Body Beautiful, Seeing Is Not Believing

Having worked in the fitness industry now for the best part of 13 years, you’d imagine that I’d embrace working in fitness and fully feel like a part of it but in reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. On one hand, I’m passionate about health / fitness and helping people to enjoy the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle but on another hand, I feel absolute despair towards the messaging of how our industry represents itself and portrays what health and fitness actually is. How gyms promote the look of fitness, how personal trainers promote themselves. It feels like it’s become a soul-less and dishonest sector that constantly undermines any attempts to reach and help more people and ultimately be taken more seriously.

In simple terms, we use unsustainable, barely obtainable and extreme images of people to model the ideal of what health and fitness looks like. 

Firstly, health and fitness is more than just an appearance and it’s essential that we as an industry acknowledge this and more importantly, take full responsibility for educating people with the messaging we use, the priority we place on image, the way we set personal goals with people and ultimately create expectations. If not, we will continue to let people down and do ourselves no favours in driving our sector forward. Fitness is more than just a set of physical metrics but a feeling of being in control and a confidence of believing in your own habits.

Surely, the ideal approach as a fitness professional is to help encourage people towards a state of self-acceptance, confidence and nurturing a good long term relationship with both exercise and nutrition whereby they can enjoy all the benefits. And if we’re unable to do this effectively then perhaps we should be putting our hands in the air and clearly stating our own limitations whilst looking for ways of being better skilled until we’re able to do so.

Yet, this doesn’t seem to be happening. Rather than acknowledging our own shortcomings, we focus on the quick wins by exploiting the greatest vulnerabilities that people have. 

As an example, whilst the recommended guidelines that we work for health suggest certain ranges for body composition including muscle and fat, the people in the photos that we use are generally not in those healthy ranges and generally under-fat and over-lean so how we can be surprised that being healthy almost isn’t enough?! 

People are largely self-conscious with their appearance. Whilst I’d like to say I’m confident with myself, if you put me on a beach with a load of professional athletes, I’d likely be feeling pretty self conscious and I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t be alone yet actually, experience tells me that, many of the professional athletes would also be lacking in confidence in their own skin. Sounds bonkers but it’s true and I think part of the reason for this epidemic of poor self acceptance is that we’ve somehow ended up in a place where society (even the people in the glossy marketing pictures) feels like the sole measure of our state of health is in this almost unobtainable appearance used in marketing that we’re subjected to numerous times on a daily basis. Furthermore, there also seems to be a widely accepted belief that being in the kind of shape that society projects as the ideal of health and fitness is the key to happiness and self contentment. My thoughts differ significantly! 

And to explore my thoughts a little more, I approached a number of friends who’ve done fitness modelling in the past to get a little insight into how they felt when they were in the ‘shape of their life’, what sacrifices were made and how striving to achieving a certain look served them in the longer term. Thank you so so much for sharing your experiences.

Ali Winter

“I couldn’t socialise as there was too much temptation with food and drink. I missed out on family gatherings and if I did go anywhere I ALWAYS had 2 meals with me in my ‘tupperware’.

Mentally it didn’t serve me well as after the competitions had finished and I was back up to a decent level of body fat (20%)  (I had dropped to 12% as per my tanita scales) I thought I was obese and hated myself. I confined to weigh out all my food and was obsessed by counting macros. I ended up that unwell that I didn’t see what the point to life was and was under the care of a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with “disordered eating and body dysmorphia”.

Now, 5 years on whilst I’d love to be a little leaner and know I can be, I would only really do this by increasing my exercise and doing more conditioning than rather than restricting my food too much. I have a sweet tooth and chocolate is always on the agenda. 

From a professional perspective, if a potential client asked me to get them competition-ready or ultra lean I simply wouldn’t train them. There’s no balance to life when you’re in prep for competition, those 17 weeks of “dieting” (a word I absolutely hate in that context now) I did, had serious health consequences and I wouldn’t put myself or anyone through them again.”

Chris Kershaw

“I had to sacrifice socialising , probably some friendships and mostly my sanity. 

When I was at a very low body fat with the pressure of competition, I found it impossible to stay sane which resulted in a short-term binge eating disorder.

In terms of it being an aesthetic goal, this didn't really affect me. I just wanted to do well in my eyes. My first competition was one of the best days of my life for many reasons. Without that prep I wouldn't be the person I am today. It taught me a great deal and made me stronger.

I think everyone should get lean at least once to feel and know what it takes.” 

Tracey Dougan

“On this shoot I felt soooo disgustingly bloated and fat! Because the day prior I had competed (in bodybuilding) so I gorged so badly on all sorts of crappy food that people had given me for making it through to the finals. I felt fat, awful and no good enough”

Lewis Samardzija 

“The main sacrifice I made was certainly my social life! I missed 2 holidays with my friends and many birthdays and nights out. Although looking back now I could have maybe managed that better. 

In regards to health, 10 weeks in I lost my libido for 6 months. I think that this is not often discussed enough around natural athletes as it occurs very commonly. Binge eating 1-2 x per week from an emotional eating stand point where I would come home eat everything in the house bread, cereal until the point of almost vomiting and then the next day train for 3+ hours and get in saunas to try lose the gained weight.” 

It’s astonishing really that on one hand, we’re all chasing this ideal appearance and yet the very people in the pictures are pushing themselves to the absolute limits and feel anything but ideal.

So, rather than just rant and state what I consider to be the problems, I felt it only right to offer some suggestions on how you can avoid being pulled in by the smoke and mirrors of the industry that’s got your back when it comes to health and fitness:

1. Firstly, when looking at glossy pictures of fitness models. Accept that you have no idea how that person felt at the time of the photo shoot, you know nothing about the sacrifices they had to make and whether or not they could sustain that appearance.
2. Try to avoid setting personal goals that are exclusively image related. There is no real measure beyond opinion that can determine whether or not you’ve achieved your goal and in my experience, image-related goals can lead people towards a cycle of destructive obsession and distort what is truly important.
3. Whatever you do and whatever goals you set, consider the impact on yourself and the people who are important to you, the time and sacrifice it will take and prioritise enjoyment.

Secondly, some pointers for us as the people working within the industry:

1. When posting glossy images of fitness models, do so with honesty and integrity in a way that helps the viewer appreciate the truth behind what it takes to look that way. Protect the integrity of your messaging by exclusively using fitness models who reflect the healthy ranges for body composition.
2. I also believe we need to separate out aspects of our industry including body building, crossfit and even many sports. In my mind, these can be extreme disciplines that demand unhealthy parameters and as such do not belong in the health and fitness industry. Each is a vehicle that can lead people to improvements in health and fitness but it’s important that we educate people better to make more informed decisions around the goals they set and paths they follow. I have a lot of respect for the levels of discipline that people demonstrate when preparing for competitions or a shoot but I do feel that without greater understanding and support, each can have significantly detrimental long term effects on health both in mind and body. 
3. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself as a fitness professional to be perceived as the ultimate role model or be in the most incredible shape ever (whatever that means). Just be yourself and know that people will connect far greater with you when you’re true to yourself as opposed to trying to become a fitness robot. Be authentic, honest, open and well, human. Most people don’t (and shouldn’t feel like they need to) spend hours in the gym every day to achieve their goals - presenting this requirement creates a lot of pressure on you, creates an unrealistic ideal and shuts you off from the very people you aim to help. 

As a dad of 2 amazing girls (currently 7 and 3), I see such an incredible body confidence in them that helps them take on everything confidently and I’d love nothing more than them both keeping this for life.

I’d love your thoughts on this topic. Whether you’ve got a goal that you’re working towards, you’re struggling to gain motivation or you’re working in the industry, this is such a huge topic that impacts us all. 

And please feel free to share or tag a friend if you feel this can help anyone.

Appearance, performance or health....the modern tussle of fitness goals

Good health is something that we all strive for, the holy grail that will help us enjoy long and prosperous lives. The question is, do we understand what good health is? 

In true essay fashion, I'm going to present my conclusion first and then try and explain why. I'm going to suggest that we don't understand good health. I'm also going to suggest there is not one single authority on the face of this planet greater than you able to help fully identify what your personal jigsaw of good health should look like. Because this is the thing - good health is a jigsaw, it's a matrix of many things and, it changes as well. Good health for you as a teenager would differ to good health for you in your forties. There are certain things that we can measure in health, and there are other things just as important that we can't. You can measure the health of your heart, your lung function, how strong you are, how high you can jump etc.… but can you accurately measure your happiness? I ask this because I'm certain we can agree how important your happiness is to your health. 

The reason I’m confronting this point is that working in the fitness industry, it strikes me that people ultimately want good health (I've certainly never met someone chasing bad health). However, the reality of health alone perhaps isn’t as appealing as losing weight, ‘shredding’, bulking up or being the strongest, fastest or best in a particular field. Ironically it really should be, but there’s little thrill in sustaining good health compared to dropping a dress size or hitting a PB. 

This kinda thing is becoming increasingly common on social media...motivational?? (this isn't me!)

So, why is there a tussle and what separates appearance and performance with health? Confusingly I'm going to suggest there is separation between the 3, but also connection. In my opinion, performance and appearance are related to health but the more extreme they become, the further you move away from health. We idolise sporting athletes but the reality of top level performers is that it’s very extreme, almost beyond health if you like. Many retired sportsmen and women suffer lifelong injuries, health implications and even psychological issues due to the intensity, physical demands and pressure of performing at the top. 

Working in the fitness industry I would say that most people’s goals fall into the categories of appearance and performance,and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Without question we can measure both of them very easily and therefore determine whether or not someone has achieved a goal. This is more than just useful because it helps us as professionals understand whether or not a particular regime is effective, and it removes the subjective human nature of opinion. Another really positive factor is that having trackable goals and actually seeing progress will help generate excitement and perhaps get someone interested who previously had little motivation. However, there’s something deeper that we as an industry need to be aware of and have a responsibility for. As discussed already, the most appealing goals are often losing weight, ‘shredding’, getting massive etc and that is exactly what we sell as an industry. Marketing gurus get paid by the bucket load to appeal directly to the emotions that will make someone get their wallet out and pay. We use strong and aspirational images to give people a vision to work towards. Ultimately, what we are promoting is “be something that you’re not”. Can you see the danger? 

In the world we live in where so much importance is attached to image, appearance and social identity we need to be mindful of how we potentially impact a person’s relationship with their health, their body, with food and exercise. 

Returning to the definition of health. I would describe health as a balance of a number of aspects that lead to an overall positive state of wellbeing. However, we as an industry can be guilty of presenting an image of health being regular intense exercise, having rippling muscles and knocking back protein shakes at every spare opportunity. Is this really good health? 

As fitness professionals we must keep health at the heart of what we do but when setting yourself personal goals, you need to keep it at the forefront of your mind because when all is said and done, health is what really matters (physical AND mental). Goals are great little markers, milestones and opportunities to benchmark but they’re also temporary and often pretty superficial. Importantly, and irrespective to whatever the goal, they’re only ever a small piece of the health jigsaw. 

I could gas on for a long time on this topic but here’s my 5 top tips for making sure that your goals aren’t drifting too far from sustainable health. 

• If you set a goal, be committed but avoid attaching too much importance to that particular goal. If you don’t achieve it, it’s not the end of the world.
• Be excited by your goals.
• Make sure the sacrifice isn’t too disruptive to your life. To commit to goals we often have to make choices that impact our lives and sometimes the people around us. However, if the level of sacrifice starts impacting relationships with loved ones negatively then does the goal need revisiting?
• Take a breather between goals. We live in an obsessive culture…targets, targets, targets, timescales, deadlines…bloomin ‘eck (my yorkshireness) it gets exhausting!! Take some time to actually acknowledge your achievement and appreciate the hard work and commitment you’ve put in. 
• Avoid letting your confidence be based upon your superficial self. Easy to say right!! Self worth and self esteem should not be based upon the body you wear (and other people’s opinions) but the person you are. 

Are you ready to be motivated?

by Phill Wright

My aim for this blog is that by the end, your answer to the title will be a resounding yes. If it's already yes, then I aim to help create an even more powerful yes.

I've not always been sporty or into fitness. As a young lad, I was never the most able on the sports field. However, I did possess an ability to push myself more than that of those around me. I remember doing the 400 meters in secondary school and coming second out of 8 competitors. On ability, there is no way I should have come second in that race but those with the talent seemingly didn't share that determination. I remember breathing so heavy on the final straight that I sounded like I'd just escaped from a smoke chamber. Teachers were a little worried that I was having some sort of asthmatic episode but after a couple of minutes, I was fine. (although admittedly it look a little longer for the redness in my cheeks to normalise)

As I said though, my childhood wasn't super sporty and it was only in my 20's that fitness became more of a passion. My school and student days were much more 'normal' although all school and progress reports shared one common theme...'Phillip is persistent'.

In NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) terms, two types of motivational directions are identified. They suggest that people are either 'toward' motivated or 'away' motivated. 'Toward' motivated would be someone working towards a goal, let's say their first 10km road race. However, someone wanting to avoid diabetes would be considered as 'away' motivated. In my mind, motivated toward is a stronger and more positive driving force as in this situation, an individual would be looking and focussing forward and ahead in time.

Irrespective of this, I believe that there is much more to how we as people are motivated and ultimately, I see it is a choice, completely under our control. We decide how much effort we apply to tasks, how organised we are, how much we seek assistance when something is alien or taxing.

So how can you start motivating yourself? Now these aren't tips, they're choices. Pillars that have helped me overcome obstacles and I completely believe they apply for us all and could make a huge difference for you:

• Set your goals - It doesn't need to be world conquering. This is a goal for you, no one else, you! Be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time bound) with it but also, check it weekly. If you're organised, be sure to schedule week on week how you'll stay on target. If you're not a diary person, just revisit once per week and decide how you're going to stay on track that week. Do it now though, don't read any further until you've set your goal and make a note of it.
• Learn to be resilient - Just like the time you learnt to walk or ride a bike, learn not to give up until you get there. It doesn't matter how long it takes you or how many attempts, you will get there.
• Start stretching your imagination - I'm not assuming that you haven't challenged yourself with your goal but in my experience, we tend to be a little cagey when setting goals. I want you to answer this question "Do you know what you're capable of?". Do you have any idea of where your potential lies? If I'm honest, I don't know where mine is but I most certainly will continue to step further towards it. Just because you haven't done it before doesn't mean it can't be done. As creatures, our instincts are to move forwards and we're at our happiest when we're achieving, it gives us a sense of purpose, self belief and self esteem.
• Only listen to self talk if it offers you something positive - Unlike popular belief, self talking isn't a sign of madness. Well, if it is then we're all clinically nuts. Unsurprisingly, many people charge their self-comments with doubt and criticism, also known as limiting beliefs. If you're telling yourself that you can't do something, answer this "How the heck do you possibly know that you can't?, have you tried it?, tried it again? and not given up until you've figured out how to?" The answer is that you can. Thomas Edison discovered some incredible inventions but it also took him hundreds, almost thousands of failed attempts to get there. In fact, his thoughts express this point beautifully "Many of life's failures are individuals who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up". 
• Be what you expect from others - In the world we live, there are so many distractions, commitments and pressures that our sense of identity can be pulled, pushed, twisted, tied in knots and forgetting who we are is so easily done. If you expect and enjoy kindness from others, be kind. If you expect helpfulness from others, be helpful. If you expect love from others, be loving. What has this got to do with motivation? Being more in line with your own values will help your sense of happiness, purpose and help you stay settled in the world you build around you.

It does take continual effort but like anything in life, the more you do it, the easier it becomes and the less you need to think about it. 

I return to my original point, are you ready to be motivated?

Get Results By Being Deliberate

Phill Wright, Director of Creating Chaos

No one likes wasting time. I am certainly no fan of willing time away with little outcome and I'm guessing you're of a similar mind.

In the time I've spent in the fitness industry, there has been a huge influx in the abundance of information, guidance, support and available services which is fantastic for consumers. Ultimately, more choice is available and the likelihood of people finding something they enjoy is much greater.

So why are there still so many people committing to varying types of fitness and clearly not getting the results they desire? Personally, I don't think it has much to do with actually what they're doing but more how they're doing it. I would most certainly suggest that some methods of conditioning are more effective than others but even more important than that is the approach, the way in which people select their state and execute exercise.

When you look into it, athletes, those with seemingly unobtainable bodies and levels of fitness do many similar exercises to most gym goers...squats, presses, pulls etc. Ok, the programme athletes have will be written most likely by an expert but the most significant difference is that they take it seriously. Every single repetition of every single exercise is done to the best of their ability, often quickly and with significant load but importantly, they completely focus on doing the exercise.

So here's a couple of pointers to help you get more from every ounce of exercise you do:

1. Before exercising, prepare your session and rid yourself of as many destractions as possible. (put your mobile on aircraft mode if necessary)
2. Challenge yourself. Your body benefits from exercise by adapting to the challenges that it faces. If there are no challenges, the benefits will be less.
3. Commit to improve your ability to execute the exercise(s). No matter how many times you've done it, there is always room for improvement.
4. Enjoy how much self belief you'll feel knowing that every minute you spend exercising is completely worthwhile and helping you achieve your goals

NB. With the above, I'm not dismissing the importance of enjoying exercise or social sports. This is crucial and if you don't enjoy it, try something else

Jenny Wright, OutFit director

Back in August I had some fantastic news – I’m pregnant!

As well as being overjoyed and extremely excited, I also felt a little scared. What will happen to my training? Will I get fat? Will I lose all my strength? Will I have to stop doing all the things I enjoy?

When I was past 12 weeks and able to tell others my good news, the next question after “when is it due?” was “so when are you going to give up all the exercise?”

The common train of thought amongst people is that pregnant women should be wrapped up in cotton wool and shouldn’t do much more than go for a gentle walk in terms of exercise. I knew that this couldn’t be right – pregnant animals in the wild don’t stop hunting, pregnant women in the olden days continued to work and hunt, and pregnant women now in developing countries continue to do manual work, walk miles and look after their families. Why should it be different here?

Those of you who know me will know that I am quite into my training (that’s probably an understatement). I enjoy being physically fit, and typically would train 2 to 3 times a day in a variety of ways – running, kettlebells, bodyweight circuits and hockey to name a few.

When my husband and I decided to start trying for a baby, I wanted to be as prepared as possible for what was about to happen to my body, and the changes I would inevitably have to make. I am fortunate in that I work in the fitness industry and therefore I have a number of experts and resources to go to.

To my surprise however, most trainers and instructors were very cautious about advising me about training during pregnancy. And those that had studied it were men and obviously could not fully understand the changes that occur to a woman during pregnancy.

I could only find articles stating that “you should not lift heavy weights”, “you should not over exert yourself”, “you should not raise your heart rate above a certain level”, “you should not do any balance work” and so on. What about the things I could do?

So I looked overseas for my information. I found a few blogs by fellow female kettlebell instructors in America who had continued to train during pregnancy and had a trouble free pregnancy and gave birth to a happy, healthy baby. This gave me hope, although being a bit of a geek; I still wanted to know the science behind exercising whilst pregnant.

I found a brilliant book by Doctor James F Clapp called 'Exercising Through Your Pregnancy'.

In it he details the research that has been done on the effects of training whilst pregnant (surprisingly little until about 30 years ago when he set up numerous research programmes), he described the physiological changes to the body that happen during pregnancy, and the effects of exercise on the body and the effects of exercise on a pregnant woman. The benefits of continuing to exercise are numerous, and mostly positive additive benefits to those which naturally occur to a pregnant woman.

A lot of the changes that occur during pregnancy make the body extremely efficient – more oxygen intake, more efficient at getting rid of heat, better heart rate regulation. All of these changes also occur to women who regularly exercise. Combining exercising with being pregnant adds positively to these effects; it improves the supply of glucose and oxygen to the baby (provided the mum eats adequately and regularly).

The fitter, stronger and healthier you are, the easier labour may be, the stronger the baby will be, and the easier it will be to get back to pre-pregnancy size and fitness.

there are certain things that need to be said here. My body is used to, and has been used to for years, the types of training that I do. It is not a good idea to start an exercise programme or new types of training when you’re pregnant; and if you feel any pain or have any complications during pregnancy – always consult your doctor or midwife before continuing training.

The most important thing to understand is that it is not the time for pushing myself, or trying to beat personal records; I must listen to my body and if I’m feeling tired/exhausted/any pain, then I must stop or not try to train. I also must fuel my body properly – it’s not a case of “eating for two” (you only actually need an extra 300 calories a day, and this is only from 6 months onwards), it’s a case of eating healthy, nutritious foods that will enable the baby to develop and grow, but also sustain me through my training.

I am now 18 weeks pregnant, and I have continued to train most days throughout. I tend to do 20-30 minutes of kettlebell and bodyweight circuits in the morning before work, and then a long run including hills sprints or intervals with the dog after work.

If I feel too tired – I don’t train. The only thing I have stopped doing is playing hockey due to the physical nature and contact of the sport. I understand that when bump gets bigger I will have to slightly change and tailor my training to accommodate it. But unless I have any complications during my pregnancy – I will continue to do what I love doing. If I can’t train for some reason – I know that it is only for a few months, and most importantly – the baby now comes first. Nothing is more important to me than being able to give birth to a lovely healthy little boy or girl – that is something no amount of exercise can ever take the place of.

Exercise De-Mythified. Exercise is full of myths and rumours, we attempt to clear a few up here with this info graphic.

Outdoor fitness Winter Guide

The ridicous religion of health and fitness

I'm just sat up in Cumbria enjoying a couple of days break at Jen's family home and though I'd put together a quick blog.

With it being Easter weekend, for many a time of indulgence and for others a time for reflection, I thought I'd indulge in a little reflection myself.

With today marking the end of lent, I guess for those having given something up, it's a junction point, do I revert back to where I was? It's a decision that has to come from within, certainly if we're going to stick to it as we live in a free society and have the fortunate circumstance allowing us to decide for ourselves.

It certainly appears this way on the face of things, but is it really the case?

Whilst I love working in an industry that I have a clear passion about, there are certain parts to the industry that I don't understand...and if truth be told, I feel are very shameful. Whilst health and fitness is a personal investment that everyone should prioritise, not everyone has the knowledge or expertise to support themselves and rightfully so, many seek guidance. This demand for guidance creates space for thought-leaders and role models to steer people in the right direction. The shameful truth is that many 'role models' create dependancy from their subscribers. Instead of aiming to empower followers, a stronger reliance is forged through clever marketing, material that only seems to answer only a handful of questions and a continuance in a buying and selling mentality.

Having been in the fitness industry now for nearly 5 years (is that all???), I'm still figuring things out and have a lot to learn but what is very evident is that (and this applies to trainers and consumers) there is often almost sectarian splits between ideas and what people believe and follow. Now If I'm not mistaken, everyone seems to be after the same thing, good health, reducing the risks of illness and enjoying a fit and able body. So why all the segregation?

Well, it's good to have many different routes, ways and paths, there is no right or wrong way to live. However, the negativity stems from the sometimes hostile division between paths that we choose.

No one person on the face of this planet knows the answer to every question or has the perfect plan for everyone yet some of the so called role models would have you believe this. Many modern plans discuss going back to basics and living like cavemen. Whilst there are some extremely positive principles in this idea, is it not hypocritical idealism in the sense that unless you actually fully adopt the life of a caveman, (no computers, no internet, hunting for food etc) it would be nonsensical. Life has evolved from this stage and surely this a good thing. Maybe the theory isn't actually the problem but the fact that many people take ideas or concepts to extremes and follow them as they may a religion. Almost placing role models on a pedastal giving them an iconic or unhumanly status. In my understanding, this is not a positive step as it changes the dynamics completely. What was previously sticking to a healthy plan has now become an approved way of life ruled by a grand figurehead. Fitness shouldn't be so serious. It shouldn't be judged or judgemental and should be open to change as the circumstances of life do. Keeping it fun, vibrant and explorative helps people stay enthused and excited about fitness.

An unwelcomed observation is that often those who are followed overtly display dismissal or disapproval towards unaligned thoughts? Why? Is it fear of the unknown? Surely approval would inspire a more empowered and confident approach; leaving followers much more able to explore, learn and be better placed to make informed decisions. After all, as professionals, this is what we want isn't it!!??






- Posted whilst adventurising using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Cumbria

The 80-20 Rule

In the years that I've been in the fitness industry, I never cease to be amazed how people struggle to maintain a balance that keeps them where they want. That said, it is understandable. We live in a society that is jammed full of temptation and promise. A chocolate bar may well be advertised as the ultimate ticket to pleasure, feeling fantastic, sensual moments and all the rest of it but is the reality just the heightening of your taste buds. The chances are that it'll send you on a rollercoaster of feeling all great before slumping into a lull and possibly some bloatedness along the way.

There is no one super diet that fits all, regardless of what the watchers of weight may tell you or those that are clearly the biggest losers. The only way any plan will work long term is if it is sustainable and realistic for you. Exercising 3 or 4 times a day is not sustainable. Eating no carbs is not sustainable. Living off shakes is not sustainable. Instead, try and incorporate the 80-20 rule which I'm sure you've come across before. Basically, aim to be good and healthy at least 80% of the time and allow yourself treats and avoid complete abstainance of the things you enjoy. This doesn't mean becoming a binge-monster whereby you're a disciple of health 80% of the time and then spend the 20% bouncing between the king of burgers / the local cigarette factory and an off license. It sounds ridiculous but a lot of people have the midweek structure of work helping them create routine and then unleash the dragon come the weekend.

So, here's some tips that can help you get the most of the 80-20 rule:

• Apply it to food. Try and cook or prepare your own meals 80% of the time and know what goes into what you eat. Vary your meals and get a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats in each meal where possible.
• Don't fully avoid the things you enjoy that maybe a little naughty. This can often lead to bigger cravings. Just be sensible with how much you have.
• Think about how foods make you feel afterwards rather than during. Sometimes, the immediate satisfaction can push the knowledge of how foods leave you feeling. This can often help you avoid foods that your body reacts badly too which can link to allergies and intolerances.
• Apply it to your exercise levels. Exercising all the time like some sort of robot doesn't do much more than put your body into a state of constant damage. You need repair time and recovery to benefit from exercise. Incorporate around 20% of your week to receovery.

Make sure you leave some comments and add your experiences. We all have experience that can help others

Incredible upper body conditioning circuit

Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of developing fitness for the sake of aesthetics but I know this is important for most. Not only does this mini upper circuit give you a strong and stable core, it will conditioning your stomach, arms, chest and upper back like no other work out and it's only 8 minutes long. No one has the excuse to say they can't fit 8 minutes in and you don't need any equipment.

To make it a little easier, just do the same exercises with your knees on the ground and look to keep the same full range of movement although if you start with part range, look to build it up gradually.

A billion times better than doing any bench or machine weights as it's true strength relative to your body.

Enjoy and if you don't have wobbly arms after this then you're a robot!!