The idea is that instead of waiting until you are old to retire, why not take mini retirements through your whole life… So on the 1st October I go away on my first real mini retirement. Basically I’ll be AWOL for the whole of October in the sunny autumn sun of Southern portugal, kicking back enjoying the beautiful fresh fish and a massive amount of head space that I desperately need.

You probably get in the same situation as me, you kinda get slow, tired, lethargic and even after going away for a “normal” holiday you have not fully recharged the batteries so you are always feeling a little jaded.

Obviously, going away for a month is not possible if you hold down a normal 9-5 job, but instead of going away for a few days here and there, why not escape for a 3 week block, rent a cheap cottage or apartment and escape from real life for enough time to truly kick back and relax.

I’ll probably still sit and do some “work” while I am away, but work that I want to do rather than the day to day stuff I normally get tied up with while I am here in Luxembourg. I’ll enjoy the free head space and it’ll allow me to come up with my next mind blowing training programs or inspiring articles, I may even get to write a BLOG post or two as well

Enjoy October, you already know I will be!

Now before you think this is a recommendation it is NOT!

200 recipes that are 200 calories or less…

I’ve always contended that the obsession with low calorie, low fat nutritional plans causes us more harm than good, but it is seems to be a tough nut to crack for some people.

Yes eating less calories is a good idea, especially if you are consuming a massive amount in the first place, however the 1000 calorie or less daily plans I regularly see will certainly damage your metabolism, making your LONG TERM fat loss efforts more difficult.

The belief perpetuated by many dieting books and magazines is that a calorie is a calorie and no matter what form you take it in you have to burn the equal amount in energy output (i.e. exercise), this kinda over simplifies the process in which the body takes in, converts and utilises an item of food.

To open a massive can of worms I am going to say that your body actually wants to burn fat all the time, however we never give it a chance as we are continually feeding it carbohydrates (of any form), making your body choose the easy energy option of utilising this source first… So even though you may thinking that consuming a diet of predominately fruit and vegetables (think vegetarians!) is really healthy because it is low fat, low calorie, in actual fact you are making it easy for your body to not bother burning fat because it is getting its energy source from the carbs you are consuming.

Now here is the twist… What happens is you start reducing the carbs (from any source) becoming a more pure carnivore, so the majority of your food is made up of animal fats and proteins, where is your body going to get its energy source from? FAT…

So by eating a higher proportion of fat and protein your body will want to burn more FAT…

Weird huh?

By the way this is NOT just Tim theorising this stuff, there is plenty of science to back this up…

Tell me what you think? I would really appreciate your comments on this BLOG posting.

Lance Armstrong was in Glasgow today, meeting up with a few Twitter friends (300 plus of them) to go for a bike ride in the rain. Respect to this guy who is probably best known for being the guy to win the tour de france seven years in a row, and this is after his recovery from Cancer!

Always respected this guy, his values his determination and dedication to training, and since his cancer, becoming a massive figure head for the fight against Cancer. Some say he is arrogant, others think that he cheated his way to the tour wins, but the truth is he has never failed a drugs test, having been tested more times than any other cyclist in history,  and he has matured as a rider and a spokesman for his sport and his foundation. Some of his VALUES are something I constantly try to set myself against.

The question is what values do you admire in the people you look up to? What is it about them that you like and how would you like to emulate them in some way?

Answer below in the comments below.

There is something quite pleasant about going to a tournament with zero pressure to perform, other than within you to keep yourself happy… and perform (to a certain degree I did) 3rd place wasn’t all that bad.

Anyway, I spent a lot of the weekend talking to people about health and fitness, as I regularly find myself being drawn in to  over dinner, lunch, breakfast, snacks… pretty much any time! It seems that because I am a fitness professional, people are constantly curious about how and why I eat and drink what I do. Also how and why I exercise the way I do to.

Most of the time people are surprised by my response, as they seem to expect this monk like figure to tell them to abstain from the evils of all that we have been told which are evil.

In fact, when i am at an archery tournament, my nutrition sucks. You’re just as likely to find me stuffing my face with a piece of cake as the next guy… the difference being I look NOTHING like the next guy.

This weekends shoot is yet another example of why we should be fitter to participate in our sport, regardless of whether it is archery, golf, soccer, badminton or tiddly winks… The fitter and stronger you are the more likely it is you are going to beat the next guy.

I may not be the best archer on the field, although I beat a lot of guys who are technically more proficient than me. This weekend the course was really VERY long. I think we probably walked about 10km over the course of the weekend, in hot and humid conditions too. However, at the end of the 2nd day I was fresh and fit enough to keep performing if I had too!

My philosophy of being fit, is not about being dedicated to the steel in the gym, it is not pounding the miles wearing through 6 pairs of trainers a year, it is not sticking rigidly to a perfectly clean diet 100% of the time.

The approach I have is very simple, good health and fitness is PART of my life, not a strict regimeI do for a few weeks or months… I train because I enjoy it, I do it as PART of my life, I choose to be more active. I pick up some weights to hone my body from time to time… I go to the forest to do some sprint intervals to clear my head, I go out on my mountain bike because I just love the feeling of absolute freedom to everything else in my life… I eat healthy MOST of the time, but enjoy the pleasures of good food responsibly, but equally enjoy the feeling of eating foods that make my body work better.

I am not sure if I have got my point across here, but health and fitness is a lifestyle choice that I enjoy, it is not a regime, something to get stressed or up tight about.

I keep being reminded of the Yoda quote… “Do or do not, there is no try”

TRYING to live a healthy lifestyle is too much like hard work… Choose to eat better and exercise better, because it can be enjoyable, it can be fun….. NIKE

The Nuurburgring is still used by Formula One, but the old nordschleife circuit is what is now very important locally which still hosts motor sport and is used as an unofficial track for testing new cars. The track was described by Jackie Stewart as the Green Hell, 21 kilometers of twisting, narrow and fast track through the Eifel forest.

The place is stunning and having driven the circuit a few years ago in my old Toyota Celica, I understand what Jackie Stewart was on about!

So once a year they shut the circuit to cars and hold a special running event on the Saturday, and a 24 hour bike race over the weekend. They also have a “tourist” event on Sunday which you can turn up to pedal around the circuit at your own pace…

I’ll let the pictures tell the story… It is simply stunning!

Read through mine and then post up yours at the Tim Goodwin Community Site… you can tell as much or as little as you like about yourself.

1. Born 29th September 1975, Timothy David Goodwin… and I had to ask my mother this morning how old I was, I believe it is the most insignificant number.

2. I grew up in Worcestershire, and it is where my parents still live.

3. I went to University in Edinburgh, for a computer science degree, but got dumped off the course for failing a maths exam 4 times… finished with a fairly insignificant science degree. Swore I would never touch a PC again in my life.

4. Sporting wise i have been a runner, hockey player, table tennis, cyclist, and archer. Archery has been part of my life for 23 years and have been relatively average at every level of the sport, right up to being average on a world level ranking 26th in the world 3 years ago.

5. I love cars, I vary between boring and sensible to outrageously unpractical… Now in a sensible stage having owned an outright rally car for 18 months(great fun whilst it was not in a garage)

6. I have worked as a tomato picker, driven a 60ft dutch barge, barman, computer tester, business analyst, project manager, and used car sales man.

7. I met my wife Sam at university when she was dating my flatmate, we got married in vegas by the same person as Dennis Rodman’s really short marriage.. No Elvis…

8. I don’t do kids, the same with Sam, we love the freedoms it allows us, we’d much prefer to be surrounded by dogs and cats.

9. I taught my wife to shoot (bow and arrow) to be british number 1 for 4 years and to a world championship bronze medal… so not as average as me )

10. When I quit my “real” job in the corporate world 4 years ago, I wanted to kill my boss, and vowed never to touch a PC again in my whole life (that’s twice!)

11. I hate gyms…

12. I love being outdoors…

13. My father runs his own business, and couldn’t believe I quit my “real” job to start my own business just like him… I was always going to become an entreprenuer, it was just a matter of when.

14. I’ll always work, I couldn’t sit on my laurels once I “make it”… I’d be bored in 2 days!

15. I have l lived in Edinburgh, and now in Luxembourg… moving away from the “island” was a very liberating thing to do, and I think everyone from the UK should do so at least for 6 months, to really see how the rest of the world works! )

16. My office is always a mess, and I have more books I haven’t read on my shelf than ones I have read… but I read a book a week minimum.

17. I want to walk in to a car dealership and buy a hundred thousand euro car in cash, whilst in jeans and a ripped t-shirt.

18. I have never got so drunk I couldn’t remember.

19. I have never smoked a single cigarette.

20. I have never touched any illegal drugs.

21. I used to have long hair down to my shoulders, but have shaved my head for the last 10 years (go bald gracefully please)

22. OF all the famous people I have met, they have all been relatively ordinary folk like you and me. Met Chris Rea once and got driven in a ferrari by him… very ordinary and humble chap… I think that says a lot about becoming famous )

23. Public speaking petrifies me, but get a real buzz whilst doing it.

24. I hate jogging, and have no desire to run a marathon… or any further than 5km to be honest!

25. I sold my lifetime favourite car to buy my wife an old mini cooper for her 30th birthday… I drove the damn thing from Berlin to Luxembourg, taking 10 hours and couldn’t walk properly for a week!

Now your turn…

Either reply as a comment here, or on the Tim Goodwin Community Site