Good evening,

Today as promised is to look at what factors hold us down and how to pick ourselves up again. In life we are born without barriers or inhibition, because like all things these are gained and aquired either in the need to perform or as a stink of other failures, hatred or bias towards yourself. So more often then not when I`m dealing with clients within the gym the biggest hurdle isnt the exercise its the will to get up and put in the time. People want to loss weight and want to look better but they are so reluctant to engage that first step out of fear they look stupid or that people will judge them. This is a very concerning trend as we have become so institutionalised by the conditioning of others we are afraid to be who we should be and allow the greatness that was promised in childhood to flourish and grow.

How do we know this affects ourselves….Simply because we feel it deep within it stems from many factors being bullied, being different or being stereotyped. We dont lose these ideas as we grow and let them shape our decisions because we worry we arent good enough to proceed with the dream in our minds eye. we have had the bar set for us by others for so long that it has simply fallen into truth as far as we are concerned. Like a self fulfilling prophecy.

Lets prioritise the points that make up our barriers/ hurdles.

Emotional Content: this has to be the hardest thing to deal with as you honestly need to develop a new emotional state you need to transform that raw feeling into purpose as at the end of your feelings are nothing but with purpose you set new standards of self development.

You have to let go of the “I can`t do this” turn that into “I will do this”, you need to stop thinking about the idiots or the passer bys who have hurt you, shamed you or damaged you…That pain isnt real its only real because you hold onto it with such desire that you can`t see beyond it. Their opinions are meaningless and the only thing that matters is your goal.

When we look at ourselves we set the bar to high by comparing ourselves to the other end of the spectrum e.g. fat, 24 years old male comparing his 31% body fat to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. Don`t be unreal of course you can get to that point but take baby steps to begin. You have to stop drawing conclusions based on the best of the best, however this doesnt mean you can`t aspire to be them just realise that even they had a starting point.

Our emotions are are greatest component to overcome so here are some ways to start thinking ahead.-

1) Keep a diary of your thoughts High or low and then let them reside on the pages of the book and let them stay there..vent and move on

2) Plan accordingly your strategy for success, be realistic with your goals and take baby steps. make a time frame and stick to it

3) Don`t take no for an answer if its something you want, never settle for less but be practical*

4) Find a boxing coach, personal trainer or martial art to start learning. In my opinion you can physically unleash emotions by the sheer will of striking something and letting out that pent up aggression. Also excellent point to start helping get fitter. Hint hint….. 🙂

5) Motivate yourself, find that hobby or love you have or once had and rekindle your connection with the positive mindset that task gave you e.g. yoga, running, reading, writing…playing video games (within reason)

6) lastly, actions speak louder then words and considering many confrontations in life are verbal take it with a pinch of salt and move along. Remember others are fickle to there emotional state and once that start losing it theres nothing worse for them then being so angry and being confronted by a wall of calm. You win the second they lose control.

*Never put yourself at risk, but if you must, plan every eventuaity and consider the reprecussions on not just yourself but those around you.

Physical Content: However if you`re more pragmatic in your approach to yourself and need more than encouragement of the mind and need some hard based starting points then lets look at the bodys involvement.

Your body is incredibly efficient at getting stronger and faster. Its also reacting to your ever situation. Its permantly trying to keep you in a state of homeostasis and this is based on Biochemical interactions involving your hormones, energy systems, CNS (central nervous system) etc.

What we are going to start doing with exercise is the reshaping and conditioning of our musculoskeletal structure. This is done be reinforcing our muscles through time under tension in the form of reps, sets or timed exercise, the skeletal system  also starts to reshape to deal with these new challenges by depositing more calcium in the bone to increase density and reduces risk of fracture or splintering. This can be acheived through body weight, plyometrics and weight – bearing exercises for both parts.

As you get better your biochemical pathways get more effiecient at processing you energy requirements, through the lactate, aerobic and creatine-phosphate energy systems. You start to inmprove your state of mind through exercise due to the release of neurotransmitters called endorphins (these bad boys make you happy and are addcitive which is why exercise can get easier and more enjoyable). It helps so other transmitters like serotonin which is a mood balancing and helps stave of feeling of depression and low motivation.

Other things you can start doing to improve your self physically:

1) Sleep – its not just the length of sleep its the quality of sleep you need to engage with at least 4 hours of REM sleep*

3) Trying new ways to exercise – exercise in different ways to promote the use of all your energy systems (although all exercise will perform different rates based on your systems some forms of exercise will be predominantly based on one main system).

4) Take photos –  physical evidence can be more of a motivational incentive then most work out programmes

5) Lastly, find what you love – it`s easier to stay commited with something you enjoy.

* http://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/how-much-sleep-do-you-need.htm

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm

I hope you use these ideas and new concepts to help shape you future. If you have any queries or comments please hit me up and I`ll be with you as soon as possible. It`s a pleasure as always guys and gals and I`ll see you soon.

Next time, what constitutes a good starting point in the gym and who can you trust? How to start with minimal problems or worries.

Ben – Spartan’s Lane Founder – http://www.spartanslane.com

P.S. The websites provided are for your informational viewing needs I don`t endorse all methods set within those pages. e.g. Please dont eat “low fat”nonsense its better to eat the slightly unhealthy option your body can actually use biochemically. Use them as reference points and always check with your doctor or health practitioner before embarking on new diets or gym use.