Sargeant Major Fitness

Jerry Sargeant says if I do what he tells me I'll be happier. I'll be more confident and more efficient at work. I'll sleep better and have more energy. Most importantly, I'll fit my skinny jeans.
After hibernating all winter under my duvet with steamed puddings, I'm keen to follow the advice of Fierce Fitness' personal trainer.
Jerry's diet and exercise programme is no get-fit-quick scheme. He's more interested in making lifestyle changes for long-term health benefits.
It's not going to be easy either. His philosophy is sacrifice + pain = glory.
I shudder.
But everything he says makes sense. If I want to see real results, I need to change my ways.
Training should not be comfortable, nor should it be torture.
But I need to push myself and raise my heart rate. My body will adapt to exercises, so I'll need to vary them every day to ensure I'm constantly pushing myself.
Shock the body, Jerry says.
Gulp.
I'll also need to fuel my body regularly with small amounts of nutrient-dense food.
That's natural food, not the stuff that comes in jars and wrapped in plastic.
I'm in no position to argue with the personal trainer. Jerry's had more than 13 years experience and revolutionised the habits across a whole cross section of clients from kids to homemakers; middle-aged professionals to athletes.
He's also trained Special Forces troops in his native British homeland, and cage fighters.
Fitness is for everyone, Jerry says. That's why his new fitness studio opening soon in Napier will accommodate everyone, with women-only exercise classes, kids' health and nutrition programmes and hard-core mixed martial arts on offer.
Jerry's also in the process of building an online personal training programme. Here are his top 10 tips to kickstart those plans to look and feel good in time for summer.
1. Commit to the challenge. Accept losing weight and improving fitness won't be easy and commit to it.
2. Make a plan. Write down work and family priorities, and schedule training around it.
3. Prepare meals a day ahead.
If you don't have healthy meals at hand, you're more likely to reach for a less nutritious pre-packaged snack.
4. Eat five small meals a day.
Fill those meals with complex carbohydrates like fruit and vegetables, protein from meat, eggs, fish, and the good fats found in nuts, coconut, walnut, olive and flax omega oils.
5. Drink 3L of water everyday. The human body is 75 per cent water. Water flushes toxins from the body, energises and improves mental clarity.
6. Train for at least 30 minutes. Five or six times a week.
7. Go hard. The higher you raise your heart rate, the longer you'll burn calories after you stop exercising.

8. Ditch the sugar.
An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the body's blood sugar balance and triggers the release of insulin to keep blood sugar at a constant and safe level. Insulin also promotes the storage of fat, so eating sugary foods means rapid weight gain.
9. Reduce intake of "hard carbs". Get your dose of carbohydrates through fruits and vegetables rather than "hard carbs" like rice, pasta and potatoes. Bread and pastry are no-nos.

10. Sacrifice + pain = glory. Be prepared to make sacrifices if you want to see changes. That means changing what and how you eat and dedicating time to quality exercise.
Jerry says a good training session doesn't need to be two hours of pounding the pavement. Shorter, intense workouts will boost your metabolism and continue to burn fat hours after you've finished exercising.
Best I dust off my trainers. And as soon as I learn to say no to pudding, I'll be on my way to fitting those skinny jeans again.
www.fiercefitness.co.nz