The problem with food & fitness hacks

When it comes to putting in effort or options for a shortcut, we know what most will choose.

Often putting in a fair chunk of time trying to find the way to circumvent the one thing the none can escape – truth.

What is this particular truth?

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

When it comes to fitness/food hacks these often fail people epically.

You see a guru or celeb will sell a magic pill or next best thing as they know full well people want to buy it, not because it’s actually effective of beneficial to the person in question.

If you’re someone who looks to hacks then it might be worth asking yourself why.

What is it you’re really looking to achieve with them?

Any results will be short lived, then you’ll be looking for the next thing to use and the cycle will repeat itself for as long as you avoid the truth.

Nothing changes if nothing changes, and the main ingredients required are effort & willingness.

I know how it comes across, but please see it for what it really is.

A warning to avoid the allure of a shortened path that is only going to reduce the size of your wallet.

Success leaves clues, and those are often found within the hours, days and even years of consistent effort many seem to ignore ever happened because they only focus on the end product of what people have achieved.

However you already know all of this, so that begs the question….

What’s stopping you applying it?

Enjoy,
Ross

Be grateful, not everyone has what you do

Training is a gift, wouldn’t you agree 😇

I know some don’t because they see it as a chore.

More something they have to do for the purpose of avoiding unfavourable aesthetic outcomes that are the result of their chosen lifestyle.

As such they strike up an odd deal with themselves 👀

“If I do XYZ training I can eat/drink ABC in this amount.”

In all fairness it’s not a terrible exchange truth be told, although over time the scales begin to tip in the direction of what many consider to be unfavourable.

As you’re aware, the body adapts and what was once super effective loses its potency 🧐

This is where purposeful training comes into play.

Something that legitimately pushes you close to a known limit and then forces you to stretch yourself that little bit further.

Having this become a staple in the majroity of sessions (or over accumulated sessions at least) is what actually provides the counterweight to keep the scales balanced or even weighed towards the side of what each individual considers a favourable aesthetic outcome🖤

True enough people say that’s not what they’re all about.

And some are spekaing the truth in such a sentence, however that isnt the case for the majority (which is nothing to be ashamed of, despite what the modern narrative says).

I’d be curious to know when the things you used to do stopped working or giving you what you needed to sustain the lifestyle (from a physical standpount)🤔

What did you change training wise, or did you make lifestyle tweaks?

Or maybe you kept training as it was becuase you loved what you had as a routine and simply kept ramping up the intensity by pushing harder and harder.

Hopefully you weren’t one of the masses that refused to chagne and ended up stuck sinking into the mud despite your efforts.

All answers are insightful, so please do share yours.

Change your training, change your life

Obvious as it sounds making changes in what you do will result in different outcomes.

The issue is that we tend to get attached to things, and in my experience here’s why:

• We gained something emotionally
• A favourable outcome was achieved
• It helps us feel accepted or fit in

Good as these things are for us they can also serve as chains that keep us bound statically.

For example, it’s not uncommon for men to seek hefty amounts of muscle when they start training and once this box is ticked off there are rewards that come from it. Usually there’s then a need to make a shift for health purposes (joints, ligaments, tendons, etc) and that’s where things get hard.

Making a change comes with the fear of loss.

Usually it takes a lot of time to build your body to the level of physicality you prefer/seek.

Say this is 5 years minimum.

To now need to taper off how much you’ve been doing in a specific way you’ve become accustomed to is mentally very challenging for most. I know it was hard for me personally and it took the best part of 4 years which then required some life interventions that forced the change.

Being honest if the string of nasties didn’t happen I’d not have changed my training.

I feared too deeply losing what had been worked so hard to attain.

It may help to know that this won’t happen in the way you think it will, you can sustain what you what with a fraction of what it took to build and in addition to that you’ll be able to stockpile your progress with new & different training stimuli.

Take a moment to ask yourself this – what is it I fear to lose through changing my training?

Really take the time to sit deep with this and anger it honestly.

I’ll share my fear to give you context and get you stated.

It was the loss of all the muscle& strength which would result in being seen as I was when much younger – a small, weak kid who people would come gunning for (even though I was always up for a fight to prove a point). What mattered most wasn’t the social validation and attention, although that was nice, what really worried me was losing what I thought was respect and not being noticed anymore.

Even writing that stings.

However it’s the truth.

The thought of losing this was a very strong tether and it just served to hold me back due to it affecting how I viewed the world.

Embracing our fears is hard because once we admit the truth we can’t hide from it.

Difficult as it may seem, it will be worth it because of all the positive changes it will bring to your life in the form of new experiences.

Take the risk and commit to something different for an entire year, leave behind what was.

After all you can always return to what you know after that time, even though I’d imagine you won’t want to.

Enjoy,
Ross

The problem with rehab work

In all my experience I’ve sound this to be the biggest issue.

People don’t do their rehab work when they need to.

We can go one step further and even say that using some of the typical movements considered to be exclusively used for helping heal an injured area are well worth doing even if uninjured too.

You’ll find that known as – Prehab in the past, or in more modern terms it’s called movement preperation.

It seems dull (and a bit pointless) to do the small things with little to no loading.

This is what stops many people actually doing this kind of training.

I can tell you this is a grave mistake that comes back to haunt a lot of people in the end.

The idea of movement preparation isn’t new because originally it was called ‘warming up’ but given how people only find joy in crushing themselves in each training session their warm up time tended to be cut short.

Now…. In the past I’ve said you don’t need 45-60min warming up like some athletes and folk with endless amounts of time put into it (although if you can that’s a fair thing to do).

The issue is most folk don’t have this kind of time.

Hence why they only want to do the good stuff and will deal with the small bits later.

Which of course they never do.

A warm up can be as little as 5-10min, however I’d then advice other practices in your rest periods, now called ‘active recovery’ to work on areas that needs a little TLC because this is then using your time wisely.

Here’s an example for context:

Main Work – Kettlebell Clean & Press
Warm Up, alternate the following
– 5-10 Swings
– 5 Inverted rows
– 5 Pike presses
– 5 Deep squats (can be goblet squat)
– 20 Shoulder/arm circles
– 20 Chest expansions
– 20 Band reverse flies
– 20 Shoulder dislocations

You can repeat this sequence for 5-10min to feel ready for the main session, which might be ladder work.

A1 – Clean & Press x1/2/3/4
A2 – Weighted Chin x1/2/3/4
Rest as needed and repeat as many times as possible in 30min

Follow this with 5min of basic stretching as a cool down and you’ve just had 45min of solid training.

If you only had 30min I’d say 15min for the main is sufficient, but most will skimp on the warm up instead for the sake of getting more work in due to FOMO.

This isn’t wise.

I’d say for most people having 2-3 sessions per week of movement-prep/mobility/prehab (whatever you’d like to call it) will be of endless benefit to the average person.

Combine that with 3 days of basic S&C and you’ll really be in a good place.

It’s worth nothing that this isn’t 5-6 hard days of training, it’s 3 main working sessions with 2-3 that are geared towards having you feel great and move well.

But the truth is this – such a set up isn’t appealing to people because of the attitude that says we need to crush ourselves in every session otherwise we’ve wasted out time.

I’d highly encourage you to explore restoration style sessions.

These will help keep you healthy, injury free and if you’ve got current pain they can help reduce it.

Give it some thought because it’s worth it in the end.

Enjoy,
Ross

7 Things I’ve learned as a PT/Coach that will help overcome almost any problem – Part 7

Today brings the last lesson for you fine folk that have taken the time to read these ramblings.

By now you’ve gathered each one has been about your perspective of the world you live in.

It’s all because of the fact that for the majority of us, we’re in control of all that we do.

While it is true that some people only have the option of a bad choice vs a worse choice, this isn’t the case for what I’d consider to be an average person living in a developed country.

Our issue is that we’ve become entitled and lazy for the most part.

And this brings me to my final thought.

The difference between want and need is intent.

A lot of people want what is easy, convenient, low in effort and high in perceived reward (even though that’s rarely the case).

When it comes to needs these are brought about by intent because they have to be addressed with some focus and can’t be half arsed otherwise things go sideways fast.

It’s the same with strength, that comes about from having the need for it not the want of it.

Accepting the above regarding intent will allow you to focus your energy into something that will be of great reward in the long run, and this is why many don’t actually go down this route – the pay off won’t happen until much later.

Even though you may get 5, 10 or perhaps 100x the return in the end, the long of how long it may take puts the majority of people off ever going down the road that will lead to true gold.

You don’t have to apply any of my lessons.

However I would urge you to consider it because in the end you’ll thank yourself for it.

Enjoy,
Ross

7 Things I’ve learned as a PT/Coach that will help overcome almost any problem – Part 6

Getting straight to the point with this one.

Most people start training because they feel shit about themselves.

Now there are exceptions, however the majority start their health & fitness journey fuelled by lower emotions stemming from shame.

Perhaps it was a photo that showed how much they’d let themselves go.
Someone maybe made a comment regarding the physical prowess they USED to have.
They may bump into someone of the past who used to be the ‘ugly duckling’ that now is not.

You’ll find plenty of elements that can cause people to have a moment of realisation.

It’s just common that these moments shower people in shame as they realise they’re real body isn’t quite what they’ve been seeing in their own mirror or highly edited photos.

No one likes feeling this way.

As a result they now have a NEED to change.

You see that’s the secret to lasting change, it comes from a need and not a want like many think.

I’d also like you to remember that it’s okay to feel this way because it helps you change.

Taking some time to write a diary that is honest and driven by your emotions in of the moment can be very helpful in you growing as a person.

Sadly this is a somewhat dying art which is a shame.

As you can gather I’ve been writing drivel for years, not only here but also on a blog that’s got endless content lost in the digital air. Plus there is a hand written one too, but that’s just for me.

I encourage you to start writing.

Embrace how you truly feel and use the emotions that cause this as fuel for transmutation.

It’ll be hard but I can promise you it’ll be worth it.

Enjoy,
Ross

7 Things I’ve learned as a PT/Coach that will help overcome almost any problem – Part 5

Chances are there’s been at least one time in your life you’ve experienced depression.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of because these days this is a common element of life.

In fact for someone to say they haven’t felt this way would be met with doubt, suspicion & scrutiny.

What was learned on this side of the screen over many years of listening to others share their stories and how they fought the monster to come out the other end in a better place, or ended up swallowed by it has been very interesting.

I can’t say that I know of myself experiencing what is legitimate depression.

Yea I had ups, downs and swirly days, plus a few where a long walk of a short plank was an alluring idea.

However upon reflecting on these times the lesson that was revealed was a simple one.

The times which seemed to feel far heavier with life than others were those that I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t, all for the sake of appeasing parents, partners or peers.

In attempting to become the living expectation of what I thought others wanted me to be.

(Sometimes at a guess based on their subtle comments, others because of their direct comments and a few times just out of my own need for love)

The result was a swift & unforgiving wave of disappointment.

This lead to emotions not being expressed as needed, for example – anger.

Many would say I’m an angry person, that I’d scream, shout and rage at things but this ind of comment really made my blood boil because it was an exaggeration.

Knowing myself I’d often sit and think – “You’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”

If I was to genuinely get angry in the way they’d project and say I had I can say with full clarity they’d know the difference between a simple ‘For f**ks sake’ and me actually losing my temper.

Sadly this modern world isn’t well equipped to deal with genuine anger.

As such any time a person starts expression pent up emotional energy that needs to be expressed they’re shamed for it, told they’re out of control, too angry or something similar and this cause people to bury that and allow it to stockpile.

In the end it can lead to a person becoming very sick.

Expressing our emotions is an essential part of what allows us to function and stay healthy.

True enough certain expressions might be best kept to kicking the stuffing out of a punch bag instead of your sly, passive-aggressive low life of a coworker, however speaking your mind to them with stern words isn’t something to be afraid of.

It’ll let them know in no uncertain terms that if they continue to be a dick they’ll get a slap.

Even though compassion, forgiveness and understanding are a better way to be with most people.

Sometimes there’s those who won’t learn with the hammer of justice.

Keep the above in mind and perhaps start writing a diary to help you deal with stuck emotional energies.

I’d also suggest some kind of physical activity for helping release these too.

Perhaps something creative is up your ally, like painting etc. Activities that provide the catharsis don’t always need to be physical in a sense of lifting weights, boxing or similar. It can be anything you deem appropriate because so long as it provides what you need (and is safe), it’s all good.

Enjoy,
Ross

7 Things I’ve learned as a PT/Coach that will help overcome almost any problem – Part 4

Today’s share might result in some of you feeling personally attacked.

If it does this isn’t to be seen as something happening to you, but happening for you.

The reason being is that it’s not a personal attack and if you take it that way it means you can shine a light on something you need to address that will help you grow.

So here we go…

Don’t seek external validation as the marker that you’re doing well, are loved or worth something.

By this I simply mean that craving the constant praise etc from others isn’t a wise path to take.

Using the views of others in the world to fuel your own personal needs will only lead to a very dark place in the end because you’ll become overly reliant on external sources to keep you moving forward in life.

I’ve seen this happen to a lot of people, and it’s sad.

Personally I ended up walking this line or at variant of it at least.

For me it was the case that if I was better than others I’d finally be given the love, support, respect, praise and admiration I so desperately sought because it was missing in my youth.

You see I grew up with the constant message of – That’s not good enough. You can do better.

Not an uncommon expectation to have placed on you by those in your life that want the best for you.

It’s just the case they’re not too self aware and don’t really know that while their intentions are good, they pave the way to your own personal hell of crippling coping mechanisms (self criticism, perfectionism, etc).

This doesn’t mean we ‘blame’ our parents or peers of those times.

They didn’t know any better, they loved us, it was just the case it wasn’t shown in the way that was needed because they, like us and so many at various points in our experience of life lack the wisdom & perspective that comes with age.

As was written in the Once & Future King – “‘There is a thing called knowledge of the world, which people do not have until they are middle-aged. It is something which cannot be taught to younger people, because it is not logical and does not obey laws which are constant. It has no rules.”

We act based on what we know, and it might be sufficient, it might not and the only way we will find out is by reflecting.

It’s the catch 22, we don’t know what we don’t know.

This is why being mindful and taking action, or even none action is best done through your own will and choice consciously, that way it allows you to be responsible and grow from the experience.

As I said above, these things in life don’t happen to you, they happen for you.

So with the above lesson this is what I’ve some to know is the solution.

Seek nothing outside of yourself because you won’t find it.

Learn to be proud of yourself.
Learn to praise yourself.
Learn to accept the only opinion of you that really matters is your own.

No one will ever be able to give you something you can’t give yourself because even if they do praise you, there will be a part of you that feels conflicted about it.

It’s why a lot of people are suffering with poor mental health these days.

They are suffering the conflict created by the self and the other.

That’s a topic for another day though.

Enjoy,
Ross

7 Things I’ve learned as a PT/Coach that will help overcome almost any problem – Part 3

You might not like this next lesson, so I won’t drag it out.

Stop complaining about everything.

Chances are you’ve been around someone that moans about even the smallest nuance.

Such an attitude is one where you’re steeped in the mentality of the victim, and while it may indeed be the case that a situation, circumstance or the actions of others aren’t your fault because you had no control over them it can very much be the case that creating a solution falls on to you.

Is it fair?

Nope, not even one bit. However life isn’t fair, it just is.

You might be tempted to resent a situation, person or inanimate object for your grievance.

Please understand resentment is never really justified, and trying to achieve that outcome just wastes your time, energy and life in a fruitless endeavour.

Instead of complaining, or trying to explain how/why/where it wasn’t your fault it’d be far wiser to simply take action over that which you are in full control of, how you respond & deal with things.

The next time you are about to complain just take a moment and ask why that’s your default.

Aim to understand the emotions, beliefs and biases behind it all.

Face them head on, then put them neatly in a box and burn it because you don’t need that nonsense in your life.

Trust me, if you stop complaining you’ll start to rewire how you think and that will change how you act which in turn leads to a more productive life willed with love, joy and positive thinking.

Enjoy,
Ross

7 Things I’ve learned as a PT/Coach that will help overcome almost any problem – Part 2

Now this little lesson might sting a bit, so you’ve been warned.

It’s not unfair to say that the only person who can really change our life is ourselves.

Yet in knowing this many choose ignorance, avoidance and will find any/all excuses not to do what needs to be done.

So my second lesson is a very short one and it in two parts.

The first:

Acknowledge YOU are the only one who can take the necessary actions to change your life.

The second:

Find out what actions you need to take to achieve the solution and go do them to the best of your ability.

It’s really that simple.

While it might not be easy it is the way you will move forwards in life, provided you want to.

Go think about it, seek your solution, the actions that accompany it and go apply yourself.

Enjoy,
Ross