The Power of Self-talk 3

I decided to write another article about self-talk as many people have emailed me regarding this topic and commented how powerful this is. Some people have said how they hadn’t realized how much they actually talk to themselves.

Whether we’re aware of it or not, what we say to ourselves can literally change our actions and behaviours. It can give us the winning edge, or it can leave us miserable. We must take hold of our internal dialogue and not let it control us. WE decide what we think about – and no one else! As a Personal Trainer, this is one of the hardest things I find to get through to my clients – that they have control of their choices – not circumstances, events or other people – THEM! If you want to achieve weight loss or any worthy goal, you need to master this.

In this article I’d like to give some more specific examples of the things I say to myself to help me through the times I don’t ‘feel like’ doing the right thing, particularly in tempting food situations. Anyone can act on impulse and emotion, and most of us will – without prior planning.

Think about it – why WOULDN’T you? We are pleasure creatures – we want pleasure, don’t want pain! But making the wrong choices is going to bring about pain, it’s just delayed pain. We sometimes forget this in the moment. It’s a bit like saving money. Being disciplined is hard if you’re simply depriving yourself. But when you’re focusing on the reward, it gets easier. Without deciding your reward (your goals) you will base your food choice decisions on taste. Instant pleasure! If you hadn’t spent some time thinking about your values, and for what reasons you eat what you do, why would you choose the healthier, sometimes less tasty option? Taste comes top priority for most people and most shops know this all too well – hence the visual feast of junk food right before you’re about to make your purchase.

Without some prior planning, you will easily be swayed by the myriad of delectable choices on display. But, by building your mental ‘armour’ with the appropriate internal dialogue, this is one battle you will certainly win. And with practice, you get better and better at it.

I’d like you to do something right now – it only takes a few minutes and is a powerful exercise. First of all, think clearly about how you want your body to look and feel and  the type of person you truly want to be. Picture that person right now. Take your time – visualise how they feel, and how they act. Now picture that person standing in front of a huge display of fattening, high-sugar foods. What kind of words would they say to themselves to make the right decision in this situation?

I sat down one day with a blank piece of paper and wrote down as many words and phrases as I could think of that would help me. Then I chose the ones that worked best for me – the ones that excited me and made me feel empowered – and made me feel that I truly had control over my decisions.

I’ve found one of the most powerful techniques, is using just a few word phrases. Less truly is more when it comes to getting the right words going through our minds. We need quick strategies. Our subconscious mind thinks quicker than our conscious mind, so if we don’t have quick ‘come-back’s, we’ll miss our opportunity and it will be too late; we’ll be throwing the empty wrapper in the bin and licking our lips before we know it. The momentary pleasure is over in a few minutes, but we are left without any deep satisfaction and lasting happiness. True happiness comes from knowing that we are truly in control of our decisions and that we have chosen based on our values. We are never happy if we aren’t living in line with our values. If our value is to be overweight and sluggish with no energy, by all means go ahead. But I don’t think anyone truly wants that. The right decision feels good longer than a few minutes – it is one that is based on the things that are truly important to us, our values, such as health, energy, fat loss, a lean body, vitality etc.

This is why it’s so important to do some prior thinking and planning. I promise you, it’s a worthy use of your time and pays off over and over. There are things I thought of years ago that worked, and I still use them. You need quick, powerful statements that work for you. We’re all different in what motivates us, which is why it’s vital to come up with your own list. When your hand is hovering over a chocolate bar while you’re waiting in line at the supermarket, you don’t have time to pull out a book of lengthy quotes, phone a friend or read an inspiring article. You need quick statements you can repeat in your head. No one knows what you’re doing – you’re just thinking. It’s quick, easy and powerful. It can take all of 10 seconds and may be the difference between a 500 calorie disaster (that’s about an hour running) and simply distracting yourself and pulling your hand back. You can walk out of that shop with your head held high, feeling proud of yourself for making the choice you’ll be happy with later.

Instant pleasure feels good momentarily – but lets put it into perspective; it’s a minute of sugar on your tongue. You’re really going to let that stop you achieving your goals? You’re going to let go of your self-control, your pride, your fat loss efforts – for that crappy bar of man-made whatever? Now please remember, I’m not talking about a planned special occasion where you decide to treat yourself. We’re human after-all and food is a fun part of life. But I’m talking about something that is done on a whim – an ‘Oops’ moment, one that feels out of control and rebellious. It’s a momentary high. But it’s a high price that you pay for this quick fix. Calorie-laden junk food is NOT your friend – it’s your enemy. It takes you away from your goals. In fact, everything you eat either takes you closer, or further away from your goals. If you like eating, low calorie food, highly nutritious food means you can eat a LOT. For the same calories as a small chocolate bar, you can eat a whopping pound of strawberries. Will last you a lot longer and will actually get you fuller, and give you some nutrition to boot. High calorie food can really ruin everything for you – all your efforts. If you want to weigh less, it’s really quite simple. You must practice being strong and seeing this food for what it really is.

Pictures are also powerful in these types of situation. For this reason, I keep pictures in my wallet – right next to the bank card that’s about to fund either a good or bad food choice! It’s a good reminder of the bigger picture and helps stop me basing my choices on emotion. I also have a business-sized card in the clear part of my wallet with some simple, powerful affirmations. They have stopped me short many times.

The most powerful tools however, are the 2-5 word phrases I carry round with me in my head. I am still building my list, but I have some staples that seem to work for me every time when I’m in a battle moment. You know that moment, when you seem to have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. One is saying ‘You deserve it, you want it, go on, do it’ bla bla bla – shut up…. But how do you shut that voice up?

First of all, I treat this voice as though it’s not really ME. Because it’s not! It’s talking about things that the true Kat doesn’t want. If I want to be leaner and lose fat, why would I eat that? It’s only if I lose my focus or I forget my goal that I’d let that other voice win. It’s not really what I – Kat, the true me, wants – deep down. By treating it like another person, I don’t feel like I’m fighting myself or getting down on myself. I find this really helpful. Here are some of the things I say back –

‘Not an option’

‘Shut up’

‘Not my goal’

‘Not worth it’

‘You’re stronger’

‘You have integrity’

‘Don’t even think about it’

‘No way’

‘Feel proud’

‘You’re not weak’

‘Fat a**’ (this one really gets me!)

‘Fat guts’ (oooh it hits me hard where it hurts)

‘Fat photos’ (that I don’t want on facebook)

‘You don’t need it’

‘I bet it’s yuck’ (just say it – whether you believe it or not)

‘Forget it’

‘I deserve the body I want’

‘Gross, as if!’ (really mature that one, but works for me somehow!)

‘Distract yourself’ (then I pull out my wallet or cellphone or do something to take my mind off it)

‘You don’t wanna have to run that off’

I have many more, but it’s your turn. Please leave YOUR power statements below – don’t be shy, one of yours could really help someone else. Words are powerful and have a huge effect on your state of mind. So share below in the comments, looking forward to hearing from you!

Kat’s Chats – Goals and stuff!

Hi All!

I really enjoyed the 8 week challenge! I didn’t spend as much time thinking about my own goals, as I’ve been thinking a lot more about my client’s goals to be honest! And there have been some great achievements made which I will be sharing in the next few blog entries. So some of my goals were an epic fail! But that’s ok – we can learn from our failures! And better to aim for something and learn what doesn’t work – than aim for nothing!

Ok, to summarise my goals –

#1 – To get 60+ points on my daily success chart
This was a very challenging goal! I averaged around 55 ticks per week so didn’t quite get as high as I’d hoped.
Some weeks were around 40 – eek! Those were when I was away on the weekends so I really need to plan better to have my own food, as it’s a lot harder to eat within your plan when you’re on the go, although you can make the best possible choices of course! I recall one time when I was in a gas station after the Fitpro convention and literally the healthiest option was a sandwich. Even after I threw out most of the bread, the chicken was mayo-drenched – yeccchhhh…

Healthy muffins – so healthy they unfortunately don’t keep long!

Needless to say I was hungry on the train home but luckily I found a shop that sold beef jerky – at least got a bit of protein in! Mostly I carry protein shakers and powder everywhere and take my own home-made muffins, as well as raw nuts and protein bars. Once these were gone and there were no supermarkets or Holland & Barrett or Wholefood shops in sight, it really did get tough!

No excuses though, and my next set of goals will include ‘chart ticks’ – because they are a really good way to stay on track.

Mini Goal 1 – Perform a 1,000 rep leg workout every week
Yep, got this this goal! Initially I was going to do 500 reps the first day, then build up by 100 reps each high-rep legs day. But then on the 2nd day I did 600 reps, and I just decided I may as well keep going to 1,000. It was actually not too bad! Tough of course – I was red, hot and sweating a LOT – but felt awesome!

So I repeated that every week at least once. Well, there was one day when I only got up to 825 reps. I was really going for it at the gym and loving it, and started my jumps onto the bench and must have been overly fatigued for this exercise (lesson – do the bench jumps nearer the beginning of the workout!) and I missed the bench somehow with my feet and landed on my shin. Instant bruising and swelling, tried to keep going (lesson, don’t try to keep going) but was too painful. There was no ice at the gym (?!?!) so I put a cold protein drink on it, and humphed home. So I finished my 175 reps the next day.
I totally enjoy these workouts – as hard as they are (there are strict rules I follow, such as every 100 must contain at least 40 high-intensity jump type exercises) and I also included burpees and lots of lunging and really felt my fitness improving every week.

Mini Goal 2 – Improve muscle definition in arms and abs – 15+ parallel bar triceps dips – unassisted / 25 straight leg V sits
I think I have increased some muscle definition (quite a subjective goal). The scales at the gym say I’ve increased muscle, but I prefer to go more on pictures (although, we all have ‘skinny’ and ‘fat’ photos depending on the light and angle!) The mirror is another good guideline. I’m seeing my abs more, but I’m still talking to them regularly – encouraging them to come out of hiding – hibernation is over girls! Come and see the light! I just clicked the other day that I haven’t had summer for a year and a half, since I had 2 winters in a row. So my 6 pack family have had plenty more reasons (excuses) to stay tucked away out of sight under winter clothing. But enough is enough! 😉

Parallel bar triceps dips – yep I got 15 – woohooo!!

As far as V sits, I had to abandon this goal, as I’ve decided against any crunching type movements until I sort out my super-tight hip flexors. Will reset a core goal instead.

Mini Goal #3 – Improve big compound movements (with set weight targets)
As far as improving my big compound movements – yes I improved, but hitting the numbers I set … not quite. (I always aim a bit too high). My focus has been less on strength lately and more on metabolic conditioning and fat loss, so while the numbers have increased, I don’t want to compromise my form or goals. I’m up to 7 pull ups and I got 50kg bench press for a good 8-9 reps (slightly assisted so it’s hard to say how much is true strength).

I did win a bench press competition 🙂 at the ‘Seni show’ on the weekend (a martial arts show with a bodybuilding event that I worked backstage at – but there were only 3 girls that tried it, haha… Did 40kg for 18 reps – was a bit shaky with nerves with people watching!

I’m currently on 65kg deadlift so 5kg off my goal, but I’ve improved my form and I know I’m really engaging my glutes more, rather than using my lower back. So I’m happy with that, and will continue increasing as long as I can keep my form good.

Squat-wise – I got to 90kg for 6 reps, which felt good, but scary! I have decided to improve 1 legged and bulgarian squats, rather than go to heavy on back-squats.  I’m currently on 35kg for bulgarians (1 leg behind on a bench) so am aiming to improve that, more functional and less risk.

Will post new goals next blog and look forward to hearing from you all about your new ventures and plans!

Kat

Countdown to summer challenge completed!

Hi Everyone!

Can you believe it’s half way through the year already?! Time is flying!

I’m amazed that I’ve been so caught up with work and life I haven’t blogged for so long! Determined to be more committed to this!

Well, the 8 week challenge is over, and I’m very impressed with some of the results! Looking forward to sharing with you all 🙂

We are celebrating at the Spectator bar next door to the gym, all welcome – whether you participated or not!

I’ll be posting some results, summaries and photos in the next few blogs, as well as my own reflections and goals.

Stay tuned!

Kat

Kat’s Chats – Lovin’ the weekend, and 8 week challenge info!

Don’t you love a weekend with nothing planned where you just do what you feel like? Ahhh, ’tis bliss.

This morning I made some muffins (oat/egg white/berry/date syrup – even flatmate approved!) and talked to my mate in NZ who turned 61 today. He was a client who trained with me for 4 years and is still going strong. He went to the gym on his birthday, what a legend! He’s survived a heart attack, which prompted him to get healthy, and I think that going to the gym has literally saved his life. He even ended up competing in 5 bodybuilding competitions since I met him. He’s an inspiration! I hope I keep up my training well into my 60’s, if not 70’s and 80’s! 😉

This afternoon I hit the London wall gym for –
Squats – 4 sets, 65kg, 12 reps
Deadlifts – 4 sets, 55kg, 12 reps
Lunges – 3 sets, 40kg, 20 reps
Step ups 20kg, 20 reps – 3 sets superset with
Incline crunch bench – 20 reps – 3 sets (we don’t have this bench at our home gym so I like getting on it when I’m at a different gym)

After the gym I went and bought faaaaaar too much stuff at Whole Foods (I LOVE that shop!!) and Holland & Barrett – another shop I spend too much money in! 21kg worth of stuff later, my arms were just about falling off when I got home!

I made a huge pot of vege soup, which should last me about 2 and a half months. Stewed 500g of rhubarb for my ‘desserts’ for the week (I mix it with gelatine and protein powder), plus grilled a load of veges, turkey breast, AND made a stir fry! Marathon cooking today! I feel very organised for the week. Very important if you want to have great energy and train hard!

Tonight I went to the movies with my flatmate and didn’t feel in the slight bit tempted to buy any ‘treats’ (cheats). I usually take my own food like snow peas or cherry tomatoes, but I’m so determined to achieve my goals I have no desire to eat any junk food at the moment and ruin all the hard work I’m doing in training. I want to put on as much muscle as I can, so that if I decide to do another competition, I’m ready. And I have lots of fitness, fat loss and strength goals too. The problem is trying to do too many goals I think!

This week I was pretty proud of my exercise efforts. I trained twice on Monday Wednesday and Friday and 3 times on Tuesday and Thursday. They weren’t all huge or long workouts, but more like mini workouts split up. My goal next week is to do 3 outdoor runs – only did 2 this week, an 8.5km and a 5km, but made up for it with circuits and boxing cardio, plus 6-7 weights sessions and boxing, sprints/treadmill lunges and jumps and lots of foam rolling. Can’t get enough of it!

Ok, to update you on the ‘Countdown to summer challenge’ …

Well, the excitement is building!

I have taken many people’s photos this week in preparation to compare with the ‘after’ photos on the first week of summer!

Thanks to everyone who has responded and emailed or told me their goals. I look forward to helping you achieve them!
Goals are the starting point. If you don’t know what you want – by actually sitting down and planning it out specifically, it’s like starting to build a house without a plan of what you want the finished product to look like (thanks Jim Rohn for the analogy). Building your body is worth taking some time out to think about.

Every week I will be emailing all participants quick tips and tasks to make it easier to get the body you really want.
This information may be life-changing and applying it may literally make a difference between success and failure.

It’s tools that I’ve learned from the 6 years as a Personal Trainer working with a range of successful – and not so successful people. This, as well as the 10+ years I’ve been gym training, has taught me a LOT about the difference between people that achieve their goals and those who don’t – what makes the winners win, and failures fail.

The principles I will be sharing with you will help you to –

• Burn Fat and increase lean muscle
• Achieve your specific goals
• Discover why your goal attempts may have failed in the past
• Build mental strength
• Get motivated and stay motivated

These principles will be the main focus of my emails and blog until June 1st, so if you don’t email me back to be included, you’ll miss out.

Remember, taking part is FREE!

You could be paying mega-bucks to achieve the kind of results you can achieve by taking part. And it’s as simple as emailing me back to be counted in.

Don’t miss this opportunity!

TODAY IS YOUR DAY TO TAKE ACTION!

Ready to get you looking better naked and feeling amazing,
Kat

‘Countdown to summer’ challenge

Your mission, should you choose to accept it… To get the body you desire!

Imagine, in just 8 weeks, being happy with the reflection you see in the mirror. And totally excited about your personal bests, improvements and achievements!

How it works –
Research shows that one of the biggest factors in body transformation – particularly in fat loss, is support. When you team up with a group of like-minded people – you are much more likely to succeed in your endeavour!

With a variety of workouts and accountability, you’ll be motivated and inspired to get fitter, firmer and leaner!

Every challenge that I’ve run with my clients has resulted in MEGA improvements in so many areas – fat loss, improved muscle tone, fitness, flexibility, energy, self-belief and motivation! There’s nothing to lose and SO much to gain!

Here’s what others have to say –

‘Kat’s training, advice and motivation was exactly what I needed to get me on the right track… Although it was up to me to put in the hard work, having somebody to be accountable to really helped. This summer is the first time in ages I have felt confident enough to wear anything ‘above the knee’ – and I’m loving it!’
Hayley Fuller

‘Kat is total motivation for me. She is a trainer that really ‘walks the talk’. Kat brought my fitness up to a high level and with her group training sessions helped me maintain this… She will ALWAYS be on your side cheering you on’
Amanda Dorreen

“My whole body shape changed and I lost many centimetres!”
Shelley Jenkin

” I learned so much from Kat and I finally got the body I deserved!”
Rae Moore

“Kat is a constant source of motivation, and her incredible knowledge of, not just the physical training but the whole nutrition/lifestyle package, has been life changing.
Maree Reinink

Dates: April 1st to June 1st (8 weeks)

Cost: Free

What’s the catch?
You need to provide me with a success story and before and after photos (although this is optional, it is a very powerful way to stay motivated to achieving body changes!) You all CAN and WILL be successful if you stick to the plan! I will be emailing you simple tasks each week, plus motivational tips, quotes and advice.
All you need to do is decide and commit! Yes it involves sweat, planning and making good choices. Nothing worthwhile is easy. But with the accountability of working with a team – and a Personal Trainer who believes in you, you are sure to succeed!

What’s involved:
For all my Personal Training clients, we will be working on mini challenges at the gym. You will improve on a range of strength, flexibility and fitness, muscle and body fat components (depending on your goal). It’s not so much about competing with others, but you will all be gunning for PB’S – Personal Bests! Regularly assessing where you are at, you can be sure that you are on track – and know that serious results are just around the corner! There will even be awards at the end of the 8 weeks 🙂

If you are taking part by email, you can still achieve great results because you will be receiving motivation and tips along the way, and using me as your ‘virtual coach’. You are welcome to email me your training and nutrition questions anytime.

How do I register?
All you need to do is to email me mailto:info@katmillar.com with –

– Your number 1 goal. This is your BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal). Your goal has to be your starting point.
Make your goal SMARTER –
– Specific (numbers wise)
– Measurable (you know if you’ve done it)
– Accountable (keeping track of your progress. An accountability system is one of the most important motivation factors)
– Realistic (set your goal high, but not so high that you don’t think you can do it)
– Time-framed (you will achieve it by June 1st)
– Emotional (reasons why – make a list of why you want this goal)
– Repitition (reading and affirming your goal often to set it in your subconscious mind and you don’t forget about it!)

– Your ‘before photos’. Some of you, I already have your photos but if not, please take front, back and side – or I can do this for you at the gym. Note – while this is a powerful and very motivating way to see your progress, if you are wanting to simply change how you feel or your performance rather than your looks, this is of course optional.

– 3 mini goals. These are tasks you want to achieve by the end of the 8 weeks. For some people, it’s improving on the number of push ups they can do, the distance they can run without stoppping, or simply achieving a certain amount of exercise sessions by the end of the 8 weeks. Take some time out to really think about what you want to achieve – write it out, make sure it’s exciting, tell others and believe in yourself.

There’s no reason why you can’t have the body you truly desire!

Don’t miss out!
Email me to get involved mailto:info@katmillar.com

*Note – You can still take part even if you’re not ‘counting down to summer’ (i.e. you’re counting down to winter!). So anyone can join in, and make it a countdown to ‘feeling hot’ by June 1st 🙂

Before and After Photos – Maree’s transformation

Check out Maree’s transformation!

She dropped 2 sizes!

Her inspiring pictures and story are below. She has not only got in great shape, but has kept it up consistently 🙂

Check out Maree’s story –

I have pretty much always been a gym goer, but had never lost any weight or seen a difference in body shape from my efforts, which were a standard 3-4 x a week weights and cardio programme.

I just went from week to week and month to month without ever really changing anything or pushing myself.  Looking back now, knowing what I know, it’s not surprising that I never got anywhere!

My success story kicked off in April 2007 when I moved into the area and joined Les Mills.  I wasn’t aware that I needed a Trainer to get my programmes updated, my previous gym experience of quite a few years, had the instructors draw up a programme when I needed it, free of charge.  So I was a little put out that I had to pay someone to do this for me, it seemed to me an added expense that I didn’t need.  So I stuck with the programme I was given for a long time before becoming thoroughly sick of it, and decided I would find a Trainer.  I spotted Kat and she looked extremely fit and toned, and therefore knew she must practice what she preached… so it was an easy choice for me… but I also thought ‘a trainer was a trainer’.

I wasn’t huge by any means, but was definitely bigger than I wanted to be – the classic pear shape.  I had always been this shape, and was extremely self conscious and unhappy with the way I looked.  No way would I wear a bikini or bear my legs unless I absolutely had to.  This was just the way it was.  So when Kat told me that I would see a difference from this programme, I was extremely skeptical, and didn’t believe her.  Why should this time be any different when I’d been going to the gym for years without anything changing!   We agreed that I would get a programme change every 5 weeks.

When first measured I was 61.7kg and had 25.5% body fat.  10 weeks and 2x programme changes later..  lo and behold.. I had lost some weight and body fat, without even really trying!  This was hugely motivating, and I found myself increasing workouts to 5 x a week and pushing myself even harder through Kat’s programmes and nutritional advice.  Each new programme had its challenges, and it kept my body guessing, exactly what it needed.

I could not believe the results!  I was feeling fantastic.  Sure it was hard work, but so worth it.  I was totally committed, motivated, and with Kat’s expertise and guidance, continued to lose weight, body fat, and inches off my legs each time I was measured – to the point where I had lost 12kg, 12% body flat and dropped from size 12 to size 8.

Never would I have believed this was possible!

I am so lucky to have met Kat and will be forever grateful.  I now know that ‘a trainer is not a trainer’, Kat is one of a kind and anyone training with her will know exactly what I mean.

Thanks to Kat I have discovered a new way of life – not just exercise but eating right, believing in yourself and having a positive outlook.  There’s nothing like the feeling of being fit and in control.. having new-found confidence, being able to wear anything I like (including that bikini!) and being proud of what I have achieved.

Maree before I met her (I think she looks great here, but she wasn't happy)

Maree after a lot of hard work at the gym!

Before and after – Terrific and tough Tracey, she’s lost over 50 pounds!

Tracey - May 2009

Tracey Feb 2010

This week I interview one of my star clients – Tracey Wood.

Doesn’t she look FAB!

Tracey is a joy to train.

She is always enthusiastic, happy to be in the gym and always puts in her best effort!

She is an inspiration to me – and no doubt others – with her never-ceasing dedication to her goals!

Tracey had already lost a lot of weight when I met her in November, and since then she is even more fitter, stronger – and smaller!

It’s great to read about what other successful people do to stay in shape and motivated. She said I could edit it to make it shorter, but I think it’s just perfect and definitely worth the read. Thanks Tracey for sharing your journey with us…

*If you would like to be interviewed in a future blog post, please email me – info@katmillar.com. I would love to share your story to help motivate others!

Tracey Wood –

Weight
May 2009 : 12 st 10 lb (178 lbs)

Weight Feb 2010 : 8 st 13 lb (125 lbs)

Measures
Hips – from 44 in to 36 inches

Waist – from 38 in to 28 inches

Blood pressure
May 2009 : 135 / 85

Jan 2010 : 106 / 64

Can you please introduce yourself and tell us more about yourself and your health and fitness journey

My name is Tracey, I’m 46 years old and I’m an I.T Director, so I spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer and have done for many years. Although I’m a keen gardener and enjoy the occasional cycle ride, my activity was previously limited to only on the weekends and I’d been steadily putting on weight since we got back from sailing round the world about 12 years ago. The sailing life provided a very active life-style, and to come back to a desk job was a bit of a shock both mentally and physically! Sitting at a desk all day with only a short walk to and from the station each day meant that from a sailing weight of about 8 ½ stone, I went up to almost 13 stone and, at 5’4”, that’s severely overweight!

Over the last six months I’ve lost 50 pounds and I’ve almost reached my goal weight. But it’s not just the weight loss that is important to me. I am so much stronger and fitter now than I was. Before I started going to the gym, my knees and hip joints ached a lot of the time (probably from carrying the extra weight) and my muscle mass was 25%, which is quite low. Now it’s 32%, which means that I feel physically much stronger, but also that additional muscle mass burns up far more calories. My Visceral fat (the fat which sits around the internal organs) has nearly halved – from a measure of 9, to 5 (normal) and my BMI has gone from 31% (high) to 22% (healthy).

Although I’m only a few pounds from my target weight, I consider myself to be only part way through my journey. Losing weight is one thing, but keeping it off and keeping fit will provide a whole new set of challenges!

What changes have you have made that are now a permanent part of your lifestyle?

I desperately wanted to lose weight for a long time but had done nothing about it. When I did eventually decided the time had come to actually do something (instead of just whinge about how overweight I was) and before I had the courage to join a gym, the first thing I decided to do was to change was my diet. Specifically, I changed the evening meals, but also the snacking, particularly whilst at work. Evening meals tended to consist of take-aways at least 3 times a week. When you leave home early and get home late, it’s all too easy to pick up a curry or Chinese on the way home… which, as everyone knows, is not a clever thing to do.

I worked out that the easiest way to change this, was to plan in advance what we’d have for dinner the next evening and come up with a range of meals that would not require too much effort. They needed to take no more than an average of 30 minutes to cook, so that we weren’t tempted to pick up fish and chips on the way home. I actually make fish and chips as one of our favourite regular meals now, but the fish is not deep-fried and the chips are home-made potato wedges and both are baked in the oven for 30 minutes. Served with any kind of veg, this is an incredibly filling meal that is so simple to do and actually so much nicer than the fatty take-away alternative. There are so many other meals that I either prepare at the weekend or can make within that time frame just by thinking about it in advance, such as chilli con carne with extra-lean minced beef, lots of beans and pulses, and served with brown rice, or prawn fajitas with loads of king prawns, onions, peppers and tomatoes and a multi-seeded tortilla wrap. We definitely have our favourites, especially home-made curries, which can be so much healthier than the bought ones.

I used to snack a lot on chocolates, crisps, biscuits, anything going really – in addition to buying all the take-aways. Because of my job, I felt stressed out a lot of the time and the 2 minute walk to the newsagents to buy treats gave me a break and I thought it would help to relieve my stress. Of course, in reality, all that happens is you feel upset and angry with yourself for eating rubbish that you know is not good for you. I’ve learnt to swap the fatty and sugary snacks for healthy snacks such as raw veggies, fruit, popcorn, ryvitas, nuts etc. and this means that I don’t feel hungry between meals, and I don’t end up beating myself up for eating the wrong things!

I found that the most effective way for me to manage the weight loss, was by monitoring everything I ate and by counting calories and saturated fat. The easiest way I could do this was by using WeightWatchers on-line. It doesn’t need to be Weight-Watchers, there are lots of other systems too, but until you find an effective way to record what you’re eating, I think it’s very difficult to see what you need to do to make improvements. I found that using the on-line system worked incredibly well for me. If you’re totally honest with yourself and record everything that you eat, you can start to see where you need to make changes.
One great side-effect of not buying all the take-aways and snack foods is that I save more than enough money to pay for the Weight-watchers on-line subscription, monthly gym membership and 2 Personal Trainer sessions per week, plus all the new clothes I have had to buy over the last six months – as I’ve gone from a size 16/18 to a size 10.

Why do you exercise in general?

I had lost about 20 pounds in 3 months, which wasn’t bad progress and I had started to feel a lot more positive about myself, so I thought it would be a good time to think about doing a bit more. However, the thing that really drove me to join the gym about 6 months ago was because I thought it might help me to deal with a particularly stressful time at work, and I’ve never looked back. Doing something totally different whilst away from a computer screen and phone – like running, boxing, swimming or weight training, means you have to concentrate on something other than work for that time, and when I get back to the office, I’m so much less tired and far more focused.

I now take a good 60 minute lunch break most work days (ok, sometimes it stretches to 70 minutes) but I don’t feel guilty because I’m in the office at 8am and I rarely leave before 6pm, plus I work on the train journey home. I also feel I’m more productive as a result of exercising at lunchtime, I’ll full of energy when I come back to the office and I’m also still full of energy when I get home. I never used to be and I’m so pleased about because I feel that I’ve gained my evenings back now.

What makes you choose to eat healthy?

When I started changing my diet, it was in an attempt to help with the weight loss, but now it’s because I can see so many health benefits. Last year I was the only person in my department not to have a day off sick and I haven’t had a cold or even felt remotely ill since I changed my diet. This is because I’m eating very few processed foods and instead I’m eating far more lean protein, vegetables and complex carbs (good old porridge) and I drink a lot more water.

I don’t bother with cans of fizzy drink any more, because they’re just full of rubbish and gas. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no saint! Most days I still have a glass of wine with my supper or a biscuit or square of chocolate at work, but that square of chocolate is enough… without going over the top.

What’s the secret to mastering the art of self-control?

Well, if I knew that, I’d write a book and try to make lots of money out of it! I would be the first to say that I had absolutely no self-control as far as food was concerned before I started losing weight last May. I guess in simple terms it’s like anything else, the more you practise, the easier it becomes. Don’t beat yourself up when you give in to something you shouldn’t have eaten. Just move on and remember the lesson for next time. Also, assume that you definitely will get it wrong at times and make mistakes when you start out, and that you’ll learn as you go along. Just because you eat something not in your plan, it’s not an excuse to give up your new life-style.

How important is having support? Do your partner and/or friends help you stay on track?

Having support is great, particularly from your partner or family, but don’t expect it as a right, particularly from your colleagues at work. If you decide to make a change to your lifestyle, it’s your journey, not theirs. I work in an office full of young men, most of whom eat all the wrong foods all day long. I knew that it wouldn’t be reasonable of me to expect them to stop eating chocolates, biscuits, sausage sandwiches, pizza and crisps just because I wanted to cut down. I knew I’d have to deal with all these food stuffs and more being on our meeting table during the day. So, I needed to come up with a solution for snacking when I was hungry that didn’t involve the ‘bad stuff’, which involved forward planning again. Having good foods on my desk at work meant that I could eat my ‘treats’ when the guys were eating muffins and cake and that meant I didn’t feel tempted to eat their food – and that’s how I mentally approached it. All the stuff on the table was theirs, not mine. My snacks consisted of popcorn, ryvitas with marmite, carrot sticks and low fat houmous, boxes of chopped up veggies such as baby sweet-corn and sugar-snap peas, little sweet tomatoes – the list is only limited by your imagination.

Also, don’t treat yourself like a dustbin. Just because there’s food left over or someone brings in cakes or biscuits, it’s not your duty to eat them. And if they get thrown away, that’s fine – it all ends up being rubbish in the end because stuff either goes in the bin or down the toilet at the end of the day, it doesn’t need to go through you to get there!

Have you received any negative comments or discouragement along the way and how do you deal with this?

Even though I have tried to lose weight a number of times over the last few years, when I announced I was going to lose weight and then later, join the gym, absolutely nobody said ‘You’ve tried it before, it will never work, you’ll never do it’. However, even if they had, I had managed to get myself into the right place mentally and I probably would have been strong enough to ignore them or want to prove them wrong!

What have you found to be the hardest part of this weight-loss journey and how have you overcome this?

The hardest part is knowing that I’ve got to maintain it long-term and that it’s not a diet, but a complete life-style choice. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t give yourself treats, and I think Kat’s suggestions of having a 90-95% good week, where you eat out once or have a special treat once a week is a great way of motivating yourself to carry on. It gives you something to look forward to and not feel deprived.

With regard to exercise, some days I really don’t fancy going to the gym, but that’s where having personal training sessions booked in twice a week helps, because if they’re bought and paid for, you’re committed to going! Also, I know that if I can make the effort to go to the gym, I always feel pleased with myself afterwards.

Do you have any quotes or sayings you live by that you could share with us?

Well, my favourite saying is ‘Small Steps’. It’s hardly a saying (it’s from a movie called Contact with Jodie Foster, and her father says ‘Small steps, Ellie, small steps’ when she’s trying to reach further ahead) but it’s the phrase I think about every time I think I’ll never get to the weight I want to be or never be able to run as far as I want to or do as many press ups as I want to. You can’t do it all in one go or overnight, but if you keep taking small steps, you will get there in the end. When I started going to the gym, I could only run for about 10 seconds before I felt breathless, but each time I got onto the treadmill I walked a little less and ran a little more. Now, I can run 5km in 30 minutes without stopping. I can hardly believe it ,as I’ve never been able to run that far before – even in my younger years and as a treat, I’ve now bought myself a pair of the jazziest running shoes ever!

‘The more you put in, the more you get out’, it’s so true, more effort = more return. You can’t expect to lose weight if you’re not prepared to take it seriously and monitor what you’re doing. Similarly, you can’t expect to get fit and look good if you’re not prepared to put in some effort.

Also, Kate Moss got slated for saying “Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels” – if only she’d said being slim or being healthy feels rather than skinny! But I agree with the sentiment. How often have you eaten a cake or something that looked lovely but actually didn’t taste as good as you thought it would, only to regret it afterwards? When you’re tempted to eat something you shouldn’t, just stop for one second and think about whether you’d rather be fit and healthy or fat and unhealthy.

“What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger!” Probably not to be taken literally, but this is a quote from Dave, my IT Engineer, who also spends his lunchtimes exercising and is a real inspiration to me. He’s absolutely right too. If you think about pushing that extra weight or running that bit faster, it probably will make you stronger even if it feels like it’s killing you!

How does having a Personal Trainer help you in your pursuit towards your goals?

It pushes me out of my comfort zone and makes me work so much harder than I would on my own, which means I achieve so much more than I could on my own. This means I feel more positive about what I’ve achieved and what I can achieve, which in turn makes me more confident about what I can do going forward. It’s an ever-increasing, upward spiral! Also, on those days where I’m not feeling quite as positive as I should be, I have someone to be there and be positive for me and to tell me that I can do it, but also someone who doesn’t push me so far that I feel that I can’t cope – someone who has enough experience to find the right balance, without being too tough – but who can still give you a massive sense of achievement and self-worth. Also, if you are lucky enough (as I am) to find a personal trainer who can also be a role-model in terms of what you can achieve if you work at it, then so much the better. Every time I read Kat’s blogs, I find it such an inspiration, that I’m motivated to do even more.

And finally, what is your advice to anyone considering a new training or eating plan?

The most important thing is to be totally realistic about your exercise plan and your diet and totally honest with yourself. Don’t over-commit yourself day one and then give up because you can’t achieve it. Start with ‘small steps’ and keep readjusting your goals as you achieve more. When I weighed almost 13 stone, I didn’t set myself a target of weighing 8 stone something, because it was too big a goal. For years I had kept a beautiful black velvet dress, the ultimate little black number, which was a size 10 and which I used to fit into! Before I lost weight, I kept thinking how wonderful it would be to fit into that lovely little dress again but I also felt that I’d have to lose such a lot of weight that I’d never do it. In the end, I decided to give that beautiful dress to a charity shop because I kept looking at it and thinking I’d never fit into it. I know it’s stupid, but that was probably my trigger. Once I’d got rid of that dress, I felt that the pressure had gone and I then said to myself that I would start with small steps and if I got to under 12 stone, that would be a big step forward and I would buy myself another dress. Then, when I did weigh less than 12 stone, I said that if I could weigh less than 11 stone, that would be fantastic and I’d wait a little bit longer to buy that dress, and that’s how I’ve carried on.

On the training side, start out gently and build it up as you get a little fitter. You’ll be able to feel when you’re capable of doing more. Far better to gradually build up your fitness and strength than to go rushing in and either give yourself an injury or give up because it’s too difficult. Invest in yourself by committing to some personal training sessions. That way, you can be sure you’re approaching it in the most effective way and you’ll see the results far faster than if you tackle everything on your own. And, most importantly, stick with it. Remember, small steps Ellie, small steps…..

Can you do this??

Matt had never done this before - and he nailed it!!! Remember the Adidas quote 'Impossible is Nothing!'

Are you up for a challenge?

To all my favourite gym goers,

I hope you’re week is going great and you are feeling strong, positive and focused on achieving the body and life you really want.

I have 3 clients called Matt – Matt W, Matt J and Matt T. They are all awesome. Yesterday Matt T totally blew me away. He kneeled on the swiss ball and returned a 4kg medicine ball back to me no less than 49 times – with GREAT style nonetheless!!!

THEN (and don’t try this at home! On second thoughts – DO!), he got up and gave me 5 decent squats standing on the swiss ball!

Sure, Elvis was in the building with the amount of shaking that was going on – but for someone that’s never done it before, I was well impressed!

He also did –

52 press ups in 1 minute

26 Sit ups in 1 minute (getting tired)

9 free Pull ups – (impressive)

and 25 jumps onto the box (AFTER the swiss ball squats and other exercise, so his legs were pretty much smoked by this stage)

His total score is – 166 (I’ve given 1 point for each med ball throw and 2 points for each squat on the swiss ball)
After he walked away exhausted (but exhilarated!) I decided I’d set a little challenge.

YOUR MISSION  – Should you choose to accept it – is to challenge Matt’s PB’s (Personal Bests)

Whoever can beat 166 in the next week receives an extra 30 minute Personal Trainer session (valued at £25).
I DARE YOU!

Yours in getting a better body,

Kat

The power of your peer group

1 Dead Frog and the Power of Your Peer Group

Posted on November 15, 2009 By Bedros K

This is a guest post from Adam Toohey who is a Personal Trainer in Toronto I found it very interesting and challenging!

Hey guys and gals; let me start by offering you an insight –

“Most people’s lives are a direct reflection of the expectations of their peer group”- Tony Robbins

What does that mean?

Before I go there let me ask you a question.

Who is your immediate Peer Group made up of?

Who do you spend most of your time with?

If you were to ask me that question I would tell you my girlfriend Andrea and her family (at least in person) is the peer group I am in most contact with on a daily basis.

It is my guess that for most of you it is the same not including the time you spend with your clients and/or work colleges.

Your real peer group is the people who not only you spend a bunch of your time with, but whose opinion and feelings you care about the most; the people that if you stuff up, or fail to achieve something, or have an argument with that will undoubtedly give you the most grief.

The people that you will travel with, eat with, laugh with and cry with.

These are the people that make up our immediate peer group and they almost always have the greatest influence on us and on almost every aspect of our lives.

We know Bedros’ story… and if you don’t just picture a guy living out of his car and surviving on Tuna and Diet Coke shakes on a regular basis.

This bloke has done it tough, no doubt about it.

Maybe you are doing it tough right now?

Maybe you have to be up at 3am to catch the night bus part of the way to your camp to then have to walk an additional 40 minutes to get there. With snowstorms around the corner this might be considered doing it tough.

Maybe that’s not you but you are having your fair share of challenges getting your fitness business to the level we have all heard about and seen. We hear the stories each and every day from the best in the business. Yet for some it seems so far off in the distance that it’s incredibly daunting and almost bloody impossible.

Now that may be the case, but let me ask you this; what are Your Expectations for yourself, your life and your business? Are they high enough to soar like an Eagle, or are they just average?

By the way, someone who is switched on will be able to tell just by listening to you talk about these things.

Here’s another question; what are the Expectations of your Peer Group for their lives and business BUT more importantly, what are their expectations of you?

You see, if the expectations you hold for your life and your business FAR EXCEED the expectations of those directly around you, you will have an uphill battle and you will have to bust your a** to make it happen.

How can you tell if those people have lower expectations?

They’ll say things like…

“Hey come on stop working all the time, don’t be so serious” or

“You don’t need to make that call, do it tomorrow”

Or perhaps you have encountered your own versions of this from your people.

You see the same thing from clients don’t you? When they put up a whole bunch of reasons (excuses) as to why they are the way they are, or why they have yet to succeed in maintaining a healthy, fit body.

You will also see their friends more often than not are egging them on to go out for drinks, or the pasta bar, or pizza on the weekend or a BIG night on the town… and sometimes they will be really good and avoid all of that. The truth is, eventually it will get to them and bring them back to the same spot they started at.

What is really going on here is their peer group becomes scared of what their friend’s growth and personal development will mean for them. They could get left behind which could mean the loss of a friend and the loss of love. Something we all fear at some level.

The same thing is happening to you IF the people that make up your peer group are constantly trying to bring you back to their level.

Does it mean they don’t love you?

Not at all, it just means that they are scared and unsure (and we all know about Fear and Doubt)

So what can you do?

Well if they are your family chances are you can’t get rid of them. If they are your “friends” then perhaps you can find yourself some new friends to hang with.

The other option is to Lead and Be an Example to all of them. Truly set the standard for what is possible in your life and business and measure what you can do based on what you can do, not what others can do. If you’re always measuring against someone else you will only push yourself so far.

Set the standard so that you are doing more than anyone else could possibly expect. This is what made guys like Michael Jordan THE very best. He wasn’t competing with someone else; he was competing with what his absolute best could be and for that there is no limit.

And did you see how through Jordan’s level of standard and determination and passion he was able to bring his team up to a level they probably never would have played at if not for his leadership and example?

Your Persistence and Determination to make it happen will ultimately bring you the success you desire.

People will criticize you and they will try and bring you down; try to make you quit when they see something as impossible. They may even shout at you to just give up and be done with it. It is your responsibility to yourself NOT to listen to them. In fact, if you try hard enough and stay totally focused on the prize, you may not even hear their cries.

Allow me to share with you a story…

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.

The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out.

When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog explained to them that he was near deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

Who are you hanging around most of the time? Are they a positive influence? Do you regularly see people who encourange you, motivate you, grow you, challenge you and improve your life? If not, start looking for them!

Adam Toohey is a Certified NLP Practitioner and owner/operator of a Toronto Fit Body Bootcamp

This post was powered by www.ptpower.com

Check out my website www.katmillar.com for more inspiration

Want better results?

How do I get better results?

Here’s your Action plan!….

*DEMAND MORE from your body. When you’re grinding that bike or gunning up that hill – If your lungs scream at you, tell them to shut up!
Can you go higher?
Deeper? …  Harder? … Longer?
What limits are you placing on yourself? Are they genuine or are they just excuses?

Do you want to walk out of each session feeling like you’ve done your very best?
Only you know when that is…

*Remember – Pain is temporary – Quitting is forever. You don’t want any regrets.
Think back to what your goals were when you started your particular program. Are you on track? EVERY WORKOUT COUNTS! Each time you stop yourself short – whether it’s 1 bad attitude day, 1 workout, 1 rep, 1 min – you’re 1 step behind in your goal. Make every moment an opportunity to use wisely and not waste it!

Calculate what % of your time you’re devoting to your health and fitness.
We all have 168 hours in our week to ‘spend’. How are you spending your 168? Is there any way you can sneak an extra hour or 2 in of activity somewhere?
Your mind will straight away come up with excuses why not to do things. Otherwise, you’d be doing them now. Get creative. Turn off the voice of doubt and starting thinking WHAT IF. Why not see how far you can go? Is it really that impossible?

Consider – Adding a 30 min brisk walk 3 mornings a week would rev your metabolism up for the day, give you some additional and probably well needed ‘you time’ and add up to an additional 6 hours of cardio in a month, just by making a simple and ‘do-able’ change in your lifestyle. Can you just for a minute take some time to really be honest with yourself. Adopt some WHY NOT thinking!

What have you been putting off?
When are you going to do it?
If not now, when?
Why not see what you can become or how much you can grow?

*Find at least 3 pictures from a magazine or the Internet that you will look at daily to help reinforce your goals.

Print out and put in at least 2 places – e.g. fridge, wallet, bedroom wall.

PICTURES ARE POWERFUL! This one task can literally change your thinking when you’re deciding what actions to take.
Focus on physiques that you would like to look like, or people that are doing things you’d like to do.

Every morning when I wake up, I look at a page of pictures I have stuck on the wall by my bed – they are of fantastic women sweating, boxing, running up hills and pumping weights – and they all look strong and toned. It makes me hurry to strap my Ipod on and head out for my run.

Enjoying your life through having the best health you can is a great reward for disciplined and consistent effort.

It pays off in numerous ways!

You feel energised, strong, alive and ready to take on the challenges of life!