Want to Change? Than Change Your Habits First

In life many people have dreams and goals that they want to achieve but many never reach them, so why is this?

In order to truly reach your goals, whether it is to get that 'summer beach body' or that dream job, you need to change your habits in your life that are holding you back, in order to start moving towards your goal.

Planning is everything.  You need to start breaking old habits and make new ones, that will help you to get where you need to be.  If you do the same old thing, nothing will change and you will just plod along in life and your goals will forever be a distant dream.  Why should your life change for the better if you aren't prepared to change yourself.

Change is hard, we are all creatures of habit and enjoy being in our comfort zone and don't like being out of it but in order to improve we must venture out of our comfort zone, that's when the opportunities come and things can start to change.

12 years ago I was stuck in an office job which I didn't like and so I actively decided to change it. I was already a Karate instructor and liked the idea of becoming a fitness professional and helping people to get fit.   I approached the YMCA and got my Gym Instructor Level 2 and got a part time job, while I was still doing my office job and after a year left my jobs and took a 3 month break touring America with my girlfriend (another dream) and than when we got back found a job as a door supervisor (outside my comfort zone) to get some money than got a full time gym instructor job in London.

So I didn't just sit there moaning about my job and dreaming about becoming an instructor I took responsibility, took charge and did something about it.  It was scary, I had been in that job for 12 years but it was more scary thinking that I could be sitting there for another 30 odd, watching my dreams fade away, so I decided to take a chance and take that leap of faith into the unknown.

It worked for me, when I was a gym instructor I pushed myself forward, gaining my qualifications in GP Referral and classes such as Boxercise and Body Combat, so I was always developing and improving as an instructor and as a person.

Along with my wife Tonya, we opened up Titan Freestyle Martial Arts, first in Woodford then in Walthamstow and we had a fantastic time teaching both children and adults and met a lot of great people during those years and gained some trophies for the club from martial arts tournaments that our students attended.

So if you want to achieve your dreams, take charge and start to break those habits that are holding you back and start making the changes needed to make the difference.

Work outside your comfort zone as much as possible because that's where the magic happens and things start to change.

Don't care what other people think, do what you feel is right and just do it.

Fear is only an emotion use it, control it, don't let it control you and your dreams and goals can come true.

Exercise is Key to Improving Quality of Life

In my job as a fitness professional I see a lot of people from all different walks of life,  ages and cultures but all have one thing in common, they all want to get fitter.  Whether that is to lose weight, build muscle, increase stamina, flexibility, help improve their diet or a combination of these things.  What can also separate them is attitude.  I see those who will work their arses off and control their food intake therefore getting the results they want and those that are 'playing' at getting fit.  You know the ones going through the motions, not putting themselves out of their comfort zones not addressing their diet and therefore not getting the results they want and blaming others for their failures.  As an instructor it can be frustrating to try and train someone who doesn't really want to properly train and I sometimes feel like I am hitting my head against a brick wall and my advice and teachings fall on deaf ears. 


However there are times that come about that makes me proud to be a fitness professional and I can see the results that have come about when someone listens to what I have to say, puts it into practice with planning and determination and truly gets the results they deserve.


  One day this week I had two different people, both were elderly and had breathing problems.  During their 12 week review one lady said she can stand for longer and therefore doesn't have to sit when she showers and can now walk for a mile!  The other a man now has a stronger upper body, more energy, his diabetes is more under control, has increased stamina and is less out of breath!  Because they pushed themselves a little, therefore encouraging the body to improve, they have got the results that they wanted and improved their quality of life. 


We sometimes take our health for granted and wouldn't even think about taking a seat when showering or having to stop every few steps because we're out of breath. Exercise not only helps to improve our fitness levels and  achieve more in our lives therefore improving the quality of it, exercise can be used also for prevention.  Why wait for you to get a serious medical condition like heart disease or diabetes.  Prevention is better than cure, jump on that bike, go for a jog and eat a bit healthier and who knows what you could achieve.

Best way for Men to Lose Belly Fat

According to a recent study by Harvard School of  Public Health, 20 minutes of weight training a day helped to lower the increase of abdominal fat among healthy men, compared with those who performed 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous cardio per day.


10,500 men aged 40 and over were studied over a period of 12 years.  They examined their activities, body weight and measured their waist circumferences.  They discovered that the group that did only weight training had a lower waist line compared with those that did only aerobic exercise.  The best results came when both weight  and aerobic training were combined. 

 As we age our bodies lose muscle mass, this can be prevented if weight and aerobic training are combined.  This will help to build or maintain muscle mass, helping to increase metabolism,  therefore burning body fat at rest.


So if you want to maintain a lean strong body throughout your years than a combination of both types of exercises can help maintain a healthier waistline.

How to Solve the Bigger Problems by Doing Less

For many years doctors and scientists dreamt of finding a single cure for all types of cancer.  However they only started to make real progress when Sidney Farber, now known as the Father of Modern Chemotherapy, decided to focus on trying to find only a cure for leukaemia and due to narrowing his search made significant progress against this disease. 

The results that came from this than was used as a foundation to help other scientists to fight other types of cancer.  By making the problem smaller, Farber discovered solutions that could be used to treat the bigger problem. 

 This central concept of solving the bigger problem by first tackling smaller ones can be used in all our daily lives as well.  Problems can occur in our lives and can be seen as too big to cope with at first glance and we brush it aside to do later when we 'have more time' but this can then allow it to become even bigger, which than can become too overwhelming to cope with, leading to panic and distress.  By solving a smaller part of the problem can help solve the larger one and make it feel much more manageable and put you back in control. 

 For instance if you want to improve your diet, don't try to change everything all at once. Start with cutting out all fizzy drinks or change them to 'diet'.  Do this for a few weeks until it's a habit and than move on to change another part of your diet.  If you want to increase your fruit and vegetable intake, increase by one fold.  Once this becomes part of your eating habit, then repeat.  You're be eating your 5 a day in next to no time.  

Similarly if you want to exercise more regularly than start with going to the gym 1-2 times per week or/and using the stairs at work rather than the lift.  Do this for a number of weeks, once it becomes a habit move on to another aspect of it, such as increasing the frequency or volume.


So you can see if you can break down a big problem into smaller ones it can become much more manageable, less stressful and reduce the risk of failure.
 
I  borrowed this concept from www.jamesclear.com this is a fantastic website and he has some great ideas on how you can time manage your life better and improve your lives.