Reasons to Train with Brother Gym - No. 1... Specificity

We all train in some way or another; whether we walk to the bus stop, run on a sunday morning, patrol the supermarket aisles or endeavour to train under a rigorous regime - we train. In some way or another we are training to function in our lives. If you need to get to the bus, then walking there every day adapts your body to that particular function. If you want to run a marathon, you need to systematically train your body for that function.

Should you want to lose weight it seems there is no immediate training to function paradigm. That makes it a little harder. There are answers though. You just have to consider the function that is being played by all the things you put into your body and all of the ways in which you expend that energy. If you put nothing into your body, then it can serve no function - so that isn't the answer. If you want to reach your leanest weight - 'your' leanest, not someone elses - then you have to take a close look at your habits and see what function they serve. Too often, through an abundance of choices in the gym, it becomes easy for someone to train a little randomly - to just do a bit of this and that in the hope that all that energy expenditure will add up to one tidy little package. But if you aren't seeing results, perhaps you've worked out that this is not working for you...

It's our job to take a look at your lifestyle, your habits and your potential and give you the correct, and specific, way of achieving your potential.

Be specific with us and we can give you specifically what you want. It's as easy as 1,2,3...

Brother Gym
www.brothergym.com

Well, hello brothergym.com - our home is finally built! (just a bit of decorating to do)

Dear followers and all soon-to-be followers,

We are now live at brothergym.com! In the spirit of motivation we are kicking off with some brilliant special offers!! As follows:

3 months - 30% off
6 months - 40% off
12 months - 50% off

Your fitness and health does not have to cause your bank account to collapse in a shocked heap after all.

(PLEASE NOTE: at the moment the site is only accepting payments if you go directly through paypal so at the payment page please check the paypal box)

Go to the site and have a look... Check out the exercise section to see some free previews of how we do it!

As a fledgling start up we aren't perfect... You may notice a few little bugs and even spelling mistakes. Dont't fret though, we are proactive and very open to suggestions so please give us some feedback.

You can email james@brothergym.com if you have any questions or if you would like us to discuss a topic in a blog or article!

Welcome to the family!

Brother Gym

Keen for Quinoa?

The term "superfood" gets bandied about a lot these days. Call me cynical, but its appearance tends to be rather arbitrary and to the benefit of someone's pocket. I mean, there is no scale of "superfoodiness" to direct our analysis or even a set of guidelines to guide our hand... I do agree that not all foods are created equal, but as long as you eat a good variety of fresh, well sourced produce, you aren't going to be missing out on your super-5 a day... I'd like to help you add one more great food to the table - Quinoa (Keen-Waah)...

Sacred Quinoa

Something to tell the un-Quinitiated: Quinoa is an ancient grain-like seed, first cultivated in the Andes around 5000 years ago!  Sacred to many civilisations, the Incans called it the 'mother grain'.

Quinoa facts:

• Quinoa is a rarity amongst vegetables in that it contains all 8 essential amino acids - which is pretty useful if you are vegetarian. Thus, great to mix with legumes, which can be lacking in certain essentials. 
• Quinoa is also 12-18% protein, depending on the variety and around 6% fat - which is good for satiating your hunger. 
• It is also gluten free, so perfect for those who cannot tolerate it and this also means it doesn't bloat you like other grains can.

A few great quinoa dishes...

• Try mixing some cooked quinoa with lime zest, chili, chopped coriander and a little grated cheese and topping some succulent cod loins before grilling or baking. This gives the cod a crispy and vibrant flavour and can simulate fish and chips - without the nasty trans-fats! (Serve with a few baked sweet potato wedges and some fresh minted peas for a full 'fish supper'.
• You can make a great lunch salad by mixing quinoa with avocado, tomatoes, onion, olives, basil, alfalfa sprouts, leaves of your choice and either chicken or tuna. Make an olive oil, mustard and lemon dressing to keep it moist and full of flavour.
• If you are vegetarian, you can replace rice with quinoa in any number of dishes, or add it to stir fries and salads for the extra protein. You could also coat tofu in roasted (dry in a pan) quinoa before cooking, perhaps mixing this with sesame seeds. 
• Dry-roast quinoa in a pan - it should 'pop' - and add it to home made muesli to use as a morning cereal.

I hope you find a place for quinoa in your kitchen... it's a great, healthy food that can add a wonderful, healthy variety to all sorts of dishes.

6 Great Tips to Avoid the Christmas Bulge

It’s Christmas time, mistletoe and wine… beer, puddings, sloth, potatoes, late nights, dark nights, cold days, cakes, pies and at least one day where you may consume up to 8000 calories!

Yes, my merry chums, you may consume 8000 calories on Christmas day! Wow, that is roughly 4 days worth of energy all balled into one large meal and an undoubted string of sweet, salty or chocolaty goodies, not to mention an ample barrel of several different drinks.

I think it may be time to temper our gluttonous ways and opt for an equally delicious, warm and lovely way to celebrate Xmas…

So, here are some tips you can follow to avoid feeling like a stuffed game bird by midnight on the 25^th…

• Try and do a great workout on the 23^rd. If you can do a workout using the legs and some hard interval running, you’ll have your metabolism primed to top gear in order to burn many calories over the following 3 days.

• It is common to drink more during the run up to Christmas – both in terms of alcohol and soft drinks. So, for those office parties, set yourself a limit of drinks to minimize the damage – perhaps 3-4. Try to avoid soft, sugary drinks by going for water, or adding juices to water for a less sugary option.

• Be clever with your choice of Christmas meat – white Turkey meat will have the least fat and calories of them all, with Pork and Goose coming up top in those steaks.

• To avoid feeling like a beached whale following your feast, try eating fewer starchy vegetables like potatos and adding more fibrous counterparts such as peas, sprouts and parsnips. And when it does come to the potatoes – chop them into larger chunks and they will absorb less fat!

• Down to dessert – why not try serving your Christmas pudding with yoghurt instead of cream, brandy cream or ice cream? Perhaps even add fruit such as apples to add some vitamins.

• And last but not least… try and be active! Perhaps perform some body weight squats, press ups and lunges when you wake up – 3x12 each, to boost your metabolism. And why not go for a walk after lunch – 45 minutes brisk walking in the cold is bound to leave you full of energy and not slumped comatose on the sofa!

So there you have it, 6 great tips to avoid piling on the pounds in the Christmas season! If you can follow a few you will come out on the other side of the festive season looking as fit as ever!

A couple of ways to keep your Liver in tip-top shape this party season!

It's all well and good looking great on the outside.... and if you are honest, that'll probably be the main reason you go down to the gym or pile your plate high with veggies, fruits and salads. And a noble cause it is too, with loads of fabulous benefits! Some people, though, are always going on about how it is important to look at what is on the inside as well. I'm not going to talk about depth of personality, kindness or any of that stuff... I'm going to talk about your liver.

I mean who wants to sport a refreshing lemony yellow colour in their later years? So here are two things you can do to try and avoid looking like a lily-livered, yellow-bellied whatsit...

1. Take your milkthistle...

Ahh, isn't that pretty...

Studies have shown that regularly taking milkthistle can reduce your chances of liver disease by 18%... well that's not bad. I think we should all give it a go.

2. Peanut Butter..

Yup, those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you used to eat were actually doing you good.. who new? Although, I say ditch the jelly and put a good teaspoon on your oat cake for a great morning snack. Apparently, the effects of liver damage can be greatly reduced by eating the stuff, due to the high levels of antioxidant vitamin E.
See it\s not all rabbit food after all...

This is the one to go for!

Enjoy staying healthy this Xmas...