Prioritise training

Hi everyone :) I was thinking about this blog for some time and in the real world you hear people tell you on a daily basis they don't have time to train .... Could this really be possible ...

Now if you are 1 of those and you have been putting out training for some time ... Stop right now ... Grab a pen and paper or even your tablet or ipad and write down exactly what you do throughout your whole day ... And I can garantee there is a 45min spot 3 times a week you can fit a session in ...

1stly training should not be an extra in your life . Training must be part of your lifestyle ... And make sure your training times stay constant ... Often when you go on 'ill train as soon as I have a spot open during the day ..99% of the time that won't happen ... Best times especially for a nice wod is in the morning . For those that aren't morning people , try it out for about 2-3 weeks remember this will be foreign to your body and you will feel tired at 1st but soon you will get into the routine .

But don't be scared to make training a priority in your life . It doesn't have to run your life but there are sooooo many health benefits to just fitting in 3 sessions a week . Physically and psychology . You have all those feel good endorphans that are now being released ... You are decreasing the aging process ... Increasing bone density ... Losing weight , by building lean muscle . You get fit and strong and are able to have more energy for everyday life things like walking and playing with your kids . If you have to move a heavy object you will start to do it with proper form .

So get started ! Find a CrossFit box closest located to you and speak to your coach there . Get in for a free intro session and most probably you will be hooked :) but remember !!! CrossFit/ strength training should be a lifestyle change and not a quick fix !!!

You have 1 body and 1 life so take full advantage to imove your lifestyle today . You will have no regrets .... And the better you feel and the more confidence you have can only be beneficial to your everyday life .

Have an awesome week !!!!! :)

Importance of deloading

I want to start my blog post off today by saying how important it is to listen to your body when you are training and wanting to achieve your goals .... Many people think more is better ... That's not always the case ... But quality is what's key in reaching your highest potential ...

I just came out of a deloading week and I must say ... I needed it :) Now I feel fresh and ready for my hard training ahead and prepping for cmwg . A deloading week is there for your body to fully recover . Its important to communicate to your coach how your body is feeling and if you have 1 off or tired day it doesn't mean you have to take an off week ... You have those :) could have just been that you had a bad nights sleep or your body could have just been a bit tired from the previous days work but as soon as you feel you have a few nights where you can't sleep or you starting to feel you are going into a bit of over-training . Take that rest week where you just work lighter on everything , you don't need to completely take off ... Your body will go into sleep mode if you do that .

Now I'd like to discuss some of the benefits I've experienced when I've had a deloading week : Sleep is a lot better once you are more recovered .Training just feels super good and I feel strong.I just feel overall more relaxed .Emotionally you feel better as well .Energy levels not just during training but throughout the day is also a lot better !
Now to leave you with some advice ... Before you decide you need this deloading week , speak to a professional or someone that works closely with you in your training and every day life . Sometimes they know you better than you know yourself .
 Keeping a training diary also helps as this will help you to monitor your training progress . Now once you have done your deloading week . You bring your A-Game to the table :) :) Ready to hit some PB's !!!!!!!

Steps to start visualizing

Ok ,so on my previous blog I explained a bit what visualization is about and how effective it can be .

 Another name for visualization is also called mental imagery (imagining) or even self hypnosis ... But this is not the typical hypnosis most people will be thinking about ...

 Its important to 1st write down the steps you will be following to start your mental imagery training ...and this is just in the beginning for you to get used to the process ... That's why this is like training a muscle ... You have to do it everyday until it becomes automatic and then trust me it will pay off :)

Steps to start you off :

1. Sit in a comfortable seat or lay down on your bed
2.Relax your body and take long slow breaths.
3.Now close your eyes and see what you want to achieve .(This might be you standing on the podium , or with a medal or even the body you want to achieve)
4. As soon as you start to lose the image in your mind focus on your breathing.
5.Always think of the positive
6.Now with that picture , imagine the sight, sound, taste,feeling, and even the smell of the environment around you.
7.Have detail in your mental picture. (See what you are wearing who is around you, what are you hearing, how do you feel...)
8. If it didn't work the 1st time ...don't worry , its something new to get used to . 9.ALWAYS end your mental imagery session with a positive image (I like seeing myself or feeling myself smile)

 Now to give you more of an idea of what you can image in detail ... This is what I see when I do my visualization training ....

1.Think of my snatch ...doing a 90kg
 2. I walk onto the platform up the stairs at an international comp.
3.Feeling the chalk on my hands as I powder my hands to go for my lift.
4.Walking to the bar in a positive manner and psyching up to go for my lift.
5.I smell the air in the building, hearing the crowd cheer for me as I walk to my bar.
6. I see where i grip the bar, go down into a squat and driving my heals into the ground.
7.Seeing nothing in front of me but staying focused.
8. I pull that bar as hard as I can and explode underneath that bar as I get my snatch .
9. Feeling the block of the weight above my head, standing up with the weight.
10. Hearing the crowd go crazy for that snatch I just got .
11. I feel the joy and happiness and drop the bar knowing I just hit a new PB :) :)

Enjoy the process and you will even start your day off in a positive and happy way because now your brain will tell you that you have just experienced a very happy moment in your life :)

the Power of the Mind

Visualizing what you want to achieve If you have ever wondered how sometimes you have wanted something so badly and in your mind you saw it happen over and over and then all of a sudden it happens ... Now thats visualizing :) But often people think its just about seeing something in your mind but actually its sooooo much more !!!You have to use all your senses when you visualize . You have to see it , hear it, feel it and be able to smell it . That's what visualization is about ...

The Power of Visualization

 You could practice your skills, think of your lifts , see yourself on the podium or just see the body you want to achieve through crossFit and feel the happiness of when you have achieved this all in your mind .Mental practice can get you closer to where you want to be in life, and it can prepare you for success !

 A study looking at the brain and its patterns in weightlifters found that the patterns activated when a weightlifter lifted hundreds of kilograms were similarly activated when they only imagined themselves lifting the weights .Research has also revealed that its almost as effective as true physical practice but doing both together is even more effective . You have to train your brain the same way as what you would train your muscles . Atleast everyday for about 10min , have your quiet time and think of what you want to achieve and the more you practice this the more it will become automatic and its a great way to unwind your day and have that "me time" you were looking for :)

Next post ill be giving step by step instructions on how you can start your visualization practice !

setting your sights on your main goal

Getting your mind focused on the Main Goal ...

To start off I want to mention that at the age of 25 it has always been my goal to go to the Olympics...This is a very big year for me with my weightlifting because it’s the year of the Commonwealth Games - my aim for 2014 is to get a medal here and how will I get this? Hard work. Dedication on and off the sports field. I have made it my main priority this year to give it my very best and then be able to know in my heart that I gave it everything I had. This is also one of the big steps for me in order to go to the 2016 Olympics in Rio. I have sponsors from Reebok, the Leaderboard and Biogen and with the help of all of these people they have made the road easier for me to achieve my goals. The reason for writing this is to share with you because I know there are many of you that have important things you want to achieve in life but feel you don’t have the time or you have too many things you want to achieve all at once. My advice: PRIORITIZE! You have to do this in order to identify the most important goals in your life. Try and write down everything you want to achieve and set a time-lime to achieve these goals. Also write down your smaller goals to track your progress - I’ll give you an example of mine.

2014 Training Goals

 1. Main Goal . Win a medal at The 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Short term goals to achieve this . - Track weekly training results -Follow an eat to perform diet -Sleep 8 hours every night and don’t break routine - assess recovery on a daily basis just to make sure I’m fully recovered for each training session - Chat to your coach about training and communicate how you feel - By May 192kg total -Commonwealth games 200kg total Now you can even break this down even more but this is just a basic guideline of how you can get yourself geared up to achieve what you have always dreamed of . May it be work, diet, training or just general life like spending more time with your family or working on having more 'me' time which is also very important when you want to have a happy successful life... Be happy and smile There is so much to be grateful for that people take for granted. Wake up every morning and say thank-you for something in your life. Being Happy attracts more happy (happiness).

This is a general guideline of what I do when I set goals and will definitely go more in depth about achieving your goals and going for what you want.

So the open is upon us !!!

So the open is upon us ....This a very important comp for most athletes doing CrossFit ... This is where they want to prove that every blood , sweet and tear was worth it ... Some athletes might take is as a fun challenge but if there are any athletes like myself that always go out to give their very best and think 2nd isn't good enough you will understand what I'm talking about ...

During my sport career there has been ups and down but when I've reached my ups it was all worth it athletes should know and take the open as a challenge ... Relax , breathe and know that you have done all the hard work you could have possible done ... Now its time to put your hard work to the test ....I heard a very interesting quote this morning .... Everyone wants to win but not everyone is willing to prepare ... This means on and off the field ... The way you think , eat and sleep are all very important components to becoming a top athlete . After your comp sure you can chill and unwind but when its leading up to that day you have to stay focused and surrounding yourself with people like-minded as yourself will give you that boost when you feel a bit de motivated .

I'm very lucky to be in an environment where my training partners are all very motivated and driven young people and I know on and off the sport field they will make a success of themselves .Times will get tough .... During that wod you might feel like you want to die !!!! 'Trust me I've been there' but take a deep breath, know that this is your moment to shine and you know what.... if it doesn't work out go and analyze why it didn't ... Speak to your coach we are here for you to help you get past those boundaries ... Next time you won't make the same mistake again ... Also make sure you get enough rest during these hard 5 weeks .... Eat properly (eat to perform) and go balls to the wall when you do each event Afterwards you can smile and say I gave a 110% !!!!

Goodluck all you awesome CrossFitters !!!!

Where to start

If you are reading this you are already on the right path. The path of success, wanting the know more, feel better, move better, look better. Yes I am currently in the CrossFit industry as a coach and athlete, but this will benefit not just the competitive CrossFitter but also all hard working dedicated athlete in any sport. Being biased w.r.t some aspects needs to be there, but first and foremost this is for one and all. Feel free to comment and ask questions on any of the discussed topics.

What are you eating, when are you eating, how much are you eating? A few necessary questions you need to ask yourself. All of these questions must be rectified by a few more. How do I answer this?
The amount of each food group you need will depend on, The type of sport, the amount of training and the time you spend in the activity or exercise.

To help you perform better, avoid exercising on an empty stomach. Everyone is different, so you will need to learn how soon before training you can consume food before it negatively effects your energy level, mood or body movements. Also how much food you are able to consume.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates are a diet staple. They are important for providing energy during exercise. Carbohydrates are stored in the body in the form of glycogen, mostly in the muscles and liver. Carbohydrates must not be seen as being evil. Depending on your goals. This can be the difference between feeling great or really bad during and after training.
What matters most is the total amount of carbohydrates you eat each day. A little more than half of your calories should come from carbohydrates. Choosing the right ones are the important part here.
After exercise, you need to eat carbohydrates to build the glycogen storage back up in your muscles. Even more important is how badly your muscle need carbohydrates to help transport protein to the muscle for optimum muscle recovery and tissue repair.

PROTEIN

Protein is important for muscle growth and to repair body tissues. Protein can also be used by the body for energy, but only after glycogen or carbohydrate stores have been used up.
Just as we need to consume the right balance of protein it’s also important  to consume the right balance and varied protein sources. ( rule of  thumb leaner is better )

FAT

Do not be scared. Fat is filling, full of heart healthy goodness to keep your organs working, skin, nails and hair growing. Best of all you need to consume it to burn it. The Key is as above mentioned with carbohydrate and protein sources, balance.



VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Fat soluble and water soluble are 2 very different types of vitamins and minerals but both essential to overall health and well-being. Before we go into more detail you need fats and water take note. Without these two essentials the transportation's of vitamins and minerals will not be able to take its course fast enough and  may hinder the body’s natural energy systems and natural levels of homeostasis.  Take note to the difference in the 2. 1 Water soluble (Vitamin C and all of the B vitamins): Water soluble vitamins are vitamins that our bodies do not store. These vitamins dissolve in water when they are ingested, then go in to the blood stream. 2 Fat Soluble (Vitamins A, D, E and K): Fat soluble vitamins are those that are normally stored in the body. When these vitamins are ingested, they dissolve in fat.

BALANCE

As you lose your balance on a pistol, handstand walk, jerk , overhead squat, so you lose balance with your eating habits. How do we fix this? Practice, trial and error.  What you put in you will get out. The more time, effort and discipline you apply to this venture the closer you will be to understanding the very unique and special demands your body requires. No matter how technical nutrition becomes at the end of the day it’s still all about calorie intake vs calorie expenditure. Your body will guide you and show you how much it wants and needs but first you need to fuel it with natural wholesome foods. What those wholesome alternative are I will discuss on the next post.
Strive to move better.