Post Xmas

 

I hope everyone had a better Christmas than me. Unfortunately, my body has chosen the last 96hours as it's time to expel the demons being stored within. On Christmas Day, I spent 18 hours in a position best described as being sick. Here I am on the 28th, and still ill. I cannot even say it has been self-inflicted as a beer hasn't passed my lips over the Christmas break. And I havn't eaten a lot either so my post-Xmas back into shape scenario shouldn't be too hard, as long as I can get over this bug.

For those of you that did have better Christmases, than mine, my suggestion is to get your head right and not make too much of a good thing. Between Xmas and New Year, you need some discipline to keep the life in check. If you have two weeks of blow-outs, your increase in weight, and decrease in motivation may have the potential to drown you. So take some small wins now to keep you in the game, so when the New Year is finally over, your desire and strength is still there.

Finally, Facebook is a wonderful thing isn't it. I will let you choose your thoughts on this status from a company specialising in the Fitness industry.

 Posted on December 23rd. " Something to think about as you enjoy your xmas drinks...Drinking completely stops your fat metabolism for as long as your body takes to use up and get rid of it. Also, Drinking also dehydrates you, raises cortisol levels (goodbye muscles), raises estrogen levels (hello hips), lowers inhibitions (pizza anyone?). Combin...e that with the fact that alcohol promotes abdominal fat...storage (of all places!)....."

I bet their customers had a wonderful Xmas.

Merry Christmas

We are all approaching the point end of the year now and Christmas is just days away, then we head into 2011 full of excitement, plans and new resolutions. To all the readers of this blog, I wish everyone all the best for the Xmas Season and hope all your plans are fullfilled for the New Year.

I have a full 2011 ahead of me, with me agreeing to coach a Premier League Open Side in Rugby League next season. I am also looking to add some qualifications in Coaching fields so I can start doing some more work in the Life and Leadership coaching fields.So. combined with my current role and family commitments, I have an exciting 2011 ahead of me and one that will keep me busy.

Merry Christmas Everyone and see you all in the New Year

Brilliant Stuff Bacchus

Regular visitors to this site know that I get my beer brewed for me at Bacchus Brewery. Bacchus was actually bought by the crew that own Craft Brewer. Now with any long term business relationship it has taken a while to cement new relationships as Ross and the craft brewing team moved in to our little brewery.

Can I just say, that this is an amazing thing to have happened. Craft Brewer have really lifted the ideals of the place. We now have a greater choice than ever as these guys are Brewers. My mate Stu got them to knock off the Stone and Wood Draught Ale, and it is a cracker. I myself, ordered a knockoff of Little Creatures Bright Ale and it is a ripsnorter. I reckon these guys can do anything.

So if you live in Brisbane and need some mighty ales brewed by a profesional crew, then get down to Bacchus/Craft Brewery. Legends through and through.

Beer doesn’t make you fat, ignorance does

 

Reposted from Australian Brews News - Matt Kirkegaard

A new survey released by VicHealth shows that Australian beer drinkers continue to fall for the myth that low carb beers are a healthier choice than other varieties.
The report says the survey was undertaken because “nutritionists and alcohol experts have long suspected that low carb drinkers choose these products for supposed health benefits – primarily for weight management.”
The results contradict the official positions of many low carb beer producers which is that people drink these beers primarily for the flavour.
This research, the first of its kind, sought to discover the reason behind the low carb beer craze and ultimately, whether the ‘low carb’ label creates the false impression that it is a healthier choice.
It found that:

Sweet Poison Update

You really have to hand it to David Gillespie of "Sweet Poison". An absolute champion campaigner against sugar and it's related impact on the obesity epidemic. He highlighted this article on his Facebook page , Nestle Swallows Jenny Craig and it does seem that silly season has started early. Just Sunday we saw that obesity was found to be caused by a virus??? What they hay?

Thank the world that we have people passionate on actually telling the world what they know. Maybe one day, we will get sugar regulated and then we may stand a chance to beat the obesity epidemic.

That Time of Year

This time of year can seriously derail the most disciplined people around. This week for example I have lunches and breakys and dinners all happening this week alongside two Christmas drinks episodes. It really is hard to avoid situations like these, but the best advice that I can provide is that you know what you have been educated on, you know the dangers of over consuming. So here are my tips.

• Stick to protein with any meals and stay away from the "beige" (The deep fried stuff)
• Ensure you drink plenty of water both before the events and during. Having a drink, then having a wate is a good way to stay in control.
• Set your limits, and stick to them.
• Increase your "activity" between events.
• Stay Positive and don't beat yourself up.

Hope everyone enjoys this time of year. It doesn't need to be the time that adds kilo to your waistline. A little bit of discipline combined with a little bit of enjoyment, will ensure that when Christmas is over and you are facing 2011, we do that with renewed vigour.

Exercise Day

There is nothing better than an early start and into the resistance exercises that form part of Bodysculpt. The exercises themselves and then the "gentle" burn after makes me feel great for the day and starts the day on a high. One of the key things that I have discovered is that exercising first up in the morning, whether it be a walk or some serious resistance stuff, gives me more energy during the day, sharpens my focus on what needs to be achieved today as well as giving me, "me" time. I still struggle seeing other leaders rocking into work, still getting dressed, chowing down a Maccas feed as they leave it until the latest possible moment to get out of bed. Those extra minutes sleep, aren't worth the additional hassle and stress that happens when you need to put the foot to the floor to get to work on time. And honestly, who would want to be led by someone like that?

Making a conscience decision to be better, sharper provides you with a better chance of being more effective in the workplace. I guess it's your call.

What's Important: The Big Rocks!!!!

As part of my role, I spend a lot of time developing other leaders. As such, I have learnt a lot from Stephen Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey talks about Quadrant Two Leadership, where the focus is on doing the Important, non-urgent stuff. In doing so, we start to remove a lot of Quadrant One Leadership, the urgent and important stuff, typically crises and issues that have arisen. We like to talk about looking after the "Big Rocks".

Recently the Big Rocks scenario has really struck home. A leadership colleague had recently undertaken his health check, and his results had gone backwards since his last one. He bemoaned his new job location, which requires additional travel and puts him on a time squeeze. As such, looking after himself had become the missing bit. I noted to him, that Exercise and Diet was clearly Quadrant Two leadership. A conscious decision to do what is important and non-urgent, which will ultimately stave off a Quadrant One health crisis. He hadn't looked at his health in this way, and realised that Quadrant Two leadership would never work for him at work, unless he started to look after himself. Covey also talks about Sharpening the Saw, but that's another story for another time.

The other scenario has a more global aspect. I read headlines every day about health crisis, obesity epidemic etc etc. The spiraling cost of healthcare......This is all a Quadrant One Issue. Urgent crisis, we just seem to be treating the wrong end of the crisis. We aim to "fix" people after their lifestyle choices have made them sick. When I go shopping, I get annoyed about how we are bombarded with "healthy" messages from products that are clearly not healthy. So just maybe we need a little bit of Quadrant Two in terms of messages at the supermarket. For those "Fat-Free" lollies, the message could be "Fat Free- but will make you fat anyway". Maybe reduced fat products could say " 97% Fat Free, but TWICE as much sugar"

I believe that it is about time, the Government or whatever regulatory department, takes a stand on how food is marketed. I am not just talking kids food either. Many adults buy low-fat foods thinking they are doing the right thing..............and they still get fat. Market the foods correctly, educate people on what goes in their mouths, and maybe, JUST MAYBE, we can stop the escalating costs of healthcare, treating the fat and the obese and the lifestyle diseases they cause.

The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness: Miniature EditionFirst Things FirstThe 7 Habits Of Highly Effective TeensThe SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes EverythingThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

Weeks Results

The Results are in for this week and I have seen a minimal loss of 100g. I am actually OK with this considering the week that I have had. Heres to a better next week.

What a Week!!!

 

What a week everybody. Just when you think everything is going so well, life throws you some Curly ones...lol. Firstly, I have been operating for the last two weeks without my Operations Manager who was recently promoted, and this along with my project work I do for both my Regional and State Manager has left me working longer hours daily to fit everything in. It's been tough and at this stage this will continue for another two weeks, until I get my new Ops.

On top of this, one of my best friends had a death in the family on Monday. I spent some time with John on Monday night having a few beers and supporting him in this time. On top of this, we traveled down the Gold Coast last night to look at a car for my son. We came back, considerably lighter in the pocket but with one happy son.

Finally, I am also weighing up whether to apply for a new job, which would require me to relocate to Sydney. I feel I am capable of doing the job, which is a State Manager role for QLD/NSW and excited by the challenge, but I would be relocating myself and needing to arrange to spend time often with the family in QLD. So I have a lot going on. And even with that, I have managed to keep my walking and exercises on track, but had some glitches with food and drink. Not expecting anything major this week with results, but I am not sweating the small stuff.