rest my case!

Heck I recently finished a 9 week six pack challenge with some of my fellow fitness professionals and I didn't lose ANY WEIGHT (not a single pound!) but my bodyfat levels went from 10% down to 8%, my waist went form a 32 to a 30 and I had a killer sixpack to show off! (and I didn't eat in moderation!)

See what I'm getting at?

So now that we've highlighted a few flaws in the weight watchers model lets talk about some things you can do that Weight Watchers doesn't talk so much about:

1) Stop eating in moderation and focus on Cleansing your fat cells!

Lets face it, this advice isn't working for you is it. If it did, then you would have already achieved your dream body by now right?
Focus on cleansing your fat cells for the next 28 days. If you want to drop body fat then you need to allow time for your liver to heal. Your body will choose to drop bodyfat once youve restored liver health. No wheat, sugar, processed food and alcohol for 28 days.Focus on lean proteins with plenty of fresh fruit & vegetables. Be strict with yourself (no piss poor excuses! If you can't give up alcohol for 28 days then you need to take a long hard look at yourself) and remember you don't have to be boring to eat healthy. You can check out the Evolution Cookbook if you want some recipe ideas. Over 60 wheat, gluten & sugar free recipes to choose from (including chicken pizza, healthy fish & chips, chocolate brownies & clean choc chip cookies)

2) BIN THE SCALES!

Scales have to be THE WORSE way to measure your progress! Ditch the scales and go on how you look, how you feel and how your clothes fit you. Take measurements before you start from your chest, waist, hips and thighs, all at the widest point) and measure as you go to monitor your results. Do ANYTHING! just stop using the scales!!! If you dont trust yourself then just bin them! Im serious!

So to come back to the title of this article? Is Weight Watchers healthy?

Here's where I respectfully disagree.

Definitely get's results for some as Im sure many will testify but for me it doesn't advocate optimum health. We should be striving to restore our health, going back to basics with our nutritin and when we do then we'll naturally achieve our ideal bodyshape and we wont have to worry about calorie counting and complicated point scoring.

It really is THAT SIMPLE!

In the words of my business partner and fellow fat loss expert Nisha Obaidulla:

"WEIGHT WATCHERS. GREAT BUSINESS MODEL, CRAP FAT LOSS MODEL".
Couldn't have put it better myself!

Peace out :-)

Sam

My Six Pack Journey (I'm REALLY proud of myself!)

2011-09-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Hows it going? First of all I'd like to apologise for not updating this blog sooner. Things have been CRAZZZZY busy for me over the last few months both personally and professionally so I promise to update more frequently from now on.

But hey, enough of that, I just wanted to share my Six pack journey with you that I've just been on over the last few months.

Let me put you in the picture as to why I decided to go on a quest for six pack abs:

At the start of this year, my goals were very different. I placed a huge emphasis on improving my endurance running. I have 2 epic challenges that I want to do soon which partly involve endurance running so my main fitness goal was to improve on my distance running. This was one of the reasons why I went to Club La Santa, Lanzarote in June - to get some mileage in my legs, take part in a couple of races and basically lock myself away and just focus on my own training.

The last few months have been crazy busy for me. My Bootcamp and personal training business have literally been "blown up!" (thanks to my business mentor Paul Mort). My Sevenoaks Bootcamps are now thriving with positive action takers, I'm about to open another Bootcamp in Tonbridge and I'm now in the position where I only train people on a 1-2-1 basis who I want to train. Its invite only.

And I'm now ALSO working with fellow fat loss expert Nisha Obaidullah on our new sixpack abdominals programme (for fit pro's and general members of the public who want their abs back!) which Im really excited about and is the reason why I embarked on my own six pack journey.

As myself and Nisha are spearheading the challenge then it's only right that we're kept accountable and practising what we're preaching. I personally believe that there are WAY too may fat unhealthy personal trainers out there in the industry giving out "health" advice to their clients that blatantly can't do it themselves.

So I decided from June onwards to change my fitness goals slightly and focus 100% on obtaining a six pack.

Now don't get me wrong, Ive always been lean and have always had bit of a sixpack but never what I call, a proper one! Never one that was visible even when I wasn't tensing! Never a six pack that was truly outstanding so I decided that I was gonna get A KICK ASS sixpack just like the male fitness models on the front cover of Mens Health! Hell if those 'goons' could get one then I could DEFINITELY do it :-)

So my goal would change from endurance running (at the start of the year) to training purely for aestetics for the next few months, and at the end of it I'd book myself in for a professional photo shoot to show off the abs ;-)

Once I decided what my goal was, I made sure I planned 100% for it. I would be following my Elimiation Diet to the letter so I made sure I had all the clean, allowable foods in my cupboards. I made sure I knew what I was going to eat (and at what time) for the weeks ahead and I made sure I planned ALL my workouts in at the start of the week aswell. I put the workouts in my diary and I made sure I was 100% committed to doing EVERY single one of them, no BULLSH*T!

One of the things I found VERY hard during my Six pack journey and that was eating out with friends and family. I usually associate eating out with "pleasure" and normally when I eat out, I like to have a few beers and a dessert (cheesecake is my achilles heel!)so I did find it difficult at times resisting the temptation, especially when my deer Dad was tucking into a dessert or if at the cinema, my buddies munching on popcorn, BUT I stayed strong, my will power was good and I didn't cave in.

I'd like to point out something important here about Willpower, something that my mentor told me which REALLY hit home with me and that is:

"If you're WHY is strong enough then WILLPOWER doesn't come into it."

This basically means if you know EXACTLY what your goal is, you know WHEN you want to achieve it by, you know HOW you're going to do it and you know WHY you want to do it then WILLPOWER doesn't even come into it!

In my case, my goal was to be SHREDDED by September (so I had a deadline!), I knew how I was going to do it, I would be following my Elimination Diet 100% without fail no excuses and training 6 days a week. I'd also be adopting an Eat Stop Eat lifetyle during my journey aswell. The reason that I was doing this (so my WHY!!) was because I wanted sixpack abs.

I made sure my WHY was strong enough before I started this journey, I made sure my goal was 100% crystal clear before I started. If I didnt do this then I dont think I would have got the results that I did.

FINAL RESULTS

So since I embarked on my Sixpack journey (starting from June)

my bodyfat levels have gone from 10% down to 8%,
My sixpack is more visable,
I've gone from a 32 inch waist to a 30!
and I feel and look sooo much more leaner than before!

Below is my Before & After pictures:

I'm REALLy proud of myself for achieving my sixpack goal. It wasn't all plain sailing. There were times when I thought I wasn't gonna do it but I stayed strong, I kept focused, I had my photo shoot done and I got the result I wanted.

What next for me? well, Im gonna get back into my endurance running and refocus my attention on my 2 endurance challenges for next year that I want to do. Can't say too much at this point but lets just say that they'll be a huge challenge for me!

I hope my story and pictures inspire you to achieve the fat loss goals that you deserve.

Onto the next challenge!

Peace out :-)

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

PS - I'll be uploading all my pictures from the photo shoot I had done last week so keep 'em peeled. They look pretty awesome if I dont say so myself! Sorry if that sounded big headed, I dont mean it to be, its just that Im SUPER proud of myself for achieving these results :-)

PPS - If you're interested in the detailed nutrition plan and the exact daily workouts that I used to achieve my six pack goal then get yourself over to my facebook page, add me as a buddy and keep an eye out for mine and Nisha's six pack 6 week challenge details. The results are unbelieveable ;-)

THE EVOLUTION COOKBOOK

2011-07-14T04:24:00.000-07:00

The Evolution Cookbook!

You Don’t Have To Be Boring To Eat Healthy!

Over 60 Wheat, Dairy & Sugar-Free Recipes including:

Chocolate Brownies!
Healthy Chicken Pizza!
Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Blueberry Muffins!

Plus vegetarian OPTIONS aswell!

BUY NOW FOR JUST £14-99!

Your Cookbook will be available for download immediately after purchase.

Why "Eating In Moderation" Is Making You Fatter!

2011-07-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

As a fat loss coach, if I had a pound for every time I heard the advice "eat in moderation" from personal trainers, nutritionists & doctors then I'd be a millionaire, infact even if I had a penny for every time this was said then I'd STILL be pretty damn well off too!

So why is "Eating in Moderation" making you fatter I hear you ask?

Well read on; let me tell you what I mean...

On the surface, this advice sounds pretty innocent right? After all, eating in moderation allows you to lose weight whilst having your favourite foods doesn't it? You don't have to stress about being too strict with your diet do you, you can have that treat whenever you want and still get results right?

WRONG!

Here's my issue with this advice:

If "Eating in Moderation" worked then why have we currently got an obesity epidemic here in the UK and is getting worse?
If "Eating in Moderation" worked then why is the UK now the fattest country in Europe?
If “Eating in Moderation” worked then why is no one getting amazing fat loss results?

Sure, if people ACTUALLY DID eat in moderation then this advice would hold some clout but the truth of the matter is that NO ONE can do" Moderation". Be honest, when was the last time you ate (and drank) in moderation?

The other issue I have with moderation is that it differs from person to person, where do you draw the line? Everyone has their own concept of “moderation”, your version of moderation might be completely different to my version which makes it a really cr*p piece of dietary advice to give out and to follow aswell.

Let's not beat around the bush here, if you want to drop bodyfat anytime soon then you simply HAVE to STOP listening to this piece of advice. IT DOESN’T WORK!

As you may have guessed I have a real problem with "Eating in Moderation." This is usually something that fat people say to make themselves feel better (which is why they’ll never be dropping bodyfat anytime soon either), or people that have always been skinny and have NEVER had any concept of being overweight. That sounded really harsh and I apologise if I offended anyone but unfortunately is true.

Below is a picture my personal trainer and good buddy Austin Lawrence designed to highlight the "Eating In Moderation" point:

Ask yourself this:

Are you looking for ‘moderate’ results or results that will see you blow people away with how you look in that new dress or suit? Results that leave your friends totally shell shocked with your total body transformation? Put simply, the more times you "eat in moderation", then the more ‘moderate’ and decidedly average your results will be after the 28 days. It’s as simple as that really.

So do yourself a favour and stop listening to this bit of advice, it’s not working for you.

Eat clean for the next 28 days, remove wheat, dairy, processed food & sugar from your diet. Stop drinking alcohol, drink plenty of fresh clean water, keep it strict, stick to the rules and remember:

MODERATION SUCKS!

Peace out ;-)

Sam Winkworth - The South East's Leading Fat loss Expert

PS - Our next Bootcamp kicks off on Monday 25th July. Because you have this article, you're entitled to your first week FREE! Call us on 07817 403 398 to register your place or go to www.evolutionbootcamp.com Our campers regularly lose between 5-7lbs in the first week.

Why You're STILL Fat! And What To Do About It!

2011-03-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered why some people are successful when it comes to losing bodyfat while others simply won't get anywhere near the results that they thought they would?

In this blog, Iam going to address the reasons why you're still fat (or unable to shift that last inch), and tell you what to do about it.

I've been a fat loss coach for well over 10 years now, during which time I have consultated, coached and trained thousands of people who want to lose weight and drop their bodyfat. Below are my top 5 mistakes that people make (on a regular basis!) when it comes burning that stubborn bodyfat:

1) They Are "Victims"

Your success begins with taking 100% responsibility of your life and dropping ALL the reasons you can't succeed and haven't succeeded when following a diet programme in the past.

"I don't have time"
"I'm too busy"
"My kids come first"
"My mates will put peer-pressure on me"

are ALL victim stories or to put it simpler: EXCUSES that are stopping you achieve the fat loss success that has eluded you all these years. Sorry if that sounded harsh but until you REALISE that you simply HAVE to ditch the excuses and victim stories to achieve success, the better.

2) They Are Suffering With" Dietary Dishonesty"

Alot of people I've spoken to, THINK they eat healthy, when the truth of the matter is that when I analyse what they've eaten and drank over the week, they are not eating healthily at all. Quite the opposite infact. Eating healthy is NOT having cereal for breakfast and a shop bought sandwich for lunch. Cereal actually has a ton of sugar in it (and completely strips your magnesium levels, but thats for another article) and consuming bread on a daily basis will put a huge hault on your fat loss progress. Oh, and eating healthy during the week and then going out at the weekend and getting wrecked surprisingly won't do your fat loss progress any good either!

3) Their Planning Sucks!

Planning what you're going to eat over the week is probably the most important thing to do when embarking on a fat loss programme yet 90% of people starting off simply dont do it. Being caught with not having anything healthy to eat out (on day trip for example) or "only being able to buy something on the run whilst at work" are both common mistakes that people make who don't plan ahead.

4) They'll Start "Tomorrow"

Alot of people wait for the "perfect time" to start their exercise/ nutrition plan when the truth of the matter is that there isn't one. Life always gets in the way. Holidays, work do's, weddings will ALWAYS be there. People who do this usually spend their whole life "yo-yo dieting" which is the exact opposite of what their trying to achieve.

5) They're Doing The Wrong Exercise

Those of you that regularly follow my blogs will know that I'm always talking about creating "metabolic disturbance" which is how many calories you burn long after the session finishes. Long, slow boring cardio, like jogging, swimming, using the cross trainer/stepper will NOT achieve metabolic disturbance and are therefore not the greatest workouts for burning bodyfat.

Alot of people are also training TOO MUCH, which, if this is the case, then until they cut down on their training and take a frickin rest then they will quite simply never get rid of that last inch of belly/hip fat.

So now that you know where you might be going wrong, here's what to do about it RIGHT NOW:

1) Toughen Up!

Quit blaming your circumstances for the reason why you're still fat. Man up and stop using excuses. Excuses are the number 1 reason why people will NEVER achieve success. Maintain a positive can-do attitude throughout and get rid of any negative people in your life and surround yourself with people who have the same fat loss goals as you.

2) Eat Clean & Use a food diary.

For the next 21 days, eat only organic meats, fresh fruit and veg.Only drink fresh clean water, avoid caffeine, alcohol and processed foods and write down what you're eating. Research shows that those who use a food diary are more likely to achieve fat loss results than those that don't. You can download the exact food diary I use with all my private clients over at www.evolutionfitnessandnutrition.com This will stop any "dietary dishonesty" going on.

3) Plan Ahead!

Know what you're going to eat on a weekly basis. If you're gonna be at work for 10 hours (or out for the day) then sort your life out and pack a lunch box the night before. Why do people have such an issue with this? It takes 5 frickin minutes. This is a VERY good nutritional habit to get into. Never be caught out with not having anything to eat for the day. If you know you're gonna be out for the morning, then make sure you have a good breakfast (you should be having one anyway but especially if you know you're going straight out), pack some almonds with a greek yoghurt or a piece of fruit for mid morning to keep you going until lunch.

4) Start Taking Action NOW!

Don't wait to start after that wedding or holiday, just get to it! You don't HAVE to be all or nothing to start off with! Done is better than perfect, even if its just doing a 10 minute bodyweight workout at home, it's a start and you can always build up at a later date. Orjust simply eliminating caffeine and sugar, thats fine, as long as you MAKE THAT START!

5) Intervals And Resistance Training Are Awesome Fat Loss Workouts

Stick to short burst workouts like circuits or intervals aswell as Resistance training (either using bodyweight, bands, free weights or barbells). These workouts have been research proven to burn more bodyfat than slow jogging, cycling or swimming long after the session finishes. Please don't misunderstand me here guys, I am not jumping on the "cardio bashing band-wagon", and I actually love going out for a run myself but I dont rely on it TOTALLY for fat loss. I still make sure I'm doing some resistance training workouts to help with creating that metabolic disturbance.

So there you have it, the main reasons why ALOT of people are STILL fat and how to start doing something about it. Follow those tips for the next 21 days and you'll start seeing some awesome improvements to your fat loss levels and your bodyshape.

Peace out : )

Sam

PS - Our new Fat Loss Bootcamp In Sevenoaks kicks off on Monday 11th April. Message me for details or check out the website on www.evolutionbootcamp.com Our campers regularly drop over 7 lbs a month whilst NEVER counting calories!

Why Zumba Is "PANTS" For Burning Bodyfat

2011-03-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

My business mentor Paul Mort (who is also the UK's number one fat loss coach)recently wrote about this subject only a few months ago. He actually beat me to it (the swine!) but I feel, on a personal level that I need to write about this aswell as it's been on my mind for quite some time now.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 6 years,ZUMBA is the latest dance craze to hit our studio time tables.It combines latin dance moves in an aerobic style format. It's currently in over 90,000 locations across 110 countries so you could say that it's been a success!

Now before I get every ZUMBA instructor and their dog emailing me saying that Im being totally unfair and that you're "well out of order" for slagging off Zumba then let me tell you that I'm not.

I think ZUMBA is a great dance class and every time I watch it, it looks really fun. I've not tried it yet, although I've participated in many similar dance formats at fitness conventions/seminars and actually spent over 2 years teaching advanced choreography at the YMCA in Tottenham Court Road so I feel very qualified to talk about this subject.

So what's my issue with ZUMBA?

Well, although Zumba "is an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party" (as the company like to put it), it's not the best way to burn bodyfat.

Sure, its fun, just like the nintendo wii is fun when your playing wii tennis or wii fit but for burning bodyfat?

Hell no!

Let me tell you what I mean...

Slow,steady cardio, which is what you see most people doing in the gym day in, day out is NOT the best way to burn bodyfat. Infact, I've met very few people who have successfully used cardio to burn bodyfat.

ZUMBA, and other classes of the same genre are ALL in this category. Sure, you might get some moves that feel harder than others on occassions but its likely that a zumba style workout will be a steady state session (meaning no true interval training involved).

However, Research shows if you want to lose stomach fat, or any other fat for that matter, you MUST increase the intensity of your workout by doing short burst workouts like circuits or intervals.

Why?

To burn more calories long AFTER the workout has finished, that's why!

You see,when you exercise with intervals and resistance training, your body uses far more calories in the hours AFTER exercise than it would if you did ZUMBA or any other long, steady state workout.

This is what's called "The Afterburn Affect" and will help you lose that stubborn bodyfat and gain more muscle in less time than if you were doing your long, slow boring cardio that you've always done.

Dr Pompa says it best in the video below:

The Moral Of The Story?

ZUMBA classes are alot of fun and are a great way to get moving and maybe improve on your stamina somewhat but to use it as part of your fat loss plan?

Definitely not!

Stick to short burst workouts like circuits or intervals along with a good nutrition plan. Follow my advice and you'll see much better results than you're currently getting.

Peace out!

Sam

PS - Did you know that I run a really popular Fat Loss Bootcamp in Knole Park Sevenoaks with morning and evening sessions? Text/Call me on 07817 403398 to find out what special offer I have on at the minute.

You CAN do ANYTHING (Plus Some Awesome Fat Loss Tips!)

2010-12-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

It amazes me when people say they CAN'T achieve fat loss success because of their circumstances.

"I can't follow diets.."
"I have kids, I can't eat healthily."
"I'm too busy to prepare food"
"My job doesn't allow me to"

are just some of the poor excuses that I hear on a regular basis.

Success starts by taking 100% responsibility for your own actions. Its not your kids fault or your bosses fault that you're fat and the sooner you realise that,the better. Sorry if that sounded a bit harsh peeps but I feel its my duty as your fat loss coach to move you from "thinking about it" to taking "massive action" and if that means giving you a kick in the butt every now and then,then so be it.

I want you to take a look at this video I came across the other day. It's a story about a US marine called Ivan Castro who devastantingly suffered a mortar attack whilst serving in Iraq. The result of the attack left Ivan permanently blind. Soon after, Castro found himself battling with anger and depression. He eventually met with a blind Marine however who helped him realize that the man he had always been, was still alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mW7waO604c

Amazing huh?

Still think you can't drop that "bit of bodyfat?"

Put's things in perspective doesn't it.

You Can Do Anything If You Want To, You Just Got To Toughen Up And BELIEVE That You CAN thats all!

Below are some killer fat loss tips that you can start using straight away:

1) Plan, Plan & Do More Planning

Know what you're going to eat tomorrow, and the next day and the next. A quote I heard recently from my business mentor and UK's number 1 fat loss expert Paul Mort, which was "it's better to rely on your planning rather than will power when it comes to your diet." I love this quote! This basically means don't be caught in a situation where you're relying on your will power (eg. a party, wedding etc) to get yourself through the situation. Plan ahead, eat BEFORE you go out, pack a lunch if you're going out all day. Pack it the night before, whatever it takes to stop you from getting into that situation where you might blow off course with your diet.

2) Create some "What-Scenarios"

This kind of coincides with the above. Write a list of "what if" scenarios that might come up over the next few weeks that may stop you from eating healthily and put a hault on your fat loss progress. eg "what if I'm invited out for a curry? what am I going to do?" Next write down how you're gonna deal with each scenario eg. "if I'm invited out for a curry, I will either a) eat before I go out b) phone up the restaurant the night before and find out what healthy dishes they have. or c) Not go.

Plan out every scenario so that you know EXACTLY what you need to do before it's even come up. This may seem like a pain doing this but its well worth doing. This is the difference between achieving success and failure.

3) Eat Clean For 30 Days And Avoid Sugar!

Avoid wheat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine & sugar. Stick to filling your shopping trolley with nothing other than fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meats such as turkey, chicken, seafood etc. Avoid packaged food and focus on home cooking. If I have time to cook and prepare food for the next day, then YOU definitely should be able to do! Remember, no excuses! This is what you need to do if you want to achieve fat loss success.

4) Do BODYWEIGHT Workouts

You don't need to be a member of a health club or have access to all the latest "state of the art" gym equipment to get fat loss results. All you need is your own bodyweight and a positive can-do attitude and you'll be well on your way. I'll be releasing my new e-book "Hit Fat Where It Hurts" which is a 30 day bodyweight programme complete with nutrition plan on Friday 14th January so keep 'em peeled.

5)BELIEVE You Can Do IT!

Just like Ivan, he believes he can do anything and he's proven it with his recent challenges he's done. Believe you CAN achieve fat loss success.

I hope this blog post has been helpful to you.

Sam Winkworth

If you have any fat loss tips that you'd like to share then feel free to leave a comment in the section below.

14 Day Fat Flush System

2010-08-17T01:16:00.000-07:00

To pay for your 14 Day Fat Flush System and get access to all the fat melting meal plans, Bootcamp menus & meal plans that will help you lose a ton of bodyfat then all you need to do is click on the paypal button below:

As soon as you've done this I will then get in contact with you telling you where the exact meeting point is. You'll also need to let me know what sessions you want to be booked on.

Here's that paypal link to reserve your place on this special 14 day fat loss programme:

See you at camp ; )

Sam Winkworth

The Difference Between Evolution Bootcamp And Other Group Training Options

2010-08-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Alot of people ask me what's the difference between Bootcamp and other group training options.

Quite alot actually!

The first big difference is the nutritional support you get at Bootcamp.

Following the right nutrition plan is crucial if you want to see healthy fat loss results. Poor nutrition is like driving a Ferrari with cheap engine oil in it.You will not get very far. Here at Evolution Bootcamp we look at optimising your nutrition so that you can start to see results in just 28 days without compromising your health.

Our nutrition plan isn't just a few diet tips that you'll find on the internet, it's really more of a nutritional philosophy that's designed to get you some great fat loss results in just 28 days.

The programme is all about eating great food, drinking fresh clean water, avoiding processed food and eating organically whenever you can.

You won't find us pushing any pills, powders or supplements your way whatsover to make your results look better than they actually are - just eating the way mother nature intended you to eat, that's it!

The Second Big Difference Is The Workouts We Use

The sessions we use at Bootcamp have been tried and tested on all our private 1-2-1 clients, and with great success too.

Put simply, we know how to create the best fat loss workout in just 45 minutes.

All our workouts we use at Bootcamp are designed with metabolic disturbance in mind. This means how many calories you'll burn long AFTER the workout finishes, even when you're resting. something that you don't always get with other group training options.

Bootcamp takes place every Monday (9.30am), Tuesday (6.30pm), Wednesday (9.30am), Thursday (6.30pm) and Saturday (8.30am)in Knole Park, Sevenoaks.

It also takes place every Tuesday (6.30pm), Thursday (6.30pm) and Saturday (9.30am) in Tonbridge Park, Tonbridge.

For more information and to reserve your place please call/text 07817 403398 or email sam@evolutionfitnessandnutrition.com

Alternatively, click on the paypal link to reserve your place:

PS - if you book your place before September 1st then we'll offer all readers a second month at half the price.

Are YOU A Drug Addict?

2010-08-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hey! How you doing?

I hope you're doing awesome? Today I wanted to talk to you about sugar and how this white stuff can not only affect your fat loss but your overall health aswell.

I wrote about this subject only a few months ago however I feel that the "sugar message" is STILL not getting through to alot of people so I'm re-visiting this.

When I talk about giving up sugar, most people 'think' they have, when this couldn't be further from the truth.

Giving up sugar goes much deeper than just cutting out cakes, biscuits and chocolates.

Hidden sugars are also found in so-called "healthy foods" aswell:

Cereals,
Salad dressings,
Soups,
Spreads,
Pre-packed sandwiches,
Pre-packed salads,
Alcoholic beverages,
Bread, etc.

If you're committed to getting your health back and are truly interested in WHY you should give sugar up (or seriously cut back on it) then just check out the staggering list below.

(Alot of people I come across seem to think that diabetes is the only health disorder linked with high sugar consumption, but, as the list below will show you, consuming too much can have huge health implications):

(This list is from Nancy Appleton's website. www.nancyappleton.com)
This list is unbelievable! I was shocked when I first read this list.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9 Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol in the blood.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
46. Sugar causes food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
54. Sugar can cause cataracts.
55. Sugar can cause emphysema.
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).
58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders..
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.
75. Sugar can cause depression.
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
81 High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
92. Sugar feeds cancer.
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
100. Sugar is an addictive substance.
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
111.. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
116. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.
117. Sugar may induce cell death.
118. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
120. Sugar can lead to prostrate cancer.
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
122. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.
123. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
124. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia
125. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.
126. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.
127. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.
128. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.
129. Sugar induces salt and water retention.
130. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.
131. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.
132. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.
133. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.
134. Sugar causes constipation.
135. Sugar causes varicous veins.
136. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.
137. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
138. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.
139. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.
140. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.
141. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.
142. Sugar could affect central reward systems.
143. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.
144. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.
145. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.
146. Sugar can cause liver tumors.

Unbelievable right?

Sugar is quite simply a drug and is actually more addictive than heroine, tobacco, cocaine and marijuana.

Just like any drug, it's really really hard to give up.

Here's what I think:

"Most People Are Addicted To Sugar They Just Don't Know It Yet"

The problem with sugar is that it's found it's way into most of our food and we really have to be careful about what we buy if we're to give it up completely.

It's likely that any food that's been tinned, canned or packaged has some kind of sugar in it to preserve it's lifespan. Anything ending is 'ose is basically sugar (Glucose, Sucrose, Lactose, Maltose, Galactose, Frutose, Dextrose, Mannose,
Saccharose, Levulose).

Below I've devised a 5-step plan to help you ween yourself off the nasty stuff that will not only help with your fat loss progress but your health aswell:

1) Give up sugar!

When you give up sugar (or severly cut down on your intake), it's likely that you'll experience some withdrawal symptoms. This is because you're a sugar addict and you're craving it. Go cold turkey for 2 months and try out some new and exciting sugar-free recipes. Avoid pre-packed food and focus on cooking with natural ingredients. Know where you're food and ingredients are coming from.

2) Check the labels when you go shopping

Do some detective work when you go shopping. Look for any of the hidden sugars mentioned above. Basically, anything ending in 'ose is sugar (fructose, sucrose, lactose, dextrose etc.)

3) Do Something else when your sugar craving kicks in

When a sugar craving kicks in, keep yourself busy and do something else. Go for a walk round the block or read a book for 20 minutes if you have to. This will help keep your mind off the food your craving.

4) Toughen Up!

Quit whingeing that you can't give up sugar and just DO it! If you're a "Fussy Eater" then do something about it and try out some different recipes. There's plenty of variety out there. This is your health we're talking about. When are you going to address it? When it's too late? When you have cancer? diabetes?

I'm sorry if that offended anyone but I feel it's my mission as your fat loss coach to be aware of the many health implications that sugar has on the human body.

Remember, the human body is a marvelous piece of machinery and it's not designed to eat sugar.

6) Don't Go Mad With The Fruit

Fruit is very good for us so please don't think I'm telling you that it's not! Just don't snack on it all day because at the end of the day, fruit contains fructose, which, although is sugar in it's natural form, it's still sugar and your body will see it as that. Replace with more fresh vegetables instead.

So there you have it! If you're interested in giving up sugar and want some recipes to try out that use nothing other than natural ingredients then let me know and I'll order you a cook book.

Here's to a sugar-free diet.

Sam

5 Killer Fat Loss Tips!

2010-07-20T03:19:00.001-07:00

Hey! I hope you're doing awesome?

I certainly am. I'm into week 4 of my Elimination Diet and going well. No alcohol, caffeine, processed food or sugar for 30 days. If you want more information on this diet then check out my free fat loss report "9 Powerful Secrets to Losing Bodyfat!"

Anyway, that's not why I'm messaging you. I sometimes write about health & fat loss for my local magazine and, having thumbed through a recent edition, I realised I hadn't uploaded the article here so I just wanted to share with you my 5-step success plan. These are just some of the steps that I use successfully on both myself and with my private clients. I hope you are too.

1. Focus On Whole Natural Foods And Short Burst Workouts

Eat organically whenever you can and avoid anything that's been tinned, canned or packaged. Instead of long steady "cardio" activity focus on short burst workouts like circuit training and intervals to help burn off more bodyfat. These workouts have been research-proven to burn more calories long after the workout finishes.

2. Write Down What You're Eating.

Research shows that those that use a food diary are more likely to achieve fat loss success than those who don't. You can download yours for free over at my website.

3. Stop Beating Yourself Up!

If you fall off the wagon with your diet, then don't beat yourself up,just forget about it, move on and think that tomorrow will be a much better day. Try to get as much control over your health and fitness as you can by shopping, planning and preparing.Know what you're going to have to eat tomorrow, and the next and the next and STICK TO IT!

4. Surround Yourself With People Who Have The Same Goals As You.

The truth of the matter is that most people will hold you down and don't want to see you succeed. Hang around with others who share the same fitness/fat loss/health goals as you so you can benfit from shared knowledge, commitment, support and success.

Surround yourself with positive people and ditch the "energy drainers" from your life.

5) Create Some "Me-Time" For Yourself

Trying to please everybody is a recipe for failure. You need to find time you can label as your own, not your kids, your partner or your friends - YOURS!!! Because until you put yourself first, just occasionally, you will NEVER find the time to do what you want to do.

And there you have them, my 5-step fat loss success plan. Follow those steps and I'm sure you'll see some success.

Catch you soon,

Sam : )

Why Your Portion Sizes Maybe Keeping You Fat! (Plus My Vacation Photos From Tenerife).

2010-06-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

How we all doing? I haven't written here in a while as I've been on vacation with my girlfriend Christie and only got back this week.

We both had an awesome time in Tenerife, lots of rest, recovery and regeneration and plenty of sunshine for the later part of the vacation which we were both happy about. Whilst we were there we managed to explore the famous Mount Teide volcano in the heart of the island. we also enjoyed a great boat trip where we saw some whales swimming real close to the boat.

Here are some of the pics I took whilst up Mount Teide and on the boat trip:

Mount Teide is the world's third biggest volcano at an altitude of 2,300 metres. It's also the highest point in Spain.

Our cattamerang trip saw us explore the west side of Tenerife during which time we saw a few whales that came up to the boat to do a bit of exploring themselves which was awesome!

I've never seen whales in the wild before so I was real happy that they came so close to the boat and that Christie & I could get some cool pics.

Anyway, I don't want to bore you too much with my holiday adventures but I DID want to talk to you about something I noticed in our hotel dining area every evening.

Something that most diners were doing that shocked me.

Something that will seriously put a BIG HAULT to your fat loss progress

..And this was PORTION SIZES

I couldn't believe how much food people were piling on their plate!

I'm guessing most of the guests staying at the hotel were 'all-inclusive' because ALL of them seemed to want to get their money's worth when it came to dining.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have an issue with people relaxing on their diet slightly when they go on vacation but piling plates and cutting half a loaf of bread for yourself seems somewhat greedy.

It was almost as if just because the food was there infront of them...they HAD to eat it!

You need to go EASY with the portion sizes when it comes to fat loss.

It doesn't matter whether you're on vacation, eating out or preparing something at home, you need to look at your portion sizes.

You can eat the healthiest food on this planet, and the best fat loss workouts money can buy yet you'll STILL put weight on if you're not thinking about how MUCH you're eating.

Any food is calories at the end of the day.

Make sure you're eating little and often. This will help to spread out your calories throughout the day instead of consuming most of your daily calories at the end of the day.

OK, rant over, just wanted to share that with you.

Here are some more pics from the holiday. And if you want to see ALL of the pics then make sure you check them out on my facebook page.

Peace out, and I'll talk to you again real soon...

Sam Winkworth CPT, SPN

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9 Success Secrets To Maximise Fat Loss

2010-05-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be cool to share with you some of the secrets I use with all my paying clients to help them achieve great fat loss success:

1) Quit waiting for the right time

Stop waiting around for the best time to start your fat loss plan. They'll NEVER be one. Just get going!!! Here's a workout to help you get started. Awesome chillout tune with it aswell : )

2) Be Honest With Yourself!

It's amazing how alot of people are disillusioned about the way they eat. Reality check: Cereal & toast for breakfast & Sandwiches for lunch isn't healthy. And what about the binge drinking the weekend. Have they "conveniently forgotton about that? If you want to lose body fat then don't be someone who suffers from "Dietary Dishonesty". Use a food diary and find out EXACTLY what you're eating on a daily basis.

Download my food diary I use with all my clients over at my personal training website

3) Surround yourself with positive people

Ditch the energy suckers from your life. If you're hanging out with people that are negative about diet & exercise then they will quickly pull you down to their level and suck the life out of you. They will stop you from moving forwards in life. Get rid of them if you want to see results.

4) Diarise Your Workouts

Make sure you schedule your workouts into your diary. If you haven't got a diary, buy one! Know WHEN you're going to workout and at WHAT time. Nothing is REAL until you schedule it!

5) Ditch the crap!!!

Humans aren't designed to eat processed food, sugar, salt or trans-fatty acids. Replace with more vegetables and fruit, combine with with 3 workouts a week, get to bed by 10:30pm and start to see a difference in your energy and your fat levels.

6) If you're not happy, make the change

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." ~ Mary Engelbreit
I say if you're not happy about something in your life, whether it be personally or professionally then make the change. When you're through changing, you may aswell call it a day. Remember, ...it's not the strongest or most intelligent that survive, it's the person who can CHANGE the most.

7) Use intermittent fasting

Combining Brad Pilon's "Eat Stop Eat" nutritional Philosophy along with ours is going to help you burn a serious amount of bodyfat. We've been using "Eat Stop Eat" with our clients for the past 2 years and have had acceptional results with it. Go check it out Eat Stop Eat

8) Don't listen to the negative voice inside you!

9)Never, ever give up

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."- Thomas Edison
I say when it comes to your fat loss plan don't give up just because you've had a "bad diet day." Write it off and know in your mind that tomorrow will be MUCH much better.

Try implementing some of these secrets today : )

Peace out,

Sam

Let me know what you think in the comments section below:

'Green' Exercise Quickly 'Boosts Mental Health

2010-05-09T00:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

if you were wondering what the benefits of exercising outdoors are, then look no further.

Check out this recent article I saw on one of my training buddies facebook page.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8654350.stm

You'll see that you don't need to be a member of a gym or health club to see results... just your local park!

Go take a look if you take your health seriously : )

...and don't forget to leave a comment for me!

Sam : )

PS - and if you live in the Sevenoaks area then this is ANOTHER reason to get yourself signed up to my outdoor Bootcamp if you haven't done so yet!

How To Eat Healthily Anytime, Any Place, Any Where!

2010-04-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend saw me travel to the wonderful city of Barcelona for my brother's
stag-do (yes! that's him dressed as a cow!!!)

Never been to Barcelona before and I have to say what an awesome city! The first day was spent on the beach soaking up some rays, swiftly followed by a visit to the impressive nou camp to watch Barcelona play football. We then hit some bars in the evening which were bad ass!

The following day saw us soak up more sun rays, a nice evening meal followed by more bars. A great weekend break, everyone enjoyed themselves and my brother thanked me for organising the trip.

So why am I telling you all this?

Well, before I went on the stag-do, I made a promise to myself not to drink too much and to try and eat healthily over the 2 days. Tough test I know!

Stag-do weekends are usually associated with drinking too much and eating too much. I've been on 4 stag-do weekends over the last year and trust me, health is the last thing on people's minds!

Don't get me wrong, I still wanted to have a few drinks, just to not go mad. I can have a good time without getting absolutely pole-axed and I wanted to keep the momentum going with my healthy eating. I knew it would be a tough test on a stag weekend but was determined to put it into practice.

Here was what I ate on the Sunday:

Before Breakfast: Mega Greens Drink

Breakfast: Chicken salad sandwich

Mid-Morning Snack: Organic Almonds, 1 banana, 1 apple

Lunch: Tuna salad sandwich (was either this or burger king! lol)

Mid-Afternoon: Organic Almonds

Dinner: Paella with rabbit and vegetables(very nice!)

Not the perfect days eating, bit too much bread but under the circumstances I was happy with this.

So where am i going with this?

2 things really:

1) Ditch The Excuses And Plan Ahead!

When it comes to your fat loss plan, know what you're going to eat tomorrow, and the next day and the next. I packed my mega greens supplement tub with me to Barcelona so I could have this before breakfast. I knew I might not be able to eat much veg when I was ou there so I wanted to make sure I was getting all my nutrients in.I also bought some fruit and nuts and kept them in my pocket so I could snack on them in between meals to keep my energy levels stable throughout the day.

2) Have Willpower!!!

Are you strong-minded or weak-minded? Do you get tempted when someone offers you junk food or "another drink" or do you give in? Being around 10 other guys all taking the piss out of my food choices (for being too healthy in other words!!!)and offering me beers every 5 minutes was hard, but I did it! AND I still had an awesome time minus the hangover and I feel refreshed!!!

If I can manage to eat healthy on a stag-do where the main goal was to get as drunk as possible then YOU can DEFINITELY follow a healthy eating plan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you MUST eat healthily ALL the time. There maybe occasions that this may not be the case however if you want to see results for this summer then you HAVE to tidy up your diet and eat healthily 90% of the time.

Peace out : )

Sam

PS - Here are a couple more pics from the stag-do : )

146 Reasons To Give Up Sugar!

2010-04-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

It amazes me that so many people when asked, 'think' that they don't have sugar in their diet. Some people seem to think that not adding sugar in their tea or avoiding cakes and biscuits is enough to steer clear of it but this is unfortunately not the case.

Let me explain the cold truth about sugar:

Sugar has unfortunately found it's way into most of our food either to make it taste better or to preserve it's lifespan.

Any food product that's been boxed or packaged will usually have some form of sugar in it. And if you're checking food labels, any ingredients ending in "ose" has the horrible white stuff in it (such as dextrose, fructose, lactose.)

Sugar is also the common cause for the following:

(This list is from Nancy Appleton's website. www.nancyappleton.com)
This list is unbelievable! I was shocked when I first read this list.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9 Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol in the blood.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
46. Sugar causes food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
54. Sugar can cause cataracts.
55. Sugar can cause emphysema.
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).
58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders..
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.
75. Sugar can cause depression.
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
81 High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
92. Sugar feeds cancer.
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
100. Sugar is an addictive substance.
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
111.. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
116. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.
117. Sugar may induce cell death.
118. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
120. Sugar can lead to prostrate cancer.
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
122. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.
123. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
124. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia
125. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.
126. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.
127. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.
128. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.
129. Sugar induces salt and water retention.
130. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.
131. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.
132. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.
133. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.
134. Sugar causes constipation.
135. Sugar causes varicous veins.
136. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.
137. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
138. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.
139. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.
140. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.
141. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.
142. Sugar could affect central reward systems.
143. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.
144. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.
145. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.
146. Sugar can cause liver tumors.

Not good huh?

Not only can sugar play havoc with your fat loss goals and be detrimental to your health, it can ALSO be VERY addictive and is basically like any other drug.

When people take drugs they crave them more right? They want a hit each day to keep them going, just like cigarettes, alcohol or in stronger cases, cocaine or heroine.

Well sugar is no different...

Here's what I think;

"Most people are addicted to sugar they just don't know it yet."

Here are foods that we eat that have sugar in them:

Cereals (any form)
pre-cooked meats & chicken,
pizza,
alcohol,
ryvitas,
Tea (with milk in it)
Red Bull
Dairy Products,
Cakes and cookies
Bread,
Chocolate,
Pre-packed sandwiches

If you're eating or drinking any of the above then you have a sugar addiction. No if's or but's. It doesn't matter how much or how little, you STILL have one.

How to beat your sugar addiction out.

Sugar can be a "bitch" to give up and (because it's a drug), when you first remove it from your diet, you may experience some withdrawl symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, drowsiness depending on how much sugar you were eating in the first place.

These symptoms will only last a few days and the benefits are HUGE - better health, better moods,a feeling of increased vitality and clearer thinking.

Eliminate sugar from your diet and replace fresh fruit, vegetables, organic meat.

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

PS - >>> Let me know your comments in the box below <<<

17 Secrets To Help You Lose Bodyfat

2010-03-26T00:47:00.000-07:00

If you're having problems losing bodyfat then try as many of the following techniques as possible.

***

1) Train 4 times a week. Use short burst workouts (no longer than 45 minutes) like circuit training and intervals to burn more body fat that will help you to create metabolic disturbance. Try this one to get you started:

2) Give up wheat (bread, pasta etc), processed food and alcohol.

3) Fast 1-2 times per week using Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat nutritional philosophy.

4) fill out a food diary and blog your transformation experiences over at www.samwinkworth.ning.com

5) Get a balance with your fitness. If you like attending classes and like to work in a group then combining Bootcamp with Pilates or Yoga is the perfect match and should definitely be considered if you want a balanced fitness program.

6) Get to bed by 10:30pm. No if's or but's, just do it!

7) No, not 11pm, 10;30 at the latest!

8) Do THIS!!!

9)Done Is Better Than Perfect...Quit worrying about what the best way to eat and train is and just GET STARTED TODAY! You don't have to be a perfectionist when it comes to starting a fat loss plan. Whilst paying attention to detail is important, it's not essential. Just get going!

10) "There are 2 reasons why people fail. By the thoughts that occupy their mind and by the people they surround themselves with." - Bedros Keullian

I love this quote! Just like your body needs to be fed with the right nutrients to get the best out of it, your mind ALSO needs to be fed with the right THOUGHTS. Having the right mindset and maintaining a postive "CAN-DO" attitude when you're goal is to lose bodyfat and transform your body is key.

11) Don’t beat yourself up! If you have a bad day with your nutrition don’t beat yourself up over it, jump back on the wagon and know that tomorrow will be a much better day.

12) Eat Organically whenever you can.

13) Fill your shopping basket with nothing other than animal products (meat, turkey, chicken, fish), fresh fuit and vegetables

14) Ditch every excuse you use that's stopping you achieve fat loss results and take 100% full responsiblity for your own actions.
Here's an awesome video to give you a kick in the butt:

15) STOP eating sugar - Most people are addicted to sugar they just don't know it yet! A sugar addiction is more powerful than heroine, than cocaine or any other recreational drug. Erase it from your diet if you value your health.

16) Avoid calorie counting, food weighing and complicated point scoring and focus on building strong, healthy nutritional habits throughout the year. If you focus on achieving optimum health then you will NATURALLY achieve your ideal bodyweight and look AWESOME!

17) Surround yourself with positive people who have the same fat loss goals as you and ditch the "excuse-making", energy suckers from your life.

***

There you go! Try as many of these fat burning secrets as possible and I'm confident that you'll start to see a tramsformation in your body in no time at all!

Peace out : )

Sam

Soccer? To Blowtorch Bodyfat?

2010-03-09T05:22:00.000-08:00

A recently published research experiment on sedentary men with high blood pressure showed that in just 3 months of playing soccer twice a week, there was a fall in blood pressure aswell as a percentage of bodyfat amongst subjects. Far more than doing moderate-intensity cardio like swimming or running.

The experiment was carried out by the University Of Copenhagen as part of a long-term project on soccer and health.

The researchers of the experiement concluded that based on the results, soccer can be recommended as part of the treatment for high blood pressure and for fat loss aswell.

What does this mean to us?

Well, soccer is fundamentally a form of interval training although the work and rest periods are randomized.

It's also multi-directional and multi-movement (jumping, heading, running, sprinting, kicking, tackling, with contact).

Basically this study suggests that open interval training, using multiple movements and directions is far more effective for fat loss when compared to long slow steady state cardio.

Finally some research that makes sense! It's what I've been saying all along.

Use short burst workouts like circuit training and intervals to burn more body fat that will help you to create metabolic disturbance.

Peace out : )

Sam

source: Medical News Today (www.medicalnewstoday.com)

Every Woman Who Want's To Lose Weight & Improve Their Health Should Read This!

2010-02-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

Over the last 3 months, me and my team have trainers have been running our second Transformation Contest. 4 hand-picked volunteers were challenged to transform their body by way of healthy eating and exercise.

No diet pills, supplements or compicated calorie counting just a real emphasis on wholesome foods, short burst workouts like circuit training and maintaing a positive can-do attitude through the course.

Throughout the Contest, volunteers were asked to:

1) Give up wheat (bread, pasta etc), preocessed food and alcohol.
2) Fast 1-2 times per week using the Eat Stop Eat nutritional philosophy.
3) Train 4 times a week. This included one FREE private session each week with us aswell as attending one of our popular Bootcamp sessions each week.
4) fill out a food diary and blog their transformation experiences over at www.samwinkworth.ning.com

Each of the 4 challengers worked really hard over the last 3 months and it was hard picking an overall winner of the Contest but...after alot of thought we gave first place to Nicola Fitzgerald (below). I loved Nicola's attitude throughout the challenge. She always gave 100%. She always remained positive (which I liked), and she never missed a Bootcamp session.

It was Nicola's extra hard work and positive atttitude (and also the great results that she achieved aswell!) that swayed me to give first prize to her. She will receive a £250 cash prize so congratulation Nic!

Read Nic's full rundown of the contest below and let us know what you think in the comments section below:

****

"Prior to the challenge I would have ranked myself around low to middle in terms of fitness, I walked everywhere, kept an eye on my weight and did exercise classes. I was very in to yoga before my pregnancy, had worked with personal trainers in the past and overall was aware of my physical shape and body. I found it very difficult to shift the last of my pregnancy weight, which was why the transformation challenge appealed to me initially.
Anytime in the past I wanted to lose weight I would drastically alter my diet and see results. Total elimination of food groups and massive drop in calories worked for me but was not something I wanted to do forever. I thought it was best to abandon the binge purge method and look more towards a new way of living, eating and exercising.....

Exercise in the past was a hobby more than a 'look for results' type thing. Maybe 2 to 3 classes a week, or swimming and I was keeping my head above board but as mentioned, food was my way to lose weight. Even though I enjoyed exercise it was never fully integrated into my lifestyle and always fell by the wayside eventually.

From reading above it sounds like I was fairly good with my diet and fitness, but really I am all or nothing, non stop food , booze and fun or no carbs, no dairy and no fun!!

When I first started the challenge my biggest concern was the detox. How could I possibly eliminate all the food groups together for 30 days?? I could get rid of cheese (no probs), wheat (no probs), processed food (no probs) but all together? and with no wine??
1 week in and I can't remember having as much energy. My skin was looking great, my cravings were gone, apart from the tea, I'll never not want tea and I felt like I could run a marathon. When the exercise aspect of the programme kicked in I absolutely adored it. Bootcamps, 1 on 1 sessions, home exercising - I was like a woman posessed, I absolutely loved it. My clothes felt comfortable initially and at week 3 had a cut a new notch in my belt,I was delighted.

For me the toughest part of the challenge was mind over matter. The psychological of it is quite difficult, because you're doing something that ulimtately will benefit you, yet have to sacrcifice all 'rewards' on the way. For me, at the end of the day, after I've put my son to bed, a glass of wine is my treat. To not have that after the initial few weeks of excitement over a new routine is a hard pill to swallow. Weekends felt very 'samey' and my cooking skills were testing to the max to create something enjoyable and 'allowed'. The exercise, for me, was always good fun. Short bursts of high intensity work outs and before you know it, you're done for the day. I loved Sam's 'metabolic disturbance' workouts because you knew you would get results and I did. Everything just got smaller, from my boobs to my belly and my legs.

I was thrilled with my results, I dropped from a size 12 to a size 8 all over. I had to buy new jeans and take even my pre-pregnancy clothes to the charity shop as they were a bit too baggy. I lost over 1 stone in weight and even over Xmas managed to keep it all off.

I couldn't recommend the transformation programme more highly if I tried. Sam is an incredibly positive mentor, hard working no excuses allowed and keeps you on your toes (Skinny toes!) You see results and a change in how you view food and excercise. You get a sense of achievement like no other and I know I can continue elements of this programme right throughout my life. Sam doesn't just direct you towards a certain diet and excercise programme with no explanation, you understand completely what you are doing, why you are doing it and how it personally helps you.

I feel I entered into the most pro-active and positive exercise and nutrition programme there is and you'll never look back if you do the same."

- Nicola Fitzgerald, Sevenoaks, UK

****

Keep your eyes peeled for details of the next Transformation Contest.

Peace out,

SAM : )

The Interesting Search For Female Six Pack Abs

2010-02-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

This week's post is from my good buddy Tristan Lewis over in America. I met Tristan back in November when I went to a fitness conference in Disneyworld, Orlando, and since then we hit it off and have kept in touch since.

Tristan is a great guy and I love his fitness philosophy which is very similar to mine.

Okay, handing you over to Tristan now. hope you enjoy the guest post.

****

Firstly, I want to say hi, my name is Tristan Lewis from MaverickFitnessCoach.com and I’m really thrilled to be working alongside my good mate Sam Winkworth to bring you new and exciting fitness, fat loss and body transformation advice. Sam is an outstanding trainer and a great friend and what he offers his clients and customers is cutting edge advice – but you all know that of course!

This is probably aimed more at the ladies today, but I’ll make up for it with something for the guys next – so today I’d like to discuss the idea that six pack abs are not just a male orientated desire and how women of all ages and current fitness levels should be training for and expecting this unique fitness aspect as part of their body transformation.

You see the reality is that women should not only be aiming for a small waist, or trim thighs and buns…but also a beautiful, feminine sculpted set of six pack abs - it’s real important to dismiss the stigma that abs are only for men and women should just focus on the ‘flat belly syndrome’. And here’s why…

The basic anatomical facts are that every human has ‘six pack abs’ – let’s use that term as our ‘keyword’ for a truly spectacular midsection. But these abs are typically covered by our bodyfat and that there is the issue with regards to actually seeing them.

We can break down abdominal training for men and women into two areas. One will be training for muscular development of the abs and all other muscles and the other training for fat loss to reveal not just the abs but sculpt your entire physique as well.

Women need to understand that firstly they’ll be very unlikely to create a visual appearance of ripped, rolling slabs of abdominal muscle – this simply will not be the case as genetically a woman carries less testosterone than a man and will not build the muscle like their male counterparts….BUT here’s where we need to continue and encourage all women to actually STILL concentrate on working out for that ‘female six pack abdominal appearance’.

Because whilst a woman can dismiss the fact right here that they’ll look like a man or have garish ab muscles, the idea of training for six pack abs puts them into the absolute correct exercise psychology of correct and proven fat loss and body transformation training.

You see of course it’s possible to set a goal of a nice lean tummy and firm thighs but the workouts you’d employ to achieve a stunning female physique with ‘six pack abs’ will REALLY be putting you into ‘full body transformation territory’ where fat is burned, muscle pathways are re-ignited and real physical change occurs.
What I’m saying is all women will genetically create their own unique look, their own slim, toned and tight body and midsection, but also their very own six pack abs. And the training that you attempt to get ‘six pack abs’ is the type of training that will deliver all the other aspects you are desiring in your new body image or transformation. It will not be just ‘six pack abs’ but a full body makeover.

An example is this:
I run my own Bootcamps called Intensity Bootcamps as well as training clients one on one. A majority of my current Bootcamps are ladies wanting to firstly lose body fat but secondly create a lean, toned and tight body. We had a discussion and around 70% told me they’d typically been in their gyms with the goal of a lean tight midsection and trim body firmly in place and the tools they were using were your typical long form cardio of 40 minutes plodding away on a treadmill or a cycle staring at the tv’s etc. I know you know what I mean, you see it all the time in most gyms.
Now it’s certainly not bad to do if you are concentrating on say running a marathon or for an endurance sport, but even then it’s worth mixing it up.

So I said to them, well look let me put you into this Bootcamp where the training will be exactly the same as what a man would do, with short burst intensity exercise, resistance circuits, explosive and reactive workouts – all designed to get you out the gym quicker but also to incorporate the resistance exercises to build lean muscle that in turn both sculpts and shapes your own particular fit female physique but burns more calories than simple long form cardio.

When I told them we’d be aiming to build lean muscle the initial reaction was ‘Whoa! – we don’t want big muscles or six pack abs like the guys train for.’

Now that ideology is common and perfectly understandable. BUT as we continued to discuss this I told them about the misconceptions in fitness training today that a woman is going to be threatened with bulky muscles if they lift weights or train like a ‘typical male counterpart’. This is fallacy. (The actual truth is all women should be training with resistance weight training as a major component of their routines for the very fact that it will burn more calories), it will create the lean and long muscles you wish for and it will give you the physique you are genetically meant to have.

And that is not big, muscular or bulky because unless you want to dabble in the world of steroids and excess testosterone you simply will not create that look – you simply won’t be able to.

So how does this philosophy all tie into the original topic of the search for female six pack abs. Well here it is:

I train all my female clients as I would any male client (ok, not in everything because some want to train for marathons or endurance sports etc and we change it up) but primarily I expect my lady clients to take up the same exact challenges as the guys because I’ll tell you this, in all honesty, I see the ladies I work with are so much more capable of doing more than they think they can it is almost unbelievable. I push them because ladies don’t seem to complain as much as some of the guys I work with (no offence men!) – I give them a challenge and they crush it!

Yes, maybe the next day at lunch or in the bar they chat with friends and say ‘Tristan got us doing this! Can you believe it!’ You know, but the fact remains they absolutely ‘kick butt’ as my American friends say.

And therefore I train them to develop FEMALE SIX PACK ABS because not only will this sort of training create strong core and supportive muscles and a midsection that is in optimal shape, but as we discussed further up, a woman, no matter what she thinks, will not develop garish six pack abs but the beautiful, lean feminine abs that a woman is capable of. The true ‘female six pack abs’; not just a small waist with weak floppy muscle underneath the skin, or nice hips and thighs still with a rounded back and loose abs….no – REAL solid feminine core musculature that will look stunning.
Of course the lower the body fat % the more you’ll see your abs. But physics has given women the same abs as men – the same muscles in your midsection – give or take- that a man has. If you were meant to have just a smooth, little tummy you’d only have one smooth muscle running down your core.

You –as a woman – deserve to show off your ‘six pack abs’ and trust me it will be a look you’ll adore as much as all the people staring at you!

Your training will consist of (full body intensity circuits, resistance training, body weight circuits and also a bit of cardio) if you still like all that – and it will be varied, enjoyable, challenging and exciting!

Ultimately you need to know that as a woman you SHOULD be training for ‘six pack abs’, you should rest safe in the knowledge you’ll not get bulky by training for such, and you need to trust that the workouts you do with Sam, with me or with any trainer who knows their stuff will transform your entire body into the type of feminine physique you see on magazine covers.

Nature’s given you a gift. (It’s up to you to train optimally and be proud to show yours off – it’s all in your mind and you are capable of anything you desire to put your mind to). So again: don’t think six pack abs is a keyword for men only – it is absolutely what you need to be training for as an integral part of your fitness program. Not just because it will offer support, structure, core strength and optimal performance but also because it will look incredible on you – mark my words – and it’s not as hard to achieve as you may have thought….

There is such a thing as Female Six Pack Abs – you’ve got them, now you just have to train them and allow them to be one of the key components in your full body transformation. You can do it! Believe me, I see it all day long with my clients.

Ladies are capable of a level of training that is phenomenal to observe.

Until next time, I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing from you and seeing how you’re doing.

Cheers all,
(Tristan Lewis
MaverickFitnessCoach.com)

*****

More posts from Tristan soon guys.

Train hard and be strong,

Sam

Tough Guy 2010 (Year Of The Original Heroes)

2010-02-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, wow!!!

it feels like a lifetime since I last posted on here. Big apologies for not writing sooner but my old lap top finally gave up the ghost last week and I simply haven't been online since. I now have a brand new one and I'm dying to tell my ToughGuy tale to you guys, so here goes.

On Sunday, I took part in the 2010 Tough Guy Challenge up in Wolverhampton, UK. For those of you who aren't too sure what this is then let me shed some light on the matter for you.

Tough Guy is a mixture between a 10k muddy cross country run and an army assualt course. It's a true test of fitness, strength and mental determination. Challengers have to endure sub zero lakes, underwater tunnels and fire walking to have the title of being a "Tough Guy".

Myself and some of my Evolution Bootcamp clients arrived in a freezing cold Wolverhampton on the Saturday evening. We figured that we didn't want to travel up on a Sunday morning. Sitting in a car for 3 hours is not exactly great preparation for an event like this so we went up the evening before.

I'd been training real hard for this challenge and I was feeling very confident about proceedings,as was everyone else. Part of the course involved several steep hills, (I say hills, they were more like muddy banks!!)I'd been doing plenty of hill running in training so I was actually looking forward to them!

The race started at 11am. Our start position wasn't great. We were almost right at the back which usually means it's hard to run at the pace you want due to slower runners infront but once that gun went off I went for it!

I decided that I would try and hit the run as hard as I could. This was to prevent me from cueing up at the obstacles towards the end of the race.

Eveything was going fine. I was steadily making my way through the pack. It was very hard to do this on occassions as the course was very narrow which would cause bottle necking, but I did everything I could to get through as many runners as possible and start chasing down the front squad.

I REALLY didn't want to be cueing for any of those obstacles at the end freezing my ass off!

Next up were the hills and this is where my progress was haulted slightly. Everyone was pretty much walking them which was fine! I don't blame 'em but this stopped me from moving ahead. I was disappointed with this as I had put so much effort into hill running in my training but I didn't let it bother me too much and after they were done, the cross country run continued.

I was happy. I'd finished the main bulk of the running and I was onto the obstacles and it was here when things started to change - for the worse.

Alot of the obstacles involved running in and out of freezing cold water. Sounds easy right?

At first, it's great, wading through muddy water up to your waist is loads of fun but the novelty soon started to wear off when the cold started kicking in.

I cannot describe to you how cold the water was. You would have to do it yourself to appreciate what I'm talking about.

I think someone said that the water was -7 degrees, the coldest Tough Guy on record.

The water was SOOOO cold that the ice was still there, unmelted!

The front squad had to break the ice with their elbows as they waded through the water.

The cold was starting to get to me, it was creeping up on me, my legs were completely numb and all I was focused on now was finishing the course without getting hypothermia.

All I could hear was the constant sound of the ambulance siren in the background. Everywhere I looked, runners were dropping out, stopping due to cramp or being pulled out by marshalls for hypothermia.

I needed to finish...and quick!

I had achieved my goal. The obstacles were clear when I did them. Hitting the run hard had paid off but the cold was REALLY kicking in. I was starting to feel real lonely out there aswell.

I had to finish. Another 20 minutes of this water and I knew I would be in big trouble.

Hypothermia is a huge factor in Tough Guy and if you're not prepared for it then you will fail. I had undertaken some cold water survival training (daily cold showers) in the months building up to it but in all honestly this didn't help me in the slightest with the cold.

Only a few more water obstacles to go and I was fading fast, I had come to the dreaded underwater tunnels. This is where you have to immerse yourself completely under water 4 times.

This was hell, as I swam out of the lake and climbed up the muddy bank I started to feel dizzy and had a severe case of "brain freeze". This wasn't good. Brain freeze is the feeling you get when you've eaten a cold ice cream, but this was like a thousand times worse. My condition was starting to deteriate.

I knew it wouldn't be long before hypothermia kicked.

Needed to finish...

As I entered the final part of the course, I heard from a spectator that there wasn't long to go. Only a few minutes until the finish. This was like a shot in the arm for me and actually gave me a new surge of energy.

Just one more plunge into a freezing cold lake and I was there. Every cell in my body was telling me NOT to go in there but I just carried on.I was in survival mode now. I waded through as fast as I could. I was starting to shiver violently. I was in a bad way.

One final sprint to the line, I had made it but I wasn't great! I was starting to hallucinate which I knew wasn't good, and I was experiencing the symptoms of stage 1 hypothermia. Uncontrollable shivering, unable to pay attention, confusion, feeling afraid, memory loss, drowsiness, slurred speech, slow shallow breathing...yep, I had them all.

I had to get out of my wet clothes and start warming up and fast.

After 2 hours of sipping hot chocolate in my clients car with the heater on full blast I had started to warm up. Hypothermia had kicked in.
At one point I was so bad I thought I was going to have to grab a paramedic to sort me out but I got myself through it- just!

I did it! I earnt my Tough Guy title and didn't let hypothermia beat me. My time was 2 hours and 7 minutes which was in the top 800 out of the 3,500 that finished. 6,000 had started.

My goal is to finish in the top 200 for the next one which I know I will with the right preparation, tactics and determination.

So what have I learnt from my Tough Guy experience?

Well, I have learnt that if I can do do Tough Guy then I can overcome ANY obstacle in my life. Tough Guy isn't really a test of fitness, it's more about mental toughness, it's about the will do go on, it's about how hard you get knocked but keep moving forwards. It's a test of inner strength.

Whenever you're feeling down, or if you're struggling to achieve a goal in your life, whenever you're feeling like giving up, whether it be professionally, personally or spiritually then think back to this story and have the inner strength to keep moving forwards no matter what happens, just like I did.

Rocky says it best in this video:

I loved that little motivational speech : )

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the full account of my Tough Guy experience and who knows, maybe I'll see you at the next one! (if you're crazy enough!)

Peace out : )

Sam

PS - if you're interested in seeing some of the horrors I had to endure on Sunday then check out this Tough Guy link to the BBC's website.

Out of the 6,000 runners that started the 2010 Tough Guy Challenge, only 3,500 finished. 600 suffered from Hypothermia and the rest pulled out due to injury or lack of fitness.

The 7 Foods That Experts Won't Eat - By Dr Joseph Mercola

2009-12-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I trust you had a good one?

I'm sitting here writing this blog after some tough hill sprints earlier today and I just wanted to share with you an awesome article that Dr.Joseph Mercola shared with me on his facebook page.

Now, You're probably going to read a ton of diet information over the next few weeks on how to shape up after the festive season but I'm telling you now, take a quick look at this and you won't need to read another diet plan EVER again.

It will only take a few minutes and I feel as your fat loss coach it's important that you do:
(When you finished reading the article make sure you come back here and read the rest of this blog: )

>>> "The 7 Foods Experts Won't Eat" <<<

I was quite shocked when I first read this. Another reason to eat organic (what I've been saying all along!) and I will be keeping this in mind for 2010.

You should too.

Anyway, have a killer new years eve whatever you decide to do.

I'm going to a fancy dress party with my girl friend. I'm REALLY looking forward to it. The fancy dress theme is "Uniforms" and I'm going as a soldier. I'll put the pictures up on my facebook page for you to have a giggle at.

Oh, and if you haven't friended me on facebook yet, then make sure you do. : )

Here's to a successful 2010,

Sam

PS - here's the link to the article again. Make sure you read it if you value your health for 2010.

>>> The 7 Foods Experts Won't Eat <<<

PPS - If you over indulged over the festive season and are looking to detoxify your system whilst losing some body fat then my FREE e-book "9 Powerful Secrets To Losing Bodyfat" is just the thing. It has a diet plan, home workouts and recipes that you can follow for 60 days to help you transform your body.

Just click on the link below and download it with my compliments. (It's all FREE!)

>>> Detox and burn body fat for 2010 <<<

******************************************

Please read the article and let me know your thoughts below:

*****************************************

It's Time To "Toughen Up" People

2009-12-14T06:07:00.000-08:00

Last week I took part in "The Helly Hansen Adventure Series Challenge" with a few of my personal trainer buddies. It took place in Surrey here in the UK. For those of you who aren't sure of what this entailed then here's what it looked like:

10k Trail Run
15k Mountain Bike Ride
2k Kayak
15k Mountain Bike Ride
10k Trail Run

This was a 'challenge' in every sense of the word!

I know! I'm kind of crazy right? Well, maybe in some eyes. : )

The bike and run route were an absolute MUD FEST!!! (to the point where any braking was completely pointless!) Slippery forest paths, muddy banks and deep puddles all made it that little bit more interesting! I actually came off my bike after attempting to jump a muddy puddle - BMX style! I went flying over the handle bars (much to one of the stewards amusal!)

That will teach me for being cocky! : )

At one point the mud came up to our knees when we were running but that made it all the more fun. We just dug in and we all agreed that this made us EVEN MORE determined to finish the race!

The kayak was hilarious! I haven't done this since I was in the boy Scouts but absolutely loved it when we got onto the water. The wind was very strong and we really had to be on the ball when we were steering the kayak but managed it nonetheless.

I was in a team of 3 and all in all the challenge took us 4hrs and 12 minutes to complete which I thought was awesome considering none of us had done any real specific training for it.

I felt alittle bit sore from the race but not as bad as I thought I might be.

Now I know what you might be thinking!

Why Oh why did I put myself through all this pain and torture on my Sunday morning?

After all, I could have had a nice lay in like most people do right?

Quite Simply, because I wanted to test my fitness out in every aspect.

I figured of late that I'd gone a bit soft with my workouts and I wanted to "toughen myself up" abit, I wanted to challenge myself and just see how far I could push myself both mentally and physically.

I believe that too many of us stay in our comfort zones when it comes to our fitness and never really push ourselves to see how far we can REALLY go

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you to perform every workout FLAT OUT from now on. This would be stupid. Nor book yourself on the next ironman (with zero training for it) or anything like that but testing yourself out every once in a while with some kind of fitness challenge is a great way to switch things up a little bit.

The human body is very durable and it can take ALOT more than we think it can.

Without running the risk of sounding "too deep" here, the human body has survived difficult and testing situations throughout the years. We've run for miles across the hottest deserts, climbed the highest mountains and explored some of the roughest seas.

I'm sure we can push ourselves every now and then with some slightly harder exercise
right? : )

Never put limitations on your expectations - Always demand more of yourself!

Give it a go, add some challenge workouts into your fitness plan and let me know how you get on and who know's you may even enjoy it! : )

Train Hard & Be Strong,

Sam Winkworth CPT, SPN

PS - If you're bored of your current workouts,are looking to add some challenge to your fitness plan or just need a good kick up in the butt then my good buddy Craig Ballantyne from Canada has a great ">30 minute bodyweight challenge workout you can try out.

Just click on the link below to go get it. I loved this the first time I did it!

">Yes, I want to be challenged!

Bootcamp Vs Pilates - Which One Wins?

2009-11-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Iam sitting here writing this after just participating in one of my Bootcamp workouts and am feeling awesome, so I just wanted to share something with you that has really been bugging me for quite some time now.

Last week I was training one of my private clients when the topic of Pilates came up during conversation.

To put you in the picture, my client has been with me for about 9 months during which time she has lost around 17 pounds, has improved on her muscle tone and shape and her fitness levels have gone through the roof.

She also attends one of my Bootcamp workouts a week aswell.

Along with this she also attends a pilates class with another local instructor.

So anyway, we were halfway through the workout and as she was resting in between sets my client turned to me (whilst getting her breath back of course!)and said: "The Pilates Instructor hates Bootcamp, and doesn't want anyone doing it."

At this point, I looked at her and said: "okay, and why's that?" with a puzzled look on my face.

"She said yesterday that it causes injury and it doesn't focus on core stability."

I was amazed when I heard this and couldn't believe that a fellow professional with well over 15 years experience in the fitness industry had made such an outrageous claim.

Here was my detailed answer to my client and this statement that I wanted to share with you.

Firstly,

You CANNOT compare the Two classes. Each class focuses on different components of fitness!

Depending on what style of class you go to, Pilates generally focuses on balance,flexibility core stability and motor skills.

The exact opposite to Bootcamp! No One said Bootcamp focuses on Core Stability!

There might be a small portion of the workout dedicated to core work and flexibilty but that's not the soul purpose of the session.

Bootcamp workouts focus on Fat Loss.

The aim of each Bootcamp session (or 'circuit training' to use another phrase)is to create Metabolic Disturbance (meaning how many calories you'll burn long after the workout finishes.The minute instructors start focusing on core stability and balance during a Bootcamp workout then it becomes a Pilates class.

So to compare the 2 classes in the first place is actually ridiculous because they both work on different components of fitness.

Secondly,

To say Bootcamp workouts cause injury is just plain dim!

I've been teaching Bootcamp style workouts for well over 10 years and I can genuinely say that this simply isn't true. Come to think of it, I can't think of one serious injury in my class during those 10 years.

I've always said (and still do)that attending some kind of Pilates or Yoga class will benefit you massively in the long run and will undoubtedley compliment your Bootcamp workouts nicely.

The key is to get a balance with your fitness.

If you like attending classes and like to work in a group then combining Bootcamp with Pilates or Yoga is the perfect match and should definitely be considered if you want a balanced fitness program.

and thirdly,

If we avoid Bootcamp Style Workouts completely, how else are we to burn calories?

If it was down to our "local instructor", she would have us all doing Pilates, which is great but what about metabolic disturbance, what about burning calories, what about working on our stamina, strength and endurance?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to disrepect Pilates and I'm certainly not suggesting that Bootcamp is the ONLY way to train, but what I am saying is that we simply can't compare the two classes.

One simply isn't better than the other!

The moral of the story?

Let's ditch the outrageous claims and stop the "Bootcamp Bashing" because without Bootcamp, you may NEVER burn bodyfat.

There's a thought!

Okay, my rant is over and I hope I've made my point.

I'd love to hear what you have to say on this subject. Do I make a good point or am I way off line?

>>> Write your thoughts in the comment section below <<<

Do This (Burn More Bodyfat!)

2009-11-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

I get alot of emails asking me about Metabolic Typing so I thought I'd make a quick video on how you can find out more about it.

Take a look at this video. It will tell you exactly what you need to do to find out what YOUR Metabolic Type is so that you can enhance your fat loss results even further.

(I look half asleep in this video! I did some interval training and time trails on the exercise bike before this and they kinda wore me out!)

Here's that link again to find out what your metabolic type is.

Yes, I want to find out what my metabolic type is.

Go go fill it out and I'll email you back your results.

Have an awesome week,

Sam

PS - Here's the link for the the Metabolic Typing book I refer to in the video : )

Disneyworld Hotel Room Workout

2009-11-05T04:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a week since I've come back from Disneyworld Orlando and I've finally caught up with everything since I went away (and for those of you that asked, No I couldn't get Mickey's autograph!)

Travelling on my own has kind of given me the bug to do it more often. I had plenty of time to reflect on things and although I may not explore Disneyworld on my own again, I am without a doubt going to plan a solo adventure vacation for next year.

Anyway,that's not the reason why I'm writing to you because today I wanted to share with you my Disneyworld Hotel Room Workout that I did whilst I was away.

Here's the history behind this video = >

I'd decided before I went to Orlando that I would get a few workouts in when I was there so when I checked out the hotel gym I was real disappointed with it. It was small, not much in the way of equipment and there seemed to be a funny smell coming from it so I decided to do a workout in my room instead.

It worked out fine. It didn't require much space and provided I put my "do not disturb" sign on my door then it wasn't a problem (the cleaners were quite persistant at the Hilton!)

So following on from my hotel room workouts in Orlando I've decided to switch my training up completely and do bodyweight workouts only for the next month without having to rely on gym machines or dumbells.

I've also figured of late that I've been hitting the weights quite hard so I want to try a different training stimulus for the next 4 weeks and shock my system.

Here's my Disneyworld Hotel Room Workout:
(I kept forgetting my script in this video!)

Here's how it looks on paper:

***

Circuit 1

Push Ups into 2 x Mountain Climbers
Single Leg Bridging
Inchworms
Prisoner Lunge (walking or static depending on how much room you have)
Grasshoppers

Circuit 2

Plank touching Shoulders
Crab Walking
Y Squat
Squat-Crawl (include push up to make it harder)
Burpees

Bodyweight Tabata Intervals

20 seconds of High Knee Lifts
10 seconds recovery
20 seconds Jump Squats
10 seconds recovery

For 4 minutes

***

And that's my Disneyworld Hotel Room Workout!

>> Try it out and let me know how you get on in the comments section below <<

Peace out,

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

PS - If you're looking for more bodyweight workouts like this then you'll love Craig Ballantyne's Bodyweight Workout Manual. It's a 4 week workout that will help you burn body fat and help you transform your bodyshape whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced. Go burn some bodyfat NOW!

How My Trip To Orlando Is The Same As Your Fat Loss Plan.

2009-10-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hey,

I hope you've had a killer week and have been kicking some serious ass with your fat loss progress?

Yesterday I got back to the UK from my week long break in Orlando. I actually still feel quite jet-lagged as I sit here now and write this but not as bad as I thought I might be.

The trip was kind of a mixture of business and pleasure. At the start of the week I attended a 2 day fitness conference and after that I went on to explore Disney World, which included Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Universal.

All in all a good trip and nice to have some chill out time. Would recommend it every once in a while.

During the conference, I made plenty of notes and over the course of the 2 days I managed to jot down some great quotes that really got me thinking and thought I'd share them with you here.

Read these quotes if you want to succeed.

1) "There are 2 reasons why people fail. By the thoughts that occupy their mind and by the people they surround themselves with." - Bedros Keullian

I love this quote! Just like your body needs to be fed with the right nutrients to get the best out of it, your mind ALSO needs to be fed with the right THOUGHTS. Having the right mindset and maintaining a postive "CAN-DO" attitude when you're goal is to lose bodyfat and transform your body is key.

Also, surrounding yourself with people who are stronger, fitter and leaner than you will help you with your fat loss journey. This will help raise your game and bring you up to their level alot quicker than if you were to do it on your own.

2) Done Is Better Than Perfect...Quit worrying about what the best way to eat and train is and just GET STARTED TODAY! - Craig Ballantyne

You don't have to be a perfectionist when it comes to starting a fat loss plan. Whilst paying attention to detail is important, it's not essential. Just get going and start that fitness program that you said you were going to at the start of the year. Start cutting out sugar and processed food from your diet. You'll be amazed at what a difference it makes.

3) Do You Have A Degree In GSD? - Vince Del Monte

This was my favourite quote of the whole conference! This stands for "Getting Shit Done."

Blunt from Vinny but to the point which I love!

In my experience, when it comes to training and nutrition, alot of people "talk the talk" but don't "walk the walk". In my 13 years as a fat loss coach I've come across plenty of clients,personal trainers, nutritionists even doctors who "KNOW" plenty about nutrition (some of who know more about nutrition than me), they KNOW that sugar will play havoc with their fat loss plan, they know that alcohol will put a hault on their progress and they realise that consuming processed food won't see results but STILL choose to eat in this way.

You can read all the text books, magazines, learn all the latest fat loss resarch under the sun but there comes a time when you just have to "Get Shit Done" and simply start putting into practice what you've known all this time.

If you want to succeed with ANYTHING in life (not just your fitness goals) then take a leaf out of Vinny's book. You need to have a positive can-do attitude with a strong desire to succeed.

I'll be reminding myself of these 3 quotes over the next few weeks and will be sharing with all my private clients.

Start to install some discipline in your life and start taking ACTION today.

Are you following these 7 Fat Loss Tips?

2009-10-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hey, Sam here!

Wow, can you believe that summer is over already? I blinked and I missed it! Usually I take a vacation over the summer season but this time round as I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to do so.

So anyway I’ve decided to book an autumn break away to Orlando, Florida this week (I fly out tomorrow actually-yikes!). It’s a bit of business and pleasure actually. Fitness conference for first 2 days then on to explore Disney World for the rest of the week. When I booked the fitness conference I realised that the five star hotel that I’m staying in is over looking Disney World so I simply HAD to book in for a week and check out the parks whilst I’m there.

You can’t travel over 6,000 miles to a Fitness Conference (which is being held in one of the Disney World Hotels) and NOT check out Universal, Sea World, Disney etc,

That would be mad! = >

Anyway I’m not writing to talk to you about the weather and my holiday coming up, because today I wanted to give you some killer Fat Loss Tips to help you stay on course for achieving the body of your dreams.

Here are the tips that I use with all my private clients that you can start implementing NOW!

1) Plan, Plan, Plan And Do More Planning!

You know…So many times I hear of people embarking on a new fat loss plan and they haven’t planned properly for it. The classic excuse I’ll get is: “There is no healthy food where I work.” Or “I’m so busy I don’t have time to eat healthily.”

Here’s a question: Why don’t people take ownership of the problem and stop blaming everything and everyone else other than themselves as for why they haven’t achieved their ideal body shape yet?

Be organised…no, infact be super organised. Prepare your food the night before and take it to work with you in a tuppaware container. I used to do this when I worked as a lecturer for the YMCA in Central London. These were long hours (sometimes 7 in the morning till 9 at night!) but I managed to it. If I can do it, then you can too.

2) Record what you eat

Did you know that recent research suggests that those who use a food diary for their fat loss plan are more likely to be successful than those who don’t?

It’s true. Keeping a food diary should be quite straight-forward. Try not to regard it as a chore. The main purpose is to provide you with an overall view of the food and drinks you are consuming during a typical week.

You can download yours here.

3) Avoid Wheat, Dairy and Processed Food

This tip is real simple to follow. Avoid anything tinned, canned or packaged. If you remember that rule then you can't go wrong. Instead opt for fresh natural, wholesome foods that haven't been modified with additives, elmusifiers or preservatives to preserve its lifespan.

Most wheat and dairy is heavily processed so you're best off cutting it out whenever you can.

4) Use Intermittent Fasting.

If you haven’t tried intermittent fasting for your fat loss yet then I strongly advise that you do so.
Have a listen to the interview I gave with Eat Stop Eat Author Brad Pilon if you haven’t done so already. He’s a great guy and I love his nutritional philosophy so be sure to check it out. Even if you’re a little sceptical about intermittent fasting for fat loss I still think you should take a look.

This interview will blow you away!

5) Find a good Training Program

Why do people always associate losing weight or getting fit with joining a gym? This is the exact opposite of what you should be doing!
You can do it at your home. Find a good training program to help get you started. You don’t have to train hours on end. Just 3 times a week, starting off with 20 minutes and then build upon that.

If you’re stuck for ideas then you should download this great bodyweight workout from my good buddy Craig Ballantyne. You don’t need dumbbells, stability balls or expensive machines for this, all you’ll need is your body!

6) Don’t beat yourself up!

So many people that I’ve come across during my time as a fat loss expert will be going really well for a few weeks with their nutrition and then for whatever reason they have a day where it wasn’t so good and before you know, they’re back to their poor eating habits again.

If you have a bad day with your nutrition don’t beat yourself up over it, get back on the wagon and know that tomorrow will be a much better day.
Don’t be “All or nothing” and avoid putting too much pressure on yourself to eat the perfect diet.

7) Eat organically whenever you can!

Eating fruit and vegetables that are free from pesticides and meat that is free from steroids is by far the better option if you value your health. Now I understand that it’s not always easy or practical to eat organically. Life sometimes gets in the way however we should all be making an effort to eat organically whenever we can.

Aand if you want proof that pesticides are bad news then watch the video below:

Here’s also some more recent research on the dangers of pesticides and how it’s been strongly linked to Parkinsons Disease.

Check out this article from Paul Chek's Blog:

So try these 7 tips over the next few weeks and let me know how you go.

Okay, I’ve got a plain to catch,

Here’s to a new you,

Sam Winkworth

Barbell Circuit

2009-09-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

I get alot of questions asking what the best fatloss workouts are.

Good question this...what IS the best fat loss workout?

Having researched over a thousand different workouts during my 13 years as a fat loss coach and tried and tested every single one on both myself and my clients, I can safely say now that the best fat loss workouts are the ones that create the most metabolic disturbance.

This is how many calories you burn both during and after exercise known as EPOC (Exercise post-oxygen consumption).

This won't happen if you do long, slow, boring, steady state cardio like jogging or swimming.

You'll only create metabolic disturbance (EPOC) by performing weights and interval training.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the long slow cardio workout, it's just that it's not the best for burning body fat that's all.

Interval training is research-proven to be far more effective for burning calories.

It can be done on a treadmill, on a bike, with weights or just your bodyweight.

Below is a great barbell circuit I've devised for you that can be done instead of your intervals. It still works in the same way as if you were doing your intervals on a treadmill or bike and you'll also create metabolic disturbance aswell.

www.youtube.com/samwinkworth

Have a play around with the weight,although you may want to select a weight that you can comfortably shoulder press because when you come to this exercise, you don't want to be changing the weight around.

Here's what it looks like on paper:

8 x Regular Deadlifts
8 x Romanian Deadlifts
8 x Upright Rows
8 x Front Squats
8 x Shoulder Press
8 x Lunges

Rest for 1/2 minutes then repeat that 3 times. Killer !!!

Train hard and be strong,

Sam

> Let me know how you go in the comments section below <

Your Weekend Workout - Kettlebell Bodyweight Workout

2009-09-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a great workout you can try out this weekend whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced.

www.youtube.com/samwinkworth

If you're new to exercise and aren't too sure on some of the movements shown in the video then you could do normal squats instead of the overhead squats, kneeling push ups instead of regular ones and burpees without the jump.

You can also build up to the designated reps aswell. You could do 5-10 reps on everything instead of 10-20 to make it a little easier.

The workout should take you no longer than 30 minutes (if you work fast).

Good luck,

Sam : )

My Shopping List For Fat Loss (plus my number one diet secret)

2009-09-02T05:45:00.000-07:00

This month I'm giving up wheat, dairy processed food and alcohol for a full 30 days.

I figured over the summer hols I have been a bit lapse with my diet. Various foods that I'd given up at the start of the year have slowly crept back in to my diet. I've also been feeling a little sluggish of late so I've decided for the month of September to clean my diet up.

For the next 30 days, I'll be completely giving up:

1)All forms of wheat (so that's bread, pasta,cakes,various cereals)

2)Dairy (Just cow's milk and cheese)

3)Processed food (anything tinned, canned, boxed or packaged)

4)Alcohol & Caffeine.

And here's my number one diet secret for Fat Loss:

"Fill your shopping basket with nothing other than animal products (meat, turkey, chicken, fish), fresh fuit and vegetables."

And here's my shopping list for this week:

Animal Products

6 x chicken Drumsticks
2 x Mackeral fillets
2 x rump steaks

Fruit

6 x apples
6 x pears
6 x bananas
Tub of blueberries

Vegetables

Cherry Tomatoes
Broccoli
Celery Sticks
Mixed Peppers

Other Products

Organic rye Krisp bread
Natural Live Greek yoghurt
Organic Houmous
Almond Milk
Mixed Nuts
6 x Organic Eggs

All this cost me £40 and should last me for the week. More proof that it doesn't break the bank when you shop for organic products.

Try this number one diet secret for fat loss and let me know how you go.

Sam

PS - You'll get lots of food ideas, recipes and meal plans when you download my free fat loss report

Let me know if you have any nutrition questions in the comments section below.

How Jen Transformed Her Body In 12 Weeks

2009-08-30T04:56:00.000-07:00

*****

The last 12 weeks I've been running a Transformation Contest in my company. 4 volunteers signed up to transform their bodies as well as their mindset towards a healthier lifestyle).

Each volunteer was asked to commit to training 4 times a week, 1 private training session, 2 home workouts and a Bootcamp session aswell.

They also followed my nutrition plan for the 12 week duration which involved the Elimination Diet, Metabolic Typing and Eat Stop Eat.

I'm really proud of all the transformers that took part. All lost body fat and changed their bodyshape.

Here's the winner's story and pictures. Jenny McComb lost an amazing 2 stone and completely changed her body shape.

She will receive a £250 cash prize.

*****

I have just completed the 12 week Evolution Challenge, and I have to say I loved every minute of it! It’s been a great experience from start to finish and the benefits are amazing. I have written a testimonial to show you all how it went...

On the first day I went to see Sam before the contest started I was so nervous! I really didn’t know what to expect. My only experience of sport instructors up until this point had been psychotic PE teachers at school who made us do various sporting activities in a t-shirt and underpants whilst barking orders at us and telling us how rubbish we were at everything, so my hopes weren’t too high! I couldn’t have been more wrong. I think Sam could see how nervous I was so he put me at ease straight away whilst still grilling me a little to make sure I was committed to the program. Which is fair enough, you don’t want time wasters! Anyway, I felt instantly comfortable with him and COULDN’T WAIT to get going. I had the perfect motivation too as my partner surprised me on Valentines Day by asking me to marry him! So as well as being thrilled, I was instantly thrown into a panic at the thought of having to get into a wedding dress and being photographed on the day. I DEFINITELY needed help!

As I said I didn’t have a very good introduction to sport at school, so I developed a real fear of anything gym related as I thought there was no way I could be any good at it, so my weight has always fluctuated as a result. However, things started to improve when we moved to Sevenoaks a couple of years ago. Knole park is on our doorstep, so I couldn’t avoid being active any longer! Initially I started off by enrolling myself in swimming classes. They were great fun, and I was the only person there under 60 so I think I was a bit of a novelty for them! We spent as much time laughing (old ladies have a VERY dirty sense of humour!) as learning to swim, so I finally realised not everyone is like my old PE teacher, so maybe this exercise lark wasn’t so bad after all! So I started swimming 3 times a week at Sevenoaks Leisure Centre.

Whilst I really enjoyed the swimming, and I was noticing the benefits a little weight-wise, it wasn’t having as much of an effect as I would have liked, so my Fiance, Steve, suggested running. My immediate reaction was that I couldn’t run the length of myself, but with Steve’s help I went for a few short runs in the park and realised I could cope better than I thought. So I took the plunge, bought some running gear and joined the throng of runners on the South Bank in my lunch breaks. Again, I was super nervous to begin with and worried I would just look ridiculous, but what I saw was a wide range of runners of all ages, sizes and abilities, so I settled into a routine and started to really enjoy it. I saw results quite quickly which was really encouraging, but again I seemed to get stuck at a certain level and couldn’t get much further. Then, on impulse, I picked up a copy of The Vine magazine and saw Sam’s ad for the Evolution Challenge. It sounded perfect! Once I started training with him I was pleasantly surprised by my fitness levels. I think the swimming and the running were having more of a beneficial effect than I thought. So whilst I struggled with the workouts and Bootcamp to begin with, it wasn’t so bad that I had to stop, so I was really pleased with that. I was by no means fit yet, but I was on my way!

I have to say that I was a little skeptical of the Evolution Challenge at the beginning, Sam seemed very nice, but all the talk of the special 30 day diet of giving up wheat, dairy and alcohol (?!) did sound a little bit fad-diety to me, but I thought he must know what he’s talking about to have all those muscles on top of muscles! And he was so right. Almost instantly I started to feel better than I had done in years. I was worried as Sam had warned me that I would feel really rough and horrible for about a week, but it didn’t affect me too much, probably as I’m not, and never have been, into junk food. Steve and I ate mostly the right things, but our diet just needed a lot of tweaking rather than a complete overhaul. The only ill-effects were stomach upsets. I have always been prone to them since I was little, so the de-toxing did hit me quite hard in that department, but since starting the Challenge my tummy has felt better than it has done in years! I won’t go into too much detail, but suffice to say I’m now regular as clockwork! I think for me it was definitely some form of wheat intolerance as cutting out bread and pasta has been extremely beneficial. The 30 day diet plan also made me take a good look at how much alcohol I was drinking. I was definitely drinking too much for my age and size, matching Steve drink for drink in the pub. I have cut the amount I drink by about two thirds now, and again I feel so much better for it. I still enjoy a nice glass of wine now and again, but everything in moderation! I think this has had a huge effect on my weight loss, as I suppose large glasses of wine and pints of beer were my equivalent of burgers and chocolate. The beer has gone completely! I feel quite embarrassed to think I was drinking big man pints! Anyway, the important thing is that I’ve made the change, so I’m not going to get too hung up or guilty over my past misdemeanors. Suffice to say, I still enjoy a drink (I am Irish after all!), but I’m much more mindful of what, and how much I’m drinking. Sam’s idea of keeping a food diary on my daily blog was great, it does make you think twice about what you are consuming as you don’t want to look bad in front of other people! It really helped me loads to write it down.

The other challenge with the eating side of things was the Eat Stop Eat program. This involved fasting for 24 hours once a week. I was extremely unsure about this. It sounded a bit too faddy, and a bit like an eating disorder. I approached it very warily as I wasn’t too sure whether I wanted to do it or not. I quickly found out that it wasn’t as hard core as it sounded. The more information Sam gave me about it the more relaxed I felt about doing it. I think this is one of the key points of the Challenge. Nothing that Sam asked me to do was randomly plucked out of the air, everything was properly and extensively researched and he could answer every question I had with ease. This gave me loads of confidence in what he was asking me to do. The fasting was hard. I’m not going to try and pretend it was easy! I do get quite grumpy and frustrated when I’m hungry, so I did find it tricky, but the way it made me feel was amazing. I felt lighter, less sluggish and I’m pretty sure I’m going to continue it for quite some time. Steve still takes cover on the days I’m doing it as a hungry Jenny is a grumpy Jenny, but I’m hoping the longer I do it the better I’ll get at it! I think I just need to be better at taking my mind off what I’m doing and not obsess about food too much.

So food-wise, the Challenge wasn’t quite as tricky as I had anticipated once I got my head round it. The exercise on the other hand! I don’t think I have ever sweated as much in my life as I have over the past 12 weeks! At first the exercises Sam showed me seemed a bit strange. There wasn’t as much jumping up and down as I had thought there would be! There were a lot of slow, controlled movements. I always thought up until that point that you had to be running around like a mad thing for it to do any good! Again I was skeptical, but one look at Sam’s bulging biceps told me he must know what he’s talking about! I couldn’t believe the results. Body issues I had been harbouring for years, and I mean YEARS started to melt away. My bum became perter, my thighs less wobbly, my tummy flatter, my face thinner, my arms less flabby, cellulite started to disappear from my thighs, I just couldn’t get my head round what was happening. And the results came so quickly that Steve and my friends and family were amazed. We all thought it would start to work towards the end of the 12 weeks and then I would have a long hard struggle ahead of me after that and that it would take the best part of a year to see real results, hence me doing this so far in advance of my wedding (14th August 2010, woohoo! Sorry...) This just wasn’t the case though, very quickly my clothes started to not fit properly anymore and people at work really started to notice how I was changing, it was truly unbelievable.

The only down side I encountered were that a few friends started to be very negative about what I was doing. They were obviously going through their own body issues and seemed to be getting annoyed with me for being proactive and doing something about it. They kept going on about my “weird diet”, why wasn’t I having a glass of wine, was I sure I didn’t want dessert, was I becoming boring, saying they couldn’t see any change in me and was I sure I was losing weight? I felt a bit upset about this to begin with, but I soon got over it when I bought my first pair of skinny jeans in a size 10!!!!! Don’t care what anyone says, I own a pair of skinny mini jeans and that’s the most important thing :)

I really thought I was doing all the right kind of exercising before I met Sam, but very quickly I realised I had been getting it all wrong. The concept of fat loss was a new one to me, I thought it was all about weight loss, but how wrong I was! I don’t really care what I weigh, I’ve never been one for obsessive weighing, so much so that I only bought a pair of scales when Sam asked me what weight I was at the beginning! But losing the excess body fat is what I’ve been trying to do unsuccessfully for years. If only I had met Sam 9 years ago, I could have saved myself a lot of time obsessing about my appearance. I really did think that although I was quite chunky, that I was quite fit, but I was wrong about that! Although now I feel fit as a fiddle! Walking up the steep hill from Sevenoaks train station on my way to and from work doesn’t take anything out of me anymore, I can run for about an hour solid without having to stop, I can keep up with Steve when he takes me hill walking, I feel so much better both mentally and physically.

I think one of the most important things that this Challenge has given me is a positive mental attitude. I’m much more upbeat and feel like I can do anything. I’m so much more confident in myself since I started this process 12 weeks ago. I went from a “Maybe I’ll do that if I can” to “Of course I can do that!”. So much so that I enrolled myself on a Children’s Book Illustration course at St Martins next year, something which I’ve wanted to do for years, but finally felt confident enough to give it a go. If it works out and I get a new career out of it, great, if not at least I gave it a go instead of always wondering if I could do it or not.

So, to put it all into perspective, I’ve put the facts and figures below of exactly how my body has changed:

WEIGHT:

BEFORE: 10.5 stone
AFTER: 8.5 stone

MEASUREMENTS:

BEFORE:

Chest - 92cm
Shoulders - 40cm
Waist - 82cm
Hips - 100cm
Thigh - 59cm
Calf - 37cm

AFTER:

Chest - 91cm
Shoulders - 38.5cm
Waist - 72cm
Hips - 92cm
Thigh - 53cm
Calf - 35cm

DRESS SIZE:

BEFORE:
Tops - 12
Bottoms - 14

AFTER:
Tops - 8, sometimes 6
Bottoms - 8, sometimes 10

So there you have it! Proof that the Evolution Challenge REALLY works. No messing. I would encourage anyone who is considering this Challenge to definitely do it. I know what it feels like to feel absolutely miserable about your appearance. It takes over your life and it’s all you can think about sometimes. No matter what size you are, if you’re not happy, you’re not happy. If you think it’s impossible to change (and believe me, I did) then you are very, very wrong. This Challenge works, that’s all there is to it. If you follow it to the letter and do everything Sam asks, no cutting corners or just doing the bits you like the sound of, then you will DEFINITELY see results. Then you can finally look in the mirror and be pleased with what you see, and that is worth so much. You will also see massive benefits to your health and your mental attitude, who could ask for more?!

I think it’s also worth saying that the Challenge isn’t so strict that you can’t enjoy yourself. You are not constantly hungry, this isn’t about starving yourself, it’s about eating the right things and the right size portions, and you can still fit your life in around the workouts as each session only lasts approximately 45mins, so it’s easy to fit in even with a busy lifestyle. I worried a lot before starting the Challenge that it was going to take over my life, but that simply wasn’t the case. If anything, it’s added a whole new dimension and introduced me to new hobbies which is great, and through the Bootcamp sessions I did I met some really nice people which is brilliant as before this I didn’t know anyone in Sevenoaks! However, having said that, you need to be willing to really get involved in the Challenge and work very hard at it, no cheating! It is hard work, but if you embrace it 100% you will see the benefits really quickly.

So if you’re thinking about taking up the Evolution Challenge, please do, you won’t regret it. Maybe I’ll post a picture of me in my wedding dress up here next year.

*****

I love hearing stories like this.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Sam

Best Abdominal Exercises

2009-08-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Following on from my last blog post, I wanted to show you more of my favourite abdominal exercises.

All you'll need is a stability ball and your bodyweight for these...that's it!

I got my Dad to film this the other day. I'm not sure what he did half way through (or what he was looking at, but my head seemed to get cut off when I'm demonstrating the jackknives. Well he WAS buried deep in the bushes when he was filming so we'll let him off!)

Here's 2 great abdominal supersets:

Try these abdominal exercises and let me know how you go = >

Sam

Fat Loss Abdominal Supersets

2009-08-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Alot of you have been asking me about abdominal exercises...

"When's the best time to train abdominals?
"What are the best exercises?"
"How often should I train them?"

are just some of the questions I get on this subject.

The answers?

"Any time is a good time (so long as you train them!), exercises that don't put pressure on your back are the best and training your abs three times a week is more than enough to get you results".

Training your abs THROUGHOUT the workout as part of a superset (instead of right at the end like you'll see in most health club programs) is a great way to burn belly fat.

The core muscles can become more and more fatigued as the workout progresses so performing your ab exercises throughout the workout can be a great way of avoiding "core fatigue" and impairing technique towards the end.

The best ab exercises are the ones that DON'T involve you lyeing on your back, curling your shoulder blades off the floor, or any type of movement that requires you to perform hundreds of situps whilst lyeing on the floor.

Exercises that will help you burn belly fat without placing stress on your lower back are by far the most effective.

Here are 4 of my favourite abdominal supersets that I use in my own personal program and with my clients as well.

That's a much better way of training your abs! Perform that workout 3 times a week and see how you go = >

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Have You Got The "Fat Burning Gene?" (Read This, It Will Shock You!)

2009-08-18T05:27:00.000-07:00

This week saw Usain Bolt set a new 100 metre world record at the World Athletics Championships.

Bolt ran a super quick time of 9.58 seconds, eleven hundreths of a second quicker than his last record.

What an amazing effort. Here's how it looked if you missed it:

Yep, you guessed it! The rumours have already started circulating as to whether Usain is on peformance enhancing drugs or not. Alot of people this week appear to have already assumed he is guilty of doping. This is a real shame, especially when it takes the gloss off the amazing feat that Bolt has achieved.

We shouldn't be so quick to judge especially when none of us have any proof.

Whether he did or not, (we'll never know) the truth of the matter is that Usain Bolt is an amazing athlete.

Don't get me wrong, I'm personally dead against any kind of drug or steroid use to improve performance in sport but... you have to take your hat off to Bolt. This is the fastest that any man has run in the history of 100 metres - natural or not.

So why is Bolt streets ahead of everyone else out there at this moment in time?

Let's put the steroid debate aside for 2 minutes and look abit deeper than this:

Firstly, Bolt is 6 feet 5 inches. He needed 41 strides to win gold on Sunday whilst Tyson Gay who took silver with an amazing time of 9.71 seconds needed 45. Due to his longer strides, he's basically covering more ground than his rivals.

Secondly, Bolt is super-confident. Everytime I watch him, he's always really relaxed. He laughs and jokes with his fellow Jamaicans before every race whilst everyone else looks real tense and nervous.

It's almost like he KNOWS he's gonna win before the race has even started. Any sport physchologist will tell you that this inner-confidence and relaxed state of mind would definitely have a benefit before any sporting event.

Thirdly, in countries where black people are in majority (such as Jamaica, Africa etc.), research suggests that black people have significantly higher amounts of "fast twitch" muscle fibers - the kind that are responsible for short, explosive bursts of action- than white people do (That's why you won't ever see a white man in the 100 metre final!).

But that's not all though, recent research has discovered a super-fast twitch fibre that is ONLY found in Jamaicans. (You can read more about this here)

So you could say that Usain Bolt is genetically gifted right?

He has all the attributes to be the best sprinter that ever lived. He's tall, his strides are longer and being a Jamaican, has a high percentage of super-fast twitch muscle fibers.

So what's this got to do with your Fat Loss Plan I hear you say?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

And that's my point!!!

Read on, let me explain what I'm going on about.

More often than not, if we see someone with a great physique or someone who is making great improvements in their fitness or health, we sometimes presume that they've been genetically gifted at birth or are taking some kind of supplement or steroid. This is the reason why they're successful with their fat loss plan.

Funny how we're quick to judge isn't it!

We don't stop to think that this person might have made some changes to their diet or some improvements to their training do we?

We don't stop to think that this person leads a healthy life and makes better choices than someone who is over weight do we!

Many people that I've come across during my 10 years as a fat loss coach are under the illusion that fat loss success comes out of a bottle or is pre-determined at birth.

Ony last week I actually over heard a couple of guys talking in the free weights room about me when I was working out saying "Oh, he's real lean, he MUST be on steroids." I think they thought they were being quiet, but I heard nonetheless!

I've also heard two woman talking (check this out!) about another woman saying that "she has better genetics than us so it's easier for her to lose weight."

Let me put everyone in the picture...

When it comes to Fat Loss, none of us have "superior fat burning" genetics to others.

Sure, your genetics may play a part in the 100 metre World Athletics Final like it did for Usain Bolt but NOT as a part of your Fat Loss plan.

It comes down to how many calories you're consuming and how many you're expending.

That's it! Not rocket science right?

Unless you're Usain Bolt, you haven't won the genetic lottery!!!

No one has inherited a unique "Fat Burning Gene."

There is NO such thing!

This is a great quote that I read somewhere this week:

"Genetics make up 1% of your fat loss plan, the other 99% is diet, training and down right hard work."

So true right?

Unless you're Usian Bolt no one has superior genetics when it comes to fat loss.

It comes down to good food, good training, the right amount of recovery and maintaining a positive can-do attitude throughout.

It's time for us to take 100% responsibility for our actions and stop the talk of "genetic lotteries" OK?

Peace out,

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Are You Ready To Scream?

2009-08-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

Have you tried "Screamers" yet?

No?

You don't know what you've been missing out on!

(Relax,they're not as bad as they sound, or are they?)

Screamers are a great alternative to interval training. You'll get the same benefits and you just need your bodyweight to do them.

They can also be done as a challenging finish to the end of your weight training workouts aswell.

Wherever you put them into your training plan, whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced exerciser, Screamers (just like interval training) will help you burn bodyfat and create metabolic disturbance in the quickest time.

I got one of my trainers to take a video of me doing a full set of Screamers a while back.

Here's how it looked:

What jah think of that then? (And yes, my legs were on fire after doing that!)

I used Jump Squats and Burpees in this demo however you COULD pair any 2 exercises together if you wanted to. Push Ups & Tuck jumps is one combo. Kettlebell swings & Squat Thrusts is another.

Have a play around. You may find some combos easier or harder than others.

Beginners Screamer Workout

5 minute warm up, then:

3 x Prisoner Squats
1 x Burpee
6 x Prisoner Squats
2 x Burpees
9 x Prisoner Squats
3 x Burpees
12 x Prisoner Squats

Then Climb back down the ladder.

* Rest for 2/3 minutes then repeat above sequence 2,3,4 times depending on how much time you have.

* If you're performing after your weights workout just perform once.

Intermediate Screamer Workout (as shown in video above.)

5 minute warm up, then:

3 x Jump Squats
1 x Burpee (with Jump)
6 x Jump Squats
2 x Burpees (with Jump)
9 x Jump Squats
3 x Burpees (with Jump)
12 x Jump Squats

Then Climb back down the ladder.

* Rest for 2/3 minutes then repeat above sequence 2,3,4 times depending on how much time you have.

* If you're performing after your weights workout just perform once.

Advanced Screamer Workout

5 minute warm up, then:

3 x Jump Squats
1 x Burpee (with Push Up & Jump)
6 x Jump Squats
2 x Burpees (with Push Up & Jump)
9 x Jump Squats
3 x Burpees (with Push Up & Jump)
12 x Jump Squats

Then Climb back down the ladder.

* For added resistance you can use a weighted vest

* Rest for 2/3 minutes then repeat above sequence 2,3,4 times depending on how much time you have.

* If you're performing after your weights workout just perform once.

___________

And that's your weekend workout. Good luck with the screamers and let me know how you go = >

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Your Weekend Workout (Plus What's Sam Doing Half Naked In The Park?)

2009-08-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

Every Friday from now on I'll be posting a new workout to my blog that you can do over the weekend. It won't matter if you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced exerciser I'll be posting 3 workouts for different fitness levels.

All you have to do is decide which level you want to work at, write it up and then do it!

Easy huh? And all completely free so relax! = >

This weeks workout is my "Outdoor Bodyweight Fat Loss Circuit"..

Beginners

Here's what it looks like on paper:

5 Minute warm up, then
Prisoner Squats x 12 reps
Kneeling Push Ups x 12 reps
Step Ups x 12 on each leg
Bridging x 12 reps
Mountain Climbers x 12

Rest for 2 minutes then repeat x 3
(If you have more time, you can repeat the circuit 4,5,6 times).

Intermediates

5 minute warm up, then
Prisoner Squats x 20 reps
Full Push Ups x 20 reps
Step Ups x 20 reps
Mountain Climbers x 20 reps
Dynamic Lunges x 10 on each leg
100 metre sprint (optional)

Rest for 90 seconds then repeat x 3
(If you have more time, you can repeat the circuit 4,5,6 times).

Advanced Exercisers

5 minute warm up, then
Jump Squats x 20 reps
Full Push Ups with Rotation x 20 reps
Step Ups x 20 reps
Mountain Climbers x 20 reps
Walking Lunges x 10 on each leg
200 metre sprint(optional)

Rest for 60 seconds then repeat x 3
(If you have more time, you can repeat the circuit 4,5,6 times).

Enjoy! = >

If you have any preference as to what workouts you'd like to see then let me know in the comments section below.

Organic Vs Non-Organic (part 2)

2009-08-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Scientists link Parkinson's with specific pesticide

Following on from my previous post,I came across this alarming research from The Ecologist website.

Scientists have detected a link between Parkinson's Disease and a pesticide.

For years, we've been warned about the dangers of chemical abuse and after reading this study and plenty more like it, I believe we are only seeing the tip of a very nasty iceberg.

Consume only organic fruit and vegetables whenever you can.

You owe to it yourself.

Sam

*********************

Ecologist

14th July, 2009

Tests on Parkinson's sufferers have revealed a high incidence and levels of the organochloride pesticide beta-HCH, holding out the hope of a blood test to catch the disease early
Scientists in the US believe they have found a link between a specific organochloride pesticide and Parkinson’s disease.

A study of 113 people – 50 of whom had Parkinson’s, 20 Alzheimer’s and 43 of whom were healthy – revealed that beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was unusually prevalent in Parkinson’s patients, and in unusually high doses.

Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas were testing for traces of 15 organochloride pesticides. Published in the journal Archives of Neurology, their research is the first to make a definite link between the progressive degenerative disease and a particular pesticide.

Beta-HCH was found in 76 per cent of the Parkinson’s sufferers tested, 40 per cent in healthy people and 30 per cent in Alzheimer’s sufferers. Organochloride pesticides were widely used from the 1950s to the 1970s.

A possible explanation for the presence of beta-HCH could be found in the genetic make-up of some people, whose metabolism is such that it is harder for their bodies to break down certain substances. Another possibility is that the presence of the pesticide is a marker of another harmful chemical. The researchers said pesticides were only one contributing factor in the development of the disease.

‘There's been a link between pesticide use and Parkinson’s disease for a long time, but never a specific pesticide,’ said lead researcher Professor Dwight German. ‘This is particularly important because the disease is not diagnosed until after significant nerve damage has occurred.

‘Much higher levels of the beta-HCH were in the air, water and food chain when the Parkinson's patients were in their 20s and 30s… also the half-life of the pesticide is seven to eight years, so it stays in the body for a long time.’

The findings hold out the hope that it may be possible to identify those susceptible to Parkinson’s by performing a simple blood test.

*********************

Organic vs Non-Organic

2009-07-31T08:24:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-07-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-07-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

>>> 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

2009-07-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

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<

Fatloss Supersets

2009-06-25T04:46:00.000-07:00

One of the most common questions I get asked all the time is "What is a superset?"

Good question,

"What is a superset"?

A superset is a pair of strength training exercises done back to back with little or no rest between exercises. After you complete the pair of fat burning exercises, you generally take a longer rest and then repeat the superset - usually for a total of 3 times per superset.

Supersets are great for quick fat burning workouts because they help you get more fat burning exercise done in less workout time. So instead of spending all your time sitting around waiting, like you see most people doing in health clubs, you actually do more work. This extra work that you'll do will help boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories at a quicker rate.

Supersets play a big part in my own training along with interval training and circuits. I made a video (below) of my favourite 2 supersets to show you what I mean.

If your workouts follow this structure instead of "The 60 Minute Cardio Session" for fatloss then you'll be well on your way to a better body.

If you have any questions on workouts then post them below

Train hard and be strong.

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

3 Secrets To Achieving Optimum Health & Fatloss

2009-06-19T00:45:00.000-07:00

I'm always raving on about going back to basics with our diet and to eat the way mother nature intended us to eat so at the start of the week I decided to put my money where my mouth us and pay a visit to one of the local organic farm shops in my area.

I usually shop in a different farm shop and I had no idea this place existed until one of my clients told me about it so I decided to check it out.

I had around 3 hours left on my eatstopeat fast which was going real well. Thought that shopping for food whilst fasting may not have been the best idea in the world but it didn't prove to be a problem (I actually didn't think about being hungry at all).

When I got there it was great. As I walked in, there seemed to be a good buzz about the place. Busy aswell which is always a good sign. I think more of us should support our local farm shop instead of the big food store chains but hey...that's just me.

I stocked up with loads of berries, nuts, fresh fruit, vegetables and I couldn't resist a visit to the meat counter where I picked up some great looking sirloin steaks. I usually have 2 or 3 steaks in the week. (Can really taste the difference between organic and non-organic meat).

I filmed this when I got back from my shopping trip and thought it might reinforce my message about my nutritional philosophy.

There you go, probably the simplest nutrition advice you're ever going to hear but if you can do those 3 things then you'll be well on the way to achieving optimum health and getting your body back.

Let me know what you think about organic food shopping in the comments section below:

Train hard and be strong,

Sam Winkworth CPT,SPN

PS - The 3 points I give in the video above are taken from my free report "9 Powerful Secrets To Losing Bodyfat." It's completely FREE and you can start using them straight away.

Click here to get the other secrets

15-Minute Circuit for Weight Loss

2009-06-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

Circuit training has been research proven to be far more effective for weight loss than long slow boring cardio.

Just like resistance training and intervals, circuits creates what I (and many other top trainers)call "The Afterburn Effect".

This is a process whereby your metabolism will stay revved up long after you’ve finished your workout, meaning you’ll be burning body fat all day long – even without cardio!

That means you can literally burn fat around the clock, even while you sleep.

Circuits are by far a better way of burning bodyfat yet it amazes me that when I workout in health clubs that people are STILL using the 60 minute cardio program as part of their weight loss plan.

The "Afterburn Effect" is simply non-existent when it comes to the 60 minute cardio workout.

Forget about spending that much time in the gym, it's a waste of your time.

With circuits you can get more work done in a shorter time too. The key is knowing what exercises are best and because I've spent thousands of hours in the gym and with others I have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't.

And the great thing about circuits is that you don't need fancy, shiny gym equipment to get a great fatloss workout.

The video below shows you a great fatloss circuit than can be done in 15 minutes just from using a set of dumbbells and a stability ball.

You can do this circuit workout every day if you only do it once or twice. If you do it 4-5 times then take a day off in between workouts.

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Fatloss Fast Complete! Yayy!

2009-06-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today I finished my first eatstopeat fast which went really well.

Once I got my head around that I wasn't gonna eat for 24 hours then I was fine (although I did start to feel a little tired this morning. Not to the point where I couldn't function, however I was slightly more tired than normal.)

Did my workout around 12:30 (which went really well, thought it may have been slightly laboured having not eaten but I actually had a real good one today). I finished the fast around 2pm (GMT).

I'm glad I did my eatstopeat fast. Looking back, it was absolutely fine. If you can keep busy then this will help to keep your mind off food.

Otherwise THIS may happen, and it did to me on some occassions):

I think starting the fast around 2pm worked well for me however next week, I'm gonna try 9am through to 9am the following day just to see if this suits me any better.

Will monitor my results here =>

Have an awesome day,

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

My Blow By Blow Account Of Eat Stop Eat

2009-06-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Today I started my first eatstopeat 24 hour fast.

The goal?

To lose bodyfat whilst increasing muscle tone and shape.

Had my usual organic muesli breakfast around 630am. I then had a brunch of 2 boiled eggs with tuna and salad around 10 am.

My last meal was at 2pm today which was a tuna cucumber sandwich on spelt bread.

The fast has so far gone ok although I have been thinking about food quite alot (which I thought I would).

I chose Monday as my fast day as I'm real busy on Monday so I thought this would help me keep my mind off food.

The first few hours seemed fine however I started to feel hungry and get some mild headaches later on.

Having read Brad's book eatstopeat, I am now understanding that what I've experienced so far isn't TRUE hunger, more of a withdrawl from sugar perhaps. Do't get me wrong, I steer clear of sugar 90% of the time but I still have a chocolate milk after training and I sometimes eat a dessert if I'm eating out so sugar is not out of my diet entirely.

Most of us are addicted to sugar. We just don't know it and according to Brad, the headaches (that can sometimes occur during fasting) aren't because of our blood sugar levels but more of a withdrawl symptom from sugar.

After all, sugar is just like a drug right?

And like most drugs out there, if you stop taking it then you'll get some kind of withdrawl symptom.

I'm now half way through my fast and I'm about to "hit the hay". Just had a green tea (you're allowed black/green tea during fasting).

My next meal will be at 2pm tomorrow after a big workout.

Will keep you posted on things.

Peace out =>

Sam

3 Great Reasons Why Intermittent Fasting Is A Good Idea!

2009-06-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

By: Brad Pilon, MS

URL: www.eatstopeat.com

You may not have heard of intermittent fasting, and so you may not know why it can and should be a part of your workout and fat loss plan. Intermittent fasting is the practice of abstaining from all but water for a period of usually 24 hours to help with the goals associated with fat loss and weight loss in general. The way in which it helps in this arena is by cutting out a full days caloric intake, while still being able to maintain a full workout schedule. Let's look at three main reasons I believe that intermittent fasting is a good idea for anyone serious about fat loss and muscle building!

The primary reason I'm fond of a workout plan that involves intermittent fasting is that it promotes maximum fat loss. Most people employ these types of fasts two days a week while working out, and this means they are effectively cutting out a full two days caloric intake from their weekly consumption. This combined with your workout can and does have a dramatic effect on the pace at which you lose excess fat. By working out while doing these fasts, you are attacking your goals with a two-edged sword, slashing it from both ends of the spectrum.

The second reason would be that this type of fasting allows you to maintain a moderate to intense workout load while still maintaining your energy and metabolism. Many people think that fasting drains both of these aspects, and while that is true for other, particularly longer fasts, for intermittent fasting the opposite has proven to be the case. You often have more energy and a higher metabolism while engaged in this type of fasting, making it the best of both worlds. Many other fasts are so debilitating that you are left at the end of the day so drained you are unable to do anything. Intermittent fasting is not like that at all.

The third reason why I believe intermittent fasting is a good practice to include in your workout plan is that it has beneficial aspects to it that are a little less easy to see, but of great benefit all the same. There is a cleansing of your system that takes place with any fast, as your body adjusts to less content being put into it. There are also undeniable psychological benefits, such as a very affirming sense of accomplishment that can help you in many areas of your life. Knowing that you are not a slave to food is a major part of that.

I'm a firm advocate of intermittent fasting as a way of enhancing your fat loss and workout routines. There is in my mind no faster way of getting maximum fat loss while still being able to handle a full workout load. Investigate it today. I think you might be surprised at the results you'll come up with!

****

Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com

Short Term Fasting For Weightloss

2009-06-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Just been reading an interesting piece from my good buddy and nutritional professional Brad Pilon which really got me thinking.

Here's Brad: =>

************

My Secret For Weight Loss: Short Term Fasting

By line: By Brad Pilon, MS

URL: www.eatstopeat.com

If you've been searching for a diet plan that you will not only lose weight with, but have a chance at making a change that will last a lifetime, then you need to look into short term fasting as part of a sensible plan that can help you reach these goals. If you've always dismissed fasting as the domain of the religious fanatics or the political prisoners, then you are in for a surprise. There are many misconceptions surrounding fasting, and here we'll look into how it can help you not only in your weight loss program, but aid in achieving a better overall you!

In order for any diet plan to work, there is really only one “magic” secret for it to work: eat fewer calories than you burn off. That's it! Think about it - all of the current fad diets rely on teaching you to eat certain proportions of whatever they think is best. Ornish promotes low fat, Atkins low carbs, The Zone a more balanced ratio, but in reality, they all preach smaller amounts, which will lead to weight loss. The only question with them is can you sustain yourself on these diets? Not many can. I tried the Atkins plan, and even though I'm a meat lover, after a few weeks it was difficult to face all that protein. Conversely, people report similar difficulty staying with Ornish and the others, simply because of the restrictive nature of these diet plans. One thing that is interesting, however, is that any of these kinds of diets will cause you to lose weight, (by restricting caloric intake) proving that it really doesn't matter what you eat, only that you eat less of it.

I proved this to myself when I was younger by going on a cherry pie and hard-boiled egg diet for 30 days. I lost a bunch of weight, but it obviously wasn't the healthiest plan I could have undertaken. And needless to say, it was not sustainable as a lifestyle. (But it hit the spot for a time!)

I believe that short term fasting, a 24-hour fast once or twice per week, can be a great way to get you into total caloric deficit for the week. Eliminating two full days of eating helps us consume fewer calories than we use, and that in turn can help us reach our goal of weight loss. Of course, you can't eat like Michael Phelps the remaining hours of the week, (Unless you ARE Michael Phelps!) and hope to have a deficit, but in reality, I've found that you don't often have the desire to wolf down excessive amounts of food when following this plan.

Short term fasting is not only the fastest way to achieve caloric deficit, but also, contrary to popular opinion, can actually increase your metabolism during the first 24-36 hours. Short term fasting can be a great aid to helping you lose weight. Give it a try, there's nothing to buy!

****

Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com

My Outdoor Fatloss Workout

2009-05-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

The weather here in the UK has been amazing of late (which is really unusual!) so yesterday I decided to workout down at the local park.

I'm real lucky where I live because the park is only a 10 minute walk away however I decided to take my 20kg kettlebell with me so it was more like 20 by the time I got there.

Park was really busy, children playing with hula hoops,office workers relaxing on their lunch break, sunbathers basking in the sun. For a minute I didn't think I was going to find a spot (didn't want to disturb too many people with my workout) although I eventually found a cool spot (right next to some deer actually!)

and here's what I did:

The deer get a bit worried half way through =>

Simple yeah? Although not easy. =>

Here's how it looks on paper.

Push Ups x 20 reps
Kettlebell Swings x 20 reps (or with dumbbells)
Walking Lunge x 20 reps
Alt Kettlebell Swings x 20 reps (or with dumbbells)
Burpees x 20 reps

Rest for 1 minute

Then repeat x 5

The workout is great if you're short on time. It will take you around 15-20 minutes to complete if you work fast. You can do it as a normal workout or it's also really great after a weights session aswell instead of your intervals.

Give it a go, make use of your local park or garden and get a workout in!

Sam Winkworth
CPT SPN

My Daily Meal Plan (Plus 4 Diet Secrets)

2009-05-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

I get alot of questions about my nutritonal philosophy I use both on myself and with my clients.

"Do you ALWAYS eat organic?"

"What do you eat every day?"

"What metabolic type are you?"

"What supplements do you take?"

The answers are:

"No, I don't ALWAYS eat organic, although I do whenever I can and when I'm following my 60 day detox plan then I will eat organic foods. Period.

"My metabolic type is mixed, meaning my meal proportions should be around 50% carbs, 40% protein and 10% oils fats. They're not always like this, but generally speaking I'll try to keep this in mind without getting too scientific.

The last thing I want to do is start measuring and weighing each meal." I'm way too busy for this."

"The only supplement I take is creatine. I used to take lot's before I discovered that many of the supplements out there are just a complete waste of money and leave you know better off than before."

And what do I eat every day? Well "a wide variety of food"(and that's my first diet secret). Instead of sticking to the same food choices, day in day out I like to switch it up.

So let's take a look at what I typically eat on a regular basis

6:00am Breakfast - I teach my Bootcamp at 6:45am so I like to have some breakfast before I head off to the park.

Either:

Organic Muesli
Bluberries
Crushed Walnuts, Pecans & Brazil Nuts
Half a chopped banana
1 cup of Almond Milk

or:

Organic Porridge
Raisons
Almonds, Hazelnuts & Pumpkin Seeds
1 cup of Milk/Water

Along with either of those recipes I'll have either a pear or an apple and recently I've been having green tea aswell.

11am Brunch - Usually after a busy morning of teaching Bootcamp and training clients I will grab a mid morning snack to keep me going until Lunch.I'll typically take the snack to work with me.

This can vary from day to day but usually will consist of either

Natural peanut butter on celery sticks,
Organic Hummus with celery or carrots.
2 boiled eggs with garden salad

I've also tried peanut butter spread onto an apple and it was really good. Try that combo sometime.

I'm always trying a new fruit or vegetable(that's secret #2).

A few years ago, I wouldn't say I was a fussy eater but I was sooo regimented with my eating habits. I always used to have a set meal plan and this would hardly ever vary throughout the week.

I am now more open minded about what I eat and am willing to try a new fruit or vegetable out whenever possible.

Anyone can learn to eat better over time.

Heck, if I can do it then so can you!

Workout then Lunch 12-1pm

In between clients I'll workout around noon (give or take half an hour)for around 45 minutes.

I used to glug down a protein shake religeously after each workout whereas now I'll tend to go for a regular chocolate milkshake that you can buy in the supermarket as research shows clearly that there's no real difference between the two (apart from saving yourself a ton of money of course).

I sometimes have nuts an berries aswell. It depends on where I am and what I feel like having really. If I know I'm going to be out of the house for more than 4 hours then I'll prepare my food before I leave so that I'm not left not knowing what to eat during the day.

As a general rule I'll always try to eat natural, wholesome foods and steer clear of anything tinned, canned or packaged wherever possible(Secret #3).

Lunch will always vary. Here are a 3 things that I'll typically have:

Tuna on Ryvitas with a big garden salad.

4 egg omelet, spinach, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms.

Chicken Salad Spelt bread sandwich.

I don't often have bread but when I do I go for spelt or rye as regular bread (with wheat in) tends to bloats me out.

After lunch I'm real busy. I have more private clients then Bootcamp class at 6:30pm.
Sometimes I have clients all the way through until 8pm so my dinner time can vary from 6 through to 8 although generally speaking I won't eat anything after 9pm.

This isn't set in stone, I just find I sleep better if I don't eat too near bedtime.

Here are a few recipes that I'll have for dinner:

Chicken Breast With Garden Salad

Organic Steak with Spinach and Mushrooms

Smoked Mackerel with green beans,
grilled tomatoes, mushrooms & spinach

So as you can see from this meal plan that when I go shopping, I'll fill my shopping bags with nothing other than meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables (Secret #4).

Check the video out below =>

Ok, so that's what I eat. It's certainly better than the average western world diet.
I sometimes like to have a dessert (if I'm eating out) and I do have a beer every now and then but generally speaking I'll follow this.

Personally, I think staying away from foods that are high in carbohydrate and trans-fats (like pizza, chips, cakes, pastries or anything fried) is a good idea.

If you can do that, and follow a diet that is rich with raw nuts, fruit and vegetables than you'll lose bodyfat without going hungry.

If you have any nutrition questions then let me know here.

Here's to your fatloss success,

Sam Winkworth

PS - Please post your nutrition questions and comments below!

Hotel Room Workouts

2009-05-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

OK, today I'm going to cut to the chase and have a bit of a rant so bear with me. = >

I wanted to talk to you about making time for workouts when you're travelling or on the road because over the last few weeks, I've been hearing alot of excuses about not having the time.

Excuses like:

"the hotel didn't have a gym."
"I'm too tired when I'm on a business trip to workout."
"I'm way too busy for exercise, I'll make up for it when I'm back home."

Ladies and gentlemen, how can I put this politely?

Thats a bunch of BS.

We should ALL have time to fit exercise into our lives.

Cramming your exercise in at the weekend (although better than nothing at all) just isn't the same, and as for being "too tired to exercise" on your travels, well this is just lame. Sorry if that sounded a little harsh but it just is.

It's time to toughen up guys!

I run 3 businesses,have a busy social life and I do alot of travelling aswell yet I still find time to get atleast 3 workouts in during the week.

You should too.

Not prioritising is where the issue lies.

I guess it depends on how much value you attach to achieving ideal health, longevity and the body of your dreams.

If you do attach SOME value then it's time to get ORGANISED if you want to see a change in your bodyshape and stop using excuses.

You don't even need a gym to workout!

I've recently come back from a good friends stag do in Majorca yet I still found the time to have a workout in my hotel room.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to admit that I drank abit too much and ate alot of the wrong things but hey! it was a stag-do and I STILL got a workout in.

All be it for 20 minutes, but as you probably know by now if you've been following my blogs for some time, it's not the quantity of the workout, its the quality and what you do DURING those workouts that make all the difference.

Here's a short video of my Hotel Room Workout that my friend filmed for me whilst we were away. We filmed this and then went down to the beach to play some American football with the rest of the stag party (I love the beach!):

There you go.

What do you think of that then?

Proof that you CAN workout ANYTIME, ANYPLACE and ANYWHERE so let's ditch the excuses and start focusing on DOING.

Ok rant over, I'll leave you in peace now!

Here's to your new found body,

Sam

PS - If you're looking for more fatburning workouts like the one above that don't require you to be a member of a health club or gym then you can visit my social network.

You'll find plenty of FREE training advice and nutrition tips there that you can start implementing straight away. = >

Just Say NO To Cardio! Fatburning Intervals Instead

2009-04-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

Most researchers will agree that Interval Training is SO much more effective than long slow boring cardio for fatloss.

You can get your workouts done in half the time and burn far more calories long AFTER the workout finishes in comparison to regular cardio.

So why are SO many people STILL doing regular cardio?

You know the kind I mean right? the 20 mins on the stationery bike or treadmill keeping the intensity the same throughout.

You only have to set foot into a gym or healthclub these days to see the treadmills and cross-trainers all being pounded by frustrated members who haven't achieved fatloss yet.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely knocking regular cardio. It's ok for some stamina and endurance improvements and let's be honest it's better than doing absolutely nothing,

but purely for fatloss?

Definitely not.

Performing interval training instead (either after your weights workout or on your day off) will not only skyrocket your stamina but will also speed up your fatloss massively in comparison to regular cardio.

So what is Interval Training?

Interval training basically means any kind of sprint or activity lasting 0-90 seconds followed by a period of easy exercise.

You don't have to workout in a gym for intervals to be effective. They can be done in the park, with a skipping rope,on your bike provided the right structure is there.

By the end of the interval, you should be getting tired, but you shouldn't be gasping for air. Start conservatively and you will get the hang of it.

I explain it better in the video below that I made when I was at the gym with one of my good buddies (He's holding the camera for me actually and we filmed this just before our workout) : )

Make sense?

So anyway below are some sample interval workouts you can use starting from today whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced.

Interval Workout 1

5 minute warmup
then
90 seconds hard
followed by
60 seconds easy (or however long it takes to fully get your breath back)

Repeat above sequence x 4-6

Finish with 5 minute cooldown

Interval Workout 2

5 minute warmup
then
30 seconds hard
followed by 60 seconds easy (or however long it takes to get your breath back)
then 60 seconds hard
followed by 60 seconds easy
then 90 seconds hard
followed by 60 seconds easy

then back down to 60 then 30

Finish with 5 minute cooldown

I use all of these workouts (along with many others) with my private clients and, combined with a sound strength training and nutrition plan have gone on to see some great results.

For more free fatloss workouts you can go to my new network I'm building and see what you think

So do yourself a favor and just say no to cardio and perform fatburning intervals instead.

How My Visit To Thorpe Park Is The Same As Your Fatloss Plan

2009-04-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

Last week, I decided to relive some of my youth and pay a visit to Thorpe Park with one of my best friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm no thrill seeker, far from it infact!

The last time we visited a theme park was probably around 10 years a go when we were alot younger and since then I had discovered I suffer from motion sickness so why in god's name would we want to go to possibly the worse place in the UK for bringing on motion sickness?

The answer?

Because it's FUN!

No scientific reason just good ol' plain fun.

We had both decided a while back that there was a lack of fun in our lives and that we'd been working way too much and not scheduling in enough fun so we thought we'd change that and set off for Thorpe Park in Surrey, UK.

I knew the individual rides that would bring on my motion sickness and the ones that wouldn't (and no, I didn't spend all day on the tea cup ride with all the 5 year olds!)so it was just a case of avoiding them.

Surprisingly, roller coasters don't bring my motion sickness on so we spent pretty much most of the day going on all the roller coaster rides enjoying all the highs and lows.

(Infact it was actually my best friend who was feeling sick by the end of the day!!!)

Anyway, enough talk of all this sickness! Sorry to bring it up (sorry, couldn't resist that one)

So what the hell has my trip to Thorpe Park got to do with your fatloss plan? I hear you ask.

Relax, I'm getting to that : )

Well, whilst we were cueing for Collasus, Thorpe Parks' biggest rollercoaster ride, I watched the ride from start to finish, how it would go slow then fast, high then low, how it would corkscrew then twist and turn and it reminded me of your fatloss plan.

How you could be on your very own ENERGY roller coaster!

What do I mean?

Blood Sugar Levels

Your blood sugar levels play a huge role in your fatloss plan. If you can keep them regulated and steady throughout the day then this will help you dramatically with keeping your body fat levels down.

On the flip side to that however, if your blood sugar levels are up, down and generally all over the place then your more likely to plateau with your results or worse still, actually PUT ON weight.

So how does this work?

Let me shed some light on this...

When we eat our body converts our food into sugar (or glucose). Glucose is our main energy source and can affect how hungry and how energetic we feel.

Our pancreas creates a hormone called insulin that transports blood sugar into our body's cells where it is used for energy.

When we eat food that is quickly processed into blood sugar (sugar, soda, pasta, white bread etc.) the pancreas goes into overtime to produce the insulin necessary for all this blood sugar to be used for energy. This insulin surge tells our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it.

However, the greater concern with the insulin surge is not that it tells our body to start storing fat. Whatever we eat and don't burn up eventually gets turned into fat anyway.

The greater concern is that the insulin surge causes too much blood sugar to be transported out of our blood and this results in our blood sugar and insulin levels dropping below normal. This leaves us feeling tired and hungry and wanting to eat more.

You're on your very own energy roller coaster and it's not at Thorpe Park!

Not good huh?

The unfortunate result of this scenario is that it makes us reach for sugar to pick up our energy levels and the cycle repeats all over again.

So how can we stop this?

It's simple (although not always easy!)

By eating the way mother nature intended us to thats how!

Unfortunately, there is so much hidden sugar in our western diet these days that its hard to know what products have and haven't got sugar in them so I've devised a 4 step plan to help you know what to watch for when your buying your food.

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates can be metabolized very quickly and are therefore most likely to cause an insulin surge.
Simple carbs include the various forms of sugar, such as sucrose (table sugar), fructose (fruit sugar, yep if you snack on nothing but fruit all day then this will affect your fatloss plan), lactose (dairy sugar), and glucose (blood sugar). Watch for the "-ose" ending.

Hidden Sugar in Processed Foods.

Watch for "hidden" sugar in processed foods like bread, ketchup, salad dressing, canned fruit, pasta and soups.

Sugar in Beverages.

Be aware of the amount of sugar in beverages, especially coffee and coke etc. It can add up quickly, and most such drinks aren't filling.

Cereals claiming less sugar

Many newer cereals do contain less sugar, but the calories, carbohydrates, fat, fiber and other nutrients are almost identical to the full-sugar cereals. The manufacturers have simply replaced sugar with other refined, simple carbohydrates and will leave you no better off than before!

So there you have it, apply all 4 steps and you will certainly see an improvement in your blood sugar levels, which means your energy levels will improve and more importantly, your fatloss success will kickstart too!

And if you haven't downloaded it already yet then my Fatloss report "9 Powerful Ways To Losing Bodyfat" looks at stabilising your sugar levels and achieving maximum fatloss in just 60 days.

Sam Winkworth
The South-Easts Leading Personal Trainer
www.samwinkworth.ning.com

I Never Knew This Would Happen!

2009-04-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Just read this post from my good buddy Dax Moy and it got me thinking.

Have a read of Dax's latest post and let me know what you think in the comments section here: )

***

I've been re-writing a few sections of www.themagichundred.com The MAGIC Hundred today in order to update a few of the chapters with things I've learned since I originally launched the program in January 2007.

As I was writing away, it dawned on me how much my life has changed in the 2 short years since the program was released and how a simple decision at one moment in time can DRASTICALLY alter the hundreds, thousands and even MILLIONS of moments that follow.

You probably know what I'm talking about as it's happened to all of us, but I've got to tell you, when I started out with my 'little idea' all those years ago (even before I wrote the program) I had no idea where it would eventually lead me. No idea at all!

I mean, when I left the regular army about 8 or 9 years ago I had nothing.

No qualifications (I'd left school at 16 without taking my exams), no money (I was completely broke) and no obvious means to get either. To make matters worse, I had a young wife, 3 young kids and another one on the way, and nothing remotely approaching the slightest hint of how I was going to support them, let alone give them the things that every father and husband wants to provide for their family.

We were living in high crime council accommodation on a housing estate in North London (in what in the U.S would be known as 'projects') and claiming social security benefits in order to pay the bills and get by and dreaming of ways to improve upon our situation so that we could give our kids some of the better things in life.

I took many temporary jobs including bodyguarding, roadsweeping and even working in sewers in order to get the little bit of extra cash we needed and supplemented my income with my Reserve Forces pay from my territorial army unit weekends, camps and courses, but as fast as I was able to earn a little money it seemed to be eaten up on bills of every conceivable type so that, no matter how hard I worked, we were never able to get ahead.

It was frustrating to say the least but, like most people, it was a frustration i just had to learn to tolerate. After all, my bills had to be paid, right?

Then one day after an army weekend, I noticed one of the other guys in my patrol was reading a book in the back of the truck on the way home. He was coming to the end of it and as he finally turned the last page he glanced up and noticed me looking in his direction. Seeing I was bored he offered me the book, which I gratefully took and in that moment... started a chain reaction of events that would totally transform my life!

I'm not exaggerating.

I read that book all the way home, persuaded my patrol-mate to lend it to me until later in the week and took it home and read, and read and read.

Now, what was surprising to me was that this wasn't a new book. It was old. REALLY old, like 1920's, yet as I read through it I felt as though it had been written specifically with me in mind as it described many of the very things that I had been going through and, more importantly, why.

It told me to hold a major definite purpose uppermost in my mind, pursue it with all vigor and not to quit on it until I accomplished what I'd set out to accomplish.

So I did!

I'd always had an interest in fitness and having boxed, done martial arts and been a soldier, knew that I was naturally gifted in this area as well as passionate. I'd seen ads posted for gym instructor jobs but when I enquired they told me to go get a civilian qualification and they'd consider employing me. Trouble is, I didn't even have the £325 I needed for the YMCA gym instructor course, but the book said that I shouldn't let that put me off, so I set about getting a bunch of temporary jobs to raise the cash.

Eventually I did the course, got qualified and went back to the gym where they told me they only had work for me for 2 hours a week in the shifts that no-one else wanted and that the pay was a measly £5 an hour. I took the job and again, changed the course of my life.

In short, that job led to me becoming a personal trainer, becoming a trainer led me to owning my own studios, owing my own studios led to me working directly with people like Bob Proctor and Joe Vitale from The Secret and working with those guys led to me writing the www.themagichundred.com MAGIC Hundred Goal Achievement Program which sold over $107,000 in the first 7 days of launch and that has led to me traveling the world, speaking at international events and teaching my own rapid goal achievement philosophy to thousands and thousands of people.

Since making that first teeny-tiny decision to read that book instead of going to sleep like my patrol-mates, literally EVERYTHING about my life has changed and I find myself in the weird and rather unlikely position of being some kind of 'goals guru' to people from all around the world who I've never even met and earning more money than I ever thought I'd earn whilst traveling the world and having all kinds of adventures.

It's very strange indeed!

Nice, but strange : )

I now live the kind of life that I'd only dreamed about before with travel all over the world to jungles, deserts and arctic wastelands as well as luxury hotels, secluded islands and all manner of other places that I'd only ever seen in books before I started on this amazing journey that my life has become.

But looking back at how I got to this point in my life and the opportunities I now have before me, I can honestly say it all started with reading that one book. It's as though that one decision was like setting a compass bearing just slightly off course to the original path I'd been on at the time, yet which over the weeks, months and years has moved far off the original course to deliver me to the place I'm at now.

I guess you're wondering 'What's this got to do with me?' right?

Well, nothing I guess...

...and EVERYTHING!

You see, just as my own life has been created by each of the decisions I've made along the way, so has yours.

Everything you've experienced so far is the result of the decisions you've made (or failed to make) up to this point.

That's a fact.

The good news is that that means you can also decide where you want to go, what you want to do and who you want to be just by the simple and straightforward act of making a decision right now. I mean LITERALLY right now!

Just choose to act on something you've been putting off, something you've been 'thinking about' or something that's been tickling away at the edge of your mind and you too could find yourself living the life of your dreams in some not-too-distant future.

I mean it.

It happened to me so why not you?

Make a decision TODAY my friend.

Set a new course!

Truth, joy and love

Dax Moy
www.themagichundred.com

P.S - I almost forgot, I bet you want to know what that book was that started off my magnificent adventure, right?

Put your best guess below and I'll tell you tomorrow : )

(I know, nasty huh?) : )

***

Hmmm, got me thinking, more from Dax tomorrow : )

Weight Loss versus Fatloss, Which One Wins?

2009-04-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

Today I want to share an interesting discussion I had with one of my friends only the other night. We were eating out in a swanky Thai restaurant that I’d been meaning to check out for a while so I thought I’d invite my friend along and make a night of it.

Towards the end of the night, our conversation turned to food and weight loss as it usually does when I’m out with friends. Now normally, I try to avoid beating my friends over the head with the “diet stick” when I’m out, however on this occasion my friend made a remark that I simply couldn’t let lie.

Here’s how it went:

After we had finished our meal (and yes it was healthy by the way!), my friend turned to me and said “God I really need to lose weight, I want to lose a stone.”
I had heard this comment form her many times before so it was no surprise when I heard it again.
“You don’t need to lose weight.” I replied.
I got a puzzled look from my friend. Without sounding disrespectful, she won’t mind me saying that she’s a fairly big girl and we’ve had plenty of chats about her starting a course of healthy eating in the past and she’d be the first to admit that she DOES need to lose weight, so she was a little perplexed from my comment.

“What are you talking about?” She remarked, “Of course I need to lose weight, just look at me!” I could she was getting a little animated from my comment so I thought I’d best explain myself a little better.
“You don’t need to lose weight.” I repeated, “you need to lose bodyfat.”
“Is there a difference?” She said, thinking I was being funny with her.

“Yes…..a massive difference.” I replied deadly serious.

Let me explain the difference:

You see, losing Weight can be easy. All you have to do is stop eating, or reduce your calorie intake, lets say for a month and your weight on the scales will plummet.

Easy right?

You don’t even have to start an exercise program and you don’t really need to watch what you eat, just as long as you restrict those calories everything will be fine won’t it! After all, you want to lose weight right?

30 days pass and hey presto you’re half a stone lighter on the scales but you still have that bodyfat around your thighs that just doesn’t seem to shift and you’re still not happy with that wobbly area around your arms.

Hmm, bit of a problem right?

The problem with this method, (as some of you may already know) is that you’re heading for one big results plateau and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that this isn’t the most healthiest way to achieve your ideal bodyshape either. The weight lost isn’t all bodyfat (more of a water loss actually) and you may have lost more muscle tissue than bodyfat during this process especially if you weren’t consuming the right calories .

The exact opposite of what you should be doing when it comes to fatloss.

Let me put this another way…

By eating in this way you would have obtained what I call, a “damaged metabolism”, meaning your metabolism would have dropped like a stone making it even harder to burn bodyfat in the long run.

So in just under a month, you would have damaged your metabolism, you would have lost vital muscle tissue and your health would also take a bit of a battering too. Not only that but the weight that you lost will gradually creep back on aswell.

Great! What a complete waste of time!

Infact, you’d actually be in a worse position than when you started your nutrition journey. Not bad for a months work huh?

Ok, I’m being sarcastic here but you see what I’m getting at right?

I’ve been helping people with their weight, bodyfat , fitness and health for well over 10 years now yet so many people that I’ve come across during this time seem to be obsessed with weightloss and how much they weigh on the scales, whether they’ve lost a pound this week or put on another the following.

Here’s what we need to do:

Ditch the scales!

Scales are not the answer to fatloss.

The first thing I tell my clients in their first session is to stop weighing themselves every 5 minutes and use alternative ways of monitoring their results like body measurements, clothing sizes and how they generally feel as these methods tend to be far more accurate.

Take a look at THIS weekly weigh in and then carry on reading!

(If you don’t mind some bad language that is)

Ok, I’m using this “fun” video to label my point about the use of scales, but I firmly believe that weekly weigh ins or scale use are NOT the answer for monitoring fatloss success.

You see, scales don’t give you the full picture when it comes to fatloss. Infact they give you anything BUT the full picture!

Lets say you’ve lost bodyfat but gained some muscle tissue over a 4 week period which is a good thing because having more muscle tissue on your body frame will help you burn calories at a quicker rate. You hop on the scales and it looks like you haven’t lost anything when infact you have.

You’ve lost bodyfat and gained muscle but your weight on the scales has remained the same. This is then usually followed by a knee-jerk reaction with people thinking that they need to lose weight again so they begin to reduce their calories again and then the metabolism drops causing another fatloss plateau.

Anyway, where were we?

Back to the subject of weight loss versus fatloss. Losing Bodyfat (and bodyfat alone) is so much harder than losing weight although is so much more effective.

Losing bodyfat (not bodyweight) is what everyone should be focusing on if they’re serious about their fatloss success instead of constantly turning to the scales to monitor their improvements.

Boosting our metabolism is what we should be concentrating on rather than excessive use of the scales and calorie restricted diets that don’t do anyone any favors for the long run.

Losing bodyfat requires discipline & commitment.

It requires organisation & lifestyle changes.

It requires workouts that are going to kickstart your metabolism.

It requires good, clean wholesome nutrition free from additives, preservatives, stabilisers, pesticides etc.

It requires the right sleep at the right time.

Sounds a lot to do right, however if you can implement all these things whilst maintaining a positive can-do attitude throughout then I guarantee that you’ll start to see some great results.

I don’t need to say that fatloss ALWAYS wins over weightloss.

And if you’re still wondering why you haven’t achieved the body of your dreams yet or you’re still holding that excess bodyfat then do yourself a favour and get the ball in motion.

Start working on fatloss rather than weightloss.

Do it today!

My friend is definitely going to make the change (after I bent her ear for near enough half an hour although she does now know the difference between weightloss and fatloss).

I hope you do too now?

If you want some more advice on fatloss strategies that work then My free fatloss report “9 Powerful Secrets To Losing Bodyfat” is a major step in the right direction. No calorie counting, no meal restrictions, no weighing and measuring or any other nonsense, just good, clean, healthy and wholesome foods that focuses on boosting your metabolism for the long run.

Here’s to your future fatloss success,

Sam Winkworth
Your Fatloss Coach
www.samwinkworth.ning.com

PS – My Fatloss Report is FREE and has helped over 5,000 people achieve amazing results…want some?

When Will YOU Start?

2009-03-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well, Dax promised he'd be back 'tomorrow' and it's been a week.

A family emergency got in the way and he was unable to get back to us and share some more of his goal achievement 'secrets' but he's finally back with another interesting and thought provoking message to help us achieve your goals faster.

Today he's answering the most common question that his thousands of readers often ask about goal achievement and success.

"When Should I Begin?"

Believe it or not, it's a really common question!

People are of the belief that there is some special 'buildup' they have to go through in order to achieve what they want or that they have to 'prepare' or 'get ready' or have all their ducks in a row before they can finally go after what they want.

They tell themselves they'll start to pursue their goals...

...tomorrow
...next week
...next year
...when the kids get out of school
...when the kids go back to school
...when there is more time
...when things settle down
...when there are less bills
...when there is more money
...when the moment it right

And all the while they delay the pursuit of those things that would make them happiest because of... something. Some 'reason' for why they couldn't possibly go after their goals right here, right now.

So here's Dax's answer.

(I think you know it already) : )

Start right here, right now with whatever resources you have at your disposal to build the life that you most dream about having.

You see, you can carry on dreaming about the things you want or you can do something about them.

You can let the daily routine of your current life run the show or you can make the changes you want to see.

You can keep putting off and delaying your happiness until 'someday' or you can begin doing the things you know you are capable of doing TODAY!

The choice is yours.

You have the power to choose.

You see, it's all too easy to fall into the same old routine of saying to yourself 'someday I'll do it but right now I just have too much on my plate'.The truth is, you will ALWAYS have tons of things to do, tons of people to see, tons of places to go, chores to be done and bills to be paid.

That's life for us all, right?

But if you don't at least START building the life of your dreams, regardless of how busy, tired, stressed, broke you are then you stand zero chance of ever getting there don't you?

So start today my friends.

Start today.

You don't have to do much. You don't have to change the world in an afternoon. Just change one thing. Do one thing different to how you did it yesterday and you've begun to move your life on a different course. This is the REAL 'secret' of goal achievement.

It's taking action.

But you knew this already, right? : )

Sam Winkworth
Your Fatloss Coach
http://sammy030.1ptsuccess.hop.clickbank.net/

P.S - What one action are you committed to taking TODAY? Write it in the comments area... I dare ya! :)

What The Secret Didn't Tell You

2009-03-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the movie The Secret?

If you have you'll know that it practically became the goal-achievement 'bible' overnight due to it's very simple, yet very powerful message about how you can be, do and have practically anything in life that you want as long as you do one or two key things.

They are:

1. Think about what you want on a regular basis
2. Think about it positively

That was it really. That was the 'secret' of The Secret!

Now, I'm not knocking this at all, far from it. First off, most people (myself included) can be really unfocused and unclear about what they want and spending some time focusing can be really beneficial, right?

And thinking positive, well, that's just obvious isn't it? After all, going through life with a dark cloud over your head is not really going to help you feel good about even STARTING your goals, let alone achieving them is it?

So I've no real problems with the advice that The Secret shares, it makes sense and, truth be told, thousands of people have already gone on to achieve great things as a result of following this simple advice, but again, there are a lot of people who couldn't seem to make it work for them and are now dismissive of the who goal achievement 'thing'.

Maybe you're one of them?

I certainly used to be.

I tried thinking positive and holding my goals in my thoughts but still, the bills piled up and the same old hassles that were always in my life before were still there so I did what most people would do. I gave up the whole goal-setting thing as a waste of time.

That is until I came across (yet another) goal achievement program that was saying some things that were very different to what I'd been hearing from the thoughts become things crowd.

In fact, this program said that thoughts DON'T become things, but rather, they could become things, but not necessarily.

It jokingly explained that if thoughts really did automatically become things then most teenage boys would materialise pretty young girls into their bedrooms. After all, this is what's on their minds most of the time, right? : )

Sounds funny, I know, but it struck a chord. After all, if thinking clearly of something that's important to you, holding it in your mind and thinking about it a lot works to bring goals to life, then it should work, right?

And as to thinking positive...

I'd always been told that thinking positive was a critical step to making your goals come to life, but again in this program I was told that this simply wasn't true. After all, if being positive made your goals come to life you should be able to sit in the middle of a busy road, smile and say 'I won't get hit, I won't get hit, I won't get hit" and sure enough, all the trucks will completely miss you.

Not a strategy that I think I'd like to try : )

It all makes sense doesn't it?

The idea that you can't just put on a happy face, think about your goals and have them come to life?

I think so anyway : )

So what's the real 'secret' to goal achievement?

Well, I guess it's simply that there isn't one. Not as in one hidden thing that once exposed will bring your goals to life. It's more a case of having a strategy that is proven to work rather than relying on hope or wishful thinking.

What's the strategy?

It's coming... I promise!

In fact, I've persuaded Dax Moy, author of The MAGIC Hundred to spill the beans right here on my blog over the next week so DEFINITELY stay tuned.

Speak soon!

Sam : )
www.evolutionfitnessandnutrition.com

P.S - Don't forget to leave your own comments about this post. What do YOU think are the not-so-secret secrets to achieving success?

What Were You Doing 77 Days Ago?

2009-03-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Hi

What were you doing 77 days ago?

I know, funny question, but there is a point, you see, today is day 76 of 2009 which means that 77 days ago you were celebrating New Year’s Eve and, like most people, you were setting up your New Year’s Resolutions and goals.

And look, here we are at day 76 already.

Time goes by pretty quick, huh?

But I’m not just mailing you to act as some kind of timekeeper or clockwatcher, rather I wanted to share with you something that I’ve been thinking about a lot this week.

You see, it recently dawned on me that, we’re already approaching the end of the first quarter of 2009 and that many of the goals I’d set for myself this year haven’t even been started. In truth, many of them haven’t even been thought about.

It’s not like they’re not important to me. They are, many of them would REALLY change my life for the better if I could bring them to life but, well, I just haven’t seemed to get around to them.

I bet you’re the same right?

I bet you have a huge list of things that you KNOW would absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt change your life for the better, yet you haven’t taken a single, solitary action on them, right?

Weird isn’t it?

For instance in my own life I know that these goals are important to me:

1. To have some kind of break, holiday or adventure every 12 weeks.

As much as I love running my own personal training company I tend to be extremely busy most of the time and rarely have time to "switch off" from it, so I made a promise to myself at the start of 2009 to schedule in more holidays. Infact schedule one in every 12 weeks.

There are soo many places in the world I want to visit (Grand Canyon, Great Wall Of China, Garden Of Gods, A Carribean Cruise, Adventures in Krabbi Jungle in Thailand) but haven't even done ANY of them yet!

2. To continue to develop my knowledge base by reading a book every week.

When I think back to when I was a young lad growing up, I used to ALWAYS be reading. There was nothing I liked better than to read. It made me happy. Nowadays it feels like I never have time to read.

I'd like to get back to reading one book a week.

3. Earn Extra Income

Yep, I make no bones about this goal. I want to make money, and lots of it too! For the pure and simple fact that I (and my family)can have a good quality of life and experience the things that I may not be able to if I didn't have money.

4. To Squat 200kgs fo 5 reps and increase my muscle mass!

I love challenging myself whether it be professionally or personally. This goes for my fitness goals too. I'm squatting 140kgs at the moment and I want to get up to 200kgs. I also want to add an extra half a stone of lean muscle mass to my physique too.

Challenging myself is an important part of my life. It helps me to stay focused.

5. Write my new e-book.

I've planned it for ages and even written a bunch but I'm still behind schedule if I'm to get it done this year.

I have plenty more....: )

Most likely you’ve got a bunch like this too haven’t you?

For example, what financial goals did you set for yourself on New Year’s Eve?

What about your health goals? I KNOW you had a bunch of those!

How about adventures? We all want to travel more and experience more and I bet you had set some goals in this department, right?

Not to mention relationships, education, family and career goals.

I bet you had a bunch, yet where are you with them?

That’s not a rhetorical question,I mean it. Where are you with these goals?

Did you achieve them as you said you would?

More to the point, did you even START them?

I know that I didn’t even BEGIN many of the goals I set at the start of the year. I know they’re important to me, I know they’ll change my life in more positive ways than I can even begin to tell you but for some strange reason, I haven’t even begun to chase them yet.

Like I said, weird.

So look, I’ve got this mad, crazy idea.

I want to help you achieve YOUR goals over the course of this year and I want you to keep ME on track. Sound like a fair deal?

It starts today.

Tell me what your most important, most pressing goals are and I’ll tell you mine and (hopefully) together we can see 2009 through in great style.

Of course, you could simply ignore this and pass it off as silly but, well, that’ll just mean that the next 76 days are just like the first, and the ones after that, and the ones after that.

I need help to bring my goals to life.

So do you.

So let’s do this!

Sam Winkworth
www.evolutionfitnessandnutrition.com

P.S – I got my idea for this email from my friend Dax Moy, Author of The MAGIC Hundred. I’m glad he kicked me in the butt today : )

How Are The New Years Resolutions Going?

2009-02-27T14:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s 27th Feb and can you believe that 55 days of 2009 have already passed!(That’s a little over 15% of the year gone already).

Never to be seen again!

Time sure does fly doesn’t it. It seemed like only yesterday when I emailed you about your new years resolutions doesn’t it!

So how are your new years resolutions holding up?

Are you on track with those goals?

If you wanted to lose 20 lbs for 2009, are you down 15% (or 3lbs lighter)
If your goal was to do 200 workouts – have you completed 30?
If you wanted to be financially better off – are you on track?

If you’re behind on your own schedule or have lost a little focus of late then start TODAY.

Set some new resolutions!

If your goal is to lose 10 pounds before Easter then start by setting a goal of 12 weight training workouts to be performed in March and get the first one done tomorrow : )

Whatever your goal is, make the changes TODAY or before you know, another 15% will pass, then another and another and before you know it 2010 will be upon us…

Stop thinking about it, you’ve done enough of that already, start TODAY and remember,

set your goals HIGH!

Sam Winkworth
Your Fatloss Coach

www.samwinkworth.ning.com

PS – If you’re having trouble restarting your goals then you should definitely check out my good friend Dax Moy’s “Magic 100 Goal Setting Programme". In just 100 days from now you could be well on your way to achieving great things in no time at all!

PPS – Still here? Get yourself over to Dax’s Magic 100 and just take a peek. It won’t hurt and it could be the best thing you’ll do for 2009.

How a dedicated soccer team is the same as your fatloss plan

2009-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I unusually wasn’t too busy with my PT schedule so I decided to take some time out and watch some local soccer in my community. I’ve been watching and playing soccer of all levels for well over 10 years now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not premier league standard! (Far from it infact), but for me, it’s a great workout, I’m out in the fresh air and above all else I thoroughly enjoy it.

However, recently I’ve picked up a niggling foot injury that has since stopped me from playing as much as I’d like to, so last weekend I was a spectator.

Whilst I was on the touchline watching the game (in the wind and rain incidentally!), I noticed one MAJOR difference between the two teams.

It wasn’t the skill or fitness levels. Both teams were evenly matched in these departments.

It wasn’t inspiration or aggression. Both teams had plenty!

It wasn’t the strength or ball skills of the players. Again nothing between them.

So what was the difference?

The difference between both teams after watching with great interest from the sideline was one thing and one thing only...

“DESIRE TO WIN.”

One team seemed to be chasing everything down.

The other wasn’t.

One team seemed to be encouraging more than the other.

The other wasn’t (Infact, most of them seemed to be more interested in arguing amongst themselves than encouraging)

One team seemed more focused in the job in hand.

The other wasn’t.

One team seemed to be going for EVERY inch.

The other wasn’t.

One team simply wanted to win more than the other, and in the end, did just that!

That’s it.

Nothing major right?

Nothing to do with the standard of the football, fitness levels, quality of tactics or how good the players were (Like I said earlier, both teams had absolutely nothing between them).

Strange right?

You’d think that all these small things wouldn’t really impact the result of a soccer match would you?

WRONG!

All of these points had a MASSIVE impact in this instance because when you add up ALL these things, however small they may seem, then this, in the end was the difference between winning and losing.

DESIRE TO WIN

One team was willing to fight and claw for every inch over the course of the 90 minutes.

Willing to go that extra mile to win the game.

Not stop until they get the result that they want.

Put simply…one teams desire to win was stronger than the other.

That’s all it was!

Sounds simple right? Yet that’s ALL the difference was I promise you.

Al Pacino says it best in the film “Any given Sunday”, one of my favourite films of all time. Take a look at this inspirational speech that Al gives and then carry on reading...

What do you think of that then?

Powerful stuff huh?

So where am I going with this?

Well, the same can be said for your eating habits.

A lot of you are eating small things here and there which are not ideal, as part of your fat loss plan, which may not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but when added up over the course of a day or a week can amount to a lot of excess calories that at the time you barely notice or register.

Like Al says “The inches are everywhere.”

Start cutting out the little things here and there that you might think make no real difference, but which multiply to cause a fat loss plateau - simply because you're eating more than your body needs.

Stick to a regular plan:

Eat little and often throughout the day.

Cut out alcohol and caffeine.

Eat plenty of vegetables

Base each meal around protein

Just like the “dedicated” Soccer team willing to fight for everything, you must approach your eating habits with the same positive “CAN-DO” Attitude.

Start sorting out your diet inch by inch because in the end this is the difference between an “okayish” physique and a “great physique”.

Between winning and losing.

What’s it to be?

The choice is yours,

Peace and love,

Sam : )

PS – HAve you joined my new community I'm building yet?

It's a place for people (just like you) who are serious about achieving great fatloss results and wearing the body of their dreams.

If that sounds like you then get on over to www.samwinkworth.ning.com and don't forget to leave me a message there too.

Oh and it's all 100% free too : )

Go check it out now

www.samwinkworth.ning.com

Day Nineteen Of Diet Challenge

2009-01-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

Well this week my inbox has been crammed full with mails telling me that the results are starting to show.(Infact, I'm barely through replying to half of them so if I haven't answered your query then please don't think I'm ignoring you. I'm doing my best to answer y'all).

Alot of people by the look of it have told me they're finding the diet easy to follow, others are asking me about "cravings", and some of you seem to be struggling on food variety (particularly at breakfast)!

You really shouldn't be!

There are SO many food ideas that you can try whilst your on my diet. As long as you're steering clear of your banned foods then the list really is endless!

Its time to get a little "creative" thats all!

So anyway look, if you haven't got time to be "creative" with your meal plans and you want something quick and easy then here's a few more food ideas you can try over the weekend if you're getting bored of eating the same ol recipes day in day out:

Breakfast Ideas

Eggs & Yoghurt Oatmeal

1/2 cup organic gluten free oatmeal mixed with 2-3 egg whites and water.
Cook it for about 2-3 minutes and top with natural live yoghurt.
Sprinkle bluberries ontop.

Omlette

1 whole egg
3 eggwhites
2. 1/4 cup natural live yoghurt
3.1/4 cup blueberries

Whip up the egg whites and one whole egg in a pan .
Top omelette with the yoghurt...And sprinkle with blueberries

Lovely!

Chocolate craving on this Diet? try this...

As I mentioned before, some of you "chocaholics out" there are asking me if there are any alternatives to chocolate whilst on this diet?

Let me just set the record straight guys : )

If you're craving something sweet (or chocolatey lets say) then usually this is due to something lacking in your diet. Your body will typically crave what it HASN'T had from your last meal so make sure your meals are balanced over the next week and try some new recipes out.

If you'd like a substitute for sugar/chocolate cravings then you must read this interesting article on the health benefits of CAROB.

Keep it up. The best is yet to come!

Catch you tomorrow,

Sam

Day Fifteen Of Diet Challenge

2009-01-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s the start of week three and I can genuinely say that I’m feeling much better than I did on week one.

Any “detox-nasties” that were still left in my system seem to have disappeared and I’m feeling fresh, revitalised and ready to attack week three now so beware! : )

I myself have lost a couple of pounds (although this wasn’t the main reason why I’m doing the diet, I’m doing it for the health benefits) and I’m looking leaner and more defined than I have done in a while.

I’m working hard with my exercise (although not becoming obsessed with it!) making sure I get in 3 workouts per week whether it be at my local gym or in my garden. My stomach muscles are starting to come through again (yay!). I didn’t have much excess bodyfat in the first place if I’m being honest, although I am starting to notice some changes now, which is good.

I’m drinking plenty of fresh clean water (although not filtered water). As I’ve been saying for quite some time now using a high powered “super-duper” water filter can not be as great as we might think!

Why?

Well as well as sucking out all the bad bacteria, it also takes the good bacteria with it too so I’ve been opting for Evian bottled water.

So anyway whilst I’ve got you here, I just wanted to take some time out to talk to you about the 2 diet techniques that I refer to in my report and that’s Metabolic Typing and calorie zigzagging.

I’ve had 3 of the same question hitting my mailbox this week and the question was “when to start eating according to your metabolic type” and “when to start zig-zagging calories?”

Good questions these but you can relax!

These 2 diet techniques are implemented on day 50 (Week 8) of the Diet Challenge so you’ve got a while yet although it won’t hurt to find out what metabolic type you are now! You can go here to fill out the questionnaire and find out more info on it if you like (if you haven’t done so already).

So for now, keep going as you are (Remember this is a 60 day commitment so don’t stop here), and here are three more fat burning tips to help you stay on course this week

Cut out the alcohol

Having a drink whilst on this detox will not only seriously reduce your strength and recovery after your workouts but will also put a “screaming halt” on your fatloss goals.

I mentioned the affects of “acetate” in my report but incase it didn’t go in the first time, let me refresh your memory : )

Alcohol is converted into a substance called acetate and this stuff is bad news if you wan to burn that stubborn bodyfat.

You see, acetate stays in your system for a very long time. A car engine typically uses only the one source of fuel, however your body on the other hand draws from a number of energy sources such as protein, carbohydrates and fats.

The choice of fuel (for your body) is dictated by its availability. In other words, your body will use whatever you feed it! So when acetate levels rise, your body simply burns more acetate (for fuel) and LESS FAT!

The exact opposite of what you want to achieve!

So in essence, acetate pushes FAT to the back of the cue.

Need I say more? Do yourself a favour and cut it out completely for the next few weeks.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying “don’t ever drink alcohol ever again” that would be both foolish and unrealistic but what I am saying is that you do need to stay off the source for the next few weeks if you want to see some great results by Day 60.

And if you want some more reasons to stay sober for the rest of this challenge then check this out : )

Classic eh? Although some of those guys must have been seriously intoxicated to do some of the stuff they were doing : (

Anyway, just stay off it ok?

(ok where were we!)

Use your food diary

Keep using your food diary and keep planning what you’re going to have to eat for the next day. Remember if you fail to prepare then prepare to fail. Ok : ) that sounded a bit of a cliché (even by my own admittance!) but the truth of the matter is that those who stick to a food diary are more than likely to be successful than those who don’t.

So write down everything you eat and drink and make sure you know what you’re going to eat for the next day.

Use low fat Cooking Techniques.

Avoid frying and microwaving, instead replace with steaming, baking, grilling or stir-frying.

Good luck, keep the momentum going and I’ll speak to you in the week : )

Sam

Day Eleven Of Diet Challenge

2009-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, only me!!!

Ok, midway through week 2 and I'm still receiving amazing reports of people losing on average between 6-9 pounds and thats just in the first few weeks!

And from the reports I've been receiving from alot of you, the "detox nasties" seem to be well and truly over and the increase in energy, mental clarity and general wellbeing is huge!

This is great news. keep it up guys, we've only just begun!

The next 2 weeks you can expect to further enhance your fatloss, excess fluid loss and increase muscle tone, further reduce your parasite population (if they were high!) and your energy levels will continue to rise too. Mine have noticeably started to get better, I actually feel like I have a spring in my step again and I've had some of my best workouts this week!

So things are looking good for you at the moment!

Hang in there!

So anyway, I wanted to blog my meal plan for today that I promised you from my last message and if you remember, all the ingredients were bought from my local farmers market at the start of the week so the chicken is fresh and the fuit and veg is all organic.

I actually find this way of shopping, coincidentally, MUCH cheaper than shopping "all organic" in the big chain supermarkets so before you start shouting me down saying "hey, organic is too expensive" then think again.

Ive said it once and I'll say it again. We don't have to break the bank to eat healthily! And if you want another reason to eat organically, then read my article "How Toxic Are You?" in the main forums area of my new community I'm building.

Oh and by the way, if I can make time to go down to my local farmers market once a week then I'm sure YOU can too so there really is no excuse NOT to eat organically whilst following this diet.

OK, mini rant over : )

I love you all really!

Here's my meal plan for the next couple of days

Breakfast
Organic muesli with rice milk
mixed seeds and raisons sprinkled on top.

Mid Morning
Organic peanut butter with Celery sticks

Lunch
Grilled chicken with Green leafy Salad

Mid Afternoon
Half a handful of Mixed nuts with plain natural live yoghurt

Dinner
Chicken Both (leftovers for tomorrow)
See Recipe uploaded.

Remember to eat a varied diet to avoid cravings guys!

Till next time,

heres to your fatloss success,

Sam : )

Day Eight Of Fatloss Challenge

2009-01-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

Well, its week two and by all accounts from the emails I’ve been receiving today and over the weekend, people are doing really well.

Most people so far on average have lost between 5 and 9 pounds. Some losing more and some less but on the whole though some good results right?

(Remember there are no “rules” as to how much you’ll lose and at what rate you’ll lose it.)

I myself have dropped 4 pounds so far (I must have been REALLY toxic over the Christmas period!) but after having some minor headaches over the weekend I feel much more energised now.

So look, here’s a bunch of tips for you all this week to fast track your fatloss even further : )

Eat little and often throughout the day.

This will help to keep your energy levels steady so that you don’t feel tired at any point during the day

Eat protein with every meal.

Base each meal around some protein (either meat, fish, chicken or half a handful of nuts if you’re snacking) as this will help hunger stay locked up for a lot longer and will stop you from snacking on sugar.

Drink plenty of fresh, clean water.

Water will help flush out the toxins and by-products you’ve been consuming over the festive season. A general rule of thumb is to try and drink a litre of water for every 50 pounds you weigh. So, if you weigh 10 stone, you should be drinking just under 3 litres of plain, clean water every day.

Eat plenty of fruit and veg (but don’t go mad!)

Eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. Make sure it’s fresh and steer clear of anything tinned, canned or frozen as these have been processed to a certain degree.

Stay off the caffeine!

All caffeine beverages are out (that includes coffee and decaf). Decaffeinated coffee (incidentally) is actually VERY processed because of the chemicals used to remove the caffeine so steer clear of this too : )

There you go! 4 more detox diet speed up tips

OK, I’m off to my local farmers market tomorrow to get my fresh fruit and vegetables for the week. I’m also going to stop in on my local butchers to stock up on some fresh meat and chicken.

I’ll keep you posted on what recipes I did with these purchases later this week to give you some more ideas on what to eat.

Keep it up : )

Sam

Day 5 Of Fatloss Challenge

2009-01-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

Well it’s the end of the first week of my Diet Challenge (only 7 weeks to go, yay!) and already I’m starting to receive early success stories from you. : )

Now if you’re anything like me, you maybe starting to feel the affects from eliminating your banned foods.

Affects such as:

Bloating,
Bad breath (nice!)
Zits,
Gas,
Sweet cravings
…and headaches : (

Everyone is different when it comes to side affects. Most people following my diet will experience these symptoms for a few days, provided they’re not cheating! For others, they will linger for a little longer and for many, they may not kick in until week 2.

Some won’t experience hardly ANY symptoms at all!(hey that’s not fair!)

The thing is, symptoms can vary from person to person.

YOU may experience one symptom more than say, your best friend (for instance if you drink a lot of caffeine, such as coffee, tea, coke or any other caffeine beverage then it’s pretty common to get headaches or migraines).

If you eat a lot of sugar (or processed food) you may get some kind of sugar craving.

Whatever category you fall into, you can rest assured that there’s no right or wrong so relax.

Everyone is unique.

My advice is hang in there, these affects won’t last for long, provided you stick to all my guidelines. Drink plenty of water as this will help flush out all the toxins(that are causing your symptoms) a little quicker and take some hot baths as this will speed up the toxin release too : )

Now you maybe thinking "Oh, it's ok, I'll just have a bit of chocolate or a quick coffee...surely that won't hurt?"

Well let me tell you that it WILL hurt, and it WILL make a difference.

Here's why...

You know I said that these symptoms usually only last for a few days?
well guess what, if you add MORE toxins into your system whilst your trying to expel all the old ones, then these symptoms will last alot longer than a few days!

Now if you're anything like me, I'd prefer to get them over and done with in just a few days rather than have them drag on for longer wouldn't you?

So look, it’s plain and simple, be determined that you WILL complete these 60 days and refuse to stop.

I know you can do it!

In the mean time here’s a workout you can do if you want to speed up your results : )

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll catch up with you on Monday

Day 3 Fatloss Challenge

2009-01-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

Well, Day 3 and I'm getting into the swing of things now.

Still no sign of any withdrawal symptoms yet although I'm NOT counting my chickens too soon. From previous times of following my report I personally have a tendancy to get sweet cravings and mild headaches from eliminating sugar but it might be different thi times round (We'll see!). No major side effects (such as bloating, gas etc) as yet, although I'm aware of it so I'm looking forward to maybe experiencing some of those at some point....hmmm not!

Have had a VERY busy morning today and I have a busy afternoon and evening ahead of me so I'm just chilling for a bit after my garden workout. It was only 20 minutes but hey, it's better than nothing and I put a big effort in for those 20 minutes.

Gotta dash,

Speak with you tomorrow and in the mean time, here's a fun video that you should watch before your next workout and another reason why you don't need to be a member of a health club or a gym to to get the fatloss results you're after : )

Watch this now and don't forget to turn your speakers up! : )

Sam Winkworth

ps - don't forget to leave me a message here to see how you're getting on ok?

pps - Feeling brave?

Tell me what you weigh and some of your measurements so that we can track your progress over the 30 days.

Feeling braver?

Submit a photograph or start your very own diet blog and chronicle your own journey.

Day 2 Of Fatloss Challenge

2009-01-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

Well it's day 2 of my fatloss challenge and have to confess I'm feeling a little stiff from my H.I.T workout I did with my brother yesterday but all in all not feeling too bad. Got to bed at around 1030-11 last night (I managed to stop working by 10 and switch my computer off which was a miracle!!!) however I want to try and drop that down to 10-00 for atleast 4 out of 7 nights just so that I'm not losing out on that vital hour (between 10 and 11) where my muscle tissue is repairing itself.

Eating is going well. So far today, I've had organic porridge with some nuts and seeds for breakfast.
Mid morning I had half a handful of nuts with some natural plain live yoghurt.

Just had organic chicken with some mixed salad for lunch and later for dinner I plan to have chicken (left overs from lunch) with a small amount of brown organic rice with some vegetables.

I'm not going to train today but tomorrow I'm going to do another H.I.T workout in my garden around lunch time so I'll let you know how that goes.

I have to dash as I have 4 clients back to back tonight...busy, busy busy!!!

Talk to you tomorrow