IS THE STANDARD TOO HIGH

Ladies Here is a short message for you from Neghar Fonooni...

Women all over the world are struggling to love themselves. We've been convinced by the media, our environment, and even our loved ones: we simply aren't good enough.

We need to be better. Leaner. Stronger. We need to be feminine but still athletic. Lean but not too skinny. Badass but not too badass. Powerful but not intimidating. And please, for the love of God, do not get too muscular!

We are allowed to love our bodies when we obtain the arbitrary feminine-but strong-but not too strong-but still curvy-but not too thick-(but remember still strong!) body. Geez, that's exhausting.
‪#‎DeliberateFitness‬ has always told the women in the family to love their bodies... How ever your body is, learn to love it ONE DAY A TIME, BABY STEPS.
You're NEVER GOING TO LIVE UP TO THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE SOCIETY, SO DON'T TRY. Take care of your body,eat right & workout but do it for yourself, do it from a point of love, from a point of appreciating your own body.

Cheers!

I FIT INTO MY DRESS YESTERDAY

I FIT INTO MY DRESS YESTERDAY


A certain Monday evening at 5.20pm before our workout began, one of our clients responds to 'How was your weekend?' with 'It was great and you know what.. I fit into my dress yesterday. My figure hugging dress that I hadn't worn in 2 years, and yesterday it fit perfectly'. Zoned out for a few seconds and I was happily & internally dancing in excitement.

This is one of the greatest compliments I've ever received, considering we had only been working out for 3 months with this particular client. One of my greatest accomplishments(and I've won the Kenyan premier league 3 times in a row and it still doesn't compare to this). This has my limbic brain is all fired up; the part of the brain that is responsible for feelings and emotion as I write this.
Yes, my clients come to me on a daily basis and say 'I feel better, I'm more energetic, I'm stronger, my pains have disappeared'... But these things I expect, they're part of the goals that I set for myself with any new client. But this one, this dress one was unique, personal and very heartfelt (And you know that's the stuff I like). I'm not surprised the dress was never thrown out, but it sure was a surprise that she kept trying to fit in and couldn't wait to tell me the minute it fit.. ONCE AGAIN. I felt connected, like we're in this together. She believed in me. The need for a connection or belonging is not rational, it's a constant, I'm just comfortable enough to admit mine.

I thought about that conversation the entire weekend. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted that feeling again & again, and of course that sort of excitement from a client.

For this to be achieved of course it means that I should dedicate more of my time & energy to it and this IS EXACTLY WHY DELIBERATE FITNESS IS MOVING TO KARURA FOREST SIGIRIA GATE, OFF THIGIRI RIDGE ON THIGIRI LANE. Our doors will be open from 7.00a.m.-7pm, Monday-Friday and not just 5.25-6.30pm. You and I no longer have to wait for Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Anyday, whatever time you're available, just call, book your slot, pop in, train and leave. No more YMCA, no more Monday, Wednesday & Friday.

We may not all fit into that dress because some of my clients are men, but this It's a pretty good start towards constantly closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be. And fitting into that dress is not the end(although It's a pretty good place to be) it's An EVER onward almost. We have a name for it here, the Deliberate Incomplete.

Your challenge for the week, find your dress and let's try and fit into it, together. Let's both put in more time and energy. See you in Karura, Sigiria Gate... ANYTIME, ANYDAY.

Cheers!

SELF-LOVE (3 of 3) 

To wind down this very day that I’ve already sang a lot about: client appreciation day, we were joined by the lovely Cece Ojany-Bekhor founder and owner of themainprotagonist.com who shared with us a thing or two about self love. How to maintain that line of independence and freedom of doing the things that make you happy when you want to, without being selfish or encroaching on other people’s space and freedom.

So self love is important because we all want love & belonging and who else is best placed to give that to you other than yourself. These are the things that we claim to ‘Deserve’. A vacation, pizza, workout rest, ice cream, a raise…..  You know, after all the hard work. You deserve these things, and you’re a lot happier once you’ve gotten them and we all want you happier. There are rules to Self-love however:

You know you definitely deserve something after you answer a resounding yes to all the following questions:

1. Does it Feel Good?
2. IS IT GOOD FOR ME
3. Is it good for others?
4. Is it good for the greater good?

‘Cheat days’ are the most notorious when it comes to self-love. Yes you’ve worked out and you’ve been eating well and healthy and so you deserve a slice of pizza, an ice cream or a bar of chocolate. But do you really deserve a whole bar of chocolate in one sitting, an extra large serving of ice cream. Do you really deserve that much? It definitely feels great, but is it good for you? An occasional cheat meal is good for you but how occasional is weekly or a fortnight? 

Reward yourself however way you want to, but be honest with yourself. It always feels good, BUT IS IT GOOD FOR YOU! 

Whatever you choose to do if any of the above questions answers a No, then don’t do it. It’s really that simple.

And that’s how we wrapped up that day. We appreciate all of our clients for making us who we are and a warm welcome to all who are joining us. We are private, but not closed (I just had to steal that one, it’s too good).

Your Challenge for the Week;  Get a Trainer, even if it’s just for a short while until you learn what works & what doesn’t  but get a trainer, evaluate your current training; is it for you, is it comfortable, is it catering to your individual needs, find the courage to be imperfect & vulnerable and practice proper self-love.

We’ll be working out as usual at the YMCA State Hse Rd. Every Mon, Wed & Fri 5.25-6.30pm

At Karura Forest Sigiria gate off Thigiri Ridge Every Tues & Thur 5.25-6.30pm and Saturday Mornings 9-11am.  Call 0733 333 216 in case you get lost.

 

Our workouts at Karura Sigiria Gate & The YMCA State Hse Rd

MENTAL INDEPENDENCE(2 of 3)

Cherry, Ask me nicely, Ameiva, Spirit and My Gal are some of the names of the horses we rode, again during that client appreciation day. That one hour horse riding lesson was probably one of the greatest life lessons I’ve ever gotten. It clarified who we are and what we do and or believe in

Lessons to me as a Coach/trainer.

It had been such a long time since I did something that was completely new to me and it reminded me how to coach and train. Keeping it simple, going back to the basics and slow & sure progressions is the best way to coach.

We started off with a simple introduction, knowing your horse by name, helmets for safety and the do’s & don’ts. Relationships are everything, and the mere fact that we knew our horses by names that were used as points of reference every time an instruction was given made it client focused. If he(the trainer) needed you to place your feet on the stirrup without looking at it, he’d just shout ‘My Gal’ then you knew it was you and your horse. He could have easily used numbers, said ‘you’, pointed at you or shouted ‘next’. But it would not have been an experience, now would it?

Group personal training. Whenever the trainer taught any movement e.g. the trot – first while holding on to the horse, then arms free, the first thing the trainer did was to call out the movement, explain it, then allow each individual to do it, while correcting everyone according to their own errors. Focus on the individual. As trainers we only focus on the individual when it's time for them to pay…….. So yes, i'm now a better trainer.. I hope, but I learnt.

Lessons to You as the Client

Go back to the basics and master the basics, however long it will take. You’d think that the trot is easy – it’s a simple up and down movement on a horse.  By definition the trot is a two-beat diagonal gait of the horse where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. The training & instruction made it easy but we had to practice. Don’t be embarrassed of performing the squat, push up, deadlift & pullup over & over until you master them. The basics are everything.

Commit: At no point during that 1-Hr lesson did any of us stepped off the horse back. We were there throughout, no quitting, no excuses, just the work, fail, correct, repeat and keep repeating. Of course we got a break from time to time, shared a few laughs but we were tuned in and on the saddle throughout.

Non-quantifiable measurable progress. There was no way to quantify how many or how high/how fast the trots were, but it was evident that we moved from a slow assisted trot, to a fast one, to a hands free trot(the most fun of them all) to eventually taking an actual horse ride on your own.  You don't need to count calories, the weighing scale is not the only way to measure progress. Longer planks, clothes fitting better, headaches, backaches gone, from knee pushups to doing them on toes, more energetic, the list goes on and on and on of how else to measure your fitness progress.

It’s not meant to be comfortable. Before we got the hang of the trot, our entire body was numb. Our hands, legs, abs & shoulders wanted to give up. We could feel the burn but the mind kept getting endorphins & a sense of accomplishment telling you it’s totally worth it. By the time we were done, my white trousers had a nice brown layer of dirt; I was there for a horse ride, not clean pants. When you decide to workout you know that’s not where you go for comfort. It’s not meant to be comfortable, nor excruciating, it is meant to push your limits and be worth your while. Producing results.

The Names

There’s nothing unique about naming animals but to name a horse ‘Ask me nicely’ is definitely unique and it’s the mark of independence and mental freedom. It says we are unique, we don’t do ordinary and we set the rules & standards. This is the sort of independence that you need to say yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no. The freedom to do the stuff that you’ve always wanted to do (Like horse riding) NOW. Not 10kgs from now, when you lose weight or when you’re lighter…. NOW! Choose to be true to yourself, unique, authentic and have the courage to be imperfect & vulnerable.

Bonus:

That horse riding experience is what best describes our training philosophy. But I came across GYM JONES and I absolutely love their training philosophy.

“Dedicated to the Art of Suffering. It is both a safety net & inspiration, individuals push harder & risk more alongside trustworthy peers. Gym Jones is a training project, a physical location & an ideal. It is not a cozy place. There are no TVs, machines nor comfortable spots to sit. And there are no mirrors. Gym Jones is private but not closed.

If I could steal that I would, because it best describes our usual YMCA & now all new Karura, Sigiria Gate. Only thing I’d add is that you’ll get dirty.  As usual YMCA every Mon, Wed & Fri. Karura Tue & Thur 5.25-6.30pm. Plus Saturday mornings.

Cheers!

My Gal followed by Cherry, then Ameiva, Spirit & at the back Ask Me Nicely

PICTIONARY (1 of 3)

It’s been a while since we last talked. I’m back after a fun client appreciation day, ‘an Eye-closing event’ (What’s an eye closing Event- the one that you attend hoping for an experience but you end up dozing), work that turned into a vacation or vacation that turned into work, DELIBERATE FITNESS EXPANSION and of course proudly being crowned Kenya Premier League Champions for the third consecutive year.  Been all over the place, but this is the stuff that great stories are made of.

Here’s a series of the first 3 emails/blog posts from all my travels and up &abouts;

We played Pictionary during client appreciation day, and I discovered how bad a Pictionary player I am coming in a close second after Sheldon Cooper of the Big Bang Theory (Yes that Bad). It being as simple as defining a word with nothing but pictures, I somehow managed to complicate it. My team could hardly understand a thing I drew, while to me it was clear as day and I had done my best.....ish. It’s not that I couldn’t understand the words, I could and it’s not that I couldn’t communicate the same, again I could, but I COULDN’T DRAW (still can’t draw, I had gone for games during the arts & crafts lessons) OR EXPRESS MYSELF IN PICTURES, Pictionary is simply not for me. I have other ways of expressing myself and i'll stick to those.

That's me trying to draw.... Can you see people's concerned faces!!!

Every time somebody tells me ‘I’m doing insanity at home & still not losing weight or my friend lost a ton of weight from this diet but it’s not working for me or I’ve started a 30-Day challenge; sugar, gluten, carb name them ….. I replay the visual of myself playing Pictionary. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with insanity, or 30-day challenges… There are a lot of things wrong with Diets though, BUT, all these things did not have YOU in mind when they were being designed.  Despite them being designed by the most intelligent coaches alive, THEY ARE NOT FOR YOU. So just like I ended up frustrating my team trying to figure out what’s in my head, going gluten-free for 30 days are you’re not even gluten intolerant will only end one way… FRUSTRATION!

So how come these challenges, diets & DVDs work for some people?? We need to get a good look at who these ‘some people’ are because the closer you are to the couch, the more options you have that will result in improvement. But the higher the level of fitness we require the more appropriate and specific the training must be. So I’m going to stay away from Pictionary, but you need to stay fit and healthy. What’s the solution then? GET A COACH/TRAINER (Deliberate Fitness). Find something that is meant for you, designed for you, which will work for you. Usually it’s the same thing as everybody else it’s the interpretation and the small tweaks to actually fit your needs that matter & make all the difference. A photocopy is a photocopy, but how I draw it to describe it to my team makes all the difference. A squat is a squat, how and what I do it with makes all the difference.

Photocopy being drawn... Look at people's faces.

Find us at The YMCA State Hse Rd. for our group Personal Training Sessions Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 5.25-6.30pm. And………………….. Introducing new Sessions at Karura forest, Sigiria Gate along Thigiri Ridge Every Tue & Thur same time 5.25-6.30pm.  Plus Saturday Mornings. People along Westlands, Peponi Rd. Thigiri, and Spring Valley you no longer have an excuse. 

Cheers!

REWORK; THE ART OF EXPRESSING THE HUMAN BODY

These are two different books, Rework by Jason Fried and The art of expressing the human body by Bruce Lee but they have similar messages only that one is about training and the other is about business. The lessons though, are transferable.  The one similarity in these two books, that stood out for me is the fact that both challenge status quo, and if you know me you know that, that’s my cup of milk (Because I neither like tea nor coffee).  

A couple of lessons from rework that Bruce lee applied and that we should do:

1.  Ignore the real world- the real world is that magical place where everything that’s not ordinary or normal cannot happen. “That would never work in the real world” is an all too common statement. Bruce Lee was able to perform his flying roundhouse kick and his famous thumb&Index finger pushups by ignoring the real world. How many times have you said that  that’s not possible or I can’t do that? Bruce Lee managed to perform 50 1-arm chin-ups without a gym membership and supplements. So  it did happen in his real world. But hold on, before you rush off to try and do that flying round house kick, seek to create your own real world. You want a six pack at the age of 60, create your own real world, you want to carry the 15kg Gas cylinder and you stand at 4ft7inch, create your own real world.

 2.   Small is not just a stepping stone, small is a great destination in itself. And I’m not just saying that because I’m small but well, it helps…. a lot. Bruce Lee was only big because of what he accomplished, but when it came to  stature and muscles he was a very small person. The most important thing to note though is that he did not start by doing finger tip pushups, he worked his way up. Do not be in a hurry to grow or lift a lot more than you can. If whatever small thing  you’re doing is sustainable and it’s working, you don’t have to do or go big. Do small, BUT DO IT VERY WELL.

3.     No time is no excuse. When you want something bad enough, you make the time regardless of your other obligations. The truth is most people just don't want it bad enough. Then they protect their ego with the excuse of time. Don't let yourself off the hook with excuses. It's entirely your responsibility to make it happen. You want to shed off those Kgs, neither slim possible nor Deliberate Fitness can match the power that YOU have. How bad do you want it? Don’t answer that, just show it. Bruce Lee was a martial arts master, a philosopher and accomplished actor & filmmaker, where did he get the time. If you really want to workout, you will. If you’ve been reading these posts and you haven’t started working out then you probably don’t really want it as bad as you’d want us to believe.

4.    Listen to your body. Bruce Lee was able to achieve almost impossible feats with his own body because he would listen to it. He knew when to push and when to hold off.  Jason Fried calls planning - guessing because you have little or no control over what happens around you. I know you have been on that diet for quite some time but if it is not working, it’s time to change. If your workout program says workout and your body is telling you rest, by all means rest. If it’s rest day and you feel you’d like to push your body a little bit, so long as great form is maintained and there’s no pain, just do it. So long as it’s really your body you’re listening to and not excuses, the plans  and programs are not cast in stone. Tweak & improvise whenever it makes sense.

5.    Find something that is At-Home Good. Have you ever bought something that you were convinced it was easy to use, but when you got home it wasn’t as easy.  You felt cheated right? The one thing I admire about Bruce lee is that he embraced calisthenics(Easy exercises that can be done  without equipment) even before calisthenics were cool. The easier it to execute the more you want to do it and the more sustainable it is.

6.    Don’t Copy. The reason I’m talking about Bruce Lee decades after his death is because whatever he did, his style of training had not been done before, ever.  The problem with you doing what has worked for your friend, or sister is that it’s mere copying and has no understanding, and understanding is what produces results. The principle of individuality states that you and I may go through the same workout but we’ll eventually respond differently.

7.    Nobody likes plastic flowers. Find that which you can relate to. Forget the professional, plastic, stiff and boring stuff that the crowd is following.  Embrace those who are not afraid to reveal their flaws & imperfections. The well chiseled abs and perfect body are all awesome but having that as a trainer is not a guarantee that I can help you achieve the same. Although it also doesn’t help if my title says trainer and my body says client..….. Don't be afraid to show your flaws as well. Find that environment that allows you to be. Imperfections are real and people respond to real. It's why we like real flowers that wilt, not perfect plastic ones that never change. Don't worry about how you're supposed to sound and how you're supposed to act. Simplicity is everything. You strip things down and then use what you have. Bruce Lee was all about simplicity, hard work and using only what he had. Feel Free to talk like you really talk and to reveal things that others are unwilling to discuss. Be upfront about your shortcomings. Show the latest version of what you're working on, even if you're not done yet. It's OK if it's not perfect. You might not seem as ideal or a good fit, but you will seem a lot more genuine.

Your Challenge this week is to Express your body the best way you know how to, the above can help provide a head start, but just like Bruce Lee find and define your own path, your own real world. This Week at the YMCA we are in the last week of client appreciation month, Saturday is a big day for Deliberate Fitness, I'll definitely

talk about it  come Monday.

Cheers!

VENTRILOQUISM

VENTRILOQUISM

VENTRILOQUISM

Ventriloquism is the art of speaking without moving your lips. You talk in a such a way that your voice is deemed to be coming from someone else other than you. My favorite ventriloquist Jeff Dunham has mastered this art and uses his very funny dummies/dolls to speak.

So Jeff speaks without moving his lips and his dummies move their lips {without actually speaking} to match his words. He controls the dummies, such that their actions depict his words as accurately as possible.

So can you picture Jeff and his dummies talking? Great, then you'll understand how to target and get rid of stubborn fat{Thighs, Back of the arms & hips for women, and lower abdominals for men} without necessarily doing the now so popular 'Spot Training' - so essentially you'd be speaking without moving your lips.

Spot Training is the idea of training a specific body part {Abs are often the victim} with the aim of reducing it. And to quote Dr. Jade Tate, this is like trying to change a tyre with a pencil; it's impossible. (Sorry waist trainers & 1000 situps/side bends).

So how do you do it? First understand why stubborn fat is stubborn. It is usually the slowest to respond to fat loss.Fat cells have receptors; either be Beta receptors(think burn) or Alpha Receptors(think Anti-burn). Areas with stubborn fat have upto 9x more alpha receptors than other areas. Good news is there are ways to activate more Beta receptors while deactivating alpha receptors. This is done by both Exercise and Nutrition. Again Spot training alone; pencil & tyre situation.

Bad news though, the obvious Eat less and Exercise more actually activates Alpha cells (Please stop Dieting, you're only making stubborn fat more stubborn). It's like fueling less for a long road trip, we both know how that will end. The body just goes into protective mode; reduces metabolism, stores more fat and slows down blood flow.

To burn fat & especially the stubborn kind, you need to increase metabolism to break down the fat cells and increase blood flow to be able to transport this already broken down fats.

SOLUTION: EAT MORE EXERCISE MORE.. Read that again. Who would want to eat more, same question as who would to talk with their lips sealed? Or Alternatively, eat less and exercise less. Again who would want to exercise less? Orthodox right? My thoughts exactly while watching Jeff Dunham.

Eating more and exercising more and eating less and exercising less is the answer to finally getting rid of those 'Bye Bye' hands & the infamous love handles. Talk with your lips shut & target stubborn fat without directly training the specific stubborn fat areas.

Your Challenge for the week: Reevaluate your exercise & eating habits. Make sure they match, MORE & MORE, LESS & LESS. If the Jeff is laughing the dummy is laughing as well, there's no mismatch.

And now you know why I'm always eating......

If it's Monday you know you'll find us at YMCA at Deliberate o'clock, 5.25pm. See you then.

Cheers! 

 

LOOKING FOR MY HOME

LOOKING FOR MY HOME

" I'm looking for my home, somewhere I can take a break, somewhere in the sky. I'm somewhere on the road, this is gonna take a while, looking for my own home." These are the first few lines to the song Looking for my home by Just A Band.

I was watching Slimpossible the other day, and as the contestants told their stories, it was clear as day that all of them were looking for something. Most of them knew that their eating habits were terrible and they knew what training they ought to do but were neither doing it nor following through. So what exactly were they looking for from Slimpossible? They were looking for somewhere to call home, somewhere to belong. All of them felt unappreciated one way or the other, for some it was that family member, for others it was about the bullying, the nasty nicknames, and the list goes on and on and on

So they're all in that show not exactly for weight loss, but what sort of appreciation and noticing and recognition they'll get from the eventual weight loss.

I really feel it's unfair of us to ask them to lose in order to win. For them to get treated properly in a boutique, to shake off the nasty nicknames they first have lose. That's not fair at all. No one should have to fight for what's rightfully theirs. Why? For some they just got pregnant, put on the necessary weight to support the baby, tried everything possible to go back after the baby, but it's just not that simple. It's not a switch, that's switched on & off.

Then soon after the weight gain, appreciation became less and less from the important people in their lives leading them to find their 'Home' in other places e.g food. This is the viscous cycle that will eventually see them end up on National Television, again searching for 'Home'.

This is the wake up call, that we all have collective responsibility to appreciate those that make our lives better. It's not fair that we put so much effort in Celebrating people for not dying for 365 days{Birthdays} while we allow those that make an impact in our lives walk around unappreciated not knowing how important whatever they've done for us is.

We all have the power to stop this viscous cycle, and people will look for where to belong in very many different places. Find out if you've pushed someone that far, simply by taking for granted who they are to you.

It's Client Appreciation month at Deliberate Fitness. It's not that we don't appreciate our clients often, but 3 times in a year we go out of our to say thank you for putting up with the Nairobi Traffic and making it to YMCA 3 evenings a week for 15 weeks, Rain or Shine.

This month, we make them feel like Obama & take them to an 'undisclosed location' for a day. Hint it could be Tafaria Castle, Brown's Cheese Farm or the Karen Blitz Museum.

It's not too late to become our client, you're most welcome.

Challenge of the Week, Make sure you APPRECIATE everyone in your life who has done something{however small} worth saying thank you for. Make them feel like they Belong, like they've already found Home.

Cheers!

Our Soon to be other Home... I can't wait.

WEAR DILIGENCE LIKE A WELL TAILORED SUIT

I've written a lot about, goals, training, healthy eating, taking care of yourself when not working out, being different, hormones, gender specific training among many other things{Refer to previous articles- www.deliberatefitness.blogspot.co.ke}, but none of that matter if diligence is not part of the success equation.

Execution is important, but how do you execute...... diligently.

Diligence is when you pay very close attention to whatever you are doing, doing it with care & persistence.

If you know me or have trained with me before, you know I fuss a lot about the little things. {Fingers/toes pointing forward, back straight, hips low} That's because I'm a sucker for diligence;taking your time to do even the smallest things well.

Get, practice & perfect diligence and success for whichever goal is guaranteed.

If success is as simple as Diligence, how come it still eludes as many people as are in pursuit of it?? Simply because you have to overcome the greatest obstacle ever.... YOUR OWN MIND.

Took me a long time & battle with the mind to master this Chinup, but eventually i got it.

   

-> The mind is the one that tells you to dream & fantasize about your dream body, and you end up doing more of dreaming than the actual working towards that dream body.

-> The mind will give you a false sense of time, " Where you keep telling yourself I have time to train later, or tomorrow or go to Sigiria Karura 'next' Monday.

-> The mind will convince you that any sign of failure means you're not cut out for it and that you should give up, and start on a quest to find something easier, something that you're cut out for.

-> The mind focuses on the worst parts of everything causing you to procrastinate; 'What if I don't like it, what if I don't lose weight, there'll be traffic as usual, it looks like it will rain?'

-> The mind makes you focus on irrelevant mindless work, in an effort to stay 'busy', to answer once & for all why that morning jog(Not a Sprint or a hill/staircase run) is very common. And why treadmills for hours on end have people(read ladies) and the weights are not touched. Yet these people don't report any changes or results.

The Solutions are easy but its your mind YOU REALLY HAVE TO CONVINCE, by starting small & doing everything diligently; Deliberately paying close attention to everything you do. Do actual hard Work instead of just keeping busy, Start today or now, you don't have all year/day, Focus on what could go right, what if they say yes, what if it happens sooner than is expected and Finally fail but get up, keep failing until you get it.

So how do we know you have diligence? The same way we can tell a mango tree from an avocado tree, its fruits.Wear it like a well tailored suit so that we can notice it from a far, produce visible fruits of what you've been doing.

Cheers!

AUTHENTICITY- Believing Everything You Do and Everything You Say

I am the Beginning of Eternity
The End of Every Rhyme
The End of Space & Time
The Beginning of the End
Who Am I?

What are two things you cannot eat for supper?

I've began my article today with riddles because the Nutrition I'm hearing in this day & age is a lot like riddles.. It's something that needs uncovering, almost as if simplicity is wrong, evil even.
But here's the BIG question, do you Really believe in what you're saying about Nutrition; do you really believe Carbohydrates are evil, food should be gluten free?? There should be no wheat in your diet and you should eat nothing but vegetables & fruits. If you do, good for you, if you don't allow me to explain my authenticity{What I really believe} in the efforts to help you find yours.

1. Eat the Good Fats i.e. Avocado, nuts, fatty/oily fish, eggs, extra virgin olive oil.
Fats make your heart pump better & makes your joints supple and lubricated. This is critical for your overall performance, which will in turn help burn more of the bad, not so useful fats.
Bonus: Good Fats make your skin look healthier. There's a reason why the most expensive skin care products have olive oil/avocado in them.... Just eat them, don't apply, they'll still get into your body and be used.

2. Eat a protein everytime you eat. Animal protein is the best source of protein as it contains all the 9 essential Amino Acids. Eat your eggs, yoghurt, sea food, meat, cheese, just make sure they're not overly processed.
Proteins with every meal because they help curb hunger and overeating.

3. Drink lots of water. Water does almost everything in your body. It is almost always my solution to everything. When in doubt drink water, when you're hungry drink water. When you're heartbroken drink water, when your team loses just drink water.... You get the drift.

4. Eat as much vegetables as you want. They are the best sources of carbohydrates I know, with few calories. You should see the face I make when someone tells me they're on a carb free diet and their plate is full of vegetables. Vegetables are also rich in vitamins, minerals & fibre.

For Weight Loss or if you're prone to weight gain: Eating lots of Protein & Fats {Good Fats} , getting your carbohydrates from vegetables and minimizing on the starches & sugars will work.
For Weight Gain{Like yours truly} Eating lots of protein, fats, and vegetables would work and you can also include unrefined starches & sugars, and whole grains especially pre & post exercise.

To answer the above riddles : The Beginning of Eternity IS THE LETTER 'E'.. I'm sure you knew that.
And ofcourse you can't eat BREAKFAST & LUNCH for supper. They looked hard but they're pretty Easy right, just like the Food We Eat. Nothing complicated about it.

Your Challenge for the week; Ask yourself, do you Really Believe in what you're doing, saying and writing.
Find me at the YMCA this evening at 5.25pm-6.30pm still singing the same song that Nutrition doesn't have to be complex to work. We are also there Wednesdays & Fridays same time.
We share the same Nutrition tips with BJ Gaddour read more from him, and the riddles were borrowed from the series Knight Rider.
Cheers!

DEATH VALLEY

Death Valley is the dryest place in America; it doesn't receive any rainfall. As such it doesn't support life. In 2004 however, it got 7 inches of rain & in Spring of 2005 Death Valley had flowers.
Flowers in Death Valley, who would have thank it. This shows that Death Valley isn't dead, it's just dormant. Right beneath the surface lies seeds of possibility, waiting for the right conditions.. And with the Right Conditions life is inevitable.

So you can't do a plank or a pushup or you can't sprint... Of course you can't, you've never done it before. Up until 2005 Death Valley was thought of a place that could not support life, it's simply because the right conditions were never present. Your body is capable of more than your mind can envision. Your body is capable of most of the things say you can't do.
Beneath those arms & back that cannot do a pullup or that core that cannot hold a plank up, lies seeds of possibility.

I can hear you saying, "hold on let me workout for a period of time then I'll try planking/sprinting!" This is the equivalent of Death Valley growing the flowers first so as to receive rain. You have to do the former to get the latter. Set the right conditions first, send the message that you're trying.
Here's how the communication between activity attempts, and adaptations in your body looks like...
When you sprint, you send signals to your body to build muscle that you'd need to run, & to burn off the excess fat that's weighing you down. Slow jogging however sends signals that you should burn all the muscle, do away with all the bone density, tendons & ligaments and keep just enough to help you run at this pace. When we sit all day, your body decides to have just enough flexibility to help you sit & stand. When you don't lift heavy weights or your own bodyweight, your body won't give you the strength to support that.
Do that which you think you can't. I'm not saying you should become overly ambitious or unrealistic, all I'm saying is TRY. Say I can and I will. Try & fail, put in some effort and see the sort of communication that you will be passing. Your body will surprise you.

All you need are the right conditions. Deliberate Fitness we aim to provide these Right conditions:
-> A sense of possibility
-> Cherishing & Valuing Relationships
-> Providing a workout environment of hard work, movement & fun
-> Providing a different set of expectations for each individual
-> Supporting you in your journey

Your Challenge for the week- TRY something that you've once entertained the thought that you couldn't. Communicate possibility to your body.
If you need help finding the right conditions, you know where to find us, YMCA State House Rd every Monday, Wednesday & Friday 5.25-6.30pm.

 
Cheers!

YOU RUN LIKE A GIRL

YOU RUN LIKE A GIRL

My high school math teacher once attended our soccer practice and told me that I run like a girl… And I told him he that he could too, if only he ran a little faster… Well... in my head at least.

Fast forward to today and it’s such statements that have women saying lifting weights is for men and men saying yoga is for women. Exercise targets the muscles (Skeletal/cardiac), the bones, the cartilage, tissues, tendons and ligaments and it’s for this reason that I cringe when I hear this is for men and this is for women. Now I’m well aware of the anatomical and physiological differences between men & women and I’ll be the first to tell you that there’s no one part of the body that works in isolation (Kinetic Chain) but muscles are muscles, bones are bones and tendons are tendons.

Do we have women who lift extremely heavy weights or can do pull-ups that would put even the fittest men to shame? WE DO. And do we have men who are extremely limber and strong at the same time? AGAIN, WE DO. Is there something wrong with these peoples' genetic makeup of their respective genders or are they less of women/men? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Hence my premise muscles are muscles, bones are bones.

You want to get Bruce Lee abs and all you are willing to do is brisk walk, because it’s a lot more feminine than doing punches and kicks on a punching bag. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with brisk walking but just change your goal and be satisfied with seeing Bruce Lee Abs on Bruce Lee.

Ladies you want to get ‘tone’ but you don’t want to lift weights or do activities that are “masculine” in nature like pushups and pull-ups because you fear getting too bulky. You will not get bulky because the testosterone that you have in your body is not sufficient enough to support muscle growth in terms of size. What of Serena Williams??? I’m tempted to explain it’s because she works out for a living and while you put in 3 hours of workout a week, she puts in 3 hours a day, but she has 21 Grand Slam titles and a home with 22 Tennis Courts and a golf course so she can have all the muscles in the world. 

Yes there are gender differences, and we must adhere to them because we are different. The difference comes in the women lifting lighter heavy weights(Not to be mistaken for the 5 pound dumbbells that we claim to be working out with) than men, or doing easier modifications of the pull-up as compared to men and not in the entire elimination of exercises because they belong to the opposite sex.

Muscles are great and they'll help you regardless of your gender. Same case applies to flexibility, so go get some.

Your Challenge this week… Ladies, hit the gym, ignore the cardio machines this week and lift something heavier than your hand bag and gentlemen try power Yoga and let me know after an hour if you still think it’s for women.

Catch Deliberate Fitness Monday, Wednesday & Friday 5.30-6.30pm at YMCA State House Road, you'll find us doing pushups, squats, stretches, sprints, playing/running and some yoga poses whatever it takes to earn us those muscles & fitness.

Cheers!