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  • How to beat self sabotaging for good!

    How to beat self sabotaging for good!

    Do you self sabotage? 

    If you answered yes, congratulations, you’re human

    This article isn’t about letting you off the hook though, this is about why you might be doing it

    So you can do something about it!

    Without getting into a philosophical debate, self sabotage comes down to a simple argument within yourself

    Your actions aren’t matching your beliefs

    We often hear something like this when we first meet with our personal training and small group class members

    “I’m going to start exercising, but I’m not an exerciser” 

    Action of exercising, and belief that you’re not an exerciser

    “I want to lose weight, but I don’t want to be one of those health freak types”

    Action of prioritising your health, belief that being healthy means you have to give up enjoyment of food and socialising

    When we hear these sentences, our first most critical job is to get you to reframe

    You aren’t a non-exerciser, you just haven’t found somewhere you love yet 

    Making your life healthier doesn’t involve getting rid of enjoyment

    In the right environment, exercise is enjoyable (no matter who you are)

    And being healthier increases the fun in life

    That should be the goal

    Maybe that means that the exercise you do isn’t going to be a gruelling test every time you walk into the gym 

    Or your healthy lifestyle includes going out for drinks with friends, because socialising is a critical part of overall health 

    If you’re self sabotaging your health, ask yourself, where are my actions not matching with my beliefs? 

    What’s the story I’m telling myself that’s holding me back from something good

    It can be really helpful to have a coach sit down and help you with this

    Need help? Reach out

  • How to beat the 3pm snacks

    Are you reading this at 3pm, hungry? 

    Before you reach for the snacks, finish reading this

    This is one of the more common complaints we hear with our personal training and small group class members

    Not only do you feel snackish, it’s for carb heavy, not very filling snacks

    Nothing particularly wrong with carbs

    But if they come in a packet, highly processed and not very filling

    Well, it’s going to take a lot of them before you’re full

    And that’s an issue

    A simple fix to this, starts much earlier in the day

    Breakfast

    Often the easiest thing to do for this is to increase the protein and fat in your breakfast 

    This works on a couple of levels

    Firstly you’ll be fuller for longer, meaning you won’t be as hungry at lunch

    Which then carries on into the afternoon

    Secondly, your energy levels will be more consistent throughout the day

    Meaning you’re less likely to feel sluggish and tired

    When you’re sluggish and tired it tends to be much easier to convince yourself that a packet of carbs will give you energy 

    Try a couple of eggs on a piece of toast

    Or a some scrambled eggs and avocado 

    Even last nights leftovers, I really like bolognese on a piece of toast in the morning

    And see if it makes a difference

    Need help figuring out what to eat so that losing weight doesn’t involved starvation?

    Reach out!

  • Stressed? Need to unwind? Start here

    Stressed? Need to unwind? Start here

    Feeling stressed? You’re not alone

    This is the biggest challenge in the fitness industry over the past 12 months

    People are stressed and finding it harder than ever to stay fit and healthy

    Which in turn makes you less able to deal with stress

    A vicious cycle

    Here are 4 ways to help you deal with stress

    1. Focus on what you can control

    It’s completely valid to feel stressed about things you can’t control 

    Acknowledge that

    And then move to what you can control, total control 

    Spend a couple of minutes writing down the things you can control and you’ll often find something that can be actioned, right now

    Spend more time focussing on those things and you’ll probably feel a bit better pretty quickly 

    2. Clean slate policy

    You will fall off. 

    And again. 

    This is normal, the key is to get back on the horse

    Acknowledge what happened, investigate in a factual way, writing can really help with this

    Identify the thoughts and feelings, acknowledge these are normal and realise that what you did helped, even if it’s not the ideal method

    Maybe even right down a couple of better methods for the future

    And, move on.

    3. 5 minute action

    This isn’t the first time I’ve spoken about small actions

    Rather than thinking about the perfect diet or exercise regime or schedule

    Pick something really easy to start and that will move you in the right direction

    And do it!

    4. Breathe

    A breathing practice can be a life saver

    Literally. 

    The navy seals use box breathing during combat to help them calm their nervous system and think clearly

    You can calm anxiety in a matter of minutes, if not seconds

    There are many breathing practices

    Pick one that sounds good to you and take a 5 minute action

    Need help dealing with stress? Reach out 

  • Eating without distraction

    Are you eating lunch while reading this on your phone? 

    A core principle we teach to our personal training and small group class members is eating mindfully 

    Part of that, is the practice of eating without distraction 

    How many meals a day do you eat without a TV, phone, laptop or computer screen in front of you? 

    The more you can eat without any of those distractions the better 

    Not because any of those are inherently bad, but so you can pay attention to your hunger and fullness signals

    The more distracted you’re while eating the more likely you’re to over eat

    So if you’re distracted at every meal, it’s going to be very hard to not overeat 

    This doesn’t mean eating alone, in fact, a great strategy to reduce distractions is to eat with someone else

    You’re less likely to have your phone in front of you if you’re having a conversation 

    And the bonus is that you’re also more likely to eat slowly because you’ll be talking and listening in between bites

    The key with this isn’t to try and eat ALL your meals without distraction straight away

    Particularly if you’re currently eating in front of a screen for every meal

    Instead, pick one meal a day for a week that will never have any screen nearby

    Once again this is probably easier to do with a meal that you know you can eat with someone else 

    That way you’re less likely to get bored

    See if this simple practice makes the meal more enjoyable 

    More enjoyment and better health, why wouldn’t you? 

    Need help? Reach out

  • Add your way to weight loss

    Add your way to weight loss

    Does losing weight make you think of all the things you’ll have to give up? 

    That might not be the best approach.

    Read on to see why

    One of the principles we live by, getting you results without giving up the lifestyle you love

    That’s the promise we make to all of our personal training and small group class members

    Now that’s not to say that you’ll be doing exactly the same thing and losing weight

    It just means that you maybe the best way to start, is by adding something in

    Rather than taking away 

    A good example is adding a side salad to dinner

    You still eat your bolognese with spaghetti, and enjoy it!

    The salad is added on top

    “Won’t that increase my calories?!”

    Probably not, by eating the salad you’ll be adding fibre which will likely increase your feelings of fullness

    Not the mention all the extra nutrients which will make you feel better and more energised

    You could also add more protein to the sauce

    So instead of bowl full of pasta and a scoop of sauce

    Halve the pasta and double the sauce

    Once again, increasing the amount of nutrients, increasing feelings of fullness 

    While still enjoying your pasta!

    A fruit bowl to the kitchen bench is another great example of adding rather than subtracting

    We’d much rather start by adding with our personal training and small group class members

    The great thing is that it often makes the subtracting easier in the long run

    And you’re less likely to feel like you’re missing out 

    Need help? Reach out

  • If you got 99 problems, sleep is your first one

    If you got 99 problems, sleep is your first one

    I got 99 problems and sleep is number 1

    All the toddler parents out there know the feeling!

    The last 3 weeks have been pretty intense

    Midnight awakenings, 1-2 hours back to sleep, early mornings, repeat

    You feel like a zombie!

    Good luck focussing at work

    Or eating well, where’s the bread?

    Training? Just barely (I have my minimum standard of 10 minutes of movement that I do)

    Often our personal training clients have big plans about the changes they’re going to make to their nutrition, or exercise, cut down on alcohol…

    However, if you’re sleeping badly, any of these changes can seem impossible

    Everything else is a lot easier when you’ve had a good night sleep

    Particularly if the poor sleep is ongoing

    How you fix your sleep depends on where you’re struggling most

    As always, we use an individualised approach to our sleep coaching

    Each person is different, and so the starting points will always be different

    Just like if you’re changing your nutrition

    Some people need help falling asleep

    Others wake up and can’t get back to sleep

    Or wake up to wee more than once a night

    This might be you, you’re in bed for 8-9 hours and wake up feeling hungover

    Whatever it is, there are ways to improve

    The biggest issue just needs to be identified and often it can be easily attacked

    If you’re experiencing terrible sleep and are looking to get on track with your health and fitness

    Still start exercising (it will help with the sleep), but prioritise fixing your sleep!

    Need help? Reach out

  • The power of adding your way to weight loss

    The power of adding your way to weight loss

    Does losing weight make you think of all the things you’ll have to give up? 

    That might not be the best approach.

    Read on to see why

    One of the principles we live by, getting you results without giving up the lifestyle you love

    Now that’s not to say that you’ll be doing exactly the same thing and losing weight

    It just means that you maybe the best way to start, is by adding something in

    Rather than taking away 

    A good example is adding a side salad to dinner

    You still eat your bolognese with spaghetti, and enjoy it!

    The salad is added on top

    “Won’t that increase my calories?!”

    Probably not, by eating the salad you’ll be adding fibre which will likely increase your feelings of fullness

    Not the mention all the extra nutrients which will make you feel better and more energised

    You could also add more protein to the sauce

    So instead of bowl full of pasta and a scoop of sauce

    Halve the pasta and double the sauce

    Once again, increasing the amount of nutrients, increasing feelings of fullness 

    While still enjoying your pasta!

    A fruit bowl to the kitchen bench is another great example of adding rather than subtracting

    We’d much rather start by adding with our personal training and small group class members

    The great thing is that it often makes the subtracting easier in the long run

    And you’re less likely to feel like you’re missing out 

    Need help? Reach out

  • Do you need the perfect meal plan?

    Do you need the perfect meal plan?

    Imagine two footy teams

    One has the best game plan ever. The coach gives his players the game plan and tells them to go home and study it

    Look at it. Then on the weekend come and implement it

    The second team has an okay game plan, it’s not bad, but it’s not perfect

    Instead the coach focuses on the skills they’ll need to play the game

    Their coach tells them to show up to practice and work on those skills consistently

    If both teams meet that week, you’d probably expect the team with the perfect game plan to win

    But what about in 2 weeks

    Or in 2 months

    How about in 2 years?

    Which team has made greater progress over that time 

    That’s obvious right, the team that has taken part in consistent practice

    They’re developed skills and habits that will make them more skillful, but also more experienced

    The practice will have changed over time to become more challenging

    To solve better and more interesting problems

    If this makes sense to you, then why are you still looking for the perfect meal plan? 

    It doesn’t exist. 

    You need to daily practices that will help you solve the problems you have with your nutrition 

    Things to do consistently that will develop the skills and habits that you can take with you always

    It doesn’t have to be complicated, it should start simple and get more complex over time, as you become more skilled

    What’s your biggest problem right now and what are you doing to practice the skills you’ll need to solve it? 

    Need help? Reach out

  • Eating a donut doesn’t make you a bad person!

    Eating a donut doesn’t make you a bad person!

    If there’s one lesson I hope to teach all of our personal training and small group class members, it’s this:

    As a coach, I am not the judge of your goodness or badness

    No one gave me the keys to the pearly gates, I’m not St Peter

    And besides, eating a donut doesn’t make you a bad person

    Mother Teresa would’ve loved donuts, I’m certain 

    Hitler was a vegetarian (as was Mother Teresa) 

    The food they ate doesn’t separate them

    This worry about displeasing your coach is a sign though

    It’s a sign that you’re linking your self worth to your success

    To what you ate for lunch

    Take a minute to think about that

    Does that actually make sense? 

    And this isn’t to say that if you dumped your homemade salad and ended up getting a burger and chips for lunch that you shouldn’t be disappointed

    Maybe you should be

    But it doesn’t make you a bad person

    And it has to be taken within the whole context of what you’re trying to do

    1. You’re learning new skills, that takes time and patience
    2. Society is built to make you want to consume, so you’re fighting against something much bigger than just yourself
    1. This is about improving your health for good, one lunchtime is a drop in the ocean
    2. Sure this didn’t go well, can you think of 1-3 ways you’ve improved this week or month compared to the last? 

    Start to think of failure as feedback and not judgement

    You’ll not only make things a lot easier on yourself

    It’s future proofing your efforts, it helps you learn, adjust and move on a lot faster

    Meaning you’ll spend less time passing judgement on yourself

    And more time moving towards your goals

    If that’s all true, and if you’re still reading you probably agree that it is

    Then failure is a good thing! 

    Need help turning failure into the rocket fuel you need to smash your goals? 

    Reach out

  • Confused about your nutrition? Start here

    Confused about your nutrition? Start here

    Trying to clean up your eating? 

    A structured meal plan probably isn’t the first place you should start

    And if you’ve tried to clean up your diet before, you probably already know that

    How many times have you found meal plans too restrictive and hard to follow? 

    There’s many ways to skin a cat, and meal plans work for a few people, but not most

    And there are many easier ways to get great results quickly, without the stress

    Without giving up all the things you love

    We believe an individual approach to nutrition is critical 

    Because it has to include all the areas of your life, and who knows your life better than you? 

    If cutting out all alcohol means it’s harder to catch up with friends then that’s probably not the best approach for you

    Social connection is critically important 

    Maybe your breakfast and lunch is on autopilot 

    But if I asked you what you were having for dinner tonight you don’t know

    Or you have a pantry full of easy to reach snacks that you can’t stop raiding 

    We help you find the one thing you do right now, that’s:

    A) easy to change

    B) if changed would give you immediate results

    The third part is the accountability

    We help you stay on track when things get in the way

    Like the sound of this approach? Reach out and we’ll help get you back on track!