Looking good in clothing has a lot to do with your body shape and posture. The way you show your style and confidence is certainly linked to the way you carry yourself.
With this I mind we speak to an expert, founder of Timed Fitness about getting into shape and find motivation.
What advice would you give to us men who're finding it harder and harder to make time for the gym?
"The gym is not the only place you can get fit. Walk, run, jog, and swimming are just a few things you can do to start getting active. Be creative with your time management. Book 4 x 30 minute sessions in your diary and aim to complete at least 3 in the week and one on the weekend. Only have 15 minutes free? Pick 4 exercises, do an exercise for 30 seconds and rest for 10, then move straight on to the next one. Once you have done all four start again."
Motivation to get up and exercise is a usual problem. How can guys get around this?
"The main thing to remember is that exercise is one of the few things in life that we can count on to produce direct results. Higher energy levels, feeling stronger, and faster are just a few of the benefits. Lifting 'this' weight or running 'that' far will not only get easier the more you do it but you will be able to go further, faster and lift heavier. If that's not enough get a trainer, go with your partner, friend, colleague, your next door neighbour and motivate each other or with someone you don't like so you can compete with them. Just get your self there because the only regret you will have is not going."
Train with someone for motivation
Are these new diets such as 'The Caveman' or the '5:2' diet any good?
"Good nutrition is sustained through developing good habits and not buy following fad diets. The Caveman and 5:2 diets are the new 'it' diets like their predecessors the Atkins and Meat eaters. Eating whatever you want for 5 days cannot be balanced out by 2 days of fasting. The potential damage that can be caused raises huge red flags for me. I would never encourage my clients to try it. Even though The Caveman / Paleo diet has several positive traits such as removing processed foods, eating small meals instead of having large sittings and increasing fruit and vegetable intake, nothing beats a healthy well balanced nutrition plan which includes Fruits vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. Eating 3 main meals a day plus 2 healthy snacks in between helps speed up your metabolism and avoids spikes / drops in your blood sugar levels."
A mans style can be improved by posture. What tips can you give to improve this?
"Exercise is key to keep your entire body in tune to support your posture. Exercises that strengthen the muscles across your upper back, shoulders and activate your core will help you to maintain good posture. Bad posture causes muscles to shorten so stretching is very important and will help with back and neck pain. Use stretches which aim to open and lengthen muscles. Asses your work station, your chair and desk should support you and allow you to maintain good posture. Become ergonomically sound with your computer setup. Keep your eyes level with the top of monitor, with elbows and wrists straight at 90-degree angles."
The gym is not the only place to get fit
What tips would you give to men who're looking to bulk up?
"Like with losing weight, be realistic and plan ahead. Having support from friends, family or a training partner will help you achieve your goal. Increase protein - it is vital for muscle building. Increase carbohydrates because lots of energy is needed for heavy and intense training sessions, as well as the repairing process. Food preparation is essential you're not going to have time to cook every time you are hungry. Pre pack and freeze meals ahead of time. Making Smoothies with peanut butter, yogurt, whey protein etc will provide an easy to consume meal, packed full of calories and nutrients. Eat plenty of nuts, seeds, natural oils, oily fish and Protein shakes after training but don't rely solely on supplements. Typical repartition range for bulking is 8-12 but experiment to decide what works best for you. Compound exercises with just a few isolation exercises for variety such as squats, dead lifts, bench press, rows... etc are essential movements."