John Lark

When you think about it – it is the most obvious and logical step to take when one embarks on any fat loss programme.

Drink more water.

Everyone harks on about it. And to all of us it is common sense that doesn’t need a genius to figure out.

We are 70 per cent water. At 4 – 5 % below optimal fluid intake, you could experience a 20 – 30% decline in cognitive function or encounter episodes of ‘brain fog’.

The decline in blood volume that occurs with even slight dehydration impedes the transport of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, which drains energy hence your afternoon slump.

Even your bones are 25 per cent water.

The muscles that drive your performance are 75% water.

The brain that steers your limbs is 76% water.

The blood that carries your nutrients is 82% water.

The lungs that provide your oxygen are nearly 90% water.

So before you even worry about your calorific intake, how much protein you are consuming and even your fruit and veggie intake you need to drink up.

It is the most potent fat loss trick that you can deploy immediately. Why? Your body thrives on water. Can you imagine your car running without oil?

Your fat cells are particularly active if they are hydrated and bathing in a sea of good quality water. If they aren’t then trying to get the fat out of their comfy havens within your hips is hard work.
Unfortunately, a lot of what we drink is anti-water too. Fruit juices with their high sugar content force us to use up our vital water resources. Coffee, tea and sodas also send us in to a state of chronic dehydration.

As a guide we should be drinking good quality clean filtered water. I strongly recommend getting a reverse osmosis filter fitted.

A sharp rise in the number of men requesting breast- reduction operations is being blamed by surgeons on the effects of excess female hormones in tap water and food reported The Sunday Times in July 2005.  So, yes the quality of your water is important.

1 litre for every 18kg of body weight (which seems a lot) can be managed if you chunk it down into steps. Begin with two litres a day and a plan. Have a large glass before leaving the house in the morning. 500 ml between meals and sip at a night. Drop some freshly squeezed lemon juice into the mix.

You will develop a tolerance to this. When you do, crank the volume up.

Focusing on your water intake will take a few baby steps but like all journeys they begin with a single step.

People look at me with a blank stare when I point out that the first most blockbusting fat loss strategy we will put into action is to drink up.

Why?

Are we so used to the next magic bullet when all along it is staring us right in the face?

Are we so used to instant gratification that to actually work at something as basic as drinking water is a turn off?

That’s ok – stay fat Because you deserve to be.

If you have struggled with your weight for years do not expect miracles to happen in 3 weeks. You have to be prepared to work and give yourself a fair chance at this.

So use the 80-20 rule when it comes to fat loss. 80 per cent of your results will come from 20 per cent of your efforts. Stick to the nutritional strategies that will yield the most results.

That is why drinking your water is the first step. What is the most abundant nutrient in the whole body? Water. What do all of our body cells need in abundance? Water and Oxygen. What do you think will accelerate your fat loss efforts with the least effort?  Drinking more water.

You should forget about chopping your portions and finding your next magic bullet until you try a good old-fashioned glass of nature’s finest.

John Lark is a personal trainer in dublin

For most women, it is like the annoying relative that has over-stayed their welcome.

Recent research revealed that Dublin women suffer more from cellulite than the rest of the country with nearly one in three complaining it causes them problems. This compares to 19pc of women in other parts of the country who admit they have the orange peel on their thighs.

Cellulite is fat. But surprisingly it is often not related to how fat you are overall.

One plausible explanation – which also explains why very few men suffer from cellulite – is based on the composition and behavior of women’s fat cells and the connective tissue that holds them in place.

Very simply, a woman’s connective tissue is very inflexible, so as females gain weight their fat cells expand, and tend to bulge upwards towards the surface of the skin, giving the classic orange-peel appearance of cellulite.

In men, not only is there generally less fat on the thighs, but also the outer skin is thicker and thus obscures what is happening to any surplus fat below.

There is a way of attacking it though. It means approaching from a different route. Cellulite is often a symptom of a deeper underlying cause.

When we look at body composition and review where you store your body fat we can determine very quickly why you are holding it there.

Think that fat accumulates around your mid-rift to ‘spite’ you? Think again. This is reflected of your ability to handle sugar and how well you keep in check a hormone called insulin.

Cellulite’s partner in crime points largely to an imbalance in the hormones estrogen and insulin. High circulating levels of one or both together in women (and men) will be reflected in fat on the back of your arm, thighs and chest.

Why would you have this imbalance?

There are many reasons. We all produce the hormone, estrogen. What really matters is what happens to it once you make it as well as how much your cells and organs are exposed to.

It is like sunlight – get the right amount and good things happen (elevated mood, more vitamins produced) but get too much or spend too long over-exposed then you will more than likely get burnt.

In estrogen’s case we need it. But too much of it and a chronic over-exposure will lead to trouble.

In estrogen’s case, this is paralleled with some nasty diseases like endometriosis, PMS, uterine fibroids and benign breast tumors. Men – take note – as breast cancer in males is on the increase.

What’s more in the last 30 years man-made sources of estrogen called xeno estrogens are adding to the problem.

These are man-made sources that mimic estrogen. Sources include (in short)  Plastic bottles, Carpet fibers, Teflon coating, Pesticides and herbicide, Commercial meats grown with hormones, Birth control pills andHormone replacement therapy drugs.

Estrogen is toxic. The liver treats it as toxic. In the process of detoxifying it, the liver will convert it into some nasty metabolites.

What’s more there is an enzyme in the body called aromatase that converts testosterone into estrogen. We need to inhibit this.

So why the orange peel?

Cellulite is an estrogen-type of fat. Think of your fat as your estrogen out of control and as a result body fat will accumulate in particular areas such (thighs, back of the arm and the chest)

This is easily managed. But several things have to be addressed.

Your nutrition has to lend itself to get rid of these cheeky critters. Start to ‘love your greens’. Watercress is the gold standard and stay hydrated.

Of course any toxic habits such as smoking and drinking will cause the liver to be distracted in trying to sort out the rubbish that you may be ingesting. Some hope of it trying to shift your estrogen if this is going on!

Your training has to lend itself to this as well in your bid to shift the peel. Extra spinning classes are a disaster! All they do is encourage the body to shift fat to the areas that are being worked (bums and thighs) for use as a more readily available source of fuel.

Unfortunately whilst a nice stroll with pals is good for the head. It does little to burn the fat or shift the peel.
Start lifting weights. Your backside will thank you for it.

John Lark is a personal trainer in dublin.

It is that time of year again. The run into the Summer. A few weeks to make sure that you hit the Summer like a sack of spuds. Think of the blissful feeling of bumming in the tracksuits and only being able to wear a few items of clothing ‘cos that’s all that fits’.

Let me list perhaps the 7 most effective and easiest ways of gaining fat like it was suddenly an Olympic sport.

1. Eat a Diet Rich in Sugars, Hydrogenated Vegetable Fats and ‘Acid’ Foods

A classic dietary approach to take for those of us wishing to gain a steady 0.5 – 2 lbs of weight a week.

Ensure that you take a restricted approach to your diet by consuming foods rich in hydrogenated vegetable oils and fats and sugar.

One trick of convincing yourself that you avoided this pitfall is to consume low-fat cereal bars.

“It’s OK – these are low in fat!”

Taking in these between meals are a sure fire way to keep you on the road to gaining fat in a sensible and progressive way by allowing us to shut down the activity of our fat burning enzymes and increasing the activity of fat storage enzymes.

Perfect – I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. Sit on Your Backside

This is a great approach to take to again ensure steady fat gain. All the excuses under the sun will be strong enough to overcome the urge to exercise and get out of breath through lifting weights, circuit training and a brisk walk, jog, run, swim or bike.

Oscar Wilde once wrote that whenever he felt like exercise he sat down until the feeling passed.Sound advice.

3. Avoid Fruits and Vegetables like the plague

Avoiding these little bundles of goodness will help me no end in my quest to put on fat over the holidays.

They will allow you extra time in bed as you catch every cold going. They will even make you eat more of the sugary stuff as you will never, unbelievably, feel full after eating.
RESULT!

4. Taking No Responsibility for Your Actions

This is a great little accelerator in the fat gaining stakes.

It can’t be your fault that you cram the cookies into your mouth or sit on your backside all day watching the clock ticking.

It is your dog’s fault that he kept you up all night barking stopping you from going out for your morning walk.

It is your children’s fault that they can’t do their homework and have a play that you have to attend that stops you from attending your class.

It is your husband’s fault that he argued with you and you responded by eating a tub of Ben and Jerry’s.

Equally it is not your fault when you see the scales rise after doing nothing all weak. But that’s OK at the end of the day it is not your problem.

5. Choose to Drink 3 litres of Alcohol a Day rather than water

A bottle of wine is a far better choice than a glass.10 pints seems to have far more rational logic to it that 3-4 bottles.

5 chasers seem to have a much better effect than just leaving at the lovely dinner that you ate.
But that’s OK – see point 4.

6. Stress, Stress and More Stress

This will help you lose weight but still gain fat as frequent boozing, late nights, no exercise lowers your testosterone to levels akin to the alcoholic on the corner of Grafton Street. Keep working the hours you work, neglect taking proper time off and stress the body until it cries at you to stop.

Equally stress will be available in volume alongside the more obvious times you can feel it.

7. Letting it all go!

Let it all go!

Ignore your body and the potential it has to provide you with boundless energy, strength and vitality.
Develop the will to just say no to exercise, sound food choices and a comfortable stress free lifestyle.

That is, after all the easiest way isn’t it?

John Lark is a fat loss specialist based at The Sphere Fitness Studio. You can visit his web site www.john-lark.com and pick up your Free Copy of the 7 Most Effective Ways to Burn Fat

“Fall seven times, get up eight.” – Japanese Proverb

“Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never.” – Winston Churchill

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson

These quotes all say the same thing. No matter how many obstacles you run into, what matters is that you’re able to overcome each of them, one at a time.

“Two steps forward, one step back” is usually a negative term to describe someone who is having trouble making progress. But switched around, “1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward” means that instead of grousing or feeling guilty about a misstep, you can still come out ahead if you put your head down and push forward.

And it is about this time of year that the early New Years enthusiasm begins to really be tested.

Steps back can take many forms: a family vacation, breaks in your routine, personal tragedies, injuries, or that lost weekend in front of the tube.

A big mistake people make when trying to get healthier is that when they fall off a bit or something happens, they think they “have to start over”.

Wrong! When missteps do happen, a better strategy is to simply take two steps forward. You’re still ahead of where you were before, far beyond the starting line.

In tennis, losing one point isn’t the end of the world. It happens to the best of them. In fact, if you can consistently win a few more points that you lose, you may end up in the hall of fame.

With healthy eating and exercising, as long as you’re consistently out-stepping your steps back, you’re ahead of the game. If you expect perfection (and many of us do), you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and guilt.

That is why trying to chase 100 per cent compliance is futile. We have found that 90 per cent is enough. Is that taking a step backwards? No. It is setting yourself up to take a step back allowing you to recharge your batteries and go at the diet train again the following week.

Guilt can be debilitating to your healthy habits. When you mess up (or even when things are messed up for you), it’s natural to feel guilty. At that point, you have a choice: to let that guilt plummet you into a cycle that could spit you out worse off than before, or to accept the step back and say “where do I go from here?”

Of course, consistent success is still something to strive for. You don’t want to roller-coaster up and down.

That’s an “old” habit, remember? And the 1Step/2Step strategy doesn’t lessen the need to do your best. You should still work hard to keep those steps back from happening. But it helps to be prepared with a plan and a positive attitude for when they do happen.

Many times, this means a rededication, a refocusing, and a recommitment. You might want to look at your program and see why it’s allowing those landmines to stick around. Use it as a learning process. Ask how you can keep that misstep from happening again.

* Take a walk in the woods to clear your head and regroup.

* Have a personal “bounce back” motto that will re-energize you. Put it everywhere.

* Take a break if you think you’re trying too hard.

* Return to the basics. Are you making it too complicated and tough on yourself?

* Plan ahead for irregularities in your schedule, call ahead to healthy restaurants, pack healthy snacks.

* Stay aware of what you’re doing. One meal mess up can turn into a one day mess up, a one week mess up if you’re not careful.

* Remind yourself of your success so far when you need a boost.

Unlike people who run 10 miles today because they should have run two yesterday, “2 Steps Forward” doesn’t necessarily mean doing a lot more to make up for a blunder. Just make a commitment to do things as right as possible as much as you can.

Download your free fat loss report, sample workout and menu plan at www.john-lark.com your personal training in dublin team

When we think diet most of us would think restriction, sacrifice and denial.

We can safely say by now that habits win the race in the long-run.

Skip breakfast and you will face a problem. Likewise by not taking enough sleep, and exercising for a minimum of three times a week.

If you were a nutritional and exercise beginner you would be best to start by chipping away at one of these per week.

You will yield great results if you stick to working away at implementing habits one by one. This is definitely a long-term and successful strategy. Bottom line it works.

One of the key habits in any health and fitness programme is to implement a 90-10 rule.

What exactly does this mean?

Well as top body transformation expert Tom Venuto, author of the Body Fat Solution, states that your fat loss efforts are like a pressure cooker if you try and stick to it 100 per cent of the time. Underneath the pressure of denial and sacrifice reaches fever pitch and eventually you blow. The lid flies and the plan becomes rail-roaded.

This is not your fault. You do need to plan for the 10 per cent though.

Any plan will work if you a) maintain a calorific deficit and b) keep it at 90 per cent compliance leaving you the 10 per cent to slip away, deviate away or let the lid off the pressure cooker.

Here are a few basic ground rules before you give yourself a ticket to demolish a whole pizza washed down with a gallon of coke and topped with a strawberry sundae ‘cos you earnt it’.

In 99 per cent of the cases I deal with you haven’t even come close to earning it.

Firstly you need to track exactly what you are doing. If you are following a plan, are you following it 90 per cent of the time. You will need to write and record your efforts on paper, measure your portion sizes (if you struggle with losing weight) and write down if you exercise that day or not. A journal is a great idea.

The devil is in the detail now.

3 meals a week over the course of 7 days is 21 meals. Stick to the rules for 19 of these meals and you are on course scoring 90 compliance.

If you hit the gym 3 times a week for 4 weeks you can afford to miss 1 workout in that month.

If you skip breakfast for 2 mornings (or deviate outside of what is laid out for you) then great stuff you are on course.

If you set out the simply record your food intake for 3 days a week over the course of the 4 weeks then you can afford to miss 1 or two of these days.

Anything can be measured according to this principle.

You may notice Oprah falling flat on her face again with her diet and finally admitting that she doesn’t want to be lean and would rather be ‘healthy, lean and strong’.

She blamed a low-carb diet for her failures. The only thing was that her skipping meals, ploughing into 2-300g of carbohydrate on the odd day is not following a low-carb diet.

Her compliance was rock-bottom and the overriding reason for her failure. It is like taking a recipe for apple pie and making rhubarb crumble with it.

You have to earn your 10 per cent and plan for it. If you know that your night out with your partner is on the cards for Saturday then factor this into your week. This is particularly the case if you are on a fat loss programme.

Outside of this you have to work hard. The odd biccie here and there does hurt. You have to earn the right to cheat. Is it tough – yes. Are the results worth it? Of course.

Get in, get out. Do not lumber around trying to lose body fat. Set a deadline, a specific date to work towards. Measure, stay strong, keep tough, have a support system in place and be accountable to someone.

If on the other hand you want to try and implement a habits based approach go ahead. This works well too.

However, if you think you can wing it without a plan. Think again.

John Lark is a Fat Loss Specialist. Visit his web site and pick up Free Report – The 7 Most Effective Ways of Burning Fat at his web site www.john-lark.com

As a personal trainer I hear the most creative of excuses. It seems that even at this time of year that despite the wave of enthusiasm in the New Year, excuses are still being made to avoid the dreaded ‘E’ word. Even embracing a bit of change is like dragging a car.

Here are some problems and my solutions to them.

Problem “I don’t have enough time.”
Solution – You do. You just don’t know how to manage your time. You have the same time as every one else.

The same 24 hours that Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Warren Buffet have. You just don’t set exercise or eating healthy as near the top of your priority.

Stop, take check at your ‘time vampires’ (watching TV, nattering hours on the phone, reading trash mags) and be ruthless. Get rid of them. Make exercise and preparing healthy meals important and see the benefits.

Problem – “I have to look after other people”

Solution – try looking after your self FIRST. I call this ‘hurried mum syndrome.’ Looking after a house, three kids and in most cases a husband is a lot tougher when you are carrying around excess fat. Get rid of the fat and suddenly managing ANYTHING becomes a lot easier.

Problem – “Eating Healthy all the time is boring”

Solution – you just need to reframe what you consider as boring. This is a challenge as ‘cravings’ normally overwhelm your rational thinking. Instead of viewing a salad or vegetables ‘boring’ think ‘boundless energy, vitality, health, strength and well-being’. And who says you have to eat healthy ‘all the time’? We call for a 90 per cent compliance on our nutrition programme. This leaves 10 per cent for those foods that you consider a ‘treat’. It doesn’t have to be about denial and sacrifice.

“But I will have to give up chocolate and ice-cream”

Solution – Really? And live like a monk or an obsessive? Work these foods into your plan. The only thing you will have to give up is the notion that you can sit on your backside and think the pounds will melt off and that you can eat everything in the cupboard and dream yourself skinny. That is just delusional.

Problem – “I can’t afford the gym”

Solution – Exercise at home, in the park or head outside. Get a good workout DVD and have some fun with it. Alternatively lower all your stress hormones by heading outside for a brisk walk. A cheap set of Dumbbells will last you a lifetime.

Problem – “I don’t have a way of getting to the gym and besides I have to take Little Jonny to Scouts”

Solution – See above and stop making overly-creative excuses.

Problem – “I am injured”

Solution – That’s ok. Injuries are what I call andinconvenience’ not an ‘injustice’ . Exercise professionals will be able to work around your injury enabling you to still work towards your goals despite your set-back.

Problem – “I don’t feel like it today”

Solution – when IS a good time? Just start! Just do something that will make a difference. The Japanese have a philosophy called Kaizen. It seems to be the buzzword at the moment. But it means gradual and incremental improvements. Each day make a positive step towards your health and fitness.

Start immediately by doing something. It could be just heading out for a walk, deciding that you will have ‘breakfast in the morning and this is what I will have’, lifting some weights for 15-20 minutes.

My point is this if you are writing to do lists all the time – stop. Stop thinking about it and just do it. Paralysis by analysis.

Problem – “It’s boring.”

Solution – Yep, so is waiting in the Doctor’s office because you are too sick to do anything.   We are designed to move and eat healthy nutritious foods. As they say – prevention is better than a cure. Besides, exercise can be fun. Dance classes, group activity and meeting with friends for a good brisk walk can be fun.

So can making a healthy feast for your family and seeing your four-year chomp down a plate of veggies. Victory in the battle!

Next week more excuse busting! In the meantime, place your creative energy into making solutions not conjuring up elaborate excuses

Visit John Lark’s website at www.john-lark.com and download your free report on the ‘7 Most Effective Ways of Burning Fat’ including a free sample workout and meal plan.

For more information on personal training in dublin click here

Silly season has officially kicked off and I can guarantee the front-runners for the premiership drinking and festive cheer title are gathering full steam. As a personal trainer here in Dublin, I see body damage that is beyond belief.

Far from me to live like a monk and not enjoy the holiday season.

But let’s face it, most of us will do some serious damage to ourselves paid for in the waistline, the pocket and the head as we nurse the mother of all hangovers.

One piece of cake that can be savoured becomes the whole thing. A couple of glasses of wine turn into the whole bottle – every night.

Don’t get me wrong. I love good food, a bit of cake and a tipple. But instead of using it as an excuse to devour every morsel including licking the plate, I taste and savour the experience. Very quickly it is back to where I want to be – lean, strong and healthy.

If you are smart then it can become easy to avoid seeing the scales fly up over the Christmas period.
Like all programmes the only magic bullet that works in all scenarios is having ‘strategies’. Without them well-laid plans fall by the way side and motivation plummets.

Here a few tried and tested strategies to help you through the silly season.

1.    Begin your exercise programme in earnest now. If you are training already – do more for a total of 14 days before cutting back for 5 days over Christmas. This period of extending yourself above and beyond what your body is capable of handling will allow you to then take a well-timed breather over the break. You may even find yourself lighter and fitter after your rest!

2.    Make sure you consume an alkaline rich diet over this festive period. Plenty of fish, veggies and low-sugar fruits such as Grapefruit, Lemon, Limes, Tomatoes and Avocado. This will effectively balance the acidity of rich foods, alcohol, stimulants, late nights and ensuing stress.

3.    Before you head out to a party eat a snack of a boiled egg and some almonds. This will stop any sugar crashes and the ‘must eat now’ and ‘would eat my friend’ feeling that you can guarantee will happen if you let your blood sugars drop.

4.    Make sure you eat a protein rich breakfast with a liberal serving of veggies and nuts. This will ensure that your sugar levels remain on an even keel throughout the day Studies have shown that you will consume far less food too. If you don’t have enough time in the mornings then a) get up earlier or b) have left-overs from the night before

5.    Take fish oil. If you are not doing this then why not?

6.    Cat-napping is a great idea. Ideally an hour but no more. This will not affect your body’s natural sleep cycle. Take time out for yourself each day at the every least. Sleep will allow your hormones to recharge their batteries and give you the energy you need!

7.    Take a Magnesium supplement before you go to bed.

8.    Try this energising protocol for your water. Slip a scoop of barley grass, wheat grass or another greens product into a litre of water with a ¼ teaspoon of Himalayan Salts. This will alkalise you, keep you hydrated, build your blood and provide a great environment to thrive in the party season. 3 litres a day should be a minimum.

9.    Alcohol and a lean physique don’t mix. If you are going to drink know how much is enough. Equally plan to cheat rather than let yourself become carried away like a runaway train.

10.    It will be impossible to be 100 per cent compliant with anything over Xmas. However, 90% will allow you a few cheat meals and nights out over the course of a week. Deprivation is never a nice word! So if your 10 per cent cheat involves a drink or two then go for it! Shoot for red wine over beer too whilst alternating an alcoholic drink with a water.

Most of us take time to reflect this year too. So take the time now to write your goals and cement them on paper.

With this exercise comes a definite step in the right direction. You are more likely to achieve them when they are there in black and white.

Avoid scrabbling for last minute excuses come January 1st.

John Lark is a personal trainer in Dublin. For fat loss tips and insider knowledge go here

There was a time when breakfast used to be the time when most of the family were together.
Papa Smurf popped off to work after reading the paper, Mamma Smurf cooked up the eggs and cereals, whilst the kids lamented over their day at school.

Fast-forward 50 years.

Most people are on their way to work before the sun rises. Kids are hurried off one arm in jumper with the other grabbing a bit of toast. Mum in the meantime is grabbing a bit of lippy and providing a gentle but firm kick up the backside to get out of the door.

Yet we all know and rightly so – breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Skipping it altogether will tee you up nicely for fat gain. Particularly around the mid-rift. Through years of looking at eating habits and body fat distribution patterns I can firmly say that whose who skip breakfast consistently end up looking like a pear.

In same light using a cereal box as your method of starting the day has also had a large part to play in keeping people erring towards the muffin top shape.

Most of us are familiar with the food pyramid?

Well try the reverse food pyramid in the sense that make your breakfast the largest meal of the day and taper off your calorific intake as the day progresses.

Assuming that we all know that 5-6 ‘feedings’ are better than 3 ‘fill-your-boots- type’ meals then your calorific intake at each meal would look like this if you were shooting for 1500 kcal a day:

Breakfast – 400 kcal, Meal 2 – 200 kcal, Meal 3 – 300 kcal Meal 4 – 200 kcal Meal 5 – 200 Meal 6 – 200 kcal

Better blood sugar management, leaner physique, no hunger, better moods, more food to eat (!!) and so on. What is there not to like about this?

You see instead of perpetuating a cycle of sugar cravings by leaving gaps between meals (longer than 2-3 hours) we are actually feeding our bodies regularly.

So what’s the big deal with breakfast?

What you eat first in the day will determine your hormonal and energy levels. Try this practical experiment. For the next five days try meat, salad and nuts breakfast.  Think of it as having dinner for breakfast.

See how your energy levels are for the rest of day. Then go back to your cereal based breakfast and compare.

I will guarantee more energy and certainly less sugar cravings. It is unsurprising that your dopamine levels will increase providing you with extra ‘get-up-and-go’ to face the day.

Some other options for breakfast can be leftover dinner, homemade patties with a side salad or chicken breast with salsa or Guacamole.

Typical comments I have received in the past are ‘I felt like gagging’ and ‘where am I going to find the time?’

All I can say to this is – ‘try it, you won’t be disappointed’

So what then do you have for dinner? Try something light like a salad with cold meats or a Vegetable Omelette.

In fact Eggs are quick and easy to knock up alongside the fact that they are rich in choline, a nutrient geared towards optimal brain health. Not a bad food to have on your side if you are in the middle of a feeding frenzy at the zoo.

Most of my female clients have settled into the swing of cooking up their breakfast whilst knocking up dinners.

For the males this is a bit tougher. For most of them, reading the instructions on a Pot Noodle is as far as it goes.

Although one athlete I used to room with at college was caught emptying the contents of one a pot noodle into a saucepan before transferring it back into the pot to eat.

This is the same guy who assembled a flat pack bed downstairs.

So can you see how important your nutrition is to your brain health?

Start your day with a power breakfast, not some dehydrated excuses of fruit with an empty cereal. Prepare your food the night before whilst you cook your dinner. At worst have left-overs. Your brain, waist line and energy levels will thank you with open arms.

John Lark is a personal trainer and fat loss specialist combining nutrition, training and supplementation for tailored results. Download his free report at www.john-lark.com or call 01-5052131 for more information.

I thought that might grab your attention. The truth is that there is NO secret to what personal trainers use in within their personal training methods.

The truth is that the application of these methods will differ from individual to individual and this is the key to success in any fat loss programme.

We also believe in training with intensity, constancy of purpose and a clear vision of where you want to be. We are not interested in tyre kickers or persons afraid of placing an honest effort into the programme.

Our personal training system follows the following route:

1) Start Line

It is important that any personal training system has a results based approach. It sickens me to see personal trainers ‘wing it’ with their clients seemingly guessing what they should be doing – all under the pretense of making it ‘fun’ and enjoyable. Our enjoyment comes from seeing results and progression. For this to happen our personal trainers will record body composition, visual changes and structural balance. If a complete profile is required we look to taking bloods for a comprehensive look at the body’s systems.

It is also at this stage that your personal trainer sets your goals and then more importantly matches behaviours to take you to those goals.

2) Flexibility

Our personal training system is based on a corrective approach to the body. Tight muscles are located and a specific and tailored personal stretching programme is implemented. Our personal training clients often feel an immediate difference in their flexibility with the techniques we use.

3) Anabolic Activity

Our focus here at Sphere Personal Training is to focus on exercise that will stimulate, invigorate, bring balance and create an environment for development, growth and strength. Most of our clients who come to us for personal training come to us through frustration at lack of results. Normally they are cardio junkies, pounding the roads every day.

The problem with this is that it is stressful to the body, often too stressful. Hormonal imbalances are created, metabolism is floored and energy levels hit rock bottom. We aim to flip this on its head and include more anabolic activity such as strength training and interval training. Overall these methods work out as more invigorating, and results-producing. Clients see progression every time they set foot in the gym.

4) Diet and Nutrition

Our personal training system is geared towards correcting behaviours and making nutrition practical. It is like the Torvill without the Dean. Our Sphere Nutrition System follows a progressive and long term approach. 3 distinct phases take you through and with the help of your personal trainer, Sphere will drive these towards your goals. Our long term nutritional approach can be found here.

5) Sleep

No sleep, no recovery. And that goes for recovering from the high octane day you may have been through at home or at the office. We offer a 10 point coaching list for you to work your way through to normalise your sleep patterns.

6) Stress

Managing your stress is no easy task and following steps 1-5 with your personal trainer is a HUGE step forward. Taking and relinquishing control of your body is equally as important. Again , our personal trainers follow a 10 step methodology to help you manage your stress levels.

7) Digestion

Imagine a system of your body that is so sensitive that problems there can be directly expressed in pain in your lower back and give you that poochy belly look. Correcting digestion is largely achieved through supplementation recommendations. However, our personal trainers can coach you in specific habits that willunderpin your digestive efforts.

Our system is constantly evolving. Our duty of care is to provide you with a service that is supported by science and applied with professionalism and a duty of care to the client.

John Lark M.A. CSCS is a personal trainer and owner of Sphere Fitness. He can be contacted at 01-5052131.

Choosing the right personal trainer can be a daunting task.

How do you know that your investment will be put to the most effective use and that the care of your well-being and nurturing of your goals is met with equal enthusiasm and a relentless pursuit?

Here are my top tips for choosing a personal trainer:

1) Check for relevant personal training qualifications coupled with experience in what you are looking to acheive.

So he has worked with football teams, is an Olympic level strength coach but can he deliver his results to you as a housewife with three screaming kids who just wants to ‘tone up’. There is no reasons why that level of expertise wouldn’t be able to deliver. They often have the experience and ‘know-how’ and in the trenches personal training experience to help you. But check first. As if they have worked with anyone similar to your goals.

2) Ensure that they carry the most up-to-date qualifications out there
Not only does this allow you to see that they are committed to bringing nothing but the best in terms of personal training qualifications, but it is a sign of their professionalism and pursuit of excellence.

3) Do they walk the walk?
Look at your personal trainer? Do they look as of they have been out drinking the night before and feasting on bagels and cream cheese? Your personal trainer should be a shining example of what you hope to acheive. Anything less and you may find it harder to achieve your personal training goals than you think.

4) Try them out
Most successful personal training companies or personal trainers will allow you to sample thier services with no obligation. Ask if they can offer you a guarantee with their services or some form of trial period. If their methods or level of training doesn’t work out then you haven’t lost anything. At the Sphere Fitness Studio we offer a complimentary lifestyle assessment to see of you are ready for the level of personal training we deliver. Our emphasis is on results through hard work and dedication rather than cotton woolling.

Call The Sphere Fitness Studio to arrange your complimentary personal training assessment now

John Lark M.A, CSCS is owner of The Sphere Fitness Studio a personal training company located in Maynooth with personal training in Dubin also available. He can be contacted at 01-5052131