Leaderboard

New Year, New Me I promised you all I would make this post, it’s going to be a long one so grab a coffee and get comfortable. Around this time of year we see a lot of ‘new year, new me’ stuff on social media etc. I personally think its great, the more people who want to live healthy lifestyles the better. However, there is also a lot of misconception around what a ‘healthy lifestyle’ actually is. In this post I am going to: Address the difference between health and fitness Give simple basic recommendations that everyone can follow to improve their health Give a basic guide to implementing a healthy eating and exercise plan into your life What is the difference between Health and Fitness? Simply put health is tied to your well being and your bodies ability to carry out the functions of life in the most efficient way. Fitness is your ability to carryout a particular task. Example? Getting 8 hours of solid sleep is healthy as REM sleep is required for your body to carry out functions that are important to LIFE. Being able to deadlift 200kg is part of the fitness I require as a novice strongman. If you can deadlift 200kg does that make you healthy? No. In fact deadlifting can be very detrimental to your health if you hurt yourself doing it. However, it makes me ‘fit’ for competition. Hopefully that makes sense. Why is this important? Well, a lot of information on the internet can be very confusing because what people tell you that you need to do in order to be ‘fit’ isn’t healthy. So, for example, in the post that Aaron and I made about nutrition for gamers we shared our respective diets. Is a high protein diet based around red meat healthy? No. Is it what I needed to be fit for strongman? Yes. Is a high calorie shake at the end of a day healthy? No. Is it what Aaron needs to make sure he is ‘fit’ for MMA? Yes. See where we are going with this? Try not to believe in what you read on insta and facebook and all that because different people have different ‘fitness’. How to improve your health? I gave some recommendations in a previous post about how to improve your overall health, I am going to post them below and expand on them a little bit: Drink at least 1/2 litre of water for every 'foot' you are tall. So if you're 6 foot tall you would drink 3 litres of water throughout the day. A really simple way to do this is to buy a water bottle and have a set amount of times you will fill it. I have a 500ml metal bottle in my work bag and I make sure I fill it between every lesson. That gets me 1.5ltrs between 9 and 4, the other 1 litre I need I get before school and after school. Eat 2 different colour vegetables of fruits with every meal. This one is really easy to accomplish and we will expand on it in the last section of this post. Be in bed ready to sleep at least 8 hours before your alarm is set to go off. Make sure you set the right environment for sleep. Lights down low, no screen time before bed, alarm set. Use white noise to help you drop off - I recommend an app called Rain Rain, its free and has loads of different sounds. Add extra rock, sea or pink Himalayan to at least 1 meal throughout the day. This will ensure that the water you are drinking isn’t washing away all of the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs. Limit caffeine to the best of your ability, preferably finishing it before midday. Caffeine helps stimulate the brain and all that good stuff but it also counters the bodies ability to hold on to water and absorb key minerals, try limiting yourself to 1 or 2 cups a day if possible. Take a Vitamin B, D and Omega 3 supplement. Generally speaking most people lack these three things in their diet and they are key to making sure your body carries out the key functions for life. (more on this later) You may ‘feel’ better if you try these recommendations - however it really does depend on the rest of your lifestyle. You can follow all 6 recommendations above and then get smashed on a Friday night and put yourself in a hormonal nightmare for 2 - 3 days and feel like shit/normal. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do these things. The recommendations above should be things you plan to do for the rest of your life, which should hopefully be long and fruitful if you start looking after your ‘health’. These aren’t going to make you suddenly drop 7lbs or any of that rubbish, what they will do is help your body to perform what it needs to do in the most efficient way. How do I improve my fitness? This section is going to be very generic and is based around the general goal of ‘losing weight’ or ‘getting toned’ etc etc. Here are some generic recommendations about food to help you lose weight: Breakfast: Start your day with something high protein, whole grain, fruits, vegetables and water. Your body has been in starvation for 8 hours+ so needs fuelling. Example: 2 Whole eggs scrambled with whole milk, half a bell pepper chopped with some cheese on top. Served with a wholemeal english muffin and a tall glass of water with a lemon slice in. Take your vitamins. It is recommended that you need to consume as much as 4000IU of vitamin D per day and 500mg of Omega 3, Vitamin B doesn’t have an upper limit as you excrete it through urine. So here are the three tablets I can recommend that will give you a full spectrum of vitamin B, enough vitamin D and omega 3: Vitamin B Complex (one of these a day) Vitamin D (one of these a day) Omega 3 (I would take 2 a day as most peoples fish consumption will be low) Snacks: Keep your snacks really simple. Seasonal fruit thats easy to carry like apples, pears, oranges, kiwis etc. Pair them with nuts that you like that are unsalted. Try different types of nuts too as they all have slightly different omega profiles. Want to make this a sweet treat? Add the fruit and nuts to a nice yoghurt. I’m a fan of greek yoghurt myself (FAGE brand) as it is the easiest on my stomach but anything low calorie will do, not a muller corner or something silly like that please. Lunch: This meal shouldn’t be a second thought, plan it ahead. Make it on Sunday and put it in the fridge or freezer to make sure you have meals ready. Try making sure you have a good piece of protein like chicken (thighs or breast), the reason i suggest chicken is its the least offensive meat when reheated etc and is fairly cheap. Add to this some whole foods. Potatoes, rice, lentils, quinoa, barley, beans, vegetables. A sandwich should be a last resort. Don’t have somewhere to reheat? Buy a thermos. I have one of these and I simply heat my lunch in the morning, pop it in and take it with me, at lunchtime its still pipping hot. Dinner: This is where a lot of people tend to fall down as they get lazy. Try to have a plan for your dinner at the start of the week. know what days you might be home later or days that are gonna be harder than others etc. For me, its Wednesdays. I have a full day of teaching, a meeting after school and then work at the clinic from 6 - 9pm. That means I have a 45 minute window to eat my dinner, obviously I’m not getting the BBQ going for a ribeye that night! Keep dinner in the same vein as lunch. Something meaty like salmon, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, etc with something wholesome like potatoes, rice, quinoa etc and some vegetables. This has been a very generic run down but I can say with certainty that I bet your current eating habits don’t look like this. You also don’t need to eat like a body builder to lose weight. Chicken, rice and broccoli 4 times a day isn’t going to make you feel good as it lacks nutrients and variety. People fail when they try that approach. My advice will always be: Eat the rainbow, snout to hoof. Your plate should be colourful and you should eat the whole animal if you can. That means things like heart, liver, kidneys etc (the older amongst us will know all about this) are also great options for food, plus they are dirt cheap! Remember, body builders needs to have lots of protein and low carbs to look how they look. You wont ever look like that unless you train and eat that way….so don’t copy their habits as they are trying to achieve something you aren’t. What you are trying to do (I assume) is drop the belly and feel a bit better when you run to catch the bus, that doesn’t mean you have to restrict what you eat for the rest of your life. If you would like some recipes and stuff comment below. Here are my generic exercise recommendations: Going to the gym can actually be really daunting and scary, especially if you don’t know what you are doing. My advice out the gate is to find a local trainer who is well respected amongst the fitness community in the area and pay for some sessions so that you can learn to move correctly. However, in today’s fitness world that is easier said than done because most PT’s don’t know fuck all. Bare with me as I think of a remedy for this. Here is what I would suggest most people should do if they want to hit the gym a few times a week. Each sessions could follow this template: Cardio warm up (10 mins gentle on the spin bike or cross trainer, GENTLE) Dynamic stretching (google this, don’t do static stretches at the start of a session) Compound movement (Squat, bench, deadlift or overhead) working on technique if you’re new to the gym Assistance exercises (Back, shoulders, arms, glutes, legs, calves) try 4 sets of 10 -12 for different movements Core work (planks, paloff press, hanging knee/leg raises, dead bugs, broken tables - DO NOT CRUNCH OR SIT UP) Cardio Finisher - try a tabata or EMOM workout and push yourself for 10-15 minutes There is a lot of information there but if you google the words you don’t know, you will find what you need. Here is an example workout: 10 minutes on the spin bike, slowly making the resistance more difficult each minute 5 minutes of my dynamic mobility warm up Squats - 4 sets of 5 reps at a heavy weight (75% 1RM) Leg Press 4 sets of 12, Hamstring curl 4 sets of 12 3 sets of 15 hanging knee raises 15 minutes steady on the cross trainer keeping my heart rate above 120bpm It really doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that, you’ve worked your strength, you’ve done some volume to elicit muscle growth, you worked your core because you sit on your arse all day and you got your heart rate up. This template is repeatable for the rest of your life and will keep you strong and healthy. I hope this guide has helped and I hope at least some of you take away some of the advice that’s in it, it took me over an hour to write! I just want to stifle something here before people start commenting. Please don’t ask me questions about ‘fad’ or ‘gimmick’ things like veganism, intermittent fasting, meal replacements, bootcamp etc. I’m not a fan of any of those things because they don’t fit a normal everyday persons lifestyle. This guide is designed for us gamers, people with jobs and a habit that involves sitting down and being sedentary for long periods of time. Lets try and keep it focused on those ideals rather than the latest fitness fad. Enjoy!

I think Danny Murphy on MOTD has it right (and he’s been banging on about it virtually since day one)...only use VAR to correct clear and obvious errors by the officials otherwise let the game flow It’s a game played by humans, officiated by humans and watched by humans....just avoid glaringly obvious mistakes

The spirit of the off-side rule is to prevent goal hanging. Millimetre decisions are not goal hanging. They need to review the law in light of VAR, it's not difficult. They've amended the off-side rule many times in the past. VAR should be a good thing but they are fucking it up. Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

I can contribute the following: PS4: Destiny 2 CoD MW [2019] CoD MW:Remastered GTA V RDR2 PC: Star Citizen Monster Hunter: World Sea of Thieves

This is where i'll be keep track of every series/episode we're doing and make sure we're keeping it a mixed bag. If anyone would like to be part of any particular series or game then please pop your name down and i'll add you to that list. I'm making a proper spreadsheet but will update once names are down. All games will be on PS4 unless specified, also please say if you want any other games added Please be warned that we will also be streaming some of these games, this means no crappy jokes, you all know what i mean. Profanity is allowed as the stream will be set to mature content. Raft (PC) - Rich, Phil, George (a mate outside the forum who i'm trying to get in) Modern Warfare - GTAV - Gran Turismo - 7 Days to Die - WoW - Rocket League - The Forest - Killing Floor 2 - Escape from Tarkov - Star Citizen - Sea of Thieves - Titanfall 2 -

Look through the car's rear glass starting just after the 4 minute mark. Definitely a bigfoot.

This one is for you Lee :) https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/eh8iss/liverpool_vs_wolves_var_rules_out_netos_equalizer/

@j4mes Abingdon Town refuse to play after going 8-0 down to rivals Abingdon United - BBC Sport WWW.BBC.CO.UK A non-league local derby ends bizarrely as Abingdon Town refuse to play after going 8-0 down at rivals Abingdon United. Via the FG App

I haven't got any books or anything to recommend but here is a suggestion. Go to the supermarket and buy some different colour veg that is in season (it will be cheaper!). Then make yourself either a stew (easy to make in the slow cooker), an oven sauté (throw the veg on a pan, drizzle in oil and salt and cook until soft and brown) or as a side dish to your main meal. So for example: Chicken or beef stew with potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, carrots, mange tout, baby corn, swede, brussels. Literally any combination thrown in the slow cooker with a little flavour packet....sorted! or Potatoes, carrots, parsnips and brussels thrown on a sheet pan with oil and honey cooked for 30 minutes at about 180 or Shepherds pie made with carrots, peas, sweet potato or butternut squash or carrots with a serving of green beans an broccoli on the side Want to get some leafy greens in? Eggs, milk, salt and pep in a bowl. Heat your pan with some oil and sauté spinach and bell peppers until it starts to wilt and then throw the eggs over the top, whack some cheese on top, broil under the girl for the tastiest omelette you will ever have Hope that helps Dave!

Let's address the sit up situation. The 'core' or 'abs' as you might know them are a set of muscles that surround your vital organs and spine. Their job is to keep you up right and protect the spine. Why would you train them by bending over? Sit ups get a burn thats for sure but you aren't making the core stronger at what you want it to do. Try using Plank and plank variations like broken tables and bird dogs. Literally just google or youtube these. As for potatoes, get some variety in - it's the spice of life. You like mash? Cool! Try Normal mash, sweet potato mash, butternut squash mash.....eat the rainbow!

It should be a clear line of sight between attack and defender, as it is currently you get penalised for having your big toe being over. I do like @GazzaGarratt idea of it running like tennis or cricket, you get your VAR lives and if you use them all tough but you shouldn’t loose them if you’re right

That’s a good read Elliott...I’m interested in the food areas particularly as, cooking for one now, I tend to go for easy stuff that I know isn’t very good for me but I like eg macci cheese, shepherds pie (batch cook and freeze). I know that I need more veggies in my diet but I need to find simple stuff that’s tasty, I do stir fry but that’s about it at the moment that’s vaguely healthy. Have you, or anyone else, got any websites or recipe books that you could recommend?

Thanks Lee 👍

Cohh has become addicted to Tarkov, it's been quite funny to see him at it, the thrill and fear in this game is like DayZ in the old days. I'm glad the game is finally in a place where its starting to turn a few heads. Most streamed game on Twitch in the last day or so. Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

Apparently offside is offside McNasty. I think it's fair to say right now that the beautiful game as we know it is becoming a dreary affair of stop/start american football styley. Cant believe I'd ever agree with Greame Souness and no, it's not just a Liverpool thing either (although they have had their fair share of the decisions). I called this along time ago, and it would be nice to see clarification in rules as well changes to VAR. Imo, I think we have to accept that Football cant be perfect and that's what makes it so special. I would give each team 1 VAR appeal per game and give the control to the teams respectively. Just like Tennis. Just like Cricket. That coupled with clarity around what is offside - open to this, gotta be anything better than 2 pixels offside cos that ain't an advantage btw, this will clear up the utter mess we are in. I watched this live @McNasty with a Liverpool fan too. Feel for me bro.

Kempy has been having issues with the obelisks not working too. The grind for 400 activities is too much imo. Like you have said above, 20strikes a week for 5months!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nailed it mate, you can add games if you want. We might have to do a poll at the end or work out which one's to pick because the list is pretty long haha

Modern Warfare - Yes GTA V - Yes Rocket League- Yes but I'm shit Is this how I'm supposed to do it?

New MSI monitor looks great value at £280/$350 MSI undercuts the competition with a 165Hz 27-inch gaming monitor for $350 | PC Gamer WWW.PCGAMER.COM Gaming monitors with comparable specs sell for $50-$100+ more.

A great win for Utd last night, the first time we've scored 4 at home since the first game of the season. We looked back to our best yesterday after a slow start but i must admit, Newcastle did gift us a few goals. Looks like Chelsea got thumped 2-0 at home to Southampton, that's a great result for anyone looking to break into the top 4! I never saw Liverpool beating Leicester by 4 goals but it happened, they look even more unstoppable now.

Things are interchangeable on new scufs Im only on my second on this console generation and for how much I play I don't think it's too bad.