Wednesday, January 7, 2015

YES YOU CAN!




Why do exercise programs/ diets/changes HAVE to start on a Monday?
Why can they not be implemented immediately?
Is it part of our inbuilt procrastination DNA?
What have YOU chosen to change in 2015?


November 2013- January 2015


It is not easy to stick to a food regime,
especially over the "silly season".
We find a variety of excuses to have that extra slice of Christmas cake
or one more piece of wors(sausage)  from the braai (barbecue).
But all is not in vain,
and those extra kg's can be lost to get YOU back on track


Plan your strategy for getting back on track.
If you do have one, it will make the journey back far easier


I do enjoy my running!
In the past I have run all the major Ultra-marathons in South Africa,
including the Comrades( 8 finishes)
But those distances are well behind me now.
My goal was to run sub 30 minute 5km consistently.
And I am now doing that.
Next goal... 25 minute 5km!


YOU can change...if you want to.
Do it for yourself first.
No-one can force you to change,
you must WANT to.


I never realized how fast a sub four minute mile was
until I ran in miles while on a trip to the USA several years ago.
I was running 4.5 minute km's consistently.
And that translates to 7.14 minutes per mile...
 I enjoy running...more than my gym visits.
But the latter are important as they allow me to run better.
The gym visits are there when I have an excuse NOT to run...
Rain, wind, sleet etc.
If you are feeling particularly energetic you can do a morning run
and an afternoon gym session.


Never give up...
If you have picked up some weight over the holiday season,
try to get back into your routine now that you are back at work.


What this says!


With my new eating plan/exercise regime,
I intend to keep to this mantra.
At 62 I have less years ahead than I have years behind me.
That being said, keeping the weight off SHOULD be easier


I have had several people compliment me on my achievement...
20kg's GONE since November 2013.
And they have said that I have inspired them...
and then they find excuses NOT to try for themselves.


The word "diet" should be banned.
It should be seen as a lifestyle change.
An eating plan is actually what you should be focused on.
Diet has a negative connotation.
More "what-not-to-eat" than "eat-in- moderation"


Find YOUR trigger foods and cut down or cut them out totally.
Remember it takes 21 days to set a habit (good, bad or indifferent)
And if you slip on any of those...it is back to day one.
For me bread is my default food...and one that was easily accessed
during the holiday period.
But now that I am back at work, I can control that intake.


For all my running friends and colleagues.
I have run in game reserves, and even in the dark cobbled streets of Europe.
My best, running in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in -23C!
My tongue froze.


Before and after...
Personally I did not realize how much I had changed
until I started putting pictures side by side


Being healthy and fit means more time with my wife and daughter.

"When we lift weights at gym, the process doesn't change the weights. It changes us. Even if you try, and fail... something IN YOU has grown in the process". 
Roland Gaspar, Motivator/Author