Category: motivation

“The only thing in the world you can change is yourself and that makes all the difference in the world”-Cher

There comes a point when someone i train is not reaching his/her potential, that an old saying has to be said.

You can talk crap to your friends, and i can talk crap to mine, but let’s not talk crap to each other!

How many people do you know look calm and happy on the outside, but underneath they may be unhappy in some way or many ways, but are putting on a good act, i’ve met more than a few.

If you started your life all again, and had total control of how it would turn out, from the start until now, how would it look?

For example, some of the questions i have seen asked;

What if you hadn’t fell into trap of others putting unrealistic expectations on you, as well as responsiblities you felt were too much? What if you weren’t just expected to do the mundane and just plod along?

What if you weren’t born into a certain family and level in life and you felt you had no choices?

What if you didn’t live from pay slip to pay slip, worrying that things may not turn out ok, and didn’t have everyone depending on you?

What if you weren’t heavily overweight and quite so tired all the time, would life be different? What if the feelings of being trapped went away, and for the first time in your life you had the opportunity to shape your life for who you really are and what really matters to you finally?

What if you started questionning what it really matters if you drive an old or new car, how much you earn, what street you live in, and do you really care if someone dislikes you or not?

So if you had this second chance, would you really go for it, or is the old life nice and safe so you stick to what you have. Is it worth a  new adventure of being fit and healthy, or are you going to bail out again last moment, and not follow through?

 Are you going to settle for that because you are scared that the new, fit and exciting version of you can’t really happen? If you commit in the new year to that new you and you managed to stick to the programme (and yes, you can get help at any time), a few things will likely happen to you.

You will discover you have a lot more choice on what happens in your life and you do have much more control than you thought. You will find out that your past does not control you, not now and definitely not in the future. For you to start though, you have to refuse to accept the negatives going on in your life, and refuse to keep on making the same old excuses.

If you do not have what you really want and need, you must be willing to say so and with conviction. Then, you can really start to change it and make those changes last for life. If you always tell yourself the truth, you will become even more proud of the progress you’re about to achieve, as you know it will be real and nobody will be able to tell you otherwise.

December 7th asnd just two weeeks to the shortest day which is december 21st!!! Most people i bump into now are pretty demotivated to do something new and get some more energy in their lives, and isn’t it true in life that when you about to give up, things often turn around, how many times has that happened? Isn’t it true we are about to come out of recession, but you would never think that the way the doom and gloom is in the news and papers every day!

Think of it, it’s nature’s way of really testing you right now, are you strong enough to still put in your workouts, to still eat good nutritious food, or are you going to give in and open that bottle of wine? Are you going to shop earlier than planned for christmas, and launch yourself into all the goodies? After all, its only two weeks friday after all?!

The choices you make in your moments of indecision will shape your future, at all times. If you make the decision to give up on good food, its a slippery slope and hard to get back on the right road, giving in will not give you self-confidence and self-esteem, it doesn’t work like that. We’ve talked about being strong, and the benefits. It’s not being “boring” by eating well and working out, for me someone with no energy and always has a hangover is pretty “boring”? Someone who has the most energy in the room has never been the boring one, the ones who call you boring are the miserable ones who haven’t the guts and determination you have, after all “misery loves company”, so the old saying goes!

The hardest time is right now, and don’t give in like you have in past years, this time’s different so let’s prove it!

Keri

How many of you have put off workouts, have put off something good you were going to do for yourself or others by people “stealing” your time? It’s true that when i ask people how their week went, they will initially say it went very well indeed. On closer inspection, i then ask how many workouts they did and the answer 40% of the time will come back, i did do one or even two workouts without you, but i didn’t manage those one or two other workouts! I then explain how important they are, and indeed for a few weeks again, they will be 100% compliant with their workouts, until guess what…………..someone or something steal their time!

Ways around not getting in your workouts in on time are tried and tested. These include making appointments with yourself. Think of it like this, would you cancel a dental appointment? An appointment with a solicitor? Or a doctor? 99% of the time you wouldn’t of course, and when you think about it, they are not exactly the most pleasure things to do!! So how about re-thinking your commitment and what you really want? Imagine how more effective if you really ignored the things or people who steal your time. Working out can be a big pleasure in your life, especially when you practice it more, it really does get more fun!! 

What about if someone calls for a tea/coffee every time you’re supposed to be training, just tell them that your time is important to you to workout, and not being ignorant but to call 30 minutes later! Then you can have the big chat of the day!! Is what Ken Barlow or Phil Mitchell in corrie or eastenders that important to steal your time from working out. There’s enough misery in those shows already, leave alone heaping more on you by making you overweight through inactivity and comfort eating!

That’s why working out first thing in the morning can be valuable, nobody is always trying to steal your time at that time of day usually, and a workout can be done before life’s everyday things approach very soon.

I’m sure if you make a list of people/things that steal your time every day, they can be re-arranged to make time for yourself, and from a family perspective, just tell them you need your workouts to get rid of stress, and for even more energy to serve everyone in the family, they will understand, and its ten times better and cheaper than going down the pub every night!!

December 6th already, time to keep your focus and workout regularly this week, make your intentions public and tell everyone that working out and eating well are 100% parts of your life, nothing shameful in that is there?!! When you make your intentions public, they will be more reluctant to keep stealing your time, 30 minutes is all you need for meaningful exercise, now THAT is really not too much too ask for in 24 hours!!!

Have a great sunday,

Keri

Actor Robson Green on tuesday, tackles his free swimming fears when he swims many of the world’s most difficult places to swim.

Starting from the coastline where he had spent his childhood growing up playing on the beach, he would swim the two miles out to holy island, surrounded by strong tidal currents that make swimming to it particularly dangerous. There are many such incredible swims to come and should be worth watching.

For Robson, pushing himself so hard was life-changing experience, “i at the age of 44, had let my ambition falter and accepted my limitations. What working with jon (his trainer for swimming) made me realise is that if you commit to your destination, then anything is possible”.

Robson dedicated the swims to his father and the whole series of films.

I urge you to check the series out on tuesday night and let me know what you think?

Keri