body maturity . .

i think as we grow older we learn to appreciate & respect our surroundings & our community a HECK of a lot more. .

We wake up one morning and suddenly we become angry that someone just threw a cigarette butt out the window . . 

. . we make a conscious effort to drive a bit slower on the roads . .

. . we get pissed off at the kids next door for desensitizing their ear drums with the ridiculously loud musica.

Same goes with our bodies . .

As kids, we don’t give two shits about what goes in and out of our bodies . . (i’m generalising here)

if it’s edible, we’ll eat it . . if it’s covered in chocolate, GET OUT THE WAY . . additives & preservatives ?? pft. not in our vocabulary.

Then we get a bit older, hopefully a bit wiser . . the body starts taking on a new shape . . we start to feel a bit sluggish from overeating . . drinking a bit too much . . years of bad food starts to creep up.

We figure we’re going to be around a HELL of a lot longer than we initially thought . . so we look to making some sort of positive & healthy change . . through exercise . . healthy eating . . saying no to alcohol.

MY POINT: Sometimes . . people need TIME.

Time to realise what eating junk for years does to their mind and to their bodies . .

Time to realise that it IS NOT normal to barely be able to make it through each day without huffing and puffing . .

Time to realise that walking to the fridge to grab a 2L of coke is not exercise . .

To finally be able to look into themselves and say “i need to make a change or i’m going to die.”

Sometimes it takes extreme circumstances for some to realise they’re stuck in this big fat rut and if they don’t get out . . they never will.

And sometimes there’s nothing you can possibly say that can change their minds . . they need to figure it out themselves.

And sometimes, that’s ok.

Mindless Eating . .

Have you ever gone through periods of time where you just eat like a freakin MANIAC . . you’re stomach is SO FULL, but you keep on going . . trying to fill this VOID that seems like a bottomless pit.

OR do you have the tendency to eat EVERYTHING on your plate, each meal?

I think it’s safe to say we’ve ALL been there.

Check this out real quick. .

EXPERIMENT: A number of subjects sat down to a full breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, etc. They were told to eat as much as they wanted to eat until full.

The SAME subjects came back the next morning and were given the same amount of food. This time however, they were BLINDFOLDED. They were told to eat when full, and the results . . dramatically different.

80% stopped half way through their food, the other 20% eating less than half.

Not ONE of them finished their plate.

Eating with a blindfold means you’re relying on your INTERNAL signals as a radar of how full you are.

So why the hell are we overeating???

What part of us is still hungry, if it’s not our stomach?

 

Professer Wansink observed a 3 year old will stop eating when full, whereas a 5 year old will eat however much is placed in front of them.

The thing is . . your stomach is not the only thing that needs to be fed.

Your brain . . your soul . . your heart . . your mind . . all need food too . .

Spiritually . . we need food.

Spiritual food can involve reading the bible, going to church, meditating . . whatever . . each part of your BEING needs to be fed and enriched EACH and EVERY day.

If you’re lacking in even ONE of those areas . . there’s an imbalance there . . and so the other areas in your life which are easier for you to control (aka, your food intake) are going to try and FILL that void.

UNFORTUNATELY . . it doesn’t work that way . . and you end up doing all harm and no good.

 

How do you know if you’re really hungry ??

How to tell if you’re really hungry.

The AMAZING thing is . . once you realize what’s missing from your life . . what’s lacking . . what’s incomplete . . what’s malnourished . . whether it be in your career . . in your relationships . . in your friendships . . your CRAVING for balance in life is SO much more important and detrimental than your craving for food could EVER be.

It allows you to reach the next level mentally and spiritually . . and i think that’s what is missing from a LOT of lives . . that spiritual connection to our soul and our bodies.

As lame as it sounds . . it’s the best feeling in the world when you’re at peace with yourself . . when you reach the core of your self . . your subconscious . . and don’t rely or allow external factors to influence who YOU are and your day to day choices.

What’s imbalanced in your life ??

What’s missing from your life ??

What do you need more of ??

Are you in touch with your sub conscious ??

Do you spend time with yourself each day realizing who YOU are without all the external things ??

This is something i’m going to be focusing on this week.

Changes are going to be made in the spiritual side of things for me.

References:

http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v10/n2/full/oby200215a.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4613843_lose-weight-keep-offfor-real.html

learning from “mistakes”

it’s kind of a 50/50 when you give people advice . . especially if it involves them making some sort of change in their life . . EVEN if they’re the ones asking you for it.

You can give them the most AMAZING, simplistic layed out plan with all the diagrams & colourful pretty pictures in the world, but if that person isn’t focused 110% on wanting . . no . . willing to DIE to reach that goal. . it’s just not going to happen.

Because at the end of the day . . people are going to do whatever the fuck they want . . and if that need isn’t great enough to sustain them and make that change . . they’ll go back to old habits . . more sooner than later.

But i think that’s ok.

It’s healthy to go back and forth for a little while . . it means you’re human . . it also means that every time you take a step forward, even if it’s the same damn step you’ve been back and forth on 20 times, you’re standing on that step with a completely different perspective than the last 19 times.

Example: me and my injuries.

I’ve pulled a hamstring, rotator cuff issues , and now i’ve got a strained adductor . .

now these injuries could have been a LOT worse, but the pulled hammy put me out for a good 12 weeks . . the others . . annoying injuries that could have been avoided.

How? By CONDITIONING myself for EVERY SINGLE EXERCISE.

You would think i’d learn the first time to condition myself into it ?

Yeh no . . i’m an idiot when it comes to that.

But i’m learning the hard way . . and i’ve learnt a SHIT load about my body, how to condition myself for exercises, how quickly my muscles recover, how long they take to get fatigued . . and i don’t know if i would have such in depth knowledge if i hadn’t experienced it first hand and suffered.

As STUBBORN as i am . . and how BORING prehab and extended warm ups are. . i’m learning to do what needs to be done, so i can go as hard as i want for a LONG time.

And every BODY is different . . Joe Blog may take 20 weeks to be at the same conditioning as Mary Anne, where it only takes her 11 weeks .. mother nature can be a bitch sometimes.

Shit is going to happen to you in your training that is going to unexpected, is going to set you back, piss you off, maybe you’ll sit on the sidelines for a while . . but you will ALWAYS come up on top because you know something more than you did before that injury . . and you’ll tread with caution if not the next time, than the time after that.

respect & values.

Isn’t it funny when you grow up, you respect those that you don't even know . . the rich . .  the famous . . the beauty not the brains . . you’re a kid, you don’t know any better . . so you join in on everybody’s else's obsession . . you think they’re known to the world so they MUST be worthy of being respected right?

Then as you grow older, your respect sways toward those that aren’t so famous . . they don’t live in a fancy house . . they don’t do fancy things . . but you respect them for the way they live their lives . . their honesty . . their ambition . . their passion for life . . their love . . all the traits we wish we possessed in ourselves.

It always goes back to the little things in life . . it’s the little things that touch us . .  the little things people say . . the little things people do . . or don’t do . .

Life is so fuckin’ big that we hardly pay attention to the little things anymore . . we’re too caught up in what needs to get done . . little things like a smile . . an “i love you” . . a hug . . a compliment . . or just being there to listen to what people have to say . . genuinely listen.

So when something seems overwhelming, i always try and go back to basics . . think about who and what matters most . . go back to my values because that’s what it always comes back to . . values.

If you don’t have a strong sense of what your values are, shit just happens to you. . you take whatever gets thrown at you and you learn to accept it as  “this thing called life”.

What are values ?? The things that are most important to you . . what you would fight for . . what’s good . . what’s bad . . what’s wrong.

We do shit that we regret afterwards because we’re just not clear about what we believe unconsciously is right for us.

We need to have a sense of who we are, believe in SOMETHING, know why we do what you do. What we’d put ahead of anything else.

I could go on and on about values . . bottom line: values are the bible of your life. Figure out what means the most to you, and don’t settle for anything less . . easier said than done, but the clearer those values are, the easier it will be to make the little decisions.

21 YEARS OF LIFE . . 21 LESSONS I’VE LEARNT

1. Sometimes there’s no use trying to understand the WHY of something. You just have to let shit go.

2. Nobody has it all figured out. We’re just hoping for the best.

3. You can “have it all” in life, simply by changing how you think.

4. You can’t learn a whole lifetime of knowledge on a certain topic in a day.

5. We don’t spend enough time nearly enough time with ourselves thinking about NOTHING.

6. Every person you meet is better than you at something.

7. If you aren’t happy being single, you won’t be happy in a relationship.

8. As human beings, we seriously think way too much.

9. Patience is key. Patience is ALSO a pain in my ass.

10. We all experience the same emotions, the same circumstances, at one stage of our lives. We may think we’re alone in the world, but we’re closer than we think.

11. Talent comes naturally . . but talent alone won’t get you anywhere. SKILL comes with HOURS and HOURS of beating on your craft.

12. You can’t please everybody. In fact, majority of the time, you’re pissing someone off.

13. Every problem you have is YOUR responsibility, it doesn’t matter who caused it.

14. You can’t PUSH for something to happen . . it will only take longer . . you need to focus on what you CAN control & things will eventually sort out.

15. Whenever you hate something, it hates you back: people, situations, EVERYTHING.

16. A smile goes a LONG way. So if all else fails, SMILE.

17. Putting something off makes it THAT much harder . . no matter how small.

18. There is ALWAYS somebody out there that has it worse off than you do.

19. Relying on other people or external circumstances to make you happy never works in the long term.

20. Everyone just wants to feel loved and appreciated at the end of the day.

21. People are not lazy. They just don’t have goals that DRIVE them . . and INSPIRE them.

Could have gone on FOREVER . . .

What has life taught you ??

perfection

you know it’s funny . . i’m an anti-perfectionist yet i’m a perfectionist . .

i’m not the perfectionist in the way of shoes having to face this way . .  or my hair needs to sit that way . .

but my perfectionist habits tend to lie in my goals . . and the things i do that lead to those goals . . each little step needs to be PERFECT . . never to make a mistake . .  never to put a foot wrong . . but if i do make a mistake . .  each MISTAKE has to be PERFECT . . i can’t let anybody know that i’m NOT perfect in my abilities . . in anything i set out to do . .

. . but i’ve learnt now that BECAUSE of that i’ve missed out on opportunities . . advancements . .

see the thing i’ve realised is . .

when you chase perfection . . when you make PERFECTION your ultimate goal . . you get distracted . . distracted by chasing something that doesn’t exist . . you make YOURSELF feel like a loser . . you feel like shit . . and make everyone around you feel like shit . .

Perfection? No such thing.

Nobody feels perfect 365 days of the year . . millionaires . . superstars . . celebrities . . even if they DO have it all . .

So i’m reprogramming my mind to think of failure as an opportunity . . to learn . . to be a better version of myself . . it’s kind of a “behind the scenes” to what will happen if i fuck up again . .

But whatever DOES happen . . i take responsibility. I create my OWN world . . if you DON’T believe you’re creating your own world . . your successes . . your failures . . then you’re at the mercy of circumstances . . things just “HAPPEN” to you . . you’re an OBJECT . . not a subject.

So when some plan doesn’t work out how i wanted . . i don’t attach negative emotions to it . . i don’t attach negative emotions to something that doesn’t work.

I use THAT failure and figure out what went wrong . . tweak it . . and try it again.

It’s that simple.

it's nto JUST about the "body"

“Oh he is SOOO OBSESSED with his body . . look at his arms “

“Ohh . . . all she does is GYM GYM GYM . . so self-centred”

OK OK . . let's not get your panties in a twist . .

We all go to the toilet everyday . . every couple of hours . . ok, so those of us who drink a lake full of water . . a bit more often . .

Is THAT obsessive?

Because we do it EVERYDAY . .

Is it obsessive that we EAT everyday . .

That we drive our cars everyday . .

That we go to the supermarket . .

Or when an athlete trains for their sport . . that’s not look upon as “obsessive”.

It’s all about perspective.

What fuels your fire?

What gives you the motivation to get up every morning?

What do you look forward to doing every day?

What makes you smile at the thought of it?

For me . . it’s exercise.

It’s not even the “weights” . . and GOD KNOWS it’s not the cardio . . HELL NO is it the cardio!

But “exercise” . . it’s NOT only external for me. . not only about the “body” . .

obviously that’s part of it . . but man does it go deeper than that . .

a LOT deeper . .

It’s the mental toughness . .

That mental toughness in that room, church, that allows me to be that strong in the outside world.

Conditioning your body AND your mind to think confidently . . think positive . . alleviate all that NEGATIVITY that we don’t think we have . . but we do . . we all have those thoughts . .

those destructive thoughts that tell us we can’t do things . .

when i PUSH that little bit harder in the gym . . refusing to let that weight come down on me . . refusing to give in . .

In every day life . . refusing to let somebody get in my way . . tell me i can’t do something . .

It’s kind of like you’re reprogramming your own computer system . . to do what you want it do . . act how you want it to act in certain situations . .

Having that unshakable belief in your own ability to achieve what you want, having that insatiable desire to succeed . .

Thriving on the pressure . . on the pain . . blocking out what’s not important . .

All translates into the “real” world.

So I think WHATEVER makes you feel alive, makes you feel like you can achieve anything, makes you a better version of yourself, of COURSE, naturally, it should be included in your everyday life . . it has to be for you to function . . it’s YOUR baby . . and no one can take that away from you.

"Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?

Love it!!

THE ONE EXERCISE PROGRAM GUARANTEED TO WORK FOR EVERYONE

Psssst . .

Come closer . .

For what i am about to say is for your ears only . .

The secret . . the BIG secret to the perfect exercise program . .

Wanna know what it is?

The answer is YOU!

As personal trainers . . we write up a program based on the information you give us . .

Exercise history . . how injury prone you are . . previous injuries . . medical concerns . . last time you trained . . type of training you've had . . how your body reacted . .

The more information we find out . . the more we can write out our plan of attack based on your goals . .

HOWEVER . . at the end of the day . . it's all a guess . .

Sure . . it's an educated . . scientifically-based guess based on our experiences . . our interactions with previous clients . .

But there's no way of knowing EXACTLY how your body is going to react to a particular exercise program . . to a particular exercise . .

Programs are a GUIDE . . they are the Melways and you are the taxi . .

Programs are designed to be altered . . if you're following each program to the T each every time you work out . . you're not HEARING your body . . your body is talking to you . . LISTEN to it!

I'm not saying eff your program off and go NUTTERS . . i'm saying programs don't take LIFE into consideration . .

How you slept the night before . .
When your last meal was . .
How quickly you recovered from the last sesh . .
Fatigued stabilizer muscles . .
Any injuries you have . .
Tight muscles . .

Go by how you FEEL not how you SHOULD be feeling . .

You may have a MASSIVEEE amount of strength one session . . go heavier. . get that extra rep in . . that extra set . . take ADVANTAGE of your hulk-like strength days . . they're one in few . .

Or you're feeling FLAT and lifeless . . so you shouldn't go to the gym, right? WRONG . . go to the gym SLACKER. . inhale the energy of the other lifters . . the sweat, the blood, the tears . . the sweet sound of the chiming of the weights . . the ROARING from the racks of hell . . pretty sure your mood will change . . VERY QUICKLY . .

and if it doesn't . . do some prehab . . stretching . . cardio . . ANYTHING . .

Your rotator cuffs are playing up again . . but tonight's sesh says bench press . . don't be a D***HEAD and come up with an alternative . . there's PLENTY out there . . reverse grip benches off the power rack . . this puts the rotator cuff muscles in a better mechanical position and can stabilize the shoulder more effectively . .
floor presses . . neutral grip DB presses . . partial reps . . change up the range of motion . . figure out what works for YOU based on your circumstance . .

TRIAL & ERROR . . how your body reacts to high or low reps . . pre-exhaust sets . . half reps . . drop sets . .

That's the FUN of it all!

What's better than knowing your body that little bit better . .

All you need is YOU to figure out that one exercise program . . created by YOU . . and the knowledge and experience from your personal trainer doesn't hurt either!

Together . . you're a force to be wreckened with.

Now go train!

becoming a leader . .

Being great . . being a leader . . involves more than copying and pasting what others before you have discovered. .

Greatness . . point of difference . . in ANY field . . involves researching & forming your OWN opinions . . ideas . . concepts . . patterns . . points to make others question what’s right and what’s wrong 10 . . 20 . . 30 years from now . .

You have to be perceptive . .

You have to be the underdog for a while . .

Why? Because while others are forming their own opinions based on fluff coming out of some guys behind . . you’ve got your head in a pile of books . .

You’re willing to dedicate YEARS to reading . . re-reading . . re-reading . . researching . . cross-checking . . cross-referencing . . behind the scenes . . when others are asleep . . when others are yet to wake . . when others are out getting pissed . .

Your mind is like a computer . . and like a computer . . it’s only as effective as the software it’s running on . .

You have to know your shit inside out . . back to front . .

You have to acknowledge that there are others that will always know more than you do . . know something that you don’t know . .

You have to SHUTUP and listen . .

You have to be OPEN to the fact that there may be more than one solution . .

You have to NEVER lose focus . .

Knowledge takes time . .

Understanding takes even MORE time . .

Patience . .

Persistance . .

Old theories . . new theories . . all have their part in the world . . if you ALLOW them to . . all offer good value if you prove them to . .

Discover your thoughts . .

Recognise the VALUE of your thoughts . .

However long it takes . .

Whatever it takes . .

Leave your freakin’ EGO at the door . .

THEN you might have a chance at becoming great . . becoming a leader . .

comparing coconuts with coconuts . .

Everyone has that “ideal body” that they fantasize about having . . whether it be a supermodel . . sports player . . actor . . bodybuilder . . before you hit the gym you hop on to youtube . . play a clip of them hitting the iron . . I know I do!

But lately I’ve come to a conclusion . . no . . a REVELATION. .

The more I focused on THEM I lost track of ME . .

I’m not them and I’m never going to BE them . .

Sure it’s motivating to look at pictures . . vids . . but that only gets me so far right. .

Then it’s time to put down the pink dumbbells and get to work.

Soo . . THROW OUT THE PINK DUMBBELLS PUNK!

It’s all too easy to get caught up in what everybody ELSE is doing . . comparing our bodies to their bodies . . your arms to their arms . . her legs to some other chicks legs . .

I’ve caught myself doing it SOO many times . .

What do I do now? Focus on myself . . my needs . . my body.

We need to be self-referential and look at OURSELVES to see whether we are measuring up to OUR OWN standards . . to see if we are meeting OUR full potential.

Ohh she’s got better genetics . . she can eat whatever she wants . .

Genetics? FUCK GENETICS.

Can you change her genetics? No

Can you change yours? No

So you have to work a LOT harder than the guy next to you . . it is what it is . . if you want it that bad . . you’re prepared to work for it . . and THEN some!

I’m not competing against anybody else . . I’m competing against me . . I’m competing against who I see in the mirror everyday.

Time for some R&R.

32 RANDOM THOUGHTS

1.Nobody knows everything – you need to do your OWN research using various sources, and you need to continue this for the rest of your life.

2. As much as I hate to admit it, LEG DAY is the day that makes me
stronger, both physically and mentally. I’m learning to deal with that.

3. Don’t train through the pain – there are a million other exercises out there you can substitute with (thanks coach!)

4. Some people are actually as slow as they seem…give them time, they’ll come around.

5. Don’t let others dictate your life, or tell you what you are and aren’t doing right. Listen to your own body, and you can’t go wrong.

6. Jenny can eat 2 large pizzas, 1 litre of coke, a tub of chocolate chip ice-cream, and finish it off with a bag of corn chips. GOOD FOR JENNY. You can’t!

7. You need to be reading AT LEAST an hour each day, whether it be articles, books, magazines (and no ZOO doesn’t count). It takes 10 years or 10,000 hours to become an expert in something. GET GOING!

8. When dieting, stick with the basics and deal with it. When you’re substituting this with that, and that with this, it’s no longer a diet. It’ll be good for you to actually TASTE the food that you’re eating for what it is.

9. It’s ok to have a couple of no carb days a week. It might feel uncomfortable but you’re not going to die.

10. When you first start dieting, don’t bother with the miniscule things. Eating 6 big macs a day is what you need to worry about, not how many calories in a piece of lettuce.

11. CONSISTENCY is the key to life. Do it, and you will be successful.

12. It doesn’t matter how HARD you train every day, or how long you’re going at the cardio. It’s not going to make up for shit nutrition. Period.

13. Squats are NOT bad for the knees if you’re joints are healthy.

14. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. There are all types of training methodologies out there. Find out what works for YOU, and don’t be afraid to try something new every 5-6 weeks.

15. Protein powder is not anywhere NEAR as nutritious as a solid meal. Don’t kid yourself.

16. PREPARATION – one of the other keys to success. Plan your meals the night before, buy in bulk, cook in bulk.

17. Do not compare yourself to what other people do and don’t believe in more is better. Better is better.

18. If you feel you work harder than anyone else you can be sure you have not even reached 20% of your potential.

19. Refusing to train when you’re feeling shit isn’t a good enough excuse. Unless you’re lying in the hospital bed, get your ass moving. The most important workouts are those where you feel down, depleted, depressed, or someone broke your heart. You’ll feel ONE THOUSAND times better after your workout. I PROMISE.

20. STOP THE WHINING! You chose this life for yourself. You decided to look a certain way that most people find overzealous, too much and too hard. Of course you need to do more than most, because your GOALS and STANDARDS are that much higher. Either you can settle for less and live an average life or QUIT NAGGING, and take it one day at a time, being grateful and happy that you’re physically and mentally capable of doing this.

21. Everyone’s always looking for an easy way out. There is NONE! If life gets easier, you’re not moving fast enough.

22. It’s impossible for fat cells to DISAPPEAR, VANISH, GET BLASTED AWAY. They shrink. End of story.

23. STRETCHING is vital in any training program. Especially post/mid workout. Do it or be prepared to spend months on the couch praying for a miracle to get you back in that gym.

24. I don’t CARE how much you can bench press so why do you insist on knowing mine? Grow up!

25. Everything you do is either moving you towards your goals or away from them, forward or backward. You’re either growing or dying.

26. Things are cyclical in nature. If there is something you need to work on, God will keep bringing that ‘something’ in your face until you deal with it.

27. DETERMINATION is what makes a winner successful. You either want it or you don’t want it. Period.

28. Food is fuel. The only other reasons we eat (and this is majority of the time) is for socializing and for emotional reasons. Think about THAT next time you’re reaching for that Mars Bar. HA!

29. The only limits you face are the ones you place on yourself. You can do it, just BELIEVE it.

30. Learn to accept responsibility for the current state of your body. Once you have done this, assume the responsibility for changing it.

31. You’re not going to get that KILLER BODY overnight. It took time to get it to where it is, don’t expect it come off any other way.

32. GREEN TEA is the bomb. If you’re not drinking it, you’re not reaping the endless, endless, endless benefits and are missing out. DRINK UP!

I could probably go on FOREVER, but i managed to somehow stop myself at No.32 . . there will most likely be a Part II to this some day soon.

Hope everyone's alive & kicking it in the gym.

TRAIN TOUGH.