I’m flying out to Portugal early tomorrow morning and believe a 2:30am pickup is just a little too early to squeeze in my workout before. I added my planned Thursday Workout to today’s workout.

Warrior Warmup Level 1

Challenge Workout # 5 — The Pull-up/ Pushup/Squat Challenge

Warrior Abs Level 2

Tomorrow will be unpredictable, early flight with a young child, largely dictated by how my daughter copes with the disruption to her routine. Thought it best to get the workout done early and any additional work tomorrow is a bonus.

Substituted Strap rows for Pull ups, the workout was killer and gives me a baseline for my progress when I complete in the future. The workout is deceiving, it sounds simple until you do it. As many reps in 1 minute is a great challenge.

I woke before my alarm went off this morning, I went to the bathroom and when I went to check the time again I realised there was no power. I went downstairs and checked the circuit breakers, no trip, and looking outside I could see the power was out in the street. Damn

Without any thought, my brain began to formulate a plan on how I could complete my workout with no power. My laptop was fully charged, I could play the follow along videos. My daughter had a lamp/torch toy I could use for some added light. I could take a shower in work.

While I was changing the batteries in the lamp, the power came back on. I turned on the lights, did my workouts, had a shower and headed to work. Had I not woken early I may have slept in as my alarm wouldn’t have went off. Hooray for the early morning rise habit having taken.

I didn’t realise until I sat down to right today that the thought of skipping the workout because the power was out never crossed my mind. When a situation arose, my mind created a solution. Workout by lamp light. This is a huge change from the person I was a few months ago, who probably would have slept in and used it as an excuse not to workout today. Only working out when the conditions were perfect and it felt right.

If you want to be healthy, you’ve got to do whatever it takes. You have to work every day at it; you have to look at all aspects of your health, nutrition, training, quality of sleep and reducing stress. This is a full time occupation that requires consistent and persistent effort. You’ve got to turn up every day.

You can decide to be healthy; something changes in your mind which drives you to be healthier. It’s a simple choice, but a hard choice. When you decide to change, you don’t suddenly become a fit, nutritionally compliant, a deep sleeper and a stress free monk. These all take time to improve. If you put in the work, whatever is required, you’ll see a gradual improvement over time and the effects will accumulate.

To get fit you need to train effectively and mindfully. Your goals will be unique to you but each person will want to improve their physical condition while preventing injury. There is no secret, only hard work will bring you closer to the level of fitness you desire. Go do the work.

Modern junk foods (sorry edible products) make nutritional compliance very difficult. They highjack your brain and body, you crave these foods in more regular and larger quantities. Your brain has been fooled into believing it needs these foods. If you cut them out you may experience withdrawal, these negative symptoms can be difficult but not impossible to overcome. If you want to eat healthy and ditch the junk food, do it! It will be hard; you will doubt your resolve and want to give in. You can do it. Go do the work.

I read that each hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after. What’s stopping your from getting to bed early? Do you really need to watch TV for hours each night? Would you be willing to sacrifice watching TV for better sleep which will contribute to a healthier you? Go do the work.

Stress reduction can be difficult, each person reacts differently to a situation and once we realise we are in control of our reactions we gain a great tool to reduce the stress in our lives. We do not have to get involved in trivial pursuits; we do not need to join in the negative, destructive conversations and practices of our peers. We do not need to get angry, disappointed and regretful for our past failures or lack of action. Our results are the product of the event and more importantly our reaction to it. Be mindful of your reactions, take a step back and check your reaction is appropriate. It’s easier said than done. Go do the work.

You can choose a better life for yourself, but it has to be your decision. When you make this choice, you have to take action. Working doggedly every day will cultivate a “whatever it takes” attitude. You won’t just want to do it, you’ll have to. Now go do the work.

Today I completed the Warrior Warmup Level 1 & Warrior Abs Level 2.

We’re going to Portugal for a fortnight on Thursday and the whole household has been deep in preparation for the past couple of months. Ensuring we have our passports ready, travel money, suitcases packed, all the little things that need to be done before travelling. We’re placing a greater emphasis on it this year as this will be the first time we’ve been abroad since our daughter was born. You pretty much move house every time you take a kid somewhere.

The preparation mindset has moved into other areas of my life and I’ve found that preparation is becoming much more natural to me. It is something I would procrastinate with till it was too late and I had to make a last minute decision which was not normally in the best interest of my health. If I didn’t have an idea of what I was planning to eat, it would normally end up being a takeaway, or something equally as unhealthy.

I now plan my meals out weekly. I build a list of the meals I will have through out the week and construct a shopping list from there. I will then spend the Sunday cooking the bulk of the meals which will give me more time during the week. This is more efficient, less stressful and less time consuming overall but the best thing is it means more time to spend with m wife and daughter.

When I had “tried” eating Paleo before, I got into the habit of spending hours each night cooking meals. Some nights my daughter would be going to bed and I’d still be cooking, which meant I had no time to chase her, dance with her or do other fun stuff that dads are supposed to do. Now I come home, 30 minutes later I’m fed and can devote my time to my family.

When I think about preparation, I always go back to Under Siege 2, where the bad guy’s catchphrase was the Louis Pasteur quote:

“Chance favors the prepared mind.”

Admittedly he was a little arrogant; I don’t think anyone could have prepared for Steven Seagal being on board the train. No one beats him in the kitchen!

If you are well prepared, whatever comes to you in life, be it good or bad, you will have a greater chance of success. You’ll be able to stick to your nutrition plan if you have the meals in the fridge or freezer ready to be reheated. If you know you only have healthy foods in the cupboards, you’ll eat healthier. If you have a training program prepared by a personal trainer, you just have to follow it to succeed.

You will identify early what you need and what you need to do. You will feel a greater sense of control over your life. You will be able to anticipate potential issues and provide solutions to them.

One of my major stumbling blocks in the past was social events. I would feel pressured into eating the foods available which did not meet my nutritional philosophy. I would often go to the parties unprepared; I would be hungry and eat what was available. This would lead to a binge and then a cycle of guilt and further binging.

Now, I eat before I go. I arrive at the party satisfied and comfortably full. I do not eat because I do not feel like it. My body has been nourished; I can relax at the party while the elephant (or buffet) is in the room. I enjoy the party and leave feeling happy that I’ve have survived the temptations put in front of me. Life is much better, less stressful, when you are acting in congruence with your values.

When you adopt preparation, you give yourself more control, more freedom and allow yourself to be happier. Finding what works best for you will take a little time and will get easier as you consistently perform. It is simple but will be hard, at first. Here’s how I prepare:

Why – Define your goals? E.g. Healthy Eating for the next week.

How – How will you achieve your goals? Cooking my own meals in advance. Prepare spice blends in advance saves a lot of time. Food shopping for the week.

What – What do you need to achieve your goals? Foods, spices, utensils, equipment, Recipes. Identify where you need to go to procure the stuff you need.

When – When will you perform the tasks? Friday shopping, Sunday cook up, may also be dependent on freshness of food.

How do you prepare to be healthy? What tips and tricks do you employ to stay ahead in the game? What do you do to make sure, nobody beats you in the kitchen?

Day 6 was Warrior Warmup Level 1 and Warrior Abs Level 2 Hard (4 rounds). For Day 7 I choose to do the 10 minute conditioning bodyweight circuit from TT HWR and as the weather was nice did a bit of yard work while my daughter was out playing.

Today, Day 8 began with the Bodyweight 400 Challenge followed by Total Body 10-Minute Bodyweight Workout. In the past I’d steer clear of challenge workouts. My Ego didn’t want to take the hits, what is different now is I carry on in spite of my Ego.

“Be careful with your Ego,

He’s the one that we should blame.”

Alicia Keys, Brand New Me

I watched the follow along video last night, Brian Kalakay completed the workout in less than 10 minutes, and the guy is a machine. My time today was 25 minutes, with strap rows substituted in for chin ups. I believe I achieved a major victory today in both starting and finishing the workout. I also gained extra credits completing the optional 20-10 interval workout afterwards.

I was totally exhausted after the 400 challenge but I knew I could complete the added workout if I just kept going, one 20 second interval at a time.

Challenge Yourself

I was watching Baby Looney Toons with my daughter on Saturday morning and the story really hit me, I could relate to the story in a big way. Sylvester didn’t want to look silly doing something he wasn’t good at, so he decided he wasn’t going to try anything new. He wouldn’t play new games with the other toons, would try a new cereal or wear a new t-shirt because he didn’t do new things.

Grandma showed him some old videos, showing him having a similar reaction to a new type of cereal and a new blankie. Sylvester realised that things he treasures were at some point new and he learned to love them over time. He just had to get over the fear of something different.

There have been many times when I’ve dismissed something because it was new, unusual or uncomfortable. I know now that the only way for me to grow is to push myself and take on new challenges. When I look beyond my Ego, I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.

“How do you know you don’t like it unless you try it?” Brave

There is no guarantee that you’ll enjoy and want to continue each new thing your try. But if you don’t do it you’ll never know. You may love bodyweight interval workouts however if you never try them you wont know. As a child, everything was new to us and we just did it, if we liked it we kept doing it, if not we didn’t. As we got older, we were told by others to grow up, stop acting like a child, become more responsible. This removed a lot of our freedom and created a fear of the new and a desire for conformity.

When you go to school, you’ll do well as long as you turn up on time, do the work you are told and do not break any of the rules. School teaches us to fit in and follow rules, what it didn’t teach us was to be adventurous and try new things. Unfortunately some people never realise that there’s a whole world out there to be tried, tasted, explored and discovered.

Your Ego like the Status Quo, not the band, he likes things as they are. He can impose his rules onto you to keep things constant, new things are hard work. When you challenge yourself you are listening to your Self rather than your Ego. When you are acting in congruence with your Self, you can achieve happiness, be inspired to create new and wonderful things.

The hard part is you’ve got to do the work. Simply getting started is the hardest part but once you have you will have the momentum to continue. I started my Bodyweight 400 challenge this morning and I thought about quitting so many times but is remembered why I started; I want to be healthy, strong and fit. The challenge was pulling me closer to my long terms goals and I had to complete it.

Your body can achieve great things if your mind allows it. When you want to take on a physical challenge, just start. Your mind will quit many times before your body will. You may struggle, fail even, but you will emerge stronger at the end of it. Like the true Hero’s journey, our struggles mould us into the person we want to become.

Just get started, it’s that simple and it’s that hard.

“Harder than you think is a beautiful thing” Public Enemy Harder Than You Think

Completed 20/10 Workout # 11: The 16-Minute Total Body Revolution &
Ladder Workout # 5: The Conditioning Ladder this morning.

The ladder workouts are intense, the number of rounds goes down with each round but it still gets so much more difficult. Great fun though!

Today is shopping day, so I’ve been planning my recipes and creating a list of ingredients for my shopping list. I’m buying a little less this week as we’re flying out to Portugal for 2 weeks on Thursday. I still haven’t decided what to take on the flight with me though. A few last minute things to sort out be we are pretty well organised so far. most importantly I need to move my wrokout videos and training manuals to my Ipad to follow along onwhile on holiday.

There is no right time, only now.

In the past I have put off many things because the time wasn’t right. Really I was making excuses to justify my lack of action. Procrastination had me by the balls and wasn’t letting go. I always seemed to wait for the right time, but it never came.

What is the right time? Do the stars have to be in proposer alignment? Does the weather have to be suitable for your training? Perhaps it’s just the fact that it’s the weekend and you don’t do hard work at the weekend.

The weather has changed in the past few weeks in Scotland. Unlike previous years, we’ve had unusually cold weather, and snow, in March and April. Normally the weather here is poor all year round. We never get extremes of weather like Monsoons, Hurricanes and the like but we generally have damp mild weather. Light rain is barbeque weather in Scotland.

I’ve been hearing many people talking about getting back to the gym, running more or cycling; now that the weather’s improving. Fair weather cyclists must not do a lot of cycling in Scotland. The weather is very rarely “good enough” for these people. How much are their goals suffering because they are waiting for the weather to be good?

It seems to be an all or nothing approach to fitness and exercise. If the conditions aren’t perfect, play does not begin or resume.

This is an ingenious way that our Ego prevents us from being ourselves. It puts limitations on our lives based on external conditions to keep us from realising our potential.

These self limiting factors are stopping you from being true to yourself and the person you want to be. One of the best ways to quieten your ego and bring out your conscious self is to exercise. Taking a good walk or doing a hard workout will alter your state of mind, you gain clarity, ideas pop into your head, and you are inspired.

Your Ego knows this and likes things the way you are. He has worked hard over your lifetime convincing to play by his rules. He like the status quo, he’s not a big fan of change. Your ego keeps you imprisoned. Your crime was dreaming and your sentence is a lifetime in solitary confinement from inspiration to take action.

To take a quote from The Other Guys movie

“I’m like a peacock, you gotta let me fly!”

You Gotta Let Me Fly 

Your Ego knows that it cannot silence these aspirations forever, but by using time, he can convince you to do it another day. Put things off because all the pieces aren’t lined up neatly. It convinces you that perfection is required.

The truth is it’s never perfect. You don’t have infinite time. The right time is now.

Just do it, get your workout gear on and crush your workout. You’ll feel awesome afterwards, not only will your body become stronger, your mind will too. Each victory you have accumulates. You’ll gain clarity of mind; some people call it the runners high. You can use Exercise not only to improve your body; it will open up your mind, provide clarity and inspire you to follow your dreams.

The right time is now. Act like there is no tomorrow, there is no other time to do this.

Day 3 of the Transformation Contest and it’s back to Turbulence training Home Workout Revolution. I completed The Bootcamp 3-Circuit Workout &The 10-Minute Bodyweight Conditioning Workout. The Passion and Enthusiasm of Brian and Mikey in the videos made the workout fun as well as exhausting.

I read a lot of blogs, and have been trying to cut back because I would often become confused with conflicting information on them. I do like it when you find an article that makes you sure you have selected the correct programs. I love the Warrior Warmup and the progress I’ve made so far has been great. I read this article on Marks Daily Apple about natural movement which talks about a few of the movements that are included in the Warrior Warmup.

Memo From Resistance

I am the reason you fail. I am the most destructive force in your world. When you look at the mirror you see me. I am part of you. I am here to keep you safe. I am that voice in your head. I am fear.

I go by many names. Steven Pressfield calls me Resistance; Paul McGee calls me the Inner Critic, Kim and Jason call me Adultitis. I even pop up in cartoons as the little Devil on your shoulder. My name’s not important; you just need to know I’m here.

I’m here to keep you safe. The world is a dangerous place and I’m here to protect you. My job has been made more difficult over the centuries. I used to have to contend with a few stressful situations, perhaps and animal attack or another tribe. Now I’m working overtime, everything about life today is stressful.

You try too hard, you get these crazy ideas in your head that you want to achieve, push the boat out, Level up. That all sounds risky to me and I’m here to keep you safe. This other voice, damn him, is trying to undo all the work I’ve done. Sometimes you don’t listen to me so I’ve had to take some crafty measures to stop you.

I make you afraid, Fear was one of my first ways to keep you safe and it continue to be a great weapon for me. You have too much to lose and doing nothing will keep you safer. You don’t jump into the lion’s mouth now do you?

Procrastination is one of my favourite weapons. I may not be able to convince you to stop pursuing your so called dreams, but I can stop you doing it today. If I stop you today, I get a little bit stronger and I’ll stop you again tomorrow, just you wait and see.

I also have an awesome memory. Remember all those times in the past you’ve tried something and failed? I do, and I’ll remind you from time to time. This will eat away at you, your frustration turns to disappointment and regret. While you’re spending so much time focussing on the negative in the past, you’re not doing crazy stuff like finding your muse or following your passion. That all sounds like hard work and a lot of stress to me so I’ll be dammed if I let you do it.

I can use your dreams against you too. I’ll help you paint a fantastic picture of the future for yourself, but lets just leave that as a picture for the time being. Looking at that image is far easier than doing the work. Remember I’m here to keep you safe, I know what’s best for you. Action is hard work.

I’ve also recruited some outside help too. I like to keep you busy; I love to create obligations for you. I don’t want you to do nothing, so I’ll keep you going with a bunch of tasks that take your time and attention away from these annoying dreams. Social media is one of my greatest inventions, you can spend so much time on there checking up on what others are not doing and having a good old whinge about life.

Schadenfreude – we take pleasure in the misfortune of others. If I can keep you busy with other people’s failures you’re not going to get ideas above our station. We’ll look good compared to others in worse situations. Let them fail and look stupid.

I don’t mind if you talk about me, I don’t care what you think, I’ve got my job to do and I’ll keep on doing it. The more you do what I say, the more strength you give me.

You want to be happy; I get that, that’s why I make you want loads of stuff. I want you to be a consumer. Why wait years and spend hours doing hard work when you can be a little bit happy buying a new toy. Yeah the novelty wears off but you can always buy some more toys. I want you to do something to make yourself happy now, buy the game, eat the cake, and watch some TV. I’m sure there’s a good reality TV show on; let’s watch others self destruct…. And laugh.

You don’t have to fulfil your dreams; you’ll be fine as long as you’re not screwing up as much as those around you. You’ll look better than them; we just got to keep you up with the Jones’.

I created the all powerful “They” and the Jones family to keep you in order. They are the template for what you strive for. Your insides should match their outsides. The best part is you’ll never keep up with the Jones’. When you get what they’ve got, they move the goalposts, they’ve moved on and you need to start again trying to climb up to their level.

The all powerful “They”; who are they, what are they, why are they. Who cares, take it from me, do what they say. They know what’s best, don’t ask silly questions like why or how come, just follow. It’s easier that way, for you and me.

You don’t seem to be taking the hint here, I’m not going away. You can’t block me out, I’m part of you. So you’ve started down I path I’ve told you not to. I’m going to step my game up and I’ll find a way to change your mind.

Enough, you’ve done enough. You’re pushing yourself too hard. You can’t do that, it’s too hard and you don’t have the skills. You’ve tried this before and failed, what’s going to be different this time? I’m devious, I know, but I don’t want you to make a fool of yourself. You’ll only live to regret it more.

Regrets… more regrets. These bad boys keep you in my control. Like compound interest they build up over time weighing you down more and more. The more regrets, the more power I have to stop you reaching your goals. Speaking of goals, why do you need them? Why be in the game when you can be in the stands?

Try ignoring me, I dare you. You can’t silence me, I may get quieter but I’ll still be there. You may drown me out with your positive actions but I’ll always be there, chipping away. I’m in this for the long haul; I’m a professional at what I do. Do you really want to take me on?

Who do you think you are? Superman? Batman? Do you really think you have the courage to take me on? Go on then… Be a Hero!

Over the past month I’ve really gotten into the swing of healthy eating and exercise. I look forward to my workouts in the morning now, it’s an awesome feeling.

I did my Warrior Warmup Level 1 and Warrior Abs level 2 workouts this morning followed by 10 minutes of meditation. Exercising is the best way to start the day. I get to work and I’m wide awake, alert and ready to go, compared to many who are living off coffee to get them started.

I’ve tried working out before, during and after work and am certain morning workouts are the best for me. I am doing the most important thing first thing in the morning. What a way to start the day! In the past I’ve found that as the day goes on, the number of excuses increase and my inner voice can normally rationalise me out of my workouts.

Takeaway: Get your most important tasks done first.

The 17th Transformation Contest has begun today and I’ve decided to complete the challenge to give me an added boost and some further accountability to keep with my goals.

I placed first in the 14th contest and have struggled since then. I seemed to be losing and gaining the same 20 pounds since the end of the contest. I am determined that this will not continue any further. I’ve changed a lot over the last 5-6 weeks.

I had food intolerance tests done which identified that I have intolerance to Gluten, Wheat, Cow’s Milk and Cashews. I also showed a mild reaction to yeast which was indicative of poor gut bacteria. I’ve been prescribed probiotics and anti-microbial during the follow up nutrition consults, which have made a huge difference. The weight seems to be dropping off and the negative health issues seem to be disappearing.

The elimination diet, effectively paleo with a few other restrictions, has worked well over the past 6 weeks and I want to take the new habits developed further over the next 12 weeks.

I will be on holiday for 2 weeks from 9th May. In the past this would have been a reason to give up before I started but this time I am confident I can go on holiday and maintain my nutrition. I believe the hotel will have internet access and I will log my progress daily.

Thanks to the follow along videos on TT HWR and Warrior Warmup, I can load my Ipad with the workouts , press play and follow along. We’re going to Portugal which is in the same time zone as the UK, with no time difference it should mean minimal disruptions to my sleep and I can keep my early morning workout routine.

Here’s my stats from tis evening.

Weight 268 lbs
Neck 18”
Bicep 13.5”
Forearm 12”
Chest 47”
Waist 49”
Hips 50”
Thigh 27”
Calf 18.5”

My contest goals are:

My 12 Week Goals
1. Complete 20 Push-ups
2. Complete 20 Inverted Rows
3. Lose 30 pounds

My Daily Goals
1. Complete TT Home Workout Revolution Workout on Main workout days
2. Complete Warrior Warmup & Warrior Abs on Light exercise days.
3. Eat Nutrient Dense foods only – High Quality Protein, Non-Starchy Vegetables, little Fruit, Nuts and High Quality Fats.
4. Drink 5 Litres Of Water
5. Log My Progress on TT members Forum.

I feel much more comfortable in this contest. I have had a major change in my attitude in the past few weeks which will allow me to achieve greater success.

I wish the best of luck to all who take on the challenge.

The 15^th Transformation Contest opened on the 2^nd September 2012, with the final day for entries being the 23^rd September 2012. After my success in the 14^th Transformation contest; losing 24 lbs, dropping 4 inches from my waist, feeling healthier and more energetic than ever, winning the first prize in the Males under 40, I knew I had to make the commitment again. My results were awesome, I have to keep it going, I must continue to progress.

At the end of TC14, I was carrying a niggling injury and I had not worked out as much as I should have. With some help from my Chiropractor and Massage Therapist, my back, neck and shoulder problems appear to now be behind me. TC15 will be my way to refocus my efforts, get back into the groove and see out the remainder of the year by reinforcing my new nutritional and training philosophies.

As a contest winner I cannot enter TC15, however I do not believe I can afford not to take part. I weighed my self yesterday, took my body measurements, defined my goals and took some time to study the Bodyweight Manual and the workouts I would be completing. This is my Day 1, I’m ready to begin.

Day 0 – Weight 267 lbs

Measurements

Neck                18.5”

Bicep               15.5”

Forearm           12”

Chest               48”

Waist               49”     

Hips                 48”

Thigh               26”

Calf                 17”

My 12 Week Goals

1. Complete 20 Push-ups
2. Complete 20 Inverted Rows
3. Lose 30 pounds

 My Daily Goals

1. Complete TT Bodyweight Manual Workout (Light exercise on specified days)
2. Eat Nutrient Dense foods only – High Quality Protein, Non-Starchy Vegetables, little Fruit, Nuts and High Quality Fats.
3. Drink 5 Litres Of Water
4. Log My Progress on TT members Forum.

I’ve made a commitment to train with the other Turbulence Training Transformation Contest applicants for the next 12 weeks because we share a common goal. We will succeed in transforming our lives through a structured progressive training program which will allow us to torch body fat, build muscle and improve many aspects of our lives. We will make progress and success a habit; we will not tolerate anything less!

Why not see out the year with a bang. Work hard and eat well and you will make huge improvements to your physical and emotional health. Turbulence training is much greater than the sum of its parts, if you want to make a lasting positive change in your life sign up for Transformation Contest 15, do it, do it now.