It’s the latest fitness trend to hit Australian shores, also dubbed as probably the ‘toughest event on the planet’ and it is capable of making marathon training look easy!

Tough Mudder challenge is where it’s at, and if you haven’t already acquainted yourself to this international fitness phenomenon, then prepare yourself for the information that’s about to launch at you. I’m doing it, are you brave enough to join me!?!

What is Tough Mudder?

Tough Mudder is 18-20 km race challenge, designed over a series of military-style obstacles involving fire, icy-cold water, muddy trenches and 10,000 volts of electricity. Designed by British Special Forces troops, Tough Mudder aims to test your all-round strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie.

Created by Will Dean as a business idea for a student project at Harvard Business School, Tough Mudder has now become a regular global event running successfully in 32 countries with 400,000 participants.I wouldn’t call this a race, and by no means is it comparable to a marathon, in fact, Tough Mudder creators tag marathon to be ‘boring’. Big call, isn’t it?

The gist of this event is to follow the ‘Tough Mudder pledge’ with blind faith and determination. The aforementioned pledge being that one should know how to work in a team and have tough mental ability to overcome all physical obstacles. When you have to complete challenges as a part of a team, you cannot be adamant about reaching your personal goals. There are no medals for finishing first or under a certain time limit, but there sure is a complimentary beer at the end of the challenge for getting through 27 grueling obstacles.

Who is Tough Mudder for?

• If you can have a good laugh after rolling yourself in the mud and swinging from ropes, then this fitness challenge is for you. You will need a good sense of humour when you have to belly-crawl your way through a muddy path under a barbed wire.
• Tough Mudder requires a stronger mind than body. Yes, you need to have the physically strength to get through the strenuous challenges, but having the mental power is even more so vital. This fitness challenge isn’t like running for 42km at a stretch; Tough Mudder demands dedication and perseverance.
• This challenge cannot be completed without trust and companionship. Socialising is essential, while working with a group of friends is a pre-requisite for Tough Mudder.
• There is an array of variety in this challenge, which opens options for people who like a diverse workout regime. Expect lots of strength training, cardio and circuit-type workouts. But also remember, Tough Mudder tilts towards army-style training, so monotony is out of the question.
• Despite its hardcore reputation, Tough Mudder is open for women to participate as well. The average age of competitors is 29, with majority being men (76 per cent is the average per race), but women are strongly urged to participate in the event.

How to Train For Tough Mudder

Crossfit: I suggest you start going to Crossfit classes. They will teach you how to use ropes, swing on bars, crawl, climb, jump, and basically get you the fittest and strongest you’ve ever been!

Running: You also need to be fit. Super fit. So running needs to make up a large part of your regime. Factor in some soft sand or shallow water running so you can get used to running under different terrain.

Team Activities: This is a team event so grab your mates and start training together. Learn how to support and motivate each other.

Practice: Run: Find a local obstacle course to do a practice run. Here’s the Tough Bloke Challenge: http://www.toughblokechallenge.com.au/index.html

Tough Mudder in Australia

Chief executive Will Dean said, “Internationally, there’s a perception that Australians consider themselves to be a nation of athletic and resilient men and women… we’re expecting up to 10,000 Aussies to put their money where their mouth is by signing up to the event”.

Melbourne already experienced this endurance test at the start of April, with more than 15,000 participants successfully completing 27 obstacles over the span of two days in Phillip Island.

And now, it’s Sydney’s turn on September 22-23, 2012.

The Sydney Tough Mudder, will be a 19km course in Glenworth Valley, with 28 obstacles including challenges like Funky Monkey, Mud Mile and Electroshock Therapy.

Are you ready for it? I am; I’m in a team of four, so watch out!

Register here.

Follow this link to download the official Tough Mudder training pack. It has all the details you need to start training for the challenge. – The Tough Mudder Workout

Or watch this video to get you psyched!

Whether your goal is weight loss, performance, or simply to be the healthiest version of you – what I’m about to tell you is REALLY IMPORTANT!

We, as a society, are drinking way too many kilojoules in unhealthy, energy dense drinks – it’s scandalous! Ok maybe I’m being a slight drama queen but it shocks me that we can gulp down ¾ of our daily kilojoule intake in a few minutes and it not even register on our satisfaction-o-meter.

Really, the only drinks that should pass through your lips are:

• Water: Do I need to explain?
• Tea: Good old English breakfast (although, I love Earl Grey), black, white, green, herbal – they’re all packed with antioxidants.
• Coffee: One to two per day is actually good for you. But don’t add any syrups; milk is fine.
• Occasional protein shake: Chuck in some super food berries. One per day is plenty. Don’t add honey.
• Occasional glass of plonk: You’re better off having one glass three times per week than having nothing then getting trolleyed on a weekend. Voka fresh lime and soda is the cleanest, lower KJ drink.

Kilojoules in drinks

Alcohol and soda drinks are criticised the most for being loaded with sugar, but we often forgo other beverages that boast a ‘healthy’ image, but in reality, they’re aren’t.
Diet drinks and colas significantly cut kilojoules, but also trigger the addictive desire to indulge in other foods, as they’re packed with artificial sweeteners. Some dairy drinks have also proven to contain more kilojoules than a solid main meal.

Here are some examples of how many cubes of sugar you’re really putting in your body.

• Regular cappuccino: 490 KJ, 2 sugar cubes
• 350ml Bottle of mango or apple juice: 590 KJ, 7 sugar cubes
• 600ml Sports drink: 670 KJ, 9 sugar cubes
• 375 ml Soft drink: 675 KJ, 10.5 sugar cubes
• 400ml Choc milkshake: 965 KJ, 7 sugar cubes
• Banana smoothie: 1100 KJ, 9 sugar cubes

Can you imagine just eating an equivalent of seven or nine cubes of sugar on any given day? Oh the horror, I honestly can’t.

A small can of Coke has a whooping 42g of sugar and is innocently gulped down in a matter of minutes. We often can’t comprehend the hidden sugar and kilojoules our favourite drinks contain, resulting in ignorance in its consumption.

Tips to escape the drink trap

1. Stick to water while exercising – There’s nothing worse than working really hard on the treadmill and compensating for all the sweat with a sugary drink. Keep a large bottle of water with you when exercising; trust me, you don’t need energy drink while training moderately. The only people who need sports drinks are those training for over 90min where performance trumps weight loss.
2. Alternate with coconut water – Always look at the nutrition value when picking pre-packed coconut water. It’s a great substitute for a pre or post workout drink, as it’s rich in electrolytes, potassium and magnesium, but stay away from the ones that are artificially sweetened with fruity flavours. C Coconut Water is a good pre-packed brand. If you can get a fresh young coconut at your nearest grocers, nothing like it.
3. Juice it yourself – No amount of ‘no added sugar’ or ‘no MSG’ reimburses for the loaded sugar in fruit juice bottles found on supermarket shelves. If you like to have your fruit in liquid form (as opposed to eating the fruit in its raw form – the best kind), then juice the fruit yourself. The fresher the juice, the better it is for you. Also, go by my motto of two root = 1 fruit, as this will hike your intake of vegetables.
4. Raw chocolate shakes – Instead of getting yourself a large serve of full-fat, creamy and milky chocolate shake, swap it for skim milk in a smaller size. If making the drink at home, substitute sugary drinking chocolate with raw cacao powder. You’ll eliminate so many calories by doing so.
   Did you know that chocolate milk has been labeled one of the BEST post endurance event recovery drinks, as it contains glucose (a type of sugar that enters the blood stream faster than fructose from fruit) and protein in the milk. Now I know why my running club offers hot chocolate after our 30km winter Sunday runs – genius!
5. Skim milk or non-dairy in your coffee – I’m not going to get into the debate of dairy vs. non-dairy at this stage, but if you can’t survive the day without your morning cup of coffee, opt for a long black or a piccolo. This small-sized Italian-style latte has very little milk in it, while providing you with the same dose of caffeine. Zing! If you’re brave enough, surprise your taste buds and have your cappuccino or flat white with unsweetened almond or oat milk. They’re loaded with protein and have less sugar content too.
6. Skip the sugar (including artificial) – I can’t emphasize on this anymore, eliminate the spoonfuls of sugar in your tea and coffee. You’ll be surprised with the difference it makes to your waistline. Artificial sugars are no good either. Jump on the natural sweetener parade and introduce your pantry to stevia or xylitol.
7. Check the nutrition label – Always check the amount of sugar and calories in a drink before putting it in the shopping trolley.
8. Chew instead – This seems rather obvious, but there’s no healthier alternative to chewing your meals. Get as much fiber, protein and essential nutrients as you can with your food and stick to filtered water for hydrating the body. If you’re hitting the afternoon slump, opt for yogurt with a handful of berries instead of ordering a calorie and sugar-filled smoothie.

Watch this segment of mine from Mornings9, where I discuss the equivalent of food from our ‘everyday’ drinks. The results are shocking.

Here’s a task for you: stand in the magazine aisle of a supermarket and see the words “supermodel diet”, “diet secrets” and “top ten crash diets” jump out at you. If Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore allegedly swear by these so-called crash diets, should we be doing it too? Short answer – no! Long answer – keep reading.

Why Traditional Crash Diets Cause More Harm Than Good

When Beyonce popularised her infamous liquid ‘master cleanse’ (comprising of water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper only), all the ladies re-evaluated their eating habits. As soon as the industry’s fittest actors, models and athletes put their face to a ‘crash diet’, all health and fitness enthusiasts around the world go gaga over the idea of it.

But who exactly is this ‘crash diet’ fellow? And what is his problem?

Staying true to his disgraceful name, a crash diet is almost like crashing your system; imagine a car crash, but inside your body. Introducing a drastic change to your regular eating regime or reducing your daily caloric intake by more than half of what you would normally eat are the key signs of a crash diet. When laxatives or diuretics suddenly become your best mates because you’re toning up for an event, that’s trouble. You’re also likely to be in a crash diet whirlpool if you start consuming less than 1200 calories per day (for a woman) and 1800 calories per day (for a man). The minute you mess with the body’s natural equilibrium by making a big diet change, you’re unconsciously inviting a rather large group of short and long-term guests with negative effects to your body. You might be encouraged to binge or emotional eat; also lethargy, dizziness, fainting, fatigue and mood swings ensue when crash diet is practiced. In the long run, you could risk weight gain, heart diseases, liver damage, mental disorders or infertility. However, if you’ve ever wondered what the secret was behind all the toned bodies and glowing skin on the red carpet, then here’s the disclosure – practicing a nutritious diet for a good 3-4 weeks prior to slipping on a body-hugging gown.

A Whole Food Detox Is the Safest Way to ‘Crash Diet’

Yes, there is a healthy way to approach crash diets, and it’s called a ‘whole food detox’. This detox isn’t advisable to be preached on a long-term basis, but if you’re preparing your body for a big work event or your best friend’s wedding, then this bad boy is your best friend. I’m imagining an explosion of glee and relief resonate in a room full of all you health and fitness geniuses, so while we’re at it, let us ponder upon the whole food detox’s seven golden rules.

6 Golden Rules of a Safe ‘Crash Diet’

Rule no. 1 – There is nothing wrong with reducing your daily calories to around 1200-1500 calories per day (for a woman), just make sure you’re getting it via nutrient-rich food. Use www.calorieking.com.au and start recording down everything you eat and the calories. Be pedantic!

Rule no. 2 – Eliminate red meat, processed carbohydrates and alcohol.

Rule no. 3 – Eliminate foods that can cause fluid retention, such as high salt foods, excess refined sugar and soft drink. This includes most processed foods (packet mixes, take away food, soy sauce, chips).

Rule no. 4 – Limit bulky high GI carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, and bread that can cause bloating, and fluid retention (for some).

Rule no. 5 – Don’t consume any high GI food, such as, white rice, pasta, white bread, sugar, soft drinks, at least 48 hours before the big day.

Rule no. 6 – Most importantly, exercise! Do something physical for 4-6 days per week. This is vital for short-term results, especially if you’re prepping up for a major event. Mix strength training like yoga, pilates or boxing, but serious cardiovascular workouts are what will really fast track your results. Running, high impact aerobics, spin classes and boxing are all great routines. Also remember to work out according to your wardrobe choices. For example, if you’re wearing a strapless dress, focus your workout on your shoulders and arms.

What Kind Of Results Should You Expect After Two Weeks?

If you promise to be a diligent pupil and follow the aforementioned rules, you will see results within a few days. You’re looking at something between 2-7kg in two weeks, depending on your weight, calorie consumption and intensity of exercise. Other benefits include, a flat stomach, better concentration, clearer eyes, glowing skin, reduced inflammation and a stronger immune system. Watch this segment I did on Mornings9 about ‘Safe Crash Dieting’.

A sample meal plan for my whole food diet:

Breakfast: Egg white omelette with capsicum, spinach, smoked salmon, lemon and cracked pepper.
Mid-morning snack: Green tea and a piece of fruit.
Lunch: Chicken & Fig salad with goat’s fetta & walnuts.
Afternoon snack: Carrot sticks and one tablespoon of hummus.
Dinner: Steamed broccoli with shaved almonds and Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce). Tip: Drink 30ml of water for every kg you weigh. If you find yourself getting hungry drink a big glass of water or herbal tea and distract yourself.

So here we are, the secret is well and truly out. You no longer have a reason to participate in an unhealthy version of a crash diet, as this whole food detox bonanza is knocking on your door. Go ahead; welcome this beauty to your life. Do write back if you want to share your success story as a result of the whole food diet. I would love to hear back. If you would like more information on my two week Detox program visit my Detox page.

You don’t require a credible study or a detailed thesis to reinstate that listening to pumping music while training boosts your performance and endurance. Circuit training, a sweaty cardio session or even a calming yoga practice, all the aforementioned need the loyal company of a humble iPod and headphones.

But you know what kills a good workout? That very moment when you know that Rihanna will come on after Akon’s stop singing followed by a good dose of Pitbull. Oh, the sadness of song prediction!

There’s nothing worse than anticipating songs while you’re concentrating on your core strength. You lose concentration, focus and resist the urge to go that extra kilometer.

Regularly Mix Up your Playlists to Avoid Boredom

Hence why it’s vital to regulate your training playlist on a fortnightly basis. Even if you reshuffle the songs you already have or download your favourite classics; get rid of the monotonous list you’ve been training to for months and see the transition in your energy levels.

It’s magical, trust me.

How do You Stay Updated with the Latest Songs?

Don’t fret just yet; I’m not going to force you to do your Top 40 homework.

You can find a monthly updated Top 10 playlist on www.RunHundred.com – the web’s biggest database of workout music. Chris Lawsone is the genius behind the website, who updates these playlists on a weekly basis. You can browse music either by genre, decade and tempo to suit your workout standards. How clever and kind!

To give you a glimpse of what I’m talking about, here’s a song list for this running month.
Whether you choose to run, walk, lift or crunch, Flo Rida and Kelly Clarkson will be rocking your workout with you.

Be sure to check the website out and update your iPod on a regular basis.

And to further understand the benefits and rules of listening to music while working out, click through this link and read my previous post on workout music.

You successfully bounced back on the health train after the obvious indulgence post Christmas and New Years. The last thing you want is a four-day long weekend to hamper that sculpted waistline.

Guess what, it has come to life – the Easter weekend is well underway. As joyous and exciting this mid-year break is; this time off can also prove to be dangerously harmful for our blood sugar levels and the bum.

Due to the commercialisation of Easter, chances are 70 per cent of you just know Easter to be a chocolate-eating time off work and school. Imagine undoing all your hard work at training with a few bites of chocolate. Breaks my heart to even think about it.

Sadly, this holiday has become more about the chocolate than its traditional aspect. But wait, I’m not here to ponder upon that.

I’m here to save you from the Easter bunny and his alluring chocolate teeth.

Facts about Easter eggs

Easter eggs might be hollow from inside, but these evil creatures are still powerful enough to shake you off your training and healthy eating schedule.

Here’s what you might consume in the coming days, and the kind of training they demand to burn off.

• One giant Easter bunny = 1 hour and 40 minutes of high-intensity jogging or skipping.
• One 200g Easter egg = 1 hour of high-intensity jogging or 2 hours of power walking.
• One 100g Easter egg = ½ hour of high-intensity jogging or skipping.
• One 7g Easter egg (the baby ones) = 10 minutes of jogging or skipping.

Shocking, isn’t it? We don’t realise how much sugar and fat content is packed in these colourful foil-wrapped creatures, and the amount of damage they can really do to our body. These sugary treats just kiss the lips, and forever stay on the hips.

However, this doesn’t imply that you forbid yourself from all treats for the coming days. You’re allowed some treats, but all you need to do is plan wisely and train harder to earn that treat.

Tips for the Easter weekend

1. Save a treat for Easter Sunday: The idea of Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies is to have that one special day to really devour the treat. It’s almost like running the last leg of the race and knowing that you’ll have a fountain of water at the end of it. Just because supermarkets start stocking chocolate eggs and hot cross buns from January, doesn’t mean you have to participate in the marketing gimmick and indulge in it. Buy your favourite kind of chocolate egg (a reasonable size) and save it for Easter Sunday. Add more fun and ask your partner/mum/sister/dog to hide it for you in the house. Come Sunday, you would have truly earned that goodness.
2. Exercise in the morning: The idea of a sleep-in for the next four days sounds wonderful, but taking out an hour before you put food into the belly is vital for this holiday period. You need to kick-start the metabolism and actually work for all the treats.
3. Limit alcohol: You’re already consuming more than usual amounts of sugar; with extra alcohol consumption, you’ll just be loading on unnecessary empty calories. If you can’t surpass the drinks, be sure to steer away from aerated soft drinks. Coconut water cocktails, anyone?
4. Sharing is caring: You teach your kids that; now it’s time for you to practice it. Share the chocolate egg, if you can’t put a complete stop to it. When cracking the Easter bunny, eat only his ear – don’t worry, the bunny won’t mind.
5. Eggs for breakfast: And I mean, the real eggs with yolk and all. If you have a protein-rich breakfast, you won’t necessarily crave sugar till 3pm.
6. No white chocolate: Pick 70% and up variety of dark chocolate, wherever possible, as it’s rich in antioxidants and potassium. Stay far, far away from white chocolate, that thing is no good for you.
7. Practice your willpower: It’s a tough weekend, indeed. Supermarket catalogues, shopping centres and excited kids will make you want to indulge in some sugary delights (or demons), but this is when your willpower nudges in. Practice it. Don’t let professionally edited photos of an Easter bunny lure you; you have trained hard enough for this. Don’t let peer pressure pull you down, and most importantly, don’t be embarrassed of your healthy regime. Stand proud and say ‘no!’
8. Indulge in ‘good’ fats: The argument of ‘fat being better than sugar’ is a never-ending saga. But one thing is for sure, this Easter, your get-out-of-jail card comes in the form of ‘good’ fats, such as avocado, raw nuts, olive oil. A super tip: have a handful of raw nuts before you head out for dinner; it’ll curb your appetite and avoid binge eating.
9. Limit the meat intake: Traditionally, Good Friday is meant to be meat-free. Why not practice it? Consume meat for two, or maximum three meals, during the entire four-day holiday period. Stick to lean meat, wherever possible.

Healthy Recipes

Raw chocolate Easter Eggs

If the sound of a 100% raw, certified organic, vegan, dairy, gluten and sugar free chocolate Easter egg recipe makes you jump out of your chair, then that’s the plan.

Jemma Gawned is the delightful brainchild behind Naked Treaties. Her truly authentic business, based in serene Byron Bay, is packed with love and to further spread that, Jemma has come up with a chocolate Easter egg recipe, exclusively for you all.

If you haven’t tried Naked Treaties handmade raw goodies prior to this, then you need to get to one of these outlets near you. They are to die for.
Enjoy these bake-free, hassle-free, guilt-free raw Easter eggs.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of raw cacao butter
1/4 cup of extra virgin coconut butter (oil)
1 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup agave
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or half a vanilla bean pod scraped (optional)

1) In a metal bowl, over a saucepan of steaming water or a double boiler on a very low flame (or in the sun if you’re still lucky enough to have any!), gently melt cacao and coconut butter. It helps to chop the cacao butter finely.
2) Once melted fold in the raw cacao powder.
3) Once combined, fold in the agave stirring continuously.
4) Pour batter into your favourite chocolate mould (you can buy these in most $2 shops or Spotlight). Add nuts, goji berries or a drop of organic essential oil such as peppermint, lime or orange, on top. You can also leave it plain and chocolaty.
5) Place into the fridge to set.

Tip: For chunky chocolate, that’s even more chocolately, omit the coconut butter and use cacao butter only. A hit with the kids… Yum!

Paleo Hot Cross Buns
The idea of spending Easter without gulping down hot cross buns is almost shocking, but what’s even more shocking is to know that it takes 20-minutes of high-intensity exercise to burn only ONE traditional hot cross bun. And that’s before it’s smothered with butter.

There are also very little options available for all gluten intolerant readers.

Sydney-based holistic health and wellness coach, Melissa Ambrosini, comes to the rescue here with this gluten-free hot cross bun recipe. This easy version has proven to be a contender of the traditional kind in the battlefield of taste. Check out Mel’s website, Path to Wellness.

Now give it a go, in the name of health!

Ingredients:
• 3 cups ground almonds (make sure these have been soaked prior)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• Zest from 1 orange
• 2 eggs
• 80g raisins
• 40g organic cacao powder
• Coconut oil (to grease baking tray)

1) Preheat oven to 160 C.
2) Combine dry ingredients (almonds, baking soda, vanilla, cacao powder, salt and cinnamon) in bowl and mix well.
3) Add wet ingredients (oil, honey, orange, eggs) to food processor and mix.
4) Add wet ingredient to dry ingredients and mix.
5) Scoop out 14 small portions and place onto the greased baking tray.
6) Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
7) Remove and let cool.
8 Serve with fresh homemade jam or eat on its own.

Note – Melissa uses certified organic ingredients wherever possible

Happy Easter, everyone!

It’s 5.30 a.m.

The alarm goes off. You hit snooze. It wails again. You hit snooze, again.

It’s suddenly 7.30 a.m. You are late for work and have missed your morning gym session.

“How did this happen?” you cry out loud.

Well, for starters, you played a very successful game with your alarm clock. Congratulations on winning!
However, you did lose a very vital battle against fitness motivation this morning.

If the aforementioned has become an everyday morning drama in your life, then you need to change things.

Work with me…

Why exercise in the morning?

A morning workout is close to my heart for three main reasons:

1. Fat Burning Benefits – Your body uses up energy in three forms while training: first is muscle glycogen, then it’s blood sugar and lastly the fat stored in the body. When it’s been anywhere from 8-12 hours since your last meal, it’s safe to say your blood glucose levels are low, so when you wake up and train, the body kicks into burning muscle glycogen and fat much faster. A study published in The Journal of Physiology states that exercising in during a fasting stage stimulates energy provision via fat oxidation. Therefore if weight loss is your goal, morning training rocks. Don’t get me wrong, lunch or evening training is still fabulous. In fact, the best time of the day to train is, well, ANYTIME! If muscle size, strength or performance is your number one goal, afternoon or evening training may suit you better, but if weight loss is on your agenda, mark my words that mornings are the best time to train.

2. Boost in metabolism – After a morning workout, your digestive system runs on a fast forward speed. Talking on a generalised level, the metabolism stays boosted for up to 15-hours after an A.M. workout. This in turn means that the body burns up the food you eat throughout the day faster, like a Kenyan runner (well – almost!).

3. Morning exercisers are more consistent – In my many years of working in, owning, basically living and breathing gyms, I can assure you that morning exercisers are more consistent. Not only day by day, but week by week, year by year. Health and Fitness experts from American Council of Exercise in San Deigo suggest that morning workout is the best problem solver of lazy exercisers, as it gets you in a long-lasting routine.

Because of these golden reasons, I am pumped to convince each and every one of you to train first thing in the morning. No matter how busy you are, I have tips, tricks to get you out of that blanket and into your running shoes.

I might also have some treats post-challenge. But don’t worry; I’m not bribing you, not just yet.

Appalachian State University in North Carolina conducted a study in 2011 granting 7 a.m. to be the best time to workout in the day, as it proved to have lowered blood pressure and improved the quality of sleep amongst participants.
But I didn’t exactly need a study to tell me that. I have been a vivid fan of working out before breakfast, so much so that I have converted an army of my friends and clients in doing so. At least, I’d like to believe I have.

The Crack of Arse Challenge
To create a new buzz in your fitness routine, I have sculpted a fitness challenge for all my loyal social media followers. So if your 70-year-old grandma is riding the Twitter wave, please don’t hesitate to let her get on with the challenge. I’d love her on board.

Crack of Arse, also known as #CrackOfArse on Twitter, is a challenge that lasts the first five working days of a month, i.e. Monday-Friday.
For these five days, you have to start training between 5-7 a.m., then take a photo of your training as a proof and tweet it to my Twitter account. Do this diligently for five days and win yourself a health-laden hamper prize of the month.

The rules:

• Train five days straight, Monday – Friday starting between 5-7am on the first week of each calendar month.
• You don’t necessarily need to finish your workout by 7 a.m.; the challenge is to start training somewhere between the two hours.
• The workout can be of any kind: a circuit session, resistance training, a group fitness class or running on the beach. All you need to do is exercise in the morning before you indulge in a healthy breakfast.
• Take a photograph of anything workout related and don’t be embarrassed to do so. It could be your sweaty head, your heart rate monitor results, your gym, your puddle of sweat. It’s proof that you worked out. Everyone in the gym is too busy doing their own thing; no one will notice you snapping away.
• Upload this to twitter and tag me and #CrackOfArse.
• At this stage, the challenge is only limited to my Twitter followers. Be sure to tweet me the photo at @ameliaburton.
• At the end of the 5-day challenge, I’ll pick two winners who’ll win our healthy hamper prize of the month.

All I’m asking for is a disciplined morning routine for five consecutive days in a month, no more and no less. At best I’m hoping that after you successfully finish this challenge, your body will adjust to the morning hour and crave a morning workout session from there on. At worst, you will have trained a few extra days when you normally might have hit the snooze button.

Remember – the change starts in your bedroom, under that warm and cozy blanket. If you can resist the urge to hit the snooze button, get out of bed on time, tie those shoe laces and walk out of the house in pride, and do all this before the sun comes out, you have already half-won the battle.

But having said that, let me also put my other motto on the table, that being, any time is a good time for a workout. If you realistically cannot fit in a morning workout in your schedule, don’t give up all together. Workout at any hour of the day and you’ll still be a winner.

Tips to avoid the snooze-tragedy

We know it’s hard, especially when the weather cools down,but discipline and perseverance is all it takes to delegate yourself to a morning workout routine.

• Prepare your gym bag and leave it near the front door. This means going the whole nine yards: fill up your water bottle, pack the iPod, and decide on the next day’s work clothes.
• Don’t put your alarm clock on your bedside table – that’s easily accessible. Place your phone or clock away from the bed, so when it goes off, you have to literally get out of bed.
• Update your iPod playlist every month or so. New music in your ears would motivate you to workout.
• Convince a friend, partner, sibling, neighbour to participate in the challenge with you. Doesn’t matter if they’re not a Twitter user, you’ll at least have a companion to keep you motivated.

May’s Prize Hamper

As promised, I’ll be picking two winners from this week-long challenge for next month between April 30 – May 4.
And if you already aren’t pumped enough, then these organic chocolate goodies might nudge you to set your morning alarm, as soon as you finish reading this.

If the images haven’t already tempted you, then you need to get your chocolate-pulse checked. This month, two VERY lucky winners will walk away with five packets of these beautiful, handmade raw chocolates.

Conscious Chocolate is packed with nutrients that will give your insides a warm hug and eliminate the word ‘guilt’ from your vocabulary. These low G.I., vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free chocolates are handmade in Melbourne, and have the most sensational texture and flavour. Yum!

The wonderful peeps at Conscious Chocolate are giving away five flavours to the winners: Nuts, Orange, Coconut+Goji, Mint and Raw Cacao. Bless! Follow these guys on Twitter – @conscious_choc

Are you ready for the challenge? Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter – @ameliaburton

Following on from my Workout Music Blog, I want to give you some of my fav songs to workout to.

You can even create your own imixes in itunes and share with others.  Click on Learn how to create a public playlist in iTunes to find out how. Be aware that Itunes will only publish songs that are available to purchase, so your list might be shortened.

One of my readers, Tanya, has also sourced another great website for downloading workout playlists called  In the Gym.

These are some of my favorite tunes to workout to or you can View one of my workout playlists in intunes. What are some of your fav songs to workout to?

Songs

• We Found love – Rihanna
• Musclecars – Milo
• Wonderful life – Gwen Stefani
• Push – Madonna
• If I ever feel better – phoenix
• Take a picture – filter
• Wonderful life (dance version) – Tina Cousins
• The best thing – Hook n sling
• Everywhere (Cabin Crew radio mix) – Moustache

Albums

• Ministry of sounds running trax Dec 2010 (itunes album)
• Ministry of sounds running trax June 2011 (itunes album)
• Running 105 all hits! (itunes album)

Do you have ‘Portion Distortion’?

Many people eat more than half of their daily calories after 4pm. I liken it to the movie ‘Gremlins.’ During the day, you’re hunger is like a cute little Mogwai, easy to tame and keep under control. But once the sun starts to set, boom – out comes your inner Gremlin and Whoosh, you’ve inhaled over half your daily calories and looking for more.

The hormone Ghrelin, is your inner Gremlin

Our hunger hormone has the name Ghrelin (Coincidence – I think not!). It’s what stimulates your appetite, giving you the rumbly tummy before a meal, and it tends to be very time based. It’s almost like an internal clock that says ‘Well you ate at this time yesterday, so it must be time to eat again!’ It’s also a greedy little bugger, and the more you feed it the more it wants. In fact if you feed it high fat, calorie dense meals, it actually craves more.

If you skip breakfast – be warned!

This is a vicious cycle to fall into, as most people who skip breakfast eat more later in the day. Late afternoon is when your metabolism starts slowing down for the day. When you wake up you’re not hungry because you’re full from the night before, so you skip breakfast and the cycle starts all over again. You’re trapped in your own horror movie renamed ‘Ghrelins!’ A good way to break the cycle is to force yourself to have breakfast, even a light fruit salad and make sure you’ve finished eating for the day by 8pm. This WILL help you break the cycle.

How to break the cycle

To get started, focus on your three main meals and eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. You can only have two snacks during the day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. And try to avoid staying up too late, as when the midnight munchies come around, we can’t resist as our willpower is at its weakest when we’re tired.

Here’s a good dietary schedule to stick to:

• Breakfast – 8am
• Snack – 11am
• Lunch – 1:30pm
• Snack (high protein) – 4:30pm
• Dinner – before 8pm

Use a food diary to keep track of what you eat and make sure you keep high salt and high fat foods to a minimum to help ward off cravings. Get your portions right with salads, soups and healthy snacks.

Soups

Soups are a great option for portion controlled lunches and dinners. One big cooking effort creates multiple servings, making it cost effective and perfect for when you’re busy. Soups are nutritious and delicious and it has actually been proven that they keep you fuller for longer. Most soups are low in calories so having a piece of bread is fine if you’re maintaining your current weight. However, if you’re trying to lose weight, bread is not recommended.

Stick to broth varieties like minestrone soup and lentil soup, and if you’re having pumpkin soup, make sure it hasn’t been loaded with cream.

TIP: Keep satchels of miso soup on hand for a quick and easy snack.

Salads

When putting a salad together, stick to two heavy ingredients. A heavy ingredient is meat, cheese, avocado, nuts or oil. That way, you won’t be weighing your salad down with foods that are high in calories.

Great ingredients for salads:

• Capsicums are high in vitamin C and you can roast them in the oven.
• Legumes to make you feel fuller and increase your protein count.
• Chickpeas, lentils and tuna in tins so you can always have them handy.
• Seaweed and baby spinach for their high iron count.
• Chia Seeds are high in Omega 3 and a great antioxidant.
• Quinoa for high iron, protein and fiber.

Don’t be afraid to combine ingredients like this delicious beetroot and chickpea salad recipe.

TIP: Mix ¼ lemon, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and some cracked pepper into small bowl and drizzle over your salad for extra zing.

Snacks

• Carrot sticks or capsicum dipped in hummus.
• Celery sticks filled with low fat ricotta or cottage cheese, sprinkled with Goji berries or currents.
• 1/3 cup of low-fat yogurt with fruit and nutmeg.
• Roasted chickpeas (Chic Nuts) or fava beans.
• Fresh fruit and nuts.
• Tins of tuna mixed with lemon and cracked pepper, spread on rice cakes or whole wheat crackers.
• Protein shake using 1 scoop of protein powder, ½ cup of milk (almond, soy or rice) frozen raspberries and nutmeg or cinnamon.
• 1/3 cup of low fat yogurt, half a banana, berries and a sprinkling of nutmeg.
• Strawberries or any fruit dipped in Greek style unsweetened yogurt.
• Jarra hot chocolate in water . Mmmm – filling and yummy.

TIP: When buying fresh juice, go by my motto – two root and 1 fruit! I.e. choose 2 roots (such as beetroot or carrot) and 1 fruit (fruit has more fructose).

This is a question I get asked all the time “Why aren’t I losing weight? I’ve been exercising regularly, doing all the right things but nothing is happening!”  I’d say that this is the number one reason why people fall off the exercise wagon- lack of results. So why is it that some people seem to be doing all the right things but still don’t lose weight? I’ve outlined the five main culprits in order of importance. Point number one is, in my experience, the most common reason why people don’t lose weight and keep it off.*

1. You’re not losing weight because you’re eating too much:

Many people begin an exercise program and the increase in activity can make them hungry. However eating more will just counter balance the calories burned, leading to no weight loss at all. Similarly, I have observed a mindset of “Well I just trained so now I can have that hot dog and beer.” If you are trying to lose weight, sorry that just won’t work!

The Biggest Loser TV show is a fine example. Some weeks contestants lost virtually nothing or even put weight on. These people were exercising up to four hours per day, but if their diet wasn’t right no weight loss would occur. Many might argue that muscle gain must be the reason, but we are talking about extremely overweight people who already had strong muscles (due to their size) and who were predominately doing cardiovascular, not strength activities.

My advice: Diet is the key to weight loss. Commit to one full week of counting the calories of everything you eat (calorie King is a good website). Sounds like a chore but it works and educates you. Observe how much you are eating before you start your training regime, and be sure not to increase this amount. If you get hungry, drink more water or herbal tea.

The best thing you can do is determine their basal or resting metabolism (Click here to determine yours), and then use a heart rate monitor with the calorie option to see how many calories they burnt during their workout (this is how The Biggest Loser determine their daily caloric amount). A really rough guide of daily caloric allowance is 1200-1500 calories per day for women and 2000 – 2400 calories for men.  Combine that with regular exercise and weight loss simply has to occur.

I would also like to point out that not eating enough can impact weight loss. However in my experience people who are overweight and not eating enough are often in a short term cycle, finding their optimum caloric intake. What led to them becoming overweight in the first place was not a result of not eating enough.

2. You’re not losing weight because you’re not training hard or long enough:

I love it when people tell me they went to the gym four times this week; they did 2 yoga classes, a swim, and a sauna. So why aren’t they losing weight? This is where the sergeant comes out and cracks his whip! Think back to your last week’s training. On a scale of 1-10 how hard would you rate the sessions? Another way of putting it, if the sessions were less than 45 mins, were you completely maxed out at the end, or could you have kept going?

The main principal of exercise is overload. The body needs to be overloaded in some form, to stimulate change. In fact, the body hates change. Your entire sympathetic nervous system is devoted to keeping you at homeostasis, where everything from your body temperature to metabolism stays the same. So if you want to see some change, guess what, you’ve got to overload.

My advice: Overloading your body is extremely specific for each individual. If you have been very sedentary of late, then a walk for 20mins might be a form of overload. But in less than 2 weeks, you’ve got to think of a new way to overload. The two main ways are increasing the intensity, or increasing the time (or both!). If you are a walker, try jogging for intermittent times, increasing the jogging time each workout from maybe 30sec to start until your can jog 10min straight.  If you can’t jog, find some hills, stairs, or double your distance. Notice how quickly the body responds.

Someone came to me who runs 50km per week, but has been putting on weight. I bet lots of my readers would be a shadow their former self if they ran that distance each week, but this person has been running the same distance and speed for years, and their body is used to it. She needs to find a new way of overloading.

I believe that 3 workouts per week should be at 8 out of 10 in intensity. These are often shorter sessions (20-40min) but tough ones. If the thought of pushing yourself to max puts you off, that’s fine too. Then you need to increase the length of your session. It’s your choice, shorter and harder, or longer and steady. Both will overload, which is what we need.

3. You’re not losing weight because you haven’t been consistent

Weight loss takes time. Often it can take years to really shift lifestyle patterns to make a permanent difference. The body works in mysterious ways and if you are glued to the scales, it will just send you crazy. You might lose weight one week, but gain weight the next week. Life is enough of a rollercoaster as it is.

My advice: Weight loss is a shift in one’s personal attitude, a lifestyle change. So pick some other goals within this shift to take the attention off weight loss. Events such as fun runs, Walk-a-thons, social sports, in-house gym competitions, and social groups will be much more inspiring and most importantly fun! After a few months you’ll hop on the scales and be pleasantly surprised. These activities keep you much more consistent and motivated than losing a few pounds each week.

4. You’re not losing weight because you’re not drinking enough water

I don’t need to tell you this, right! It’s so obvious I know, but time and time again I see people mistake hunger for thirst. I see workouts wasted due to dehydration. I see dark circles under eyes, clogged up systems and lethargy. It’s just a habit that needs to be created. It’s one of the easiest, yet most effective ways to lose weight.

My advice: Get out your calculator and punch this in: 30ml for every kilo you weigh (1 ounce for every 2.2lbs you weigh). Add 1 litre (33 ounces) for every hour you exercise. This is a ‘not negotiable.’ And ditch the sugary drinks!

5. You’re not losing weight but your body shape has changed

Do you know I have quite drastically changed the shape of my body three times in my life but my weight has always remained within around 3kg (6.6lbs). Muscle is heavier than fat, so if you gain a lot of muscle that can hide the fat loss on the scales, but this really only applies to leaner people. If you are carrying an extra 6kg (13lb) or more this wont be an issue for you.

My Advice: Use other measurements not just the scales. Clothes and photographs are easy. Also using a tape to measure key areas is really motivating. The important parts are your stomach (belly button line), hips (widest part when you stand front or side on in mirror), and the upper thigh (measure a distance from your knee cap to the point on your upper thigh, so that you remeasure in the same spot). Take notes for accuracy. For example “Measured over pants, Foot on chair, 30cm from knee cap.”

Exercise will change your body shape for the better (in 99% of the cases, bodybuilders are the exception!), so even if the scales don’t drop too much, so long as you look and feel better, who cares!

6. You’re not losing weight because of shifts in hormone levels

Ask any post baby or menopausal woman, and she will attest to the influences hormones have on her body and cravings. The main culprits are the hormones that increase appetite (cortisol, Estrogen, leptin just to name a few) and hormones that reduce one’s metabolism (Thyroxine produced in the thyroid). There is no doubt that a sudden shift in hormone production can have huge effects on weight loss. Sleep also has huge effects on hormone production, so make sure you are getting enough sleep!

My Advice: If you have recently put a lot of weight on for no apparent reason, or your appetite has significantly surged, it is worth speaking to your doctor and having some tests to ensure your hormone function is normal. Thyroid issues are on the rise and can be harmful if not treated properly. Hormonal issues can be overcome and are by no means a deal breaker in weight loss. Living a healthy life, getting enough sleep, eating complex carbs such as fruit and vegetables are all important in regulating hormones. Our hormones shift throughout our life and it is important that we make lifestyle adjustments as we get older.

Have you struggled losing weight? Do any of the above issues affect you? Maybe you found another reason why you didn’t lose weight. I’d love to hear it. Just remember lasting weight loss takes time. Be patient and remember it’s not just about the scales.

* Please note that this article is directed to overweight people trying to lose weight, and does not apply to lean people trying to get even leaner.