Fitness Behavior

In New Zealand, the Covid lockdown period had a positive effect on many people’s fitness.   A lot of people who didn’t normally exercise suddenly had more time, so they used this time to go for a walk, a run or do some other form of exercise.   People were getting fitter, feeling good about themselves physically, and enjoying the benefits of regular exercise.   This could have been a life changing time….   But when life went back to normal what do you think happened?   These people fell away from the exercise habit they had built.   This lockdown period teaches some really valuable lessons around why people aren’t exercising and how things need to be done differently.   In this week’s video, I teach you a better way to approach bringing exercise into your life, in a way that can be maintained no matter what the conditions of your life may be.   If you aren’t exercising, you want to watch this video.

The last quarter of a half marathon is tough.   As a coach, I want to make sure our half marathon runners know how to respond in a way that will:   1. Deliver the result they want 2. Help them make the best decisions in these tough moments 3. Get them to the finish line in a way they can be proud of   We have a mental technique we teach our runners which helps them win these tough moments and it’s very simple and effective! This week I teach you this technique so you can get better at ‘winning’ tough moments in your life.

Are you a career driven person or business owner that is compromising your health due to the demands of your work life? If you are, this week’s video is for you. I share some interesting, and scary insights that I gained from an interview I did recently, around the cost of not looking after your health when you are a workaholic. If you know you are putting your health last due to your work, watch this video.

I'm keeping it simple this week.   I'm sharing a story from my life that inspired me to start a hobby that has been crucial to me.   If you feel you need something more in your life, this video is for you.

This week, one of our runners came up to me for some weight-loss advice. During our discussion, I asked the question “Why do you think you are overweight?”.   It was obvious that they hadn’t thought about this question as they didn’t have an answer.   They looked a bit lost.   I suggested that they have to think about this and find a possible answer or answers, because it’s important to figure out the real problem/s lying behind this issue for them that may need to be solved.   A lot of people think a weight-loss journey is solely about food and exercise. While these 2 things are important, there are often (and not always obvious) bigger problems to solve, and if you get on top of these you have a higher chance of success.   In this week’s video, I share why this is an important question to explore before you start a weight-loss journey and the steps you can take which will help set you on the right path.

I was talking to a friend last weekend about his financial situation.    He was telling me that he probably spends over 8 hours a week stressing about money. This is massive when you think about it, it’s half the time you are awake within a full day!   The interesting thing about our conversation is that he’s in a great place with his finances. It turns out that the finances aren’t the problem…   It’s that he’s missing 3 simple steps that would remove the stress from his life.   In this week’s video, I share our conversation and the 3-step plan that could help him remove a massive stress from his life.   If you are stressed, this may be a good watch for you.

Do you have an area of your life that you know you are very strong in? It could be: Career Health and fitness Being a parent A hobby Does being strong in this area hold you back? You may be wondering what I’m talking about here...   I have this concept called ‘Because I’m great I don’t have to’. It’s a concept that digs deep into how our strength can close us off to the work that can be done to take us to a higher level of self. In this week’s video I talk about this concept and share how understanding it can lead to exciting next level versions of you.

In my book, "I Will Make You Passionate About Exercise," I introduce the concept of four different types of exercisers.   They are: The Non-Exerciser: This person has no exercise routine. The Yo-Yo Exerciser: This person comes and goes from exercise The Habit Exerciser: This person has a good routine that they know they can maintain, but sometimes aren’t achieving their desired change The Thriving Exerciser: This person is in a place where they are growing and experiencing all the amazing benefits that come from regular exercise Which one are you?   (If you are a Non-Exerciser or a Yo-Yo Exerciser, it’s worth getting my book which will give you a plan for how to become a Habit and eventually even a Thriving exerciser).   Recently, I realized there is a fifth type of exerciser, the highest level of all.   This is a level that not many can reach, but if you do, you'll become a legend with exercise.   In this week’s video, I reveal the fifth type of exerciser. Maybe it’s a level that you can aim for.

Do you feel guilty about the things you aren't doing to help yourself grow or overcome hurdles you face? You are not alone in experiencing this. Many people grapple with such guilt. Unfortunately, instead of prompting actionable change, this guilt often merely exacerbates negative feelings. There's a tool that I use to address this issue. It allows me to be realistic, fair to myself, and build trust that I will overcome challenges. This week, I will share what the tool is and how you can also use it. So, if you are sitting in guilt, check out this video

Being true to the real me is important. I like to feel aligned to my values and who I want to be in this world.  To take that a step further, I want to evolve so I can learn higher levels of myself. Every day, I have a powerful tool that I use that allows me to get to these higher levels. In this week’s video I teach you this tool. I think you will get a lot of value from it.

Here’s a fascinating statistic: Over 80% of people never complete their New Year resolutions. In fact, only 8% of people maintain them for the whole year.   There are many reasons why this happens, but to me, there’s one single massive mistake people make when they set their resolutions which leads to them quitting very quickly. If you want to be one of 8% that achieve and stick to their resolutions, listen to this podcast. 

News: Results and coming up races, John’s short course update. Interview: We have Gordo back on the show. He covers 5 key aspects of his comeback.  Coaches Corner: John looks back on an article he wrote 20 years ago to see if it still holds up. Age Grouper of the Week: Matt Facey sent through Regan Hollioake.

In my last video for the year, I am going to share the three massive (kind of life-transforming) lessons that I have learnt this 2023. These lessons are ones that I'll be carrying with me for the rest of my life. If you would like to learn these lessons, watch this video. 

Have you had a leader in your life who had a life-changing impact on you?  How important was this person to you? Great leaders have a massive impact on the world and on us as individuals. This can be an amazing coach, a manager, an organisational leader, or a connection that guides us to great heights. While great leaders are immensely important, many people struggle to lead when in these positions.  They may: •    Shy away from the opportunity •    Go about things the wrong way •    Create damage, not empowerment, in the relationship. Unfortunately, this can lead them to disengage from leading others. Having led thousands of people for over 20 years, I've learned a thing or two about how to help people get the best out of themselves. I believe there are four key tools/understandings you must have if you want to be a leader who can have a massive impact. In this week’s video, I share four tips on how to become an impactful leader, enabling you to create life-changing shifts in others.

Do you exercise regularly but aren’t getting the results you want? Maybe you… -        Consistently turn up -        Consistently do the workouts But you aren’t seeing the change you want.  This is frustrating and can be unmotivating.  There are lots of reasons why this happens, but I feel there are 4 main ones.  This week I share 4 key reasons people why don’t get the results they want, and what you need to do to overcome these. If you want to get better results, make sure you watch this video.

Last weekend 5 people cried on my shoulder.  It wasn’t because it they were sad… It was because they had overcome the massive challenge of completing a marathon.  The tears represented: ·        Pride ·        Fatigue ·        Feeling on top of the world ·        Realising that they had achieved something that was so hard! These were powerful interactions which showed the value of doing something extremely hard in your life. Inspired by last weekend, I thought I would create a video explaining the 4 things to do if you are going to take on an extremely hard challenge. Something that I believe is a good thing for every person to do.  Watch the video to learn the lessons. 

Do you know what one of the main reasons is as to why people quit when they are trying to achieve something? It’s because they don’t feel they are making progress. It makes sense, if you are putting the effort in but you aren’t seeing the results you want, it becomes less appealing to stick at it.     I think that one of the biggest problems that works against people is…   They are blind to their progress. They are doing well but they just don’t see it. A great example of this was with one of our runners this week. They were feeling despondent with their running because they felt they weren’t making progress. When I got them to look at their running stats, it turned out they had just run a 5km personal best.   If you want to have ‘stickability’ in achieving a goal, you must become great at seeing and owning your own success. In this week’s video, I share 4 ways you can become better at owning and enjoying your success, so you keep on your path to the growth you want.

Are you the kind of person who sometimes has the ‘two biscuits lead to the whole packet’ problem? …and perhaps struggles to close the door on temptation once you go past a certain point? If you are, you are not alone! The problem is, when we go to this place it can lead to unhealthy outcomes, weight gain, feeling crap about ourselves, and sometimes even bigger costs. I have 3 strategies I use to manage my temptations and they have helped me become someone who very rarely goes to an unhealthy place. In this week’s video I share these strategies with you and teach you how you can apply them to your life so when you are confronted with temptation, you can manage it in a healthier way.

I have one main insecurity…concern about future security.   It comes from being a small business owner. Although evidence shows that things will be fine, there are moments where the future seems unclear and uncertain.  Last week I started using a tool that seems to have removed this fear and uncertainty when this insecurity rears its head and has instead, created excitement about our future. I’m finding it to be a very powerful tool so this week I want to share it with you. Check out my latest video to learn the tool and see how you may be able to apply it to your life.

There’s one question I often get asked when I do media interviews, it’s… Do fitness apps and online programmes work? I’ll be honest, for a huge number of people they don’t. A lot of people who have these types of apps on their phones have every intention of using them but never do.  While I’m a big believer that you are better to choose amazing local providers when it comes to fitness services, I also understand that there is a place for apps. The problem is, people don’t know what they should be looking for if they are going to use an app. This week I’m going to teach you the 6 things you must understand when choosing a fitness app/online programme, so you can achieve your health and fitness goals. If you are interested in running 5km you can check out my online 5km programme, www.my5kdream.com. It will get you running 5km in 63 days…I guarantee it.