Back To School

My lovely girlfriend was telling me about this lunatic she works with; he’s like the forrest gump of the I.T world, one day he just started running and he just hasn’t stopped! He’s found another slightly de-ranged fella to be his running buddy and the two “marathon men” are embarking on the slightly ridiculous challenge of completing 12 marathons in 12 months!


So I decided I would help out and make sure they were in a fit state to head off on their little adventure...

A little bleep test to determine their current fitness level and give me a bit more information to put a specific training programme together, and obviously a nice way to see them suffer and find out if they’ve got the staying power!...

Here’s Jamie’s take on the afternoon...

Sunday afternoon began with the feeling of returning to school as we prepared ourselves for the physical challenge that is the 20 metre bleep test.

Set in one of the gymnasiums at the old College for Education, now Northumbria Police HQ I really expected Mr Sugden, the PE teacher from Kes, to march in armed with whistle in hand and barking orders!

Fortunately we were joined by David Osgathorp, a high profile personal trainer from London, who was on hand to give us some much needed advice and feedback from the results from the test.

Langley and Jamie were joined by Judy and Zach for the opening stages of the test, but Zach soon found other interests (mostly climbing on police mannequins and peddling like the dickens on one of the many exercise bikes dotted around the room) and Judy later dropped out leaving the two marathon men to push themselves as far as their legs would take them.



The test had certainly picked up its pace by level 9 (or were we just slowing?) and the pair sprinted from point to point to hit the beats. Looking good at level 11 quickly turned to lagging behind as level 12 closed in. Langley reached shuttle 10 in level 11 before dropping and Jamie fell a shuttle later - showing how equal our relative fitness levels are as a pair.

We await the results with trepidation and David will be setting us a series of personal goals to help us in our build up to Anglesey.

If this wasn't enough we then set off on a 16 mile riverside run from Newburn back to Hexham. A tough run, but very rewarding on completion.
The training programme is on it’s way fella’s...
If you want to find out more about Langley and Jamie’s challenge head over to www.marathonmen.co.uk and help them in their goal to raise money for www.tinylives.org.uk

I’ve been inspired by their goal and if these dodgy old knees can take it then I may even join them for one of their marathons (let me know the flattest course fella’s ;-))

I’ll keep you all updated on their progress.

What's The Dukan Diet All About?

The Dukan diet has been getting a lot of press lately with A-list stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Giselle Bundchen and most recently Victoria Beckham reportedly following it to lose their post pregnancy pounds. But what is it? How does it work and is it safe?

French doctor Pierre Dukan is responsible for creating the diet over 10 years ago as a treatment protocol for his obese patients.



It is essentially a four-phase, high protein, high fibre, low calorie diet and has certain similarities to the Atkins diet in its extreme nature and in the results patients expect to see. Apparently dieters can lose as much as 1-2 pounds per day during the initial “Attack” phase.

How does it work?
Phase 1, the "Attack" phase, is quite simple: Eat all you want of lean protein, along with 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran and 1.5 litres of water daily. That’s it. Dieters can choose from 72 lean or low-fat meats (excluding pork and lamb), fish, poultry, eggs, soya and non-fat dairy.

This is followed by the "Cruise" phase, which allows unlimited amounts of 28 non-starchy vegetables every other day along with a core diet of unlimited lean/low-fat protein and two tablespoons of oat bran.

Carrots, peas, sweetcorn and potatoes are not on this list of vegetables but appear in the next phase.

Phase 3, "Consolidation," allows unlimited protein (including pork and lamb) and vegetables every day, along with one piece of low-sugar fruit, two slices of granary bread, and one portion of hard cheese. Dieters can also have 1-2 servings of starchy foods and 1-2 "celebration" meals

Phase 4, "Stabilisation," is the maintenance portion of the plan. Which includes rules such as one day a week, follow an all-protein diet as in Phase 1, eat three tablespoons of oat bran a day and walk for 20 minutes daily and never take elevators or escalators.

So is this the answer and should we all just follow this to achieve great results?

Well, in short, NO!

Any diet that encourages the body to deplete its glycogen stores will have a negative affect on the body; the book warns dieters they may suffer from bad breath, constipation, dry mouth and fatigue, all indications of ketosis which is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening state that stresses the liver.

As a health and fitness professional I feel it is my responsibility to bring about lasting change, to look at creating optimal health through safe and effective exercise and nutrition.

All the evidence out there points to the fact that diets simply don’t work. Anything that is so restrictive in its nature to cause such drastic weight loss can not be good for your body.


My first issue is the difference between weight loss and fat loss. You can head to the toilet and lose a few pounds of “weight”; you can reduce your water intake for a day or two and have the same effect. The truth is you need a long term healthy approach to diet and an effective exercise programme to bring about lasting change to your body composition and fat levels.

Burning 3,500 calories will result in a 1 pound of fat weight loss. Now that is going to be a seriously tough training session for a pretty small amount of progression. That’s why any fat loss based exercise programme MUST contain a supervised nutritional element.

You can’t out-train a bad diet!

Unfortunately for us Health and Fitness Professional the glossy magazines out there absolutely love to report on the eating and exercise habits of “celebrities”. If Posh Spice is doing it then it must be amazing!



Why are women so obsessed with what she does?!

The simple fact is that she has been in good shape her whole life. It’s up for debate as to whether she has been healthy for that time!

All of the women you see in magazines have never been seriously out of shape. 90% of the photo’s you see of them have been air brushed and most of them have probably had an eating disorder or two over the years and yet we still aspire to be like them?!!

The simple truth is the quick fix approach will produce quick fix results that produce rapid “weight” loss but rarely result in long-term success as the restrictive nature is extremely difficult for dieters to adhere to.

Our advice is to work with a professional who can not only provide exact exercise and nutritional advice tailored to your individual needs but also provide the accountability to enable you to stick to this programme.

For information on our training and nutritional programmes contact us at the studio: david@aayou.co.uk

Personal Boot-camp training with All About You Performance and Wellbeing

Do you need to get in shape for a holiday, a wedding, a sports event or just want RESULTS FAST? Are you willing to work hard for them? Then a personal boot-camp with All About You Performance and Wellbeing could be for you.

Our personal boot-camps are an intense, bespoke series of workouts designed with one goal in mind; RESULTS! At All About You Performance and Wellbeing we understand that sometimes people just do not have the time to dedicate months to an exercise or fitness goal, therefore we are now offering this personal boot-camp service.

The boot-camp consists of a short term commitment of either 4, 5 or 6 weeks. Each week there will be four workouts, each offering a different way pushing you to the limits. The exercise sessions may include; resistance training, outdoor cardio workouts, boxing, circuits, body weight training, flexibility and much more. A diet plan will also be provided to compliment the exercise programme.

The boot-camps are hard work, be prepared to sweat, but they offer a safe and fun way of getting you GUARANTEED RESULTS!




You can use the boot-camp for whatever fitness goal is necessary. It could be getting beach fit for holiday, ski fit for the winter, running a 5km or 10km race. Farah aged 30, used her 6 week programme as a Bridal Boot-camp so she could drop a dress size for her big day. Check out her results; she lost 7lbs, including 2inches of her tummy and over an inch off her waist and hips.

“…the boot-camp was hard work, but worth it. I feel thinner, more toned and have bags of energy….”

The cost of the boot-camp depends on the option you choose, there are 4, 5 or 6 week programmes available. So if you are interested in finding out more about this exciting new guaranteed results service, please contact James Hutchison at the studio.

Studio number: 0208 348 9706
Mobile: 07979 022120
Email: james.hutchison4@btinternet.com

Does Weight Training Make Women Bulky?

There are numerous myths and scare stories around the issue of female resistance training that cause most women to stay well away from the weights room in the gym through the fear of growing bulky muscles.

This simply won’t happen!



The truth is that women don’t have enough of the hormones in their body that allow for increased muscle mass. In fact they actually have 10 to 30 times less amounts of testosterone and human growth hormone than males.

In fact most male weight trainers will tell you that simply lifting weights isn’t going to guarantee instant muscle gain. It takes serious dedication, a precise and appropriate weight training programme, a strict and scientifically engineered diet complete with dietary supplementation and for a number of guys, chemical enhancement to see these results!

Muscle mass just won’t suddenly appear because you dare to lift weights. Unfortunately many women believe this myth and therefore miss out on all of the benefits that strength training offers.

Weight training is incredibly beneficial to women and my team of trainers and I incorporate some form of strength training element into all of our female client’s programmes. The down side is that YES, it may mean that your overall weight may go up but as I always say to my clients “is the number on those scales really important if you look and feel so much better?”

The bottom line is that muscle tissue weights more than fat. Therefore, as you increase your muscle tissue, your "weight" will increase.



However, here’s the good bit, Muscle is thermogenic which means that by having more of it this will increase your resting metabolism. The denser your muscle tissue, the more calories you will burn even at a complete rest. Those with dense muscles burn more calories by just engaging in their regular daily activities. In fact, research shows that for each pound of muscle earned, you will expend 35 to 50 more calories per day. So, if you gain three pounds of muscle, you will burn 40 more calories per pound, which equates to 120 additional calories per day, which translates into 3,600 additional calories per month and ultimately results in a weight loss of 10 to 12 pounds in a single year.

Weight training is also an incredibly powerful weapon against osteoporosis, a disease characterised by low bone mass, leading to an increased susceptibility to fractures of the wrists, hips, and spine. About 3 million people in the UK have osteoporosis and every year more than 230,000 fractures occur because of it. In fact, statistics show that one in two women over the age of 50 will suffer from an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime.

So maybe the question should be can we really live healthily without weight training?

For more information contact David and his team – HYPERLINK "http://www.aayoutraining.com" www.aayoutraining.com

Seven Reasons To Detox

Detoxing has received mixed messages in the press in recent years. Unfortunately there is a lack of understanding as to how proper detox programmes can benefit every individual not only from a weight loss angle but also in their general health and wellbeing. There are always extreme approaches to every health procedure but a sensible detox programme doesn’t need to involve a week of water, beetroot juice and 2 colonics a day!
This can be done very safely, sensibly and leave you feeling amazing!
So why should you detox?
Improved Quality of Life

Sadly many of us just simply put up with poor health. We live with joint pain, headaches and poor digestion for years unnecessarily. It doesn’t need to be this way! Even issues such as poor memory, energy levels and mood can be improved when we are able to restore the body’s health and vitality.

When we detox, we allow body to use its energy to restore and repair cells, organs and systems that need to be repaired which leaves us much stronger afterwards. Did you know that 50% of our daily energy level is used for digestion? When we detox there is much more available energy for the body’s internal ability to “fix” what needs to be “fixed”!

To Prevent Chronic Disease
Free radicals are present in all living cell and are a part of the cell processes. However excessive free radicals in our cells can attack the cell membranes causing cell and tissue damage and leading to conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cataracts, strokes and many more. There is more and more research into the benefits of alkalizing the body as it is known that cancer cells cannot grow in an alkaline environment. With a detox the PH of the body moves from more acidic to more alkaline!

For Anti-Aging Benefits
As previously mentioned, free radicals and heavy metals attack the body sometimes causing irreparable damage internally and externally. Detoxing rids the body of free radicals and heavy metals allowing it to better absorb nutrients including anti-oxidants and vitamins which are essential for fighting oxidative stress – one of the biggest factors in premature aging.
Weight Loss
The simple theory of calories in verses calories out simply doesn’t work! If someone’s digestive system isn’t functioning properly they won’t lose weight! FACT!

A detox programme allows the body to get rid of toxins stored in fat cells and as water weight. When the body eliminates these toxins the water weight disappears and it is common to lose inches of fat, often around the middle.

Strengthen your Immune System
Toxins stress the immune system and also drain the body of energy trying to eliminate them leaving our immune system weakened. This leaves us open to colds, flu and other more serious ailments. Performing a regular detox allows us to strengthen the immune system and fight off infection. Strengthening the immune system also reduces the body’s inflammatory response to external allergens such as pollen and other airborne allergens as well as reduced sensitivities to additives in food, wheat, lactose and other common food allergens.


Create Body Balance
The body’s systems were designed to work in harmony with one another. The nervous system, endocrine and digestive systems perform precise operations to keep us functioning at our optimal level. When these systems fall out of balance our health is compromised.
A detox restores balance to the body allowing us to function properly. Our mood is drastically improved, sleep patterns return to normal and we actually feel rested. It allows the digestive system to function properly, expelling waste immediately and preventing the buildup of toxins.
Remove Toxins and Parasites from the Body

Long term exposure to toxins can affect cell growth, behaviour and immune response and the only way to combat this is through a programme of elimination.

Parasites are also common issues affecting proper digestion. They find their way into our bodies via skin or oral ingestion and they feed on our supplies depriving us of vitamins, nutrients and amino acids.

Heavy metal toxicity and parasites can cause numerous disruptions to the blood, lymph, heart, liver, eyes, brain and joints that conventional medicine often fails to diagnose. A simple consultation can detect any issues with parasites and treat them accordingly.

The Art Of Chillaxing..

Meditation and the art of “chillaxing”

If you struggle to deal with Monday morning’s or Tuesday and Wednesday morning’s even then perhaps you need to learn how to switch off a bit more. Our meditation and relaxation specialist Simon Paul Frost from HYPERLINK "http://www.mymeditation.co.uk" www.mymeditation.co.uk explains more...

Ask most people if they meditate… the answer would be NO…
Ask most people if they want to feel calm, relaxed, be free from tension, anxiety and be happy about life…the answer would be YES…

Why is it then that most people don’t meditate…but desire the mind set and feelings that meditation provides?

I believe it is the old associations: after all, what does the word meditation mean to you? Orange robed monks sitting in silence for hours on end – a chilled out hippie or even an anti religious practice that is more witch craft than prayer … the list could go on!

If we feel limited by restrictions in our lives then we can lose hope – if however, we can remain calm then we enter a place of better understanding and from this objective perspective we can create any desired changes.

How often have you been in a place of regretful hind sight? Wouldn’t it be great to be in a place of productive fore sight and be able to focus on the things you do want rather than waste your energy on all the things you don’t?

Times have changed but our human needs haven’t – we all love to feel calm, we all love to relax and we all would love our lives to be happy and positive…so what are you waiting for?

If you learn to meditate (like a work-out for the mind; the more you do the quicker and faster you become) not only will you be able to understand what meditation is all about you will also be able to say to this modern world that you also know how to “chillax”!
To chill = to feel calm and anxiety free.
To relax = to be tension-free and happy.

Info on Simon – HYPERLINK "http://www.simonpaulfrost.com" www.simonpaulfrost.com
For meditations – HYPERLINK "http://www.mymeditation.co.uk" www.mymeditation.co.uk

The Max Test!

When our client Kevin came to me with the idea of doing the ultimate triathlon in one year, Swim –(Hellespont - effectively crossing from Europe to Asia!) Run The Marathon and Cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats I thought he was a bit of a lunatic; now he’s been coming in to the studio for a while we all know he is!!
So how are we going to ensure that the training programmes we’re giving him are actually taking his fitness to levels he’s never been before to deal with these challenges?!!

Well, that’s where our relationship with The Centre for Health and Human Performance comes in handy. Not only can they take our clients through a VO2 max test their team of experts (http://www.76harleystreet.com/sections/team/sportperformance ) can assist us in creating excellent programmes to deliver the results clients like Kevin are looking for.

VO2 max is measured by getting the lungs to work as hard as they possibly can during an incremental exercise test. As the body works harder the lungs draw more oxygen to supply the muscles, the aim of the test is to reach the point of exhaustion where the lungs are at their maximum.
It’s VERY tough on the client!

Anyone that comes in to the studio knows when Kevin is in the building! So it was great for all of us to have a rest from his grunting and groaning as the mask quietened his screams!




VO2 max is the gold standard of fitness testing, it measures the maximum amount of oxygen in millilitres, one can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight. It is not dependant on the size of your lungs. Olympic champion rower Matthew Pinsent has a lung capacity of eight-and-a-half litres, but when it comes to a VO2 max test, he and fellow rower James Cracknell fall behind little Paula Radcliffe!

Although it is possible to train this in order to increase these levels genetics plays a major role in a person’s VO2 max and it is believed that heredity factors can account for up to 25-50% of the variance seen between individuals.

The highest ever recorded VO2 max is 94 ml/kg/min in men and 77 ml/kg/min in women, - Both were cross-country skiers.

Whatever your goals may be, whether its training for that endurance challenge, or recovery from major surgery, your health and human performance is vital and our relationship with 76 Harley Street allows this to happen.

For more information on this contact us at the studio – david@aayou.co.uk