The essence of Sport & Life....

Isn't this what sport and or life about? Just giving people a shot and allowing them to give their best, what ever their best is?

Okay, sure there is a "winning" aspect, but for me it's more about this.....


Keeping it real people, keeping it real!!! Brought tears to my eyes!

Nothing replaces hard work

I know people think it's "true" what they see in the media, but come on I've said it all along nothing replaces hard work!

Does this look like hard work to you?


Now before you lspeak from your "hate" the big bad companies voice, let's address some realities!

• Yes there are companies out there that B.S us!
• Yes there are people out there that want your $$ only and don't give a sh$t about you!
• Yes the world can be a cold hearted place
• Yes supplements can aid you in health
• Yes supplements can NOT aid you in health too

My point is, there is lots of "Stuff" out there that you may perceive to be true because you saw it, or read it, or heard it etc...

HOWEVER, HOWEVER, HOWEVER HOWEVER, it still comes back to YOU taking ownership of what YOU allow to enter your ears, eyes, touch senses etc... most media is misleading so why believe with conviction that X supplement is the best for fatloss or health.....

Take responsibility and ensure you look at both sides of the coin before you start preaching your perception of the "truth"!

Make it happen people, make it happen!!

How Enlightened are you??

How Enlightened Are You? A Test:

Well. . .

If you can live without caffeine or nicotine;

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains;

If you can resist complaining;

If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you any time;

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment;

If you can ignore friends' limited educations and never correct them;

If you can treat the rich and poor alike;

If you can face the world without lies or deceit;

If you can conquer tension without medical help;

If you can relax without liquor;

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs;

If you can have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, gender, sexual preference, or politics —

— then you have almost reached the same level of spiritual development as your dog.

This "enlightenment test" was taken from Dan Millman newsletter author of The way of the Peace Full Warrior. Another MUST read and MUST add to your collection!

Will Smith on Success

Will Smith is right on in my belief system! Learn from what he's saying and if you haven't read The Alchemist, by it now!!



The Alchemist book that Will Smith is talking about; This is a MUST read if you are looking to further yourself, actually it's a MUST own!!!

What a way to finish 2008!!

I couldn't think of any better way to finish 2008 then how I did.

I completed a half marathon on December 30th 2008 (unofficial half marathon). I have a circuit that is 10.7km from my house which I completed twice in conditions that were not ideal for running!

The heat here in Christchurch has been awesome post xmas and this particular day was the best we have had because we didn't have any wind!! I worked in the morning on the bike (part time postie) then went straight to the beach to meet the kids and Tracey where I spent 3hrs in the sun swimming with them before heading home to prepare for the next day (new years eve party)!

This particular day apparently got up to 30degress I can assure you that I didn't run at the peak of the heat but it would of still been at least 25degress by the time I started my epic journey!

Why an epic journey?
1) I choose not to be a runner, in fact I had only been for 2 other runs of 10km prior to this monster of a run! I don't run because I believe you can get more "bang for your buck" doing other forms of exercise in a metabolic fashion and you will get more then just aerobic fitness from working in this way!!
2) It was stinking hot and if you have ever been to NZ, you will know the sun burns here!
3) I took my son on the first leg of the run where he biked 10.7km, 5days prior he couldn't even ride a bike (very well) and today he bugged me and bugged me to go running so he could go biking (since we had gone biking every day since the 26th! To be honest, if he didn't bug me, I wouldn't of gone!

5:00pm rolled around and I could see Kayleb (my son) eyes getting more disheartened at the fact I was saying, I'm pretty stuffed son, we probably won't go running today.

I started reading 50 marathons in 50days by Dean Karnazes (the same psychology as putting on music to get you pumped to lift the tin) and after reading chapter 6 United we Run, on how one girl called Sarah just made it through to her first ever marathon and how much character she had to do it even though everything in her body, mind, soul, spirit was wanting to quit and the group she was with pushed her to the finish line.

My boy comes up to me and asks, "dad are we going running"? My body and mind saying NO from all day in the sun (and 4:30am wake ups for meditation then work), I thought f*%$ it, lets go then boy!

===========
The first 3kms
===========
6pm we start our run and his bike. I'm going to be completely honest and say the first 3kms almost broke me. My body and mind were tired, after all I had been in the sun everyday since xmas and been up at 4:30am from Monday!

I'm huffing and puffing and Mr Negative is rearing it's ugly head with thoughts, you can't run half a marathon, it's too hot, your too tired etc.....

Then as I'm thinking how I'll just do 1 10km loop, my boy asks.
"Are you okay dad"? "Mr Negative is trying to come out son and my mind is playing tricks on me" I respond while huffing and puffing.

He then pops out with what was to become my saving grace, "your doing awesome dad, I'm proud of you!"

Holy shyt, I start thinking as tears well up in my eyes. "Thank you so much son, that is exactly what I needed to hear"!

Here is my 5yr old son, telling me how proud he was of me and later telling me, "you can do it dad, don't let Mr Negative play tricks on you", you can beat him"!!

First 3km down and I now find my rhythm and most importantly the mental/spiritual capacity to push on knowing that it will all be fine.

So 70mins later and in between stopping for Kayleb to catch up or get him across the road, or a drinks break for him we roll back round to the house where I drop him off and have a quick toilet stop! To embark on the 2nd leg of this unofficial half marathon.

=================
2nd stage of 10.7km
and NO Kayleb to
support or was it
him support me?!
=================
I had found my rhythm now running and Mr Negative for the mean time was tucked away in the basement hopefully for the rest of the run..... yeah I would be so lucky........

Actually, nothing really started happening for me until the last 3km. I mean I had found my groove, sure I was tired physically but I was already that before I started so nothing new their really.

The last 3km felt like the first 3km for me except I didn't have Kayleb telling me his little positive affirmations. So I was saying them to myself instead, after all I didn't want Mr Negative to come out and give me the big slap across my body and allow me to take a short cut and justify it through however means I could, now did I!!

I did stop twice to walk for about 30m, for me it was more a "gathering of thoughts" to get my head back in a space of Mr Positive rather then burn the candle at both ends so to speak!

Then I would trott off again, like a snail or that is how it felt anyway!! One thing, I did notice was sooooooo many people where saying hello or waving to me! How is this, I was wondering amongst my many thoughts, I've been for 2 other 10km runs and you would get 3 other people saying hello?

Is it because they can see I'm in a world of pain?
Do they admire I'm running in ridiculous heat?
Do they think I'm a "nutter" for running in this heat?
look how slow he is going he may as well walk!

These are just some of the thoughts I had while running to explain why so many people where acknowledging me, after all I would have had about 10-15 people saying something or waving!!

================
Then the last 2km
came and so did
Mr Negative...
================
I finally hit my rail road tracks which are like heaven for me because I'm on the last stretch of run before I turn off to my house! So I give it a big hug an off I trot again before it all began like it started! Mr Negative comming back to visit me like a virus he is. This is where I walk for the 2nd time to "gather my thoughts" and to push away the hunger pains.

However, Mr Negative isn't finished with me, he reminds me how hungry I am and how much sugar would be great right now and how heavy my legs are........ as I'm pounding the pavement, I see 2 teenager girls eating candy floss which is like lotto to me at this point. As I get to them they say "hello" and without even 2nd guessing myself, I think once again "f*&^ it"! Excuse me, can I have some of that candy floss, I'm starving! They become my saving grace for the next 100m as they say "sure"! So I tear some off and put it in my mouth with the thoughts hope this stays down!

100m later, I'm back to be even more hungry then before.... So I start walking again for the 3rd time which was the best thing for me because I didn't want this to be a run where my ego takes over and I enter the mindset I will run NO MATTER WHAT, not today, this is about completion not how big is my ego!!

Then with about 1km to go, I'm thinking, man I would love Tracey (my partner) and the kids to turn up right now. 50m into my walk, it's like I was thrown a life line. I see them in the car and Tracey is throwing chocolate out of the car. God bless her......



Then she walks Kayleb across the road to my sheepish/fatigued reply of "thanks". Where he will run the last 300m with me after offering me the choice of 2 more chocolates (1 was for him). After we both scoffed them, we trod off, me in a world of mixed emotions of Mr Positive and heavy legs, Kayleb in his PJ's and socks.

2hrs and 30mins later and 21.4km later I was home. Having a beer, making a smoothie, eating dinner (which I could hardly do) and soaking in a cold ice bath!


What a way to finish 2008! Thankyou so much to the kids Sommah, Kayleb and of course to my lovely missus Tracey who is so supportive of me embarking on exercise challenges!! Isn't it interesting when you are down and out, you truly know who loves you and who talks of it. Turning up unannounced to me is "showing" love not talking of it and this is one of the reasons we get on so well, because we both believe in words don't mean jack crap when you don't have the behavior to support your talk!!!

==============
Some other
thoughts while
running.....
==============
1) I'm going to run or make public the fact I want to do 2 marathons back to back i.e. 84.4km. I've been "thinking" about it but too chicken to make it public due to the norm of failure, other peoples perceptions etc......
2) I'm also going to raise money for charities in this epic journey. I'm going to attempt to raise 100,000 dollars
3) I'm going to put together a "virgin Marathon-ers" group to complete the Chch SBS half or full marathon on 31st May 2009 so others can tick if off their bucket list! (Stay tuned for these updates because you don't want to miss this opportunity to be part of it!)
4) I love clarity exercise can give you once you have broken down or peeled away the the immature ego!

Personal Bests all round at EHP!!

Lets share with you some awesome Personal Bests that’s been happening from clients at the moment!

Most people don’t understand that when you increase someone’s functional strength you by default effect their;

ü Relative-strength

ü Speed-strength

ü Strength-endurance

ü Speed

ü Speed-endurance.

ü Self Confidence

ü Self belief

And to lesser degrees;

ü Higher levels of aerobic fitness

ü Agility

ü Dynamic mobility

ü Max strength development is a precursor to lean-mass gains i.e. more muscle less fat! Due to fast-twitch motor units have much greater capacity for hypertrophy (muscle growth) than do Type I Motor Units.

What does this mean to you the joe blog? Well, looking at the above benefits of training strength doesn’t it make sense to train for a “form” of maximal strength? After all, look how much “bang for your buck” you get when you train to lift heavy!

Any ways, that how I see things and that’s how I can get quicker results then 95% of trainers in my home town, because they pussy foot around with 3kg pink dumbbells and 20reps at a time and say things like, “you won’t get BIG when using this weight because it’s light and we are doing lots of reps, we are “toning”!!

Okay, get back on track Spida! :-)

Some Clients PB's:

	Name		Weight	Comments
	Duane		Went from 80kg Deadlift to 160kg for 4reps in 6wks!!! That’s a 100% return on investment thank you very much, he the man!	Oh and we measure him tomorrow to see how much more weight/fat he has lost. After only 3 wks he had lost 4kg and 3% bodyfat!
	Scott		New PB on Incline from 60 to 65kg!	NO INCLINE BENCH training at all, he trained with John for last fight doing “fighting protocols” and as a result increased his squat, incline. He’s also doing a 2 shoulder exercises 2x per week before every session.Which I think at this point has also helped him in breaking down the 60kg mark!!
	Spida		Deadlift 190kg for 2reps from a recorded 170kg.	I’ve done 180kg on trap bar about 3yrs ago in Melbourne, so once I hit 180kg I got a new PB, felt good then hit 190kg. I let me ‘ego’ out of the bag at the right time!
	For the ladies out there!!
	Kate		Deadlift 2reps at 105kg from100kg Back Squat from 75kg to 85kg at 1rep	Don’t let your ego tell you she’s built like a brick sh%# house guys/girls cause she’s not at a dress size of 12!!!
	Miki		Dead lift from 75kg at 5reps to 90kg at 1!!	I trained Miki online while she was studying this year and when she come back and i saw here improvements I “new” she could get up there and she did! Dress size 10 here as well ladies!!!
	Chris		60kg Deadlift for 5reps	Not bad for 49yrs young is it and a bodyweight of ^@kg (like I was going to give you that she’ll kill me :-).Oh another size 10 her, so there goes the lifting big makes you into a man!

So what’s the secret to breaking down personal PB’s!?

Obviously technique is important, however if it’s the main concern then you shouldn’t be lifting to your max! Honestly though, the secret is the “talk” between you and the bar or the "talk" that's happening between your ears!! Sometimes you can out beat your thinking and other times you don’t, but when lifting heavy it’s all in the mind!

Case in point: Lifting to your max is part about numbers i.e. 100kg is 100kg today, tomorrow 10yrs time it’s 100kg. So in simple terms it’s math! If you add another 10kg it becomes 110kg, it’s still math!!

NOW, the secret is HOW and WHAT does that number do to your thoughts, feelings and what impact does that have on YOU!!!

Do you get my drift, the weight on the bar is JUST A NUMBER but what and how it makes you “feel” is where the secret lies! You conquer that and you conquer the weight!

Now, you may have the right “feelings/thoughts” in your head but sometimes you just don’t lift it, that’s means your not strong enough, yet! Easy solution to that, KEEP TRAINING! But my experience dealing with “normal” people who don’t lift tin for a living is, the number they see scares the shyt out of them and sometimes me too!!

So always "talk" to yourself in a postive manner and if that doesn't work then let it out, you know the part of you that's not accptable to show in public?

All the anger, hate, ego, alpha, up yours, type thinking WE ALL have in us! I'm still learning to let it out and be okay with it, it's a part of me that scares me a little so I don't like showing it.

Last week when I hit 190kg, that was from the "hate/anger/ego" place and if I'm being real honest. I enjoyed it in fact I loved it!!!

What did I say between my ears that got me to lift it?
The first attempt and only moving it 1inch off the floor, Holy shit that's heavy!

Then directly after that, between my ears was "f$#@ you, you don't own me, I own you, now show it (the bar) who the F---- boss is around here, mutha F-----ka"!!

The rest they say is history......

#1 Secret of All time!

I read some where that Warren Buffet the billionaire was asked what best investment someone could make in this economic time we have?

His answer?
"The most important investment you can make is in yourself"

How simple sweet and to me true! I've been investing in myself in particular with meditation for the last 14months or so and I will say it has been one of the best things that I've incorporated in my life!

The benefits of it are well documented, however I will give you some of my own experiences;

• More relaxation
• Increased recovery from training
• Decreased stress
• Increased depth of sleep
• Increased awareness of "good" vs "bad"
• Increased ability to detach from drama my own and other people.
  
• Groundedness
  

Now meditation has been around for thousands of years and there are many forms of it, however I've been using Holosync Solution from Bill Harris. He promotes that you get INSTANT deep meditation and being on his programme I can assure you, you do!!!

Now it's not for everyone, because it maybe too truthful for you to handle as it does "force" you to be more truthful (if you listen to the programme)!

If you do take the leap of faith, I wish you all the best I'm sure you will gain instant access to a more "aware" world in a time that instant gratification is at an all time high with little to show for it except debt, hate, war, win vs lose, black vs white!

Please remember, meditation is like anything in life, you have to invest in the time to DO IT which takes approx an hour per day. If time is a concern for you then hopefully after you receive some "grounding" you will see the benefits of it and stick it out through "good" and "bad"!

p.s. Thanks to Jason Ferruggia who posted on his blog about him doing it. I've been to chicken shyt to discuss it with the masses for my own B.S reasons! Interesting isn't it when you look from the outside in.....

p.p.s Holosync for me has been the best and hardest personal development tool I've ever used, wouldn't change it for the world! :-) Click here to read about it all you can.