Tuesday 23 December 2014

Two more sleeps..

The carols are playing, the shopping is done, the champers is chilling, and I'm out of mun!  Lol, how's that for some festive prose? 

But seriously, I'm sorted. The presents are complete, the food is prepared, the drinks are on ice. It's all systems go for the one big family day of the year. 

The laughs, the good natured ribbing, the tickling, the obligatory beer at 6am.. I love it. I wait all year for this one day, where we all get together to chill. 

Usually there's an over abundance of food and wine. This year, it's different. The food is home made, lovingly prepared by Cate and I, with Hugo cooking the roast for lunch. My Xmas will come ready made by loving hands not prepackaged or factory mass produced. 

The family recipes handed down from generation to generation are used, with the tricks and techniques passed on, in case one year, I'm not here. I'm one of those cooks who measure by feel, and transferring those skills to Cate is hard, almost a cup of that, a cup and a splash of that.. Maybe it would have been easier to measure, but where's the fun in that? 

I will, without a doubt, eat food I know isn't the best choice, but you know what? One bad choice doesn't make a huge difference, it's the consistent bad choices that matter. 

So, this Xmas Day, eat, drink and be merry. Love those children and laugh till your lungs hurt, but most importantly, relax, enjoy, and have a glass of champagne to celebrate a fabulous year! 

With much much love at Xmas time. 

Jak.  



Friday 19 December 2014

Get thin, get smart, get rich.

Oops, time has once again gotten away from me.

With all good intentions, I try to blog bi weekly, and then it happens. Life. It gets in the way. I get busy, I get slack, I get lazy, or maybe I'm just utilising avoidance tactics.

Writing a blog is soul bareing, and sometimes I forget that people actually read what I write,what I feel and they know all about what I'm thinking...  Having strangers approach me and talk about my latest blog scares me sometimes, especially if it's a subject close to my heart. I forget that I'm not just a nobody, with thoughts and feelings of disappointment, happiness, frustration and fear, that other people too are feeling the same. It's weird, exhilarating to think that my words on a screen can sometimes resonate with people, yet it can creep me out when some random lady at Coles, comments on my shopping trolley contents.

So, I've been missing in action again, getting my head straight, thinking about the positive effects of this blog, and trying not to worry about the Trolley Sniffers. Yes, I know I talk about not eating cereal, but the particular brand I have in my trolley is gluten free, consisting of nuts n seeds, with a little dried fruit, and by the way, why the hell do I feel I need to justify myself to you?

I've spent this last week in Brisbane, reflecting on the past year and how I've spent my time. The majority of it has been exercising, eating well and being health focused. I've travelled a lot, seen fabulous new places and met wonderful people. Some of my time however, has been hiding away from the masses and laying safe in my blanket fort, overwhelmed with the world and all it's contents. I'm human. I feel pain, and hurt and stress. I get discouraged when my skirt feels tighter than last week, I get lonely when I'm home all by myself, I get bored and I over eat. But over the years,  I have learned to distract myself as much as possible, to find a route that takes me further from the fridge, and closer to my goals.

This year, I also decided to get back into coaching, I have had ten totally committed clients who have just smashed their goals this year, they have set themselves targets, stepped up to the mark and just got the job done without any looking back. I'm very proud of these guys. They are the people that make my job worth it. They are the people who have made major transformation this year, and they deserve to be really proud of themselves, because I'm proud of the personal commitment they have shown.

There are also clients, who are just not ready, yet. They know they should lose weight, make healthier choices, yet still don't. These are the people I love to work with,  because getting that head into the right spot, for whatever reason, is the turning point. The light switch that goes on and bam, the game changes for the better. Getting clients to see that there is hope, there is opportunity, and to understand why they are carrying their weight around, is so cathartic. Is it a barrier to keep people away, is it emotional weight from someone else, is it even your junk you're carrying??  This will be the focus for next year, helping people move forward and away from the emotional and psychological baggage that they lug about.. Release those burdens and see how good they feel. 

I've also used this week as a planning opportunity for 2015. If you don't plan or ask for what you want, how does the body know what you're aiming for? Remember the old biblical quote, Ask and Ye Shall Receive? I need you to spend a moment to think on what you're asking for, what is it that you put out to the universe? Eg, I am strong, fit and healthy vs I can never loose weight?

As Xmas fast approaches, I'd love for you to find the time, to focus on the things you achieved this year, and the things that are still on your list.

Wishing for a trip to New York? Get that on your list. Investigate flights, accommodation, put money aside for this every week? Is $50 a week more important in the bank for your trip or in the pokies every Friday?
Need a new man? Write a shopping list of every trait you wish this man to have - and then trust he universe to find him for you. Don't laugh, this works!

If you only have time for one personal thing between now and New Years, do this. Write that damn list. Put everything on it. Want 5k in the bank at years end, write it down. Want to fit into a bikini for your cruise, write it down.

Then, put it in a drawer till the Xmas madness is over. Once the world has calmed again, get it out, and refine it. Put plans in place behind every goal. Small steps to get you where you wanna be.

Amongst my goals for 2015, is to continue my exercise journey, find more enjoyable ways to exercise eg my new found love for Zumba, blog more regularly and focus more on group sessions for SYMMYA in the area. These are a lot more specific, but you're getting the gist. 

Get Thin, Get Smart, Get Rich, was my mantra for many a year, and it worked. I had smaller steps behind each of these, get thin was obvious, get smart was a trigger for me to focus on making smarter personal choices and complete some study, and get rich was a reminder to save enough money to provide my kids with a safe haven, a home to come to when the world gets harsh. Having that broken down into a quick, easy to remember Mantra was a great way for me to stay focussed. 

"Love more, laugh more, learn more" is my new Mantra. 

Look out 2015, I'm coming for you.