8 Ways to Stay Fit for Christmas

8 Top Tips To Enjoy The Holidays And Stay Fit For Christmas Without Undoing All Your Hard Work.

Staying healthy and fit for Christmas doesn’t have to be as believable as Santa himself. Find out how to stay on track over the holiday season and not turn into a Human Mince Pie…

If you hadn’t realised already, Christmas is just around the corner.  And the thought go trying to stay fit over the Christmas and New Year period might be a little bit of a mind f*ck! Well it doesn’t need to be. With just a few simple tips, staying fit for Christmas can be a reality…

Thinking about staying fit for Christmas, might have you in two minds. On the one hand you think “f*ck it” and are prepared for the complete blow out. On the other hand, you might be thinking about being so strict you skip dinner altogether and stick to your trusty Tupperware. Or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle.

Either way temptation is at every turn and that a calorie deficit could be the hardest thing to maintain. So that’s why I’ve got 8 top tips for you to stay fit for Christmas. Follow these and take the worry out of the festive season. Trust me, they’ll stop you turning into a human mince pie and keep things on the rails over the next couple of weeks.

So let’s start unwrapping this early Christmas present…

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Post Workout Nutrition: Your Definitive Guide

Is Post workout nutrition critical for making progress?

Post workout nutrition is one of those topics that comes up again and again. The bro’s in the gym will tell you that it’s super important and that you need to rush to grab that protein shake as soon as you finish your very last rep. Because if you don’t then you’ll miss the opportunity to make the most of your training.

But are the bro’s right? Have they finally got an aspect of good nutrition right?

Well the short answer is NO. Once again, an aspect of your nutrition has been blown out of all proportion in terms of its importance.

So in this article I’m going to set the record straight. And you’re going to get the simple, practical advice you need to make progress, without worrying about things that don’t matter that much.

And that’s important. Because getting in shape is hard enough. So you don’t need a ton of information and rhetoric thrown at you that won’t actually help you very much.

I promise you this article is free of post workout nutrition BS. And I haven’t got a post workout supplement to ram down your throat. This is definitely not a sales pitch for a shitty product that won’t have any effect on your progress.

Simple. Honest. Personal. That’s the Iron Paradise Fitness way. And that’s what you’re going to get.

All the answers you’ll ever need on post workout nutrition

So in this article, you’ll find out all you need to know about post workout nutrition. Here’s a look at what you can expect over the next few paragraphs.

• Post workout nutrition timing. Is it important? And what’s the best approach?
• How to manage your macros for good post workout nutrition.
• Post workout supplements. Are they essential?
• Are protein shakes the only option for post workout nutrition?

And on top of all that, you’ll get an insight into my own personal post workout nutrition. But don’t get too excited, it’s pretty basic. Although, it has served me well for the last 3 years and counting. So it may be basic, but it’s goddamn effective!

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Pre Workout Nutrition: How to Fuel Your Workouts

Pre workout nutrition won’t make or break your progress, but it can certainly help.

Pre workout nutrition is a topic that comes up again and again for debate. Because a lot of people think that it’s one of THE most important aspect of your nutrition. And that assumption would be wrong. MASSIVELY!

There’s a feeling amongst many people that if you don’t have a pre workout drink before you hit the gym, then your workout will be rubbish. Because if you’re not wide-eyed and wired like a crazed mad man, then you might as well stay at home, right? Well, that’s what people would have you believe.

And on top of that, there isn’t a supplement company around that hasn’t got some form of nuclear juice to sell you. Is their claim that ‘Atomic Detonator 2000’ will take your workout to the next level a sound one?

This article is going to answer that for you, and more.

Because good pre workout nutrition is about more than a caffeine laden drink. You should be considering protein, carb, and fat intake at the same time. Striking a good balance across your macros pre workout is going to be much more beneficial to your progress than anything else.

All the answers you’ll ever need on pre workout nutrition

So in this article, you’ll find out all you need to know about pre workout nutrition. Here’s a look at what answers you can expect to find over the next few paragraphs.

• Pre workout meal timing. Is it important? And what’s the best approach?
• How to manage your macros for good pre workout nutrition.
• Pre workout drinks. Are they essential?
• Are protein shakes the only option for pre workout meals?

And on top of all that, you’ll find a link to the Iron Paradise Fitness guide to the best pre workout drinks on the market today. Plus, you’ll get the recipe for my own personal pre workout drink. But don’t get too excited, it’s pretty basic.

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Dieting on a Budget: 5 Ways to Lose Weight Without Going Bankrupt

Eating healthy can be expensive. So is dieting on a budget possible or just expensive pie in the sky?.

It’s a sad fact that the healthiest food is typically the most expensive. Unfortunately, high calorie, nutrient sparse fast food is cheaper and more accessible than ever before. And for a lot of people this means the desire to eat healthily is quashed by the sheer cost. So is dieting on a budget even possible? Can you get the right food in the right quantity without breaking the bank? Or do you need to be a high roller to get in shape?

The simple answer is YES. Dieting on a budget is 100% possible. All it takes is a bit of planning and a little bit of imagination.

So whether you’re looking to get leaner or build some muscle I’ll show you how you can get results without spending the Earth. Because making good food choices and getting your diet on point will be the most important part of achieving results.

Now, it’s important to say that although this article is about dieting on a budget, it’s not about finding the cheapest and shittiest food possible. Because I could quite easily list out some cheap food choices and have done with it. But that’s not my style. Ultimately, I want you to have nutrient-packed food that will make you feel, as well as look, healthier.

In this article you’ll find out my top tips for dieting on a budget. All of them are simple and easy to put into practice.

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Cut or Bulk? The Skinny Fat Dilemma

New to training and wondering whether you should lose fat or build muscle first? Well it’s time to solve the Skinny Fat dilemma and find out if you should cut or bulk.

The first place to start when deciding whether to cut or bulk is YOU. Because, if you’re stuck at the point of not knowing whether to cut or bulk then most likely you’re relatively new to training. So it’s important to understand your own circumstances and where you’re at. Because this can really dictate what route you go down. If you’re ‘Skinny Fat’ (we’ll get onto what that means later) then the decision on when to cut or bulk is a common dilemma.

For example, you’ve decided that now’s the time to make a change in terms of your health. And you’re going to make a start by getting in shape. You have a vision of what you want to look like. And you’re trying to figure out what you’ve got to do to get there.

You want to be lean, muscular, maybe you want to have a six pack poking through. So if I could sum up the look you want, it’d probably be along these lines.

You want to look good naked. And you want to turn a few heads when you’re at the beach.

And that’s cool. Feeling good about yourself and how you look is an important element of being happy. So with that vision in mind you’ve hit your first stumbling block.

It’s all too confusing

No doubt you’re already confused about what you should do when you eventually hit the gym. Not to mention what food you should stuff in your face every day. And then to add to that, you’ve come across two weird words. Everyone keeps banging on about bulking and cutting. What the hell are they talking about? And what relevance does this have to getting washboard abs?

Well, you’ll be glad to know you’re in the right place to get all the answers you need.

In this article, I’ve put together the rules that I go by when working with new clients if they’re Skinny Fat. And those rules will provide you with some all important guidelines to get your training on track from the start. And also, if you’ve been training for a while, but that transformation is yet to materialise then this article is going to be worth a read. Because, you may find some little gems of information that could unlock that progress you’ve been searching for.

So here’s what the article is going to cover:

• What the terms cut and bulk actually mean.
• A definition of Skinny Fat and how to know if that’s you.
• How to decide whether to cut or bulk first.
• The 7 rules of bulking.
• The 7 rules of cutting.

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Does the Ketogenic Diet Work?

Does the Ketogenic Diet really work, or is it just another fitness industry gimmick?

The Ketogenic Diet seems pretty simple on face value. Eat a low amount of carbohydrate and increase fats, so you’re using fat for fuel. But although it might sound simple, things are a little more complicated than that. So this article is going to cut through that complexity like a knife through butter (that’s high fat so it’s ok). Ultimately, you’ll be able to decide if the Ketogenic Diet is one that will work for you, or whether it should be banished to the Room 101 of diets.

For a lot of people, the thought of cutting out sugar is a nightmare. And you might well be one of them. Sugar graces all the foods you love. Just think donuts, ice cream, soft drinks, cookies, jams, cereals, and fruit (for some people). And I’m sure you’ve tried to give them up in the past. But that only lasts for a couple of weeks. And before you know it you’re binge eating your way through your bodyweight in sugary goodness.

So can the ketogenic diet work for ‘normal’ people that like ‘normal’ food? Or is the ketogenic diet for those with an ungodly amount of dedication and are happy for forego life’s delicacies?

In this article I’m going to answer those questions for you. And by the end of the article you’ll know if the ketogenic diet is right for you!

So put your feet up, grab a couple of donuts, because they might be your last (or are they?…).

Here’s what the article is going to cover:

• What the ketogenic diet is.
• How it works.
• The pros and cons of the ketogenic diet.
• How to set up a ketogenic diet if you feel it’s right for you.

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Should You Workout When Sick?

Should you workout when sick? Or is rest the best medicine?

When you’re sick it’s sometimes difficult to know when to train and when to back off and rest. Because you don’t want to fall behind with your training. And you certainly don’t want to undo all that good work with your diet. So should you workout when sick, or curl up in your bed and forget the gym? In this article, I’m guiding you through the 3 rules I live by.

First off. And probably most importantly let me say this. I am no doctor, so what do I really know about giving medical advice? Nothing is the answer to that! So this is just me telling you what’s worked for me over the years and what rules of thumb have worked for me. But if you’re in any doubt, then always consult your doctor before smashing yourself stupid in the gym.

And with that out of the way, let’s crack on with the main part of the article. 

Should you workout when sick, or should you rest?

Should you power through your illness, man up (or woman up), and stick to that programme, so you don’t fall behind? Or should you take a rest, put your feet up, grab the Ben & Jerry’s and mope around for the next 7 days?

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Motivation to Workout: It’s Time To Take Action

Do you lack the motivation to workout?  And when it comes to prepping meals do you lack the desire to get your ass in the kitchen?  Are you sitting there waiting for motivation to hit you?

If that opening headline described you, then I’m sure you know all too well that the motivation to workout or prep meals rarely materialises out of thin air.

How many times have you sat on the sofa saying to yourself,

“I’ll just watch the end of this and THEN I’ll go to the gym.”

Or maybe it’s something like,

“I’m just not in the mood to cook.  I don’t feel like it today.  I’ll get up and do it first thing in the morning.”

Deep down in your heart of hearts you know you’re just kidding yourself.  The end of that TV show will come and you won’t budge an inch from that warm and comfortable sofa.

And as for the cooking, well tomorrow comes but the meals you promised yourself you’d cook never materialise.

But so what?  One day off from the gym is fine isn’t it?  You even tell yourself it’ll do you some good.  And you can always pick something up from work for lunch, so no great shakes there either.

Well, the reality isn’t that simple.  That afternoon spent whiling away a few hours ploughing through the box sets on Amazon Prime isn’t an isolated incident is it?  And I bet you’ve skipped that meal prep more than once before.

Where does this all lead?

Ultimately, it leads to you going off track and, in some cases, it leads to you never even getting off the starting blocks.  You’ve false started and got yourself thrown out of the race before the gun sounds.

Those visions you have of that ripped and toned beach body seem a distant dream now.

What’s the root cause?

The root cause of the problem is that you think Motivation = Action.  You believe that a wave of motivation to workout is going to hit you like a Tsunami, washing all those good vibes over you And making you spring into life and start chasing those goals.

The principle of motivation leading to action is flawed. And in this article I’ll tell you why and what you can do about it to put yourself into a different mindset.  You’ll be moving forward with a new level of motivation to workout that you didn’t think was in you.

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Does Sugar Make You Fat?

Is a sugar the enemy of fat loss, or is that a myth that needs to die?

Mainstream media and thousands of fitness gurus across social media seem to agree on one thing. “Sugar is BAD”. More often than not this little ingredient is touted as the single reason for a lack of fat loss? But is this commonly held belief true? And is a low-sugar diet the only real way you can guarantee fat loss?

For a lot of people, the thought of cutting out sugar is a nightmare. And you might well be one of them. Sugar graces all the foods you love. You’ve tried to give them up in the past, but that only lasts for a couple of weeks before you’re binging on donuts and ice cream. Eventually, it just leaves you stressed, frustrated, and down on yourself.

Dieting just seems too hard.

And ultimately you end up jacking it all in and reverting back to your old ways.

Well, before you give up altogether you’ll want to read this article.

Because I’m of a different view to the fitness gurus and mainstream media. And over the course of this article you’ll find out why sugar need not be the enemy. In addition to that, you’ll see why you have more options than a dull and boring low-sugar diet.

So sit back, grab a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and let me guide you through how you can enjoy it, guilt free.

This article is going to cover:

• What sugar is and how it gets used in the body.
• Whether or not there are good and bad sugars.
• Are low-sugar diets most effective for fat loss?
• What’s the best approach to sugar in your diet?

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How Much Protein Do I Need?

How much protein do I need to lose body fat and build muscle?

Protein has fast become one of the most popularised aspects of the fitness industry in recent years. You can’t fail to see the increase in food brands that have plastered ‘Protein’ on to their products with the aim of grabbing a slice of the action. But how much protein do you really need? And is the groundswell of protein products bringing you genuine benefit? Or is it just another way to make you part with your cash?

Let’s go for the jugular right from the word go on this one.

You do not need protein shakes, protein bars, protein cereal, protein ice cream, or any product that has protein shoehorned into the name. Simple as that.

These products do not have any magic powers that will bring you limitless weight loss. Nor will they help you pack on muscle faster than ever before. Protein is protein. It’s just food at the end of the day. So adding the word “protein” in the title of a food doesn’t make it healthy or more beneficial for you.

Now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s focus in on the reality and give you the answers you’re after. This article is going to cover:

• What is protein?
• How much protein you need to lose fat.
• How much protein you need to build muscle.
• What the best sources of protein are.
• The role protein foods should play in your diet, if any.

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