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Day 80 The black hole

Day 80 is quite something don’t you think, 80 days of straight flat-out effort, that is some achievement even if you haven’t been able to do your best this time. As i keep telling you, its really impossible to be perfect all the time, it is important though not to knock yourself too much when you do blow it for the day or the week, getting back on the programme is all that matters at that particular stage.

So the big question is, are you going to keep on doing this thing after day 84? Hopefully you are and you will keep on doing it in such numbers. Around 120-150 unique visitors from around 15 different countries view this site according to the latest data, so i have every incentive to keep on writing and trying to help everyone out.

One of the most important changes i have heard from people taking this challenge is their taste buds changing. Those of you who used to eat a lot of packaged food, and have tried around 5000 diets, have noticed since you don’t eat the processed food so much any more, so much processed sugar, so much salt in your food and in the cooking process even, you are now noticing the TRUE disgusting sickly taste of processed food that ultimately wrecks your body for long term success.

Salt, sugar and saturated fat are the evil triplets of what we are really trying to achieve, and these triplets are happy to send us into a black hole where we feel helpless about our weight, that we feel depressed about our weight, that makes our performances go to pot, etc etc. If you want to avoid this black hole, you need to stop falling for marketing madness, or “genius” on the marketers point of view. They want you to keep falling it for every time, and it does seem a lot of people still do.

I really can’t believe these scams are still in existance, as well as all the products linked to them. These WILL send you into the black hole of hopelessness.

Good natural foods will send you into a world full of hope and achievement, and send your body and mind into a world where everything works better inside and out, and your view of the world improves drastically without even trying too hard. If you think that is overdoing it a bit, try lasting the 12 weeks in its entirety, and then see what your view of the world is?

I don’t buy this idea that people have low expectations so you are willing to accept any old rubbish. That you are willing to believe such processed foods are actually good for you just because they are “low in calories”. I don’t believe most of you will fall for any of those lies.

So you have a clear choice right now. Either you believe and actually carry out what’s on here every day, and make it work for you and your family. Try asking anyone if it sounds like common sense, or try asking a doctor to see if its likely to work? I’m pretty sure they will say its the right thing to do for the short-term and a lifetime!

Or

You go into the infamous “black hole” of processed foods/weight loss clubs, faddy exercise videos and equipment. That neverending world of short term glory, and ultimately the depression of putting it all back on and more. The nasty feeling of spending all that money on plastic exercise equipment, only to see it in langushing in some dark cupboard three months later.

The good news is that i’m here to back you EVERY day in your ambitions and goals. Some of you may even find the idea of being fit and healthy fanciful, i can tell you now its perfectly achievable and there is indeed, a new and better life out there for you!

Twitt
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Day 76 Debbie does well!

Great to hear from Debbie yesterday who is doing so well, and got me inspired to write an early post today today, just after my early morning run on this saturday. I had the benefit of sun, but realise it won’t be out for long!!

What debbie says is true, and what she is doing now is realising that she CAN actually do it, and WILL actually achieve something special now that she is developing some real momentum in her programme. I will always back someone who tries and all of you who keep on trying, i will support you all the way with all the advice and know-how needed.

What about the easter weekened then? The scarlets may have lost but it doesn’t mean you have to drown your sorrows all weekend?!!

We talked about it yesterday, the dangers of easter weekend hurting your progress over the next couple of weeks, and you battling with it to get it back on track. When you battle with anything, you lose motivation and can be more likely to quit.

This is why most people go from weight loss method to weight loss method, and are doomed for long term failure. It’s easy to ignore the most tried and tested, the most common sense, the most scientifically back way to do it, in favour of faddy weight loss clubs. Of course they will try and talk you into joining their club, but they DO want your money at the end of the day, and if they can use mistruth’s to do it, then of course they will get any underhanded way to get you to join.

Debbie has illustrated the thinking person’s way to do it, and she herself is trying to understand her own body, her own emotions when it comes to fat-loss and is always trying to develop and follow a successful long term strategy. I believe she will be successful as she knows the truth now, and she has been let down by many a faddy system in the past.

When you are developing a system, you have to put your head on the block and say it will work because of A, B and C. I will do that. Debbie has a business called Zahra Sugaring in Llanelli, and is proud in what she offers, and the benefits she offers over other methods. When she does it, she does it well and people come back, that is the sign of a good business. You won’t get debbie saying one thing one week, then the next week something else. She is consistent and proud of her principles.

I try to do that too. You won’t have me on here defending “points” and green and red days because i simply don’t believe they work in the long term. Science and research also backs me up, and that research says that 97% of those who go on such diets put the weight back on and more (5% more in fact each time). Also, i have met lots and lots of people angered and fed up by their lies and “bad science”, in fact its not even science at all!

Have a great saturday, have a great workout if you’re doing anything and catch you tomorrow!

Twitt
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Day 71 Start of week 11!!

The feeling of helping individuals improve their lives is a fantastic one, and one that keeps me getting up at 4am every day.

I do rely on a certain amount of effort on the individual’s part though, and i am glad to say that everyone improves, even if some do better than others at times. Up in Cardiff today was fantastic, as i know every single one of the girls at Arthur Llewellyn Jenkins has made substantial progress, and are still excited about their improvements and their potential to do more than they ever thought possible!

I think the real secret throughout this challenge has been everyone learning that they must carry on even when they don’t feel like it. Isn’t it the same during exam time? We all have taken exams at some time in our lives, and a lot of us taken exams after we left school, i was one of them and remain commited to life-long learning.

I have trained so many people who have taken such after school exams, and they were glad they persevered when they felt like throwing the towel in many times. I felt like catching the train straight back from london when i did my exams, but glad i stuck it out or i wouldn’t be here writing this here tonight!

To get up and do your workouts each day does take more thought and effort than most people appreciate. This week for instance there is heavy rain around, there is icy weather back wednesday and the chances to workout will be more limited. Some of you may well make excuses, but you will know by now that’s its not going to cut any ice with me, if you parden the pun!!

Some people always ask me do i lose work through bad weather? The reality is that i do an awful lot of inside workouts when the weather is rough, and the quality of the workouts doesn’t have to suffer, sometimes it is even better! The only time i lose work is if i can’t get in because of the snow, and even then i always give it a good go, foolishly sometimes!

 This is why a proper structure in your exercise programme is vital, or you will become a “weekend warrior”. This means someone who only trains the weekend because of “lack of time”. This is still good for you but a very inefficient way of training. What happened to the other 5 days?!!! Time to get with the programme!

Three days strength work is great along with a maximum of 3 days cardio work (running/walking/cycling/swimming etc). You always need one day rest minimum, no matter who you are, the body’s need for recovery cannot be understated so let’s keep everything in proper balance.

It’s like your food, keeping everything in proper balance is vital. Don’t cut out food groups although some are tempted for short term gains. Food and natural food at that, were put on this earth for a reason, to nourish your body properly and to be enjoyed in all its full natural glory. Ready meals and low calorie chocolate bars weren’t exactly part of nature’s master plan!!!

Hope you are having a solid start to the week and welcome to week 11!!!!!!

Twitt
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Day 70 Tough choices, you win!

Day 70 is pretty significant, it sounds an awful long time but it is only 10 weeks. Did you ever really believe that 10 weeks could be so long, create so much possibility and change in your life?

Or was it the other way around?

Was it too long, or is it too long already? Is it more comfortable being in a programme that promises the world in 2 weeks? Is it easier that way so you can find it out quicker that it doesn’t really work, and you can move on to the next one that wants to take your money for another two weeks?

Should we all be eating crunchy nut corn flakes for breakfast and lunch, and we would all live happily ever after? That’s what mass marketing would have us believe of course, and would those magical two weeks actually create that model’s body we see in the adverts?! Maybe not.

Society wants us to have the massive highs and lows or there would be no “wonder” products to come along and change our lives. We all secretly want a magic bullet to change things easily for us, and be able to call on that magic bullet when we want to.

If we didn’t have routines and structures in our lives, we would all love to be in the pub every night and having fish and chips on the way home. We wouldn’t get up for work the next until WE felt like it, and we wouldn’t really have to work unless WE liked doing the job. This imaginary world doesn’t exist of course unless you had the financial freedom of a lottery winner.

Lottery winners are often in the paper though saying how money has ruined their lives. How they lost all their friends and life became “boring” for them.

What they really mean is that life became boring because they had no challenges in their lives anymore. Life had no value and they aspired to nothing. When you have something to aim for, you tend to raise your game and meet the challenges that are in front of you. This gives you self-esteem and self-confidence, which makes you feel good and gives you self-worth.

I have met a few people with all the money in the world given to them on a plate, but were often unhappy as they had nothing to contribute to in life. They had no tough choices, nothing to get up for and when that moment comes, life usually takes a downward spiral.

You hear it all the time, when people retire and have no interests, they don’t usually last long. Those who have plenty going on in their retirement and are challenged usually remain the vibrant person they always were, and usually keep contibuting to the environment around them.

This programme is all about tough choices and big challenges, and getting over them creates ultimate success and a long lasting vibrant life.

Have a great sunday!

Twitt
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Day 67 Never give up/ride out the storms!

The confirmation when someone improves so much that it takes your breath away always makes this job all the more satisfying. I have had many times when individuals have come down 5-6 dress sizes and the funny thing is, you are less surprised right at the end at the amazing progress for a very good reason.

The hardest thing in any programme is getting people over the biggest challenges along the way.

An individual will always improve at the start, as exercising, eating well and sleeping better will always create a positive result. When the challenges come up, some bigger than others, its at that exact time that you need to hold firm and stick to your principles.

For example, if someone had started off well, it is a shock when their eating come off their rails and they think it is the end of the world. There are many people who post on here who that has happened to, but have come back so strong the next week it is truly inspiring!! This has been fantastic and even inspiring for myself!

The doubt is in the mind and people often doubt their ability to carry on at times. The ability to stick at it and come through the other side is invaluable, and adds so much to self-belief it can be incredible.

We all want to take the easy way out, the quick fix, the faddy diet that ultimately doesn’t work and screws your metabolism up. We have all been through that, and thats why i do my best to encourage all of you not to taker that route that many take.

The facts are that less people travel the path we  are treading because it’s a little bit harder to follow to begin with. The rewarding part though is that for the long term and the rest of your life, it is the most viable and most productive.

Of course, none of us are perfect and all of our weight’s will go up and down. However, if we adopt the approach as i have said around ten million times already on here, eating well 80% of the time, allowing ourselves a treat here and there, we will be making substantial gains over the short and longer term.

It is heartbreaking to see people like Chris who did amazingly well to start with doubt his progress after getting a job away. Hope his programme is back on course and he’s overcome the challenges he had. It’s heartening to see jean reach former glories despite having many headwinds against her at times. She has now overcome them, and all credit to her for making a diary of her ups and downs, i have found that truly valuable for my experience and increased ability to help others in the future.

 We are all learning, and that includes me, and if we don’t we get left behind. It heartens me that people are still as enthusiastic to train at 5am, everyone asks me if its a hardship to get up at 4am every day, really its not when you consider you have some people enthusiastic to see me at 5am, that means a lot to me and keeps me fired up to reach new standards of service in my business.

In fact, i have never called it work (what i do), its something i really enjoy every day and read about every day in my spare time even. One of the best sayings i ever heard was that if you love what you do for a living, you never work another day in your life. What a statement, but very true!!

Will get a new recipe posted later!

Twitt