Back to the future or stay in the present?

We all like to reminisce a little.

Recently loads of photos have been popping up on Facebook of my 18-20 year old years when I was out on the town every weekend which was funny in a way remembering my university years but also reminded me of many frustrations!

1) Slogging it away in the gym and wondering why I never got anywhere as I didn't realise just how bad alcohol is for fat loss and muscle gain.

2) Training for more than 45 minutes when I went to the gym - what a waste!

3) Having no solid, specific goals in life other than 'make lots of money', 'get a six-pack', and impress girls with the first two.

Looking back I wasted a lot of time and effort on things which didn't matter but that's life. Making mistakes is good for you. Failing to learn from them is when it becomes a problem!

I also look back and see years of sporting achievement, university degrees etc.

However, there comes a time when constantly looking back at what you used to be capable of, what you used to look like and how you used to feel becomes a massive road block.

Constantly looking back stops you looking forward so you fail to make any progress. How many of our parents still live on past glories on the sports field despite now being overweight and having the movement potential of a one-legged tortoise?

However, the other side of the coin is that constantly talking of what we will do or want to do in the future can have similar 'road block' potential. If you always see your dreams and goals in the future, that's where they will stay! You might make a little progress but you will never actually reach out and grasp hold of that dream and see it materialise.

Finding a balance between the three is the key to success.

By all means remember what you have achieved.

It's also critical to have goals which require you to push yourself.

But spare a thought for the present.

Live it, enjoy it and celebrate it.

I am terrible at never rewarding myself! I always feel I could have done better and never take time to realise that I have already come a long way since those drunken university days!

That will change from today and I'll take time to celebrate small successes as I know lots of these will lead to big things for me both mentally, physically and financially.

I'll keep looking to the future though and aiming high in everything I do.

Below is my new baby niece Ella. (I was blinking...)

To give me inspiration and even more motivation to succeed with my fitness businesses I have given her a Christmas present with a difference.

From January 1st 2009 until Ella's 16th birthday I am going to put 1% of all my Storm Force Fitness profits into an account for her, then when she hits 16 I'll teach her what to do with it and teach her the value of hard work so it won't be a handout!



I've set myself a target to hit, I know the date, and I know how I'm going to achieve it. That's the key to effective goal setting!

If you want my free 3 part goal setting reports GET THEM HERE.

If you want to be my mate on Facebook add me - I want to get to know you better! Just search 'Jon Le Tocq'

If you want to see how I train when I can't use my private studio, check this out...

New Year, Same Failures

New Year means the usual bout of lying to yourself about what you'll accomplish this year.

Whether you lie to yourself about money, fitness, fat loss, love or anything else you need this 3 part goal setting series of reports to take you through the process step-by-step.

I want to make sure you set goals that are both challenging and achievable and that you stick to them for 12 months rather than 12 days!

Get the report series here for free (no sign ups or anything like that!)

http://www.stormforcefitness.com/article.php?pid=314

Jon

1 girl, 2 kids, 1 month before Christmas

For the last 4-5 weeks I've been running an experiment on Guinea Pigs.

Not real guinea pigs but humans to see what they could achieve in 4 weeks following the Fat Loss Action Blueprint.

The boys were awesome and got their abs popping out in just 4 weeks.

But would it work for a girl? A girl with 2 kids to work around.






Weight 8 stone 10…..8 stone 3
Waist measurement 29 inches…..26 inches
Hip measurement 34 inches…..32.25 inches

"Having done little to no exercise for several years I always knew any sort of exercise regime was going to be an uphill struggle so the short intense workouts appealed to me as I knew I would be pushed for fitting in exercise time with 2 kids.

When I first saw the exercises on paper I wasn't totally convinced they would push me hard enough but I was wrong. The first week was the hardest as was really aching from the exercises, had thrown myself into the nutrition plan and was getting headaches from caffeine withdrawal! However by the second week I was really into it and could start to push myself that bit harder with the workouts.

Overall I have felt more awake and energetic, I used to skip breakfast but I this plan has made me realize that getting up 5 minutes earlier means I make time for breakfast and am not snacking come 10.30am!

The nutrition plan and exercises are easy to follow and the regular e-mails pull you back in if you are losing will a little bit!


I wasn't convinced before that it would work but the results speak for themselves.

I think anyone would benefit from following this programme. If I can do it in the month up to Christmas I am sure anyone can do it!"

Lorraine

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I guess it does work for girls.

You could be next! Just get the Fat Loss Action Blueprint

Have a great Christmas - but be ready to transform yourself in 2009!
Jon

10 ways to beat the Christmas bulge

My mum makes without doubt, the best roast in the world. I will argue with you about that until Christmas 2009! As for the Rhubarb pie and custard. Good Lord....

But I also know I need to be controlled.

I prepare myself by training double hard in the weeks leading up to the feast and keep it going THROUGHOUT the Christmas week.

Yes it is possible.

I'm going to give you 10 things to make sure you do over Christmas to dramatically reduce the after effects (the depression, the flabby bits, the lethargy etc)

One of them is an actual 10-12 minute bodyweight session to do on Christmas morning!

1) Don't cook for an entire army

Why do you cook enough for 20 people when there's ten then complain about the left overs? Plan carefully and cook more than enough without going stupid - if it's there you'll eat it and you know it! If it's not you'll find you don't actually miss it and Christmas is still awesome!

The same applies to buying chocolates - by mixed nuts and dried fruit instead (dried fruit is still high in sugar but better than chocolate filled with caramel!)

2) Every third drink, have a pint of water

This is a highly effective tool for family get-togethers and Christmas parties! No one will give you grief and if they do you'll be able to go and wobble their jelly-belly in the office on January 5th.

Yes it's always the chubby ones who take the mickey.

3) Make best choices

The fruit salad over the cheesecake.

The small glass of mulled wine to sip over the 6 pack of lager

Extra lean turkey over fatty sausages.

Boiled potatoes over the roasties.

4) Schedule cheat meals

You know Dec 25th is going to be cheat meal time.

December 31st probably will as well.

Maybe squeeze one more in over the festive period.

Plan them in, expect them then expect to be good the rest of the time.

If you try to freestyle it and decide as and when required, you WILL crack!

5) Stick to your exercise plan

You might not get on in on Christmas Day but the rest of the days you should still be able to perform a good session.

If you're away from the gym routine get some bodyweight training in - short, hard, intense, no more than 20 minutes. That way you won't feel guilty that your missing out on any of the fun - you can do it before everyone else is up!

You need to plan exactly when you will exercise otherwise there will always be unexpected things cropping up to corrupt you!

6) Don't deprive yourself but don't pig out

I tell my clients that if they've worked hard and achieved good results, they DESERVE to have some extra stuffing and a bit of cake!

Just be sensible. It's not as hard as you think!

If you try to go full on and say no to everything, you will either get miserable, feel left out or end up caving to a huuuuge binge. None of which are good for you.

7) Steam your vegetables

Roasting veg causes them to soak up lots of the fat from the meat so steam them and save yourself and your family hundreds of calories!

8) Use a roasting rack for the meat

Again, avoid the soaking of cooking fat into the meat. A simple roasting rack will elevate the turkey over the fat dripping off chopping hundreds of calories from your meal!

9) Do some exercise BEFORE lunch

People tend to go for a walk after lunch to 'burn it off' when they're too full to make it a decent effort (or they fall asleep as the body shuts down everything else bar the digestive tract!)

Take everyone out while the meat is cooking for a brisk walk, or if you can go for a quick run or bodyweight blast outback.

This will increase insulin sensitivity and elevate your metabolism before you eat thus forcing all the sugar you eat into you muscles rather than having it floating in your blood stream ready to be depostied where you don't want it!

10) Do one of these on Christmas morning

5 or 6 rounds with 45 seconds rest. This will take around 12 minutes max but make you feel much better about shovelling that chocolate cheesecake in your face!

BEGINNER


INTERMEDIATE


ADVANCED

Top fat burning exercises

The question on everybody's lips come January is 'What are the best fat burning exercises to get rid of the belly I created over Christmas?'

My usual response is "why did you let yourself go so much - you didn't need that extra cheescake did you?!

However, it's going to happen the world over so below is a video of how to respond as fast as possible! Start them today and get a headstart on the food to come!

There is one catch though. Unless your nutrition is up to scratch and you're eating clean, healthy food every single day these exercises won't magically give you a six pack.

It must be a combination of heavy weights, interval training and clean nutrition!

You will not get anywhere near your potential with boring cardio work, crappy eating habits and bicep curls!

Bang out a few sets of these and resist the leftovers and you're on your way to a flat stomach!

Jon

Can my powers travel through time and space?

No time to talk.

Must show you this!

Read, look, be inspired! Either just look at the pics or read how they found the Fat Loss Action Blueprint experience.

I LOVE results! Can't wait to see the girl at the bottom by Christmas!

They're going to have a much more guilt-free Christmas! Wooo yeah I love this stuff!


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They had just 4 weeks to transform themselves.

They received no help other than the email support which all F.L.A.B subscribers receive and came from all areas of Britain! The Channel Islands, Coventry and Derby so that they could have no face to face contact with me!

Could the ‘Guinea Pigs’ really achieve anything in 4 weeks with 20 minute sessions and by following the step-by-step nutrition plan?

Guinea Pig 1 - Jez



Weight 12 stone 5…..11 stone 8
Waist measurement 36 inches…..32 inches
Hip measurement 39.5 inches…..36.5 inches

“I work in an office and have 3 young boys aged 7, 9 and 10 so am very busy with both work and family life. The boys are very much into their sport and have weekly activities in Athletics, cross country, cricket and football so I am busy taking them around and coaching the football. I am in charge of the whole of the Mini's football section at Rovers where there are about 250 kids and I coach the under 12's so this takes up a lot of my time.

I have struggled with bad knees for a lot of my playing career and have been trying to get back to playing for the past few years without any success as the knee pain has been too much. Since doing this program for the past 4 weeks I have noticed a big difference in the strength of my legs and this has helped stabilise my knee.

I went for an MRI scan last week and am awaiting the results of this as I am likely to need another knee operation so have not been able to attend football training but I was at the club on Saturday after training the kids and the 2nd team coach was there and was struggling for players so I offered to sit on the bench for him as I felt fairly strong after my 4 weeks of training. In the end I played the whole of the 2nd half and had no after effects the next day so am over the moon with this as this will now give me further encouragement to keep on the gym program and try and get back to football, this would not have been possible without the 4 weeks of following this program.

I am much more alert and don't have energy dips at any time and has hugely assisted with my sleep patterns. I used to get to sleep no problem but then woke up 3 or 4 times per night sometimes waking up at like 2 or 3 then not being able to get back to sleep. This has now changed, I am getting to sleep fine albeit a little bit later as I am so much more alert and then sleeping right through, which is great.

People have noticed my weight loss which is great so I have referred them to the website straight away!

It was very easy to follow, I read it all through a couple of times at the outset then just had to refer back a few times for specific subjects. I kept the printout with the exercise routines with me all the time and found the photos explaining the exercises very useful as you need something like this when the trainer isn't actually with you. The videos were also very good as they showed you what to do but also motivated you as well.

The e-mails were great as they kept you on track and made you more determined to make it work, the more you got into it the more you were looking forward to the next e-mail as you are learning all the time.

The ‘Better Burgers from the recipe book were really nice as well!”


Guinea Pig 2 - Tom



Weight 76.9 kg…..68.0 kg
Waist measurement 93.5 cm…..82 cm
Hip measurement 98 cm…..93.5 cm


“I am a pretty busy person, I work as the head of business studies in a city centre comprehensive school. Time is pretty tight, my evenings are taken up with school work. I have always struggled to get my weight below 74kg. It generally swayed between 74 to 79kgs. I am over the moon that I managed to get my weight below 70 kg which is a first for me.

The training has been a bit different! I’ve been used to long work out sessions in the past. I tried to do the work outs at least three times a week and played quite a lot of football. I definitely will be maintaining these short impact sessions they are much more time efficient.

I have had much higher energy levels, which has been great for the last few weeks leading up to Christmas – I’ve managed to stay focused enough to complete most of my marking before the Christmas break! I’ve also had lots of comments from colleagues and students saying how much weight I’ve lost.

I found it really easy to follow, although I did every week have at least one minor slip up – but the results still came!

I generally kept to eating a lot of turkey and salmon and eat lots of vegetables. I tried to experiment with my herb and spice collection which was a successful ploy and I spent less on food by preparing my own!”


Guinea Pig 3 - Lorraine



At the time of writing Lorraine had been a ‘Guinea Pig’ for the F.L.A.B for just 1 week.

She was called in with no preparation time due to the first Guinea Pig getting flu!

Weight 8 stone 10…..8 stone 7
Waist measurement 29 inches…..28 inches
Hip measurement 34 inches…..33.5 inches

“So far have lost 3 lbs in the first week - not bad considering I had the first of 2 Xmas nights out with work where I had already pre-ordered some 'bad' food before I knew I was doing this trial. Also had a trip to the Good Food Show on Sunday but was relatively restrained there with all the freebies!

Overall, the first few days were most difficult (had headaches from detoxing I think) but finding it much easier with keeping to the food now and finding it easier to say no to any naughty snacks. Have been drinking loads of water and have been preparing my healthy snacks for the day at the same time as doing the kids packed lunches. Feeling more awake and definitely feeling the burn from doing the exercises!”


The Fat Loss Action Blueprint will be available VERY soon!

Jon

7 things which must be present for you to get a leaner body.

Unfortunately there are many people who are desperate to achieve a lean, athletic looking body but just lack the knowledge.

The willpower is there, they don't allow themselves to make bullsh*t excuses about time, kids, work etc, and they put in the effort.

But they don't see the rewards to justify their efforts.

They get frustrated.

Simply because they are still using methods which have been shoved in their face by the media and unscrupulous marketing companies.

Clear your mind of everything you thought you knew, then ensure you include EVERY SINGLE action listed below.

You WILL see results.

1) Perform weight training three times per week. Ensure every muscle is worked and include some form of squat and / or deadlift movement in every session. This will help build and shape muscle and ramp up your metabolism.

2) Eliminate all food and drink which comes in a packet or is processed in any way. This includes, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, cakes, takeaways, shop sandwiches, alcohol, coffee, tea and bread. The further it is its state when off a tree, out of the ground or off the farm, the more it will hinder your progress.

Be ruthless or be fat.

3) Forget long, steady state cardio. If you want to run, cycle or swim, use intervals. Try running at 80% of your top speed for 30-60 seconds depending on fitness levels then recover for 1-2 minutes. Repeat this 6-10 times.

You won't last much longer!

4) Have ONE treat meal per week. If your body fat has not come down that week you don't get the treat. Treats are rewards for achievement. The fact that you had a bad day at work and feel a bit down or someone made you feel a bit bad because they shouted will not be helped by being fat.

Get over it and get lean. A great body and the happy hormones from exercise will increase your confidence, improve your ability to deal with stress and make you realise that there are better solutions than the 60 seconds of pleasure that Mars bar gives you.

5) Set a clear goal timeline then backtrack the steps you need to take to get there. Take time to create vivid images of how you want your life and your body to be. You will gravitate towards these images.

For this reason, constantly thinking about being fat and not having time to exercise will gravitate you towards....being fat and nto havnig time to exercise.

Be ambitious with your goals.

Achieving 50% of a 3 stone weight loss target is better than achieving 100% of a 1 stone target!

6) Involve other people. Either make sure you have someone to keep you accountable (a mentor, a personal trainer or a friend) or become part of a group which trains together. This might be a group of friends or a group fitness class.

7) TAKE ACTION. No one ever lost weight by talking about it or worrying about it. Don't wait until Monday, January 1st, the day after your birthday or any other meaningless moment in time. If you won't do it now it's because you don't want it enough and this will NOT change on New Year's Day.

Find the motivation and the means to achieve your goals TODAY and just start taking action.

Don't fall for the trap of searching for the perfect diet or training plan either. If you don't want the help of a professional just get going and adjust it along the way!

Falling down and making mistakes isn't a problem, so long as you keep falling forward!

Jon
http://www.stormforcefitness.com

How to make a healthy breakfast quickly

If you've been following me for a while you'll know that not eating breakfast is one of the best ways to slow your metabolism down, breakdown muscle and put yourself on an energy rollercoaster at work.

This nearly always culminates in eating chocolate bars or crisps.

This video will show you how you can make a quick, healthy breakfast with healthy fats and protein in - both critical elements in a fat loss plan!

(Do not watch if you are offended by half-naked men who have just crawled out of bed)

CLICK THE LINK BELOW...

Show me the silly half-naked man making breakfast in stupid slippers.