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Wednesday, 15th March

Post traumatic stress disorder is something you probably know affects many people in the forces, and in this case was referring to US army veterans who had seen many conflicts.

The study started when the soldiers were back in the hospital in the US. Their disorder was so bad that some had failed to talk-for 5 years! That’s quite a thing on its own, quite how much they had withdrawn into themselves was startling and deeply disturbing after witnessing the ravages of war.

A radical experiment got them to be more active. In this case, they were taken out to sea by a surfing instructor. The men were being taught to surf, they didn’t really want to go but they managed to get them in the water.

Within literally 5 waves crashing over them, some men starting smiling and laughing, which according to the nurses and doctors present was the first time they could remember it happening.

Within 30 minutes, many of the group uttered their first words since they had been in the hospital (5 years ago).

The benefits continued to get better the more sessions they spent being in the water, and being active in general.

Most treatment for anything to do with the mind starts with exactly that-treating the mind and often medication.

A growing movement around the world by doctor’s and think tanks to create real change focuses on the subject getting active and moving more first.

There are numerous studies to show that you think more positively when you are exercising, being more active than when you are staying still and contemplating a solution or lack of it.

As the soldiers showed, whilst not completely solving their many problems, they got them on the road to a better future, getting them back “to live life” and hopefully in a place where they can make better and more empowering decisions about their future.

Get active, celebrate your ability to think more clearly and enjoy the opportunities that brings.

Twitt
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Tuesday, 7th March

What’s your standard? It’s important to identify it, and look for a way to improve on it no matter how good your standard.

If your standard is one workout a week, you know you need to improve, even improving it to twice a week is a victory and stick at it.

If your standard is training regularly and then eating rubbish all the time, then can make instant improvements on this and you know it. Just drinking more water and eating breakfast will be a massive improvement, plus you will feel a lot better too.

Do you coast through your workouts sometimes, knowing you can give more?

Do you give in easily to those who say “Why bother with the gym tonight”?

Do you leave days off become weeks off? And somehow wonder where the time went?

Do you let negative influences turn you off from doing positive things with exercise and eating right?

Are you stuck at half marathon knowing with a bit more effort and consistency you can run the full marathon?

Do you spend 5-10 minutes at the end of each session to stretch off, making sure your body is injury-free and fully recovered?

Do you call in for a bottle of wine in the petrol station each night, nobody else knows so it doesn’t matter anyway?

Identify where you are right now, and then work on a way to get better, small changes done often will make all the difference and progress you to where you want to be.

Twitt
Posted on

Friday, 3rd february

Time is something we all must make the most out of. We all have a certain amount of it, so there’s definitely no time to waste on things that don’t impact us positively.

These 3 weeks of the programme are measured out to give us the maximum out of ourselves. We put everything on the line for it, our health, our results, our wellbeing depends on those 3 weeks. We realise you don’t have any time to waste and those sessions has better be great!

If we get the most out of ourselves, our whole lives improves. Who can’t use more energy in their lives? It is vital for our very existence and so important for our performance, our moods, our happiness and our desire to do more each time.

Keep learning whatever your age, we all must if we want to get better, the days of finishing school and not learning anything else ended a long time ago, most if not all jobs require us to keep learning as we go if we want to excel in what we do.

If we don’t learn and develop a thirst for learning ,we will never get better,

You are in the box seat, you have a well worked out programme always on hand for you, keep demanding more out of us, it’s what drives us harder as coaches to help you in your desire to continually improve.

Don’t take your time for granted, use it wisely and use your week to make a massive positive impact on your health and wellbeing!!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 9th November

Once we realised the sun did come up again after President Trump’s win, we start to realise that relying on an election result, doesn’t change a whole lot in our immediate lives. Never rely on one person or organisation to tell you what’s possible and what’s not. History backs us up on this time after time.

No government goes out of their way to help us, and we realise the candidates have big flaws just like the rest of us.

The old saying that 90% of what we worry about never happens, and the other 10% we can’t do nothing about anyway, has never been more true.

The UK general election, Brexit, US election, sports protests on human rights in the states (whatever your views) has shown that the public has been in protest mode for some time, and most are not willing to accept what the establishment has dished out for the last 40 years or more.

I hear more and more of people who aren’t willing to accept frozen food in chain restaurants, going to a gym and nobody ever helping you, management in the workplace not appreciating your efforts and opinion, there is strong evidence on more people in Wales launching their own business, some of you launched your own charity out of nothing, helped thousands and counting, because the system wouldn’t help you (Active for Autism-Tom Shaw) etc.

When my father started our gym in 1957, everyone thought he was mad, some doctors for years even claimed weight training was dangerous. Making your own path where nobody has gone before is risky and tests your self-belief to the limit, many will even laugh at you, but your have to follow your heart and passion, and see it through knowing deep down you are doing it for the right reasons, and you are aiming to creating an overwhelmingly positive impact in people’s lives.

Things are changing fast and i commend many of you on your independence of thought and self-belief that you can succeed and never accept the status quo any more. Sometimes, being a non-conformist is amazing because it creates breakthrough change that nobody thought possible apart from YOU.

When you are feeling rebellion, taking control of your health will transform you to a whole new level, help you attain amazing life long dreams in your life, and develop the sustainable energy and drive to create a new history for yourself.

What makes a far impact in our lives is our opportunity to change our own lives for the better, no government can take that away. If you aren’t feeling well physically, and struggling mentally as a result, then starting cautiously on a health and fitness programme will become one of your greatest achievements.

Exercise is like a journey that has ups and downs but the overall destination is incredible and strong foundations will be built, and your wonderful feeling of wellbeing along the way will positively impact all of those around you that are most important.

Twitt
Posted on

Saturday, 15th October

This is MY journey and nobody else’s

The road to health, fitness and wellness is just that, a journey. The idea that you can change your diet and lifestyle around in six weeks is a idea built in the media’s mind to capture you into the dream.

Of course, real life isn’t anything like the dream and so we must take it one step at a time.

Be patient

There is a tendency to want results to come instantly, especially if you find the diet and exercise hard going and not particularly enjoyable. I often think, there is no destiny to arrive to where body image is concerned. Let go of that young girl running across the beach in a string bikini up her arse lol! Concentrate on your inner feelings instead. The journey is one to happiness and contentment. Are you happy counting the calories and the scales? Are you pinching your skin everyday wondering if you will lose those two stones in the next two days? Take an inventory every day of your feelings.

Every day when you get up, say one positive thing about your body, character or training regime.

A great mantra is, ‘I am getting stronger in my body every day’ Or ‘I am a little bit stronger today than I was yesterday’.

Here is where the real transformation takes place. Being comfortable in your own skin is priceless. Being finally able to trust yourself to see it through and getting out of your own way!

Getting out of your own way

It’s funny how many of us have a set gauge of how well we are mean’t to do in life. I have this all the time. I will do really well for a while and then I get in my own way. ‘Who am I to do this? I think I should go back to the old me now. Then just quit out of the blue.

When you start having these negative feelings, the best way I have found is to try and work straight through them. Once you start honouring these feelings, it’s game over. Train harder and keep telling your little old self, the ego, that tries to pull you down all the time, this is MY mountain and I am going to climb it to the top!!

Have bucketloads of compassion

With yourself that is. With yourself first. Whenever you have a big blow out on the biscuits or crisps, write down all of the reasons why that happened. Are you stressed? Do you need to find a way of processing some old or new emotions? Are you bored? Finding new ways of relaxing and hobbies to keep you busy is crucial in the nights, especially at the beginning of your food journey. Maybe it’s as simple as not having the foods in the house in the first place. If it’s there, you WILL eat it, guaranteed.

Stop caring what others think

This is a real toughie. When friends and family stop or don’t even encourage and support your new lifestyle it’s a real challenge. Most of us want to please and be liked and so it can really derail you.

This of course has more to do with them than you. Often human nature doesn’t like change as it refects things about themselves that they would possible like to change but feel like they can’t. In other words, you changing, makes them feel awkward. We can all relate to that on some level. It’s a good idea to try and get your friends or family on board with you, so you all help and support each other. This way, your social time will end up in the gym or local park, and not in the pubs and cake shops.

Stopping drinking at parties or eating all the cakes during lunch with girlfriends is a real challenge for instance. You may worry that you look boring, some friends may even call you that, and you may even be scared you will lose friends over it.

It all boils down to your commitment and reasons why you are doing it. Having a very strong list of positives of why you are doing it is very beneficial. You have to learn how to stand your ground here. From experience, saying you are not eating crap or drinking alcohol for health reasons, is usually sufficient in stopping the pleas and begging. Also, if your family and friends are really becoming jealous or resentful, try and find some other people who are more supportive of your goals to train with, for instance.

You don’t have to let it get you down, just do make sure you protect your dreams like a little baby. You wouldn’t hand your precious newborn baby to just anyone, and you shouldn’t hand over your dreams of a new life and goals over to just anyone either, for them to comment and make judgements over. It takes a lot of energy and commitment to make even small changes for a new life, career or new body. Be kind to yourself and just take small steps in the right direction every day, even if it means drinking that water!!

Have a nice weekend,

Nicola.

Twitt