About

Hi there.  My name is Tom Parker.  The about me page is something I’ve always struggled with as there’s so much to write but it’s often quite hard to get it all down in a logical, coherent format.  I’ve decided that the best way to go is a Q&A style…

Who Am I?

I am a full time health and fitness writer and have been writing about the topic since 2007.  I currently run this website and my PLR website – Best Fitness PLR.

I try to practice what I preach and lead a relatively healthy lifestyle.  I usually get to the gym (or do some other exercise at least 4 times a week) and generally eat natural, unprocessed foods.  However, nobody’s perfect and I still enjoy the occasional alcohol fuelled night out and trip to the takeaway.

As well as reading my latest articles on this website you can also follow me via Facebook, Google +, Twitter, YouTube, and RSS.

Additionally you can sign up for regular Free Fitness Tips email updates using the form below:

How Did I Get Into Fitness?

As a child I was naturally very skinny.  I also watched a lot of action movies and decided that I wanted to get muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone.

As soon as I turned 16 I joined a gym with the goal of packing on as much muscle as possible.  The trainers at the gym told me the best way to do this was to eat as much as I possibly could, get lots of protein and follow a standard weight lifting workout 3 to 4 times a week.

I followed their advice and started eating around 8 tuna sandwiches and 2 or 3 protein shakes each day plus my regular breakfast and dinner.  Although this eating plan was very inconvenient (try eating 8 tuna sandwiches during a full day of lectures or a full day of work and you will see what I mean) I stuck with it for a couple of years.

At the age of 18 I went to study at University and I started to read a lot more about health and fitness on the Internet.  I realised that what those gym trainers had told me in regards to eating may not have been the best advice.  It might work for some people but it just wasn’t practical to prepare and eat that amount of food each day.

As I continued to read, I also realised that there wasn’t 1 definitive answer when it come to fitness.  Some people swear by low carbohydrate diets whilst others believe carbohydrates are the main food we should be eating.  Some people think bodyweight training is the best way to get fit whilst others think lifting heavy weights is the way to go.  There was a lot to learn.

The Birth Of Free Fitness Tips…

I decided that the best way for me to learn all this new information was to read and write about it, then come to my own conclusions.  When an article told me that high blood pressure was bad I wanted to know what this health disorder was and why it was so bad.  When I was told to eat lots of protein I wanted to know why and what it actually does for your body.  This is how Free Fitness Tips was born.  I did the research, came to my own conclusions then published my findings on this website.

And that is pretty much how I got into fitness.  I watched action movies, started training to get a body like the action heroes in those movies, learnt more and more about the topic and then started my own website.

Since starting Free Fitness Tips my stance on fitness has changed significantly.  Whilst I still think regular weight training is an important part of a fitness routine and has its benefits, I am no longer obsessed with getting a body like the action heroes.  My main focus now is healthy eating.  Your vital organs are much more important than bulging biceps or a huge chest so it is crucial that you treat them right and give them the nutrients they need. If you are new to this site then I would highly recommend that you read the articles below to discover the importance of good nutrition:
- The Macronutrients Explained.
- The Macrominerals Explained.
- The Microminerals Explained.
- The Vitamins Explained.
- The Flavonoids Explained.
- The Other Phytonutrients Explained.

If you want to lead the healthiest life possible then you should need to be eating these nutrients daily.  This can be achieved by eating lots of natural, unprocessed foods such as butter, eggs, fish, fruits, herbs, meat, nuts, vegetables and seeds.  You should also be exercising regularly by doing a combination of cardiovascular exercise and resistance training but getting your diet right is crucial.

The Birth Of Best Fitness PLR…

After running Free Fitness Tips for 4 years I had gained a lot of knowledge and had become quite skilled in the field of health and fitness writing. I decided that I wanted to spread my wings a little and help other people with their own health and fitness websites.  I made the decision that the best way to do this was through private label rights (PLR) products.

For those of you who are relatively new to Internet Marketing, PLR products are basically products that you purchase and then claim as your own work.  You are free to do pretty much what you like with them.  The only restrictions are:
- You cannot pass on the PLR to your customers.
- You cannot use my name on any products you create from the PLR.

I released my very first fitness based PLR report – ‘Make 2012 The Year You Finally Lose Weight‘ on the 17th of November via the WSO section of the Warrior Forum.  Since then things moved very fast and within 2 weeks I had set up Best Fitness PLR.

Who Is Free Fitness Tips For?

Free Fitness Tips is for anyone who wants to learn more about the topic of health and fitness and make improvements to their lifestyle.  As I learn more and more about the topic of health and fitness I will be sharing it here.  If you want to learn with me please follow me via Facebook, Google +, Twitter, YouTube, and RSS or sign up for regular Free Fitness Tips email updates using the form in the right hand sidebar.

It is also a forum for anyone to share their views on health and fitness.  If you do not agree with anything I say on Free Fitness Tips I strongly encourage you to leave a comment.  As I said previously, there is not 1 definitive answer when it comes to fitness and if you have a different opinion to mine please let me know.  I am not a health and fitness expert.  I do not hold any qualifications.  I just try to learn as much as possible about the topic and share my opinions with my readers.

What Other Health And Fitness Websites Do I Recommend?

Beeble Fitness Blog:- The diet tools and exercise library on Beeble Fitness Blog are in my opinion the best on the Internet.  If you want to know what nutrients are in your food or want to add some exercises to your workout these are the 2 tools you should be using.

Dietriffic:- Great source of healthy eating advice from a registered dietician.

Dumb Little Man:- Brilliant blog on motivation, mental fitness and mental strength.

Fitness Black Book:- Fantastic blog on how to build just the right amount of muscle.

Mark’s Daily Apple:- Excellent blog on eating primal (like a caveman).  I’m not quite there yet but this is in my opinion the perfect way to eat.

Mun’s Fitness Blog:- This blog contains the best write ups on celebrity diets and workouts that I have seen.  Mun’s post on Bruce Lee’s diet and workout was top notch.

Fitness Coupons:- If you are ever looking to buy fitness equipment or supplements, check out Fitness Coupons first.  These guys are constantly updating their site with discount codes and have some really great deals.

A Little Bit More About Me…

So far this page has been all about fitness so I would like to finish by sharing some of my non-fitness related interests.

Favourite Food:- Pizza!  I know what you are thinking – pizza’s not a healthy food.  You are right but that doesn’t stop it being my favourite.  Everything in moderation :-).  I have pizza once a week at most, usually a lot less than this.

Favourite Music:- I love 80′s stuff – particularly power ballads.  Heart, Journey, Meat Loaf, Phil Collins, Queen, REO Speedwagon, Survivor etc are some of my favourites.  I also like pop rock with Blink 182, Bowling for Soup and Everclear being my favourites in this genre.

Favourite Bands:- Everclear and Survivor.

Favourite Song:- ’Ever Since The World Began’ by Survivor.  Really relaxing song. If I’m ever feeling stressed or worried I just listen to this and it empties my mind.

Favourite Film:- Backdraft – A really underrated film about 2 feuding brothers who get placed on the same fire fighting company.

Favourite TV Program:- Scrubs – The best sitcom I’ve seen and it manages to deliver a perfect blend of comedy and drama. The moment below is my favourite Scrubs moment from the series 3 episode ‘My Screw Up’.

** Spoiler Alert – If you are a Scrubs fan and have not seen this episode yet then do not watch this video. **

Favourite Quote:- ”Don’t let somebody tell you you can’t do something. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves they want to tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.”

Interests Outside The Health And Fitness:- To be honest at the moment the vast majority of my time is spent writing about health and fitness.  Any little bits of spare time I do have I spend with my girlfriend.  When I do actually have the time I enjoy doing the standard things – going to the cinema, eating out, having a night out or relaxing at home and watching a film.  I would like to go travelling but first I need my online ventures to make me a millionaire :-).