Before you join a gym, hire a personal trainer or listen to any exercise instructor to help you with your new years resolutions, make sure that they fulfill a few essential criteria. These well-intentioned but often grossly uninformed, negligent or uneducated so-called ‘fitness professionals’ may be the very reason your weight loss and health goals are eluding you. Be sure that they meet the following basic requirements to be ‘fitness professionals’ before you take their advice and/or part with your money.

1) Do they ‘walk their talk’? First and foremost, your potential fitness professional should be a prime example of what you want to achieve. Their job is to set a good example and be someone you can look up and aspire to. Do they train regularly? Do they have goals? Do they follow the same healthy balanced diet they tell you to follow? Are they dedicated and disciplined? Do they avoid alcohol, fatty foods and sugar? Taking a good hard look at them will usually be the best way to determine this.

2) Are they qualified and experienced? As a bare minimum they should possess Cert III and Cert IV in Health and Fitness and also a current ‘Fitness Australia Accreditation’. Further qualifications such university degrees and/or special advanced courses (nutrition, pilates, rehab, special populations, strength conditioning, etc) should be part of your trainer’s arsenal.

3) Are they in it for the long-haul? Is this their career choice for life? Would they do this even if they weren’t getting paid? Or are they just doing this for a few years until they get bored and want to try something else like selling used cars or going to work on the mines?

4) Do they genuinely care about you and your goals? A great fitness professional needs to be genuinely passionate about helping you achieve your goals and improve your quality of life. Do they put some thought into your exercise and nutrition program? Do they become concerned when you haven’t been following it? Or do they just ‘wing it’ when you’re with them then forget all about you as soon as you leave?

5) Are they passionate learners? The health and wellness industry changes on a daily basis. New research and scientific discoveries are changing long-held beliefs all the time. Does he/she read every day about the latest research and findings? Do they attend seminars, lectures, classes, online forums and buy subscriptions to health magazines? Do they share new information with you to help you be your best? Or do they spend their spare time watching TV and hanging out at the pub?

If your potential ‘fitness professional’ doesn’t get an ‘A’ in most, if not all, of these basic requirements, BUYER BEWARE. (We’re glad to report that all of us here at Betterlife Studio tick all of these boxes. I know, shameless self-promotion but it’s my rant!)

With the arrival of this, and every new year, it’s common for most people to set some goals – usually regarding their health, weight loss and/or fitness. This is all well and good but we need to understand WHY we are setting these goals. Are your goals intrinsically or extrinsically derived? Intrinsic goals tend to be motivated by internal desires, thoughts and feelings about yourself. For example, you want to lose weight so that you feel confident when you go out wearing that little black dress or wearing your speedos at the beach. You may also want to get fitter so you don’t feel so exhausted all the time and you’d like to be able to climb a set of stairs without having a minor cardiac event. Extrinsic motivation however, tends to stem from a specific up-coming event, time or occasion you have planned. A wedding is a prime example. Whether it’s your own or someone else’s, it’s common for many women to train their butts off and practically starve themselves to drop as much weight as possible for the ‘big event’ (and usually just to try to impress other people). Then guess what happens afterwards? They’re too physically and mentally exhausted to keep up the hours of training and starvation diet and subsequently end up piling all the weight back on… and some more! They then need another big event to motivate them to train and diet and the whole process starts over again. But unfortunately, this yo-yoing wreaks havoc on the metabolism and just makes it harder and harder to lose fat each time. Folks, it’s fine to be motivated by a party, tropical holiday, wedding or reunion to help you get into shape, but please set yourself some intrinsic goals as well so that you can stay motivated for those times in between all those special occasions. Set some goals that are purely about your health, longevity, self-esteem and quality of life. Because at the end of the day, they’re what really matter…

We all know that this time of year can get pretty hectic. Tyring to fit in work, family, social functions, school commitments, Christmas, New Years and maybe a holiday means that your weekly routine is likely to get disrupted for quite some time. We tend to lose all CONSISTENCY – especially with our exercise and healthy eating. I’m sorry to say folks, but without CONSISTENCY, we will never achieve the health and fat-loss goals we so desperately want. Come to think of it, we can’t (and won’t) achieve anything in life without CONSISTENCY. If you’ve got a child who is currently doing their exams, I’m sure you regularly preach the importance of CONSISTENCY with their study so that they can achieve good grades. If you happen to be learning a new instrument, hobby or sport, you’ll realise that CONSISTENCY with your practice is paramount. Heck, we even need to turn up to work with CONSISTENCY so that we can earn a living and not get fired! So, why is it that we don’t commit to our exercise program and healthy eating plan with CONSISTENCY throughout the whole year and then still complain about our lack of results?? Folks, if you’re trying to shed fat, improve your health or boost your fitness, you’ve got to exercise and eat healthily with CONSISTENCY… no matter what else you’ve got going on in your life. You can tell yourself that you ‘just don’t have the time’ or ‘something has come up’ or ‘I’m really busy at work this time of year’… but they are just excuses. And in 12 months time when you realise that you still haven’t achieved the health and fat-loss you’ve been dreaming of, no one else will know or even care. But I’m sure you will…

Christmas and all the associated holidays, festivities and parties will soon be upon us. As a personal trainer for the last 13 years, I feel pretty safe in saying that there aren’t many people who actually manage to lose weight during this time of the year, let alone just maintain their weight! Unfortunately, most folks are still trying to drop the extra weight they gained over winter when the Christmas season rolls around. So by the time you’ve attended a few work functions, dinners with friends, family lunches and then spent a week away on holiday, you’ve probably eaten all the wrong things, drank way too much alcohol and forgotten about your regular exercise regime entirely. It then becomes easy to see how you not only fail to drop those winter kilos, but you end up carrying a few extra summer kilos too by the time next winter rolls in!! Folks, if you want to avoid the slow constant increase in weight that most people experience every year (and before they know it are 20kg overweight!), then you absolutely must make this time of year a HEALTHY time of year. First and foremost, you need to be doing MORE exercise, not less, to compensate for all the extra calories you’ll be eating and drinking. Then, you need to show some self control at functions and limit your portion sizes and food choices. Remember… the holiday season is meant to be about spending time with loved ones and celebrating the year that has passed. It is NOT a time to stuff you face with whatever your heart desires. Just take small consistent steps to avoid the dreaded weight gain this silly season and I promise you will be so glad you did when you realise that you are starting the new year lighter, leaner, fitter and healthier than you have been in years. And that’s just about the best Christmas present anyone could ask for.

Quite often you’ll hear scientist, doctors and medical experts say that some people are genetically predisposed to certain conditions, addictions, illnesses and behaviours due to their genetic ‘makeup’, so to speak. With the amazing advances being made in science, you can even have your entire genome mapped out for you (for a price of course) to let you know your ’predisposition’ to various disease, conditions, addictions and even behavioural traits. This has caused quite some controversy with the civil libertarians as we run the risk of using such information in the future to determine whether a person will receive a job, insurance, a loan and even a child. But that’s another topic entirely…

Unfortunately, I often see people use their genes, their upbringing, genetic predispositions and their family history as the reason, an excuse or even validation for their current poor health, obesity and unhappiness. Whilst there’s no debate that these factors can contribute to your current state, I refuse to accept and believe anyone who says these are the reasons to blame. If you are using something like this to justify your current state, then I’m sorry my friend, but you are just taking the easy road by finding an excuse to pass the blame on to and avoiding taking complete responsibility for every aspect of your life. Yes, you may find it tougher than others to lose weight, build muscle, keep your cholesterol levels down, get fit, earn a living and be a good spouse or parent, but that’s no reason to give in and just settle with what you’ve currently got. Work with what you’ve been given while striving for all that you desire! Bad genes, a hard upbringing, an addictive personality, an unhealthy family history are all like a loaded gun- yes they can be dangerous, but it’s you who decides whether you pull the trigger and allow them to ruin your life. You must do all that you can each and every day to make sure that this gun never goes off…

In my line of work I see plenty of people who successfully lose fat, build muscle, increase their health and fitness and generally improve their quality of life. Unfortunately, I see just as many who do not achieve the results they so desperately want. There are many reasons why some people fail to achieve results, but I believe one of the key reasons is that they get too hung up on counting calories. A lot of so called ‘diets’ promote calorie counting and/or counting ’points’, but these usually fail to deliver long lasting fat-loss results. Some folks feel the need to weigh all their food, measure absolutely everything and count every single calorie that they ingest. If this sounds like you… PLEASE STOP! First and foremost, this is mentally draining and too time consuming. You need to make your eating habits enjoyable and convenient, otherwise you are doomed to fall off the wagon. Secondly, please understand that your daily calorie requirements change from day to day depending on your activities, hydration, mood, sleep and energy levels. It is impossible to predict exactly how many calories we need each day just like it’s impossible to predict how many millilitres of petrol our car is going to use each day when we’re filling it up at the petrol station. (What happens if we get stuck in a traffic jam or have to take an extra drive we hadn’t planned on… we run out of fuel!) Furthermore, we must realise that our body burns calories just trying to digest different types of calories. So, if a piece of chicken has 100 calories, you might burn up 20 of those calories by digesting that piece of chicken. So, the net gain is only 80 calories. And furthermore… the degree to which a food is cooked will also change the number of calories you actually absorb. As you can  see, it’s nearly impossible to predict your exact calorie requirements and even count the amount you actually absorb. Now I know that those of you who have received a customised nutrition plan from us (which includes a daily calorie total) are probably a bit confused right now, but we give you a calorie target not for you to obsess over, but to show you how much food you should be eating and how frequently you need to be eating it to achieve the results you want. This should  also show you… not how little you should be eating… but how much you can be eating and still burn fat and sculpt a lean, sexy physique. Yes, to lose fat you absolutely need a calorie deficit so that your body burns fat to make up the balance, BUT… don’t obsess day in and day out about the amount of food you’re eating. Once you know your rough calorie requirement, you will get a feel for how much food you need to be eating each day and how big each meal should be.

In Stephen Covey’s book (7 Habits of Highly Effective People), he refers to what he called “the law of the farm.” This represents the fact that all the truly good things in life take time and can’t be forced or rushed. Covey described the process of farming and alluded to how it requires patience and diligence to grow crops properly. In addition, farming requires belief in the system. The farmer must believe that all the hard work and preparation will eventually yield a long term result. As a business owner and personal trainer, the concept has always stuck with me. The process of exercising is much like farming. There are no immediate results from exercise and there are no immediate results from farming. First, the seeds must be planted. Then fertilizer (nutrition) and water must be applied consistently. Much like fertilizer in farming, too much food can be a detriment to the exerciser. Only the correct amounts cause proper growth. Overfeeding can cause problems, as can underfeeding. As a farmer sits and waits for his crops to grow, you’ll feel many of the same frustrations when starting a new weight loss regime. When will you see results? Why is nothing happening? All this work and… nothing. The key is to not quit. Have faith in the process. Continue to exercise, add water, nutrients and wait. Farming and exercising are very similar. Suddenly your clothes will fit better and you’ll receive compliments about your appearance. Much like the first blades of crop poking through the ground, you begin to see signs of success. When my friends or clients talk to me about their frustration with their initial lack of progress in a weight loss program, I always bring up the farm analogy. We live in a world obsessed with quick fixes and instant results. An exercise program must be approached over a period of weeks and months, not days. The reality is that there is no quick fix, no easy way, no magic weight loss plan, no secret cellulite formula. There is only the law of the farm. In reality, you will reap what you sow and care for. If you are consistent and diligent with both diet and exercise, you will eventually see results!

I’d like to share with you one of my favourite poems (unfortunately I don’t know who the author is). Hopefully it helps you get through those tough times when all you want to do is throw in the towel…

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
 when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
 when the funds are low and the debts are high,
 and you want to smile but you have to sigh.
 When care is pressing you down a bit, rest if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, as every one of us sometimes learns, and many a failure turns about, when he might have won had he stuck it out. Don’t give up though the pace seems slow, you may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than, it seems to a faint and faltering man. Often the struggler has given up, when he might have captured the victor’s cup, and he learned too late when the night slipped down, how close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out,
 the silver tint on the clouds of doubt, 
and you can never tell how close you are,
 it may be near when it seems afar.
 So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit, 
it’s when things go wrong that you mustn’t quit!

I suggest you write this poem out for yourself and put it up so you can see it wherever and whenever you need it most!

I don’t know whether it makes me more sad or more mad, but nothing rattles my cage more than so-called ‘sporting celebrities’ endorsing crap on TV. Now I’m not talking about crap like cheap cars, blinds, power tools or automobile finance. Hey, if you want your name to be associated with those types of products, power to you my friend. But what I can’t tolerate is seeing Brett Lee or Tim Cahill telling me that they ‘do 9 Weetbix for breakfast’ and asking me how many I do. I’ll tell you how many! None! And that’s because I took the time to actually learn about  Weetbix and what it would actually do to my body if I ate them. These guys and all the other sports stars we see on TV ads are meant to be the epitome of health and fitness, I just hope and pray that they are ignorant enough to not really know how bad the food they promote actually is for the average person. Because if they DO know and still agree to promote it, then they are no celebrities to me, they then just become part of the problem and part of the reason why over 50% of Australians are battling with their weight and health. The name Shannon Ponton springs to mind here. The apparently well educated and very experienced Biggest Loser personal trainer promoting Dominoes Pizza??? What the…??? That there my friend is greed, pure and simple. He can’t plead ignorance here, he knows exactly what a pizza will do to your arteries and waist line. I guess they offered him just enough money to drown out the little voice in his head telling him not to do it. I just hope that Grant Hackett doesn’t actually know what they put in the muesli bars he loves so much…

Maybe it’s the Italian blood in me, but I have the habit of always looking for the best deal, the lowest price, the ‘bargain’ of the year and haggling to get a better price. You’d think I’d learn my lesson by now because time and time again, this has come back to bite me in the bum. For example, whenever I need any sort of large-scale professional work done, I always look for the cheapest tradesman around. You know the one… has a tiny add in the yellow pages, no company name or logo and arrives wearing his thongs. As expected, his work is cheap, but usually ends up being sloppy, incorrect or leaves it even worse than before he started! So, I then end up calling a reputable, licensed and expensive tradesman to fix the sloppy work and do the job properly. This obviously ends up costing me twice as much and takes twice as long as it would have if I had just called the right guys in the first place! Hopefully you can see where I’m going with this folks…

While our training services may not be the cheapest in town, we are the best and we are the right people to help you achieve your health, wellness and fat-loss goals. Sure, there’s other personal trainers around who have just finished their 6 week course and only charge $45 per session. But their lack of experience and lack of qualification means they’re not worth a higher rate. And sure, there are big gyms offering full access to their flashy equipment, swimming pools and tennis courts for only $15 a week… but it’s not the equipment that gets you results… IT’S THE SERVICE. As the saying goes folks: You get what you pay for! Don’t skimp on your health, it’s the most important thing you have. After all, would you want a back-yard uni student to do your open heart surgery? No, I’m guessing you’d want the best, most qualified, most experienced heart surgeon specialist available… regardless of the cost.