I have been feeling ordinary for probably the last 2 years. I am not sick – my blood work is all clear but I am feeling flat and lethargic. I exercise 4 – 6 times per week and my motivation fluctuates. I know how it feels to feel great and bounce up out of bed ready to jump into anything that life will throw me – but that has gone and seems a distant memory. I have tried heaps of things to try and regain that feeling – I suspected my adrenal glands where tired so I gave up coffee for a month and didn’t really feel better, made significant changes to my diet but that didn’t seem to work either. Tested my digestion and that seems ok. So I decided to try a detox / cleanse to see if this will help me. I want to focus on 2 main areas – the first is to give my digestive system and break and chance to recover and rebuild. The second reason is to detoxify my liver – the liver is an extremely important organ and I think mine may be a bit slugglish.

I must also say that I really want to drop some body fat – I have been training hard and have increased size and a lot of strength too since Christmas but I am now the heaviest I have ever been which isn’t ideal because I am tried to increase my running (interval based) but I am struggling with the extra weight. ( I now understand now why AFL footballers can’t pack on too much muscle over the preseason!!)

My problem areas are: my upper legs and my mid section. Thanks to my Biosignature qualification I know that the hormones I need to target.  My Goal = Single Digit bodyfat and currently 21.9% and I weigh 88.8kgs

I will be using Medical foods and some Liver support supplements as well as eating 1 green vegetable per day.

My supplements are set out for the morning are set out:

1 Serve of Fibre (15g – Primal Fiber)

I then jump in the shower then I have my first meal of the day:

Estrogenomics Px Vanilla (2 Scoops in Water) + 10 BCAA + P1P2 Balance (for Liver detox)

Followed by 2tbs of L-Glutamine in water

I then went to the gym Today’s work out was Back / Pulling Exercises I also threw in 4 sets of Squats and 3 sets of Front squats.

Returning from the gym 12pm I have another   Estrogenomics Px Vanilla (2 Scoops in Water) + 10 BCAA’s + P1P2 Balance

About 2pmI am a little bit annoyed at myself I was suppose to of already prepared my broccoli but  I need to take off for work so I have a Phyto Px (Mixture of vital greens and reds)

I trained a couple of clients and now I am feeling a dull headache nothing major I wolf down another shake this time it a Inflam Px Mango OMG that is not a good flavour – actually that was hard work getting that one down.

Trained another client then headed home. It hard to explain I am not starving but I really really want to eat. I jump out of my car and I can smell food yum. I jump in the lift yep someone one level 1 is cooking up a storm. I finally reach my apartment great I can finally eat – woohoo tonights dinner Broccoli : ) I also had a second serve of Phyto Px.

I demolish my broccoli and just before I go to bed I have another shake this time Estrogenomics Px Chocolate (2 Scoops in Water) + 10 BCAA and some Zinc and Magnesium.

My first day wasn’t too bad I did get a dull headache but it I was able to cope and it faded once I consumed another shake.

Here are some simple rule to help you achieve this.

Eating Rules

1. 5 – 7 meals per day
2. Eat at least one portion of Protein @ each meal
3. Ditch ALL GRAINS
4. The only carbs you eat should come from above  ground vegetables
5. Don’t be scared of FAT – good fats actually help you lose fat!

Training Rules

1. Exercise a minimum of 3 times per week
2. Strength training (lifting weights) and Interval Cardio are the most effective forms of exercise for losing fat
3. Use exercises that give you the most bang for you buck – Compound exercises with free weights
4. Train with intensity and intent – don’t fluff around
5. Research shows that slow steady state cardio actually makes you fatter – so why would you do it?

Sleeping Rules

1. Get as close to 8 hours as you can
2. Get to bed before 10:30pm
3. Don’t watch TV in bed
4. Don’t drink coffee after 3pm
5. You should not have to get up through the night – even to go to the toilet! If you do wake up there maybe a blood sugar issue

There is a fast 15 tips that will see you well on the way to shifting the extra you… You may also want to get a personalised training and nutrition plan or even check out BioSignature.

-Anthony

1. Think – We can all beat ourselves up at time and sometime shit that is beyond our control can just happen. When this seems to be happening to you – you need to take the steering wheel and take control. Only you can change you – you need to take responsibility for you and your own actions.

2. Move – exercise improves body and brain function. It releases chemicals and hormones that make you feel good. So what the F#$% aren’t you exercising. It can be as simple as going for a walk and as hardcore as a warrior workout – it’s pretty darn simple move your ass.

3. Fuel – what you shovel in you gob is what fuels and repairs each and every cell in your entire body. Are you sure you want to eat that crap? You are what you eat and what you eat becomes you. (Hope my footy players are reading this!!!)

4. Repair – Sleep is the key to repair. There are 2 critical periods during sleep where firstly body and then mind are repaired. You need to get to bed on time (10:30 the latest) and should aim for 8 hours of sleep.

5. Relax – Taking time out! You need to take a little time out each day (it maybe a simple as having a coffee in the sun. Try to utilise your weekends properly and don’t forget to take a holiday with that annual leave. Get away enjoy life recharge and get ready to go again.

6. Last but not least – actually its where you should start. Have a goal – and be prepared to do what needs to be done to achieve it.

- Anthony

Without turning this into a chemistry lesson, our bodies release different hormones to prepare us for the day’s events.  In the morning our bodies release stress hormones, these are to get as up and about. Later in the day these stress hormones are suppose to taper off. While our bodies start to wind down, our repair hormones take over – their job is to rebuild bones, muscle tissue etc, as well taking care of our psychogenic repair. Too many people’s stress buckets are always full and or over flowing – causing sickness, lack of sleep, poor digestion, injuries, excess weight or body fat, weakened immune system or just feeling like crap all the time.

1. The best way to start reducing your stress level or emptying out you bucket is to identify what is causing you the most stress in your life. It might be a number of things, write them down and work out a plan of attack to tackle them. Also remember seek help if you need it, don’t be frightened to ask for help or seek expertise. For money issues maybe see a financial advisor. Etc
2. Look at your diet! Drop the CRAP (caffeinated, refined, alcohol / aspartame and processed) foods and reduce your sugar intake. All of the previously mentioned items are high GI and cause your body to release even more cortisol (stress hormone). Too much cortisol causes; fatigue, suppressed immune system, digestion problems, constipation and other catabolic (breakdown) hormone responses. Protein and good fats are the building blocks of the body and also your hormones. So it is vital that you consume adequate amounts of protein and good fats.
3. Exercise – the right kind of exercise can help reduce you stress levels. The intensity of the exercise is inversely related to your stress level. For example if you are totally stressed out taking part in high intensity high impact aerobic class probably isn’t the right option. You are far better off going for a walk, doing some light resistance training, yoga or pilates class.
4. Take some time to relax. Book in a massage – or have a spa treatment – go and get pampered. Alternatively you could buys some nice bath salts run yourself a nice warm bath, maybe read a good book or just soak up the serenity. You might just want to do something you enjoy like seeing a movie or a game of golf, it’s up to you.
5. Lastly learn to meditate. Meditation improves your sense of awareness, energy, mental clarity, and athletic ability. Start with 5 to 10 minutes per day.  Sitting, stand or simply lie perfectly still, close your eyes and purely focusing on your breathing and nothing else. You will feel your heart rate slow and a sense of calm come over your body.

Obviously there are more than five ways to reduce your stress level. But by integrating one or more of the five simple steps outlined, you will pretty soon find that there is a lot less stress in your old stress bucket. There will always be times or situations that will stress you out – but you will have plenty of room your stress bucket to tolerate whatever is thrown your way.

-Anthony

How possibly could a poor diet cause low back pain? Well let me teach you right now.

If you eat a food that you body is intolerant of – like let’s say wheat (side note: did you know that 75% of white skinned people are intolerant of all grains?), which is found in everything from breads, cereals, pasta’s but even finds its way into sauces and marinates. Well when you eat it, it travels down the normal route until it gets to the small intestine where because your body doesn’t like it you cannot digest it. It just sits there causing irritation of the lining resulting in pain and bloating of the intestines and the abdominal wall which are on the same nerve route. I will discuss pain and muscular inhibition another time. Basically this causes the abdominal wall shut off and which muscles are critical to stabilise your low back? Yes you guessed it your abdominals. Eating crap foods can = Back pain!

Dehydration being the cause of back pain is also an often overlooked. Your body is made of around 75% water and water is super important to many of the body functions, such as: digestion, delivery or nutrients, circulation of blood, excrement of waste, lubrication of joints and internal organs and regulation of body temperature. How then can dehydration contribute to back pain – well if you don’t drink enough water your body can recycle water – clever hey. But unfortunately one of the first sites water is taken from is that water that is  used to lubricate the discs and vertebrae of your back – creating a dry stiff and sore back. Being dehydrated can = Back pain!

So if you tried everything and still experience back pain maybe you should try – ridding your diet of foods you are intolerant of and drink more water – for most people around 2.5 litres. Sadly though most people will avoid these two important factors and continue on performing 100’s of situps and back strengthening exercises – but will probably always have a sore back.

- Anthony

It is Monday morning – your alarm sounds to get you up out of bed and to start the new week. Two things can happen here: you bounce up out of bed or you swear and hit the snooze button.  If its the former, you shower, have breakfast then get ready for work. If its the latter, you are now on the verge of being late, so a quick shower and coffee are all there is time for. This may be starting to sound all too familiar.

If you’re not getting enough sleep it is going to catch up with you. You cannot escape from it. Its effects can appear in many forms like : darks circles around your eyes, red blood shot eyes, struggling to focus or maintain concentration.  It might not sound too bad, but not being focused or not being able to concentrate can result in accidents that are not only dangerous to you but also the people around you.

So how many hours sleep per night should we be getting? The answer as you probably already know is 8 hours. However with people sitting in front of computers or watching television for hours before finally going to bed most people only average 6½ hours sleep per night – that’s 90 mins less than they should be getting!

What can you do to ensure you not only get 8 hours sleep, but that you get 8 hours good quality sleep?  Well there are many things you can do. One of the most important things is to actually get to bed on time. If you need to be up at 6am you need to go to bed at 10pm to get your full 8 hours of sleep. You should also avoid watching television in bed – your bed is for sleeping not watching CSI. You may doze off but light and sound from the tv will wake you up again.

Turn off your mobile phone. Waking up to an SMS is not going to improve your chances of getting enough sleep. Chances are you will text them back and play SMS tennis for half an hour or so. I know what you’re going to say: what if it’s an emergency?” If it’s an emergency they will keep trying!

Now the distractions are gone, you can focus on the bedroom itself.The bedroom needs to be as dark and quiet as possible to ensure you are able to get good night ‘s sleep. Streetlights and noise from outside can make it difficult to fall asleep or can  wake you up. Good curtains or block out blinds can make a massive difference.

Many of the items I will mention can fall under the radar. What you eat or drink can impact on the way you sleep. Too much sugar, alcohol and or carbohydrates can elevate your blood sugar levels and your body works hard to bring these levels right down. Then your body may enter a state know as Hypoglycaemia where your blood sugar levels are now too low. The stress from this causes you to wake up and you will usually have a tough time falling back asleep.

There is also caffeine – most people love a coffee. Unfortunately caffeine is a stimulant – it triggers your adrenal glands to turn on and pump out cortisol. Cortisol is a breakdown hormone important to human function and health but when cortisol levels are high, other vital sleep and repair hormones do not function properly. Caffeine also has a chemical half life of 6 hours, so half of the caffeine from your coffee is still in your system 6 hours later. Therefore try to avoid coffee and caffeine after lunch. For more information about cortisol, check out my article on Stress.

There are so many more things that you can do to better equip yourself for a good night’s sleep. By implementing the few steps I have listed above you will definitely be on your way to your 8 hours in the land of nod, allowing you to bounce out of bed and perform to your full potential.

- Anthony

We are in fact cavemen (slightly more advanced in terms of technology but realistically we are still just same) we are hard wired for survival – we have metabolisms that can speed up or slow down depending on how much and what type of food you eat. Back in caveman times food supplies were different – they didn’t have supermarkets, fridges and freezes to store food – they could only eat foods that were “in season.” They could only eat what was available. Summer times and warmer weather was the time to feast (and a chance to fatten up) and during winter and the cooler months they ate what they could and hibernated. Your metabolism can change to suit your environment.

Eating fewer calories puts your body under a great deal of stress. When you are stressed you body releases stress hormones (cortisol) which are catabolic – and means that breaks down muscle tissue and stores body fat (usually this is the opposite of what most people want!!!). So you may in fact lose weight but the weight you have lost will in actual fact be muscle tissue that you body has had to break down to use as fuel. This again is part of survival – the body saves fat to use as a last resort.

Most low calorie diets reduce your intake of fat – and again I know that sounds like a good thing, but guess again!!! Fat is vital to HEALTH – yes I will say it again Fat is vital to Health. Fat (I mean good fats too) is not the bad guy as a lot of so called health professionals would have you believe. Fat has the highest concentration of energy (9calories per gram) which is why when you cut it out of your diet your calorie consumption dramatically decreases. But fat doesn’t trigger an insulin response so your body can not store it – it is actually excessive amounts of carbohydrates that are stored in fat. It is also important to note that fat and protein are precursors to all hormones.

So if you follow a low calorie intake diet you will lose weight – which will actually be due to a loss of muscle tissue not fat loss and these results will only last for a short period. You will in fact find that your body fat % will go up and you will feel tired, lethargic and just terrible. If you want to be healthy work out the right foods for you (Metabolic Type) and eat up – get that metabolism pumping!!

Efficiency – most of us don’t have time to waste. You need to be efficient – do it once and do it properly.

Lifestyle – many factors can help or hinder you from achieving your goals. Lifestyle factors such as not getting enough sleep, not eating breakfast, drinking or smoking can make or break you.

Energy – your energy levels are a great indicator – when they are high you feel good, when they are low ask yourself why that it is?

Vitality – your overall health, the strength of your immune system, when these are good – you are healthy and happy.

Attitude – your attitude and your perception impact greatly on where you are at and where you are going. Be Positive!!

Training – exercise and movement are very powerful, they create a positive response in the body which releases endorphins that make you feel good.

Implementation – this is your plan, having it and sticking to it. Not having a plan is planning to fail.

Organised – knowing what needs to be done and what you need to get it done.

Nutrition – is the fuel that powers you. Getting the right mix of fuel it is crucial – eating right for your Individual Metabolic Type.

No matter what your goal is – these 9 areas, steps or KPI’s will take you to the next level.

Did you know that the average career life of a Personal Trainer (in Australia) is 18 months to 2 years? (See 7 years is a hell of a long time). There are heaps of reasons for this – the long hours, working weekends, the stress of running your own business etc. I am not going to whinge about that because I love what I do!

What I want to do here is if you haven’t already got one or are considering getting a Personal Trainer – share some things that you should look at before you sign up for one:

1.       Know what you want! Different people have different needs and expectations of their Personal Trainer – if you have an injury or special need the newest trainer on the block isn’t necessary going to have the skills required to help you achieve your goal.

2.       Ask for a Test Drive (Comp Session) – watching someone train their client is ok – but you wouldn’t buy a car without taking a test drive would you? When you employ a personal trainer you are asking them to look after your body which is worth a lot more than a car!

3.       Make sure you get am assessment – If your trainer doesn’t assess you – run, leave, get the hell out of there. An assessment is vital before any exercise can be performed – if they don’t assess they are guessing and that is just irresponsible and dangerous. A postural assessment, core function test and movement analysis show the trainer your skill level and therefore what exercises are going to best benefit you! The individual – not one size fits all, one program for all works – sorry!!! Also too how are you track progress?

4.       Correcting Form and Technique – poor form equals poor results. I have seen trainers closely observing the worst technique in the world and never muttered a single word – no wait actually he said “5 more!” Poor form can and probably will lead to injury or imbalance – if you are not getting feedback or cues ask “how is my form?” or find another trainer.

5.       This could and should be number 1 – they should practise what they preach. They should train themselves, they should watch what they eat – we don’t have to go over the top but one thing is for sure – they cannot deliver you what they have not got themselves.

Now I can go on and on here but at the end of the day, I believe that each individual is responsible for themselves. Choosing a personal trainer can be tough – breaking up with a trainer can be tougher – but at the end of the day you have to be get what you want, get your money’s worth and get results.

– Anthony

Before I get too carried away – it is very important to get any injury checked out by a professional – this article is not designed to diagnose your injury but educate you and show you some simple methods you can use to help eliminate your knee pain caused by faulty alignment.

The knee is a very complex joint – it is best described as a hinge joint, but it is slightly different to other hinge joints in the body due the patella (kneecap), which acts as a pulley. Let’s briefly look at the anatomy of the knee: there are 3 main bones that make up the knee joint – the femur, the tibia and the patella. Lots of muscles attach to the knee – the main one’s we will focus on are the Quadriceps and Hamstrings. Four muscles make up the Quads – Vastus Medialis, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedius and Rectus Femoris. Three muscles make up the Hamstrings –   Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus and Biceps Femoris.  Four ligaments also add support to the knee and they are – the medial collateral ligament, the lateral collateral ligament, the anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament. It is also really important to mention the Illiotibial band which runs down the outside of the leg from the glutes (butt) to your knee attaching on the patella.

Hopefully your still with me – so if there is no structural damage to you knee (torn ligaments etc) and you experience knee pain chances are it is cause by faulty posture/ poor alignment of the knee. The centre of your knee cap should sit directly over your second toe (the one next to your big toe). If it does not then you have faulty alignment. Don’t stress it is not the end of the world! I am not a gambling man but i bet it’s sitting over or inside you big toe??!! Here comes the good stuff – now let’s look at the kinetic chain – is your foot, hips, core or all three causing the knee pain?

We can go into more depth and run through some tests but I have found that usually there is weakness in all three; the core, foot and hip – so let’s get straight into what you can do to reduce your knee pain.

Where to start? The best place to start addressing knee pain is the Illiotibial band (ITB), this is usually very tight – you can stretch it but it is quite difficult to stretch because it is mostly connective tissue (it’s like trying to stretch a leather belt) using a foam roller is a far more effective than stretching.  It is normally really painful at first but the more you use the foam roller the easier it gets. Foam Rolling should always be done before a run / workout.

VMO (Vastus Medialis) is usually quite weak in people with knee pain, the VMO is the major stabiliser of the knee – I have found the best exercise to strengthen it is VMO Squats. It is important to note that the VMO really only works in the last 15⁰ of extension (straightening your leg) so this exercise is not a full range squat – but upper partial range to predominantly train VMO.

Glute Med (Gluteus Medius) is the major stabiliser of the pelvis. A weak glute med means the pelvis and femur become unstable – your femur will rotate inwards. There are many Jane Fonda style exercises that can strengthen your Glute med but I like to use a tube walk as activation before moving into proper Squats.

Now we come to the core – you can do VMO Squats and Tube walks until the cows come home – but if you fail to address core function you are wasting your time. If you have a weak core – you cannot stabilise your pelvis or low back. This can create an anterior pelvic tilt (APT) (if your pelvis was a bucket of water, water would pour out the front). 99 times out of 100 an APT is coupled with weak glutes (meds & maxs), weak hamstrings (although they may feel tight) short tight quads, ITB’s and pronated feet.  If you don’t strengthen your core you are only masking the symptoms of your knee pain and it will return.

In summary don’t just look at the sight of pain as the cause – you need to look at the bigger picture and understand that the body is a series of systems and you should never every look at one part in isolation.

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