No Sleep Till Brooklyn

How do you feel in the morning when the alarm goes off? Tired, stressed, maybe sometimes you even wonder if you got any sleep at all!

Sleep deprivation can be a killer. In fact throughout the year, the day with the most recorded accidents isn't Friday 13th but when we change to British summertime and we lose an hour.

Adding more insult to injury, research shows that there is no such things as catching up on sleep!

Most of us know about the hormone Melatonin and some of you may even buy it over the counter to get a better nights sleep. But it goes much deeper than that...there are at least 10 different hormones as well as neurotransmitters that are interfered with when you don't get enough sleep.

Once these hormones are out of function they will not suddenly realise they need to work twice as hard to catch up!

Now the good news is I have a few tips to help you get a better nights sleep. But it may take a bit of getting used to and some real discipline at times.

Back in 1910 we used to get on average 9.5 hours sleep, now we get less than 7 hours sleep. Now back then, we didn't have TV's, computers, mobile phones etc which all affect our sleep.

We also didn't the constant stress we carry around with us 24/7! Our stress hormone (cortisol) prepares us for the day ahead. By noon, the cortisol will peak and then begin to drop in the early afternoon. NOT ANYMORE!

We keep producing it from the stresses at work, dealing with traffic and overloading the brain with TV, late night emails and the constant light from the light bulb.

Meaning, if cortisol is still too high, the hormones melatonin and prolactin aren't aloud to function. Meaning you can't get to sleep!

Now I can't have a word with your boss, clear the traffic for your way home or stop you watching mindless crap on TV. What I can do is try to put your subconscious mind at ease.

If you haven't read it...here's tip number 1

1. The Grateful Log
http://kevinraisonpt.blogspot.com/2009/10/changing-your-to-do-list-to-done-list.html

2. After 8pm, begin to dimmer the lights in the living room and continue to do so each hour.

3. Never take your phone to bed with you, the mobile phone radiation disrupts your sleep pattern. It also tells the unconscious mind that you may be expecting a call and the mind will not fully rest. If you use your phone as an alarm clock, just buy an alarm clock instead.

4. Try to sleep in a darkened room. This sounds obvious, but if you can see where you’re going in the middle of the night, your room isn’t dark enough. Light of any kind disturbs our sleep, whether it’s the standby light from the telly or the flashing of an electronic alarm clock. Eye masks are not a substitute for a dark room. Research has shown that light of any kind, on any part of the body can disrupt our sleep.
en on weekends

5. Wake up at the same time each morning, even on weekends if you can. At least now you are setting a pattern and re-aligning your body clock.

6. Watch something dull like Big Brother or one of those dreary soap operas. Anything that 'brain numbing' will surely send you to sleep.


Sweet dreams all

Kevin

In or Out of Focus?

Do you know the difference between getting what you want and getting what you think you want?

Well my Beach Body Boot Camp members do and here’s why.

On their registration form, I asked them to write down what their 8 week goal was. I didn’t ask them to be specific. I just asked them to tell me what they wish to achieve.

And without even knowing it, they uncovered a real secret to getting exactly what they want and it’s so most simple, easy and effective thing to do that guarantees results….

All of them told me how much they were going to lose, how they felt and what they’d achieve. They stepped into their new 8 week body in their own mind and felt what it was like. They visualized how they would see themselves and how people would see them. They set the mind and programmed it to succeed.

The reason they did this is also very simple, because they want it so badly and are willing to do whatever it takes.

They’ve signed up for 8 weeks of training, nutrition plans, recipes, exercise videos and a whole lot more including the most up to date information available on getting the perfect beach body. They’ve paid for 8 weeks upfront, making a commitment to complete it and do their very best.

They’ve left no room for excuses and just taken immediate action because they want to change their lives for the better.

It’s not about discipline; it’s about how much you’d love to have something…your true values in life.

Focus on your true values and you’ll get them. Focus on what you think are your true values and you’ll just end up in circles.

So how do you know when you’ve found your true values?

You stop making excuses and just get on with it…no matter what!

So if your true values include wanting to be the best at what you do and you’re wiling to work for it then, you will achieve it. But it will take lots of hard work and wanting it badly.

If you value your favourite soap opera more, and would rather sit down and watch that…at least you know where your values stand….not on our Beach Body Boot Camp.


What goals would you like to achieve in the next 8 weeks…...?


In Health

Kevin

Changing your 'to do list' to a 'done list.'

At first glance you’ll probably be expecting some kind of motivational ‘get off you ass and do some work’ article.

Well I’m sorry to disappoint you. It’s actually about being grateful for what you’ve achieved which leads nicely to what you’re about to achieve.

I referring to something called a ‘Grateful Log’. I have Charles Poliquin to thank for this and I always give credit where credit is due.

The Grateful Log is simple…before you go to sleep, you write down all the things you’re grateful for what’s happened in that day.

So this becomes your done list…

I am grateful for the amount of Boot Camp clients that showed up tonight.
I’m grateful for the choices I made throughout the day with foods
For being able to help my friends out
For the weather at Boot camp
For the phone interview going so well
For being able to spend time with my Dad


You can write down whatever you like but the main thing is, you’re going to bed on a positive note (no pun intended). Meaning you’re helping to put your sub conscious mind at rest.

Being grateful for what you’ve achieve is far more positive than writing down a list that you haven’t achieved at the end of the night.

Here’s what you may achieve from using a grateful log

A better nights sleep
You’ll attract more of what you’re grateful for (you become what you think about)
You begin to appreciate life on a whole new level
You actually result in achieving more because of your new found positive nature
More control over your stress levels


Even better…it’s free - once you’ve bought a nice book and pen anyway.
This has to be one of the best things I have ever done to help myself achieve all I want to achieve.

Every personal training client and biosignature client receives a grateful log book on their first consultation when signing up with me.

Why? Because it’s that easy to help change someone’s life…

Why not ask your child what they achieved today when you tuck them in bed?

It’s their way of being able to tell you what a fun day they had as well as appreciating what their grateful for...what a great way to finish your day and start a new one.

I’m grateful that I’ve written this article and hopefully some of you will take action.


In Health


Kevin

(This article was first released in the press in August 2008 - Sometimes the old ones are the best ones)



Kevin Raison, Kinetic Chain Specialist (advanced postural assessment & corrective exercise specialist) and Strength & Conditioning Coach is standing firm in his flat shoes by disagreeing with the false claims made by the Trinny and Susanna Show on ITV on Wednesday 6th August 2008.

On the show, the fashion-conscious pair recommended that if you want your bum to look good when you walk, then the best thing you can do is learn to walk in high heels.

Kevin who has performed well over 200 kinetic chain assessments and has worked extensively with leading health and fitness professionals in the UK says “This has got to be the most ridiculous claim I have ever heard. High heels force you onto the balls of your feet meaning your whole body is shunted forward.

Rather than walking in a way that makes you look like you are balancing on the balls of your feet, you naturally compensate by pulling back through the waist. This, over time will tighten the lower back, tilt the pelvis forward and create low back pain and a bum that doesn’t work!!!”

So what can we do about it?

Kevin added, “Ideally, we need to get the bum muscles working and not just trying to cover them up with support pants and high heels causing a dysfunction through our gait (the way we walk).

Nowadays, we are always after the short term gains which generally lead us to long term pain. If we just reversed our way of thinking and worked through the short term pain, we would receive long term gains and a bum that looks great when naked!”

As part of the Kinetic Chain Assessment at Kevin Raison Personal Training, they perform something called a neurological muscle firing assessment.

Kevin explains, “This is basically identifying what muscles are firing and in which order. I usually take my clients back to that old Morecombe and Wise sketch where he says ‘I’m playing the right notes but not necessarily in the right order’.

This is how 99% of all clients assessments work, all the muscles are working but in the wrong order. At Kevin Raison Personal Training, they call it broken a**e and within 4-6 weeks is corrected through exercise homework, corrective stretching and professional guidance.

Kevin further added “we know when we’ve got it working correctly, because our clients tell us they can feel their bum when they walk. We’re like the Jim’ll Fix It for bums.

If you would like to find out more about Kevin Raison Personal Training or would like a free consultation with one of his coaches simply visit http://www.kevinraison.co.uk/ and fill in a free contact request or you can them call on 0871 662 9848

5 Top Tips to Keep You Fat!

With most fitness instructors and personal trainers giving bad advice far too often I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and write five top tips that will help keep you fat!

Now you could actually do the complete opposite to this, but this may
result in fat loss….and we don’t want that do we? Here goes...

1. Don’t eat protein at every meal or better still become a vegetarian. Protein is extremely thermogenic, meaning it increases your metabolism.

2. Stay away from good fats like fish oil or buy a rancid fish oil from the large health stores. Good fish oil helps turn your fat storing enzymes into fat burning enzymes.

3. Do cardio. Cardio (after about 8 weeks) increases your stress hormone cortisol. Your sub-conscious doesn’t know the difference between running or a cardio machine. So when you perform cardio, your body thinks you’re being chased or chasing something. Cortisol kicks in and helps your body store fat as a survival instinct. We are after all just cavemen and women in clothes

4. Avoid weights! Training with weights increases your metabolic drive by making lean muscle tissue. For every pound of muscle you add, you’ll burn an extra 50 calories per day!

5. Eat carbohydrates with every meal. With 75% of the worlds population carb intolerant. Meaning we don’t use our carbs for energy, we just store them into our fat cells. This is a sure fire way of keeping hold of those love handles .

So there you have it.

Five top tips to keep you fat!

Follow this advice and you’ll either stay the same or increase your weight in no time.

Good Luck!

Kevin

Any Real benefits to the new over the counter diet pill?

With statistics telling us that about 46% of men in England and 32% of women are overweight (a body mass index of 25-30 kg/m2), and an additional 17% of men and 21% of women are obese (a body mass index of more than 30 kg/m2). (UK Obesity statistics) – We clearly have a problem.

But should we really be relying on something that is unnatural for our bodies to perform?

Shouldn’t we be looking into the health benefits of good nutrition for a better quality of life?

With all the excitement about the New over the counter diet pill, Kevin Raison digs deep into the real results this pill may offer.


Who are they and how can the pill work for you?

The company in question is GlaxoSmithKline, who have previously used Orlistat (it’s active ingredient) as a prescription drug under the trade name Xenical. The new over the counter pill named Alli (lesser dosage then the original Orlistat) claims that by taking the pill may increase weight loss by a further 50%!

Meaning for every 2 lbs lost per week, you will lose an extra 1 lb. So if you do the calculations, this could add up to a serious amount of weight being lost.


Here’s how it works

Firstly, you have to qualify before purchasing the over the counter product. This is done by taking the patients Body Mass Index (BMI).

BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared.

If a BMI of 28 upwards on the scale is recorded within the consultation, the patient is allowed to purchase the product. A BMI of 28 is classed as overweight whilst a BMI of 30 is obese class 1.

The patient is instructed to take one capsule 3 times a day before/during or within 1 hour of their meal.

The capsule then dissolves in the stomach where the active ingredient Orlistat prevents bodyfat from being absorbed in the body by attaching itself onto enzymes that break down fat.

This means that you will excrete about 25% of unabsorbed fat which may cause side effects such as excessive wind, sudden bowel movements, and oily stools if you eat too much fat.

Therefore, patients taking this pill will be advised to eat a low fat ‘healthy’ diet.


Here’s my take on things

I have a personal issue with this kind of solution to weight loss. I say personal because I knew of someone who was advised to take this and had to change this and was forced to stop taking good fats.

We as a nation eat far too much omega 6 (vegetable oils) and no where near enough omega 3 (fish oil). One of the key benefits of taking high dosages of quality fish oil is fat loss, as it turns lipogenic genes off (fat storing enzymes) and turns lipolytic genes on (fat burning enzymes).

Along with many other benefits such as lowering blood pressure, increased cardiovascular health, decreased levels of stress, depression, diabetes and countless other benefits. It concerns me that fish oil will be one less thing to be consumed on this recommended low fat ‘healthy’ diet.

This also holds true for fat soluble vitamins/antioxidants such as vitamins A, D, E and K.


Solution

If you walk through a door frame and your belly is entering the room before you are, then chances are you’re insulin resistant. Therefore, it’s no just the fat you should be looking at changing; you need to look at your carbohydrate intake.

Write down what you eat throughout the day. Ask yourself would you have been eating that 10,000 or more years ago. If the answers NO, then don’t eat it.

Limit your carbohydrates to fibrous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflowers, kale, spinach etc.

Increase your fat intake with fats such as fish oil (pharmaceutical grade – not that cheap nasty stuff from the high streets), coconut oil and good quality DPO extra virgin olive oils.

Cook only with Coconut oil and use olive oils as dressings.

Take fish oil with every meal.

Eat protein with every meal (meat, fish, poultry, eggs)

Never combine carbohydrates with fats (ie muffins, cakes, chips, crisps, biscuits) – all these contain trans fats and simple sugars making you fat and sick!

Lastly....exercise! I don't care what you do for the moment as long as it involves lifting weights!




Conclusion

As usual, if something sounds too good to be true it usually is, and this (in my opinion) is no different.

Although, patients are being advised to stick to a low fat diet. They probably have no idea what they should be eating so will continue to eat sugary high glycemic foods which are making them fat in the first place.

The government along with most nutritionists and dietitans need to come out of their BOD POD and stop telling people to eat less fat. We need to tell people to eat less bad fat and re educate them to what’s good and bad.

We need to stop thinking that 2 bowls of your favourite cereal is healthy, where it’s actually causing us more harm than good.

For more information on how you can achieve your perfect weight and increase your knowledge on what foods to eat. You can sign up for our 6 week weight Management Course at The Holiday Inn, Birmingham – Bomsgrove B61 9AB. UK

Courses run every 6 weeks and cost only £99

For more information contact Kevin at Kevin@kevinraison.co.uk or call on us 0871 662 9848

In Health

Kevin Raison

Raising Awareness In Standards Of Nutrition & Exercise

www.kevinraison.co.uk

www.kickstartbootcamp.co.uk

SALE...Energy for Fat Loss

Ask yourself these following questions to see if you qualify for the subsequent fat burning information…

How often have you found yourself selling your energy levels short in the aim to lose unwanted body fat?

When was the last time you actually stuck to such a diet for more than two weeks?

Would you like to know the ‘secret’ to weight loss AND increased energy levels?

If you answered, very often, not very often and YES, YES, YES, YES PLEASE to the above 3 questions then….

Congratulations, you have been awarded the key to fat loss freedom city and high energy levels town (wherever they are).

Now I’m not referring to a specific diet out there, I’m actually writing about a number of diets from the Atkins diet through to the Weight Watchers diets.

I’m not saying these diets are wrong, what I am saying is that most of these diets are almost always missing out the key ingredient for fat loss and increased energy.






The White Stuff

No, not milk! That stuff should be left for calves to drink; we’re really not good at digesting cow’s milk at all. After all they do have 4 stomachs, well actually cows don’t have 4 stomachs; they have one stomach with 4 digestive compartments but that’s another story!!!

I’m on about Coconut Oil, the very same oil that was used to fatten up cattle in the 1940’s to make more money when they went to auction.

Don’t know that story eh?

Well, as coconut oil is one of the most highly saturated fats out there, the ‘clever’ farmers decided to feed their stock with coconut oil, as this would beef them up (excuse the pun) a little more. To their absolute horror, the cattle actually lost weight!

Does this prove how good coconut oil is?

Not yet…as I mentioned before I got carried away with cow facts, the cows actually lost weight, but they’re not as closely metabolically typed to us as pigs are.

Pigs are in fact the closest to our metabolic make up than any other living creature. So they tried the experiment on pigs and for all you bacon brunchers out there, no surprise…the pigs lost weight.

Excellent news for us, but how much should we take?

According to Bruce Fife, author of Eat Fat, Look Thin we should be taking about 3½ tablespoons a day. Now the way you actually take it is completely up to you, I personally take it straight off the spoon though the texture is a little strange.

What I advise for athletes wishing to benefit from coconut oil is to pour hot water in your water bottle and let it dilute with some form of carb or protein drink, as it is advised to take coconut oil with meals.




A False Hope

We are always told that footballers, marathon runners, trialthletes and nearly all sporting participants eat lots of pasta, rice, baked potatoes. All of the above helping to increase our energy levels and perform to a better standard, these foods are known as carbohydrates.

Yet when I put a client on a specific diet such as my diet, when they return to the pastas and the breads they all complain of feeling lethargic and bloated. In fact, one rugby player who I’ve started recently training, weighing in at a whopping 21 stone and 8lbs (302lbs) or (137kg) virtually lived off pasta!

Six weeks in and he’s already lost 20lbs of which is nearly all body fat!

How does he feel?

Fantastic, he boasts that his energy levels are up, he’s faster on the pitch and is able to run for longer.

I started by eliminating the pasta altogether as well as putting him on a strict tailored nutrition program to help sustain and increase energy levels and increase fat burning enzymes. One of these was coconut oil, the other being fish oils (another article).

Now it wasn’t just coconut oil that performed it’s magic, it was a range of nutritional strategies to match the clients metabolic type.


So what should you do?

Firstly, you need to invest in a tub of coconut oil, as it’s a saturated fat it’s in a solid form and yep, you guessed it; it’s white! (Well I did mention that earlier on).


Now if you didn’t press the delete button as soon as you noticed the word FAT, I will now reward you with the knowledge that coconut oil contains only 6.8 kcals per gram. All other fats (even good fats) contain 9 kcals per gram!


Here are a few more benefits about the wonder oil.

· It has no cholesterol
· It’s naturally organic
· It’s the best oil for cooking
· It contains lauric acid (found in mothers milk) helping support the immune system
· It helps prevent wrinkles and premature aging
· It’s packed full of antioxidants


Not bad eh?

Well, there is just one catch…if you feel that you’re not getting the true benefits of coconut oil. Then you may just be blood type O. According to Dr Peter J. D’Adamo author of ‘Eat Right For Your Type.’ Coconut oil or anything containing coconut has no nutritional benefits to O types. You may also be interested to know that O types tend not to favour Brazil Nuts for those who have read my Bank of Good Health.