I’ve been on the TRX UK master trainer team for several years now and although it’s a tool that’s been around some time it’s a tool that has so much to give and I’m discovering new ways to apply the TRX all the time.
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There is a bit of an obsession around the bum when it comes to training. Everyone loves to give their booty a good workout and a sore bum is often quite pleasing and well received. Check out some of my favourite exercises to fire up those glutes.
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Fitpro hold an annual fitness convention showcasing the best presenters, latest trends and products in the fitness industry. I was there last week in the London Excel soaking up the atmosphere. Read on to learn more about what I experienced at FitPro Live 2015.p> Read More
I recently received an enquiry from a lady called Rebecca asking about barefoot footwear as she had been having problems with trainers. I'd like to share our correspondence so that you can benefit too.
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Last week I shared with you one week of my fat loss training regime, this week I plan to share with you one week of my fat loss eating plan. I hope this gives you an insight to a trainers diet and maybe even some ideas and inspiration on how to eat well. Read More
As a Personal Trainer I'm often asked 'How do you exercise?' and 'What do you eat?'. In the next two blogs I'll give you an insight into my current training program in the hope that it might offer you some inspiration and perhaps some new ideas. Read on to see my exercise regime from this week
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Many of my clients are based in an office environment. Whether small businesses or large corporations, recent research has shown that the impact of spending too much time in this environment can impact your long term health. In this article I explore the potential problems the office can cause and suggest some strategies to minimise the risks.
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Do you know what a good diet looks like? I have a theory that almost everyone in the western world knows what a good diet is. I could stop anyone in the street and present them with two lunch options: one being very healthy and the other being unhealthy and they could identify the healthy option with ease. Despite this, the western world has one of the worst diets in the world and as a result one of the highest levels of death by non-communicable diseases. In my article Fat Foods the 4 C's I discuss my theory as to why we can identify healthy foods, but yet choose unhealthy options time and time again.
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Healthy people understand that life is about balance, if you lean too far in one direction you lose equilibrium. As important as it is for us to be active we require an equal balance of inactivity. Our autonomic nervous system can be broken into three major parts but it's the latter two which we will focus on in this article.
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Working as a Personal Trainer in Nottingham for 15 years I have pretty much heard all of the excuses under the sun for not exercising. The most common excuse of course is 'I just don't have time'. In this article I'm going to give you hints and tips on how to fit exercise into a busy lifestyle and really take your health and fitness up a gear.
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There aren't many gym bunnies out there that aren't partial to a little abdominal finisher at the end of a session. One of the most popular ab exercises in the gym is the plank.
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Did the title grab your attention? Great, then this article is written for you!
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Starting a fitness program without a goal is like going for a walk without a destination. It's likely you will end up somewhere random and not necessarily where you want to be.
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In August of 2014 I made the decision to raise £1000 for the charity Maggies. To learn more about my involvement with Maggies and the task I set myself read the blogs Maggies and Charity Wing Walk.
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You have heard the proverb 'Every journey starts with a single step'. This is very true and the journey seems so much more achievable if the destination is set and the route is planned and clear. Goal setting is an important part of the change process, as without a destination you can never arrive.
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At the start of this month I took 2 days out from Personal Training and headed down to the Birmingham NEC for LIW. This is an industry exhibition that showcases products, education and what's new in industry trends.
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I recently put together a small group training session for popular women's fashion retailer Sweaty Betty. The workout was titled 'Movement Masterclass' and intended to demonstrate how effective exercise can be without the use of equipment and how fun it can be to exercise with a few friends.
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You did it! You have made the decision to do something about your current status of health and fitness and you’re booked in for your first Personal Training session with Stephen Tongue Fitness. You’re nervous, maybe excited about what to expect from your first session and perhaps thinking about the aftermath of your first workout? In this short article I will explain what you can expect from your first personal training session with me - why you have every reason to be excited and no need to be nervous.
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This article title is of course a spin off from the book by Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The book is a fantastic read and has had a big influence on how I live my life. If you haven't read it yet, consider it a must - read.
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As you may or may not know one of the services I offer in Nottingham is tailor made group personal training classes. I deliver this service to several different groups but one particular client I have had the pleasure of working with regularly is Maggies Cancer Centre. If you would like to learn more about how I am involved with Maggies please read my previous article.
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I know what you're thinking - 'that cake looks delicious', and you're right! For many of you though, Christmas can be a real challenge - often forcing you take many steps back after working hard to acheive your goals. With that in mind, here's 5 top tips to help you survive the large quantities of food and alcohol which will be forced upon you this Christmas.
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You have come to the conclusion that hiring a Personal Trainer is the next step for you. Now comes the tricky bit, who should you hire?
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STF recently teamed up with clothing company Sweaty Betty for a small group personal training experience with the TRX RIP Trainer. The result was sweat, laughter and calorie killing fun. Read on to find out exactly what we got up to on a sunny Sunday morning.
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As I'm sure you already know if you're reading this, I'm a huge ViPR™ fan. I just love the way such a simple tool can offer so many training possibilities to such a broad array of people. As a personal trainer in Nottingham, ViPR is one of the four key tools I use every day in my to help people move better and feel healthier.
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Whilst working with my clients in Nottingham recently, I found myself reminiscing about previous celebrity clients that I have trained in the past and shared my experience of training Sir Richard Branson for his 60th kite surfing challenge (that eventually got cancelled). It made me reflect on how things have changed since then - both for me personally as a personal trainer and in the fitness industry as a whole.
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My journey to become a UK ViPR National Trainer is now complete. It's been a long process, after being successfully short listed I have been trained up over the course of 2013, completed my final assessment and achieved sign off last month. This role means that I will be presenting ViPR training along with the ViPR UK Training team at various conventions and delivering industry education throughout the UK.
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During my Personal Trainer sessions in Nottingham I often find that clients would like to be better at pull ups but are intimidated by the exercise because they find it so difficult. In this article I will give you some tips on how to get started and how to progress your pull ups gradually to get super strong and toned.
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Recently I was approached to provide an exercise course for individuals recovering from cancer at Maggie's Nottingham. Having never heard of this organisation before I went to meet with in-house Counselling Psychologist Tina Johnson to find out what it was all about. At that point I was unaware of the influence Maggie's would have on me.
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Barefoot running has been a talking point for some time now and I have been wearing barefoot running shoes daily for about 18 months. Initially wearing my barefoot shoes was very tiring and my feet would throb and ache every evening in bed. Now though, I feel my feet have grown stronger and more mobile and when I wear supportive shoes I feel like I have marshmallows on my feet!
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As a Master Trainer for TRX RIP Training I get to do some really cool jobs. I recently had the pleasure of working with the RAF at their Cranwell base. The fact that the military are taking on board and incorporating TRX RIP training and TRX Suspension training into their conditioning programs is testament to the effectiveness and functionality of these training tools.
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Sciatica is a commonly used but poorly understood term that people often associate with pain radiating down the back of the leg. Whilst there can be many causes of posterior thigh pain, true sciatica relates to a compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve, the large nerve running from the spine down the back of the leg all the way to the foot.
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The humble press up has stood the test of time, it has been, is, and will continue to be one of the most popular exercises out there. There is good reason for that, its extremely effective! So why do I and other personal trainers out there love the press up so much? Lets take a look at some of its key benefits:
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The superficial fascia is a soft connective tissue located just below the skin. It wraps and connects the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels of the body. Together, muscle and fascia make up what is called the myofascial system.
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In order to achieve optimal nutrition we need a balance of Macronutrients (which come in the form of carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Over thousands of years of evolution our digestive systems have adapted to the nourishing foods around us to the point that our species could thrive on a wide variety of foods presented to us in the natural world. These natural foods delivered the perfect balance of macronutrients and micronutrients needed to provide optimal health.
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If your on it, then your on it. Perhaps you have an upcoming deadline and your inching your way to a slimmer you? If your on a fitness drive right now you might be hitting the gym hard but are you doing it right? Let's take advantage of your efforts to fight the flab by making the most of your workout time. Use these 5 great tips to ensure that all your hard work is focused on working off your wobble.
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As a personal trainer I see it as my role not just to help people lose a few pounds or to run a little faster (although that helps) but to improve their overall health. Being healthier means that you will get the most out of your body, your career, your relationships and ultimately your life. The model I use to do this and the aspects of health I try to subtly influence are found in a model called the triad of health.
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What is the one food that in the UK we would traditionally eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? You got it, bread!
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The sun is shining and I have recently been trying to encourage everyone to get active outdoors this summer. Most home owners own a bike and it's probably somewhere at the back of the garage / shed collecting dust most of the year round.
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Our knowledge of the human body is forever growing and over the last few hundred years scientists have been able to unravel even the most intimate details of how the body is put together, how it functions, what makes us tick and how our life eventually comes to an end. There will be of course many more great discoveries made and deeper understanding to come. As it stands right now our understanding of anatomy, physiology and pathology is immense. Despite this we live in an age with growing prevalence from often preventible diseases.
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In this article we are going to determine if you have too much mobility. This condition is known as Hypermobility.
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If you are considering a detox, here are a few handy hints to help you along the path to a cleansed system.
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Including a reward meal in your weekly eating plan can mean the difference between success or failure in the long run. In this article I'd like to offer a few rules to follow to ensure that you stay on track.
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The munchies, we all get them! You know that feeling, sometimes it's just boredom and sometimes it's impatience but when those munchies hit, you will literally eat whatever you can get your hands on.
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At Stephen Tongue Fitness, I work with many clients to prevent and rehabilitate injury, manage long term medical conditions and cope with long term pain using exercise and massage therapy. For that reason I recently gave up a Sunday to head down to Hertfordshire in the hope of learning more about the weird and wonderful world of pain.
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My fitness training style is very much influenced by a passion to help people move well and so the beginnings of the 'functional training' trend got me very excited. I remember sitting in a lecture by Michol Dalcourt (ViPR inventor) at the FitPro Convention back in 2009 where he first revealed the ViPR in the form of a video. The video showed an athletic looking male performing all types of weird and wonderful exercises, the moment I saw the motions that this tool could drive I wanted to get involved...
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At this time of year soup is a popular lunchtime option. You’re maybe looking for a low calorie option or just a good winter warmer.
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In order to arrive you must have a destination, wandering aimlessly will get you nowhere.
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The Fitpro convention is an annual event which is pretty much the highlight of my business year. This event has been running for over 20 years and is held on Loughborough university campus. The convention draws the best health and fitness presenters and educators from all over the world onto one site for three days.
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