Will Clifford PT

Worked with Siobhan for a few months and it’s amazing to hear how her confidence has grown

Not knowing much about weight training before we wanted to create an environment that allowed her a chance to gain some understanding of everything around the gym, know how to move properly, and gain confidence

It’s then great to here that she feels we managed to achieve this

Alongside juggling a very stressful job, Siobhan did amazingly well to progress to a point of doing workouts by herself during the most busiest of times in the gym

Just goes to show that half the battle is understanding and knowing what to do to then allow your confidence to build

Can’t really moan when it’s a choice 🙄

First boxing class? Completed it mate

Shoutout to this lot that christened the new Box class at the gym on Thursday

Had loads of fun teaching it and I think even though they were all exhausted at the end those that made it enjoyed it too

Roll on next week 🥊

I mean, that would be comfy 😅

Remember

A workout you can progress in, move well, recover from, and still have a normal day to day

Will always trump those that leave you barely able to move for days on end

Don’t get me wrong

The odd bit of ache is fine

But if it’s completely debilitating you then you may have done more damage than it’s worth

If aches have a knock on effect to your sleep, hunger levels, stress, amount of times you train, getting steps in, then it’s not an effective session

Training well and seeing progress but recovering is what will keep everything else in balance

No true friend would do that tbf

Don’t get it twisted

There are a lot of shoddy diets out there

But who are we to question what does and doesn’t work for someone

It’s about understanding the principle first

That being, energy in vs energy out

If you want fat loss you’ll need a deficit

That’s the principle behind any diet you see or choose

What method you then use it whatever you can stick to over a long period of time

Whether it’s just tracking your food in a deficit, low carbs, vegan, the 5:2 diet, fasting, whatever

Getting the principle right first allows you the freedom to choose a method that fits you

So many worry about the method first and what works

Well a company or influencer looking to sell their diet will always tell you it works

Doesn’t mean they know what’s best for you

So skip over that part

Understand the ideology behind what you want to achieve

And then use whatever you need to get you there

Because what you can stick to consistently over time by choice is much better than whatever someone has convinced you to believe

Oh well maybe next time 😅

Everyone will have an opinion on what’s best

Whether it’s your food, training, what you should eat, what you shouldn’t eat

It seems no matter what you do you can’t go without someone saying that what you’ve chose is not the right thing

What you have to remember is that all of these people are talking from a place of their own experience

Outside of the facts of calories in vs calories out, the method you choose will always seem an impossible choice

So remembering that whatever someone recommends will be what has worked for them

But they’re not you

They don’t have your history, your lifestyle, your likes and dislikes

So how can they suggest what works best for you

Now this may seem all doom and gloom but it can be relieving

Because you can take the best bits from all the advice and make it work for you

You can try these suggestions, find what does and doesn’t work, then do what you need to get the results you want

You’ll still have someone saying you’re wrong but that’s just the way it is

You can’t please everyone

So focus on your targets and block out the noise of everyone else the best you can

Belt included 😅

Nothing personal against Ms T btw

Sad but true 😅

The weekend

The downfall of many diets and attempts and losing weight

You’re good with sticking to things Monday to Friday but as soon as the weekend rolls around it undoes all your progress

Doesn’t have to be that way

Here are a couple of ways around it

Save up before

Think of the weekend like a big purchase

If it was expensive, you’d save up for a week or two before in order to be able to afford it

Then it doesn’t hit the bank balance too hard

Same wit the weekend

Saving some calories before to be able to make allowance for a heavy weekend can lessen the impact

Or

You can make up for it after

Now this doesn’t mean tonnes of cardio

It means reigning in what you eat for a few days after

Because some weekend plans get dropped on us and we can’t account for it before

So same as the big purchase but this time it could be an unexpected bill

To make up for it you’d pull back the spending a little over the next couple of days

Or

Total your weekly allowance and let them reset on a Friday

Let’s say you have 1,500 calories a day

That’s 10,500 a week

You go crazy on the weekend and eat 3,000 calories both days

This leaves you 4,500 for the week. That’s only 900 calories a day

So you’re going to be very hungry until those calories reset on the next Friday

This way you may think twice about how much you eat

If we stop thinking of calories as one day at a time it gives us a little freedom

Go over one day, reign it in the next

Under eat slightly, perhaps allow a little more the next day

As long as the overall balance at the end for the week or month are what you want it to be it doesn’t matter how you get there

And here we go again

Ever feel like there is a monster inside of you when it comes to your food?

You know the feeling

You’re on a diet, things go well for a couple of days, then you just get endless cravings

Well here are 3 things to look out for if you do find yourself being hungry all the time

1) Be in a sensible deficit

It’s nice to lose weight quick but you don’t need to make too many sacrifices

Losing weight or fat and still eating as much as you can is a great way to go about things

Eating stupidly low calories will only lead to you being more hungry, miserable, and less likely to stick to your diet

15-20% under maintenance is all you need

2) Protein

Out of the 3 macros it’s the one that keeps you fuller for longer

Yes it helps with muscle growth but increasing your protein intake has been shown to decrease hunger levels when dieting

Doesn’t mean you have to be on the shakes 24/7 but they can be useful if you need

A good target is to try and have a protein source in every main meal if you can

That way you’re being clever with your food and suppressing the hunger as much you can

3) Drinks

Try not to fill up on things like tea, coffee, sports drinks, etc

Nice to have but they’re not a meal

If you find your hungry and you have a coffee only for the hunger to go away that’s fine

There are calories in coffees so it makes sense that your body feels like it’s been fed

However it still needs all the other important stuff you get from food itself

Plus those calories count

So think of how you could drop down the amount of liquids you have to make room for a bit more food that may actually help you feel fuller

Hunger is a big thing when it comes to dieting and if you’re new to it then it will take some adjusting

Just don’t make the process harder than it needs to be

Nuff said really

Unfortunately the top half is what gets sold to people a lot more

Mainly because it sounds better

Unfortunately a lot of these buzz word sayings are actually useless when it comes to making actual progress

Because real progress isn’t glamorous

It’s a accumulation of small actions over a long period of time that build to daily habits which benefit you

Don’t sacrifice the bottom lot just because someone swears by you needing to feel the burn or focus on calorie output

Just take those small steps

Build slowly

And watch the progress grow

We all have that one person

Imagine flipping everything upside down or completely on its head

Just like this photo so many people take this approach when it comes to their health and fitness

They go from their day to day life to the other end of the extreme

Their diet that’s a little out of control becomes total void of junk, treats and the stuff that makes food fun

They go from not working out to doing something every day

Nights out become a thing of the past

This total change that occurs doesn’t last

They end up reverting right back to square one

Why?

Because they haven’t addressed the underlying issue

Their habits and routines that have been built over years

This can’t be undone by a couple of weeks of restriction

All they’re doing is hiding it under the guise of making things tougher than they need to be

If it’s taken someone years to get to where they are now with their health it could very well take that same time to undo it

Over restriction and smashing a workout each day won’t get you there

Long term change comes from analysing and addressing the route cause of why you do what you do

No matter how painful it may be

Then the process of replacing the habits that don’t benefit you with ones that do begin

So taking a slower approach allows for this

It also allows for mistakes which are great

Because you learn more from those than anything

Being restrictive for a couple of weeks allows focus but no real progress

Picking methods that suits you and being more patient do

Doesn’t seem that complicated now

Yet when it comes to us as humans we love to make it so

When in reality you don’t need to

Save yourself a lot of headaches when it comes to losing weight

Be sensible with your deficit

Remain patient

Stay consistent

Move more

And just like your pet, you’ll be where you want to be in no time

That’s how it works right?

Can be tough tbf

How to know if something is too restrictive

Very much like Darth’s hold on me here there are ways of getting to your goals that give you freedom and some that make you feel like a prisoner

Easiest way to tell if something is too restrictive is to imagine doing what you’re doing for a whole year

If it then seems impossible you know it’s not going to last

So if you’re on a diet that’s having you cut your calories in half and you’re starving all the time but it’s promising you that you’ll lose a stone in a month

That’s not going to last a year

If you’re in a reasonable deficit

You feel good, your energy levels are high, and you’re enjoying your food then that sounds more like it

For something like weight loss you want to be eating as much as you can and still losing weight

That way you enjoy your food and the process too

Remember we’re building a lifestyle here so work for sustainability

Small changes you can stick to are always going to be better for you over big ones you can’t

And before you ask yes

This was taken right before he told me that he was my father

Think of it like brushing your teeth

Yes you could rush through it

Get it done in seconds

Still have minty breath but are you actually taking care of your teeth

In the short term it probably feels like it

You brush quick, have a bit more time in the morning and evening, and still have the result you want

But is it sustainable?

Probably not

Further down the line you’ll get pan, bad breath, and wind up at the dentist being told to brush properly

So all that wasn’t worth it

Whereas if you took your time

Brushed properly

You could avoid a lot of discomfort later

So taking your time is not the worst thing in the world

Yes the process may be slower

But think of the headache you could avoid just by being patient, consistent, and focusing on what you’re doing rather than the quick result

Who needs lunch and dinner anyway 😅

This was a very unexpected surprise today

A notification to say I’d closed my move ring on my watch for the thousandth time

Not even something I necessarily track

Either way I thought it was pretty cool

I’ve had this watch since my office job days and I will say that my activity has definitely changed

Causing a unknown period of fat loss

Back in my office days I was very sedentary, didn’t move much, but training was more towards strength so it didn’t matter

So this move ring would have been closed very rarely

Changing jobs to a PT completely shifted that

My output shot up

Just by being on my feet more, demonstrating exercises, walking around the gym, moving weights

All of this caused me to actually lose a bit of weight

But the thing is my eating habits didn’t change

If anything, I now eat more than I did during my time in the office

Which just does to show how the non exercise part of what we burn each day can have a huge impact on fat loss

If you struggle with the food side of things why not take some of that pressure away by trying to move more

Not saying here that by moving more you can ignore your diet

But if you hit a plateau, keep slightly going over your deficit target, or are currently very sedentary

Then looking to up your output can be a good tool to use

You’re increasing your NEAT (non exercise) which actually makes up more of what you burn each day than exercise

Plus you can do it throughout the day

And investing in something like a smart watch can help

Makes you that little more conscious to actually get up and do something

A thing to keep in mind should you find yourself in the situation of hitting a wall

New year, new me

No doubt something a lot of people will say this month

It is made fun of and even I do like to joke about it but honestly, I think it’s good

Some people do just need that fresh start and the turn of a year is just that

Using that fresh start they get a health kick and start taking care of themselves

Ultimately, is this not a positive thing?

Surely the more people looking to extend their time on this planet by becoming healthier is only good

Which is why I’m fine with that saying

Use it to get you going

Just don’t think the work stops there

Two things to watch out for if you are starting fresh this month

First, sticking with it beyond month one

Some will expect you to fail, prove them wrong

Being motivated after a new year and 2 weeks of not moving and loads of food is probably the easiest time to get going

You’re body is in a state where it feels sluggish and lethargic so any movement or cleaner eating will only play into that motivation

When the nights out come back, holidays, or motivation drops, this is where the challenge begins to continue that

So don’t go overboard, build slow and work on sustainable changes

And the second thing

Uncover your true motivation

A new year is great but you need to find what’s truly driving you

How?

Keep asking yourself why

Why do you really really want to change

Uncover this and you’ll sail past January

So use the new year if you need to just make sure you don’t end up being a one month and done type of resolutioner

There was definitely a little extra weight to carry 😅