Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face…

Thankfully I haven’t been punched in the face, well not recently and hopefully not anytime soon. I did however attend a charity boxing event recently and I was there to support a good friend who was taking part.

 

Rather him than me!

 

But in all seriousness it takes real guts to do something like that. Having never done anything like that it must be pretty nerve racking to get up in front of 4 or 5 hundred people and try to punch someone in the face while try to avoid the same fate.

 

It comes down to the whole concept of the comfort zone and making sure we are stepping outside it on a regular basis. Obviously the people involved in the charity boxing event had to train for weeks prior to the event trying to get themselves physically fit enough to take part while learning to box at the same time.

 

Not a lot happens in the comfort zone but when you step outside and challenge yourself then that’s when good things start to happen. You find out who you are and what you are capable of. Where that’s in your life, career, health and fitness it’s all about trying to be better than you were yesterday.

 

I have massive respect for the boys that took part in the boxing event because once you step into that ring and all eyes and lights are on you it’s a different ball game. Of course it was all for charity and great causes. But as Mike Tyson once said

 

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”

 

So if you are wondering why you aren’t achieving things or aren’t getting results then maybe it’s because you are hanging about in the comfort zone too much. We are all guilty of it at times. Comfy clothes on, sitting on the couch in front of the TV with some snacks. That is my vision of the comfort zone. Sometimes it’s needed but don’t hang about in there too long.

 

You might not find your way back.

 

Knowing when to stop…

Most of my health and fitness advice is aimed at helping people improve their routines and habits to make their nutrition and exercise more effective. Also so that it leads people to reach their goals and feel happy/healthy. However today I would like to discuss something slightly different.

 

Taking time off!

 

I am going on holiday and taking a week away from it all, well as much as possible to re charge the batteries and spend some quality time with the family.

 

My question is do we do this enough?

 

If you are a hard worker with a busy schedule that has to maintain a work, social and family life then you need to ensure you throw in some down time to cope with the demands of everyday life. Now don’t get me wrong if you also look after yourself in terms of your health and fitness by eating right, sleeping well, drinking enough water and exercising then you will be able to operate at a high level. Sustaining energy levels on not feeling tired most of the time.

 

But long term we need to schedule in downtime to re charge mentally as well as physically. When we break that everyday day routine and go somewhere different or try something different then we can reap the benefits when we go back to normal everyday life.

 

I know most people don’t need to be told to take a break or a holiday but some of us do. When you are working hard to provide for your family and be successful sometimes it’s hard to take time away. But like I mentioned before it will only benefit you in the long run.

 

Our bodies are amazing machines but just like if we eat too much food or drinking too much alcohol it will start to fail on us. So if you have the chance to get away or do something different then make sure you take it.

 

I mean actually take it…

 

Don’t spend it checking in Facebook to see what everyone else is up to or doing the same old stuff you always do but just not going to work. Be present and enjoy the moment because before you know it you will be back to the grind.

 

That’s what I intend to do.

My Ideal Day…

Now this is my ideal day in terms of health and fitness. Not my ultimate ideal day as I am not that sad.

 

If I had sufficient time to train, eat, sleep and move the way I wanted to then this is how it would go down. Now you may say that if these things are so important then surely I would make time for them.

 

Well the truth is I do. Just not everyday as life gets in the way sometimes.

 

Ok here goes.

 

I would wake up after 7.5/8 hours sleep as this amount is great for me and I feel good for the whole day. I would consume my go breakfast of 4 scrambled eggs with some vegetables through it and this would be washed down by my greens smoothie. So this would constitute my first meal of the day.

 

I would then do a 20 minute mobility session to help keep my body moving well and pain free. This is made up of various exercises/movements working different parts of the body. I would follow this up with a 30/40 minute walk at an easy pace. Again this gets me moving outside in the fresh air.

 

Going back to the eating side of things I would have a snack of Greek yoghurt with some fruit and a naked bar and then lunch would be Salmon with vegetables and some rice or quinoa. These two meals would be spread out by a few hours depending on hungry and activity levels.

 

My last bout of exercise of the day would be a gym based training session. This session would focus on big compound movements such as squats or deadlifts along with some other movements such as pull ups/push ups/Overhead Press and some kettlebell work.

 

I would have a post workout shake filled with milk, water, oats, protein powder and some fruit. This will help to start refueling the system after the work out. I would need to fit some dinner in at some point to complete the day. This would be a chicken stir-fry with lots of vegetables and maybe some noodles/rice.

 

This would be an ideal training/eating day for me and doing this consistency will keep me on the right track and moving forward. Some of the details will change on a daily basis like ingredients of food and exercise selection in the gym but the principles remain the same.

 

This is not everyday, just an example of a really good day.

 

What would yours look like?