MINDBODY SUPERFIT

2010-01-19T20:08:00.009+02:00

Hi there, I'm Dougal Macdonald, thank you for popping in.

Just wanted to let you know that my blog has moved into a stylish new home.

The new address is www.mindbodysuperfit.com so just pop in there and look for 'Daily Dougal' which will take you straight into my blog.

Have a look around while you're there and you may see something that interests you in which case just shoot off an e-mail to us and we'll get back to you.

Thank you for your support, and please pop in to see us at our new home.

2010 warm up

2010-01-02T12:35:00.001+02:00

Since it was New Years day I should known when I saw very few vehicles in the car park.

As I walked up the stairs it got worse...no music.

Walked down into 'The Pit' where the 'heavies' train and...there was not one person there.

Now I like interacting with people between sets and I like loud thumping music when I train, nothing.

I sat on a bench a bit crestfallen. My exuberant mood heading to the gym had all but disapeared.

NOW....do I go through the motions or do I get my act together and give it everything.

Didn't take long....got my sorry butt off the bench and gave it 'horns'...ended up being one of my best workouts.

It's not up to the people, the music, or the carpark, it's up to you to make the right choice.

I did...and I ended up a winner on New Years day 2010.

Hope YOU did too Happy New Year

2010 warm up

2009-12-24T16:55:00.001+02:00

It was my privilege today.......

....to meet and interact with an impressive young man called Andre.

I was training at Brightwater Commons which is a self contained piece of real estate which houses a beautiful park like expanse which includes retail space, a beautiful Virgin Active gym, a flea market and an interesting Skate Park with lots of berms and bump and rails and jumps etc.

After training I happened to notice a powerful, tanned good looking young man with a pony tail, jeans and a T shirt aged about 20.

He was inside the skate park without a board, moving smoothly around on his feet and motioning with his hands and arms. I could see imediatly thse wern't random movements and I stopped to watch him.... he was almost gliding...it was hypnotic.

I suddenly realised what he was doing. VISUALISING. He was trying new maneuvers in his mind before he actually got his board out. He moved thouroughly all over the park and I was amazed at the detail and care he took to work everything out....jumps, rails, up and down berms, up walls...it was incredible to watch.

Eventually he sat on a railing at the side of the park and just watched the other kids.

I...of course...wanted to chat with him. I went over, introduced myself...to ANDRE.

I started by saying how impressed I was that at such a young age he knew about visualisation techniques and how he was planning everything before hand.

A smile creased his tanned face and he said to me..."Dude, if you ride in a place like this without knowing where you are going, you're gonna get hurt, ya dig" " Man, this is like going to war...I am a warrior and and I don't do this without a plan."

We talked for a long while about 'thoughts becoming things' and how nothing in life gets anywhere without a thought first and both of us did a lot of nodding in agreement with each other.

By now we were talking like old buddy's...generation gap the furthest thing from either of our minds.

After some time, I felt he wanted to skate so I gave him a high five and our hands touched for more than the normal brief second of a typical high five....it was electric, we smiled at each other...the knowing smile of two people who connected at a deep level..WE UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER.

In saying goodbye he said to me "Dougal, thank you for talking to me, I learned a lot from you."

Wow....he got that the wrong way round....I learned so much from him.

A young man who will go a long way in life.

Today I was privileged to find a DIAMOND...because I dug for one.

Maybe you will too, you just need to dig...I hope you do.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010 WARM UP

2009-12-21T15:06:00.000+02:00

The GAME starts in earnest

Sports Fans, now we really know that we are in a contest...the see saw has tipped and we are on the downward side sliding down the other side FAST

How hard it has been for you up to now will give you some indication of how hard it will be next week and beyond.

Will you be able to have a free meal guilt free or are you dreading that Christmas lunch because you have already gone off track too many times.

Your whole future and indeed the future of the Universe does not depend on the coming week and weekend.

The heavens will NOT come crashing down and the stars will NOT fall from the sky, if you have a bad week and weekend.

Let's get real...Those of us that have just started coming to terms with our H & F issues may have a long way to go and others of us are close to being where we want to be.

Either way if you do slip....and temptation will be running high.... it is one day of your life.

I want to encourage you NOT to head for the ROOF of the nearest building, seek out the latest guru, or feel MASSIVE GUILT over eating foods you hadn't intended to eat...

Take action NOW, today....Affirm for the whole of this coming week..."I love to eat healthy nutritious foods all the time." Nothing lengthy, nothing complicated, just that...Morning when you wake up, at night before sleeping, and as many times during the day as you can.

This will help you to at the very least be aware of your food choices going forward and, if after all this things go wrong, guess what, you are human, but do not wait until after easter to get back on track.

You are one MEAL away from eating perfectly again.

As for me....my plan has always been 2 free meals for the 50 days of the contest....one was my staff lunch, and the other is Christmas lunch with my nephew' and his family....so since it's my PLAN, it allows me to have fun and eat the yummy Christmas fare, come dinner time, it'll be a protein shake.

That's my CHOICE and it is written...therefore, there is no decision to make.

Taken about 7 years ago at 53 with my son....I know about losing the plot... I have been there.

2010 warm up

2009-12-17T11:29:00.004+02:00

I am SOOOO grateful........

....for an incredible experience I had today.

Swimming was "written in the book" for training today and so I found myself doing a version of my 20/40 interval training in the pool.

Fully focussed and swimming hard, I got to the (place to put your towel and stuff) end of the pool,at the start of one of my intervals and waited for the clock.

I noticed a girl around 20, walk out of the ladies changeroom and head towards where I was waiting in the pool.

Carrying goggles and fins she staggered towards me in very uncoordinated fashion. She sat down at the end of the pool...well, fell down was more like it, and I thought, hmmm, little early to be hitting the sauce, this girl is going to drown.

Didn't pay much attention and three intervals later she is still there struggling to get her fins and goggles on.

I better keep an eye on her, I thought and carried on. Another two intervals and she was ready to fall into the pool.

It was my rest period and I quietly watched her from behind my tinted goggles.

I am so glad she couldn't see me turn red with embarrassment when it suddenly dawned on me that this girl had cerebal palsy.

Quiet sceptisicm gave way to absolute admiration and I realised that all the lanes were full and no one was about to let an uncordinated girl into the lane with them.

"Come" I said..."come swim in my lane with me". With a beautiful, if somewhat, lopsided smile she struggled to get out a "Thank you".

We discussed the swimming order...her up one side and me up the other and off she went happy as larry thrashing her way up the lane doing backstroke and back again doing freestyle.

Wow....this was absolutely incredible. The girl did not have a minder so can you imagine the amazing mind and self image it would have taken for her to be out there on her own, never mind with confidence in a public swimming pool.

We swam like that for a while and I stopped having completed my training. I waited for her so that I could tell her the lane was hers and doing backstroke she arrived at the end and instead of the elegant tumble turns I was employing she 'back stroked' right into the wall with her head. Ouch. She laughed as she saw me and I told her that I was done.

She stood up put out her hand and said My name is Sarah, what is yours. I told her and she asked me what I was doing for christmas..I told her and a bright smile lit up her face and her eyes sparkled as she gleefully told me she was going to Scotland for the christmas holidays.

We chatted for a while and I got out of the pool thinking...there are some very lucky people on that flight tonight who are going to have their lives enriched by young Sarah. We wished each other Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year with two high fives...her first one missed and I went on my way.

What an incredible young woman, and the next time one of us feels like the world owes us something let us remember young Sarah, who with all that she has, realises that SHE is the one in control of HER life.

Today my life was made richer by two Sarah's actually, the one I met today and the Saraaaaaaah, for whom I have the greatest respect in England, who undoubtedly will have some enlightening things to say in her post today.

Another example of getting my clients into strange positions

2010 Warm Up

2009-12-14T13:44:00.000+02:00

I woke up this morning......

.....with a tremendous sense of anticipation. I lay in bed wondering what it could be. It was still dark, before 4am...most sane people are still fast asleep and probably for another 3 hours or so.

I love the dark, and the darker the better, I don't know what it is, perhaps a refuge, a place where I can be alone in my mind where nobody can see what I'm thinking...but I digress, so, lying peacefully in bed emulating a lithe cat and stretching out, feeling my body move rythmically jerky if that makes sense...one side then the other....hmmm I was almost purring....Then it hit me....BANG

It's UPPER BODY MONDAY but more than that, I have two training partners today, both stronger than I am, unless I'm feeling super competitive and today I am.

I clumsily put the ipod headphones on in the dark and listened to daily affirmations.

"I am lean, muscular and very powerful, I have 7% body fat at 87kgs, I feel fantastic and I'm in the best shape of my life and today is going to be an amazing day."

I saw myself striding out powerfully as I am in my visualisation, big, broad smile in place, on purpose, with a place to go....

That done, chugged down my wake up protein shake, got dressed, and headed into the murky black grey sky that signifies dawn in summer in the Southern tip of Africa.

I couldn't wait to get to the gym.

Got there early....unlocked the doors, unset the alarm, opened the windows, switched on the lights...flicked a switch and heard the familiar whirring sounds of all the gym's electronic equipment coming to life...switched on the CD player and stuck ZZ Top into the deck.

All of a sudden from being a sleepy building the place had come alive....The familiar raw screeching sounds from Billy Gibbons' guitar at full blast raced out of the gym and into the surrounding neighbourhood at 100 miles an hour, dogs started howling and whatever traffic there was came to a grinding halt...

I....took a deep breath, sucked in the unique aroma of a 'working' gym in summer and smiled...I was home.

A short while later the boys arrived and withing minutes there was enough testosterone floating around that gym to
to power up a large still deeply hidden in the back waters of Tennessee.

One hour later....T shirts sodden, hearts beating somewhat faster than normal, three grown men, looked each other and grunted...GOOD JOB BOYS....WE KICKED ASS.

Whoooooo Hooooooooooo, I live for this

Have a blindingly fantastic day

Posted in Uncategorized

2010 warm up

2009-12-13T06:34:00.001+02:00

Shhhhhhhhhhh.....

It's 5am ish, sunday morning....wouldn't want to wake the neighbours.

Feels like a quiet dreamy day here where I live...A dense suburban area chock a block full of town house complexes.

There are no cars around to pierce the silence and pollute the air and if I had to venture outside, the only sound I would hear, would probably be the slap slap slap of Nike's on the pavement and the familiar raspy breathing of someone out for a run with his Silver Wiemaraner.

My patio door is open and a fresh cool breeze drifts into my living room....The sky is clear and blue and it's going to be a beautiful day.

It's going to be shorts and a T shirt as I impatiently wait for 7am when the gyms will be open and I can head off to swim.

It's a rest day for me today but I am SO FIRED UP that the concept of not exercising is unthinkable, well today anyway.

After I swim, I'll sit in the Gym's lounge and sip an espresso to get my metabolism firing and people watch for a while.

I love watching people of all shapes and sizes hit the gym in a sincere effort to regain their health and self image along with it.

I quietly shake my head at those people who will circle the gym 10 times to find a parking outside the front door and then run on the treadmill for half an hour.

I cast an amused glance at the " DISABLED TOILET" and wonder why they would put a toilet in a gym that doesn't work...silly I know, but hey it's my sunday.

Life is just so wonderful if you allow it to be...and small pleasures like being able to exercise...and the coffee... and thinking fondly about close friends in far away places make it all worthwhile.

Find what whatever it is that makes life work for you and do some of it every day.

Happy Sunday

2010 WARM UP

2009-12-11T08:29:00.001+02:00

Does visualisation work?

You bet...Every major sporting team on the planet, every serious athlete, every business man worth his salt, every bodybuilder, every INVENTOR....visualises every day.

Do you think Henry Ford would have embarked on the journey towards building the Model T Ford if he hadn't first seen it in his mind.

How do you you think Walt Disney created 'The Happiest Place on earth' and in the process made millions of children happy....He saw his movies in his mind.

Everything starts with a thought and if you are stuck right now...not making the progress you would want to make maybe it's because you can't see yourself any differently from the way you are now.

If you want to be different in every way one year from now you HAVE to see yourself in a different light. You HAVE to that's all there is to it.

As my team mates Saraaaaah and Eric have shown very effectively, visualisation pictures are one part of attaining the body that you desire...They have both posted pictures of the way they want to look and I believe that ultimately they will both get there.

Hank Johnson, a winner in the body for life competition in the early 90's posted a picture of Frank Zanes's body, with Hanks head on it on his bathroom mirror and his subconscious so effectively accepted that image that Hank ended up looking 'better' than Frank Zane's picture, I think anyway.

I have done the same and my visualisation pic is so effective that whenever I look at it I can actually believe that it is me... Not will be, or could be, it is me.

Here is mine

2010 WARM UP

2009-12-09T12:55:00.001+02:00

What is motivation?

.....I mean what does it mean, and how does one find it...or even determine what it is.

I mean what makes an Olympic athlete train for 4 years for an event that is done in less than 10 seconds.

What drives people to be their best, especially in Health and Fitness.

Well winning for one thing. We all like winning and we all want to be winners.

But more important I believe it is focus. It is what you put emphasis on in your life.

If you are having problems with the way you look and have been for some time and you are on and off and on and off, then maybe you are not paying it enough attention. Other things are taking priority in your life.

Maybe work, maybe the kids, maybe it's more important to have a packet (large) of nachos crisps in front of the TV....only you know what it is but I do know this...Until it becomes a priority in your life....

.....Ain't nuttin gonna change.

Make health and fitness the MOST important thing in your life for 30 DAYS....and your life will change FOREVER.

TRUST ME...

2010....warm up

2009-12-05T19:13:00.002+02:00

K . A . S . H

When I was a young man starting out in business I learned a very important Mnemonic. It was the one you see above.

Now mnemonics are timeless and so I still see the old chestnuts around all the time KISS....Keep it simple stupid, but KASH was the one that has had the most influence on my life.

I hope there are no kids reading this but....I am extremely fortunate to have zero education...I wouldn't want them to misunderstand. For me personally it has been the best thing I could NOT have.

When I was 15 I was a stevedore on the docks in Durban loading cargo's on and off ships. I mixed with gangsters, prostitutes, smugglers and all sorts of dead beats. This was another advantage for me because I learned how real life worked.

From the docks in Durban to a war in the then Rhodesia for some more major life lessons... but that is for another post...the point is that we and only we are responsible for the knowledge we carry around and I for one am madly, crazy, permanently in love......with BOOKS.

How does your spirit grow and soar if you have no point of reference. How on earth can you fly like an eagle and appreciate the metaphor if you have never read about or listened to someone you respect talk about it intelligently. And I am talking about spirituality as well.

What makes leaders? What makes a Mother Theresa, or a Ghandi, or a Winston Churchill, or any other great leader.

I believe it is an innate knowledge and a desire to listen to that little voice that says..." Go and Do." and that voice is put there by our Creator.

I read voraciously....all kinds of books...I write too, I love to write...I have even written a book about overcoming adversity, a subject about which I consider myself somewhat of an authority....but that's also for another post but.....

.....the point I'm trying to make is, if we, by whatever means become an authority on a subject...and in this case let's talk about Health and Fitness and the emotional side of motivation as it releates to H&F are we honour bound to share our knowledge and experience, if there is even a remote possibility that it will bring hope to even one person, crying out in the wilderness...

....well I believe that we are, since I believe that, that gift has been given to us by an infinately Higher Power.

I also believe that we all have 'the gift' to a greater or lessor extent but we just don't recognise it.

So....if you believe in any way that you can help by GIVING of your knowledge and your spirit...you will find that your life will be so enriched as to wonder why, for all this time, you have been hiding your light under a bushel.

To illustrate more clearly and in real terms what I'm talking about let's look at a real time, real life example.

Sarah from the UK....or Saraaaah as I like to call her....It sounds more posh doesn't it, is a great example.

Here is a bright, vibrant, "full of life" young woman who is charismatic to the extent that wherever she goes she, quickly attracts a veritable army of followers. Now this is not by design on her part it is just that this is who she is...

She writes beautifully and weaves great pictures into her stories so as to make them so much more real but more than that she is inspirational and has great courage. If you know where she has come from to where she is now, you'll know that what she has achieved is no mean feat.

If you want to see the epitome of an incredible transformation then just grab some coffee, pop along to her blog, sit back and enjoy.

No effort on her part, she is just a leader who following her spirit.

I am certainly a big fan.

We all have a responsibility to help our fellow man and I think that if we don't we are ignoring the gifts we have been given.

Oh and By the way....the mnemonic I mentioned above...K.A.S.H ...means...Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Habits.

Memorise it, ingrain the words into your sub-conscious, understand the meaning...and you will have a new lease on life which will have YOU looking down on the Eagles.

G O F L Y

We are all SUPERHEROES....IF WE WANT TO BE!

2010 warm up

2009-12-03T13:48:00.002+02:00

2010 warm up

The thing about planning

I loved what Eric..my 'STOMPER' team mate said the other day.

"My plan for today is written down, that's what it says" to paraphrase.

There is NO negotiation dude....the plan is written, who am I talking to in my head. There is NO discussion here...if it has been planned then it gets done. THAT'S IT.

The fact that the plan has been written negates any discussion whatsoever.

This is SO powerful that I plan to steal it from Eric...I know he won't mind coz we are team mates...and if I use it to STOMP all over the Inner Circle then it's 'all smiles' right.

Most of us negotiate everything we do...'I'll go to the shops on the way home'. On the way we say " Ahh I don't feel like stopping now, I'll do it later'...or 'I'll do my tax return next week.' Next week creeps up with speed that would do an F1 justice and its, 'Oh well, there is always the day after tomorrow' and so we go, bashing our self image to pieces because we can never keep committments we make, to ourselves.

Once you start doing that internally it's one short step away from doing it to others, and worse, family.

Eventually 'I'll see', is met with raised eybrows and the unspoken comment....yeah, we know what that means OK see ya.

That's why a written plan is so powerful...There is NO negotiation. Think about plans carefully before you commit to them, then when it comes time to DO....JUST G E T I T D O N E

Upper body tomorrow....can I wait .....HARDLY...ROLL ON 5AM
wHOOOOOOOOOO hOOOOOOOOOOOO

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 84 + 1

2009-11-21T10:53:00.003+02:00

So M3 comes to an end.....and new challenges begin. I'm looking forward to 2010 in the Sphere, I think it will be a time of re-committment for a lot of people and a step for into fantastic shape for others.

We are all learning about ourselves on this journey and as long as we keep learning WHY we do the things we do then it's all smiles right.

Every day I learn about myself....because every day I search myself for better ways to do things. Ingrained habits from long ago are harder to overcome because my subconscious takes longer to accept a new 'program'...but it does eventually and little by little I am NOT who I was even, 2 years ago.

I am a new, better human being. I have decided to keep on going right through the holidays and see how committed I can be to a new program M4. So my goals through the holidays are to bigger, better, harder and leaner than I am now.

Come with me and let's get to the other side....BETTER than we are now.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 82

2009-11-18T12:18:00.004+02:00

The Incredible Hulk is back.

Some days you just feel like you are invincible. That nothing can touch you, that everything is going right. Today is one of those days for me.

I have to believe that the cause of this fabulous day is that new affirmations are taking root in my subconscious.

Every morning and every evening and sometimes during the day I tell God how grateful I am for everything that I am and I recite all my positive affirmations...the more I do that, the quicker they take root and over ride any negative thoughts I may have.

Your subconscious is completely non judgmental and accepts and follows instructions and orders from you with military precision. It couldn't care less that they are good or bad for you.

If you think this is 'hooey' ponder this. Oh here we go again, I'm such a loser, I can't stick to anything. If you have ever said that to yourself you are giving your subconscious a suggestion which will be followed whether you like it or not .....and that is why time and time again that suggestion becomes reality.

So since your sub-conscious will accept any suggestion you give why not make it a positive one instead of the above, such as:

I enjoy the body of my dreams and I am lean and muscular, fit, healthy and strong and I love my life.

If that is your affirmation for health and fitness and you use it constantly it will overide the negative statement you have been using and you will find that you start to become what you affirm.

"Everything that I am is a result of everything that I have thought." If you accept that as the truth doesn't it make sense to start seeing yourself in a different light and in time you will become the product of your new affirmations.

Hey, what do you have to lose....Give it a shot for 30 days and you'll be blown away.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 81

2009-11-17T12:44:00.003+02:00

The Blond one

Was a soldier

A Lifetime ago I spent a lot of time trudging up and down the hills and dales of Rhodesia, as it was then, during what was known as "The Bush War". I was young and it seemed like a great adventure.

When I look back however I realise that NOTHING good can come out of war. On either side. Religious wars, political wars, territory wars, weapons of mass destruction wars......all you are going to get is death on a massive scale and a whole lot of sorrow.

Except....hang on a minute......cities are rebuilt, things are put back together, lifetime friendships between previously bitter enemies are formed, agreements between countries....so actually there is some good in everything but specifically what I'm referring to today is the rebuilding and even more specific....the rebuilding of US, you and I.

It is never too late to start. No matter where you are in your life the despair you feel CAN be turned around in an instant.....that instant of THOUGHT.

When you think ......" I have had enough of living this way, this far and no further, I will not live like this one more day". ..... you have in an instant found your way back.

From that moment of reconciliation with...YOURSELF you have begun a journey, longer for some than others, that will propel you to victory, that most important victory, over yourself.

Everybody has a different way of doing it but from that moment you determine the way forward, the modus operandi will reveal itself to you...Something you see or hear or read will resonate and you'll know that this is the one for me.

If you havn't yet reached that point you will soon.... and that despair you feel now, will evaporate, in that of thought.

Peace and Love

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 80

2009-11-16T14:44:00.002+02:00

Listen to the sound of your own voice

If you want to know what's going on in your life listen to the sound of your own voice.

The amazing thing is, that if you are aware of the sound your voice is making your spirit automatically modulates the tone to become more kind and gentle, you don't actually have to DO anything.

It's like living your life on purpose instead of by accident. I read a wonderful saying the other day that goes something like "All that I am is as a result of all that I've thought"

So it makes perfect sense that if you want to improve your sense of self, beyond thought...pay attention to 'the sound of your own voice' and see what happens.

Peace and Love

M3 | SHRED2SHRED

2009-11-02T11:17:00.004+02:00

Those were the days ....1989

But these are the days too.

I think we all look back thinking that it was so much easier and things were so much better and it was so much more fun.

What we forget is that WE create all that. I mean, it is only 'we' that are responsible for the way our lives go.

Across the pond in England it is winter right now and some people hate that, but as Saraaaaaah says it's an opportunity to wear beautiful winter clothes and with the work she has put into her health and fitness I'm sure she looks sensational and feels sensational.

Point is...there is upside to anything and everything, we just have to find it. That is a choice we make.

We can spend our lives whining about how tough things are or 'make a decision' to have a fabulous life filled with fun and laughter and opportunity, all created by our state of mind.

It really is a 'choice'.....a decision.

So.....wherever you are on the planet today, as you sit up and put your feet over the side of the bed..what sort of day are YOU going to have.

You get to 'CHOOSE'

M3 | SHRED2SHRED

2009-10-28T12:07:00.002+02:00

The Semi-Nude wandering minstral

You might be forgiven for thinking I'm trying a new angle to take my show on the road.

Actually I wanted to illustrate that I, like everybody else, have other interests. For you it may be reading...or writing...and by the way those are both things that I love to do...but no, I'm talking about music.

I love music and have done all my life. When I was around 20, in between stints in the bush in the, then Rhodesia I owned and ran a Mobile Disco...Yes they were all the rage even then. I had a lot of fun, made some money, and learned a lot about music.

Nowadays although I love to listen I also love to play....and as you can see in my picture today, acoustic guitar is my thing.

Now, I love blues genius like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gary Moore and BB king and songs like Parisienne Walkways and Smoke on the water and Stairway to heaven, Hendrix's All along the watchtower and watching him play Hey Joe with his teeth but I also love ballads and of course I grew up with the Beatles.

Music feeds my soul and if I ever feel a bit down music is what picks me up. I go to sleep most nights with music being fed into my ears via Ipod.

It doesn't work for me but I see lots of people listening to music in the gym and that's cool.....

......But I need to concentrate on what I'm doing and whilst I am busting a gut on a very hard aerobic functional training day, I doubt I would even hear a note...unless it was the unpleasant melody of a BIG plate falling off one side of the Olympic bar.

So....in these trying times in which we live, find something that is a release for you....apart from physical exercise and clean eating that is.....maybe guitar is for you....Give it a try and let's see if we have another Eric Clapton within our misdst.

Have a fabulously musical day

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 57

2009-10-22T08:52:00.003+02:00

What is it about health and fitness........

........ that scares people off. Is it because they think it's going to hurt, or be boring, or too time consuming, or they won't keep it up.

I don't know the answer to that question but what I do know is that once you've made a commitment to transform your body and your mind, by the way, everything changes.

So it ends up not being about a beach body but more about getting your life in order from the top down.

When you have a plan, and you are accountable, procrastination is no longer an issue in your life.
If you are accountable and you belong to a team neither is mediocrity an issue either.

Training in the gym, swimming actually, this morning my thoughts were on the people I am accountable to and how I owed them my very best. I gave my very best and guess what...I had a fantastic session which benefitted...ME.

If we applied these principles to everything in our lives, every day would be so much simpler.

Have a lovely day, your choice.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 56

2009-10-21T09:43:00.003+02:00

I LOVE rugby and it's obvious who my team is (The World Champions)....but if you visit me at all you already know that.

The amount of rugby played annually around the world is immense but specifically in the southern hemisphere is crazy.

The year starts with the Super 14.... 14 southern hemisphere teams made up from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....more than 3 months of super intense rugby. A South African team is the super 14 champion this year

Then we had the British and Irish Lions rugy tour. Which we won.

Then came the tri nations competition....which we won.

Now we are in the middle of domestic rugby...The currie cup competititon which a South African team will definately win. LOL.

And then...............comes The Springbok tour of England.......

ooooh.....shivers run down my spine at the very thought of it.

But getting back to reality....that is the VERY physical game of rugby for almost the whole year with very few breaks in between.

These guys are absolutely world class athletes and train very scientifically with all the latest equipment, coaches and techinical staff and that's how they manage to play at top level most of the time.

We however.....are not...

We need to pace ourselves. If we are to enjoy a lifetime of health and fitness...periods of interval resistance training, strength training, hypertrophy and other forms of training are very necessary and at regular intervals. Rest, I believe, personally to be necessary as well, not only for the body but the mind.

Our minds get bored and tired of doing the same thing day in and day out and the best way to fix this is an annual schedule.

Periodise your training over the course of a year and plan for the whole year ahead. That way you know you won't get bored but you also won't be in the position of not knowing what to do, when a mission is complete.

Plan rest periods, different kinds of cardio exercise and so on...take your time, make it fun...and you'll find that come the end of next year....you will be THE MACHINE you always wanted to be....AND....the lifestyle will have become a habit.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 52

2009-10-15T06:36:00.003+02:00

FORM is everything

I am learning a new skill. I have been pecking at a keyboard for 44 years now and I'm pretty quick...but I make a lot of mistakes and have to go back to correct them all the time. That's inefficient.

So...I decided yesterday to learn a new skill...or more correctly to change inefficient poor FORM.

In other words I'm teaching myself to touch type. See, as well as being a Health and Fitness professional I am a writer....makes sense doesn't it.

And....it's fun.....learning a new skill or correcting poor form turned into a game is great way to accelerate progress and I reckon it won't be long before I am an expert touch typist.

Poor form in resistance training is also a BIG no no and your progress will be severly hampered if you are not sure about whether you are doing an exercise correctly or not.

Let me explain. Barbell Bench press for example is a compound exercise intended to exercise the "Pectoralis major " muscle with the secondary muscle being triceps. Since no muscle works in isolation there are other muscle groups involved but in BB BP the chest is your primary focus and everybody knows that don't they.

Or is it....If you go into the bench press position with your hands too close together all of a sudden it places a lot more emphasis onto the Triceps and the chest does not get the work it should.

Another good example is Tricep pushdowns. The correct form in order to isolate the tricep is to stand up straight with your shoulders down and back before you extend your arms downwards. But you'll see all the 'big boys' bent right over the bar using the whole stack and pushing down with the uppers lats and deltoids, otherwise known as back and shoulders..Yes the triceps are getting work but nowhere as efficiently as they should.

The message is....don't do what the monsters are doing and....make sure that your form is correct all the time....if you are going to spend time in the gym every day....make it worthwhile.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 50

2009-10-14T11:47:00.002+02:00

You CANNOT push the river

Only one thing swims up stream and it's not us. Fish.....The mighty trout/salmon...swims up stream to spawn....and then some of them die.

Not what we would want for ourselves so then WHY do we try and 'push the river'

I don't mean go with the flow necessarily but sometimes we need to because that's how we get to where we are going the quickest.

We have a lot of accidents in South Africa caused by Taxi's colliding with cars. ( taxi's defined as minibuses in SA) Johannesburg is an absolute cowboy town and often Taxi's will simply drive against the flow of traffic in the wrong lane to get their fares to a destination expeditiously during rush hour...or any time really....and accidents occur. Sometimes weapons are drawn and a 'gunfight at the OK corral' happens.

I'm sure research would show that the taxi's don't actually get their quicker than anyone else...that's if they make it at all.

And so what has this to do with health and fitness. Well...there are certain times when it is NOT advisable to exercise.

When you have FLU and...it matters not whether it is in viral or bacterial stage, if your heart rate is up.....DON'T DO ANYTHING.

When you become bacterial however and an upper respitory tract infection rears it's ugly head....use the opportunity to chill in bed for a couple of days....and let dad/mom do all the work.

Certainly no cardio....you can easily damage the heart muscle and cause serious if not permanent damage my messing with it.

You are 'outside of your circle of influence' rest up...that's what you should be doing.

Do not think about work....the kids....preparing food...etc, just plain old rest. Allow your mind get stressed out about the dozens of things you have to do and you'll get worse.

Let mind and body work together to heal you and you will get better when you get better.

Don't try and 'push the river' Leave that to the fish

M3 | SHRED2SHRED

2009-10-13T11:16:00.003+02:00

Standing on the shoulders of giants.

Why are there so few giants...Lack of confidence...maybe maybe not. Laziness maybe....maybe not.....No desire, maybe... maybe not.....and what makes a giant, Zest for life...absolutely....wanting to learn...definately, being the best unequivically.....and quinetessentially...all of those.

What am I talking about. YOUR LIFE is what.

If health and fitness is important in your life you should....no make that MUST become a giant.
Why....because there are so many methodologies, some right some wrong, so many nutrition programmes some good some bad and so many ways of doing things some sane and some off the wall that shouldn't you at least know what you are doing and why.

Questioning is always the best way to learn and so is teaching.

So...what on earth am I talking about? I hear you asking with wrinkled brow and turned up eyes.

KNOWLEDGE....reading, learning and applying the knowledge you have, to being the best you can be. There are so many people globally who are doing so much scientific research on biomechanics and the way the body works and the knowledge that has come out of that, that it no longer makes sense to be training according to a the old bodybuilding routine. Split body parts....Chest, Back and Biceps and Shoulders, legs and Triceps. Why not...you ask...the monsters still do that today....How do you know...have you ever seen one.

Today most of us are NOT bodybuilders, in the truest sense of the term...in other words, we are not competing on the stage...So why are we doing what we do. Yes...to become fit, healthy and strong. SO.....split body part routines are not for us because....Body parts do NOT work in isolation. Every muscle works with another muscle to provide a biomechanically sound movement. The way a human body moves is a miracle and should we therefore not assist it by training for life function rather than simply size and aesthetics.

What I mean is....Mom's should be simulating movement that equates to picking up kids, or moving a shopping cart around, or picking up shopping bags or cleaning house and doing washing etc.

There is even a name for it...functional training. Training for function and the theory of 'specificity' has been around a very long time. It says if you play basketball, train for basketball...don't be running 12 miles a day because you are wasting your time.

Supersetted Interval training with weights and a cardio component is the most efficient way to get strong and fit at the same time...and let's face it time is something most of us don't have enough of. Add in a fat loss, strength and hypertrophy component to the mix and you have all you need to get the results you want.

Think about what you are doing and if it's not working for you...change it, oh, and if you don't believe what I'm telling you....GOOGLE it.

You are worth your OWN research, not someone else's

Have a nice day

M3 | SHRED2SGRED 49

2009-10-12T10:30:00.002+02:00

10 weeks until christmas....
or at least until most people head on vacation.

That's 70 days to get into shape before you bare all on the beach. Will you be ready.

DON'T say.... I'm so far off I have no chance... I might as well back off my eating and training a bit...I'll never make it. That's just another version of the "I'll start again on monday" syndrome.

That kind of thinking will take you deeper into that black hole that you are digging. You are planning to go to the beach anyway....so, if you start today you will be a l o n g way towards your goal and you will have made heavy inroads into the extra weight you are carrying.

Isn't it better to look close to your best than to look exactly the same as you are now but carrying a whole lot more mental baggage....No brainer.

So...DON'T put it off for one more day....make your plans...or reinforce that what you are doing is right...and get going.

I have decided to train before my first client in the mornings from now until December and I started training this morning with my nephew. Had a fantastic session and nothing better than the thought of being in top shape 10 weeks from now but also helping my nephew to back into top condition as well.

I am human so I also have to admit to a tiny hint of saitisfaction that I breezed through the session whilst my nephew who is half my age was complaining that his heart was jumping out of his chest..... Kids. LOL

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 46

2009-10-09T11:42:00.002+02:00

How is it MY FAULT...

I belong to a fantastic Health and Fitness forum called 'The Shreddersphere'...more like home really and I post into my 'Sphere' blog on a regular basis as well, which is why I post pictures of me in next to nothing in case you have been wondering.

ACCOUNTABILITY....is the single most motivating factor, for me to make progress and the reason why most people make progress.. I believe...

Next part of the picture is that word RESPONSIBILITY. Everything within our circle of influence is OUR responsibility. Of course it's your fault if you get fat and out of shape....Did someone else hold you down and force a 'BUD' or six and 3 burgers down your throat.

The fact that you didn't plan your meals last night and consequently downed three chocolate bars before anyone could see is whose fault exactly....

And so back to 'The Sphere'.......RTP-TS the health and Fitness program designed by Adam Waters, creator of the Sphere, sponsored a global physique competition a short while back and now that it is over things seem to have gone a little quiet in there.....

.....and the question is....what's happened in here and why is it so quiet?

The answer came from someone who has claimed absolutely amazing results on the program and is not afraid to call a spade a spade...in the nicest way possible of course.

If we want the Sphere to be the vibrant exciting supportive home that it was, then guess what...WE HAVE TO MAKE IT SO.

We are what made it in the first place. Adam provided the shell and we are what's inside the shell...WE need to take responsibility to make it hum again.

So my friend Saraaah has pledged to recommit herself to making a difference within the sphere and I do the same.

I will take daily pictures and post a blog Monday to Friday from now on. My Mission 3 has 38 days to run and I really want to see what progress I can make in those remaining days before I move onto mission 4.

Join me on the journey and perhaps I can be of service to you, in your journey to find superb Health and Fitness

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 44

2009-10-07T12:30:00.001+02:00

Get your HEAD on straight dude

Just a BLIP on the radar

As a I was explaining to a good friend yesterday...I cannot in all good conscience share the good without the bad.

I am certainly not superhuman and although most are great days...some aren't I wouldn't want to create the impression that they are.

So I choose to share my feelings with you when things are wonderful but also when things happen to be a bit off.

HOWEVER, sports fans.....the sun is shining again....the dark clouds have moved on and it's a new day...

Life is good.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 44

2009-10-06T08:07:00.005+02:00

AFTERMATH what a weird feeling.

The week after the weekend after my 60th birthday.....and I feel feverish, headachy, and all the other nasties that happen with flu...Except that I also feel a little out of control, disconnected from the world, wanting to withdraw, a little fear, and a whole lot of other feelings that I am struggling to identify.

Maybe it's that getting to that milestone is an exciting place but when the day is done and everyone goes on about their business and you suddenly realise that....hey you are actually 60...wow ok what now.

Maybe you suddenly realise that there are more years behind you than there are in front of you...maybe it's that you find you are attending more funerals than weddings and that you are having to repeat yourself more often with some of your friends.

Maybe it's the feeling of being a little less tolerant of certain things.....getting a little irritable when things aren't as you would want them and so on.

Now I know myself and I know that these feeling will pass in a day or two and I also know that I am fit and healthy and strong....which means what exactly

We all have to get through times that feel unfamiliar to us whether we like it or not....for some of us...introspection is not really necessary...it's just a matter of riding it out.

For me.....I know that the sun will be shining...tomorrow, or maybe the next day...

...and if you hapen to be where I am...I hope will for you to.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 60

2009-10-01T09:22:00.005+02:00

What is age.....some people are young at 60 others are old at 30. Age is a matter of deciding how old you are ...it is not about a chronological number it's about action....it's about the decision to make every day count, to make the most of what you are and what you have been given and what you are going to be.

It's about being ALIVE and it's about LIVING

Some of the things I have learned along the way:

Love...You are never to old to fall in love
Patience....You cannot push the river
Balance...the bigger the adversity, the bigger the blessing
Strength....being strong enough does not mean pushing through people
Service.....become a giver ...being a servant is the mark of a leader
Perspective.....you can only see into the future if you climb mountains
Accountability......even world class athletes have a coach
Calling....the only way to happiness is to understand your calling, and do it with passion
Adversity....the greatest gift there is.....overcome that and you are a giant
Goals.....each one you achieve allows you to climb a higher mountain with same effort
Honour self promises.....when you trust yourself you become the best you can be
Don't read the paper or listen to the news....it'll only upset you
Thank God.....every day for giving you everything you need to be a superstar
One foot....in front of the other is all you need to become a champion
Attitude...you CAN choose the right one each day when you get out of bed

I have many many others but I don't want to keep you here all day....and, so, why am I telling you all this.

Because today I am
6 0

Have a fabulous day...It's your choice

M3 | SHRED2SHRED

2009-09-30T10:47:00.003+02:00

A POSITIVE attitude in a negative environment

A comment from a reader, Eric really made me sit up and think and I think it needs repeating in today's post.

From Eric
Live your own reality.

"My fitness challenge has helped so much through this. Although no one is moving away, here in the states. No one is moving. As the owner of a building materials company, makes for a rough go of things. Every day I have started taking my employees (at least the ones at the main branch) for a walk. It is amazing the change in mood from just 20 minutes of movement."

Now, that's what I call a positive attitude in a negative environment. The US is going through maybe the worst time now since the great depression of '29 and when you own as Eric does, what sounds like a fairly large business you CANNOT afford to let your staff get down. Motivating, and keeping them motivated should be very high on your priority list and Eric has done this in brilliant fashion. Joseph Pilatus once said " The pre-requisite for happiness is health and fitness." to paraphrase him, and that is a fact.

If I were Eric I would be instituting a nationwide competition amongst employees in his building materials company to walk every day and I would be PUBLICLY rewarding people in each branch who walked the furthest each month, or the quickest or lost most weight or whatever, you get the picture. I would also reward employees who encouraged other employees to join the "Get Going and Get Fit Club" (You can use that eric :-))and I honestly believe he would have a much healthier (mentally, emotionally, physically, productively and financially) happier business were he to do this.

Why don't we all support Eric by committing to talk to SOMEONE in our circle, be it work social, church, wherever about getting off the couch and onto the road.

C'MON everybody, let's use those NIKE's for the purpose for which they were designed.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED

2009-09-28T18:46:00.003+02:00

The GIFT of adversity

A new week starts and I am fully 'amped' for fantastic progress.

My new training program is taking shape nicely and I am getting my head around less heavy weights now, so...all is good.

My eating is spot on and I'm looking forward to my best ever by christmas.

I am motivated...fully motivated, by accountability and...my clients.. and day by day I am getting better and better.

There is always someone who is worse off than we are....we just don't realise it sometimes.

I heard this weekeend that my neurosurgeon Carle and his partner operated on a 5 year old boy who had a bad fall over the weekend and broke his neck at C1,C2,C3,C4........a hangmans fracture at C2....exactly the same as mine.

They did a full spinal fusion with titanium inserts ...exactly like mine.

Man....my heart broke for the little guy. At least I had a lifetime of being physically active and playing a lot of sport before I broke mine. This little guy will never turn his head again....neither will I but...he is 5.

I am hopeful that research will find something that will help him as he gets older and I am very grateful that I am able to spend time in the gym and to walk outdoors but until then....he is going to learn how to be a very brave little fellow....and so are his parents and maybe...somewhere in there....is a blessing.

It may sound trite but....learning how to overcome adversity is a gift. I think it is anyway.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED

2009-09-25T09:58:00.002+02:00

Are you HAPPY and at PEACE?

Your level of happiness and peace depends on how much you are prepared to give.

I'm writing this for one person. I have no idea who you are or where on this beautiful planet you live but I know it's for you.

The only way to live your life completely is to take responsibility. A friend of mine has put a media campaign together in an effort to coax South Africans into caring for others and developing a giving attitude.

It's called LOVE and RESPECT and is a contract you sign with yourself to make yourself accountable (that word again) the message goes like this:-

I ............................ promise to love and respect, myself, my loved ones, my family, my friends, my fellow mankind, and all the people who visit our beautiful land.

By starting with myself, I take full responsibility for my actions, my life and my interactions with all living things around me.

Signed.....................

It's amazing how your life changes when you decide that from this second on you are not going to blame anyone else, ever again for anything that goes wrong in your life.

"I'm sorry I was late for the meeting the traffic was hectic" Hmmm, perhaps you should have left earlier.

"I am so busy I don't have time to exercise" My diary is always free 45 minutes before I wake up.

"So and so made me do this" No one can make you do anything, you allow them to.

You get the picture.

We cannot control external circumstances like, the weather, the traffic, rude people etc but we can control the one thing that is MOST important in our lives....what's inside our head and what WE CHOOSE to put in there. Guard your mind closely, it's your most important asset.

If YOU, and you know who you are, are having a down day, take responsibility for the way you feel, for there is a very simple foolproof solution. Pick up your mobile, access your contacts list and scroll until a name jumps out at you. Phone that person and tell them you were thinking of them, you care for them and you just wanted them to know that. You will find that it uplifts you instantly but what you don't know is how much it will do for them.

Go on DO IT NOW....No not later NOW.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 32

2009-09-23T10:35:00.002+02:00

What's happening in MY head today

All I know is that life is FANTASTIC. Why because that's what I 've decided. Everything in life is a choice. Take responsibility for everything that happens in your life and make smart choices.

So..I decided long ago that life for me would be made from a rich tapestry of diverse and interesting things. So it has proved. It's that simple.

Your attitude really does determine where you are in life and if you want to be happy and you're not, it's as simple as changing your attitude. Refresh your head, or reboot your mental harddrive with positive happy software.

Your friends and family will love you sooo much more.

PEACE OUT

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 31

2009-09-22T07:56:00.002+02:00

It is impossible, I believe to attain and then maintain a lean healthy physique without what Adam Waters calls Powerful Reasons Why (PRW's), which is why I am part of the Shredder network called "The Shreddersphere"

I acknowledge that I need help and support to achieve my health and fitness goals. I therefore need a platform on which I can set down my dreams, bare my soul, be encouraged by others in whom I can place my trust, are of similar mindset, and reciprocate with encouragement and advice, when asked for.

MY PRW " POWERFUL REASON WHY"

Why # 1 It is critical for me, and I desire, to attain peak physical condition and remain so for the balance of my days on this planet. I have seen first hand the life sustaining value of being strong and healthy.

Why # 2 My body is a temple and it is an insult to my Creator to lay waste and neglect what I have been so lovingly given.

Why # 3 My personal mission is to "empower 5 million people to find and fulfill their purpose through health and fitness. I CANNOT evangalise looking like a schlump.

Why # 4 Being out of condition does my head in and I'm exhausted from fighting myself about what I stick in my mouth.

Why # 5 I want to LIKE the way I look

Why # 6 I've been in peak condition before...I KNOW what it looks like and I want it back.

Why # 7 Because I am a shredder, I have by inference, made a promise to all of you, that my commitment is to attaining peak condition and performance and I will not let you down.

Why # 8 Because personal integrity is paramount to me and this is one of the ways that I will build and keep building it.

Signed
dougal macdonald
"work in progress"

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 28

2009-09-19T11:07:00.003+02:00

One of the things I love about my business is my work clothes. (as above) Can't remember the last time I wore a suit and/or tie and that suits me...no pun intended....just fine.

The other thing I love...well I have two loves but the one I'm talking about here is the thrill I get watching clients or potential client getting excited about getting into shape.

I have just had a meeting with a potential client and his wife and it just makes my spirit soar when they just ' get it '.

I so look forward to the next 12 weeks with them ...at least.....until christmas and watching the metamorphosis from feeling terrible physically and emotionally to the emergence of confident lean attractive people contributing positively to the eradication of obesity.

That is why I do what I do....and love it.

PEACE LOVE HARMONY

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 27

2009-09-18T12:19:00.002+02:00

Found this lying around my blog and thought it would be interesting for you to see where I was in the beginning of this year

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The road less travelled

SU R G E R Y AGAIN

Before I went on vacation I had been taking two different types of antibiotic in a last ditch attempt at killing the infection in my body.

Well the bad news is that it hasn't worked.

The solution....I'm going in to hospital next week to have all the hardware out of my head and spine. It seems that the infection has found a home at the base of the hardware and clearly does not intend to leave.

OK let it stay there.... the hardware will end up in the trash and the infection along with it.

So I will be scarce for a while until I'm out of hospital and then I can start again with a vengance.

I'm not going to post until I'm out since I have a lot to organise and clearly won't be doing any training.

See you when I get back.

So....obviously things went well and....I am strong healthy and fit....and loving life.

C'mon.....Off the couch and put those new Nike's to work.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 26

2009-09-17T08:14:00.005+02:00

Putting things in perspective

There has been a lot in press lately about a young girl called Caster Simenya and if you have never heard of her follow this link. Don't forget to come back, this is important.

We think, well mostly, anyway, that we are the centre of the universe. Now hold on there, before you go looking for a bullwhip, I am not being derogatory so let me explain.

We wake up in the morning....bumble around trying to wake kids up, feed them, get them dressed, and off to school in one piece after picking up pieces of the home work off the kitchen table after cleaning off the ketchup....or, if you are the man, stumbling around trying to shake off the effects of the six martini's thrown down your throat following the successful signing of that new contract, whilst trying to find your tie, that goes with the new Boss suit in your cupboard.

Now if that sounds remotely like you....then you ARE the centre of your universe....how could you not be....you don't have time to think about ANYTHING else.

Well....let's put things in perspective.

Castor Simenya...in case you have been living on another planet....is a phenominal 18 year old athlete. In fact she is SO phenominal that she is the WORLD 800 metre champion.

This is where the problems start....here is a young girl who grew in the middle of nowhere in the middle of darkest Africa.

What made her radically different from the other kids was 1) She could run like the wind and 2) Was she actually a SHE or was she a HE.

But that's getting ahead of things. When she became the world champion people started asking questions about how she could be so far ahead of the game at such a young age. Then that ugly phrase started being bandied about. "GENDER TESTING'.

The Australian press then released a story which illustrates graphically the absolute indignity with which this young woman was treated.....Legs in the air, splayed, photographs taken...I mean WOW.

The reults....She was an 'Hermaphrodite'...or was she? Read the link and you'll find out.

The point of this is not to highlight the desperately sad plight of this remarkable athlete, who's family..back then...probably wouldn't even know the meaning of the word but to ask everyone to WAKE UP.

The next time you stumble out of bed after turning over and going back to sleep when your ' time for gym' alarm goes off, spare a thought for what this amazing person has had to go through to get to the state of health and fitness that she OWNS currently and which made her a world champion.

Her " Triumph over adversity was becoming the world 800 mtr champion.....WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE"

Oh and by the way....what is she doing today....studying at Pretoria university and training like hell.

M3 | SHRED2SHRED 25

2009-09-16T04:27:00.003+02:00

The Coiled Spring

4.30am on day 25 of my third mission, Shred 2 shred....a mission, together with others and so called, and started out of respect for Adam Waters, the founder of the 'Shreddersphere' and the RTP-Transformation System and I am a coiled spring.

What is a 'coiled spring'? What do you mean....it's a coiled spring.

No it isn't....well it is but in this instance it is massive energy under tension, which is the best way to decribe me right now....I am so hyped on LIFE that I have energy to burn.

I have a number of projects on the go but the most exciting and important right now is my book.

Ever since my surfing accident slightly more than a year ago which left me with a badly broken neck

http://mindbodysuperfit.blogspot.com/2008/06/day-my-life-changed-forever-part-1.html

...... and clinging to my life by a tenuous thread, people told me that I should write a book.

I spent a long time thinking about it and continued to blog, but with my passion for writing building and a childhood memory of wanting to write a book emerging, slowly but surely my book took form and started to shape itself from deep in my spirit.

Writing a book is one thing but editing it is quite another and I am very fortunate that my dear friend Saraaaaah in England had the time and the interest in editing my baby for me which she did with remarkable ease ...or so it seemed to me....and professional expertise. Many many hours later the book was ready.

Carlos DeJesus the 1985 World Natural Bodybuilding Champion and Adam Waters the founder of RTP-TS have very kindly agreed to write a foreward for the book and as soon as that happens my book will be available for anyone who wants to read about 'Triumph over Adversity.'

The mind is an amazing 'concept' and we all have one but a lot of us aren't aware of how important it is to us on a daily basis.

Every thing we do...everything, begins with a thought and what follows from that is the way we live our lives.

I have committed mine to helping others get healthy, fit and strong and in that moment of 'thought' my life path was formed.

That was nine years ago and I'm thrilled that at this time my personal mission statement of "empowering 5 million people to find and fullfill their purpose through health and fitness" is about to get a rocket powered kick up the butt with the imminent launch of my book.

Look out for "My triumph over adversity.....what's your excuse."

It's in your neighbourhood......soon.

M3 SHRED2SHRED 24

2009-09-15T05:59:00.002+02:00

My first day of being extraordinary

Yesterday I spoke about being extraordinary and my desire to achieve extraordinary things.

So this is day ONE of being extraordinary and my affirmation " I am an extraordinary individual and I have been given all the tools necessary to be whatever I want to be... each day I will take a step forward towards fullfilling all my hopes and dreams, for this is MY DESTINY."

How do I know that this is the right affirmation for me, well, because repeating this excites me and I can feel that familiar stirring inside me when I start a new project and this is a biggie.....the re development of me.

As I sit here I think how far down the road, and how different and renewed I will be in a year's time. Just physically, I will be completely different, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually I will be completely renewed, a metamorphises if you will.

Sounds like a huge change to make doesn't it.....well it isn't....if you re - read my affirmation you will see that all it will take is a minimum of ONE STEP a day, that's all....anybody can do that...can't they?

I'm going to set myself a reminder to revisit this post one year from today....and let's see where I am and how far I've come.

Why don't you come with me.

This is also day 84, the final day of my Mission Two and I'm so excited about Mission Three
that I nearly forgot all about it.

M2 83 | SHRED2SHREAD 23

2009-09-14T14:31:00.003+02:00

From Orinary to EXTRAORDINARY in 61 days

I am one day away from the end of M2 and a day closer to the end of M3

All three shreds have been done back to back...I have taken no time off except for that prescribed by the program I'm on.

Did I achieve my goal for M2. ....N O T .

My M2 was called SIX PACK and as you can see I am still a way off that.

So....Dougs what happened. Well for one thing it shows me that you can take nothing for granted. Am I physically in good health? Limitations excluded...never healthier.

so let's ask again...what happened?

It's pretty obvious I think, that my commitment to my goal of having a full blown six pack was not a priority in my life....and I'm ashamed of that... Why take on something that you are not committed to.

Well, coz, it's easy to drift along in the tide of 'ordinary'....which is what I've done.

I DON'T WANT TO BE ORDINARY....I want to live an EXTRAORDINARY life and right now I am at the crossroads.....things that I want to do...to become and things that will be left behind.

It is a time for courage....a time for far reaching decisions and a time for a fabulous future.

For me to be extraordinary....as far as my health and fitness is concerned I need to achieve that ever elusive goal of ..."A FULL BLOWN SIX PACK."

I have 61 days left to achieve that goal and I believe I CAN ACHIEVE it. Step one done...Step 2 reevaluate my eating and training plan...Done....I'm sticking with what I am currently doing as I have faith in it.

ACTION and ACCOUNTABILITY are the two stones left that I might trip over. Action, in that it's easy to sort of eat the right meal and sort of do the right training. That changes now and ACCOUNTABILITY...the big one also changes now.

Who will I be accountable to....who will call me out of the line of 'ordinary's' and drag me into the 'extraordinary's.'

I hope a lot of you will...My friends, special friends and extra special friends, I hope will all contribute positively to my continued journey towards beating the lethargy of the 'ordinary'.

Extraordinary is a word I will silently affirm about 'me' for the rest of my life....and the more I affirm it the close I will get to living it, I am 61 days away.

COME WITH ME.

M2 80 | SHRED2SHRED 20

2009-09-11T11:22:00.003+02:00

WHY be AVERAGE..........or.... ARE YOU an ASPIRATIONAL MEDIOCRITE

and if that sounds funny it's because I made it up..I doubt that you've heard it anywhere else so bear with me.

Chatting to client today...this time.. a man who was telling me about his Dad who enjoyed people watching and used to say....."All these people walking past with their heads down celebrating mediocrity."

Now that's a heck of a thing to say without knowing all these people but social stats do bear out the statement to a certain extent.

Point is...what do you want. If excellence is only a few steps away from mediocrity then wouldn't you like to crack 'The big one' instead if being a pretty good also ran.

If you are going to take something on...why not shoot for excellence....and if we do that collectively we can do wonders for 'global warming' 'global obesity'....pretty much anything we want to.

It's really just a new habit...going the extra step...not even...the extra mile...every day and you are heading towards personal greatness.

WHO WOULDN'T WANT THAT?

M2 79 | SHRED2SHRED 19

2009-09-10T12:28:00.002+02:00

How thin is too thin.

I don't often have clients who tell me that they are too thin but I was recently talking to a 'client'
who has made a remarkable transformation and is looking amazing.

She tells me that more and more friends and acquaintences are telling her that she is too thin and she's going to fade away.

I've thought about this quite often and in depth...I even had a client a while ago, who after she got to where she was looking really good...starting putting on weight again..I had coffee with her and what came out was that she was afraid of being approached by men. Something in her childhood.

So I have often thought about the phsycology of telling someone they are too thin.

I mean...How do they know. Well perhaps they may see some before and after photographs or even see the person on the beach but still...what is too thin? Because there is a radical change doesn't necessarily mean that this girl is too thin...it just means she is wayyy 'LEANER' than she was before and may not conform to the image of the pefect body of the person dispensing the advice.

I think it is also a way of people saying 'You look great' but in a different way.

This girl is highly intelligent and I know that she knows when to stop. Bodyfat below about 13% on a girl is probably about the limit if she is not competing....I mean Pam Brown competed at 5% which is dangerous for a girl....but this girl is looking phenominal and is not too thin. She is lean and muscular which is where she wanted to be when she started her journey, but she is not quite there yet in her eyes...and after all hers are the most important actually.

She wants to stay the course and continue until she reaches her original goal and it's only going to make her look better...not thinner.

I have advised her to reach her goal first and then re look at what she wants from there.

I think people need to take care with the words they use....that old adage of 'Sticks and stones'
is a lie....and words most certainly CAN hurt you.

M2 78 | SHRED2SHRED 18

2009-09-09T14:43:00.002+02:00

I was in two minds to do this but eventually decided to show it to all of you. My rational for this is...I have a belief that if I come across something of value I have a duty to share it with as many people as possible.

Following that statement, as you all know I am an avid goal setter...have been all my life and during that time I have developed a dream book to remind me and keep me focussed on my goals. I also have a dream board with pictures that I have painstakingly cut out and pasted to give me a visual reminder.

Well...the other day I came across this amazing product and it's one of those times where I feel that I want to pass it on to all of you because I honestly believe that if YOU are a goal setter this will make a tremendous difference to how you visualise your goals.

PLEASE, if any of the above relates to you, click on the banner above and take a look at this great tool. I think it's amazing.

M2 77 | SHRED2SHRED 17

2009-09-08T08:50:00.003+02:00

We only get ONE SHOT at life and.......

I remember thinking about this during the Beijing Olympics but it it nonetheless relevant at any time

What did Olympians do when their race was run and the curtain fell on technically the most advanced games ever.

Hmmm....some would hav taken a break and then continued with their training program. Some would have re set or set new 4 year goals and some...would haven give up the sport they were so talented at and spent time mending a broken heart.

It is so sad to think of, say a hammer thrower who one step away from glory throws the hammer into the cage on his last throw.

Or in the case of our own Nhlapo a talented young BMX rider one fall and that was end for him.. Years of intense training with no social life gone.

Probably some let loose and went on a year long party...the release from training just too much to resist.

We...normal mortals need to guard against that let down or anticlimax of reaching our goals. That is why so many people do not sustain...me included, the condition attained whilst doing a body for life challenge.

So that is why we need to work on making health and fitness a lifestyle as Adam Waters has done and not a just a competition. There is no end in site with the competition of life, we should embrace the life we have and be the best we can possibly be.

We only have one shot.

M2 76 | SHRED2SHRED 16

2009-09-07T11:18:00.003+02:00

I am an undeducated man....that doesn't mean however that I am unintelligent it just means that I failed dismally at school and left at age 15.

I don't consider that a disadvantage and I'm certainly not encouraging anyone to stop studying, it just means that I was not able to concentrate long enough in school to make meaningful inroads into what I needed to know for my written exams.

To my advantage it has forced me to think on my feet and become street wise and the biggest gift of all is my love of books.

I read every night before I go to sleep even if it's a page or two and whatever I know or have learned in the 43 years since I left school is because of...'BOOKS'.

These days learning is even easier with wikipedia and google and I am forever searching Google to understand or verify or learn more about something I have heard and want to learn more about.

No one has any excuse today to be ignorant about 'stuff' especially health and fitness and with RTP and access to Carlos we should all be up to speed about the best we can do for our bodies.

I heard a great expression a while back which has spurred me to learn more about EVERYTHING and that was "EXCELLENCE CAN BE FOUND ON THE TOP SHELF AND TO GET THERE YOU NEED TO STAND ON A STACK OF GOOD BOOKS."

So....this is the long way round for me to say.....learn as much as you can about your health...study it, become familiar with your physiology, learn the basic principles of good nutrition and keep studying for the rest of your life. Teach your children...know what they should be eating.....play your part in helping to beat obesity.

MAKE IT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

M2 75 | SHRED2SHRED 15

2009-09-05T09:52:00.002+02:00

Go Bokke......against Australia today in Brisbane....Adam Waters...hope you'll be watching although I know league is your game mate.

Saturday....Life is good....very good in fact....and I know that 2010 is going to be a VERY GOOD year.

You can't want for more than....disgustingly good health, doing something that you love, and people in your life than mean a whole lot to you. That alone drives me to be better every day...to achieve all that I plan to achieve and look forward to milestones with the glee of a small sticky handed child reaching for another fistful of sweets.

I can attest to the fact that age counts for naught when you have health and goals and dreams...why should it.....what is the difference between say...35 and 60 in terms what you can do and what you can't.

And if you find that you think there are some limitations DON'T let me know because, frankly I don't need to hear them.

I AM LOVING LIFE....and if you aren't....CHANGE SOMETHING

M2 74 | SHRED2SHRED14

2009-09-04T04:23:00.002+02:00

It's just after 4am....I am about to head off to the gym....the world is mine at this time of the day. No one is around...people aren't even stirring yet. I love it.

I went to bed around 11.30pm so I havn't had much sleep and no I'm not trying to catch up with Saraaaaah, circumstances just made it so but I feel refreshed and full of energy.

Again, it's a state of mind that makes this a good time day..for me anyway. The weekend is here and my beloved Springboks play Australia again tomorrow to clinch the tri nations rugby trophy.

That really excites me and I can't wait.

I had a really good week of training and eating and as one of my clients says, I am really dialed in to my program now.

I spoke to a body builder in the gym yesterday who was educating me on the merits of changing programs from heavy to lighter higher rep training for a change to give his body a break.

Seems I'm not the only one.

So....enjoy the weekend and plan to have a really great training week.

Peace Out

M2 73 | SHRED2SHRED 13

2009-09-03T07:13:00.002+02:00

I was reading an article yesterday about online business and the value of having a back up plan.

What do you do if things go wrong with you eating or training?

You have set your goals read the RTP program and got going...you are very pleased with yourself, things are going well and all of a sudden you have a major problem.

You expected to go to the gym on the way home and then home for your 5th meal of the day.
The boss calls you in and before you know it your are working late at the office. That's gym gone and the canteen is closed.

You send out for the only food available, since you are now ravenous... a greasy burger, fries and a Coke light. No such thing as a super lean Mickey D's. Not that I know of anyway, havn't been near one of those for years.

I'm sure in one form or another this has happened to all of us.

So....why do you think we carry spare wheels in the trunk of our vehicles......what do you mean, 'Oh is there a spare in there?'

Just my point....you may never need it but at least plan for a back up if it happens.

ALWAYS plan ahead. Where am I going to be tomorrow, what do I need to take in the way of food and the big question..."What will I do if things go wrong."

Food is easy to create a back up for.. Couple of serves of protein powder, a shaker, water and an apple or two will do the trick nicely but you may feel that the training part is not so easy.

Google 'resistance training without equipment' and you'll find you don't need a gym to complete your workout...in an emergency. Print out a copy of a suitable program, laminate it and stick it into your gym bag.

THERE ARE NO EXCUSES...to get off track, there is always a way...just plan ahead each day....it only takes a minute or two.

M2 SIXPACK 72 | SHRED2SHRED 12

2009-09-02T08:21:00.002+02:00

The Power of the mind is amazing.

Here in South Africa as the seasons turn so arrives 'Spring Day'. Just naming a day has a positive effect, collectively on the populace at large.

Smiles start appearing...jerseys disapearing, attitudes become more cheerful, friendly, kind and generally we humans become better people.

If the simple act of naming a day to coincide with the change of seasons changes lives, albeit until next winter, then how much more can we change our own lives if we simply determine to.

The coming winter in the Northern Hemisphere doesn't have to mean long faces and months of living in limbo until the next summer season arrives.

This season find something positive to do that will keep you occupied for the winter and see how your attitude will change.

Before you know it it'll be summer again and the sun will shine, the flowers will bloom and life will be wonderful.

A lot of things can happen in one season....People get divorced, people fall in love, people get married, children are born, and ALL of those things CAN have a positive spin if you so choose.

Don't let 'situations' get in the way of your happiness this coming season....make it work for you.

I am so greatful for what I have....and I'm grateful for all of you...Thank You

M2 SIX PACK 71 | SHRED2SHRED DAY 11

2009-09-01T11:30:00.002+02:00

It is so easy to get sidetracked and off course....for me anyway and I have realised that having a mission does not guarantee getting a result....well it does but it may not be the one you want.

I have learned a few things over the last 155 days of blocking...I am still not and never will be 'superhuman'

If I want to get the results I am looking for I need to focus very clearly on my desired outcome.
And for me...that goes for whatever I am looking to achieve.

I sat with a friend and business partner in a coffee bar meeting after training this morning discussing this very issue. We decided that we needed to try and meet every day if only for the time it takes to drink a double espresso otherwise our acountability tends to slide with all the things that have to be done in a day.

Wow...wonder where I learned that. I have 13 days to run for mission 2 and I have to say I am VERY disapointed with myself.

I actually don't think I have progressed past where I was on the final day of the contest.

Why is that....Because my accountability is not as critical as it was for the contest.

No this may not be you but it is me....and it's time to pull my socks up and get this train moving down the track so hard that the momentum won't allow it to stop.

Fortunately I have not gone backwards so I can legimately claim that I'm still winning the game...to myself of course and I absolutely will not allow myself to backslide.

I am inspired by people like Saraaaaaaah who has made very large strides towards her goal of a six pack since the NYC summit and that impresses and motivates me greatly....and pushes me forward.

Out of respect for Saraaaaaah and Sharon I commit the rest of my M2 and SHRED2SHRED mission to these two girls who have motivated me so much through there own achievement.

My comitment is also to Suzette who kicked this thing off....I owe you my best Suz...and be sure that is what all you girls will get from here on out...

Adam...respect to you too....I took it on...I will finish it.

And to the rest of the 'shreddersphere'....if you are not happy with what you are doing...find a way to fix it.

LUV YA

M2 SIX PACK 70 | SHRED2SHRED 13

2009-08-31T20:41:00.002+02:00

I am sorry that I didn't blog over the weekend and I want to assure anybody who is concerned about my whereabouts that I did not go surfing.

I decided to do something a little different today and am wearing a T shirt that represents that.

What is authenticity?

For me personally it is about love and gratitude.

So what do I love and what am I grateful for.

I love Carlos DeJesus and I am grateful that he is part of the sphere
I love and am grateful for Adam Waters for creating this remarkable place.
I love and am grateful for Johannesburg winters otherwise how would I be able to appreciate the beautiful summers
I love and am grateful for adversity since it makes me stronger
I love and am grateful for amazing people like Saraaaaaaah who through an amazing transformation bring hope to so many people
I love and am grateful for my good friend Sharon who through tenacity has shown an unquenchable fire and a will to win
I love and am grateful for my children who bring such joy to my life
I love and am grateful for the gifts that I have been given to do with what I will and the ability to fully reach my potential
I love and am grateful for all my friends who encourage me to reach for the sky
I love and am grateful for mountain tops that allow me to see into the future and remind me when I look into the valley from whence I have come.

Off the top of my head and without thinking about it.....these are the things that have made my day ....today.

How bout you?

M2 SIX PACK DAY 67 | SHRED2SHRED DAY 10

2009-08-28T11:47:00.005+02:00

I can't get in, I can't get out, I can't download pics....so my sincere apologies for having wasted your time if you have arrived here expecting something interesting.

M2 SIX PACK DAY 66 | SHRED2SHRED DAY 9

2009-08-27T08:42:00.003+02:00

Back on the upcurve

I feel like I'm getting 'back to the future'. Although I have been doing everything right my computer melt down has made me feel like I am way behind the curve...Weird feeling.

However, I started my new program yesterday and it invloves a three day a week routine to start with full body followed by metabolic cardio training..Kind of a break in thingy.

I'm excited about new things but I'm really excited about seeing where this new program can take me...I have committed to the program until december and we'll see what sort of progress I have made up to that point.

I am full of energy today after finding myself exhausted come evening for the last two days and since we have a 'swine' flu strain running around South Africa I thought perhaps it had popped through my front door. I think that since I havn't been acting like a pig lately it is probably just some work pressure.

I have worked that through mentally and feel recharged today.

It is a beautiful day here in South Africa and I feel for all of you going into winter...I suppose the good news is that come summer again everyone is going to be saying...Whoooaaa where did you come from, look at you.

So...as we head into another weekend I wish you all love, peace and gratitude for being here and helping others as well as yourself.

OUT

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 65+ SHRED to SHRED day 8

2009-08-24T13:01:00.003+02:00

I have just written a thesis on the effects of summer on the human body.....unfortunately you will never get to read it because I very cleverly wrote the copy onto a word document to avoid losing it however...I had not got around to saving it when my machine crashed so.....

I'm very sorry but....I just do not have time to do it again.

Have a wonderful day grrrrrrr!

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 62+ SHRED to SHRED day 5

2009-08-21T12:35:00.001+02:00

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 61+ SHRED to SHRED day 4

2009-08-20T11:08:00.003+02:00

Like everyone else I sometimes get this mistaken idea that I am going backwards. Firstly that's not true but I am also susceptible to "The voice".....which I successfully chase away when I realise it for what it is by asking a simple question...."Is it the truth" and invariably it isn't, so I send it packing.

If it IS true however I am able to do something about it.

I am rattling on about this because I am in such a great position now of having tons of pictures to compare me to me with and sometimes I take a look and am blown away....I also realise that I still have along way to go but it's great to know that my next set of day 1 pics....which will be M4...will culminate in me looking the best I have ever looked in my whole life.......

......... AT 60.

Wow....an amazing thought....that you can be your best at 6o....which I will be on October 1st.

I am so excited about life I just can't tell you....what a great place to be....Wonderful relationships, fabulous shredder friends....some I have got to know better than others.....I could go on and on.

The only blip on my horizon happened just yesterday and serves to show me how tenuous life is and and how we should make the most of every moment.

Going home last night I drove right passed a service station ( strangely enough, the service station where my sister was killed ) which was in the process of experiencing an armed robbery. The robbers tried to steal a car that was being filled with petrol to make their getaway but something went wrong and a 48 year old lady who was innocently waiting in her car was shot in the chest... She died this morning.

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls and little animals...PLEASE, Life is way to important to be taken seriously....please, make the most of each and every day...fill them with laughter, love and happiness, health and fitness and don't be heading up to heaven one day saying to yourself.."I could have done so much more with my life."

LOTSA LOVE

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 60 and SHRED to SHRED day 3

2009-08-19T10:58:00.006+02:00

I was chatting with Carlos yesterday via e-mail about Adam's trip to Virginia to spend some time with Carlos and to do some work.

Carlos' reply was really interesting and .....if any of you shredders had any doubts at all about the authenticity of our ferless leader Adam then take a look.

I publish this with Carlos' permission. Thank you my friend.

My question was..."How was your time with Adam"

Non-stop productive.

On the train from NYC to Virginia we worked on Muscle, then when we got to my house he was almost non-stop working.

The Shredders don't know how dedicated he is. And how much he cares about them. Working as hard as he could to distill 45 years into a PDF, moving as fast as he could- all the while concerned about this being a quality production.

Meticulous about every part of the program, including having me re-write the introduction to give the shredders insights of me, I could see his point so I did it.

All you have to do is look into his eyes and you could easily see his honesty and genuineness. Sometimes those eyes were tired and red, he would take a short nap and then back to work.

We also made several videos, some of interviews and a few hours taping time for the workouts. We had little time for anything else.

I don't know how the Shredders could ever see how much he does, and really appreciate his gifts to them. If you taped a day in the life of Adam, I think people would be exhausted just watching it!

Thank you for that insight Carlos....Perhaps now we can really appreciate everything Adam does for US.

Adam...a big thank you my friend...I think I can say that I speak for most everybody here when I say we are grateful for you, our 'Commander' for all the work you put in for us.

No question.....your integrity shines in everything you do...You are the Real Deal

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 60 + Shred to Shred day 2

2009-08-18T14:40:00.003+02:00

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 59

2009-08-17T11:49:00.002+02:00

Quick PS to start with. I was trying to post from a remote computer which would not let me in to the 'Shreddersphere' and I did not have my password on me ....so wasn't able to blog over the weekend.

No worries I'm back now and keen as mustard.

The Ab contest continues with the girls...Saraaaaah!, Sharon and Johanna looking awesome and the boys lagging a little in order to keep them motivated.

Tiger Woods lost a major yesterday to a little known korean Player. WHAT....impossible I hear you say if you didn't watch. Well..it DID happen.

The Korean pleayer was completely oblivious to the fact that he was playing in the final round of a major golf championship with the worlds greatest player and just had a good time.

A lesson there for all of us. Doesn't matter who you are up against you CAN win... Don't let the company throw you off track with your program just keep doing it and having fun.

And if you are Woods.... don't start believing you are invincible...You're not.

Dream stealers are not welcome....boot them out of your life and keep focussing on your goals...they are yours, no one else's and no one else has the right to try and throw you off track.

If you let someone else dictate the course of your life don'tcomplain when things start going pear shaped. Take resposibility for your actions and don't become a victim.

BE STRONG, and win the game of life...for you

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 57

2009-08-14T10:34:00.002+02:00

I do HAVE A brain IN MY HEAD

Do I have a brain in my head...Yes I do and so I use it as often as possible...There are times when it doesn't work so well but most of the time it functions pretty normally.

So what? ......I love weight training...does that make me a dumba*@#, hardly, I consider myself a reasonably intelligent fellow. I am well read, I am articulate, I am interested in what goes on around me, I thrive on interesting conversation with stimulating discussion.

Get to the point Dougs......OK why is it that a lot of people think weight training is for morons....whoaaa, slow down there sports fans....I can hear the 'fall out' from here.

They do....Oh no, I do cardio, I could never go into that sweaty place where all those large foul mouthed men hang around making a big noise clanking those dumbell thingy's all over the place and telling rude jokes...oooh no not for me.

Wow what gym are these people going to....or is it just a perception, or is it actually real.

A bit of all of the above I suspect.....But the fact still remains that we HAVE to do weight training with as heavy weight as possible...Doesn't matter where we do it, we have to do it.

Women are at risk from Osteoporosis, men are at risk from....dare I say it....flabby gut syndrome...weight training alleviates both these conditions.

You cannot look good and be healthy on 2 hours of cardio and three lettuce leaves a day....all you will end up being is a thin fat person...great in clothes but ....not to good when the lights go out.

Don't take my word for it....Any amount of research will tell you the truth.....so if you are unsure of where to go from here....whatever you do make sure it always consists of a weight component, a cardio component and a broad based eating plan to get you there.

PEACE OUT

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 56

2009-08-13T15:09:00.006+02:00

Winter is done and ....the LEAN SEASON is here

The weather is changing....it's getting warmer, the days are getting light earlier and the atmosphere seems more positive...a feature of the approaching summer I think.

I am always amazed at how the seasons mirror our own attitudes. Although the winter in South Africa is not as harsh as other parts of the world it is what we are used to and people seem less communicative than when it's warmer.

I notice people on the street are more friendly and willing to communicate.

Winter of course is a great time to get in shape because we can hide what we don't want people to see until we are ready...It's been happening to me recently.

I'm able to wear a T shirt to the gym now and people are saying ..wow, what happened to you boy you've changed...what drugs are you on etc etc.

It's interesting though the amount of people who never change. They spend years in the gym but carry on eating as though there were no tomorrow and wonder why nothing has happened.

We all have to be mindful of the 'lifestyle' change...rather than a short term plan.

I was chatting with some new clients only yesterday and asked how it was that they got to where they are now.

In unison...."Fast Food" was the reply. So how you going to change that pattern I asked and they really wern't sure. That's why a plan is so important.

We will never get anywhere unless we have that plan which will keep us on the straight and narrow...permanently.

Too many times I see clients who have left the nest as it were to go on their own only to end up back where they were or worse.

We cannot get in shape and go back to eating 'cheescake', we have to make that lifetime comitmment.

Once we have done that, it is so rewarding to wear the clothes we want to...go to the places we have avoided and visit with the friends we havn't seen for a while.

And...occasionally, we can still have the cheescake...if we want to.

Peace Out

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 55

2009-08-12T13:42:00.002+02:00

Lookout...a freight train's a coming

In the land of plump tummy's the man with abs is king and he is coming....

I started training again today with a new 'fat melting' program which is guaranteed to shed any unsightly fat that I have left on my body within a few short weeks...Power training is an understatement.

Don't believe me..... please, be my guest and try my warm up.

Take a pair of dumbells that you can do 10 reps of bicep curls with... in my case it was 33lbs each...

...Find a partner...Do one bicep curl..hand your partner the weight and he does the same
and hands it back...do 2 reps...hand it back, 3 reps, hand it back and so on until you have done 10 reps..... x 2 sets. If you don't have a partner just put it on the bench and pick it up again in the equivalent time it would take your partner to do his reps.

That folks is the warm up.....Now PLEASE don't try this at home unless you have medical assistance standing by girls.....and....I wouldn't plan any house work for a while either.

It gets really serious from there on in...but I don't want to scare you so I'll zip it for now.

Anyway the session went really well, I lost about 6% body fat while training so I guess I'm on target.

Glad to see everyone back from NY....LET'S GET TO WORK

PEACE OUT

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 52

2009-08-07T13:11:00.002+02:00

Well today the party starts at the Shredder Summit in NYC so I thought we might have our own little party right here.

In my pic you'll see what's on the menu.

I wonder if it's going to be like a ghost town in here with everybody partying up a storm in the US.

I've got a four day drop on Saraaaaaah! since she is over the pond in NYC and I'm already missing our banter. Sharon is on her way to a 'fight'....Dean and Earl are at the summit and Johanna....well Johanna has to sign on for the competition...but I think she's in...have you SEEN those abs.

So I'm kinda going around in circles with not much to say.

Think I'll just leave it there and go do some ab work.

Tomorrow.

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 50

2009-08-05T14:43:00.002+02:00

Now that we actually know what my abs look like I've decided to cover them up again until the final reveal.

Let the girls get over confident again and then BAM....game over.

I've just had another monster session in the gym and can hardly move my arms to type.

So I'm not going to.

The NYC summit happens imminently and I'm so looking forward to seeing a pictorial account of the weekend..

I hope everyone is going to write their own account of the weekend so we who can't be there are able to put together different perspectives.

Next trip....

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 49

2009-08-04T16:34:00.013+02:00

The "ABDOMINATOR".....revealed

So I went in to hospital today to chat with my nuerosurgeon and have some x rays done to check that my head is still in one piece...It IS.

But....while I was there I decided to have an X ray done to check my sleketal musculature just to check my AB potential.

Wow....was I surprised at what was hiding JUST below the surface..

All I can say is ...GIRLS either run, go into hiding or concede defeat NOW before you are seriously embarassed.

Man I could lose my car keys in those babies.

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 48

2009-08-03T11:05:00.003+02:00

My beloved.....rugby team, the mighty Springboks beat the All Blacks on saturday back to back for the first time in 33 years, " That's patience"

I read a saying some time ago which has stood me in good stead at times when I want to go too fast. 'You can't push the river'

In a world where we have fast food and instant gratification for just about everything the word patience has been relegated to a dusty tome in the scruffy archives of an old library somewhere.

We need to bring the word back into fashion because "we cannot live without it" and if you don't believe me try getting into a department store on "MEGA END OF YEAR SALE, EVERYTHING HALF PRICE, ONE DAY ONLY" whilst the doors are still locked and you are behind 50 other people queuing for the same reason as you without a whole lotta patience.

Patience is needed in everything we do. The art of a business deal is built on patience. Catching trout on a sunny saturday afternoon in waders in the middle of a lazily drifting trout brook, is built on patience, and winning an important rugby game is built on patience.

In sport, it's a guarantee that you'll get no where if you don't have patience. Building muscle takes patience. There is a popular misconception that you can build big muscle in a very short time...not true, it's extremely difficult to build muscle, unless you're a beginner, and any honest 'natural' body builder will tell you that.

Patience is what is needed to follow any kind of fitness routine through to success. Day by day perserverance, long term, dedication to purpose, daily action steps, patience to get through the down times, and there will be.

One thing I know for sure, even though we don't like it, 'winners are patient, guaranteed'.

Set your health goals, believe that you will attain them, building your action steps daily and have patience.

YOU WILL GET THERE.

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 46

2009-07-31T11:16:00.003+02:00

I shake my head in DISBELIEF and SADNESS

Anybody who knows me knows that I am pretty cool, calm and collected in most situations and I have lived my life learning to live with hardship and adversity AND in fact welcoming it because it has played a huge part in making me stronger......BUT....

there have been times when I have been known to lose the plot and today is one of those.

I am seriously dismayed at the mere hint of suggestion here in the sphere that the contest was rigged, fixed or in any way unethical or dishonest.

The Judges Adam Waters, Tom Venuto and Carlos DeJesus certainly don't need me to defend them but to even hint at any irregularity is not only churlish but irresponsible and downright thoughtless.

Adam Waters has proved his credentials over and over for years now and certainly doesn't need to resort to cooking the books to get a favourable result....I believe he was more than meticulous in choosing the winners over many many hours of deliberation and days of no sleep.

For anyone to suggest the same of Carlos DeJesus is laughable....I have known that man for only a year but have come to know him through print and personal conversations and I can state categorically that he has more integrity than most anyone I know.

Tom Venuto, I have not met nor spoken to but if anyone thinks that he would risk his considerable reputation as a best selling author and health and fitness professional they are living on another planet.

Finally it is the ultimate insult to our FINE Grand Champions to even hint at judging irregularities. Our Male Champion Dean made an absolutely amazing transformation and certainly looks the part as does Elaine who also did wonderfully well.

These two fine people are both worthy winners and I believe will make great role models for anybody wanting to get their lives together and transform their bodies.

I have to shake my head at some of these comments and think to myself....Sour Grapes is one thing but slander is quite another and sets a dangerous precedent going forward.

We all signed a code of conduct and for anyone to react in a vicious way like this is ........well, I don't know....I have no words.

Well done to all the judges for taking the time to deliberate over many many wonderful transformations and everybody is a champion today.

And...well done to our Grand Champions who take home the BIG prize....Your lives and the lives of others have changed through you fantastic work over just 84 days and I for one am proud to say "I know you, and I walk beside you as a member of our wonderful "Shreddersphere"

Nuff said...Peace out

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 45

2009-07-30T09:52:00.006+02:00

We are not judged by what we begin, but by what we accomplish. Even by ourselves.
Every time we begin something with great expectation and do not complete it we erode our self image and self belief.

Every time this happens a little bit of us gets left behind along with the project we have just abandoned.

And...over time our self image diminishes to the point......where we find ourselves....right here right NOW.

Isn't that funny. I don't mean ha ha funny I mean in an enigmatic kinda way. The reason every one of us starts or started THIS program is because we were unhappy about the way we looked and felt and it was affecting our entire being. Our way of operating, our interaction with others, our feelings for ourselves. Until we get to this point where we say... this far and no further. Last stop before we hit the wilderness.

Well I was driving home last night in the dark from the gym and I was suddenly aware of all the lights that seemed to be so much more intense than usual and that was because for me...there was a message.

The traffic lights.... red, green, amber....the vehicle lights, bright, searing, flashing wildly, those lights that are immediately in your face as a vehicle turns a corner and heads towards you " A veritable cacophany of lights " in your face and your head continuously all the way home. ( and yes I know what cacophany means, I just like the descriptive nature of the phrase because it is almost as if you are invaded by the sounds as well)

Then...Bam....I suddenly got what it was telling me. DO NOT BE DISTRACTED FROM YOUR MISSION BY EVERYTHING GOING ON AROUND YOU.

Now if this resonates with you, cool, if it doesn't, grunt and move on to the next blog....but there are people reading this that are having that problem right now...don't know who you are but....keep your focus. If you feel that it's all getting too much...go sit in a quiet place and remember where you are and why you are doing this. FOR YOU, and what's INSIDE of you.

This may be your last chance. If not this.....then what.

You absolutely can do it, you can achieve your dreams.....you just need to get out of night traffic for a while.. know what I mean.

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 44

2009-07-29T14:01:00.002+02:00

Sorry I'm posting a little late today but I had a top secret meeting with a world renowned AB expert by the name of.....ooops...Oh no, not that easy.

Anyway the girls probably thought I was off crying like a "GIRL" somewhere in the corner because of their latest piccy's.

Sorry to disapoint but I was working through the latest and greatest ab routine direct from ............ himself who happens to be here in South Africa to coach me...Shouldn't be here for more than a few days he said...you re nearly there, he said.

He reckons I don't need much help....I be at goal pretty soon.

Can't wait to see the results of the first ever RTP-TS contest....I think everybody is on tenterhooks waiting for the PHONE CALL....

I think it has been fantastic and I know the male and female winners and the top ten will make us proud

A huge well done to all of you who participated and posted a contest package. I think it has been a phenominal effort by everyone and I really look forward to shredding side by side with you all for years to come.

It has laid the groundwork for the future of Health and Fitness and we are all part of a revolution that will help to eradicate obesity.

FACT: There are more fat people on the planet right now than starving people. WOW, scary stuff.

M2 | SIX PACK | Day 43

2009-07-28T09:08:00.003+02:00

TOP SECRET....ABS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I have decided not to reveal my secrets to the competition....the girls, Saraaaaaaaaaah! and Sharon, the mad woman Sex Goddess are making great progress and I felt it better not to scare them off by revealing my astounding progress.

So....until I am ready to "show" I am going to put the project under wraps.

I have just returned from the gym....my cardio Hiit, and abs day and I'm happy to reveal that "The Beast" came out to play again.

Oooh I am so loving this. Training like a Madman, eating like the world class athlete that I am and resting like a Queen....well maybe a Prince rather.

Mental attitude of a giant and the laser like focused stare on my goal....and day by day I get closer.

Nothing will get in my way.

Nothing will upset my equalibrium and focus

Nothing will change my attitude....

The attitude of a winner.....

who knows HOW to overcome anything that gets in my way.

That's my daily self talk.....How's yours.

Peace out

six pack day 42

2009-07-27T09:55:00.004+02:00

For those of you wondering. I havn't been able to post to my blog because of an objectionable content notice.....Say what...

WHAT COULD BE OBJECTIONABLE ABOUT MY CONTENT?

Any way, appears it's been fixed and so you continue.

You may have noticed that I no longer have CONTEST as the header for mission 2, and the reason for that is that I was unable to get travel documents in time to travel to New York so I had to withdraw since I was no longer eligable.

Hige blow for me but I quickly moved on and found myself another challenge. A full blown 6 pack with no stomach fat covering it whtin the next 8 weeks.

I have got 2 girls from the 'Shredderpshere' hunting me down in the same challenge so it's boy V girls...I can't lose this one.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 74

2009-07-15T06:35:00.007+02:00

We are athletes

Personally I prefer to think of myself as an athlete and I also believe fervently that "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

So what?

So.....by thinking this way I imprint into my sub-conscious the attitude of an athlete.

and that goes way beyond training. It starts with the way I walk....with confidence, and filters through the way I deal with people, the way I choose food and of course the way I train.

I look completely different from the way I looked 16 short weeks ago and now my sub-conscious has accepted that I am an athlete and it in turn starts reminding me....are you eating the right food...are you drinking enough water.....what training are you doing today and have you planned it properly.

A little different from 16 weeks ago when what I heard was....how can you be credible as a health and fitness professional looking like you do....even though you have just come out of hospital it's no excuse....you look like an old crock.

First hand I've obeserved my sub-conscious change because of the new information I have kept feeding it.

and...I love it. This is the way God designed me to be .... us to be...healthy, fit and strong...mentally and physically and we insult Him if we do not honour that...

I am loving my return to strength and fitness and looking forward to life after the contest.
I will continue my Mission 2, but with the contest wrapping up next week my Mission will take on a new name so that in another six weeks I will have completed two missions back to back.

My goal is to keep shredding until I'm happy with the way I look and will probably call it MISSION 2 | SIX PACK ABS.

That'll keep me focussed on the goal...which is obvious.

What are you all going to be doing for M2?

M2 | CONTEST | Day 73

2009-07-14T06:17:00.003+02:00

Dealing with what life throws at you…..

When you are routine, system and plan driven like I am things like countrywide network breakdowns play havoc with my intentions and my head.

I am limited to what I can do and I do not like to be out of control of my own life.

However, life is a funny thing, and it sometimes gets in the way of what you think you are going to be doing, on purpose.

The other thing that has had me in a spin is my passport issue.

I have, as we speak three people in three different countries trying to help me get my travel document sorted before next weekend.

I have been working on this every day since I went to the British consulate in Pretoria a couple of weeks ago.

I have a friend in Scotland organizing birth certificates …a friend in Zimbabawe doing the same thing with parents marriage documents and a ‘connection’ in Zambia organizing other birth certificates etc.

Now these documents are ‘ mission critical ‘ and without them I am going nowhere. I have to rely on these people to do what needs to be done whilst I sit here in Johannesburg with network failures and no way of communicating.

So while I’m sitting here applying the ‘circle of influence’ theory which says….Do not stress about stuff which is outside your circle of influence. Narrowed down…I cannot do anything about the erratic networks and I can do nothing about documents in other countries.

What I can do is firstly remain calm and refrain tearing hair out and gnashing of teeth, from smashing things all over the place and getting involved in road rage incidents around Johannesburg which are common.

I can also accept total responsibility for this and accept that if I had started this process months ago like I should have, I wouldn’t be in this mess.

I can also keep on chasing my ‘ connections’ to make sure they don’t let too much time pass whilst organizing the documents necessary to renew the passport.

The only other thing I can do is a lot of positive visualization, manifesting that the passport is going to be ready and asking God to make a way where there is no way.

I am also training flat out and eating super clean as if nothing was wrong. Also, the ONLY thing to do

So…. out of adversity, I have learned a few lessons, had a few reminders and challenged myself to remain calm under extreme pressure.

I’m happy….and….LIFE GOES ON, whether it works for me or it doesn’t.

How bout you? Do you deal with stuff life throws at you in the right way or do you lose the plot.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 72

2009-07-13T04:54:00.006+02:00

EXCUSE-itis

Don't head off to your study to check the dictionary definition, there isn't one. At least I don't think there is one, nevertheless we all know what it means.

When ever there is a bump in the road some of us get down on ourselves and quit or we sabotage our efforts.

I want to share an amazing story with you that will encourage you to become a winner permanantly.

At 244lbs and 49% body fat Pam Brown had battled obesity for years. Her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumour and food was of enormous comfort to her. As you can see it worked.

She was depressed, suffered migraines, high blood pressure and generally was not in good health.

She came across the BFL program in 2002 and it seemed to resonate with her. She decided to commit to the program. Almost a last chance I guess.

In her own words " I didn't take it one day at a time, I took it one minute at a time. " At the end of 12 weeks she had lost 35lbs. She started a second 12 weeks and got her bodyfat down to 25%.

By the end of her third 12 week program she had lost 96lbs of body fat and gained 16lbs of muscle.

Now I don't know about you but to me this is a remarkable story of a woman succeeding against all odds.

If you are overweight, or obese and their is nothing physically wrong with you, then take heart because ' YOU CAN DO IT'.

Don't let E X U S E - i t i s get in your way. Ask yourself....If this amazing woman can do it....YOU CAN TOO

M2 | CONTEST | Day 71

2009-07-12T16:40:00.003+02:00

Glass tanks are ....FOR FISH

As I think about what to write I am looking at a whole bunch of fish swimming around in a tank.

Are they happy...well obviously I have no idea, but it strikes me that if I were to be contained like they are I would slowly die. Mentally, emotionally and physically.

Why then do we confine ourselves. And I can hear you saying "Speak for yourself" but the fact is..part of the cause of obesityis inactivity.

Life just gets in the way. Get up in the morning...sort out the kids, get them off to school, get in the car go to the building where we work, sit on our butts all day filing meaningless reports for the insurance company we work for. Get up go to the vending machine..grab a java to keep us awake and a pack of m & m's coz they taste good. Pack up our desk at 5, and sit in the car for half an hour driving home....of course stopping at Mickey D, for take out. Head home tell the kids to help themselves and head for the couch...where 4 hours later we fall asleep until 2am whereupon we head for bed.

Hit repeat x 5 days and....our week is done.

Cynical maybe....but them's the facts. Of course not for us...but there may have been a time when this vaguely resembled you...or me.

Why oh why then, do we look out of the window at the beautiful blue sky, smell the fresh air, are surrounded by walking, running,cycling trails, lakes, trees and exercise areas and parks.

I think it's because it's easier and we get lazy...our only contribution to exercise is to don our brand new nike's when we settle down to watch monday night football, or F1 qualifying or rugby.

Getting and staying fit is hard...let's not kid ourselves and some people hate it, but...it is a no brainer to say that it is not only necessary but critical to good health and productive longevity... and, whilst there are more fat people on this planet than there are starving people ...FACT....it's fantastic that WE in the sphere are doing something about that ourselves and in so doing become passive role models for those out there who havn't yet found 'The Shreddersphere'....our home.

And for those out there who don't exercise...Get off the couch....couches are for dogs.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 70

2009-07-11T07:59:00.002+02:00

The Olympics....revisited

Interesting scenario. South Africa had a disastrous Olympic games in terms of the medal tables, however we more than made up for it in the Para Olympics (which by BTW means parallel olympics and not paraplegic olympics and the reason is to create parity between the two and not make the latter look like the poor cousin.) by standing number 5 in the medals.

This got me thinking about the athletes. Why would we think that the para olympians are any less worthy than the able bodied. Why would the able bodied get way more viewership and TV ratings than the wheelchair warriors.

Is it because the able bodied athletes look more graceful and athletic or is it because it's too hard facing up to our own mortality.

Obviously I have more than a passing interest in this topic because of my own near death experience, but I sincerely believe that the wheelchair warriers are far more courageous, dedicated and committed than the able bodied.

Before you shoot me think about this.

Michael Phelps wakes up in the morning very early. Leaps out of bed, maybe chugs down a protein shake made by mom, grabs his tog bag and heads for the pool in his sponsored Lexus SUV. (give a little licence here) Gets to the pool, and starts training.

Oscar Pistorius wakes up in the morning very early. Leaps out of bed....and takes 10 minutes to afix his double prosthetic legs. Makes his own protein shake and grabs his tog bag after making sure that his racing prosthetics are in the bag and heads for the track, driven by a friend. (well maybe not) Gets to the track, laboriously removes his street legs and puts on his race legs. Starts training. Spends the rest of the day fighting the authorities as to whether he is legally allowed to race in the Olympics. Gets the all clear....eventually but doesn't make the qualifying times. Natalie Du Toit one of our swimmers, raced in the able bodies games AND is now churning out gold medals in the OTHER version.

How much more stressful are these peoples lives than an able bodied person. A lot but it doesn't bother them. They get on with it with good grace a great attitude and a big smile. WOW.

Don't get me wrong..I'm not saying they are better athletes, I'm saying that they have a harder time training, racing and living but their commitment to living a full life is unquestioned and they have got like that BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE.

Natalie Du Toit was a world class swimmer before she was knocked over by a car and lost her leg. Did she lose her will to live. NOT A CHANCE, she determined to STILL swim in the Olympic games...and this year she did. WHAT A CHAMPION.

Why moan about how unfair life is. Don't wait to see if you get a second chance. Get out there now and get as fit and healthy as you can, so that you CAN survive if you are ever unlucky enough to get cut down in the prime of your life.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 69

2009-07-10T09:13:00.002+02:00

Are you tweaking the plan?

I remember years ago when I started the BFL program, I used to spend a lot of time in the offices of EAS, sponsors of BFL, generally making a nuisance of myself and soaking up as much information as I could about bodybuilding since that is what we are all really doing.

Doesn't mean you are trying to be Arnold, just means that you are building your body.

So....even then I used to listen to the EAS experts talking to people who were asking if it would be beneficial to add this or take away that, or this many more reps and so on.

This was a major source of frustration for the guys and girls because the Body-for-Life program was born out of years and years of nutrition and training experience by seasoned competitive bodybuilders and make no mistake Bill Pillips knows what he's talking about.

I mean hundreds of thousands of people have been through the program as is...and it works. Simple.

Why, because there are basic fundamentals that apply to everyone on the planet...big, small, male and female.

The same applied to RTP-TS.....Adam Waters like Bill Philips has perfected his program over time and experience...and there are enough variables to make sure that it will suit everyone from the very fat to the very thin and everyone in between.

Further to that....do you honestly think that the program would be endorsed by the likes of Tom Venuto and Carlos DeJesus if they felt it was fundamentally deficient...hardly.

So.....most of us in the 'Sphere' are inexperienced lifters and unskilled in the art of a 'nutritionally correct' eating plan.

Why then...do we suddenly become experts and start playing with the system. How can we think we know better.

Contest aside...the first 12 weeks is critical to our learning experience and I believe should be done..to the book. Thereafter I also believe that one should have enough knowledge..just, to start making changes that suit you.

Although it doesn't end there. The RTP program will have continual changes to suit any bodytype and any building or cutting goal making it the most versatile program I have ever seen.

With Tom Venuto and BFFM as back up...Wow, what a win.

Research, read articles, check out success stories, learn as much as you can....but for the first 12 weeks or 84 days....hey, don't tweak the system.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 65

2009-07-07T13:31:00.002+02:00

Your level of happiness and peace depends on how much you are prepared to give.

I'm writing this for one person. I have no idea who you are or where on this beautiful planet you live but I know it's for you.

The only way to live your life completely is to take responsibility. A friend of mine has put a media campaign together in an effort to coax South Africans into caring for others and developing a giving attitude.

It's called LOVE and RESPECT and is a contract you sign with yourself to make yourself accountable (that word again) the message goes like this:-

I ............................ promise to love and respect, myself, my loved ones, my family, my friends, my fellow mankind, and all the people who visit our beautiful land.

By starting with myself, I take full responsibility for my actions, my life and my interactions with all living things around me.

Signed.....................

It's amazing how your life changes when you decide that from this second on you are not going to blame anyone else, ever again for anything that goes wrong in your life.

"I'm sorry I was late for the meeting the traffic was hectic" Hmmm, perhaps you should have left earlier.

"I am so busy I don't have time to exercise" My diary is always free 45 minutes before I wake up.

"So and so made me do this" No one can make you do anything, you allow them to.

You get the picture.

We cannot control external circumstances like, the weather, the traffic, rude people etc but we can control the one thing that is MOST important in our lives....what's inside our head and what WE CHOOSE to put in there. Guard your mind closely, it's your most important asset.

If YOU, and you know who you are, are having a down day, take responsibility for the way you feel, for there is a very simple foolproof solution. Pick up your mobile, access your contacts list and scroll until a name jumps out at you. Phone that person and tell them you were thinking of them, you care for them and you just wanted them to know that. You will find that it uplifts you instantly but what you don't know is how much it will do for them.

Go on DO IT NOW....No not later NOW.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 64

2009-07-06T10:32:00.001+02:00

I believe in God....now before you roll your eyes and head your mouse in the direction of something more interesting like " lightbulbsRus.com" this is NOT a religious dissertation and you might actually find an AHA moment or two right here.

Because I believe in God I believe, like gazillions of others in statements like
"As a man thinketh in his heart so is he". There are many references to the fact that God has given us a whole lot of neat stuff without us even asking for it. Stuff like "A Spirit of Power, Love and a Sound Mind." WOW that's huge. He has also given us well, kinda whatever we want, UP FRONT.

Now if you look at universal laws contained in the realities of Quantum Physics, (and no this is not new agey.) you will find that this all works together.

Gravity is gravity...whether the Queen or I drop an apple, the thing is going to fall to the ground. The law of reciprocation is the same and so is the fact that you can have, be, or do, whatever you want....I mean WHATEVER.

NOW, here is the great bit. YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN GIVEN WHATEVER YOU WANT. All you have to do is decide what IT is and accept that you ALREADY have it and start running towards it.

Opportunities start apprearing in front of you. People start bumping into you saying "Oh yeah I can help you with that." Coincidence is not coincidence it is just God....or the universe, if you so choose, conspiring to make you into whatever it is that you have manifested.

Afirmations whilst unrealistic and ridiculous sounding now become reality sooner than you think.

Don't pooh pooh it, don't think about it, just accept that it's true and give it a fair trial. YOU WILL BE AMAZED.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 63

2009-07-04T10:49:00.011+02:00

The Mark of Champions

Clearly I wrote this before the Beijing Olympics and I think that on the eve of the 'Contest' it's worth posting it again

8 days from now the biggest sporting event in the world begins. We are going to see world records being broken, medalists dq'd for drug use. Heartbroken athletes not achieving their potential and so on.

At the Athens Olympic they were still planting grass during the opening ceremony, by contrast the Beijing Olympic stadium was finished a year ago.

What I'm getting to, is why some win and why do some lose.

There are many reasons but one of the biggest is, winners plan. China does not work on 5 year plans...they have a thousand year plan. In so doing they can focus on the job in hand and get rid of ego since by the time the job is complete they will have been dust for a very long time.

Athletes also have plans....and the champions are the ones who do not deviate from those plans. They are often not the most talented but they are the most dedicated.

To paraphrase the great Carlos DeJesus...Everything you do should revolve around and take you towards the fruition of that plan. From what you eat to who you associate with and what magazines you read should take you ever closer.

However a plan is no good without 100% comittment. If you can't climb inside and live the plan until it's done. Then my friend your goal is not right for you.

So...as I write today, I look forward to watching the games with interest and observing which athletes not only had the best plans, but those who inhabited their plans for four years or longer...Those will be the ones clutching gold, silver and bronze.. and some of them, won't be the most talented.

How many of us contest participants have been able to 'live inside' our plans for 12 weeks....there are only 3 to go...make them the best of your life

M2 | CONTEST | Day 62

2009-07-04T09:52:00.007+02:00

Can you imagine what a great place the world would be if we put as much into supporting others as we do within this safe place. The 'Sphere"

I personally spend a lot of time here because I want to help people get and stay healthy. I enjoy it...I love interacting with you all and I have made special friends here.

It is the most amazing thing, that we can develop bonds with others that we may not be able to create on the outside.

Why is that? Is it because this is so safe or is it because we don't have time in the real world. Or is it because we all serve a common purpose in here which is what ties us together.

It is no secret that I believe that part of the medicine that we take in here is giving to others and helping them to find themselves...in offering valid advice to others we learn...thus the old adage...to learn something well teach it. People asking questions for which we have no immediate answers are easily solved by '' Doogling " it.....sorry " Googling" it....(a weak attempt at humour)

The interesting thing fo me is also the different personalities all with similar but different goals. In other words we all want to get healthy but to differing degrees and within different time frames.

For some the contest is everything....FOR NOW....and I'm one of those....in 20 days though it will all be different and new Missions will be inscribed in stone.

For others, the contest is not important and finding your way in a slower more forgiving fashion is the order of the day.

Both modus operandi are absolutely fine and as long as you are doing what works for you, then good and well.

I think problems arise when you take on something that doesn't fit with you and this causes internal friction. Our personalites do not resonate with what we are tring to do and we start rebelling against what we ourselves have put in place.

This outwardly manifests in what sometimes apprear to be 'dream stealers' within the 'sphere' but I don't believe that to be true.

My personal belief is that every single person in here is supportive to differing degrees and when a seemingly controversial comment is made on a blog it is made with the best intentions in the world.

If we are secure enough withing ourselves and we are being true to our PRW's nothing said here should cause doubt in our minds or unease in our hearts for ultimately we are all here for the same reasons.

These are my personal views and I mean them with love since I know personally that whatever I write in here and whatever comments I post on the blogs of other are meant with the best intentions in the world.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 61

2009-07-03T09:09:00.003+02:00

Funny how time seems to race

With 20 something days to go, it seems that time is just getting quicker and quicker...for me anyway...and that's cool coz every day is fun and I'm enjoying life to the max.

Challenges, I have a few, but that just makes life interesting and even with those what's the point of tramping around the planet if we are not going to enjoy it.

Something else that's so important is to own a sense of humour. Everyone has one but some peoole hide it away in the closet and only bring it out for special occasions.

One of those who doesn't is my friend Gloria Jean. She is both talented and funny and reading her blogs and looking at her graphic interpretation of stuff is both hilarious and eye raising at the same time...I mean she is SMART.

So today is dedicated to Gloria Jean....thank you for making us laugh and thank you for helping us find our sense of humour when things aren't so funny.

THANKS MOM

M2 | CONTEST | Day 60

2009-07-02T03:53:00.013+02:00

Does RTP-TS really work?

Is a question on a lot of lips at present both inside and outside the 'Shreddersphere'

I think that I can safely provide proof positive that it absolutely DOES work and proof can always be found in pictures

The pictures above tell an amazing story.

Mission 1 Day 1.... Just come out of hospital and not exactly in the best shape of my life
Day 43...Making progress, but still not looking terribly slick and also the first day of the contest
Day 84...Last day of Mission 1...The day I became a Transformer. Great results but obviously not where I want to be ultimately so I continued training now for the Contest which became mission 2.
Mission 2 Day 60...there is an overlap here but in essence this is now my contest shred

I remember when I started seeing big results and realising that my metabolism after a year of being really sick and in and out of hospital had started burning fat BIG TIME.

I was thrilled, it was really starting to happen and it drove me to do better and better every day. My PRW's also helped but really it was the pictures that tell the real story.

Never underestimate the value of accountability via daily pictures..that is your real road map.

There are three weeks and a bit left for the contest to run and I believe I have planned it perfectly. I will be ready for judgement day and every day has been incredible.

My total compliance from day one to now has been 100% and I'm pretty stoked about that.

Point of all this is ...You absolutely CAN do whatever you want in terms of your health and fitness, all you have to do is find the correct program and be ready to make the commitment.
RTP-TS is definately the right program and The 'Shreddersphere" is unlike any other place I've ever been to. Support is incredibly important and this place gives us all we need, while we are building a new life.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If I can go from here

To here

to here

in one short year

WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE

M2 | CONTEST | Day 59

2009-07-01T10:58:00.002+02:00

Just start writing.

When in doubt about what to write, my advice to myself is...just start writing and that's precisely what I'm doing today.

What is important to me today....what can I do today, now, to act as if....to be champion.

I can....train as if my life depended upon it
I can...think champions thoughts throughout the day
I can ensure super clean eating throughout the day
I can be responsible for my own feelings and not let circumstances dictate how I feel
I can...think about how I can help shredders keep going in order to hit their goals
I can visualise and imagine all the things happening to me that would happen to a champion
I can analyse negative thoughts, turn them into positives and move on

So these are some of the things I can do today that will help me focus on my goals...all of them, not just here.

See...thinking is a critical part of wisdom...Thinking helps sort out the rubbish from the good stuff..Thinking helps get to grips with tricky issues, thinking solves problems but sometimes letting go brings solutions as well.

I've often lain in bed at night before going to sleep and wondered about a problem that I have no answer for and I will awake in the morning with the solution right in front of me. It's uncanny how that happens.

Think about ways to be better at what you are doing and make a note of them...Act on them and you'll find that each day you become better and better and more of a champion.

Imagine how incredible you will be one year from now.

PEACE OUT

M2 | CONTEST | Day 58

2009-06-30T05:54:00.003+02:00

The Puzzle

My life is an 84 day jigsaw puzzle.

Day 1 to 7 I put a 7 pieces on the board. Reading the modules didn't make a whole lotta sense because I am ADD and battled to focus through it all.

Day 8 added an 8th piece...started training..The modules had made sense now and the training I can do.

Day 9 added a piece to the puzzle...having already started the eating program...made sure I had it down.

So far I've 9 pieces of the puzzle put together on the board...I'm into the program in a big way but the puzzle doesn't look like a whole heck of a lot at the moment.

Fast forward to day 20....Aha, starting to look like something now. I can see little bits of the puzzle that make sense to me...+ there are only 64 pieces left.

Fast forward again to day 63....WOW OK now I can really see what's going on....I can see the shape of my body and how it's changing and more than that I can see that the balance of pieces left as opposed to pieces on the board has REALLY shifted, now I' getting excited.

Each day now is a day closer to the end of the mission and each day there is more to see on the puzzle and less on left on the table.

And aso it goes until all 84 days form a complete jigsaw puzzle of an amazing transformation. We all have this puzzle in our heads, and if we are diligent, we all, will have an amazing transformation. How can you not.

Patience is something we can all do more of and unless you hang in... the puzzle is going to make no sense.

For some of us, 84 days is not quite enough...but then this is a lifestyle so it matters not, but in the beginning, we have to KNOW that the program WE have CHOSEN to take us sprinting into the beautiful fields of green like Saraaah, with arms outstretched, embracing whatever is thrown at us, is going to take us valiantly past the finish line day by day like the puzzle.

Hang in, run the race until, you get to that certain point, where you know for sure you are winning, when that balance shifts, in your favour, but until that happens, REMEMBER.....THE PUZZLE.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 56

2009-06-29T10:31:00.008+02:00

Life is wonderful..

Why?

Because I have such a lot to be thankful for. There is an upside in everything...absolutely everything, all you have to do is look for it.

I am well on my way to being in the best shape of my life. I feel fantastic, I have made so many new friends, this is like being home...A huge community and.....my spirit is soaring.

I feel like an eagle high up in the clouds, sometimes floating on the thermals, sometimes having to work to find them...swooping down and then climbing high above this beautiful blue planet and I think " Thank you for everything that I have, thank you for guidance to do the right things, thanks for friends with smart minds, thank you for my body that I can change if I so choose, thank you for Tuna fish and broccoli, which I've learned to love.....I could go on all day.

I'm just in a euphorically grateful mood today....I've blasted training right off the richter, I've eaten three quality meals, I'm happy to be writing my post today, as I am every day...I'm just thankful.

I manifest that each and every one of you achieve your goals and dreams and that good things come to you all, I manifest that Adam Waters RTP-TS program brings in another 1000 shredders, with a will to change, just like us.

I pray that we all have the courage and strength to learn from and overcome any adversity that befalls us, and take hardship and run with it atop the highest mountain with strength and courage.

I urge each and every one of you to focus on your PRW's today and stretch yourself beyond that which you already have....to extend your arms and embrace the sunshine and the rain....and the storms for it is they....that forge our spirit in metal that cannot be bent nor buckled.

CHOOSE LIFE and let yours MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 55

2009-06-28T03:34:00.003+02:00

Sweet sweet sunday

After sweet sweet saturday afternoon at the rugby.

This is not gloating, it's just national pride for my beloved Springbok rugby team.

Sport is a very big deal in South Africa and I think that's a good thing...keeps people thinking about health and fitness....well maybe not, but at least they wear their Nike's to jump off the couch and run to the fridge for another beer between penalty kicks.

And so......yesterday afternoon my beloved Springboks gave the touring British and Irish Lions a lesson in snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

I say this all of course because I have big competition here in the sphere, and I mean RUGBY competition. There are my dear friend Saraaaah, and of course Brian Downes rooting for the British and Irish Lions and then over the pond we've got Adam Waters and Sharon watching with interest and Sharon's husband who is a kiwi, because we have the Tri Nations coming up which is a huge clash between the three best teams in the world, the best of which, of course is South Africa, the world champions.

Seriously though, what a game, I mean test rugby at it's finest...a complete war of attrition, where courage of the highest order was shown by the Boks in fighting back from what looked like certain defeat to snatch victory with a long range goal kick at the final whistle....Unbelievable stuff.

Saraaaaaah, Brian...sorry guys, thanks for coming.

Watching the game, obviously I was thinking about my friends over the water but I was also thinking about how the game is NEVER over until it's over. In other words NEVER give up.
All is never lost and we've all GOT to keep pushing and pushing until the very end.

For me personally...I am so hyped about my shred and the idea of being in absolutely peak physical condition, which I am, that I just can't sleep. I mean it's 3.15am and I'm blogging.

Now some might say....obsessed, I say, committed to my mission, and acting like a CHAMPION, because a champion does things daily what ordinary people do occasionally.

And at the end of the day the proof of the pudding is in the eating. At the end of it all, at the end of our mission and upon reflection, before we build a plan for the next mission, our thoughts will not turn to the things that we did that were out of the ordinary but how everything we did was a step towards our goal and not away from it. We thought like Champions, we acted like Champions and ultimately we are CHAMPIONS.

And right now as I sit here reflecting on that marvellous game....like the mighty Springboks, I, am also, a CHAMPION.

And.......so are YOU.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 54

2009-06-27T09:10:00.003+02:00

Return to the FUTURE

I think yesterday's post may deserve a little clarification.

I have always worn my heart on my sleeve, as you may have noticed. The reason I do that is because I don't want to present myself as getting everything right all the time, clearly that's not the case and so when I hit an obstacle like I did yesterday I want to expose you to how I felt and what I plan to do about it.

It's only right and proper, if I am going to write about my personal journey, to expose myself warts and all, right...right.

So...yesterday was one of those cases.....I hit a snag, a minor one really when comparing it with all of my others.

First, what was my initial reaction...Disbelief, anger, frustration, sadness, and probably a few others, but as I have written before I DO NOT STAY DOWN for long and as I write this I am as hapopy as Larry....whoever the mythical Larry is.

The way I operate in any situation is

Allow my emotions to have sway
Allow myself time to grieve, without trying to sound too melodramatic
Give myself time to calm down
Assess the problem and create a battle plan

This situation was one of those and I have gone through that process as normal.

So for any of you that think it was a knee jerk reaction, it wasn't, it was simply me documenting a taxing situation in order to allow everyone to see how I deal with tough issue.

The reason for that is...hopefully, is that it may help someone understand a new way to deal with things but...

If you think I'm talking rubbish, put your feet up, grab a cup of coffee, carry on reading the paper and forget you ever saw this.

Now...for those that are still with me, let's clear up some misconceptions.

Firstly I do not recognise the word QUIT. It is NOT in my vocabulary.
Secondly, I suggested that I might withdraw from the competition. The reason for that is simple..If I can't make it to the NYC for the "Prizegiving" why should I deny someone else the opportunity of a lifetime, literally.
Thirdly...To clarify, I have said before "If you are ONLY in the sphere for the contest, leave now." I am most definately not GOING ANYWHERE. This is a very big part of my life It is my stated intention to help people find their way back through health and fitness....Where would I go. This is my home.
Fourth....I will continue posting and piccing daily as I have been doing as if nothing were different...why would I.
Fifth...I want to thank everyone for the magnificent support I've had. It just proves once again that we are a community of givers and I'me very grateful for that, and for you all.
Sixth...I am a very competitive individual and this is one of my PRW's and IT MEANS A GREAT DEAL TO ME for a number of reasons, so to be cut down...potentially before the end, was devastating to me, I admit...but it's not about a trip to New York... I have been to New York before, it's about meeting all my friends in person it's about meeting the Icons, Tom Venuto, Adam Waters and Carlos DeJesus, it's about winning, it's about "the whole thing" and....I believe in the concept of WINNING. You may not feel the same way, and that's cool, but..you are not me.

Now....having cleared that up what am I going to do about this...well I contacted a dear friend of mine who happens to live in the UK and knows how these things work and asked her if she would mind making a phone call for me to see what can be done. She very generously said that she would go one better and would drive to London in person and grab whoever makes these decisions by the scruff of the neck until a new passport was forthcoming.

The great thing about this is....that you all know her.... My dear friend Saraaaah, is off to London monday. Another great thing about the 'sphere' is that we have all made new friends and for me Sarah is one of them. She is very generous of spirit, to which her other sphere friends, of which she has many, will attest, and I am more than grateful to her for going waaaay beyond that which she was asked.

So here is a very public thank you to dear Sarah for doing this for me...I am in your debt.

So....another day, another pic, my training is going exceptionally well and I am loving this shred to bits.

Here's to a life of health and fitness....and CHALLENGES...adversity makes you SOOO much stronger and I embrace the challenges.

I raise my glass of 'fresh water' and salute you all, courageous shredders, you are all champions. NEVER QUIT, NEVER GIVE UP.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 53

2009-06-26T13:36:00.003+02:00

I have just had the rug pulled out from under me.....in a big way

My blog is late today because I have spent the whole morning in Pretoria trying to sort out the renewal of my British Passport.

I was told in no uncertain terms that because of new regulations I needed to produce all original documentation of my grandparents who originate from Scotland and my birth certificate. I was born in Zambia. I DO NOT HAVE ANY OF THESE DOCUMENTS.

Plus a few more weeks to renew the passport. Now don't tell me I should have thought about this earlier.....I'll come to wherever you are and we'll have a lovely conversation about it.

I know that....but I did phone the embassy and they were quite happy to tell me on the phone that there would be no problem simply renewing my passport and yes there was plenty of time.

So....this is a big challenge to overcome. How did I feel driving back from Pretoria. Completely gutted. I actually felt physically ill.

I might as well say it now, part of my mission is the contest, I am a contest shredder and I didn't enter to come second. Now if I do not have travel documents I am going no where and will have to withdraw from the contest.

Obviously I will exhaust every avenue to try and get some sort of travel document, I don't know what it's like in your country but try phoning embassies on a friday afternoon here.

Yeah, right.

This is a biggy for me and I need to think clearly about how to deal with it.

I WILL NOT GIVE UP

M2 | CONTEST | Day 52

2009-06-25T06:43:00.003+02:00

The day I had my butt kicked

My training partner....also a trainer in my business....and I, walked into the gym today super excited about the training session to come...Little did I know I was about to get my butt kicked.

If you want to know what you are made of, head off into the unknown unexpectedly.

This shouldn't be a factor but firstly the kid is 30 years younger than me and secondly he doesn't have a broken neck....

Now I didn't tell him that we were going to go harder than usual today, because I train with Maximum intensity anyway but he sure told me....all of a sudden the trainer became the trainee...Now I know what it's like to train with a sadistic monster.

First off no sets of ten were allowed, then he increased all the weights that I had set out. So we started, I went first with him following close enough to be able to shout...."LOWER ON THE DEADLIFT DUDE, C'MON ARE YOU A WOOSY OR WHAT."

After the first round of 15 of everything my engine was working at above normal revs and I was puffing a touch...Headed for the bike to rest...."I DON'T THINK SO." I get from behind me..."GET THOSE REVS UP TO OVER 100 AND KEEP THEM THERE, NOW, C'MON, YOU CAN DO THIS, GET THE INTENSITY UP."

And so it was....I got through it working harder than I have before on this part of the program...I nearly coughed up a lung, but I got through it.

While stretching when it was all over, and still breathing very heavily, I worked out that:

Conditioning is relative
Always be increasing your intensity
My old level 10 is now obsolete
I can't go back to what I thought was max
If I think about it too much I get scared about my new max, but you need courage
In a week or two my new max will be my old max
We can ALL, do more than we think we can in everything in life
Getting someone to push you is the BEST way to breakthrough
Just do it
Reflect afterward on WHY you are doing what you are doing

and that will give you the answer as to whether you should forward or stay where you are.

If you are a contest shredder, you need to be aware of the above and go with intensity without thinking about it. FOR NOW

When the contest is done you can re-avaluate your goals but FOR NOW

EAT CLEAN, DRINK LOTS OF WATER and GO LIKE HELL

M2 | CONTEST | Day 51

2009-06-24T11:02:00.003+02:00

There is gold in them thar hills.

I'm thinking that we have unearthed stuff that goes way beyond health and fitness...well it is related and does factor into our thinking.

What I'm talking about is talent. We have some talented people in the 'sphere' Gems have been unearthed and there are some special people around.

We have all...and I mean all been given a magnificent gift. Some, are still searching, some have found it but don't believe, and some are just discovering what it is but are fearful that it's not real.

Before I around in too many circles and confuse even myself, I'm talking about writing.

Go to the blog post top 100 roll and take a look down the list. There are some incredible posts which in essence are thoughts set to paper.

When I talk about good writers, I'm talking, not about stuffy gramatically correct english, or the odd spelling error. I'm talking about great story tellers. You see we all have it inside...we all have stories to tell...we just think that no body will listen....or we are afraid that our beliefs will be ridiculed.

Fear...is what stops the best stories ever heard from never seeing the light of day on paper. Well writing is about story telling and in a conversational way...as if you were telling the story to your best friend.

I am lucky in that I love to write but beyond that...because I've been on this planet for a while now and I've had way more than my fair share of adversity, for which, by the way, I am very grateful, I believe I have amassed a modicum of wisdom, assuming of course than I can find it in my cranial hard drive when I need it...but that's by the by, which allows me to share that with others in a way that may help others to grow.

My children think they know everything and I don't know how often I've heard, when I explain how something works, "No it doesn't" being the standard reply, and it reminds me of the story of the two youngsters chatting. "When I was 16 my parents knew nothing about anything...now that I'm 21 I can't believe how much they've learned."

If you want to learn about yourself and how you work, start writing. Get a journal or a clean sheet of Microsoft word and start writing...every day.

You'll soon develop a style and before long you'll be writing things that people want to read.
And an added bonus is.....we get to have all this talent in the 'sphere'

I mean if you think about the talented people in here that are striving to change their lives...can you imagine what kind of corporation we could get going. WOW...the mind boggles.

NOW...how the heck, you are thinking, does this relate to health and fitness. C'mon Dougal let's see you tie this one together.

Well you know what.....for once it doesn't. I just thought I'd write for the joy of writing...and this is what came out.

So this is dedicated to all you wonderful people, my, friends, here....with a plea to let your spirits soar by finding out what your brilliant gift is...and then to use to it to help others in any way you can.

Oh BTW, for those of you who have asked what I eat every day...here it is

Wake up Protein shake, Oats, water
Post training Protein shake, Banana, water
Mid am 3 egg scrambled eggs + baked potato
Lunch Tuna salad with brown rice
Mid pm Low Fat Cottage cheese + garden salad + 2 spns olive oil
Dinner Venison (game) + steamed broccoli (2 to 3 cups) drizzled with Ol Oil 2x spns
Pre bed Protein shake + water
2 zinc tablets

and also those who have asked about my compliance, Your assumption was right
My total shred compliance for the last 14 weeks is 100%

M2 | CONTEST | Day 51

2009-06-23T12:02:00.007+02:00

I was talking to a client of mine this morning. He has been through the same thing that we all go through. We manage to sustain fat loss for a prescribed period of time and then we let go. That is why diet is such a filthy word. It implies that there is an end in sight and that the old life of Big Macs and cheesecake is just around the corner....well it isn't.

If we are not prepared to make a "lifestyle" change..forget about it.

For me, I was lucky enough to find Adam Waters at the same time I hit rock bottom and because of that I KNOW that I will be spending xmas on the beach covered by a six pack and not a T shirt.

As a fitness professional it has got to be the most self defeating thing in the world to be out of shape. Firstly you are always feeling terrible about the way you look... knowing what you do... and secondly, how much credibility can you have if you, as a fitness coach, are...well....FAT.

We all need to find whatever solution works for us and my personal opinion is, that full scale accountability is what works best for most people.

I suggested to my client, who happens to be a very high level executive in a major organisation, that he go to the organisation's Chairman, lay out his plan and goals, and the date by which he will achieve them and ask that if he fails to live up to his daily action steps, he would forfeit his very considerable bonus. Hmmmm....puts a different perspective on how serious you are about getting into shape.

This blog for me is such a win. There are people from all over the planet reading...well hopefully, reading my words after having seen my contract...see early blog entry...and holding me accountable. Barring a real catastrophe there is no way I'm going to skip a meal, training session or cardio workout.

So all of you reading this...please post comments, I would love to know what you think, perhaps what information you would like to see that I'm not including etc.

I would really appreciate feedback to help motivate you to go for your own goals.

Talk to me.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 50

2009-06-22T10:15:00.002+02:00

Complacency.....has no loyalty

On Saturday the British and Irish Lions played my beloved Springboks, current World Champions.

At the half we were crunching the opposition like there was no tomorrow...however there are 2 test matches left in a 3 match series and after the half with quite some time to play the coach in his infinite wisdom, knowing that we had the game sewn up, excuse me... took off a lot of key players including the captain and substituted them for players...good players, from the bench.

Outcome, we came close to losing the game, because of COMPLACENCY.

The game was won by a long way, so let's cruise for the balance of the game and rest the key players, he thought.

NO...NO....NO

COMPLACENCY will destroy you.

How does that relate to what we are doing here.

You cannot set up your nutrition plan, get your training organised, sort out your gym membership and just pitch up every day. That will not do it for you.

You need to THINK, every day about is what you are eating right, is your training intense enough, is there more that you could be doing and so on.

If you let complacency drift in you will find that over time you are doing things with less and less urgency as days go by until you are so far off the program as to wonder why you are not making progress.

Let me if you an example from your nutrition plan.

Let us assume that you are eating chicken breast for dinner and whole wheat bread for lunch.
You head for the market after work and you have had a rough day and you are tired. They have no skinless, boneless chicken breast so you look around and see hamburger patties, double extra lean....Ahh this'll do so you buy them. They have no wholewheat bread so you buy low GI seed loaf. The next time you buy lean patties and brown bread....and the next time you just buy bread and patties...how bad can it be, you think, it's only one meal.

By degrees you don't notice, but over time you are so far off track that no wonder you aren't making progress.

So...don't let complacency hurt your progress...be vigilant about everything you do in terms of your health and fitness and you WILL see regular encouraging signs of moving forward every day.

We were lucky on Saturday...we may not be so lucky second time around, but I bet you that the coach will be VERY alert come game day on saturday.

PEACE OUT

M2 | CONTEST | Day 49

2009-06-20T09:31:00.005+02:00

I'm a NATURAL

My hand is poised above the paper. The pen within it quivers, a blob of bright blue ink gets ready to drip, unless I apply the pen to the paper and write something.

Got it, I'll write a poem. Inspired by Yeats, and Keats, Browning and Gehrig...oh no sorry he was a baseball player wasn't he, albeit with a tragic story.

Ah yes, Lou Gehrig and "The Babe", hero's of a bygone era, role models for thousands of american kids. There was no TIVO in those days, and what did we know from Gehrig and Ruth, or even baseball for that matter. Here in Africa we played rugby and cricket, which by the way has been called "baseball on valium".

The role models these days are Barry Bonds, the monsters from WWF, giant bodybuilders like multi Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman, and those incredible athletes who spend three weeks at 100% riding 3500kms in the Tour de France.

Isn't it a shame though that that the kids of today revere some of those who have attained glory through illegal means, drugs if you will. Isn't it sad that some major athletes of today pay over a major part of their earnings to their chemist.

The Tour de France is around the corner and billions of people will be passionately watching their hero compete for glory only to have their adoration shattered when this or that superstar tests positive for Anabolic Steroids and is ordered to return his medal.

It's a shame to think that some of those kids themselves will succumb to the lure of the filthy "so called elixer of life", all in the name of narcissism.

Play your part and be a role model to your own children, for isn't it so much better to stand straight and tall, lean and strong one year from now, looking into the mirror, and be able to say. "I'm a natural."

M2 | CONTEST | Day 48

2009-06-20T09:16:00.003+02:00

IMAGINATION....One of the greatest free gifts we have.

My girlfriends son looked up at me "Dougal do your realise that I will be seven tomorrow." I smiled at him knowing that tomorrow he would have his party at home..my girlfriends country residence, she has a big garden. Jumping castles, water slides....

It suddenly occurred to me that this precious little boy with exitement shining in his eyes would sleep fitfully and would wish tomorrow would come as soon as possible. The thing was..he was living in the moment. He was so focused on the fact that this was his time, nothing else mattered.

He could clearly visualise what was going to happen almost as if it was happening right before those shining eyes.

As we grow we tend to lose that skill. It gets knocked out of us at school. Write on the lines. Do not go outside the borders of the page.

What a shame since IMAGINATION is the greatest gift that we have been given and we need to learn how to get it back.

Visualisation is critical for you to get to where you want to go. Those of us on a tranformation journey need...no MUST be able to see ourselves as we want to be...as if it were today.

Once you can do that the subconscious starts it's work and finds ways to get us there.

The great fun though is in the journey.... The highs and lows, the triumphs and the tragedies...for once you get to your destination..... Then what.

That little boy has imagined this day for ages...he has sold his mother on the outline of what he wants to do with his friends on his birthday, for a long time. He has dreamed grand dreams of sailing down a water slide and bouncing off the jumping castle walls. Of eating cake and opening presents, of happy laughter and smiling faces.

And so it will be. He saw it long before it actually happened.

We can learn a lot from Children.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 47

2009-06-19T10:03:00.002+02:00

Boy this brings back some memories

29.52 - A very significant number but before I tell you why.....the answer to your question is NO, I'm not out of my mind....I wish I was going skiing but I don't think it is on my "to do" list for a little while.

It is a beautiful cold winter morning on the Hiveld and I'm dressed for my walk.

This picture has just been taken and the thing that really struck me, is, that I'm smiling.

I suddenly realised that I havn't really smiled for quite a while. Well today I'm really, really happy.

WHY? When I woke up I got out of bed and gingerly walked the 30 or so paces to the kettle. ......One needs to have a cuppa tea when one awakens, does one not...very civilised.

What struck me was that my legs were very sore. My quads, my hammy's, my shins...No, couldn't be, could it....DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness. But I was only using body weight for yesterday's leg work. Wow what a realisation.

I then started smiling and got HAPPY. I have reached rock bottom. Isn't that great. I have no place to go but up....and I mean way up.

Rock bottom isn't always a bad place to be. yes it hurts, emotionally, yes our pride gets dented, yes we wonder what will people who know us think of us.

Well, when we cut through that pile of garbage we will find that it's a heck of a lot easier to start anything from rock bottom than it is from half way up.

Ever tried a diet and just sailed through to your goal...well that's because you started from....you guessed it..rock bottom.

So if any of you are at rock bottom....you are ready...hook up with a friend, or ask for help and support from a shredder, read Adam Water's blog, and get going.

Yes TODAY, would be good.

By the way, that number at the top....is my walk time today - down from 40minutes

Whoooooo hoooooooooo!

M2 | CONTEST | Day 46

2009-06-18T02:27:00.003+02:00

The GIFT

It's 2.30am....I can't sleep, I'm so excited.

I'm so grateful for the gift I've been given. How could I not be. I've been on this planet for a while now and I've seen a few things...I've been through a few things....and I'm still here with the gift intact.

LIFE... in abundance is the gift I'm talking about...LIFE, given to me by my creator....to do with what I choose.

For the first time in my tenure on this planet it thrills me to know that I have a calling. It is so fullfilling to know that I know what I'm doing on planet earth and once I discovered what it was, I could stop searching.

It is so exhausting to question yourself continually....There must be more to life than this...what am I doing here....what is this all about, why is life so hard.

The minute I let go of all that and did two things all that changed forever.

Embraced adversity
Willingly became a servant

We are all going to have adversity in our lives....all of us without question and we can choose whether to embrace it and find the positive in it or reject it and see it as a curse and refuse to take responsibility for it. "It's not my fault."

We were not put on planet earth to 'take'. In general terms people who have spent their whole lives amassing great fortunes at the expense of others die very unhappy people.

Once I understood all that...some time ago, it changed the way I looked at life. I started looking for ways to help people...anywhere, people in distress, people who needed a friend, people who needed someone to listen, people who were hurting, people who needed a kind loving word. Not big things.

The more those actions changed those people the happier I became and have continued to become.

Don't get me wrong...I very much like the finer things in life but I have found that the better way to get those things is via the universal law of ' RECIPROCATION '. The unalterable law that says 'whatever you do to others will be returned to you.'

And I have found that the more I give, the more I get back. Generally speaking whatever you are giving out is what is coming back to you and so if you are grumpy and start speaking badly to people, don't be surprised if a few rude people start having a go at you. If you head into the gym saying to yourself "Aaagh, I really don't feel like this today" you are not going to have the greatest session.

Be nice, but be true to yourself. Know when to say no, get your priorities straight. There is a very simple line in the Word of God which says, "Let your no be no and your yes, yes."

Couldn't be more simple could it. Treat others as you would wish others to treat you and let your no be no and your yes yes.

Eureka, that's it. That's the answer. SIMPLICITY...Life only gets tough when we complicate it.

Find yourself by becoming a servant, and taking responsibility for the adversity in your life you'll be forever thankful when you do.

PEACE OUT.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 45

2009-06-17T08:40:00.005+02:00

Yesterday was a holiday in South Africa and we were consequently invited to some friends for a big luncheon.

I knew it was going to be a big bash with lots of extravagant food and huge amounts of alcohol.

I planned for a free meal since I knew it was going to be difficult to eat clean and I do not want people running around me at a function or getting into a discussion about why I'm so boring because of the food I eat.

We arrived and stood around the bar for awhile, awaiting the arrival of the other guests.
Imagine my surprise when the hors d'oeuvres arrived.....crux de terres, lots of lovely crunchy raw veggies with black olives (good fats) and asparagus. Went very well with my ice cold sparkling water.

Later we adjourned to the table, beautifully appointed for twelve people...and the host disapeared down into the wine cellar returning with a few bottles of a dusty but fabulous local '95 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Now I love a glass of good wine so graciously said thank you as it was thrust into my outstretched hand.

Everbody else was drinking french Champagne. I stuck with my one glass of red interspersed with copious glasses of water the whole afternoon.

The first course arrived. Exquisite fresh norwegian salmon dressed with caper berries, fresh pomegranite and smooth fat free cottage cheese.

That went down very well with me and was followed by 'done to a turn' rare fillet steak with roasted vegetables.

My upturned eyebrows went unnoticed and I wondered why the meal so far was one hundred percent clean.

After a decent break between courses....desert. Delicious fresh fruit salad with fat free yoghurt.

Wow, what's going on here.

At the end of wonderful afternoon with a delicious espresso in hand everybody complimented the hostess on an exquisite meal.

The hostess replied " Well most of it was done for Dougal, you know he only eats healthy food." Aaagh OK, so that's what it's about.

What followed was a short discourse on clean eating and everybody agreed that it was not difficult at all to eat the way we had eaten today at all.

Upside....had a fabulous day with friends, ate perfectly healthy fare and made a few converts into the bargain.

WIN WIN, for everyone I'd say.

Proof that a healthy lifestyle does NOT have to be boring.

Mission Contest | Day 43

2009-06-16T05:19:00.006+02:00

New day | New Beginnings

Everything is fresh and cool outside. It's 4.30am and it's a new day, a new start, a new body.

14 weeks ago I was fresh out of hospital and looking to recover from major surgery. I was fat unhealthy and full of infection.

Today, I'm heading, fast toward my self fullfilling prophecy of becoming the best me I've ever been and I'm pumped.

It must be like a collective consciousness thing from my very good friend 'downunder' Sharon, because I also feel like I'm bouncing off the walls.

84 done and I want to thank every single shredder on the 'Sphere' for all their support and comments during the last 84.

It's been wonderful getting to know all of you and making a whole bunch of new friends....genuine caring people with a common cause.

We are a community and everyone wants to belong to a community so I think we can reasonably expect the 'sphere' to grow exponentially going forward. It is our responsibility to help all those who come in and find difficulty getting to grips with a new way of life that we so blithely now take for granted.

We were all there once.

As my mission1 disapears into the distance mission 2 looms large on the horizon...well a half a mission actually since it finishes in 41 days from now.

My mission for the next 41 is to support every shredder as much as I can to get to their 84.
In line with my stated goal as a servant, my offer is to anyone who needs help to message me with any questions they may have, and I'll be thrilled to be able to help you complete your mission.

Isn't it amazing to think that in just a month and a half there will be hundreds of 'transformers' all over the 'sphere' and just 3 short months before that we were all just a bunch of tired overweight individuals desperately trying to reclaims our lives.

A big thank you to Adam Waters and RTP-TS and the brilliant concept of collective accountability.

History is being made here my friends and....WE ARE PART OF IT.

Could it get more exciting. NOT FOR ME.

M1 | Day 84and CONTEST | Day 43

2009-06-15T10:38:00.006+02:00

What is the one GREAT FORCE that we ALL NEED?

I happened to be half watching MythBusters last night...they were doing James Bond secret devices.

Now Bond has had some pretty cool stuff over the years but what they were particularly talking about was an electro magnetic watch which could deflect a bullet.

The 'Busters', try as they might could not get the bullet to deviate by flying over a set of magnets until they put a number of humungous magnets down under the bullets flight path and even then....only a slight deviation.

What they said about this, hit me between the eyes like a speeding bullet and really made me sit up and listen.

There is no greater force than M O M E N T U M .

and so, what's that got to do with me.....I can hear you think, as you take another sip of your double thick malted milk to wash down the last of your third chocolate cream eclair leaving flecks of cream and chocolate crumbs all over your chin.......I'm kidding I know that would never be YOU...now would it.

Well it has everything to do with you...with US, as it happenes.

The program that we are on, Adam's RTP transformation system has a start up cost and I'm not talking shekels, spondulux, filthy lucre..MONEY...I mean, you actually have to do a lot of work to get to grips with everything. Now that's great....but, it mean there is quite a high barrier to entry, as there is with most programs worth their salt.

So, now think of the space shuttle.....It uses an unbelievable amount of energy just getting off the pad. Even more to get it up and through the earths atmosphere. Then what keeps it going. You got it...MOMENTUM.

Just like all of us. We burn a huge amount of effort to take us to the point where we can say...OK, I get it and when we do and we are a little way in.... is it that, that keeps us going... and actually....if we've done the homework properly, it's not all that hard. Well it isn't. If your PRW's are meaningful then MOMENTUM is what keeps you going. That's equivalent to the right fuel and thrust in the rocket.

Now what happens if....the 'VOICE' says...this is not for you..there's got to be an easier way...and you decide to look for something else. Like for the twenty third time.

You have to go through all that MOMENTUM again. Is it worth it.....That's a no brainer isn't it.

So as I hit day 84 of Mission 1...I want to look forward rather than reflecting..At least today anyway.

What will I do now. Well one thing I won't do is waste that momentum....I still have many goals to achieve...so, I will just keep right on trucking, at least until day 84 of the contest and by then, I assure you I will have a new exciting Mission in mind.

I am not ever going to allow the last 84 days be a waste. I think about people who say, "well let's see how the program goes for you and then we'll climb on board." Don't you think they are now saying, "Why the heck didn't we start with you, look where we'd be."

Once time is gone, it's gone. You can never get it back, and once you get the momentum going...Please don't waste it. You will regret it when you have to start again in 6 months and 20lbs from now.

To ADAM WATERS....
Mission One complete Captain....
and straight into Mission Two, with hardly a pause for breath...
THANK YOU FOR RTP-TS

That's the way I like it.

M1 | Day 83and CONTEST | Day 42

2009-06-13T08:54:00.005+02:00

Self Fullfilling prophecies...... Do they really exist?

I wrote this last year when I was recuperating but if you read through you'll see how my 'prophecy' has become self fullfilling.

This is my last word on Woods, of the Tiger variety, I was astounded to read that TW played the US Open with an ACL injury - anterior cruciate ligament, AND multiple stress fractures. Now, I'm aware of the pain involved, I see these things in the gym and the physiotherapy practice, so I'm astounded that he played in the first place with those kind of injuries, much less won the darn thing.

I'm not saying it was a clever thing to do, because he's now had to take the rest of the year off, but man his drive, and level of commitment is unbelievable.

As for me....I did my 4+ km fartlek (speedplay) walk yesterday and had fun. I can feel myself getting stronger every time I go out. Lower body work today.

I had a post comment today asking me if "You are always so chipper" which made me think about it...

"am I"...honestly.

Well now let's see ...

Firstly, I'm exeedingly grateful that by God's grace I am alive, Miracles do happen.
Secondly, I'm exeedingly grateful to able to go walkabout.
Thirdly, I'm exeedingly grateful that I had comprehensive medical insurance since this thing so far has cost around R1,000 000, thats about $130 000 US.
Fourth I'm exeedingly grateful that I had a fantastic young trainer to step into my business seamlessly, and clients that were prepared to train with him, so my financial fallout for that business is minimal.
Fifth, I'm exeedingly grateful that my property investment business is running on it's own with minimal input from me.
Sixth, I'm exeedingly grateful that my girlfriend was prepared to change her whole life to nurse me back to health (we do not live together so it was a major adjustment for her and her children)
Seventh, I'm exeedingly grateful to discover that I have a heck of a lot more friends who care about me than I thought I did,
Eighth, I'm exeedingly grateful to all my shredder friends for wondering where I was when I disapeared off the planet and asking.
Ninth, I'm exeedingly grateful that I AM able to take recovery time at home.
Tenth, I'm exeedingly grateful that my Faith allows me to know in my know in my know that I will come back better than ever before and be able to encourage thousands of people to health and fitness WITH YOUR HELP.

I could go on all day but I know you've got things to do so.......

So...Am I always so chipper....well, yes, I guess I am.

SPREAD THE WORD HEALTH AND FITNESS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE....and it makes you look cool too.

Take a look at No 10 again and look where I am now. ( I wrote this post 1 year ago.) So I guess the answer to "Do self fullfilling prophecies, prayers, dreams, goals....work YOU BETCHA."

M1 | Day 82and CONTEST | Day 41

2009-06-13T08:23:00.003+02:00

Who is Dara Torres?.....and why should you care

Dara Torres is an incredible Olympic athlete and she was mentioned the other day on the sphere.....I know the games are long gone but don't yawn and go back to sleep...read on, you may get something out of this.

I think she is more impressive than Phelps. Don't get me wrong, Phelps is no doubt the greatest Olympian ever but I'm not sure that he will be an Olympic medallist in 20 years time, like Dara Torres. Hey I might be wrong but it's probably unlikely.

" Don't let your age, get in the way of your dreams " I think is what she said.

I have been reading some comments from people who don't feel that she should have been there because of her age and experience. She should have made way for younger swimmers to have a chance since she has been an Olympian a few times before, they said.

EXCUSE ME....surely the team is picked from athletes with the fastest times at the trials. If that is true then she why should a slower swimmer get her spot...huh!

I love it that youngsters are intimidated by a 41 year old mother for a spot in the Olympic team...not withstanding the fact that she came "a click of a finger " close to winning a gold medal.

Youngsters whine too much, no of course I didn't mean YOU....set your goals, train harder than your coach says you should, create an unstoppable mindset, and be determined to win, but do not whine...rather get out of the pool and try your hand at the annual Poughkeepsie dung spitting contest.

Rumour has it that Phelps handed his goals for the Olympics to his coach some time before the Olympics....on the list " To win 8 gold medals at the 2008 Olympics". Now that's putting it on the line and going for it, and I doubt that stayed in bed when 'he did not feel like it" or missed a meal because he forgot to pack it, or didn't plan properly

Don't be a bad sport and whinge about losing a spot on the team to a 41 yr old mother who darn near won a gold medal, she absolutely deserves to be there.

All of us, me especially, can learn so much from this amazing woman. Dream big dreams, set massive goals, pick big targets to aim for don't let anything get in your way....especially that voice in your head that tells you you can't.

We can do anything we want want to, provided we are prepared to pay the price. There is always a price....but it's worth it. Look at it this way...it takes courage to get to where we want to go...if it didn't we would all be supermodels...well not me really.

and....in the (sort of) words of the incredible Dara Tores " Don't ever let your age get in the way of your dreams."