Okay, have completely run out of motivation this week. Have actually done little of my planned workouts or planned meals and am coasting buying crap off ebay late into the night and as soon as I get up in the morning.
I am going to take a week off, have a clear out at home, eat some junk food and watch tele.
I am going to sell off some equipment - as I have built up more than I actually want. I am going to sell off some watches - as my collection has grown again to over 20. I need to get amazoning books again for I have stacks and stacks of them everywhere and I want the space back. And I am going to sell off / give away some clothes for I have packed out my wardrobes again.
I am going to buy a new (paper) notebook and start a new training log and set some new goals for the autumn / winter. I want also to plan meals again so that I cut of the sugar from my diet a it has really crept back in over that last 6 weeks.
Historically, September is a bad month for me and my moods go all over the place, so I want to try to avoid this and do some basics again soon and keep myself on the straight and narrow after a pretty good run over the summer of stability.
Let's play cards... Take a pack of cards, shuffle well, then start turning over... Black cards = push ups Red cards = hindu squats The card value is the number of reps. Picture cards are 10's, Ace's 11 Jokers = 6 mins skipping
Saute onion, garlic and bell pepper in the melted butter in pan over medium heat. Saute until onion is golden brown and bell pepper is cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix in spinach and mushrooms and let cook for another minute or so
Whack on the feta and 1/2 the cheddar cheese and let melt into the mix
Mix milk and eggs mixing in a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pop vegetable mix into bottom of pie crust then pour beaten eggs on top. If you can, try to let some of the spinach rise into and mix with the egg.
Bake for 15 minutes, then place remaining cheddar on top.
Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the lime juice and zest. Stir well and leave them to marinate for an hour.
Cook the chicken, until golden.
Add the chilli, stir-fry for 1 more minute, and add the coconut milk, fish sauce and half the coriander and spring onions. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, then serve with rice and the remaining coriander and spring onions sprinkled over.
20 mins yoga comprising: Getting ready: (2-3 minutes) Sit in a cross-legged position, close your eyes, focus attention on the breath - breath in through your nose and out through the mouth and gradually deepen the breath and elongate your spine Warm ups: (3-5 minutes) Slow knee circles 3x each side Circle the hips, circle the torso Circle your outstretched arms forward and backwards x 3 Shake your hands, wrists, elbows Swing arms to the right and left x 3 Rotate your head left and right and then drop your chin towards your chest x 3 Asanas: (15 minutes) Mountain Balancing knee to chest Six movements of the spine Modified cobra Downward dog Upward dog Child Wind relieving pose Knee down twist Relaxation Lie flat on your back, hands at your side, palms up, eyes closed
This is a repost of an article and my reply to it by Chris over at The Garage Gym Online
After much soul searching (no, not really), I’ve decided to take the plunge and get qualified as a personal trainer.
Why would you do that?
Well, I work at the sharp end of corporate finance at the moment. I help people raise debt and equity funding and I help them buy and sell businesses. For some it would be a dream job and don’t get me wrong, I enjoy doing it. I just don’t see myself doing it ten years from now.
Late night completions are not uncommon and it’s routine for stressful problems come crawling out of the woodwork like lice during due diligence. It’s never boring (which is why I got into it in the first place) but it can be pretty hard going.
OK, what are you expecting to get out of the qualification?
I am hoping to get:
1.a qualification that will enable me to work formally with people doing what I already enjoy helping people do;
2.a framework of understanding that will help me consolidate what I know about training and broaden my knowledge base; and
3.an idea of where my knowledge gaps are.
Point 1: A qualification
I am under no illusions that a qualification is a pass into an industry and not an education. The education comes with extensive reading, conferring with others and experimenting within the parameters that are available. I’m actually really excited to be thinking about the whole new arena of learning opportunities that the qualification will open up to me.
Point #2: A framework
When I was exploring what training provider to use, I emailed my friend Rob Newman for his recommendations and he volunteered that the main benefit of the course was the formalisation of knowledge he mostly already had.
I think that is the main thing that I’m looking for: a framework to hang the knowledge that I already know and to hang knowledge that I want to develop in the future.
I want to understand the broader spectrum of training requirements. What does that mean? Well, from training myself and Anna (and one or two other willing guinea pigs), I feel that I’ve developed some quite detailed understanding of certain specific areas. For example, I feel that I have experience of how to:
ascertain whether someone is very fast-twitch dominant (me) or very slow-twitch dominant (Anna) and programme accordingly in order to develop strength
take a female trainee from doing no pull ups to being able to do half a dozen
work up to a one-arm chin without getting tendonosis (or tendonitis, for that matter)
work on back squat form to get from way, way above parallel down to parallel
identify common indications of glute weakness and help develop strength there
But there are many things that I do not know how to do. I have read about many of them but that doesn’t mean I fully understand them because I have never tried them. For example, I don’t really know how to:
put together programmes to support specific sports, such as time trial cycling (very popular in my area), rowing, rugby or football
take the powerlifts above national qualifying levels
train an obese beginner
correct for muscular imbalances that I haven’t experienced
assess someone more generally for weaknesses and immobility
Point #3: Knowledge gaps
Finally, I know that there are things that I don’t know that I don’t know. I would like to make those things fewer. I want to increase the things that I do know and the things that I know that I don’t know. Confused? Here’s Donald Rumsfeld to clarify it for you…:
“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.”
I love that quote. I think Mr Rumsfeld is one of the great existential philosophers of our age. Here he is in action:
Here’s to making some of my unknown unknowns into known unknowns.
My reply:
Good luck with it Chris – not that you’ll need it…
Funnily enough, Corporate Finance was my speciality as well, although I built a GP firm up as a sole prac so as to provide a basis of income, sitting deals on top of it only once I had merged with a larger outfit.
I too recognised that I had at most about 10 years living at the pace I did. In the end I lasted 6 before exploding.
To me also, PT work was an attractive proposition. But, I believe, PT work will not an income make.
I tried to build a client base in this when things exploded for me in accountancy and I got out of hospital. (And although I say it myself, I am a good marketeer and salesman when I put my mind to it)
I tried 1 on 1 and boot camps and started to get some income together picking up 5 viable classes and 7 1 on 1 clients in 3 months, but it wasn’t reliable and so I was forced to take on the day job I have.
Ironically, I have found that I actually like my day job 95% of the time (In accountancy that was the other way around, hating it 95% of the time).
I never planned to go into retail but seem to have a bit of a flair for it and have progressed from backstage box lifter and breaker down to manager of a high street small store in 22 months. I have have learnt a huge amount about actually running a business in the process.
The problems with PT income are also why I tried to move into physiotherapy, a fairly natural progression from PT and Sports Therapy.
But again, a combination of the legal cases I have against my former partners (who took circa £800k from me when I broke down) and the ICAEW (who punished me for being mentally ill) together with the clear lack of jobs for qualified physios discouraged me significantly and contributed to the present suspension of my studies (I have 5 years to return to them)
Hey, I’m not trying to put you off – even if it looks like it – and I myself have overcome many many people telling me things were not possible in the past, but I am going to be enormously interested in where you take this.
Gradually whisk in the milk; cook 3 to 5 minutes until thickened, stirring constantly.
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat.
Combine all the cheeses - you should have about 4 cups. Stir 3 cups of the mixed cheeses in the the milk sauce, stirring to combine. Mix remaining 1 cup of cheeses with the bread crumbs; set aside.
Pour cheese sauce and parsley over pasta, tossing to combine.
Transfer pasta to a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and bake uncovered 15 minutes until bubbly.
Remove from oven.
Sprinkle on reserved cheese and bread crumb mixture. Bake in oven 5 to 10 minutes, until top is golden brown and crusty.
The program was three rounds of: Shoulder the load, 5 left, 5 right 1min grab walk 10 x grip and bent over row 1 min grab walk 10 x clean and press (THE BEST STRENGTH BUILDER THERE IS!) 1 min grab walk 10 x zercher squats 1 min grab walk
Momentous posting this - its the 365th workout of the day, a full year a workouts!
2x5 mins skipping Turkish get up left side with 16kg KB. When up do 20 walking lunges. Turkish get up right side with 16kg KB. When up do 20 walking lunges. 20 Swings left hand only 5 overhead squats left hand 20 Swings right hand only 5 overhead squats right hand Turkish get up left side. When up do 20 walking lunges. Turkish get up right side. When up do 20 walking lunges.
Chop sausage in bit sized pieces and saute for 10 minutes.
Using the same oil add the onion and garlic. Fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
Add the mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes, until browned.
Stir in the rice and coat in the oil. Pour in the cinzano and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed.
Add a ladleful of the stock and simmer, stirring again, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is plump and tender.
Add the frozen peas and stir through.
Add the sausage and stir into the risotto, along with the butter and salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.
For the tomato sauce, cook the sliced garlic in the oil for 1 min, then add the passata. Season, half-cover the pan and simmer for 20 mins until rich.
Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Put the milk, flour andbutter into a pan. Heat, whisking non-stop, until smooth, then bubble for 3 mins, stirring to make sure any flouriness is lost. Cool for 5 mins, then stir in the mustard, most of the cheddar, half the blue cheese and half the nutmeg.
Boil the penne and cauliflower for 8 mins in salted water until the pasta is almost cooked and the cauli is tender. Keep 2 tbsp water from the pan, then drain. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan, add the whole garlic clove, spinach, remaining nutmeg, salt and lots of black pepper. Stir for 2 mins, then remove the garlic clove.
Set aside cheese sauce and mix the rest into the cauli and pasta. Divide half the tomato sauce between 2 dishes and top with some spinach. Fill with cauli mix, top with more spinach, then the rest of the tomato sauce. Top with the cheese sauce, cheeses and pine nuts.
Cook at 180C for 18-20 mins until golden and bubbling.
500g cooked potatoes cold and cut into small chunks
2 tsp hot, sweet paprika
small handful parsley , roughly chopped
Method:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the bacon and onion together for 10 mins until the bacon is golden. Lift out of the pan onto a plate, then add the potatoes and fry for 10 mins more until golden.
Tip in the paprika, season well, then fry for another min, stirring to release fragrance.
Return the bacon and onion, taste for seasoning, then add the parsley. Serve hot with a poached egg.
Wash the courgettes and chop into chunks. Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes.
Peel and slice the onion. Crush the garlic.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic. Lightly fry for about 5 minutes to soften.
Add the potatoes to the pan, cover with half of the stock or water, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes until half-cooked.
Add the courgette chunks, salt and pepper to taste, chopped oregano and basil and the rest of the stock or water, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fully cooked.
Blend to make a smooth pureee.
Return to a clean pan, re-heat and add the cream, grated parmesan and chopped chives without boiling.
Serve with a sprinkling of cheese on the top of the bowls.
Chop the chicken meat and dice the onion and green onion.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into the wok and cook over medium heat, turning over once. Cook the other half the same way. Cut the egg into thin strips, and save for later.
Stir-fry the onion on high heat for a few moments, remove and set aside. Do the same for the green peas.
Add oil, turn down the heat to medium and stir-fry the rice. Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper and oyster sauce.
Add the chicken, onion and green peas and combine thoroughly. Serve chicken fried rice with the strips of egg on top and the green onion as a garnish.
Put the unpeeled potatoes in a large, deep pan and fill with enough water to cover them (seawater is even better).
For every kilogram of potatoes add a quarter of a kilogram of salt - it doesn't matter if you put in more, as the potatoes absorb only what is necessary.
Put the pan on the heat and cover it with a clean cloth on top of which the lid is placed.
Boil the potatoes for half an hour.
Pour away the water and drain the potatoes well.
Without taking them out of the pan throw another handful of salt over them and dry them on a low heat while shaking them inside the pot for a short time (usually just under a minute).
Okay, today is my day off from the day job, so I'm going to do a killer:
20 Deadlifts 60Kg Run 400m
20 KB swings Run 400m
20 Overhead Squats 40Kg Run 400m
20 Burpees Run 400m
20 Pullups Run 400m
20 sky squat jumps Run 400m
20 Cleans 40kg Run 400m
Heat the oil add the onion and garlic. Fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
Add the mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes, until browned.
Stir in the rice and coat in the oil. Pour in the cinzanoand simmer, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed.
Add a ladleful of the stock and simmer, stirring again, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is plump and tender.
Roughly chop the soaked mushrooms and stir into the risotto, along with the butter and salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.
Heat the oven to 180C. Heat the butter in a pan and cook the onions for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until they become sticky and golden. Remove from the heat.
Beat the eggs and gradually add the cream.
Stir in the onions and half the cheese, season with salt and pepper.
Carefully tip the filling into the case, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, then bake for 20-25 mins until set and golden.
Been a lazy week this week. Nothing special stopping me from working out; no extra hours or odd shifts or mood problems, just haven't really been interested or thought about exercise... until tonight anyway. Going to pick up again from tomorrow with a 3 mile jog.
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