Thursday, December 27, 2012

#Baldyschallenge 2013

#baldyschallenge 2012 was just a bit of fun. I challenged people to do 1 press up on New Year's Day and add one on each day and see how far they could get.

There were quite a few joining in and sharing their progress through Twitter and Facebook. I think only two or three people made it into February though!

I've been asked to do one again this New Year but I've decided to make it more useful and helpful this time, doing more of a home workout program for people to join in and start feeling the benefits from.

It'll be 5 days a week, and starting off with 14 minute workouts that include a 5 minute rest break. It's mainly for beginners and works all areas of the body and will help people to tone up, lose weight and start feeling confident again.

Each week we'll be stepping it up a bit but it still allows for you to do it at your own pace and against your own targets.

On rest days, I'll post lifestyle and nutrition tips to help you make small, positive changes to your life as you go. I'm looking forward to hearing about the results and what it's helped people to achieve.

If you are competitive, you can always post your scores and compare with others doing #baldyschallenge and if you are experienced or elite level, it's a fun bolt-on to what you are already doing! (I'll be weight training, as well as doing the home workouts).

Please let me know if you want to join in by tweeting me at @graham_lay and share with your friends who want to make a start on getting fit, losing weight and toning up!

Here's an example of one of the workouts:

Day 1 - thighs and bum

Today's workout is a bodyweight squat interval session, lasting 14 minutes.

From a standing position, feet about shoulder width apart and feet pointing slightly outwards, bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor and extend your arms straight out in from of you. Then extend back up to the standing position. Focus on pushing your bum out and backwards as you go down and keep your back straight. This is 1 squat. You will be recording the total number of squats so have a pen/pad or smartphone handy.

Set a timer to 14 minutes and do:

30 seconds of squats, 30 seconds rest.
Repeat this for 5 sets, until timer says 9:30 to go.

5 minute break - use the time to walk around, stretch, write your scores down, get your breath back and prepare for the second set!

When timer says 4:30 to go, do your second set of 5 x 30 seconds on/off.

Score = total number of squats done in the work time.

As a guide, I did 160 today (16 per 30s rep). I expect scores to range from about 50 (total beginners) to 300 (elite athletes).

My legs felt pumped and I was sweating a bit plus out of breath in the second half of each set. The idea here is not to kill yourself in week one, just go at a pace that you feel is fairly testing but not pushing yourself to the limit just yet!

You can start upping the ante when you learn more about your fitness level and are feeling more energetic and confident.

You should recover within a few minutes but still feel it in your legs for a while after. Your body's metabolism rate is raised by this type of workout, so you will continue to burn calories for some time after you've finished!

Here's a link for a video intro to the challenge, please share with friends/family/colleagues so they can decide if they want to join in too!

http://youtu.be/3X7Ljmyrq_c?a

Thanks for reading, looking forward to doing this with you all!

@Graham_Lay #baldyschallenge

Http://baldyschallenge.webs.com

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Range Rover Vogue For Sale. 4.6L V8 Petrol

I've decided to change my car for a newer model. It's with some reluctance that I'm selling it as it's been by far the best car I've owned - luxurious, spacious, comfortable and reliable. 


2002 Range Rover Vogue (P38 model)
4.6 litre V8 Petrol Engine - 83077 miles
Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7TX
£5,745


(MORE PHOTOS TO FOLLOW!)
  • 4WD, Automatic Gearbox
  • Green Exterior, Full Cream Leather Interior
  • Power Steering, Traction Control, ABS
  • Coil Spring Suspension Conversion
  • Electric Mirrors, Windows, Sunroof, Seats
  • Air Conditioning, Satellite Navigation
  • Radio / CD with multi-changer box, upgraded Kardon Speakers
  • Full Service History, 83077 genuine miles.
  • 12 months MOT and TAX included
  • 218 BHP, 0-62 mp/h 9.6s, mpg 17.9 - 22.9
The boot is huge and the rear seats can fold down if required. The condition is excellent throughout, very little wear and tear. The Range Rover is also the perfect winter car with immense grip, 4WD, traction control and ABS making for a safe and confident drive in snow/ice conditions.

£5,745 - the first to view will buy at this price. Same year models are selling for £6,750 - £7,000 in Autotrader. There's nothing wrong with the car, it's just that I bought it at a good price so I can justify letting it go at this price.

Tweet me on @Graham_Lay or E-Mail me on grahamlay@hotmail.co.uk in the first instance with any questions you have and leave me your number and a convenient time for me to call you back. No time-wasters, canvassers or stalkers please!

If it isn't quite what you are looking for, or it's too far away for you to consider, please share the link for this page for others. 

Thank you!







Saturday, June 16, 2012

BMAF Pentathlon Preview

Tomorrow I've got a competition - the British Masters Pentathlon Championships at Horspath Stadium just outside Oxford.

There are 6 entrants in my category (35-39 yr olds). On paper, I am ranked 6th. I haven't trained much recently so can't expect too much of a performance, but I still have some targets I want to beat:

Long Jump - 5.00m - (PB is 5.95 in 1994, but last year 4.93m)
Javelin - 50m  - (PB is 63.14m from 1994 but in recent years have thrown 51-54m)
200m - 27.5s -  (100m PB is 13.01s last year - no idea how it should equate)
Discus - 35m  - (PB is 32.23m set in Decathlon last year, from standing)
1500m - Under 7 mins!  - (last year I did it in 7:05, hobbling to the line nursing injuries)

If I can match those targets, that will earn me a total of 2020 points. Anything less than 2000 will be a disappointment, but anything over will be a pleasant surprise. If I can try and catch 5th or 4th place, that would be awesome!!

Setting off before 9am and competing in the afternoon, will try to Tweet progress and get some video footage for the comedy value!

My match write up may be Monday if I'm home too late tomorrow,

Thanks for reading!

p.s. - Here's my write up of last year's decathlon for charity: http://grahamlay.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/decathlon-2011-uk-masters-for-rays-of.html

Saturday, June 9, 2012

100m statistics

Usain Bolt is widely regarded as being the fastest man who ever lived, and to some, unbeatable.

His 9.58 seconds World Record is 0.11 seconds faster than anyone else has ever run.

In the build up to the London 2012 Olympics, I thought I'd have a look at where the contenders stand in terms of track record and see just how far ahead he is of the rest of the field.

There are 3 athletes contending who stand out from the rest in terms of their PBs:

9.58 Usain Bolt
9.69 Tyson Gay
9.72 Asafa Powell

Number of races under 9.80:

Usain Bolt - 9 times
Asafa Powell - 8 times
Tyson Gay - 7 times

Usain's 9.58 is the only one time anyone has ever run faster than Tyson Gay's PB, including Usain Bolt.

Asafa Powell is the sprinter who has clocked the most sub 10.00 races ever (over 80 times!)

The current rankings for this year:

9.76 - Usain Bolt
9.85 - Asafa Powell
10.00 - Tyson Gay (first race back since injury, into a 1.5m/s headwind)

In the latest Powell v Bolt race, Powell had the better start and led up to the half way mark before Bolt came through with a strong last 30m - a sign that he isn't as far ahead as many believe.

Usain and Asafa have both run sub-10 3 times so far this year. So has Justin Gatlin who recently prompted controversy by hinting that he could be the man to beat Bolt. Yohan Blake is another contender with a 9.84 clocking this year.

Providing Bolt, Powell and Gay make it through to the final, injury free (we all hope), it could just be the most amazing race we've ever seen, and perhaps not the runaway victory for Bolt that many people expect....

Here's the second fastest run of all time - Tyson Gay after a terrible start. What could he run if he nails his start?














Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Six Day Diet App

When I lost 14.5lbs in 6 days I was totally surprised. That was in 2009 when my personal trainer devised a diet with me to give me a kickstart. I ended up losing 3 stone in 3 months using the principles from the diet and it transformed my life.That's no flowery marketing gumph, it's a real story and one that has prompted hundreds of people to ask me to share the diet with them. 

Recently, I decided I'd have a go at making an Android App to share the diet on the open market. It cost me £16 to register as a Google Developer, the Buzztouch website was FREE and helped me to learn how to go about it and download all the necessary bits n bobs. It took a couple of weeks to learn, develop and then publish the app - not too bad, only a few frustrations along the way!

Anyway, here it is: Six Day Diet App

I've charged 75p for it to help cover the cost and time involved, and hope to raise enough to invest in a Mac so I can then go on to develop Apple Apps in the future. Please share the link as i'd like to help others lose weight and change their lives and also raise enough pocket money to take the next step in my hobby of app development! :-D Thanks


Thursday, May 31, 2012

6 Day Diet App - Testers Required!

Some of you will remember the 6 day diet I did in 2009 where I lost 14.5lbs in 6 days.

I've just done it again and lost 10lbs, and dozens of others have tried it with success ranging from 5lbs to 15lbs. I keep getting asked - "Have you got that diet handy G?" so I thought I'd have a bash at creating an app that provides details of the diet and some tips.

It's a basic android app, and I need some people to test it to make sure it works (you can try the diet too if you want). Here's a link to the app in its FREE testing phase. Once it's ready for publishing I'll make a small charge to the general public to cover the cost of making it and hosting it.

PLEASE have a go and let me know if it works (ANDROID only at this stage).




(hosted for free at insomnia-lounge.webs.com)




THANK YOU FOR HELPING! Let me know how it goes, any problems, etc

@Graham_Lay

Monday, April 23, 2012

How Do I Downgrade my LinkedIn Account from Premium to Free?

I upgraded my LinkedIn Account to Premium a few months ago whilst I was job hunting and forgot about it until my wife reminded me that it was costing £20 per month or thereabouts.

It took me about 30 minutes to work out how to downgrade from Premium to Free and I noticed that there were hundreds of people who had posted questions and problems with how to do this.

Here's what I discovered, and how to do it quickly and easily:

Log into your LinkedIn Account.

Go to the top right of the screen where your name is and choose the drop down item "Settings"



In the box below your picture, there are options regarding your Account.

Choose "Cancel or Downgrade" and it will take you to a 3 step process for cancelling. Each step you will be reminded of the services and asked if you are sure. It was easy to do and it told me I had cancelled, effective of the last day of my current month's subscription.

Hopefully, that is that and you will have managed to cancel as quickly as me.

Let me know if you have any issues or comments below?

@Graham_Lay
(free Twitter account)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Anti-Fail - A Route For Success!

Here's a simple yet effective method of brainstorming new ideas for business projects, personal development, organising great parties - whatever you want to achieve in fact!

Think of as many ways to make the business fail and write them down. Encourage your group to keep firing ideas, no matter how silly they may sound.

E.g.

"Don't make calls to our customers so they have no idea about the sale this weekend"

"Make sure the posters are wrinkled and faded, or missing!"

"Sound bored or dismissive about the party night to discourage as many people from coming as possible"

"Do nothing"

"Make change for the sake of it"

When you have exhausted your team with a long list, have a break so they can have their giggles and when they return, go through each item and think of the opposite! Work out what's possible/practical and then shortlisted your ideas for success.

You'll be surprised at how many great ideas are spawned, and best of all, from your own team members. This way, there will be a much higher buy-in rate and more success to follow.

Have fun, enjoy trying it out!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Twitter VIPS and #baldyschallenge Day 44

Have you made my Twitter VIP list?

I've been using Twitter on and off for nearly 3 years now. I've enjoyed some great conversations and made some very interesting friends through it. It's also been funny, useful and interesting.

Here are  just a handful of my favourite Tweeters, with a brief reason why. Please don't be annoyed if you are not listed - let me know if I missed you and why you should be on the list! ;-)

@dougielawson - Dougie - first person who tweeted me, indoor rowing pal, top geek!
@ravards - Ruby - Bonkers, funny, witty, celeb stalker extraordinaire!
@gregjrutherford - Greg - Olympic Athlete, Ginger, Pie Eater, Challenged me to decathlon last year!
@katharinemerry - Katharine - TV presenter, ex Olympian, friendly, funny, genuine top lady!
@domsdads - Robert - Chef, Twitter Pal, positive, friendly, rubbish at Words with Friends!
@iwanrunner - TV presenter, ex Olympian, overlord of #rubbishjokes, looks like Riddian, top bloke!
@deanmacey - ex Olympian, TV, decathlete, angler, looks like me but not as handsome!
@kevp - Kev - indoor rowing pal, puke-inducing training partner, Sir, wears lycra onesies!
@thunderthumbs @jowivipe @juicyjulesrocks - original twitter gang members!
@welshrower - Niall - indoor rower, shares all the interesting stuff, genuine guy, #baldyschallenger!
@thelawns - Richard - King of Twitter
@kellysotherton @louisehazel @j_ennis - Babes with 7 times the power!
@winceywillis - Queen of Twitter, ex weathergirl
@trude103 - Princess of Twitter
@lolasnu @vixter1982 @witterbird84 @27sarahjane @gothiechick @christineleith @jayneyrus - Top Birds!!
@yorkie2906 - Stu - incredible life changing loser of weight! friend met from indoor rowing

If you are following any of them - let them know they are listed here? The ones you are not currently following, perhaps follow them and tell them where you found out about them?

VIP A LIST ENTRIES

#Baldyschallenge - Day 44

On new year's day I suggested that we do 1 press up and 1 sit up and then add one rep each day. We added squats recently and are now on 44 press ups, 44 sit ups and 44 squats. Once you've done them, Tweet it using the #baldyschallenge tag and FB status update it (even though your FB mates won't know what you're on about!).

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

#BaldysChallenge - Day 24 and a NEW exercise

For those who don't know what #baldyschallenge is, here's a quick explanation:

On New Year's Day, whilst most of the world was in bed sleeping hangovers off, I got chatting to a few people who wanted to start getting fit. It struck me that an easy way for people to get into a new routine was to start bit by bit, and gently get the body used to exercise. Mentaly, it's easy to take small steps and have lots of short term goals that get you towards your longer term goals. So I proposed #baldyschallenge.

Jan 1st = 1 Press Up, 1 Sit Up
Jan 2nd = 2 Press Ups, 2 Sit Ups
and so on, just adding 1 rep to each exercise a day.

There have been dozens of people following and doing the challenge, either as their exercise for the day, or as an extra set of exercises to their normal training.

Last night, my friend David Speed recommended we add bodyweight squats to work on the lower body. Sounds like a great idea, and not impossible for people to add in at this stage.

So, today's challenge is:

JAN 24 = 24 Sit Ups, 24 Press Ups, 24 Bodyweight Squats

Once you've done it, either like my status with this Blog Post link so that others can see you're still with us, or if you are a Tweeter, ReTweet my Tweet with this link.

If you have any comments or questions about the challenge so far, leave one below!

Stay with me people, you should really start to feel the benefits next month. Toned bum and thighs, pert pecs, no bingo wings - who needs surgery?!

Monday, January 9, 2012

#baldyschallenge Day 9 #in

So it's day 9 of #baldyschallenge !

We started on New Year's Day with an easy way to ease yourself into getting fit and toning up. The plan was to do just 1 press up and 1 sit up and then add 1 rep each day throughout the year and see how far we can get.

Anyone can join in at any time, just do the challenge and then Tweet about it using the tag #baldyschallenge so you can share with and check on the others doing it. Who knows, we may get hundreds of team mates by the end of the year?

So far, those doing it (from twitter) are:

@Graham_Lay
@RealEyesIt
@domsdads
@ElGaulio
@welshrower
@27sarahjane
@athleticsmum
@JayneyRus
@ZebrafacePaint
@yorkie2906
@VikingJohnny
@christineLeith
@welshemmam

By the time we get to New Year's Eve we'll be doing 366 press ups and 366 sit ups in a day! Imagine how toned your arms will be and the six pack you'll have!!!

Come on, join in and share with your friends

9 press ups, 9 sit ups and Tweet #baldyschallenge Day 9 done!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

#BaldysChallenge - You can do this!!

Join me and the others who are setting out to do this challenge over this coming year!

Day 1 - 1 x sit up, 1 x press up (January 1st)
Day 2 - 2 x sit ups, 2 x press ups
and so on...

When you have done it each day, simply Tweet:

"#baldyschallenge Day 1 done!" (obviously change the day accordingly)

We are going to add 1 rep each day, so at the end of January for example, we'll be doing 31 sit ups and 31 press ups. There, not too difficult is it? Imagine how you will feel when we get to Christmas and you are doing over 300 situps and 300 press ups a day!!

This is for beginners, or for extreme athletes to add onto their existing training. You can join in at any time, but it's easier if you start now.

So come on - do your 1 sit up and 1 press up and Tweet about it using the #baldyschallenge tag so we can track others doing it with us!

BALDYSCHALLENGE MEMBERS!

GET FIT THE EASY WAY

2012 - Make it Count!

Thanks for reading and sharing my blog, the support over the last year particularly for my waffling has been humbling, and a tad mystifying! lol

So, 2012 is here!



London Olympics, Queen's Diamond Jubilee, 366 leap year days, uncertainty in the global economy and instability in some key countries.

Lots going on this year but I wanted to talk about you, me, your friends, your family members, your Twitter 'mates', your colleagues, the lady down at the post office - the people around you and the things within your control.

None of us, alone, can change the climate, fix the economy, stop the wars, eliminate crime. What we can do is make small changes that will affect our lives and the people around us. Spending time and energy on matters that you can influence brings with it a renewed confidence, improved lifestyle, better relationships, success at work, etc.

It's time to focus on something, or things that you can get results from and achieve your own 'Gold Medal'. Those athletes training hard every day for years will soon be giving it their all in their bid for a medal at the Olympics. It's no suprise they are there because they have dedicated themselves to one thing and committed to doing what is necessary to succeed.

So, take some time to think about what matters most to you and make a shortlist of things you want to change or improve. Then reduce the list to no more than 5 things you want to focus on - there's no point having a list of dozens and dozens of things, you simply won't be able to focus on them all unless they are a tick list of achievable items for you to work through one by one.

For each change, set yourself goals. This is the important bit. When setting a goal - have the end result in mind and set shorter term goals to tick off along the way. For example, if you want to lose 3 stone - set yourself a realistic end goal (by 1st July for example). Then set intermediate goals of say, 6lbs lost in first month, 1 stone by end of February, 2 stone by 1st May, etc.

Remember those thermometer style charts outside churches for their roof repair fund? Do one for yourself to stick on the fridge door so you can fill it in each week and see how you are doing compared to your goals. Ideally you want to tick off the goals by the deadline you set. If you miss a deadline - adjust the remaining goals accordingly. No point falling behind and getting into a situation where it's not going to happen, you'll just get demoralised and lose conviction.

Enlist the support of people you trust. Family, friends, strangers with common goals, etc. Share your goals with these people and let them know how you are doing from time to time. The best supporters will ask you before you tell them. You'll find their support a great boost in terms of motivation yourself and sharing your success with them as you progress.

Reward yourself. Set some rewards for hitting your targets. If it's weight loss you are aiming for, don't set eating a whole chocolate fudge cake as a reward! Perhaps go out to watch a film, or go bowling, or share a nice dinner with one of your friends. If it's stopping smoking, don't reward yourself with a big fat Cuban cigar! Perhaps buy yourself a present, or better - buy a gift for someone else with some of the money you saved, or donate to charity.

These are just some tips for how to go about setting and achieving your goals. I hope it's been useful in terms of helping you to start making some decisions and improvements to your life. Whether it's to do with health, or how you treat other people, or achieving in sport or work, as long as it matters to you and you can do something about it, you can do it!

Here's some extra support for those looking to Lose Weight or Stop Smoking - I made these free websites for people to come together and help each other:

http://www.lose-weight-together.com

http://www.stop-smoking-together.com

So,whatever you decide to do this year, make it count!

All the best, and shout if you need support or motivation - @Graham_Lay

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