It's that time of year again where the gym becomes overloaded with people looking to lose weight and get fit as part of their New Years Resolutions, but this is usually short lived and the gym, becomes the place with the normal faces that you've seen for the past few years and maybe a few of the new faces from the start of the new year.

The problem with New years resolutions is that so many people don't stick to them and their efforts will dwindle until you never see them again.

In this post I will give some advice and tips on how to stick to your journey and not give up so easily when taking on your resolutions.

1: Find a partner

Buddying up when it comes to going to the gym, can not only be safe when you need to have a spotter, but it can be motivational too. Having someone else to keep you accountable and to push you to your limits will help you progress further.
At the same time though this can be bad as if one person gives up the other is likely to also quit, so find someone that is in this for the long haul.

2: Don't Quit

This one sounds stupid, but it's true. The usual time it takes for someone to give up going to the gym is about 30 days. The reason for this is the person doesn't see enough progress and thinks that what they are doing is useless so goes back to their old ways.
You need to push past the 30 day period where going to the gym becomes a struggle and you're not seeing any progress, because believe me you will soon.
It takes around a month for you to see slight changes in yourself, but most of all this might not be on the scales. This leads me onto my next tip.

3: Take Progress Pictures

Throw away those scales after you've taken your starting weight. They'll only bring you down.
The measure of progress that you should be using are pictures. Take a progress photo at the start of your journey. One from the front with your hands by your side, one from the side with your arms outstretched and one from the back with your arms by your side.
The next time you should take another progress photo should be after about 6 weeks. You will be amazed at the difference, because you look at yourself in the mirror almost every day so don't notice slight changes. This is why pictures should be used as they are a great measure of your progress.

4: Track your lifts

Nothing is better than seeing the number on your lifts going up. It makes you feel proud and know that you are getting stronger. When I first started I could barely lift an olympic bar on bench press, now I look back and can't believe it was ever a struggle for me. My point is that tracking your lifts allow you to progress in a steady increase every time you reach your target reps for the weight you are on. Not tracking your lifts can leave you wondering what weight you were lifting and how many reps you managed last time. It can cause you to stall quite easily if you don't have something to remind you.
Get yourself a little journal and pen to take with you to the gym, or if you prefer there are plenty of apps that track workouts for you for most smartphones.

5: Make mini goals

Having one end goal is great, but it can sometimes make it seem farther away than it actually is, which can put you down and make you not want to workout anymore. Having mini goals set for a month away can make your journey a whole lot easier. If you want to lift an extra 5kg on your bench, it's a lot easier to obtain than wanting to get an extra 40kg on your bench, keep hitting that extra 5kg and before you know it you'll have added that 40kg you wanted. It's all about being realistic with your goals and not expecting to be the size of The Rock within a year if you're stating with a frame like Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

So that's my tips for sticking to your resolution.

Go out and smash 2014 and I hope to see all your progress pictures during the year.

What are Macros?

This is one common thing that confuses a lot of people when they begin looking at their diet in greater detail.

What are Macros?

Let's start off with an explanation of the term Macronutrients or Macros for short. macronutrient /mac·ro·nu·tri·ent/ (-noo´tre-ent) an essential nutrient required in relatively large amounts, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, or water; sometimes certain minerals are included, such as calcium, chloride, or sodium. Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. © 2007 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.


What does this mean in terms of your diet though?

Well eating the right ratio of each of these are important to your diet by providing you with the correct amount of calories based on your body weight and goals. The three main macronutrients are Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins.




Carbohydrates or "carbs" as they are better known are the primary source of energy for the body and the brain to function. These are used for everything. 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories.  



Fats are usually what people worry about due to common myths that fat is bad for you. This is not entirely true as the body needs fats in order to function. In fact your daily caloric intake should consist of approximately 20% fats. The key is to avoid trans-fats and saturated fats. Good fats, such as unsaturated fats and essential fatty acids, including Omega 3 and 6 can be good for you. Fats not only provide slow energy, but are important for proper hormone production and function, as well as muscle growth. 1 gram of fat= 9 calories

 Protein, like carbs and fat, also provides us with energy. Protein is the building block of the body. It is essential for repair, growth, maintenance, and structural support of the body. The right amount of protein in your diet can help you lose body fat and gain or maintain muscle. 1 gram of protein= 4 calories  


Macro ratios

There is no set ratio for macros in a diet, as this will vary person to person and also depends on your goals/activity levels. We will hopefully in the coming months be able to provide you guys with a calculator to workout your macronutrient targets based on goals.

 Hopefully this article has given you a bit more of a background information about Macros and cleared up any confusions that may you have. Any questions then please don't hesitate to comment below.