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motivation
21/01/2016
At Best Practice, we are big on behaviour change and we like to use every little psychological trick in the book to achieve it. When it comes to the best tricks, I look at how games are designed and then use the addictive nature of such ingenious methodology to mould the action of clients towards the ‘good’ habits, as opposed to the numerous bad ones we form, seemingly without even trying. And you know what, I think that last point is key – ‘without even trying’. When I finish a workout now, I almost can’t wait to tick the box in our systems that says, in graphical form, “hey you got something done pal”. My little calendar, which is easily accessible on my smart phone displays a little orange man on the day when ever I have completed a workout. As simple as that is, the accumulation of little men means I know at a glance that I am active in that week, and I will do almost anything to make sure I can tick the box that means I get a little icon to show up. I guess another big reason this works is because ‘being active’ is one of my KPI’s for a good life and like anyone, I want a good life. We use this method with our clients and members because it is easier to drive new behaviour with the simple rather than the complex. You should give it a go. Even a simple walk get’s you a tick and an orange man. Our two group […]
10/07/2015
Exercise procrastination… Life comes and then it goes. It is too short for exercise procrastination folks, I can tell you that much! It’s not until ‘@hit goes down’ sometimes, that people get propelled to take action. Case in point… a good friend of mine who got diagnosed with cancer at which time he started to become the person he always wanted to be. He put some great things together as a massive legacy before he passed away. Good on you Gav. The unfortunate thing though is that it often kicks in too late or not at all. Yes, sometimes even the @hit going down is met with apathy. How is it that some people wring every bit of experience and fun from life whilst others, the vast majority, resign themselves to ‘the way it is’. Have you heard that? “Well that’s just the way it is…..” Says who? It is the person who has stopped thinking originally and is on the fast track to ‘that’s all she wrote’. I love to meet cliche with cliche sometimes simply because it’s fun and the plain ridiculousness of it may edge its way through the most closed down mind. Why would I bother you might say? Well… life is better when you have energy, humour, action, innovation, ideas and a pleasant buzz of optimism around you that you can bring to the table. You think about it and you tell me, who in your life do you enjoy having around you? Those who are forever moaning and finding the hassle in something, dragging […]
08/07/2015
We make a living by what we get. We make a life from what we give. – Winston Churchill. I believe the best thing you can ‘give’ is a great example. I am thinking specifically here about family and health. In health and fitness, it is all about a getting into a consistent routine. When you can display this in your own life, you will start to see it multiply around you. Your kids will model what you do. Have you ever heard the saying “I can’t hear your words because your actions are screaming so loudly”? If you are wondering why your kids aren’t getting outside to play whilst all you ever do is crack a beer and slouch down on the couch, then maybe it is time to think what kind of picture you are giving them of life. Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed and all you ever do is give. Well, the idea that charity starts at home is well worth considering. When was the last time you gave something to yourself? When did you last carve out some ‘you time’? I have mentioned this concept before. You are no good to anyone if you are feeling this way. You need to factor in some ‘energy up’ time. Let’s also not forget recovery and recuperation. It is a salient point that the most gains in fitness happen when you are NOT doing anything. But of course you have to do the ‘something’ first! So harking back to the wise words of Winston… You can make your own […]
18/06/2015
Sometimes when it comes to change, it can seem overwhelming. Paralysis by analysis. Sometimes it feels like that the job is just too big… When members come to us with this feeling, I like to break it down to one thing only because this focus allows positive movement. I always ask what is the one behaviour that you know you need to change and are 99.9% sure you can achieve in the next week? I tell them to make it such an easy thing that success is assured. This is where confidence starts to build. Each week, you start to add just one more thing. I feel that it is good advice in all aspects of a change program whether it be rehabilitation, a new nutritional plan or the start of a serious transformation. The longest journey starts with but a small step. There is often much wisdom and truth in the age old clichés. When I was playing tennis, the one thing that helped get me in the zone (which unfortunately often wasn’t enough) was when I could focus, not on the one tournament I was in or the one match ahead or even the one game I was playing. It wasn’t even the one point….. it was the one hit. This laser focus allowed me to get into the moment and just enjoy the process of playing the game. It stopped me from the “what if’s” and the fear that comes with the territory of an outcome focus. This is because there are just so many things you […]
16/06/2015
Half way through the year: health check up So, it’s halfway to the end of the year! Are we on track or not? This is an important question that needs to be periodically asked because operating without feedback is akin to ‘hoping for the best’. And you know whilst I am a big believer in positive thinking and many of the elements of the celebrated “The Secret”, merely ‘hoping’ without the hard data to adjust course does not normally end well. At the start of this year you probably made some claims, resolutions, assertions or if you were really serious, actually had written goals about how this year was going to go health wise. I am suggesting to you that now is a good time to do your check in. I would like to think you were appraising your progress on a monthly basis and taking the appropriate action to keep on target, but I know that not all of you have your health on that pedestal of priority! At the very least though, let the EOFY signify more than just a check in on your finances… So what should you be checking? I would at least be looking at the broad numbers of health including your blood pressure, blood sugar, liver function, immune system and cholesterol. These are a good start but I would go further than this. If your only goal is to live with the ‘absence of illness’, then maybe this is enough. But I think most people are looking at how better to thrive not just […]
01/06/2015
NO ONE REALLY WANTS TO EXERCISE… Seriously, who would want to put their body through pain like that? The answer of course is no one but plenty of people do it. WHY? WHY? WHY? Why do people exercise? Glad you asked! As with most things in this life, it is not about the thing, it is about the stuff associated with the thing. Let me explain. I’ll make another statement: No one really wants a Ferrari either. WHAT? Of course I do I hear you cry. No you don’t, what you really want is the ‘experience’ of owning a Ferrari, the admiring glances as the engine squeals when you gun it at a busy intersection in the crowded city and then how that makes you feel. Or it is the rush that the blind acceleration causes in your body and the joy you get in seeing that exhilaration in your better half next to you in that shiny red car? It is the same with exercise. What everyone is looking for is not the burn in the thighs or the thumping heart (no kidding!), it is the way it makes you feel when you start to experience the results of your hard work. It is the satisfaction you experience when you walk easily up that hill that used to be hard, it is the praise you receive from your workmates when they notice the new definition in your arms, it is how attractive you feel when your better half compliments you on how healthy you look. If you can really […]
07/04/2015
Before you can start any of this fitness stuff you must outline in detail your reasons for doing it or wanting to change. You must feel it as strongly as your desire to achieve anything that you have ever considered important in your life, whether it was study, work, relationship, spiritually or financially related. You must connect with your reasons emotionally. It has to move you deep inside. That’s kind of heavy I know but very necessary, because without it, your chances of achieving anything new are slim. You really only can get away with will power for a short period of time. So picture what it is you want and use as much detail as you can. ‘Hear’ what it is you will hear when you have achieved what you are after. It might be that you are really looking forward to hearing people say to you things like “wow, what have you been doing lately? You look great!” Or perhaps it’s about what it is going to ‘feel’ like when you pull on those jeans that you wore when you were 20. Or maybe you respond better to the joy you will experience when you ‘see’ yourself in photographs, literally radiating health. What ever it is, use what is most effective for you (perhaps use all three modalities – or more if you can think of them – maybe you can ‘smell’ fitness?). But the critical aspect is that you connect with it enough to be able to call it out when you feel side-tracked or challenged to […]