Month: December 2019

Some of the ladies have mentioned to me a few times now 

That they get asked:

“What kind of diet does Matt make you do?”

Hinting at the idea that I have some specific, secret diet..

Thing is..

The ladies often say that they can’t really answer it 

Because there’s no specific ONE way..

It’s down to you and your lifestyle.

And speaking of lifestyle…

I thought I’d share 5 questions to ask 

To help you choose the right “diet” do you: 

1- does it fit your lifestyle? Can you actually stick to it given demands of work / life / family? The best diet in the world is the one you can do…

2- has it worked for people like you? Has it worked for people who are similar ages / have similar challenges as you?

3- is there an “exit” strategy ? Aka is it simply a “diet” to lose weight or is there a plan to help you maintain it? Help you actually turn your exciting goal, into a day by day, step by step plan?

4- is it what you actually need? This might sound weird. But sometimes people don’t need “another diet to lose weight” but actually time to build a positive relationship with food to help overcome deeper issues that keep coming up and knocking you off the bandwagon (comfort eating / emotional eating for example) 

5- is it too good to be true? Skinny water / skinny coffee etc…feel free to try it…I mean if it helps you achieve a calorie deficit then great. But just know it’s glorified water / coffee..

Enjoy the rest of 2019 😃

Matt “2020” Fruci

It’s that time of the year when we start setting goals for the next year.

This year, some people would have achieved their 2019 goals.

Most wouldn’t have..

And because of this?

Even the word “goals” can be quite negative..

And I get that .

Thing is, I’m going to be honest and say that 

“If nothing changes, nothing changes”…

Let me explain:

When setting goals…

Most of us stop (including me a few years back) after the point of setting the goal.

We set this big, exciting goal. We thrive off of adrenaline to get going..

BUT…

We never actually plan HOW we will achieve it.

A step by step, day by day ACTION plan.

Of course, it won’t go 100% to plan.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile.

In fact, this is the part  that is neglected yet 

Is so, so crucial 

(And something we do inside the kickstart meeting inside our 4-Week Kickstart)

Which is to identify ALL of the problems that could make you slip up

And come up with a strategy to overcome each one.

I know, I know.

It’s not sexy..

But the results are.

When you have a blueprint 

A step by step plan

For what to do 

When you lack motivation 

Struggle with time

Feel like giving up 

Not sure if “you want to lose weight”

Feel like you have too much other stuff to do for everyone else and not you..

Work gets in the way 

You struggle with confidence 

Anxiety.

I could go on.

You can now see 

Exactly what you need to do.

And that – in itself – is a huge confidence boost.

Because rather than crossing your fingers and “hoping” that the problems don’t come up 

You can be ready to tackle them

And make 2020 your  best year yet 

Where you look back this time next year 

With a big a smile on your face 

As you’ve not just proved everyone else wrong 

But you’ve done this for YOU!

To be the best version of you 

Just like we do inside our 4-Week Kickstart.

Matt “new year, new me” Fruci 

Something that the ladies I work with have mentioned to me a lot these last few weeks

Is just how much they’ve been surrounded by chocolates and food….

At work

At home

Be it the kids, work colleagues, the other half..

Or just themselves buying them because ‘we might have guests….”

I get it…

It’s the same for me, too.

And I could sit here and say that it’s all about willpower etc..

But it’s not…

And I could say it’s all about bad foods..

But it’s not…

You see, most negative relationships around foods, emotional eating, comfort eating issues etc

are a result of behavioural patterns and habits that have been consistently practiced.

‘oh I’ve had one so I may as well have 5″

‘It’s Christmas so I’ll have all the chocolate I can eat until January 1st”

“I’m tired so I’ll have chocolate to give me a boost’

“I’ve had a s#*! day so I’ll have a chocolate”

etc..

You see, as much as the January headlines will want to blame gluten, carbs, dairy,, or saturated fats for our struggles with weight loss and health…

It’s usually the repetitions of our thoughts, behaviours and actions around certain foods…

Rather than the occasional consumption of them…

So here are 5 things that might help:

1) Write down everything you eat – you’ll become conscious of what, when and why…Seriously. Ask yourself whether you ate because you were hungry? Someone else ate it so you thought you should too? Stress from earlier in the day? Boredom? Just become more self aware

2) Look for things you do that don’t conform with who you want to be and how you want to feel and look (are you more easily influenced that you think?). 

3) If you’re sat in the living room / kitchen, make sure snack / picky foods are alway 6 feet away

4) If you think you’re hungry, ask yourself if you could eat a piece of fruit (this is called the apple test)…if no, this is probably psychological hunger rather than physical hunger.

5) If you feel like you need a sugar fix for more energy, consider the last time you treated yourself to a bubble bath, some flowers, or an early night? Do you need sugar  or energy?

And I get that these habits seem so small and insignificant…

And they are!!

Just like anything is if you do them once..

Unless of course, you do them consistently…

That’s when the magic happens,

And you realise just how powerful they are when you’re faced with situations that would normally make you anxious or push the “F it” button…

Like Caroline mentioned:

“got 11 coming for lunch! Can’t believe how much your

Good habits are helping me!”

Remember, small habits, compound effect.

Just like we do inside our 4-Week Kickstart Programme for ladies over 40

In Marlborough, Devizes, and Burbage that know what to do 

But need the motivation and accountability to put it into place 

And do the things they know they need to do to get the results they want…

And we start w/c 4^th January (flexible start date)

If you want more info?

Just message me with “Marlborough”, “Burbage” or “Devizes” and I’ll get you the details.

Matt “habits” Fruci

For me, there’s nothing better than leftovers the next day.

It means I don’t have to cook…

I have tasty food around..

I mean, what’s not to like…

And if you’re anything like me, your house is full of leftovers, chocolates and nice things (like cheese…)

So today, I thought I’d share with you 3 healthy habits that are actually surprisingly easier to do around Christmas time….

Healthy Habit 1: Walk more. With more time, there is also more time to walk more. Not just for the reason of moving, but also to get outside and notice how you feel afterwards.

Healthy Habit 2: Think company, not just food…It’s easier to spend time around family and friends (for most of us) this time of year. Focusing on that over food can do wonders for your physical and mental health 

Healthy Habit 3: We know that eating more protein helps:

✅ You to feel full up quicker and for longer (so you’re less likely to snack) 

✅ Your skin, hair, nails…

✅ healthy ageing and muscle tone

I could go on…

And at Christmas, I’m pretty sure there is no shortage of protein…

Be it Turkey, pigs in blankets, and even a nut roast (albeit high in carbs and fats)….

So there you go..

My challenge to you today

Is to think about what you can control…

As I spoke about https://www.facebook.com/MattFruciNutrition/videos/762340840932812/

And speaking of focussing on what you can control?

This is exactly what we do in our 4-Week Kickstart Programme for ladies over 40 who know what to do but need that kickstart and accountability to do the things they know they need to do.

And we have a few spaces left for our January 2020 4-Week Kickstart Programme in Marlborough, Burbage and Devizes, specifically for ladies over 40. 

This is for 12 ladies (5 spaces left)

Ladies that have enjoyed Christmas🍷 
 

Ladies that work hard throughout the year and actually quite enjoy taking it a bit easier in December to have a good time. 
 

But they also understand that as they get older, their health and fitness becomes a lot more important than it was in their 30s. 
 

➡ Better Health / Fitness = More Confidence and More Energy To Do The Things We Want To Do 

The great thing about this programme is that it is designed in a way that all fitness levels can take part….without fear of holding anyone else back or looking silly.  
 

As long as there is commitment to report back to us each week so we can help you and attend 1-3 times a week then this is all good.  
 

They can know that when you make that New Year’s Eve Resolution as the clock strikes 12 on the 31st December you will know that you’ve already got your place booked.  
 

Me and my team will be waiting to help out. 

If you want more details?  

Just message me with ‘Marlborough’, ‘Devizes’ or ‘Burbage’ and I’ll get you the details.  

Matt ‘eating leftovers’ Fruci

I used to love circling the toys I wanted when I was a kid in the Argos catalogues (do they still exist?)

But here’s something that might surprise you…

The average 10 year old owns 238 toys…but plays with 12 of them

And I see similar stuff already with my daughter (and she’s not even in 3)

It’s why we swap the toys over quite often and just have a few things out at once.

So she knows what she has

And we’ll do the same with her new toys…

Because when you try to play with everything at once?

You don’t know what you’ve got…

You’re always looking to see if there’s anything else.

Something better.

More exciting.

More flashy..

To the extent that you never actually start playing..

Bit like me when I look at Netflix..

By the time I’ve chosen what to watch

I fall asleep…

Why am I bringing this up?

Well, it’s a bit like some of these diets out there that get you to think you have to do it all at once…

The exercise for hours, give up your favourite foods

Count everything 

My way or the high way type of diets.. ..

Of course, there has to be some compromise…

But why not start off with the minimum amount of work and effort you have to do to get some results?

Especially if your issue is keeping it going? 

This way, it’s easier to stick to as it’s not some massive change that you can’t sustain…

It’s not so time consuming…

And you haven’t exhausted all of your options to lose weight and get fit on day 1…

meaning that when things do slow down?

You can just make a small tweak and go again

Cool thing about this?

It gets you away from thinking “all or nothing”

And instead thinking “something is better than nothing”

Or my favourite:

“half assed is better than no assed”

Even on Christmas Eve 🎅

Be it going for a walk

Filling your plate with veggies 

Increasing your protein 

Waiting 20 minutes before going for seconds 

Or drinking a glass of water before each meal or purple Quality Street 😉 

Small habits, compound effect 👌

Matt ‘Toys R Us’ Fruci

So I caught up with PhD Researcher, Rianne Costello last week

To speak about her research into polyphenols..

Which are found in….

Wait for it…

Red wine ☺

Before you get too excited…

Here is what we discussed:

✅ A simple drink you can have before bed that might help you sleep and boost recovery 

✅ The truth about red wine….

✅ Is more vitamin C better?

✅ 5 things you can do to help you recover and reduce the uncomfortable soreness feeling that exercise can sometimes provide

✅ What to do if you have digestive issues / IBS and want to get more fruit and veggies in

✅ Blood pressure, cholesterol and ways to lower this…

✅ Carbs and they CAN actually be beneficial in helping recovery…

Plus, much, much more 

You can watch it by CLICKING HERE

Or via my podcast on Apple HERE

Or Android HERE 

🙂

Matt ‘red, red wiiiinne’ Fruci

No matter how many times I was told as a kid to 

Be quiet

Sit still

Stop moaning… 

Nothing would work better 

Than telling me that Santa won’t come unless you be good…

And all around the world…

Parents (including me)

Are using Santa as an easy way to get their kids to do the things they need to do…

It’s actually why I have a coach helping me do the things I know I need to do…

ACCOUNTABILITY…

So that I stop procrastinating 

Stop believing self sabotaging thoughts that I made up (fear of public speaking being one)

Stop pleasing others at the expense of my happiness (which actually means you’re no good to anyone else anyway)

Understanding that my actions don’t just impact me…but my loved ones around me..

All from 

Accountability to make sure I do the things I know I need to do…

And that’s a bit like how our 4-Week Kickstart Programme for ladies over 40 (reply with “Devizes”, “Marlborough” or “Burbage” and I’ll get you the relevant details by the way) works…

Because I get you pretty much know what to do…

And that it’s actually putting what you know into a step by step, day by day plan 

That you can do, even when life gets in the way…

And things get busy…

As the best programme in the world?

The one you can actually do!

Just like Sarah said:

“Today I weighed. Just hit one stone weight loss yipeeeee – despite being poorly I managed to keep all the habits in check – the protein and water in check but no exercise. 

Massive thanks to you. Who’s have though I’d have lost a stone in 7 weeks and manage to eat and enjoy food.

You sir, are my Father Christmas. And now I’m assigning you my Easter Bunny to lose another stone by Easter 🐣 no pressure. “

Well done, Sarah!

One stone in 7 weeks and enjoying her food 😃

All from small habits!

Which is exactly what we do in our 4-Week Kickstart Programme for ladies over 40 who know what to do but need that kickstart and accountability to do the things they know they need to do.

And we have just opened up our January 2020 4-Week Kickstart Programme in Marlborough, Burbage and Devizes, specifically for ladies over 40. 

This is for 12 ladies

If you want more details?  

Just message me with ‘Marlborough’, ‘Devizes’ or ‘Burbage’ and I’ll get you the details.  

Matt ‘ Father Christmas’’ Fruci

It’s something that not many people talk about. But everyone does…

Some more than others…

That is…pooing.

Gut health is a big thing right now. It’s a developing area and could be the future to treating a lot of conditions

^^^ Poo transplants are already used in the UK for C.Diff in hospitals…)

But what about IBS?

AKA

Bloating, flatulence, urges to go to the loo  etc. These are all life changing that can stop you doing what you want to do but also from absorbing nutrients you need to have more energy. 

Well, just make you feel at ease about this sensitive topic…

I’ll say now that for the first 20 odd years of my life?

I’d have to go for a poop (pretty urgently) after eating…

So, I guess you could say

I really am full of 💩​​​​​​​​​​…

But anyway, here’s a few things you can do to help (and a little trick to help with lactose intolerance):

1) Avoid spicy food – This can speedy up how quickly foods goes through you…

2) Limit caffeine  – Can increase stress hormone, leading to gut issues…

3) Chew MORE – Sounds simple, but when comparing those who chewed their food 10 times compared to 40 times, chewing only 10 times led to increased malabsorption  with can irritate the gut due to size of the food from malabsorption. 

4) Drink more fluids – If you have eaten more fibre or had a large meal…drinking more water can help, especially if you feel bloated / blocked. 

5) Take the 5 day challenge – this might seem contradictory to what you normally are told..

That is to limit fermentable fibre in your diet…

Such as beans, potatoes, brown foods  / wholegrains, cereals etc.

I go into detail on this with UK Registered Dietitian, Mike Sweeney in this podcast episode here:

(He’s helped thousands of people with digestive issues with his clinics in the NHS)

If on iPhone, https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ibs-bloating-gut-health-registered-uk-dietitian-mike/id1469685325?i=1000447525663 

If on Android, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xuJrfToajmkqhapSRiZ2t 

BONUS…

What about lactose intolerance?

here is a test you can do at home:

1) Buy some normal milk and buy some lactose FREE milk.

2) Get your other half to pour you around 300ml of one of the milks so you don’t know which one you are having (but they do)

3) See how you feel for 3 days.

4) Do it again making sure your other half gives you the other milk.

5) See how you feel for 3 days. 

I will say that sometimes IBS / bloating can occur from simply a high volume of food in one sitting. 

Maybe you eat too many ‘free foods’ and not enough water?

Maybe someone buys you a load of purple Quality Street (guilty haha)..

So I guess once again..

It is coming back down to doing the simple things..

And doing those simple things very well, consistently. 

Which is exactly what we do in our 4-Week Kickstart Programme for ladies over 40 who know what to do but need that kickstart and accountability to do the things they know they need to do.

And we have just opened up our January 2020 4-Week Kickstart Programme in Marlborough, Burbage and Devizes, specifically for ladies over 40. 

This is for 12 ladies

Ladies that are probably intending to enjoy Christmas🍷 
 

Ladies that work hard throughout the year and actually quite enjoy taking it a bit easier in December to have a good time. 
 

But they also understand that as they get older, their health and fitness becomes a lot more important than it was in their 30s. 
 

➡ Better Health / Fitness = More Confidence and More Energy To Do The Things We Want To Do 

The great thing about this programme is that it is designed in a way that all fitness levels can take part….without fear of holding anyone else back or looking silly.  
 

As long as there is commitment to report back to us each week so we can help you and attend 1-3 times a week then this is all good.  

So if you know anyone? Let me know… 
 

They can then enjoy the rest of what December has to offer before we start in January. 
 

And when you make that New Year’s Eve Resolution as the clock strikes 12 on the 31st December you will know that you’ve already got your place booked.  
 

Me and my team will be waiting to help out. 

If you want more details?  

Just message me with ‘Marlborough’, ‘Devizes’ or ‘Burbage’ and I’ll get you the details.  

Matt ‘full of 💩’ Fruci

‘Are you having an affair?’ he asked…

‘NO.

it’s just Matt sending a reminder to drink water’ she replied…

‘Again?’ he said..

‘yes…’ she replied..

‘but what does he mean by “if you have any questions reach out?’ he asked…

‘are you listening to him again?’

So that was the conversation that happened the other day between 

One of the ladies inside our Fit For Life programme and their husband…

Thankfully, I could explain…

And her husband isn’t on the lookout for me..

Here’s why:

most people think motivation is the problem…

But here’s the thing:

Don’t get me wrong

Many days go by where I think ‘I can’t be a$$ed…​​I feel tired…I could stay in bed’

I basically feel like I lack motivation…

But the interesting thing?

It’s often because I don’t have the clarity or plan down into simple tasks where I know what to do.

OR…

Someone reminding what I need to do..

After all, where your attention goes, energy flows ☺

You see, back in 2001, a study was completed in the UK with a group of people to try and build improved exercise habits. ​

[if you’ve ever struggled with motivation in the past then you are going to find this very interesting]

The group was divided into 3.

GROUP 1 – The control group – were simply asked to track how often they exercised.

GROUP 2 – The motivation group – were asked to track their workouts BUT also to read material on the ‘benefits’ of exercise.

The researchers also explained to this group how exercise could reduce the risk of heart disease.

GROUP 3 – The planning group – They did all of the above BUT were also asked to do a plan writing down when and where they would exercise the following week.​

For example:

‘During the next week, I will do 20 minutes of on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE]”]

The Results – What % then actually exercised at least once the following week?

Group 1 = 35%

Group 2 = 38%

Group 3 = 91%

The reason for there being such a high success rate in group 3 is because of something called..​​ Implementation Intention.

“When situation ‘X’ arises, I will perform response ‘Y’”

THIS IS THE KEY to you finally being successful with your health and fitness goals​​ [in fact you can apply this to absolutely any goal that you set]

This is why just joining a standard gym and even some slimming clubs might not always work

 ​[unless you write down the specific days / times you’re going to go and do exercise and have someone remind you to do it and chase you up if you get a bit stuck and overwhelmed with it all – not just 1 week but every week]

This is why just saying “I’m motivated this time’ is not enough.

This is why just saying “I’m going to eat more healthily’ is not enough.

MOTIVATION was probably never your problem.

Having the right plan in place probably was..

Simple? – Yep

Easy? – Actually yes….providing you just focus on 1 day at a time…

Start this now.

Write down the sentence below and fill in the blanks – you have a 91% success rate of turning up if you do this. ​​

‘During the next week, I will partake in at least 10 minutes of exercise on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE]”

As Woody Allen said:

​​80% of success is…….. ‘Showing Up’ 

Matt ‘causing domestic arguments’ Fruci

“I can’t do it”

^^^ my 2 year old daughter said, trying to open a yoghurt…

And something I’m trying to teach her is to just ask for help

Rather than go into the ‘I can’t do it’ mode..

As it often results in frustration…

Just sayin those words to yourself 

Literally puts you down…

Try it..

And often stops you even being able to make a rationale decision. 

And it reminded me of when I was at Tae Kwon Doe..

I did pretty well in the end. Getting a black belt and even being asked to teach. 

Although I rarely did any teaching as I couldn’t get my words out. I was too nervous. 

Worried about what others were thinking. Didn’t like other looking at / or judging me. 

Would go bright red in the face…

Probably because I told myself 

‘I can’t do it’

When actually what I should have said was that

‘I can’t do it, yet”..

Anyway, we used to have this mantra:

“DREAM IT. BELIEVE IT. ACHIEVE IT…”

And – of course – being only 12 at the time, I had no clue what this meant anyway. 

But what I’ve found to be true NOW after coaching hundreds of ladies

is that there’s a BIG step between ‘believe’ and ‘achieve’…

That step being…

 Doing!

Because here’s the thing:

Everyone has self-belief. 

Everyone has confidence. 

Whether they exercise every day, once a week or haven’t exercised in years. 

Whether they define themselves as  too old or too unfit… 

or whether they’re the sporty one doing all the classes at the gym. 

Everyone has confidence. 

The difference?

The THOUGHTS in your head you CHOOSE to believe at that moment in time..

Which will – eventually – determine what you do

And how you feel.

^^ just last week I felt rubbish and was putting myself down…the reality was that I was just a bit under the weather and tired…

You see…

I hear things like:

 ‘I have no willpower’. “I have no motivation’…
but what if I told you that it’s not a lack of willpower? 

But actually the thoughts you CHOOSE to believe?

Can I challenge you just for today to slow down and challenge your thoughts? Notice what you are CHOOSING to believe? 

Rather than fighting the fact you are doing more this time of year with everything going on and you might be a bit tired…

Feel your feelings..

If you are tired?

What would your best self do to get more energy?

And – if you’re really ready for a challenge – I challenge you to take action WITHOUT having self-belief that you can do it?

Just like Hannah has done:

“I’m so chuffed, I’m 5lb away from losing 2 stone which should be done by end of January, it was a target I set, never believing I would reach it! Now I know I will.

I really am so grateful for all the effort you put into all our quest for health and fitness!

Best wishes Hannah “

Well done, Hannah!

And if you want to find out if you can achieve something you don’t believe you can achieve? 

Our January 4-Week Kickstart Programme is now open for 12 ladies in Marlborough, Devizes and Burbage

Who want to enjoy Christmas

Knowing that in January

They have something in place to make 2020 their best yet!

If you want more info on this?

Just reply with ‘Marlborough’, ‘Devizes’ or ‘Burbage 

And I’ll get you the relevant details

Matt ‘I can’t?’ Fruci