Going Insane for the day!

By day I own and run a landscaping business, is a tough and physically demanding occupation. So it's a good idea to live a healthy lifestyle and keep myself fit even away from work and if I can have a bit of fun in the process it’s a real win, win.

I train regularly by cross country running with my dog and doing bar calisthenics and other body weigh exercise. Occasionally I take part in regular road running races but I really love obstacle races where all over body condition  and fitness is tested.

So on Sunday  29^th September 2013 I took part in the Go Insane mud run and obstacle course at Doddington near Cambridge. 

The course is based around the Moto X track with a few extra challenging obstacles created just for the day.

Of course I am used to a bit of mud in my business, but this was taking it to extremes. The course involved jumping into and wading and swimming through multiple filthy, stinking stagnant and boggy water hazards, crawling through tunnels, nets and ditches and several climbs.

What a truly great day out it was, a fantastic way to test my fitness and have an incredible amount of fun. The day ended wet, muddy and smelly, just like a normal day in the office.

I completed the 10km course in 55mins 40secs. 

Are Supermarkets Acting Responsibly?

I suspect this is a theme I may have to revisit, often! I visited a Tesco store yesterday and positioned near to the doors, in the first isle you have to walk along, are the special offers. One particular offer caught my eye, "1 Dozen Doughnuts for £1.00".

Who in there right mind would eat a dozen doughnuts? Well clearly people do as the supermarkets do their research very thoroughly. Marketing such an unhealthy food, in such an excessive quantity and so ludicrously cheaply, seems the height of irresponsibility as our nation faces an obesity epidemic and diseases like Rickets are making a return due to poor nutrition.

Yes you read that right, a nation in the middle of an obesity epidemic where people suffer from poor nutrition!

I am sure that the perpetrators of this food crime will claim that this offer is intended for sharing or for a family to consume over several days. Well as anyone who has ever been fond of doughnuts will tell you, they don't keep and must be eaten at once or they go stale. But such an offer is so very, very tempting to anyone who likes a cake or two (or twelve). Even for a family of four this equates to a whopping three sugary doughnuts each.

I accept that special offers are a valuable marketing tool for the supermarkets but why wont they make their offers in a more responsible way that promotes healthy eating?

Right now we are in the middle of the annual glut of UK grown apples, would it be such a bad idea to highlight the apple season by making use of the plentiful supply and giving every customer an apple as they leave the store? Think about it, deploy your best people people, get them to personally thank customers for their business as they leave the store whilst offering them a free treat of tasty seasonal fruit or veg. It would bring a personal human touch back into the shopping experience and build relationships with customers.

Just don't kill off all your customers by encouraging them to eat vast amounts of nutritionally poor foods, it's bad for business if all your customers are dead!

You only have one body, it has to last you a lifetime!

Tracking Your Progress

So you've decided to make a change in your life, eat better, exercise more and be healthy. How do you ensure you are progressing towards your goals?

Well logging your activities is a great way to keep yourself on track. Having a record of when you started, what you could do then and comparing it to what you can do now is also a fantastic motivator.

You could just write the log in a notebook but there are some really good tools available for free on the internet. I have tried several of these sites and they all have something different to offer, but by far my favorite is Tribesports. This site has a good social element of enthusiastic and supportive users to help and encourage you on your journey as well as some really simple to use and extremely comprehensive logging tools.

They also have a whole load of suggested workouts that you can try if you are looking for inspiration. Unlike most of the other sites I tried Tribesports is not just orientated towards one or two sports, but instead caters to almost all of them. So whether your into Rockclimbing, Cycling, Weight Training or yoga, there will be something there for you and other like minded users.

If ever I feel that I am not making progress I look back at some of my old run times and right away my spirits are lifted as I see how far I have come in the last 10 months, the same goes for other exercises like pull-ups, 5 months ago I couldn't do one but a check of my logged training shows that I have now done well over 1,000.
So you see how tracking your progress can give you a massive boost towards your final target. Have a look at the options for yourself and please leave some feedback below to let me know how you get on.


Oh, and if you do use Tribesports you can follow me there; @jamesg5

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” 

― Winston Churchill

@jamesg5

@jamesg5

@jamesg5

The Simple Mathematical Route To Losing weight

If your serious about losing weight then follow this simple equation;

The calories you use must be greater than the calories you consume

So if you consume 1800 calories in a day but only do enough activity to burn 1600 calories you wont lose any weight and may even put some on.

However if you consume 1800 calories a day and do enough activity to burn 2200 calories you WILL lose weight. THOSE CALORIES HAVE TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE. Logical isn't it?

The best way to regulate your weight is the same today as it has always been, a good balance of diet and exercise. Remember an hour of activity does not burn enough calories for you to sit on the couch for the rest of the day so sustained activity is best. Take weight loss as a long term goal, if you can shed 2-3 pounds a week for the first few weeks and then 1 pound a week after that, then you are doing well and it has been proven in many studies that slow and steady weight loss means you are less likely to put the weight back on again.

Think about it, to lose weight slowly means you must follow your weight loss regime for a longer period, the longer you follow it for the more habit forming it becomes. Therefor slow and steady weight loss is more likely to result in a real lifestyle change that will keep you slimmer and healthier for life, not just until your enthusiasm wears off.

One last tip, there is no such thing as time off at the weekend, sorry but for real success you need to follow your program 7 days a week. Good habits will not form if you keep breaking the routine.

So, small amounts of sustained effort is more effective than a big mad, burst of enthusiasm.

Also remember when you do an exercise session not to sabotage yourself with after class rewards;

40mins Spinning class = calories used 424

2 pints of beer after class and a bag of crisps = calories consumed 455.

 Your calorie intake is greater than your usage!

I know so many people who think that small amounts of exercise will compensate for treats, it isn't THAT easy!

Good luck and good health.