Modelling Day

Today I worked on a modelling job which was arranged by my agents Talent Management.  The agency called me last week to see if I was available, which luckily, I was.  The job was based in Leeds and they were willing to pay travelling expense, as I was travelling from Cambridge.  The client was Hella Pagid, and we were working on  some still photographs for advertisements and point of sale products.

To get this booking, Molly from Talent Management initially called and then emailed me.  She was excellent at answering my questions and very pro-active at getting back to me with information as it became available.  She sent me the paperwork, detailing where to be and when.

The location for the shoot was an automotive repair garage in Leeds.  When I arrived on site I was met by the photographer (Bob), another model (Paul) and the marketing agency agent (Adam).  We discussed all of the requirements for the shoot and then Adam provided us with the required mechanics overalls to wear.  I was great to meet these other people at the shoot.  Paul is a much more experienced model than myself and I learnt a lot from him.

We conducted three separate shoots, which were different camera angles, all within the same garage.  With only 4 of us there, we were very swift at achieving the required look, and getting the final images.  From arrival to leaving was less than 2 hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed the shoot and was very excited to be learning more about the modelling industry.  It was great to meet the others involved in the shoot, and I can't wait to see the final products.

The process from start to finish was made very easy by Talent Management and I would thoroughly recommend them and look forward to working with them again.

Genetics

In terms of body composition, we, as humans, are not all created equally and we each have genetic differences which we are stuck with for life. Some of us will have bodies which are naturally lean, some naturally muscular & others prone to fat storage. Despite this, no one is completely at the mercy of their genes and we must not use ‘it’s my genes’ as as excuse for not achieving our goals. Understanding and working with our bodies is the key to success.

Lets start with a brief look at generic body types (Somatotypes):

Ectomorph
Ectomorphs are naturally thin with a small frame, flat chest and little body fat or muscle mass. Ectomorphs find it difficult to gain weight/size (either muscle or fat). Your typical long-distance runner.

Mesomorph
Mesomorphs tend to be naturally athletic, lean, muscular, with hard bodies, well defined muscle, broad shoulders and narrow waist and hips. Mesomorphs are naturally strong and find muscle gain relatively easy. Suited to a most sporting activities, especially those requiring a good power to weight ratio.

Endomorphs
Endomorphs are naturally predisposed to fat storage. They tend to be apple or pearshaped and carry large amounts of body fat. Endomorphs also tend to possess a reasonable degree of muscle mass, although this is often overlooked due to the predisposition for fat storage. Power-based activities such as shot putt and hammer throwing may be suited to endomorphs.

Combination
Many individuals are not exclusively one of the body types, but rather a combination of two or more. For example, an individual with a small frame, little muscle mass and a tendency to store body fat could be considered an ectomorph with endomorphic tendencies.

An understanding of body typing is important when setting realistic goals. Learn about your body and work with it. No matter which body-type category you fall into, you can manage your nutrition, training and recovery to alter your physique, lose fat, gain muscle and achieve your goals.

Ultimately, we have all be dealt our own cards when it comes to genetics. How we choose to play those cards is up to us. We will all have a limit due to our genetic potential, though most of us will never get even close to our genetic potential.  Don’t use this as an excuse to carry those extra pounds, or be dissatisfied with your body. It may be unrealistic to aspire to be the cover model you see on a magazine, but it is important that you do aspire to be a better version of YOU. A leaner, healthier, happier, more vibrant version of YOU.

Be wary when accepting nutritional & training advice. Satisfy yourself that your trainer has the depth of knowledge, experience and understanding of YOU. Far too often I see examples trainers giving sound, but inappropriate advice. For example, whilst ‘get 8-9 hours of unbroken sleep per night’ is sound advice, it is totally unrealistic to give to a nursing mother of a new born child! In my parenting journey, I have been amazed at how well we seem to function on much less sleep, more like 6 hours (max) of interrupted sleep, for months/years on end. I’d love more, but it just isn’t going to happen!

As a trainer I endeavour to walk a mile in my clients shoes.  By this I mean, I try to understand what they are going through.  I’ve never been obese and seeking to lose half of my body weight, so I’m not going to know exactly what some people experience.  Nor have I attempted to gain excessive mass like a competitive bodybuilder or powerlifter.  I have, however, devoted much of my life to learning about and living a holistic, health-driven lifestyle.  I have experimented with many eating strategies, stopped/limited eating some foods and have experienced the motivational challenges of working towards a goal.

In summary:

• Understand your body type, your strengths, your weaknesses and how these effect your goals.
• Do not use genetics as an excuse to be dissatisfied with yourself and not reach your potential.
• Ensure any advice is tailored to you, what works for someone will not work for everyone.

Sources:

McArdle, W. Katch, F. and Katch, V. (2001). Exercise physiology: energy, nutrition and human performance. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

Children's Nutrition

Whilst I am acutely aware of my own nutritional needs, macronutrient ratios and meal timings, it recently dawned on me that I need to pay much more attention to the nutrition of my children.  Why was I feeding them some sub-optimal foods, whilst excluding these myself?  It didn’t make sense, so I set out to re-brief myself and educate my children with an overall aim of optimising the health of us all.

The education can start at any age.  My children are currently 4 and 1.  Start the education as early as possible because it’s these early habits which become their lifestyle.

These are some of my practical top tips learnt from my experience so far:

• Educate your children about food. I like to let them know the food types which will make them ‘big & strong’ and those which won’t!
• Explain the importance of water.  Explain it is vital to run our whole body and every system inside. Again, i like to explain that water makes us ‘big & strong’.  To help with water, get a good, kid-friendly bottle.  I’ve found they get on very well with the Camelbak bottles from any age (see picture below).  Get them to decorate it  and make it fun so they learn to love and ‘own’ their bottle.  Always have it filled up and to hand.
• Explain the importance of sleep – it helps us become better superheroes the next day.
• Ask them questions about what they want and let them make their own choices.  As parents, it is our duty to develop their independence.  One day you’ll witness them making the right choice by themselves and this will then all be worth it!
• I’m not bothered about making them eat ‘nicely’ at the table ALL the time.  Sometimes its fine to grab-and-go.  When somebody need to be ‘rescued’ or the ‘baddies’ need ‘getting’, then a superhero doesn’t want to be tied to a table!
• Speak to the nursery or school about nutrition and try to get them onboard with simple changes, like gluten and sugar free foods when feeding your children.
• Let the wee nippers help you out in the kitchen.  Expose them to as much cooking as you can.  I’m always so surprised as to how much they can actually do from such a young age.  From whisking to mixing, weighing, measuring, cracking eggs, they can do so much and its lots of fun!
• Make fun things full of goodness, like shakes, smoothies, protein-based pancakes.
• Supplements can be fine too, like Omega 3 and multivitamins.  They come in liquid, child-friendly form.  Whey protein is also good.  Use it in shakes, smoothies, pancakes and lots of other cooking & baking goodies.
• Feed them often enough with awesome food, to prevent them getting hungry and craving sugary sweets.  Break the cycle, if they dont eat them, they won’t crave them!
• To help me achieve lots of these points I created a ‘reward chart’ (see pic below) which, amongst other things, has pictures of good foods which they put on to fill up the chart, working towards a present.

Importantly, engage your kinds in nutrition.  Talk to them and explain the reality.  I’m amazed at how much they actually take in, even if it doesn’t seem so at the time!  Aim to give them the tools to make their own decisions.  If at first, they only choose to eat veggies because they get a picture on their reward chart, then that’s great.  This is the habit building which they’ll carry with them throughout life.

We would all do anything for our children.  Lets not forget the most fundamental and important building block for their future – FOOD!

All the best

Ian