But I didn’t.

I persevered, grinded through and tested both my physical and mental fortitude. After one round of this workout I knew it was going to be a struggle. I felt sluggish, the weights felt heavy and I was already thinking of ways how I might change the session to get through it or just get out of it.

What made me get it done?

I was filming the session. Straight away this added a layer of accountability. I had decided to film it as it was going to be one of my ‘go to’ testing sessions and I wanted to post about it. Even though I could have just stopped the video and not posted about it I felt that it would be dishonest to not post it, no matter what the result.

I wanted to get those particular muscle groups trained that day. From a training perspective I knew that this was a session that needed to be done so cutting it short would have hampered my training plan for the week.

If I can’t persevere through one tough workout how can I talk about people being uncomfortable and being committed to their goals. I enjoy training and it has become part of my life. But for people I help who are just starting out or who are making some big changes in their lives, they are going to face challenges in many aspects as they start to analyse and adjust their daily habits. Dietary changes, new exercises, tough training sessions and mental battles are all part of the process. So when I come across a hurdle I need to be able get over it or work around it and keep running, just like I expect my clients to.

This may not seem a large challenge in the scheme of things, but the more we push through small battles the big ones will not feel so daunting. One habit change rolls into another, one completed workout increases our chances of doing the next.

Feeling uncomfortable yet not stopping will increase resilience and help you get through the hard days, tough choices and keep going in the face of adversity.

Doing things that are hard will develop strength, determination, fortitude and discipline, all key in accomplishing what you set out to achieve.

When you go on a diet or embark on a new eating regime, you set out with high hopes and all the best expectations in the world. You have your guidelines and what you are looking to remove or reduce. You are raring to go and flick your mindset to “I’m going to do this!”.

Over the first few weeks you may find that things are going great, your new meal plan and your snacks are flowing well and you are feeling positive.

Over the week you eat well, your new meal plan and your snacks are flowing well and you are feeling positive.

You start each week with a great food shop. Your meals are planned and you have prepped your lunches for the week, or at least got your ideas in mind. You find that your breakfasts are great and filling and each day you avoid the office biscuits and colleague birthday treats.

It’s that time of year where you start to make changes. You say to yourself “Right, that’s it! New year, new me” and “I’m definitely doing it this time!”. But that last statement alone says a lot... “...this time!” It shows that you may have tried it already or that you have tried something similar in the past.



Whether it is the 1st or 3rd time you are going to shift some excess pounds, join the gym or start running (insert goal here), you need to know your WHY. Without knowing and recognising your WHY you are unlikely to sustain the change over the longer term. If the going gets tough, your WHY will be there to steady the ship and to keep you pushing through. Your WHY is the reason you are making the change. It could be something personal or something external, but you need to find it. It might take some time but once you have it, grab onto it and don’t let go. Write it down. Think of all the different ways in which you can build towards it. Make a plan. Do little things that will lead towards it. A house is made brick by brick, you don’t have to build it all in a day.



We also live in the real world though, so you have to be realistic and honest. January is generally cold, wet and dark. The gyms are busy, your being told to not eat this and eat that. Some days you have a bad sleep, some days you are stuck at work or the kids are ill...things happen and life gets in the way! But if you have your WHY this all starts to look clearer. You get over your obstacles and your excuses because you can see what is at the end.



The biggest challenge standing in front of you is you. You are the one who needs to want to change. Yes, you may have support, guidance and help along the way. But without you, your WHY doesn’t exist.



You need to be SMART about things.

S- Specific -

M- Measurable

A- Achievable

R- Realistic

T- Timescale



S- I am going to lose 14lbs

M- I will measure my weight now and then each two weeks.

A- I will achieve this as I have a plan in place

R- It is realistic as it still puts me within a healthy weight range for my height and age

T- I will do this within 8 weeks time



This is where I do suggest writing your WHY down. Visualising it and reiterating it to yourself will reinforce it. Another good idea is a collage, a whiteboard, a notebook...whether it is a collection of pictures, notes or articles to get you inspired, it all helps.



You have the power each day to move a little bit closer to your goals (and feeling awesome). Write or say out loud 2 things right now that make you feel good about yourself. It could be your dedication to something, the smarter breakfast choice you made this morning, the skills you have in a particular field or a goal you have achieved in your life so far.


You are an achiever! You have done it before, you can do it again and again.

And if you have a wedding coming up and that is your WHY, my wife does amazing bridal hair ;) www.katiejanewhitlock.co.uk

When it comes to eating around your training sessions, let's try and keep things simple.

Ideally you should be looking to have a full balanced meal, including carbohydrates, fat and protein (20-40g approx) in a 3-4 hour window of your training.

If this doesn't work for you everytime, don't stress, just do what you can and if you feel hungry before your training then of course have something light, such as a banana, handful of nuts, even a couple of squares of dark chocolate, as working out hungry doesn’t always feel great.

If fat loss is your goal then over the course of the week (I like to use a week rather than focussing on 1 day) you need to be in a calorie deficit. You need to expend more calories than you consume. This can be just a small amount, 200-300 calories a day. The small deficits will help in achieving long term fat loss, hunger pangs and overall adherence to your change in diet or activity levels.

If you are happy where you are in terms of weight or body composition then stick with what you are doing and tweak when you need to.

Here is some bones of the matter. The ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition) has seen evidence that a protein intake of between 1.4-2g per kg of bodyweight for individuals who participate in resistance training is optimal when looking to build or maintain muscle. This depends on how many times a week you train and to what intensity. This is also noticeably higher than the Reference Nutrient Intake of .75g per kg bodyweight but, this is not based on someone who trains.

What does this mean?
Weight = 80KG
80x1.6(taking it in the middle range)=128
128g protein daily
Split over 3-5 meals, roughly 25g in each

This could be achieved through:
3 eggs
100g chicken
100g lentils
120g tuna

Regular resistance training plus protein consumption helps you build muscle. The more lean muscle mass you have the more efficient you are...in essence you can consume more calories relative to your bodyweight as you need to fuel more muscle.

We need to talk...


Most of us know what we need to do to improve our health/weight/fitness levels. We just need that umph to get us going. But let's cover some truths about where to start and what might be going wrong.


Are you gaining weight?
You are consistently consuming over your needed calorie intake for your given bodyweight.


Is your weight fairly static?
You are consistently consuming enough calories to maintain your current weight.


Are you losing weight?
You are consistently producing a negative calorie balance through consuming fewer calories or by exercising.


What's the best exercise for getting rid of your belly fat?
You cannot choose where your fat is broken down from. You need to create a calorie deficit through food or exercise to reduce body fat. To get a "flat" stomach you need to focus on plank progressions and roll out type exercises.


What's the best exercise to do for fat loss?
Choose exercise that you enjoy doing and do more of it. Building muscle does help improve a whole host of things but just get moving first.


My friend is on the "XYZ" diet will it work for me?
It depends. Any diet aims to leave you in a calorie deficit. If you can handle the lack of whatever food is being removed then it may work in the short to medium term.


My friend has stopped eating "Insert food type or product here" and lost weight, what do you think?
Your friend has cut calories. The majority of the time when you cut a food group or product from your routine you don't replace it. The result is you are consistently eating less calories (see point 3 above). It isn't the lack of that particular food that has caused the weight loss it is the lack of calories.


How can I tone up?
Toning is the reduction of body fat combined with having muscle mass. So in other words you want to lose fat and gain muscle. This is a tricky conundrum as gaining muscle requires extra calories and losing fat requires fewer calories. By using resistance training (i.e kettlebells, bodyweight, weights) you can create a calorie deficit through exercise and that will help create muscle tone.


I don't want to use weights and get too big?
This will not happen. I will say it again, this will not happen. It takes years of programmed training and a spot on diet to get "big". How many times have you actually heard anyone say they got so big and muscly they had to stop going to gym?
This will not happen.


Anything I've missed please ask away or send me an email/message and look out for similar posts soon.