Beyond PT

24/11/2021

Weight training IS fat loss training... lay off the cardio

18/11/2021

They confessed to lying to me...

I said 'I know'.

A friend of a client posts in a Facebook group they're both in.

This is a weight-loss group.

They swear they’re doing everything right and not seeing results.

My client shows me the message and asks me to contact them to help

They are a friend and cares.

Some people in the group problem solve and tell them what the causes might be.

They fight it.

They claim everything is perfect.

I reach out and give some tips on the “usual suspects” and get dismissed.

Ah, OK.

This is a tough cookie.

I check my messages and boom. A call out from their friend.

In short their friend is lying to the entire group. "I see this person multiple times a week and they aren't doing what they log and say they're doing”.

I reply. "I know".

This isn’t a post calling people liars.

It’s a post calling you humans.

We’re good at convincing ourselves of a story that just isn’t true.

One that prevents us from facing the harsh reality. ”It’s me”.

Almost weekly I have people (and sometimes clients) approach me like a calorie confessional.

“Hey Rich, I wasn’t logging correctly and I’ve been fudging the numbers”.

Again, I reply in the nicest way possible. “I know. I brought it up and shared the mistakes I made and you told me everything was cool”.

We move past it and I truthfully don’t even care it happened.

I used to lie to myself too.

I only care if it continues to happen because you hold yourself back from where you want to go.

It’s not a waste of my time.

I’m checking these logs anyway, but it may be a waste of yours.

I’m a pretty self aware person and know this post will make people feel a little uncomfortable.

I’m OK with that because if it helps at least one of you change your tune, I did my job. People can think I’m being accusatory but I want you all to know I am not thinking of a single person.

I never am when I post.

Whether you’re tracking accurately or not, your body still is.

I’m not worried about mis-tracking chicken, or veggies.

This is about meals out, snacks, alcohol and other higher calorie foods that conveniently never make it into MyFitnessPal or your check-ins.

We call this Information Aversion.

If it’s not logged it never happened.

Ah, if only that were true.

I’m asking everyone to do me the favour of looking at your logging and tracking like your life depends on being relatively accurate.

Your life may not depend on it but, if you're not happy with your body and health, I can assure you your happiness and results do.

End your own frustrations.

If you take full accountability and be honest about your food intake, your body will show you what you want.

Every single time.

The challenge is figuring out how.

Gaining crystal clear clarity on precisely what you need to be focusing on and implementing.

That's what I do.

And that’s why I’m here being real and honest.

I want everyone to feel the breakthrough and success I once (and still do) felt.

That same success my clients feel.

It's literally life-changing.

01/11/2021

Shorter, more intense workouts based around weight training.

For that to work best, you need to know as clearly as possible how you want to look.

When you know, your time spent in the gym is 100% effective. No more guessing and wasting time.

Add in some things you really enjoy (sports, classes, running etc. to fill in the gaps.

--If you're spending more than 4 hours a week working with weights then you're not focused and spending too much time on your phone or you fancy someone in the gym.

Outside of the 3-4 hours in the gym, make steps a priority.

--The more you move, that isn't specific exercise, the easier weight loss becomes.

Daily life activities are the majority of the calories you burn, exercise (mostly from weight lifting) is the addition you add in to 'look' (lean, defined, look great naked) the way you want to.

--Realise that there are many things that make you unique and following a workout on the internet or from a magazine that's a cookie cutter template, will rarely ever work.

If you feel like s**t and dread going to the gym, the approach isn't the best for you.

If you're going to the gym 6 days a week and not changing, the approach isn't the best for you.

--Gain clarity.
--Do the right style of exerise in the right amounts, just often enough to get your result.
--Get 100% return on your effort.
--Reap the benefits of a healthier, stronger and leaner body that performs like a body is designed to.

25/10/2021

The definition of 'diet success'

Which one of the following is success?

--Lost weight but gained it back
--Lost weight but made many quality of life sacrifices
--Lost weight but know you have to stay on that 'diet' to keep it off
--Lost weight but developed an obsession/fear with food(s)
--Lost weight but hated the process

None of them.

None of them are a success.

'ooo yeah I went on the 'insert gimmick diet name' and lost loads of weight, I'll try that one again'.
..again?

So, the way of eating that diet had you follow wasn't sustainable?

'Well, no'.

Then it wasn't successful.

Just last week I had a conversation with 3 different people who said something to the effect of 'I lost 1/2/3 stone on so-so diet, but I hated my life and was miserable'.

Massive restrictions on foods.

Non-existant social life.

Zero alcohol.

They also said they had the energy of a wet noodle and replaced pornhub with cooking shows because they couldn't stop thinking about food (I'm paraphrasing).

You know what kills me?

What chips away at my soul?

That the vast majority of people believe all the above is NECESSARY.

It's just 'the way it is'.

F**k no it's not.

How do I know?

Because for the first two thirds of my life I believed it.

If you'd told me otherwise, I would've said ' you need to be low carb and have zero sugar to lose fat' or some cringey bulls**t.

At some point, diet culture created this warped sense of success when it comes to weight loss.

It's almost trendy to be following the latest 'fad' and sometimes even boast about some numpty celeb who's following it as well.

Let me say it...

If you have to 'come off' a diet, it was NOT a success.

If you go 'on' a diet, you're telling your brain that you're going to come 'off' at some point. Probably a lot sooner than you thought.

What is a success?

A way of eating that gives you energy all day.
..develops a great relationship with food.
..changes your appearence in the way you want.
..dietary freedom and flexibility which works with your lifestyle and not the other way round.
..and is sustainable for life!

Get off the diet hamster wheel before another 5/10/15 years go by and you're still looking the 'right diet'.

20/10/2021

I remember giving up carbs because I read that they made you fat.

True.

Probably 10 years ago.

Whenever i was in 'diet' mode, no carbs.

Dairy too.

That supposedly made it harder to lose fat.

Most likely read it online or saw it on YouTube.

I used to eat 6 meals a day as well.

They were such small meals I was hungry 90% of the time.

I would literally watch the clock for my next meal.

Funny how things turn out isn’t it?

I have done all the fads.

Followed all the trends.

Been there.

Done that.

I just had spag bol with a s**t ton of noodles.

It was awesome.

I'll take educated and flexible food decisions over restricted diets, all day, every day.

You get the same results with none of the sacrifices.

Maybe that's what's missing in your approach to fat loss?

Get out of the mindset you are in.

That, 'I need to suffer for it to be effective' mindset.

I guarantee you it's not necessary and it certainly doesn't yield sustainable results.

If you can't get the body you want and maintain it, your approach wasn't successful. Period.

Change your perception, change your life.

I'm serious.

25/03/2020

Research Post

😵🥮If you crave comfort food when you’re stressed, you are NOT alone!

🚫🍕But before you decide to indulge in those high-calorie goodies, here’s something really important you need to know…

⚡When you’re stressed, those foods are MORE apt to cause weight gain than when you are NOT stressed.

🧠👩🏻‍🔬Australian scientists recently published a study that showed your stress level affects you right down the molecular level in your brain!

😲They discovered a pathway controlled by insulin that’s behind the added weight gain.

⚡The researchers called this effect a “vicious cycle.”

🤯It works like this: stress causes high insulin levels – which can make you hungry.

But according to this study, that same high insulin level that makes you hungry also can cause you to store MORE fat …

and also release even more insulin to gobble up the extra blood sugar in your system from the high-calorie foods.

💡There’s a two-fold takeaway on this one!

☝Do your best to reduce stress to keep your insulin levels down 🧘🏻‍♂️🧘🏻
✌Don’t have tempting high-calorie foods around, because your willpower is definitely decreased when you’re stressed.

If you need help coming up with a food and exercise plan that works FOR you and not against you drop me a message on here or at www.beyondpt.uk and I'll help as best as I can.

REFERENCES:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190425143610.

Australian researchers have discovered a new molecular pathway in the brain that triggers more weight gain in times of stress.

19/03/2020

⚡With all the news about the coronavirus pandemic, it’s easy to feel powerless over your health.

🍎But there actually are some steps you can take to help your immune system in top shape.

🏃‍♂️Taking action goes a LONG way toward moving you from overwhelmed to empowered.

🥦I’ve got a list of healthy immune-boosting actions you can take to get back that sense of control.

NOTE: Remember, it’s still super important to follow prevention guidelines for hand washing and avoiding people who are sick …. even if you follow these steps!

● Get enough sleep. This can help improve your body’s natural immune function. Aim for 7-8 hours a night.

● Keep up with your fitness routine. Moderate to intense workouts lasting under an hour help boost your immune system both immediately and in the long run.

● Cut back on your stress with scheduled downtime and breathing exercises. Chronic stress appears to wear down your immune system, which can make you more vulnerable to illness.

● Eat a healthy & balanced diet that’s low in sugar. A balanced diet that contains veggies, fruits, and healthy fats is rich in antioxidants and micro-nutrients that support your immune system.

● Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water makes it easier for your cells to do their job – plus allows your body to more easily process food and eliminate waste. Shoot for at least 8 8-ounce (240 ml) glasses a day.

Our situation is not normal right now and I'm sure you have a million things on your mind. Your health is paramount and if you have any questions regarding exercise, nutrition and lifestyle please don't hesitate to drop me a message.

16/03/2020

If you know me, you know I'm a Coach.

If you've known me for a long time then you know I was overweight and hated the way I looked for all my youth and into my twenties.

You'll also know that I've gotten in shape, then out of shape on numerous occasions and generally struggled to maintain the progress I made for any good length of time.

And now I've helped lots of people make huge, sometimes life-changing, changes for themselves.

A lot of you will be about to, are in process of or tried and have struggled with making changes to your life to increase your health and improve your self confidence - normally via improving your body shape/appearance.

Here's some advice I hope you'll consider that will save you a lot of time, money and disappointment.
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1. Quick fixes very seldom fix ANYTHING and just complicate something that's already complicated. Don't go for the quick fix. Instead, go for something that makes a lasting change and you can do as part of your normal life.

2. Diet's don't work. Certainly not in the long term. The whole concept of dieting, for most us, puts us in a subconscious state of mind that this 'diet' has a beginning and end. Before we've even begun we're already thinking about the day we aren't 'on it'. As soon as it ends we go back to the way we ate before the diet - doing the things that were the problem in the first place.

Don't diet. Instead, look to make changes to your style of eating that you enjoy and can maintain. You CAN enjoy your favourite foods AND get in shape WITHOUT the suffering you BELIEVE you need to go through.

A little bit of direction is all you need.

3. You don't need to go to the gym 6-7 days a week to make progress. The QUALITY of what you're doing is overwhelmingly more important than the QUANTITY. 3 hours a week is all most people need to achieve what they want.

4. IS it sustainable? This should be the single, most important factor in your decision to do something.
Do you have to sacrifice social occasions?
Is this something you can do short term but not long term?
Will you go to work with all the motivation to stick to a plan but come the evening you've often thrown in the towel?
If the answer to any of the above is yes, there is definitely a better approach for YOU.

5.The ALL or nothing mindset. This can link heavily with the above point. I took this approach countless times in the past and missed out so many occasions with friends and family and didn't make any lasting change.

Cutting your food intake in half, going to the gym every day, saying no to every social occasion and being miserable NEVER achieves anything but suffering.

If you've been running along at 50% effort for a long time, going immediately to 100% is often too much. Concentrate on a couple of changes at the start and nail them before stepping up to the next level. This approach yields so much more reward.

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A ton of things to think about and I'm sure just as many questions. I'm more than happy to answer any questions and advise you on a good place to start, just send me a message on here or email at [email protected].

Whatever you're about to start or have started, be open to change and a new approach. Take accountability that only you can change you. Once you accept that awesome things can happen.

14/03/2020

Is it necessary to cut carbs and sugar from your diet to:

A. Lose fat
B. Be healthy
C. Get lean abs

Ab-so-f**king-lutely not.

Glad we sorted that one out.

12/03/2020

“How Multitasking Hurts Your Brain (and Your Effectiveness at Work)” was the title of a great Forbes article back in 2013. So often we try to multitask and do too many things at once... where in reality, we’re decreasing our productivity and making our stress levels even worse.

One thing that can really help is to take all email and Facebook notifications (sounds) off your phone. If you’ve got them buzzing and dinging all day, no matter what you’re in the middle of doing, they will distract you and demand your attention.

When on my laptop I use a news feed blocker for facebook so all I receieve are messages and notificaitons. You'd be surprised how often you check your feed everyday. It's also worth mentioning that it only takes one 'negative' post to put a downer on your mood, distract you from your tasks and potentially change the trajectory of your mental state for that day.

We all know how toxic social media can be. Limit it. Especially if you're not having the best of days or feeling a bit s**t about yourself.

Most won't try this but the implications of stress are all around us thanks to modern life and the body and mind can only handle so much before something has to give (illness, poor sleep, bad mood, lowered recovery, low energy, weight gain, inability to lose weight, an extra large pizza and a tub of Ben & Jerry's etc.).

Anything we can do to counteract this is necessary to be healthy.

09/03/2020

This is something I get my clients to think about on a daily basis.When people think of weight loss they tend to just think as exercise as the priority. They believe that some form of intense workout isn't just needed but is an absolute requirement to drop the weight get in awesome shape.⠀
⠀
Before starting with a new client and way before we've even discussed exercise I'll look at their current activity outside of the gym.

Do they walk, cycle or drive to work?
Are they on there feet a lot or sat down most of the day?
⠀
Often the first thing is increasing that activity and weight loss happens 'effortlessly'. You see, the hour or so you spend in the gym 3 times a week really does pale in comparison to the 165 hours a week and what you're doing in that time.
⠀
Science calls this Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, NEAT for short. NEAT is all the calories we burn that isn't exercise, eating or sleeping.⠀

Know a friend who doesn't exercise, eats loads but doesn't gain weight? Yeah me too and they are the type that can't sit still for longer than 2 minutes. They are constantly on the move, not sitting, fidgeting all over the place and keeping their selves busy. Over the course of the week this REALLY adds up.

This brings me on to my point. Steps.

Walking isn't a stressor (a good type) to the body like exercise is so we can do a lot more of it without 'feeling' like we did exercise and it can really add up for our calorie burn.

-Get off the bus one stop early.
-Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
-Park further away from the supermarket when shopping.

One thing I've learnt over the last few years is the power of walking for weight loss. It is SO underrated when it comes to dropping that extra baggage we all hate.

It will also improve your health, drop some stress and improve your mood.

No matter your activity level or whether you've got 50 or 5lb to lose, adding in 2000 extra steps per day will level up your fat loss efforts.Don't feel like you have to do them all at once, break them up. Do 100 here and 200 there until you've hit 2k. 

So, this one simple step can add up to some serious fat sizzling.

07/06/2019

Calorie requirements for fat loss.
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Before I go any further, let me explain what the hell NREE and REE means:
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REE = Resting Energy Expenditure - This is essentially how many calories you would burn if you laid in bed and didn't move for 24 hours. Energy that it takes to operate our organs and keep us alive. The biggest factors in this would be your height, weight, age and muscle mass.
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NREE = Non-Resting Energy Expenditure - This is mainly our physical activity, the rest of the calories we burn and is essentially broken down into 3 categories:
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• Exercise - the calories we burn when doing specific strenuous activities - gym, cardio, sports etc.

• Digestion of food - it requires energy to digest food and is a small part of the energy balance equation.

• Non-exercise activity - This makes up a large part of how many calories we will burn on a daily basis. This every type of activity that's outside of exercise - walking, standing, fidgeting, s*x etc.
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Why's this important?
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Well, if you want to stop wasting time when trying to lose weight and achieve the body you want, you NEED to know, as accurately as possible, how much energy you burn on a daily/weekly basis. This is known as your MAINTENANCE calories.
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But, why do I need to know this?
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If you know your maintenance number, you know your fat loss number. Maintenance calories, minus 500, is a solid place for anyone to start a weight loss phase.
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Ever tried a particular diet and you lost weight pretty well? Then tried another diet and it didn't work as well? The likelihood is down to the aforementioned - one diet put you in a calorie deficit better than the other.
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Throw enough s**t (trying diets) at the wall and eventually some s**t (weight loss) will stick. But doesn't last.
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As the above image demonstrates, we are all UNIQUE in our genetics, lifestyle, routine and activity. If you blindly follow a diet without considering the above then your chances of success dramatically dwindle!