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After the recent Nike promotion about plus size women’s wear being available in their stores I thought it was fitting I done a blog on the matter.

The comments I came across are absolutely ridiculous, like “they’re promoting obesity” “clothing for fat girls” “it’s a dangerous game Nike are playing”. All this is nonsense and Nike have firmly got their finger on the pulse. They see the bigger picture on what other people don’t. It’s not about promoting obesity it’s about giving all women a chance to look and feel confident when they are exercising.

All we see on social media these days is slim girls showing off their bodies with the camera focusing on their bum or bust. If that’s your thing then more power to you, but these girls always have nice training gear like fitted leggings or tight crop tops. They do this because they want to look and feel good, so why can’t all women have the same.

I’ve said before that I’ve trained some extremely fit women that are maybe considered plus size, but the narrow minded people think they look unhealthy.

Some women find it hard to make that first step when starting their Journey into exercising, so I commend Nike for making a somewhat controversial but positive statement for women. 👏🏼👏🏼

Let’s hope other leading sports brands follow suit.

Well done.

Every gym is going to have the stereotypical meathead, poser or super hyped individuals you’re often going to see when you go workout, and whatever you do when you’re there is totally down to you. If the training is on point thats all that matters.

Although the one thing I see in most gyms that really does make me worry is ‘Ego training’ and that’s the typical guy or sometimes girl doing a lift completely beyond their reach, of course I Get you need to push beyond limits and push your body especially when going heavy sometimes. But there is a big difference in maximising your lifts with light reps/ heavy weight OR doing a movement which is way to heavy for you and your barely hitting the movement properly. You are putting your body under intense pressure when doing some lifts, namely deadlifts, bb squats or bench presses. These can go terribly wrong if not done correctly and with caution. I see a guy recently on the leg press with probably around 500kg of weight and his hardly bending his knees and shaking extremely whilst doing the movement, you are asking for trouble if your doing this and its an accident waiting to happen

If you’re not sure about a certain move then ask a personal trainer or msg me to find out the correct form, technique and everything else, don’t be one of those people that do stupid things when your training because you are going to injure yourself an likely give up all together. Three of the most common and complicated injuries are shoulders, back and knees and you certainly don’t want to aggravate them so train with caution, be smart with your workouts and LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR.

One of the hardest things you’ll find when starting your training Journey is BALANCE. It’s hard to find the right balance for your busy, social, work life when you start.

~ YES you’re going to need to put in the time with training. ~ YES you’re going to need to eat better. ~ YES you’re going to need to commit & Dedicate yourself.

BUT…… it doesn’t mean you can’t still live your life and enjoy yourself;

~ You CAN still go out and have a drink. ~ You CAN still go out and eat a bad meal. ~ You CAN still socialise.

Living a healthy lifestyle makes you feel better, look better and live longer, so why not enjoy yourself whilst you do it.

Finding the right balance is key to making you stick to your goals, also helping you find a level of consistency to keep your mind and body interested is a major factor in longevity. I have trained many clients in the past that give up everything in regards to generally living their life but IT NEVER LASTS.

We all need to dedicate our life to fitness, healthy eating and your well being, but do it whilst still seeing friends, family and everything else you enjoy.

BALANCE IS KEY 🔐 🔑 💪🏼

“ All the Gear and no idea”

We’ve all heard of the term “ All the gear and no idea” right? We’ve all seen that guy or girl wearing all that training gear haven’t we?

Well its a very common thing in most gyms where people definitely over do it with the training accessories, all this gear that some people don’t really need and have no idea what it does. Now don’t get me wrong there is certainly benefits to using training gear to help with your training. The main thing being WEIGHTLIFTING BELTS which can be very effective when doing heavy deadlifts or heavy squats ( those big power moves that can put a lot of strain on your lower back) and by wearing the weightlifting belt it can help keep your back arched and protected during that main heavy lifting. The weightlifting belts should not be worn when you’re working arms, core or even doing cardio. Seriously your not doing your body any good when your relying on this belt, try making your core and back stronger so you only need the weightlifting belt for big lifts and not bicep curls in the squat racks.

Other gym gear that people use is CHALK, which again is another very effective thing to use because when you’re doing big movements like deadlifts, bent over rows or pull ups your hands can get very sweaty and the grip can begin to loosen on the bar. Therefore chalk can help your hands stick to the bar and really help your grip when the movement gets tough. But of course chalk isn’t needed all the time when you may be doing circuits, cardio or AB crunches, and your body can always get accustom to something too much when it’s over done, but then it becomes difficult to train without it.

To sum up,training gear can be very effective when used properly and efficiently, but can also be over used way too much when your body should get accustomed to training the natural way with your body doing the work for you.

Kev Selley

KSFitness

Good self-care emphasizes personal development. Whether you’re going back to school, embarking on a new career path, or just broadening your own understanding, you’re always trying to better yourself. Your self-care practices can enhance your efforts and help you to live a fuller and healthier life.

Food Fuels Success

Part of improving yourself is making sure your needs are being met. That means ensuring you are eating well, exercising right, and getting sufficient rest each day. When our needs are not met, we get run down, and we don’t have the energy to accomplish the things that we want in life. It becomes easy to sink into depression and despair, or even fall victim to self-medicating with alcohol or other addictive substances. But looking after yourself properly can help you to avoid these pitfalls.

Your diet is the simplest thing to control, but has one of the most powerful impacts on your attitude and your abilities. For people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction or a debilitating illness, it’s the first line of defense when you’re rebuilding your physical health. It can restore a damaged microbiome in the gut, and even help rewire the brain’s reward system. Get the most nutritional value for your caloric buck by choosing nutrient-dense foods. These give your body and brain the fuel they need to flourish. Lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats will give you an edge. Omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants will improve your immune system and help you stay healthy.

Exercise Helps You Focus

There are many good reasons to exercise each day. It preserves flexibility in your joints and helps you retain muscle and bone. It improves the function of your cardiovascular system, and is a preventative measure against obesity and diabetes. But one of the most important reasons to exercise is that it clarifies the mind and lowers your body’s stress levels. It is relaxing, and puts you in an optimistic frame of mind. It improves cognitive functioning in the brain, strengthens memory, and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. If your body is out of shape, exercise can help you rebuild it and make it stronger. If you’re physically fit, exercise helps you to stay that way. It’s a great tool for people in recovery, helping them prevent relapse and enabling them to feel a natural, non-chemical high.

Spark Your Creativity

Just as you exercise your body, you should exercise your mind. One way to do that is to take up meditation. With yoga, it can be a combined body/mind workout that improves mental focus, lowers stress and anxiety, and improves agility and coordination. But meditation’s benefits go farther than that. People who practice meditation report feeling more self-aware, happier, and more creative. Many creative people meditate simply for the inspiration they feel it gives them. You may also wish to engage in new hobbies to enhance the creative process. Many people feel that downtime spent engaged in things like crafts, cooking, or gardening help them to be more inventive and more productive.

Cement Your Social Bonds

Most people feel invigorated by spending time with loved ones, but we are spending more time these days in online conversations, and less and less engaged face to face. Institute a policy of spending time with a friend at least one day a week out in the real world rather than online. Go out for a cup of tea and refresh your skills at social interaction. You’ll be surprised how much you get out of it. Studies show that people with strong real world social ties are healthier and live longer than people who lack them.

Becoming the very best version of you is a process, something that takes the whole of your life. Working toward that goal is part of your self-care ritual and routine. You’re investing in your future by building your emotional, spiritual, and physical health so it can serve you for years to come.

The most important thing with regards to training is “time” and how long it can take for you to see results, you're looking at potentially not seeing results until about 2 or 3 months into your training and thats only if your consistent with it and have all bases covered.

Its a long term investment and its about getting results by putting in the TIME, I can’t tell you how many people I have trained who want to lose three stone in two weeks and think by taking some fat loss pill and training twice a week its going to fix the problem. Unfortunately it doesn't work like that because if it was that easy then everyone would be in shape, your going to need time to build muscle or burn fat! But this doesn't mean you have to train every single day for 3 hours it means you can do 3-5 sessions a week for about 45 mins to 1 hour.

Try not get to caught up with tracking your results so early on as it can be disheartening when nothing is happening so quickly, just stick to your training and nutrition and focus on getting your sessions in week after week and gradually the results will slowly come. If your someone who gets too obsessed with checking the scales everyday this can also hinder your progress, as its a vicious cycle when you weigh yourself - if its good you think “oh thats ok then il take it easy this week or have an extra cheat meal” or you weigh yourself and its bad you think “ oh this is pointless I’m not losing anything whats the point” then you stop training all together, its a vicious cycle.

With TIME also comes focus, once you start getting some of those little results and noticing little changes on your body you’ll get the bug for it and want more. You will hopefully find that focus to improve whilst then lifting heavier, lasting longer, being more flexible, being quicker, being fitter and most importantly being healthier on the inside. The longer and more consistent you train and the more you keep pushing yourself the stronger your heart becomes, the stronger your lungs become and the stronger your brain becomes, getting those Endorphins throughout your body can help with work life and social life which can make a huge difference on your life but it all takes TIME to get there.

Good luck

Kev PT

When you're looking for a personal trainer it can be difficult to find the right one with the qualifications, personality and organization skills you require, its very hard to judge who’s good and who’s not at first glance. Keep in mind the ones that are in super athlete like shape aren’t always the best personal trainers and the ones that are in ok shape can sometimes be the best ones to go with, thats how it goes sometimes. And don’t think I’m sitting here saying that the best in shape trainers are the worst ones cause I’m not, its just looks can be very deceiving in this business of training.

You are investing in a service with your personal trainer which means you the client are the priority. Your goals, difficulties, and problems are the responsibility of your trainer and this can sometimes get lost with some PTs.

There's a lot more to training than just turning up and lifting some weights with your PT counting you down, there's a reason its called ‘personal” Training. You should feel comfortable and at ease to discuss any issues you may have. I couldn’t tell you how many times my clients have come to me with personal problems and wanting some advice, thats a part of my job which is super important, So if your signing up with a new pt and they couldn't care less about your outside of gym problems then thats not a good sign going forward, because you want someone who’s compassionate, inviting and reliable who’s going to take this journey with you and be there through the good times and bad times. Training can be very hard for some people with regards to a whole number of factors like work life, family life, health issues, injuries, and confidence so its about catering to their needs and finding what works for them and putting it into practice.

So when your looking for your new PT find out some info about them first, ask about them to other staff members, watch them in practice with their clients, see how engaging they are, if they have website take a look or even have a trail one-off session and see what you think then go from there. Don’t make the same mistake I did when I was younger and pay for x20 sessions with someone I had no idea about who turned out to be terrible and extremely unreliable.

So be cautious when looking for your Personal Trainer.

Good luck

I'm often asked what my training schedule looks like or how many calories I'm consuming. These are very important questions with regards to training but are often not considered when people start their training journey, which is perfectly normal because this may be brand new to you.

I always say that you have to keep a variety of workouts to your schedule for the best results, and it's super important to eat clean of course. But, remember, you still have a life! You can easily keep enjoying your life whist keeping fit - you don’t need to train for 3 hours a day or refuse to eat one bad meal because you're worried about ruining your nutrition plan. The most important thing with all of this is BALANCE. Keep the balance with training and nutrition and train 3-5 times a week for no longer than 1 hour. You can even do it in 45 minutes with high intensity which will help you burn fat anyway.

One thing is for sure, BE REALISTIC with your goals and expectations. You aren’t going to get a super fit body in a few weeks and you aren’t going to master your nutrition by joining Herbalife. Training takes consistent hard work and drive, and you could be training 3-6 months before you even notice any major change. Stick to it and keep positive! We all perform better when we have something to work towards like a holiday, wedding or special occasion, so try to set yourself mini goals to keep yourself focused.

Remember it's important to train legs because they're the biggest muscle, so make sure you base your training around them, and whether you're training for muscle mass, lean muscle or fat loss, it's important to do the exercises properly. Technique is everything! If you're not sure what to do or where to start, just hit "hook me up” on the training page for a solid three month training schedule, just for you. 💪🏽💪🏽

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