Weight Loss: Lean or Fat? ... Be Patient

One of the most common reasons people join a gym is to lose weight. I have spoken about fad dieting and the media / fashion industry (pressure to be sickly and stick thin) before so wont dwell on my feeling toward that too much here. What I do want to focus on is the process and resulting psychology of weight loss.

When clients, friends and family ask me how to lose weight they look disbelieving and dejected at me when I say you should aim to loose between 1-2lbs per week. They expect (because media and fads dictates) to lose 7 or 8 lbs per week. It rarely works like that in truth. Rapid weight loss is routinely followed by rapid weight gain. I strongly suggest to them that they exercise patience and trust in the process of losing weight for the long term. Unfortunately many still find it difficult to foresee the end game and therefore become demotivated and depressed. People need to understand that weight is made up of more than just fat therefore rendering overall weight on a set of scales as only partially relevant.

For new exercise beginners, I recommend that for the first four weeks you try to look for some alternative benefits so you can to prove to yourself that you are on the right path.

1.      Clothes feel looser

2.      Feel healthier

3.      Carry yourself better – improved posture and confidence

4.      Look slimmer in mirror, new curves / others people noticing

5.      Heightened alertness and more energetic.

 

Of course everyone is built slightly differently. We all have different genetics, natural abilities, varying fitness levels, different sizes and body compositions so first off DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS! What works for one person may not work for you. For example a person with more body fat to loose, who has never exercised before will likely lose more fat, initially, than an experienced exerciser who is only 7lbs over weight.

If you train 3-4 times per week and eat healthy, natural and organic foods in frequent small doses you will lose weight. Your calorie expenditure will outweigh your calorie intake. You will also increase your muscle mass and therefore metabolism thus burning calories and emptying fat cells more efficiently.

All the while weight comes off people are happy. That’s great but I would like to make it clear that it can take a couple of weeks to kick start so try not to despair!  

When you join a gm or start a vigorous exercise routine your body may initially do two things

1.      Go into a survival mode – Your body panics at the sudden increase in calories being used up and expended. It can actually hold on to fat cells ensuring you don’t run out of your vital fat stores. (it goes back to early hunter gatherer days where we didn’t know where the next food source was coming from) This doesn’t necessarily happen after one workout but more after a dramatic change in lifestyle from sedentary to active. It is important to keep eating and not starve yourself, otherwise apart from making yourself very ill you will encourage your body to heighten its survival mode further, therefore making it even harder to lose weight.

 

2.      Slowly begin toning up. At JW CORE a large proportion of what I teach is full body functional training movements utilising as many muscles, all working together, as possible. This type of training increases healthy lean muscle and promotes strong movement patterns and posture. I am not saying my clients rapidly pack on size but the extra muscle tissue is very dense compared to that of fat…. 3 times as dense.

Many clients, for the first couple of weeks claim they have not lost weight. They feel fitter and look healthier but on the scales they are the same….. Muscle gain will slow down overall weight loss but it will increase BODY FAT loss. All the time we are sitting behind a desk at school or work, we are defying what we are evolved to do and that is living off the land and, moving around. Hence we are atrophying as a species. (loosing bone density, muscle mass, healthy tissue)

 

Continuing from my second point, once you have improved your muscle mass you will naturally burn more calories up, just maintaining the extra muscle volume you have acquired… even when your asleep! Weight loss while you’re sleeping, can’t be bad! You just need to be patient for it to kick in!

Give yourself four weeks for your body to acclimatise to exercise and your healthy eating plan. This time will allow for you to improve your muscle function and mass. Then if you haven’t already, you will begin losing weight.

Remember weight is only one piece of the puzzle. I personally recommend you pay more attention to your shape, how you feel and your clothes sizes and fitting. Get out of the old mentality of weighing yourself every day. Weigh yourself once a week maximum. Give yourself a pat on the back if you have lost 1-2lb. When you repeat that for 6 months and you will have lost 2-3 ½ stones and that is significant. You will have better lean tissue and essentially you will have actually built up a permanent habit / lifestyle, meaning the chance of putting the weight back on is dramatically decreased.

In conclusion

·        Build muscle mass to loose fat.

·        Don’t panic if you haven’t lost weight in the first 4 weeks. See it as your body stabilising so be patient.  

·        Understand the difference between lean weight and body fat weight.

·        Avoid becoming depressed if you haven’t lost weight on the scales – think long term.

·        Look for other improvements and differences rather than depending on scales.

 

I hope you find this article useful.

 

Please visit my other channels where you can find out more.

 

www.jwcorept.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/jwcorefunctionatraining

https://twitter.com/Jamieleeweller?lang=en-gb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFEruBvdAdIHzZObByQipTQ

 

Jamie-lee

JW CORE

An Exercise in Fluidity

Question: What do Roger Federer. Pele and Mohamed Ali all have in common apart from being masters of their chosen sport?

Answer: They all have or had an unrivalled grace and fluidity about their movements.

Another question: How many times have you known Roger Federer to be injured?

Answer: Not many. A smooth, flowing manor allows for a much gentler, body-friendly execution of technique without losing power or accuracy. Take Rafael Nadal. He is one of te greatest tennis players off all time – arguably the greatest, but his high impact approach to the game has caught up with him and before his time. Too many injuries have riddled his body and sadly he is not the player he once was.

Is it mere coincidence that the world’s very greatest athletes in their respective disciplines are also the most fluent moving competitors? They all seem to have pretty long careers too.

Every day, training clients in my gym JW CORE, I endeavour to teach them how to move gracefully. This works very effectively in both gym sessions and martial arts classes. Some clients find it easy but many do not.

 

Teaching points:

Firstly I begin with correct starting posture. Are all the joints in strong alignment?

Secondly I instruct my client to breathe WITH the exercise, utilising all their lung capacity and especially in Martial Arts classes, their stomach. Then I will encourage them to stay relaxed.

Finally I instruct them to move as smoothly as possible maintaining an even pace and balance. Being smooth and graceful is not easy but is always worth aspiring toward. It does not necessarily equate to being slow either. Once my client has mastered the technical aspects of an exercise I will encourage them to inject appropriate pace. For example when lifting weights, be explosive but smooth. When focusing on speed and agility drills try to “glide between / over /around hurdles, cones and ladders” Keep impact to a minimum and reduce wasted movement.  Try to avoid hyper (over) extending muscles and joints especially in an uncontrolled environment.

Personally I think movement is an expression of one’s self and I can often tell a lot about a person’s character from the way they exercise in the gym.

As you exercise, be relaxed, free, smooth and graceful. Like Bruce Lee said. “Be like water my friend”

 

Mental Approach

Instead of focusing on the difficulty of the movement immerse yourself into it. Be at one with your body and the movement pattern. I appreciate it all sounds a bit airy fairy but I truly believe in the benefits if you give yourself over to it.

Take virtuoso guitarists like Eric Clapton and Brian May. Fast, smooth and immersed in what they are doing – expressing themselves through their music in a way unique to them. It’s the same with exercise.

 

Everyone is built differently and will achieve grace in motion to varying degrees with practice. Fluidity in exercise is more of a personal preference than an industry standard. I just like to see people working at it in my gym. I am convinced it is not only conducive to reducing injury but also great for physical and mental wellbeing.

Your approach to exercise is what you want to make of it at the end of the day but if it’s good enough for some of the greatest sports stars of all time is good enough for me and probably you too.

 

On a related side note I have an old friend who also happens to be one of the world’s premiere piano teachers. He shares a similar philosophy in his teachings to great effect. He founded the idea of “Water Pianism” - well worth a look at his website: http://www.danthecomposer.com/

 

Thank you for reading,

 

Please visit my other channels where you can find out more.

 

www.jwcorept.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/jwcorefunctionatraining

https://twitter.com/Jamieleeweller?lang=en-gb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFEruBvdAdIHzZObByQipTQ

 

Jamie-lee

JW CORE

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the most common disease that affects the skeleton. You may also know of it as “brittle bone disease”. It affects the whole body and is characterised by low bone mass (bone density) and deterioration of bone tissue subsequently resulting in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. Osteoporosis affects women and men but is more common in women.

A few scary statistics; In the UK there are approximately three million people with Osteoporosis (10 million in American, with some 34 million more at risk) and it is responsible for 200,000 fractures every year! It affects a whopping 20% of women between 60 and 69 and the most common fractures occur in the hips, wrists and spinal bones. Shockingly, of the 60,000 individuals who suffer osteoporotic hip fractures every year 15% - 20% will die within a year from related causes!

80% of our bone health is in our genetics but there are other factors that can influence our chances of developing osteoporosis. Before explaining a few simple ways to prevent or reverse the effects of Osteoporosis, I would first like to list a few of the lifestyle decisions and choices which can be contributing factors to increasing your risk of developing the disease.

Women

- A hysterectomy before the age of 45
- No menstrual periods for more than six months, due to over exercising or extreme dieting
- Eating disorders such as anorexia

Men

- Corticosteroid medication used for the treatment of asthma and arthritis.
- Alcohol abuse

General

- Physical inactivity or long periods of inactivity such as bed rest
- Heavy drinking and cigarette smoking
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Diet lacking in calcium and vitamin D (get some sun too!)
- Low body mass.

 

I have worked closely in the gym with several clients who suffer from Osteoporosis. I am very pleased to report that through carefully monitored, low impact, functional compound exercise prescription they all reported significant improvements in their strength, well-being and balance (important not to fall over with Osteoporosis). Also of significant note, when checked by their specialists, all my client’s bone density readings had improved (and continued to) resulting in increased bone density.

In preventing and reversing the effects of Osteoporosis it is firstly important to remember that as humans were are designed and built to move about, lifting, pushing, pulling and generally moving objects, and of course ourselves.  The very movements and postures we assume encourage our bones to fulfil their functional and genetic potentials. In other words, weight baring movement based activities stimulate and increase gains in bone density therefore counteracting Osteoporosis.

Exercise prescription and advice

- Regular weight baring exercise 20-40 minutes, 3 days a week (static lunges, squats, press ups)
- Low impact aerobic exercise 3-5 days a week – (Walking, swimming, cycling)
- Free weight training (with supervision) Controlled movements through a large but comfortable plain. 15-20 reps – low to moderate intensity.
- Exercise must be pain free
- Preferably go the gym at quieter times to avoid trip hazards!
- Functional training – replicate life movements that require multi joints and muscles to sync and work together, therefore improving overall body strength, awareness and overall body bone density. (Squat down, pick up a 3-5kg medicine ball, stand up pressing it above your head.- Replicates lifting something up of the floor and putting it into an overhead cupboard)
- Avoid crunches / sit-ups and any rapid trunk twisting.
- Provided you are supervised, safely destabilise your body on some exercises. This works wonders in increasing your balance and encouraging your muscles, joints and nervous system to work harder together, resulting in less chance of future falls and improving bone density.
- To reiterate, please make sure you are supervised by a professional who can instruct you, check your posture and keep you safe.


Dietary recommendations


Calcium


- Dairy i.e. Milk and Yoghurts
- Fortified juices, cereals, and oatmeal
- Beans and legumes
- Dark leafy greens, like broccoli and bok choy
- Salmon and sardines with bones
- Certain nuts, such as almonds

Vitamin D

- Sunshine
- Eggs
- Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and tuna
- Cod liver oil
- Fortified dairy products
- Fortified cereals
- Beef liver
- Fortified orange juice

In summary, if you stay active and eat a well-balanced natural diet you should significantly decrease the risk of Osteoporosis. If you already have it, start following these guidelines and you will be well on your way to an improved quality of life!

Thank you for reading. For further information please visit any of my following channels:

 

WEB: www.jwcorept.co.uk

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jwcorefunctionatraining

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Jamieleeweller?lang=en-gb

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFEruBvdAdIHzZObByQipTQ

 

Jamie-lee Weller


JW CORE

 

Stretching

Two common questions I am asked are: “Should I stretch?” and “When should I stretch?”

Unknowingly they are asking a bit of a loaded question. There are many different forms of stretching, some relatively modern, some more “traditional”.

My routine answer is “Yes you should stretch, but there are certain forms of stretching you should utilise at specific intervals in your workout”

Pre Workout

DON’T static stretch (holding a stretch without moving for 15-30 seconds) at the beginning of a workout.

Most people are taught the importance of warm-up exercises at school, and likely continue with pretty much the same routines in adult life. Science, however, has moved on. The old presumption that holding a static stretch at the beginning of your workout primes your muscles is wrong. It actually weakens them. Think about it; as part of your preparation for a dynamic, possibly explosive workout / training session / sporting event, why would you do the very opposite with your muscles and joints to what will be required of them in a few short minutes?

As a martial artist I am more than aware of the hundreds of clubs around the UK that still adopt this old fashioned static stretching way of warming up (or more accurately cooling down) before engaging in a quite explosive activity.  It is a problem across sport, even in some professional clubs!

In a 2008 study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all. Other studies have found that this stretching decreases muscle strength by as much as 30 percent! Not ideal for gym goers and certainly not for athletes! Stretching one leg’s muscles can also reduce strength in the other leg as well, due to the central nervous system rebelling against the movements. The straining muscle becomes less responsive and stays weakened for up to 30 minutes after stretching, which again  is not how anybody wants to begin their workout. Stretching muscles while moving, on the other hand, a technique known as dynamic stretching or dynamic warm-ups, increases power, flexibility and range of motion. (ROM)  Muscles in motion don’t experience that insidious inhibitory response. 

 

Dynamic Stretching at the beginning of a workout

Yeah Baby!

Effective, safe warm ups should increase body heat, blood flow and loosen your muscles and tendons enabling an increased ROM in your joints. When at rest, there’s less blood supply to muscles and tendons, and they stiffen.

“You need to make tissues and tendons compliant before beginning exercise,” ‘Duane Knudson’ - a professor of kinesiology at California State University.

Dynamic stretching involves repetitively moving a joint or group of joints (whilst keeping the heart rate elevated) in order to increase your ROM and open up your neuromuscular pathways.

Guidelines for dynamic stretching:

• Carry out 8-20 repetitions each movement
• Progressively increase Range of Movement
• Gradually increase speed of motion
• Do not sacrifice good technique for additional ROM

Dynamic stretching is an important physical rehearsal of the movements you are about to undertake in your workout / activity.  It also helps to mentally prepare and motivate you for the workout ahead and also reduces the risk of injury.

Basic dynamic stretches include squats and lunges for the legs, arm drives for the shoulders and stretching the arms out to the side, back and forth for the chest. Athletes should also replicate “match movements” in their dynamic warm up / stretching.

 

Post workout stretching

At the end of a workout I always prescribe static stretches. When you exercise, you increase tension in the muscles which are also in a slightly contracted state. It is always good to take 10- 15 minutes out to calm down physically and try to re-lengthen your muscles slightly. Hold each stretch for approximately 12-15 seconds. Stretches should feel uncomfortable BUT NOT PAINFUL. Never bounce your stretches and always try to maintain a straight back.

Working with several clients who come to me with back, knee, hip, shoulder injuries ect, over the years I have found stretching incredibly useful in reducing tension in surrounding muscle groups and joints which therefore, in turn, alleviates stress on the injured area and allows it to heal efficiently.

Static stretching is relatively basic and quite safe to do on your own.  It can increase flexibility if undertaken regularly on warm muscles. I personally find that stretching makes me feel relaxed physically and mentally after a workout.

When I am working ‘hands on’ with my clients, I regularly employ further advanced (and more effective) methods of stretching. If you feel you have significantly tight muscles or have an injury, it may be worth consulting a recommended trainer and ask them about PNF stretching – Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation.  Muscle tightness, if left untreated can lead to poor posture, undesirable skeletal alignment and further injuries.

In conclusion, I do recommend static stretching as part of a cool down routine but certainly not at the beginning of a session. As for dynamic stretching, I love it and highly suggest you integrate it into your warm up routine. If unsure please consult a professional (not a magazine, internet or TV article) to ensure are doing the stretches correctly.

Please visit my other channels where you can find out more.

 

www.jwcorept.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/jwcorefunctionatraining

https://twitter.com/Jamieleeweller?lang=en-gb

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFEruBvdAdIHzZObByQipTQ

 

Jamie-lee

JW CORE

Too self-conscious to join the gym?

 

Throughout my career I have encountered many people who wanted to join a gym or exercise class but felt too self-conscious to do so.  I know as you read this you may be thinking “what does he know, he is a personal trainer!”. But actually I do feel I am qualified to empathise. Apart from the fact I have worked with countless clients who felt just like this and helped them to overcome their insecurities, I have personal experience….                                                       

I (try to) play the guitar and thoroughly enjoy doing so in the comfort of my own home. However, when I go into a music shop and see all these amazing, expensive guitars I feel very self-conscious about picking one up and playing it in front the staff and other enthusiasts who are sitting down playing some complicated solo or riff. I think the insecurity I have in my playing ability probably equates to a similar feeling of inadequacy you may have in your body. I do appreciate my scenario is not quite as emotionally charged and personal as this, but as far as walking into a foreign environment and putting yourself in front of others goes, it is the same.  

The big question is WHY should you feel like this? The simple answer is you shouldn’t. The gym is a place where you can build and develop your confidence which in turn makes you a more confident person in everyday life too. Try not to worry about how you think you may look to others. Everyone starts somewhere and presumably we all want to improve ourselves– that after all is the reason we join a gym in the first place. We are all in the same proverbial boat. Everyone has to start from scratch.                                 

My argument is that you are not going to help or change anything by avoiding taking action.  Be brave, choose to be fitter and healthier. I guarantee if you select the correct training environment, you will truly surprise yourself and surpass your own expectations. Lose your fear, take the plunge.  

 

Tips on how to choose your first gym.

Listen to recommendations – What do your friends and family say about places they have used? At JW CORE we believe very firmly in creating a comfortable, non-judgemental environment for our clients to train in and I think this is key. Unlike big chain gyms perhaps look for a smaller privately owned one where you are more than just a membership number.

Take a look around – It doesn’t take long to get the feel for a gym’s atmosphere. When you walk in, how quickly does a member of staff meet you? HOW do they greet you? Remember, you are the client and you will be spending your hard earned cash on a service / facility that can potentially be life changing. It has to be right for YOU.  It goes without saying that you should be treated and spoken to with care, consideration and respect. Far too many times have I seen customers walk into a gym only to be left standing at a desk or grunted at in response to a question! You should be and made to feel valued.

No doubt, the gym isn’t the place to stand around having long chats about nothing in particular but when you walk in take the time to notice: Is there a buzz to the place? Are the trainers interacting with the clients? Are the clients working out together and maybe even engaging in a bit of banter. I think these things are extremely important. A gym where people are smiling, laughing but working hard is a much more inviting prospect than those where everyone is stony faced with their earphones on, staring at other members or themselves in the mirror. I would firmly recommend that if there are a lot of gorgeous, made up people in all the designer gear standing around and posing in the mirrors, it probably isn’t the gym for a first time nervous exerciser. It is constantly mentioned to me that this is something people do not like about some of the more expensive gyms and that is why I set up JW CORE with no mirrors or TV’s, as a place to come and workout, not caring about what you look like. Look nice when you go out in the evening not when you are running around and lifting weights in the gym!

If you want to achieve results you must be seen regularly by a professional member of staff so check how often you are entitled to see a trainer. At JW CORE our trainers will interact with and train members every time they enter the gym. This ensures high motivation, constantly evolving programmes and correct techniques are being used by the clients. (It is also what our clients tell me sets us apart from all our competition.) At the very least, you should expect to have an induction and programme when you first join and to be seen every 4-6 weeks thereafter for a check-ups and updates to your programme. Unfortunately, this seldom happens so do check the gyms policy on this before you sign up.

 

The overriding factor in choosing a gym to join if you are insecure or self-conscious is comfort.  Ask yourself these following questions when you look at a new gym. If all your answers are yes then you will likely feel confident enough to exercise there in front of other people and achieve great things. If you answer no to any, please don’t just accept this as the way it is at all gyms. Take a look at some others. There are facilities like JW CORE where the aim is for our clients to answer yes to each question below.

1.      Do I feel comfortable here?

2.      Is it clean and tidy?

3.      Are the staff friendly, approachable and informative?

4.      Does it look like there is a strong support network amongst

         the trainers and other members?

5.      Are there any supervised classes or activities going on?

6.      Do the customers look like they are enjoying their experience?

7.      Does it have an authentic, genuine feel to it? 

            Remember too much fancy cosmetic imagery probably 

         means not enough substance.

8.      Is it functional for me? Is everything in good working order and can I see myself working out and improving here?

In summery don’t be put off going to the gym because of how you feel about yourself. Use these feelings as motivation to change. You can find the right place to work out and you can guarantee there is already someone there who felt just the same as you do when they started but now they feel 100% better in themselves. They took a chance, they joined up, persevered and got fit. So can you!

 

JW CORE

www.jwcorept.co.uk

www.jwcorept.co.uk

Traditional Martial Arts or MMA (mixed martial arts)?

 

For me it depends on what you’re interested in. Many reading this will say it has to be MMA. I would agree with them if you want to get in a cage and have a fight but have no inclination to take your application, understanding, appreciation and knowledge of martial arts to a higher level.

 

My background and then thoughts are this:

 

I have studied Kung fu and Kickboxing for 24 years.  My mum thought it would be good for me to get rid of some of my limitless energy. I still remember her first breeching the subject with me when I was 6 years old. She said “would you like to start Kung fu?” I didn’t know what Kung fu was but I said yes and was hugely excited. I started shortly after. Soon I discovered (and wanted to be just like) Bruce Lee. He is still my idol because of the way he broke down social and racial barriers, his unwaveringly sound philosophies on life and martial arts and of course his immaculate speed power and technical ability as a fighter. (Ironically I wasn’t allowed to watch his films until I was much older) I just somehow knew he was “the man”

For the first 5 years or so I just wanted to fight like my martial arts superhero and enjoyed the combat side of things. From the age of 11 onwards, as I matured, I developed more of an interest and appreciation for the traditional movements, philosophies and aspects of Kung fu. I was more happy to spend time focusing on improving complicated techniques which require precision execution and timing.

To be clear, I have never lost the love, interest and value in having a physical workout, sparring, and hitting / kicking mitts and shields. I just appreciate other aspects of martial arts now too.

Since my 20’s I have become more interested in the Tai chi movement and breathing aspects of Kung fu. This is where martial arts originated from and I want to know and experience more. Not for combative use but for personal relaxation, meditation and peace of mind. I love moving (or trying to move) gracefully with free flowing movements, chi (energy) running through my body. It feels fantastic and is good for the sole.

To truly become at one with Kung fu it takes a life time of practice and dedication. I acknowledge that I have a long, long way to go and would love to visit China one day and learn with some masters. To become a more rounded martial artist not just a good fighter.

Bruce Lee described many aspects of martial arts as classical or traditional mess. I understand his point but also disagree. If you are interested, learn the history, learn the in’s and out’s. It doesn’t just have to just be about fighting. It is whatever you make it.

The past 15- 20 years have seen the explosion in the popularity of MMA (Mixed martial arts). For the spectator MMA is exciting, raw and anyone can give it a go. I appreciate the athleticism and skill involved in being a tough and well-rounded fighter but for me, a traditional martial artist, it just doesn’t look very nice. The fights are usually scrappy and overly violent for my taste. I would rather watch two highly skilled practitioners fully padded up with protective equipment have a heavy sparring session demonstrating speed, grace, power and good technique. I find watching Judo / Jujitsu practitioners grappling on the floor very fascinating and educational as this is a completely different skill set and a valuable one too. Integrating upright fighting and grappling as MMA does, definitely produces the most versatile fighters, which is of great value to the individual but personally I would rather prefer it done without the high levels of aggression and intent. (I.e. attempting t render your opponent unconscious while they lay semi helpless in a pool of blood on the ground.)

Unfortunately like everything in Western civilisation, we Westerners want it faster, easier and ready-made. For those that don't require a more rounded, developed art form, MMA / UFC is great. Fine. I highly respect MMA practitioners as athletes, but for me I look for a lot, lot more. Martial arts can be something you do for one hour every week, or it can be a lifestyle, not just a statement of how hard you are.

It is possible of course to be both a devoted practitioner of traditional martial arts and a top MMA fighter. Personally I find it difficult to comprehend the mentality of any martial artist wanting to inflict pain and damage onto another human. It simply is not in the spirit of it. A true warrior doesn’t need to fight to prove his or her worth. Is this self-defence or sport?

Maybe I am a hypocrite as I have competed at tournaments to test myself, see how I stack up against others and experience fighting new opponents. I was however wearing extensive protective equipment with the goal to win the fights on points scored and ability.

To conclude, we all have a choice and a lot will depend on personality type. If you are someone who likes things that you can jump straight into and do without thinking too much or you just have an aptitude for fighting you have your option. If you are a person who likes explore deeper into your interests, and experience things a little more substantial and fulfilling you have yours too.

I have the following channels where you can find out more.

 

www.jwcorept.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/jwcorefunctionatraining

https://twitter.com/Jamieleeweller?lang=en-gb
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFEruBvdAdIHzZObByQipTQ
http://jwcorept.blogspot.co.uk/

 JW CORE

Boring Training? - 5 Simple ways to make it more interesting

 

I often hear people saying they don’t like gyms or exercise because they get bored and it hurts.

This may well be true but it doesn’t have to be that way.  There are ways to make training more enjoyable.

 

1.      Exercise with someone you know…. A work colleague, your sister, a friend. That way it is a more enjoyable, social activity and less lonely. It also makes it harder to “take the night off”. With experience you and your “gym buddy” can begin to motivate and push each other on.

 

2.      Vary your workout – Have a couple of routines. Provided they are structured toward achieving the same goal. This keeps the exercise fresh and effects the body in different ways. I would even recommend including some different activities such as swimming and outdoor running / cycling. Join a rowing club or take up a martial art to supplement the gym work. Also don’t be afraid to change times of day and even the days of the week you train. Keep your body guessing? It like it!

 

3.      Rest days. A lot of people join a gym and they say “I’m going to come down five times per week”. Especially if you are new to exercise, set yourself a realistic target of 2-3 times per week where preferably you make it three. If you don’t on a certain day no worries. You should also have 1 to 2 rest days in between work out for your muscles to recover. Then if you have been regularly attending for 6-8 weeks think about adding a 4^th day in.

 

4.      Set yourself goals. This will keep you motivated and on track. The worst thing is to be wondering around in the gym not knowing what to do or why you are doing what you are. Have a 3 month goal. E.g. loose a stone. Also have monthly, weekly and even daily targets all designed to aid achieving the longer term goal.  They have to be challenging but realistic. There is no point in setting yourself an unattainable goal as this just demotivates.

 

5.      Have fun and challenge yourself. Providing its safe, supervised and there is a genuine purpose to it don’t be scared to step outside the regular conventions of exercises. Have a giggle, test your balance and coordination, laugh, smile, and make jokes. I am always trying new adaptations to fairly standard exercises but introducing new pieces of equipment and apparatus. (if unsure seek a member of staff to ensure what you are doing is appropriate) Otherwise, go out to the woods and incorporate nature into your training.

 

At my gym I always vary and challenge my clients. They have more fun and because of the constant variances in activities their bodies adapt very successfully.

 

JW CORE

www.jwcorept.co.uk