CT's FITNESS

Morning All,

What is happening today?

Well I am teaching at  MH and then my 60+ class at Sparrows Den so I cannot wait  to see all my lovely ladies!!

Tonight I have Express Pilates/Legs Bums Tums/Pilates Improvers.

My son is also having an operation on his toe today. Dad is in charge of taking him! I will practising Zumba whilst waiting!

Have a good day everyone! x

Hi all

I did not realise it has been such a long time since I was last blogging!!

I have been on facebook rather alot lately!

Well what have I been up to? training......

NEW Zumba Sept 2010

I have done my Zumba training with Sally and we have decided to do some Zumba classes together as a joint venture.

Our first class starts on Sept 11th 9.30-10.30am at The Assembly Rooms Gates Green Road, West Wickham BR4 9JW.

We hope to start another class nearer Bromley on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening.

NEW Fatloss Fitcamp Oct 2010

I have delivered a Reduce-me-size class earlier this year as a test and a taster to this Fatloss Fitcamp course. I am currently working on the details as we speak! So keep checking back for details.....if you are definitely interested then give me your details and I will keep you in the loop.

New Classes

10.45am 60+ Fitness Class Mondays 13th Sept

10.30am Pilates Wednesdays 8th Sept

Join me on facebook join my fan page or become a member of this site!

Family ......have been entertaining the children with days to the seaside and cinema! Have a had a week on a canal boat which has not been very successful!

Walking my crazy dog and generally have been kept fairly busy!!

I hope you have a FAB week and I will be sending you a Sept Newsletter shortly.

Chris

Hi There All

Hope you had a great Bank Hols!!

I have spent the weekend filing and doing paperwork!

Washing, walking the dog and entertaining my daughter. We went to the local park today where they had a fun day.....it was nice to catch up with other mums whilst the children had a good time!

Back to work tomorrow teaching fitness to my 50-95 years olds and the out leaflet fropping in the afternoon....weather permitting.

Please look my messages for class updates and changes!!

Chris x

Hello Everyone,

Just spending some time becoming more computer literate! Have just posted my first item to sell on Ebay ever! I have been putting it off for over two years and it is so simple but I have never had the time to do it!!

Since I have been told to sit down and rest more I am managing to get more bits and pieces done!

I have spent the morning at my local community centre trying to raise my profile in the local community. Spent 4 hours chatting to potential clients about their fitness needs.

Tomorrow I am working in the morning and then resting again in the afternoon......I could get used to this relaxing malarkey!!

Have a good weekend,

Chris x

Good Morning and Welcome,

Today is the start of 2010 Fitness Regime. I have been up since 5am beavering away at my coomputer getting ready for this weeks classes and for the launch of my Reduce-me-size Fitness course which starts on Tuesday the 19/1/09 7-8.30pm.

I am looking forward to seeing you in class tonight!

I have three new websites that you may want to visit?

www.overweigtonline.com

www.pilatesbromley.co.uk

www.pilates-croydon.co.uk

sign up and receive your FREE gift!

Bye for now!

Chris x

Hi All

I have been up since 6am working on my new websites.

One nearing completion is www.pilatesbromley.co.uk dedicated to all my Pilates peeps

the current one I'm working on is overweightonline.com.

I found out yesterday that I have passed my Level 3 Pilates course! YIPPEE that was 3 months hard graft!

I hope you all have a happy, healthy and successful 2010.

Chris x

Hi All,

Welcome to everyone to CT's Newsletter! there has been alot of new faces in the classes over the last two months especially the 50+ Seniors class which is fantastic. It keeps me on my toes and all of you! making us all work smarter and harder.

In this edition you can read about:

1. CT's West Wickham magazine article

2. CT's level 3 Pilates course update/Volunteers Required

3. Christmas Meal Update Thursday 17th Dec 7pm at The Coney

4. CT's Marathon Update/Sponsorship & Fund Raising

5. CT's Weight Management Class Tuesday 19th January 2010 7-8.30pm

6. Countdown for Xmas

1. CT's West Wickham Magazine Article

BEAT THE WINTER BLUES?

Its 4pm and the nights are drawing in. Its dark and cold outside, it may even be raining! What are you going to do?

Is the day over for you? Are you going to hibernate? Sit in front of the telly and eats lots of comforting food? ALL WINTER?

Over the winter months lots of people follow the above pattern. They become depressed because of the short dark days, their lack of exercise and their change in diet to fat laden, high carbohydrates & processed foods.

If this describes you and you WANT to make a change then follow the five guidelines below:

• Set aside some time for exercise – mark in your calendar regular time slots for physical activity and stick to them.

 If you make a hairdressers or a doctors appointment you go, do the same with your exercise.

• Exercise with a buddy. This will keep you focused and make you stick to your exercise plan. Someone else is relying on you to motivate them and keep the appointment!

Exercise boosts your mood making you more alert. You will become more thoughtful about what you are eating and exercise speeds up the metabolism which will keep you from piling on the pounds!!

• Make sensible food choices – eat more home made soups, stews and casseroles. You will be eating hot nutritious food which is filling, keeping those hunger pains at bay!

• Track what you are eating – write a food dairy everyday for a week to see what you are actually eating! This will probably shock you and put you back on the straight and narrow!

• Eat your treats but in moderation, you do not want to be losing that extra weight in JAN 2010!

If you need further advise or motivation then contact Chris. CT’s Fitness offers classes to suit all requirements, ages and abilities. Please see advert or visit www.ctsfitness.com.

Keep the spring in your step over the winter! Health is the key to happiness!

2. CT's Level 3 Pilates Course Update - Volunteer Needed

I am currently studying for my level 3 qualification. I have done the residential theory and practical session and am now concentrating on all the paperwork and the video submission. I have to video myself teaching a Pilates class which will then be critiqued by an assessor.

The video has to follow certain criteria and I have to cover all aspects in order to pass! I think I will need to do a couple of videos to make sure that it is correct as can be!

I need your help if you want to be involved! I have already had some volunteers but need some more, if you want to be involved then please let me know.

All you need to do is fill in the PAR-Q and Initial assessment document then come to a Pilates class in Nov/Dec when I am filming.

I have the option of filming a current class if all my participants are willing to be videoed (please advise) or setting up a separate session just for the video.

Please respond by the 15th November 2009.

3. Xmas Meal Update Thursday 17th December 7pm @ The Coney, Coney Hall.

There are now 42 people attending the Xmas meal which is fab! It should be quite an evening. If you still want to come please see me asap, next week will be the last week to join in the festive fun! So get your skates on and hand over your £10 deposit in class next week. £25 for a 3 course meal, coffee & mints.

4. CT's Marathon Update

I applied for a ballot place but was unsuccessful! I have then applied for 6 different charity places and have slowly been unsuccessful in all! I really wanted to run for St Christopher Hospice or a children’s charity.

Anyway I set my mind on running the London marathon to mark my 40th Birthday next year and through perseverance I have finally managed to secure a place in the London Marathon! Yeah!!!!.......I will be running for SeeAbility.

SeeAbility used to be known as The Royal Society for the Blind. In 1992 the charity expanded its services in community based settings helping people in their own homes and by June 1994 The Royal School for the Blind became SeeAbility, reinforcing their message "Seeing Beyond Disability".

SeeAbility helps people who are blind or partially sighted and who have additional disabilities. They have worked for over 200 years with people who are blind or partially sighted and have additional disabilities, such as physical and learning disabilities, degenerative illnesses, brain injuries and mental health problems.

I have been given the opportunity to run for this charity to raise awareness and funds. I have to raise £1350 by Apr 2010.

I will be doing this through sponsorship, Xmas cake raffle, holding an aerobathon, delivering a walking course, coffee mornings, car boot fair and maybe a race night! All proceeds will go into my fund raising pot.

I have started my training and it is very hard. I will be putting in alot of effort to complete this marathon blood, sweat and tears!! I completed my first ten miles last week and it practically left me unable to walk! I am going to rest up this week and carry on my training at a slower pace! Check out my running blog on my website www.ctsfitness.com.

Where you come in!

• Sponsorship......this is the simplest way that you can help! Do you have any spare cash? i know things are tight in many households at the moment but £1 or £2 from everyone would make a big difference to my fundraising. I will be setting up an on-line sponsorship web page next week so you can do it on-line or sponsor me in class!

• Can anyone make fab cakes? or do you know someone that can? would you or they mind making a cake and donating it to my fund raising efforts? I will pay for the ingredients!

• Charity Aerobathon........I will be holding a 3 hour Aerobathon in January 2010 to raise monies. The session will cover Aerobics/Circuits/Step and Dance! You can do all 4 or just one element! I will release more details next month when I have sorted out a venue and instructors......so keep your eyes peeled for more information!!!!

• Charity Walking Course....I usually run a walking course from Easter onwards. I will be selling a four week course for Apr but in March so that all proceeds from this course will go in the fundraising pot! The Walk will be on a weds night 7-8pm £5 per person so £20 for the 4 weeks. If you are interested then please contact me in the usual way. I would like 15 to 20 people so that I can raise between £300-£400.

• One off charity walk......From Priory Hospital to Keston and back Sunday December 13th 2009 11.15-12.30pm £5 per person payable in advance. Everyone welcome.

Please email me asap if you want to take part.

• Race Night…….I need to look into this more! But I have envisaged hiring what is needed and holding this social event at sparrows den where the bar can be opened up and we can make an evening of it! Possibly a friday evening in Feb 2010 when everyone is fed up!!!

If you are interested in any of these fund raising ideas then please let me know!! if you have any other ideas then please share them!

5. CT's Weight Management Class Tuesday 19th January 2010 7-8.30pm

REDUCE-ME-CISE FITNESS SESSIONS – Unique & Exciting Opportunity!

Calling all larger ladies…..CT needs you to help her, to help you to lose weight!

• Do you find it hard to motivate yourself to fit activity into your everyday life?

• Do you feel nervous of gyms and posh health clubs?

• Do you feel like you are being judged by other people so you are put off joining a local class?

•

STOP PRESS!!!! Tuesday 19th Jan 2010 7pm - 8.30pm Sussex Hall West Wickham

Chris is YOUR local community instructor. Chris would like to offer you the chance to work out at your own pace with like minded people! In this environment you well feel safe and secure in the knowledge that no-one is judging you and you are taking positive steps to becoming fitter and healthier!

Chris will offer you sensible eating advice and take you through safe and effective exercises that will enable you to start shifting those unwanted pounds, improve your muscle tone and become confident in your own skin!!

Reduce-me-cise Fitness Sessions are for those larger ladies who feel too uncomfortable to go to their local gyms/classes to workout. Chris will be offering dietary and exercise advise to this group.

Sessions will be held in a lovely hall in a central location….the Sussex Hall in Sussex Road West Wickham (Opposite Woolies) on a Tuesday 7-8.30pm, starting on the 19th Jan 2010.

The hall can accommodate up to 15 ladies.

The 1.5 hour session will consist of:

• A Weigh-In

• Nutrition Advice /Discussion

• Pilates/Cardio/Weights/Relaxation section

• Chat & Summary

Cost will be £8 per session per person payable in advance every 6 weeks (£48) or for only £11 per week (£66) you will also be able to attend any of her other classes in the week as well for the duration of the course! (except FP Thurs evening subject to availability). This is a bargain not to be missed! (This is a special opening offer for new clients).

If you need motivating and want to start off 2010 with support and like-minded people then you know where to come!

Ideally you need to be able to attend every week. Consistency and patience brings rewards!

If you are interested please contact Chris Tuck at CT’s Fitness by phone 07932-594712 or email at ctsfitness@hotmail.co.uk or visit www.ctsfitness.com.

6. Xmas Countdown 2009 & CT's Xmas Vouchers

There are 7 weeks yesterday until XMAS day! That means 6 weeks of classes! There is still enough time to drop a dress size. With clean healthy eating and 2/3 fitness sessions per week which incorporates getting hot and sweaty you will be able to drop a dress size!

If you are struggling to think of a present for a loved one then why dont you consider buying them a CT's Xmas Gift Voucher?

There are classes for everybody!

• For those who like jumping around Advanced Circuits - ideal for the very active - Men and Women

• For those who like stretching and strengthening - Fitness Pilates - ideal for Men and Women

• For those who like to do both but less intently then there is Beginners Circuits, Legs/Bums/Tums and Fitness Lite 'n' Easy

• For those who need to lose weight, need support and motivation there is Reduce-me-cise Fitness 2010.

CHRISTMAS GIFT VOUCHERS ARE AVAILABLE to buy now

So why don’t you treat your loved ones to a happy and healthy 2010 by buying them a course of fitness sessions?

• You can buy a single session voucher or a course voucher.

• £1 from every Gift Voucher will be going in to the Charity Fund Raising Pot!

I hope you have all enjoyed your classes and this newsletter! If you have anything to contribute then please contact me in the normal way!

If you wish to give me feedback positive or negative I would love to hear from you! I always strive to offer the best service possible and will continue you to do so with your feedback and support!

Thank you again for your continued support,

Healthy Regards

Chris x

Hi All,

Welcome to CT's Fitness Newsletter! I hope you have all being keeping well?

This is a resource written specifically for past and present participants of CT's Fitness Classes where I keep you up-to-date with what is happening at CT's and give you a couple of articles to digest from other Fitness Professionals worldwide and nationwide! I have only included one this month because it is abit of a monster!! it is from Mike Geary from the US and is about losing stomach fat! Please scroll down for the article.

Monday 3rd August is the last day for classes until the 3rd September. I am taking a long awaited break. During my time away I am studying for my level 3 Pilates qualification and devising fitness programmes to get us through the next quarter til xmas!

There is no reason for you not to keep fit whilst I am away!! Take up power walking/jogging add in some conditioning exercises and you have yourself a fitness session. You can even download my summer shape-up-plan from www.ctsfitness.com to help you with exercises and nutrition whilst I'm away.

People News

Congratulations to Daniel & Kate on the birth of their baby boy.

Congratulations to Lindsey who is tying the knot this saturday.

Class News

I am trying to encourage more people to come to class, with this in mind I am doing a big leaflet drop during august so we will be welcoming a few new faces in sept.

All classes have been fairly busy during the holiday period for which I thank you all for your continued support!

Don’t forget you can earn yourself a free class by

• introducing a new person to CT's Fitness...once they have attended twice you will receive a free session.

• delivering leaflets in your road

New Classes Sept 09

Express Pilates Monday 6-6.45pm

Fitness Pilates Thursday 12-1pm

If you are interested I am taking bookings for these classes now so please email me. I am running these classes on a 6 week booking in advance basis £33 for 6 weeks 12-1pm session and £27 for 6 weeks for 6pm session.

N.B.I will carry over 2 weeks in anyone 6 week period. Any more than this and you will be charged for the session.

Reduce-me-cise Fitness Session for those larger ladies who feel too uncomfortable to go to their local gyms to workout. I will be offering dietary and exercise advise to this group.

There is not day or time set yet.....I am waiting to see if there is any interest out there!!

If you know of anyone in this situation please get them to contact me.

All Pilates Classes and the Reduce-me-cise Fitness session are being advertised in the Local West Wickham Magazine next month so please keep your eyes pealed.

Fitness Walking 8-29th Sept

I am considering running a 4week Fitness Walking Group in September Tuesday 8-29th. If you are interested please email me back asap £16.00 payable in advance.

Fitness Article

The Top Tips You Need to Know for Losing Stomach Fat & Getting Lean Abs

How to Get Flat 6-Pack Abs without Useless Crunches or Sit-ups - Nutrition & Workout Secrets for a Lean Body and Flat Abs by Mike Geary

Pay close attention and you'll find TONS of useful info that will help you get lean sexy abs much faster and stop struggling with excess body fat. Enjoy!

SN: It's great to sit down and speak with you, Mike. To start off, how about telling our readers a little bit about yourself and your fitness background.

MG: I've actually been involved in the fitness industry for about a decade now, as a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer. I'm also the founder of TruthAboutAbs.com and author of the #1 best selling abdominals ebook in the world currently, The Truth about Six Pack Abs, with over 250,000 readers in over 155 countries.

I started developing the Truth about Abs program about 5 years ago based on how much I saw most people struggle with this topic and the amount of confusion and scams / gimmicks that were out there regarding abs and belly fat. I just saw that it was time somebody laid out the TRUTH about what REALLY works to get ripped six pack abs.

SN: Let's get right down to it. Everyone wants a flat set of 6-pack abs, yet very few people ever achieve that goal. Why do you think there's so much confusion on the subject? Is it really all that complicated of a process?

MG: You know, it's really NOT that complicated... However, with that said, to get your body fat % low enough to really see a nice set of abs, it does take a decent amount of discipline with your food intake as well as a whole new level of intensity with your workouts than what most people are used to. The thing is, most of my clients always comment that the style of eating that I recommend is actually fun, and they feel more energy due to the more natural unprocessed healthy foods they're eating and more balanced blood sugar and hormone levels in their body.

The problem is that there's so much conflicting advice out there these days, it leads the average joe or jane to over-complicate things and end up totally confused about what's the best way to train and eat for six pack abs.

SN: You've said before that abdominal exercises such as crunches and sit-ups are extremely ineffective when it comes to achieving a flat stomach, and that they can actually make your stomach look WORSE. Can you elaborate on that?

MG: Sure... First of all, let me make clear that I'm not saying that you shouldn't do any abs-specific exercises. Rather, my point of contention is that most people spend WAY too much time focusing all of their efforts on abs-specific exercises, instead of focusing their efforts on more effective full body exercises that stimulate a much greater fat-burning and muscle building hormonal response, burn more calories, stimulate the metabolism to a higher extent, and also indirectly work the abs to a decent degree anyway.

Let me give an example of how many people typically waste too much time on abs-specific exercises...

A lot of times I see the average joe or jane spending about 15-30 minutes of their total workout just doing tons of pointless repetitions of crunches, situps, leg raises, or some other "abs pumping" exercise. Many times this comes out to almost HALF of their entire time working out.

My point here is that this type of excessive abs training is really a waste of time training a relatively small muscle group such as the abs, when that time could have been better spent on full body exercises such as squats, deadlifts, clean & presses, lunges, upper body presses and pulls, dumbbell swings, snatches, etc, etc. Compared to spending that time doing abs exercises, all of the above types of exercises will give you magnitudes more results in terms of hormonal response, metabolism increase, calorie burning, etc... all while indirectly working the abs to an extent anyway.

After focusing the majority of your workout efforts on those types of more effective full body exercises, then it's ok to spend about 5-7 minutes directly training the abs with abs-specific exercises... but the point I'd like to make is that abs training should only be a small portion of your training program as a whole, and not the majority of it.

Also, back to the topic of crunches and situps in particular... Once you've got a decent amount of abdominal training under your belt, crunches tend to be one of the least effective ab strengthening exercises since they are actually a fairly low-resistance exercise. An example of a higher resistance abs exercise would be a hanging leg raise with a proper pelvic curl-up (different than what you see most people doing in the gyms, where they only raise their knees up).

SN: How often do you recommend an individual train their abdominals on a weekly basis? Is basic, straightforward training the best protocol, or are there advanced ab training techniques that will yield better results?

MG: I usually recommend incorporating abs-specific training into your routines about twice/week, and 5-7 minutes per workout. Remember though that you're also getting indirect ab work through most of the full body exercises that should be comprising the majority of your workout time.

Beyond the typical leg raises, ab bicycles, hip thrusts, ab pikes, crunches, etc... there are definitely ways that you can take your abs to a new level that most people don't even think of. For example, some of the best abs exercises aren't usually viewed as abs exercises at all...

A couple examples that come to mind are front squats, renegade dumbbell rows, mountain climbers, 1-arm snatches, and others. Front squats are typically viewed as just a leg exercise, but if you've ever learned to do a proper front squat, you'll feel a tremendous stabilization tension required in your abs due to the weight being shifting more to the front of your body compared to the back as in back squats. If you haven't done front squats in a while, or are just learning them, I guarantee if you do a few sets of them, your abs will be feeling it big time the next day!

Renegade rows are another example of an exercise that's typically just viewed as an upper back exercise. However, while you're rowing a dumbbell up from a pushup position while stabilizing your body with your other arm, there is an insane amount of tension and stabilization strength required in your entire abs/core area.

This is another exercise that really surprises people at how much they feel it in their abs.

(I have posted an article giving more detail and pictures for properly performing front squats, renegade rows, and mountain climbers as great alternative ab exercises)

SN: The viewpoints on the effectiveness of cardiovascular exercise seem to be shifting among fitness experts recently, with some advocating no cardio whatsoever. What is your stance on cardio as it relates to achieving 6-pack abs?

MG: Well, I know there's a lot of mixed views in the cardio area, and I'll proudly say that I'm pretty much totally against traditional cardio in the sense of just doing long duration, steady pace cardio. I feel that steady pace cardio is a very ineffective way to train and a waste of time in my opinion that could be better spent on variable intensity (interval) training, or more high intensity resistance training (weights, bodyweight training, etc). In general, I feel that anaerobic training gives you more bang for the buck compared to wasting time with lots of aerobic training.

Let me elaborate a little so I can make my point more clear...

Let's look at a typical cardio workout such as someone going out for a 45-minute steady pace jog, or going on the treadmill or elliptical for a long duration steady pace workout. While this steady pace workout is going on, you're only training your heart in one specific heart rate range... basically, you're keeping approximately the same heart rate throughout the entire workout... as an example, let's say that your heart rate stays at 125 beats/minute for most of the workout. In essence, you're only training your heart in a very limited range.

Now let's take a look at the mother of all interval training workouts...the highest intensity version of interval training... wind sprints or hill sprints... During a wind sprint or hill sprint workout (which based on higher intensity, generally can't last much longer than about 15-20 minutes at the most, saving you time), you're doing very high intensity "sprint" intervals of 10-20 seconds, followed by "recovery" intervals of walking back to your starting point for 40-60 seconds.

This type of highly variable training takes your heart rate screaming probably up to 150 or 160 beats/minute at the end of the sprint intervals, and then drops down to 100-110 beats/minute during your recovery intervals. This means that you're training your heart in a much higher range and making it MUCH stronger compared to traditional steady-pace cardio.

At the same time, the highly variable intensity training actually works your muscles in a more resistive fashion, stimulating a higher residual metabolic effect, hence burning more calories in the post-workout period compared with steady pace cardio.

I could go on with more reasons why I strongly believe that steady pace cardio is an ineffective method of training, but I'll make this point instead...

Look at the typical emaciated, sickly-looking body of a dedicated marathoner who has wasted most of their muscle away with long duration endurance cardio. Now compare that to the totally ripped, muscular, strong and healthy looking body of a world class sprinter, wide receiver, or other athlete that does mostly high intensity sprint work... which would you rather resemble? I rest my case!

SN: I'm sure you literally cringe when hearing words like 'ab belt' or 'ab rocker'. What's the honest truth about all of these infomercial gadgets? How about dispelling the myths right here once and for all?

MG: They're just about all complete junk! You can do more effective exercises just doing bodyweight exercises than all of this crap that they're hawking on the infomercials. I mean, does anybody really think they can "melt off slabs of belly fat" by sitting on their couch and strapping on some useless electro-stim ab belt? Don't get me started!

And I hope everyone realizes that those perfectly ripped fitness models they use in the infomercials didn't get their awesome bodies by using their pointless contraption they're selling... they got their perfect body because they are a professional fitness model, and they work their butt off with REAL full body workouts and lots of dietary discipline.

SN: How important is diet in relation to achieving a ripped stomach? Can you outline some common mistakes that you see people making with their nutritional approach?

MG: Diet is VERY important... probably the MOST important aspect. I've seen plenty of people that workout like animals almost every day of the week, but they have horrendous eating habits, and guess what... THEY'RE FAT! What's the point of working that hard in the gym, if you're gonna be embarrassed to take your shirt off because you have a big sloppy belly?

I also think that diet is the area of the most confusion. Everybody seems to think that they must follow some sort of "dieting gimmick" such as a "low fat" diet, or a "low carb" diet, or high or low something. The thing is, we should NOT be restricting what our bodies need... we should be feeding our bodies what they need with a balanced approach instead of restriction of a certain macronutrient or food group.

The only thing we need to restrict is processed junk food, sodas, deep fried food, and anything along those lines. I would also recommend restricting wheat-based foods and soy-based foods as both of these can cause major problems in the body (despite the hefty billion dollar marketing budgets behind both of these claiming them to be "health foods").

It doesn't have to be as complicated as the "diet gurus" make it out to be. It can be a lot simpler. Focus on the following aspects and you'll be well on your way to a more enjoyable eating style that will last you for life and get you better results at the same time...

1. Choose whole, unprocessed organic foods, as close to their natural state as possible

2. Choose high nutrient density food choices instead of nutrient deficient processed foods

3. Fruits and vegetables (lots of vegetables) as your main source of carbohydrates instead of so much reliance on grains as is so prominent in our food supply these days. Small amounts of grains is ok, but try to focus more on veggies/fruits for your carb sources.

4. Make sure to get moderate amounts of high quality protein at each meal

5. High fiber intake to help appetite control and glycemic control (maintaining more balanced blood sugar)

6. Don't neglect an ample healthy fat intake from nuts, seeds, nut butters, organic free-range whole eggs, wild fish and/or fish oil, virgin coconut oil and olive oils, avocados, etc (helps appetite control and hormonal balance).

You can also take some daily Krill Oil for healthy fats that are even more powerful than fish oil.

Once you gain control over the aspects listed above, everything else usually works itself out in your diet... you no longer crave sweets or junk food because your body finally has all of the nutrients it needs and balanced hormone levels. Another important thing that this style of eating does is that it tends to bring people naturally back to the proper amount of calories they need each day without having to attempt to count calories or anything like that.

Hopefully that helps to simplify some things with this confusing topic.

SN: Let's say you have an individual who knows absolutely nothing about how to properly train and eat for 6-pack abs. What are the top 3 pieces of advice you'd give them right off the bat?

MG: Top 3 tips...

1. Focus at least 90% of your workout time on high intensity combinations of full body multi-joint exercises such as variations of deadlifts, squats, lunges, clean & presses, pullups, pushups, dips, bench presses, overhead presses, and upper body rows and pulls. The other 10% or less of your workout time can be dedicated to direct abs training.

2. Focus your "cardio" efforts on shorter duration variable intensity interval training, wind sprints, hill sprints, stair sprints, jump rope, and other higher intensity (and variable intensity) forms of training instead of relying on long duration, steady-pace boring traditional cardio.

3. With your diet, don't try to be too restrictive on certain macronutrients or go too low on overall calories as this can lead to muscle loss and reduced metabolic rate. Instead, feed your body what it needs to perform optimally and build/maintain lean muscle mass... lots of whole unprocessed foods such as nuts, fruits, veggies, seeds, eggs, organic meats, etc.

Try to maintain a reasonable balance of protein, carbs, and fat instead of trying to go too low or high on any one macronutrient. Some of the most important aspects of a diet that creates a lean body are getting enough quality fiber, protein, and healthy fat intake at most of your meals, and limiting foods such as refined starches, refined sugars, hydrogenated oils (trans fats), processed polyunsaturated oils such as soy and corn oil, and excessive alcohol.

SN: Thanks for joining us, Mike! Great interview!

To Finish……

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter! please email me if you have anything to add it does not have to be fitness related!!

It could be about a local event/or a business that you run or can recommend to others/or a joke!!

For Example

I am using a Sports Massage Therapist for my injuries and to maintain a healthier body. I would thoroughly recommend Mel Rabjohns to anyone who may require this service. Mel is based in Bromley Common and her contact number is 07763-803916.

Speak to you all soon!

Healthy regards

Chris www.ctsfitness.com 07932-594712 email:ctsfitness@hotmail.co.uk

Dear All,

Meal Out Thursday 25th June

The AGM is being held at the Rugby Club on thursday the 25th June so there are no classes on this evening. Instead we are having another meal out! Chinese at Xin's in Shirley at 7pm. If you are interested please email me so that I can finalise numbers and book a table.

What is happening at CT's Fitness?

Classes have progressed in intensity and as a result all of you are making great improvements in your health and fitness levels which is fantastic.....I have even managed to get some of you running!! Well done to Lindsey and Kim in particular!

Fitness Walking

My most popular fitness session at the moment is the Fitness Walking.....unfortunately due to other commitments I am only able to do a six week course in this on weds evenings and this is nearly finished. I do however want to try and start a daytime walking group maybe on a monday morning (time tba) or tuesday afternoon 1.30-2.30pm please let me know if you or someone you know maybe interested?

There is a break away walking group that meets on a tuesday evening and they would welcome new people.......no cost!

Beginners/Improvers Running Club

Some of you are becoming very keen on running. I am trying to get a place for the 2010 London marathon so have started to run myself. If any of you want to join CT's Fitness running club once a week then please let me know if you are interested sunday morning 8am - 9am Sparrows Den.

Fitness Pilates Level 3 and New Thursday Pilates Class 12-1pm

I have just started studying for my level 3 Pilates course (highest level), which is very challenging but enjoyable. It will take me up to a year to complete!

I have recently started a day time Pilates class thursdays 12-1pm this is very low on numbers so I would really appreciate it if you could tell people about this class if yu know that they are free during the day and are able to attend!

New Express Pilates Class 6-6.45pm Monday Evening - please register your interest if you would like to join this session. Cost £4.50 for 45 min session.

During hot weather I will be teaching you classes outside and these may even change to fitness walking/conditioning sessions on the night due to lack of air conditioning!!

What am I offering you this month?

CT's 4 Week Shape Up for Summer Plan can be downloaded from my website www.ctsfitness.com free of charge!

A 10% discount when you book 4 sessions payable in advance and used consecutively (no refunds or carry-overs).

Bring a friend and receive a free session on your friends second visit!

Advertising and spreading the word about CT's Fitness Classes

Classes have been steady over the last couple of months with a steady core of regulars for which I thank for your continued support. We have welcomed a few new people and some returners. It has been lovely to see everyone!

Classes will become quieter over the next couple of months due to holidays so I would really appreciate your help in spreading the word about CT's Fitness classes.

This could be in the form of telling your friends and family and encouraging them to try a class, placing one of my ads in you loal shop window (wil re-imburse cost of placing the ad, just give me the reeipt for my tax return!) or if you can spare an hour of your time to deliver leaflets door to door in your local area.

What is in it for you? - A FREE CLASS of your choice

In exchange for 1 hours door to door delivery

For placing my ad in you local shop window (cost re-imbursed), your local hairdressers/nail bar, library and school notice board.

When a friend or family member attends their second session.

My aim is to get 20 regulars in each class so that I can progress each and everyone of you to do your best! This will cut down on advertising costs and will also bring the cost of each class session down - so it would be a win-win situation for you and CT's Fitness!!

I keep myself up to date with fitness information from all around the world and below are some topics that might be of interest to you.

Today's Quick Tip:

A common theme I've noticed lately with people that think they are eating healthy is that they're still eating too much processed foods, but being duped by clever food labels into believing that the processed food they are eating is somehow "healthy".

So let's take a step back and re-visit the MOST important thing you can do to eat truly healthy and lose as much body fat as you want, easily...

And that is...

**Choose only foods at the grocery store that have 1 ingredient!

So this means that eggs, fruits, vegetables, meats (from healthy animals raised correctly), nuts, seeds, and other 1-ingredient foods should comprise almost your entire diet (except for cheat meals if you go that route).

Obviously there are exceptions to this, and there are foods you can buy with more than 1 ingredient that I can still give the thumbs up to (guacamole and hummus being a couple quick examples that come to mind)...

But the point is that if you can revisit this very simple method of choosing healthy foods, it can be a huge shift for most people that have been struggling to choose healthy foods because they are constantly deceived by food labels that claim to be healthy but are really processed junk in disguise.

This may be difficult for many people that are so addicted to processed foods... but give it a try for a week. The next time you do a week's worth of grocery shopping, try to make sure that everything in your cart are only 1-ingredient foods.

I'm willing to bet you'll see a better body after that 1 week!

Feel free to fwd this email on to any friends or family that will enjoy it.

Til next newsletter,

Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary

Certified Nutrition Specialist

Certified Personal Trainer

Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com

**The Mass Confusion That Dominates In Fat Loss & Fitness Today

By Rob Poulos, Creator of the Fat-Burning Furnace System

People are confused more than ever about how to burn fat. They are confused about the best way to go about achieving the body they want. They are confused about what works and what doesn't, and the reasons why.

There are countless individuals slaving away in gyms and fitness centers around the country right now. They are working tirelessly, almost every day, on the treadmill, stair-climber, elliptical, etc. to burn those calories and fat.

They also might be lifting weights several times a week for hours at a time to build some strength and muscle.

They might even join a few aerobics or spinning classes too.

They are probably also trying one of the latest diet strategies that promises miracle fat burning and weight loss.

They could also be spending a lot of money on the latest and greatest dietary supplements that could be that miracle pill that will aid in weight loss.

They are also carefully watching the scale as their main judge of fat loss progress. If it goes up a pound or two, they may behave rashly and maybe even change up their entire workout or diet program! And of course there are others are doing variations on that same theme.

After all, this is the kind of stuff that many of the popular fitness and diet gurus typically recommend to burn fat. But with so many different strategies and plans being pushed as the be all and end all, what happens is we tend to go overboard.

And when that happens, we lose sight of what really matters in achieving lifelong fat burning, fitness and health…the principles than many people don't know about, most people have forgotten, and only a select few put to use to achieve lifelong health and fitness. These are the same principles I used to drop over 40 pounds of unwanted body fat, keep it off, and revitalize my life!

With any exercise or nutrition program, you'll probably lose some fat initially, but far too often the progress doesn't continue or doesn't come as fast as the person would like because they're using a temporary mindset. They're only focused on the short term and one specific goal. So they end up switching to something else, and the cycle continues until they've become consumed by this cycle of confusion.

I believe that this is one of the biggest, if not the #1 reason for the lack of fat loss and fitness progress that is being experienced by the masses of exercisers and dieters in the world. They are jumping from one fad diet or exercise routine to another, while losing sight of what's really important, and what really works. Simply put, they are exercising far too much, not nearly intensely enough, and trying to adhere to unrealistic diet recommendations.

If instead they focused on a long term plan, a lifestyle as it's often called, and didn't worry about "losing 10 pounds by summer", they would find it far easier to do the right things most of the time. And those right things include brief, progressive, and intense resistance training, eating a diet full of nutrient rich foods, drinking tons of water, and getting plenty of quality sleep and rest.

The students of my Fat Burning Furnace method understand this and are reaping the life long health and fitness rewards because of it. Are you?

I hope you have enjoyed this months newsletter and I look forward to seeing you in a class soon!

Healthy Regards

Chris x

Hi All,
 
Just a few things for you to know!......
 
1) Easter Timetable
 
There will be no classes between Monday 13th & 17th April! I am having a week off to recharge my batteries and get together some new material for all classes! Be warned!
 
2) Night Out!
 
Thursday evening 16th April Diwana Curry House West Wickham either approx 7pm.......if you want to come please email me by thursday 9th April. The plan is to have a whip for alcoholic drinks and a whip for soft drinks and the meal bill will be split between everyone. There is a good choice of food at very resonable prices......
 
3) Price Increase 20.4.09
 
Unfortunately the time has come that I have to put up my class prices due to all other costs going up! I have absorbed alot of the costs over the last few years (my prices have been the same since 2004) but I can no longer do this. My hall rental has increased from 6.04.09 and because I do not know who is going to attend from one week to the next I need to make sure that I cover the rental cost at least!
 
All class prices (except Advanced Circuits already £5) will increasse by 50p.
 
However if you buy a block of 4 sessions and use them consecutively you can get a 10% discount! (excludes FP).
 
If you introduce a friend to one of my sessions you will receive a free session on their second visit.
 
Kids Fitness £3.50 45min session
Beginners Circuits/Tone 'n' Tighten/50+ Keep Fit £4.50 60min session
Fitness Pilates £6.50 per session or £5.50 per session (£33) when pay for 6 sessions in advance.
 
How does this compare with gyms and other classes in the locality?
 
Bromley Mytime charge £4.40 for a 45min primetime session and £6.40 for an adult fitness session.
Other Pilates Classes cost between £7 and £8.50 per session.
 
So you will be still receiving fantastic value for money!
 
4) Nutrition Workshop & Ebook (£
 
If you missed the first workshop and wish to attend the next one pease register your interest with me! if you cannot make the workshop but would like to buy the e-booklet then please send me a cheque for £8 and I will email you e-book.
 
 
5) Foam Rollers £12
 
I have been using these recently in my Pilates classes. They are a fab bit of kit....you use the roller to stretch out all your muscles! If you would like to buy from me they are £12 (RRP £20). If you want to larn how to use one then book yourself into one of my FP classes on a thursday! 12-1pm or 8.15-9.15pm.
 
6) Body Blitz Bootcamp 6am-6.45am day to be decided....
 
Is anyone up for the challenge?? Register your interest.....
 
7) Hulacise Session - I have 10 hoops.......register your interest.......maybe a sat morning?
 
Working in Schools - Beating Obesity/Reducing stress levels/improving fitness & posture.....
 
I am qualified to work with 5-16 years olds so if your school wants something different then I am available to come in and teach fitness and nutrition to all age groups. Please pass my details on.....
 
Final Note:
 
On a more cheery note I have noticed recently that alot of you are challenging yourselfs to do alot more and are becoming stronger and fitter which is fantastic to see!! So keep up the good work!
 
I really want to thank you for your continued support, without you there would be no CT's Fitness! Please let me have your feedback good or bad.......
 
Have a fab weekend and keep well,
 
Healthy Regards
Chris x