Okay so today I was asked a question from a member of the facebook fan page - and it went like this:

So, I thought that I would knock out  a quick post so that everyone can gain from the tips. First of all, we’re coming up to the end of the year and good on Gavin for signing up now… There’s actually a really great reason for signing up at the end of the year and the end of the month for that matter and this is a secret that I can reveal that not many people know…

Gyms have to reach sales targets, which means that if you sign up very close to the end of the month, or ideally on the last day of the month, you can, most of the time grab yourself a bargain. Don’t let the sales person know you know, but haggle down on sign up fees and the monthly cost and you should be able to save a tenner a month or maybe more.

Okay so back to the main question…

Well first of all it’s worth watching this video which I did quite a few years ago now but it provides some good advice for signing up to a gym in particular…

These days, many new gym offers include a free personal training session which is great because it gives you a great idea about the right exercises to do, in which combination and how to structure your plan depending on how often you train. Of course, another factor is what you enjoy, because how long you stay on your new fitness plan will come down, in my opinion to two main factors:

1. Whether you enjoy your workouts

2. Whether you’re seeing results…

If these two aren’t in place, chances are you won’t sustain a new fitness plan for any length of time. There are hundreds of ways for you to reach your goal, but you need to decide on which is the right way to go for you.

For example with me my training might go something like this (bare in mind I won’t expect you to do two sessions a day, I have quite a bit of free time):

Monday: 5k Run am / Weights pm

Tuesday: Weights Pm

Wednesday: Intervals am / Weights pm

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Full body circuit training

Saturday: 5k Run

Sunday: Hangover, or if I’m lucky and haven’t gone out on Saturday night, I may train weights in the evening.

But this might change every week. But I aim to train as much as I can and I know when I need a rest. When you’ve been training for long enough, you’ll be surprised at how you get to learn what your body needs.

Here’s a good exercise. Just sit there now and lie back. Ask yourself… What does my body need right now? You’ll get the answer. I’ve used that loads since learning that in all parts of my life.

Now, here’s the thing. If you want to run a marathon in six months time, this IS NOT going to be your training plan, nor would this be the plan if you want to train to ski. Now since most of the people who read my newsletters or follow me want to lose weight, I’d suggest that weight training and HIT training is in your program at least once per week. You should be aiming to train, at least three times per week, but more like five, working beyond your comfort zone and increasing intensity as you get better. If you don’t you’ll quickly find you get bored because you’re not seeing progression. Also, and this is important to note, depending where you are with your fitness at the moment, what you do now and what you do in 5 years time will be completely different, because you’ll go through a learning curve just like anything else. It’s like buying a basic camera and then going onto get an SLR (which I’ve just done). Or learning a language and then learning three more languages.

For example, I took a complete newbie to exercise and she started off at my bootcamp in Exeter, but now does more military fitness training. She then, becuase he discapline has changed, may go up another level into competive training, olympic lifing, you never know.

Just like other clients of mine who started off HATING running, then going onto CRY becuase they couldn’t enter a marathon. Things change, dramatically. BUT YOU HAVE TO GET STARTED to get to this point peeps! x

Now, every trainer is different. If you’re going with a Personal Trainer, they’ll have their own ideas and that’s normal – but it’s important that you are seeing results and that will be a three pronged approach by this:

1. The trainer is giving you the right things to do

2. You’re working your ass off

3. You’re eating properly, using The Lunch Box Diet – OBVIOUSLY! lol .

Of course, for some, personal training is not affordable, so if you can’t get one on a regular basis then get them to develop a programme, invest something in yourself.

There are classes – now these do hit the ‘fun’ factor, and you can see results, but for me they’re not personal enough. In order of preference here’s what I would suggest.

First Choice: Personal Training as often as you can afford (find one that has got results and talk to their current clients if you can – you should be able to get a FREE trial session, just ask)
2nd Choice: Bootcamp / Circuits
3rd Choice: PT developed fitness plan (or system based on recommendations below)

There are plenty of programmes that you can follow and below I’m going to give you some options of stuff that I recommend trying. Take the time to watch any videos and read material, to see what you feel you would find most enjoyable and that would fit with your goal.

Dream Body Workout (Women)

Lunch Box Diet For Men: Includes 90 Day Workout Plan

Flavicious Fitness (Women) - Listen To This Interview I Did With Flavia – Click Here

Turbulence Training (Men & Women)

Shape Shifter Workouts (Men & Women)

No Nonsense Muscle Building (Men)

Running For Weight Loss – Beginners Running Guide

I would first like to send my thoughts out to the family of Angie and to say that the fitness community has lost a massive inspiration – plus of course the thousands of people she would have inspired who were both on and off the show watching around the UK. Angie was on the show from 2005 when it originally appeared on living and then moved to ITV. Angie was always appearing at fitness conferences and was always beaming with energy and life. It’s so sad that she decided to take her own life in this way.

It’s especially sad that she won’t be able to help any more people as that the pain for her was just too much to take – ultimately she spent most of her time helping people to pull themselves away from depressesion and sadness, yet she took her life – we need to remember that even when someone seems strong and powerful on the outside, there can be so much tearing up someone from the inside.

RIP Angie – you did such great work and inspired so many people!

Here I found some useful tips from Angie on youtube…

Needless to say, things have changed over the years. I always talk about Tim who was my mentor after I joined the Kung Fu class and even though you don’t have to start a martial art to get fit, it’s good to, well… just get started!

In fact, saw a lady in the gym up here in Bristol just yesterday and she says that she has finally caught the bug – it took a bit of time but she’s in there every day now. Trying new things etc. She’s got good results over the past few months and you can really see it, but she said to me that she feels she’s reached a plateau. My simple answer was that she needs to switch around her training and ramp up her intensity level. She normally walks fast on the treadmill, this means she needs to start jogging or performing intervals.

She’s doing ‘light weights’, a sure sign that she needs to start lifting heavier weights - it’s not hard to break out of a plateau, in fact it’s very easy. If you’re currently working out at home to DVDs, it’s time to pluck up the courage and go and find a class or bootcamp. I’ve listed the top fitness plans right now at the bottom of this post which you can use if you want to get started. But in the mean time, here’s those 6 signs that maybe, just maybe you need to change things up.

Sign 1 – You Use Your Mobile Phone During Your Sessions

Unless you’re using your phone to control your music and you’re actually texting friends, making calls etc, this is a sign that you’re not completely into your training zone. Ditch the phone, leave it at home and focus in thinking how hard you’re going to work the next set. If you’re on a cardio machine and you can even use your phone, well, enough said. It should be falling out of your hands. Oh and tut tut if you’re running or using the machines and calling, that’s one for health and safety!

Sign 2 – You Go For A Water Break Every 2 Minutes

If you find yourself performing a set of exercises and then go for a break every 5 minutes, you’re not keeping your heart rate up and burning calories effectively. So, take a water bottle with you and stop using the water machine as an excuse for you to to sweating, I want you to sweat, and sweat hard…

Sign 3 – You’re Chatting, Chat More, Then Chat Some More

Now don‘t get me wrong, I’m all for working out with a ‘gym buddy’ but when that buddy turns into a 30 minute social about the latest gossip, what’s kicking off in Coronation Street, maybe your workout strategy needs to be scheduled differently. Also, you need to keep your eye on your rest period as this is where you will see the biggest improvements to your cardiovascular system. Rest too long and you’re not developing.

Sign 4 – You Do The Same Thing Each Time

Maybe you always head to the cardio machines, or you always do weights. Either, way, doing the same thing, all the time isn’t going to maximise your weight loss results. Mixing it up not only works on your muscle, fitness levels, flexibility and strength but it also keeps it varied, which means you’ll stick around later because you’re not bored.

Sign 5  – You See People Working Out With Personal Trainers Getting Results, But You Still Don’t Hire One

You’re working out and you look over as someone else working out with their trainer, but why haven’t you hired one. I believe it’s probably for one of three reasons. Either you are worried it will be too much like hard work, you don’t think you’ll get results, or you think it’s too expensive. Let’s look at each one of those on their own. First of all, yes it will be hard work, especially at the start, but as you break through that initial phaze of soreness and wanting to either punch or marry your trainer (or both), you’ll never go back, that’s why so many clients are with their trainer for years. If you don’t think it works, just as a client after they finish their session. You’ll get the answer you’re looking for. Finally, the financial one. Well, this depends on how much health and fitness means to you compared with your other indulgences. I know something for sure, you could save up to pay for say 3 sessions, which would do the world for you as you would set a new benchmark for yourself, get loads of new exercises to do and will mark a turning point in your goal to be super sexy.

Sign 6 – You End A Workout In The Same Physical State You Started It

If you’re someone who goes through the motions and finishes your workout in the same physical state as when you started, it’s time to have a think about why. What are the reasons you’re not pushing yourself. Are you afraid of your body overheating – that can be quite normal but let your body tell you when it’s time to stop. The next time you workout, imagine there’s a Biggest Loser trainer shouting in your ear, then act on that. If you always go to your pace, I can guarantee, you’ll never get the body you want. Sprint like a dog, lift like a forklift truck and give your all.

Remember, change comes when you make a change, so rather than putting off making that change tomorrow, or in the new year or on a monday, do it today. There’s no need to wait. Those who wait normally don’t end up with the results, it’s the same as the ‘one day I’ll’ syndrome. ‘One day’ i’ll sign up to a gym or download a new workout plan’.

Simon’s ‘Ramp It Up’ Recommendations

Here’s a number of web sites I can definately recommend to ramp up your game. Have a look through, pick one and get going, or alternatively sign up with a personal trainer – either way you can use The Lunch Box Diet with any of the following plans for awesome results. Whatever you do, don’t ignore what you know deep down needs to change to get the result you need right now.

Flavillcious Fitness – Flavia is awesome, check out the blog post here with a full interview of very cool fitness tips for women

Bodyrox TV – This is a great web site for workouts and exercises.

Truth About Abs – My friend Mike Geary’s plan is one of the best around, not to be missed

Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer - Met Jaime recently in Austin, Texas. Famous cover model with a an awesome personality and training plan to match.

Turbulence Training – Craig Ballantyne’s highly respected and powerful system strips bodyfat fast.

So, as you are heading to the gym today, stop and think about your workout. The big big question is, are you really challenging yourself? Are you putting in your all? If you think that your workout has hit a plateau then perhaps you are making one of the deadly mistakes. Think about what you can do to change things up and find a whole new way of working out!

We all know that we need to focus on fitness in our lives, but we may not know exactly how to make that happen. So many of us have a whole list of excuses as to why we aren’t working out regularly. Sure we’re all busy and don’t have much time, we may have injuries, we may have valid reasons as to why we haven’t been exercising, or are they excuses? You can decide on that one!

But where there’s a will there’s a way and therefore you need to make your fitness your priority. If you want to be successful in your efforts then be sure that you don’t fall into one of the six deadly fitness sins, and here they are in black and white for you to see…

Simon’s Fitness Sin 1 – Not Challenging Yourself
Not challenging yourself enough. If you are “going through the motions” at the gym then you’re totally wasting your time. Just working out isn’t enough as you need to push yourself harder. Taking on more reps, more sets, more weight, or trying new and more challenging activities is what it’s all about. If you’re just going through the motions then you may as well stay home as you are not going to get results this way. Improve on your personal best and you will be your personal best!

Simon’s Fitness Sin 2 – Wrong Technique
Not learning proper form or technique. Many people try to figure out the right way to do the weight machines or how they are supposed to hold free weights on their own. This is a big mistake! If you don’t learn from an experienced individual or a personal trainer then you may be doing the exercises incorrectly. Not only will this ensure that you don’t get results, but it will also make you far more likely to get injuries as well.

Simon’s Fitness Sin 3 – Going Too Fast
Rushing through your workout and not taking the time to focus. Along with proper form and technique comes the notion that if you want to get results you need to take your time. You may be on a limited amount of time at the gym but you want to make every second count. Therefore taking your time with each rep, with each movement, with each exercise will ensure that you are focused. If you can feel each muscle as you move it then you are doing it right and you will see the results!

Simon’s Fitness Sin 4 – No Routine
Not getting into a routine with enough workouts per week. If you are truly serious about fitness then you absolutely must make it a priority. You need to set aside time each week that is dedicated to exercise. You need to find the time and ensure that you are getting no less than 5-6 workout sessions each week for results. Anything less means that you are not dedicating the proper time to it and you are going to be disappointed when aren’t getting the results that you are after.

Simon’s Fitness Sin 5 – Ignoring Weights Cause You’ll Look Like Arnold Schwarzenegger
Not incorporating strength training into your workouts is a major sin. You absolutely must be doing strength training as the muscle will help to get rid of that unwanted fat around your key problem areas. Weight lifting will also help you to build muscle and that speeds up your metabolism and also helps you to burn more calories. A good well balanced workout incorporates this also so you burn calories when you leave the gym not just when you’re in it!

Simon’s Fitness Sin 6 – Stopping At The Difficult Bit!
Not burning enough calories or pushing through when it feels too difficult. Again if you are not pushing yourself hard enough then you will not see results. You need to be pushing past the point where you feel like you can’t do it anymore. You need to be burning more calories than you are consuming if you want to lose weight. This is the only way to guarantee success so focus on it!

If you want to guarantee yourself weight loss or muscle building results then you must avoid these mistakes at all costs. They are common and we’ve all made them at some point but for success you want to learn from them and make sure that you are performing exercise that will work for you each and every time.

How do you know if you are falling victim to one of these mistakes?

1. You have hit a plateau. You are either finding no luck with the scales or are stuck in a rut with your workouts. If you find that your results have hit the wall then it’s time to change things up!
2. You are getting bored with your workouts. If you find that hitting the gym has lost its luster then it’s time to change it up. You either aren’t incorporating both cardio and weight training or aren’t challenging yourself enough. Change it up and keep it interesting!
3. You are feeling sore but in a different way. If you aren’t practicing good form then you need to get back to basics. You never want to get injured so take your time and work through your workout with precision and attention to detail. Make your workout work for you!

How’s your fitness going? What exercise is most fun for you? Please let me know in the comments below!

Check out This Special Halloween Promotion!

I hope that you find the article useful. I’ve decide to bundle a few of my most popular fitness products in a special Halloween ‘Fatacular’ promotion that you can jump in on by clicking here - but beware it’s ending soon, so grab it while you can!

Thanks for those of you who suggested some things to do on the facebook page

One of the events I’m going to is a fitness event with the leading experts in America & Canada, I’m really excited about my little tour. Somebody who went last year is Flavia Del Monte, a real inspiration to anyone who wants to get in shape!

Something that I will be doing more of over the next few months will be interviews with other experts and I’m pleased to kick it off this month with the first of a great series. This is quite simply a must listen to interview. It’s about 40 minutes, but jam packed full of awesome content! It will give you loads of great information to help you get the body you want, as well as ultimate motivation. I’d really love to hear your comments in the box under this post. Has it got you motivated?

In the interview Flavia reveals…

• The best way of combining exercises for women
• Her secrets to a flat stomach
• What mix of cardio & weights should you be doing?
• How often do you need to train to get ‘Flavia Fit’
• Plus much much, much more

Can I just say, sorry for the little buzzes during the interview. I blame Skype! Anyway, enjoy!

Please use the player below or click here to download to your computer (right click ‘save as’)

Interested in Flavia’s Fitness System?

Simon Lovell:  OK. So hi everyone. It’s Simon Lovell here and I’m very pleased to have on the call today, Flavia DelMonte, all the way from Canada. She’s a registered nurse, certified nutritionist, and certified personal trainer and also has her Fullbodylicious Workout, and is contributor to “Fit and Firm” magazine. Is that over there, Flavia, in Canada, that magazine?

Flavia DelMonte:  It’s actually in America.

Simon:  OK. Fantastic. Well welcome and thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge with everyone. It’s going to be fantastic. First of all I just wanted to kick off by asking you when did you start getting fit and healthy?

Flavia:  First of all thank you for having me on the call today. So, back in 2004 I was my heaviest at about 28 percent body fat. This is after graduating nursing school and obtaining a full‑time career that involved 12 hour shifts. In my childhood growing up I did a lot of sports so I was quite active.

But once I started nursing school all that went out the window. I had to study all the time and I just didn’t make the time to look after myself. So after graduating I realized I was what you call “skinny fat” and I needed to make some changes.

So, I hired a personal trainer back in 2004 who taught me how to do resistance training so he taught me the basics of that. And since then I’ve just been really trying to learn about different exercises and nutrition and it wasn’t until last year that I actually started studying nutrition, I got certified and that’s when my body really started to shape up.

Simon:  So when for you came the turning point in terms of style and training, and getting hooked. So I think everyone’s different, aren’t they?

Flavia:  Yeah, definitely. I would hope whether weights resistance training just because I had seen such a dramatic change in my body. But I think it didn’t really happen until a couple of years ago when I actually started to love the training and started to understand the correlation between nutrition and working out.

A lot of times I would just work out just to stay thin and now it’s completely different and it’s a lifestyle change and I don’t look at it as wanting to be thin. I wanted to be athletic looking and have curves on my body and so I would say in the last two years I’ve really made a turn for the better in terms of my health and fitness.

Simon:  Did you have a mentor yourself have interest or did you aspire to be a certain type of figure? Someone in the media?

Flavia:  Tricky question. No, I didn’t really have a mentor. It would have been a lot shorter road if I did. I definitely regret it. It wasn’t until I met my husband who has always had a mentor. I then realized that having a mentor is definitely a lot less painful.

And my nutrition mentor would be John Baradi, Dr. John Baradi, and I took his nutrition course just last year. In terms of the the body that I wanted, I actually would look at fitness magazines and look at the athletic type looking girls in the magazine. That’s always what I wanted to look like. I didn’t want to look skinny or lethargic. I wanted that fit athletic look.

Simon:  So after doing all of your training and gaining all your knowledge that you’ve got, what’s your opinion now of healthy living? How would you sum it up?

Flavia:  I think it’s definitely a balance between your mind, your body and your spirit. I won’t get too profound but I think a balance of all those things definitely contribute to your health. But in terms of your body I think eating foods that improve your performance, improve your health and your body composition and eating foods that control energy balance is what is important food wise.

Eating nutrient dense foods, making sure that the foods that you eat contribute positively to your health and well being. And then in terms of physical fitness I think a healthy way of living would be five hours of activity per week involving high intensity exercises and cardiovascular exercises for conditioning, keeping your heart healthy. So, in terms of your body, your mind and your spirit maintaining good relationships is just as important as your physical health.

Simon:  Excellent. That’s a great answer. What would you say is the number one mistake that females make when they’re working out and maybe, were you making the same mistakes?

Flavia:  Yeah, absolutely. I would go to the gym and not train too hard. I would lift heavy weight and I just wouldn’t keep my heart rate up the entire time and I think that many women don’t work out hard enough.

There’s always a fear mindset behind it. “I don’t want to push myself too much because what if I don’t feel good? What if I’m sweating too much?” I don’t know what the fear was but I think that women just don’t work out hard enough. The number one mistake would be, I think, isolation movements. A lot of females do isolation movements that are for building muscle but they’re not burning fat in the same workout.

Simon:  Can you just explain for those listening what an isolation movement is?

Flavia:  Sure. So it would be a bicep curl for instance, which I do have in my program. But going into the gym and just doing 15 reps of bicep curls and then moving onto the next exercise. Your heart rate is not going to go up. It’s just going to really target that muscle and you’re not burning fat from the entire body when you’re just doing a bicep curl.

Simon:  Definitely. And also there’s the big cardio mistakes as well, isn’t there? Sticking to the cardio machines too much.

Flavia:  Yes, absolutely. A lot of women definitely do cardiovascular movements. Only they go in and they run for miles and miles and I have done that in the past. Whenever I wanted to lose weight I would just tie on my running shoes and would run for miles and miles and miles and that helped. But your body will adapt to that so quickly and you’ll stop losing the weight.

Anything that you do in the beginning will work because it’s something different and your body is not used to it, so your body reacts to it but keeping, maintaining the same thing over and over again you’ll just end up looking the same. And if you don’t work out with weights you’re also never going to get that nice defined, chiseled, athletic look.

Simon:  Absolutely. I find that a lot of times when I have a consultation with a client and I’d say we’re going to be doing weight based training. They look at me and go, “Well I don’t want to get muscles of the guys that are over there.” What would you say to your clients when they ask similar questions?

Flavia:  Right, yes. Even my friends do and I’d laugh and say do I look like a man? Women have so much less testosterone than a man and in order for us to bulk up we would have to purposely be doing bulking things. For instance, injecting steroids. You would have to eat so many calories and even then it would be so hard to bulk up naturally for a female.

I think that women that bulk up are genetically changing their hormones, they’re purposely doing bulking things in order to gain the muscle. Because an average person, it’s hard for a man to actually build muscles, so how much harder that for a woman who has fourth of the testosterone than a male does in his body.

Simon:  Something I say to my clients is you wouldn’t expect to get into a car and know how to drive it straight away. And just as much as exercising, you need to be able to learn the proper exercises and the right combinations to get the result that you want.

Flavia:  Yes, absolutely.

Simon:  Now, we’ve been talking about obviously, being in the gym environment or working out at home. But what would you say to someone who is lacking in confidence to even go to a gym? Because I think a lot of people, maybe they’re starting a new kind of healthy eating plan but just can’t seem to get motivated. They’re feeling conscious about their body and they just can’t pluck up the courage.

Flavia:  Yeah. I think what you just said about learning how to drive, that would be a really good analogy. You have to start somewhere for everything and I would say that the only person that suffered by not going is you. You’re not serving yourself by neglecting, going to the the gym because of fear. You have to learn these things, you have to start at ground zero.

And when you first get started but you’ll learn so quickly and you’d be amazed at how much you really learned. And one thing that I would advise is to have somebody show you how to use the equipment properly, so that you’re not going in and injuring yourself. And I started working‑out at an all woman’s facility because I was fearful of doing the wrong thing.

And actually the reason that I switched is because these women I think, all felt the exact same way as me because there wasn’t anybody’s body in there that I wanted. So I thought I need to go somewhere where people are in the gym for a purpose and the purpose is to transform their bodies.

So, after I switched I hired a trainer so that he would show me how to do everything and it makes a big difference and you learn so fast and it’s so much better.

Simon:  Definitely. And the same, once you do gain that knowledge that you could just have so much more accelerated progress.

Flavia:  Yeah, for sure. Hiring a mentor like a personal trainer is a great way to start, or even if somebody that works there that can just show you how to use the different machines.

Simon:  It’s just getting over that mental block, isn’t it? And just saying after a couple of sessions you’re going to wonder why you waited so long.

Flavia:  Absolutely. And I even struggled trying new things for years and thinking, “Oh, what if I do this and some guy is going to look at me and think, ‘What are you doing?’” And then I thought to myself that I’m just hurting myself because when I see somebody doing something different, I think, “Oh that is so cool. So I wonder how that person learned that?”

And to be honest, even if you do make mistakes, people will probably look at you and think, “Wow! That’s really cool.” not everybody knows how to do the right things. Experimenting in any situation is the way that you’re going to get the best results. So I think experimenting in your workout is the only way that you’re going to grow.

Simon:  And step out of your comfort zone.

Flavia:  Absolutely.

Simon:  What do you find the best way to track progress, because I see people time and time again and they go on these scales every time they’re in the gym and it’s not the best way to not only track your progress but stay motivated, is it?

Flavia:  No, it definitely isn’t. And I do weigh myself on a scale every week on a scale, but the more important thing to do is to measure with a measuring tape, you measure your arms, your chest, your hips, your stomach and your legs. Or using skin calipers. That’s the only true way that you’re going to find if you are gaining muscle and losing fat.

And what I’ve seen in some of my clients is that the scale hasn’t moved, but they tell me that their clothes are falling off of them. They’re so frustrated about the scale not moving, and I think to myself, “My gosh, you’re saying that your clothes are fitting looser, you’re looking better, so why would you worry about the scale?” I think that society has just put such a huge focus on bringing that scale down.

I had another interview this morning, and I was saying the exact same thing, a couple days ago I was working out and I hadn’t seen this friend for a couple years, and they said to me, “Oh my goodness, you’ve really leaned down.” And I thought that was funny, because my weight hadn’t really changed in the last two years. It fluctuates by a few pounds here and there, but what really changed is the percentage of body fat. So I went from two years ago, at 19 percent body fat, to now, I’m comfortable at 15 percent body fat. The scale hasn’t moved, but I look a heck of a lot better now with lean muscle mass and not a lot of fat.

Simon:  Definitely. And I think you’re right in terms of going for the skin calipers or just a waist measurement for starting off, but try and stay away from becoming a slave to the scales. You’ve gone from being in not that great shape, to getting in the gym environment, and then deciding to become a personal trainer and getting your nutrition, but now you’ve got yourself to a certain level, how do you stay disciplined?

Flavia:  That’s a great question. It’s not every day that I wake up and I’m so enthusiastic about working out and the days when I’m not motivated, I remember how lucky I am that I’m fortunate enough to able to go to the gym and to eat healthy meals. As a nurse I’ve seen a lot of heartaches, and people that aren’t as fortunate as I am. So I really look at my body like a blessing, and being able to do something healthy for my body is what I’m thankful of.

I think about it as, you definitely, always brush your teeth, it’s just a routine, it’s a habit. For me, now, going to the gym is a habit, it’s part of my everyday routine, and I believe that replacing old habits for new habits is the only way that you’re going to change a lifestyle. I think that changing your way of thinking of fitness to a part of your everyday routine is the only way that you’re going to stay disciplined, and stay fit for the remainder of your life.

Simon:  Definitely. How do you go about changing your eating habits, from something like a cream cake as being something you’d normally eat, to now something more healthy? I think a lot of people find it hard to make that switch, don’t they?

Flavia:  Yeah, for sure. At the beginning I would look at it in terms of losing weight, so what foods are going to help me lose weight. And that’s fine, that’s definitely a place to start, but now I look at food very differently, I think that knowing what food does to your body, and the reason that we even need to eat, and knowing all of the details are important. You need to choose a proper food, so after studying nutrition I realized what certain foods did to my body in a positive way, and I just think that I don’t want to damage myself by putting in refined sugars, because I can see now the stress that that causes on so many different parts of my body.

So I try to look at food as not something that’s satisfying me, but as something that’s making me healthier and that’s improving my body composition. Every time I go to the fridge I think that now I have a opportunity to make myself healthier and look better. And I never regret my decisions, I never regret eating, say, a plate of broccoli, but I definitely regret eating donuts. And the same thing goes with fitness. I never regret going to the gym, but I certainly regret not going. So it’s something positive for your body. You’ll never regret it.

Simon:  That’s a fantastic tip. What are your tips for overcoming a plateau? For those who don’t know, a plateau is when you’ve been training for a while, but now you’re doing the same training but not getting the results that you want. So how do you overcome those?

Flavia:  Always challenging yourself. Pushing your body to uncomfortable heights, getting out of your comfort zone. You’ll be huffing and puffing, not to the point of injuring yourself of course, but every week challenge yourself in some way. You can add weights, you can add repetition, you can jump higher, add another exercise on one or more of your workout days, and do something different. Go for a run up some stairs, or pick a trail and go run on it, a different trail this time. Just getting out of your comfort zone will definitely help you.

Simon:  Yeah, that’s a fantastic tip. How would you advise women to spice up their workouts?

Flavia:  I would say just mixing up all sorts of different exercises. Using plyos (plyometrics), doing boot camps, keeping everything exciting. I love working out in circuits and switching them up, doing different exercises, that’s going to keep it stimulating and exciting, but also, knowing the science behind why you’re choosing those exercises is really important. Having fun and experimenting, using upper and lower body movements within a workout is extremely effective, so for an example it would be a squat with a row. That will really spice up a workout, doing a lot of upper and lower body movements. You’re gonna burn a lot of fat.

Simon:  If you’re finding something boring, you’ve really got to change it, haven’t you. Is there anything that you would advise against when working out, maybe typical things that you see a lot of?

Flavia:  Good question. I see a lot of people not concentrating on what they’re doing, they’re focusing on people walking around, they’re focusing on other members in the gym. You really have to focus on what you’re doing, and keep your mind on your muscle, really paying attention as to what you’re trying to achieve.

Simon:  I think many people have a mismatch between the training they’re doing, and the results they want. For example, they’ll be wanting to lose weight, and then they’ll be doing a single leg stand on a BOSU, with some bicep curls.

Flavia:  Yeah, I think understanding why you’re doing which exercises is vital. You can’t just go in and think, “OK, I’m going to do some shoulder raises and some bicep curls and tricep press‑downs,” and not really understand why am I combining those three exercises on this day, or which one should I do first, and not understanding the dynamics behind them.

Simon:  Definitely. Now, the readers of my newsletter will have seen the picture of you, and I’m sure a lot of them are going to be wondering how do you get such fantastic abdominals, and what’s your secret?

Flavia:  A smart diet, of course, but I think that there’s more to it than that. If you’re eating clean, you’re definitely going to have a flat stomach, but I treat my abdominal muscles as any other muscle. You need to build them in order for them to pop out. This is something that I’ve actually just started doing in January, I started training a lot of abdominals, I put in abs every single day that I work out, I incorporate them into my weight training days and into my cardio days, I sometimes use them as a warm‑up or a cool‑down. I just hit them hard and I hit them often. I find that using a stability ball is incredibly challenging, and it activates so many muscles in your core, strengthens them. I think that’s a secret weapon, the stability ball. Ooh, I should come up with something like that.

Simon:  Definitely.

Simon:  I want to talk about Flavilicious Fitness, but first we’ve got some questions from the Lunchbox Diet fan page at facebook.com/lunchboxdiet, the first of which comes from Mel, and she asks how often do you train to be that fit, and what is your favorite workout?

Flavia:  OK, this is going to be different for everybody, but let’s do what I was doing to get down to 13 percent body fat. So, I went from 18 percent body fat to 13 percent body fat, and what I did was I worked out five days a week with weights, and I did four days of cardio, three high‑intensity training and one long cardio, so I would go for a run. Now, 13 percent I don’t maintain at, because it’s not really that healthy, so I’m at about 15 percent fat, and that’s where I’d like to stay.

So I would do about five days of weight‑training, so my weight‑training stays the same, and I can cut back on my cardio, so some weeks I might add some cardio to, say, three of my weight‑training days, sometimes I’ll go for a run in the morning, but it really depends where you’re starting. I think that doing five hours of challenging activity a week is vital. Another thing is that my weight‑training routines aren’t just weight‑training, I’m doing plyo movements, I’m doing burpees, I’m doing jumps, while I’m doing moderate weights as well, so that’s really going to activate my fat‑burning zone, and keep me burning fat a lot longer than your typical workouts.

Simon:  A lot of people will be thinking, five days a week, they don’t have the time, a question for you is what would you say to people who say they’ve got little time to train, and also if they did have only, say, three days a week to train, would you then alter the training around that?

Flavia:  Yeah, if somebody came to me and said they didn’t have time to train, that to me means that their body’s not important enough to them, and I’d have to say that your health should be one of your most important assets, because you do put your family and everything first, but if you don’t have your health, then what do you have, and if you don’t do something for yourself, no one is.

And looking after your health is so important, especially if you have kids. I know lot of times moms say that they don’t have time because of their kids but you’re not doing [audio interruption 26.04] by not working out but three days a week is better than none. One day a week is better than none. So, start somewhere, absolutely. I can understand why people don’t start with five days a week for sure 100 percent, so start with as many days as you can.

Simon:  And build up. Laura asks, “What makes a resistance in cardio per week would we be doing? Also I ‘m just getting back into resistance after about six months and Hubby and I are debating about the best approach for getting fit and toned. I’m opting for a total body workout every resistance session changing the exercise routine every day for three days and repeating. Hubby reckons that split routines are the way to go. Any thoughts?”

Flavia:  Yes. I wouldn’t say there is a set amount of time that you have to spend doing cardio and doing resistance training. That really depends on your goal.

What I will recommend is that you really train hard on the days that you do train and that you incorporate one long cardio day. So you can go for a run or something like that, just to keep your conditioning going. But that you also incorporate a couple of days, at least two days of high intensity integral training that’s really going to psyche up your metabolism and keep you in a fat burning zone.

And with that said with resistance training definitely is very important too and from I said from earlier, I do five days of a mix between cardio and high intensity training and moderate amount of weights so it really depends on what you have time for, what your goals are, where you’re starting, but I think it’s important to make sure that you [audio interruption 28.05] into an exercise routine.

Simon:  That’s a great answer.

Flavia:  I hope that answers it.

Simon:  Yeah. Definitely. Claire asks, “What exercise is the quickest way to lose midriff excess fat. I’m getting married in twelve weeks and even though I’m losing weight on the lunchbox diet I still can’t shift this tire.” That’s quite common isn’t it?

Flavia:  Yeah. Absolutely. High intensity, again you have to have all three elements into your workout There’s no trick, there’s no potion, there’s no easy equation. It’s just that you have to have high intensity training, you have to have resistance training and you have to have cardiovascular training. But again, I would stress that making sure that you’re working out hard when you workout, making sure that your heart rate stays elevated, making sure that you’re doing upper and lower body movements, things like that. Plyo metrics but making sure that you gain a good amount of weight so that you are gaining muscle as well as losing fat.

Simon:  Excellent. Becks asks, “My mum needs to lose weight but she has a long term injury to her foot. If she doesn’t lose weight I fear she may end up in a wheel chair as it’s gradually making her injury worst. We have little will power… We have what little will power,” Sorry. “What’s the best exercise for her to burn fat quickly without straining her foot to the point that she cannot walk for the rest of the day?”

Flavia:  Well first, it’s hard for me to answer because I don’t know what kind of injury she’s suffering from, but the best exercises for burning the most calories are things like squats and lunges, so you’re activating some very large muscle groups. There’s my answer, focus on working large muscle groups which will burn the most amount of fat. Squats, lunges, push‑ups, things that are going to activate your large muscle group. And maybe get it looked at so that you’re understanding of what your limitations are.

Simon:  Yeah. And I just like to add in there as well, as you get older it’s even more important to do resistance based training isn’t it?

Flavia:  Yeah. Absolutely. There are so many benefits resistance training and a lot of people say that as they age their metabolism slows down. But as they age but they’re also losing muscle mass because they’re not as active as they used to be.

Simon:  Definitely. Adel has asked four questions so I’ve decided to pick one of them. “What are the best exercises for shoulders?”

Flavia:  OK so the best for arms I would say is working your shoulders. I think a pair of shapely shoulders makes your arms look nice and thick. And there isn’t just one single one. I would say a lot of lateral raises and work as well as rear delt slides.

Simon:  Excellent. Nicole asks, “What’s the best cardio to do when you suffer with knee pain. I love boxing but all the pivots are tough on my knees?”

Flavia:  Again, that’s hard to say because I don’t know the injury. Cardio? I find sprinting is very hard on the legs and sometimes I have to actually do cardio indoors just because I get shin splints if I do interval training outside regarding sprinting. So, I don’t know if you have them in Europe but here in Canada and the U.S. we have these incline elliptical machines, and actually really, really comfortable for your knees. You don’t put a lot of pressure on them. And you can actually do intervals on them, which is great.

But it’s a hard question because I don’t really know how bad the injury is. I could say bike riding but sometimes bike riding makes it even worse. So just find something that… And you know what?

A physiotherapist is great for answering these because they can actually look at the injury and tell you what’s going to make it worse than what’s going to make it better. A lot of times you just need to strengthen some muscles around there and your knees will actually be a lot better.

Simon:  Well, those are the last of the questions. Well I’m going to throw in a last one. We’ve also talked a lot about working out in the gym, if you could pick two bits of equipment for a home what would be your first choices on a budget?

Flavia:  On a budget? I have a home gym version of my program and you don’t need much equipment. Well we have weights, stability ball, and a resistance rope. But if I had to pick two it would be the stability ball and a resistance rope. The resistance rope you can have one, actually have the water resistance so it’s almost like you’re lifting weights. And even stability ball engages so many postural muscles, it engages all your stability muscles and it’s quite challenging.

So, I would say stability ball is a secret weapon and your resistance rope you can use for instead of your weights. You can do some crazy things. You can put it in the crack of your door and do some lap pull downs. So yeah, you have to be creative but those would be my two of choice and they’re both very, very cheap.

Simon:  Excellent. Obviously got your workout program, tell us more about that…

Flavia:  Sure. It’s a fast paced and progressively challenging five day a week program. It focuses on increasing muscle definition and shape, but a huge emphasis is put on eliminating body fat. It is hardcore, it’s serious. And it’s for those who want to raise the bar.

So it’s not for people who just like to go in the gym and not sweat, it’s tough. But if you follow it you get a fit, firm, and flawless figure. So my tag line is, “a female formula for a flawless figure,” whatever flawless means to you. And not necessarily my figure might not be flawless to you.

And it’s five days a week I have a gym version and I have a home version. Day one focuses on tight and trim thighs, day two is show off stomach. In day two we do a lot of high intensity moves with a lot of abdominal work. Day three is a booty booster. You’re going to hit all three major muscles of the butt.

Day four is sleek and shapely shoulders; so this shows the importance of how a defined pair of shoulders makes your hour glass figure really pops, really stand out. And the last day is beautiful back surprise, so we work on the hamstrings and the back and all the muscles that are important for our posture. Flavilicious Fitness really focuses on a female physique, so we target areas that are going to give the illusion of narrowing and we’re going to target areas that most women have problems with. It’s great. I’m having some really great results and you won’t find anything like it out there because I created a lot of the workouts myself.

Simon:  Talking about results, obviously it’s going to differ depending on the weight and the level and how much effort they put in, but what kind of results are you getting?

Flavia:  I’m getting really wonderful results actually. I’ve had a lot of women tell me that they have tried every diet and workout plan and they have not gotten results like this. Or seeing… The typical weight‑loss would be about two pounds per week which is where I want to keep it, because I don’t want people to drop way too fast.

Because that means that they’re dropping muscle as well as fat. So, I’m trying to maintain and or build muscle mass while losing fat. I have a fan page on Facebook too, so if you want to jump on that, Flavilicious Fitness, and you can actually look at what the women are talking about.

Simon:  Great. Well if today’s listening, if you want to get involved in Flavia’s excellent program and there’s a link on this page to get access. And I just want to say thanks, Flavia, you’ve provided some fantastic information and I know a lot of women are going to resonate with your kind of story and also hopefully take it to a new level because it’s all about raising the bar, isn’t it? And just setting new heights for yourself.

Flavia:  Absolutely.

Simon:  Well thanks for spending the time again and all the way from Canada and hopefully you’ll join us for another call in feature?

Flavia:  Yeah, absolutely. I’d love to. Thanks for having me.

Interviewer:  Take care and I’ll speak to you soon.

Flavia:  OK, bye.

There are certain foods that you must eat if you want to outperform your sporting competitors. To get the most from your exercising regime and build up your muscles and strength, you need to supply your body with a rich source of protein.

The times you eat at are also important for ensuring top performance. On the day of a game or event, you should eat about 2 hours before it starts. This gives your body a good amount of time to digest the food. Your meal should eat a low-fat meal rich in protein and carbohydrates.

If stamina is important in your sport, make sure to eat a lot of carbohydrates 2 or 3 days before you compete. By doing this, there will be more carbohydrate stored in your muscles, which will give you more endurance while your are competing.

How you treat your body after  competing is just as important as how you prepare. After competing and sweating, you need to replace the depleted salts and minerals that your body loses. You can do this with your regular meals, glucose or lime juice. Also be sure to drink plenty of water to rehydrate. Lack of hydration can leave you vulnerable to cramping.

Here are some recommended sources of nutrients that sportsmen should include lots of in their diets:

• Bright vegetables such as spinach, pepper and carrots are a good source of minerals and vitamins.
• Milk is very good as it provides a lot of calcium
• Leafy green vegetables, tuna and chicken are a good source of Iron
• Protein-rich foods include chicken, fish, nuts and soy products
• For carbohydrates, pasta and wheat are essential
• Drink around a cup for water for every thirty minutes worth of exercise to stay hydrated

Technical ability and exercise are obviously vital aspects of excelling at sports, but do not neglect your diet. If you eat well, then all your exercise routines will be much more effective and your performance will be at its very best.

The Lunch Box Diet is perfect for exercise and sports because you’re not eating big meals that would fill you up and slow you down and its ‘Active Carb’ element can be adjusted to your particular needs.

You’ll notice that there’s no expensive cardio equipment in this list. No treadmills, bikes, or x-trainers. Instead I’ve gone for more affordable kit that you can take on the move, whether you go on holiday or away for the weekend.

Now let’s remember that building muscle is an essential part of your weight loss efforts. Muscle burns fat and increases your metabolism. Using your own bodyweight is by far the best way to generate muscle and also increase your overall strength. As we get older, our muscle starts to deplete, so it’s important to keep building muscle. Girls, don’t worry about getting huge muscles like a bodybuilder, this is more about building a sexy physique that will look good when you’re wearing that party dress or want to slip into those designer jeans and show off your firm bum.

With this in mind, my top choice for this roundup is the fantastic…

TRX

If I was stuck on a dessert island and I could have only once bit of exercise kit, this would be it. I’ve used this with my clients time and time again and it’s great because it can be used in the gym or at home. You use your own body weight and position yourself to add or decrease resistance and it works the entire body. Where you would normally do dumbbell presses to work your chest area, you can perform body weight presses on the TRX. Where you’d normally use a seated row machine to work your upper back and get a great shape, you can use the TRX to perform body weight rows. The same goes for legs, arms, abs and every other body part. Set it up on a tree, a door frame and you have a complete home gym.

You’ll see lots and lots of trainers now using these in gyms with their clients, but now the trend is moving towards using the device at home and it’s no wonder why.

Here’s a great video I found of how you can use the TRX to tone up…

Click here to buy the TRX

Kettlebells

These have been around for a little while now and and I first started using them in my fitness bootcamps when I was in Exeter. They’ve been heavily showcased on shows like the Biggest Loser. When used properly and you push yourself with them, these can strip fat like nobodies business – seriously! Imagine using a dumbbell but swinging it around. Well the Kettlebell uses that principle and in doing so gives you an awesome cardio and strength based workout all in one. They originally started in Russia and then were used as training tools for martial artists. Again, the best personal trainers are using these, and there’s no reason why you can’t get yourself one or two and start implementing them. I’d recommend that females start off with either an 8kg or 12kg kettlebell and guys, between 12kg and 18kg. It completely depends on what exercise you’re doing, but for the standard ‘swing’ movement to get you going, that’s what you want.

While not quite as portable as the TRX as they’re a lot heavier, you can still tuck these away nicely at home or put them in the boot of your car. Great for using outside in the garden and as part of a mini circuit based workout. I’ve also included a link to a great Kettlebell workout programme below as well as the recommended product.

Click here to buy a 8KG Kettlebell

Click here to buy a 12lbs Kettlebell

Click here for a great Kettlebell Training Programme

The Bosu (Both Sides Up)

Despite looking like a breast implant, this clever invention will help you to increase your core strength as well as giving you a new platform to perform cardio exercise. It’s one of those that you need to get creative with and can lend itself to many moves once you get used to it. In fact, it can lend itself almost anything. By having it flat side down, you’re presented with a wobbly surface so you are forced to keep yourself steady and if you flip it over, it becomes even more unsteady, forcing your body to work even harder. Fantastic for the tummy!

In fact, put together five or six exercise out of the plethora available and you’ve got yourself a mean circuit session worthy of anybody’s attention. You can use it on its own with yout bodyweight or combine it with weights. A worthwhile investment, sturdy, portable and fun.

Click here to buy the Bosu

The Ab Wheel

Ditch your ab cruncher and invest in this cost effective way to trim your waistline. But let’s make it clear, YOU MUST EAT PROPERLY in order to get a lean stomach. Don’t even think about buying this unless you’re going to get your nutrition right with The Lunch Box Diet first or the few quid that you will spend on this won’t work.

Okay, so pep talk over with. I like this because it’s simple, cheap and it really works. You simply grab the handles of the ab wheel and they roll it out so you’re using your core strength to keep yourself up. Perform just a few reps and you’ll instantly feel the effect on your tummy and lower back as it kicks into overdrive. Great as a portable ab friend and something that’s great as a gift (if you happen to think the person you’re giving it to will appreciate the fact you’re telling them you want to get a slim body!)

Click here to buy the AB roller

The ViPR

This is the new kid on the block and has getting a lot of media attention lately. It combines strength training with function training. Like the kettlebell, it’s more about the swinging motion as you push, drop and move it around in a constant motion to keep your heart rate elevated and your muscles engaged. It’s the perfect size to stand behind your bedroom door and if you have a small amount of space to play with or an entire garden you’ll really see great results if you use it to it’s full potential.

For beginners, start off with an 8kg ViPR and move up as you get used to the exercise and your muscles get used to the demands. This really is a whole body workout like the Kettlebell and TRX.

This is a great video showcasing the ViPR…

Click here to buy a 8kg ViPR

Click here to buy a 12kg ViPR

Click here to buy a 16kg ViPR

Head to www.beginnersrunningguide.co.uk for more information.