Injured or a niggle? Use RICES to get you back and training quicker!

R = Rest

I = Ice

C = Compression

E = Elevation

S = Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID)

Try to rest as much as possible and sit or lay in a comfortable position.

Wrap the injured part in a compression bandage.

Apply ice to the injured part (use a bag of crushed ice or a bag of frozen vegetables) for 10-15 minutes. Let the area warm completely before applying ice again.

Elevate the injured part to reduce swelling (using pillows / cushions etc).

Follow instructions on the packaging and take ibuprofen or aspirin to help reduce the inflammation.

When exercising wear comfortable exercise trainers (with a thick, bouncy sole, preferably not flat) and make sure the laces are secured tightly around the ankle joints.

Wear knee, ankle, elbow, wrist exercise supports if neccessary.

Scared Of The Cold? Don't Be!

Winter time is coming up, are you thinking that it might be too cold for you train outdoors till March? The answer is NO it's never too cold. Millions of people all over the UK exercise outdoors every day and reap the benefits from it, every day I drive around Surrey I see countless people jogging down the road or around parks, some wearing very little! My boot camp along with all other boot camps / outdoor circuit training companies run all year around.

There's no need to stop or head indoors, indoor gym workouts / exercise classes are pretty much the same every time which will lead to you getting mentally and physically bored. Training outdoors in the fresh air will help you get some sunlight through the winter months and also boost your immune system, people who stay indoors all day long catch colds a lot easier then people who exercise outdoors 1-4 times a week.

The main result of exercise is an increase in blood circulation, increase in breathing rate, increased heart rate, increase in body temperature and increased sweat rate (yes you will still sweat!).

There's no standing around getting cold! 45-50 minutes outdoors working hard, getting hot, burning calories and getting fit and healthy. Keep jogging or walking on the spot whilst I quickly explain circuits then go straight into it - the 45 minutes will soon fly by.

Coldest ever session I have done in the UK was back in January this year, snow on the ground, 6.45am Burpham boot camp, pitch black, minus 8 degrees (-8!), no wind at all, I stand around whilst everyone does the hard work and even I wasn't cold, some members still took off layers after 5 minutes.

Gloves and hats will keep those areas warm and sometimes too warm but you can always take off layers when you get too hot.

Artic Warfare Training

A few years ago when I was in the Royal Marine Reserves I went to Norway for 2 weeks artic warfare training. We were 150km into the artic circle and used cross country skiing to get everywhere carrying all our gear on our backs.

For 6 days we camped outdoors skiing from one location to another location gaining altitude until we went above the tree line. The last 2 nights it went down to minus 25 degrees (-25!) even having things in our pockets like toothpaste etc froze. One night we dug a snow hole into a snow bank and slept the night in there just on some thin roll mats and our sleeping bags (just like in the current TV programme '71 Degrees North').

We finished off the exercise with 'ice breaking drills' minus 6 degrees (-6) ice 2 foot thick on a big lake was cut open and we had to go for a little swim hehe!

I was outdoors for 6 days in a row in sub zero temperatures with artic winds and never got frost bite or hypothermia etc so 50 minutes outdoors in our country is a walk in the park!

Some photos of me in Norway are here: http://www.getfitbootcamp.co.uk/client-marines.html

6 Weeks to Become a Habit

It takes 6 weeks for anything new to become a habit.

If you are new to exercise it will take your body about 4-6 weeks of regular training to notice a change before it starts making positive adaptations. It will take a while for your metabolism to increase so you burn more calories (even during rest) and for your muscles to get a bit more flexible, toned, stronger and fitter.

If you have done lots of running in the past for example (which is one type of training - cardiovascular / aerobic) it will take you about 4-6 weeks of regular attendance to get used to circuit training (which is three types of training combined - cardiovascular / aerobic - muscular / skeletal / core training - anaerobic / interval training).

Set yourself short term achievable goals:

For women you can't expect to eat healthy and train hard for 1-2 weeks and turn yourself into a supermodel that fast, likewise for men you can't suddenly lift a few weights and do a few pressups for 1-2 weeks and expect to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Look at healthy eating, a healthy lifestyle and a regular exercise routine as a long term career and not a short term fad and you'll soon look and feel better for it!

Are You Fitter Than A Pensioner?

Interesting programme on BBC3 and you can also watch the repeats on the BBC iPlayer too.

2 young women and 2 young men from Great Britain head over to different parts of America to compete against some 'Golden Oldies'!

The Brits are aged between 18 and 22 years old and at the beginning of the week perform some physical tests to get their 'fitness age' which in most cases is pretty shocking. The youngsters spend most of their time at home smoking, drinking, clubbing, sleeping through the day, eating rubbish and not exercising.

Worst one we've seen so far is an 18 year old girl with a fitness age of 75!!!

They spend a week with some fit old Americans who get them up early every day to walk, jog, cycle, swim, kayak, go to the gym and eat healthy etc then at the end of the week they compete against 2 American women and 2 American men aged between 65 and 80 years old!

We've seen 4/6 episodes so far and it's 3-1 to the Americans which is pretty embarrassing :(

It's a good eye opener and shows that for most people who don't exercise at least 3 times a week that their 'fitness age' will in most cases be higher then their real age which could cause them problems in the future.

One American guy (66 years old) said a good quote and a rule that he lives by every day "Winners Never Quit, Quitters Never Win!".

Wintertime Approaches... Boot Camp Marches On!

The clocks will be changing soon and you might have to wake up and go to work in the dark and come home in the dark too. Some people train very hard during the summertime then either cut back on their training or stop altogether over wintertime which isn't a good idea to do. People normally train for 45-60 minutes 2-4 times a week and if you're working hard enough you should be hot and sweating whilst moving around staying warm and not noticing the cold or damp conditions if you're training outside. I train people outdoors 7 days a week all year through and have only been caught out by heavy rain 5 times this year which isn't bad going!

I've brought some goretex Asics trainers from Sports Direct that keep my feet warm and dry for £50.
I've brought a light, breathable, windproof goretex jacket from TK Max (which comes with a hood which keeps my head and ears warm and dry) for £20.
I've brought a couple of pairs of breathable and waterproof exercise trousers from TK Max £15-£20 each.
I've brought some waterproof gloves from a BP petrol station on the A3 (big basket in front of the till) for £5.

So I'm fully waterproof and toasty all year long for approximately £100.

Training in the winter is beneficial for the following reasons:

You don't have a break in your training so you can maintain or improve on your fitness.
You won't have any loss of health or fitness or weight gain which can be accompanied by a negative mood change.
Training during the winter time is physically and mentally more difficult so you'll reap more rewards.
Training outdoors can strengthen your immune system so you'll be less susceptible to common colds.
The other Get Fit Boot Camp members will be there making it a fun and sociable group environment.

Burpham Floodlit Sessions

Burpham Tuesday and Thursday 6.45am sessions, Tuesday and Thursday 6.15pm sessions and Tuesday 7.30pm session benefit from taking place right next to the car park which gets plenty of light from the car park lights, road lights and also the floodlit tennis courts 50 metres away. The park is empty at those times and if the grass is wet we can use the car park etc for a drier surface.