We all know that to improve performance we need to follow a healthy lifestyle, including a consistently good nutrition plan and training programme. But what about the other ‘less obvious’ factors that can effect performance both in the gym AND in day to day life?
Do you pay as much attention to your sleep routine as you do your nutrition? Maybe you should. There are 750+ scientific studies that have investigated the relationship between sleep and human performance, many of which have studied elite athletes specifically. The results are compelling: Sleep improves speed, explosiveness and accuracy. It enhances our ability to process information and solve problems. It improves our judgment, composure and ability to assess and respond to situations. It accelerates physical recovery from common inflammation, stimulates muscle repair, and helps restock cellular energy in the form of glucose and glycogen. In other words, sleep is one of the most sophisticated, potent, and powerful—not to mention legal—performance enhancers that has competition-winning potential. It is also one of the most under-utilised. Two-thirds of adults fail to obtain the recommended eight hours of sleep nightly. You’re probably not surprised by this, but you may be surprised by how it affects you as an athlete. Obtain anything less than eight hours of sleep a night, and especially less than six hours a night, and the following happens:
Just like you can't out-train a bad diet, you can’t out-train poor sleep. In fact, the physical and mental impairments caused by one night of bad sleep dwarf those caused by an equivalent absence of food or exercise. Put another way: Unless you’re getting at least eight hours of sleep every night, you're undermining all your hard work in the gym and on your nutrition. Wow! We spend too much time improving our mental and physical abilities to leave anything as powerful as sleep on the table. If you’re looking to take your performance to the next level in 2018, you have to make sleep a priority. Here are some ways to make sure you’re getting eight hours a night:
Maybe if you have some holiday time over Christmas this could be your first step towards a healthier happier and stronger 2018!?
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There is a HIGH chance that this might just end up being my most popular BLOG post eveeerrrr!!
WHY?? Because everyone wants to know the fucking secret. The fastest and easiest way to drop the three stone that you took five long years achieving! The BEST results with the LEAST amount of time and effort. Listen, if I knew the secret then I'd be a really rich woman and living in Palm Springs right now. But now that I have your attention, AND because I'm really grateful you stopped by and took time out of your busy day to ready the GYM G5 BLOG - let's cover my TOP 6 tips to successful Fat Loss. #1 : Successful 'dieters' or LEAN machines tend to eat very similar foods MOST of the time. The reason being is because it makes life simpler, its easier to be consistent when you know your meals and what works for you and your lifestyle. And the simpler you can make you diet and exercise habits, the more lily you are to stick to them in the long term. And don't forget that Success comes from consistency and sustainable habits. #2 : Successful 'dieters' or LEAN machines will eat PROTEIN with the majority of their meals. Why? Because protein makes you feel full & satisfies hunger, and its essential to build AND maintain lean muscle mass, which is essential for Fat Loss. Plus as a bonus the more muscle the less fat, the hotter you look, in clothes & naked. Period. #3 : Successful 'dieters' or LEAN machines will eat a shit ton of green veggies, veggies & fruits with the majority of their meals. Because its no secret that eating real, whole foods makes you feel great, keeps your gut & digestion tip top and makes you look badass. And although good health is the number one reason to eat more veggies & fruit, like protein you get a lot of bang for your buck on your plate, in comparison to calorie dense & low nutrient junk. #4 : Successful 'dieters' or LEAN machines won't drink their calories from liquids or alcohol. Probably because they like their food (Yup Im a self confessed GRUBBER), because they value their health so they keep alcohol to special occasions and because fizzy juice contain little or no nutrient value. So don't waste your money. #5 : Successful 'dieters' or LEAN machines will never miss a healthy meal twice. What I mean is cheat DAYS or WEEKENDS don't exist and just mean you end up on a mega binge. Instead they tend to eat intuitvely and if they go for a pizza or a meal out with friends, then they get back on track the next morning and adjust their calorie intake for the rest of the day/week. Likewise if I chose to enjoy pancakes or french toast for brunch, then dinner is back on track with my regular routine. Don't be too fucking good to yourself people. Chose consistency & only treat yourself to LESS HEALTHY FOOD on occasion. The majority of your meals are real, whole, nutrient dense food. #6 : Successful 'dieters' or LEAN machines will be active in some way every single day. They will be conscious of their NEAT (if you don't know what it is, read the earlier BLOG post!), move in a non gym way as much as possible, take stairs not elevators, walk fast not slow and aim to train at intensity inc lifting weights at least 5 times a week. Move more, don't think you can look your best if you are a lazy assed, couch potato. Move, Often. Take home message. And listen I'm making NO APOLOGIES if that isn't what you wanted to hear. At the end of the day, the science behind losing fat is pretty straight forward. Structure your diet & exercise in a way that creates a consistent calorie deficit and BOOM - you'll start to lose the chub. In my experience most people know 'how' to lose weight and be healthier, but actually putting it into action is where most people screw up. They prefer to waste YEARS and money (so much water money) looking for the next best detox, diet, gym, smoothie, or magic machine that melts fat. When if they just accept it isn't about how FAST you can lose it, or going to EXTREME measures, it's about having patience, and creating good habits that last forever. Never focus on short term results at the expense of long term, health & lifestyle. There are lots of tips I can help you with, loads of great habits to make your journey to lean a bit less painful, and make fat loss simpler. Like I said, I guarantee the simple approach is the one you will stick to. So the next time you find yourself considering a 60 day no carb, gluten free apple cider vinegar detox. Read this BLOG again. Thanks for listening! Things I’ve been asked by members this week so thought I’d share a quick blog ;
“I’ve been on this diet for a week, I’ve lost 3 lbs., but I don’t see any change in how I look." “I’m getting so frustrated. I’ve been on my Nutrition to a TEE for the last 3 weeks, and although I can feel my measurements are going down I don’t look ripped and I don’t really see anything going on." Ive heard variations of those comments from many-many-clients over the years. I’m sure some of you guys have heard yourself at some point when following a certain diet or approach to nutrition. Truth? Typically no progress is fast enough, particularly if you have a long way to go and a lot of excess BF and a history of following fad / yo yo diets! Take the Paper Towel Analogy and the picture of the two paper towel rolls - one is a before picture at your heaviest and unhappy and the second is you, 12 weeks in having decided to do something to change your poor lifestyle choices and having lost some fat. As you start losing fat (or tearing off sheets of the towel roll) you might not immediately notice any change but as time goes on, the more fat you lose (towels you lose) the more noticeable it becomes and then all of a sudden other people begin to notice and you can see it! So often, in the beginning when you are putting in the effort to make good choices and lifestyle changes and being consistent, you might think that nothing is happening, it just takes a while to see it, this is particularly true when you are heavier and have a longer way to go. Unfortunately we live in a world where we expect immediate gratification. And fat loss doesn’t work like this. Stay consistent, be patient and trust the process. Dont get frustrated and think its not working, it is! and you will never see the RESULTS if you always give up before you give yourself time. You CAN DO THIS!! |
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