It’s that time of year again! I will be mountain biking from London to South Coast on the 26 Sept 2009 to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.  Not to be confused with the road ride. This is completely off road and includes 1250 meters worth of climbing! 75miles/120kilometers of off-road fun!

That then got me thinking, what I could do on my own that would be a bit different and hopefully interesting. Parabolic Rollers came to mind; they have always been a great training tool and always seemed to amaze passers by that I was riding on the spot and was not falling over. For those of you not familiar with rollers, they do not assist or stablize the bicycle in anyway or form. The only thing keeping the cyclist upright is the parabolic forces of the wheels turning. Still not sure? Then come along and take a look on the day.

So I made some calls and the date is set for the 14th Sept 2009! Fitness First has kindly let me set up in the middle of the High Holborn Gym and I will be riding a Williers Cento Uno that Cycle Surgery has kindly loaned me for the event. I will be starting at approximately 8am and won’t stop until I get to 75miles, or fall off! But let’s hope that doesn’t happen, because I don’t fancy replacing the Cento Uno….but I also don’t fancy returning it…..

I will hopefully see everyone there and holding thumbs we can rasie some decent money for a worthy cause.

A short video will follow in the very near future, showing you exactly what I plan to do and how the rollers work. But for now take a look here. Parabolic Rollers at Wikipedia

Noel

Noel’s BHF Page

We had a couple of photo shoots over the past couple of weekends. One in the Gym and one inthe forest. The photos are for the up coming website, which should be launched in the next couple of weeks!

Both shoots were great  and I want to thank Emily for the photos,  Shane, Kelly and Charlie for getting involved and taking direction so well. I think we all had a heck of a learning curve but after the shoots I have decided never to get into modelling!

Here are a few of the pics that will be published on the site. Please comment and let me know what you think.

Sue Jeram approached me a few months ago in connection with a knee complaint she had been nursing for years. After an initial examination I decided it best to refer Sue to Gemma, a physio that I knew very well, for a second opinion.  Gemma got back to me with the news that Sue had runners knee as I had suspected. I put Sue a program together using a system of stretches and conditioning exercises. Sue was so diligent that within a few weeks, there was no sign of any knee pain at all.

Sue then discussed her weight and he goal of loosing a few stone. I suppose Sue then realized the benefits our sessions and noticed how the systems put in place isolated and eradicated weakness and promoted flexibility and mobility. So we set about our new goal!

I gave Sue meal guide lines that were designed to fire up her metabolism and keep her glycemic index level stable. I then put a weight training regime in place that focused on further increasing her metabolism.

We are 5 weeks in and the results have been fantastic! Read Sue’s account of what she thinks of the training and results so far.

Sue Says:

Fri 31^st July

“My name is Sue and today is my 23^rd day on the  ‘meal guide lines’ that Noel suggested.

So far things have been reasonably easy – probably because I am vegetarian and eating lots of veg and fruit came quite easy to me. Giving up coffee was the worst part, but it is defiantly worth it – So far I have lost a stone!!

Noel has me working very hard in the gym, but it is getting easier as I get used to it all and my fitness improves.

I am noticing the benefits of all the hard work in so many ways in my day to day life, from getting to the top of the stairs at work WITHOUT panting, to sleeping better!” SJ

31st July: Sue hs been training with me for a few weeks now and has been sticking to the guidlines exactly as asked and has not slipped up once, for which I can only congratulate her. Her results so far have been rapid! So rapid, that people have started to notice and I am getting loads of interest from people and other trainers infact! We do regular checks on Sue’s fitness and its improving nicely. “Noel”

Fri 7^th August

“My meal plan enters its 2^nd stage tomorrow. So I will be able to reintroduce foods such as bread and dairy products. (Even coffee I suppose – though I think I will stay off of that for the time being.) Of course it will have to be in moderation, there’s not much point in having worked this hard to eliminate all my cravings and bad eating habits if I go straight back to eating the way I did before – I’d soon regain all the weight I’ve lost!

It’s quite a surprise to realize that I haven’t missed all the cakes and doughnuts, even the chocolate bars. And now I am realizing that I don’t really want them. It is really easy to say no when I am offered them at work.

This week I’ve started using the treadmill. Problems with my knees and shins has always made it too painful in the past, but Noels regime of stretching and strengthening exercises has worked wonders and I am really enjoying it for the first time.” SJ

7th August: Sue is now introducing the foods that were not allowed on the diet. Sue will need to monitor her reaction to each food and by a process of elimination, to figure out which foods work for her. We also reintroduced Sue to the treadmill. Her knee issue is now sorted and we need to give Sue alternatives to the rowing machine and Xtrainer.

Fri 14^th August

Nearly ½ way through, however my weight loss has slowed quite a bit. Noel suggested I mix my carbs more and include a small amount of protein at every meal to help me feel fuller for longer. That way I can reduce my portions, eating a little more after about ½ hour if I still feel hungry.

So now I am having porridge for breakfast instead of yoghurt, and having that later in the day with fruit.

I think the slowdown may also have to do with reintroducing cheese, so I am cutting back on that for the time being.

My body shape seems to be changing – I am defiantly gaining tone and feel a lot fitter than just a few weeks ago. Noel still pushes me, coming up with different programs all the time – some of the exercise are quite hard, but I don’t seem to ache the way I used to!  SJ

14th August: Sue’s weight loss has slowed but not stopped acording to her scale, but we need to keep on top of it. I suggested Sue adjust her portion size and see what the results are. Sue has also reintroduce cheese into her diet, which slows digestion and holds loads of bad fats. But I think Sue is getting the idea, that everything is good in moderation. We have started to use high intensity circuit type training as well as intervals on the rowing machine and treadmill. Sue’s slowed weight loss may have a bit to do with an increase in lean muscle that is heavier than fat (muscle vs fat), but will assist in increased calorie expenditure, but we will only know for sure on the next officail weight in.

Mon 24^th August

This weekend I went to a BBQ – quite a test for my diet. I didn’t have any alcohol or any of the deserts; I thought I was being very good; I just had salad and pasta. As a result I spent the following day feeling very lethargic and craving bread and stodgy foods. I didn’t feel hungry but I really wanted to eat.

Noel said this is because the white flour pasta gave me a sugar high and my body wanted to maintain the high sugar levels. My work out this morning felt like quite a struggle because of this.

I have been interval training on the rowing machine. The one and two minute sprints aren’t too bad, but I have a problem with the four minute intervals. Noel has advised that I concentrate on the four minute sessions, with shortening rests between each set to build up my stamina and speeds. So I’ll have to see how that goes. SJ

24th August: Sue has been a star and stuck to her healthy eating, but slipped up this week when she had a white pasta for the first time in a while. It was easy for Sue to pin point the pasta as the cause of her lethargy and cravings because of her good eating habits. As Sue mentioned the pasta is white and therefore high GI which increases blood suger levels, but it also contains gluten and her reaction is something Sue needs to take note of.

I will update weekly!

Noel

Welcome to the first TTS Blog! Its taken an awfully long time, but will definitely be worth it. The idea is to have loads of resources and regular updates, as well as a section for feed back.

All and all it should be a fairly comprehensive training assistant. Looking forward to everyone’s critique and ideas! If there is something you would like to see or think would be a good idea, post it on the board or send me an email if you like. Remember the blog is for your benefit and I want it to be a helpful as possible.

Noel