Fail to plan and you plan to fail!

It all starts with intention!

How can I get to where I want to be? Your goal may be to lose your stomach that has grown bigger over the years. It might be strength related (to handstand for 1 minute). It may be to get to financial freedom or to help more people achieve their goals than you have previously. Your goals are so varied I could not list them all.

I recently heard a fantastic speaker list his 6 point plan to success!

1.Optimism – A reason to believe our future can be positive. If I have a mind set that I am going to experience positivity then I will attract that to me. The same can be said of negativity. What are you focused on?

2. Influence – The ability to and the belief I can influence my future. If I believe I can then I can. If I believe I can’t then I can’t. It is ALL about belief.

3. Purpose – Know what we want and why we want it! If you dont know then start to meditate on what it is you want and then answer the BIG question, Why do I want that?

4. Plan – This is simply “some idea” of how I can make my plan happen. If I dont plan I will have no direction. If there is a system that someone else has developed that can get me to my goal then that will be my plan.

5. Support – A positive and encouraging emotional environment. There are people who will be unhappy to see you succeed at your goals. Surround yourself with likeminded people and avoid the ones who try to pull you down. They are not part of your journey.

6. Adversity – The biggest killer of creativity. It is part of life so if I have allready a contingency plan then I will just keep my eye on my goal.

My path may detour but I will still move forward.

Here are a few of my favourite recent quotes.

If I cant then I must.

I only fear what I do not understand.

If I dont stand for something then I will fall for everything.

No-one can make me feel inferior without my consent.

Tim James CPT Kettlebell Instructor

Fitness – fat loss mistakes of 2009!

I have been putting in a lot of energy to my upcoming Worldwide Workout on Saturday the 9th but here is the top mistakes you made in 2009 and how to be successful in 2010!

1. Doing too much cardio. Because cardio is exercise many of you make the mistake of thinking that is where you will burn  the fat. Unless you are doing enough to burn more than you are eating this is a very ineffective way to succeed at fat loss. You need to train less, recover more so you have the ability to put in more effort each individual workout and most importantly if you havent allready start INTERVALS.

2. No accountability. In 2009 if you didnt have a group to turn up to, a friend to train with or a coach to make appointments with then you had a high chance of falling off the wagon. Get accountable to someone and inspire them while y0u are at it!

3. No meal planning. What am I going to eat? Standing at an open fridge door or cupboard door thinking, “What is there to eat”? I know, I have done it. The answer is sit down on a Sunday with some paper and plan your main meals. Brekky, Lunch, Tea. You are bound to succeed at eating better when you know what you have planned even if you have planned to eat out.

4. No intensity. It is ok to exercise at your level but when do you really challenge yourself. Pushing the envelope! Doing that last few seconds that you dont feel like. Without intensity you will stagnate and eventually go backwards.

5. Undereating. Yes it is true. If you dont eat often enough you will be more likey to overeat or snack on crap or simply you will lose muscle and be fatigued & tired! Stick to 3 meals and 2 snacks for minimal success.

6. Overeating. Related to undereating often but it can also be that you love what you are eating so much that you lack the discipline to stop. First only have one serving. Secondly reduce the size of your plate. Lastly wait ten minutes before deciding to have dessert.

7. Overtraining. Many of you have seen the signs. No energy, lethargic, disinterested, constantly hungry, sore all the time. The list is much larger but can be summed up into one statement. You are doing too much and need to reduce the amount of time you are spending per workout and also reduce your workouts to one per day and every other day being strength. Also have one day off where you are only doing leisure activities.

When to eat and why!

Should I eat before working out in the morning?

Should I eat after working out? Should I eat between lunch and tea?

Great questions and ones often asked!

Firstly, if you are exercising on an empty stomach- especially in the morning- you won’t have any energy reserves to draw on. You will perform better and lift more if you have the right balance of nutrients.

The question is when should I eat and what are some suggestions. Here are a couple of suggestions from renowned fitness gurus.

Craig Ballantyne says 45 mins to an hour protein smoothie. Fruit and water and nut butter and if you have protein powder you can add that but its not essential.

Even Rye toast with nut butter is an option. An apple or banana with a small handful of nuts (almond, walnut or raw cashew) If you dont feel hungry first thing in the morning try a high glycaemic fruit and you will get hungry quickly. Then you can eat protein and low glycaemic carbs.

You will do far better eating smaller healthy meals and snacks than 3 great big meals and bad snacks in between. The afternoon period between lunch and tea is often problematic for a lot of people and also returning home before eating dinner.

Do you remember Mum saying “Dont eat now- you will spoil your dinner!” ? She was right. So plan ahead and dont have those bad snacks in the cupboard. Eat some raw vegies in the afternoon and maybe even a small tub of ricotta or cottage cheese with the veg’s.

Post workout nutrition is key to allowing your body to repair and feed the muscles so they can grow and build a faster fat burning metabolism.

So a bowl of weetbix and milk is not a balanced meal after a big morning workout.

A slice of rye with avocado and two fried eggs with a cup of greens is far more beneficial. Always have protein if you are having a whole grain cereal like yoghurt and nuts.

Note! The majority of this is simply my opinion gained from over 9 years of “in the trenches work with hundreds of clients” and if you need specific advise please see a registered nutritionalist.

Experiment with what works for you and take note of how you feel 30 -60 minutes after eating. This is the best way to find the right eating habits for you.

Now what food are you thinking about? 🙂

Tim James Certified PT, Australian Kettlebell Instructor

How to find your way with Google!

On a recent exciting road trip from Phily to DC using a print out from Google maps, the thought occurred to me, “Where do people go for a definitive map of their journey in fitness”?

You see there is so much to know and if you read an article from one magazine it can be contradicted in the next magazine. So here is a simple path to make the journey easier and the travelling smoother.

• Make a list! Include the starting point and destination. Look at the roadblocks that occur between the two. Ie. from overweight to fit may mean having to start an accountability eating program..

• Figure out the vehicle you will use to reach your destination. If it is an unreliable vehicle, you may not even get to the end. Following a fat loss program that has been around for years is not always the best solution. Better would be a program that is delivering results to people now. Oh! and it doesn’t have to be weight loss. It could be eating better, getting fitter or even getting a fit body that turns heads.

• Determine who your travel companion is! You want support for the journey as it will probably be for life. So choose wisely. Getting advice from that lady at the gym who is looking good may  not be sensible but finding a professional who has studied how to help you and is personable will get you to your destination with encouragement and support.

• Do your budget. You cannot leave on a road trip without realising you need fuel and food etc.. What are you prepared to invest or even sacrifice so this goal can be accomplished?

• Track your memories along the way. If you take snapshots over time by journaling it can be really encouraging to see where you have come from. Most days in life seem uneventful in memory but it is amazing what we can recall when we muse on journals. Recording your workouts may seem droll but it helps you to achieve goals much quicker if you have an accurate account of what you did last workout.

So what do you do to stay on track? There are many more facets I didn’t mention but hopefully this can be a start to getting you to your end destination in one piece and not too stressed out!

Tim James CPT

Australian Kettlebell Instructor