Elysium Magazine (EM): Fitness is obviously important to you. Talk us through your typical fitness regime in terms of exercise, diet and rest?<\/strong><\/h5>\nRav Wilding (RW):\u00a0<\/strong>Fitness has been a big part of my life ever since I was a child. I was very sporty at school and I then went on to join the Army at a young age. To keep myself in shape I go to the gym whenever I can, which, depending on my work schedule, is around five times a week ideally. Once there, I alternate weights and CV work e.g. bikes and cross trainers. I also think it\u2019s essential to give your body rest days to recover, especially from the weights. Diet-wise, I try and limit the amount of carbs I eat \u2013 cutting back on bread and pasta for example. I also eat a lot of lean protein like prawns and chicken.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
EM: <\/strong>What fitness tips would you have for Elysium’s discerning gent readers?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\nRW: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Keep challenging yourself.<\/strong> I met a trainer who said he would have me benching 120kg five times in a row within a month and if I did it, he would give me a free session as a reward. It spurred me on so much! (I also really enjoyed the free session)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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\n- Don\u2019t put it off.<\/strong> If you sit down after a long day and say “you will train later”…chances are you will get comfy on the sofa and won\u2019t make it. Get back in to your kit and go right away. You WILL feel better afterwards!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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\n- Eat sensibly<\/strong>. There are so many diets popping up it\u2019s very confusing to get your head around them all. I don\u2019t eat a lot of sweets or chocolate (and have never had a filling!) and I will only eat stuff like that if I am going to burn it off in the gym.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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\n- Reduce your alcohol intake.<\/strong> A pint of lager is roughly the same amount of calories as a chocolate bar. I\u2019m careful about how much I drink. When was the last time you ate ten chocolate bars in a single evening?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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\n- Drink more water<\/strong>. I was told around 60% of “hunger” that people feel is actually dehydration. Drink more water and you\u2019ll naturally eat less junk. Being properly hydrated is also essential for keeping your brain alert, your insides in order and your skin cleansed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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EM: Your experiences in the arctic with 71 Degrees North looked immense from the warm comfortable sofas we were all watching from. Tell us just how hard of an experience it was for your body and mind?<\/strong><\/h5>\nRW:<\/strong> 71 Degrees North was an amazing experience from beginning to end. In a world of computers and mobile phones it\u2019s almost impossible for us to be away from it all these days, but as soon as we got there we had to hand in our phones and were essentially completely cut off from civilisation for a month. It was hard for the first couple of days but then it became the most cleansing experience imaginable. With no distractions I simply woke up in my tent or ice hole, made a fire, was told the challenge for the day and focused on that and nothing else.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Bizarrely one thing that caught me out when I was out there though was the unbearable pain I experienced from the icy winds of -30\u00b0C. It felt like there I didn\u2019t have teeth any more, just nerve endings hanging down. Every blast of cold air against my teeth was agony and this was something I just didn\u2019t think about when I was preparing.<\/p>\n
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