Simple question really…Do you feel awesome everyday? How about most days? Maybe just a few days?

The answer to this question for most people is a resounding NO! Today’s lifestyle has us rushing around like busy fools, not spending any time on ourselves and slaving away at work for very little reward.

The only time we really look to do something about our health, energy and well-being is when it’s too late and it starts to seriously impact us. But by this time the damage is done and reversing these ill effects will take some serious work, commitment and A LOT of patience…

After all, it probably took you YEARS to get into the position you are in now!

But what if it doesn’t have to be that way? What if you could do some very simple tasks each day that will have you feeling awesome, each and every day!

Below are our 5 important hacks that will lead you t awesomeness. So if you wish t feel great, act great and get great results, read on:

OUR 5 BEST WAYS TO FEEL AWESOME DAILY

1. Hydrate Quickly After Sleeping and Keep It Going

You will likely spend around 6-9 hours in bed each night, during which time you aren’t consuming any fluids. When you are asleep, your body uses the fluids you do have in order to conduct much needed repairs, leaving you dehydrated when the time comes to wake up and tackle the day.

What most people do upon waking is to grab a cup of coffee and sip on it as they rush around getting ready for work and sorting the kids out for school. This leaves people dehydrated for the day, leading to increased hunger, tiredness, high levels of stress and poor performance.

This simply won’t do!

What we need to do as a priority is to get some fluids into our body as quickly as possible, and by fluids I mean water. Our body is made up of around 70% water and we need to keep those levels topped up to allow us to function optimally.

Personally, I consume around 500 ml of water as the first thing I do in the morning. I would also suggest a cup of warm water with the juice of half a lemon in it. Lemon water helps to wake up the digestive system and to get your metabolism functioning in preparation for food and energy. The warm water will help pass the lemon juice around the body easier.

If you’re looking for ways to help you spring out of bed every morning then read this previous article here:

Are You Starting Your Day Great?

This will help you feel energetic for your early morning walk (see point 2).

2. Get Outside First Thing in the Morning (before breakfast)

Once you’ve hydrated and stretched, I suggested getting outside for a 20 minute stroll on an empty stomach.

Too often we are chasing the day from the minute we wake up, which leads to stressful situations from very early on. This cascades into the whole day, leaving us feeling drained by mid morning and often in need of stimulants just to keep us functioning.

To alleviate this dilemma, I suggest spending the first hour of your day on yourself (see point 1 & 3 combined with this hack), which includes a 20 minute brisk walk in the fresh air, on an empty stomach. This has a ton of positive health benefits for the body and will also help you get ahead on route to those 10,000 steps.

It will also help clear your head and allow you to plan the day ahead. And if this means getting up 30 minutes earlier than normal…then do it!

You will thank me for it in a few weeks time…honest.

3. Stretch Mobilise and Move

I got this one from my pet dog! Each and every morning he comes out of his bed and spends 30-60 seconds stretching…and we should do the same too!

I usually spend 5-10 minutes stretching after getting out of bed and having my water. I spend this time just stretching and slowly moving from one position to another to gently wake up the body. This gets the blood flowing around my muscles after hours of laying dormant.

I tend to start from the top down starting with the neck, shoulders, hips and don to the quads, hamstrings, calves and finally the ankles. I feel that this then sets me up well for my morning 20 minute walk.

And it doesn’t stop there…

During the day, we often sit around for most of it (usually hunched over a computer screen) and moving very little. If you work in an office, then look to get up for 10 minutes every hour and go for a drink or use the loo. Just get up, move and get away from the screen. If you can get outside, say for lunch, then do it. Get the fresh air into your lungs and spend 15-20 minutes moving.

Look to perform some form of exercise daily too! This doesn’t mean thrashing yourself for hours in the gym. It can mean going for a swim, run, a long walk or doing yoga for example. In the summer, get yourself outdoors and absorb that Vitamin D too. This will help you feel even more awesome!

4. Eat the Rainbow

It’s no secret that food is data for the body. The nutrients and minerals in that food help feed the body with the vital ingredients that help the body conduct simple functions such as keeping your skin smooth, helping you see clearly, provide you with energy to tackle the day and to help you move with less pain…and the list goes on.

The foods that are richest in these vital nutrients are vegetables and fruit and the easiest way to ensure you get an adequate spectrum of these vital vitamins and minerals is to EAT THE RAINBOW!

Aim for as many different colours of vegetables as possible, including beets, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, avocado, red onions, celeriac etc. Think bright and colourful and get as much of it on your plate as you can.

Oh! And as an added tip…eat your vegetables on your plate before anything else. They will help fill you up and will often stop you from finishing off the junk food that’s around ?

5. Simplify Life

Let’s face it. We’re all busy these days! We always seem to have something going.

Have you ever noticed that your to do list just seems to keep growing and growing as the day goes on and you then end up transferring that uncompleted list over to the next day. You look at the day and don’t feel as though you have accomplished much due to the ever growing list and you dread the next day before it even arrives as you know there’s a mountain of work waiting for you.

This is simply a recipe for disaster and all this ‘busy-ness’ is killing you slowly. Often leaving you feel down and often depressed. Well, there is a simple trick to solving this…

And that’s to SIMPLIFY LIFE…And it all starts with cutting your list down!

Pick 3 BIG things you want done that day. Don’t add anything else to your workload until the BIG 3 is complete and only after you’ve had a break too. It doesn’t get anymore complicated than this. When I learned to say no to people, and to tasks and just focused on the big movers in my day, I noticed a massive difference in my mood, energy, focus, productivity and happiness!

Try it…

These are just some of the hacks that we use with our clients to help them feel awesome everyday. And the beauty of our coaching means that we are routinely checking in with them in some way or other in order to keep them committed, motivated and striving towards their goals and results.

Why not try these 5 tips to help you feel more awesome everyday?

if you like what you read and want to know more, then why not hook up for a what to see if what we do would be right for you…

Book a Call with Us…HERE

If you have any others then why not post them in the comments below?

She proceeded to tell me how she had lost 10 pounds in a few weeks on the latest diet craze.

Chuffed to bits she went into great detail about how she had done it…

Have You Ever Been on a Miracle Diet that Sounds Like This?

“I’ve been doing some research and I’ve been in contact with a diet guru. He’s told me to cut out all refined sugars, wheat, caffeine, meat, dairy, any flavours and enjoyment from my diet.

I have been told to fast for 18 hours a day and get all my food in a 6-hour window. Basically, this means that I’m on keto, except on Wednesdays and Sundays where I can eat pretty much what I want.

Essentially if it doesn’t grow from the ground and it hasn’t been blessed by a Shaman on either the winter and summer equinox, then I can’t have it.

I’ve been doing it for a few weeks and I feel amazing!!

At this point, all the warning signs came crashing down around my ears…

This is yet another miracle diet that works wonders over the first few weeks, but then reality kicks in.

She can’t go out to any social function and enjoy herself. There’s no drink involved. Any sweet treats you get offered have to be turned down and any episode of emotional eating will break all the rules.

Is this sustainable? Probably not…

Sure, it will get great results initially but they aren’t sustainable for any longer than a few weeks. So even if you do this type of diet and get in shape for a holiday, party or a wedding then the likelihood is that you will put the weight back on almost immediately after your occasion.

I know this because we have seen it so many times with people that come to Forever-Strong.

They come to us because they are tired of the yo-yo diet cycle and the negative emotions that come with it.

They have done Keto, Paleo, Atkins, California Beach, and the Cabbage Soup Diet. They have had to count points at WW or negotiated Syns at SW.

All work because they are the same thing packaged a little differently.

And even if these diets were suitable for long term use, you would have to lock yourself away in a room and live like a Buddist Monk or a Nun.

I don’t know about you but life is for the living…

And when we see people do these type of diets, what typically happens is that the individual does well during the week, but then binge eats at the weekend (if you’re a WEEKEND BINGE EATER, then you may want to read our article on it).

But yet we see so many people who keep trying these diets and they keep failing.

They are fed nonsense by the marketing company’s and convinced that they don’t have to wait for results. They can have them now and in today’s BUY NOW, PAY LATER society, we all fall for it (yes, I’ve been there).

Well, we’re here to tell you that you can get great results and you can keep them for the long term. You just have to go about it the right way.

And we have 3 top tips on how to go about it the RIGHT WAY:

Make it SIMPLE!

Don’t over complicate things and take things in moderation.

This means eating more whole foods such as meats, fish, healthy fats and of course fruits and vegetables.

It means cutting down on processed foods, fast food, and alcohol.

It means exercising regularly and being active during the day.

This all sounds very boring…but it’s the stuff that works.

Unfortunately, nobody ever got rich telling people to drink more water, spend more time outdoors doing the things you love and to get more sleep, but these are some of the most important things that you can do for long term health.

Listening to others and constantly switching from one diet to the next is a sure fire way of getting nowhere fast and ultimately maintaining your frustration and stress.

So if you’re looking to improve the way you look and feel right now ask yourself this…

Make Small Changes Over Time

The best way to make a change is to TAKE ACTION. A wise person once said that a journey of 1000 miles started with a small step, and the same applies to your long term health and fitness.

Sitting on your backside, eating junk food and wishing it to happen isn’t going to change anything.

Our advice is to pick 2-3 habits that are going to make a difference and start to work on them slowly. For example:

• Sleep – if you’re getting 5 hours a night, then aiming for 8 may be too much of a leap. Instead, aim for 6 hours for a week, then increase to 7 hours and so on, until you are where you want to be. The same can be said about:
• Water – we recommend you drink 2-3 litres of water per day, but if you’re hardly drinking any then 2 litres will not only be daunting but you will likely be running to the loo all day and night. Again this needs to be built up over time.

This is how you adopt positive healthy habits without them feeling like a chore.

Getting caught up in the minor details and looking at the long term goal will leave you feeling HELPLESS AND CONFUSED. paralysed by the amount of work required, which results in no action being taken.

But then, of course, you need to keep going! And this is where tip number 3 comes in…

Get Others to Hold You Accountable

Without a doubt, one of the biggest factors is accountability to others. Having others question whether you’ve done something or not is a good way to keep you in check.

There is something about being answerable to others that get you to take action.

In the gym, we have accountability buddies. This is where members have a buddy or 2 who checks in to see how they are getting on. We also have our community support group where people can post their challenges and frustrations and see how others overcame the same problem. This is invaluable.

And last, but certainly not least we have the coaches who are on hand to see how you’re getting on and to offer the advice should it be needed. This has proven to be invaluable to many of our members and is a large reason why we keep seeing great success, time and time again.

So if this sounds like you and you’re tired of failing and starting over again..time and time again.

Then you can use the tips above to make a long-lasting change to break yourself of the vicious cycle.

Or, if you’re like any of our AMAZING gym members, then you can get in touch and see if what we do is right for you.

If you wish to make long-lasting, sustainable change…

Leaving you looking great, feeling confident an loving yourself again and doing the things you LOVE…

then why not get in touch?

Speak soon,

One person will tell you that Carbs make you fat and then someone else will say that Carbs are fine and it’s Fat that’s the danger.

Then we have arguments about Vegan, Keto, Paleo, fasting etc. No wonder it’s so confusing!

What have you been told and what is it that you believe?

The whole topic always seems to have extremes. People seem to be in one camp or the other. Determined to argue their point on why their way is THE way and that any other way is just blastphemy!!!

In my experience though, I have found in life is that there’s rarely ONE way to do things. Many people strive to achieve things in life without following the same blueprint.

– The Russians and Americans built space programmes using different techniques.

– We teach our Children differently and they grow up to live successful and promising lives.

– Companies run and manage their staff differently but still manage to survive…

So why should health and fitness be the ONE thing that has a RIGHT WAY and a WRONG WAY?

It shouldn’t really.

Whether you are looking to be healthy, look good naked, gain confidence in yourself or just simply enjoy the great outdoors with your family more, there are a few basic principles that I believe we must follow.

The issue is that we get so caught up with the detailed tactics before we fully understand the strategic principles first.

We get caught in the weeds and don’t see the bigger picture of what being fit and healthy is all about and the many fundamental aspects that go into maintaining it for life. Because that’s what health is really…keeping it going for life.

Our 6 Basic Factors

There are many different aspects to this but for the purpose of this thread, I will nail it down to 6 over-arching principles. Which are:

1. Consistency
2. Patience
3. Energy Balance
4. Accountability
5. Habits
6. Routine

I bet you’re looking at this list and thinking there’s more to it than that.

The only point up there that even remotely mentions anything to do with nutrition is energy balance…which I will tackle first.

#1 Energy Balance

The term energy balance simply refers to how much energy you consume through food and drink and the amount of energy that your body uses through daily activity and exercise.

• To maintain weight, the energy balance should level out.
• To gain weight, you have to have surplus energy
• To lose weight, you have to have deficit energy so that the body uses it’s own energy stores in order to make up the difference.
• It’s that simple!

Granted, there are some complications in terms of body dynamics, dysfunctions etc but for the vast vast majority of people, this concept holds true.

When on a diet what tends to happen is that you go into an energy (calorie) deficit for a specific period of time in order to lose weight.

This normally takes the form of a strict diet that is bland, boring and restrictive. In other words, it becomes hard to maintain, and your mind wanders to desires of sweets and chocolates and alcohol as you’ve cut them from your intake…

Which is a MASSIVE mistake! We go for the short term fix, expecting it to solve all our long-term problems.

How has that worked for you in the past?

The issue is that we focus on this ONE aspect of health, fitness, and well-being and we ignore the other major factors that I listed above. And without these other factors, it becomes very difficult to maintain the energy balance that we are after, whether this is to lose weight, gain weight or to just maintain what we currently have.

So let’s talk about these other factors…

Let’s jump straight in:

#2 Consistency

There’s little point in eating well Monday to Thursday only to let it all slide at the weekend where we binge on crap and eat double the amount of calories than we do in the week.

What often happens is that you have a moment of madness on a Friday/Saturday and then it all gets discarded until Monday again where you can ‘START AGAIN’. The problem is that it never works like this! The damage done at the weekend overrides the good work of the weekdays.

You’ve likely heard that consistency is key with various things in life and this is no different here.

Have a ‘bad meal’? Then just get straight back on it. No waiting until Monday and no letting yourself stary for too long. We have a saying in our gym that you’re ONLY ONE MEAL AWAY #OOMA!!

Feelings of guilt, shame and the need to punish yourself is where all the damage is done.

If you’re a weekend binge eater then you can read the blog post linked below on how to combat this:

ARE YOU A WEEKEND BINGE EATER

#3 Patience

The human body is a patient thing. Nothing seems to happen quickly with it. It takes years to grow and develop and likewise to deteriorate into old age and any small changes usually go unnoticed to your own eye due to the time it takes.

The problem is that our minds are so used to INSTANT things and BUY NOW PAY LATER concepts that we are unused to waiting for anything these days. You can get parcels delivered to your door in 24 hours but you have to wait months in order to see a significant change with fat loss? That just won’t do, will it?

What people fail to realise though is that some markers of improved health and fitness can be seen and felt in only a few short weeks…

– More energy,

– Better sleep,

– More Focus

– Happier

And so the list goes on.

Don’t just measure your progress on the scales/tape measure alone and have some patience with these things. Also, do yourself a favour and don’t be too hard on yourself and believe others when they say you’re looking good.

Set yourself some realistic expectations and timescales…

 #4 Accountability

I believe this one to be super important. Simply because we are our own worst enemy. We tend to be super harsh on ourselves and say things internally that we would never say to anyone else face to face.

Why is it we do this?

Too often we are hard on ourselves. So much so that we quickly talk ourselves out of our healthy regime due to not seeing any results before we have given it the time to pay off (see above regarding patience). And we Quit! Only to try again and again and again! But there are a few ways we can overcome this.

– Self-accountability

I suggest that you UNDERSTAND WHY you are doing what you are doing. What benefits it will grant you in the long term. Maybe you will live longer to see children and grandchildren grow? Maybe you will get a promotion at work? Or maybe you will just gain the confidence to get out and about again and learn to love life once more.

– External Accountability

Use others to help you! Tell people your goals and don’t stay silent because you think that others will think you silly or mad. People are more than willing to help you when they understand what is happening and why. So tell people about your goals, targets, milestones, timelines etc. They can then hold you accountable and keep you on track.

Who can you use to help to keep you accountable?

#5 Habits

We all have habits. Some habits will move you towards your health and fitness goals, while other habits will take you away from them. Is late night snacking habit? A few drinks in the evening? Hitting that snooze button once too often? All habits that breed negativity and guilt, which leads to issues.

Whereas;

Getting up at the same time each day, drinking plenty of water daily, eating wholesome, home-cooked foods that include proteins and vegetables are habits that will help you towards your health and fitness targets.

Habit forming is such a big topic that it will be the point of another article.

So have a good look at your habits. Which ones help? Which ones hinder? And what you’re going to do about it.

#6 Routine

The mind and the body like routine. So give them what they want and they are likely to come along for the ride without trying to trip you up too much. The brain simply wants you to survive and will do what is easiest in order to achieve this. Therefore it likes simplicity and efficiency and routine provides the brain with what it wants.

Look to go to bed at the same time, eat meals at the same times, have a routine that is the same each morning upon waking and just before going to bed. Even training at the same time and on the same days will help your body stick to things.

Keep things routine and you will keep things simple. Your body will thank you for it.

Do you have routines in your life? If not, then what can you do to create some?

Maybe it is to adopt a morning or bedtime routine? Perhaps it is to eat at the same time each day? How about that you will exercise 3 times per week routinely?

Pick your own that will benefit you and work on maintaining them. We will look to tie this in with a habit article we seem destined to write very soon.

Until then, there’s plenty to think about and more than a few things for you to be getting on with.

Speak soon,   

Our members would often tell us that they wished we had a way of tracking their effort levels from each session. They also wanted to know how many calories they were burning during the sessions and how this compared to others. For a while, we scratched our heads and then the answer struck us…MyZone

Why don’t we just get in the Zone?

MyZone to be exact!

So What is MyZone?

In essence, MyZone is a new wearable technology system that you can use inside AND OUTSIDE of the gym that helps you workout in the right zones for your goals.

It is also a great way of keeping you accountable as you can be tracked from the gym facility and you can challenge yourself to a monthly points total or even challenge others if you dare.

MyZone is run from a small tablet and everyone in the gym is displayed on a large TV screen so everyone can see how hard your working (or not as the case may be)…

All Or Nothing

You see, a number of our gym members had the ALL or NOTHING mentality, and they believed that the only way to train was to get as much of a sweat on as possible and to push themselves to breakpoint each time.

But all that this did was to run them into the ground.

We have advocated for as long as I can remember that not all fitness needs to be done at 100% intensity in order to create a MASSIVE change.

In fact, most training should be done between 70-85% of your maximum heart rate.

And the information, stats, and feedback helps us make better/ more informed decisions about how hard to push our clients and when to take the foot off the gas.

Accountability

The resounding feedback we have had informs us that the MyZone belts help to keep people accountable too as people will work as planned when wearing the belts and the accumulation of points turns an activity into a game, with leaderboards and prizes to be won monthly.

This has developed the competitive streak in some and has fostered a number of friendly rivalries too ?

Another added bonus of the MyZOne system is that you can use it out of the gym and it will sync back up with the main computer when in range in the gym.

This works well for 2 reasons:

1. It gets people out and about for walks, runs, swims, bike rides etc
2. Plus it also has people eager to get to the gym so their belt calibrates with the gym mainframe to update their scores.

All in all, it is a brilliant system and it has helped us to foster an even closer community spirit, help to keep people more accountable and make the sessions even more fun that it already is…!

If you’re keen to train in an environment that fosters all these attributes whilst making exercise fun and turning it into a friendly and healthy game that you can compete in then get in touch.

Why not check out some of our success stories at the link below

JUST SOME OF THE FOREVER-STRONG SUCCESS STORIES

We are told that we are more than just a gym

#morethanjustagym

Or maybe a time when you could move around all day and have fun with the family and wake up the next day without feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck and that you’re stiff as a board!

As I said, we all get old and we have little choice over it…however…

What we do have a choice of however is HOW we grow old. We can choose to grow old gracefully, full of energy, vitality and with mobile bodies, pain-free joints, and muscles that will enable to enjoy life to the full for as long as we can, or…

You can be stiff and tight all the time, be lacking energy, out of breath as you walk up the stairs and struggle to get out and about on a lovely sunny day.

The question is….are you growing old gracefully?

And if not, do you want to know the HOT tips that we use with many people who are over 45 and getting into the shape of their lives.

Tips that are not only slowing down the aging process of our members but also maximising what they are able to do with their new found health and fitness

If so, then read on…

The beauty of all this is that it’s not complicated, nor is it difficult to implement. Although it does take a bit of effort to get going and consistency to help make things stick for the long term.

Although we HAVE to age, there are a few factors that control HOW we age and the RATE in which we age.

These are:

LIFESTYLE

• A chronic sweet tooth can lead to an excess of body fat and also the heightened risk of diabetes.
• Overconsumption of processed foods is another contributor to excess body weight, clogging up of the arteries, high blood pressure, and cholesterol
• An increased bodyweight will put excess pressure on your joints, leading to increased risk of mobility issues and possible joint replacements later in life.
• Increased time spent stationary, often sat down will inhibit muscles, leading to poor posture and tight and weak muscles that will inhibit use in the years to come.

MINDSET/OUTLOOK

• The ability to get out in the fresh air and enjoy things have been proven to heighten your mood and provide feelings of self-esteem
• Being mobile and active is more likely to make you socially active and being part of groups, whether this is part of a gym environment like we have here at Forever-Strong or as part of a social environment such as dance classes, walking groups etc.
• Being able to get out of bed with spring in your step and being pain-free will help you to think clearly and make the most of each day. Helping you to get more done and therefore improve your environment and mood
• Lastly, and most importantly, your healthy and recharged body and mind will provide you with something to look forward to as you progress with time.

Those are just some of the factors affecting how we age and the rate at which we age. These are all things that we can control and therefore do something about, rather than moaning about the things we have no influence over, such as genetics, previous choices and family health history.

So how do we influence these things and make lasting changes?

Here are 3 SIMPLE tips we use with our gym members to make great gains and get fabulous results like you can find at the link below

1. Eat Well

You see this all the time on TV and in magazines these days. Great advice about how to eat and drink well. What you should be doing and what you shouldn’t be eating in order to lose weight and keep in shape.

We have never had more information at our fingertips, however, we have never been in such a poor position with our health and fitness.

More people are obese. More people have health-related illnesses and more and more people struggle with actually getting in shape.

One of the big problems is that all these super duper diets and advice tend to be ultra restrictive. The problem with restriction is that it makes us crave the item more and more. We work hard for a few weeks, achieve some results but then rebound as soon as we think we have done something worthwhile.

What we do is to work with people to adopt sustainable long term habits that can be sustained. This may not sound sexy or even grab your attention…but it works a treat for those that can stick to it.

And these people then have the motivation to get out and do more with their time and energy

2. Move More

As we age, our bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments etc tend to weaken and shorten. What makes this worse is that we become much less active too.

And this can happen as early as your 30’s-40’s if you’re not careful!

Sedentary jobs and lifestyles compund this problem and leave people unfit and carry extra weight before they even realise it’s happening. By this time it’s too late and the damage is done and the road back to feeling and looking great seems too much like hard work and so it gets neglected.

At Forever-Strong, we promote basic movements as a starting point for all. We get people moving again and using their bodies to do what they are designed to do. And this all starts with basic mobility exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home.

We then suggest using the new found movement to build strength in that movement, which will protect those bones, muscles etc and even allow you to do more with your life. It’s surprising how easy things become when you don’t have to rely on others to help you move things, pick things up or simply run around after others.

But this doesn’t come easy, which leads me to tip number 3…

3. Be positive

Probably one of the biggest tips that we can give is to be positive!

So many people quit before they even really get going. The towel is thrown in before any results can be seen!

One or 2 small setbacks and that’s it, everything gets blamed for the lack of progress and adherence and excuses are made as to why you should give up.

Probably because growing old ungracefully is easier and requires much less work in the short term. However, this comes to bite you back in the arse in the long-term!

So accept the fact that things will be tough. You will fail from time to time and that there will be struggle and setbacks.

Look for the positives from each day an focus on them. At times you will feel as though there are none, but I can assure you that they are there. You just have to look for them and focus in on them more.

Of course you need to look at what you can do to improve, but you also need to pat yourself on the back for what you did well.

In a world where everyone else’s life looks to be perfect, you need to remind yourself what is going well in yours!

So there we have it, 3 simple tips on how to grow old gracefully.

We go into much more detail in what we do as part of our RESULTS DRIVEN 6 Week Challenge

You can see what others think about it by visiting our SUCCESS STORIES

or you can WATCH THIS VIDEO

If you’re interested then simply fill in the form below so we can chat and see if what we do is good for you

JOIN OUR 6 Week Challenge

Leave a comment below or ask us questions.

Feel free to visit our FACEBOOK PAGE too where we regularly provide you with useful content on how to get fit, active and stay in great shape if your 35+

Sound familiar?

First thing in the morning you’re rudely interrupted by your alarm clock, which you snooze several times. You peel yourself from under your duvet and sleepwalk into the bathroom. You do your stuff and try to come round to the land of the living. The rest of the morning turns into a blur as you get the kids ready, make breakfast, sort yourself out and rush to get out of the door in time for getting the kids to school and you off to work?

Not to mention all that time spent idly checking the notifications on your phone for Facebook, Twitter, Texts, Emails etc. The rest of your day continues to follow this same path of chaos as you stumble from one situation to another?

The day seems to lack any time for you…

The day lacks positive aspects…

And you finish the day feeling drained tired and all you want to do is to curl up on the sofa with a bottle of wine and some junk food to comfort the day you’ve had!

Sound familiar?

If so, you’re not alone…this is the case for so many people.

No positive structure

No positive routine

No positive gratitude

BUT

What if I was to tell you that there is a way to reverse this? To flip it on its head and start the day on the front foot, eliminate distractions and chaos and be proactive.

A way for you to be in control, be focused and be grateful for the positive things that are happening that you are missing right now.

The 3 BIG Issues

The way you start your day affects the rest of your day. It’s a cascade effect that happens all too often. A great start and you have a great day. A chaotic start equals a chaotic day…

And you have a choice to set this up, or to continue with the slumber and chaos that may currently rule your life.

Remember…the choice is yours! 

A morning set off on the right foot will provide you with energy, zest, momentum, clarity…

All things you can use to crush your day and enjoy it to the full, each and every day.

How would it feel to maximise the day, get tons of shit done and to go to bed the night before and look forward to the next morning, knowing that you are in control? But first, we need to look at the problems

And here’s the most common 3 that we see all too often…

You Snooze your Slumber

I’ve done it myself. The alarm goes off and you press the snooze button! It’s cozy after all…

5 minutes go by and the alarm goes off again. So you hit it again! Another 5 minutes go by and you may get up at this stage…or maybe not. The issue here is that you are firstly losing some valuable time in which you can be productive. You are also affecting your sleep pattern as your brain is not working well with these 5-minute microsleeps.

And worst of all, you are reinforcing negativity in your own brain, which affects the rest of your day.

For our tips on how to get a great night’s sleep then head over and read our article on how to sleep well HERE

You Struggle for Space

Your morning is super busy. You have a routine, but it’s just not productive and doesn’t do anything to reinforce any positivity, which ultimately leads to the ensuing chaos and negativity for the rest of the day.

The lack of personal space, normally created by hitting the snooze button helps create this. As does rushing around after others being at the top of your list for the day.

It is also crippled by the time you spend on social media first thing in the morning, either on the loo, waiting for the shower to warm up or whilst eating breakfast.

We often comment on how little time we have during the day, but I often find that when questioning our gym members, there is a great deal of wasting time and space.

You lack clarity

It is very unlikely that you sat down and planned today yesterday. That means that you don’t really know what your priority is for today. You don’t have any quick wins that can be done early to reinforce success.

You always seem to be chasing your tail early and rushing after others. Couple this with the time spent on your phone waiting for other things to happen, such as waiting for the kettle to boil or the toaster to pop or the kids to get out of bed, shower to heat up…and so the list goes on.

You don’t have focus, there’s no direction to your day, quick wins are missed, the things that make your heart smile are not visible, although they’re all the same….

Your day is directed to be negative…and you set the path for this!

So what do you do to overcome this? The answer is SIMPLE. Certainly not easy … at least not to begin with…

Until it becomes a habit, then it’s plain sailing.

To conquer your day you need to be in control!  Your mind needs to be in a good place, where positivity rules and you are able to think clearly. You want to be focused, energised and in a state that is able to take on the chaos that exists in the world and still crush the day.

The 3 BIG Fixes

Here’s what we do and suggest you do …

Never hit the snooze button

Get up and get shit done.

This will buy you around an extra 10-15 minutes first thing in the morning. A time you can create your own personal space (see below). Time to plan, become constructive and therefore own your day. Use that time you have just bought yourself wisely.

Create your own personal space

Use your extra time to plan, focus on the day ahead and to put yourself in a good place. Normally your morning will consist of rushing around and serving others, rather than yourself.

Switch this around for your own sake and start to focus on you. The better you are, the more you will be able to serve others

Here’s what I suggest…

Stretch, be grateful for the good things in your life, plan your day and get a task done early to reinforce success. It doesn’t need to be complicated, long or hard. We have a tendency to over complicate and over-think things…don’t do this here.

Keep it SIMPLE, keep it effective.

Eliminate distraction

Get off the phone, email, tweets, text first thing in the morning.

That means no seeing who has liked your post about your kitten as you mindlessly eat your breakfast or waste 10-15 minutes sat on the loo as you read what your friends are doing first thing in the morning.

Distraction due to social media is one of the biggest time wasters within our day. If you do it first thing in the morning, you will do it all day long…I guarantee it! I know because I have been there.

Get off that phone in the first 60 minutes of your day and

GET SHIT DONE!

So that’s how I get a great start to my day and you now have SIMPLE tools to get a great start too

The question is…will you take action?

Don’t worry, it happens to us all.

I have been there myself recently, and so have many others in our gym.

I’m sure it’s not always like this. At times, things seem to go swimmingly well. Results come fairly easy, the food side of things is a breeze and you have so much energy.

These moments are great and I suggest you ride the waves for as long as you can…but more importantly, you celebrate these moments and make the most of them.

BUT!

You also get those times when everything is difficult. When life seems like a struggle, you have zero energy, no time and you feel as though you’ve lost your mojo…and you just feel like you’re traveling around in circles and stuck in that rut, unable to get out…

it would be just as easy to give up…

Sound familiar? Then join the club!

You’re not alone. You weren’t the first and you certainly won’t be the last! What’s important is how you act when these difficult times arrive. Because arrive they will. And your choice at that time will determine how you go forward…or in some cases, go backward!

The way I see it is you have a few choices,

Now, this may seem a little black and white, but I like to keep things simple!

So here’s my very simplistic view on the choices you have:

1 – You can give up and stay in the rut

I think we’ve all been here. Life gets tough, everything becomes a chore and we give up on that thing we’ve been working on.

With health and fitness, this tends to be the exercise regime or the healthy eating plan.

At some point, when the going gets tough, we simply think…

‘What’s the point anyway’?

And it’s only when the dust settles and we realise the damage that has been done, that we understand how much e have slipped backward and how much effort it will take to get back to where we were.

And thus we start again…over and over again!

2 – You can dig deep and try harder

This is the polar opposite of giving up. You’re so determined this time that you are willing to fight ALL the problems that you face. You work harder, you get up earlier, you go to bed later…You skip meals so you can get more into your day.

And for a short period of time this seems to work, but then, at some point, you start to feel the strain

The weight of your efforts starts to take its toll and things just get worse. You start to lose your motivation, your results start to stall, your stress levels increase and you get angry and irritable at the smallest of things?

Does this sound familiar? I know I have been here so many times…

And what happens next is that you give up! You end up back at the start or worse, even further back and because you have put in so much energy and resources into carrying on…you find it takes you much longer to recover this time…

or

3 – You can back off a little and analyse the situation

This is by far and away the hardest to do…because it feels so wrong! This requires you to take a step back and dare I say it, use a commonsense approach!

This approach means that you ACCEPT that you cannot always be on your game and there are times when things go wrong. And this can be a prolonged period too.  You also accept that there are times when there is so much going on in your life that you simply need to divert attention elsewhere.

Now that doesn’t mean that you quit things or give them up.  It simply means that you don’t go as hard, or as fast or expect as good results, or dare I say it…that you accept that you will not advance with your results at all in this time…other than to MAINTAIN where you currently are.

And if you can do this, then you need never go backward again, or feel the need to start all over again…

Because this means that you are able to keep going at a pace that suits you, whilst allowing you to do others things or to divert your attention elsewhere.

It doesn’t mean giving up. It doesn’t mean stopping. It doesn’t mean feeling sorry for yourself. Or blaming external things for your results.

It may mean running on the spot for a short time, but at least you’re not going backward, or sliding down the slope back to the bottom of your rut.

So how do you do this I hear you ask? This is for the next email. This one is long enough already!

Well, we keep it nice and SIMPLE! That’s how

Here’s what to do to climb out of your rut…

1 – Recognize when it’s time to back off

You stop, take stock of the situation and you look for the signs:

• Increased Fatigue
• Building Stress Levels
• You find it hard to find time to do the things you need to
• Your enthusiasm levels are down
• You feel like giving up and you’re wondering what’s the point

When you recognise these symptoms in yourself, you need to…

2 – Go back to basics to get out of the rut

• You go back to the information that you know and you read and re-read it so that you are fully aware of the basics that work
• You turn up train and then get out again

• You put in the effort it needs to get it done and not much more
• You follow simple nutrition principles
• You plan and prepare to ensure you can stick to it

And when you have gone back to the basics and

3 – Accept that progress will be super slow or non-existent and stick to the plan

• You set yourself some goals outside of your health and fitness progression
• You look to sort out the issues in your life that are burdening you currently
• You accept that there will always be peaks and troughs
• You stick to the basics
• You learn to enjoy yourself again

And that’s it…sounds super simple, right? Almost too simple to be fair. And that’s why you will dismiss it and feel as though it won’t work.

And you will likely make choice number 1 and/or number 2 instead of number 3.

But I’m here to tell you that choice number 3 is the way to go..

To get out of that rut…

All you have to do is believe in it…

And believe in YOURSELF…

So what’s it going to be?

The choice is yours…

However, the emotional side of us decides to pull out the shovel and continues to dig, making the hole deeper and therefore harder to climb out of.

Here are a few classic examples of how we dig ourselves bigger, steeper holes

I’ve eaten shit on Friday, so I’ll start the healthy eating again on Monday…

This classic is a true tried and tested method of how to dig yourself a deeper hole.

You’ve done well all week. You’ve gone to so much effort to plan your meals during the week, you’ve said no to the chocolates at work.  Then you had a stressful Friday, you give in to the pizza takeaway and wine at home and you feel as though the world has ended! Your diet is ruined so you may as well give in, eat as much crap as you can because as of Monday you’re never touching any of this crap ever again…

Until next weekend that is! And the cycle continues over and over again. Maybe not over a week. Maybe this digging is done over a month, or even oer 3 months.  But eventually, you end up digging yourself a deep hole each time.

Sound familiar?

Or maybe this story of hole digging is more you…

I’ve not been to the gym this week. I feel so lethargic so I think I will go again next week…

You have been working hard on that work project all week. So much so that you’ve left the office knackered and all you want to do is to drive home to relax. So you do, even though the gym bag is in the car and you will likely drive past the gym to get home.

This happens a few times in a row and you then feel like you have ‘lost your mojo’! You’ve missed one or 2 sessions and all of a sudden, you’ve lost your motivation and you feel like giving up. That one week turns into 2, then a month, 3 months and before you know it you’ve not been to the gym in half a year…sound like something you’ve done in the past?

Classic hole digging!

Or how about this one…

It’s Wednesday, you’re at work and someone has brought in a box of chocolates as a thank you/celebration…

You’ve said no all day but the pressure has been relentless. Almost everyone has been saying to yourself..’oh, go on! Just have one…one won’t hurt you. Under such pressure, you have JUST THE ONE!  But then this ONE leads you to think that you’ve ruined it all so you may as well have another. Two leads to three, three to four and four to fourteen!!

The damage would have been minimal with one, or even 2 chocolates. But the next 10-12 is classic hole digging and does serious damage both to your result and also to your emotional state.

Maybe you are guilty of one, two or maybe even all three of these self-hole digging scenarios?

So what can you do?

If I told you to dig deep would that sound counterintuitive?

I’m talking here about digging deep within yourself. Going into those pools of reserves in order to be strong and climb back out of that hole and carry on.

This is the hard thing to do at the time, but if you can get right into it, you will find it much better and easier in the long run. And the more you do this, the easier it becomes…

Until the time that you feel like you have a ladder in your backpack that you can pull out and use to climb out of the hole you’re in and continue with your journey

And here’s a few things you can use to help build your ladder

#1 You’re Only One Meal Away

A classic strategy within Forever-Strong now. And for good reason…it works!

Instead of putting off your healthy eating following a binge or lapse. Simply get back on track at your very next meal. Don’t wait until Monday. Stop the guilt eating for the rest of the day and no need to allow 4 chocolates to spiral into 14!

Just get right back on it at the next opportunity…you’re only one meal away #OOMA

#2 Get an Accountability Buddy

Getting going again with an accountability buddy to keep you in check and to call you out on your bullshit!

We find that answering to someone is a great way to keep you in check. Whether this is daily meetups at the gym, pictures of meals within a WhatsApp group or a larger community FB group. SImply telling people the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth will go a long way to helping you succeed.

#3 Accept Failure and Move On

Step Back Start Again Concept

A very difficult thing to master (it took me a while) but once you do you will find it liberating, and extremely helpful. You will learn so much more by allowing yourself to fail, accepting the fact you’re human and learning from what you did wrong and what led to it….

Don’t labour on it, don’t berate yourself for being weak etc. You would likely let others off with failure and look to support them and offer advice.

Simply switch that from external to internal behaviour.

***

So that’s 3 simple but very effective methods to stop you digging big holes for yourself as you journey to where you want to be with your health and fitness.

The road is hard enough! Why make it even tougher for yourself by self-sabotaging and digging yourself that big hole that just seems to get deeper and deeper. Instead, use our tips to build yourself a ladder to quickly get out of your hole and move on…  

That’s right…a gym owner who constantly tells people to think long term and work at things for health and well-being.

And here I am telling you that crash diets DO WORK!

They really do…HEAR ME OUT!

It’s Summer Time and our minds naturally think about holidays, sun, sand, beaches and swimwear…

Which for a vast majority, fills us with dread! Parading around in swimwear with a body we spend most of the year hiding and covering up as we’re too embarrassed to show

And let’s not mention those nice clothes sat gathering dust in the wardrobe for the past 2 years as you have meant to get on that diet and finally nail it this time…only for it never to happen.

Perhaps it will start again this Monday? Just like every other Monday for the past 52 weeks…and beyond?

So your only real option now is to try another one of these ‘crash diets’ that promise that you will lose 2 stone in a month and give you that beach-ready body in no time whatsoever.

Sound familiar? Then join the club of hundreds of thousands who are in the same boat…

And I’m here to tell you that crash diets do work. 

There are countless examples of people losing 2-3 stone in only a few months. We even have a vast number of them in our gym at Forever-Strong.

Doctors are now going on social media platforms advising people to go on 800 calorie diets and there are TV programmes that demonstrate that people have been shown to be cured of Type 2 diabetes in the process (again, we have several cases of this at Forever-Strong also).

And I agree that Crash Diets do have their uses:

They can reduce a vast amount of weight very quickly that will have several health benefits that shifting weight has, along with the added motivation it may bring and the possibility of being more active in the process.

HOWEVER! And this is a BIG However…

Is that there is only a very small minority that has the will-power and discipline to succeed once they ‘come off’ the crash diet.

What normally happens is that at the end of the diet, the person will go back to what they used to do, which is booze, take-aways and plenty of processed and junk food.

After all, they are now in much better shape and the odd treat won’t hurt.  Before you know it the damage is done and you are back where you started…or even worse!

So if you are going to crash diet, here are 3 top tips in order for you to succeed long after the crash diet has finished and to keep the weight off forever! Just like these amazing ladies…

Tip #1 – Look to form Habits/Behaviour Change

Crash diets severely restrict your intake of all the things you are used to eating as the normal habit. And because the diet is only short term, the mindset is that once the ‘diet’ is over then you can get back to how you used to live.

Thing is, how you used to live got you into the position that wanted you to make a change. So when the diet finishes you rebound back to the crisps, chocolate, alcohol and sugary drinks and likely pile the weight back on.

Our advice is to look to make habit and behaviour changes along the journey and aim to keep them going long after.

Pick one habit a week and nail it.

For example,

Week 1 it may be to drink more water and less sugary drinks.

Week 2 maybe to eat more vegetables along with more water.

Week 3 maybe to get at least 7 hours sleep along with more water and more vegetables in your day.

And so on,

And when you approach the end of your ‘crash diet’

Tip #2 – Look to slowly reintroduce and increase your food and drink intake

This goes hand in hand with #1 in that you can slowly start to re-introduce those ‘bad habits’ back into your diet as you end your ‘crash course’. This way you don’t go from hero to zero and increase your calories from 800 to 3000 overnight. And you can do this by focusing on habit and behaviour change as advised in Tip #1.

For example,

If you have had no alcohol for a month, then don’t go out on a Saturday you finish your crash diet and drink buckets of Gin as a ‘reward’ for ‘being good’! This will only lead to the path of failure and rebound. Instead, tell yourself that you will have 2-3 glasses of gin tonight and you will have it with slimline tonic. And when you’ve had it, you won’t stop off at the kebab shop or raid the fridge when you get home or have that amazingly stodgy ‘hangover cure’ in the morning!

Likewise, if you’ve abstained from chocolate, then the end of the diet is not the time to crack open the 4 Easter eggs that have been lurking in the cupboard and that you have been saving for just such an occasion. Tell yourself that you will have a quarter of ONE Easter egg tonight and that you will finish it off over the next 2 weeks (set dates if needed).

This way you can programme in small periods of ‘treats’, whilst still nailing all those positive habits you’ve been working on over the past few weeks such as more water, more veg and more sleep.

And all this ties nicely with our last tip, which is…

Tip #3 – Set yourself some longer-term goals (6-12 months)

So, the crash diet happens and you have likely got yourself to a point where you are happy with your appearance and results. But then what? All of a sudden ‘the plan’ comes to an end and you’re at a loss at what to do.

Before you know it, you’re back to old ways and habits and have nothing left to aim for and nothing to stoke that motivation. You ghost walk into putting all that weight back on. You think, what’s the point and give up hope of ever getting that body you’re craving.

But what would happen if you looked beyond the 4-6 weeks of your ‘crash diet’. What if you mapped out a plan for the next 6-12 months that wasn’t so restrictive but still allowed you to eat whole, fresh and unprocessed foods, whilst still enjoying a bit of that stuff you feel you shouldn’t eat, such as chocolate, alcohol, crisps, pastries etc?

A longer term goal has been proven to give you direction, focus and enable the commitment and consistency that seems to go by the wayside after such a restrictive diet.

These goals can be a mixture of outcome and behaviour goals too. What this means is that you can chase the numbers on the scale or look to drop that next dress size (outcome goals), which you can also factor in with behaviour goals such as eating your 5 a day, getting 7-9 hours of sleep per day or drinking water daily (I keep using these things as examples).

AT Forever-Strong, we have run 100-day behaviour goal challenges in our gym with great results on people’s long-term habits, behaviours and more importantly…results.

We also have strategies such as our Success Solution Sketchpad, Habit Handrail, Nutrition Crash Mat and our Only One Meal Away tactic to really keep people on the straight and narrow.

You could do a lot worse than look to crack these things too and end up like our examples.

So, in summary:

#1 Aim to form habits that are positive towards the results you want (more water, more veggies, more sleep etc)

#2 Slowly introduce the processed foods following a crash diet instead of having a massive binge that ends up last a few weeks.

#3 Set longer-term goals (6-12 months to motivate you, help hold you accountable and maintain that consistency)

This may sound very simple and basic…but that’s what works.

It’s the actual sticking to it and execution of it that counts.

You don’t need more complication in your life. Hell, I’m sure it’s complex enough as it is.

Keeping it simple and getting it done will yield much better results than the complex diets that only last a few weeks.

You just need to look at these guys for inspiration

Both Gill and Dave had quick success. The real success though has come through their continued progression.

If this rings true and you would like to know more about how we do things here at Forever-Strong or how we get people to keep the results a few years later then get in touch and we can discuss whether you would be a good fit for what we do.

It will be great to get away and enjoy the sun on your face and feel great sat on the beach in your swim wear…

Oh wait a minute…

Feeling great in your swim wear…

That thought alone makes you shudder!!

It was only this morning that you looked in the mirror at the saggy bits, grabbed the loose skin around the hips and wished that it would just disappear

You’ve tried everything! All those FAD diets that we’re great for 2 weeks but all failed. Or, you did great Monday to Thursday but it all fell apart on Friday to Sunday, only to start again on Monday again….and again…and again

The point has come too late now to be patient and consistent. That time should have been in January…when your NYR lasted all of 3 weeks (if that)

Well, there’s no other option for it….

It’s time for the Peter Kay Diet!!

Nothing else for it…

A couple of rice crackers for each meal…and 14 Stone in a day!!!

So what do you do?

You’re Going to Starve Yourself

Drastic measures are needed and you’re going to rapidly cut the calories and you will have to eat like a bird, living on salad leaves, tomatoes and the odd bit of chicken. You believe that carbs are the devil and that they have alone made you fat. You live on rabbit food and think that anything other than a salad is ‘bad’ for you.

You back yourself into a corner of boring food and restriction. Everyone around you thinks you’re mad and are telling you that you look ill. Your friends jokingly tempt you with pizza and wine. Come the weekend, you’ve had enough. You’ve probably ONLY lost 2 pounds and you think that it’s not worth it after all.

You give up again….after all, you did try right?

The Solution

You need to focus on whole foods, whilst still allowing yourself SOME processed junk to keep you sane. Around 80/20. Being all or nothing rarely works!

Have stuff in the house before it’s too late. Plan a little in advance and cut yourself some slack from time to time. There’s no point in having a great body whilst feeling awesome if you have to lock yourself away to do it.

We keep it sustainable with our S.I.M.P.L.E system that stops people feeling as though they’re on a diet and suffering from restriction.

We focus on forming habits so you make the best decisions for your situation at the time.

You will fixate on scale weight along to reach your goal

The unwanted body fat around your ‘problem areas’ is directly linked to the scale, right? We all know that to be true! Maybe…Maybe not!

So many people’s success is determined by the reading on the scales and emotions are well and truly attached to what we call the ‘sad step’.

You jump on the scales in the morning, probably naked. You dress, drink, eat, move around, drink some more, eat again. You pop down town and pass a set of scales, so you jump on. You’ve only eaten 2 Ryvita bread all day so you should weigh less right? The scales tell you that you’ve actually put on a pound!!!

The next day you’re up again…how can this be possible! You’re doing EVERYTHING right…

You get emotional at this point, say sod it. You go straight for your comfort food, settle down on the sofa in your PJ’s and eat…probably with a glass of wine or a Gin (flavoured).

20 seconds later you feel guilty for it and start hating yourself, and so starts the vicious self-loathing cycle that leads to further binge eating!!! Sound familiar?

The Solution

Start by detaching yourself emotionally from the scales by look at other measures of progress.

The Scales don’t determine how you look or how others look at you. They don’t dictate your shape or your energy or how you look in that new dress.

How do your clothes fit? Compare before and current photos and take measurements of specific areas with the tape measure. We have people drastically change shape whilst hardly moving on the scales.

Look at your fitness levels and health measures such as blood pressure, sleep quality and the ability to run around with the kids.

Figure out what is actually important to you first so that you can measure success, which leads us onto…

You set yourself unachievable goals

You’ve got 4 weeks to drop a stone! You’re fixate on that stone, or maybe you bought yourself that beautiful dress last week, even though it wouldn’t fit but you’re determined to get in it for the wedding in 4 weeks time.

You’ve no idea how you’re going to actually do it as it’s never worked before, but you’re determined so that’s enough right…besides, that women in the popular coffee time magazine did it…so can you

You start a fitness DVD or go to a class or 2. You join the gym, wander around the place for 20 minutes, get lost by all the machines and get put off by all the grunting coming from the free weights area.

You look over to see the posers in lycra flexing their muscles in the mirrors…That’s it! I’m out of the door you tell yourself and so ends that plan to drop a stone.

Or perhaps you started a couch to 5 k with a friend, which was great, but they’ve hurt their ankle and don’t do it anymore. Determined, you’ve carried on but now the kid’s clubs, work and other things are making it hard. You start making excuses not to do it today (raining, dark, too tired, got that report to finish…insert any other excuse here).

The Solution

Sit down and work out what you can actually achieve based on your history. If you’ve never lost a stone in a month, then what makes you think you can do it now?

Once you have a goal, set milestones and then look at what tasks you need to do to get there. Tick them off as you go to make sure you’re on track. If you’re not doing this then you’re guessing.

This is a very simple system we use at Forever-Strong with our HABIT HANDRAIL and our GOAL SETTING GRAB BAG.

You buy diet pills, shakes and vibration pads that magically turn your body into the one you desire

You’ve read somewhere that FATBURNZ1000 pills work a treat and you can pick them up for £30 at H&B, or there’s a magic juice harvested from the purple spotted Goji Berry, only harvested during a full moon on a Madagascan dessert and you know several skinny people who swear by it so it must work.

You also buy one of those Slendertone machines that magically sends impulses into your body and blasts away those fat cells like a space invaders game.  You sit there with it under your clothes at work. Jumping awkwardly and making silly noises as it gives you the unexpected jolt!

You’ve spent HUNDREDs of pounds on this crap and it’s just not working! Resigned to failure, it all gathers dust at the back of a cupboard as you look to the next product that will save the day.

The Solution

How about don’t rely on supplements to do the job for you. Supplements are there to assist an already good eating plan. They are not the quick fix magic bullet to cure your problems.

We help people cut the crap on supplements. What works, what doesn’t…and why!

We focus on consuming whole foods most of the time, with the occasional blip factored in so you can go out and enjoy a night out with friends or attend that 50th birthday party.

You don’t tell others about it as you’re too embarrassed and try to do it alone

You start your ‘ready for summer’ diet in secret as you’re too embarrassed to tell your friends and family as they will roll their eyes and think your obsessed again They will mock you, tell you that you’re fine where you are and that they think you look great. They will ask you if you’re coming out tomorrow night for Pizza and chips…and a bottle of wine or 2!

You suffer in silence, with only your own thoughts to rely on. Those same thoughts and voices that constantly beat you down and tell you that you can’t do it and that you have failed so many times before.

The Solution

As appalling as this may sound, you have to involve others. People you trust who have a common bond and can share your struggles and drag you through the tough times. And you get a great sense of achievement as you do it for them too.

Within Forever-Strong, we have built up a community of like-minded people who are going through those exact same struggles that you are and have possibly come out the other end too.

We call them accountability buddies. They kick your backside to get to the gym. They lift you up out of the slumber with your food. They help energise you when things get overwhelming.

They can call you out of your bullshit and to stop you from making excuses.

95% of the time, the Peter Kay diet ends…in disaster

You likely lasted only a few weeks at best, you lost some weight but you’ve piled it all back on again and maybe even more.

You either:

1. Go on the holiday and cover yourself up all the time and you don’t actually enjoy yourself

Or

1. You cancel the holiday all together, make excuses not to go and convince yourself that it’s the right thing to do

But what if there was another way

What if you found the solution?

What if you found the Forever-Strong Way?

Like so many others have done in the last few years…

What are you waiting for?

The best time to start was yesterday…

The next best time is RIGHT NOW!