I've done it. I have signed up for Google Squared!

A couple of days ago my girlfriend introduced me to a digital training course called WeAreSquared. After careful consideration I decided to sign up. Following some initial push back from management at my agency I managed to convince our Digital Director to talk to HR.

Our agency had two available places for this particular session and what do you know, one person jumped ship at the last minute so I got the open space. I GOT IT!

After a late course registration I'm now scrambling to catch up. I'm still having issues registering for the online classes as I wasn't able to register for the first one in time but I'm hopeful this is just a minor technical glitch that can be sorted out soon (#fingerscrossed).

Following this blog post, I'm almost caught up (aside from the class sign up issue). I'm now following the WeAreSquared Google+ page, Twitter group and Pinterest board. This is my blog post, more to come in the coming days and weeks.

Now on to the video ...

300

Set in 480BC, 300 is a fantasy/action film based on the Battle of Thermopylae during which 300 Spartans led by King Leonidas make a heroic stand against the overwhelming Persian army commanded by Xerxes. If you haven’t seen the film, go watch it. Alright, it’s not exactly an award winning blockbuster but it’s a pure cult movie.

I like it for its OTT brutality and the venomous and famous This Is Sparta cry. It also made me wonder, how did Gerard Butler get those six-pack abs, that stacked upper body and those rock-hard thighs?

This is how! Check out this workout. The Spartan 300 workout contains of:

·         Pullups - 25 reps

·         Barbell Deadlift with 135 lbs. - 50 reps

·         Pushups - 50 reps

·         24-inch Box Jumps - 50 reps

·         Floor Wipers - 50 reps

·         Single-Arm Clean-and-Press with 36 lbs Kettlebell - 50 reps

·         Pullups - 25 reps

According to Craig Ballantyne (Men's Health contributor and strength and conditioning coach): “It's a brutal workout, starting out strong and slowing down, finishing at a crawl … I don't plan on doing that any time soon or, really, ever again."

Sounds like my kind of workout - planning on doing it tonight. I’ll let you know how I stacked up.

The clock it ticking ...

This blog is the classic mirror reflection of the fitness industry. When the clock strikes midnight on 31^st December, each year we are full of two things: champagne and the desire to change. We’ve all drawn up that list of new years’ resolutions to force change typically around health, wealth and happiness. A very likely trend across all such forced changes is that by 15^th January most of those resolutions have been broken. It so happens that my last fitness related blog post came on 26^th January. Time to take stock and pick up the pieces.

Earlier this year, I set out to improve my physical appearance and train myself into the best body shape of my life (let’s refresh our memory here; Fit By July 2012). Sometimes you start a project with the best intentions but life has a way of putting obstacles in my way. There always is another work email/project that needs doing, a holiday to go on, a night out drinking, a day on the sofa to recover from the drinking, etc. that takes higher short term importance over that next workout. Truth be told, while my blogging has been non-existent over the past 5 months my training has only been slightly better. Far from exemplary but I have averaged somewhere around 2 workouts per week. I already mentioned old habits, lacking a clear goal/aim and the fact that physical exercise with the sole purpose of maintenance is not rewarding.

So, the clock is ticking. Fact. I’ve got 3 weeks left to make a change. Oh and I’ve stupidly signed up to a Tough Mudder event which is also rapidly approaching. Time to ramp up the training, change my workout routine and diet. Watch this space.

Nutrition: Fuel for Life – Think Balance!

It’s amazing what you can eat! Obviously – because most foods simply taste so good. The truth is, as long as you’re practicing regular physical exercise, it is incredible what you can get away with.

I enjoy life and I love my food. However, I just can’t eat whatever and whenever I want it. If I did, I’d be even bigger. Years ago I wasn’t paying much attention to what I ate. I suppose a combination of being young(er), working a desk job, my naturally huge appetite, work stresses, and the fact I used to go out drinking as if I was still at University didn’t help. The end result was that I didn’t like the way I looked and felt most of the time. So I changed it. And so can you! I lost over 25 kilograms in less than 6 months. If you’ve been following my blog until now, you don’t need me to tell you about in society well documented health implications of being overweight and the benefits of looking and feeling good.

Would you like to change the way you look and feel great by making a couple of minor lifestyle adjustments? Perfect, you’re in the right place.

I mentioned in my previous post titled How Often Should I Train, in order to adjust our physical appearance we need to assess three life aspects: Exercise, Nutrition and Rest. One other factor (this is not to be underestimated) is how well we balance those. Think Balance!

There are more exercise routines coming up on this blog soon so be sure to check in soon. Today, let’s focus on our diets. I want to start off with the good news. You do NOT need to starve yourself of your favourite foods! I’m no friend of famous diets such as the Atkins Diet, the Raw Food Diet Plan, the 1,200 Calorie Diet, Caveman Diet Plan, Hollywood Cookie Diet, etc. Yes, they work short term but these diets are simply not sustainable. So, rather than cutting out the things we enjoy, let’s simply monitor and adjust our overall intake. Ask yourself, do you like chocolate? If yes, eat it, in moderation and enjoy every last bite of it. Do you like savoury sweets like crisps? If so, then indulge every now and again and in moderation but especially after you’ve been good for a while. Just completed 5 days of sticking to the 6 rules posted in my post titled Adjusting Your Lifestyle? Reward yourself for that – have a donut. Go on! I want you to! Enjoy the all taste and flavours. But do not binge eat and consume 5, 10 or 15 Crispy Cremes Dunkin’ Donuts. And remember – afterward that one it’s straight back to the 6 rules.

If you are the type of person that can’t stop after 1 you must do three things. (1) Don’t shop for bad foods you know you will eat. (2) Never hide food in the home. It doesn’t work. You hid it. You know where it is. You will find it and you will eat it. Don’t bring it home in the first place. (3) Remember, everything you consume has an effect on your body (Rule #1 @ Adjusting Your Lifestyle). That one donut isn’t good for you. But 15 of them are incredibly bad for you. Your liver needs to work through all that sugar, saturated fat and sodium contents. Think Balance! If you really can’t stop, hit the emergency break. Drink a pint of cold water as fast as you can and restrain yourself for a further 5 minutes. The hunger feeling will pass. By the way, feel free to repeat this process as often as hunger cravings outside of meal times appear. Never diet – make lifestyle changes.

One thing is for sure … You’ll end up on one of the above mentioned diets with the best intentions. And you will see short term results. But it will only last for a few weeks or months if you’re really determined. Eventually, you will crumble and give in to what you’ve deprived yourself of for so long. The way these diets are built you set yourself up for failure. Always Think Balance!

Before going into more detail on what you can eat and what you should not eat in huge amounts, it’s important to understand the various food groups, what they do for you, and where they can be found:

-          Carbohydrates (they give you energy) – found in sugary and starchy foods like potatoes, rice, cereals, pasta, bread and some fruit and vegetables.

-          Proteins (they help your body grow & repair itself) – when it comes to choosing meat, keep the following in mind. Lean cuts are the better choice because they are lower in calories and fat. Lean meats include white meat poultry products without the skin, extra-lean ground beef, pork tenderloin, beef eye of round, veal cutlet, lamb shank, 95-99% fat free luncheon meats. Fish, shellfish, tuna, salmon and even tofu are other great sources of protein.

-          Fats (they provide energy and help in re-building) – found in dairy products, red meats, some poultry and fish. IMPORTANT: Let’s cap this at 40-50gr / day!

-          Fibre (helps you digest food) – found food like cereals, fruit, bread and vegetables.

-          Minerals – (1) Iron is good for the blood. (2) Calcium is good for your bones. (3) Magnesium is good for your nerves. Minerals are in lots of foods but are especially in fresh fruit and vegetables.

-          Vitamins e.g. vitamin A, B, C, D, E - (they’re good for keeping your body healthy) – particularly good for your skin, bones and teeth. Vitamins are mostly found in dairy products (eggs, butter and milk), fresh fruit and vegetables.

In order for me to change my physical appearance I need to build lean muscle mass. If you’re still reading, you do too. To do so, it's essential to combine (1) an adequate calorie intake with (2) a solid muscle strengthening program. Once again, we need to get the right balance here! Not only is it essential to eat the right foods but we also need to slightly adjust our lifestyles to be eating at the right times. Now, it’s a good thing if you love food and enjoy eating (if you don’t please email me directly. I can help you!) because from now on you get to eat all day. I know this sounds strange but trust me, rather than having 2-3 large meals, lets switch to an all-day snack eating style. From now on we’ll be having Breakfast, Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner, Late Night Snack. That’s right! Below are some ideas and suggestions for what to have once for each of those meals.

Breakfast Meal Options:

-          Egg whites, or 1 hard boiled egg whites, whole wheat bread, jam or peanut butter

-          Yogurt, milk, cereal (whole wheat grain cereals – multi grains is the best option)

-          Lean Meat on whole wheat bagel or bread / toast

-          Protein shake or yogurt smoothie

-          Low calorie protein meal replacement bar

-          Banana, apple, small carrots, pears or orange

-          Water – ½ - 1 pint

Morning Snack:

-          Low calorie protein meal replacement bar or post workout protein shake

-          Yoghurt smoothie or yogurt with granola / fruit

-          Celery sticks with ranch dressing (low or no fat)

-          Assorted Nuts and berries mix – 1 cup

-          Beans and brown rice / celery sticks and peanut butter & milk

-          Fruit options – 1-2 cups of honeydew / watermelon  and/or mango

-          Water – 1 pint / or green tea (hot or cold)

Lunch:

-          Green leafy lettuce Salad with roasted chicken or tuna fish

-          SubWay Sandwich (6 inch)

-          Vegetable beef stew

-          Whole wheat pasta and arrabiata sauce

-          Sushi roll (8 pcs)

-          Spinach Salad with almonds, strawberries, lean meat

-          Cold water (1 pint) / or hot water & lemon juice

Afternoon Snack:

-          Fruit salad - variety

-          Two slice ham and cheese roll

-          Can of tuna with water

-          Milkshake or protein shake

-          Chopped chicken with hard-boiled egg and lettuce or rice

-          Yoghurt smoothie with protein powder

-          Water – 1 pint / or green tea (hot or cold)

Dinner:

-          Chicken/ lean meat, tuna/other  fish sandwich on wheat bread, no mayonnaise

-          Mixed salads with variety of vegetables – green leafy lettuce, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onion

-          Chicken, asparagus or broccoli, brown rice, wheat bread – fruit dessert

-          Veggie or Turkey burger with lettuce, tomato onion – mustard – no mayo

-          Lean sirloin, green or lima beans, salad, whole grain garlic bread

-          Broiled Fish, steamed brown rice, salad

-          Cold water (1 pint) / or hot water & lemon juice

Late Night Snack:

-          Water - make up for missing glasses at end of the day to be better hydrated tomorrow

-          Whole wheat bagel

-          Whole wheat toast

-          Low / no fat popcorn

As you can see, there are plenty of choices out there! I promise you, stick to the 6 rules posted in my post titled Adjusting Your Lifestyle while enjoying these 5-6 meals daily and YOU WILL SEE AMAZING RESULTS!!! If you have to swerve off the road, always remember our overall goal is to limit fat grams to under 50gms a day and lower carbs to as needed for pre – post workouts.

While a large number of calories are needed to fuel both the workouts and tissue repair and muscle building, it is crucial to eat the right combination of calories to encourage muscle gain. More good news here, once you’ve built lean muscle you will need to consume a high amount of calories to keep muscle.

The above ideas should get us started for now and there is more to come. Firstly, let’s get into a good rhythm of regularly exercising (see How Often Should I Train) and we’ll be able to gain muscle and lose weight. Eventually we’ll be able to eat pretty much all day without putting on weight. That’s right – put the weights on the barbell/dumbbell (not on the body) while eating all day. Just remember small portions. Graze away!

Upcoming nutrition posts will include advice on identifying and picking healthy options at restaurants. I’ll also suggest some quick, easy and healthy meals you can cook at home at home. Keep checking in!! For now, I have to focus on training every other day. Eating right will just come naturally. 

If you don’t have enough time to eat healthy, stop watching TV!

Workout Number 1 – Chest and Triceps

Before we get stuck into it, I’d like to thank my good friend Nick. Nick is a qualified personal fitness instructor with a passion for exercising second to none. A lot of my training knowledge, workout ideas and facts about nutrition in this blog, I’ve picked up from him and then tailored to my own needs. He now lives in New Zealand which means we don’t see each other as regularly as I’d like to. I’m happy for him because he is very happy but I miss you buddy. I can’t wait to get some hardcore training sessions in when you’re next in London.

Alright, we’ve talked the talk. Now, it’s time to walk the walk!! Today is the first day of the rest of your life. We were always going to have to start the workouts eventually so let’s get right into it. Depending on your goal, the workout routine will look different for each and every one of you. You can join my training plan absolutely for free. Alternatively, email me with your goal and timeline (i.e. half marathon race in April, full marathon race in June, want to lose 20 lb by May, etc.) and I’ll put together a specific workout tailored just for you. My aim is to get fit, ready for the beach and into shape by July.

Back to the workout … Here’s what I’m doing. My weight sessions are divided into 3 different muscle groups. Number 1 – Chest and Triceps, Number 2 – Back and Biceps and Number 3 – Legs, Shoulders and Abs. As a bonus, we will train abs every time we exercise but #3 will have a special focus on core conditioning, i.e. working that abdominal strength.

All exercises are designed for maximum effect with limited effort. By linking muscle groups in the same workouts we’re aiming to work out everything at the same time. For example, your chest is a bigger muscle than your triceps so we’ll be focusing on that first. By the time your chest is tired, chances are your triceps will be quite shaky already. Then we finish off the triceps with one last exercise. In the early stages, you’ll find your triceps will weaken first, or at least before your chest. That’s a good thing. Every time it rebuilds itself it will grow stronger. We need your triceps strong so we can get your chest tired. Everything is linked.

Before lifting any weights, always warm up! You are not saving time by skipping the 5 to 10 minutes jogging to increase body temperature and a bit stretching. You’re more likely to injure yourself which will put you out of the game for several weeks and needless to say, you’ll miss out on achieving your goal. Always warm up!!

Warm Up: 5 minute jog

Warm up: Push Ups -  do as many Push Ups as you can. Repeat once

3 x 10 Flat Benchpress, Barbell

Step 1: Lie on your back on a bench with feet firmly rested on the floor.

Step 2: Firmly grip the bar with an overhand grasp ensuring the wrists are straight.

Step 3: Brace your abdominals to maintain a straight back. Extend your elbows, thereby lifting the bar off the rack.

Step 4: Position the bar over the chest. Breath in slowly while lowering the bar to mid chest level. Don’t jerk and/or swerve helplessly. Stay in control, you direct the bar.

Step 5: Lower the bar until your elbows are at right angles (aim to align the bar so it sits on a line drawn connecting your nipples, never actually rest it on your chest).

Step 6: Pause briefly, breath out and push the bar back upwards, by extending the arms at the elbow. Repeat 10 times.

3 x 10 Incline Benchpress, Barbell*

Same as Flat Benchpress, Barbell except adjust the back rest of the bench on an incline

3 x 10 Decline Benchpress, Barbell*

Same as Flat Benchpress, Barbell except move the back rest of the bench on a decline.

*During Incline Barbell and Decline Barbell, you'll be significantly lowering your weights (vs flat), reduce your weights by about 30%.

3 x 10 Benchpress, Dumbbell, Inclined

Same as Incline Benchpress, Barbell except use dumbbells on a high incline. This will also target the front of your shoulders.

You’ll be wondering, how heavy you should be lifting. This will differ from one person to another. To estimate what you can personally lift is difficult to say for me. You will have to do two things. (1) Estimate how long it’s been since you’ve lifted any weights and guess what you can lift now. (2) Keep track and use the first sessions to get a gauge on what you should be lifting next week and in the coming weeks. You’ll be doing this same exercise routine again in one weeks’ time so you need to remember what you were lifting. Keep a score card and note your progress. Particularly during your first session but always keep in mind, if you’re lifting heavy you should always have someone spot you. I recommend you lift as heavy as possible for you but go for slow, smooth and controlled motions, always staying in control of the bar and dumbbells. You want to feel your muscles having tired after completing the third set, i.e. completing the last 4 reps of the third set should be a struggle.

Undoubtedly, these four chest exercises targeting slightly different muscles around your chest will have taken it out of you. By now, both your chest and triceps should be sufficiently weakened and you should really struggle on the last set. Push yourself as hard as you can. When you think you can’t do that last reputation to finish the set, do another rep. You can! If you don’t have someone to spot you, hang up the bar/dumbbells with your last efforts. Let’s finally finish off this muscle group with a quick superset.

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies + Triceps Dips (Super-Sets)

Step 1: Take hold of a dumbbell in each hand and lie back on a bench. Firmly place feet on the floor.

Step 2: Ensure alignment of the spine by bracing the abdominals and back muscles. Ensure your full back is in contact with the bench.

Step 3: Extend arms and position the dumbbells together directly over the middle of the chest.

Step 4: Fix the elbows, with a slight bend

Step 5: Gently lower the arms to the horizontal position either side of your torso, whilst maintaining fixed elbow position with a slight bend until the shoulders are fully extended.

Step 6: Raise the arms back to the original position by horizontally flexing the shoulders whilst maintaining the fixed elbow position. Repeat 10 times (Flies).

Step 7: Immediately move off the bench and into the next stage of the super-set, release dumbbells and position your hands shoulder width apart on a stable bench.

Step 8: Move your backside in front of the bench with your legs bent and feet placed about hip width apart on the floor (straighten your arms and keep a little bend in your elbows in order to always keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints).

Step 9: Slowly bend at elbows while lowering your upper body down towards the floor until your arms are at about a 90 degree angle. Always keep your back close to the bench.

Step 10: Pause briefly, breath out and slowly push off with your hands, and press yourself straight back up to the starting position. Repeat 10 times (Dips).

We’re almost done. Let’s finish with an abdominal workout and we’re golden for today! Go for as many reps as possible and push yourself as hard as you can. I mean that, keep pushing! This one really needs squeezing! Keep going! One more round. Come on!

- Jack Knife Sit-Up / V-Up (to failure)

- Ab Crunches / Sit-Up (to failure)

- Alternating Superman (to failure)

- Plank on elbows and toes (hold for 1 minute)

Repeat twice.

The overall workout duration should be between 50mins – 60mins. Give yourself approx. 30-45 seconds rest between the sets and you can complete the full cycle in the given time. For the first 7 weeks, we will stick to 3 x 10 reps. See my previous post on Adjusting Your Lifestyle - “I’ve decided to split up into 3 x 7 week long training camps”. During the second 7 week camp we will increase this to 3 sets of 12 reps for each exercise.

Once you’ve completed todays training session, you should immediately replenish the broken down muscles with a protein supplement (a review of several supplements will follow in future posts). Following your workout, you have a 30 – 90 minute window where (1) you need to give back to your body what you just took out of it and (2) you will still be burning calories. As I already mentioned, a lot of future posts will include info on nutrition so keep coming back. My favourite post workout meal is pasta and Bolognese. I normally never eat pasta, except on days when I train. If you’re ever going to eat pasta, now is the time. Don’t go crazy though – no more than half a cup. Focus on getting enough protein. Another favourite and an even leaner post workout meal is pasta with chicken with side salad. Go for 250gr of juicy boneless, skinless chicken breast, half a cup of pasta, with a cucumber, tomato, basil and feta cheese salad on the side.

Make sure you get some rest tonight. You should be physically tired and sleeping will not be a problem tonight. When you wake up tomorrow, you will be feeling sore. This state is called DOMS (no joke) which stands for delayed onset muscle soreness. This is basically the stiffness felt in muscles for several hours and days following unaccustomed and strenuous exercise. You will get used to feeling like this. This is what we’re working towards during every training session. As you get stronger, it will be tougher for you to break down muscle and achieve this feeling. Also, in a few weeks you will enjoy feeling like this much more.

These workout results (DOMS) may sound extreme but believe me you will feel better for exercising. Yes, you will feel both physically better as well as mentally sharper. And this is after only one session. Wait till we’ve done this for a couple of months – you will feel better than you are feeling today! Don’t forget to stretch out regularly particularly in the mornings after waking up and at night before going to bed.

Adjusting Your Lifestyle

Depending on how many weeks you have available to get to your desired result we’d need to adjust the training intensity and nutrition plan. Everything will depend on your goals, dedication, determination and discipline. From personal experience best results are achieved over a 8-12 week period. Seeing that I have exactly 24 weeks until my birthday I’ve decided to split up into 3 x 7 weeks training camps with a week of rest at the end of it.

Again, depending on your goal even a single 7 week training camp is plenty of time to get in shape. Feel free to email for personal consultation. Let me know what your goal is and how much time we have. I am happy to put together a plan for you anywhere in between 4 weeks (tough/high intensity/limited result) and 26 weeks (moderate/disciplined/significant results).

Regardless of the training duration, the scientific and disciplined approach to preparation and ultimately your achievements and results will come down to a few rules. The following 6 rules are by no means the be all and end all. They are only supposed to serve as guidelines. However, I promise you, the more closely you stick to them the more drastic your physical transformation will be. I’ve designed these ultimately keeping in mind that we all have a social life and of course want to keep it.

Rule # 1: You start treating your body well from now on. Please consider everything you consume from now on, i.e. drink, eat, smoke has an effect on your body. So keep in mind, what you put in you will also get out. Replacing chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks with nutritious food such as vegetables and fruit will allow you to train harder.

Rule # 2: We train 7 days every fort night, no exceptions.  In order to keep a social life, I’d recommend training Sun-Thu, resting Fri-Sat, but I leave that up to you. If you’re planning to train on Wednesday, then during the day get invited to a dinner, just say you can’t make it, you already have plans. You might say something like: “Would love to, hey can we go tomorrow Thursday?”

Rule # 3: No white bread, no beers and under no circumstances any pizza, not even a slice. OK, zero beers is impossible but keep it to a minimum. If you just drink one or two days per week, you’ll still be consuming too many but at least you give your body enough time to focus on what we need it to … grow! After 4 pints, consider switching to slim line G&Ts or white wine spritzers. Say goodbye to those late night kebab (I’m the kebab king and if I can do it means you can do it). In fact no eating after drinking, not even a snack. Pound a pint of water and go to bed. Breakfast is just around the corner!

Rule # 4: You must have a big breakfast as soon as you wake up/get into work. You need energy. Rather than having big lunches and dinners, switch to snacking all day. Cut out the fats. If there is a diet/light/zero/fat free option, go for it. Make sure you eat a lot of meat, chicken is the leanest meat out there, so start loving the chicken! You will need to get a protein supplement, it’s practically impossible to eat enough protein without those.

Rule # 5: Drink lots of water – You want to aim to drink between 3-4 Litres every day. It may seem a lot but you will also be sweating a lot. Keep hydrated!

Rule # 6: Rest – Aim to get up to 8h every day. More if you can.

These rules may seem very strict. As I mentioned, it is totally fine to swerve off the rules every now and again. But, for best results try to stick to them as much as you can. I tend to keep to them as well as possible. And if I’ve had a couple of good days, I treat myself to something small and tasty. This way I don’t totally starve myself of everything and it feels good to come back to the routine/discipline again.

I will be writing a lot about nutrition in the coming days so keep checking in. We’ll be looking at what to order when out in restaurants. Also, advise on preparing healthy options at home and what you need to shop and should always have at home.

Happy Saturday! Enjoy that beer!! When you eat, appreciate every last bite.

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?

Rant of the month

As you will have undoubtedly gathered by now, the name of my blog is Doms ranDOM rants. If you’ve read any of my blog posts you will have noticed that there doesn’t seem to be much ranting going on here. That’s because I choose to keep this a happy place. But sometimes in life you just need to blast off.

So, the solution is a monthly rant. Ladies and gents, I hereby proudly present my monthly rant starting with the ‘September Rant’.

This story actually dates back to July but I haven’t found the time to post the blog. Never the less, the incident was rather ridiculous and I still feel strong negativity about my experience.

I needed to get my house key copied! This would be a difficult and tricky task if I was living in a remote place, 40 years ago. Surely not in London in 2011. So the story goes ...

One Monday in July, I go to Tinkton in Liverpool Street and pay £5 to get my house key copied. Of course (even in London) they have restricted opening hours so I have to rush there after work. As I arrived at ten to six I sensed the shop staff’s unhappiness about my late entrance. Anyways, I have the key and happily skedaddled home to use my newly bought key at the door. Disappointment! The key fits the lock but doesn’t turn.

Tuesday, I use my entire lunch break to go back to the store and have some further amendments made to it. The shop keeper says: “I’m only working with half the parts as I don’t have the lock.” Confused by his comments, I imagine myself taking my flats front door off its hinges and transporting it via London Underground first to work, then to his shop – stop it! That evening I was so excited about going home to see if the key works. I know it’s sad but it doesn’t even compare to the sadness I felt when once again the key slides in the lock but wouldn’t turn.

Wednesday, I return to the shop once again (of course this takes up my entire lunch break again). This time the shop keeper takes the key he made on Monday and amended on Tuesday and throws it in the bin. He grabs a new template off the wall and produces another key. Speechless, I return to the office wondering if tonight the key will work. I arrived home AND ... THE KEY WORKS!!! Hurrah, Bravo, Fireworks. Now, did that have to be this complicated!

I’d like to close on a happy note ... If you want to be happy, don’t go to Tinkton. 

Turning 30

Earlier this month was my 30^th birthday. Yes, that’s right! 30! Remember when you were in your mid-teens and heard about people being 30 something years old? I do. I also remember what I thought of them. I considered these people old, not far away from retirement, basically past their sell-by date. These people have had it!

Now that I am on the third floor, I must admit though, being 30 really isn’t all that bad. People say (I was one of them) things calm down, slow down as you get older. The pace of life just slows as you’re looking to settle. Thankfully, that’s not the case.

My birthday fell on a Tuesday this year. Tuesday is probably the worst day to have your birthday as it’s difficult to celebrate properly on a work day. I decided to fly to Germany the weekend prior to the big day to celebrate with my family. It was nice seeing everybody. The weekend after, I celebrated with friends in London at the Vibe Bar in Brick Lane. On the day itself, we went out for a lovely lunch with my team at work. What followed that evening, I can only describe as being spoilt rotten by a special someone. A wonderful dinner followed by cocktails in several bars and the day off work the next day. So, after celebrating my birthday for an entire week the outlook was a few quiet weekends. That’s what you do as a thirty year old, right!

Well, the following week went like this …

Thursday, Work Summer Drinks at the The Red Dog @ Hoxton Square. It was a great venue and a fantastic party. Boozy it was to say the least but as you can see I was on my best behaviour. Some hilarious photos of colleagues (and myself) thanks to the Pixpod on site. I'll have you know that the next morning I also woke up with a "You've won the Eat-9-Extreme-Chilli-Hot-Wings-Challenge" certificate. It now proudly decorates my desk at work.

Friday, I went to a lovely house party in Angel. My new found friend Sarah is an incredible cook and she rustled up the most amazing dinner. The food was so good, almost 2 weeks later I still think about it. BTW, this is Sarah and me at the Vibe Bar on my birthday. Sarah, please open a restaurant because people who haven’t tasted your food, they’re missing something in life.

Saturday, Lovebox 2011 in Victoria Park. Now, I am not really a festivals goer. In my book you don’t get points for running around a muddy field for five days, getting smashed out of your head and feeling dirty in the process. But Victoria Park is only stone throw away from house and I only went for one day, on the Saturday. It was incredible! Upon arrival, it started to rain so I grabbed shelter in the Wah Wah 45 tent. After listening to several cool bands, the clouds had cleared. I moved on to the Bacardi Bar ...

... and finally settled in a good spot for the main event of the evening. 

Opening acts included De La Soul who certainly got the party started. But the best was yet to come … Snoop Dogg performing Doggystyle! A life long dream. He played most of his classics and also some of his more recent releases. If that wasn’t enough, another highlight of the night was when Warren G performed Regulatooooors! Mount Up! Absolutely brilliant! 

So have things really calmed down? Nope, not really!!! And I very much look forward to the next decade!!!

Whatever happened to Shoreditch

Last Friday I went on a little pub crawl around Shoreditch so I decided to write up a quick review of the places I visited. I’ve lived in the London East End for almost 10 years and have seen the Shoreditch area somewhat grow and develop. Let me tell you, during my time here the area has seen a lot of change.

These days Shoreditch has spread so far it almost seems to be connected to Spitalfields and Brick Lane just south of it and spilling into Angel towards the north. An ever changing and growing ensemble of funky bars, modern pubs and small clubs each vying to attract punters with particular themes, extensive Y2K named cocktail lists, happy hours and supposedly unique, clever and ‘cool’ names. Some of these names are beyond ridiculous and at times it feels as though they are trying too hard.

Back in the day Shoreditch was cool. It’s hard to explain what exactly it was that made it cool. It used be a vibrant art and fashion student area, best described as underground – an uncommon alternative to the other trendy and established places in London such as Notting Hill and Camden Town. I specifically mention Notting Hill because I remember the days when several of my friends who used to live in Notting Hill first made the Circle Line trek across town every Friday and Saturday to then eventually move into the neighborhood to live here. I’ve always had a good time when out and about in Shoreditch but I guess something has worn off and got lost with time. Commercialism has taken its toll.

Anyways, it’s been a while since I’ve been to my favorite bars out here and I wanted to see if Shoreditch still had that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’! I mapped out my bars (in fact, I dug up an old mini pub crawl list I had from many years ago) and to my disappointment noticed one of them doesn’t even exist anymore. Before I remembered bars come and go here all the time I asked myself “Had it really been this long?” ‘Cocomo’ on Old Street, a tiny but great little, grungy cocktail bar. This was Shoreditch … raw, real and ready for a big night. It was the perfect place to kick things off. Oh well!

Instead, I decided to start off at another one of my favourites – ‘The Strongroom’. Discreetly tucked away down a cobbled courtyard off Curtain Road hides this cleverly designed split-level bar. Affiliated to the record studios, it typically caters for the local music and media industry and regularly features live music events. On the night, there was a DJ playing funky house music. Upstairs is the restaurant bar offering table service and a food menu along with an extensive range of beers, wines and cocktails. There’s always a good crowd here!

Next up was ‘Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen’. I am pleased to say this is still Hoxton Square’s finest and most interesting destination. Split into 2 areas, the bar/club side starts to fill quickly around 9pm (be prepared to queue if you show up later). I was hungry and decided to check out the restaurant side which was just busy enough to get that last table. To me, this is the single most telling sign of a restaurants’ food … if the restaurant is full, the food must be good! The menu here provides a solid range of cocktails and drinks and very delicious Mexican food!! Great bargains to be had here too. Decided to skip the starters and thankfully I did. The huge and tasty main course meant I couldn’t manage a desert, even if I wanted to. Good value and still going strong!

After dinner, I ended up at ‘Zigfrid von Underbelly’. This is exactly the kind of name for a bar that begs the question, why are you trying so hard? So what's that strange sounding Dutch/German name all about? You can have a read on their website ( http://zigfrid.com/about/ ) – it’s quite a story! Zigfrid is a cool bar and restaurant with either DJ or Live music depending on the night. There’s also a funky outdoor drinking area where you can sit on tree trunks and a club area downstairs.

Before I finish, I quickly want to mention another one of those crazy named bars. Ever heard of the Breakfast Club? There’s several in London but the one in Spitalfields on Artillery Lane, just off Bishopsgate has a little secret. Accessible only via a SMEG fridge inside the cafe is ‘The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town’, a cute, little basement cocktail bar. Their website ( http://themayorofscaredycattown.com/ ) doesn’t give away much and access to the bar is only guaranteed by making a reservation. The whole experience is incredibly surreal and fun and the cocktails are great.

The Last Word … Despite my expectation that the Shoreditch scene would eventually collapse or might have already done so, the area is flourishing stronger than ever. It continues to astound me and remains one of London’s trendiest areas. It may have been around for a long time but shows no signs of aging – the bars still pack in the cool kids keen to enjoy a good and fun night out.

London Zoo Late Admission

Last week I bought 2 tickets to visit London Zoo. I like animals and always enjoyed visiting the zoo. My only concern is that the animals are kept in good conditions, which here at London Zoo they really are being cared for.

This particular visit would turn out to be quite a unique experience. London Zoo currently offer a late admission (6pm-10pm) on Fridays during the months June and July. What does this mean? Well, the late night admission means you can explore over 750 different species the zoo has to offer, just as if you were a normal visitor. However, on top of that there is additional entertainment such as funfair-rides, face-painting, picnics, penguin beach, twisted cabaret, a silent disco and a range of bars located at Barcleys Square serving champagne, Pimms, mojitos, wine and beers.

On the night, I was joined by the beautiful Shannon and upon arrival we decided to get ourselves a drink. This in itself is very unique, cool and different ... It’s not often you get to walk through an Aquarium while enjoying a cold beer. And I saw some cool fishes too.
After the water tanks, I made my way over to the picnic collection, grabbed a seat in the Amphitheatre and got stuck into the Gordon Ramsey packed dinner picnic baskets. While having dinner, the twisted cabaret acts started their show. I had no idea what it was about (at the time I was very hungry and focusing on my dinner) but even ended up being an active participant in the show. Very embarrassing but thankfully all I had to do was draw a line on a piece of paper. The show also included a burlesque strip act, a male striptease, a fire show and a lesbian scientist. All in all, the name ‘twisted cabaret’ sums it up very well!

Well fed and entertained by the cabaret we decided to check out some animals. I saw the lions, met the monkeys, walked past the parrots and straight into Butterfly Paradise. Butterfly Paradise features butterfly and moth species from several major regions including Africa, South-east Asia and Central and South America. Very cool!
Afterwards, we headed straight to Penguin Beach. The penguins were a highlight and I was particularly impressed by one. As I approached the beach, there were 20 something penguins in the water and another 20 or so relaxing on the beach. Then, I noticed 2 penguins in the distance, isolated from all the others. One of them jumped into the water and decided to dive the entire length of the pool before attempting to climb out onto the beach. He must have been both disorientated from the extra dive laps he pulled around the swimming penguins as well as tired from his exertions as he barely made it up onto the rocks on the beach. He didn’t give up and at the third attempt simply collapsed onto the beach.

At this point, the weather turned and it started to rain but I was about to experience my first ever silent disco. I got my headphones (which provide a choice of 2 stations) and walked into the centre of the ‘club’. Silent discos are strange but fun – I now consider myself a fan.

Here I was raving away in the middle of London in a zoo, surrounded by 200 something people all wearing headphones with the rain pouring down us. Everybody was relaxed, dancing and enjoying themselves. As the rain came down heavy, there was a strange sense of togetherness even though everybody was in their own little world. And to think this was all happening so close to these rare species and creatures from around the world was very cool. Needless to say, there was no noise pollution and we did not disturb the animals.

To sum it up, late nights at the zoo are different compared to your usual night out in London and provide unique experience. Go check it out, it’s fun!