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Archive for the ‘Review’ Category

Vintage Industrial Furniture

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

Hi All,

Recently I was looking around for some new gear for the office, I stumbled across a really funky retro stuff from a business called Retrocedric. The style really is vintage industrial furniture, but covers the whole range of retro furniture and vintage furniture

I bought some great items including a amazing vintage office desk, chairs and vintage metal filing cabinets, and it was so easy I just arranged a courier to pick them up and they were in my office the next day.

Truly awesome service, so if your into your retro or vintage look, and are looking for a good supplier Retrocedric is the place to go!

TOM

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Review:Nutrition the Dirt Facts by Paul Chek

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Hi All,

I have just re-watched a series of Youtube videos by the great Paul Chek on nutrition. The lecture that these videos are of is entitled Nutrition:The Dirt Facts. This is one of many lecture videos that are available form the Chek Institute, either via YouTube or on DVD from the institute itself. I strongly advise anyone who has not seen any of Paul’s stuff to have a look, and i am sure that you will be blown away!

The lecture is very different to the general nutrition lecture that you find on You Tube, in that it covers nutrition from the soil up. Which after all is where all our nutrition starts from. Paul Chek spends a great deal of time in this lecture looking at how the make up of our soil has changed and how this has then gone on to impact the quality of the things that we can then grow in it.

It is a very interesting perspective, many of the nutrition based lectures I have heard in the recent past have been focused on the fact that we need to grow better quality crops and make sure that we are eating organic as far as possible. But few of these people have looked at the issue from a base level where we are looking at what we can do to restore the quality of the soil that we use to grow the crops of tomorrow.

Paul then moves on to look at the basis of a good diet, what should we be eating, this is backed up by the thing that Paul does best, uses himself as an example. He explains why we should be making some relatively simple behavior changes that can have a massive impact on our lives and our levels of wellness.

The lecture is split over 10 video clips on you tube and can be found on the Paul Chek Live Channel. I have enclosed the first clip below for you to look at, please do let me know what you think by putting some comments up.

Find the rest of the series at:- PaulChekLive on You Tube

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Review: Fit Pro Magazine

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Hi All,

Been meaning to get this written for a while. Fitpro is the leading magazine for personal trainers here in the UK. It has a long and established history, and has some of the countries (and the worlds) leading authorities in the fields of health, fitness and Wellbeing writing for it.  I have been a reader of Fit Pro for a number of years and you can’t walk into many staff rooms in gyms in the UK without coming across a copy of Fit Pro or one of its sister publications (Fit Pro Network and Fit Pro Business – look out for reviews of these in the next couple of weeks).

The magazine itself offers a wide range in terms of article subject matter.  One of the great features of Fit Pro Magazine is that it mixes both academic style articles based on reviews of current research with more practical base how to articles.  This allows the reader to pick up knowledge on a number of different levels from reading the one publication.  Fit Pro besides all the health, nutrition, physical activity and exercise based articles also looks at the business side of being involved in the fitness industry.  This is an area that a lot of publications miss out on but can have a massive effect on how well you operate as a personal trainer or fitness instructor.

The magazine also has a number of fun sections such as competitions to win all kinds of thing health related, it has also had a great range of seasonal ideas for the less imaginative personal trainer, such as Halloween special workouts and ski fit.  The magazine also places a great emphasis on interaction from readers, this is seen in the members forum section of the publication, where members can write in on whatever burning topics they wish.

One of the most impressive aspects of Fitpro magazie is that it is so responsive to the needs of the fitness community.  It always seems to be on the pulse of what is going on in the fitness industry and even better shows you a little glimpse of what is ahead.  The magazine is written in a friendly way that invites you to read it, it is not like some journals that are bogged down in the science and give little thought to the practicality of how to apply it.  Every time I have read a copy of Fit Pro I have taken away something new and it has improved my abilities as a Personal Trainer.

Fit Pro Magazine is well written and planned, it really is aimed solely at the specific needs of our industry.

If you are a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, or anyone involved in Health and Fitness I strongly recommend that you take out a subscription to this awesome publication.

Have a look at the Website for more details.

TOM

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Review:How to Eat Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek

Friday, January 14th, 2011

How to Eat Move and be Healthy by Paul Chek is a truely revolutionary book, I bought a copy about a year ago and I must have read it over 4 times so far.It is getting a big dog eared now, but each time I read it I uncover more knowladge and make more improvements in my health.

For those of you who have not heard much about the man that is Paul Chek, he is a physical therapist (Physiotherapist) from the US. He really has bridged the knowladge gap between the traditional personal trainer, physiotherapists and holistic practitioners. He has been helping to up the knowladge base of personal trainers and holistic therapists across the world via his certification program and has been at the forefront of getting people to look at the body in a more holistic manner. Rather than concentrating on the various different component parts.

The book itself is is aimed at the general public, but there is alot of knowladge in their that would be of great beneifit to industry professionals such as personal trainers. The book is split into 4 sections, coving Introduction, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Stress/Sleep.  The book is laid out in a very effective manner allowing you to read it cover to cover or dip in and out.  The great use of mind maps at the start of each chapter are also a great tool when you wish to recap on an issue but not re-read the whole chapter.  The books is written in a friendly and easy to read manner, with just the right balance between scientific bachground and practical advice.

The nutrition section of How to Eat Move and be Healthy is based on Metabolic Typing and the idea of individualized nutrition, this is backed up by the idea that you are what you eat.  This can be put simply in terms of if you put rubbish into your body that is precisly what you will get out.

The physical activity section covers various types of function exercise, it is far from the traditional weight lifting book.  It covers exercises that will improve your ability to live your life doing the tasks that you need to do!  The book also covers a range of exercises designed to improve the flow of energy in the body and improve health, these work great as a good morning workout.

The book also includes a number of questionaires that can be filled out by the reader, self marked, and then used to tailor some of the advoce given in the book.  This is a great starting point for anyone who is at the start of a journy to imporve thier levels of health and wellbeing.

How to Eat Move and Be Healthy includes some great topics that are not often seen in a book of this type.  Paul Chek approaches the subjects of stress and sleep, which are vital to health and weight control, but are often overlook by personal trainers and clients.  This book explains these complex subjects and also helps the reader to understand how these factors impact overall health.

This book is a must for anyone who is comitted to improving thier personal levels of helath and wellbeing. I have reccommended this book to clients, friends and family members and all of them who have followed my advice and read it , then gone on to follow Pauls advice from the book have found it extremely powerful stuff.  The book really is a one stop shop and blueprint of how to live  happy, healthy, long life.

If you have not got a copy yet, here is a link to Amazon (you will not be disappointed)!

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Review: Eighth Day, Manchester

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Hi All,

This is one for all my Manchester, Stockport and Cheshire people.

The Eight Day is a Vegetarian shop and cafe based in Manchester city centre.  The store has been open since September 1970 and has a long and vibrant history of bring great vegetarian and whole food products to the people of Manchester.  The store itself has had several moves over its history mainly within the Oxford Road area.  The store is now located in a very good looking unit on Oxford Road itself.  The business is run as a workers co-operative, and I feel that this is reflected in the very high levels of services that customers receive.  Their is no bored and grumpy checkout staff, rather everyone I have come across in my 10+ years of using the store has been happy, helpful and seem genially to love the organisation they work in and also the products they sell.  It is great to see some passion about good food!

The shop itself has a great atmosphere, with a wide range of great products.  It is very surprising the vast range of goods that are stocked at The Eighth Day.  It really is a one stop shop for all your health food needs.

The cafe serves up some amazing, fresh, organic food.  It has a real home kitchen feel, it is not like eating out at a restaurant it is more like going round to a friends for dinner.  The menu has something for everyone and is constantly changing.  What more could you ask for? Good food, great atmosphere and a friendly staff.  If your passing by and you start to get those rumbles in your stomach I would defiantly suggest that the Eight Day Cafe is a great pit stop, to eat and take some time out.

The Eight Day also has a great range of events that have included live music, make over nights, fund raisers and much more!  The place really is buzzing with activity every time you go in.  So have a look at the Eighth Day Website and drop into any of the events that might be of interest to you!

The Eighth Day is located at 111 Oxford Road, Manchester.  If you have not popped your head in yet, why not?

Keep up the great work!

TOM

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Review: Unicorn Foods, Chorlton

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

I have just been down to Unicorn and I am always amazed at the range of produce that they have in store.

A bit of history about the place, it was established in 1995 and has rapidly grown to be the UK’s biggest, and in my opinion best whole food outlet.  It is not just me who thinks so The Observer Food Monthly’s named Unicorn ‘Best Independent Shop’ and Radio Four Food Programme’s ‘Best Local Food Retailer in 2008′. The unit they are based in is large for a health food store and that is what initially hits you as you enter.  It is bright and airy allowing customers to browse and buy in comfort.

The focus of the store is on locally produced, fair trade, organic and wholesome foods.  I think one of the major points that has made Unicorn so successful is that the prices are not restrictive, they are highly competitive when compared to the supermarkets. I have found in many cases that the organic, locally grown veg can be slightly cheaper than the supermarkets.  But based on quality there is no comparison, Unicorn win hands down!

The store also owns a plot of land that is a stones throw form the shop itself, which has allowed Unicorn to produce its own stock.  This stuff looks and tastes amazing.  The range of produce is vast, we have come along way from the health food shops that only carried a very limited range of products.  Unicorn’s product range includes beer, wine, bread and an amazing deli counter!

The thing with Unicorn is that you can go in there and potter around picking out the produce you want, and if your stuck the staff are really friendly and informative.  Get to the check out and be genuinely surprised at how little you have spent.

I would whole heartedly recommend that anyone in the Chorlton area have a look in Unicorn.  You will be very pleasantly surprised!

Thanks to the team at Unicorn for all the hard work and great levels of innovation and development!

I wish you all the best for the future.

TOM

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Martial Arts Planet Review

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

Hi All,

Just thought I would write a little bit about a great forum call Martial Arts Planet. Any of your out there who know me, know I am into my Martial Arts, over the past few years I have participated in a number of forums but none have met the levels of knowledge and information as a Martial Arts Planet.

Martial Arts Planet covers every martial art you could think of, with very active forum pages for each art. It also has a great fitness section that covers a wide variety of training methods. The great thing about MAP is the fact that it feels like a community, there is no ego, tall tales, basically rubbish, the community has managed to grow around a core of key people who truly instil the true meaning of martial arts in the forum as a whole.

If you are into Martial Arts or Fitness this is the place to be.

Check it out and let me know what you think, I am under my usual name Tom@Foresight, so say hi!

TOM

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Review: EastWest Healing Radio

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Hi All,

Just been listening to East West Healing’s Blogtalk Radio station, must say that I am very impressed. Don’t think I am surprised as for a while now I have been following Josh Rubins You Tube channel, and his knowledge and advice in the areas of health, fitness, nutrition and wellbeing are second to none.  This man has an immense amount of knowledge and is a skilled holistic health practitioner.

For those of you who do not know Josh, one thing you can do is have a look at my interview with him, but to put it in brief. He is a Holistic Wellbeing Practitioner based in California, he is a Chek Level 4 practitioner, HLC 3, Member of the Chek Institute Facility, and Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor. Josh has a long history in helping those that traditional medicine has turned its back on or not been able to cure. He looks at the human body, mind and soul as one and uses a wide range of functional diagnostic techniques to look under the hood of what is really going on.

The radio station itself is not a new concept with many other practitioners having shows and podcasts, what is unique about Josh and the team at East West is their ability to take relatively complex subjects and explain them in a way that a layman could understand.  This then allows you to absorb and take action on the information that he puts across to you.  This theme has been seen throughout his You Tube videos and is carried on in his Blog Talk Radio shows.

His shows have covered a wide range of subjects, these have recently included hollistic living, over coming addictions, back care, the importance of hydration and much more. Besides the content itself Josh has managed to get some very high profile guests onto his show, these have included people such as Paul Chek, Dr Jamie Kazer, John McMullin, and many more.  This show is definitely one that will grow and develop at a rate of knots.

These shows are not to be missed so do tune in, get them on your iPod and start increasing your knowledge. If you are a new listener make sure you look up the blog talk radio page so you will be able to listen into the back catalogue of shows.

Great stuff guys and I am looking forward to hearing much more form you.

TOM

Personal Training Manchester

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Fitness Venues Review

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

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Fitness Venues has been established for a number of years, over this time the site has grown massively and has incorporated loads of features.  This site really has become a one stop shop for fitness news and information.

Listings – The site has a comprehensive listing of a number off wellbeing services such as personal training, beauty salons, gyms, physiotherapists, etc… The listings are very in depth, with a wide choice of compaines in a wide variety of geographical locations.  The listings are very detailed giving you a wide range of information on the individual companies in a very clear and easy to use manner.

Forum – This is the best UK fitness forum that I have seen, it covers a wide range of topics.  Having a good ratio of industry professional and general exercisers regularly posting.  The great thing about the forum is that it has member’s who are both people seeking to improve thier health and also personal trainers, sports therapists and other wellbeing professionals.  This means that if you have a question it is one of the best places to post it and get some great information.

Look me up on the forum under the username Tom@foresight

News – The site also helps to keep you upto date with all the latest news on new products services and changes within the fitness and wellbeing industry.

Reviews – One of the best aspects of the webste is the vast range of independent reviews on various chains, and independent gyms across the contry.  This is a very useful resource for anyone who is looking to join a gym and would like to know the pro’s and con’s of various gyms in their area.

Articles – Fitness Venues has a great database of articles, written by fitness professionals and industry experts.  The range of articoes is very impressive covering a wide variety of topics, incuding exercise, nutrition, and overall wellbeing.

Fitness Venues has become a one stop shop for all your fitness needs, well worth a look for anyone who is interested in health, fitness and wellbeing in general.  I highly recommend that you have a good look at the site and also add it to your bookmarks list!

TOM

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Underground Wellness Review

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Having stumbled across Sean Croxton’s Internet offering about tweleve months ago, I found that I had come across one of the best alternative nutritional resources on the net! The Underground Wellness revolution now encompasses websites, YouTube content, Blogs, Forums, A on-line radio station, and who knows what will be next!

Sean is a Personal Trainer, lifestyle and nutritional coach based in San Diego, USA. Having an academic background in Kinesiology and studying at California State University, and having worked as a certified personal trainer for a number of years (NSCA, ACE and NASM). He has worked with a wide range of clients helping them to improve their levels of health and wellbeing. For a number of years he has also been educating the masses via his YouTube.com channel, which mainly focuses on alternative nutrition.

He has grown to offer a wide range of Internet based wellbeing related services, this man has really exploded onto the Internet wellbeing, fitness and nutrition scene with a wide range of internet based content. So lets have a bit of a run down of what he has on offer:-

Forum – A great forum has been added to the Underground Wellbeing website, it has some great members, many of whom are very knowledgeable in their fields be it fitness, personal training, nutrition, etc… There are a number of sections on the site that allow topics to be split down into different interest groups. This forum is a rarity on the net, with no cussing or put downs and true, learning taking place.

Blog – Sean’s blog has covered a number of subjects since it’s initiation at the start of the year, including the vitally important factor of body image, and new years resolutions. I look forward to the development of this section of the Underground Wellbeing website.

You Tube – The original of all the web based Underground Wellness content. All Sean’s videos tend to be short, but very concise and most importantly very user friendly. You can come onto the page and click on any of the videos and find an interesting and informative talk on a very wide range of nutritional topics. Sean’s style is of vital importance in getting his message across and ultimately his popularity, he is very laid back and conveys his message in a positive and never patronising manner.

Internet Radio – This is the latest of his web offerings and has already gained a great following. The radio shows tend to be between one and two hours long, and have been on a variety of different subjects, one of my personal favourites has been a show with William Wolcott of The Metabolic Typing Diet fame! The great things about these shows is that you have the opportunity to ring in and ask questions real time of Sean and his guests. As it is broadcast via the wonderful technology of the internet you have the choice of listening in live or downloading the show at a later date.

Website – The web site is the pace that brings together all these great factors under one roof, with a little more information on Sean and also his range of Personal Training services, Nutritional Services, Metabolic Typing, etc…

All in all Sean’s Underground wellness site is well worth a visit and I am sure that within minutes you will be hooked on his chilled out and laid back style of presenting a very important message, of health, wellbeing and improving your nutritional intake. These group of on-line services are a must see for all!

Thanks for all the hard work Sean!

TOM

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