New Year same goals? Try this instead!

As we approach the New Year we are bound to repeat the same usual things in the hope that the next year will be better than the one we are about to finish. 

We look to achieve better health, save more money, read more, find a soulmate and so on. 

Whilst determining goals is a great way to look forward to the future, there is one thing that has been proved to work against you. 

And that is to let the world know about your goals. 

That's right, the moment you tell your friends or post it on social media what your goals are, you're more likely to fail at them. 

Psychologists have found that when you tell your goals to a friend, that moment of satisfaction tricks the brain into believing you already achieved your goals, making you less likely to achieving it. 

Best way to do it? Resist the temptation of plastering your goals on social media or delay the announcements by keeping your goals to yourself is key to your success. 

When I'm training clients for body transformation, I always ask them to keep it low profile, I keep them from telling their friends about it until we're seeing visible results. The ones that keep it quiet, usually finish the 12-week program with the best results. 

There is this interesting short video from one of my favourite authors, Derek Sivers on TED Talks, that explains in 3 mins why you should zip it. 

So for next year, I don't want to hear about your goals, show me that you have achieved them. Make it worthwhile. 

Happy 2017. 

How to be in shape for summer ... fast!

As summer soon approaches, I get asked a lot of questions about how to be in the best shape for the beach season. Here are my three favourite tips for a stunning look:

 Drink 500ml of mineral water with a pinch lemon and pink salt when you wake up

Make sure you do this before you drink anything else that day, like coffee or fruit juice. Most people are dehydrated and don't even know it until they feel tired, lethargic or even when they get a headache from lack of water. Start the day by hydrating your body and adding a bit of flavour from lemon, which also is alkalising. Then add a good pinch of high mineral salt, which is proven by many studies to be beneficial for your health. This will instantly make you feel invigorated. Most of my clients have a very busy life and don't have time to sit down and have their breakfast before they go to work. Some of them don't feel hungry at all in the morning, but they all agreed that after drinking water after they got up, they felt more energised. Try drinking water and going for a workout or a run in the morning, it does wonders for your body. 

Do cardio in the morning

Go for a run as soon as you get out of bed, while you are still fasting. Why is cardio in fasting mode so good? Going without eating for a period of time, like during sleep – shifts the body toward burning fat for fuel. 

Why? Liver glycogen and blood sugar are lower after fasting, so the body is forced to burn fat for fuel in a fasted state.

Tap into fat stores without eating away any muscle, don't go for sprints or high intensity training, rather find a pace not so fast, not too slow and persevere for no longer than 30 minutes. 

This will massively decrease your fat percentage. Drink half litre of water, as previously mentioned, If you're still scared of losing muscle, add amino acids or a spoon of glutamine to your water pre cardio and go!

Blast your body fat off with HIIT workouts

High Intensity Interval Training or working out at 80-90 per cent of your maximum heart rate is the fastest way to burn fat and increase muscle size without looking too bulky. If you don't have a heart monitor and are unsure whether you've trained at your maximum heart rate, try an intensity where you begin to fight against your psychological motivation to stop, this is when your heart rate is extremely high. Maintain that heart rate for as long as possible, around 45-180 seconds, then rest for 120 seconds. Alternatively, break it down into short bursts of 20 seconds flat-out, with 30-second "rest" periods. Work at 70-80 percent of your full capacity until you've accumulated three minutes total at your maximum, which should take seven and a half minutes.

The “Tabata protocol” — 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off — has become one of the most common methods of doing HIIT and it tops my list of favourite HIIT workout. 

Try this:

A1 - 20secs of fast sprints alternated with 10 seconds of relaxed recovery walking, for a total of 8 intervals, or 4 minutes.

A2 - 20secs of kettle bell swings with 100m sprints for a total of 8 intervals 45-180seconds 120seconds rests.

These three fat-loss strategies are simple to follow and all you need to get in a better shape fast. Understanding how to apply this will get you your abs faster than ever.

Where does customer loyalty come from?

Being a city worker for the last 8 years, I always aim to find a place where I can; 

• Eat healthy 
• Taste delicious food
• Fit my macronutrient distribution with wholesome meals 
• Reasonably priced 
• Great customer service

Sounds like mission impossible sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried all of the ‘healthy’ places in the city, but there is always something missing from the above.

I have recently found a hidden gem inside the beautiful Leandenhall Market, a restaurant devoted to offering quality food and service to everyone who visit their establishment. 

Go there at lunch time and you will understand what I’m talking about. The queue sometimes goes out of the door, but don’t be discouraged, the service is efficiently fast, and the best thing of all is the excellence of the service by the  staff from the cashiers to the people at the food bar. 

The busy lifestyle of the city worker can sometimes be robotic and emotionless, however when greeted by a genuine happy smile from the staff at We Grill, I soon realise that the simple things in life are what make a big difference in feeling appreciated. Isn’t it lovely when the staff knows you by your name and even remember your favourite dish?   

Overlooked by the attentive eyes of the owner, Tarek, part of the experience for me is seeing him amicably chatting with his customers, making us feel welcome at every moment. 

You talk to Tarek for few minutes and you will soon be inspired by his passion for delivering good healthy food, setting a unique standard of quality food and customer service all at fair price. 

Tarek, a former investment banker has created the first of a future chain of casual, healthy eating restaurants in the heart of the City Of London directed towards the busy professional looking to keep up with a balanced diet. 

The restaurant serves grilled meat and veg on skewers marinated in 'secret spices', along with homemade soups and fresh salads. We Grill offers only the freshest produce with full traceability from the farm to the plate.

He says: “The idea for We Grill started years ago when I worked at a couple of investment banks in the city. I’d always had a passion for great food and healthy living, but couldn’t find anywhere that served what I wanted to eat.”

It’s no wonder why you bump into so many personal trainers at we grill, put it this way, if your trainer eats there, surely you should too. 

Say Hi for me when you are there and you might get a generous deal from Tarek. Mention that you heard about them when you read ‘HUGO MARTINI’ blog and you will be looked after at the till. 

Go check it out for yourself. My favourite dishes are the cajun chicken skewer served on top of a salad bed, with a portion of red rice and quinoa and another portion of broccoli and couscous. 

A mindful mantra

A Mindful Mantra was sent to me by my life coach Tom Fritz. It helped me go through the loss of my mother last month and understand better our sensations, emotions and intentions.

If you are going through challenges, try read this in a quiet place in silence or after your meditation.

‘This Too’

When life presents us with the unpleasant and the unwanted there is a strong tendency of the mind to resist what is happening. 

Resistance to pain, though, just creates more suffering. It’s futile. So here we are in this extremely stressful situation. That’s very unpleasant. Feelings of fear, grief and loss naturally arise, and if I let them come and go without suppression, that is healthy and natural.

But if I begin to get into mental resistance patterns like ‘why is this happening to me?’ or ‘it’s not fair’ or ‘this shouldn’t be happening’ or ‘I want this to stop/ change/ go my way’ then I start fighting with reality. I start fighting with the present moment – and that, I know, is completely futile and just creates more layers of suffering. 

I will also lose touch with myself and the present moment if I get into resistance.

But the tendency to resist is strong when there is a lot of unpleasantness. 

That’s why I have been using my mantra that I always use in difficult times ‘This too.’

‘This too’ is my abbreviation for saying ‘I accept unconditionally the unfolding of this present moment in whatever form it takes – this too is allowed and accepted.’

‘This too’ reminds me to soften my resistance. 

It reminds me to stay grounded in presence (as best I can) and connects me to background of ease and peace even in the middle of this pain. 

I often repeat it mentally, sometimes out loud.

Body Weight HIIT Workout for beginners

Happy New Year!

Let's take full advantage of the motivational state of mind we have at the start of January. Gyms are usually packed in this time of the year. If you signed up to a gym, but going to the weight room feels like going to a battlefield, you can't touch the machines because there are a bunch of guys waiting around to use it before you or you just don't know how to use some of the fancy equipment your gym provides you with, try this super simple and easy to use workout. 

It can be done three times a week and it will help you burn the excess fat gained at Christmas. 

The Workout

This high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session will blast calories, boost your cardio capacity, work your core muscles, challenge both upper and lower body and train your coordination and balance. Perform two sets of the routine below, executing the exercises at 70% of your maximum effort (you should be totally out of breath for at least a minute), rest around 45 seconds between each exercise and a 1-minute recovery between each set. Do this workout two or three times per week. Perform 5 sets per workout, that will take around 30-45 mins to complete the workout.

A1. 2-minute Run then progress into 10x 45 seconds sprints 45 seconds walking in between the sprints.

Start off slowly and gradually increase your pace until breathing becomes difficult and you are only able to speak a few words at a time (working at approximately 70 percent of your max effort). You can use a treadmill at the gym or go hardcore and train in the park at the winter.

B1. Burpees

Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms at sides. Squat, placing hands flat on floor under shoulders, and then jump or step feet back into plank position. Immediately jump (or step) feet back up to hands, and jump straight up from squat position, extending arms overhead. Do 10 to 15 reps.

Click HERE for image.

3. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts

Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms at sides. Lift right foot a few inches off floor, balancing on your left leg. Keeping back flat and abs engaged, hinge forward from your hips, sending right leg (and hips) behind you, reaching hands toward floor. Lower as far as possible while maintaining a flat back, and then squeeze glutes as you return to standing. Do 10 to 15 reps; switch sides and repeat.

Click HERE for image.

4. Squat Chops

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended overhead, palms facing each other, keeping shoulders down. Squat as you rotate torso to left and diagonally lower hands to beside left knee. As you return to standing, rotate torso, lifting hands diagonally over right shoulder. Do 10 reps; switch sides and repeat.

Click HERE for the image. 

5. Jump Squats

Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Start the movement by pushing the knees outward and drop your hips into a comfortable seating position keeping all the weight of your body placed on your heels and the arch of your foot. Keeping a back flat and abs engaged all the way down and think about a powerful movement on the way up into a jump, imagining you are pushing the ground away from your feet. Lower as far as possible (while maintaining a flat back), then reverse into an upward position until you are tall and upright reverse to return to start. Do 10-15 reps

Click HERE for image.

To simplify:

A1- 45 seconds Sprints x10 45s rest XXXX 

B1- Burpees 3x10-15 45s rest 2010 

B2- Single Leg Romanian Deadlift 3x10-15 each leg 45s rest 2010 

B3- Squat Chops 3x10-15 each side 45s rest 2010 

B4- Jump Squats 3x10-15 45s rest 2010 

Adjust into your level of fitness, use the tempo 2010, 2 meaning the way down (eccentric phase) 0 no pause at the top 1 meaning the way up (concentric phase) and 0 no pause at the bottom. The more focus and overall control particularly of the eccentric phase, the more gains you will achieve.  

Level up to your expectations and start doing them!