More often than not I get asked, "how do you get the motivation to train?...How do I get the motivation to train?". It's a simple question with an even simpler answer: "find people that want to train too". Get help, get a support group, find friends, train together. 

I rarely train by myself. I have a coach of my own and training partners, friends that like playing sports, running and lifting weights. It is a fitness network, which I rely on and use to facilitate my own training. 

An important factor in this network is that every person is aligned on the goal to improve their health, weight or wellbeing. So training doesn't fall through, or never eventuate. There is an unwritten understanding "You support me and I will support you", so it can become a pretty intimate relationship and they take time to build. I have been training with some people for over five years.

So if you are are looking for a sideways step into training and you need a support group, a professional group training session is the perfect answer because:

1)It Provides Motivation:

You have someone who is willing to support your intention to get healthy....even if you don't want to support it! Your trainer is your training buddy and will be there watching, monitoring and pushing you along to succeed! At the start of any long term health project, after the first two weeks your motivation can drop and you can fall off the band wagon. At group training sessions your trainer is the external pressure that helps keep you motivated long enough until your fired up yourself!  

2)Provides Routine: 

You have set days, you know when your training is...The only block between you achieving what you want is your participation. you can lock it in your diary and make sure your out of work on time, your gym bag is in the car and you are pumped to go! Routine is the key!

3)Provides Support

You train in a unique and supportive environment, which is always invigorating because you are surrounded by people who want to do the same thing! Having other people around you is powerful because it bridges the physical and the social boundaries which stop us training. Suddenly, after a long day in the office, when all you feel like doing is eating ice cream and watching T.V, Sally, Rob and Mike have texted you "see you at group training?". No excuses, better  get the gym bag!

We need to challenge what we believe as conventional and look to create new opportunities that evolve people’s beliefs and mindsets toward positive lifestyles. The fitness education programs will help put you back in control of your wellbeing, because I believe healthy people are happy people. 

This is a pre-announcement to a new online training initiative that i need to pilot. I am looking for two volunteers to take part in an 8-16 week program. If you are interested, follow the link, fill out the qualifying survey and i will be in touch

Warm Regards

Stephen

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dDVra0s5b2VnemNtSjE5RGFOOWZWemc6MQ

Eating for Success !

I was recently asked by a few people about what behaviors and foods they might want to utilize to keep weight off. Here are a few quick tips that will help you on your way. 

1. Eat Chocolate

I was terrible at saving money. I would put all of it away and end up blowing the whole amount because i never gave myself anything to live by. The same can be said for sweet foods, have a little deliberately rather than totally restricting yourself! Satisfy your sweet craving with a small portion of dessert after a meal and hopefully it should stop you snacking throughout the day!

2.Calcium 

Consuming 1,800 milligrams of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 336 kJ. High amounts of calcium can be found in Kale and spinach so try and get these leafy veg into your lunch time salad. Flaxseed, sesame seeds, brazil nuts and    Almonds also contain high levels of calcium so snack on these throughout the day. Milk, Cheese and Yogurt all have high levels of calcium but the fat content would make you weak at the knees! So abstain a little...!

3.Heat it up a bit...

Capsaicin is the substance that puts the hot in hot chilli. It can temporarily boosts your metabolism. Put a bit in your lunch or dinner and you’ll be working while you sleep!

4. Find yourself some fibre

Fibre will fill us up and keep our digestion working. Complex fibre is the best and is hard to decompose, so it will not only fill you up but get your jaw working overtime meaning we don’t crave chewing straight after a meal. Oats and weetbix and brown breads have stacks of complex fibre and don’t forget organic is better because it is less processed and try and have these in your first meal of the day.  

5. Buy Pre-cut Vegetables

It is an easy way to cut the leg work out of taking veggies to work ad ensure that you snack on carrots and celery. Make it accessible and inexcusable

6. Water Your Body...

A dry body means we crave sweat things. Every time you reach for the sugar grab a glass of water. Remember that you want to be drinking around 1 L per 25kg of body weight. The sooner you start the more likely you are going to notice those sugar cravings drop off

7. Go Public

Make sure everyone knows that you are trying to loose weight or get healthy. Post photos, status’, send message and enlist the support of your friends. It works as an acknowledgement method and can help battle the early on discouragement that many people face when trying to loose weight by themselves

8.Make your meal colourful

greens, oranges and purples are all great colors to have on your plate. The more the better! Stay away from yellows- i.e pastas, potatoes, starches and general carbohydrates! Filling but also unnecessary in high quantities when trying to loose weight. The more colorful the plate the more veggies you usually have!

9. Detox

It is never a bad thing to juice fast or do a cleanse. You would be surprised at how much weight can be lost from getting rid of all the stored toxins in your body. Make sure you research your detox though and consult a health expert before you start. 

10.Train with me

Or someone! Training is the 50% percent of the weight-loss game. Get your food balance right and you’ll be on the right path. Working with a professional is great because it gives you a direction to follow. I have always been a big believer in a plan. Our training is planned in eight week blocks so that you have less unknowns and more expected results. Call today and we can work on a nutrition plan together as well.

Health and Animals

At a surface level health starts with doing the right things for your body...But for all who have trained we know that it's much more than that. It includes mental health and spiritual wellbeing. For lack of a better term it is a holy trinity. Look for opportunities to evolve, keep your body healthy, your mind clear and you/we should be happy.

When we are happy we achieve a lot more....There is a sense of deliberateness to our actions. Less dragging of feet and more willingness to try. I think this is the key to creating a successful training program and when i set up a training program with a client, the introduction revolves around these principles.

However, this is not the point i wanted to make. For me part of being mentally healthy is feeling like i am progressing or contributing to change for the better, on whatever scale I can. It's like Ralph Emerson once said, "make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you". We can do this in our daily choices and one decision that I make is to not eat meat. Now I am not one tell another that there actions are right or wrong, but for me not eating meat helps me feel like i am keeping my mind healthy (along with other things), it keeps my conscious clear.

I have my own personal reasons not to eat meat, as many of you will have your personal reasons to eat it, and that is fine. However it is important to consider how our food is farmed. The conditions of the animals life and slaughter. Has the pig/cow/chicken/calf/fish been happy in life? Or where they raised in a farm cage the size of your wardrobe for three to four years? Simply put, (for me) as long as we can inflict cruelty on such large scales with such disregard for life to animals we can still do it to each other. To consider this just think back to the Jewish war camps of Nazi Germany. You have to wonder, did that inspire western farming or did western farming inspire the war camps?

So this piece of writing is a bit all over the place. I start of talking about health and then talk about vegetarianism and some how throw in the Nazi's. How does it all relate? To be honest it doesn't. I just want to plug two things that I am passionate about. Health and animal welfare. I ate a bit of pig the other day so I am cleaning my conscious.

Here are some of my resources. Enjoy.

This is the vid that inspired me to finally stop eating meat

A good scientific back ground to protein

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/get-enough-protein-veg-diet.php

more good resources on education, animal welfare etc

http://www.peta.org/index_landing.asp

http://www.avatarepc.com/

http://ten-pounds-down.fitsugar.com/50-Ways-Stay-Motivated-Weight-Loss-13289463

Team Rabbit

Success Story – Jake Phin

A success story is a celebration of ones will power, determination and ability to achieve their goals. It can take a lot of effort to change behavior habits and a bucket load more to make them long term but Jake is an example of someone who has successfully achieved their goals and deserves every high five or well done he gets

Jake started training around sixteen weeks ago on the sixth of November 2011 following a successful consultation where we outlined his goals, desires and current habits. The consultation was a crucial part of the program because it gave us a clear understanding and alliance, which meant we new exactly what we wanted to achieve and how we where going to do it.

Over the sixteen weeks we worked on his core fitness, strength and cardio with the intention of facilitating weight loss. The end result was phenomenal and is a real credit to Jakes resolve. He kindly lent me so photos, which highlight his transformation and you, can see it is a fantastic testament to his determination

In conjunction with his weight loss his speed, stamina and strength improved phenomenally. Jake measured this and just as an example he cut over a minute off his average Km pace and is getting faster every run. Not only that but his core strength has improved three fold.

So now Jake is training by himself. He wrote a program last week and emailed it to me and let me tell you it is an incredible one that would test most of us.  Jake has successfully completed his goal and I am  incredibly proud of him and so happy that I was allowed to be part of his progression. Well done mate you have done fantastically 

Jake was consistent and decided; two key elements to successful training. He started off on the tailored program and moved into the rehabilitation program. What do you want to achieve? Where do you want to take physical health? The sky is the limit and our training programs work, You just have to decide. Contact us today and we will do the consultation free of charge. 

Week One

Week Sixteen

Detox Retreat Information

Between the 18^th and the 20^th of May we have organized a Detox Retreat. The Detox Retreat is a health retreat with an educational twist to it. This means we don’t just flush our systems of toxins rather we become aware of how to do it ourselves. Over the weekend we will focus on several principles of health that we believe are key to having long-term health and fitness. However, here are some practicalities that we would like you to be aware of:

                       

1)    The activities have been designed to accommodate everyone. This is available to all fitness and health levels. There is no pressure for you too participate in any event and what’s more you can choose what you want to do. There are some low intensity, moderate intensity and high intensity exercises on the retreat. All the activities are available for viewing on the itinerary

2)    The event is being held at Wilsons Promontory. I have provided some photos. The Prom is about 2 ½ hours away from mornibgton by car and you will have to organize your own transportation to and from the event

3)    The cost of the event is $150. This includes your food, your accommodation and participation fee. Payment is taken on the day of arrival, however upon registering for the event you do have to         leave or pay a $50 deposit within 48 hours of registering to hold your bed.

4)    The food is totally organic and has been sourced locally. The diet has been specially designed to promote a physical cleanse. For most parts of the weekends you will drinking broths, soups, juices or blends. However we will provide some solid food as well. You are not expected to bring any food for the weekend, you are not expected to prepare the food. This will all be done for you

5)    The accommodation is a 24 bed shared lodge. You will have private rooms, which contain about six beds and you can request sharing preferences. Blankets, pillows and pillow slips provided, but guests are to provide their own sheets or sleeping bags/duvets

6)    The lodge is a fully connected to the grid so you will have electricity, however phone internet reception is poor. This retreat is designed to get you away from normal life so these things should not be necessary.

7)    Toilets and showers are available in the lodge and are located next to the rooms.

An Exciting Announcement

I have been touting about a new healthy living initiative for about a month now, telling you all to “watch this space” and “keep your eyes open” for an announcement that was slowly being developed. Finally on Friday 9^th March 2012 enough pieces of our work have come together to be able to publicize what it was we where actually doing.

In recent months, Kelvin Baldwin has joined Stephen Halpin Fitness and Education to help create what we believe to be, a game changing opportunity for all people looking to regain control, develop and expand their understanding over their own health and well being. We spent and are continuing to spend many weeks identifying, researching and exploring key areas of health so that we can provide accessible educationally based programs driven by experience, with the aim of improving your health and well being

 So we have created a weekend away called “The Detox Retreat”, which looks to explore movement, relaxation, nutrition and mental inspiration. Training people has been a fantastic way to learn about what it is people need in their lives to be healthy and happy, but there are some incredible discoveries we have made about healthy living that we have to share with you, and so we have compiled it into this weekend.

The Detox Retreat begins at Wilsons Prom. Away from the hustle and bustle of real life, you are given the opportunity to reflect, explore and redefine what it is you know about health and you body. As a health retreat your food is provided for, totally organic, locally sourced and freshly made, your body is able to cleanse itself of toxins and anomalies that have built up over time.

Breathing and healing exercises take place daily to help your body recuperate from the physical stress of everyday life. Along with several effective education based programs to help teach yourselves how to exercise efficiently as well as exploring the different types of exercise available to you.

But that’s not all. Over the coming weeks Kelvin and I will be talking all over the Mornington Peninsula. We will be giving you insights into the weekend and go further into detail about what can be expected. The talks go for about an hour, they are free and you are able to ask as many questions as you like.

We are excited to share this weekend with you. We have a 24-bed guest-house reserved from the Friday the 18^th of May to Sunday the 20^th May. The lodge is beautifully set in the bush of Wilsons Prom which will help you relax, unwind and learn.  The first talk will be held at Rosebud Community Hall on the 16^th of march. There are limited spots but we look forward to see you! 

Protein, Protein and More Protein!

Of recent I have noticed many of my colleagues, clients and training partners become part of a growing trend that argues for the consumption of extra protein as part of a recovery or weight loss/gain program. Many of these supplements are consumed in pill and shake form after or before training sessions or meals with the intention of improving overall performance

The in arguable fact is that protein is one of the basic building blocks in the human body and plays a major role in all cells and the most important bodily fluids. In addition most of our bodies important chemicals, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters and even our DNA are made partially of protein and although our bodies are good at recycling protein, we use it continually and so need to replace.

However, the key question is how much protein is too much, or too little? While dependent upon the individual’s size and weight it is suggested that our daily calorie intake should be around 52% carbohydrate, 30% fat and 18% protein. So the average 19-50 year old man consuming around 2550 calories will only be eating 456 protein-based calories.  For your reference 482 calories is equivalent to around 1 cup (250 mils) of light milk.

So do we need the performance enhancing protein supplements? Granted that the body has a developed inability to store protein but if we are consuming it on our actual diets will we recover or improve our performance, or progress our ability to gain or weight? This is a question that can be determined only through individual reflection but what I have found is that protein shakes as part of a weight loss diet leaves the body under nourished and craving carbohydrates.

So perhaps consider that if you are looking to get extra protein into your diet you start consuming some of the super protein vegetables. Based on my own personal studies the following foods do not only provide for the growth, maintenance and repair of muscle tissue, but also help aid digestion and circulation  

-       A cup of peas has about 16grams of digestable protein.

-       You can get about 8 grams of protein per serve of chick peas

-       5 grams of proteins per cup of corn

-       3 grams of protein in a serve of brocolli

-       13 grams in a serve of spiniach

-       4 grams of protein in serve of artichoke.

Compare this to your average protein shake which has about 5 grams worth of protein perhaps it may be work changing your pre/post work out product.