Week 9 - lessons

Tighten Up Tuesdays

- reset your daily routine

- refocus on your goals and snap back into the healthy habits

- wholegrain bread & cereals, no calorie dense food.  Fresh, wholefood options with little processing

- caffeine free, sugar free, artificial sweetner free, alcohol free, chocolate free

- water and herbal tea are your only drink options

- give your exercise 110% today

- no reward or treat, apart from knowing you did a great job

- set your goals, and work out what you need to do to achieve them.  Revisit or update your goals

- get to bed early, and get an extra hour's sleep

Pay Offs and Costs

Answer these questions:

1. What are your goals. Why did you join or return to the program?
2. What is the payoff for you if you achieve your goal or goals?
3. What is the cost to you in order to achieve your goals?
4. What is your payoff if you don't achieve your goals? (eg. get to sleep in, don't have to exercise, can eat whatever I want, take no accountability)
5. What is your cost if you don't achieve your goals? (Sickness, lack of energy, angry, depressed, early death)

Which answers are you most fearful of?  Which statements hit you the hardest?

The #5. costs considerably outweigh #3. costs.

Consider the payoffs (2. and 4.)

Answers to #4 seem easy and comfortable?  They will come at a cost, are you willing to pay the costs?

Imagine your life achieving your goal.  Look back with pride, look at what you can do having achieved your goals.  Payoffs for not achieving your goal appear as a rip off (inner teenager). You're an adult with responsibility. At what point are you going to be grown up about your health? This really important part of your life.

Short term payoffs vs the long term costs.

Be clear on what you have to lose.

Week 8 lessons

Support and Sabotage
- don't be a victim and don't play the blame game
- don't let others destroy what you have achieved

Identify your saboteurs
- they see it as something being taken away from them - what are they losing by you gaining?
- stir up their feelings of guilt, frustrations

By you succeeding what are they losing?

Put your intentions on those you are onboard and supporting you all the way.

Support & positivity.  Truly excited by your goals, offer love and encouragement, genuinely want to see you achieve your goals.

Why do we get our back up when people suggest things to avoid?  Self-sabotage.

There will always be saboteurs - its up to you how you react to these people.  Your responsibility is key to what happens next.

Response-ability

You have the ability to respond in any way you choose.  You can respond by giving them power, or by giving you power.

Be true to you.  You don't have to convince others - this can be a drain on your energy.

1. Have faith in yourself, and your journey.  It's your response that can empower you or dis-empower you.
2. Identify the intentions of your saboteurs (resentment, or indifference).  
3. Don' fuel the fire, don't antagonise or try to change their mind.  They're entitled to their opinion and you to yours
4. Don't be a saboteur to someone else (don't force your beliefs onto someone who doesn't want to know about it, or aren't ready for it).  You can't want it for someone else.
5. Nurture your supporters.  Your well of inspiration and they will be there when you need them.

Do this program from a place of love not for revenge or out of frustration.


Eating Out
- 1 tablespoon of oil can = 100 calories
- eat like a sparrow
- share plates with people or eat an entree

Rules to follow:
1. never go out starving
2. have your afternoon snack a little later in the day, and is more filling (eg. yoghurt, protein shake)
3. always say no to the bread.
4. where possible view the menu online, and preplan your choices

Better choices
- Italian: never choose pasta, especially a creamy sauce.  choose a thin crust pizza, 50% or more of vegetables, or protein based meal (steamed/grilled rather than oven baked)
- Chinese: go slow on the rice, no on the fried stuff.  Stir fries can be better by be careful on sauces and nuts
- Indian: try sharing a few dishes so some of them contain vegetables.  Be mindful of the bread and rice you eat.  Put everything you plan to eat on your dish at once, and don't go back for more.  You can better guage
- Thai: curry is full of fat.  Green/Red contain coconut cream/milk - is the bad fat. Opt for salad or a soup.
- Ask for mixed vegetables or a salad instead of the roasted vegetables. Sometimes they are deep fried.
- Plate: 25% protein, 25% carbohydrates, 50% vegetables or salads (with minimal sauce/dressings)
- Holidays: have a decent breakfast, choose to have either a light dinner or lunch.  Steamed food is often the best choice.

Week 7 - lessons

Your body is perfect
- your body is perfect.  Amazing machines.  Do exactly as they're told and respond perfectly.
- they respond to what we tell them to do.

The way we think is important.

Looks at how your thinking has got you to where you are today

Don't use the past as an excuse, but use it as a tool for the future.  Bad habits that potentially go back to your childhood.  Let them go.  Understand your past, and make changes in the present - to make a change to your future.

Identify 3 habits you changed as part of the body transformation
- where did this habit stem from, why did I become so attached to it, how can I prevent it from reappearing
- eg. when I'm tired I don't need caffeinated drinks.
- automatically having a glass of wine (1-3 every night), to relax and sugar cravings.  Think about the calories, and sort out your sugar levels.  Feeling great is far more fun
- skipping breakfast

Pick 3 habits you want to change
1. where did it stem from
2. why did I become so attached to it
3. what childlike behaviours have you set up around this habit (but I want it, I deserve it)
4. how do I prevent it from reappearing, or how to shut it down when it appears

Change your behaviour to change your future.

To feel powerful and in control - you have to find your state of mind.


Being the best version of yourself

Thoughts on quitting
- you are not alone
- on the verge of quitting, you are full of potential.  Solid opportunity to behave differently to what they would have normally
- breakdown -> breakthroughs.
- based on being honest, open, and introspective enough to get that breakthrough
- learn something about yourself after having a breakdown
- make a change, and act differently
- take the emotion out of it, and look at what you can do to work around your current situation
- don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others
- you are unique there's nothing to achieve through comparison to others, always setting yourself up for disappointment

You - be the absolute best version of yourself that you can be

Worry about you and your personal best

Celebrate others victories.  Take on other's breakdowns and lessons (ie. learn about you, who you were, and who you are now).  Play on the team, don't stand on the sidelines.

Commit to being the best you can be.  Stay true to your cause.

What are you going to do that makes a difference, that makes you become a better version of yourself. How do you stop the old thoughts from coming back.  I'm not good enough, I don't deserve this.  Self-sabotaging behaviours that have held you back in the past.  Sneaky manipulations to give up.  I'm justified in giving up.  Victim mentality.

Don't blame others, don't compete or compare.  Take full responsibility for our actions and inactions.  Be as strong as you possibly can.

Every day - choose who you are going to be that day.  The better version of yourself. Choose to eat the correct portion of nutrition.  Choose to exercise.  Choose them from a place of love and respect to yourself.  Keep making the same choices every day, consistently.

Stop the self-limiting language and beliefs.  Stop saying negative things about yourself.  Say the exact opposite. "They're having some - why can't I?"  Grow up.  Acknowledgement.  Look at times in the past where you have set yourself up for failure.  Recognise the warning signs.  Victim mentality.  Put into place some techniques to stop it.  Visualise a stop sign, walk away from the situation, forward think it, how am I going to feel in an hours time, maybe blow off steam in a training session.

Do things differently.

Sabotaging behaviours just isn't on.  Stop comparing, use positive language (internally & externally) - your journey will become easier.

Live your life a better version of yourself.

Week 6 - lessons

Acceptance

Facing the thoughts and issues that you may have been hiding from.  Instead of resisting them, embrace them.  Acceptance.  Acknowledge the things you can't change.

Resistance or denial go hand in hand with negativity (thoughts and emotions).

Achieving positive changes seems overwhelming.

If you don't like something - change it.
If you can't change it, then change the way you think about it.

In our emotional state - we can go completely in the wrong direction.  Once you can accept where you're at, put logic into it rather than emotion - then you can move forward.

List 5 things you love about yourself.

Week 5 - lessons

Self Sabotage

Self sabotage vs lack of pre-empting or poor planning.

Self sabotage is unthinkingly doing something to punish yourself.  Ugly internal dialect.  You don't deserve it, you're not good enough.  This is different to being disorganised.

Honest realisation is the first step.

Tasks that we are most resistant to completing - these are the ones we learn the biggest lessons from.

You either continue down the same path - or you make changes.  The choices you make have implications attached to them.  A certain size, fitness level.  Choose to do something about your health, fitness, size and go about what you need to - to change it.

Don't say you will if you no you probably won't.  Be honest.  Free yourself from the torment - go one way or the other.  Do it with love.  Freely decide which way you want to go.

Injury and Exercise

Sedentary activity is like plaque on your teeth.  You got to work on it, keep chipping away from it - otherwise leads to back pain.

1. Start small, and work towards it.
2. Warm up and cool down properly
3. Seek advice.  If you're not sure - ask a question.

Running tips:
- shoes
- surface
- style

Foam rollers are good for "niggles" - improving blood flow. Speed up recovery.

Make sure you stretch - to improve flexiiblity.  Dynamic before and static after.

Week 4 - lessons

Blame Game

Stop being a victim and a blamer.  "It's not fair, its not my fault..."

Lurking behind each excuse is the real issue.

Deal with the issues - this takes work.

Organisation, flexibility...

Victims/Blamers are giving all their power to others.  Take it back.  You don't want to feel helpless.

Look at the areas of your life where there is blaming going on.

Be in control of yourself.  Look at the logic behind the results, rather than the emotion.

Remain calm, and in control.

Write down all the excuses - identify the blaming/victimisation that is going on.  Identify when you are giving away your power and control.

Clear the blamer/victim talk, and remove the roadblocks.  Get back in the drivers seat of your life.

Emotions and Willpower

Where there is expectation, disappointment can often follow.

Extreme good or bad scenarios - extreme way to live.  Emotions are like the waves of an ocean.  They rise and they fall.  Ride the wave, knowing that it will eventually be back up.

Often we try to rid or supress our negative emotions - which isn't very helpful in the long term.  Be ok about sometimes feeling bad. The more you try to block it out, the bigger it gets.  There will always be emotions and craving.

Recognise and accept your emotions - know you don't have to eat to make it pass, or try to make it pass.  It will eventually subside.  Accept that its there and try not to suppress or get rid of it.  The less troublesome it will be.

Understand the outcomes before they occur.

Instead of eating something to feel better, go for a run.

Willpower muscle.  Train it to get stronger.  Take back your power.  It will weaken if you stop your training. But you could potentially weaken your willpower too.  Overuse is bad.  Make your new habits - habits, instead of draw on your willpower.  Be consistent.

Gift of health and fitness - that you give yourself.  You have to nurture it every day.  Don't let the treats slowly sneak back in.

Be consistent and lay down habits.  Make it automatic reflex instead of having the flex your willpower muscle.

1. Let go of the good/bad conversation.  Become more aware of the meaning/emotion you are attaching  to your thoughts.  Look at what the reality is.  Fact vs fiction.  Labelling your thoughts as good and bad.  Get bogged down in the story of it all.  Stop passing judgement.

2. Remember the wave of emotions.  They will rise and fall.  Ride the wave instead of fighting it.

3. Flex that willpower muscle, so that whilst riding the wave, you don't fall off the surfboard.

Get your mind sorted, and your body will follow.

Week 3 - lessons

Motivation Myth

Like a bad boyfriend - never there when you need it.

Motivation is like any emotion.  It comes and it goes. It's an easy excuse.

People who don't do well:
All or nothing, On or Off, relying on emotion.

Consistency is the key.  Be consistent and you will achieve.

Don't think, just do.  Take the emotion out of it, and go into robot mode.  Just get on with the task.

Tools for this:
1. Flex your willpower muscle.  The more you use it, the stronger it gets.
2. Don't think.  Just do the action.  Don't start negotiation, playing games.. recognise the internal conversation/debate that goes on.  "Don't think, just do"
3. The 10 minute rule.  I'm going to do 10 minutes of training, and if I really don't want to continue I'll stop.  Usually once you get going, you'll keep going.
4. JFDI. Stop the paralysis by analysis.