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Fat in Autumn, Thin in Spring!

Every year, stone-age humans, living in seasonally variable climates, would have their daily diets dictated by nature.  This would have caused annual body fat percentage fluctuations in perfect harmony with the seasons.

With all I’ve learned so far, here’s what I believe used to happen.  A lot of this is new science and I’ve pieced bits and pieces together based on the basic premise that autumnal food combinations cause us to get fat quickly, to aid our winter survival, equally other seasons caused us to become slim again to become optimal hunter gatherers.

Here’a a high level overview of what I believe happens, but where to start given it was a continual yearly cycle…. let’s start in spring time…

  1. We emerged from winter/spring having used our winter fat, and the last of the least perishable food we could collect (nuts), to aid our survival.
  2. We moved from ketogenic state to a more carnivorous diet during the spring, losing more bodyfat (visceral and subcutaneous), while becoming stronger for the hunt
  3. The extra sun in early summer melts off the last of our subcutaneous fat (studies show that sun can reduces subcutaneous stores) stores and diminishes brown fat too (brown fat would be a hindrance to us in hot weather).
  4. In early summer, we feed from our staples (meat, fish, eggs etc.), and now start grazing on berries like strawberries too. At this point we look like Hollywood superstars (from today’s body image viewpoint).
  5. The fructose in summer berries and fruits, artificially lowers our leptin levels and our appetites increase, beginning the storage of white adipose tissue (WAT) again.
  6. We’ve passed the summer solstice and sun begins to wane in late summer, now fructose is prevalent in pears and apples, and white fat storage accelerates. Leptin levels are driven down.
  7. We move into autumn and fruits, starchy carbs (like corn), and fatty foods like nuts co-exist, now the increased carbs and fats cause us to gorge and layer on white fat wherever we can.  Even though we have higher levels of body fat our leptin levels are still suppressed so we continue to gorge.
  8. September sees the main apple harvest and begins the genesis of brown adipose tissue (BAT) through ursolic acid in the skin (the first of 3 autumnal  BAT activation conditions is met), but we continue to gorge on carbs and fats.
  9. We move into late autumn and fruits die and decay and we’re left with whatever starch and nuts we could collect and store off for our families.  Now leptin levels shoot back up to elevated levels (because of the extra bodyfat), in the absence of fructose, and the second condition is met to begin continue the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) i.e. high insulin and leptin.
  10. It gets cold and now and BAT is fully activated, cold exposure being the third autumnal condition for BAT activation.
  11. We switch to a ketogenic state using fat for every function from BAT maintenance (ketogenic state is more conducive to BAT activation/maintenance according to studies), to aerobic respiration, to anaerobic energy. A small amount of carbohydrate in nuts is used to keep us from stealing from muscle mass to give the brain the 10% pure glucose it needs alongside ketones for fuel.  Perhaps humans have become insulin resistant at this point like animals to maintain that little bit of glucose for the brain and prevent it entering muscle cells.
  12. Our white fat stores reduce steadily over winter being used providing supplementary energy and to stave off hypothermia.
  13. Repeat from step 1

White fat is necessary for brown fat activation as it is converted to and is a fuel source for brown fat, whose main output is heat but also acts as a  thermal insulation layer.  This means that in nature, white fat MUST be deposited immediately before the genesis of brown fat.  If brown fat is activated by 3 autumnal triggers i.e. (i) ursolic acid, (ii) elevated leptin and insulin levels, and (iii) cold exposure, it’s fuel source must be in place before it’s genesis.

Therefore, adequate white fat must be deposited before this period.  I would suggest the main BAT activation period is October/November (cold exposure in the absence of fructose), which means that white fat must be generated before this period.

Key Point: I believe June through September, the high fructose/glucose season or peak sugar was optimal for depositing of white fat, and I also argue that our modern diet now mimics this period all year round.

In Summary:

  • Adult humans can activate brown adipose tissue, our natural, built in winter scarf.
  • This means, like animals, we are built to adapt to cold.
  • If we are built to adapt to cold, we adapted to seasonally variable climates and thus produce.
  • White fat fuels brown fat and so must be deposited first.=> Late Summer/Autumn foods must therefore cause the depositing of white fat.

The Western Diet = An Infinite Autumn

… and brown fat is never activated due to artificially suppressed leptin levels, and an acute lack of cold exposure (we’ve gone soft in more than one way it seems)!

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The World’s Most User-Friendly Approach to Fat Loss

I wouldn’t in a million years make such a claim about Don’t Eat for Winter, but an independent reader, who purchased the book after discovering me and the concept on twitter, has made this bold statement in an Amazon review. I believe that it is World’s Greatest Diet Book Review, Ever!!! (from my perspective at least, LOL).

Here’s a few paragraphs from this wonderful review entitled: The World’s Most User-Friendly Approach to Fat Loss by Patrick J. Colliano:

“Don’t Eat for Winter” begins by explaining that in the centuries before food industry learned how to make every kind of food available all year, the foods that allowed us to pack on weight were available only in the autumn, which prepared for a harsh winter by supplying us with a sensible layer of fat for insulation and fuel for when food is scarce. By spring, the fat would be depleted and the process of finding food would begin anew, with the food sources that allow us to put on the protective layer of fat available in the autumn.

I’d never heard of the body’s ability to pile on fat described as a “talent” before, but Cian’s perspective makes a great deal of sense. Instinctively, our ancestors gorged on fattening foods which prepared them for the winter, when food was scarce and the insulating fat helped protect them from the cold. Now that the food industry has learned to make all kinds of food available to us throughout the entire year, our instincts to gorge on foods which allow us to put on fat (and had served us so well in previous millenia) are being accommodated all year. As far as our food supply is concerned, we are in a forever autumn. And the winter of scarcity that’s supposed to follow never comes.

Cian writes in a very plainspoken style, not bogged down with scientific jargon. He keeps it basic and direct. Anyone struggling with weight will find this book extremely user-friendly, even if they don’t feel ready to redesign their entire diet just yet. Just a working knowledge of how the body puts on fat and what triggers the fat-storing mechanism will go a long way in helping those who struggle with excess fat. Recognizing certain food combinations will instigate fat storage helps the reader avoid this and make better choices.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with excessive fat, particularly those who are balked by the daunting prospect of having to plan out their entire diet and adhere rigidly to it. With just the basic understanding of how you enter fat storage mode and how to avoid it, the reader can incorporate changes as gradually as they need to. Even recognizing that a certain combination of foods served at a meal will put your body in fat storage mode will go a long way in helping the reader mitigate or even avoid the fat-storage mode. Then, over time, the reader can incorporate more strategies as they feel they are able.”

Read the full review on Amazon here

I can’t thank you enough Patrick!!!  It was worth writing the book just to read this magical review!!!

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Why is it so Difficult to lose weight?

Here are some questions I used to always ask myself, maybe you can relate to them…

  • Why can I not get in the shape I’ve always dreamed of?
  • I’m trying really hard, working out regularly, dieting etc., why is it not working?
  • Why is it so difficult to shift the last bit of fat?

Now, ask yourself this:
Can a squirrel lose weight in autumn, or a bear or any creature that needs to survive winter no matter how active they get?

These creatures whizz around and are extremely active in autumn, yet STILL pile on weight because of one thing.

Their food environment changes. 

The harvest arrives and this invokes primal instincts and they have no choice but to gain weight.  You’ve heard the phrase “you cannot out-run a bad diet.”  Well, their diet isn’t bad per se, as it is natural and helps them to survive the winter…

THEY CANNOT OUT-RUN AUTUMN 

With this in mind, examine at our food environment…

In our world, harvest foods are eaten all day everyday (cereals, breads, pasta, potatoes, rice etc. eaten in every meal along with sugary snacks) and worse, we’re told to eat them as the major part of our diets (up to 65%)!!! The bottom two layers of the food pyramid are heavily laden with harvest foods from orange juice and bananas to cereals and potatoes.

Finally, think about the obesity problems the world faces… we’re crippled with problems related to weight and a huge number of people constantly losing their battle. We get frustrated each time we try, and suffer because it’s calorie deficit based, yet we still eat autumnal foods torturing ourselves and then typically we suffer from a rebound and lose hope (I was that soldier). Huge industries respond to the despair of people offering quick fixes, but it’s impossible to solve this until we get to the root of the problem and recognise the cause.

I believe the problem is rooted in the fact that we live in an artificial infinite autumn and no amount of activity can fix it. I certainly could not out-train my diet, but it was because I didn’t know any better…

If a squirrel can’t lose weight in autumn (eating naturally), and they’re active all day long, how do we expect to lose weight especially given we are very inactive in general (a lot of us have desk jobs and sit when we get home and watch TV). Even if you workout for an hour or two a day, eating autumnal foods (and processed derivatives) all the time will hold you back. This was certainly the case for me and I believe it is generally the case for most people who find it difficult to lose weight.

YOU CANNOT OUT-RUN THE INFINITE AUTUMN

My personal case was that I trained extremely hard. I climbed a local mountain twice or three times a week, lifted kettle-bells like a mad man AND lifted weights, I was constantly active and even won a european and world kettlebell title, yet never got into the shape I thought I should be rewarded with for all these efforts (see pic on left below, which was not too bad I know).  I was on a stone age diet but wasn’t considering the seasons (I was eating things like nuts and dates in protein balls and other autumnal combos).  As soon as I discovered the DEFoW concept, and avoided autumnal food combos, the last bit of weight I was holding on to melted off. I had finally found a sustainable approach to diet and I got excited about the approach and wrote Don’t Eat for Winter soon after to share the concept.

The key to success
I remember calorie restriction diets, I was still eating foods that caused autumnal gorge instincts but I had to try overcome the urge to eat with willpower and that resulted in misery because you’re battling with yourself and it eventually results in a rebound. Eating non-autumnal food combos means satisfaction and no inner struggle, resulting in sustainability. The key to success.

Nothing will change in any meaningful way while we continue with the same patterns…  we need to address the route of our struggle with weight loss and I believe it is the fact that we live in this Infinite Autumn.

The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Try avoiding autumnal foods most of the time and spring into your summer body like I did…  Maybe start with cutting out one autumnal meal (e.g. cereal, sandwich or heavy dinner, with something less autumnal).

Here’s some example foods to avoid the autumnal combos to get you started.

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What is the Best Exercise to Lose Weight?

The best exercise to lose weight fat is to exercise your mind.  I’ll talk about specific exercises below, but it’s important to realise you can’t out-train a bad diet.  Remember, squirrels are extremely active in autumn time, yet still put on body fat to survive winter.

It’s important also to distinguish between weight loss and fat loss.  There’s no point losing weight if you’re going to lose muscle, bone mineral density or water weight. We want to focus on healthy losses of body fat, in particular visceral fat (internal fat), which tends to accumulate around the organs and pushes out the waist. Lower levels of visceral fat, typically correlates with better health.

The importance of nutrition, when it comes to fuelling up correctly, recovery and supporting other body processes (like hormones, immune system etc), should not be underestimated.

Think about:

  1. How much sugar energy (glucose you will burn daily) based on activity levels
  2. How much fat you will burn based on recovery and amount of time performing of  less intense activities
  3. How much protein you need for repair and recovery
  4. Other nutrients you need to support your body (healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, hydration and sunlight to produce d3)

So how do you calculate these figures?  Well the traditional way is to look at calculating your base metabolic rate (BMR) + the physical activity level (PAL) + the thermic effect of food.  There are many calculators for this online to give you a base understanding of energy needs.  This was typically used to calculate energy output, or calorie expenditure per day.  However, we are more than just thermodynamic machines and a lot of other factors come into play too. We can still use this to calculate a rough figure however and use it more wisely than to just say “calories in/out”.

Think about your daily needs for each specific nutrient. If you’re sedentary your need for carbs is quite minimal. E.g. you work in the office and do a workout in the evenings probably means lightly active and so your base need for sugar probably doesn’t go above the lower end of the recommended DRI value of 45% of overall calories.  For example on a on 2000 calorie diet, this would mean 900cals worth of carbs about 225g (1g = 4cals) worth a day (this includes all sugars, breads, pasta, potatoes, sugary fruit and veg and anything else that contains carbohydrates. Read: what are carbs article, if unsure about carbohydrates, it’s a valid question!).  Most people consume a lot more carbs than this, and tend towards the upper limit of 65%, exceeding their energy requirement for this, predominantly autumnal, macronutrient.   To be considered very active and tend towards the upper limit you, would need to be a physical labourer or athlete taking part in multiple exercise sessions a day.

A good average intake of protein would be about 20-30% of the diet.  Typically if more active, more protein is required for recovery, especially if you wish to grow or maintain muscle tissue.  The great thing about protein is the thermic effect is greater than other foods so even if you eat 600cals (125g) worth, 20% of this amount of energy is used to digest and use the food. (The average thermic effect of food is given as 10%).  Personally, I think there should be no thermic effect in calculations and protein reduced to 3 calories per gram.

Fats then should make up the remainder and it’s important that you choose good fats, and avoid trans-fats. You use fat mostly when at rest or at low levels of activity and it’s critical for hormone production and absorption of vitamins A,D,E &K.  Fats have 9 cals per gram and extremely easily absorbed, especially so in the presence of carbohydrates.

The key approach with DEFoW is to avoid the autumnal gorge and fat storage formula of high fats and carbs at the same time (read more about The DEFoW Diet here)

So what exercise is best to lose weight?  Well, after you’ve considered the above, then you need to think about raising your metabolic rate, and the best way to do this is build a bit of muscle (which is a calorie furnace, and lowers your relative body fat percentage). It also keeps your metabolism super-charged for hours after exercise (as your body recovers and mops up glycogen to refill lost stores).  You could choose resistance training, HITT, crossfit or anything where you need to lift weight or perform explosive movements that bring you to or close to failure (e.g. pushups, sprints, squat jumps, bench-press, squats with weight etc.)

I would then consider mixing up strength training with recovery cardio sessions on alternate days as a general rule (if you can fit in mobility session that is an excellent too).  Cardio sessions should be slow and steady (walking, jogging, cycling, rowing, cross trainer etc.) and you will burn fat during these sessions as opposed to carbohydrates.

An hour a day would be a great target to hit for both sessions on alternate days, taking a day or two off on the weekend to get things like gardening done, or get into nature and utilize that bit of fun with your fitness, or even go dancing… just enjoy what fitness brings to your life 🙂

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How to Spring into your Summer Beachbody with DEFoW

DEFoW helps people stay in good shape all year around, but I tend to eat even less autumnally to get the summer beach body effect a month or 2 before the summer really kicks in.

Everyone wants to look their best in the sun, women often want that bikini body look or to look their best going out; and men want to look well in a pair of swimming shorts (don’t go for he budgie smuggler look lads please!) or just to look and feel great in shirt or t-shirt.

Cian and Nicola on holidays in Tenerife in 2017 (both of us 41 in this shot)

Here are the 10 DEFoW guidelines I live by, which are fully reasoned out in Don’t Eat for Winter…

D. Don’t eat carbs and fats together (avoid the autumnal squirrel gorge formula of ~50% fat : ~40% carb : <10% protein, the junk food signature)

E. Eat the precise amount of carbs for your needs (think about the bodies needs 420 cals for brain, which is 60% of a sedentary persons needs, if you’re active or exercise add to this. The DRI recommend 45-65% of diet from carbs, tend towards the minimum rather than maximum)

F. Fat and protein should be eaten together (typically it’s found that way in nature (eggs, fish, meat, nuts etc)

O. Opt for “good” fats and avoid trans fats (look for omega3s and mono-unsaturated fats in particular)

W. When eating carbs, choose leaner protein sources (to minimise absorbing fat after a prolonged insulin spike)

D. Don’t neglect protein, it is your muscles’ best friend (look for good, non-processed, natural sources, vegans should look for full essential amino spread)

I. If necessary supplement, but make a best attempt to get vitamins and minerals from natural and fibrous sources

E. Exercise regularly, support it with good nutrition and adequate rest/recovery (recovery time is where the magic happens, get good sleep every night)

T. Think about Hydration, don’t wait until your thirsty as you’re already dehydrated by then (urine should be light in colour)

!!! Get out into nature and have fun, breath the air, soak up the vitamin D, swim etc. Outdoors is where we evolved and belong !!!

Finally, the 11th rule is to Eat for Winter from time to time, sometimes you gotta enjoy the autumn formula, so enjoy it and savour it when you do, just be aware that your autumnal instincts may go into overdrive and it may overpower willpower.

These guidelines are a practical way to Spring into your Summer body through the Don’t Eat for Winter method, and how I got into great shape personally 🙂

Check out my tips on daily eating here: a day of DEFoW

Get a copy of the book to discover the theory and more.

Copyright © 2018 – Don’t Eat for Winter®

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My Top 10 Summer Weight Loss Tips That DEFoW Work

None of us should be overly concerned with how we look, our health should be the number 1 goal, but hey, most of us wouldn’t mind a few weeks of eating healthily to trim up for summer after a long winter and maybe one too many Easter eggs.

Here are my top 10 tips to Spring into Summer Shape…

  1. Ditch cereal/toast for breakfast and go for something with natural vitamins, protein and healthy fats, an egg based breakfast is a good alternative especially if you’re active to help fuel recovery.  Omelettes, with a slice of bacon, or salmon… mix it up.
  2. Cut out as much junk from the diet as possible.  Sugary drinks often exceed the recommended amount of sugar an adult should have in a day, add a bar of chocolate and bag of crisps and it’s a recipe for weight gain… common sense.
  3. Lift some weights, this will up your metabolism and there’s no better way to gain a little healthy muscle… don’t worry you won’t look like Arnie unless you train for 5 hours a day
  4. Do some 30-60 minute light cardio sessions, get the heart rate up, don’t kill yourself, just get the system going and feel the endorFUNs flow
  5. Get sunlight where possible (don’t get burnt)… it’s been shown to reduce subcutaneous fat, the stuff directly under the skin and causes your body to synthesize vitamin D3…
  6. Eat whole foods. They’re more filling and nutritious (greens, colourful veg, brown rice if opting for some carbs)… and avoid overly processed or non-foods, which have all of the energy but none of the goodness.
  7. Get rest… there’s nothing like rest to detox and recover so you feel like being active the next day.  Rest is the purest aerobic activity and you are fasting while you sleep allowing your body to oxidise fat
  8. Hydrate early to get your system moving, don’t drink too late at night to avoid your bladder waking you up early
  9. Get out on the weekend for a long walk, maybe up a mountain or along a long beach.  It’s good for the mind, soul and body as we’re couped up all week in unnatural, artifical environments.  Get in touch with nature with your friends and family.
  10. Cut down on milky cappucinos and lattes, especially ones with sugar/syrup. Sure the coffee is a stimulant, but maybe replace one with a green tea, or go black altogether if you can, it’s an acquired taste but once you get used to it, it’s just as good a hit.

Find out more about how I eat on a daily basis…

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#nostarchinmarch – Can you go one meal without starch in march?

I’m running a #nostarchinmarch campaign on social networks highlighting the fact that there are less carbs available in nature at this time of year and ask people to cut out carbs in one meal a day and replace with protein, healthy fats and low gi veg examples might be. egg omlettes for brek (but no toast), salad with avocado/olive oil and some meat at lunch (but no bread)… the graph shows sugar peak occurs in autumn and uses icons of the natural produce with a mid/high GI to show the stack by month… as you can see in March there’s very little and so our paleolithic ancestors would have had no choice but to go without the bread, pasta, rice, wheat, cereals and so on during March.

If you want to get on board use the hashtag #nostarchinmarch in tweets, facebook posts, instagrams, snapchats and so on with comments, pics of your low carb meals etc.

Remember, no carbs in a single meal a day… and try to cut down on sugary drinks and junk food too!!!

#nostarchinmarch

#nostarchinmarchI hope everyone is over the carbabreaddin last week??? LOL.Chapter 3 of DEFoW 'There's no starch in…

Posted by Don't Eat For Winter on Thursday, 8 March 2018

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Striking Similarity between the Signature of Junk food and Autumnal Produce – The Squirrel Formula

When I was writing Don’t Eat for Winter I noticed a striking similarity between the macro-nutrient ratios of many junks foods sometimes called comfort foods, and noticed that they are very similar in nature to two natural foods i.e. breast milk and acorns… I term this “The Squirrel Formula” in Don’t Eat for Winter.

Why did I compare with those two foods you might be asking yourself…

Well, human breast milk is extremely consistent across every nation across the world and is designed to work with our infants to give them the best chance at surviving the most vulnerable stage of their lives… it is designed to make us as hardy as possible in as short a space of time as possible. Babies put on an incredible amount of weight in the first few weeks/months of their lives, which used up once they become active, they need a buffer of energy – TO SURVIVE.

Acorns, are designed to work with creatures like squirrels, bears etc. to fatten them up as quickly as possible to survive winter, a layer of fat for insulation and back up energy, again a buffer of energy – TO SURVIVE.

Both babies and animals gorge on these foods, they deliver a comfort hit and a feel good factor, and instinct is utilised to great effect in order to aid survival.

Now, look at how junk food precisely matches in terms of macro-nutrients… is there any wonder that they are called comfort foods and we get that same feel good factor while eating them… but they’re not designed by nature for adults to eat every day because we are neither animals that need to survive winter, nor defenseless babies needing a head start in life. Many of us can, however, put on the weight and so by eating this formula constantly we put on weight for a winter that never comes and so we battle constantly to fight it off, but in reality it’s extremely difficult to out-train (look how active squirrels are in autumn).

These are foods that have this particular signature, but at the end of the day food combos like a soft drink with an overly fatty dinner could have the same effect. There are many more that match too, all taste great because they trigger our primal survival instincts. See the figures and the radar chart to see just how closely they all match!

This is what Don’t Eat for Winter is about, recognising we should not be eating the gorge formula or squirrel formula as I’ve termed it in the book, in every meal and snack… keep this for an occasional treat and understand that it may trigger the squirrel within to go wild, and once he’s unleashed, he’s wiley and difficult to get back in his cage!!!

The autumnal squirrel formula is high fat, high carb, minimal protein, I round to 50/40/10 so that it’s easy to remember, watch out for it (remember 1g of fat is 9 cals and 1g of carb is 4cals so to work it out you need to look for products where the fat is about half the grams of carbs and protein is very low in comparison).

Spring into your Summer Body with Don’t Eat for Winter …The Anti-Autumnal Diet

🚫🐿

Update:  Marty Kendall of Optimising Nutrition has written a fascinating article building on Don’t Eat for Winter’s radar chart above… Don’t Eat for Winter suggests Human Breast Milk and Acorns are a key to why junk foods and autumnal combos are so valued by humans, which is constantly being backed up by data and scientific papers.  Marty shows a table of 30 junk foods in the USDA food composition database that approximate ‘The Squirrel Formula’

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Featured on Al Jazeera News Grid

I was asked to comment on the following article by Leah Harding of Al Jazeera’s news show #AJNewsGrid

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/press-release/2018-02-26-millennials-top-obesity-chart-before-reaching-middle-age

From the Article

Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK’s director of prevention, said: “Being overweight is the UK’s biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking, but most people don’t know about this substantial risk. If more people become aware of the link it may help spare not just millennials, but all generations from cancer.

“The government must play a part to help people make healthy food choices. We’re campaigning for a ban on junk food adverts before the 9pm watershed to protect young people from advertising tactics which all too often promote fattening foods.”

I am in agreement that shops, advertisers and governments need to take responsibility in order to make junk food less accessible to the vulnerable individuals outlined in this article.

I myself was 256lbs and lost all my excess weight through eating more whole foods and looking to nature for inspiration around balancing my nutrient intake.  This is what Don’t Eat for Winter is about, it’s about avoiding foods with the autumnal signature, which induces ancient primal instincts in us that cause gorge eating and ultimately fat storage.  We live in an infinite autumn in our environment storing up fat for a winter that never comes.

I sent in the following clip to Leah, part of which was aired on the 27th of Feb 2018 on the news show.

 

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DEFoW 30 day January Challenge

Who is up for a 30 day January DEFoW challenge to mule kick junk in the caramel nuts for the new year? Tag, share with friends to join in.

1. Minimum of 2 litres of filtered/bottled water each day. Pint before morning shower. Squeeze in a lemon for extra kudos.

2. 7.5 hours minimum sleep at night. Put your phone in flight mode before midnight and settle in to ensure you release recovery growth hormone during the night.

3. No junk whatsoever mon-friday, only natural whole foods wherever possible and when having a treat on the weekend go out for it and eat something natural like a homemade brownie in a cafe. Don’t bring it into your house.

4. Exercise approx 3-4 hours a week. Suggest that you do a mixture of resistance, cardio and flexibility work any way you like that is enjoyable for you. Use light cardio between days you push hard in a circuit or lifting weights. Make use of those gym memberships and socialise with people. If you keep this up consistently for the year and beyond you will highlight to the world what your DNA is capable of.

5. Do 60+ push ups a day break into as many sets as you need over the day. On knees if you are a beginner, but if you do have to work off knees hold a plank for 10 seconds for every 10 push ups. This will work your core, shoulders, triceps and chest.

6. Cut out carbs in at least one meal a day and keep portions moderate in other meals. If you work at a desk and train evenings I suggest morning time. Try scrambled eggs instead of cereal for example. When eating carbs go for whole food and eat the skin/bran for extra fibre, nutrients and to slow absorption to control blood sugars.

7. No sweetened fruit juice or sugary drinks. If you must have a light flavoured water or low cal vitamin drink but remember they contain sweeteners which can make you crave.

8. Do 60+ bodyweight squats a day, as low as you can safely go. Works lower body and flexibility squatting our bodyweight deep is something we should be able to do. If you need to put a bench under you to sit down on to for safety.

9. Avoid having fat and carbs at the same time. Even natural combos like trail mix or apples with nut butter, though nutritious bring out the squirrel in us. Sorry that means no buttery toast or creamy mash. Have that as a treat if you mus on the weekend.

10. Get out into nature. Walk for 10+ mins every day and a nice long one on weekend along a river, up a mountain, through a forest. Wear the right boots and gear. Breathe in that fresh air, revel in the sun and enjoy the crispness of the January air.

Keep us all informed of your progress, pictures outside, in gym, updates etc and questions on the facebook event page…

Here’s a shortened version for you to print off (click to enlarge)