Reflections

Ask the right question

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To get a useful answer, it is important to ask the right questions. 

    Rather than adding extra effort, look at what you can take away. 

    If you can only see 2 paths, look for a third. 

    If you’re trying something new, has anyone done something similar before? Even a different discipline offers guidelines.

    Does it actually need to be done?

    What one thing, done today, will have the most impact? 

    Can this be a yes or no, rather than a maybe? 

Try one next time you’re stuck and see if it helps break the restriction.

When the going gets tough;

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Stop.

Breathe.

Think: Do I really need to be putting myself through this, is there a more efficient way?

 

If you’ve been banging your head against the same problem 42 times, perhaps the 43rd attempt won’t solve it either.

If its a workout, or a programmed training session, then dig in buttercup, the outcome is worth the effort. The same if its a challenging work scenario with a defined goal.

But if the task has no defined goal, no finishing line and seems apparently insoluble, then perhaps you need to take a break and reflect.

It could be that someone has been down that route before and talking to experts could save you hours of time.

It could be that “we’ve always done it that way” isn’t actually the best anymore.

And it could be that, however good your intentions, the goal isn’t going to fit your long term plan.

Stop, breathe, think.

Then get going again.

 

 

Damn, I’m tired. 

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Early mornings, coupled with late nights. 

Physically hard days.

Poor or restricted diet with an increased training load. 

Mental stress and prolonged concentration. 

All of these and combinations of them can lead to fatigue. Will lead to fatigue, given sufficient time. This in turn leads to micro mistakes, poor neural timing and eventually injury. 

Fatigue can hide behind coffee, sugary snacks and stubbornness but is easily spotted if you look for it.

Not recovering fully in the time you would normally expect to, regularly less than 7-8 hours sleep, using more stimulants to keep going, an elevated resting heart rate, more coughs and colds, an elevated or stressed breathing pattern, and poor focus and mental control are all signs to check. 

If in doubt, back off. Good decisions are rarely made tired and a day of down time will almost never lose the race. 

3 things

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All you need to do to make progress is 3 things. 

Do it consistently and you will make huge progress. 

What those three things are depends on what your goal is and where you are. 

Want to make progress on a project? Do three things off your list. Some will be time orientated, some not. 

Want to improve your health? Eat, move, rest. 

And if you can consistently do 3, make it 5. But make sure you do them all before the end of the day. 

The trick works because it helps break inertia and provides momentum, mentally and physically.

Just three things, for each thing you wish to achieve. 

This even works if you’re  suffering with depression or other mental health issues. 

Focus on just doing three things. 

A personal care item (shower,clean teeth, shave), a healthy meal, a walk. 

Then, no matter how the rest of the day goes, you’ve done 3 positive things. 

Simple is not the same as easy.

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Losing weight is simple. Burn more energy than you consume.

Getting fitter is simple. Train smart as well as harder. 

Being richer is simple. Earn more, spend less.

But is never seems to work like that. It is the details that hold us back. Losing weight generally means losing bodyfat, and the techniques required for that depend on your starting point. Getting fitter is similar. Starting from zero, anything is an improvement, but the closer we get to the goal, the more the process has to be refined. 

And, the further we go into the weeds to find the shortcuts, the more complex it all seems to become. We can get snowed under in the details, the little things that seem to become important in the eyes of a self proclaimed expert.

Keep in mind, the simple things. Fuel well, drink water, move more. And if you get lost or stuck, come back to those.

As for getting rich? Find something you enjoy doing most of the time (no one loves their job every day) study hard, try to find a balance between work and play, and don’t spend as much as you bring in. Good luck!

 

 

Get the basics right first 

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It doesn’t matter what supplements you take, what your morning ritual looks like, who your guru is or whether you prefer goji berries, blueberries or beetroot as your preferred superfood, if you’re not getting stronger, faster or any achieving any measure you’re aiming for, there’s something not working. 

Nothing happens without enough sleep, enough water, enough high quality macronutrients. If you don’t get the basics sorted first, you’re building your castle on sand. 

So before you start spending on the latest expensive magic product, check you’re getting:

7- 8 hours restful sleep

2-3L water / fluids

75-150g protein

Plenty of vegetables and berries

No? 

Figure those out then move forwards. Basic consistent steps climb mountains. 

Be Ready….

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If you can run 10k in 40 minutes but not carry your buddy 200 yards, are you ready?

If you can squat twice your bodyweight but can’t even run for a bus, are you ready?

If you can walk for hours with a pack but can’t climb a rope, are you ready?

If you can’t swim 25m in a pool, clothed, are you ready?

You never know what life will throw at you. It may be carrying a sick child home from a day out, helping a friend move house, walking across town because the traffic is messed up, or even being caught up in a situation where your skills and fitness are vital to keep yourself, and those you’re responsible for, safe.

Chris Hadfield, in his book “An Astronauts Guide to life on Earth” has a point about being a zero.  You might not be a direct asset to the situation at hand, but you really don’t want to be a burden. Being fit and ready to respond makes you a better zero.

We all like to think we’re fit, but have no idea what that actually means. Being able to run 10k fast is a skill but if you’re washed out for a week after, that isn’t so great. Being built like a rugby prop is useful, if you play rugby. But those guys and girls can also run very fast (at least the professionals), can you?

For its many detractors and weaknesses (not enough endurance based cardio respiratory training in most boxes), crossfit and its like offers a great way of being a better human. Not only do you get faster, fitter and stronger, you can develop mobility and recovery.

Of course, you don’t need to join an expensive box to improve. A few basic kettlebells, sandbag and jump rope are all you need to start.

And get some first aid training. The basics really are basic but could save your life and those who you love.

So be a better human and a positive asset to everyone around you. Get after it.

Linked below is a basic training plan and ready guide. It assumes you can move without pain but little else. Caveat: See a medical professional before starting any new form of exercise plan to make sure it isn’t going to kill you.

Be Ready V2

Open 16.4, its mental

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Scaled Workout

13 minute AMRAP

  • 55 Deadlifts @61kg
  • 55 Wall balls, 9kg to 9ft
  • 55 Cals row
  • 55 hand release pushups

Watching a team mate at the gym struggle through 16.4, it was interesting to note the effect of his mental state on his performance.

I know, from having trained with him, that he is stronger and better than me at all of the moves needed.

But for some reason, he was scared of it. He’d backed out at least once and finally had to face it to get an open score.

Training was not able to parse into competition and this is something you can see frequently. Strong guys and girls crumble under pressure and they perceive themselves as failing.

Dry run it. See the success in your head and take it on from a position of winning before you lift the bar the first time.

And in the end, he did well, getting a full round in before the clock ran out.

Title, Plot, Outcome

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Following the current theme of stories, the concept of narrative flow can be used for checking decisions.

If you were reading a book by your favourite author and the lead character were to be making the decision you need to make, how would you react? Does it move the story arc in a positive direction, is it going to add an interesting diversion that they can learn and grow from, or would you be mentally screaming at them to not do it?

This can be applied, whatever the decision you need to make, whether it is to get up and go to the gym, go out with friends for a relaxing meal, or which academic course you need to follow next. By adding a layer of critical analysis and an objective viewpoint, you can check in and make the best decision for your plot.

And of course, sometimes the hero needs a little help, so find your supporters, from coaches to osteopaths, and make a winning team.

Trust the way will appear Indie, and take that step.

 

 

Story, Focus, Drive.

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Ever worn prismatic glasses? Often found at science fairs, these  creations appear to turn the world upside down. What they’re actually doing is putting it the right way up, since the lenses in our eyes invert everything and we have learned to correct automatically somewhere in our brains. Put on a pair and for a while, everything is difficult to do, your hands miss whatever you reach for and it’s impossible to walk. However,the brain very quickly learns the corrective states and you are able to get on as normal. Take them off, and the whole sequence has to be unlearned, which interestingly seems to take far longer.

This little trick confused natural philosophers, even Isaac Newton, for centuries as they knew from camera obscuras that lenses can invert images. So, as well demonstrating a number of fascinating facts about the brain,  it can be used as a metaphor for learning and achievement.

Some things we instinctively do. The basics of humanity are simply picked up as we go along. Walking, eating, sleeping and talking come pretty much built into the hardware. Other skills are taught in a more formal setting, such as reading, writing and mathematics. These require a structured approach but can be applied as a base layer of education to everything else we need to do. Beyond that are the skills that require time, effort and talent to achieve a high level of competence. None of us will be Usain Bolt, Chris Hadfield or Caitlin Moran. These people not only have brilliant born talents but have worked very hard to get to where they are.

The common ties between these layers of skill, innate, basic taught and advanced, other than practice are:

Story

Focus

Drive

A child wants to walk to explore its surroundings. Reading, writing and mathematics allow us to gain some traction in understanding the world better. Usain Bolt wanted to be the fastest runner, Chris Hadfield wanted to be an astronaut, Caitlin Moran a writer. From those basic goals, everything else flowed.

Refine, polish and adapt your story. Use that to generate the focus and drive that will get you many steps closer to where you need to be than just wishful thinking. If you don’t seem to be getting progress, review the story. Sometimes side branches can become the main path, occasionally they’re dead ends.

And looking at the prismatic glasses? Put on a pair and the brain suddenly has to get back to a state of normality, so will figure out the way to go about that, even without your slow conscious input. Your story can be the prismatic glasses. Why not give them a polish?