Mr Motivator and Denise Van Outen
Mr Motivator has been encouraging us to get fit for years and now he only wants two mintues of our time everyday to get us to move more and increase our fitness levels.
He tells us about his new videos:
Two minutes of exercise can really benefit you. Traditionally, people do exercise, they do an hour, but there are millions of people out there who can just not found the hour, or don't want to do an hours’ worth of exercise. The whole idea of doing two minutes, with a good brand like Quaker Oats, seemed to make sense. I put down the two minutes routines, got Denise Van Outen involved, and we put together these hip routines of high intensity training.
What up they are, if you're short on time, you want to kick start your day, then let me give you a taster into what exercise can really be like. After all, it's only two minutes of your time. If you've used the excuse all your life that you don't have the time, well that's one excuse that you can throw out of the window right now because everyone can find two minutes.
It actually works; I’ve always done that kind of training. Circuit training is on the same kind of principle; it’s just that most people circuit train for an hour, this is all condensed down into two minutes, nothing complicated, good music, a lot of fun, makes you laugh, and our hope is that if we can get you tasting the idea of exercise is that you will start making it a way of life.
Like you said you’ve created these two minute videos, how effective can they be?
Just getting people started is the main thing, two minutes translates into four minutes before you know it, and then you’ll want to do 8 minutes and so it goes on. All too often people ask if they’re going to see some results. One of the main results you feel after you’ve done exercise is warmth; your shower feels different, you start telling people about it – these are positive things. In terms of immediate physical benefits, these come with time, that is something I can’t assess and it won’t happen overnight. But I’m convinced that if I can get you hooked into doing two minutes, I can convert you into doing more regular exercise and that has to be the positive message that we push.
The messages that we’re sending out of doing 30 minutes of exercise each day or that you must go to the gym are not working; otherwise we wouldn’t have the obesity issues that we have. Let’s take a good product and a good idea and let’s kick-start your mornings.
This morning at 6.30am I was doing my hip exercises, before I had my shower and my porridge.
Do you think exercising in the morning is more beneficial to people?
The world is made up of lots of different people, lots of different shapes and sizes. The morning suits me, I find that I have every excuse for not exercising, and there a lot of people who do the same; whereas if you do it in the morning you don’t have any excuses really, come on it’s only two minutes. But there’s nothing really to stop you in the evenings either, it’s only two minutes. But, I just think that exercising in the mornings are a great way to start your day.
There’s plenty of research that indicates people have given up already on their healthy eating and fitness resolutions. What motivation tips do you have to help spur them on?
Often people set their sights too high, you need to start with little steps. Let’s just say it’s my goal to run a marathon, we both know that’s not going to happen today, but the journey starts with that one small step. If you have started on a new fitness regime, and it’s your mind that wants to do it, then we have the following tips.
If you’ve been doing it on your own, find a partner or a buddy who has the same kind of aspirations. Get anyone involved. Any time you feel low, they will help lift you and keep you going.
Start your goal at a small level and move it up each week. Week one, start gently and each week after make it a little bit tougher for yourself.
Don’t create expectations of yourself, there are going to be days when you feel low and horrible. Be prepared to take days off, there’s nothing wrong with that.
The whole intention is to give yourself something that’s manageable and you can fit into your lifestyle.
I think that people will be starting to give up right about now, so get yourself to the youtube.com/QuakerOatsUK and I’ll be there with the routines to help you through and keep you going. If I can just convince one person to exercise, they will tell 10 people they know about their exercise and we need to do something about it because obesity levels out there are horrendous.
What other fitness tips do you have for people who say they are limited on time?
If people are having trouble with time, then a key thing is goal setting; it has to be realistic.
People need to start feeling guilt about not exercising. They say it takes doing something 21 times to make it a habit, so just give yourself 21 times of two minutes of exercise every day and then after that you’ll want to do more.
If you’ve given up on exercise get back into it now, it’s never too late. It’s the best insurance policy you can take out, because if you do it, it’s going to pay out the rest of your life.
You’ve done this for years, what other quick fitness tips do you have to share with people?
Let’s not talk about things that are unrealistic, like park away from the entrance to the shops, park as close as you can because that’s what we all do. That message has been said for years and it hasn’t worked.
We tell people to exercise for 30 minutes with their heart in a training zone, forget it, that hasn’t worked.
We tell people to go to the gym, forget it, it hasn’t worked.
So, the fitness tips for people are this:
Get your goal. Find yourself a buddy. Don’t worry about the off days, we all have them.
The more variety you put into your exercise, the better. The more things you choose to do, the better it is. For example, don’t just stick to doing aerobics, go for a swim, go for a walk, play football, get the kids out in the garden for a run-around, go on a treasure hunt. Find things that are active, but not perceived as being exercise in themselves.
When you go for a walk, don’t walk in a circle around the block. Every time you walk past your home you’ll want to go in for a cup of tea. Walk away from your home for 15 minutes and guess what, you’re going to have to walk 15 minutes to get back.
If you want to take up running, run between two lampposts and then walk between four. Pace yourself and be gentle.
Be prepared for the days were your muscles will ache so much, but get up and do it anyway. Just do some light stretches, walk up and down the staircase a few times, pick up a couple of bottles of water and push them above your head. If you want advice on the techniques you can find them on the videos we have created.
There are so many things that you can do, when you’re sat down watching television do some stretches, stand up and sit down.
Whilst you’re waiting for the kettle to boil do some work against the worktop, bring your knees up, reach up, kick your legs. There are so many things that we do every day that we can convert into an exercise. Contract your stomach muscles whilst your walking or doing the cleaning.
What other tips do you have for losing weight?
If you really want to lose weight, it’s not just exercise, it’s a lifestyle change. Have healthy snacks available to you. Research shows that when you’re hungry you reach for the sweet things, so that’s why you need some healthy snacks around. Get a plastic container, but in some nuts, raisins, things that are healthy and you can snack on.
Drink lots of water. If you are going to go for juice, make sure that it’s lots of natural juice.
Mr Motivator & Denise are supporting Quaker’s 2 Minute Mover campaign to super start your morning in the time it takes to cook your porridge. To see their fun, 2 minute HIT routines which you can try at home, go to http://www.youtube.com/QuakerOatsUK
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