Feeling her body was ‘broken’, we reset things, and found a workout and diet approach that worked for her. And wine was still OK! — 3 things that were pissing off Clare (51) from Vancouver: Picking clothes based not on whether she liked them, but on their ability to not cling to the wobbly bits she was trying to hide. Feeling like a bag of bones instead of strong and capable. Having a body that…

Ancient lessons for modern battlefields — the gym and kitchen — Sun Tzu: Ancient Chinese general, military strategist, and the fitness and diet Guru we didn’t know we needed. Yes, The Art Of War is choc-a-bloc full of lessons we can apply to our own personal battles to get fitter, healthier, and keep the belly in check as we get older. …

Step away from the Battle Rope, and put down your Tabata Timer — Shortcuts and ‘Hacks’ — we bloody love them. It’s why we: fall for get-rich-quick schemes instead of making sensible investments; try hardcore diets instead of slowly chipping away at the excess weight; buy sketchy supplements promising to make us look and feel like skinny 20-year-olds again instead of just sleeping…

See #2: Choosing exercises for the wrong reasons — For the record I’ve made all the following mistakes, and plenty more, over my 30 years of working out. I’m just fortunate to have stuck with things despite messing up left, right and center, learning lessons the hard way, so I’ve stayed in shape well into my 40s, and coach…

It’s more common than you think, and it stops you getting in shape — I had a client I referred to as The Hostage when talking about her to my wife. What, you thought personal trainers wouldn’t b*tch and moan about work like you do?! You see for every single minute of our sessions she looked miserable, as if she wanted to leave, but…

Life is too short for MyFitnessPal and weighing stuff — Counting calories is a great way to track your food intake and lose weight. It’s also a huge pain in the ass. I hate the idea of losing weight having to be at the forefront of my mind each day as I diligently weigh portions, scan things into my phone…

When enjoying life and getting in shape collide. — “Ah sure you could get hit by a bus tomorrow” — My Dad This was my Dad’s take on the Roman poet Horace’s famous ‘Carpe Diem’ phrase, to encourage us kids to worry less, enjoy the moment and take the opportunities presented to us. And it’s great advice, though I…

It’s nothing to do with food choices or following the rules — Diets-With-A-Fancy-Name always sound great in theory. But ultimately we struggle to stick with them for long enough to get anywhere. Too many rules and lists of Good/Evil foods. When working with coaching clients I’ve learned the hard way over the years that any nutritional advice needs to be as simple…

Just because I was getting older didn’t seem to make me any wiser — I was so glad my kids didn’t know quite how much I was making it all up as I went along. At age 40, I’d perfected the appearance of having life figured out. …