String Vest's Health and Fitness blog

Doing Kettlebell Workouts Like Jason Statham

2011-05-22T11:21:00.000Z

Decided to change my approach to fitness and muscle building and a pal down the pub said that Jason Statham is a kettlebell fan. He makes some great films and is a real action hero. His height and choice of clothes always seems to make him look less bulky and strong than he really is though.

So, I have a 16 kg kettlebell (thinking a 12 kg one may have been a better choice) and I am doing 2 arm swings, 1 arm swings, squats, high pulls, cleans, squat jumps and figure 8's.

Great fun and very tiring.

The other day I also started helping my brother with some house removals. That is real work. Knackered now!

How To Lose Belly Fat and Get a Flat Stomach

2010-08-18T08:44:00.000Z

If you are overweight and have put on a few pounds around your waist then now is the time to start losing your belly fat. Fortunately some excellent advice is at hand from the leaders in weight loss, MotleyHealth.com.

The best ways to lose belly fat are:

Change your diet - eat less sugar and consume more proteins and healthy fats. Sugar is found everywhere, especially in cereals, fruit juice, high GI foods, bread, pasta and white rice. So cut out all flour based food - yes, stop eating bread - and eat a low GI diet. Lots of healthy salads are recommended.
Start a new exercise regime. Even if you are active now you will respond better to doing new and different exercises. Do some weight training, build new muscles, get fit and make your cardiovascular system stronger.

The rues are simple, implementing is often the problem.

You need to be focused on the task ahead. Always believe in yourself. Losing weight and getting fit is not rocket science, it just requires a bit of hard work and determination.

Good luck!

How To Lose Weight

2010-02-05T18:37:00.000Z

It seems that there is a lot of fuss and confusion about losing weight, but if you go to MotleyHealth.com you will realise that learning how to lose weight is in fact an easy thing. The advice is easy to understand, and more importantly, easy to carry out. Fitness and weight loss could not be easier. Woot!

My Sort of Health and Fitness Advice - The Motley Way!

2009-12-16T17:40:00.000Z

So many people take fitness and working out way too seriously. Well, I have discovered the true way, and that us the Motley Fitness way. Over at Motley there are some excellent workouts and many health and fitness articles, but it is the laid back atmosphere that makes the site a great place to learn and to discuss. Questions on health and fitness are answered in a polite and professional manner. Many people visit motley fitness to learn to lose weight, especially lose belly fat. Get over there and check it out people!

Bruce Lee Abs Workout

2009-12-15T02:33:00.002Z

Bruce Lee was a God amongst us mere mortals. He was a man of steel, but steel that flowed like water. He was a living Wolverine. Every muscle was toned to total perfection. Espexially his abdominals. His amazing 6 pack.

Bruce Lee's abdominals were so well defined you could lie Bruce down on the floor and stand slices of toast in between them.

Bruce trained his abs relentlessly. Every day he did core exercises, either as part of a martial arts workout or bodybuilding / weight training.

A lot of the exercises Bruce did are no longer recommended due to back problems. But he loved standard military style sits ups, Roman chair exercises, as well as crunches and weighted abdominal exercises, hanging leg raises and side bends.

But getting abs like Bruce Lee is not just a matter of training like him. You need his genetics too, and eat like him, and have his willpower. I lack all of that myself. I binged tonight. I want to be fit, but I obviously just do not want it that much at the moment.

If you look old, it is because you are!

2009-12-15T01:53:00.003Z

People that look younger than others the same age as themselves tend to live longer. Natural deaths occur sooner in people that look like they have had a hard life.

Even adjusting for their real age, sex, and the environment in which they grew up, the perceived age of the twins was linked to their physical and mental agility and with the ability of their cells ability to replicate, a key sign of ageing.

Prof Kaare Christensen from the University of Southern Denmark, who led the study, said that the findings could prove the usefulness of comparing a person’s real age with how old they look as an indicator of their overall health.

“When assessing health, physicians traditionally compare perceived and chronological age, and for adult

patients the expression “looking old for your age” is an indicator of poor health,” the authors of the research write.

“Our study indicates that this practice, which has existed for decades if not centuries, 14is actually a useful clinical approach especially given that in a clinical setting perceived age is based on an array of indicators in addition to facial appearance.”

The research points out that many lifestyle habits which are bad for overall health, including smoking, sunbathing and eating junk food can also cause people to look older.

The findings were published in the British Medical Journal.

Poorer Becoming More Obese

2009-12-15T01:51:00.001Z

Lack of social mobility and financial security is leading to increased obesity rates in the poorer classes according to the BBC.

"A widening class gap is likely to be seen in the coming years in childhood obesity, a study suggests.
Previous research has suggested rates in England may be levelling off.
But the University College London team found this was happening most in children aged two to 10 from wealthier backgrounds.
Researchers said obesity rates among the lower classes were likely to be significantly higher by 2015 - for girls the levels may even be double.
They analysed data gathered by the government-funded Health Survey for England.
Currently 6.9% of boys and 7.4% of girls are obese - with the difference between the lower and higher classes 0.6% and 1.5% respectively for boys and girls.

The widening socio-economic gap may be partly due to difficulties to reach and communicate health messages to families from lower socio-economic groups

Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis, lead researcher

But using historical trends, they predicted that by 2015 obesity rates could be above 10% for boys and 8.9% for girls.

Depending on the extent of the "levelling off" reported last month, the overall rates could be even lower."

You Fatties Gotta Get Fit Innit!

2009-12-14T20:56:00.004Z

So, you wanna get fit 'cos you're a bit fat, but you love your burgers and cheese sarnies, so what do you do? Well, you gotta get off your backside and sort yourself out, workout, eat well, pump iron like your names Arnold Schwarzenegger, run like you are Usain Bolt, smack a golf ball about a park like your a Tiger in the Woods.

But how? Learn how on the web. Head over to Linkpedia and check out their health and fitness section. The directory includes information websites, personal trainers, gyms and fitness stores. Oh, and just found this list, its a bit slow to load, but a few tasty treats.

Christmas Gifts

2009-12-07T01:03:00.001Z

If you want to impress your friends and family this Christmas, buy everyone a healthy Christmas gift.

Christmas gifts for fitness instructors are also a great way of showing your appreciation for all the effort that they have put in over the last year.

The gift can be anything from a new yoga mat, some weight lifting gloves or a new exercise bike. Big or small, healthy gifts are all the rage at the moment.

Sandwiches and Chocolate Brownies

2009-02-20T13:46:00.004Z

Just had a lunch meeting with company directors, and my diet went out the window again. There was a huge array of sandwiches on offer, which meant that the wheat-free diet suffered in a major way. Then there were some very tasty chocolate brownies. I ate four. I could have had to be polite, but instead had four, as I am a fat pig.

On the bright side (of this week) my kung-fu master contacted me yesterday to ask when I will be training again. I have yet another cold at the moment, but hope to get back into training soon. Not everyone has the opportunity to learn the five point exploding heart technique from a kung-fu master, so I really should attempt to prove myself worthy and get my ass back in the swing of things.

Maybe tomorrow if I feel better.

Bruce Lee Fitness and Diet

2009-02-16T00:32:00.002Z

There is no doubt that Bruce Lee is still the greatest martial artist of all time. Van Damme, Norris, Jackie Chan, Jet Li - they are all good. They all have their own unique styles and they have all produced some great films. But for dedication, and athletic appearance, Bruce Lee is still the best.

If you want to learn more about the man, how he ate, how he worked out, then head over to MotleyHealth.com, as they have a few good articles on Bruce Lee.

Search for Bruce lee diet for more results

Time to get fit and lose weight, again

2009-01-03T21:53:00.002Z

God damn it, it's 2009 already, and I am still a lardy ass. My biceps got bigger, which disguised my beer belly a little, but they seem to have shrunk once again. Maybe due to lack of quaffing.

Talking of quaffing, Terry Pratchett has Alzheimers, that is sad news. Was that new news in 2008? I think so. Great writer, hope he stays well long enough to write some more disc world novels.

So, what will I be doing in 2009 to get myself in shape? Maybe I will drink Wu Yi tea and eat Acai berries. Then again, maybe I will get real and realise that these are just stupid marketing tricks that dumb witted nonces fall for. I mean, how can drinking tea and eating berries make you lose weight? What a load of bull. Just because Oprah Winfrey endorses these products does not mean that you can throw all logic out the window. Instead, drink PG Tips and grapefruits. This will help you lose weight just as well. In fact, grapefruit boosts your metabolism, so that will actually help.

I may start the MotleyHealth daily weight loss diet. Here it is:

Breakfast: Start the day with muesli and a grapefruit

Morning snack: Cottage cheese makes a good morning snack as it requires not preparation.

Lunch: Extra hot mince beef chilli, with extra kidney beans. For dessert eat a fat free yoghurt.

Afternoon snack: If your energy levels start to wane, grab a bag of pistachio nuts and munch your way through them. This should keep you going through to dinner. Have a whey protein shake too.

Dinner: Soup of the day, followed by baked salmon served on a bed of watercress and rocket.

Post workout (any time of day): Whey protein shake.

(Source:10 Foods For a Fat Burning Diet)

Wish me luck. String Vest really wants to get fit and lose some belly fat this year!!!!

Beer Belly Boys Build Big Biceps and Lose Belly Fat

2007-07-12T22:00:00.000Z

I was walking along the high street a few weeks ago and noticed my reflection in a shop window, and was shocked at how large my gut had got. I had noticed that my belt was a bit tighter, in fact I may have even loosened it a notch or two, but I really failed to notice haw fat I had got. So, I thought, Stringvest, you need to do something about this, you fat bastard. So what did I do? I hit the gym. And how did I train? Did I run, skip, row, swim? No, I lifted weights.

You see, I have a theory. In men, beer bellies are really the norm, onlt freakishly thin guys have six packs. So my master plan was thus: to build up my biceps and shoulders, to make my gut look smaller. If people see my huge arms (and biceps seem to be almost as easy for me to grow as a belly) then their gaze will not fall so rapidly to my fat beer belly. So I dedicated the next few weeks to working my biceps, triceps and shoulders to build my upper body. I decided to do a little research, and came across an article on how to lose belly fat. Already I see good results, my arms are bigger, and my gut has even got a little smaller due to me following the rules in the said article. So things are moving in the right direction. Already I have managed to tighten the belt, and maybe in a few more months I will be back to my old slim self.... maybe!

Too many burgers

2007-01-11T00:31:00.000Z

Well, I have probably spent most of the time since my last post eating burgers and drinking beer, and not a great deal of time exercising. But it is a new year, so time to make that effort - over the top for the last push - well, last until next year......

So it is back to the gym, pumping iron, hop, skipping and jumping to a fitter me!

Wish me luck.

Gonna do press ups now! G'me tweny! Count!

OK, I need to blog more! This is supposed to be a health and fitness blog.

2006-12-06T12:03:00.000Z

I have just realised that I have really been neglecting this blog, and seeing that I am housebound right now, this is a perfect opportunity to give some advice to my fellow bloggers and readers alike. Christmas is fast approaching, and for many that means that you will be eating and drinking more than at any other time of the year. If you do not "celebrate" Christmas, then this advice will still apply to you anyway! Personally I prefer to call Christmas the mid-winter feast, as I believe that that is what it was called before the Christians hijacked it from the pagans way back when. And as it falls at midwinter (22nd December) and I and my family generally feast, and never go to church, then Christmas is a name that should be dropped. But I digress. This is a health and fitness blog.

The following advice is what I generally attempt to do to get fit and lose weight.

Exercise more and Eat Less

OK, this is two things, but this simple advice is so important I felt that it should be mentioned in one hit.

Being a healthy weight is really very very simple. To lose weight, you eat less than your body needs (which is much less than your body desires).
To gain weight, eat more. To maintain a healthy weight, you eat just the right amount. The key thing to remember is that everyone is different. So just because your slim best mate eats the same as you and never puts on weight does not mean that this simple equation should be dusputed. Everyone has different metabolic rates, different daily habits, different diets etc. For instance, you may think that your best friend eats the same as you, as when you are out, you eat the same. But your slim best mate may have a smaller breakfast, and light evening meal. They may walk several miles to meet you, or may visit other friends and family in the evening and walk or cycle to see them. And they may be slightly more muscular than you are, which will help to increase their metabolism. What I am saying is, just because you think that someone else eats the same as you and they are not overweight, or obese, then the likelyhood is that you are wrong on the main assumption, and also you do not live the same life generally.

So, "great advice String" I hear you shout - but how is it done?

First thing to do, if you are serious about losing weight and getting fit, is to monitor what you eat. If necessary, keep a food diary. This should include everything that you eat, not just main meals. And everything that you drink too. So if you keep a diary for 2 weeks, make sure every fizzy drink, glass of wine, biscuit and peanut is noted down. It all adds up.
The purpose of this exercise is to highlight exactly what you are eating too much of. When I did this to help lose weight, I realised that i was eating too many pastries. I would never have realised without the food diary. Several times a week I would eat pies with a pastry topping (work canteen provided these) or cakes, sausage rolls, pork pies etc. So these were the first things to cut out.

Make sure that you eat a healthy breakfast every day

A healthy breakfast is very important. It kicks your metabolism into action first thing in the morning, meaning that you burn more calories. It also provides you with plenty of energy, meaning you are less likely to snack in the morning before lunch. And as we all know, snacking usually involves high sugar and high fat treats. Also, a healthy breakfast can provide essential nutrients at the start of the day. So porridge, or muesli, with extra servings of fruit is a great way to start the day. If you eat toast, make sure you always buy wholemeal/granary bread, as white bread is a waste of time and money. If you prefer your old salty sugary cereal, at least use honey instead of sugar to sweeten it further. Eat enough so that you do not crave any more food until lunchtime.

Exercise

Exercising is essential to losing weight. Although it is possible to lose weight by starting a very restrictive diet, exercise helps by making it easier to lose weight, and also ensures that you become fitter and therefore also healthier. People with active lifestyles live longer and have more fulfulling lives than couch potatoes.

Exercising can come in many forms though. Walking is probably one of the best forms of exercise. Everyone should be able to find the time to walk, whether it is walking to the shops, to school, or to work. If you daily routines do not provide the opportunity to walk, e.g. you live too far from shops, schools, work etc. then park further away that normal. From my experience parking costs more closer to stations etc. and sometimes you can find free residential parking if you look hard enough. This may be 20 minutes walk from the town centre, but this will mean you will walk for 40 minutes a day, and greatly improve your health.

Consider joining a local exercise class, or even a gym. Small exercise classes are usually better for keeping you motivated, and you can also meet new people, make friends etc. Large commercial gyms can be quite cold and impersonal at times, so only join these if you are sure that you can motivate yourself to keep going. Large gyms make their money by getting people to sign up at the start of the year, and then not returning. If you join a large gym and then nver go, they will not notice. If you join a small class and suddenly stop going, they / the instructor may call you to see what's up. This could be all you need to get back.

And a note to instructors / teachers: keep in touch with your students / members - call them or write to them if they stop going. They may need you to motivate them a little.
OK. That's all for now. If i carry on writing I will break rule number one, which was to have a good breakfast. Speak with you soon!

Chipped fibula has slowed my progress

2006-12-06T11:12:00.000Z

To try to get extra fit, I went along to a kick boxing class on Thursday, and managed to twist my ankle, resulting in a chipped fibula. So I am on crutches now, and will not be able to do any cardio exercise for some time. So my plan to get in shape before Christmas has failed! Hopefully I will be back in the kick boxing class in the New Year, but I will not be doing so many of the jumping turning kicks.

Maybe I will be able to get back to the weight gym (my garage) soon for some bench presses, shoulder presses and seated curls. Not sure what else I will be able to do while my ankle is so stiff and swollen ! Oh well.

Must not let a small injury setme back. I must keep focussed! Very difficult though when I am under Doctor's orders to do nothing and put my feet up. Nothing to do but watch TV and eat!

Compund weight training

2006-10-06T00:16:00.000Z

I have discovered compound weight training ! No more isolation exercises!
These compound exercises, or total body exercise movements, really help to get you trim and in shape. Cleans, squats, bench press, rows, they really help lose the pounds and tone up the whole body. Try them out.

Cheers,

SV.

Lose weight, get fit, stay in shape !

2006-09-17T15:59:00.000Z

Welcome to my Health and Fitness blog. Like many of you, I am always battling to keep in shape. Whether it be the excesses of the holiday season, with too much turkey and booze, or just the continuous battle against the ever increase waist line, there always seems to be something to spoil my plans to attain that perfect body.

Hopefully here I can share some of my methods of losing weight, staying trim and in shape, getting fit, and staying healthy.

Personally I prefer to use a combination of circuit training and weight training to stay in shape. This provides me with a good balance of cardio exercises to improve cardio vascular circulation and health, and building muscle to help increase the rest metabolic rate, and therefore burn more calories which would otherwise be turned to fat.

Currently my main resource of health and fitness advice is at Tranquillizer - Health, Fitness and Relaxation. This site has pages dedicated to weight training, body building, circuit training, aerobics, tai chi, yoga, alternative health methods such as massage, aromatherapy, diet and nutrition advice, plus advice on dealing with stress, and many health and exercise related articles.

The internet is a great place to look for advice when starting a new healthy lifestyle, as you are not restricted to reading just the opinions of one particular author of a book or video. With the internet you can source many articles to help you lose weight, get fit and stay healthy, and most of the advice is free at that!