5 of my favourite things in the fitness industry

I want to start by saying I wouldn't reccomend/promote a product or brand if I didn't truly believe in it. If I reccomend it you can guarantee I've taken it, worn it or used it over and over again. There are hundreds of thousands of different brands out there in the fitness industry and it continues to grow. Currently these are some of my favourites....

Vascular wear 

Exploding onto the scene just last year, vascular wear have taken the gym clothing industry by storm. They offer a wide range of comfy, professional, clean-looking and fashionable designs from vests to joggers to shorts to hoodys. I can always be seen in the gym training with my vascular wear clothes on!

Check out their products here www.vascularwear.com and to receive an exclusive 10% DISCOUNT off all products use code AARONB10 at the checkout.

Myprotein

I've been using myprotein products for over a year now. The thing I love about myprotein is you get exactly what they say on the tin without all the BS! You can buy products in bulk for a very reasonable price and mix and match to create your own shakes. For example you could add glutamine and dextrose to your whey for a great post-workout shake. 

For an example of how I'd stack myprotein products for lean muscle, power and strength, check out a previous blog post here http://fitinfivehundredwords.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/becoming-bolt-supplements.html

TRX

I love the trx! Such a great tool for utilising your own bodyweight as resistance. The great thing about them is they can be easily transported and used pretty much anywhere! They're a regular part of my sessions and my clients' alike.

Fatgripz

Thick grip training will activate more muscle. I've used them on nearly every exercise in the past and as a result my forearms got bigger and my grip strength flew up! Definitely worth the investment.

Bobble water bottles

I feel much more focused and revitalised from drinking bottled or filtered water as opposed to tap water. Buying bottled water can be expensive especially if your drinking 3L+ a day, and carrying a big britta water filter around with you is impractical. A simple solution - the bobble water bottle. It's got a mini filter built in which you can replace every 2 months.



There are many other products and brands that are a massive part of my everyday life, but unfortunately I can't discuss them all! Maybe I'll save them for another post...  

The power of visualisation

2 weeks ago I was on a beach in Australia, 2 days ago I was in the Amazon rainforest.....

If only! But recently I have started using the power of visualisation to instantly feel chilled out from a hard days work and intense training sessions. 

Working long hours or going through a stressful time at home or work will stress your body out. This in turn will raise your levels of the hormone cortisol. This is bad news, and will effect your ability to train, lose fat and build muscle. One simple way to combat this is to use your imagination to visualise a scene in such detail it actually effects your mood and outlook. The subconscious can't differentiate between what is perceived and what is real. Therefor if you can imagine something so vividly the body will react as if its actually experiencing it. Creative visualisation will help you de-stress, ease anxiety and lower blood pressure. 15 mins in this deeply relaxed state could equate up to the equivalent of an hours sleep!

Follow the steps below and in 15 mins you'll feel so much better! Believe me...

- close your eyes and take deep breaths, imagine your in beautiful surroundings. It could be a holiday you've been on in the past, or you can conjure up something from your imagination. 

- use your senses of sight, sound, taste and smell, put yourself in the scene and and allow it to come to life. Revel in the colours, smells and sounds. I found a great iPhone app called 'nature sound'. It contains many sound samples of different scenes such as the beach or a tropical rainforest. So by playing them with your headphones on, your able to block the rest of the world out and make the scene more realistic. 

- stay in the scene for as long as possible, soaking up all the details. Then slowly bring yourself back into the room. 

- try this technique 1-2 times a week or whenever you feel stressed to help recover from exercise and everyday life.