FBC Harrogate

Big week down at FBC Harrogate 😃😃

Enjoy your weekejd boys and girls 🍻🥂🥃

Are you struggling to lose weight?

Ther reason could be much simpler than you think it is

Are you making the right swaps:

- Zero calorie drinks for full sugar drinks
- Are you monitoring the amount of oils you are using
- Are you eating nuts every day without tracking them
- Maybe you enjoy a frappucino every day

There are plenty of different things you can do to lower your calories without changing too much:

- Drink zero calorie drinks
- Prioritze on protein levels
- Reduce portions slightly
- Limit high calorie foods
- Track your calories

I wish when I had started tracking calories and working out that somone would have told me you are 'allowed' to go over your calories every now and then and it will not ruin your progress.

We can get so fixated on trying to be perfectionists when it comes to the calories we are consuming and as a result put far too much pressure on ourselves. Especially when we are trying to have a social life, be a parent, and more importantly just try enjoy our life.

If you are a sports athlete or competitor of some sort, maybe you can't afford to do this too often but for the other 99% of the world you can. As I always say you just need to be accountable for what you are consuming and react accordingly the days/week before or after.

For me the summer is always a time where I eat and drink more loosely, the sun is usually out which means I tend to have a few more beers than usual. There are more BBQ opportunities which leads to me eating/grazing on more calories (and beers again) than usual.

But I enjoy these moments, therefore i am not willing to sacrifice a beer with a friend in the garden because I am worried I am going to go 200 calories over a target that I SET.

As always enjoy your life but keep yourself accountable!

Motivation comes and goes

If we only trained when we were motivated to, we would most likely never train

We have to have goals that allow us to push ourself when we really can't be bothered.

Whether it be to have a break from the kids, other halfs, the list goes on.

But you do need some you time, so why not spend it exercising and overall improving the way you feel especially about yourself. Not to mention the physical benefits ;)

Why do you exercise?

Exercise is not glamorous

You can't rely on 'motivation' to exercise, if that were the case we would never workout

Sometimes you just have to turn up and put the work in.

It is hard

It is tough

It is what it is

Sometimes you don't want to focus on the health benefits as the reason you are exercising today, sometimes you just want to eat something that isn't neccesarily a health food.

The exercise doesn't 'allow' you to eat this food, it might just allow you to eat it without feeling overly guilty for over indulging.

Bottom line - Just get on with it

Do you weight a couple of pounds more after eating??

Don't stress at all, this is completely normal as the food and drink we consume has to go somewhere, and it also weighs something believe it or not.

When you eat and drink, the food doesn't automatically get used as energy and digested straight away. It takes time which is why you should never weigh yourself just after you have eaten. Or at least take the weight with a pinch of salt

Remember, I know this is tough but we should try use as much common sense as possible with these things

I had a really nice day yesterday with my family that 6 years ago I wouldn't have been able to have

Simply because I have cut myself some slack and started prioritising spending time with my family and making memories that will last a life time, not to mention improving the old mental health.

If you get an opportunity to be with friends or family and have some nice food and drink, why wouldn't you enjoy it?

Just be accountable for what you are consuming, and tomorrow or for the rest of the week you may just need to reign it in a few 100 calories per day to cut even.

Don't overcomplicate these things.

Life is too short, make sure you enjoy it!

Why are we so hard on ourself and why can't we give ourself a pat on the back for the improvements we have made

It isn't always going to be sunshine and rainbows moving in the 'right' direction

Remember, progress isn't always linear

Take the small wins, look at your health and fitness goals as a long term plan/investment rather than a short term one

Do as I say not as I do.....

Having just started a new training plan consisting of plenty of running which I am not used too, I knew that before my sessions I need to prepare my body more than I usually do. However this week I learnt my own valuable lesson I teach on a daily basis.

I felt a little ni**le, I felt the tightness and I decided to push through. Ultimately this was the worst decision I could have made as it led to me straining my lower back.

Not only has this impacted my potential progression over the next week or 2 but more importantly it restricted the amount of things I could do with my daughter at the beach this weekend. I couldn't throw her in the air and catch her, I couldn't play all the games she wanted too.

We need to listen to our body, 99% of the time it knows exactly what it wants.

If you are tired - Take a rest day
If you are feeling tightness - Stop exercising
If you are hungry - Eat something

Bottom line - Listen to your body and don't be a d**k

Some of the FBC Harrogate crew took on the Total Warrior this year, and here are a few action shots of them all

Well done to everyone of you who put all your effort in to it, you should all be very proud of yourself

On to the next one now