It's just past midnight and I am all prepped and ready to start back on plan! Macros calculated, training schedule sorted, MFP updated, all I have to do is my own personal check in tomorrow and I am all set.
The goal is to improve my fitness level for climbing Kilimanjaro on the 14th of October this year and to down size my physique to around what I was when competing in bikini. Many people have asked me why I want to lose the muscle I spent hard trying to achieve, and there are several reasons. In my opinion anyone who works out excessively for aesthetics, obsessive over aesthetics or competes within aesthetic based competitions suffer from 'Body Dysmorphic Order' (BDO) - whether they want to admit it or not. Hands up I suffer from it. When I lost my weight I hated being skinny fat, then when I started competing in bikini, I aspired to look like the figure girls, when I managed to step up into figure I started to become aware of how vocal people were about how I looked. It doesn't matter how strong you think you are, when people say nasty things it completely knocks your confidence. I have went from someone who posted daily selfies of my physique to rarely posting any. My physique was also starting to affect my business, I noticed a great deal of female Nemesis clients who enquired about working with us, started to put on their questionnaires that they liked my bikini look, but they didn't want to look too muscly like me. We also had to start using more of Sharon's pictures in our marketing campaigns as oppose to mine to attract a diverse range of clientele. When your physique starts affecting your business then something has to be done. Our target clientele isn't just coaching people who are doing bodybuilding they only account to less than 10% of our client base. Ninety percent of our clients are after a healthy, sustainable approach to dieting and nutrition and to look lean and healthy - they don't want to look shredded, bulky and muscly. As online trainers we are our marketing tool, and in order to grow the business I had to change. It may be a coincidence that our business this year has went through the roof, now averaging in at over 40 clients per month with a waiting list most months, understanding your target audience is a key success factor in business growth. More over, I started to find it difficult to fit into tailored clothes, and given that I work in a male dominant environment wearing body con figure hugging body-con dresses in an office environment does project a certain type of image, and also attracts negative attention from female colleagues. Over the past 12 months I have ripped up the rule book, I have started doing everything you shouldn't in order to reduce my muscle mass.... eating my post workout meal a lot later, training fasted some days, increasing cardio, and cutting out all supplements. My body fat has remained around 16-19% which I am pleased about, and I have started to receive compliments again about my physique. It is an ongoing painful process - especially when I despise cardio, and I am still suffering from a knee injury, but hopefully come October I will be back to my bikini frame.
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For those of you who don't already know, I own an online personal training and nutrition business. I coach clients to become a better version of themselves physically via exercise and a healthy, sustainable approach to nutrition.
I write regularly on my business blog page so why not give me a follow!?! You can also find me on Instagram @nemesispersonaltraining and our Facebook Page @OnlineNemesisPT There are two types of people, those who exercise on holiday and those who don't. I enjoy exercising and a holiday is about doing enjoyable things. Just because you are in a different country or location does not mean that you have to ditch your routine. When I go on holiday, nothing is off the menu, therefore continuing my exercise regime on holiday is a perfect balance to offset those additional calories consumed. There is nothing worse than coming back from holiday and feeling bloated and 10 lbs heavier. The common excuse people use is that the hotel gym is rubbish and there is no point due to the lack of equipment. A workout is as intense as you make it, and there really is no need to be following a rigid training program or muscle group split. In my opinion 30-40 minutes of HIIT and Giant Sets is a great way to keep your fitness levels up, with a good calorie and fat burn. At the moment I am on my 2-week break from uni before I start my final semester for my Masters Degree. What better way to spend the break than in the obese capital of the world America, surrounded by big plates of food? Every morning I make the point of doing a 45 minute workout, and I try to swim periodically throughout the day as an additional form of calorie expenditure and also to cool down. I have pulled together some workouts which are great for hotel gyms, and there shall be demonstration videos on our Instagram Page shortly @nemesispersonaltraining. Typically hotel gyms lack big weights, squat racks and machines.... but you can get a fantastic workout using minimal equipment. Low weights, High Reps, and reduced rest periods. Workout 1 5-10 Minute Warm up on Cross Trainer (or bike/Treadmill) followed by suitable stretches. 3 Circuits x 14-18 reps, 60s rest Standing DB Shoulder Press Standing DB Side Raises Standing DB Front Raises 4 Minute Treadmill HIIT 30:30 3 Circuits x 14-18 reps, 60s DB Bent Over Rows DB Bicep Curls Bench Tricep Dips 4 Minute Treadmill HIIT 30:30 3 Circuits x 14-18 reps, 60s DB Static Lunges DB Sumo Squat Jumping Squats 4 Minute Treadmill HIIT 30:30 Finished off with 10-15 minutes of Steady State Cardio Workout 2 5-10 Minute Warm up on Cross Trainer (or bike/Treadmill) followed by suitable stretches. 3 Circuits x 14-18 reps, 60s Flat Bench DB Chest Press Flat Bench DB Chest Flye Flat Bench Decline Chest Press 4 Minute Body Weight HIIT 30:30; Jumping Jacks, Jumping Squats, Mountain Runners & Burpee's 3 Circuits x 14-18 reps, 60s Incline Bench DB Rows (Face Down) Incline Bench DB Bicep Curls (Face Down) DB Tricep Kick Backs 4 Minute Body Weight HIIT 30:30; Jumping Jacks, Jumping Squats, Mountain Runners & Burpee's 3 Circuits x Each exercise to Failure, 60s DB Wood Choppers DB Oblique Slides V-Crunches 5 Minute of Treadmill Work, slow speed, slight incline. - Lunges for 1 minute - Side Leg Raises 1 minute (30:30 each leg) - Walking Kick Backs 1 Minute - Lunge and Squat 1 Minute - Side Lunges (30:30) each sided. Followed by a 5 to 10 minute cool down Tips!
After weeks of planning the Africa trip is now booked and the itinerary complete! Leaving just 24 weeks of prep and still a great deal of uni course work to complete. I have decided to keep plugging away at the running and hitting the gym times per week "freestyling" as I put it, and start my training program in June, once semester 2 at uni is out of the way followed by a 10 day relaxing holiday in Miami with G. We fly out on Friday 13th of October, and have combined our kilimanjaro hike with the Serengeti adventure all run by Intrepid Travel. The climb shall take six days in total (including decent), opting to stay in the mountain huts as oppose to camping each evening. Day 1: Arrive at the Kibo Hotel in Tanzania. Day 2: Hike from Kibo Hotel to Mandara Hut, a distance of 8 kilometres, where we will meet our guides and porters. Lucky for us we all have our own personal porter, who will help us carry our equipment up kilimanjaro. The first part of the track is a long walk through dense rainforest to the Mandara Hut (2,725m).. We have been told this section of the climb we will see different species of monkeys and we can choose to take an optional walk to the nearby Maundi Crater. Day 3: Another long hike over a slightly steeper stretch to reach the Horombo Huts. The total distance from Mandara to Horombo Huts is 12 km (3,780 M).. We have been told that each day we climb the scenery will change, todays climb changes from rainforest to alpine meadows. Once out of the forest canopy, the twin snow-tipped peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi will become visible, these are two of the three great cones of Kilimanjaro (the other being Shira). During the day's walk we will traverse several ravines before reaching the hut, which is set in a rocky valley. Day 4: The next phase of our journey will see the landscape becoming more rugged and rocky, and we will start to notice the air thinning. It is at this point that our walking speed and pace will begin got change. Today we walk 10 kilometres FROM from Horombo to Kibo Hut (approximately 5–7 hours, hitting 4,740m), travelling across the sparse moorland. Day 5: Today we are starting our track at 11 pm with the aim to summit Kilimanjaro in time for sunrise. The distance from Kibo Hut to Uhuru Peak is 6 km (approximately 6–8 hours), and the descent to Horombo will be approximately the same amount of time. We will be climbing beneath the stars on a zigzag path up a large scree slope, guided only by torch light, to reach Gilman's Point (5,685 m), ready to watch the sun rising behind Mawenzi Peak. We have been warned that this stretch is the hardest, with sleep deprivation, cold weather and altitude sickness. However I am sure seeing the sun rise over the ice fields of the crater will make the early start worthwhile. There is also an additional optional walk along the rim of the crater to Uhuru Peak (5,896 m), the highest point in Africa. After this we will descend back to Horombo Hut. Day 6: We will continue our descent down through the valleys and rainforest back onto the Marangu Gate. After an overnight stay we will then be flying to Nairobi, where we will have a day to explore and another overnight stay. The next day we start our Serengeti Adventure. Day 9: Board our safari truck and travel to the hilltop town of Kisii, prior to crossing the incredibly scenic Great Rift Valley. We will also be passing through the ancient homeland of the Maasai. Our overnight accommodation is either going to be a camp or in shared accommodation. Day 10: We will travel towards the Kenya-Tanzania border and to the shores of Lake Victoria. This is not only Africa's largest lake – it's the largest tropical lake in the world. Its shores are shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. We have the option to hire a bicycle and explore the lake's surrounds, visit an African marketplace or chill out lakeside. Tonight we will camp on the shores of the lake, at one of its least visited campgrounds, on the outskirts of a small town called Musoma. Day 11: We will travel from Lake Victoria to the gate of Serengeti National Park with a picnic lunch at the entrance to the park. We will do a game drive en route to our campsite. We have been told that our campsite is right in the action, within the park itself, and we will hear the sounds of nocturnal animals as we drift off to sleep. I think I will be worrying about what kind of animals are going about! Day 12: We have a game drive at dawn, apparently this is when the animals are most active, then head back to camp for brunch at around 11 am. We will then depart again at dusk for another adventure through the wild. We have an option of a balloon ride over the park during the day too. Day 13: Our 3rd game drive is on our way out of the park, entering the Ngorongoro Conservation area and we will be driving beside the rim of the creator overlooking volcanic peaks and rolling grasslands thousands of feet below where we will also be camping, apparently this camp site has flush toilets and hot showers with the best view in the world!!! – and although its Africa we have been warned at night on the crater temperatures can drop as low as zero - GREAT! Day 14: I can't wait for today, apparently this location of Ngorongoro is home to some 30,000 animals. Among these are endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, impalas, zebras and hippos. Day 15: Its an early start this morning heading to Kenya border and then onto Nairobi, we plan to stay overnight in Nairobi again before flying out to meet G's dad who will be joining us for the remainder of our holiday.... that itinerary is for another day! ;) For most people they get to experience Summer once per year - not me! for the next 18 months I am lucky enough to escape the Winter blues and receive a high volume of Vitamin D!. I spent January this year in Perth (at the height of Australia's summer), returning to Aberdeen just as the light nights are starting to creep in, spring is here and the temperature is on the rise. As the British summer ends in September, I will be heading off to Africa for 5 weeks, followed by a brief return to the UK for my graduation before flying out to Cairns in Australia (future blog post) to commence 6 months of travelling, and once again returning to the UK next year just as summer approaches. I had a fantastic holiday in Perth, and documented this on Facebook daily by posting amazing photographs of Australia - and probably bored people in the process. Infact I broke every rule possible when it comes to boring people including; posting over 600 photographs of my holiday daily, and showing I am a travel snob by uploading pictures of myself sitting in business class sipping on my champagne and selecting an a la carte meal option with real forks and knives. Topped off with my free toilet bag and seat that reclines into a sleeping position. Making out that I am the only person ever to experience travel. One thing for sure, I don't think I am taking student life in some aspects seriously enough. We arrived in Australia at 1am on Tuesday 10th of January after a long but extravagant flight, flying business class with Emirates. It did not even feel like a 23 hour flight, infact it never even felt like a flight at all, nor did I suffer any form of jet lag. One of my favourite things about holidays, is stepping off the plane feeling the heat, and the smell of the humidity. I have never been to a city where they have such high office blocks, or a city which just feels so new and modern. However as you turn every street there are signs of the past. Old buildings cleaned up, standing in their own right amongst modern architecture. My partner has lived in Australia for almost 4 years previously, spending most of his time in Perth, so it was good to get a non tourist perspective of Perth and also to go to places that you wouldn't normally go to or know about as a tourist. Prior to going he had been telling me how good the Aussies do breakfast, and he was right, I was not disappointed at all! I love breakfast anyway and it always is my favourite meal of the day, but breakfast in Australia is so good it deserves 2 courses! Every day consisted of breakfast starters of warm muffins and tea, followed by breakfast mains. If I was planning on staying in Aberdeen, experiencing how Australia does breakfast, it would inspire me to embark on another entrepreneurial business venture into a cafe. I am not a keen cyclist, but given that it was the best way to experience Perth and see as much as possible, we decided to hire bikes, and make use of Perth brilliant public transport system. Our first day involved breakfast, and a walk through Kings park before collecting our bikes and going for a cycle, completing the Swan River Loop, falling plague to the Scottish Sun Lotion Fallacy. You know where you don't think you need sun tan lotion, and the sun doesn't feel that strong?.... After our cycle round the Swan River I became very aware that my shoulders were not experiencing the normal "i take a great tan" look. The next day, we went for our longest cycle of the week. Cycling from Perth CBD to Fremantle, stopping along the way of course for breakfast at Swanbourne beach. Turns out that Swanbourne also has a nudist beach, watching an old man fishing and his "tackle". Our next stop was the famous Cottesloe beach, which I wasn't keen on at all, yes it was very pretty - but also very busy, and I felt that Swanbourne was much nicer and quiet. Our final stop was Fremantle, which I can only describe as stepping foot into an Amercian western movie set. My parents were in Australia a year ago, and this photo is just a piss take of my dad, who had taken a photograph of himself next to the same statue. I didn't struggle with the cardio aspect of the cycling, but I certainly realised I was not a confident cyclist when it came to cars and roads! so we decided to hop on board a cruise back to Perth CBD going up through the Swan River. We spent Thursday at Rottnest Island, the only place in the world where quokas can be found. We cycled round the island, falling off my bike a handful of times due to high winds! The scenery at Rottnest is amazing, beautiful beaches and worth the choppy boat ride to the island. On Friday we went out to Mandera on a cruise of the canals to see some very expensive houses, and also the dolphins of Madera canal. Finished off with a night out in Perth with some of my partners ex work colleagues. One thing I noticed about Perth is that a lot of the bars are hidden and don't stand out, some of them in particular you would never realise they were there. We go to the cinema ALOT back home, so why would going on holiday be any different? its something we enjoy doing. However this cinema puts Cineworld to shame.... We got to enjoy the Perth sunset, prior to the film starting - AMAZING, on top of a car park. On the Sunday we spent a day with friends of my partners and their family at the beach, it was the first time we had done very little in a day and just enjoyed down time. Our final day in Perth, and we went to Caver sham Wildlife Park to see the kangaroos! Our final week of our holiday would be spent in a Camper van travelling down the coast to Margaret River. We had planned to travel further and head to Albany, but the weather was becoming cooler the further South we were going, and we made the decision to head up North (I will post another blog shortly on our camper van holiday). Re Discovering the true meaning of christmasAnother year is over and it only seems like yesterday it was Christmas 2015! The second snowless Christmas in Aberdeen with a temperature of over 10 degrees! However keeping up with tradition, New Years Eve and Day is battered with rain, high winds and freezing conditions. The first half of this year was extremely tough for me, an emotional roller coaster which felt like it was never ending, but luckily the second half of the year it changed for the best (as they say it can't rain forever). It brought the most amazing person into my life, who whisked me off to Paris (He’s a keeper). Christmas use to be one of my favourite times of the year, but after several bad christmas's in a row, I have lost the buzz it use to bring. In the months leading up to Christmas this year, I decided to try and restore my excitement! I put up my christmas tree, I made arrangements with friends to go out, and I spent Christmas with my boyfriend and his family by breaking tradition and eating out. However as December grew closer I realised that nothing had changed despite my best efforts. I have run out of present ideas, I hate Aberdeen city centre at this time of year, the rudeness and ungratefulness of people and the greediness of the consumerism that surrounds the holiday season. BAH HUM BUG. Christmas means different things to different people, so what does Christmas mean to me?
Most of all it means spending time with this little dude and the people who matter. I haven’t been the best person to be around this year, I put my family, especially my sister through hell and back. I haven’t made much effort with my friends either even though they were the ones who helped pick up the pieces. Its going through difficult times that you realise who your true friends are who forgive you if you don’t speak to them every day, or see them on a regular basis, but when you need help or someone to turn to they will always be there. I am extremely lucky that I have long term friends, most of which have been my friends for almost 20 years! (I feel old). My last Friday of the year spent with all my favourite ladies…. In my last post I spoke about detoxing my life and simplifying everything, in order to do this I decided to take a break from working and to return to university to complete my master’s degree in Project Management full time. I really struggled last year with open learning and realised I am more suited to a classroom environment, on a plus point it means I will have my masters three years earlier as oppose to the open learning method. I have always enjoyed learning but more so as I have got older. In the past 5 years I have done a number of courses to better equip myself with the skills to further my career, and I believe that maturity and work experience has helped me do well. The justification for on-going learning was of course to make myself more employable and move out of Document Control. For ten years I did Document Control in the Oil and Gas Industry, it’s one of those jobs that is hard to get out of once your in, people overlook you for promotion as they see you as a paper shuffler. I felt I came to a point that the last few years in Document Control I never learnt anything new, and I was spending my time doing problem identification and solving issues. When I stop learning, boredom sinks in, I did a NVQ in Project Controls four years ago to broaden my knowledge in project management, which paid off as I managed to land a PMO position, the master’s degree was a natural progression from the NVQ. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going back into the classroom. I dreaded the thought of being the oldest person in my class, or struggling to write academically, however on my first day it was evident that there was a great deal of mature students returning to university after being made redundant with the down turn in the Oil and Gas Industry – all of which were trying to use this opportunity to maximise their skills. I doubt very much I will ever have this opportunity again in the future to take a year out and put 100% focus into my studies without any distractions. Here I am, in the last week of semester one and I know I made the right decision to go back to university. Of course quitting your job and returning to university comes with financial constraints. I must admit the thought of not having secure income coming in every month or having to change my lifestyle to suit my new financial status terrified me. However in reality it has not been the case at all! Nemesis is growing and our client base is expanding, and I have also managed to get a small part time job for a catering company who specialise in event management. I genuinely have not noticed any difference on my quality of life from a lower income. Yes I might not be earning as much, but in reality all it has meant is I am not wasting money! When you earn more, you spend more it’s as simple as that. I have not had to sacrifice anything such as getting my nails done, hair, clothes, eating out etc. All I have done is curb my wreck less spending. There is no need to buy a designer bag or pair of shoes every month. I am also starting to get round to the same way of thinking as my partner, focus less on material things that bring you short term happiness and focus more on experiences which are ever lasting. Happiness isn’t about a pair of shoes with a red under sole; it’s about spending time with people who you love and making memories. I love organising events, and my friend Marcia got me the small part time job with the catering/events company. I am LOVING IT. It’s a huge transition from working in an office and managing a team, to reporting to someone else who makes all the decisions, but it’s exactly what I need at the moment mentally. I have been doing a lot of wedding set ups, and I love seeing all the brides ideas and being involved with their special day. Another factor is just being around different types of people, laughing again and gaining my confidence and trust again for other people. One of my friends asked me when I planned to return to work, I thought I would return straight after semester 2, working and writing my dissertation at the same time. Thanks to my amazing partner changing my outlook on life, I know that I am still not ready to go back to the 9 to 5 rat race. Instead I will continue to work for the catering company and Nemesis whilst completing my dissertation and saving for travelling with my partner. In five weeks time we are going to Western Australia to do some travelling, and to celebrate completing university in September we plan to climb Kilimanjaro, and travel around Africa, hiking to see the mountain gorillas and a tour of the Serengeti. After this we plan to travel to Capetown, where I would like to do the caged Great White Sharks. I graduate in December and the plan is to return to the UK for graduation, before heading off for another 4 months of travelling. We are still perfecting our itinerary for this.
It’s good to have goals and things to look forward to, perhaps some of our travelling will be cut short or changed, you never know what is around the corner. 'dETOXING'The past 12 weeks I have been ‘detoxing’ as I like to put it. Detoxing my mind, spirit, and physical life. I have removed myself from all that no longer serves me. Minimalize. Start over again. Reset my life. People hit the reset button in life for a variety of reasons, a series of bad decisions or actions, feeling unfulfilled, worthless or powerless. My reset has come due to bad decisions. We all make bad decisions, choices or mistakes in life. It’s never easy to admit you made a bad decision but once you do it becomes a crucial step in learning, growing and improving yourself. When everything got too much for me, I turned to someone who has been in and out of my life for the past 11 years. He wasn’t involved in the situation; but provided me with the support I needed to make sense of what was happening. Unfortunately a month later I lost my baby. Grief doesn’t always hit you straight away; sometimes it takes weeks, months or years to hit you properly. Identifying the positives in this bad situation came easy to me. I no longer had ties to the 2 people who caused me so much stress and anxiety over the past year, I no longer had to be involved in their constant lies and, most importantly I didn’t have to worry about bringing a child into such an unhealthy environment or be involved with these people. During the grieving process, and trying to get my life back on track. I began to identify areas of my life, which required improvement or change. It became apparent that a lot of my problems were down to other people’s opinions and actions resulting in my unhappiness. I am always told I am a strong person, but even strong people have their breaking point and the events of this year were mine. “Remove the people from your life who no longer serve you” Cutting people out of your life is always painful even if it is for the best in the end. I don’t think I am a bad person for doing this, I want just want to be happy. A great deal of the people I removed from my life was being hugely detrimental to my well-being, and now that they have been removed I feel at ease, peaceful and happy. All of which confirm to me that I made the right decision. According to Dr Karuna Sabnani founder of Karuna Naturopathic Healthcare examples of toxic people, which should be removed from your life, are:
“Living more with less”Last summer I read a book called Suffocation written by James Wallman. The book is a mixture of true-life stories demonstrating how we have become a materialistic society, obsessed with having more stuff than we could ever need. Clothes we don’t wear, furniture and house hold items we do not use, expensive cars we do not need. The book underpins how we think having everything will make us happier, but that in reality it no longer does. It clutters up our homes, our minds and makes us feel suffocated and stressed. His belief is that rather than a new watch, another pair of shoes we should invest in shared experiences like holidays and time with friends. I sold my designer handbags and shoes given to me by the cheating ex partner, and went on holiday. I now have an amazing memory of a fantastic holiday shared with someone I love (the same person who has supported me the past few months). On return from my holiday, I started de cluttering my house, selling items I did not need. At times I can be a hoarder, and I held on to quite a lot of junk that I would never use or need again – all of which are now gone. “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change” The downturn in the Oil and Gas Industry seen an estimated 84,000 jobs in 2015 and 40,000 this year so far. Given that I work in the Oil & Gas sector and was lucky to secure a PMO Analyst position the most foolish thing to do would be to hand in your notice? So this is exactly what I did.
I was in a position that was the equivalent to a salary I was on 10 years ago in the Oil and Gas, this position was more challenging, a 100 mile round trip every day to work and to be surrounded in an environment I did not enjoy. The job only added to my already existing stress and anxiety. I have decided to maximise the opportunity of the down turn of the industry and return to university to complete my master’s degree, which I was previously studying via open learning. If I chose to continue with open learning it would be another 2 years before I would complete the degree. I am hoping that once I complete the degree there will be some growth within the industry. A degree increases future opportunities, and although I would like to return to the Oil & Gas Industry initially, my main reason for completing the degree is to make obtaining a visa for working abroad easier as well as realigning my life with my new partner. It’s a risk, living off all the money I have built up over the past few years but it will pay off in the end. My good friend Laurie always seems to be able to sense when I am down and when I require some form of motivation or assurance. I woke up in the early hours (typical Laurie time) to receive: “We all get one person delivered to us by fate. An inevitable crossroads. An effortless encounter. A gift from the stars. It is a meeting planned since the dawn of time”. It took that one person to make me realise that the option to hit the reset button was always there. I had the power to push it and I have. The best thing is I get him in my life permanently now. The past 6 months has been incredibly hard but I am so lucky to have such fantastic friends, family and of course my new partner who always seems to say the right things and is there to pick me up every time I have a falling down moment. Have I pushed the reset button? – Yes Have I completely changed? – No I am merely in the transitioning phase, transitioning into a happier more positive me with a lot more change to be identified and implemented. Goals allow us to believe in ourselves, they give us short and long term vision, provide us with motivation, direction and can boost our self esteem and confidence. For me setting goals and accomplishing them defines my personal success. I set goals in all areas of my life, from career, education, fitness and even day to day daily chores! There are several female entrepreneurs that inspire me and their major success factors have been down to goal setting. Karen Brady and Michelle Mone are amongst my favourite. Both women set themselves goals which for most would appear unachievable. Against all odds they are achieved with motivation, perseverance and belief in themselves. If I had to pick a male goal setter it would defiantly be Arnold Schwarzneggar. Several years ago Arnold was asked to present a 'Success Motivational Speech' for Partnership in Enterprise Development (PED) / 21st Centrury Education. Throughout the speech he speaks about his own lifetime goals that he set himself, basing the speech around his own core values. Last year I asked all my clients to watch Arnolds speech and then identify experiences in their lives against his core values, and like me they could place a life experience against each throughout the pursuit of their lifestyle change. Here are mine... 1. Find your visionIt is important that your vision is not influenced by others. For many years I was heavily influenced on what other peoples opinions were on my ability. If someone criticised an aspiration I had, my self belief took a nose dive, and I would give up on that dream based on that persons opinion 2. Never think small & don't be afraid to failI think this is an important rule when goal setting. You should never be afraid to fail. Failing is an important learning experience. Your only a failure if you fail to get up again. As Arnold states in his speech 'If you fail and get up again you are a winner'. One of my friends little girl told me that she wanted to be a Hairdresser, and the first thing I said to her was 'no you don't just want to be a hairdresser, you want to be a hairdresser with her own salon and later down the line own a chain of salons'. I think its important to drum into children at a young age that they can achieve anything they want if they aim high. 3. Ignore the NaysayersIt astounds me the amount of people out there who like crushing other peoples dreams, hopes, aspirations and goals, just because they have no motivation, confidence or desire to better themselves. I have come across many 'naysayers' in my life, however they only encourage me to prove them wrong. When they say I can't do something, I prove them wrong. When I decided to enter my first bikini competition, many people close to me were the first to criticise. They did not believe I had the will power to succeed, I did not train hard enough, my diet was questionable and that I would have no confidence to get up on stage and that I had just woke up one day and decided I will compete on stage. In reality my training over the past 2 years prior to competing had led me to the stage, it was something I was aspiring to do, and only when I decided yes am going to do it, did I share my goal. Last year I decided to raise money for a very good friend of mines niece, who lost her battle with Mitochondrial Disease. I decided to run a half marathon to raise funds for the charity. This time the people closest to me challenged me on this goal, my dad and sister. They knew I hated running, they didn't think I was fit enough to take on a half marathon especially 5 weeks out from the British Final. As the marathon got closer they heavily criticised me for zero training. The week before the race I ran for 90 minutes solid the only real bit of training I had done. I ran the half marathon in less than 2.5 hours. Carb depleted, zero training and the motivation of the naysayers. I raised £2000 for the Lily Foundation. Five years ago I opened up a beauty salon in Aberdeen city centre after a short stint of leasing a nail bar. So many people thought I was crazy and that it was pouring money down the drain. 'How could a beauty salon make any money?' or 'Your not going to get rich quick with waxing'. I had my salon for just under 18 months and I made profit from day 1 of trading. Turning over 75% more profit than what I had forecasted for. I guess this experience is also tied in with failing.... the odds were all stacked against me, but because I could see on paper and from market research the salon would work, I pushed ahead with it anyway and all my hard work paid off. When it comes to having big goals, and having the support of friends, you begin to realise that your real friends are the people who raise you up, not put you down. 4. Work like hellThere is far too many people out there that think they can put in a limited amount of work and get ultimate results back. You get back what you put in, and this is something I tell all new clients when embarking on body transformation with Nemesis. We can give you all the tools to succeed in your goal, but ultimately it is down to you to put in the hard work. If you put in 90% you get 90% back, if you put in 50% you get 50% back. I work like hell for everything I want. For a period of 3 months last year, I balanced my university degree in Project Management, with training twice per day for the British Finals, doing small amounts of cardio for my half marathon, driving 180mile round trip to my work and moving house. I knew I wanted the best results possible in my degree and I also had my eyes on the prize for the British Final. It paid off. I came 1st in the UKUP Ladies Figure and I got my A in Project Fundamentals. That 3 months were horrific, but I put in the hard work, and it paid off. Short term sacrifice for long term achievement. 5. Don't just take, give something backIts very easy to create a 'just giving page' and do a fitness challenge to raise money for charity in the process. What I do notice is that there is charities out there more popular than others, and who receive thousands of pounds on a weekly basis because of their profile. I raised £3000 for Aberdeen's Assisted Reproduction Unit and £2000 for The Lily Foundation. Both charities are fantastic, but they don't have the resources for marketing and aren't as well known. Both charities are close to my heart and the reason why I chose them. I went through 6 rounds of IVF in my 20's all of which unsuccessful and lead to me losing one of my tubes when my ovary over stimulated. I have seen first hand what IVF can do to a relationship and the stress it can cause. It isn't a straight forward procedure and process, and it takes a brave strong couple to go down that route. My £3,000 went towards the purchasing of a new incubator for IVF, I hope in turn that it helped couples out there have a child of their own. As mentioned one of my close friends niece 'Lily' whom the charity is set up in memory of suffered from Mitochondrial Disease and lost her battle when she was only 8 months old. There is no cure for Mitochondrial Disease at present, and the Lily Foundation raise money to fund research to improve diagnosis and increase treatment options, and ultimately find a cure. www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk My GoalsThere has been huge changes in my personal life this year, and change all at once can be very intimidating and over whelming. Goals get you through change that you have no control over. In the next 12 months my goals include....
I always have to have a long term fitness goal, and although I said at the start of the year I would not compete this year, we have to remember that all goals are changeable at anytime. Next year I want to climb Kilimanjaro, it was a goal I mentioned back in December 2014, but I had the competition bug and it never materialised. Next year I am determined that this goal is ticked off the bucket list, although I am quite sure the 'naysayers' will be laughing reading this! Bring it on! ‘Shit... It was only yesterday that I had 20 weeks to get my body beach ready! Where has the time gone? I fly out in 4 weeks time! I'm going to be the 'fat friend' again! Why didn’t I go the gym? It’s okay… I can skip some meals and workout endlessly’. Sound familiar? As a Personal Trainer I often receive a high volume of client enquiries from females 6 or 8 weeks out from their holiday looking for quick fixes to feel great in their bikini. Getting your body ready for bikini season takes hard work and dedication, but it does not have to be torture. You do not need to juice, fast, or go on any other crazy pre-holiday diet; you CAN eat carbs before Marbs! With little impact on your social life on the lead up to the holiday. Consistency is the key to success in my opinion. Setting a goal, exercising and eating consistently gets you the results. It baffles me how many people complain about not getting the results they wish for, but without consistency even hiring the best PT or purchasing the best Diet Plan on the market will prove ineffective. Step 1 – Set SMART Goals S – Specific; your goal should be clear and easy to understand. For example ‘Lose Weight’. M – Measurable; a goal to ‘lose weight’ is not enough. How will you track your progress and how you will know when you have reached your goal? Making your goal measurable tracking your progress each week over a set period of time. A – Attainable; The goal should be realistic and attainable, before you can add a number, you have to know how high or low you want to go. It’s good to ‘shoot for the stars’, but don’t be too extreme. Likewise, a goal that is too easy is also not very motivating. Only you know your limits. Consider your schedule and how much time you have to give. Lets take the goal above of losing 10lbs. The average person loses 0.5lbs per week. We know its 20 weeks until the holiday. We have family, social and work commitments. We also understand that weight loss isn’t a straight line down, not all of us are able to lose weight consistently each week. Sometimes we lose 1lb the next we stay the same and then we might lose ½ lb. Setting a goal of 10lbs will help offset 'life'. For example if your a single parent and your child is ill, you will not be able to go to the gym, or you may not have the time to prep food. If you set the target of 1 lb loss every week for 15 weeks, there is a chance you would not achieve that. R – Relevant; Set goals that are important to where you are in your life right now. Don’t set a goal that someone else is pressuring you to attain. T – Time; Include an end-point. Knowing that you have a deadline motivates you to get started. Since healthy weight loss is about 0.5 -1.5 pounds per week, set your deadline accordingly. EG your holiday is 15 weeks away. Losing 10lbs over 15 weeks is more than attainable. Your goal therefore is ‘I would like to reduce my body weight, by losing 10lbs within 15 weeks in preparation for my holiday, by implementing consistency through a progressive training program and sustainable approach to nutrition’. Step 2 – Train Consistently I see so many clients complete their questionnaire saying they can train 6 times a week. Then several weeks in to the plan they miss sessions, due to work, social, family or uni constraints. They have over exposed themselves in all these areas and training suffers. Be realistic! You know your day-to-day life and commitments. Review your schedule from the start to the finish of your plan and then block off set times / days you can train. If there is any other days you may be able to train shade these in a different Colour and view this as optional additional training days. Hire a PT or purchase a training program from your PT to follow yourself or via an online PT Coach (www.nemesispt.co.uk). Hit every training session! Train progressively, and ensure the program meets your goal. Step 3 – Nutrition Avoid ridiculous low calorie diets. Yes you will lose weight to start with, but eventually your metabolism will slow down and you will plateau. If the diet is not sustainable long term then don't do it. If you can afford to have you’re macros calculated and a nutrition plan from a local pt/nutrition advisor or online coach do it! You don’t have to macro track you can calorie track but again speak to a professional to have your calories counted and broaden your knowledge on good eating. Avoiding celebrity endorsed diets and supplements. Making small changes is better than nothing. Swapping foods for healthier alternatives. Biscuits for rice cakes. Ice Cream for Frozen Yoghurt. There is nothing worse than spending your savings on your dream holiday and then spending the time lying on the beach insecure about your body or wishing you had tried harder. When clients come to me with a goal of losing weight for their holiday I always ask them why are they coming to lose weight for a holiday? Why not feel great all year round? Maintaining a physique in a healthy and sustainable way, boosting your confidence 365 days of the year. |
AuthorPassionate. Ambitious. Positive. Competitive. Generous. Creative. Archives
March 2017
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