Mark Foster's Guide To Keeping Fit In Your Forties

British Olympian Mark Foster 

During his extraordinarily long 23-year career as a professional athlete, Essex-born swimmer Mark Foster won six world titles, competed in five Olympic Games and broke eight world records. Today, through a combination of sensible nutrition and smart training, the now retired 44-year-old athlete still boasts the physique of a man half his age.

Here Foster reveals his personal secrets for staying in shape, dodging calories and beating stress in your 40s.

GET FIT IN 20 MINUTES WITH CIRCUITS

“The best way for a mature guy to get in shape, lose weight and feel toned is by doing circuits. If you’re not an Olympic athlete or a professional footballer there is no need to train for two hours every day. I find that twenty minutes in the morning or at lunchtime is enough time for a great workout. Men become very good at excuses but we can all find the time to do a 20-minute circuit of press-ups, squat thrusts, star jumps, abs exercises and lunges.”

BUILD TRAINING INTO YOUR LIFESTYLE

“If you are busy with important work commitments and family life, the best way to stay fit is to combine your training with your lifestyle. Turn your training into a fun and social part of your day by working out with friends, family or work colleagues. I often go to the gym with my other half or my mates so it feels less about fitness and more about spending time with the people you like. It also means you are much more likely to go regularly.”

SWIM TO CONQUER MIDDLE-AGE STRESS

“I still swim once a week. It’s the best sport for you in your 40s because it’s not weight-bearing so it doesn’t ruin your joints and every movement you make is effectively a stretch. But it is also very calming. Stress is a real problem for many guys. But the sight and sound of the water is quite therapeutic and almost like a meditation. When you go swimming you are in your own little world so you start to unwind. I also love playing golf, going to the theatre and seeing exhibitions. You have to think about your mental health as well as your physical health.”

^{Mark Foster shakes away the grey hairs (PIC: CESAR PERIN)}

EAT PORRIDGE, FISH AND SALAD (BUT NOT AT THE SAME TIME)

“Your diet is as important as your exercise. For me, a typical day starts with porridge but I also make my own bircher muesli and granola. It’s a bad idea to leave home after only a cup of coffee as you will start snacking. Lunch is often meat and salad and dinner might be fish and grilled vegetables, but I don’t eat a massive amount of carbs as excessive amounts get stored as fat. A good snack for me is a rice cake covered in chocolate.”

SWAP BEER FOR VODKA

“When you hit 40 the biggest problem is beer. I still like a beer but I limit my intake. If you’re having five or six pints a night, you are taking on a lot of calories. It’s better to have something with fewer calories in it, like vodka, lime and soda.”

STICK TO AMERICANOS

“You have to be careful with other drinks too. If you are having a coffee, be careful with lattes as they often have buckets of milk in them so it’s a bit like eating a meal. Stick to an Americano instead. During the day I drink a lot of water. Often when you think you are hungry you are really just thirsty.”

INJECT VARIETY INTO YOUR WORKOUTS

“Variety in your training is really important because we all get bored. I don’t have anything set in stone and I change things a lot. These days I go to the gym and ‘play’ as opposed to when I was an athlete and I would just beat up my body. One month I might get into running, the next month I might be doing bench presses and lat pull-downs in the gym. Making your training interesting will keep you motivated.”

PLAN AN OUTDOOR ADVENTURE

“Think of something exciting to do. I’d love to go waterskiing or surfing for example. I also did a London-to-Brighton bike ride for the International Children’s Trust. I took part with friends. We rocked down in our own time, took it nice and slowly, and it was a really fun way to stay in shape.”

GET FIT IN FRONT OF THE TV

“Think about how you could turn ordinary parts of your life into something healthier. Sometimes I will go on the running machine or cross-trainer for 45 minutes while I am watching the football. It’s a great way of distracting yourself from the exercise. I would just be sitting and watching the match at home anyway so I think I might as well work out while I’m watching it. Some people take iPads into the gym and watch movies on them. I’ve been working on a new FitSteps training DVD which you can do at home in front of the TV too.”

SET YOURSELF A GOAL EVERY YEAR

“I think it’s really useful to have a goal in mind each year to help you stay motivated. Maybe it’s your first triathlon or your first 10k. If you have a goal (and make sure it’s a manageable one) you will have something to focus on. I also think it is good to tell friends and family so they get involved and help you stay on track. They won’t let you slack, even if you get tempted.”

Source:- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/11280161/Mark-Fosters-guide-to-keeping-fit-in-your-forties.html

10 Habits Of Unsuccessful Dieters

Bad Habits That Are Preventing You from Losing Weight

What could be more frustrating than not seeing the scale drop despite days or weeks of doing everything right? After all that hard work—all the cookies you didn't eat, all the willpower you maintained, all the time you logged at the gym—how could you not have lost any weight? It's enough to make even the most determined person throw in the towel. Before you swear off exercise and declare yourself as someone who "will never lose weight," stop, take a deep breath, and remember this:  Weight-loss may seem simple (eat fewer calories than you burn), but often, there's a lot more going on than a simple calorie equation. Our bodies aren't calculators after all! What's more likely is that you've made some innocent mistakes in your quest to lose weight. Don't feel bad about it—it's extremely common. These bad habits may be preventing you from getting the results you want. Instead of giving up, make some of the smart changes outlined below, and you'll see that scale drop in no time!   10 Habits of Unsuccessful Dieters Bad Habit #1: Going "on a diet" in the first place. Since when did the word "diet" refer to something good? The word itself implies restriction, limitation, and a short-lived effort to get some quick results and then return to a "normal" way of eating. SparkPeople's surveys have shown that people who consider themselves to be "dieting" lose less weight and encounter more problems (such as plateaus and a lack of motivation) than people who are trying to lose weight by creating a lasting healthy lifestyle. Plus diets usually mean giving things up: favorite foods, dining out, desserts—even your social life. You don't have to be a psychology expert to know that when you tell yourself you can't have something, you usually want it more. This way of thinking could directly be sabotaging your efforts.   Smart Fix: Ditch the diets for good and focus on creating a healthy lifestyle based on nutritious foods and small, realistic changes that you can live with for the long term. Bad Habit #2: Overhauling your eating habits overnight. How many times have you gone crazy eating all the "bad" foods you know you shouldn't, only to promise to swear them off starting next week or next month or next year? How often have you decided to suddenly clean out your kitchen, throw away all the "junk" and then shop for only healthy food? How's that working for you? No one can expect to change a lifetime of eating habits overnight—and no one should have to! To lose weight successfully and keep it off, you have to adopt a way of eating that you can stick with for the rest of your life.   Smart Fix: Eating healthy isn't about taking food away; it's about eating MORE of the things that are good for you. To be successful, you have to implement small and realistic changes to your diet. Next week, swap that 2% milk for 1%, and switch out your usual bread for a healthy whole-grain variety. Once you get used to that, you can set a small goal like eating one serving of fresh fruits or vegetables each day. The point is to start small with changes that fit into your lifestyle. Here are more tips on how to start eating a healthier diet.