Motivation + Mindset
You’ve got into healthy eating patterns, you’re now exercising frequently but the weight doesn’t seem to be moving? You’ve followed the advice and it isn't working? I want to give you a tip off as to what it could possibly be that’s holding back your results…
A few week's ago I had the pleasure of interviewing a really tough bloke. A bloke that I have known for 20 years but not spoken to in a while. It's funny hey, you're so busy dealing with your own shit that you just don't even comprehend how tough some other people have it and what battles they're facing.
Cliffy, my mate, is the perfect example of the private battles people face when on the surface, everything seems A-OK. According to statistics from Beyond Blue:
- 45% of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime;
- In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression, and over 2 million have anxiety.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 44, with around 2,500 people dying by suicide every year. That's 8 people EVERY day!
Depression, anxiety and suicide is non-discriminatory and affects people from different of age, gender, sexual preference, race and wealth groups. Perhaps this is the reasons why tacking the issue is such a massive challenge and one which clearly has a LONG way to go.
I'm planning a very big night tonight. Yep, it's 3pm and I am sitting at my laptop thinking about the year that's wrapping up. So before rushing off to crush loads of drinks, I wanted to spend a couple of hours to myself, collecting my thoughts and sharing them with whoever cares to read. And then... I shall drink!
So without further delay, enjoy my thoughts... ;)
What's the issue with a little relaxation? Short answer is... nothing. The issue is when relaxation is synonymous with watching television for hours on end.
With 62.8% of Australians being overweight or obese and the prevalence steadily growing, we’re in trouble…
In my last post, I discussed the strategy for forming habits according to Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning. This book for me was a real reinforcement of one of my key success strategies - getting up early! Having lunch when others are having breakfast!
While the post covered Hal's recommendations on how to form any habit more generally in 30 days (using the three-stage process), today I want to focus in on what practical advice he provides on how to make the most of your early wake-up. If you get this down pat, you become a productivity machine and your life will completely change for the better.
The Miracle Morning - Why Wake Early?
If I asked you whether you were a morning person or a night person, what would you say? If it's the latter, does the concept of becoming a morning person seem so foreign to you that you cannot quite comprehend it? And let me ask you, do you think this idea is rooted in physiology - your body's individual, specific tendency to operate better at night? Or is this a learned belief? Is it that you stay up late frequently so naturally you are tired in the morning?
My belief is that this concept is purely psychological and that anyone can learn to rise up before the sun. The question is, why would you do this and what are the benefits? Well here are my main reasons to rise 'early doors':
I am reading a brilliant book at the moment by a bloke named Hal Elrod. Called 'The Miracle Morning', this book has sold countless copies and I know why - it's pure gold!
You know the feeling. It's Sunday night and you've had a fairly big weekend. The last thing you want to do on a Monday morning is set your alarm for 5:30am so you can get up and hit the gym. It's winter - cold, dark and.... cold! You just want to stay in bed. It's pouring rain outside and just getting to class has you soaked….
I'm often asked where I get the energy to wake at 5am every day. I'm told to 'spend more time relaxing' and less time in the gym. Yet on five days a week, I put myself through the pain of a workout for I know the returns.
It's hard for a non-lifter to understand the lessons learned in a gym. Yet if I could promise you one sure fire way to change your existence, it would be to expose yourself to these lessons. You learn a lot about your character when you are laying under 100kg of weight that resists your attempts to push it away.
Your first steps back into the world of physical activity can be scary and I think this is possibly one of the hardest steps you have to take to start the journey of change. I was no different when it came to taking it. You can become frozen by negative thoughts and at that point, the sofa and Xbox basically grow very welcoming arms.
April 2014… couch, crisps, and Facebook whilst awaiting the ding of the oven timer for another deliciously orange-coloured meal of chips, southern-fried chicken and baked beans. A meal surely covering all bases on the carbs, protein, and veg front? I’m casually scrolling through the many insane pictures and musings that Facebook regurgitates when my eyes lock onto a photo of me looking like what can only be described as a fat, retired WWF wrestler. No offence meant to wrestlers out there.
Maybe it’s the host of wellness bloggers that are coming out of the woodwork that’s driving it. Maybe it’s A Current Affair’s coverage of the latest fad diet night after night that gives it oxygen. But why is it that nutrition and lifestyle have become the domain of which everyone, qualified or not is an expert?
If you’ve been looking for an epic way to mix up boring cardio training, this could be it! Stairs are something we usually avoid but in this workout, climbing stairs is our focus! And we’re not talking 15 steps, more like 20 continuous minutes of stair climbs!
STOP!!! Before you start reading, stop what you are doing! Sit up wherever you are with some good posture but remaining relaxed. Now, press PLAY on the video above and shut your eyes! Open them up when the vid stops playing!
Now if you’ve done as I requested, my bet is that you feel ALIVE after hearing that tune. You see Daft Punk are unmatched at capturing the true power of music’s ability to influence your mood. If you are familiar with their newest album Random Access Memories, you’ll know what I mean about being taken down an incredible journey of musical emotion. I am certainly no Richard Wilkins (not sure I’d want to be) but this sets the tone for the topic I want to discuss here… the power of music! Old mate Bono once said “music can change the world because it can change people” and I recon he’s spot on. Music is a powerful force that has the potential to evoke crazy motivation and even completely change our mood. So how is this possible?
I am often asked where my energy comes from, particularly in the morning. Whilst the tired, unenthused majority are struggling to wake up at 730am, I’ve already done an hour gym session, had breakfast and cracked out nearly an hour of work. This post may seem a little self-serving but given the amount of people that have asked – “what’s the secret?”, I feel compelled to share my blueprint – the blueprint to swapping lie-ins for leg-presses!
I can remember having conversations with my old man when I was young. He would ask me what I was working toward and what my goals were both now and in the future. Wow! Talk about asking the big questions of a twelve year old! I knew the actions my father was trying to provoke in me and I believed in the power and importance of goal-setting. Yet now with more life experience, I would argue that goal setting is much more detailed than simply stating what you want and going after that goal at all costs.
With this post, my GOAL is to (oh, this is awkward) show you how to incorporate goal setting in your life in a practical, healthy and beneficial manner.
Weight-lifting has for too long, been lumped in as a pursuit for aspiring hulks and macho man-types only. The intention of this post is to shed some light on the lesser known benefits of pumping iron and convince you non-gymmers that building weights into your exercise routine is a smart move from a general health perspective.
Changing your body is hard, right? When you feel like you’re at the bottom of Mount Everest looking up, listening to guys like me preach on social media about health and transformation can almost turn you off.
And that’s why I wanted to come down off my high horse and share with you my personal story.
My story of being a failure; My story of feeling like crap and wanting to quit…
And what I did to change it all, forever…
It’s a story about how I am no different to you and despite what you see, how I face the same mental battles.
This is the true origin of my program and why I feel it’s my mission in life to coach what I have learned.