Ignorance is bliss
This week my wife surprised me with a birthday outing. A meal at one of my favourite steak houses, Hawksmoor. The service and ambiance only bettered by the steak they serve. Delectable enough to convert any vegan. We arrived and were seated at our table. The server asked if we would like menus with calories … Continue reading Ignorance is bliss
Do you have the energy?
Time, time, wherefore art thou time? Wishing and hoping for more time is futile, you can’t increase the hours in the day! But you can increase your energy levels. Which will see you function better and be more productive with the time you do have. Managing and improving the quality of your time is paramount! … Continue reading Do you have the energy?
How to get fitter.
One of the most important books I’ve read is Atomic Habits by James Clear. It cemented the benefits of having a daily routine. And how important our habits are. For example, so many people say things like: “I want to have more money”, “I want to lose weight” or “gain some kind of result.” The … Continue reading How to get fitter.
You choose.
Every day we make approximately 35,000 decisions Decisions like: ‘how should I respond to this email’. ‘should I order this meal or this meal’. ‘do I go or not’. These decisions range from the inconsequential to the very important. But what we misinterpret is the severity of these ‘inconsequential’ decisions over time. Those decisions by … Continue reading You choose.
You vs The Monkey
Most guys know what to do but aren’t doing it. This is why your health and fitness isn’t an information problem, it’s an implementation problem. This means it’s less about the method and more about the mindset. What you need to realize is, that making a transformation, one that will have you looking and feeling … Continue reading You vs The Monkey
How to build motivation
When I talk to people about High Performance, sometimes the word “motivation” comes up. “I’ve tried all kinds of diets and fitness regimens,” they might say. Shortly followed by “but I can never seem to keep up the motivation.” The reality is High Performance has nothing to do with motivation. It’s definitely not the magic … Continue reading How to build motivation
How to improve your energy, confidence & performance.
When we look past the superficial of aesthetics or leanness – is when when we get to the root of our desires. Going beyond the norms of what society tells us we want, to find our true reason to improve our health and wellbeing. Which is why want energy, confidence and better performance. And this … Continue reading How to improve your energy, confidence & performance.
The proficient man’s creed
How you can improve productivity, increase focus and reduce stress. Through a very simple practice called compartmentalization. It may sound fancy and complicated but it’s simple. Simple and effective. Distraction and loss of concentration are very costly. They drain our time and energy from switching from task to task. If you’re thinking that you’re a … Continue reading The proficient man’s creed
A question for change
You might want to achieve a certain dream… …but you can’t seem to take action on it. For example you want to write a book… Or climb a mountain… Or start a new business… Or get in shape… You want it and dream about making it happen. But when it comes to taking action you … Continue reading A question for change
The internet, junk food and your brain
Everyday occurrences in our lives right? Well, maybe not every day with junk food. But what you may not know is that these seamlessly benign things are Supernormal stimuli. Which is a fake stimulus so powerful that we actually prefer it to the real thing! Nobel Prize winner Nikolaas Tinbergen discovered this in his observations … Continue reading The internet, junk food and your brain
Information overload
When it comes to being at your mental and physical best you don’t need more information. What you need is implementation! There is an abundance of information out there but when you have no clue about how you integrate this information into your lifestyle, it then becomes moot. You might as well have not read … Continue reading Information overload
Swerve the burnout!
Contrary to popular belief, going at it hammer and tongue is not how you improve your performance. It’s actually in the recovery where you grow/ improve. So if you’ve ever heard the phrase ‘you’re only as good as your recovery’ it’s one that holds water! Let me explain. You’ll have as baseline performance level. And … Continue reading Swerve the burnout!
The invisible hand that guides you.
When it comes to a healthy way of living the Mediterranean’s always seem to get a mention. They are renowned for their longevity and wellbeing. Many attribute their diet to the reason behind this. Although over the years I’ve come up with a hypothesis. The premise is that it’s more to do with their geography … Continue reading The invisible hand that guides you.
Addition not subtraction!
When it comes to improving our diets so many people go along with the popular trend of cutting things out. In this hysteria of subtraction, we focus on the wrong thing. When we extract/take out, the problem is exacerbated. We create restriction. Fear around food. And a very poor relationship with it. ‘is this bad … Continue reading Addition not subtraction!
Single player game
Most people are playing a multiplayer game. Comparing and contrasting against others. ‘What have they got?’ ‘I should have that too’ ‘I need to better them’ If you want to progress what it would be prudent to realise is; You’re playing against yourself! No one else. The people that progress in their lives are playing … Continue reading Single player game
The bet.
How’s it all going with your health and fitness drive? Whatever your reason behind it. Maybe it’s your self-confidence; you’re not over enamoured with what you see when you look in the mirror. Maybe it’s stemmed from you getting dressed in the morning and thinking to yourself ‘hmm this top wasn’t this tight before Christmas.’ … Continue reading The bet.
The secret to happiness
We must keep growing! Everything in life either grows or dies, relationships, businesses, and anything else. If you don’t keep growing you’ll become frustrated and miserable no matter how much money you have in the bank (or rather invested in stocks and shares). So the secret to happiness, according to Andrew, can be summed up … Continue reading The secret to happiness
The weigh in
On your weight loss journey, there are many ways to keep tabs on your progress. If you’re going to be stepping on the scales to gauge your progress keep reading, I’ll tell you how to do it so you get it right! Firstly, stop weighing yourself at every possible opportunity. After a workout at the … Continue reading The weigh in
Look! Something shiny!
Have you ever thought about having a super power?? I’m sure you have (mine would be the invisibility one). But what if I told you that you could actually have a superpower?! What I’m getting at is in today’s world, sustained attention may be a superpower! We are pulled in all directions, half-attending to everything … Continue reading Look! Something shiny!
Surf the wave
When it comes to dieting reducing your calories through reducing portion sizes, or omitting a snack or meal (to create an energy deficit; the only way fat loss will occur!) is an easy way to achieve this. Yet there will be something to consider during your dieting periods. Hunger!Along with emotional eating and boredom, hunger … Continue reading Surf the wave
Confirmation danger
I’m going to talk to you about Dave. Following the decadence that is this time of year Dave has been considering doing something to get in better shape in the new year. As part of his new health and fitness drive Dave wants to lose a few pounds. So he makes a decision to try … Continue reading Confirmation danger
Emotional freedom
Picture this situation, you are driving home from work after a great day and your favourite song comes on the radio. It’s been a fantastic day and your spirits are high, so what do you do? You do what any reasonable person would do in this situation, you start singing. A little bit of head … Continue reading Emotional freedom
Your recovery Rockstar
Did you know that getting adequate and good quality sleep has a significant impact on hormone balance and muscle protein synthesis. Outside of muscle growth, sleep deprivation has also been directly linked to an increase in appetite and as a result an increase in body fat. Because when you are not getting enough quality sleep hormones … Continue reading Your recovery Rockstar
Dealing in absolutes
Dealing in absolutes isn’t a good idea. When we use terminology such as good or bad or ‘always’ and ‘never’ it creates a false dichotomy. Which is an informal fallacy based on a premise. That erroneously limits what options are available. The source of the fallacy lies not in an invalid form of inference but … Continue reading Dealing in absolutes
Peanuts
I’m going to share with you a story from when I was working in a Health Club. I was delivering a seminar and afterwards a couple came to speak to me. They told me they had tried every fad diet and product that I had slammed in my talk. And they still were struggling with … Continue reading Peanuts
Immediate gratification
I know the process of exercise doesn’t feel good, in fact, it’s quite the opposite at the time. Being hot, sweaty, uncomfortable it’s quite an ordeal. The same goes for food choices, it’s effort to cook a meal that will be better for you than a takeaway. And getting to bed at a reasonable time … Continue reading Immediate gratification
The blame game
The big mindset switch for me, the thing that has helped me the most, was from when I was studying psychology. It was something that resonated with me and has been so important in my perspective of life. Thinking about it today it’s almost like a secret that I’m so glad came to hear about. … Continue reading The blame game
Baptism of fire
I remember when I first started in a Health Club many years ago and I had a consultation with a new client. When I asked him about his goals I was a little taken back by what happened next. He went to his bag and out from it he pulled a copy of Men’s Health magazine. … Continue reading Baptism of fire
What alchemy is this?!
You see your co worker, friend or family member at meal times and they seem to have a lot of food on their plate. This isn’t the first time you’ve noticed. You ask yourself ‘how do they eat so much and stay slim?’ It feels like you’ve got hardly anything on your plate but you’re … Continue reading What alchemy is this?!
Sleep revenge!
You don’t need me to convince you of the benefits of sleep and I’m sure you’ve heard about them: Boosting your immune system. Help prevent weight gain. Sleep can strengthen your heart. Better sleep = better mood. Sleeping can increase productivity. Sleep can increase exercise performance. Sleep improves memory. But getting the hours of sleep … Continue reading Sleep revenge!
Danger on the climb down
I read a fascinating article yesterday about mountain climbers. It was the Headline that caught my attention; Mount Everest record-holder says — ‘it’s the trek down that kills people!‘ Veteran Everest climber Kami Rita Sherpa — (who holds the world record for Everest summits with 24 to his name). Said all Everest climbers should focus … Continue reading Danger on the climb down
Cholesterol – The Silent Killer
Cholesterol is often dubbed the silent killer because it doesn’t manifest itself through symptoms or a person’s physical appearance. It only get’s talked about when you hear about a co worker who keeled over on the treadmill at the gym or on his driveway cleaning his car. Which may get you to thinking ‘how do I … Continue reading Cholesterol – The Silent Killer
Fear of failure
Have you ever avoided something because you are scared of failing?Of course you have. This fear of failure is something we pick up in adolescence or adulthood. It protects our ego. Think about it, what do we tell our kid’s when they come to us and tell us that something doesn’t work? We tell them … Continue reading Fear of failure