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Food, Exercise, and Lifestyle
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It seems that yesterday's post pushed a few buttons with some of you. Good to see you're all paying attention. I love it when you get a little fired up. I'm sure today's article will generate some passionate responses also. Don't forget, I'll be in Perth for instalment one of our Renovate Your Life National Tour on September 14 (Sunday week), so if your Life is in need of a make-over, you may wanna click on thisthingy and book in. On with today's post....
The Quad Stack Burger. Oh Yes.
Here in the Land Down Under we have just added another menu option to our ever-expanding culinary landscape. Just what we need. I guess it's not often that the humble hamburger receives saturation press coverage on a national level, but the new Hungry Jack's (Burger King in the US) Quad Stack Burger (see picture) has been getting just that over the last two days. Every major television and radio station in the country has been running stories about the $5.95 heart attack in a box. And won't the good folk at Hungry Jack's be rubbing their fat little hands together with all that free PR for their new product.
And despite the excessive fat, salt, sugar, cholesterol and calories, it seems the burgers are running, or should I say waddling, out the door at a rapid rate. Take a look at some extracts of a story taken from one of our national newspapers (The Adelaide Advertiser). The stuff in italics is the original text from the article and I've added a few thoughts of my own (there's a shock) in this yucky colour...
Adelaide Advertiser September 3, 2008
A FAST food chain's "gross" 1080-calorie burger is irresponsible and a sign that the industry is ignoring health warnings about the obesity epidemic, experts say.How can a burger be irresponsible? And irresponsible to whom? Is the state of our national health (and waistlines) the responsibility of fast food companies? Don'tcha think we might personally have something to do with our country sitting at the top of the fat table? Let's not delude ourselves, yes they sell unhealthy crap - we all know that - but surely their 'responsibility' as a commercial business is to make money, keep their shareholders happy and sell as many burgers, fries and shakes to as many suckers as possible. That's how it works right? Just like your responsibility as a person who owns a brain is to make good choices about what you shove in your mouth. If people are stupid enough to CHOOSE to buy and consume the stuff then THEY should be held responsible for what THEY DO to their own bodies. To the best of my knowledge Hungry Jacks aren't force feeding the masses are they? There is a free will component to the obesity thing isn't there? How dare I state the obvious; of course we do it to ourselves but it's always so much easier to blame them for my fat self isn't it?
Obesity doesn't happen accidentally - we choose it (consciously or not), we create it and then we try to make someone or something else responsible for our poor decisions and our lack of self control and discipline. It should be a personal responsibility thing. Rather than wasting time, energy and resources blaming companies for our individual and collective fat guts, why don't we get mad at ourselves - after all, that's who really makes us fat. Let's be honest, multi-nationals don't care about my cholesterol or the size of your ass. And neither should they. You should. I should. They simply wanna sell stuff. I can manage my cholesterol and you can manage your ass by choosing to avoid products such as this burger.Just like you don't care about their bottom line, they don't care about your bottom.
TV commercials are promoting the Hungry Jack's Quad Stack Burger, which contains four beef patties, four slices of cheese, two rashers of bacon, barbecue sauce and two sugared buns. It contains 71g of fat, 34.7g of saturated fat, 1930 milligrams of sodium, and 74.8g of protein.That is kind of obscene but I have an idea... let's not eat one! That might work. It is humanly possible right? The burger, which sells for $5.95, has no salad and the calorie content equates to more than half of a woman's recommended daily energy intake and nearly one-third of a man's.That calorie statistic is complete crap. It could be true however if all men and women had exactly the same calorie needs each day - which they don't. Individual energy needs and expenditure vary greatly depending on the weight of the person, general activity levels, body composition, age, occupational activity levels, exercise habits and genetics.
When shown a photo of the burger by The Advertiser yesterday, Health Minister John Hill said: "This is just gross and encourages binge eating."Doesn't encourage me. You? Maybe it's about individual response. My response is, "no thanks". "It is unbelievable in this time of heightened awareness of obesity that a junk food producer would sell this product," he said.If people are stupid enough to buy them and eat them.... someone's gonna sell 'em! That's how the world works. It's called business. It's been happening for a while now. Ever heard of cigarettes? Alcohol? Apparently they're not so healthy either. Still for sale though. And rumour has it, quite popular. They are kind of profitable for the government too. Hey, who's that knocking at my door?
Life Personal Trainers dietitian Tanya Lewis said Hungry Jack's was being "irresponsible" in selling the new burger. "I was quite surprised that with so much media about healthy eating and the whole anti-supersize thing that they would come out and do the exact opposite," she said.From a marketing perspective, it's actually quite brilliant; heaps of free PR, massive sales and cashola galore. Tanya's not happy but someone is.
Now, of course I'm not supporting Hungry Jack's or their new menu item and I would personally never even consider eating one, but our ever-increasing dimensions are not about what they (or any other fast food outlet for that matter) are offering, it's about what we (the masses) are buying and eating!
The proliferation of unhealthy eating options will not finish with this new burger. There will be more burgers. And pizzas. And donuts. And choc bars. And beers. And cigarettes. And drugs. And people will continue to use and abuse all of them. By choice. I would love to live in a junk-food-free world but it ain't gonna happen. So maybe we should all worry less about getting mad at the fast food guys and focus on what really determines our fitness or fatness; us.
53 comments
Okay, so this post is up a day(ish) early. My Thursday is a little busy this week so I thought I best be ultra organised. I wouldn't want you to think I'm getting lazy in my middle age. Hope you're having a great week by choice, doing what you need to do, and being the change. On with the show... Poor Delusional Me
Being a single bloke in his forties draws all kinds of comments, suggestions, inferences and questions from a broad cross-section of people, with responses ranging from pity to surprise, through to outright jealousy. Apparently the most interesting thing about me (for some people) is my wife-less-ness (a Craigism). Clearly there's something weird, dark and dysfunctional about me that needs to be explored and explained.
Or... I could just be a happy, single bloke.
Naaah.
Pity
Women periodically feel sorry for me (while simultaneously trying to hook me up with their sister, cousin, neighbour or girlfriend), while blokes have been known to ask if I'd be interested in trading lives with them. According to some people, I must be miserable, lonely, unfulfilled and emotionally inept. Apparently I just think I'm happy; I'm just telling myself that to make 'me' feel better about being tragically single. And lonely. Poor delusional Craig.
Gotta say, my delusion is quite the place. You should visit.
The Happiness Fraud
After all, we live in our head and we create our own reality don't we? So if I think I'm happy and I feel happy then that would make me... happy. Wouldn't it? Nope, apparently I'm in denial. Consciously happy but subconsciously miserable. All this time and I didn't realise. So ignorant of me. I've been a happiness fraud without knowing it. I best start working on my frown. And my country music CD collection. If only I could find an unhappy married person to challenge the marriage-happiness correlation theory. As if I'm gonna find one of them.
Oh well.
Husband anyone?
A Rubik's Cube with Hair
Last time I spoke about being single on this site I was inundated with feedback on the matter. I personally seem to go through cycles where my wife-less-ness is of greater or lesser interest to other people. For me, it's a non-issue but it seems that some people are always trying to figure me out. Apparently I'm some kind of complex human puzzle that needs to be solved. Or cured perhaps. Someone raises the subject with me at least once a week. Never smoked, never consumed alcohol, never been married = weird. At least once a week I hear something like "it's strange that someone in your position (my position?) isn't married." Okay, it's official; I'm strange. If not me, my situation.
Ticking the Boxes
But this article is not about my marital status, it's about pressure, standards, expectations and the unwritten rules. You know the rules. Living in Western Society there are certain boxes which (allegedly) need to be ticked if we're going to fit in and be seen as normal. The irony of normal being that while it's apparently desirable, it's not necessarily where happiness lives. In reality, some people's (version of) normal is actually what provides them with the most pain, frustration and grief. We think we want normal but perhaps what we really want is exceptional. Abnormal even. After all, take a look at society's normal and it ain't really that attractive. In fact, we could say that it looks kinda broke, a little chubby, somewhat unhealthy, not particularly happy and decidedly unfulfilled (miserable) with it's career.
2.3 Kids
Of course there are the accepted (expected maybe) social standards and behaviours; kind of like a life TO DO list. It's not always spoken of... but it exists. All the stuff us normal folk are meant to do over the course of our normal lives. Marriage (at least once), kids (2.3 of them), annual holidays (2-4 weeks, somewhere warm), buy a house (pay it off over two hundred years - can't go wrong with real estate), a sensible job (large firm, good conditions, something secure, potential for progression), weekly attendance at a house of worship (keeping in mind the eternal consequences of non-attendance)... you get the point. Of course there's nothing wrong (at all) with aspiring to marriage, a good career, financial success, a couple of rug rats or a respected place in the congregation or the after-life, but the problem lies in our (society's) consensual thinking that ticking these boxes automatically provides an individual with a better (more balanced, more fulfilled, more worthwhile, happier) life than the person who ticks zero (of those) boxes.
The Enormity of Conformity
On some level we all want to fit in, but it seems that in trying to blend in with the landscape of humanity we often lose our purpose, our individuality and our sense of self. We lose, or maybe never discover, the real us. The us we could be. Should be. Rather than exploring our potential, our talent, our curiosities and our passion, we become what's expected of us. We tick boxes. We keep parents happy. Bosses happy. We say the right things. Do the right things. We conform. We become another clone. And living in a world which so often punishes individuality, conformity is understandable. Sad, but understandable.
Rules Schmules
I often think about the impact that the great unspoken TO DO list has on our lives. The rules, the expectations, the pressure, the confusion, the embarrassment and even the shame of not conforming, not ticking all the boxes and not living up to society's standards or the expectations of others in our world. Some of us have spent far too much time, ticking way too many boxes. Perhaps it's time to stop.
53 comments
Hi Guys, thanks for your well wishes. I'm getting better and doing my best not to infect the masses with my germs. But as you can imagine, my compulsion to hug Johnny is somewhat overwhelming. It's a constant battle. My throat still feels like hamburger and I'm still sounding like Barry White, but overall my energy level is picking up slowly. I've moved twice today! Anyway, enough sooking from me, enjoy your Tuesday... Oh yeah, I nearly forgot, the Bald Man just put up a video of one of my recent Channel Ten segments in the left side bar. Take a peek if you haven't seen it already. On with today's post... Pigeon Hole Construction 101
Have you ever noticed how we mere mortals have the capacity to pigeon hole ourselves into irrelevance, mediocrity, frustration, under-achievement and even misery? For a range of reasons, some of us arrive at a point (mentally and emotionally) where we build ourselves a boring and frustrating (but safeandfamiliar) pigeon hole to inhabit. And sadly, some of us spend our entire lives in there. Only inches away from greatness without really knowing it, believing it or exploring it. Never daring to put a toe outside our safe but ultimately debilitating and toxic sanctuary. While many are consciously and proactively creating their best lives, for some, life seems to happen to them, around them and in spite of them. They are spectators not players. Missing out on the best game of all.
The Value of Risk
At some point on our life journey, many of us decide who we are, how we are, what we are and what we can and can't do and then we build a box that looks just like that. Then we live in it. Forever. We create a practical existence to conform to our self-limiting beliefs and our fears and eventually our crappy mindset becomes our crappy reality out in the physical world. Our internal reality becomes our external reality. We waste our time, our talent, our potential and numerous opportunities by living in our pigeon hole. We spend a lifetime rationalizing, explaining and justifying what we're not doing with our lives and why we're staying in our respective holes. Sure we want the pot of gold (whatever that means for us personally) but we don't want the risk. The emotional risk. The mental risk. The financial risk. Any risk. We want safety and where the safety is... there ain't no rainbow and there definitely ain't no pot of gold at the end of it.
What Scares Us
There's no fun, joy, excitement or personal growth living in our pigeon hole but at least we know what to expect every day and that predictability and familiarity gives us a level of security and comfort; two things we love. Change, uncertainty and the unfamiliar scare the crap out of us. Interestingly, they are three things which also cause us to grow, learn, adapt and become better people. Pity we avoid them. Rats Up a Drainpipe
"Just ignore me, don't put any pressure on me, don't expect too much from me and whatever you do, don't ask me to get out of my pigeon hole Craig. I feel safe in here." While it's never an exciting place to be, the pigeon hole serves a purpose because when we're in there we don't need to take chances (we hate those), we don't have to make tough decisions (they terrify us) and we don't need to get uncomfortable (we don't do the discomfort thing). And when we do leave our hole on those rare occasions, it's because life (a situation, circumstance or event) has dragged us out of there kicking, protesting and screaming. And as we've always done, the vast majority of us will scamper back to the security of our holes like rats up a drainpipe as soon as possible.
"I could never run a marathon... I'm the chubby one, she's the athlete of the family"
"I could never write a book because I've don't have a creative bone in my body... just ask my mother"
"I could never speak to an audience... I'm the introvert of the family"
"I'm the problem child, the black sheep of the family... failure follows me around"
"I would love to start my own business but I'm too old... that's something a young person should do.."
"I'm too fat, too stupid, too ugly, too shy, too short, too tall, too uneducated, too unskilled, too busy....."
So what's it like in your pigeon hole... will you be moving out any time soon?
Share your thoughts by clicking on the comment thingy.
28 comments
Hi Boys and Girls. Today's post is kinda long so you may wanna get a hot drink. Greetings from the sleepy bayside suburbs of Melbourne on your Monday morning. Hope your week is shaping up to be a ripper. Don't know what's going on with me but I woke up this morning (it's Sunday night as I write this) with a cracker of a headache, a throat which felt like it had been attacked by a cheese grater as I slept and an energy level of minus seven. For the bloke who doesn't get ill often, getting sick twice in a fortnight is kind of annoying (especially being the alpha-male warrior). I've spoken to my body about it but apparently, it's not listening. In fact, it has been doing the talking and setting the agenda today. And the agenda for most of today has been... the couch. With the occasional trip to the fridge. And a smattering of slumber.
I may have to re-listen to a few of my Deepak Chopra CD's... the ones where he teaches me to control my physical health and healing via my mind. I haven't quite nailed that yet. I'm trying. The human mind is an incredible thing. If only I knew how to use it properly. Sometimes my experience of the human mind (okay, my mind) has been like owning a Ferrari which will do 300kph (180mph) but constantly driving it around in first gear and never getting it above 60kph (35mph). So much un-used potential. So much un-used power. Such a waste. If only I could drive exotic cars!
To the people who came along to our informal mentoring session at the gym on Saturday morning (the ones who missed out on the competition), I apologise for giving you a seven out of ten. It was the first time I've actually run a session with a massive headache while feeling physically ill. It was hard to hear your questions over the banging pulse in my head! Literally. Anyway, it was nice to meet you all and to put faces to the names I see on my site. Make sure you take action on those things we spoke about, don't over-think, don't over-analyse, don't procrastinate (any more) and stop seeking approval. The only person you need permission from (to create your best life) is YOU. So get busy.
On with today's post...
The Girl from Victor Harbour
As you regular readers would know, last week I entertained (often literally) a guest; Jo Thomas from South Australia. Jo won our competition to spend a week being mentored and trained by me. Overall it was a great experience; lots of fun, lots of sweat, lots of conversation and we both learned plenty. What started out as being one hour per day with me, quickly turned into Jo spending up to four hours a day at my centre training, talking, observing and just hanging out with my pretty cool team of fitness professionals. She also dropped 3 kilo (6.6lb) along the way so that was pretty cool. Just being around inspired, passionate people puts us in a better place (mentally and emotionally). Just as hanging out with negative people can drag us down.
A Star is Born (with a small push)
It's amazing what spending time with motivated, supportive people who work in a positive culture and environment can do for a person. It's fair to say that Jo was in no hurry to leave Harper's after she finished her sessions. She met some great people, did some gut-busting workouts, improved her knowledge and understanding, and learned a whole bunch about herself. On Saturday she came to one of my radio shows and I interviewed her on-air about her experience over the week and her incredible weight loss so far this year (45kgs/99lbs). She wasn't too excited about making her radio debut but with a little coaching from me, she pulled it off beautifully. The conversation went something like this:
(At this stage Jo thought she was sitting in the studio to observe for two hours. She was wearing headphones - to hear the show - and was sitting in front of a microphone that wasn't turned on. Until this chat during a song.)
CH: "How would you like me interview about your weight-loss journey?" JT: "No thanks" CH: "Okay (ignoring her), we're back on air in sixty seconds... keep your mouth about an inch from the microphone, speak clearly and just pretend it's just you and I chatting" JT: (terror and disbelief on face) "er... but" CH: "Thirty seconds... fifteen seconds... five seconds..."
And she did it. Very well. And was glad she did. It's amazing what we can do when we don't over-think things isn't it? And what we can do when we stop our mind from getting in the way of our possibilities and our potential. And when we don't have to time to find an excuse or conceive an escape plan. Or talk ourselves into failure. Again. When we have to... we just find a way. Jo will be talking about when she was interviewed on radio for the next twenty years. And just think how close she was to letting fear rob her of that very cool experience.
Jo's Report
During the week I asked Jo to write a few words about her time here in Melbourne. A lot of you seemed to be interested in the process from Jo's side. Having just read her report for the first time (five minutes ago), I will say that I am slightly embarrassed (but flattered) by what Jo had to say. In asking her to write an account of her week, I had no expectations and my only instruction was that she would be honest about her experience. I gave absolutely no directives about what to write and it hasn't been edited at all (so don't blame me if it sounds like a PR exercise for me or my business!). Anyway, here it is; Jo's report...
Good Grief, a week with Craig Harper - By Jo Thomas
A lot of people have asked me what the highlight of my trip to Melbourne has been and the answer is easy - Craig Harper! But before I rave on about that let me rave on about my week here at the Harperdome. I accept full responsibility for making (possibly) the worst first impression ever on Monday morning (walking in with a caffeine drink and smelling like cigarettes) but I guess it's a great indication of where I was at in my life. When I entered the competition I only had one goal in mind when I begged to be given this phenomenal prize and for whatever weird reason I had convinced myself that only Mr. Harper could help me.
I have smoked for 25+ years (yes, minus 3 pregnancies) and I had some very strong self-limiting beliefs about my ability to give it up. Not totally baseless beliefs, because I had failed about a million times. As you know, that got sorted quick smart but that only left room in my head for me to recognise that I had some other "issues" needing attention.
Figuring that my diet and exercise were pretty excellent because I had managed to consistently lose weight for seven(ish) months, I arrived thinking I wouldn't need much help in that department. However I did mention to Craig at my initial assessment that my shrinking measurements had slowed right down and that was a making me a bit unhappy. I have learnt so much about exercise and diet this week, especially exercise.
Although I had already made exercise a habit at home, I basically did what I was comfortable with and didn't push myself very hard. Craig and the fabulous team at Harper's have shown me new exercises and shared new information that will allow me to reach my goals quicker and more efficiently. Craig has shown me the immense benefits of getting a little uncomfortable with my cardio, and they are immense. After slowing down to losing about 7 cms off my entire body last month, I reckon I've lost at least that this week. I haven't measured but I did nearly lose my tight jeans when I reached up high for something yesterday.
This week has included a couple of hours of cardio a day and weights on alternate days. The workouts have been fantastic and varied, including my favourite, the lovely Craig dumping me on the side of the road 5kms away from my car. Before you think Craig is mean, he did give me $10 and his mobile number in case I got in trouble, very thoughtful, and it was a beautiful day and a gorgeous walk.
Yesterday I tried boxing, which is so cool and so fun on so many levels that when I finished my session I immediately SMS'd hubby back home to hang up the punching bag we have collecting dust in the garage. The boxing session nearly killed me but I would have died happy if it had (thanks Fiona). Thanks to Cherie who taught me how to switch off from life and get some perspective and thanks to Mick for introducing me to the StairMaster.
The workouts have been challenging at times but that's exactly what I signed up for and the results far, far, far outweigh the challenges. Example? Stairmaster - is it fun? No it is NOT. Does it work? Bloody oath and I'd rather be slightly bored and slightly uncomfortable for 15 minutes on the rotten thing than have a flabby backside forever.
I also had a great week of mentoring and advice from an absolutely amazing human being, more on that in a moment, but first let me tell you about his home away from home.
Harper's might be hard to find when you are from out of town and the GPS function on your GPS unit is switched off, but if you get there, it is so worth it. Personally, I have never been in a building that contains so many wonderful, friendly, caring, positive people before. It's not just Craig, all the wonderful employees there exude a positive vibe that is totally genuine and really uplifting. I trained with a few different trainers and met quite a few others and everyone was encouraging and friendly and made me feel that my success was their goal as much as it was mine.
If you live in Melbourne and you are not being trained at Harper's then stop reading this for a minute and go make a phone call. Honestly, I just can't stress enough how amazing this place is. Just the ambiance alone is enough to motivate you beyond your wildest dreams. Every day they transform people into fitter and happier versions of themselves and the trainers think they are the ones getting the good deal. I am only sorry that I can't articulate this as well as some could but just trust me here and get your butt down there - you'll see what I'm rambling about as soon as you walk through the door.
The best bit of this week for me has been the mentoring by Craig. Not trying to take anything away from the fabulous training I have received, but the "pep-talks" have been my personal highlight. I guess the thing with Craig is that what he has said to me this week has sometimes been a little hard for me to hear and always makes me feel a bit stupid for not "getting it" straight away, but they work (to the extreme) and I will miss them more than oxygen when I head back home this weekend.
Don't misunderstand - I know I have to do the work and I have to make the changes to my life, Craig can't do that for me, only I can do that, but I arrived Monday very confused and tired and leave tomorrow totally inspired with a road map to help take my life to where I want it to be next month, next year, next decade - who could ask for more? If I had won lotto instead of this competition, it would have way less positive effect on my life, my family and my future.
Craig is an absolute inspiration. He is generous, kind, compassionate, articulate, charming, gorgeous both inside and out. I am a person who has some serious trust issues, Craig has such genuine integrity that after knowing him for only a week I would trust him with my life without hesitation (a big thing for me). I reckon Craig thinks I've been a bit cagey with information this week, which is true, I'm a talker but not a sharer, but what he doesn't know is I have revealed things to him I've never told a soul.
What have I learned from my week here in a nutshell?
I only have limited energy resources so it benefits everybody (including me) to spend my energy wisely and not waste emotional energy on petty, pointless stuff or stuff that I can't change. I need to look forward at the person I am creating and not backwards at the person I was. Self limiting beliefs are totally crippling. My past is not necessarily an indication of my potential or what's possible for me. My history doesn't have to equal my future.
Although I need to spend some time planning my life to make it the way I want, I need to also DO stuff not just think about it and create the self discipline to do it consistently. I am the problem and I am the solution. It is worth getting a little uncomfortable to create the body and life I want.
Where to from here for me?
I guess without filling 3 more pages, what I need to do is start making my new behaviours into habits and creating the consistency that will get me through the times where motivation isn't freely available to me. It is easy to be motivated here at Harper's because it's a motivational place, but since I can't access that I need to put into place some non-negotiable behaviours that will keep me on track on the "not so great" days. I need to stop labelling myself with limiting titles. I can be an awesome mum without it defining me totally and that won't make me selfish, just complete, which is good for everyone, including the kids. Practically, I need to eat right, exercise more and look after myself better (eg. sleep habits) and I need to do these things with or without the approval of my family, friends and peers. I need to stay accountable to myself and drop another 20kgs by Christmas this year. I need to find people to support my journey through life in a positive and encouraging way and most importantly, like the ad says, I need to JUST DO IT!
Thank you Craig and all the fantastic staff at Harper's for an unforgettable week. Thanks Craig for your patience with all my questions and blonde moments.
You're very welcome Jo, I look forward to being part of your cheer squad for the next few decades and I'm excited about watching your story unfold. And to Tim (the uber-husband), thanks for taking a week off work, for being Mr. Mum for six days and for being selfless, supportive and generous. I know plenty of blokes who wouldn't do what you did. Well done.
Have a great day everyone and I'll see you tomorrow. So to speak.
Feel free to share a thought or comment by clicking on the comment thingy.
Hi Guys. Well, the week is drawing to a close for Jo our competition winner from South Australia and she's doing incredibly well. I couldn't have asked for a better student or a better attitude. Honestly. Not just saying that because it sounds appropriate. I'm writing this Thursday night so she has one more day of me to survive. Apart from hanging out and working out with me, Jo has been training with, chatting with and spending time with my awesome team of trainers. This morning she spoke with Annie, did some boxing with Fiona and last night she did a strength session with Cherie (who also happens to be a world-class mountaineer). It's great for Jo to spend time with other positive, passionate and empowered women who are all about her age, if not, older. And the blokes of course (see below with Phil).
I Love Work
Yesterday we trained at the beach. Well, Jo did. I watched. Enthusiastically. And gave orders. That's what we coaches do... coach. An hour of soft sand walking, a little jogging, some ramp running, some stair walking and a lot of spectating by me. I love work. I could watch it all day. Her total training time yesterday was about two hours. No exhaustion, no injuries and no complaints. Nice. Lights, Camera, Action
Today was interesting for Jo because she had her first TV experience, met a real live TV producer and chatted with the camera guys, the lighting guys and the sound guys. All fun stuff. I interviewed a woman for my segment on Channel Ten next week. The lady I spoke with has an incredible (and I mean incredible) story of surviving against the odds. She has endured seven types of cancer and been told by the experts that she has only months to live on several occasions. She has also endured more abuse (physical, sexual and emotional) than any person I've ever met. And I've met a few. Her story is both tragic and uplifting. It will screen on the 9AM show nationally next Wednesday.
The One Woman Workshop
Earlier tonight Jo and I went into the lecture theatre (at my gym) and I conducted a personal workshop just for her, complete with white board, flow charts, diagrams and an abundance of information. She even took notes! I think in the last day or so that switch has flicked on in Jo's brain. She is finally starting to understand that getting in shape (and staying that way) ain't really about her body after all. We have had several deep and meaningful (chats) over the last few days and despite the brain over-load (her description), I can see that we're making real progress. Today's training was another two hours (or so) of varied cardio split over two sessions.
Zzzzz.....
I apologise for the brevity of this post but it's late, I'm spent and I'm giving a presentation to a hundred corporates first thing tomorrow morning so I best get my beauty sleep and recharge my depleted batteries. As I type these words my body is screaming at me to go to bed so I best pay attention as it knows what I need.
Monday will be a comprehensive report on the week with Jo.
Motivational
Speaker - Craig Harper Craig Harper is one of Australia's most respected
motivational speakers and educators. Some of Craig's recent clients include:
"We had our annual
conference over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th Feb, 2008 and we had
Craig Harper as one of our presenters. He was wonderful, funny and
professional, and he got our message through to the staff in a positive
and fun way. He was loved by all!"
DVD
- Renovate Your Body - Craig Harper
In this entertaining presentation, Craig discusses the
notion of Renovating Your Body - once and for all. (Also
available on CD).
Fattitude
- Craig Harper
While many books focus on food,
Craig Harper teaches that creating life long change is more about the
dieter than the actual diet.
Food for thought
- Craig Harper
In this book, Craig Harper
walks the reader through his 21 rules to Permanent Weight Loss.
So you've decided you want to get in shape (again)
- Craig Harper
Imagine a pocket-sized fitness book that takes just twenty minutes to
read. Craig Harper addresses the REAL getting-in-shape issues.
DVD
or CD - Renovate Your Body - Craig Harper
Alinta
Telstra
ANZ Bank
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
National Australia Bank
Corporate Express
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Department of Infrastructure
Department Planning and Community Development
Simplot Australia
Porter Davis Homes
Rothschild Merchant Bank
Royal Children's Hospital
Fernwood Fitness Centres
Flour Daniel
Brivis
Sensis
Western Water
South East Water
For more information on booking Craig click
here.Some nice words about Craig:
"We had our annual conference over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th Feb, 2008 and we had Craig Harper as one of our presenters. He was wonderful, funny and professional, and he got our message through to the staff in a positive and fun way. He was loved by all!"
Ally Memic, IMCD, Australia