Being a positive example

The other day I got out of the car (I was a passenger) into driving rain to help a bloke push his car out of the traffic. I got saturated and was very cold but you know what?... I felt good. It felt good to do a kind thing without any expectation of payback.

In any case I believe the Universe does give a payback somewhere along the line. It's the law of cause and effect. A kindness will often be paid back two-, three- or even tenfold. If not from the person you helped, then from someone further down the 'kindness' chain.

The other thing is though you might never really know the full effect of your actions. One small action could lead to another, which could lead to many and involve many others along the way. Your actions may inspire others to do the same, with far-reaching results that completely outweigh that first effort.

Also when you're a positive example for others you actually benefit yourself. Just like when I felt good for helping someone. And on the health side, when you feel good about yourself you're more likely to feel stronger and look after yourself better. You'll more likely take those small, healthy actions that help you build a healthy body and lifestyle.

So go try it out! Do a kind thing for the next person you meet, and see if you don't get a positive return.

First hurdles

I was thrilled to receive an email from a friend telling me that she’d lost 13kg since I first met her at one of my weight loss workshops. Considering she was 255kg and quite dis-spirited after years of no progress despite her weight loss efforts this is great progress.

Okay it may have taken four months but we must consider that coming from 255kg and making those first gains (or should I say losses?) is the hardest step; those first hurdles always seem to be the highest. And the more obese a person is, the harder it is to get moving in the right direction.

Now that she’s done that much however, there should be NO DOUBT in her mind that she can do it. From here on she can build momentum and make further progress. It’s the beginning of a long journey and she’s on her way.

If you are like my friend Debbie, you can do it too. Just make sure you never give up. If you need a kick in the pants or a gentle word, remember I'm here and you can call help if you need to.

Negative motivation?

Do you constantly nag yourself about eating 'right', berate yourself when you don't, and expect nothing but perfection, no matter how much progress is made?

Most people approach weight loss from a position of "pain". The tools of the trade are guilt, doubt, shame and self-flogging.

Instead of celebrating the 24 pounds they've lost, they see the 6 they still haven't lost.

Does this sound familiar?

The focus is on the negative rather than the positive. It's the way most people were conditioned in their upbringing. Don't do this, don't do that, you did this wrong, etc.

To people used to beating themselves up, it may seem like the best way to get motivated, but consider this: if you attempted to motivate an employee like that, how long do you reckon they'd stick around?

So why try to motivate yourself this way?

Focus on the positives. The progress you did make, however small.

You deserve your support don't you? Then be supportive. You're worth it.

Reward yourself

It's great to get a pat on the back every once in a while. And it's especially needed when you're out of your comfort zone, challenging yourself to improve, nervous about whether you can succeed.

Unfortunately most people are so wrapped up in their own problems they don't give out too many pats on the back so you've got to do it yourself.

Find some ways to reward yourself to pat yourself on the back and encourage yourself when no one else will. Pay more attention to what you do right than what you do wrong.

Make the reward meaningful to you. It doesn't have to be lavish or costly. It could be just settling down to read a good book for a change. Sometimes, the best rewards are those you can't buy.

Small rewards for meeting smaller goals, achieved more often, are more effective than waiting for the bigger rewards that require more work and more time.

By all means celebrate. But don't use food as a reward. Even good food. It's just too risky. Decide how you're going to celebrate reaching your weight loss goal and involve other people. Tell them about it. Plan a celebration that you can anticipate and then keep it within sight all the time.

He who hesitates is lost

There's an expression that goes, 'He who hesitates is lost.'

It's okay to 'look before you leap' and exercise a degree of caution but if you approach a block in the road to your dreams with hesitation, it might resist and break your resolve.

However, if you step forward with confidence, you can climb over that hurdle in your way, even if it's one inch at a time, and pull yourself over the top.

It's all about confidence.

Confidence is what you build by facing problems. Then you know that you can take on anything that comes along.

Metabolism and interval training

Depending on slow cardio exercise for significant fat loss is at the very least, inefficient.

With slow cardio exercise (like walking normally) it takes a long time for you to burn a lot of calories. Using only light cardio training for weight loss could even result in a reduced resting metabolism. Strength training doesn't suffer a reduced metabolic rate.

So what is the solution to burning fat in a faster, more efficient method?

The answer is to burn fewer calories in less exercise time, but with a more intense form of exercise.

Your body burns more calories after intense exercise (when you use intervals) than it does after you do slow cardio and your metabolism will stay high. This is sometimes called the afterburn effect.

How do you do intervals?

Well, you could sprint for 30 seconds and rest for 90 seconds and repeat that for 6 sets - using the bike, treadmill or running outside or even swimming, boxing, or skipping.Within that short time frame the intervals will cause your muscles to go crazy with activity. This crazy metabolism boost causes lots of calorie burning after exercise to get your body back to normal.

The result is you end up burning more fat and more calories in the post-exercise period as your body tries to get things under control.

Just remember though, you can wipe out an entire workout's work in less than a minute simply by eating rubbish food.

Success movie

Here is a slide show of magnificent pictures and inspiring messages on The Nature of Success.

Enjoy!