The WHY game

So I played a little game to really try to help my client who has plateaued for a very long time. It was a game of WHY.

I wanted to find out exactly WHY he wanted to achieve his goal but more importantly to try to get him to attach an emotion to his goal.

Quite often I meet people who tell me what their goal is but they never really explore why it means so much to them. When you dig a little (or a lot) deeper to find what really drives them, you are finding their motivation and this is then the ingredient that can shape both the relationship of client + trainer and also whether they are successful in reaching their goal.

To call it a game is probably not very accurate as it can often bring up stuff they didn’t know was there. Trust me though, the intentions are always in the right place because as a trainer with over a decade of experience with people, we need to ask a lot of questions before we prescribe a solution.

So how did it go?

Well I asked my client 8 times WHY. I started with “why do you want to loose weight”, and after each answer I asked WHY. What was really fascinating about this was what came out of the answers. When I asked him to repeat back to me what he heard from our conversation, it announced was that he blamed something else for his plateau. It was his work. Some of you might relate to this. Work gets busy, kids, family commitments etc, sometimes it’s just overwhelming. I get it. Sometimes the juggle is just too much. However, if we want to achieve something we need to stay focused for a period of time.

So what he got out of it was where he was placing the responsibility.

A worthwhile game if you have been stuck for a long time.

Getting to the real answers is what I love. This is where the results are.

Need some help exploring? Give me a call.

Janet  0427 167 288

The last 2kg …….

Can you relate to this? Just want to loose the last 2kg? But it’s hard right?

So why is that?

Well, there could be a number of reasons but where I am taking this blog is not about the number 2kg but rather what it represents.

Watch out, it’s about to get deep …..

A few years ago I was running an 8 week challenge and had a Psychologist come and speak to my group and the very question came up about a girl and her yellow dress. Much the same as the last 2kg, she was convinced once she could fit into that yellow dress again, life would be restored. She would feel happy. She would have finally arrived. The battle would have been won.

The question the Psychologist proposed was “why is the yellow dress so important?”

The girl went onto explain how she FELT when she could fit into the yellow dress.

So after some discussion, it was evident she was chasing a FEELING not a number. But she just happened to be a particular number on the scale when she was wearing the yellow dress.

By now you are wondering, so what’s the secret to getting the last 2kg off?

Well, back to the Psychologist, she explained that if you move from a perfectionist mindset (has to be this way or else I won’t be happy) to a slightly more relaxed mindset (ok, so if I am 1-3kg around my normal body weight life can go on) it is more likely to be sustainable and realistic.

The number on the scale is only as powerful as you want it to be. And sure you may still want to loose the last 2kg, but let me ask you this : “what will your life look like 2kg lighter? Are you a completely changed person? Are you more successful?”

If it is a feeling you are chasing, maybe you need to look somewhere else other than the scales.

In my experience with clients, when I can convince them to shift their focus and stop being so resistant to the weight, they loose the last 2kg anyway. But by then it’s not the 2kg less that make them happy, it’s looking at life beyond the scales.

Hope this helps  x

 

Mobility. What is it and do I need it?

Mobility is about increasing the range of motion around the joint.

Stretching is about lengthening the muscle.

So what you we need and why?

 

Mobility allows your body to move easily and freely without any hinderance or pain caused by the muscles moving around the joint.

Muscles get shortened by contraction (which happens during exercise) and daily patterns (eg: sitting). Lengthening the muscles helps to relieve pain and give the muscle the flexibility it started with before it was shortened.

 

Good mobility therefore gives you a better range while performing strength exercises. Quite often people struggle to get into position (eg: bottom of the squat or deadlift) and it increases the changes of injury, or just limits their potential for greater strength gains. And we are not just talking about lifting big weights for bigger muscles, but lifting heavier increases core strength as well. And this is what can help with a lot of injuries – having a stronger core.

 

The downside to having reduced or restricted mobility can mean that other muscles overcompensate. For example if you have a left hip that is restricted and less mobile, then when you go to do a deep squat you are likely to move to the right side as you lower and therefore load not only your right glute and also your right lower back and hip. The more you do it, the bigger the problem becomes. While we might not all be trying to squat deep and squat heavy, we do all sit at some point in the day. It’s the same movement pattern, same issue.

 

Performing mobility as part of your warmup is a great solution for getting warm and increasing range of the joints you are going to use during your exercise session.  An additional mobility session throughout the week is an added bonus especially on a rest day. A day when your body is recovering from all of the load you have put it through throughout the week while giving it some love.

 

Check out here when our mobility session is on :

Timetable

Why 8 week challenges are so good!

Why does the 8 week challenge work so well?

 

8 weeks offers a short enough time to stay focused but long enough to get some really good results.

They also typically give you a different type of training program which is a big reason why, if you commit to everything within the challenge, you see and feel the full effect of the results.

When you train the same, you get the same. And if you don’t “surprise” or “shock” the body every now and again, you will plateau and this is why, if you commit to the program, you can really get the transformation they offer.

Eating is a big part of the challenges too, whether you are trying to gain muscle or lose body fat. You can’t out train a bad diet. So with some good quality nutrition advice, coupled with a great exercise program and a length of time that you can focus for, it’s the perfect mix for a solution most people are striving for.

Throughout the year people can get distracted with work, life and everything in between, so it’s a really fun and easy way to get results when you have a simple, effective plan to follow and you train with like minded people. Being around the people who are striving for the same result and a really positive atmosphere provided by the trainer, sometimes your hard work can feel more like fun! And if it’s fun, you are more likely to commit to it long term.

So how do you keep the results you get from your 8 week challenge?

Find a challenge and a trainer that educate you. So it’s more than just eat this and do this. It’s the WHY behind everything you do and some knowledge around the mindset of habits. Because your daily habits determine your outcome.  🙂

Our next challenge starts Monday 17th January.

We would love to have you with us 🙂

 

Events and Challenges

 

 

 

Chocolate bark

One of my go to chocolate recipes. This one is packed with magnesium which is what the body needs when you are low in energy. Pregnancy, early starts and a busy lifestyle can leave you feeling a little tired, so this is a good one to pick you up while giving you that chocolate feel.

 

Ferrero Rocher Slice

Motivation …. when will it arrive?

Coming to the end of the year and I start to notice a lot of people lose their high levels of motivation as they start to wind down for the year. I get it. We get tired and need a break to refresh and recharge for the year to come.

 

But during the year I find myself having similar conversations with people about motivation, their lack of, them wondering when they will get motivated again and why aren’t they motivated. All great questions and in my experience, they can be answered simply.

 

Motivation isn’t something that arrives at your front door. It doesn’t smack you in the face at 4:30am and scream “I’M SO EXCITED!”. Motivation doesn’t happen on the first day of the 8 week challenge and then stick around for 12 months consistently after that. It comes in ebbs and flows.

So when does it come?

Well, from my experience it can take some time, and in that time there needs to be a consistent work habit.

 

So let’s say you have signed up for the 8 week challenge and you want to lose 10kg. We know the first few weeks are going to be a shock to the system. Early rises. Change in routine. Extra tired while you adjust to the new exercise sessions and so on. Then after a few weeks you start to lose some weight and you start to get some momentum. The early mornings still might be a little bit of a drag, but you can see them working. Four to five weeks in you are starting to enjoy the sessions more. You’ve made some new friends and you are consistently eating better. The results are still happening. Week seven you are looking for ways to keep this all going post the eight weeks. Making plans, setting up your weekly routine. Week eleven you are still motivated because you have stuck to a regular routine for some time now and things are getting easier. Sure, you could stay in bed (couldn’t we all?) but it’s worth it and you can’t imagine your mornings any other way.

 

While not everyone’s timelines will fit this exact story, my point is, a lot of people I speak to wait for motivation before they start something. In fact, it’s the other way around. You must start something and then the motivation happens.

 

So next time you notice you start to fall off the motivation train, write down your goals and review them regularly. This will help to keep you inspired.

J

Coconut Rough balls / slice

I love to celebrate my clients birthdays by sharing some healthy yummy snacks.
But to be honest, I hate rolling balls! So I made these balls into a slice. And you know what? It worked really well (and saved me a tonne of time!)

 

Ingredients:

10 x medjool dates

1 1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup raw cocoa powder

2 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Method:

Blend all ingredients at high speed in your blender, then roll onto a lined tray.

Pop it in the fridge or freezer, then eat!

 

becomingness.com

Naps. Do they really make a difference?

Motivation at Achieving You Gym

How to make the most out of your naps

 

Everyone loves a good sleep, from Sunday morning sleep ins to that midday nap on the couch. But is there a way we can optimize our sleep for better performance during the day?

 

We all know the basic sleeping 8+ hours a night is best, but what if we don’t reach that marker?

 

Its very well researched that partial sleep deprivation (PSD) is very harmful to our body and compromises our ability to perform our regular activities during the day. Romdhani 2020, found that PSD compromised antioxidant defence and enhanced sleepiness and biomarkers of muscle and cellular damage. So, we know that if we are tired our body is at a greater risk of getting sick, which definitely isn’t optimal for 2020 conditions, but our body is also undergoing an increase in muscle and cell breakdown, negating the improvements we are making while training.

 

So how can we combat this tiredness, well, this same article was able to show that a nap of 90 mins

  • Increased wellness
  • Decreased daytime sleepiness
  • Decreased negative mood scores
    • (ie, depression, fatigue, stress and anger)

 

It was also found that a nap of just 20 mins was able to produce similar results as a 90-minute nap, however the improvements were not as large

 

Some key points to optimizing your naps in the future

  1. Don’t let it take away from your night-time sleep (8+ hours at night is still important)
  2. Take it early afternoon or late lunch time
  3. Keep it 20-90 minutes
  4. Cool and dark environment

 

Happy napping everyone!!

 

 

 

Romdhani, M. et al. (2020) ‘Improved Physical Performance and Decreased Muscular and Oxidative Damage With Postlunch Napping After Partial Sleep Deprivation in Athletes’, International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance, 15(6), pp. 874–883

 

Why Monday workouts are so important

Monday sets the stage for the week. They start the week off with a bang and set you up with good intentions for the whole week. Even if s**t hits the fan during the week, you know you got one workout under your belt.

 

Weekends can also be a time for some slight downward movement in the diet and exercise area, so Mondays can give you that confidence to get back up and start heading in the right direction again.

 

Mondays get the weekly routine back on track. You start with some exercise, then you start to eat better, and of course, you sleep better. When we sleep better we make better decisions. This will usually mean that you choose to continue to workout for the rest of the week.

 

When we miss a Monday, it’s easy to convince yourself to hit snooze and then you miss Tuesday. Missing one day, that’s ok, but 2 days in a row can then create a habit. And if it means your eating goes in the same direction as your workouts, well let’s just say it’s easier to get up on a Monday than tackle that problem a few months later with a less energetic body.

 

And you are not alone, most people want to have a sleep in on a Monday morning, but just know that once you get to your class or the gym, and you see your regular gym buddies, you are reminded why you all got up for this workout. Because Mondays start your weekly routine of being a healthy, happy and fit individual.

 

So let’s do Mondays together! Let’s own this week people!

 

J