Consistency wins

 

How would you feel if you: 

 

1. Lost 12 kgs (and kept it off)
2. Dropped your body fat level by 10% 
3. Got your first pull up (or 14)
4. Increased your squat strength by 400% 
5. And finally bulletproofed the lower back that’s been bothering you for as long as you can remember

 

Probably be pretty happy with yourself, I imagine

 

That’s exactly what Pas has done over the last 3 years

 

When Pas first started he was in constant pain, his lower back hurt all the time, and it was difficult to get through a workout without a tweak 

 

It took time, and patience, but most of all, it took consistency

 

Pas has been showing up 3 times a week for 3 years

 

His body looks, and moves completely differently to how it did when he first started

 

Pas is now the kind of person that trains, for whom healthy eating has become a way of life, while still enjoying a busy social life (maybe not quite as busy as it once was 😉

 

Performance has become the new goal, increasing his upper body strength, particularly over head is the next target

 

And you better believe he’ll nail it! 

 

Well done Pas, incredible achievements so far, and we’re only just getting started

 

For more posts on improving your life outside of the gym follow our instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blinco_built/

If you’re ready to take the first step in your fitness and health journey then contact us at:  http://blincobuilt.com.au/

Getting better should be the goal

 

Except, and it’s a big exception

 

Getting better means you first have to admit you are wrong.

 

Full disclosure: I used to think that going full depth on a push up was bad for your shoulders, period. 

 

There’s a whole bunch of boring stuff about that, I argued my position and I made sense

 

However, it doesn’t really make sense, if the body can do something then why not do it? 

 

You just have to make sure you are preparing the body properly first, yadda yadda yadda 

 

The point is, I was wrong, and to become a better coach, I had to admit that to myself

 

That’s hard work, admitting you are wrong is difficult work, it can emotionally draining

 

Partly because you’re probably wrong about a lot of things

 

Which is scary, UNLESS your focus isn’t on being right, but being better

 

Being right is kind of like the search for perfection, it gets you stuck 

 

In fact, it’s actually a bad thing, if you’re right all the time, then that’s it, you can’t get any better

 

You are what you are and there’s nowhere to go

 

Don’t know about you, but that sounds terrifying to me

 

At least if you can sit back and acknowledge you might be wrong then you have a way to improve

 

If you’re wrong, then of course there is a better way

 

And that’s exciting

 

Have a think about an area of your life you care about, where you are wrong right now

 

Found it? 

 

Awesome, now get better 

 

For more posts on improving your life outside of the gym follow our instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blinco_built/

If you’re ready to take the first step in your fitness and health journey then contact us at:  http://blincobuilt.com.au/

Perfect stops you in your tracks, better gets you started 

 

“I just need to meal prep every Sunday” 

 

“When work settles down, I’ll join a gym” 

 

“If only Mercury was in ascension, while Jupiter eclipses Uranus, then I…”  

 

Astrology is not my thing, but you get the point

 

The search for perfection is a great way to not make progress

 

To not even get started

 

Have you heard the story of the college photography class? 

 

For an assignment, half the class was told to take the perfect shot, and to only submit the perfect shot

 

The other half was told to take as many shots as possible and to submit them all

 

You probably already guessed which half got the better grades

 

Students taking heaps of shots, took terrible shots at first, but learned over time from the misses and adapted and took amazing shots by the time the assignment was due

 

And guess what, they got closer to the perfect shot

 

The half class looking for perfection were paralysed, and got stuck in the beginner phase, never getting better

 

If you find yourself using the search for perfection as a reason not to get started, ask yourself two questions:

 

What is really stopping me? 

 

Write that down

 

And next, and most importantly:

 

What if I just did it anyway? 

 

It’s better to start and fail, then to never get going at all  

 

For more posts on improving your life outside of the gym follow our instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blinco_built/

If you’re ready to take the first step in your fitness and health journey then contact us at:  http://blincobuilt.com.au/

How to make a healthy meal in 10 minutes of work (including washing up)

 

In this article, we’re going to show you it’s not just possible, but easy to make a healthy meal in 10 minutes!

Have you ever followed Jamie Olivers “15 minute meals”?

Yeah right mate, good if you’ve got an executive assistant to just wazz up the dishes once you’re done

Rightio.

You can actually make decent tasting, healthy meals in around 15 minutes of work

Including washing up

Just not the way he’s doing it

A balanced healthy meal includes 4 key components:

Protein (meat or veggie sourced)
Carbohydrates (veggie sourced best, rice or pasta second best)
Fats (animal or olive/avocado oil, try to avoid seed oils like canola)
Flavour (herbs and spices or sauce)

Next, is cooking method, for fast cooking choose:

Oven
One pot stove top
Air fryer

Once you’ve chosen what you’ll be eating and how you’ll be cooking, you prep your food

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Less knife skills required the better

Keep chicken breast whole, or buy pre-cut chicken, mince beef is great for easy, fast cooking, ditto fish

Carbs the same, you can even get pre-cut veggies now, use a cheap food processor or ninja to cut your onion

Flavour combo’s are probably the hardest

My favourite healthy flavours are:

Pre-mixed moroccan spices (goes with everything, just chuck it on)

Passata sauce (whole bottle with every kg of meat), 2 tbsp of tomato paste and 1-2 different herbs (basil and parsley is safe)

Powdered garlic, onion and paprika on meat or veggies

Lemon, dill and butter for fish

Equal parts soy sauce and teriyaki sauce with just a drop of fish sauce for stir fry

 

Cooking time:

General rule of thumb for oven cooking, 180 degrees fan forced for 20-25 minutes for chicken breast, mince patties and hard veggies (think potatoes etc) or 10-15 minutes for soft veggies like mushrooms, broccoli

Use one pot stove top when you’re cooking stir fry or passata mix

Medium-high heat, oil in the pan, then onion till soft and then meat till sealed on the outside, then sauce, then veggies, leave on low for 15 minutes

This isn’t master chef, but it’s a pretty good start

And you’ll only have 4-5 things to wash

Use that spare time to get your gym clothes ready for the morning and you’ll be killing two birds with one stove

 

For more posts on improving your life outside of the gym follow our instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blinco_built/

If you’re ready to take the first step in your fitness and health journey then contact us at:  http://blincobuilt.com.au/

How to increase protein intake on a vegetarian diet

 

There are 3 key components to increasing protein intake on a vegetarian diet

 

Firstly, having a number of go to protein sources that can be the centre of each meal

 

Secondly, finding small ways to add incidental protein

 

Thirdly, making sure you are eating complete protein over the course of the day, meaning you’re mixing sources of protein that will provide most if not all your amino acid (building blocks of protein) requirements

 

We want to aim for around 1-2g per kg bodyweight of protein per day, so for an 80kg man, around 80-160g of protein per day, or for a 60kg female 60-120g, to keep you fuller and promote muscle growth

 

Aim for the higher end when strength training, and lower end when just looking to optimise body composition with lower intensity exercise or a solid walking regime

 

1) You won’t find a lot of protein in veggies and leafs, anything less than 10g protein per 100g isn’t really a great protein source

 

I’ve put together a list of good sources of vegetarian protein, that is by no means exhaustive, however it should provide a good base from which to find suitable options: 

 

Beans/Legumes	Nuts/Seeds	Other
Black beans	Almonds	Pulse pasta
Peas	Cashews	Tempeh
Lentils	Chia seeds	Tofu
Kidney beans	Buckwheat	Eggs (if suitable)
Pinto beans	Quinoa	Protein powder

 

The key here is to have a high protein source as the centre of each meal

 

You can then surround with nutrient dense vegetables and fruits

 

Protein powder can be an awesome way to get protein intake up and is probably the best processed food money can buy (from the right place, stick with Australian brands where possible) 

 

2) Incidental protein? What the hell is that? 

 

I mean adding nuts and seeds to salads, using them as snacks, chucking chia seeds or nut butter in smoothies

 

Anything that can up the protein intake without necessarily becoming the main part of the meal

 

This has the obvious benefits of increasing protein intake, but also gives you a variety of sources of protein to ensure a complete amino acid profile over the course of the day

 

3) Don’t get caught up in the weeds here

 

And just make sure you’re having a variety of sources over the course of the day and the week

 

Relying too much on soy, or protein powder, can lead to imbalances over time

 

Try to change it up and keep it fresh

 

Soy and protein powder (ideally pea and brown rice) are great when rushed for time, but there are HEAPS of other great vegetarian sources out there you can use

 

So experiment and have some fun with it!

 

For more posts on improving your life outside of the gym follow our instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blinco_built/

If you’re ready to take the first step in your fitness and health journey then contact us at:  http://blincobuilt.com.au/

The results are in!

“I’m so confused about what to eat, how I should eat, people keep telling me different things I should try and none of it works, I just don’t know what to do!”

Hannah came to Blinco Built confused about what to eat

How many of you have been in that situation?

There is SO much information out there and with friends and family telling you to try this, that and the other, it can all seem so hard

Should you try keto, or paleo, or juice fast or the avocado and asparagus leaf diet….

Okay, I made the last one up

We kept things simple with Hann, she’s a busy working mum of two, who could only train twice a week, and shares the cooking load with her husband so we needed him on board too

Portion control and a plan in place for what happened when things went off plan, regular accountability and…

She did it!

She lost 2.6kgs of body fat! (also increased her muscle mass in the process!)

“My whole mindset has changed, I know I can have the occasional treat and I don’t feel bad about myself for having, if I do stray I get straight back on to it afterwards, it’s completely different to what I used to do”

Hannah now has the playbook for the results she’s always wanted, and it’s easier than she thought possible

Well done Hannah! Absolutely killed it

For more posts on improving your life outside of the gym follow our instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blinco_built/

If you’re ready to take the first step in your fitness and health journey then contact us at:  http://blincobuilt.com.au/

Don’t focus on the scales, focus on this instead

To juggle better you need to catch better. Right?  

 

Wrong. 

 

So, if you were to learn how to juggle, what would you focus on? 

 

The throw

 

You see, if you execute the throw well, then the catch takes care of itself

 

You will drop it sometimes, or the wind will blow it off course, whatever

 

If all you did was focus on the catch, you’d be swapping out the part that you have 100% control of, for the part of which you have limited control 

 

The throw is what matters

 

And how to get better at throwing? Well, to throw of course

 

What about weight lost. Is that the catch, or the throw? Take a minute to decide before reading

 

Who am I kidding? You already skipped ahead

What actually matters?

 

It’s the catch

 

By focussing on weight lost you are focussing on the thing you have limited control of, environmental, hormonal, sleep, sodium content, can all have an impact of weight lost (or gained)

 

You can’t control all of these things

 

Actions though. Those you can control with much greater accuracy

 

Hitting an extra 2,000 steps a day

 

Eating an extra serve of vegetables with every meal

 

Going to bed at 9:30, instead of 12

 

That’s the throw

 

The better you get at those things, the better you will get at the catching

 

Not to say you can’t keep track of catches, it can serve a purpose

 

Start with the throws though, and the catches will take care of themselves

 

Read this for more information on how to get started on your weight loss journey: http://blincobuilt.com/top-5-nutrition-tips-for-sustainable-results/

 

Need help with juggling, or weight loss? Reach out for a plan 

 

Think this could help someone you care about? Share it for good karma

 

How we can help:

For more posts on improving your life outside of the gym follow our instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blinco_built/

If you’re ready to take the first step in your fitness and health journey then contact us at:  http://blincobuilt.com.au/ 

 

Do you have a dog? Have you ever had a dog? 

 

Then you fell into two categories, either you walked your dog, or it walked you

 

Depends on whether you spent the time early on to train your dog on the first few walks 

 

With a pocket full of treats, time after time after time going over the same routine. Some days it seemed like you’d turned the corner

 

Only for the next day to be back to the start

 

But you kept at it. Heel. Heel. HEEL. Treat. Stop. STOP. Treat. Let’s go. Treat

 

You might have had a wilful dog, maybe it was the breed, you spent time with a trainer, on Youtube, seeing what works, what doesn’t

 

Finally, you got there. Sure if Kelvin sees a bird, he’s off! But generally it’s pretty pleasant to go for a walk now

 

Or, you thought that’s too hard, tried the treat angle for a bit but couldn’t get passed the no treat stage

 

And spent every walk for 10 years tugging the lead, pulling your precious pup away from onlookers

 

Calling, calling, calling at the park. It’s too hard, just keep them on the lead

 

Being walked.

 

Both things are hard. Because they are both hard, it’s easy to think both are worthy

 

You’re doing the hard work it’ll pay off

 

Maybe one of the stories you tell yourself

Why does this matter?

Like when you try to follow a strict meal plan and train 6 days a week for the 100th time

 

It’s hard work so surely you’ll get somewhere with it this time

 

If you stopped and thought about it, you know deep down, it’s not working and it won’t work this time, like it didn’t the time before

 

Might be time for a different route, one that’s hard early, but will pay off

 

There’ll even be early wins, how much easier was training Wayne when you had an experienced trainer standing right there, helping you along

 

You had to do the work yourself, but it was a lot faster and a lot more effective with knowledgeable help 

 

Better off to learn how to eat, to learn what to eat, to learn how much to eat

 

For good. 

What to do with this information

Stop using restrictive meal plans, start with easy to follow portions of the foods you already love to eat and include social plans 

 

Men, 8 palms of protein, 2 cupped hands of carbs, 6 fists of veggies and 3 thumbs of fat might be a good place to start

 

Women, 4 palms of protein, the rest the same

 

Get results? Awesome, carry on

 

Don’t get results? Adjust carbs or fats or increase steps. Pick one, just one. Go again. Rinse and repeat

 

Do the hard work early, that you know will work

 

It will get easier

 

Then, you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour later on

Roald Amundsen was the first person to lead a team to the South Pole in 1911

 

Robert Scott Falcon also made it there. But he and his team did not make it back

 

Both experienced adventurers, tough, driven, courageous men

 

Two very different approaches on how to get there. And more importantly, back

 

You have to imagine what it was like back in 1911. Cars were available, but not roads

 

The Wright brothers had taken the first flight. Women had just been allowed into some universities. The hamburger had just been invented 

 

Most children didn’t go to school, they went to factories, and 50% of children died before the age of 5

 

And yet these two groups of men wanted to go off into the world’s harshest environment in the hopes of being the first

 

Captain Scott was a gungho kind of adventurer. When the weather was clear, he took the approach to push his team to their absolute limits

 

When the weather wasn’t great, they would stop and rest

 

In the south pole, the weather often isn’t great 

 

Amundsen took a different approach. He focussed on one simple task. Everyday, he would make small progress towards the South Pole

 

The amount of progress he made was what was doable on the worst day, when the weather was terrible

 

Even when the weather was great, and it would have been easy to push his team further, he stopped when that small amount of progress had been made

 

Every day, no matter what the obstacles, small progress was made. Enough that the team could recover and continue on the next day

 

By doing this, Amundsen was first to the South Pole. By a month. 

 

And he made it back. Tragically, Captain Scott and his team, did not

Why is this important?

It’s easy to sit back and see how little sense it makes to wait for the perfect circumstances so that you can push as hard as you can, when those circumstances almost never come

 

And how much sense it makes to instead push a little bit towards your goals everyday, so that no matter how hard things get, you always get a little closer

 

How often do you do that though? 

 

You want to lose 10kg. 

 

So you decide to change EVERYTHING! Push as hard as you can while motivation is high, the weather is great!

 

Even though you know, more often than not, the weather isn’t great. Things will get in the way

What to do instead

Instead, pick one task, that done everyday, will move you closer to your goal

 

Eat 1 serve of veggies with every meal

 

Walk 15 minutes every morning

 

Join a gym

 

Whatever it is

 

Pick something easy to execute. That you can do even when everything else is hard

 

And take it one step at a time

 

Not only will you get there first. You’ll also make it back

 

For more posts on improving your life outside of the gym follow our instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blinco_built/

If you’re ready to take the first step in your fitness and health journey then contact us at:  http://blincobuilt.com.au/