In the end, time management comes down to choices. Good choices lead to better results, while poor choices lead to wasted time and energy.

Here are 10 great tips you can use each day to help be better organised and manage your time better. To get started, choose one of these strategies, try it for two to four weeks and see if it helps. If it does, consider adding another one. If not, try a different one.

1. Plan each day. Planning your day can help you accomplish more and feel more in control of your life. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimise conflicts and last-minute rushes.

2. Prioritise your tasks. Time-consuming but relatively unimportant tasks can consume a lot of your day. Prioritising tasks will ensure that you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you.

3. Say no to nonessential tasks/delegate. Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on additional work. Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can pass on to someone else.

4. Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing things right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall.

5. Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done.

6. Evaluate how you’re spending your time. Keep a diary of everything you do for three days to determine how you’re spending your time. Look for time that can be used more wisely.

7. Limit distractions. Block out time on your calendar for big projects. During that time, close your door and turn off your phone, e-mail and any other distractions.

8. Get plenty of sleep, have a healthy diet and exercise regularly. A healthy lifestyle can improve your focus and concentration, which will help improve your efficiency in everyday tasks.

9. Don’t multitask. Multitasking sounds great, women think they are better at it than men – probably true but it can lead to a heap of distractions. Do one job and do it well then complete another task.

10. Use your time wisely. You don’t need to spend more than 30 minutes on social networking, surfing the internet with no purpose and emailing each day. Keep this to a minimum and you will free up more time for yourself and the things you really want to do.

The week before:

During the week before a competition, your two main aims are:

1. To fill your muscle and liver glycogen stores so that you compete with a ‘full’ fuel supply.
2. To keep well hydrated.

Your preparation will be dictated by the kind of event that you are competing in, the importance of the event and how frequently you compete.

Endurance events lasting more than 90 minutes:

If you are competing in and endurance event lasting longer than 90 minutes you may benefit from carbohydrate loading. You should generally consume a moderate carbohydrate diet (5-7g/kg body weight/day) for the first three days (this should be less than you are used to eating), followed by a high carbohydrate intake (8-10 g/kg body weight/day) for the final 3 days. Use table 1.1 as a guide to the amount of carbohydrate you should be eating during the pre-competition week. Your last hard training session should be completed one week before your competition. Then taper your training during the final week so that you perform only very light exercise and rest the day prior to your competition.

Check:

• Make sure you are fully hydrated after training. Check your hydration status by monitoring the frequency, volume, and colour of your urine during the pre-competition week.
• Avoid any new or untried foods or food combinations during the pre competition week.
• If you will be travelling or staying away from home, be prepared to take food with you. Try to find out beforehand what type of food will be available at the event venue and predict any nutritional shortfalls.

Try to eat 6 smaller meals a day, avoid gaps longer than 3 hours, and base all your meals on low GI foods. Use the sample eating plans in table 2.1 as a basis for developing your own plan during the pre competition week. While they provide the requirements for carbohydrate prior to competition, they are low in fat and protein and are not ideal for the rest of the season.

The day before:

The day before your competition your main aims are:

1. To top up muscle glycogen levels
2. To ensure you are well hydrated

Continue eating meals high in carbohydrate that have a low GI throughout the day and drinking plenty of fluids (mainly water). To maximise muscle glycogen replenishment, perform only very light exercise or rest completely. Do not skip your evening meal, even if you experience pre-competition nerves, as this is an important time for topping up muscle glycogen. However, stick to familiar and simple foods, avoid fatty or oily foods and avoid alcohol, as it is a diuretic.

What should I eat if I get nervous before competition?

Most athletes get pre-competition nerves and this can reduce you appetite and result in problems such as nausea, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. If you find it difficult to eat solid foods during this time, consume liquid meals such as meal replacement products (protein-carbohydrate sports supplements), sport drinks, milkshakes, yogurt drinks, and fruit smoothies. Try smooth, semi liquid foods such as pureed fruit (e.g. mashed banana, apple and apricot puree), yogurt, porridge, custard and rice pudding. Bland foods such as semolina, mashed potato, or porridge made from cornmeal or ground rice may agree with your digestive system better. To reduce problems, avoid high in fibre foods such as bran cereals, dried fruit and pulses. You may wish to avoid vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli). Caffeine can cause anxiety and problems such as diarrhoea when combined with nerves. In essence, avoid anything that is new or unfamiliar. The golden rule with pre-competition eating is stick with tried and tested foods, which you know agree with you.

On the Day:

On the day of your competition, your aims are to:

1. Top up liver glycogen stores following the overnight fast.
2. Maintain blood sugar levels
3. Keep hunger at bay
4. Keep well hydrated

Plan to have your main pre-competition meal 2-4 hours before the event. This will allow enough time for your stomach to empty sufficiently and for blood sugar and insulin levels to normalise. It will also top up liver glycogen levels. Nervousness can slow down your digestion rate so if you have pre-competition nerves you may need to leave a little longer than usual between eating and competing. The actual timing of your pre-competition meal and the quantity of food eaten depends on the individual despite the fact that studies recommend consuming 200-300g carbohydrate during the 4 hours prior to exercise. Pre-competition nerves often slow down digestion so you may find 200-300g carbohydrate too much.

The key is to find out what works for you and stick with it! For example, if you are competing in the morning, you may need to get up a little earlier to eat your pre-competition breakfast. If your event is at 10.00am, have your breakfast at 7.00am.  Some athletes skip breakfast, preferring to feel light when they compete, however, it’s not a good strategy to compete on an empty stomach, particularly if your event lasts longer than 1 hour, or you will be competing in a number of heats. Low liver glycogen and blood sugar levels may reduce your endurance and result in early fatigue. Liver glycogen is necessary and important for maintaining blood sugar levels and supplying fuel to the exercising muscles when muscle glycogen is depleted. If you are competing in the afternoon, have a substantial breakfast and schedule lunch 2-4 hours before the competition. If you are competing in the evening, eat your meals at 3 hour intervals during the day, again, scheduling your last meal approximately 2-4 hours before competition.

What should I eat on the day of my competition?

Your pre-competition meal should be:

• Based on low GI carbohydrates
• Low in fat
• Low in protein
• Low or moderate in fibre
• Not too bulky or filling
• Not salty or spicy
• Enjoyable and familiar
• Easy to digest
• Include a drink – approximately 500ml 2 hours before the event.

Pre-competition meals:

Pre-competition breakfast (2-4 hours before event)

• Breakfast cereal or porridge with low fat milk and fresh fruit
• Toast or bread with jam/honey; low fat yogurt
• English muffins with honey
• Meal replacement shake

Pre-competition lunches: (2-4 hours before event)

• Sandwiches or rolls with tuna, cottage cheese or chicken; fresh fruit
• Pasta or rice with tomato-based sauce; fresh fruit
• Baked potato with low fat filling; fresh fruit

Pre-competition snacks (1 hour before event)

• Smoothie
• Yogurt drink
• Fresh fruit
• Tinned fruit
• Meal replacement or energy bar
• Sports drink
• Dried apricots
• Low-fat fruit yogurt
• Rice pudding
• Mini or scotch pancakes

Should I eat or drink during my competition?

If you are competing for more than about 60 minutes, you may find that extra carbohydrate will help delay fatigue and maintain your performance, particularly in the latter stages. Depending on your exercise intensity and duration, aim to take 30-60g carbohydrate/hour. Start consuming the food or drink after about 30 minutes and continue at regular intervals, as it takes approximately 30 minutes for digestion and absorption. If your glycogen stores are low at the start of the event (which hopefully they are not!), then consuming an additional carbohydrate during the event will have a fairly immediate effect on your performance. Any carbohydrate with high or moderate GI would be suitable but you may find liquids easier to consume than solids. Isotonic sports drinks or carbohydrate drinks (glucose polymer) drinks are popular because they serve to replenish fluid losses and prevent dehydration as well as supplying carbohydrate. Sports drinks are also great because they taste good! This also encourages athletes to be hydrated and take in more fluid than they most likely would if they were consuming water.

If you are competing in certain events such as cycling, sailing, distance canoeing or running, you may be able to take solid foods with you or arrange pick-up points. Suitable foods include, energy bars, dried-fruit bars, cereal bars, bananas, breakfast bars, or raisins. If you are competing in matches or tournaments (e.g. tennis, football), take suitable snacks and drinks for the intervals and position them close by. Make use of every available opportunity to take in fluid to ensure hydration.

If you are competing for more than 60 minutes, avoid or delay dehydration by drinking 125-250ml every 10-20 minutes during exercise. Clearly, the more you sweat, the more you need to drink. However, do not be guided by thirst as this is not a good indicator of hydration. When you are thirsty you are already dehydrated! Studies have shown that you can maintain optimal performance if you can replace at least 80% of your sweat loss during exercise or keep within 1% of your body weight.

What should I eat after competition?

You’ve done the hard work now it’s time to re fuel your body and assist it in the recovery process. So after your competition, your immediate aims are to replenish glycogen stores and fluid losses. If you are competing the following day or within the next few days, your post-event food intake is crucial. Again, choose foods with a moderate or high GI to ensure rapid refuelling, and aim for 1g carbohydrate/kg body weight during the 2 hour post exercise period. Any of the foods listed in table 3.1 above would be suitable. Drink at least 500ml fluid immediately after competing and continue drinking at regular intervals to replace fluid losses.

Your immediate post event food should be followed by a carbohydrate-rich meal approximately 2 hours later. Suitable post-event meals include pasta dishes, noodle dishes, thick-base pizzas (with vegetable toppings), and baked potatoes. Avoid rich or fatty meals (e.g. oily curries, chips, burgers)  as these will delay refuelling and can make you feel bloated after competing. Don’t forget to drink plenty of rehydrating fluid before embarking on that celebratory alcoholic drink!

Hope you find the information yourself. For more great information read Anita Bean’s book “The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition. I recommend it to any athlete who is serious about getting the most out of their training and competition.

Equipment needed:

Boxing Bag

Boxing Gloves

Hand Wraps

Interval Timer

This workout is one I did at home the other night, designed around tabata intervals. For more information on tabata interval training or interval training in general see my previous two posts – http://chelmarchioli.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/tabata-interval-training-sample-workouts/

http://chelmarchioli.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/interval-training-is-the-best-for-fat-loss/

For a quick recap tabata is a form of interval training using the method of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest x 8. This gives you 4 minutes doing any particular exercise you like. Today I’ve used boxing as an example. You can use most types of interval timers but the best I’ve seen is the gymboss application for the iphone.  Best thing about it is that it’s free!! (If you own an iphone)

Round 1:

• Jab/Cross

Advanced: aim for 20+                           

Intermediate: aim for 15+                          

Beginner: aim for 10+

Round 2:

• Lead Hook/Rear Hook

Advanced: aim for 20+                           

Intermediate: aim for 15+                          

Beginner: aim for 10+

Round 3:

• Right Roundhouse Kicks

Advanced: aim for 20+                           

Intermediate: aim for 15+                          

Beginner: aim for 10+

Round 4:

• Left Roundhouse Kicks

Advanced: aim for 20+                           

Intermediate: aim for 15+                         

Beginner: aim for 10+

Round 5:

• 3 Punch Timing (use the 4 punches we’ve previously worked on, Jab, Cross, Lead Hook and Rear Hook to create any 3 punch combination you like. If you are a beginner or not so confident punching the bag then pick a set 3 punch combination and stick to that for the entire 4 minutes)

E.g.  Jab, Cross, Lead Hook

Rear Hook, Lead Hook, Cross

Cross, Lead Hook, Rear Hook

Advanced: aim for 20+                           

Intermediate: aim for 15+                          

Beginner: aim for 10+

Round 6:

• 4 punch timing (use the 4 punches we’ve previously worked on, Jab, Cross, Lead Hook and Rear Hook to create any 4 punch combination you like. If you are a beginner or not so confident punching the bag then pick a set 4 punch combination and stick to that for the entire 4 minutes)

E.g.  Jab, Cross, Lead Hook, Rear Hook

Rear Hook, Lead Hook, Cross, Lead Hook

Jab, Cross, Lead Hook, Cross

Advanced: aim for 20+                           

Intermediate: aim for 15+                          

Beginner: aim for 10+

Round 7: Conditioning Round

• Push Up + Plank Challenge

 Advanced                   10 push ups

                                    6 seconds plank

                                    9 push ups

                                    6 seconds plank

                                    8 push ups

                                    6 seconds plank

Intermediate:             7 push ups

                                    6 seconds plank

                                    6 push ups

                                    6 seconds plank

Beginner:                    5 push ups

                                   6 seconds plank

                                   4 push ups

                                   6 seconds plank

                                   3 push ups

                                   6 seconds plank

                                  2 push ups

                                  6 seconds plank

                                  1 push up

                                  6 seconds plank

Note: You can either choose push ups from the toes or knees. If doing push ups from the toes your knees shouldn’t touch the ground until you have finished. You can transfer from hands to forearms with out your knees dropping to the floor. This will make it much harder and challenging for you!

Feel Free to choose a number to start on or even try doing this in reverse by starting at 1 and seeing how far you can get.

If this is too easy for you then simply climb your way back up to ten! And yes I mean do it twice!

Have fun!

P.S.  If you want to know more about the benefits of boxing on your health and fitness check out a previous blog entry – http://chelmarchioli.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/the-benefits-of-boxing-for-fitness/

3 reasons why Tabata interval training works:

1. It allows you to effectively manage your time and plan the perfect workout.
2. You can use any exercise whether it’s cardio or resistance based to put into the Tabata format.
3. High intensity interval training such as Tabata is best for fat loss. It increases calorie expenditure during and for up to 38 hours after exercise due to excess post exercise oxygen consumption – EPOC. (See the article Steady state aerobic training vs anaerobic interval training – http://chelmarchioli.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/interval-training-is-the-best-for-fat-loss/)

 Here are 3 different situations you may be in where you can use my sample tabata interval programs depending on equipment and location. Remember the 4 minutes is made up of 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest, x 8! Take a minute break after each exercise to rest and change over and set up for the next set of intervals. All three work outs can be completed in 30 minutes. If you had more or less time to workout then you can add or take an exercise away, Just allow 5 minutes per exercise.

Gym:

Bike – seated climb (4/8) sprints (4/8) (4 mins)

1 min rest

Lat Pulldown (4mins)

1 min rest

 Rower – sprints (4mins)

1 min rest

Chest Press (4mins)

1 min rest

Cross trainer – sprints (4mins)

1 min rest

Leg Press (4 mins)

No Equipment:

Running – (4 mins)

1 min rest

Push ups (4mins)

1 min rest

Burpees (4mins)

1 min rest

Mountain climbers (4mins)

1 min rest

Dynamic lunges (4mins)

1 min rest

Step ups (4mins)

Boxing equipment:

Boxing – Jabs  (4mins)

1 min rest

Push ups (4mins)

1 min rest

Boxing – hooks (4mins)

1 min rest

squats (4mins)

1 min rest

Boxing – Uppercuts (4mins)

1 min rest

Bodyweight – abdominal brace (4mins)

Ok, now you’ve got the idea you can go ahead and try some of these workouts for yourself. You can put anything you like into these workouts to target specific goals you may have. One advantage to have would be a gym boss interval timer or some other kind of timer you can set this up on. You can buy them from Hart Sport Australia or get the FREE application on your iphone.

Let me know how you go and if you’ve got any other great workouts that you may have done or created yourself then please leave a comment. Have fun!!

Have you ever wondered what the best , most time efficient wat to lose fat is?

Have you been told totally different things about what is the best training method for fat loss?

Read this article from Ultrafit Magazine and it will hopefully clear this issue up for you.

Commonly, interval training has only been used as a time efficient way to increase anaerobic fitness or sport-specific power endurance in the final weeks before competition. However, new research on interval training has shown it to be a very efficient method of fat burning.

Consider some of the following on steady state aerobic training and fat loss:

• A 1996 study showed that the addition of 5 x 45 minute sessions of aerobic training sessions per week for 12 weeks had no effect on fat loss.
• A 2007 study showed that 5 x 50 minute of aerobic training per week for 6 months had no effect on fat loss.
• A 2008 study showed that 3 x 40 minutes of aerobic exercise per week for 15 weeks actually resulted in a fat increase!

 And now consider the following about interval/anaerobic training and fat loss:

• A 1994 study actually showed that interval training reduced body fat by nine times more than traditional cardio training, despite using few calories during the session and taking less time.
• A 1999 study showed that the addition of a resistance training program to fat loss increased its effectiveness by 35% over diet and purely aerobic training.
• The same study showed that 3 x 50 minute sessions of aerobic training for 12 weeks (36 sessions) increased fat loss by only 450g over diet alone.
• The rise in metabolism after anaerobic training (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption – EPOC) results in further calories being burnt for up to 38 hours after the finish of the session.

The indicators are clear: this type of information should go a long way in helping fitness professionals design and implement effective fat loss programs. It’s not the workout – it’s the effect of that workout on EPOC.

EPOC is defined scientifically as the “recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels”. It can require several minutes for light exercise and several hours for hard intervals.

In layman’s terms it means you keep burning calories at an increased rate after a workout.

If you can imagine a big forest fire, you understand that it doesn’t just burn for an hour and then burn out – it gradually burns out so that over time there is no fire anymore. The peak of the fire may have been a long time ago but there are still flames being produced for a long time afterwards.

We call this the afterburn – metabolic disturbance – elevating EPOC to maximise calorie burn for the 23+ hours per day. Is there much of a real world effect of burning 300 calories per workout (e.g. aerobic work) if we don’t elevate EPOC??

If we could elevate EPOC even an apparently insignificant ¼ of a calorie per minute for the 38 hours that the study showed, then that 31 minute resistance workout would burn maybe 300 calories during the session plus the extra 570 calories over the next 38 hours. That becomes very significant.

In the past, fitness professionals and researchers have looked at how much fat is burned during the exercise session itself. This is extremely short sighted.

As American conditioning guru Alan Aragon said “Caring how much fat is burned during training makes as much sense as caring how much muscle is built during training.”

Think about that. If we looked at a weight training session that started at 9am and finished at 10am – how much muscle would we see built if we stopped at 10am? None.

In fact we’d see muscle damage. We could make the conclusion that weight training does not increase muscle – in fact it decreases muscle, right? It’s only when we look at the big picture – and look at the recovery from the session – that we find the reverse is true – weight training builds muscle.

Fat loss is the same way. Someone talking about the benefits of the “fat burning zones” or “fasted cardio” is a sure sign that the individual has stopped looking at the end of the exercise session. They have come to the conclusion that, lower intensity steady state exercise burns the most fat and made the massive leap of faith to suggest it’s the best for fat loss.

Using that same logic, these same people would suggest avoiding weight training if you want to grow muscle.

Take home message – focus on the afterburn, not just what happens during the exercise session

There is another, more subtle reason why intervals are superior to steady state training.

The body does the opposite.

If you don’t drink enough water your body will retain it. If you drink too much water your body will excrete it.

Article from Ultrafit Magazine

Issue 123 Jan/Feb 2010

Berries are packed with a heap of antioxidants + combined with a serve of your favourite vanilla protein powder provides you with all the amino acids needed to boost the immune system and repair muscle tissue throughout the rest of your day.

Serves 1:
150g frozen blueberries
1/2 cup (125ml) water or milk
1 serve of your favourite vanilla protein powder

Combine all the ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. Consume immediately.

You can also mix this recipe up with different flavoured proteins but my favourite is using raspberries rather than blueberries.

What’s your favourite protein mix?? Any special ingredients that are a must in your shakes? Post your favourite recipe or a link to it in a comment below.

• what the future might hold for them
• job and retirement security
• compromised nutrition

How does mannatech help put these issues to rest and increase your overall health. Not just physical health, not just mental health but also social health!

Imagine knowing exactly how to create the lifestyle you want! It’s the affordable business alternative. Mannatech offers:

• low risk
• small capital start up
• low overheads
• potential high return on investment
• world class training and a simple 4 step system
• potential for rapid 90 day return on investment
• ongoing income possibilities

So if you’re still reading this you are most likely interesting in maintaining your optimum health and making some part/full time income or at least enough money to cover the costs of your procucts.

Follow mannatechs simple 4 step plan:

STEP 1: establish yourself @ the premium position and set up your monthly qualifying order.

STEP 2: help two others establish their business with mannatech @ the premium position and set up their qualifying orders. *By this time you could earn upto $975.

STEP 3: teach your two new associates to each help two people establish a premium position with mannatech and set up a monthly qualifying order.

STEP 4: teach your first two associates to also complete their sales team of 6 premium associates (to follow the first 3 steps the way you have) and you could have earned upto $6750 in bonuses while using the products to maintain your optimum health.

The rest is upto you. How much time and effort are you willing to put in? How much free time would you like to have to spend doing the things you love?

DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME?
We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and 7 days in a week. How we choose to spend those hours today can play a major role in determining how we’ll spend those hours in the future. By investing a portion of your time into your own mannatech business now, you can position yourself to leverage the efforts of others and create more freedom to be able to do the things you want to do, whenever you want to do them.

DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY?
Mannatech requires very little start-up costs compared to traditional business and offers a range of ‘getting started’ options. You can decide to start small and test the waters, or for the same time and effort, take up the premium pack and supercharge your earning capacity from day one. The choice is upto you.

If your interested email me for any questions and further information:
marcello_marchioli@hotmail.com

How many times have you tried to change bad habits but given up months, weeks or even days after you tell yourself you’re going to change these habits? The fact of the matter is if you start a new health regimen that is vastly different to your current lifestyle then it’s almost certain to fail!

The key for long lasting success is making small adjustments to your lifestyle that will slowly change your habits over time and you will manageably move towards a long term healthy lifestyle change. Isn’t this the reason we want to change? Because we want it to last? If you aren’t in it for the long term then why bother??

Remember health isn’t just fitness or nutrition or how good or bad we feel. Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The term health covers physical, social, mental, spiritual, emotional and environmental factors so it’s important to bare that in mind when you ask yourself if you’re healthy.

Here are 3 of the simplest yet effective steps that will start your transformation from an unhealthy lifestyle which is full of bad habits to a healthy lifestyle that is full of energy, happiness and good health. Start small and try incorporate one small but positive change each week.

Eating: Add one fresh fruit or vegetable to each meal

Exercise: take a brisk walk before eating lunch

Energy: Go to bed half an hour earlier than usual

As you begin to make these small positive changes that don’t take much effort at all you should pay attention to the results. After a few weeks you will probably notice you have more energy to enjoy life more, be more active, and feel less stressed.

By consistently adding small changes into your daily routines you will soon become the person you want to be and these habits will stay with you forever rather than a few weeks or days. Hope this gives you some motivation to try a few new things this week to kick some of those bad habits.

You may think that all kids love games and all kids want to play with balls and run in the park but this isn’t always the case.

You shouldn’t under estimate the importance of proper training in a safe environment.

• You have the right equipment to monitor improvements

• You can progressively overload what they are doing by increase speed, incline, reps, resistance etc.

• They are in a safe environment with good supervision and knowledge.

• They often enjoy feeling like an adult. They want to do things that they don’t usually get a chance to do.

The benefits of a one on one session compared to a group session are:

• The participant gets more guidance from the trainer

• They can do more advanced exercises because of the increase time the trainer can spend with the individual.

• Kids like to have your attention; they generally misbehave in a group situation to impress others or to get your attention.

• They will learn alot more one on one compared to a group session because there are no other distractions.

Overall group training is good fun but kids love having role models and they can look up to the trainer. They want to have their attention and they also want to learn and become better at certain things whether it’s a sport or to just be fit and healthy. They love to try new things and tell their friends these cool things they did. I encourage parents to keep their kids active and get involved with some sort or program, sport, or just walking the family dog! It’s that simple. Just keep it simple and regular. After all, parents are the ones in control of their children. If you teach them early on to exercise regularly they are more likely to get involved with physical education and grow up to be fit and healthy.

Tell me which of these sounds better to you..

Healthy kid who exercised regularly by walking the dog and going for runs on the beach or playing sport in the backyard who grows up fit and healthy and leads a healthy lifestyle because of his childhood experience of exercise.

OR

A kid who wasn’t bought up around exercise whether it be incidental or set execise like walking and playing sport therefore doesn’t enjoy physical education at school, often discludes themselves or gets in trouble. Grows up overweight leading to poor mental and social wellbeing and bad lifestyles choices lead them into such problems as heart disease, stroke and other realted problems.

The message: It’s in your hands – it’s your call

Whey Protein

Protein has certainly become a major player in weight management, muscle building and recovery. More importantly however while research has shown eating a little more protein can be beneficial, research into whey protein has shown some rather solid results especially when it comes to preserving lean muscle mass as well as building it. Why? Protein from whole foods, while beneficial and still integral to a healthy balanced diet, take many long hours to digest. Whey protein, the left over product from cheese manufacturing, is ‘pre-digested’ and 8-10 grams can be absorbed. What’s special about whey protein is that it contains a high level of branch chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine. These escape digestion in the liver and are transported straight to the muscles. The benefits are bigger muscles, a decrease in muscle loss and even appetite suppression and weight/loss maintenance.

There are many variates on the market. Find one that tastes good, has high protein content and fits your budget. Whey protein taken straight after a workout, in between meals or even as a snack will yield the best results, especially at two doses a day. You don’t need to over do the dose size. 15-30 grams each dose would be sufficient.

Creatine

How does creatine work? More ATP in muscles means more energy to lift weights, so rather than getting 8 repetitions in a set you may get 10-11. After your first set ATP has been used up therefore you’re left with ADP which isn’t much use when you have another few sets to complete. More creatine means more ATP because phosphate is donated to ADP to produce ATP. Supplementation of creatine in the diet means there is an increase in the amount of creatine in muscle. This means the next set rather than getting 7 repetitions without supplementation; you would most likely get 9-10 repetitions. What this means is greater training intensity, and therefore more lean muscle mass.

What type of results can be expected?

Specific improvements are;

• Short-term creatine supplementation has been reported to improve maximal power/strength (5-15%)

• Work performed during sets of maximal effort contractions (5-15%)

• Single effort sprint performance (1-5%)

• Work performed during repetitive sprint performance (5-15%)

• Long-term creatine supplementation appears to enhance the overall quality of training, leading to 5 to 15% greater gains in strength and performance.

• Nearly all studies indicate that “proper” creatine supplementation increases body mass by about 1 to 2 kg in the first week of loading.

Summary

There are numerous products on the market; however whey protein and creatine have consistent sound evidence behind them to support their use. The best way to use these is to find products and doses that work best for you. This is a trial and error process and may take some time but is very beneficial in the long-term.