So the very first Alpha Achievers had to go to Emma and Chris Leeke. After working towards it for months on March 19^th along with their cousin Tim and a team of others they scaled the climb to Everest Base Camp. A fantastic achievement guys, so proud!

Emma & Chris at Everest Base camp!

Chris & Emma at Everest Base Camp!!

So as part of our family’s commitment to the worthwhile cause of the NSPCC,  Chris and I, along with  our  cousin Tim, will be joining a party of  12  to take part in a self-funded Himalayan trek in March to raise both the profile of the Charity and also to help it achieve its appeal target.  With last year’s Annapurna trek a distant memory, we have decided to accept a further challenge this year and will be tackling a trek to the base camp of the worlds highest mountain, Everest. 8  days of what is described as “extreme trekking!”  We  will reach an gruelling altitude of 5,647m.“

With so many good causes out there and so many friends wanting to raise funds it can seem that we get asked for money all the time, and it may sound strange but this can create a slight negative knee jerk reaction to the next person who asks for money!! But should this put us off?! So I thought we could go about it in a different way….

Instead of asking anyone for donations (which I hate doing I must admit!) a friend gave me an idea which raises funds but also gives huge amounts of value, so here’s what we’re going to do…..

For the rest of March and the entire month of April any new joiner to any of the Alpha services (FitnessFatloss Classes, personal training, lifestyle & nutrition consultations) their entire first months fee will be donated directly to the NSPCC. We thought this could be a way to raise funds for an amazing cause whilst providing huge value (Dan & I will see to that!!!). So if there is anyone you know who you think would benefit from the all the achievements you made with Alpha bring them along for a sample session on us and if they sign up you will not only receive your usual referral present (half your monthly fee in shopping vouchers!) we will donate their full months fee to the NSPCC.

So that’s the plan! Hugely excited by this prospect, and can’t wait to see how much we can do!! To get involved either bring your friend along to one of the classes or ring me 07852 492299 or Dan 07845 099662 to arrange a coffee and a chat! Let’s do it….!

If you went up to your friends and asked them “How many things have you achieved this week that you’re really proud of?” How many things do you think they could come up with on the spot there and then? One? Two? Maybe three? Could it be true that we don’t celebrate our achievements enough? When was the last time your boss or someone you work with pulled you out to say how proud they were of you and what a good job you were doing?

Don’t you find it can be so easy to not realise how well you are doing at something or how many things you are achieving when you are in the middle of it?! So today we’re going to have a little bit of fun, I want you to create an ‘Achievement List!’ This is where you get a blank page, you could use the back of your Alpha Journal or a really nice notebook or anything you want and I want you to start listing the achievements you’ve made since starting this amazing journey of improving your health.

When I first mention this to people I generally get two reactions “Huh……….!” (followed by a face that looks as if the pope has just walked in with Britney Spears) or “But I haven’t achieved anything yet!”. And the answer to both (well, not sure about the pope)  is YOU HAVE ACHIEVED MORE THAN YOU REALISE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY LAID THE FOUNDATIONS FOR MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE. The things you do influence the people you come across more than you know.

This list can contain absolutely anything you feel has improved your life. It doesn’t have to be just the stereotypical things that are associated with leading a healthy lifestyle i.e. weight, clothes etc. Yes of course it can be those things, but it could also be things like you can now walk up the stairs without getting out of breath, you may have learned something that will help your kids, you have less pain in your back so don’t feel so old when getting out of bed in the mornings, you can walk into a room without worrying what everyone else thinks, you can go into a shop and pick clothes because you like them not because they will cover you up! It can be absolutely anything!! This is very similar to The Grateful Log. We can be so self-deprecating sometimes that I believe we should use every tool we have to promote ourselves and help us realise how well we’re doing and how much fun it really is! Could it be true that if we only focus on the goal and associate our happiness to that (i.e. I will only be happy when I lose half a stone!) that we will always be chasing and never be content and happy with where we are and what we have. Yes have goals and work towards them but why not enjoy the journey!!

So the Alpha Action Point of today is simple; go and create your list of achievements and celebrate your successes!

Because Sian has helped more of her friends out by introducing them to Alpha Sian wins a FREE 6 WEEK FITNESSFATLOSS BLOCK to use for herself or give to someone of her choice! Congratulations Sian, may the results keep coming!

I have a question for you:

Q: Have you ever woken up and everything just seems to be going wrong? The alarm doesn’t go off, the shower hasn’t got any hot water, someone’s taken the last teabag, you look in the mirror and 4 years of drinking diet coke and eating cardboard ryvita’s still hasn’t caused any weight loss? Then for the rest of the day it just gets worse and you say to yourself “It’s one of those days, I’m gonna have a bad day today”. Have you experienced anything remotely close to that?
We all know this but there is now evidence showing that our thoughts are merely a pre-cursor to our actions. What do I mean by that? Well, every single action we take originated from somewhere (believe it or not!), everything we do we had to have had a thought about doing first. Every time we think a thought chemical reactions happen in our brain, some thoughts disappear some thoughts develop and manifest into what type of hormones we produce and our result in feelings and physical actions.

So if thoughts are real, could this mean then that the type of thoughts we choose to have and more importantly how we react to those thoughts determines how we feel from one moment to the next and consequently our actions? Wouldn’t it be nice to be in control of how we feel all the time?!

Let me give you an example of how real thoughts are:
Close your eyes, and imagine you have a big juicy, ripe lemon in your hand. Now I want you to imagine sinking your teeth into it and taking a great big bite out of it!

Notice anything? Any more saliva being produced in your mouth than normal? But where’s the lemon?? What has just happened is that your body has produces a real physical response to a thought of something that doesn’t even exist!

So if this is true, could it be that what we focus on determines our actions and to an extent the results we get? Have you ever met someone who always seems to have all the luck or always lands on their feet? It has been shown that people who are positive and focus on what they want more often than not achieve them. By focus I mean they keep asking themselves the right questions. So instead of:

“How come I’m so fat and nothing works?!”
They say “How can I find a better way to lose weight? Who’s been there, done it and knows what they’re doing? And how can I make it fun?”

If we ask our brain lousy questions it will answer us:
You: “Why can’t I ever lose weight?”
Brain: “Because you’re a big fat lazy slob who eats custard slices from Greggs every night!”

So asking yourself better quality questions is one way of making sure your focusing on the right things. Another way which is ridiculously beneficial and made a massive difference in my life is keeping a grateful log. Here’s how it works:

- At the end of the day write down (on paper not a computer!) five things that you are grateful for.
Writing the grateful log can instantly change our focus. It makes us think and become aware of the things that we are grateful for in our lives and the things we have enjoyed that day. I know this sounds very ‘New Age’ but when we think of the good we are so lucky to have it relaxes us, our body releases the ‘feel good’ hormones and we forget about the stress and strains that all too often fill our heads, especially around bed time (ever gone to bed with a head full of the things on your ‘to do’ list swimming round?!)

What we focus on determines our actions which determines our current state. So in short, if your current state is not your ideal one then learning to change your focus is for you. The grateful log, like prayer and journalling can really help release tension from the day which in turn allows you to relax and sleep better (anyone find this a challenge as well?!) So give the grateful log a go this week and just watch what happens…..!

Have you ever had the pipe dream of becoming a psychic? You have?! Well today my friend is your lucky day, I have a foolproof starter question that you can use and predict “YES” as the answer nearly every single time. And the question is:

“Do you feel tired in the mornings?!”

Simple eh! Only messing, but lack of quality sleep is such a widespread issue amongst people these days that you can almost guarantee it as an area to address when things go wrong. As I’m sure you’re well aware sleep is one of the few things that we cannot survive without, even a slight reduction in the amount and quality can have drastic effects (if you’ve had children you know this more than most!)

So let’s take a brief look at why it is so important. Our bodies follow many rhythms or cycles. Examples of these are:

- Annual cycles, which include the 4 seasons and the monthly
- Lunar cycle (which many of you women will know all about due to its affect on menstruation).

There is also the daily circadian cycle, or you may know it better as the sleep-wake cycle. The term “circadian” comes from the Latin circa, “around”, and Diem or dies, “day”, meaning literally “approximately one day”. When we are in tune with the circadian cycle our bodies follow the patterns of the sun. In a nutshell, as the sun rises (~6am) and creates light in the morning so our activity levels also rise, reaching a peak of activity around mid-morning to noon, then gradually decreasing as the sun sets and darkness increases encouraging winding down (~6pm-10pm) in preparation for sleep (~10pm-6am).

There are a whole host of hormones that help with this process. As we rise in the morning the stress hormone cortisol along with the ‘feel good’ hormone serotonin rise to help us carry out our activities, these then fall as the day goes on allowing the ‘sleepy hormone’ melatonin and other growth & repair hormones to rise as illustrated in figure 1.

The Sleep/Wake Cycle

Figure 1: Natural sleep/wake cycle.
Many of our hormones are produced in tune with the cycle of the sun. Stress/activating hormones are produced as the sun rises and peaks around mid-morning. As the day progresses, the levels of the stress hormones decrease. The body then begins to increases production of growth and repair hormones as the sun goes down. Our bodies are designed to wind down from sunset till about 10 pm when sleep and physical repair should begin. Psychogenic repair takes place predominantly from about 2 am to 6 am.

Unfortunately though, for many of us a typical day for many involves elevated levels stress levels, resulting in increased levels of the stress hormones throughout the day, resulting in decreased levels of growth and repair hormones. Although a healthy body can bounce back from intermittent circadian stresses, chronic (long-term) circadian stress often leads to depressed immunity, illness and chronic fatigue.

So when our bodies follow the patterns of the sun our sleep quality improves drastically. After a busy day working, digesting, playing, basically changing the world our bodies need a break. Sleep provides the ideal opportunity for the essential rest & repair to take place. As seen in figure 1 the body uses the hours of 10pm-2am for physical repair (muscles, joints, organs etc). So for every minute we lose after 10pm, another minute is lost of reparation time for our physical body. This can attribute to achy joints, decreased injury recovery time, decreased ability to burn body fat and general tiredness.

So how have we got so far out of sync with the cycles?

Artificial light – As you have learnt by now most of the hormones are ‘light dependent’, which means some are activated by light (the stress and activating hormones) and some are activated by darkness (the sleepy and repair hormones). With so much artificial light in today’s society our body can get confused very easily, tricking it into thinking its morning when it could actually be the middle of the night!

Work patterns/nightlife – The ‘advance’ in technology has also lead to work being 24/7 now, so night shifts and late night events are very common, resulting in the 10pm-6am rest and repair pattern turning into a shift pattern! Vigorous exercise late at night can also skyrocket your

activity/stress hormones, leaving the body ‘hyperactive’ and unable to wind down for long periods post activity, well into your 10pm-6am-recovery time.

Eating habits – Also, if your organs have been working flat out all day for you (digesting, eliminating etc) the sleep you get between 10pm-2am is very important for their recovery. Eating a big meal late at night (just as they’re looking forward to a bit of hard earned R & R) gives them yet more work to do. Imagine how you’d feel nearing the end of a crazy day in the office and the boss comes in 2 minutes before you clock out and issues a whole new assignment that has to be done by the next day…. The words ‘bunny’, ‘happy’ and ‘not’ come to mind. If you haven’t had the chance to eat much food that day eating late at night is sometimes unavoidable, simply aim to eat what you need earlier in the day and give your liver a sympathetic thought before you dive into the mid-night munchies!

The type of food and drink you have has a bearing as well. Stimulants like sugar, caffeine, grains, alcohol, energy drinks raise cortisol (stress) levels again tricking your body into thinking its morning! I touch more on the effects of stimulants in the ‘Give your body a deserving break by reducing the amounts of stimulants and refined carbohydrates in your diet’ article.

Electricity – This is another product of the new era. Every electrical product gives off an electromagnetic field, which can severely impact the quality of our sleep. Have a look around your bed and see how many electrical devices there are within ten feet? In my own personal life I have found a major difference in my morning energy levels when I switch from watching television to reading last thing at night.

So, what simple steps can we take to improve the quality and quantity of our sleep?

Alpha Action Points:

- Aim to wind down gently from around 6pm onwards, working your way at getting to bed around 10 – 10.30pm. There are many ways to do this; dim the lighting (candles are a personal favourite!), gentle music, fictional/positive/religious reading, massage, journal keeping (writing down what you’ve enjoyed that day and are grateful for)

- Aim to decrease the amount of stimulants (sugar, caffeine, energy drinks, alcohol, grain based foods etc) ingested after mid day

- Unplug electronic items in your bedroom and keep them as far away from you as possible

- Turn your bedroom into a cave! As mentioned, most of the hormones discussed are light-dependent so making your room as dark as possible during the night can really improve your chances or a good night’s sleep

When I first looked into sleep-wake cycles (which was caused by the fact that I looked like a farm animal deposit and felt even worse pre-11am) I thought there was no way I could get to bed by 10pm, but as with anything, you can entrain your body into any habit you wish, good or bad (the 21 day phenomena!). As it becomes an engrained part of your lifestyle you will be pleasantly surprised at the ease of waking, the increase in your morning energy levels and how redundant your horrendous beeping alarm clock becomes.

On the alarm clock front, I have personally been using a natural light simulator alarm clock that has really made a difference. They slowly light up the room and simulate a sunrise, which wakes you up more gradually leaving you energized and refreshed. As opposed to my previous air raid signal, which caused my stress levels to think a certain German was back in town.

N.B. The usual concern is that a light will not wake you in the initial stages which can be true so keep your usual alarm clock alongside for the first few weeks just in case!

And remember, as with all these tips don’t worry about it if you don’t do it perfectly first time. Take your time and enjoy yourself, knowing that these steps will improve your health and allow you to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. So in this instance, instead of instantly trying to change the time you go to bed from 1a.m. to 10p.m. aim to go to bed half hour earlier each night. And of course these are just guidelines, not meant to demand you never have a late night ever again. An interesting factor you be pleasantly surprised with however is, the healthier your body is the quicker it will be able to recover from the days off or the late nights that inevitably happen!

Hi my name is Adam Coates and I’m going to share a little know fitness and fat loss secret with you.
Despite all the “misinformation” out there and what the “experts” say, you don’t need to suffer through strict diets or spend 3 hours a day in the gym to look and feel amazing.

And it doesn’t have to take several months or even years to drop those pesky pounds that are keeping you from fitting in
your “skinny jeans” as they sit in your closet collecting dust.

In fact you can vaporize pounds of fat in a matter of WEEKS not YEARS.

And I’m going to prove it to you with the amazing FitnessFatloss classes at Alpha.
It’s a small group workout and “non-diet” food plan designed for fast fat loss.
Mention this flyer and the good friend that obviously cared about you enough to pass this on to you and you will get two weeks FREE.

There are FitnessFatloss classes located in Llanelli and Cardiff. To find out where the nearest location to you is click here http://www.alphapw.com/fitnessfatloss/

So if losing weight and getting real results real fast is for you, then this is a match made in heaven.
But as much as we’d like to, due to the sessions limited to 6 people per class (to keep quality high) we simple don’t have very limited space, so stop what you’re doing and secure your spot right now by calling 07852 – 492299 before they’re all gone.

Dedicated to your health,

Adam Coates

Alpha Performance & Wellbeing
Tel: 07852 492299
Email: fitnessfatloss@alphapw.com
Web: www.AlphaPW.com

PS. An interesting point: 30 days from now you’ll either be a month older and possibly a few pounds heavier, or, you can be a 7-9 pounds lighter and 14 days closer to your fitness goal. You decide which one you would rather be 14 days from now. Make sure you make the right choice and call 07852 – 492299 and start your 14 Day FREE FitnessFatloss trial now.

As you know Dan, Robbie, I and the rest of us here at Alpha are quite passionate about what we do and believe in it so much that we want as many people to hear about it as possible. And you guys have proven to be far better at doing this then we ever could be. So starting today begins a contest to see how many people you guys can refer to Alpha (either the FitnessFatloss classes or personal training in Llanelli or The Vale Resort, Cardiff)

It will run as follows:

- Contest ends September 30th
- Anyone can enter! You don’t have to be a current member of Team Alpha to enter this competition
- Make sure you let the Alpha trainer know you have referred someone so they can add it to your score!

And that’s it! So start thinking to see if there are any people you care about that you feel would benefit from a reduction in body fat, or they have a special event to get ready for, or are struggling with health issues or energy levels or just need a safe, fun, social environment to get fit in! For every person you refer you will still get the usual prizes (half off your next block for Vale guys, half your monthly fee back in cash for Llanelli guys, or a free session for personal training/BioSignature clients)

Now with any contest we need prizes, so here we are:

First place (choose any one from the following):
- Any spa treatment of your choice from a choice of spa locations
- 3 free personal training sessions from an Alpha trainer of your choice
- A free month/6week block of FitnessFatloss sessions
- £50 in cold hard cash!
- Personalised Hoody, sweatpants and training shirt package from the Alpha clothing range
- Meal for two from a choice of restaurants

Second and third place:
- A free personal training session from an Alpha trainer of your choice
- Any piece of clothing from the Alpha clothing range
- Meal for two from a choice of restaurants

To help you as much as possible with this, available on the website are flyers, posters, video trailers, testimonials etc giving all the info about the services here at Alpha so you can either print them off or just send your friends there so they can find out more! www.alphapw.com

Now don’t worry if you think you don’t know anyone! For those who think they can’t think of anybody that could benefit we will open up a contact detail option aswell. For every 10 names and numbers/emails you get this qualifies as one referral, so you can add it to your score! Each week we will then put the league table on the blog and see who’s on top!

SO BRING OUT PEDRO AND THE MASSAGE OIL!!!