Untitled from John Lark on Vimeo.

Hey Folks,

I just wanted to give you a quick heads up about the 14 Day Challenge that I know you will love. Why?

• Because it will Guarantee that you DROP A DRESS SIZE  in 14 days
• Because it will make you feel leaner, fitter and firmer just in time to roll out the Little Black Dress
• Because it will make you feel infinitely better than you are now with bundles of ENERGY
• Because it will take away that feeling of GUILT as you slide into the New Year even HEAVIER than you are now

I have put together a taster of what we do here at Sphere condensed into the 14 Day Challenge.

You Get…

- 6 Training Sessions with a choice of either AM or PM slots ( I know how crazy it is this silly season – so you do have a choice. Sessions are are at 6.45 in the morning or 7 in the evening and run for 45 minutes) – worth 67 Euros

- Access to the 14 Day Challenge Area where you will get a day-by-day plan to follow – personally designed by me. This is exactly how I have got so many folks lean over the year in record time – worth 147 EUR

- Daily menus and eating plans that will shed fat faster than Usain Bolt can drop a 100m – Worth 77 EUR

- Suport and accountabilty. DO NOT do this if you are not willing to keep a food diary – Priceless

- Shopping Lists – Worth 17.99 EUR

- T2H Nutrition Plan – a 30 page document that will literally ensure you never have to follow another diet again ( how cool is that?) – Worth 9.97 EUR

Register by Clicking Here =>

So How Much? When? How?

The challenge is open to everyone with a member’s discount and the slots limited to 40. I could quite happily knock this out at my 1-1 rate which is 100 Euros per hour. But I won’t? Why?Instead why not get a good sampler of what we have to offer here. I think we are pretty special so let me lower the barrier of entry. Your investment is  the programme taking into consideration all of the above is 317  77 for Non-Members or Non-Current Campers or 47 EUROS for Current Campers.

We are starting on Monday December 5th 2011.

Register by Clicking Here =>

I look forward to seeing you

John Lark

p.s. Don’t delay. This is being offered to my campers and members first and then will be rolled out to a mailing list of 800+. This is a great opportunity to sample (and more) what we have to offer here at Sphere in terms of RESULTS. Imagine the look on your friend’s face as you glide into the room in the little black dress?

Register by Clicking Here =>

We are swimming in a sea of toxicity.

When you truly think about it our skin is an organ. A living, breathing and functioning organ that will absorb what you place into it. Indeed there is a whole line of administering drugs called ‘transdermal’ which literally translates to ‘cross the skin’. It allows for whatever you are taking to be given a free and quicker ride into the blood stream.

Taking this into account we expose ourselves to hundreds, if not thousands of man made chemicals on a daily basis most of the time even before breakfast!

The Endocrine Society recently outlined in its statement Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals that:

The key take-home here is that these chemicals are literally changing the way our hormones function. If you have been following my writings for long you will know that at the crux of health is hormonal health. At the crux of fat loss is hormonal health. At the crux of female and male health is hormonal health.

These substances tip the balance out of our favour leading to a wide range of chronic degenerative diseases.

There are literally thousands of studies now that demonstrate categorically that over exposure to these ‘xenobiotics’, which literally means foreign substances that have origninated outside the body but have an influence within.

It is like a intruder that has tricked its way into your house and is now wreaking havoc.

More specifically xenoestrogens are foreign substances that mimic and negatively influence our natural estrogen tipping the balance out of our favour. The end result? Issues such as reproductive disorders, cancers of the breast and prostate, low sperm counts, feminisation of males, body fat storage around the hips and buttocks in females and chest in males.

This intruder is now messing with particular items in your home rather than just tipping it upside down.

Where can they be found?
Common sources of these substances are

• Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides
• Car Exhausts
• Solvents and Adhesives such as those found in nail polish, paint remover and glues
• Emulsifiers and waxes found in soups and cosmetics
• Dry Cleaning Chemicals
• Nearly all plastics
• Phthlates that add flexibility to synthetic compounds such as rubbery toys and plastic tubes
• Industrial waste such as PCBs and Dioxins
• Heavy metals from Lead, Aluminium and Mercury
• Meat from livestock fed estrogenic drugs
• Waste from Sewarage treatment plants that contain the estrogenic breakdown of things like birth control pills and detergents (Adapted from Lee, J 1996 p.58)

So you see it is pretty hard to avoid. Our environment, our wildlife and us are all seeing the negative consequences of swimming with this.

In relation to your body composition consider what Ori Hofmekler and author of The Anti-Estrogenic Diet Book has to say about this:

“When in excess, estrogen promotes the growth of estrogen sensitive tissues, leading to an increased size of adipose (fat) tissues in the waist, belly and other estrogen sensitive fat tissues: for men, typically in the belly and chest; for women, in the belly, lower buttocks, upper thighs and sometimes in the back of the arms. In some cases, excess estrogen causes feminization of men’s bodies with conditions such as gynecomastia.

Estrogen sensitive fat tissues are also called “stubborn fat” due to their high resistance to fat burning. Generally, not even diet or exercise can help remove this estrogen sensitive tenacious fat. Excess estrogen works in a vicious cyclical manner. Estrogen promotes fat gain, and the enlarged fat tissue produces more estrogen within its cells, which then promotes more fat gain, and so on and so forth. The only solution is to attack the core of the problem, which is excess estrogen.

Excess estrogen can lead into overgrowth of other estrogen sensitive tissues such as the lining of the endometrium (endometriosis), or ovarian fibroids in women, and the enlargement of the prostate gland in men. If untreated, such conditions can lead into cancer” It becomes clearer that the more you focus your efforts on ‘doing more’ or the ‘calorie’ the more futile your efforts will become.
What can we do about it?

There are few action steps which you need to do to. Understand that estrogen has its role in the body and that there are elements in Mother Nature (“the good”) which help us maintain a favourable balance. But there are also elements in nature that are the bad and in some cases just downright ugly. Recognise the bad (see above) and attempt to up your exposure to the good.
The Good
- Up your intake of vegetables at every meal in particular the brassica family (spinach, kale, watercress, broccoli). If you can’t stomach them then toughen up or use a Greens Drink such as PRP’s Goodness Greens which has three of the most potent anti-estrogenic compounds in.
- Remove all paraben and solvent containing skin and washroom products from your bathroom and shoot for natural alternatives. Look for products that are organic and use only natural ingredients
- DO NOT microwave your food or even worse in a plastic container. Not unless you want a nice injection of gender bending chemicals.
- Ditch the Tuna – too much mercury
- Go green in your house – do you really need to keep spraying air freshener another xenoestrogen, all the time?
- Eat Organic Meat and Fish
- Drink Filtered Water
- Find a Deodorant that is Aluminium Free
- Perfumes and the carrier that contains your fragrance is another source of xenoestrogens. Think about where we spray it too. Most of us do so around the throat giving our Thyroid a nice dripping tap of these hormone mixers.
- Do you REALLY NEED to bleach your skin? Use an organic Fake tan product or use a sunbed 2-3 times per week for 3-4 minutes and get the added bonus of a Vitamin D boost. And yes, as studies in Norway have shown they are safe to use if you stick to this length of exposure.
Does this work?
Last time I looked it did! And over the last ten years I have a pretty big sample size! My hormones were optimal and testosterone levels at the higher end. For clients losing body fat off your legs and hips (tape measure) is a key indicator that this is working in the right direction.
More disturbingly though is the fact that this will not bite us know but more for the future generations. Already girls are menstruating 6 years EARLIER than they should be. This is not normal.
Being conscious of your environment is the first big step.

John Lark is owner of Sphere Health and Fitness Centre based in Maynooth Kildare. Check out the Bootcamp in Maynooth
www.yourhealthcamp.com

Do you Struggle in general despite the long nights?

Then this is EXACTLY what you need.

As always we will be the last and only stop you will need on the diet train!

The Inaugural Sphere Transformation Contest.

8 Weeks of accountability, nutritional coaching and training. In fact this is just the tip of it. Starting October 30th 2011 and running for 8 weeks you could stand the chance of winning some pretty awesome prizes.

An of course the chance to be crowned (my 5 year old son will love me for this) ‘Transformer of the Year 2011′

So what do you need to do?

The rules are straight forward enoug.

1. You must be a paid up member of either the health camp and fitness centre or health camp by November 1st and for the duration of the event.

2. You must submit a food diary every Monday to your trainer for inspection. Failure to report in with this diary more than twice in the 8 week period will result in disqualification from the contest.

3. Photos must be submitted presenting a front midrift, side or side shot with 30th October 2011 newspaper as evidence of the date (and don’t worry I will be buying up the papers on the day including the SUnday World as proof!!)

What’s included?

Each participant will receive a nutrition plan and supplement protocol. You will also receive access to the Transformation Webinars that will be held over the course of the 8 weeks to coach you forward in this contest.

How is it judged?

A judging panel which will consist of John, Albert, Eoghan and Tom with the final decision resting with John. Deadline is 19th December 2011.

Prizes…

Prizes include 1st Place 3 Months Focus Membership worth €300, 2nd Place 3 Soft Tissue Treatments worth €180, 3rd Place €100 Gift Voucher.

It is your fault that you dug into a box of biscuits and equally shovelled down 12 pints of beer at the weekend.

Equally so it is your choice that you watch mind-numbing (and at times rather depressing TV) rather than head out for a brisk walk.

Obesity is rife and climbing. Every day millions are lost through absenteeism and sickness in industry through people not looking after their greatest asset – themselves.

I often laugh as one of my clients drives up in the latest offerings from the local sports car dealership, only to grumble at the prospect of having to buy organic meat. This is the same person who raises an eyebrow ‘at the cost of food’ nowadays.

“That’s ok then” as I point to the car.
“Perhaps you can drive that car with you into the grave, then?”

Your body is designed for optimum performance – nothing less. How we have come to be devoid of a clean diet and lack of movement is beyond me. We function at well below par.

Our society is riddled with illness, disease, ailments that take an eternity to shift and metabolic disorders such as high blood pressure and diabetes are all to prevalent.

I have one client who won’t mind me saying this but he is a diabetic, type 2. This means he can manage the potentially fatal relationship between glucose (sugars) and the hormone insulin. I often raised an eyebrow at how he settled his sugar fix with a Mars Bar.

“The nurse told me to take onboard some sugars, if I ever felt like this”

“Maybe some fruit juice may do the job?” I remarked

Needless to say he is now enjoying managing his diabetes with exercise and herbs (alongside the odd dose of insulin managing drugs). But it was hard at the start. Here was a man ingrained in the ‘quick-fix’ mentality avoiding taking all responsibility for his health until it took control of him.

Here was a man resigned to putting his health in someone else’s hands for life. He was unwilling to see the alternatives. He was unwilling to go back to the basics – diet and exercise.

His ‘why’ however was strong enough to elicit a change. Eventually his sugars were getting hard to manage without taking 9 pills a-day. Alongside this the side-effects were shocking to live with. His grandson was born which drove him to ensure that he was round long enough to enjoy bringing him up.

What is your ‘why’?

I often use the example of an ‘Onion’ with my clients. Asking probing questions that you can do yourself is the first step. At all times you must remain honest to yourself.

Why do people primarily go to the gym? Answer – to look good naked. However, if you keep telling yourself that you want to feel good and just want to ‘tone up’ then you are in for a struggle.

I asked an executive the same question. He answered me with the platitudes of “I want to get rid of my belly”, “I want to tighten up”.

“What’s your real reason?” I asked
“What do you mean?” He replied

“Well, what do you mean by ‘getting rid of my belly’ – why is this important to you?”

A moment passed before a startling dose of honesty set in.

“Well I am sick and tired of looking across the table and seeing guys older than me, ten times fitter. It makes me angry. They must think I am weak”

“That’s more like it – hold onto that thought”

Being responsible for your actions means peeling the layers of the onion until you get to your real answer, not some woolly platitude to make life easy.

This is your ‘why’ and something strong enough so that you will be motivated to keep on track whilst others fall away. It will allow you to get out of bed when the wind and rain is pouring. It will allow you to choose a swim over EastEnders. It will allow you to choose nutrient dense foods over packaged rubbish.

John Lark is a personal trainer in maynooth and owner of the Sphere Health and Fitness Centre

Dear Parent,

If you are like me you live for your children. That is them below.

But they also bring with them challenges that you maybe never anticipated. Do you feel frustrated at

- The Lack of Physical Education they are experiencing at schools?

- Through no fault of their own being exposed  to more and more video games that is turning them into something you don’t want?

- Fussing at their dinner plate, pushing and feeling their way round despite all your hard work?

- Not being able to get the ‘healthy eating’ message across despite your very best efforts?

- Being in the receiving end of vicious mood swings which you know now can be attributed to what is going their mouths?

- A lack of facilities for them to play, learn and move – just like you as a child?

- The 1 hour of P.E. a week (if that) that is suppose to keep the youth obesity EPIDEMIC at bay?

- Your child not being picked for sports that further creates disenchantment and a lack of connection with his/her social peers?

These are common complaints I hear from parents like you every day. For over 10 years I have been at the coal face of the fitness industry watching parents struggle and cajole, manipulate and drive their children towards a healthier lifestyle. I have seen parents try their very best to give them ‘the gift’. Some have succeeded. But most have not.

Let’s Not Bury Our Heads in the Sand with this One – Your Child’s Life is at Stake

Here are some interesting facts about the youth obesity crisis that surrounds us today.

Fact Number 1 – Our Kids will Have a Shorter Life Expectancy  Than Us

That’s right – the centre for disease control in 2006 stated that for the first time in history our children will have a shorter life expectancy than us. How tragic is that? And it is not without all the systems being in place for us to succeed and do something about it. We all know how to eat right and live right. Yet we don’t apply it. Why is there such a gap? Our kids don’t make the decisions – we do

Fact Number 2 – If you are Fat You Kids are Likely to Be Fat Too

If you are not making some effort to control the environment that your child is surrounded in, from the meals you provide to the foods you shop for, to the places you eat and the emotional love and care that only you can provide, your child is destined for a struggle. A 2004 study revealed that the number one factor in having an obese child is having obese parents. Think about it – kids don’t make decisions. They don’t shop or cook! We do. If you chow down fish and chips, burgers and processed sugary junk food then don’t expect your child to listen at your ‘eat healthy’ message.

Fact Number 3 – We are on the edge of a Crisis with Youth Obesity

This is a serious issue and not something we can just gloss over. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and one-third of that number is obese. This number is growing! So if you are obese than you can do something about it.

Fact Number 4 – Obese Children have Lower Self-Esteem and Confidence

You can see it in their eyes, posture and the way they carry themselves. Obese children have lower self esteem and confidence at at time in their lives they should be thriving!

It is Time to Get Our Kids Moving and Eating Right

I remember as a child – we were always MOVING! We were lucky to have a field near where we lived. it gave us the chance to play for hours. Coupled with this I had terrific parents who combined this with by taking us everywhere to play sports. At one time I was playing 5 different sports! And loving everyone of them. Why? Because it was fun and enjoyable.

We also had a rule – no TV until we had gone outside and played for 1 hour. Needless to say this stretched into evenings when the light was bright enough! Exercise was dressed up in pure and utter play. We didn’t think about running on treadmills or lifting weights or our waistlines. it was all taken care of in the form of games, climbing, sprinting, jumping and at times wrestling ( I love rugby).

It is how the human organism is designed to move.

There was always a cooked meal ready and waiting for us that had been cooked from scratched.

As I moved into my teenage years I was met with challenges that I think every child is met with today. I was exposed to more money and began to eat like an ‘athlete’ or so I thought and starting consuming sugar at an alarming rate. As a result my body weight crept up and up to the extent that come 13-14 years of age I was the one with a confidence issue. I hated my body at the time. I didn’t feel comfortable AT ALL. As it happens I was playing a lot of rugby and so could use this ‘mass’ to great effect. It was the perfect environment. But this dis not take away the core issue. I can see me in so many young kids today.

As this level of freedom and knowledge about healthy eating declines – what do we do?

A Few Golden Rules for Exercise and Kids

Golden Rule Number 1 – It has to be Fun!

Fun is the number one golden rule and is almost a given. Yet how many of us have a negative experience of physical education?

A study in 2008 looking at children aged between 8 and 12 years of age demonstrated that 6 weeks of resistance training improved feelings of self-perception, self esteem and improved body composition – more lean muscle and less body fat. Another study in Canada looking at children between the ages of 7 and 12 showed that resistance training improved feelings of self-esteem.

At a deeper level this all stems from the environment that fitness is presented in. It should be fun, enjoyable and cultured from an infectious enthusiasm from the instructor. I certainly remember my coaches that installed their passion in me for the game.

Golden Rule Number 2 – Avoid Specialising at an Early Age

Istvan Baly, the world’s most prominent sports scientist on Youth Fitness uses the 5-4-3-2-1 principle in developing youngsters. By the age of 10 most of a child’s motor development has occurred. That’s why the sight of me swinging a Hurley should carry a health warning. Baly recommends children participating in 5 different sports before the age of 10 and slowly reducing this number down to 1 by the age of  18. Technically you are a ‘specialist’ but in the formative years you are exposed to a wide array of sports.

Golden Rule Number 3 – Stick to Primal Movement Patterns of Running, Jumping, Sprinting, Skipping etc

We are designed to move in such a way that encourages natural movement patterns. Not stuck in a machine or a treadmill. In fact the best way for kids to exercise is to simply play! Have you seen the movements invalid in playing? Running, sprinting, jumping, skipping, lunging, squatting. Let’s not make it complicated or stick them on a treadmill!

Golden Rule Number 4 – Match Exercise to the Age-Group

With kids there really is no room for cookie-cutter programs and approaches. I have seen programs, approaches and coaching methods written for young people that are simply microcosms of adult programs! Remember your kids and how they developed? We all develop and learn at different rates and speeds. Our approaches have to be met specifically to the age group we are presented with

Golden Rule Number 5 – Avoid Excessive Pressure on Kids

We have all seen them – pressure coming at kids on all angles to conform, succeed and achieve. Nowadays it is coming at them from all angles. School, family, sport, themselves. You need to take a step back and understand that the more kids specialize at an earlier age the LESS likely they are to keep it up come adulthood. A 2004 study showed that athletes who participated in higher volume and and those who had commenced at an earlier age dropped out earlier than those who didn’t.

Golden Rule Number 6 – Nutrition is All About Clean, Wholesome Food Choices – So Stop Pretending You Don’t Know!

We can use athletic conditioning to teach kids all about eating clean wholesome foods. But as an adult we have to take the lead and stop pretending we don’t know what is good for us and our children. Efery child want to do better and we can subtly use nutrition as a means of encouraging our kids to eat healthy and make choices that will support their playing and training.

Introducing Sphere Kids Camps – Your Solution to Getting Your Kids to Eat Right and Move Right

What’s Included?

4 Week Programme meeting twice a week – Worth 77 Euros!

Twice a week at 4pm for 5-9 and at 4.30pm  for 9-12 year olds we will on a Tuesday and Thursday and 11-11.45 on Saturday we will meet and take them through a curriculum of athletic conditioning. This is cutting edge techniques endorsed by the International Youth Conditioning Association comprising of general primal movement patterns and games. You can expect your child to firmly develop for the long term with movements, games, skills and techniques that are tried and tested, fun and will embed a genuine love of exercise and heathy habits from a young age.

Fun, Enjoyable Coaching in an Environment Designed to Inspire – Priceless

Our coaches all have experience in working with young athletes in one setting or another. Whether it be sport, school or social club. We aim to bring fun and act as a role model to potentiate new life skills into our groups. At typical session will take the role of a specific Total Mobility Warm Up, our T2H Transition 2 Health Drills and then some fun games. At all times the emphasis will be on fun and participation!

Age Group Specific Programmes Delivered at Set Times

The age group split and low numbers will allow us to really hone in on giving the attention and progressive development that our kids deserved.

Nutrition Coaching and Advice Delivered to Parents and Children – Priceless

Every session will be a dressed up lesson for your children in the form of healthy eating. Imagine having a professional teach your children how to eat and live right! No fads, just good habits! All of these are taught in a fun and unrecognizable way to your kids allowing them to get a feel for what are key decisions for their bodies!

A Complimentary Copy of the T2H Nutrition CookBook – Worth 17.99

Our T2H Cookbook will allow you, as parents, to gain over 100 ideas for meals, snacks, desserts smoothies and breakfasts so that you don’t have to do any of the thinking behind it all!

Lifetime Access to the Sphere Membership Site – Worth 147 Euros

This is an incredible and comprehensive source of information that is only open to our members. There videos, photos, articles, tools,  tips trick and other materials all geared towards helping you make informed decisions for you and your family. We have provided a terrific filter to what can be found on the internet and in the media.

Weekly Video Lessons Delivered Online – Worth 47 Euros

Coupled with this continual education is key to the success of making healthy eating a reality. Knowing the why is often the make or break of a new program. To this end you will receive a complimentary pass to a weekly video lesson where we go over the core habits that underpin the T2H Transition to Health System. A great resource for you and your family.

A Pass to our Monthly Nutrition Workshop for Parents – Worth 19.97

Each month you will be given a complimentary pass to one of T2H (Transition 2 Health) workshop where you will leaner the ‘doing’ bit of how to eat healthy for you and your kids. Once a month we meet as a group and hear as experienced nutritionists tell you how other clients and members implement healthy eating in their families.

A Pass to Our Monthly Supermarket Tour – Worth 19.97

Also, each month we hold a grocery tour at our location in Maynooth. This is a great opportunity to cut brought he theory that often leads to confusion and see what should be going in your basket for you and your family. We normally hold these at 6.45am in Tescos Maynooth.

A great chance to see EXACTLY what it takes to lead a healthy lifestyle and how easy it is when you get this vital piece of the jigsaw right.

What does YOUR local Doctor think of this Programme?

Dr. Neville Wilson, MD.,MSc.

All for Less than a cup of coffee a day!

As you can see it all begins to add up when you see who much is included. But that it not what we are about. We want to be part of something larger here as we truly believe we have a system that can help make inroads to the youth obesity and heath crisis that is plaguing our country at the moment.

That is why we want to make this as affordable as possible.

For only 197 77 Euros per month or 2.50 a day (less than a cup of coffee)  or if you wish to commit for  a full curriculum of 6 months (payable by monthly direct debit or credit card) we can ensure that you are in this for long haul. As a result changes will be permanent and long lasting.

How many fad diets or approaches have you tried yourself in the past? Let me give you a secret! Fads don’t work. Let us help you turn this into the best investment you have made towards your kids health.

A 6 month commitment will save you 30 euros per month. All for only 197 47 euros per month.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee

All we ask you to do is to give it the full 30 days to try us out. I you feel we haven’t met your expectations then we will gladly refund your money – every last cent of it. No questions asked. is that fair enough?

6 Month Agreement and Save 180 Euros

No Thanks…I will stick to the 30 Days but pay more

Yours in health

John Lark
Owner and Founder, Sphere Fitness

p.s. 47 Euros per month will get you an unparalleled experience and lessons in nutrition and exercise – or your money back.

The name for a starters! We have renamed the studio the Sphere Health and Fitness Centre to reflect the up-scaling of size and service offering.

What facilities do you have?

The training centre covers around 2500 sq ft of space, a treatment room, office space, UVB Sun Bed and FIR Sauna, changing rooms (male and female) with a shower. In addition to our current equipment, new facilities include

-       Designated Warm Up and Mobility Area with Foam Rollers and Swiss Balls – Table Tennis Table and Basketball Hoops

-       Open Conditioning Area to perform your  favourite Uberfit Finishers!

-       Indoor 25m Running Track (just like the one off a running track)

-       TRX Suspension Trainers

-       Olympic Standard Training Equipment with Dumbbells up to 50kg

-       Lifting Platforms and Two New Squat Racks with Olympic Weights

-       New Prowler and Sleds

-       Additional Kettlebells

What are the different types of classes you have?

Click on the Image to View in Full Size

There are several types of classes – we like to think of them more as supervised coaching .Our timetable is divided up as follows

Free Time – The gym is open and operational.  Staff will be on hand the majority of the time to keep an eye over you. However, they may also be away tending to assessments or other tasks.  All members will have their own programme to work their way through.

Focus Sessions – these start at set times and are directly supervised. Once sessions are in progress you cannot join in and pre-booking is essential. Group ratio is 1:8-10. You will have your own programme to work through. A coach is there 100% of the time.

Gold Sessions (by appointment)- these start at set times and are directly supervised. Once sessions are in progress you can-not join in and pre-booking is essential. Group ratio is 1:3 and allows for more direct supervision. Ideal for beginners and you will have a set number of these to redeem pending in the level of your membership. A coach is on-hand 100% of the time.

Max Metabolic – these start at set times and are an advanced conditioning class geared to burning a ridiculous level of fat in a short space of time. Advanced level.

Camp Sessions – these are at set times each week normally in the am and pm. These are part of a 4/5 week programme.

How can I contact you?

By phone 01-5052131 or by email info@spherefitness.ie. There will be someone there to take your call between 9 and 5pm with an answer phone to leave messages.

Are there any changes to the schedule and timetable?

Yes – you can see the schedule online at http://www.spherefitnessstudio.com under ‘Online Booking’.

What is the 30 Day Trial?

The 30 day trial consists of a 1-1 BodyCheck where we look at your health and fitness levels and make our professional recommendations followed by 2 Gold semi-private personal training sessions and 12 Focus group training sessions

Where are you?

We are based at Unit G10 Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth, Co.Kildare just off the N4.

Is there parking?

Yes there is parking – please park in the designated parking spaces when you come. There are two spaces outside the front and unlimited spaces in the reserve car park which is to your immediate right as you turn into row G. During office hours (9-5pm) please park in spaces marked G10.

When are you open?

We are open from 7am to 10.30am and 4pm until 8 pm Monday to Friday with Saturday opening hours from 8-12 noon. If you wish to train outside these hours your best option is to call us and I am sure we will be able to accommodate you.

How do I book in?

Once you have signed up you can book in for sessions, appointments and classes by visiting our online booking system over at http://www.spherefitnessstudio.com

How do I book a BodyCheck Assessment?

You can book an assessment by heading over to our online booking system or by contacting us directly at 01-5052131 or info@spherefitness.ie

How often can I come?

You can come as often as your programme level dictates. We would recommend 3 times per week. If you wish to train more often (4-5 times per week) then we wont charge  you more.

Do you have a shower and changing facility?

Yes we do. It is a shared shower cubicle.  Please bring your own bath towel.

Where can I find your training schedule?

You can find our training schedule here at http://www.spherefitnessstudio.com

Will you have any challenges or events?

We will. They are simply a great way of maintaining enthusiasm and motivation for a healthy lifestyle and your training. Up and coming will include

-       Sphere 12 Week Transformation Contest

-       Sphere Powerlifting Open

-       Sphere Fit Challenge Open

I opened the paper there the other day to see Gwyneth Paltrow sprawling over the paper saying that organic foods should be available for everyone because they are tasty and good for you.

It was great to see. For years the organic food movement has coughed and spluttered its way into our supermarkets. I am pleased to say that it is growing and growing to the extent that it now covers 1% of the aisles of the your local supermarket, up 1% from 5 years ago.

If there is one habit you can get into it is ensuring that 90% of your food is fresh, seasonal, organic and whole (meaning that it is from its source and not 5 stages of processing later). It is probably the easiest habit to get to grips with in the quest for a leaner, healthier and overall Ferrari-like you.

The benefits are subtle yet enormous. It is enjoyable too. Simply cleaning up your diet by focusing the quality of your food will make huge inroads into your goals. It will remove the toxic load on your body. Organic produce for example has a remarkable difference in the number of herbicides and pesticides that it is exposed to. And, according to several studies, are making you fat.

After all, where do these toxins go in the body considering that the majority of them are FAT soluble.

That’s right your fat is actually doing you a favor by parking all that rubbish you put in your mouth on your hips and love handles rather than let them wreak havoc around your organs and in your blood stream.

When you switch to predominantly cleaner diet then you are literally cleaning out your stores.

Genetically modified foods are also creeping into our food chains. We are simply not designed to handle these foods. How does our body respond? With subtle alterations in our body chemistry – normally in a negative way. So instead of thriving and flourishing as we used to we are riddled with nasty ‘bite you on the backside’ type diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

It is not soemthing you are likely to feel overnight (like being bitten by a bug containing malaria for example – you will feel pretty stink very quickly if that happens). No, these creep up on you. Overtime you feel progressively worse.

Your mood begins to deteriorate, suddenly life is sooooooo tough, you eat more of the stuff that has directed you down this dark road and all of a sudden you are sitting across from your Doctor who is equally scratching his head with the 4th pill he has prescribed because the other 3 have give you headaches, tummy complaints and sore joints.

Take a step back from this scenario. Think – where did it all begin? You will see very clearly that it is equally easy to fix. Clean up your diet and stop treating your body like a dustbin.

Eating clean is actually easy. Source your local farmers markets and get in the habit of visiting them. You will come away with a smile. Why? Because it is cheaper for a start. The colours, textures and connection with the foods for another. Suddenly a tomato begins to taste like one. An orange is bursting with all its natural sugars. Fruits in season actually give you a ‘kick’.

Moreover, Where else can you pick up homemade organic treats conjured up by someone who has an equal passion and zest for life injected into their foods?

What about meats, fish and poultry? Your local butcher is a godsend. I always recommend organic chickens though due to the high levels of estrogen hormones found in them. We don’t want our fellas wearing bras or enjoying re-runs of Dallas do we?

All organic or grass fed meat is higher in natural fats that give our hormones timely injection of naturally produced testosterone. Testosterone is not only a ‘drive’ like hormone it is also fundamental to the functioning of the heart leaving you susceptible to heart attacks if your testosterone levels are in the gutter. Male AND females take note.

What good old Gwyneth is also missing though is the bigger picture as no doubt her personal shopper and chef remove the connection with the actual local suppliers.

With organic foods and famers markets, butchers you are doing your bit to sustain local communal produce. Where would you like your food from? Brazil or Ireland? Which do you think will have better consequences when it reaches your plate.

Staying close to home may a secret tool in your tool box.
John Lark is a personal trainer in maynooth and owner of the Sphere Health and Fitness Centre

“Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never.” – Winston Churchill

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson

These quotes all say the same thing. No matter how many obstacles you run into, what matters is that you’re able to overcome each of them, one at a time.

“Two steps forward, one step back” is usually a negative term to describe someone who is having trouble making progress. But switched around, “1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward” means that instead of feeling guilty about a misstep, you can still come out ahead if you put your head down and push forward.

Steps back can take many forms: a family vacation, breaks in your routine, personal tragedies, injuries, or that lost weekend in front of the tube.

A big mistake people make when trying to get healthier is that when they fall off a bit or something happens, they think they “have to start over”.

Wrong! When missteps do happen, a better strategy is to simply take two steps forward. You’re still ahead of where you were before, far beyond the starting line.

In tennis, losing one point isn’t the end of the world. It happens to the best of them. In fact, if you can consistently win a few more points that you lose, you may end up in the hall of fame.

With healthy eating and exercising, as long as you’re consistently out-stepping your steps back, you’re ahead of the game. If you expect perfection (and many of us do), you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and guilt.

That is why trying to chase 100 per cent compliance is futile. We have found that 90 per cent is enough. Is that taking a step backwards? No. It is setting yourself up to take a step back allowing you to recharge your batteries and go at the diet train again the following week.

Guilt can be debilitating to your healthy habits. When you mess up (or even when things are messed up for you), it’s natural to feel guilty. At that point, you have a choice: to let that guilt plummet you into a cycle that could spit you out worse off than before, or to accept the step back and say “where do I go from here?”

Of course, consistent success is still something to strive for. You don’t want to roller-coaster up and down. That’s an “old” habit, remember? And the 1Step/2Step strategy doesn’t lessen the need to do your best. You should still work hard to keep those steps back from happening. But it helps to be prepared with a plan and a positive attitude for when they do happen.

Many times, this means a rededication, a refocusing, and a recommitment. You might want to look at your program and see why it’s allowing those landmines to stick around. Use it as a learning process. Ask how you can keep that misstep from happening again.

* Take a walk in the woods to clear your head and regroup.

* Have a personal “bounce back” motto that will re-energize you. Put it everywhere.

* Take a break if you think you’re trying too hard.

* Return to the basics. Are you making it too complicated and tough on yourself?

* Plan ahead for irregularities in your schedule, call ahead to healthy restaurants, pack healthy snacks.

* Stay aware of what you’re doing. One meal mess up can turn into a one day mess up, a one week mess up if you’re not careful.

* Remind yourself of your success so far when you need a boost.

Unlike people who run 10 miles today because they should have run two yesterday, “2 Steps Forward” doesn’t necessarily mean doing a lot more to make up for a blunder. Just make a commitment to do things as right as possible as much as you can.

Flip it – out of everything there is a positive. Like anything though just takes a bit of effort to see it.

John Lark is a personal trainer in maynooth and owner of the Sphere Health and Fitness Centre

Stress in itself is good and bad in the right amounts. Too much physical stress from sunlight will get burn you. However, just enough and your mood and Vitamin D production will be lifted. It is the same with exercise. Get enough and get fitter and stronger. Too much, however, and you will be full of nagging ailments and illness.
Stress in itself is hard enough to quantify. How can we measure it? How do we know that we are under a lot of stress and ready to break? They are tough and individual questions.
This is easier said than done. Like any plan the desire to reduce your stress, get fit and lose weight comes from a burning desire to change what you consider to be your norm. Your goals must be then coupled with suitable behaviours.
An example of this would be someone who wanted to reduce stress in their lives and be confrontational with their kids. However, their behaviours work against this. They are out late, do not get much sleep, eat poor foods and never exercise.

A better example would be to identify 5 behaviours that will reduce stress. Outlined below are 5 behaviours that if you attempted to focus on one a week over the course of 5 weeks you will have become more organised, be able to prioritise effectively, know how to relax, exercise regularly and be able to zip through your to-do lists.
What a result!
Here are 5 stress busting tips to help you cope and relieve stressful situations.
1. GET ORGANISED
You got up late and now have five minutes to leave the house. Being organised will cut morning stress in half. Get into the habit of preparing for the morning the night before. Whilst you are cooking your meal at night, put on extra meat and or prepare a large salad to take to work with you. Even better would be to pre-chop your veggies on a Sunday. Spend 15 minutes chopping your veggies and putting them in zip-lock bags. A small effort for a really effective time-saver.

2. BE REALISTIC
Much of stress is self-induced from setting ridiculously tight deadlines or by procrastinating. Take one thing at a time. Learn to prioritise urgent tasks and allow yourself enough time to complete.

3. LEARN HOW TO RELAX
Practise deep- breathing techniques such as slowly inhaling while counting to five; Stretch the muscles of your neck and shoulders by keeping your shoulders level and trying to touch each shoulder with your ear. Look right up at the ceiling, down at the floor and then rotate each shoulder in a wide circle. In addition, take time out. For five minutes every hour, try to ‘shut down’ and think of nothing but your perfect situation. You will be surprised at how effectively this can lower stress levels.

4. EXERCISE REGULARLY
You do not have to be a gym freak to get the stress- beating benefits of exercise. Even 20 minutes of brisk walking, swimming or cycling in the open air three times a week will help to reduce stress as well as promoting restful sleep.
It is amazing what a lift this can bring you with small chunks of exercise scattered through the day.

5. BREAK IT DOWN
When faced with mammoth tasks, avoid stress by breaking them down into smaller chunks. Make ‘To Do’ lists and tick off your accomplishments. Making a list the night before allows our subconscious to go about attempting to solve these tasks whilst you sleep!
Much of the stress in our lives can be controlled, changed and eliminated. With proper planning, support and coping mechanisms we can create a relatively stress free environment for ourselves.
It is essential that in addressing the new you that fitness and health are in close relationship. Getting fit without addressing your health and stress levels will gear you to failure.
By combining the two and making a conscious effort to match your behaviours with your goals and you will be the individual who is rewarded with the results.
Download Your Free Fat Loss Report at www.spherefitnessstudio.com (exercise and nutrition plan included)

John Lark is a personal trainer in maynooth

Fat loss is no different. The task is not impossible. It just requires all out war. It requires 100% effort, focus, determination and clear road map. Particularly if you want to get lean quickly. Not 80%, not being flaky at the drop of a hat.

You are either in or out.

What about this? What about if I were to tell you that to win a million euros you would have to strip naked and walk up your town high street.

I am sure that would drive you to become body conscious, enough to actually take it seriously.

So if fat loss is your goal and ‘getting in shape’ or ‘toning flabby bits’ is what you are after you had better be prepared for the fight.

Cover models, celebs have it easy. The sheer burden of having to look good in the public eye seemingly drives them work their back-sides off to stay in shape.

So where does it all begin?

First step – ditch the excuses. I couldn’t care less how many kids you have, what hours you work or how much stress you are under at work. I really couldn’t.

Some of the above is not your fault. Some of it is. But you have to take responsibility for your own actions. You didn’t slip into that biscuit tin and accidentally fall in that bowl of ice-cream.

If you want it enough you will move heaven and earth to  do it. One of my clients sets their alarm to get up before the children to cook and prepare meals for the day. That is why she is very lean. Others just do it.

So what do you need to do to get lean in say 4 weeks? This would equate to dropping a serious amount of body fat.

Notice a say body fat, not weight. You see the crucial difference here is we are looking to preserve what muscle we have. Muscle is crucial to our metabolism, tone, health and well-being. Starving yourself will lead to a loss of muscle.

It really takes a three-pronged approach focusing on training, nutrition and supplementation.

Training requires hard word. Plain and simple. Ideally, training twice a day with two days on, one day off with weight training and sprint intervals is key. Performing an exercise for the upper body and pairing this with an exercise for the lower body works best. As does High Intensity Intervals with bouts of hard work (sprints, jogs, runs – whatever you deem high intensity) followed by easy period of recovery. This is repeated for 20 minutes.

Note I say ideal. You have to build up to this. Even getting some exercise in is enough.

Your nutrition will lean towards taking in vegetables,  organics meats and fish and Omega 3 Fats in the form of Fish Oil, Nuts, Seeds and healthy oils.

Before you say, ‘Where are the breads, pastas, rice or spuds’ or ‘this isn’t balanced’ then please this isn’t for you.

I liken wheat and other refined cereals to sugar. “Wheat influences blood sugar levels the same way as plain table sugar”.

Results come fast as result if coupled with a good training programme and sound nutrition as a tailored supplement programme can be modulated depending on your own body fat distribution.

For example carrying fat around your mid-rift – the dreaded love handles – would signify a low tolerance to sugars and poor insulin management. Fish Oil, Magnesium, Greens Powders and a special blend of Fenugreek and other herbs would work wonders here.

Does this require hard-work? Yes. But it also requires a road-map tailored to your needs, a sound understanding of your physiology and hormonal activity all topped off with the grit between your teeth.

John Lark is a Fat Loss Specialist providing tools to help you get healthier and leaner – faster. He can be contacted at 01-505213. Download your free fat loss report at www.spherefitnessstudio.com