In a world blighted by obesity and poor health, the fitness  industry which i believe should be at the forefront of helping to fight the problem is hell bent on scaring those that need help talking about eating chicken and broccoli all day long and prepping meals like their weight loss depends on it.

Do you honestly think any family that's massively over weight are honestly just gonna wake up one day and decide they going to switch to eating chicken and broccoli when all they have previously lived on is pizza and takeaways ......

Just imagine if the fitness industry just focused more on helping people just to start lose weight over preaching how to eat, taking people that really need help and just getting them to understand that to lose weight we have to cut back on how much we are eating, not what we are eating.

A school teacher in America did just that by losing weight on eating nothing but McDonald's alone, John Cisna lost over 56lbs eating what most would describe as unhealthy food and food that you could never lose weight eating.

John Cisna weighed 280 pounds when he started on the McDonald's-only diet.
After 90 days, he had lost 37 pounds, and at the end of the six months, he weighed 224 pounds.

Cisna limited his daily calorie intake to 2,000 calories and exercised for 45 minutes five times a week.

They have now made a documentary follows his journey, while incorporating footage from an amateur video he filmed while conducting the experiment. 

In the film, Cisna pushes the message that you can eat anything you want as long as you control calories and exercise.

Cisna says he ate almost everything on the menu, and ordered fries every single day. 

"I ate 540 straight meals at McDonald's," Cisna says. "I spent a half a year of my life eating nothing but McDonald's and I know it works so when I hear the skeptics, it doesn't disgruntle me. It actually fires me up because those are the people that I have to educate."

So successful weight loss doesn't have to be chicken and broccoli, everybody these days is on a diet and failing massively, just imagine if we just educated people on how weight loss occurs or if we actually took time to understand where people are actually at with their eating habits and relationship with food and not try to force them to do something that's never gonna last at the stage they are at now.

This is something that we educate people on that enroll in our Hartlepool Personal Training program, we do not try to make massive drastic changes that will not last, i guess coming from a place of once been massively over weight i have an understanding that most never will. 

No chicken and coolie protocol for us.

I seen a post the other day from some fit pro bashing people wearing fit bits and the like, claiming that they aren't 100% accurate, and they calculating peoples movement and calorie totals out wrong, its quite funny, these type of people always have to be right but cant see the bigger picture for their own ego.

We have an obesity epidemic that shows no signs of slowing down, people are moving way less and eating way more, yet this fit pro choose to make a big deal over whether or not the fitness device is 100% accurate, is anything we do 100% accurate, i don't know how this person must sleep at night not knowing if everything they did that day was 100% accurate.

Hows about instead of moaning about what ever fitness device people are using, we actually give some praise to the device that might just get people to move a little more, is complaining about people hitting their 10.000 steps a day really required because it may not have been 10.000 steps, is it not a good thing that people start moving more ?

But they will tell you that people think that they have burnt X amount of calories off so then they can eat X amount of calories, but their fitness device is wrong,

It may well be wrong but whats good is that they are now thinking about how much they are eating, and maybe what they are eating, maybe these little steps are just going to make a massive difference to that person, maybe that person will then take the next step to figure out how to lose weight if its not happening

But this study said that people that use fitness devices lose no more weight than those that did ..... fxxk your study, these days there is a study for everything and you can find biased information to back up anything, hows about that person that is now using a fitness device is now living a more active life and  a healthier life because of the fitness device, maybe without it they would never had done anything

Lets stop bashing people for trying, give them some praise, it takes courage to start to want to change regardless of how it come about, maybe that fitness device is going to add years onto somebody's life, i'd say that's a good thing

And for all those that want results faster then go here --> Personal Training

When people start their health and fitness journey it generally starts with some type of diet which doesn't last, or some crazy exercise regime that also doesn't last, i guess these are the classic examples of the stop start mentality that people are trapped in and cant get out of and is generally the newbie crowd that this would apply to but.....

But there is also another stop start crowd, those that constantly exercising, jumping from program to program, gym to gym, personal trainer to personal trainer, bootcamp to bootcamp, never ever actually sticking to any one plan or then spending any of length of time with that plan,  and these very people are always bemoaning their lack of progress, never ever their fault, always the gym, trainer, even blaming the equipment

I get it when new gyms open, they new, they have nice new shiny toys to play with, they can be cheap, offer a new marketing ploy that sucks you in because of your lack of never making any progress and this is new right, this is the time that you actually start making progress, but just check your previous history, and what is it that you keep saying you really want ? to make progress ? lose weight ? gain muscle ? be fitter ? - and lets not forget this new equipment, its going to work right .........

The fact that your like a flee and cant stay still long enough to actually do the work required for any length of time is killing what you are always telling others you want.

Ive been in the fitness industry over 17 years, the amount of people that i see doing this unbelievable, yet daily i see those that are constantly showing up, following what ever plan they are on, been consistent with what they are doing, making massive massive progress, yet those that are still constantly jumping around like said flee making zero progress, just waiting to move onto their next port of call like they have valuable life time to waste.

When we have people enrol in our Personal Training programs or Bootcamp program we make sure they understand the importance of giving time to that said project, their is no quick fixes when it comes to good health or losing weight, and the fact that you spend so much time moving around looking for it and not finding it should be all the proof you need.

January has now been and gone, all the talk of diets, clean eating and the such has now all died down for another year, but what is this obsession with clean eating actually doing to peoples already damaged relationship with food, and how many that tried the clean eating fad actually didn't lose any weight in January, yet again forcing people to be crazy restrictive in their attempts to lose weight and then crashing massively, when there was just no need to do so.

People think that there is some type of perfect diet that's going to give you perfect health, there isn't, no diet is going to do this and nobody promoting diets can claim this. What most people would be best of doing to have better health is to simply lose weight, losing weight will improve your health, especially if your heavily over weight and to lose weight you must focus on been in a calorie deficit, not focus on been obsessive with some type of eating movement.

There is no 1 way for people to lose weight when it comes to dieting, everybody will have different eating habits and in turn people will feel differently about how they wanna lose weight and what type of dieting approach they wanna use, but something that is paramount to successful long term weight loss is that you have the ability to stick to this long term, hence people will want to use different approaches, yet none are going to give you perfect health, but if it improves your health and makes you happy and that you can do this long term then this is what is needed.

This whole clean eating thing, becoming massively obsessed with food and how your eating isn't healthy, especially for your mental health, Ive spoken with people that have actually avoided social engagements because they knew that these social engagements wouldn't be catering for their clean eating practices, this is absolutely mental, after all if its weight loss you want, all you have to do is make sure your in a calorie deficit for a sustained period of time, not become obsessive or a recluse.

Ive been massively over weight, and i ended up with a terrible relationship with food after losing over 100lbs, and i can tell you this, it took time for me to put this right, going through a period of weight regain, and all the traumas that brought after losing so much weight and thinking i was going to end up back where i was, its not a nice process at all and something i wouldn't want others to go through, this is why in all of my programs we discuss in depth relationships with food,  and the importance of it for those that are over weight and are going to embark on a weight loss journey.

This is a daily occurrence inside my Personal Training program, we make what we do sustainable and healthy in every way, not just physically but mentally to, changing your mindset as to how you look at food and weight loss and making sure nobody at all goes through what i did, on the verge of having an eating disorder because of my relationship with food.

PS, the term diet was used for the masses, we don't use this terminology but that's a story for another day.

The fitness industry is built on the perfect body, it talks constantly about six packs, diets and beasting it in the gym, and that's great if that's your thing, but for many it’s about been able to move better, to have better health, never ever wanting to be like a fitness model, but that's the image that's constantly pushed.

That very image scares people, those that are overweight, out of shape, not fit and healthy are not inspired by these perfect bodies and talk of beasting themselves in the gym, its scares them that much that these very people that need help and would benefit from been inside of a gym and getting help will never ever step foot in a gym because of the image it portrays.

Inside of our Hartlepool gym we talk constantly about been healthy and what that brings, the obvious health benefits, been able to move without pain, been able to move with a level of fitness and strength, but also those that suffer with conditions and injuries, conditions and injuries that may be life long, that cause pain and affect movement, the benefits that exercise can bring are massive and massively underutilized or talked about inside of the fitness industry.

Take Katie, Katie is a mom that joined our Hit Bootcamp program, now Katie suffers with EDS Hyper Mobility, and came in pain, suffering with her movement, she asked would this be beneficial for me and would I actually be able to take part, I explained that we would adapt things that we did to be able to make progress with helping rebuild her strength, movement and fitness, and that’s what we have done with amazing results, I’ll let Katie explain the rest.

Katie - For as long as I can remember I’ve lived in pain! Taking all kinds of pain killers to try and keep it under control, lived my life as if nothing was wrong and suffered! I have something called EDS hyper mobility! Which basically means my body doesn’t produce collagen properly! This causes a lot of health problems but my main one has always been the joint pain! My joints would dislocate often! My legs would give way from under me on really bad days! I couldn't even bend down to the cupboards! Or if I did id have a hard time getting back up I got over weight and miserable! Hated everything about myself!

And then I saw a post from Ian Glass fitness! 45 minutes twice a week and I just had to join! And I’ve never looked back! Ian knew how to slightly change things for me so exercises I couldn't do for the pain I could do easily and it wouldn't hurt! Tiny changes that no one else has ever pointed out to me and they made a massive difference! I’ve been able to gain all my range of movement back! My recent blood tests show all my levels are better than they have ever been! And I’ve lost a stone! God knows how many inches and well I just feel like me again finally! 90 minutes a week has changed my life! I could be here all day telling you how my health, life and family have improved from me walking in that gym!

If you haven't noticed, group training is all the rage now, its the in thing, especially for Pt's, the very same Pt's that used to slag off anybody that did group training, they always preached about 1-1 training, that's how training should be done they said, but never giving any explanation as to why, i mean i don't even know where this notion came from, i mean its not like as humans we haven't always functioned in groups or tribes is it, no exactly, so why would you wanna take people and train them alone, and I'm on about your everyday person here, not athletes, just to be clear we on about helping normal everyday people just in case any pro pt gets all offended.

We were Hartlepool's very first fitness business to train people in groups, yes because we have been coaching local Hartlepool people longer than anybody else, but also because we understood the power of the tribe / group, and the immense benefit we could bring by helping more people using the exact same amount of time it would take to train just 1 person.

Our Hartlepool  was Hartlepool's very first, specializing in training ladies in a group setting, inside of a professional gym, not field or hall, utilizing all the training methods we would use if we were training a client 1-1, immediately bringing results to those we helped, but more than that, building something that has become very special, a place where ladies have the support and motivation of others to help them, where friendships and bonds are formed that will last a life time, where people that are lacking in self confidence can come and thrive off the confidence and support of others.

Having other like minded ladies turning up for training sessions also brings accountability for yourself, them days when you really don't want to go and exercise but you know that you have a group of ladies waiting for you to turn up, because they want to help you and see you succeed in what you say you want, there is zero point saying i want to achieve x, y & z in front of other people and then never turning up for your group class.

You will always find inspiration inside of a group, that one person that has a story that inspires you, that you look at and think i wanna do what they have done, if they can do it then so can i, that person that has improved their fitness, that has got stronger, that you look up to and think i wanna be able top do that like them, inspiration is all around you and if used correctly can be super powerful.

Plus also, there is so much fun had training with others, the camaraderie and the atmosphere in the group is just something that you wont find anywhere else, ask the ladies in our groups, they will all tell you the same thing.

So isn't it time you tried it ? You say you wanna lose weight, become healthier, happier, move with better fitness, whats holding you back ? If its fear then trust me anybody that's ever walked through a gym door has felt it, but i guarantee when you meet people inside of our fitness business it will go immediately.

So all that's left for you to do is fill out an application and you will hear from one of the team real soon

Lots of cheap gyms, all selling you space to park yourself for 40 min, not really doing much before you leave and then come back and do exactly the same thing again, that's if you can even summon up the energy to go back, that's what the majority that pay cheap gym memberships are actually doing, those that require real help and they thought signing up to the new cheap gym in town was a good idea, a first step to a new them, a healthier fitter them, they promised me loads of free gym classes and there is PT's there if you need any extra help, but the gym classes should be enough.......that's where it starts to go horribly wrong, you were taken in by the sales pitch

Listen these cheap gyms are great places for those that know what they are doing, know how to set their program up, have the basics of their nutrition nailed, understand what progress they want and have clear plan how to get it, or for those types that just like movement, don't really  understand anything about programming or nutrition but just enjoy movement and like working out, getting a sweat on, and eat relatively normal and are of a healthy weight.

But listen, we live in a small unhealthy town, hartlepool is one of the most unhealthiest towns in the UK, obesity running wild along side poor health, we have a large number of gyms, mainly all commercial gyms, so these places have more than their fair share of people signed up that's not making any progress, damn a large amount of those signed up don't even go, just seeing their contracts out until they can cancel, then they will be hit with probably a cancellation fee just to rub insult in for the lack of any help they didn't receive.

You would have been better off just using the great outdoors for some light exercise, not paying that monthly rental fee for something you didn't use, you would have saved yourself some money, probably more than enough to invest in some decent trainers and outdoor wear, that would have been a better investment.

This is the very reason that our fitness business is now a semi-private coaching facility, we were sick of seeing people join gyms and not making progress, especially those that really need to, who's health is at risk and who lives are at risk if they don't do something about their weight now. Yes the gym still has those that come in and do their own thing, we have those that use our programming subscription service, taking all the guess work out of what they should be doing in the gym guaranteeing progress, that's what we are about, we guarantee you to make progress when you are part of our fitness facility, our programs are the best around delivering results and an experience others don't and cant and we have been doing this longer than everybody else.

Our fitness facility proves that you don't have to have tens of thousands of sq feet filled with brand new machines, but you do have to have the ability to help people and that's something that we excel at, you have big space we have big results, i know which i prefer.