4 WEEK FULL CIRCLE FITNESS SUMMER SHAPE UP PROGRAM!

As usual the year has gotten away from us and we've failed once again to look after ourselves!

Not to worry because you can pull a "reverse Nolte" ans in about 6 weeks from now you can have all of that taken care of.

Introducing the Inaugural FCF 4 Week Fitness Shape Up Bonanza Thingio!

It's not a challenge, it's not a competition, but what it is is an opportunity.

An opportunity for you to show yourself that you can do this.

This program is designed to help you find new limits to reach in regards physical fitness but not in a Commando type of way.

I don't yell - I have an almost 6 year old he I need to save that up for.

I don't "force" because being a small business owner with a child, 2 dogs, a cat and an ailing wife I know that energy resources are limited so you don't need to be trained to an inch of your life each and every session.

I also know that programs like these usually require you to be at peak physical fitness before you even start them, but not this one. It's largely pushed by you, how you feel that day and what you can give at that very point in time time - but by jeebus by the end of it you'll be surprised what in roads and improvements you can make in 4 short weeks!

So here's how it will work.

• 2 group training sessions per week in the studio on a Tuesday night 6 or 7pm and Saturday morning 10am that will take 45 - 60mins each. We could do the 3 if the group, or large portion of the group warrants it.
• You'll receive a workout book featuring various workouts that you are encouraged to do on your own but the full descriptions and the voice in your head from the studio sessions will feel like I'm right there (look in the tree's as I might be dressed as 1 of those clowns getting around).
• I won't set a diet but prior to the program you and I will personally go through your nutritional habits and see what major changes need to be made and then there will be weekly check ins as well to keep you on track. We will use an app to track nutrition though and we want to learn some things about nutrition so you can continue out in the real world.
• You'll have 24hr access to me via email and text (be reasonable - a mans's gotta sleep!) 
• We'll track weight and fitness throughout the program.
• The program will start Saturday November 5th and run until Saturday Dec 3rd.

So if this isn't enough for you here's some kickers:

• At the end of program for every kg you lose we'll return you $10 CASH! Drop 5kgs and get $50 - easy as that!
• You'll also receive the Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence...OK that was a Simpsons reference but we'll make a nifty poster of you and your achievements from the 4 weeks, highlighting all your hard work and results.
• For every friend you refer to the program you will get $50 off the price of the program

OK so to get your butt in gear here's how you can save:

• If you sign up and pay prior to Tuesday the 25th of October by 5pm - you can book your spot for just $250 of which there are 10 spots available at this price.
• If you procrastinate a bit and don't get your arse into gear until Tuesday the 29th of October by 5pm  - you can book your spot for a still modest $325 at which there are another 10 spots available at this price.
• Anytime after that will be the full $400 price tag cutting numbers off at 20 members.

NOTE: THE CUT-OFF DATES WILL BE ENFORCED!

Ill be doing a little mail drop next week around the local area for this so as part of our mailing list you get first dibs at this so do not hesitate to act!

Click this button below and you'll be booked in 2mins:

So get your friends together and make a pact to do 4 perfect weeks and see the huge difference it can make!

4 RITUALS THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPIER (MUST READ!)

This is a decent read, has a lot of big words and talks about parts of the brain us normals don't even know exist, but it's a very good read all the same and it might explain a little why you do the things you do.

The subject of the article is a neuroscience researcher Alex Korby (Korby to his mates) from UCLA.

I've dot pointed what I thought were the most interesting parts from it:

• Pride, shame and guilt all activate similar parts of the brain with pride being the most powerful of these at triggering activity in that region but it explains why guilt and shame are so big in our thoughts - it's actually part of our reward center
• If you worry a lot then in the short term your brain feels a little better because at least you're doing something about your problems and doing something is better then doing nothing
• Guilt and shame are horrible long term solutions so ask yourself "what am I grateful for" as gratitude boosts dopamine, a feel good hormone
• Gratitude towards others is also big making social interaction a very important part of one's life
• Being grateful also forces you to focus on your life's positive aspects which also increases serotonin
• Even if you can't find anything to be thankful for (c'mon, try harder), then simply searching for something is the main thing which is a form of emotional intelligence and here's the kicker - higher emotional intelligence means it simply takes less effort to be grateful
• Gratitude makes you happy and creates a positive feedback loop in your relationships
• When bad feelings completely overtakes you then you need to label negative feelings - is it sadness, anxiety, anger etc - which can then reduce their impact so do not suppress them!
• If something/s are causing you stress then make that decision, create intentions and set goals and you're brain can finally rest
• Make the decision but be sure that close enough is good enough
• You make a decision, your brain feels like it has control and this reduces stress
• When you make a decision on a goal and then actually achieve it, it gives you a far better boost then if it happens by chance (forced vs voluntary exercise benefits for example)
• Rejection doesn't just hurt like a broken heart, the brain feels it physically like a broken leg showing the importance of relationships but take this to a whole new level you need touch people (appropriately Donald!)
• Touching, like a pat on the back or a handshake, can make you more persuasive, increases ream performance, improves flirting and even boosts math skills
• Touching someone you love can actually reduce pain
• Long hugs! I actually read a few weeks back that a hug should last 20secs which may seem awkward but hey, the professionals are telling us to do so!
• 5 hugs a day for 4 weeks increases happiness big time
• If you don't have anyone to hug (what the?) then get a massage which can decrease stress hormones, help you create new habits, reduces pain, improves sleep and reduces fatigue
• When you're in a stressful situation then talking to loved ones feels a lot better then texting or emailing them
• Step 1 is to simply send someone a thank you email which can really start an upward spiral of happiness in your life

Here's the flow chart of all of this:

Gratitude - Better Sleep - Decreased Pain - Improved Mood - Improved Focus/Planning - Decision Making - Reduced Anxiety/Improved Enjoyment - Gives You More to be Grateful For - Keeps the Loop of Upward Spiral Going - Enjoyment Means You'll be More Social - Greater Happiness!!

This truly is one of best articles I've seen this year so take the time to give it a thorough read here.

FIND YOUR PAIN AND LOSE 50KGS IN 9 MONTHS

This headline seems a bit click bait-ish bit it's not.

This article looked a young girl who ballooned to 120kgs - a lot of weight in anyone's book.

As the weight stacked on at up to 10kgs per year, she still didn't see an issue with it.

She justified it with things such as she was never bullied about her weight, had lots of friends and her partner didn't care.

Her below par habits that blind Freddy could see still never caused a thought of concern - I have done the 2 dinners thing a few times myself though!

So all those things that we might be horrified with never bothered her and to make a change you really need to see that there's a problem.

Her pain ended up being not any of those issues above but the fact that her feet hurt so bad that she couldn't hold her weight up ans the pain was crippling.

Once she found her pain then all those other issues came to the front and all of the sudden you in deep.

Your pain might be physical (feel unattractive, over dress to cover up etc) or emotional (self sabotage through eating/lifestyle habits etc) but whatever it is you need to give into it and admit it. Only then can do something about it.

Now how she lost her 50kgs isn't really the issue here as anyone can do that - yes that anyone includes you - if they find their pain to fuel to do so.

Her first move of decreasing calories is definitely the first place to start a sit's easy to do now with all the calories app's available now and it cost next to nothing - just a wee bit of time each day.

And if you do the very first week correctly you can have huge confidence building weeks such as an 8kg weight loss.

That first week can keep you going for months so when you decide to start - see it through for an entire 7 days. Not 6 and half - 7!

Eventually you'll want, and need, to do more to keep betting results which is where exercise comes in.

So find your pain and that will allow you to make a start towards what you've always wanted.

You can read the full article here.

EXERCISE = BRAIN POWER!

This is a pretty interesting article actually that details a study showing that not exercise for as little we a week can have negative implications on cognitive skills as well as memory.

Activity increases blood flow which carries oxygen and fuel to the brain during it and also after it.

Now be sure that this isn't exclusive to gym training or otherwise, I would assume that any activity beyond a moderate level would be adequate so if you're on holiday then 1 single session for 20 - 30mins would be suffice to keep your brain well and truly oiled!

Check it out in detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/well/move/after-just-10-days-of-rest-brain-benefits-of-exercise-diminish.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=1

STRESS = PAIN = STRESS = PAIN PART 10: SPOONS ANALOGY

5 and a half years ago my wife fell ill with an auto immune disease called Guillain Barre Syndrome which pretty much leaves you paralysed. From that she has a very crappy case of chronic fatigue and no immune system, so a little cough for us is the full blown flu for her.

About a month ago she came across an article another woman wrote who has chronic fatigue syndrome where she talks about spoons.

When we get up we can slide ride out of bed, have some breakfast, jump in the shower, do some emails, walk to work, all without breaking a sweat. We can carry out whatever endeavors we need to do for that day and be fine with it, besides some slight tiredness come the end of the day. 

We have unlimited spoons pretty much.

For those with chronic fatigue, they have a limited amount of spoons to use each day with some days being slightly better and some days being way worse. So where we might use 100 spoons during a given day with all the things we do, they might only have say, 12 spoons of which do the same amount of stuff with.

You might say 12 doesn’t really go into 100 and you’d be right, so what they need to do is to decide what they’ll spend their 12 spoons on, meaning they have to prioritise what they’ll do each day.

Now I’m not saying you need to limit your spoonage everyday, but when you record a poor HRV reading then it’s telling you that you have less spoons to play with then yesterday. 

When you record a good HRV reading it’s telling you that you have extra spoons to play with for that day.

I think the spoon thing is a great analogy for all of this which is why I put this in!

STRESS = PAIN = STRESS = PAIN PART 9: HEART RATE VARIABILITY

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is used extensively during elite sport as it can provide an in-depth look at an athletes readiness to perform on any given day. Each player will react to the same stimulus differently so this is a great tool in individualising training loads and intensity for each player.

I use it every day as I’m still competing as a local sportsman and all you need to do is simply download an app (there’s plenty of them nowadays) and take a daily reading upon waking.

As this is geared towards sport performance most of them will give you a reading of “train hard today”, “train, but take it easy” and “take the day off.”

It will establish a baseline score from your daily readings from which it bases it's daily training advice from. Generally if you register a score above your baseline it will suggest for you to train hard that day. If you have a lower reading then yesterday then it will suggest to train, but take it easy. If you’re below baseline or you’ve registered a decreased score 2 days in a row then it will suggest for you to take the day off training.

I think this is something that everybody can benefit from. Even if you don’t exercise, it still gives you an insight into how stress has affected your body and how you’re dealing with it. You can also correlate these periods of less than stellar HRV scores with your work and lifestyle. When you’re on holiday you’ll more than likely test as fresh as a daisy but on that day where you’ve been up til 1am prepping for a huge presentation you have first thing in the morning, then you’ll test badly from poor sleep, high stress and lack of regeneration.

Remember stress in any form affects the body somehow!

Most, if not all of these app’s will also record resting heart rate (RHR) at the same time which is another great indicator to keep track of. Generally an elevated RHR above your baseline will again correlate with times of high stress, poor sleep etc.

As mentioned earlier, high stress can decrease immunity and you probably already know that you normally get sick in times of high (physical or mental) workloads. HRV and RHR readings can actually let you know you're getting sick before it actually happens so that you can be proactive (instead of reactive), making it priority to get extra rest before it gets out of control (bed ridden etc).

The app I use is HRV4Training which is only on iPhone for now.

STRESS = PAIN = STRESS = PAIN PART 8: HOW TO DECREASE PAIN

      

When addressing pain, especially chronic pain, then heading off to the physio or a chiro, isn’t going to solve all your problems.

The first thing you need to is to educate yourself on pain, how it develops and how it impacts the body in different ways. Remember that the actual muscle tissue is often fine and it’s your response that needs to be addressed so by simply understanding pain you may fear it less, and your perception of it might be altered resulting in faster and more sustainable recovery times.

Included in this re-educating portion has to be the language that is used to describe pain. Language feeds your beliefs such as “gardening hurts my back” which we now know doesn’t hurt your back – it’s the perception that it does that usually ends up causing the pain sensation.

Imagery of your pain can also have a negative effect and works similar to negative language related to pain. If you have a bout of lower back pain and you mentally image an injury there, then it can feed the evaluating and processing within the brain. It has been found that in chronic back pain sufferers, simply looking a back injury can induce pain in their own backs!

The second thing to do is to keep moving because by purposefully "not" moving, the body gets no positive input into thinking that the perception of danger can be decreased. The actual movements you do does not really matter either, it could be walking, it could be running, it could be jumping but just make sure that it is pain free movement. Performing movements that cause pain can cause a continuation of danger signals being sent out of which we are trying to actually dial down.

Once the initial pain sensation and/or threat has been put to bed then slowly re-introduce the movements that were causing pain in the hope of changing the negative perception of it into a positive one. Do not avoid them forever as that is how neurotags can develop.  You’ll want to use what’s called graded exposure for this where you might need to break down movements into segments before getting back to the full movement. 

So if squatting is a movement you avoided because of a sore back then you might start by simply lowering down 3 – 4 inches and working yourself down over time as your confidence with the movement increases and you become more comfortable with it.

During recovery there is every chance of a flare up or 2 but if you’ve done it right then the severity of the flare up will be minimal and you’ll now have the tools in place to deal with it leading to faster recovery.

Getting back to the central nervous system, being in pain will mean you’ll pretty much be in a constant state of sympathetic dominance which means you’re body will be working a lot harder than it should be just to function on very basic level.

Walking to the letterbox can become a workout in itself and with the body under constant threat, it gets zero chance to rest and regenerate. So when you’re not being active you’re should be trying to get the body as relaxed as it can be with diaphragmatic breathing and anything else you find relaxing (music etc). 

This will hopefully shift the body into a parasympathetic dominant state which is the only way you can regenerate.