A personal trainer has shared his tips for ‘eating your way to a six-pack’ while self-isolating amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Harrison, 46, from Bishop’s Stortford, is founder of The Six Pack Revolution, an online health, fitness and nutrition programme.
The father-of-two was inspired to get fit himself four years ago after realising he had a ‘dad bod’, and made a New Year’s resolution to achieve a ripped physique in 90 days.
Scott studied nutrition and documented his journey on Facebook, engaging his friends and followers – and 36 people joined him on his first fitness journey. Afterwards he completed a level 3 PT qualification, a fitness diploma and various other courses including psychology and yoga, before launching The Six Pack Revolution in September 2016.
And it’s now available in 44 countries and loved by celebrities like Peter Andre, Dawn Ward, Kate Thornton and Caprice.
With government advice urging people to work from home and practice social distancing due to coronavirus, Scott said there has ‘never been a better time to work on yourself’.
Here he shares his top tips with FEMAIL to help you adjust to this new way of life – and eat your way to a six-pack.
Scott Harrison, 46, from Bishop’s Stortford, is founder of The Six Pack Revolution, an online health, fitness and nutrition programme. Pictured left before and right after his incredible transformation
MAKE TIME FOR WORKING OUT AT HOME
With so many gyms and fitness establishments closed or operating limited timetables, it can be difficult to know where to start if you’re at the beginning of a fitness journey.
Scott said: ‘Online health, fitness and nutrition programmes are paramount in helping everyone to not only build up their immune system but to guide us moving forward and help everyone achieve outstanding results in body and mind.
‘Find workouts you can do from home; the Six Pack Revolution is centred around this in order for our participants to be able to incorporate into their everyday life. HIIT and body weight exercises can be done anywhere.’
Scott’s daily exercises are short but highly effective, taking 10-15 minutes with two sessions of 30 minutes a week.
Most of them don’t require any equipment, but he recommends getting some battleropes.
Scott’s daily exercises are short but highly effective HIIT plans, taking 10-15 minutes (pictured above) with two sessions of 30 minutes a week
‘They are cheap, they are fun and they burn fat and tone your body like you wouldn’t believe,’ he said.
Joining an online fitness community in times like these can also really help with mental and emotional health.
USE YOUR TRAVEL TIME TO PREP MEALS
With many of us working from home, we’re no longer spending up to several hours of our day commuting.
Scott recommends using this extra time to prepare healthy meals.
‘Think of it this way, now you will have much more time to prepare your food and experiment with new recipes,’ he said.
‘Most of the recipes on the plan or in my book Eat Your Way to a Six Pack can be cooked in larger quantities, so you can make several meals in one go which is a fantastic way to ensure you can easily stay on plan!’
EAT SIX TIMES A DAY
Scott claims the biggest misconception for fat loss is that you need to eat less.
‘On The Six Pack Revolution most participants find that they are eating much more than before,’ he said. We eat six times per day in the way of three meals and three snacks, spread throughout the day, plus a post-workout meal or shake following exercise.
Scott’s recipes to eat yourself to a six-pack
ALL DAY MEXICAN QUORN BURRITO
INGREDIENTS
- 2 teaspoons of coconut oil
- ½ a red onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- ½ a red chilli finely chopped
- 3 palm size and thickness of quorn mince
- ½ a coloured pepper deseeded and finely chopped
- 6 cherry tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of tomato purée
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped coriander
- 1 tablespoon of raisins
- A couple of iceberg lettuce leaves
- 2 wholemeal wraps
- 2 tablespoons of coleslaw (see accompaniments)
Scott’s Quorn all day burrito
METHOD
Fry half of the onions, the garlic and chilli in the coconut oil on a medium heat for a couple of minutes until starting to soften.
Now add the Quorn mince, cumin, pepper, tomatoes, tomato purée, a tiny splash of water if needed and combine thoroughly.
Stir fry for approximately 10 minutes and then add the lime juice, coriander and raisins.
Give it all another big stir and turn the heat down to its lowest.
Now heat your wraps however you wish then fill with lettuce, a tablespoon of coleslaw and half of the mixture in each.
Wrap it all up and enjoy!
Scott’s Cozze Alla Marinara and chips
COZZE ALLA MARINARA AND CHIPS
INGREDIENTS
- Handful of sweet potato
- 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of tomato purée
- 1 Thai red chilli
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 100ml water
- 2 heaped tablespoons of fresh parsley chopped (leave a pinch for the garnish)
- 6 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 35 mussels
METHOD
Peel and slice your sweet potatoes into ‘chips’ and toss in the extra virgin olive oil and season with black pepper ready to create into delicious chips.
To create that crisped up feel, bake at around 200°C for 20–30 minutes. If you like your chips a little softer turn down the heat.
Place your non-stick pan onto a medium heat to make your cozze!
Add the tomato purée, Thai red chilli and garlic and stir quickly for about 30 seconds. Now add your 100ml water and stir for 1 minute on a medium heat to make the base of your sauce.
Your cherry tomatoes and parsley go in next for one minute then add your fresh mussels. Give it all a good stir cover with a lid and let the mussels cook in the steam for around 5–7 minutes.
Shake the pan halfway through to make sure all the mussels are opening and getting the delicious sauce and the heat evenly.
Once you are ready to serve, it’s important to check for any unopened mussels, you must dispose of them and of course you can eat the rest.
Drizzle over the remainder of the sauce and garnish with a pinch of parsley.
TEMPEH TOMATO TANDOORI
INGREDIENTS
- 3 palm size and thickness amounts of tempeh cut into small cubes
- Juice of ½ a lime
- ½ red onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon of vegan plain Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon of curry powder
- ½ teaspoon of chilli powder (heat of your choice)
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric
- 4 curry leaves crumbled
- Pinch of white pepper
- 2 teaspoons of coconut oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 cardamom pods bashed
- 6 cloves
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon of tomato purée
- Good splash of water
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
- Fresh chopped coriander (Save some for garnish)
- 80g bulgar wheat dry weight (approx. 230g cooked weight)
METHOD
In a bowl mix the tempeh, lime, onion, yoghurt, ginger, curry powder, chilli powder, turmeric, curry leaves, white pepper and put to one side (this can also be left overnight in the fridge).
Now heat the coconut oil in a pan on medium and add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves.
Stir these for a couple of minutes to release the flavours, then add the garlic, tomato purée, a good splash of water and stir for another couple of minutes.
Next stir in the tinned tomatoes, the fresh coriander, add the marinated tempeh and mix it all thoroughly.
Simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile cook your bulgar wheat as per packet instructions.
Present it all on your favourite plate, garnish with the remaining coriander and enjoy!
‘Make sure your last meal is a snack around an hour before bedtime.’
He added: ‘Do not think for one minute that if you skip a meal, you will be slimmer as this is not the case.’
MEASURE YOUR FOOD USING YOUR HANDS
To keep it simple, Scott adopts a ‘rules of the hand’ system. ‘No need to measure, weigh or do anything else other than use your hand as a guide to how much you use in your recipe,’ he explained.
‘This works for your protein, carbohydrates and your healthy fats. Consume a palm-size and thickness amount of protein, a big handful of good carbohydrates, and a dash of healthy fats.’
Scott’s plan includes food plans for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans, and all of them can be adapted for food intolerances.
DITCH THE SCALES
Scott said: ‘My top tip for losing weight, first and foremost is to stop focusing on weight. Throw away the scales and judge your success on how you look and feel.
‘Too many people focus on “losing weight” and therefore become slaves to the scales. This leads to disappointment if they do not see them going in the direction that they wish for.
‘For example, if you were to gain 3lbs of muscle and lose 2lbs of fat, this would be amazing – even though you gained weight. If you were to lose 3lbs of muscle and gain 2lb of fat, this would be terrible, but ironically many would be happy because they lost weight.
‘I have had a participant go from a size 10 to a size 6 looking like an action movie star and not lose a pound! We recommend you stay off the scales and go by how you look and feel, then you win.’
DRINK THREE LITRES OF WATER A DAY
Even though you may be stuck at home, it’s important not to forget to drink water and hydrate.
‘Try to achieve three litres per day, especially if you are active and working out,’ Scott advised.
‘Looking, as always, for the positive, if you are at home you have a toilet closely on hand to flush out those toxins.’
How Scott’s method REALLY worked for Vicky Sheldrake, 38
Vicky, 38, from Wickford reached a point where work had taken over her life – but after going through The Six Pack Revolution, she’s since become a qualified personal trainer and sports massage therapist. Pictured before and after
Former care manager Vicky Sheldrake spent so much time caring for others that her own health had taken the back seat, until she discovered The Six Pack Revolution.
Vicky, 38, from Wickford reached a point where work had taken over her life. She found herself working ridiculously long hours, suffering with anxiety and started suffering with panic attacks too. She was at a low point mentally and lacked any kind of self confidence. With no time to look after her own health or exercise until she broke her foot and had to take a period of time off work, she decided she needed to make a change.
After seeing a friend transform over the course of the year, she signed up for The Six Pack Revolution’s online health, fitness and nutrition programme. ‘The whole thing has completely changed my life over the last 18 months,’ she said.
‘It’s put me in a completely new mindset, overhauling my lifestyle and changing my career direction completely. I now know I really can achieve anything I set my mind to.
‘Obviously I had incredible physical results from the first 90 days, but it’s changed all aspects of my life, my mindset and my career. I saw results quite quickly, but everyone develops at their own rate. Feeling my fitness levels increasing and myself becoming stronger was amazing.
‘I’ve since become a qualified personal trainer and sports massage therapist. It’s been life changing for me and now I get to love what I do everyday too! Being able to help coach and support others, knowing that you’re making a difference to other people is such a great feeling and the messages I get personally from people I’ve coached make it all worthwhile.’
GET LOTS OF SLEEP
We must all make sure we get the best night’s sleep possible and with all this worry and anxiety you may find that you are struggling to relax and drift off into a deep sleep.
Scott has recently released a book featuring his recipes
‘The quickest and safest way is to exercise, eat healthily and take some time to wind down, therefore practicing mindfulness is ideal to do before bed, as well as staying off TV and social media.
‘Sit on a comfortable cushion on the floor – a good tip for keeping your back straight is to sit with your back against the sofa or bed and close your eyes. Breathe in through the nose as deep as you can with a slight pause before you exhale all the way out.
‘In your mind try to just focus on your breathing or something that makes you happy and stick with that thought. Try to keep your back straight for a full five minutes – it may ache a little, but the more you do this the stronger and more comfortable it will become.
‘After a week of this practice every day increase the time to seven-and-a-half minutes and then the following week, 10 minutes. Keep going until you find your happy time that you like to meditate.
‘Once your back is stronger you will no longer need any support and you can then choose anywhere you wish to practice.’
For more information visit https://thesixpackrevolution.com/