We had fun!- I think?

Hey, How  you doing?

I must start by thanking all of you who wished me well for the Leeds 10k that I ran at the weekend.

I really felt your support and I'm even sure it helped me around the route, so thank you again, you're all great!

As for the race it's self it was real fun. It was good to be in amongst so many people running for so many good causes. Our team was running for the Yorkshire cancer centre. I was very happy about the choice of colour as my favourite colour is purple (and green). The night before we looked at the forecast and it stated that there would be a 60% chance of rain, so it was quite surprising that at the start of the race the sun was out in full force, which made for a great morning. 

Our team of 6 were all raring to go; most of which had never run any kind of distance race before. We all stayed together for the most part of the race. I was doing my bit by asking if everyone was OK and issuing out Jelly babies. These are great little sweets and taste even better when you're running. There were plenty of fellow runners. I'm not sure of the official figures but I've been told there were over 10000 people that ran the race. The only down side that brought was that you end up spending time dodging people whilst running which can be hard work. Despite this I still enjoyed the whole event(1 hour 4mins was the final time) and I feel very happy now that I have complete my first 10k in over 3 years.

This is not me

My focus now is to get back to my fitness back up to speed and start to burn away some of this excess body fat I've been carrying for a while. I spoke about it in my last post (you can check it out here if you missed it), how due to my lack of regular exercise I'd become 'Over fat'. Not good. So I'm on a mission to change my composition. I'll be giving you some tips and pointers on what has worked for me and what you can do to reduce your fat percentage if that is your goal. I'm not going to be 'hard' at it it like some mad body builder who's looking to get  'ripped' for competition. I love the way those guys train and the dedication they put into getting the body ready for the competitions, but that's not for me and I don't think many of you reading this blog post are desiring to get in that kind of shape (let me know if I'm wrong).

We have our first 'Optimum Healthy' recipe e-book coming out soon. I put this together so you can get some real simple tips and suggestions on what you can eat to help you get good healthy variety, high nutritional value and quality in your diet. These are all essential if you are looking reduce your body fat and feel full of life and energy. I'll let you know when you can pick it up. 

Thanks again for all your well wishes. My next run is in November for the Leeds Abby Dash. We are looking to get an Optimum Health team together. Let me know if you're up for it and together we can raise some more money for a good cause whilst getting fit and having fun!

Don't run the risk- run right

Hello! Hope all is well with you and you are doing real good. 

It's had to believe we are in the second half of the year. Time seems to be flying by, but I'm here to tell you it's cool & clever people like you that find time to exercise, actually handle life much better! No matter how fast time seems to pass away, when you're regularly exercising, you feel you can handle more, you've got more to give and have much more energy. So for that, give yourself a pat on the back- you're officially cool & clever!

Here's me at the start with a body fat 26%

Some of you will know that I myself have started to put into practice what I so often preach. I take no pleasure in saying this, but my own fitness regime had taken a downward spiral over the last 18 months. Starting a business is hard and takes a lot of your time. No excuse, I know...but as a fitness professional, that is not a 'good look' and I had to 'fix up'. 

At the start of the year I set myself two simple goals. "Run two 10k races in 2012". My first is this weekend - the Leeds 10k. I started my training by assessing my fat percentage and BMI (body mass index). This was truly a shock. I checked the machine and did the test again to find out that it was 26.4%. WOW! I had truly let things slide! This was not good. To give you an idea of what I was concerned about, the ideal range for a male of my age should be between 10-20%! It brought home to me that even though I didn't appear 'over fat', I was, and this was simply down to lack of regular exercise.

Iv been training over the last 6 weeks and it has truly been a blessing. I have felt a whole lot better and my fitness is on the up. Now, I've only really been concentrating on running in preparation for my first 10k run this weekend. My focus will shift after the run to concentrating on more fat metabolising training. This type of training is much more effective than going for a run to try burn fat away. I'll be also looking at my diet much more closely to reduce any excess fat that I'm consuming in my diet. I'll keep you posted on how I'm making progress. 

So in my excitement for my first run of the year, I've drafted together a 'quick tips' list for you. These tips will help you in preparation for any distance run/race you are looking to do and help make your progress a great deal easier and quicker.

1. Always work up to your distance. Whether its 5k,10k or a marathon, look to build up to your run distance. Don't get put off by trying too much too soon. Look to build up to doing your chosen distance at least once over 5-7 days. this could be two 5k runs(=10k) or three 14k runs(=26 miles)

2. Get a strength training program. I can't stress this enough. I have seen a number of clients over the years significantly improve their running ability simply by following a good strength conditioning program. It will also help reduce your risk of injury. Save money on physio visits, hire a personal a good personal trainer.

3. Keep supple and flexible. This will help you to run more efficiently and recover quicker. Practising Yoga or Pilates will help.

4. Get the right gear. don't be fooled into thinking its not important. The correct footwear and apparel is key to keeping comfortable when running. For the best tips and advice on footwear and apparel check out up and running.

5. Fuel your body. Nutrition is so important. You need to have a good balance of carbohydrates, lean meat for protein and water. Keeping hydrated is essential. Examples for these foods include, porridge, muesli or pasta (carbs), Fish, chicken(protein) and WATER!

OK guys there you have it, some simple pointers to help you with any Running race or event goals you may have. I'll be keeping you up to date with how I got on over the weekend and my own progress over the next few weeks.

Talk soon.