How often should I train?

It’s rude to answer a question, with a question but in this case it’s the right thing to do. How long is a piece of string? There are several factors that determine the answer to this age old question. Never the less, it is a very valid question.

Ultimately, our bodies react differently to exercise, nutrition and rest. Some people have a very fast metabolism. Others only need 5h of sleep per day. Then there are the ones who never or only need to train once a week and can eat whatever they want and still look trim. Luckily, that last bunch are in a very small group.

We’re different and some things may work better for you but not for others. The key thing to remember, as with everything in life, the correct balance goes a long way. I can confidently say, if you train for 2h every day of the week you will not see significant results. You will be over training and your body will most likely go into shock. You’d never give yourself enough time to mend and repair those muscles. This means you will not get stronger and will not see the desired results. Additionally, the stress this puts on your joints and tendons means you will most likely get injured. Finally, the lack of a personal life means you will give in eventually. Think balance!

It doesn’t have to be that hard. And when it comes down to it, it’s reasonably easy to determine how much exercise a person needs. Now, you will need to adjust your lifestyle a bit to see results (my next blog post will focus on that) but lets start off with 1h high intensity every other day. During each session, we will train different muscle groups to ensure we’re giving that group enough time to recuperate. Once we’ve built a muscular base we will up the intensity of the workouts. We’re aiming for 7 workouts per fortnight (future posts will include different muscle group training sessions). 

Related to how much exercise is required I also want to cover ‘discipline’. One of the most important attributes anyone needs in order to succeed is an open mind towards the various disciplines that can assist them in their development.  One of the central areas of discipline is diet and nutrition.  I will soon be posting an outline of a broad but strict diet plan. If adhered to, my recommended amount of exercise will be sufficient. 

Fit By July 2012

Sorry for the long silence – I wonder if anyone even checks in after such a long absence. While I’ve been away, I’ve had a bit of time to think about what I actually want to write about here. I’ve come up with a thought/an overall idea that will allow me to blog, write and even tweet more regularly.  

Allow me to set the scene: Later this year, in July to be precise, I will be celebrating my 31^st birthday. In the past it has been a goal of mine to be in the best shape of my life on my 30^th birthday. While I achieved that goal but in the second half of 2011 I’ve let standards slip. I continued with basic exercising but my heart wasn’t in it. I started to eat less disciplined, old habits crept in and I lacked a clear goal and aim. Physical exercise with the sole purpose of maintenance is not rewarding. Now, I not only want to get back to how I looked in July 2011 but go one better.

I genuinely enjoy physical exercise and the buzz it gives me. I like pushing my body and mind into places I’ve never thought possible. Endorphins’ rushing to my brain give me a sense of achievement and satisfaction that doesn’t compare to anything else. It helps me feel energetic and enthusiastic. Physical exercise also benefits other parts of life. If I don’t exercise regularly my character changes; I constantly feel tired, get antsy, snappy and have no patience. I can’t relax and unwind yet feel lethargic. I’m basically not myself if I don’t exercise. And I’ll happily admit, I’m also shallow enough to like the results. But let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to look their best.

I’m lucky enough that I don’t need anyone to motivate me, at least not these days. But I think this is exactly where a lot of people struggle. Get and stay motivated! My goal is to whip myself in shape, document and share my journey and hopefully motivate some people along the way.

Through trial and error I’ve designed perfect, quick and easy workouts. Yes, I’ve made mistakes, injured myself and through that learned what to do and more importantly what not to do. You don’t have to make these mistakes, I’ve already made them for you. No more physiotherapy and painful rehab, learn from my mistakes and train safely. I’ve seen results, like when I lost 27kg (from 112kg to 85kg) in 5 months and I’m happy to share all my secrets for free! Come and join me on a journey to looking and feeling better. Follow my personal journey here and get free workouts with different goals, nutritional advice (those tasty alternatives + cook your own quick meals & advise on what to shop to prepare them), exercise playlists and much more. And don’t be afraid to ask for help and share your own stories on #FitByJuly . That’s right, we’ve got our own trending Twitter hashtag!! So come on! Join in and above all, enjoy it! 

October ranDOM rant

I recently introduced my ranDOM rants and I’m please to say, back by popular demand (yes, there has been 1 request) we are back with this months’ edition.

Doms ranDOM October rant

Sony Playstation 3

I bought my first Playstation back in 2002. After that, I owned a Playstation 2 for many years and back in March 2007, immediately after it was released, I bought myself a Playstation 3. Yes, you could say I’m a bit of a fan. I love the console, not just as a gaming gadget but I use it as a media suite viewing my videos and photos and storing some of my music. The built in web browser and Blu-Ray player are additional features I really enjoy.

Well, my PS3 served its duty until April 2010 when it suffered the fatal YLOD. A PS3 bug that stands for ‘yellow light of death’. It’s the equivalent of XBox’s RROD (red ring of death) and basically turns your PS3 into nothing more than an expensive paper weight. Nothing will work, it won’t even turn on and if you’re really unlucky it swallows the game you were last playing and won’t eject it. I was one of the really unlucky ones but I opened the little bugger up and at least managed to retrieve my game disc.

Following this, I bought a brand new Playstation 3, slim line, 250GB. At the time, the best a gamer can get. The warranty lasts 12 months. Well, guess what … 17 months into its short life, the graphic chip is gone. Burnt. Relegated to the past tense. This results in the console freezing randomly, if it even turns on in the first place. This is far from ideal when it comes to improving your progress in a game or when you want to watch a film. The console also freezes on the main dashboard. To fix it … that’ll be £145.00 please. That’s almost the same cost as buying a new PS3, except you don’t get a new warranty.

Earlier this year, Sony announced that a hacking attack was to blame for its PlayStation Network being taken offline. The company said that it had taken the PlayStation Network down voluntarily while it investigated an ‘external intrusion’. According to Sony, it has more than 75million accounts registered worldwide. They also announced that details of these accounts such as names, addresses and yes, credit card and bank details were stolen in the hack. Ooooops!

Truth be told, Sony did make up for that last one. They handed out a bunch a free games and made services to PS Plus available for free for 1 month. Additionally, and in my point of view even more impressively, three of the most senior figures behind the SONY PlayStation brand; Kazuo Hirai (CEO), Shiro Kambe and Shinji Hasejima (both senior vice presidents) bowed during a press conference in apology for the security breach in the company's PlayStation Network that caused the loss of personal data of some 75m accounts on the online service. When was the last time you saw a CEO bow in apology?! Probably when the PS3 network went down. And before that?

While my PS3 problem was away being diagnosed and the cost evaluated, I plugged my external hard drive into my XBox and thereby re-formatted the drive. With the click of a single button, I lost my entire collection of work documents, personal photos, videos, movies, TV programmes, music, etc. All gone! I just wanted to scream. Unfortunately, I can’t blame anyone else but me for that but I can’t help but think this wouldn’t have happened had my PS not broken down.

At this point, and concluding this rant, I am severely annoyed only by the fact I should pay £200 for a new PS3. Seriously, as inventors, technology developers and pioneers we can put a human being on the moon but we can’t make a PlayStation 3 that works a whole 5 years. Bow again SONY!

Pecan Pie

I baked my first cake yesterday! 

When it comes to cooking, I’ve dabbled in the kitchen in the past. Long gone are the days where a tin of beans on toast or a pot noodle ‘will do’ for dinner. Those things remind me of my University days and are neither a tasty nor nutritious alternative to a healthy dinner. 

I would describe myself as an adventurous cook who regularly tries new recipes. I’m certainly no Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey but I’m also not afraid to cook up a more complex meal, and do so from scratch (no sauce jars, etc.). Typically feedback is good and people enjoy my cooking … Me personally, I see it as a relaxing task which I enjoy after a hard day in the office or on the weekend when there is more time for that.

I also regularly cook in batches for those evenings when there isn’t much time. I prepare around 20 meals and freeze them so I always have a healthy dinner ready in case I don’t get home till quite late.

Anyways, baking is not something I’ve attempted before but having given it a good bash last night I have officially found a new hobby.

Firstly, I have to give it to my little corner shop up the road. Having roamed the isles unable to find a third of the ingredients I asked one of the chaps working there and in the end I got everything I needed.

Sugar, flour, shortcrust pastry mix, vanilla, golden syrup, eggs, butter and of course pecans. I didn’t have a baking tray, but I’ve managed to buy that in another corner shop. Outstanding!

This isn’t going to be an instruction manual for my pecan pie, so I want to keep this short. After flattening the base, I added all the other ingredients. 45 minutes in the oven on 190C and it was done. Taddddddaaaaaaah! My first cake. How did it taste? Lovely, if you ask me. I ate the whole thing in less than 24h, hahahaha! I must admit, Shannon did help me bake the cake but for a first attempt, I’d say that went pretty well. Hmmm, now what shall I bake next Sunday?