A New You

1) Set a goal that will motivate you

Before you even set foot in the gym, you need to know why you are doing it and whatyou hope to achieve. Do you want to build muscle and gain weight? Do you want to loseweight and tone up? Without knowing what you want there is very little chance thatyou will get it, and you will probably give up on your exercise routine before youachieve anything worthwhile. It helps to have your goals in writing, so before you goto bed tonight, pick up a pen and a piece of paper and write down exactly how youwant your body to change. Tear out a picture of the way you want to look from amagazine or catalogue, and keep it on your bathroom mirror so you see it everyday.

2) Find a good gym

Training at home takes considerable motivation. Unless you are highly motivatedand/or experienced, you'll get bored quickly. You can never afford the "right"equipment or the space and household priorities, partners, and kids tend to distractyou. Joining the right gym is very important, and simply choosing the fanciest one isnot the answer. Do you really need a fancy pool, sauna and jacuzzi? Are you evergoing to use them? If not, it's a lot of membership money going to waste! Does thegym have a good atmosphere that motivates you to train, or is it full of "trendies"more interested in talking about their latest share deal or last night's date thangetting any work done. Avoid visiting the gym at peak time (5.30-8.00pm) as you mayfind the place is packed and you have to queue for everything. Does the gym havefriendly, helpful staff, who can teach you how to train properly? Invest in aqualified personal trainer that looks the part.

3) Eat more protein

Numerous university studies show that increased protein consumption will help buildmuscle faster and prevents your body from using existing muscle tissue as a source offuel. Increased protein intake prevents muscle loss during dieting and is essentialfor any man or woman who wants increased muscle size or just to tone up. Good proteinsources include whey protein, chicken, fish, lean red meat, and cottage cheese. Usinga high quality whey protein powder such as Promax is extremelyconvenient and beneficial to your training regime and success (and great forvegetarians).

4) Cut down on the junk

Avoid eating sugary junk foods such as cakes, sweets, fizzy drinks, and chocolate.These high-carbohydrate, highfat snack foods contain only "empty" calories and littlein the way of nutrition. If you regularly feel really tired and end up grabbing a bagof crisps, a chocolate bar, or a fizzy drink to keep you going, get out of this habitand eat some quality food, like a piece of fruit or a PromaxMeal bar to help keep your hunger at bay until your next meal.

5) Don't cut out fat

Good fats are some of the most important nutrients in your diet, especially if youwant to lose bodyfat and gain muscle. Healthy sources of fat include extra virginolive oil, certain nuts, and flaxseed. Maxi-EFA also providesessential fats, in the correct amounts required by your body.

6) Train with weights 2-3 times per week

For men, weight training will build a more muscular and stronger physique. For women,it will give you a firmer, more toned and shapely physique. With proper instructionand discipline, you will gain strength quite quickly in the first 2 weeks. You'll seea noticeable change in your physique in the first month and great results after 3months. And weight training is not just a great way to gain muscle. It's also perfectif you want to burn fat and tone up at the same time.

7) Do cardio 2-3 times per week if fat loss is your goal

Cardio can help you lose excess bodyfat, but don't overdo it. If you are going to addcardio work to your training schedule, we recommend a good long walk (around 1-2hours) 2-3 times a week (not strolling, proper walking!), or a 30 minute jog or cycleride (hard and intense, not a gentle cruise).

8) Avoid overtraining

Don't let your enthusiasm kill your results. Nothing will halt your gains faster thantraining too much. Stick to your routine and no more! Don't add sets or train moredays per week, because you think you have the energy.

Don't train to the point of exhaustion and don't do "personal bests" everyworkout. You'll overtrain, lose motivation and give up!

9) Get enough rest and sleep

If you want to build the kind of body that turns heads, your work-hard play-hardmantra will need to go the same way as the kebabs and the beer. Quite apart from thefact they cause your working day productivity to drop to almost zero, late-nightparties and midnight drinking sessions will undo all the hard work you put in at thegym.

You also need to minimise the sources of stress in your life. Stress can be thenumber one progress killer. Stress releases the muscle destroying hormone 'cortisol'.Arguments at home, long stressful hours at work, missed meals, lack of sleep, andgeneral chaos all contribute to that "stressed" feeling you get. If you want to getresults, it's vital that you stay as calm as possible. If you aren't sleeping well,see your doctor. Have a massage or sit in the spa after your workout. Do anything tohelp you relax. Sleep is vital for rest, recovery, repair and growth. Deep sleeptriggers off the natural release of growth hormone, which is partly responsible forincreased lean muscle and reduced bodyfat, and continuous lack of sleep results in aserious drop in testosterone levels! Always aim for around 7-8 hours sleep everynight.

10) Be persistent and never quit

If it took a week to get into shape just by popping a pill, we'd all look like supermodels with well defined abs and tanned bodies. Nothing comes easy -which makes having a healthy, tanned and toned body so rewardingand attractive. Most people just give up before they get any real results. However,the real problem is that most of us lack the will power to make those little changesthat are so vital for success and a body that turns every head. Don't give up! Afterthe first 2-3 weeks, as your body adapts and you get addicted to the natural high youget from training, you will start to feel great and really look forward to training.After 3 months of regular training and good results, training will become a way oflife! People will notice the changes and you'll be preaching the benefits of trainingand good nutrition to those around you also.