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Martial Arts Illustrated Magazine Article - Nov 2016

discipline, Health, mindset, Motivation, performance nutrition

What Does Health Really Mean?

The definitive guide to healthy living and vitality

Everyone I come across believes that they are healthy.

But here’s the rub. Most are not.

They believe it because of the amount of myths that perpetuate regarding what actually health is.

Health is a state a being, not eating “low fat” dietary products or being conned into having energy drinks touted as essential to having the energy to live. Each one quite frankly are sub optimal at best.

There is a world of confusion, or so it seems. In reality it simply comes down to this. We have allowed ourselves to trust others before ourselves.

The countless people who I have talked to who said they don’t know what to eat.

Well I am calling them out on it. Because they do. They have just allowed someone else to take responsibility for what they eat, so they don’t have to. That means it isn’t “their fault” if they put on weight or have no energy, it is someone elses.

I KNOW everyone knows what food is healthy. Everyone knows broccoli is better than chocolate or water is better than fizzy drinks. It’s the other mindless brain washing that confuses people.

So lets define health and see what you think. As I invite you to read this article and reply via my email address in the bio at the end with your own comments and frustrations and views.

As a performance nutritionist and health coach I come across a myriad of people, each one believing they are healthy and this may well be true. However, there are others who have a different view.

Some think moderation is key, some think living in solitude and living 100% clean and living off the land without external influence is health, others still have no idea what health is or simply don’t care, usually to their detriment.

Then there are the lies sold to us from those companies who are only interested in manipulating our insecurities to take our hard earned money.

Everyone has their own idea or definition of health and there have been endless discussions about what contributes to health and how to improve it. So here is what I believe to be true.

So what is health anyway?

What is it defined as? And can we really define health as a whole or is it a unique experience?

One dictionary defines health as “the state of being free from illness or injury”. But I think it is much more than that. Health isn’t about surviving as is suggested by the definition above. I think it is way more.

The world health organisation defines health differently…

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

This is more in line with what I believe to be true, so lets delve in further.

For me there is just way more to what health means… More than most people realise.

Let me start with a little story…

My journey towards health started when we (my wife and I) had the truth read out to us one day….

“You cannot have kids naturally.”

That is something you just don’t want to hear… wanting something you are told you cannot have. As humans that usually makes us want things more. Have you ever deprived a child of their favourite toy? You get what I am saying right?

My wife and I had been trying unsuccessfully for a few years and so visited our doctor. After some tests it was revealed that the problem was mine.

Well ain’t that typical!

My little swimmers well, didn’t know how to swim! You see there are 3 factors to the health of sperm… Morphology (shape), Motility (ability to swim) and amount produced. All 3 factors showed up in my army or lack thereof. There were very few, they had no idea how to swim and it seemed they were all hunch backs!

Not something you want spelled out, a truth that I didn’t want anyway.

However, I was unwilling to accept that as black and white. I wanted to know if there was another way. I wanted to know what had caused my problem and set about finding out.

I am not one to accept defeat or accept that what I am told is true without exhausting every other avenue first. So we tried IVF treatment twice, but both times it failed. As I said when you cannot have something, you want it more. When it is something as precious as a child, then it is a bitter pill to swallow.

BUT…

I can be very stubborn

And partly out of the guilt I felt thinking the problem laying at my door (which it didn’t really, I didn’t do this on purpose, I just felt that way because of the circumstances) I started researching for a way to conceive naturally. Now you could argue the valid point about fostering or adopting a child at this point and many people have and we looked into it, but I just wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet and neither was my wife.

Enter Nutrition

As it turns out I did find a way. I started reading about and studying nutrition, I contacted nutritionists, I went to see one and found out that something could be done. I learned that what we ingest has a major impact on our health. It’s not just about the food, but the chemicals used in crop spraying, what actually is in our water supply, what we cook in etc. etc. I sought out nutritionists who were experts in this field and as a result now have a healthy 11 year old son.

This was all down to nutrition, yes, it is THAT powerful!

Now I see nutrition as PART of health, not all of it. There is so much more to it that the majority of people do not realise, however nutrition is a vital part and it is very powerful as I have explained.

It is not just what you eat (or more appropriately ingest) it is about how well you digest your food to get the nutrients you need, it is about proper hydration, breathing correctly, emotional balance, getting enough sleep, rest and recovery, how you are handling stress, how you move as well as what you let into your head.

THEY ALL PLAY A PART

That is why your health is not just a one trick pony, it is multifaceted. It is all about finding a balance in all areas of your life, not just one or two.

It’s about having all the bases covered and being VERY truthful about where you are and what has to improve to tap into your vast power and becoming the pinnacle of health.

How do you define health?

What health means differs for many people. Some simply believe that you are healthy because you are not sick, there is no disease present, well not one defined by the medical profession.

But health is way more than not having a disease. You can still be disease free and live a sub life, a life devoid of laughter, passion, fun, love, energy and vitality (to name just a few).

You can have your physical health, eat well and rest, but have poor relationships and be unhelpful.

Or you can have the opposite, being of poor health and diet, poor sleep but enrich their lives through deep connections with others, having fun and making a difference to other people’s lives.

Ideally we are looking to encompass the best of both examples, and yet, few people strive for it

So is health really just the absence of disease?

I don’t believe so. It is not about focusing on what you don’t have (disease), but what you do have. Health is about living a full life, to have the energy to accomplish anything. To have the power to face any challenge. To allow yourself to grow and become more than you are. Disease just does not come in to it. To claim you are healthy because you are not sick is robbing you of your life and vitality. There are other things at play that can prevent you from living a full healthy life without being diagnosed with some condition.

“The microbe is nothing; the terrain is everything.”

Louis Pasteur (who invented pasteurisation) is the god father of what today’s modern medicine is based on. He noted that germs were the source of viruses and disease and his “germ theory” is what is used today in modern medicine.

He based his whole theory on the prevention of germs and disagreed with the above statement made by his contemporary Claude Bernard until his deathbed. Louis Pasteur then admitted that the above statement was actually true, that when a body is in homeostasis or balance and in strong health with a strong immune system it can look after itself and kill the germs that lead to viruses and diseases.

But Pasteur’s initial work on germ theory had already become most prevalent, and still is, which is why Doctors try and kill all germs with drugs and keep hospitals sterile. Thankfully, more information is coming to the forefront all the time about healthy gut flora, probiotic foods, strengthening immunity, and preventing disease.

Our bodies are living ecosystems full of bacteria which sustain our lives. Healthy colonies of good bacteria help protect us from bad bacteria, and without the good flora we have little defence. People with severely weakened immune systems have to be careful not contract pathogenic germs, yes; but the normal ideal is to have a strong immune system that wards off pathogens that we come in contact with every day, without needing to hide from them.

Is Perfect Health Possible?

Heath and what it means is so diverse that maintaining a true balance of everything that contributes to it can be challenge… but NOT impossible.

I believe we have to look at all areas of our lives.

Balance – Your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being honest and transparent, don’t buy into gossip or lies, the sensationalism that people seem to thrive on these day. Strive to tell the truth, starting with what you tell yourself. This is so easily dismissed, to avoid judgement from others we take to wearing masks and live lives that others want us to live and not what we were placed on this earth for. Make sure you are present with everyone close to you, be fully immersed in your connections with others, do not go in distracted, but maintain total focus.

Body – What we eat/drink and exercise. Everything to give ourselves the best performing body we can with a strong immune system to ward off everyday bugs. We were built to move, not sit all day on our backsides. Remember Nutrition can give life, it is that powerful, never neglect it. Assess yours. What stories do you tell yourself as to why you cannot give something up that doesn’t serve you? Challenge yourself!

Being – What we do to BE ourselves. To put ourselves first, to attain our own happiness and fulfilment. This may sound selfish but if you are not 100% healthy both physically and mentally then how can you give 100% to your partner or kids? Things such as meditation, practicing mindfulness, spiritual study, journaling affirmations and visualisations can have a massive impact on your health and help you focus and believe in who you are. Holding onto negative emotions can manifest itself into all manner of things including diseases and is well proven.

Business – YOUR business. What you were put on this earth for. Your passion, your purpose. Identifying who you are and who you are going to show up in the world as. Are you aligned with who you were meant to be? Are you providing your knowledge and your uniqueness to the world or are you hiding it away? Become very clear on your value and how to share it with the world.

If we are out of balance or out of alignment in one area it affects all other areas. To expand, you have to contract first. You have to shed the superfluous, get rid of the unnecessary, minimise the excess and remove the redundant so you are left with the essence of your being. Only then you can expand. Address the unhealthy areas in your life and change them.

Should you be selfish to attain your health?

I think you should.

It is difficult to give 100% to other areas of your life such as family and friendships when you are not 100% yourself.

If you have ever been on an aeroplane, you are told at the start of every flight that in the case of an emergency you must fit your own oxygen mask first before attempting to help others, for very good reason as I am sure you’ll agree… you cannot help anyone else before you help yourself.

This applies to your life too.

Your health is much more than having an illness. It is about LIVING and cutting the things loose that stops you from doing achieving a full life. It is about being brutally honest and finding the truth to YOUR happiness and your purpose for living. Health is about having good eating habits and exercising. It is increasing real connections to the people who matter the most to you and being present, without distraction. It is about being outside in nature as much as possible and also releasing negative emotions and exploring who you really are.

You have more power than you can possible imagine.

What you may not realise is that having your health gives you that power.

BE Mindful, live your dreams, live your life, live your purpose and (most importantly) attain your health.

(Be) True

(Be) Courageous

(Be) Happy

Dean x

References

Stockton, S. (2000). The terrain is everything: Contextual factors that influence our health. Clearwater, Fl. Power of One Publishing.

Lost history of medicine: http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/terrain/lost_history_of_medicine.htm

Unique Healing 2®: A Guide for Eliminating Your “A-Z” Symptoms, Weight problems, illnesses and addictions by Donna Pessin

Eat, Move & be healthy by Paul Chek.

Nutrition and physical degeneration by Weston A Price

Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Why Zebras don’t get ulcers by Robert Sapolsky

The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford

Natural Solutions To Infertility by Marilyn Glenville

discipline, mindset, self mastery

What Are Your Addictions?

*** ADDICTION ***

To Start Changing the world, or even just YOUR world, then you have to start by changing yourself.

To change yourself you first have to be aware of any denial you have around addictions.

Addictions are actions with consequences that can lead to a sub life or worse.

You think you are in control but you are not. You think about moderation but it’s not. You think you can quit any time, but you cannot. – This is addiction

If you think you are free of addiction, try to escape and see what comes up. See how your body and brain react. Than you will find out.

Addiction is not morals and ethics.

Addiction is about cause and effect.

If Cause is excessive

Effect is often addiction

It comes down to choice…

You choose to stay locked in your cell of addiction or kill the addiction and escape.

You think you can flirt with your addictions, but you can’t. Either they are dead or they are still a threat.

Whilst YOU allow them to live, whilst YOU continue to flirt with your destiny you will always be in danger.

Addictions are funny things, they wait patiently for a way in, then they burrow deep and eventually take over.

You may not even see them coming. You may not even realise, but once they are in, they will use almost anything to stay.

Most addictions come from having low self esteem, that feeling of not being enough.

But YOU ARE enough!

What are you in denial about?

Junk Food?

Drugs (including Hard drugs, alcohol, caffeine, smoking)?

Gambling?

Pornography?

People Pleasing?

What do YOU think you are in control of, when you are not?

When your intention is clear, you will destroy your addictions, when you are not, they will always come back, justifying why its ok is just an excuse.

When you are ready to to remove an addiction, you KNOW how to do it.

You are either in or out. Courting addiction is NOT an option, if your goal is freedom, then cut addictions loose.

Many people will not move forwards out of fear, addictions closest friend. They live side by side to keep you locked away, justifying your existence.

But who wants to exist, when you can truly live?

You either choose to exist or to live. Survive or to Thrive.

To live your life on your terms, you choose to first find peace with yourself.

Recognise that you are enough.

You are powerful beyond measure.

You are worthy.

So make your intentions clear. Take your power back and remove your addictions, or be forever stuck.

Truth, Courage & Happiness

Dean x

#theleanwarrior

#bedohaveitall

discipline, Inspiration, Mental Strength, mindset, Motivation

Extreme Ownership

A BIG reason why you may not be achieving your fitness, business (or any other) goals is your lack of awareness.

Awareness precedes change.

One of my favourite sayings, you may have heard me mention it once or twice 😉

Why?

Because without awareness, no “plan” will help since you’re not even aware of the real problem. The underlying cycle will continue to repeat itself.

As we change habits we move from…

Unconscious incompetence –> Conscious incompetence –> Conscious competence –> Unconscious incompetence

From completely unaware, to aware but no knowledge of how to change, to consciously learning and making the changes, to finally applying the change automatically without thinking about it.

To move from that first step we have to become aware of it first!

Although accountability is a big factor in success, you can only be held accountable if you’re truly committed.

And to be truly committed you have to first take ownership of your current reality.

The beauty of that is that we get to destroy our current reality that does not serve us and create a new one that does.

Sometimes we realise we have the power to change, but it feels uncomfortable and so we don’t stick with it only to let it go.

Heres why…

By deciding to change you are taking the responsibility for that action and it can be very uncomfortable. Many stories can rise out of your mind why you “couldn’t possible do it”. But ask yourself, is that really true? or is it the voice of fear?

It can be very easy to then not do the actions required to improve your life and then blame them on something else instead so you don’t have to have that responsibility.

But without responsibility, you have no power over yourself. You relinquish control of your life to someone or something else.

Is that what you want?

Sometimes when you don’t do anything you cannot fail at it, you cannot be judged, you will not hear “I told you so”.

But if you really want to improve your life you must own it.

By taking extreme ownership, you get to accept the process and take responsibility and know it is all on you whether you succeed or not.

But this is a good thing, because even if you fail, you are still in control, still able to learn the lesson why, make adjustments and try again.

So what is your priority?

Do you want to take back control of your life, or do you want your life to control you?

e.g. from a nutrition perspective, there may be a number of things to change, but don’t try and change them all at once. decide on a step and implement it. it might be…

3 litres of water per day

Add more protein to your daily diet

Add more fats to each meal

Get more sleep

Eat and chew slower

If you struggle, ask what’s the lesson?

Do I take on less? do I make sure I do one thing consistently THEN move to the next thing when you are ready for it?

What things are you trying, but not succeeding at and blaming someone or something other than yourself?

Remember, every one has the time, its the priority you place on what you are doing that determines what you do.

So prioritise and plan what you want to change and execute the plan, consistently, day by day, week by week. until you succeed.

It doesn’t have to look a certain way, be flexible with it, but get it done.

If you have any thoughts or comments, then let me know below

Truth, Courage & Happiness

Dean x

brainset, discipline, Inspiration, mindset, Motivation

One Smart Dude

I watched the film “theory of everything” at the weekend about Prof Stephen Hawking’s life. What an incredible person, who despite everything has continued to amaze the world.

He literally chose to do what he set out to do despite the medical profession giving him only 2 years to live.

Now this condition is very real and life threatening and yet he defied EVERYONE!

You see in his early 20’s he was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease otherwise known as ALS. A brilliant man with the world at his feet, I can not even imagine being told you have 2 years to live.

I have known a few people with this condition, who were told they had a short life span and accepted their fate, most without thought or challenge.

Professor Hawkings is now 74!

He simply chose that he had too much to offer the world and too much to discover that he decided that his time was not up.

There are things in life that come easy and some that are challenging and no doubt this was a challenge that I would not wish on anybody.

but here’s what I found totally fascinating about his story.

It reMINDed my how much the power of the mind is incredible!
it can manifest things both good and bad. It can debilitate you, it can create euphoria and pleasure.

Prof Hawkings was a man that simply refused to give up, no matter what happened to him.

In life you can have anything you want, no matter what happens, it is how you choose to react and respond to it.

You can have anything you attract, so focus on what you do want, have the faith and belief to see it through everyday through your thoughts, words AND Actions.

Thinking and saying is not enough we must DO!

Anything is possible.

It made me re-evalute everything. Myself, my business and relationships, everything.

Because even though we all perceive problems, we make them real. But after watching this film I thought how insignificant mine all were.

Thats why I do what I do, to help people see beyond the walls they construct for themselves.

to help them get on track. Action crushes doubt. I know its true. its the only thing that works for me.

Taking imperfect action, stepping up despite how I felt (and I struggled with this a lot)

In life I believe we have to remove the excess. Contract to expand.

Minimise all the superfluous to find the real you.

To cut the baggage loose and find the courage to face your truths and stories. To challenge everything you have come to accept and believe.

The truth is, it is simply understanding and KNOWING the real you and BEING who you were meant to be.

To love who you are and BE who you really are, every day.

To speak from the heart with confidence and understand your values.

To show up everyday and ENJOY life BEING you!

If you have decided to find out how to find the real you, to strip away the stories to be laid bare and find happiness and want help to do it, then simply get in touch with me.

Truth, Courage & Happiness

Dean x

Conditioning, discipline, Exercise

7 Training Tips For Busy Dudes

Back in the day when I was younger and I had more time, before I had my son, I’d exercise whenever I wanted. I had total focus, nothing stopped me from a training session. If I am honest I just loved the buzz I got from it.

But once I became a father and a business owner, life became more unpredictable and one day can be completely different to the next. Your child may be ill, you may get last minute deadlines that steels your “free time” away, you may have to fill in for staff. Or if you are in someone elses employ, overtime and work pressures and stress allow you to find an excuse not to look after yourself and your exercise regime you once had goes out of the window.

But here’s the thing… You have just got to roll with the punches!

There are no rules to say you have to workout for an hour. if you only have 15 minutes, then use that 15 minutes. No matter how busy I am or you are, there will always be at least 10-20 minutes in your day to do something. So don’t use time as an excuse why you cannot, flip it and see what you can do in the time you have, not what time you don’t have.

As long as you are eager to train you will find a way.

When Life Changes You Have To Adapt

I didn’t like training much when I was younger, but I did love sports and so I was pretty Active. Then mid teens I decided I wanted to be fit and strong and so my life was spent, running, lifting weights, hitting my heavy bag and doing Martial Arts. Other than school that’s all I did and hang out with friends of course. As you can imagine, as a teenager I didn’t have the responsibilities I have now.

Even though I have now my own fitness biz, my training is recently had haphazard and not regimented as I would like despite what people think. My schedule is full on and so I have made it an art at grabbing time when I can. There is not set schedule, so I grab whatever time I can and make it work.

We all get busy, so with this in mind here are some tips and strategies that you could try to get your training done…

1. Get Something Done

I don’t buy this “I don’t have time for exercise crap”. I here it too many times and it is a poor excuse to be honest. However I am more interested in why the person says that so if I can help them fit a training session in I will. So really you have to answer the following question…

How much time do you need?

This question usually results in someone rationalising that whatever time they have its not enough, with the belief that they need more time than they can give so don’t bother. This is the not the right answer. There is no hard and fast rules about how long to train other than over training and that is subjective. The real answer lies that doing something is better than nothing. A 10 minute high intensity interval session is more than enough when time on a budget.

In fact doing shorter duration blocks of exercise throughout a day can keep your metabolism revved up for longer burning more energy at rest resulting in your body burning more fat if that is your goal.

There is no such thing as a perfect workout, just get something done. You will feel a sense of achievement and good about yourself. So yes you have time, so get to it.

2. No Weights? Er Yes You Have…

If you feel you cannot get to a gym because travel time is a factor then bin the gym idea. Seriously, you don’t need weights to bust out a training session, you have all the equipment you need on you everyday.

Body weight training is an effective solution for you if you are time strapped. Don’t get me wrong, I love lifting weights. But they are just a tool. So when I haven’t got time I will use what is available to me and you should too. I have been known to use body weight, a kettle bell, hell just objects lying around that would provide a challenge and get me moving and sweating. You don’t need to drive anywhere or any equipment to perform sets of push ups, squats, lunges and pull ups for example.

In fact you really should start the path of mastering your own bodyweight before lifting weights. Working full body movements hits more muscles, requiring a bigger metabolic demand from the body resulting in strength and endurance.

So get used to moving your body weight around, its the perfect gym alternative because you are all you need. It doesn’t take long to bang out a body weight circuit, you recover quicker as the load is less and you can make it more intense as you see fit. It is the perfect alternative to hitting the gym and gives you no excuse.

3. Get out of Bed 10 Mins Earlier

As long as you can balance your sleep by going to bed 30 mins earlier, you can get up 30 minutes earlier thereby freeing up 30 minutes in your day to train. It really is about looking at things from a different perspective. Just so long as you are resting adequately there is really no reason why you cannot do this. Add that up over the year and that is some serious amount of time to get things done.

So if you say you are strapped for time, nail a workout before the day starts, so you feel good about getting a training session in, getting the endorphin’s flowing to attack the day and know you don’t have to try and fit something in, because you already have.

Remember though, if you don’t get a session in in the morning, there will be a 10-15 block of time you can utilise.

4. Minute Drills

If you are still stuck with what to do you can start very simply. Challenge yourself how many push ups or squats you can do in 10 minutes, utilising rest as you see fit. Then beat the amount of reps next time, If that is ok, then do a second density block of exercise. so if you did lower body such as squats in the first block, do upper body such as push ups in the second. Then see how effective body weight is.

Or do minute drills, how many reps of an exercise you can do in 1 minute. there are infinite combinations that take no time at all.

These mini workouts are perfect for people with bust lives, you can get them done in 10-15 minutes, so don’t make the excuse that you don’t have time to train.

you can use these mini workouts to perform single exercises for time or in intervals. Work specific body parts, increase your conditioning with, running, hill sprints or jumping rope or even just holding a static position for time.

You can do 1-2 of these sessions per day targeting different modalities so that your sessions are well rounded and cover all the basic human movements of push, pull, squat, lunge and rotate.

5. Compound Movements

Compound movements are when you work as many muscles as you can for a chosen lift. So out go bicep curls and dumbbell kick backs and in comes dead lifts and squats and pull ups and overhead pressing. Load up the bar on go heavy on those and you will know your work is done for the day. These will get you strong fast and cut your time to train.

To mix things up you can use alternating exercises to target upper and lower body for reps or time. Try Push ups and pull ups. kb swings and kb snatches or pull ups with burpees or Push ups with Romanian dead life. This minimises training times and increases your strength and conditioning immeasurably.

6. Combinations, Hybrids and Odd Objects

You can also use combo and hybrid exercises to make your training session more challenging and time efficient.

Combination exercises are when you use to exercise one after the other such as a dumbbell reverse lunge to step up or a push up to Dumbbell renegade row.

Hybrid Exercises are when 2 exercises “flow” into one another such as a dumbbell squat to press where you use the power of your legs from a squat position to drive the dumbbells over your head.

Odd objects can be pressing a sandbag overhead for reps then dropping it into a zercher squat or sandbag shouldering for reps then lunging with the sandbag or carrying it for time or distance.

Repeat these for a few sets and all of these exercises would bring you to your knees quickly.

7. Time to Splurge

Even though you are busy, still set time once or twice a week when you can plan in a longer session and get it done. Early morning on a weekend is perfect for this. Shorter time efficient workouts are great, but sometimes its good to have a longer session to really push yourself without fear of running out of time.

If demands on your time is high, then performing a series of mini workouts with 1 or 2 longer workouts should be more than enough for you.

Final Thoughts

There are many many options you can try, it simply comes down to this. you either make an excuse why you cannot train, or you decide that you can spare 10-15 minutes a day to get something done. There s always a way and working long hours or being very busy is not an excuse.

It is entirely possible to be busy and still keep yourself fit and healthy. If I can do it then so can you.

If you want to change, if you want to become a better version of yourself then you will find a way to do it.

Let me know how you have overcome a busy, hectic life and still managed to look after yourself. I would love to hear from you.

to your strength and Health

Dean

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