Weight = 82.2kg

Loss this week = 0.7kg

Total loss = 9.8kg





If you told me 6 weeks ago that I’d weigh 82.2kg at the end of this program I would never have believed it. I’m ecstatic with the result. The only dampenor is that I’m realising I’ve spent a good part of my life looking like my before pic instead of looking like my after pic. I’ll tell you one thing, I don’t plan on going back.

In my final week, I did a hard run on Friday. For you inner westies out there, I did the bay run (little under 6km) in 29min 54sec, had 5 minutes rest and then did it again in 30min 22sec.

Saturday’s workout was a 2 hour class that I ran and participated in at Rushcutters Bay. 15 of us did a mix of things. 4 massive hill sprints in between functional strength circuits of Kettlebell swings, burpees, box jumps, skipping, dumbbell push press, deadlifts, a 6 minute boxing round and a game of touch footy to finish off. The session had a great vibe and it was a really good way for me to finish off the program and I appreciate those who came along.

I took Mia, my 3 year old to the park on Sunday for one of our usual little workouts. We ride to a park at broadway and I do heaps of chinnups and other body weight exercises in between playing with her on the play equipment. She’s cute because she’s like my trainer, she says ‘come on dad’ and runs me to the various stations and then try’s to copy me. Alyson (my wife) met us down at the park after that and took the ‘after pictures’. Mia took her shirt off just like dad and had a pose.

Darren, one of my clients, organised an ocean swim for bondi surf club on easter Monday so I decided that if Brooklyn wasn’t out of hospital by then, I’d give the swim a go and then have a few beers after at Bondi to celebrate the finish of my program.

Brooklyn had a bit of a setback, he had an apnea and chocked on his vomit after a bottle. He was off the monitors but luckily the nurse noticed him as he was turning a little blue. The doctors are saying that it’s not an uncommon thing and sometimes premature babies just have problems coordinating swallowing and breathing. He’ll be monitored for another week before he can come home.

I’ll probably read over this blog in years to come when I want to remember how Brooklyn came in to the world. Perhaps Brooklyn might even read it one day. So, i just wanted to say to Brooklyn that although we don’t even really know you yet, you’ve already touched so many people’s lives and me, your mum and your big sisters love you and can’t wait to have have you home with us. You’ve been my driving inspiration to go to the next level and give this last 6 weeks everything I had.





Since Brooklyn wasn’t home, I did the 1km ocean swim a Bondi. I weighed in on Monday morning (82.2kg) before the race. I’ve never been a fantastic swimmer and this was my first swim race, let alone ocean swim race. The chop from the surf was something that i obviously don’t get in my pool swims but I felt pretty strong. I didn’t go crazy hard as I didn’t want to get 500 meters out to sea and have a panic attack after getting kicked in the head or something by another swimmer. I did it in 20 minutes and 37 seconds. The average time for the race was 20 minutes 46 seconds so I was stoked to be faster than that. It was a satisfying accomplishment and a high note to end my 6 weeks on.





After the race, first thing I’d did was have a sausage on a roll. Second thing I did, was have another sausage on a roll. A couple of hours and a couple of beers later the guys were bringing in the cans from the race and they had to chase a shark back out to sea – bit scary.

Where to for you…

People have said to me ‘I could never do it’, ‘I could never have the discipline’ to do what I’ve just done. Part of the reason I think that people don’t give it everything they’ve got is because they don’t truly believe that by following a healthy diet and exercising regularly that they can have the body they’ve always dreamed of. They think that there must be something else to it and they are stuck with the body they have. There is nothing else for me to say or do, I’ve told you as much as I know, I’ve shown you how do it, done it under pretty hard circumstances so the ball is in your court. If you want to transform your body, just go for it, enjoy the challenge and I guarantee you’ll surprise yourself. If you’re a Box Class participant, you’re already in pain in every class –  ensure you get a reward from it!

Thanks so much for reading. If you have any questions, want help embarking on your own body transformation challenge, want to come and train with me at Box Class or just want to pay me out about shaving my chest and posting pictures of myself all over the net then I’d love to hear from you.

The post Week 6 – 6 kilograms, 6 pack in 6 weeks with Luke Wardle appeared first on Box Class.

Weight = 82.9kg
Weight loss this week = 1.4kg
Total weight loss = 8.9kg


Exercise this week…


Monday – none (still a little sick)


Tuesday – 12.50pm pain in the Domain (free interval 6km run class) + 5.45pm Kettlebell Class


Wednesday – Kettlebell Class 6am Rushcutters Bay


Thursday – 15 x 400 meter sprints, every 2min 30sec, all less than 1min 23sec (1 min 7 sec rest)


Friday – Boxing 60 minutes (Check out my boxing video from last week’s Blog if you missed it)


Saturday – 2km swim (including sprints)


Sunday – 1km rower & 1km treadmill x 5, slowest split on the rower was 3min 40 sec, treadmill each 1km was done on 16.5km/hr + 10 minutes abs





What happened this week…


My second last week of my 6 weeks was another pretty good week. I struggled finding time for a few of my workouts after missing Monday because I was sick. I would have liked to do a bit more. I was lucky enough to be able to participate in a couple of the Kettlebell classes as I knew I’d be struggling juggling everything and finding time this week.


Brooklyn is still in hospital although he is doing well. I’m hoping he’ll be out before I finish the challenge. We were told that his B12 levels were low and that there was a possibility, he could have a rare case of vitamin B12 deficiency where it can lead to problems with his brain development. We stressed over this for a few days but results came back later in the week which had him in the low but normal range.


Highlights this week…


Thursdays workout I completed 15 x 400metre sprints on the 2min 30sec, all laps less than 1min 23sec per lap, with 1 min 7sec rest between laps. That probably means nothing to you but it was bloody hard, and I’ve really noticed a big improvement with this session in particular from my initial couple of 400 meter sessions in the early weeks.


Saturday’s workout on the treadmill and the rower was a good one. I did my best splits ever. I was on 16.5km/hr on the treadmill for every run and my slowest time on the rower for 1km was 3min 40sec. I feel pretty fit and I feel like my body is used to being pushed to its limits.


Nutrition this week…


Calories per day were around the 2200 mark at a split of about 40% protein, 35% carbohydrate and 25% fat (same as previous weeks). I’ve noticed on myfitnesspal that my Iron levels are never high enough so I’ve started taking an iron supplement everyday to compensate. Here is a short video of a day’s meals that I’ve had:





To ensure my body gets all its required fuel in a limited calorie diet, I frequently eat the following types of foods:
Oates (fibre rich, antioxidant rich, carbohydrate rich, low in sugar and fat)

Brown rice (fibre rich, good source of complex carbohydrates, low in sugar and fat)
Seeds (good fats)
Vegetables and Fruits (vitamins and minerals)
Chicken (rich in protein and low in saturated fat)
Tuna (rich in protein, low in fat and convenient to eat on the run)
Whey protein powder (protein rich, low in fat and sugar, convenient way to increase protein in your day)


As I said, I haven’t been getting my recommended daily intake of Iron according to myfitnesspal. Keep an eye on not just your calories and macronutrients but also your RDI of saturated fat, sodium, iron, sugar and vitamins and adjust your diet accordingly.





I haven’t been allocating myself a ‘cheat meal’ as I think if you’re changing your diet up a little everyday you will naturally have some days slightly higher in calories than other days (some research suggests this prevents your body from going in to ‘starvation mode’ when eating low calories every day), I’ve just been making sure that when I average the week out, I come in within my calorie goals. Sometimes on a Saturday and Sunday I have to eat according to what macronutrients I need to eat more of or less of. Usually it’s less fat and more protein to make sure my weekly % macronutrient goals fit into my goals of approximately 25% Fat, 40% protein, 35% carbohydrates. If you’re having trouble getting started with myfitnesspal, perhaps the video below will help. Take note of his instructions on how to change your macronutrient goals.





What’s been my secret to success?


Accountability has been the biggest thing for me. Writing this blog has kept me totally accountable. I know if I stray from the plan I’m going to have to write it in this blog. That’s been the main driver for me in staying on track. If I didn’t have to reveal that I had a couple of beers, or that I only did 3 workouts this week then I would have probably strayed a lot more often over the past 5 weeks. For those embarking on their own challenge, this accountability is the key. You can replicate the accountability I’ve felt with my blog simply by telling people about your goals and what you’re doing. Being accountable to a mentor or people that you respect is a very powerful motivator.


I’m a little surprised by the amount of negativity that I’ve received from some people. I’ve being questioned ‘why on earth would I do this?’ or ‘why would I want to lose weight?’ or ‘don’t lose any more weight!’ and, I’ve been thinking about how society views weight loss. It’s like a dirty word. After all, I’m being extremely healthy, exercising, eating the best foods and best amounts of foods to fuel my body that I know of. Yet, some people question if it’s healthy, good for you, and why do it. It baffles me. For me, I’m proud to be able to say that I’ve achieved something and I think this whole experience particularly in following through with the 6 week challenge with all the adversity has made me a stronger character and it has helped me believe in myself a little more. Whatever challenges are thrown at me in the future, I’ll be or the more confident in my strength to overcome them.


With only a week to go I’m storming home and I’m looking forward to revealing a totally new and transformed ‘ME’ in my final post for the 6 weeks – prepare to be amazed at the difference!

The post Week 5 – 6 Kilograms, 6 Pack in 6 weeks with Luke Wardle appeared first on Box Class.

Weight = 84.3kg
Weight loss this week = 1.6kg
Total weight loss = 7.5kg

My calorie intake and calorie expenditure was pretty similar to my previous weeks so I won’t list a heap of numbers this week. Meal plans were also very similar to previous weeks.

I had really good week in terms of weight loss and I’m really surprised at how much weight I’ve lost.

I had some really tough sessions. With my workouts, as you should do with yours, I’m progressing as I get fitter and stronger. By progressing I mean doing exercises faster, longer, heavier, more repetitions etc. Here is what I did this week:

Monday
12 x 400 meter sprints on 2min 40sec, all under 1min 23sec per lap (1min 17sec rest between sets)

Tuesday
Run Class (1.10pm Circular Quay) about 6km of intervals, stairs etc
Kettlebell Class (5.45pm Observatory Hill) series of functional resistance training circuits and exercises

Wednesday
Boxing 45 minutes heavy bag, 15 x 2 min rounds

Thursday
Kettlebell Class ( 5.45pm Observatory Hill) series of functional resistance training circuits and exercises
Box Class (joined in the Rushcutters Bay (joined in the evening class as we just had a small group of the die hard regulars)

Friday
Run 10.7km

Saturday
Run 3.5km + 2km of swimming (combination of sprints and continuous swimming)

Sunday
Nothing – Sick

You can see by comparing my numbers to previous weeks I’m adding extra intervals and completing various splits quicker than when I first started. I obviously love boxing and love the competitiveness of group classes but I also enjoy being able to do things to a certain time like the interval splits involved in some of my workouts as I like having my last session as a benchmark to try and beat. Training like this prevents slacking off and taking short cuts.

I did 15 x 2 minute rounds on the heavy bag on Wednesday, check out my video of the workout http://youtu.be/Rmyr_Tl-GmU.





I joined in the Box Class at Rushcutters Bay on Thursday as I only had a small group of regulars (loved the session Des, Vanette and Gil you guys are seriously fit!).

On Sunday I woke up with a bug which floored me for the whole day. I laid on the lounge all day and after my usual oats in the morning I could only stomach a few crackers the rest of the day.

As you know if you’ve read my previous blogs, I’m preparing most of my meals in advance so that I’m prepared for the coming day. This is something that you have to do to stay on track. I have however been stuck a couple of times throughout the program.

Sushi Rolls are a great healthy fast food I’ve grabbed on the run on occasion. I’ve had a take away Barramundi, brown rice and salad from the AMP food court in Sydney a couple of times – an awesome healthy lunch for about $10. I’ve also taken the kids out a couple of times to the fish and chip shop and just ordered a grilled fish and salad for myself. You have to account for the fact that these places use a fair bit of oil in cooking (I’m not using any when I cook at home) so be sure to enter that into your calorie counter as well to get a more accurate intake.

My wife and I went out for dinner on Friday night as a bit of a celebration, the first time we’ve relaxed a bit with each other. We bathed Brooklyn for the first time (for those new readers my son Brooklyn was just born premature 2 weeks ago) and then went up to Newtown. I ordered an entree of smoked salmon and Duck with Lentils for main. I had 2 glasses of red wine with dinner.

Although this meal would obviously contain way more calories than my usual dinner, in terms of the week as a whole, it didn’t affect my total calorie intake much at all.

I’ve been extremely tired throughout the week. I’ve felt pretty depleted in some of my workouts as well. I’m putting most of this down to lack of sleep as opposed to diet and exercise. I’m pretty much running on 5-6hrs of sleep. My day looks something like this:

5.15am
Protein Shake + Fruit

6am
Teach Box Class

8.30am
Oates and coffee

9.30
Answer Emails + Admin etc

10.30am
Egg + Shaved Turkey + Rocket + cherry tomatoes

10.45am
Answer Emails + Admin etc

11.45am
Brown Rice + Tuna + Mushrooms
Protein Shake



12pm
Teach Box Class

2.30pm
Chicken breast + Salad

3pm
Workout

5.00pm
Chicken Breast + Salad
Protein Shake

5.45pm
Teach Classes

8.30pm
Salmon + Veggies



9.15pm
Go to hospital to see Brooklyn

10.30pm
Cottage Cheese + seeds + Blueberries

10.45pm
Bed

Brooklyn is doing really well in his second week on the planet. He has progressed to not requiring any oxygen and the nurses are gradually upping his feeds to pack on the pounds. He’s progressed out of the first ICU room into the high dependency room and he is now out of the temperature controlled crib and into a cot – good work you little champion! One of my mates sent me a text when he found out we named him Brooklyn saying ‘…he sounds tough like his old man’, he’s certainly had to be tough in his first few weeks of life and we’re very proud of him already.

Brooklyn’s uncle (Alyson’s Brother), is Paul Gallen who plays Rugby League for the Sharks. He sent a nice SMS to Alyson before he ran out of the dressing room to play last year premiers Manly. He said ‘…this one’s for Brooklyn’. Paul went on to lead the team to a massive upset, did some super human amount of hit-ups and tackles and got man of the match. Great stuff Paul – loved it!

I’ve had a number of people say they want to embark on a similar challenge to the one I’m doing. It’s great to see I’ve inspired some of you to have a go. The program and nutrition plan I’ve put myself on is individualised for me. The meals work in with my daily commitments. And my workouts I do, take in to account what I feel will get me the fastest results, my current fitness level and what type of exercises that I enjoy doing.

Both men and women can most definitely embark on a similar program to what I’m doing but you need to individualise both the fitness and nutrition components to make it work for you.

I’m not a nutritionist but from what I know, it’s best to eat clean healthy unprocessed foods including meats, fish, vegies, fruit, seeds and complex carbohydrates. For weight loss, women should aim for about 1400 – 1800 calories a day. Men should aim for about 2100 – 2500. See http://www.boxclass.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/calorie_cheat_sheet_1.0.pdf for more information on calorie amounts. To count your calories use www.myfitnesspal.com. For most people, it doesn’t need to be more complicated than this. You don’t need to look around for some other magical way to do it, this will get you results – I’m proof.

There are different views out there as far as how much protein and carbohydrates that should make up your calorie intake for the day. I’ve gone with about 25% fat, 40% protein and 35% carbohydrates. Some of the advice out there suggests to have more carbs than protein (eg 45% carbohydrates and 30% Protein) and you may prefer a diet richer in carbohydrates. Either way, if you are staying under your calories you will probably get similar results.

Women will most likely find it a little harder and time consuming to drop the weight than men (sorry ladies it’s just the way it is) but the calorie intake and calorie expenditure equation I mentioned in week 1 still applies. Don’t throw in the towel just because your hubby is losing weight twice as fast.

As far as the type of exercise. Choose appropriate exercises to your fitness level. A 5km jog/walk could leave you as tired as what 10 x 1km intervals on the treadmill and rower leaves me. The main thing however is you’re getting your heart rate up high, pushing yourself and doing it frequently so that you’re burning loads of calories. If the Zumba class isn’t cutting it – get to a Box Class.


Thanks for reading and tune in next week.

The post Week 4 – 6 kilograms, 6 pack, 6 weeks with Luke Wardle appeared first on Box Class.

Weight = 85.9kg

Weight loss this week = 1.5kg

Total weight loss = 5.9kg

Food

14646 total calories for 7 days

Average per day for 7 days = 2,092

Average Carbohydrates per day = 38% = 203g

Average Protein per day = 38%=199g

Average Fat per day = 24%= 55g

A sample day – Sunday

Meal 1

Rolled Oates 75g

Seed mix Kapai Puka 12g

Blueberries 17

Strawberries 2

Banana 1/3 medium

Protein Shake (GNC Low Carb Delite)

Meal 2

Light milk 100ml (coffee)

Apple

Dark rye toast  1 slice with vegemite

Meal 3

Chicken breast 135g

Brown rice 125g (sun rice 90 second)

Mushrooms 2/3 cup sliced

Fresh herbs

Meal 4

Protein Shake (GNC Low Carb Delite)

Smoked Salmon 50g

Cottage cheese 20g

Apple

lite milk 100ml (coffee)

Meal 5

Protein Shake (GNC Low Carb Delite)

Shaved leg ham 50g

Peach slices canned 100g

Meal 6

Lamb Chops Lean 135g

Capsicum 70g

Chinese Broccoli 125g

Sweet potato 75g

Meal 7

Cottage cheese 75g

Seed mix Kapai Puka 13g

Strawberries 2

Peach slices 62g

LSA 4g

Chia Seeds 4g

Exercise

5395 total calories burned during exercise

771 average calories per day burned during exercise

Monday

11 x 400 meter sprints on 2min 50sec, all under 1min 25sec per lap

Tuesday

Run 3.4 km, swim 1km freestyle, run 3.4km

Wednesday

Boxing 20 minutes heavy bag

5 x 500m rower 1 min rest

40 minutes crossfit weights circuit

Thursday

10.7km run

Friday

Nothing…boo

Saturday

Boxing 20 minutes on heavy bag

1km run treadmil (1-16.5km/hr, 2-16.5km/hr, 3-16.3km/hr, 4-16.3km/hr, 5-16.2km/hr) 1km rower x 5 all under 3min 45sec

Sunday

Swimming 1km freestyle, 500metre breastroke, 5 x 100 meter freestyle sprints on 2min 30sec

Crossfit functional strengh 60min.

Circuit A – 5 sets

Chins 10

Db push press 10 x 15kg

Burpees 10

Db press 10 x 25kg

1=2min 30sec

2=2min 42sec

3=3min 08sec

4=3min 36sec

5= 3min 25sec

Circuit B – 5 sets

Squats 10 x 90kg

Cable crossovers 10 x 20kg

Decline situps 7.5kg med ball 10

Toes to bar 10

1=3min 30sec

2=3min 02sec

3=3min 02sec

4=3min 17sec

5=3min 01

What happened this week…

This was the hardest week of my life.

Brooklyn Luke Wardle (yes he has a name) was born last Sunday morning at 32 weeks (8 weeks premature) so I’ve spent much of the week up at RPA. With preemie babies the issues are breathing – their lungs aren’t fully developed, temperature – they can’t regulate their own temperature and feeding – they can’t suck yet. Other than that, once he gets on top of these things, the fantastic staff at RPA has assured us that he will be absolutely fine.

I spent all my time sitting with Brooklyn and then visiting my wife who was a few floors up who didn’t get to actually see Brooklyn until Tuesday. I brought my meals in to the hospital and although the staff didn’t really appreciate it, I’d taken up half the cupboard and fridge space in the kitchen. I stuck to the plan the whole week, kept my fat intake at an average of 55g a day (24%) and my average calories although higher than last week was still very good at a little over my target of 2000 calories a day. After such a stressful week I had 2 glasses of red wine Friday night with my mum as a little bit of a celebration and put some music on and had a nice time with Mia my 3 year old who has had to deal without having mum or dad around all week.

On Monday I went back down to see Brooklyn at 4pm. I wasn’t allowed in as the doctors where doing their rounds so I made myself get my exercise gear on and go for a run to clear my head. Initially it was going to be an easy jog but I found an oval at the university and decided to do my usual Monday 400 meter sprint session.

Having been a personal trainer for several years, every now and again I get a client who bursts out in to tears during a workout. It must be something to do with hormone release. After 6 or 7 sprints I found myself thinking of Brooklyn fighting to breath. I couldn’t help but think, the harder I run and the more pain I’m in then it could somehow help him be in less pain. I really pushed myself extra hard with the last 5 or 6 sprints and found myself fighting back tears in between each interval. It was really emotional and after trying to be strong for everyone for the past 2 days it was a bit of a release for me.

Brooklyn’s courage and fight really inspired me to work extra hard and smash myself in all my workouts and that showed with my weight loss. Whenever I was struggling to breathe I’d just think of him and tell myself to toughen up. If I wasn’t by his side then I better be doing a workout that’s worthwhile otherwise I’d be better of being with him.

Tuesday’s session was a satisfying one. I swim with my sister Melissa and she beats me fairly convincingly, much to the amusement of my nephews. I was pretty chuffed to have kept on her feet for the duration of the first 500 Meters. The loss in weight seems to have helped my swimming heaps.

Saturdays session was a killer. I started with 20 minutes boxing, then 5 sets of 1km runs on the treadmill + 1km row (give this a go it’s a good one). I kept all 10 intervals under 3 minute 45 seconds. Sunday afternoon’s workout was also very tough. After an early morning swim the weights circuit I did really smashed me (I’ve listed specifically what I did above under Sunday).

I’ve been really proud of myself this week for going so well under the circumstances. Here’s another you tube clip that has given me a bit of inspiration to keep it going (http://youtu.be/obdd31Q9PqA).

Lastly, I’ve had so many people send their well wishes this week and I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you very much for your support. I’ve really appreciated it.

Our families have also been overwhelmingly supportive and it’s so nice to know that we have so many wonderful people in our lives only too willing to drop everything for us and help us out.

If any of you have any questions about my exercise or diet please let me know on my Facebook page and I’ll answer them. I’ve posted a lot of stuff about my personal life in the past 2 blogs so if you have any questions about the routine I’m following or you’d like help with your own similar routine or if you’d like me to cover something next blog please let me know on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/boxclass.


Thanks for reading! Tune in next Monday, I’ll have some video footage of me melting the calories away and burning of some steam with a killer 15 rounds on the punching bag + heaps more.

The post Week 3 – 6 kilograms, 6 weeks, 6 pack with Luke Wardle appeared first on Box Class.

Weight = 87.4kg

Weight loss this week = 0.3kg

Total weight loss = 4.4kg

Food

11,221 total calories for 6 days (Sunday not included as it was a right off)

Average calories per day for 6 days = 1870

Average Carbs per day = 34% = 161g

Average Protein per day = 39% = 182g

Average Fat per day = 27%= 56g

Sunday was a total right off but probably had about 4000+ calories I haven’t included it in my calculations but it obviously would have had a massive impact on my figures (read on to see what happened).

A sample day – Thursday

Meal 1

Rolled Oates 75g

Seed mix Kapai Puka 12g

Blueberries 13

Banana 1/3 medium

Protein Shake

Meal 2

Sough dough toast  1 slice

eggs 2

Lite milk 100ml (coffee)

Nectarine

Meal 3

Chicken breast 175g

Brown Rice 150g

Meal 4

Chicken breast 133g

Garden salad 2 cups

Cherry tomatoes 5

Green Beans 7

Mushrooms 2/3 cup sliced

Meal 5

Tuna in spring water 168g

Apple

Meal 6

Beef strips 167g

Capsicum 38g

Chinese Broccoli 150g

Green Beans 7

Meal 7

Cottage cheese 40g

Seed mix Kapai Puka 13g

Blueberries 12

Exercise

4612 total Calories burnt in the week

659 calories average per day

Monday: 11 x 400 meter sprints on 2min 50sec, about 1min 25sec per lap

Tuesday: Run Class and Kettlebell Class

Wednesday: Nothing…boo

Thursday: 10.7km run

Friday: Sandhills 45 min (4km run + 5 Sandhill sprints)

Saturday: Boxing 20 minutes on heavy bag and 40 min Crossfit weights circuit – dips, squats, deadlifts rows 3 rounds of 20 reps, cable cross overs, dumbbell push press, decline sit-ups 3 rounds of 20 reps.

Sunday: Nothing….boo

Some FAQ I received this week:

Is it healthy to lose 4kg in only 1 week?

Most of the weight was water. When you are eating a high carbohydrate diet you retain a lot of water. By cutting down my calorie intake and carbohydrate intake as well as ramping up my workouts I lost a lot of that water. Absolutely it’s safe and fine to lose that in the first week.

Carbs in morning?

Yes I’m trying to have most of the carbohydrate and sugar rich foods in the morning (Oates, brown rice, fruit) and less at night. This is called carb tapering. I’m also decreasing the size of my meals as the day goes on – calorie tapering (visit http://forums.kitakitz.com/post?id=5257379 for information on this).

More meal plans?

I’ll post a sample day of meal every week. Most days are fairly similar. Some staples are Oates, chicken, protein shakes, tuna, vegetables. I suggest you choose healthy foods that you like. I hate Brussel sprouts so I don’t eat them, I like asparagus so I eat them.

Weighing food?

Yes I’m weighing each and every meal. This is the only way you can be truly accurate and know what you’re eating. Just enter it in to myfitnesspal on your iPhone or iPad and it will do or the all calculations for you.

Is this sustainable long term?

I’m learning a lot from just calculating my calories and fat, carbs and protein every day. So, the education of the program will definitely help me in the future when understanding how much food I’m eating each meal/day and what is required to burn this off in my workouts. In the future I obviously won’t be weighing my food every meal but I will have done it that many times by the end of the program I won’t need to, I’ll just know how much is in the meal.

How do I feel?

The first 3 or 4 days of the 6 weeks I had a few headaches but after that I’ve felt great.

Stop doing so many weights and do more cardio!

Weight training can be just as effective if not more effective for weight loss as traditional cardio type exercises. The key is to select functional weight training exercises that incorporate major muscle groups together and complete them back to back with little or no rest in between sets and reps. For example on Saturday my workout included traditional power lifting exercises – squats and deadlifts along with bent over rows, dumbbell push press, decline sit-ups, cable cross overs. When you work out this way your major muscle groups all require blood at the same time which means your heart and respiratory system will be working overtime. By training this way you’re simultaneously working your cardiovascular system and major muscle groups.

Another important point.

As I said last week, calories in vs calories out is the key to wait loss. Myfitnesspal will help you keep track of both. It’s also important to know track how much carbohydrates, fat and protein that you’re eating. You don’t want your calories to be made up of too much fat for example or not enough protein. In my plan I’m aiming for:

25% fat (mostly all good fats)

40% protein

35% carbs (mostly complex carbohydrates and fruit)

What happened during the week…

I had two major things happen to me this week. The first was the opportunity to purchase a house with my sister and potentially subdivide the property. With a growing family I’ve been trying to move back to the shire where I grew up as it’s more affordable and we can hopefully have a little more space than where we are at the moment in Annandale. I put my unit in Drummoyne up for sale and I spent a good part of the week doing figures with my mum who is a mortgage broker, inspecting the property etc. I missed a workout on Wednesday because I had too much I needed to do and there were a few meals that I could have prepared a little better if I’d had more time.

As I mentioned last week, my wife is having a baby. During the week, Alyson started to get pains and also some bleeding. After going to the GP a couple of times during the week she admitted herself in to hospital on Saturday afternoon and she started getting contractions. The baby wasn’t due for another 8 weeks so it was a very scary thing for us to be going through. The doctors told us that what would most likely happen is the contractions would stop and the baby would go full term. The doctor gave her two steroid injections that would speed up the babies lung development in case it was born premature. They said that the steroids wouldn’t take full effect until Monday 4pm so if the baby came before then, it could have problems breathing. We were both in denial and just thought the contractions would go away and she’d go full term – that didn’t happen.

Alyson called me at 6.15am the next morning and said she was being admitted in to the labour ward. I had some breakfast and dropped Mia (my 3 year old) to my mother in laws and got to the hospital at 7.30am. Within 38 minutes of arriving I had a son (we are that unprepared we haven’t even got a name for him yet).

At 32 weeks he had trouble breathing so he was rushed off and placed in an incubator and put on oxygen. It was a very terrifying experience.  The next 24hrs was obviously very stressful and the last thing I was thinking about was my diet. I had a few toasted sandwiches, cappuccinos, banana bread and a number of other things throughout the day.

That evening, I contemplating throwing in the towel but I decided to keep at it. I spent a good hour cooking and preparing my meals for the next day so that I could get back to the hospital at the crack of dawn.

The baby and my family need me to be at my best to help us all get through this and I somehow feel like I’m letting my son down if I give up. After all, he is toughing it out fighting for every breadth all I have to do is do a few workouts and plan my lunch.

It will also wipe anyone else’s excuses right off the table. I’ll be juggling running a business, a wife and newborn baby in hospital while my two daughters have to go on with life as normal. It’s going to be tough but I’m up for it and at the moment I feel strangely even more determined.

A Motivational Video that gets me fired up

The post Week 2: 6 kilograms – 6 pack – 6 weeks with Luke Wardle appeared first on Box Class.

A little bit of background. I’ve never really restricted my diet. In fact, up until I was about 23 (I’m 32 now) I would try and eat as much food as I could to put on muscle. Playing semi professional Rugby League you needed to have a fair amount of muscle behind you. Since then, I’ve always worked in the fitness industry and the nature of the job keeps you fairly fit. I eat healthy food but I don’t really restrict much of the foods that I know I should probably cut out. I love cheese, beer, wine, sourdough bread, pasta, fruit, yoghurt, cappuccinos, fried eggs, meat pies, pizza etc.

I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve shown people how to lose weight but never really adhered to a strict diet myself. I mean I eat good foods but lots of them and I don’t hesitate to indulge on the odd occasion.

I’m going to show you how do it, not just tell you. Hopefully you’ll get more out of the process. However, as much as I want to help you, for me to give up some of the foods I love and to get me out of bed to exercise in the pouring rain on the only day I get to sleep in, I need some other goals to motivate me. I suggest you do a similar thing before embarking on your own program.

So hear goes;
-My wife and I have our third baby due in early May. My house is going to be a bit of a mad house and I want to be in good healthy shape to be able to withstand the sleepless nights after long working days.
-When the baby comes, I want to get some professional pictures taken with him/her. Most likely with my shirt off holding the baby or something. I just think it will be a good way to look back and be able to say that I was in good shape then (in case I get very stressed and fat in the next 10 years) and a great way for me to celebrate and bond with the new baby.
-Compete in the Urbanathalon on the 22nd of April, the half marathon on the 22nd of May and later in the year tough mudder and city to surf.
– lose a Minimum of 6kg

To do this I plan to
– Restrict my calories to under 2000 calories a day
– 25% Fat, 40% Protein and 35% Carbs
– Eat Majority of Carbs in the morning,reduce in the afternoon and night.
– 6-8 meals a day
– Exercise every day, with a combination of strength, high intensity and endurance workouts

To find out how many calories you should be eating see http://www.burnthefat.com/calorie_cheat_sheet_1.0.pdf. To easily track how many calories that I should be eating to reach my goal weight I’m using www.myfitnesspal.com (has an awesome free Iphone app).

What I actually did in week 1:

Week 1
Starting weight 91.8
Finishing weight 87.7
Total loss = 4.1kg

How I did it…
Total calories intake: 12,648
Average daily calorie total: 1,807
Average daily carbohydrate intake per day: 34%, 158g
Average daily protein intake per day: 38%, 173g
Average daily fat intake per day: 28%, 58g

A sample day (Tuesday):

Meal 1
Protein shake 44g
Apple 100g

Meal 2
Rolled oats 75g
Seed mix (Kapai Puka) 12.5g
Protein Shake 44g

Meal 3
Hard boiled egg
peach

Meal 4
Chicken breast 125g + Brown rice 62.5g with fresh herbs

Meal 5
Chicken breast 125g + Rocket 50g + Cherry tomatoes 50g + Red capsicum 25g + Seed mix 12.5g
Cottage cheese 20g

Meal 6
Tuna in sunflower oil 92.5g
Rocket 50g
Cottage Cheese 20g
Red Capsicum 25g
Carrot ½ large carrot
Green beens 3 beans
Mushroom 1 large
Seed Mix Kapi Puka 12.5g

Meal 7
Beef 150g
Mushroom 2 large
Carrot ½ large
Green Beans 3
Broccoli 4 spears
Pumpkin 75g

Exercise week 1:

Weekly calorie exercise expenditure = 5616
Monday: 400 Meter interval runs on 3 minutes x 10 (under 1.25m per lap)
Tuesday: 30 minutes strength, 15 minutes boxing + Run Class (5.6km intervals)
Wednesday: 10.7km run
Thursday: Kettlebell Class + 45 minutes swimming
Friday: treadmill and rowing intervals – 1km treadmill + 1 km row x 5 (under 4 minutes each interval)
Saturday: 30 min easy bike ride 20min body weight exercises in the park
Sunday: Boxing 45 minutes, spin 45minutes

I stayed under my 2000 calories a day goal (average was 1800), this was made up of about 28% fat as opposed to my goal of 25% fat so I’ll try and get it down a bit more next week. Majority of it is all good fats but still, I don’t want to be eating too much as my goal is to drop weight. I was happy with my workouts that I did during the week, I felt pretty good most of the time and most of the sessions where pretty intense workouts.
I haven’t given too much away in this first blog but I just want to set the tone of what the plan is and I look forward to going in to a bit more detail as I go on my 6 week journey.

Stay tuned to next Monday’s Blog and learn how two MAJOR events threaten to totally derail me from my 6 week plan.

The post Week 1: 6 kilograms – 6 pack – 6 weeks with Luke Wardle appeared first on Box Class.

I’m always getting asked how to lose weight. There are many conflicting views which often just adds to the confusion. The media is driven by people who are looking for an easy way, a revolutionary new pill or product that will transform their bodies with minimal effort. For most people, what is required is dedication, commitment, hard work, knowledge, preparation and planning.

THERE IS NO EASY WAY PEOPLE!…but it’s not complicated once you know how. I can talk all day about what you should be doing but I think a much better way is to show you.

Welcome to my 6 week challenge in which I’ll show you how to lose 6kgs of body fat and get a 6 pack in 6 weeks. Every Monday I’ll update the blog on how I reign in my diet and bump up my fitness routine. I’ll show you how to count your calories, give you meal examples, training ideas + more. This won’t be easy for me but I’m committed to the challenge and I’d love you to follow my progress as I’m sure you’ll learn a lot of things and may be even inspired to have a crack at your own personal weight loss challenge.

(1st post coming Monday 12th March and every Monday after that for 6 weeks)

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Why?

Enjoyment

It makes exercise social. Exercising doesn’t have to be chore. Yes it can be hard and uncomfortable. Yes your mattress is a much more comfortable place to be at 6am in the morning than at your local park doing burpees (if you don’t know what they are then you need to pay close attention to this article). Working out and being able to chat, can make the time go by quickly, and it’s so much more fun that you may actually forget you’re even exercising.

Accountability

It’s easy to break a commitment to yourself, but much harder to break a commitment to a friend. Having someone who’s counting on you to be there makes it less likely that you’ll skip it or put it off. It’ll motivate you to go knowing your friend expects you to be there.

Intensity

Your leisurely jog around the park doesn’t cut it. One of the first things you learn as fitness trainer is that Exercise Intensity is one of the most important aspects that will get your clients the results they want. Put simply – the harder you push yourself the better result you’ll get. By going further, faster and heavier you’ll magnify your results exponentially. The right training partner will help you boost intensity. Just like they help keep you accountable to show up, they’ll help keep you accountable to push yourself to do the best you can do. They’ll encouragement you to find your competitive spirit.

PS: What I’ve found in over a decade of fitness training is that the people that stay most committed to working out and get the best results are those that train with friends. As a trainer for over a decade, I’ve had thousands of clients who have come and gone. For the most part, the people that stay are those people that develop friendships. In fact, I’ll go as far as saying I’ve built my business with this in mind. If people become friends in my group fitness classes, they’ll more likely enjoy the workouts, want to turn up so they don’t let their friends down and push themselves harder because it feels good to get one over your mate.

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If you have the wrong attitude about fitness, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Most people look at exercise as:

• Punishment for bad eating
• An obligation
• Painful
• Time consuming
• Impossible to sustain over a long period of time
• Boring

If any of these sound familiar, how long do you think you’ll stick with your program? Nobody wants to do something painful, boring or obligatory. Before you throw yourself into weight loss, suss out your attitudes about exercise and figure out whether these attitudes are true or just lies you’ve been telling yourself for years. Then, try a different perspective and look at exercise as:

• A break from a stressful workday
• A way to boost energy and mood
• The only time you’ll have to yourself all day
• A chance to get totally physical and let your mind rest
• A chance to reward your body for working so hard
• A way to improve your quality of life immediately

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