Food for thought: IS SUGAR WORSE FOR YOU THAN ALCOHOL?

Today's society is immensely stressed, sleep deprived and lacks sunlight exposure, this is a huge dillemma as our brains are the most important survival organ and demand constant energy, so what do we do in order to get back to a sustainable level of energy, we often dig for the quick fix to get the task done which is sugar/insulin.

Sugar is present in many of our foods, and we usually dig for the sugary option at breakfast time causing a massive spike of insulin to set the day off causing a vicious cycle of cravings. This cycle can easily become the norm when we are not eating enough quality protein and fats in our diet.

Protein and fats (yes fats) provide the building blocks for efficient brain chemistry and help slow digestion to drip feed sugar from carbohydrates into the blood stream, this helps relieve the highs and lows that set off sugar cravings!

Both stress and high sugar foods create create blood sugar spikes that provoke insulin production. This hormone delivers sugar into the cells for energy but also signals fat storage in preference to burning fat as fuel in our bodies. Eating protein and good quality fats creates the opposite effect on body composition by stimulating thermogenisis or heat creation and makes our bodies less likely to crave quick fix sugars.

SUGAR WORSE FOR YOU THAN ALCOHOL! 

In 1980 doctors from the Mayo clinic in the U.S. reported that liver biopsies on 20 patients had revealed regions of dead cells, signs of inflammation, "striking fatty changes" and Mallory bodies- bright pink staining structures that are a classic sign of liver disease. To any doctor under the microscope they were clear signs of liver damaged by alcohol... The thing is the participants did not drink or if they did minimally. They named this disease non-alcoholic steatohepatits. In 2012 it is the most common liver disease in the U.S. and possibly throughout the developed world!
One of the reasons this disease was unheard of 30 years ago is because of the levels of fructose (sugar found in cheap sweeteners such as High Fructose Corn Syrup and in sweet fruits).

HFCS was added to many processed foods and soft drinks as it was a cheap sweetener and more than likely added to low fat products in which consumers were made to believe eating low fat would help you lose weight.

Fructose in the diet causes raised insulin resistance, fatty liver and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome that has escalated over the past 30 years such as bulging waistline, high blood glucose concentration, high levels of bad fats in the blood, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver. Not to mention increased risks of developing diabetes, heart disease and strokes.

Here's a tip; ditch the packaged cereal (eating the cardboard box is probably healthier) and try implementing fish, eggs or meat ( any high protein food source) for breakfast you'll find yourself looking trimmer and feeling great!

More on this to come!

Summer Loving!

Wow what an amazing event the London 2012 Olympics was, has it got you motivated to achieve a Jessica Ennis 6 pack??

I managed to escape London for a week in Spain, it was an amazing trip and such a great way to revitalise ones health. I went there during one of Britain's worst ever summers with never ending rainfalls, everyone seemed sick, grumpy and unhealthy around me...

 Amazing what a dash of bad weather can do to you!

But as soon as the sun is shining and the clouds part we are all completely divergent and high spirited beings... We all need that dose of golden vitamin D! I felt like I'd been literally robbed...

Port Andratx, Mallorca.

So I thought.... What can one do to have an uplifting holiday to refresh your system and avoid insanity?

Well first of all... a week doesn't seem like a long time to revive myself but I came back a different person... really!

I scheduled in 4 morning gym workouts, Some outdoor activities such as wake-boarding, tennis, jogging, boating, cliff jumping, snorkelling.

With the gym workouts the hotel or venue might not be as well equipped as the one you use at home, so simply prepare a plan of bodyweight exercises, cables and free weights... Do mostly total body compound exercises (multi joint) especially if you're going to be working out significantly less than usual.

Deep stepper lunges

Single Arm Cable Row

Staggered Plyometric Push Ups

Tennis: speed, agility, quickness and a hit!

Also plan some social activities... A night out (dance venue), Beach, nice meals and general cafes etc

Typical Food Diary

Morning: 3 egg omelette, 1/2 cup seasonal fruit.. Coffee

Snack: Natural Greek yogurt (some honey)..

Lunch: Chicken breast, leafy salad, lime and coriander.

Dinner: Teriyaki Salmon fillet and salad/vegetables... Glass of wine

That was my staple diet all week whilst remaining active, the nutrition consisted of less portions and significantly more nutritious than the comfort food I had indulged in weeks leading up, I managed to tone and drop 2kgs in a short week and have continued the routine (once you see results it motivates you to stick to the routine, the problem is 80% of people fade off a routine before seeing any positive change).

Alcohol: When on holiday it can be avoided but I personally like to remain social and have a couple of drinks. I managed to stick to the odd glass of wine. Note to self: Lay off the vodka and soda during dance venues: Punishment, 10km run in hot sun..

My advice to anyone looking to have a healthy escape from the hard slog in the office is simply.... Book it now even if just for a few days, eat well, a little training and soak up the sun!

Preparing for Obstacle Races

A fun new fitness craze thats taking the world by storm is Obstacle Races. These events such as "Survival of the Fittest, Spartan Race, Tough Mudder" etc they are just growing by the masses. Although you have a timing chip on your shoe its more about surviving each obstacle and attacking it in style (usually a penalty is offered to those who can't complete the obstacle such as push ups or burpees).

Its so rewarding to prepare for an event like this and its great to get a team together in case you face tricky patches on the course its better to face it with a little team work, good in the build up in terms of training preparation/ motivation and most importantly fun!

The Spartan Race Team super stoked!

So to prepare for an event what can you expect?

The organisers will try an hit you with every angle so you need to be a well oiled machine, preparation needs to include basically all realms of gym and fitness training.

I love preparing for events like this as you'll never get bored with your training!

Ok so what you expect!

1. Hills:

You can expect to have plenty of up hill sections in an obstacle race, even if there isn't its great preparation for any kind of event, your cadence, strength, speed and mechanics will improve with hill sprints...

Hill sprints in prep work is a must!

2. Reptilian Crawling..

Reptilian Crawl prep work!

Hulya demonstrating a great reptilian crawl!

In the black pool above you either got low in the ice tub avoiding electricity, or you did 30x burpees!

Ok sounds silly but have we forgotten how to crawl?

 I was stuck in this same tunnel as the one above (Hulya coming out of) behind a guy trying to squiggle his way through like a worm, he was huffing and puffing whilst I glided through at hardly any effort?? You can expect various obstacles requiring a functional crawl. The bonus is it has many great benefits such as hip mobilty, core strength (babies actually strengthen their spinal segments and body in preparation for the walking gate through crawling so if you've experienced postural back pain these patterns can be a good exercise to get the spinal segments operating again in a functional manner, will actually get the heart rate up in your circuits also!

3. Rope Training

Obstacle at Spartan Race

TRX Power Rows

Grip strength is a must at these events as we got faced with a vertical rope climb, rope ladders and often  walls ropes are present like the caption above. The surface can be very slippery and so too the rope itself, so plenty of TRX work, Sled pulls, chin ups and battle ropes will help to master these obstacles!

If you live near an indoor rock-climbing wall, why not do a few sessions to enhance your climbing mechanics!

Sled pull from squat position

Battle Ropes

Other than that there will be plenty of surprise obstacles you may be faced with such as military presses with logs, throwing spears at a target, balance beams and sometimes bouncy castles. So challenge your body with variety and limited rest periods. Heres an example Program for your prep work!

1. 30 WALKING LUNGES 

2. 2 MINS REPTILIAN CRAWLS

3. TRX POWER ROWS 15 EACH SIDE (No TRX? Do 15 chin ups)

4. Barbell DEADLIFT 15 REPS (60kg)

5. 20 JUMP SQUATS

6. 20 PUSH UPS

7. Battle Rope Whips 30 seconds

8. 3MINS INCLINE TREADMILL RUN (can do hill sprints or stairs)

Repeat every exercise no rest during the circuit. Once circuit complete rest 1:30minute and repeat 3 times!

Good Luck!

Release Your Boundaries- TRX!

The TRX class is relatively new to the fitness industry, the TRX suspension training kit has been around for a few years as a piece of kit that you may see hanging in the corner of the gym but no-one really knew how to use it. You might have seen the odd guy doing a few body rows and thats about it.

TRX Class at MOVE THREE SIXTY personal training studio.

When I got my first TRX I was rebuilding my body from a knee reconstruction I had about 6months prior. I had got through some of my rehabilitation in New Zealand and was heading to the UK. The problem was I needed something that was portable, could train the whole body and something that was progressive for the lower body so I could start at a basic level with assistance and build up to a point where I was fully functional and could perform my sports and hobbies such as Tennis, snowboarding, rugby, running (marathon) etc So you can imagine I needed a very solid rehabilitation program to cater for the demands I was planning to put my recovering knee through. It did all that and more!

The Sogn Fjord in Norway only hours before my friends wedding!

So I had this piece of kit that I started to take everywhere with me on holidays, parks, clients houses for jogs, you name it, it was pretty much an extension to my body... 

The exercises that you can achieve with the TRX can cater the novice untrained body to the elite athlete.
In a health club I used to work at I was hanging in the TRX one day when Daniel Craig (James Bond) started asking me what it was and what it was useful for. He happened to be sporting a sling on his shoulder due to some accident and needed to restore stability, strength and mobility as well as maintaining his rock solid abs.. next minute he was hooked and borrowing my TRX each time he came to the gym (shame he already had a trainer).

I had an amazing client who was told she'd never walk again by health professionals. She did although have a great attitude, fairly strong upper body and legs (although not cooperating fully with her nervous system). I could see potential to achieve the impossible. The machine based exercises in the gym were great for her as she built some much needed strength and it allowed her to focus on isolated movements at the beginning of her programming but then she needed the next step, the phase of building stability to the point where she could stand on her own two feet and move one foot in front of the other. The TRX offered a great deal towards reaching that level of stability it was something other practitioners hadn't tried before, even though every realm of the training including her amazing "never give up attitude" played a huge role, the TRX certainly helped bridge the gap towards her ability to walk. After only 6months of training she could walk unassisted across the gym.

Semi private TRX (train with a partner).

So apart from amazing rehabilitative programs for people with back pain, shoulders, knees, hips etc I use it in performance situations such as elite tennis athlete, figure contestant, rugby players and generally people who want a strong stomach, toned butt, thighs and arms. With hundreds of exercises and stretches so you'll never get bored. 

Performing some mountain climbers!

The TRX class itself is a hour long session which I break up into a dynamic warm up, Upper (anterior and posterior chain) /lower/core/cardio/power segments followed some unique stretches. Its usually 4 rounds of intense exercise but if you're a complete beginner you'll be offered options to descend exercises to suit your current level. The mountain climber above is one of the many core exercises you'll experience in the class.

TRX TRICEPS (great for the core also).

I've heard people say "but you can't overload to build muscle like weights" well this is coming from people who have never tried it or been taught properly by an expert. Just because you see a dumbbell with a numerical figure on the side and you feed your ego by the amount of weight you can throw around the gym it doesn't mean you're training the right patterns of muscles to do the job correctly. The TRX initiates important stabilisers with every movement and you add more resistance by changing the angle of your body meaning you're almost taking on your whole bodyweight. I supplement many other forms of training with the TRX and use it for super sets and maintenance also. So if you choose to do the bench press and have plateaued try super-setting with some TRX atomic push ups- you won't regret it!

Atomic Push up!

Many thanks for reading I'm off to set up the next class :)

If you're in West London area and wish to get involved contact me on luke.d.marshall@gmail.com

Miles high! win your own TRX by guessing my finishing time!

The London Marathon is only a few weeks away and the training program I'm following has one more big volume week before the tapering!

My last few weeks have consisted of some tough runs and training but its paid off and I'm feeling confident...

My colleagues and I at "Move Three Sixty" studio also hosted a Running workshop covering topics on:

• Minimalist footwear (barefoot running) vs Traditional cushioned shoe
• Assessments on form and corrective exercise
• Video Analysis
• Injuries (prevention and awareness)
• Nutrition and Hormonal response
• Self release Myofascial
• Stretching, active and passive-corrective stretching
• Periodisation and Programs
• Strength exercise for runners

This was an amazing lecture, we have a great team of professionals, we were also mentioned in HFM (Health for Men) magazine this month just to top everything off! Pick up your copy at a local Holland and Barrett today!

This month I also performed some MOT health consults with some amazing individuals at the Vitality Convention in London, I was representing REPs (Registrar of Exercise Professionals)! 

Back to the training... currently my typical week would have;

Monday: TRX total body workout with battle rope intervals
Tuesday: Track Session 1600s with 2min easy running x4 (5km warm up)
Wednesday: Mobility and stretch session
Thursday: 3km easy run- 10km time trial- 3km easy
Friday: 16km
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 30km (race pace)

Its been pretty much this for 3 weeks but this week I hit a easier build up to finish the week with a 16km on saturday and a demanding 36km on sunday before my taper..

Here's some images of one of my clients training outdoors with some typical resistant exercises I been using to retain strength, core and muscular endurance- not to mention highly metabolic!

TRX suspended lunge 3x15reps 

Battle Ropes 20seconds whips, 20secs alt whips and 20seconds wide to close... Hard work, gets the heart racing!!!

TRX oblique Jacknife 45seconds x3

TRX Alt leg Hamstrings 45seconds x3

TRX mountain climbers 45seconds x3

1600m intervals x4

The race top, look out for me!!

WIN ME!!!

 I'm running the 2012 London Marathon for St John Ambulance and almost at target! Donate minimum £15 on my just giving page and email me the predicted finishing time to luke.d.marshall@gmail.com if you are closest to my actual time you'll receive this TRX force kit! London residents only and I'll throw in an hour PT worth £65 to get you started! Whole package worth over £200....

Click on this link to donate! http://www.justgiving.com/Luke-Marshall2012Run

Run Run Run- London marathon training update!

The London Marathon is only weeks away now and my training is in full flight!

To avoid boredom and injuries my program is a good mix of fartlek training, hill runs, 10km pace runs and the LSD (long slow distance) so far my furthest distance of 30km and the longest run I reach before the event is 36km.

I love my strength training but have reduced the emphasis on my regular routine and made more specific plans to allow better recovery for my running training. I use TRX total body suspension training as there is plenty of unilateral closed chain leg exercises such as the suspended lunge (pictured) and the emphasis on core and stabilising(tonic) muscles that improve posture is super important for any runner!

Amice and James performing suspended lunge

There are many exercises with over 300 to choose from, so I perform 2 TRX session a week in amongst my runs.

I find mobility exercises are really important especially pre-running- I like to make sure my thoracic is mobile, I have sufficient ankle dorsi-flexion, and my hip flexors are loosened up with a variety of moves!

This knee banger assessment can be done with a ruler against the wall, you can test your range but also use it as a mobility exercise by keeping your foot firmly in a neutral position (shown in picture) but at a distance a few more centimetres back where your knee can't quite reach the wall. Do 12-15 glides and watch your dorsi-flexion improve!

To improve thoracic spine mobility a roller is great. You can roll back and forward in the position shown above and iron out any tight fascia, then lower hips-inhale and extend over the roller. I use different segments of the thoracic spine and about 8-10 extensions over each segment.

A great active stretch for hip flexors, thoracic and dorsi-flexion in one, perform 12-15 each side!