You can now officially apply for the Weight-Loss Challenge!

Dear Reader,

The application form for the Autumn 2009 Weight-Loss Challenge is now online!

Click the link below to access the application form and enter your details right away to reserve your place!

http://www.geresconsulting.com/weightloss_challenge_2009/

Judging from the large amount of enquiries received, there seem to be more interested people than I can handle, therefore I may have to close the application process at one point. So if you are determined to make some serious improvements to your body over the coming 10 weeks, make sure to enrol right away and avoid the risk of being left out!

You can literally enrol in a few seconds, there are only a few fields to fill out.

There is NO payment to be made now!

And to make sure you really know what the challenge is all about, I have listed a detailed description on the application page. Make sure you read it before enrolling.

http://www.geresconsulting.com/weightloss_challenge_2009/

Go to the enrolment form now, and sign up!

I look forward to having you on my challenge!

Best regards

Richard Geres

www.GeresConsulting.com

Some more details on the upcoming weight-loss challenge!

I am very excited about the huge response I have received with regards to the upcoming weight-loss challenge in October, and this time I will definitely have way more participants than I have ever had in any of my past weight-loss challenges!

This challenge applies to practically everyone. Couldn't you too do away with a bit of excess fat stored in those stubborn areas of your body? This challenge does not only apply to people who actually need to lose weight but also to people who are considered 'normal weight', but would like to further improve their body. That's also why I shall be participating in the challenge myself... to lower my bodyfat level, and achieve a higher level of muscular definition.

Two separate categories

To make the contest fair for everyone, I have decided to create 2 separate groups of competitors.

Group1:

Anyone in need of losing more than 5kg, and after actual weight loss and inch loss .

Progress criteria: Participants will be judged by the amount of weight lost, the amount of inches lost, and the reduction in bodyfat percentage.

Group2:

Anyone who is already in the 'normal' weight category, but would like to work on improving their body composition and achieve a leaner, more attractive look. The aim here would be to "look good in a swim suit".

Progress criteria: Participants will be judged on their before and after photos. This is what real transformation is about. It is not about numbers, whether bodyweight or bodyfat %. It is just about how you look, or about how much your look has changed to the better.That's what you see in the mirror, and that's what people around you see and judge you by.

I will leave it open to you which group you would like to compete in, however I suggest the following guidelines:

If your bodyfat % exceeds 20% in men or 27% in women I suggest you take part in group 1. If you fall below these levels youcan take part in group 2.

These are the bodyfat categories for men and women:

Bodyfat % levels:

Essential Fat: Men: 2 - 5% Women: 10-13%

Athletes Men: 6- 13% Women:14- 20%

Fitness Men:14- 17% Women:21 - 24%

Average Men:18- 24% Women:25 - 31%

Overweight Men:over 25% Women:over32%

Source: ACE (American Council on Exercise)

Your bodyfat % will be measured by me during your first measurement on October 3/4.

Winning Prize

Are you one of those people who gets motivated by a winning prize?

Well I'm offering the winner a free holiday to a European destination!

Details on this indue course.

So, are you in?

If you're still unsure whether you should take part, think about these points for a moment:

• Do you feel that you could do with losing some weight or improving certain areas of your body?
• Are there any areas of your body you are NOT happy with?
• Are you still somewhat unsure what and how much you should eat to lose weight successfully?
• Are you stuck in your current weight even though you believe you are eating healthy?
• How good would you feel about yourself and what would it do to your self-confidence if you could fix those stubborn areas in your body that you look at every day in the mirror?
• Will you stick to the programme if you have someone to guide you on a daily basis and monitor your progress? Being accountable to someone else drastically increases your likelihood of success compared to if you try to do it alone.
• Are you fed up of 'wishing to change' and ready to actually do what it takes to make that change reality?

Well, by December15^th you could be one giant step closer to achieving that change if you take part in this challenge. I'm here to offer you the possibility of being in better shape, healthier, fitter and happier with yourself in just 10 weeks. So don't procrastinate, take action!

Next week I will let you know how to apply. Stay tuned!

If you have not yet read what the challenge is about, click here.

Richard Geres

www.GeresConsulting.com

PS. Know any more friends who could be interested and benefit from this challenge? Forward them this message by clicking on the envelope icon below!

Richard Geres' Fat-loss challenge 2009 - the details

Here it goes!

Below are the details regarding the upcoming fat-loss challenge to commence in October:

Duration
Start Date: Monday 5th October 2009
End date: Sunday 13th December 2009
Duration: 10 weeks

Objectives

• To help you lose the maximum amount of bodyfat in 10 weeks
• To help you improve your body shape, get fitter, more toned and healthier
• To motivate you to stay on track for the entire 10 weeks
• To teach you how to eat correctly to promote fat loss
• To provide you with delicious and weight-loss supportive recipes
• To show you how you can exercise in the gym or in your own home with minimal or no exercise equipment whatsoever and yet really get your metabolism going!

Here’s what you get if you enrol:
I will provide you with a 10-week eating plan on a day to day basis. I’ll tell you what to eat for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner and what to snack on in between to make sure you’re burning fat all day and night. I’ll make sure you don’t have to eat boring lunches or dinners and will show you that dieting does not mean your meals have to be bland and tasteless. There will be two separate eating plans for men and women, since they have different caloric requirements. You will also receive a shopping list for the coming week, so that you can purchase all your food items on time, and have the right foods available throughout the week.

I’ll provide you with a simple but effective exercise programme you can do in the gym or at home, that will help you tone up, burn calories and accelerate your fat-loss progress. You will be weighed and measured by me 3 times during the competition: At the beginning of the competition, after 5 weeks of competition and at the end of the competition. The weigh-in dates and venues will be confirmed in an upcoming email. (For competitors living abroad, I have an alternative solution). You will have a ‘Before’ and ‘After’ photo taken at the beginning and end of the competition so you can actually visualise your progress. These photos will remain confidential and will not be disclosed to anyone. If you’d like to show your achievements after the competition I’d be happy to publish your photos on my site, but only if I have your prior written consent. We always tend to judge our weight-loss by numbers, by using the scales or the inch tape, but the true measure of progress is your appearance. You don’t go around with a board around your neck saying “I lost 10 kg”. You either look good or you don’t. Period. That’s why I want the photos.

You can expect to lose between 0.5 – 1kg per week, however I have had clients who lost up to 8 kg in just one month. Likewise I have had clients lose 4-6 inches off their waist in just one month (that’s 2-3 trouser sizes!!) even though their weight loss would not have exceeded 3-4 kg, because the weight they lost was actual body fat.

The enrolment fee of this 10 week programme amounts to €59.00 and includes the nutrition plan, the exercise plan, 3 weigh-ins and regular motivational emails I will be sending you throughout the competition.

An attractive prize awaits the winner, details of which will be revealed before the launch of the competition.

So, are you in? Here are 6 reasons why you should definitely take part in this competition:

1. You’re not 100% sure how to eat correctly to lose weight
2. You run out of ideas on what to eat after a few days of dieting
3. You’ve got the last few stubborn kilos to shed
4. You think you’re eating carefully, but your weight is just not budging
5. You’re not sure or confused about how many carbs, how much protein and how much fat to eat each day
6. You need additional motivation to stay on track

Let me know if you have any further questions.

I look forward to having you as one of the competitors and seeing you get some amazing results over the next 3 months!

In a few days I will update you as to how to enrol for the challenge. So make sure you are signed up to my newsletter! If you're not signed up yet go to the top right corner of this page and enter your name and email address...very simple!

Yours in fitness

Richard Geres
www.Geresconsulting.com

PS: Know any more people who could benefit from this competiton? Forward them this article by clicking on the envelope icon below!

I challenge you to lose bodyfat with me!

I’ve decided!

As of the beginning of October I’m going on a fat loss programme!

Yeah, you might think “he doesn’t need to lose any weight!” And you’re right, I don’t. Actually weight loss is not what I’m after at all. What I AM after is lowering my bodyfat %, leaning out and getting in top shape by December. You see, whenever you want to trim off some excess fat, your primary goal should be fat loss. Weight loss on the scales should be a consequence of that. But more on that later.

This got me thinking: How about you join me in my quest, and follow the same guidelines I apply for myself?

So, dear reader, I challenge you to get yourself in the best shape ever!

The last time I challenged myself to this, I got great results. See for yourself the photo on the right!

Here’s what I’m proposing to do to give myself and you the best possible fat loss programme:

For the duration of 10 weeks, I will draw up a weekly eating plan, based on a day to day basis, for the entire forthcoming week. This will include a variety of breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners. And when you see the great recipes I will be suggesting, you will see once and for all that diet food does not have to be boring and can taste great! And because I also realise that you’re a busy person, I’ll make sure that all meals can be prepared easily and quickly!

Obviously men and women need different calorie intakes, therefore I shall be preparing a separate eating plan for men and for women.

You see, probably the most important success factor when trying to lose fat is that you must plan ahead and be prepared for the coming day. You must know what you are going to eat the next day for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner, and you must have the appropriate foods available at the right time to make your diet work. Last minute improvisation always leads to failure, I can guarantee that. My plan will tell you what to eat, and how much to eat. Both quality and quantity count, for any food, regardless of how healthy they may be!

I will provide you with weekly exercise guidelines that you can do either at home or in the gym. You won’t need much equipment, if any at all! You can use your own body weight to provide the resistance needed to get an effective workout! And if you happen to have some dumbbells or elastic bands, all the better!

I can assure you this programme can get you in seriously good shape! So if you’re after trimming off some excess fat and want to lose weight, this is your opportunity to get going! As with everything in life, it's nice to wish for something, but only concrete action will get you the results!

So, are you interested? Drop me an email or comment below if you’d like to take part. I will then follow up with what you have to do to participate.

Also, forward this email to all your friends and other people you know who could benefit from this programme. (use the envelope icon below)

Let’s get the biggest ever fat loss challenge going! MAKE SURE YOU'RE PART OF IT!

Yours in fitness

Richard Geres
www.GeresConsulting.com

PS: To make sure you receive all updates about this challenge go to my Homepage and sign up to my newsletter now! You're risking losing out on important information if you don't!

Studies re benefits of high intensity exercise for over 40s

Hi,

A short important note today...

Have a look at this... see how the media is supposedly making up stories about how exercise may have been related to Michael Jackson's death.

Check out this quick video that Fitness Expert Jon Benson made about this controversy...and make sure to watch through the entire video (it's short), because some important studies are shown mid way through:





Here's the link to http://www.7minutemuscle.com


Feel free to pass this email onto your friends if you find it interesting.

Best regards

Richard Geres
http://www.geresconsulting.com/


Want valuable, yet FREE fitness advice?

Visit my WEBSITE HOMEPAGE and sign up to receive my regular, FREE FITNESS TOOLS!
Feel free to pass this email onto your friends if you find it interesting.

Are you eating fats that could kill you?

Hi,

You've probably heard of unsaturated and saturated fats, and the fact that unsaturated fats are healthier for your body than saturated ones. What you might not be aware of are so called "trans fats" which are man-made, chemically altered fats found in baked and fried foods, that are a very serious health hazard to your body.

I really recommend you invest five minutes in your health to read this excellent article by Tom Venuto about the dangers of trans fats. It could save your life!

Click here to read Tom Venuto's article:

http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2009/05/forget_swine_flu_this_is_scari.php

Regards

Richard Geres
www.GeresConsulting.com

8 Station Home Workout

Hi,

If you don't seem to find the time to join a gym or schedule regular times for your workouts, here is a simple, yet effective workout you can do in the comfort of your own home whenever you have at least 15 minutes of spare time.

With these 8 simple movements you will be doing a full body workout, and exercising practically all the major muscle groups. Plus, on top of that, you will get a great cardiovascular workout too, and you will definitely feel you heart rate increasing as you go through the circuit. As your heart rate increases, so will your metabolic rate, which means you will be burning more calories per minute.

Now if there is any particular exercise you cannot do, just leave it out and work with the remaining ones. Start off with one round of these exercises and try to do them with as little rest between movements as possible. If you do get out of breath, just stop until you recover, and then continue.

Also remember, if you haven’t exercised in a while, make sure to consult your doctor before starting an exercise programme!

Here it is:



Below is a list of the 8 exercises shown and your target amount of repetitions to perform:
(The video shows only 5-6 repetitions per exercise to keep the video short)

1. Squat: 15-30 reps
2. Jumping jacks: 30-100 reps
3. Push-ups on knees or full push-ups: 10-20 reps
4. Lunges: 10-15 reps on each leg
5. Crawl into sun salutation: 4-12 reps
6. Tricep dips (against a bed or step): 10-20
7. Abdominal crunch: 20-50
8. Bird dog: 15-20 per side

Perform 1 round if you are just starting off, or more rounds if your fitness level permits. Depending on the amount of repetitions you perform, one circuit will take you anywhere between 6 - 10 minutes. Therefore if you build it up to 3 - 4 rounds you could be doing a 30 minute intensive workout at home!

If you perform 3 workouts of this sort per week, ideally on alternate days, you are definitely on the road to improved fitness!

Let me know what you think and post your comments!


Richard Geres
www.GeresConsulting.com

Racing a pizza on a treadmill... and getting left behind!

Hi,

I'm sure you are familiar with the common perception that if you have had excessive food or drink one evening you comfort yourself by saying to yourself "Tomorrow I'll do a workout" and make up for it. Well the video below showing personal trainer Craig Ballantine racing against a pizza will show you that it's not that simple:

Now I’m going to give you an example of how easy it is to gain 1kg of fat and how hard it is to take it off.

The moral of the story is: You cannot outtrain a bad diet. Eat and drink in moderation and you will not have to take drastic measures to rectify your diet slip-ups.

How to gain 1kg of fat in 3days:

Remember: the energy value of 1 kg of fat is approx. 7000kcal. Therefore, to gain 1kg of fat you must overeat by 7000kcal. Here is how you can do that in 3 days:

Example: A woman with a metabolic rate of 2000kcal (an average amount)

Daily food intake during vacation or “extended weekend”:

Breakfast: Coffee with 2 sugars - 80kcal
Orange juice - 80kcal
2 sliced toast with jam - 220kcal
4 biscuits - 200kcal
Total: 580kcal

Lunch: 1 beef burger - 400kcal
1 portion french fries - 250kcal
1/2l (1pint) Coke - 200kcal
1 ice cream - 250kcal
Total: 1100kcal

(Alternatively, 150g of pasta with meat sauce is over 800kcal)

Afternoon snack: 1 cappuccino with 1 sugar - 70kcal
1 slice cake - 250kcal
Total: 320kcal

Dinner: 2 slices bread & butter - 220kcal
1 pizza - 1000kcal +
3 glasses wine - 210kcal
Total: 1430kcal

Social drinks: 5 Vodka Orange - 1000kcal
(or 6 Jack Coke)

DAY Grand total: 4430kcal
Energy values are approximations

Daily excess calories: 2430 kcal (4430 - 2000)
3 day excess calories:7260 kcal = 1kg of excess fat!

Note: This is a generalisation, and some individuals may react better or worse to the above example than others. However it gives you a pretty good idea how the extra kilos may creep on in a short amount of time.

Now here’s how to burn off 1 kg of fat:

Breakfast: 30 g oats - 120kcal
200ml skim milk - 100kcal

Snack: 1 yoghurt - 120kcal
1 apple - 80kcal

Lunch: 1 tuna salad - 400kcal

Snack: 30g nuts / 1 pear - 200kcal

Dinner: 250g fish - 300kcal
60g brown rice - 220kcal
Mixed vegetables - 30kcal

Day Grand Total: 1570kcal
Energy values are approximations

Daily energy deficit from diet: 430kcal (2000-1570)
Workout: ½ hour power walk: 250kcal

Total energy deficit/day: 680kcal


Assuming that you eat THIS WELL every day and EXERCISE every day for at least 30minutes, it will take you between 7-10 days to burn off 1kg of excess bodyfat. If you exercise less, it takes longer. If you eat less, you will lower your metabolism over time and are very likely to gain it all back again very quickly.

1kg: Easily gained in 3 days; lost through consistent hard work in 7-10 days.

I repeat the moral of the story: You cannot outtrain a bad diet. Eat and drink in moderation and you will not have to take drastic measures to rectify your diet slip-ups. It’s hard work!

One important point I would like to make: 1kg of weight change is not equal to 1kg of fat-loss!!!

Weight change on the scales in the short term is often a result of fluctuations of water weight and does not really reflect whether you are indeed burning fat, or rather losing real, quality weight.
Real indicators for fat loss are inch-loss, bodyfat % measurements and the way your clothes fit you.

Therefore do not get too obsessed with the weighing scales!

Yours in fitness

Richard Geres
http://www.geresconsulting.com/


By the way, I'd be happy to have your comments on this topic!