M2 | CONTEST | Day 63

The Mark of Champions

Clearly I wrote this before the Beijing Olympics and I think that on the eve of the 'Contest' it's worth posting it again

8 days from now the biggest sporting event in the world begins. We are going to see world records being broken, medalists dq'd for drug use. Heartbroken athletes not achieving their potential and so on.

At the Athens Olympic they were still planting grass during the opening ceremony, by contrast the Beijing Olympic stadium was finished a year ago.

What I'm getting to, is why some win and why do some lose.

There are many reasons but one of the biggest is, winners plan. China does not work on 5 year plans...they have a thousand year plan. In so doing they can focus on the job in hand and get rid of ego since by the time the job is complete they will have been dust for a very long time.

Athletes also have plans....and the champions are the ones who do not deviate from those plans. They are often not the most talented but they are the most dedicated.

To paraphrase the great Carlos DeJesus...Everything you do should revolve around and take you towards the fruition of that plan. From what you eat to who you associate with and what magazines you read should take you ever closer.

However a plan is no good without 100% comittment. If you can't climb inside and live the plan until it's done. Then my friend your goal is not right for you.

So...as I write today, I look forward to watching the games with interest and observing which athletes not only had the best plans, but those who inhabited their plans for four years or longer...Those will be the ones clutching gold, silver and bronze.. and some of them, won't be the most talented.

How many of us contest participants have been able to 'live inside' our plans for 12 weeks....there are only 3 to go...make them the best of your life

M2 | CONTEST | Day 62

Can you imagine what a great place the world would be if we put as much into supporting others as we do within this safe place. The 'Sphere"

I personally spend a lot of time here because I want to help people get and stay healthy. I enjoy it...I love interacting with you all and I have made special friends here.

It is the most amazing thing, that we can develop bonds with others that we may not be able to create on the outside.

Why is that? Is it because this is so safe or is it because we don't have time in the real world. Or is it because we all serve a common purpose in here which is what ties us together.

It is no secret that I believe that part of the medicine that we take in here is giving to others and helping them to find themselves...in offering valid advice to others we learn...thus the old adage...to learn something well teach it. People asking questions for which we have no immediate answers are easily solved by '' Doogling " it.....sorry " Googling" it....(a weak attempt at humour)

The interesting thing fo me is also the different personalities all with similar but different goals. In other words we all want to get healthy but to differing degrees and within different time frames.

For some the contest is everything....FOR NOW....and I'm one of those....in 20 days though it will all be different and new Missions will be inscribed in stone.

For others, the contest is not important and finding your way in a slower more forgiving fashion is the order of the day.

Both modus operandi are absolutely fine and as long as you are doing what works for you, then good and well.

I think problems arise when you take on something that doesn't fit with you and this causes internal friction. Our personalites do not resonate with what we are tring to do and we start rebelling against what we ourselves have put in place.

This outwardly manifests in what sometimes apprear to be 'dream stealers' within the 'sphere' but I don't believe that to be true.

My personal belief is that every single person in here is supportive to differing degrees and when a seemingly controversial comment is made on a blog it is made with the best intentions in the world.

If we are secure enough withing ourselves and we are being true to our PRW's nothing said here should cause doubt in our minds or unease in our hearts for ultimately we are all here for the same reasons.

These are my personal views and I mean them with love since I know personally that whatever I write in here and whatever comments I post on the blogs of other are meant with the best intentions in the world.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 61

Funny how time seems to race

With 20 something days to go, it seems that time is just getting quicker and quicker...for me anyway...and that's cool coz every day is fun and I'm enjoying life to the max.

Challenges, I have a few, but that just makes life interesting and even with those what's the point of tramping around the planet if we are not going to enjoy it.

Something else that's so important is to own a sense of humour. Everyone has one but some peoole hide it away in the closet and only bring it out for special occasions.

One of those who doesn't is my friend Gloria Jean. She is both talented and funny and reading her blogs and looking at her graphic interpretation of stuff is both hilarious and eye raising at the same time...I mean she is SMART.

So today is dedicated to Gloria Jean....thank you for making us laugh and thank you for helping us find our sense of humour when things aren't so funny.

THANKS MOM

M2 | CONTEST | Day 60

Does RTP-TS really work?

Is a question on a lot of lips at present both inside and outside the 'Shreddersphere'

I think that I can safely provide proof positive that it absolutely DOES work and proof can always be found in pictures

The pictures above tell an amazing story.

Mission 1 Day 1.... Just come out of hospital and not exactly in the best shape of my life
Day 43...Making progress, but still not looking terribly slick and also the first day of the contest
Day 84...Last day of Mission 1...The day I became a Transformer. Great results but obviously not where I want to be ultimately so I continued training now for the Contest which became mission 2.
Mission 2 Day 60...there is an overlap here but in essence this is now my contest shred

I remember when I started seeing big results and realising that my metabolism after a year of being really sick and in and out of hospital had started burning fat BIG TIME.

I was thrilled, it was really starting to happen and it drove me to do better and better every day. My PRW's also helped but really it was the pictures that tell the real story.

Never underestimate the value of accountability via daily pictures..that is your real road map.

There are three weeks and a bit left for the contest to run and I believe I have planned it perfectly. I will be ready for judgement day and every day has been incredible.

My total compliance from day one to now has been 100% and I'm pretty stoked about that.

Point of all this is ...You absolutely CAN do whatever you want in terms of your health and fitness, all you have to do is find the correct program and be ready to make the commitment.
RTP-TS is definately the right program and The 'Shreddersphere" is unlike any other place I've ever been to. Support is incredibly important and this place gives us all we need, while we are building a new life.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If I can go from here

To here

to here

in one short year

WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE

M2 | CONTEST | Day 59

Just start writing.

When in doubt about what to write, my advice to myself is...just start writing and that's precisely what I'm doing today.

What is important to me today....what can I do today, now, to act as if....to be champion.

I can....train as if my life depended upon it
I can...think champions thoughts throughout the day
I can ensure super clean eating throughout the day
I can be responsible for my own feelings and not let circumstances dictate how I feel
I can...think about how I can help shredders keep going in order to hit their goals
I can visualise and imagine all the things happening to me that would happen to a champion
I can analyse negative thoughts, turn them into positives and move on

So these are some of the things I can do today that will help me focus on my goals...all of them, not just here.

See...thinking is a critical part of wisdom...Thinking helps sort out the rubbish from the good stuff..Thinking helps get to grips with tricky issues, thinking solves problems but sometimes letting go brings solutions as well.

I've often lain in bed at night before going to sleep and wondered about a problem that I have no answer for and I will awake in the morning with the solution right in front of me. It's uncanny how that happens.

Think about ways to be better at what you are doing and make a note of them...Act on them and you'll find that each day you become better and better and more of a champion.

Imagine how incredible you will be one year from now.

PEACE OUT

M2 | CONTEST | Day 58

The Puzzle

My life is an 84 day jigsaw puzzle.

Day 1 to 7 I put a 7 pieces on the board. Reading the modules didn't make a whole lotta sense because I am ADD and battled to focus through it all.

Day 8 added an 8th piece...started training..The modules had made sense now and the training I can do.

Day 9 added a piece to the puzzle...having already started the eating program...made sure I had it down.

So far I've 9 pieces of the puzzle put together on the board...I'm into the program in a big way but the puzzle doesn't look like a whole heck of a lot at the moment.

Fast forward to day 20....Aha, starting to look like something now. I can see little bits of the puzzle that make sense to me...+ there are only 64 pieces left.

Fast forward again to day 63....WOW OK now I can really see what's going on....I can see the shape of my body and how it's changing and more than that I can see that the balance of pieces left as opposed to pieces on the board has REALLY shifted, now I' getting excited.

Each day now is a day closer to the end of the mission and each day there is more to see on the puzzle and less on left on the table.

And aso it goes until all 84 days form a complete jigsaw puzzle of an amazing transformation. We all have this puzzle in our heads, and if we are diligent, we all, will have an amazing transformation. How can you not.

Patience is something we can all do more of and unless you hang in... the puzzle is going to make no sense.

For some of us, 84 days is not quite enough...but then this is a lifestyle so it matters not, but in the beginning, we have to KNOW that the program WE have CHOSEN to take us sprinting into the beautiful fields of green like Saraaah, with arms outstretched, embracing whatever is thrown at us, is going to take us valiantly past the finish line day by day like the puzzle.

Hang in, run the race until, you get to that certain point, where you know for sure you are winning, when that balance shifts, in your favour, but until that happens, REMEMBER.....THE PUZZLE.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 56

Life is wonderful..

Why?

Because I have such a lot to be thankful for. There is an upside in everything...absolutely everything, all you have to do is look for it.

I am well on my way to being in the best shape of my life. I feel fantastic, I have made so many new friends, this is like being home...A huge community and.....my spirit is soaring.

I feel like an eagle high up in the clouds, sometimes floating on the thermals, sometimes having to work to find them...swooping down and then climbing high above this beautiful blue planet and I think " Thank you for everything that I have, thank you for guidance to do the right things, thanks for friends with smart minds, thank you for my body that I can change if I so choose, thank you for Tuna fish and broccoli, which I've learned to love.....I could go on all day.

I'm just in a euphorically grateful mood today....I've blasted training right off the richter, I've eaten three quality meals, I'm happy to be writing my post today, as I am every day...I'm just thankful.

I manifest that each and every one of you achieve your goals and dreams and that good things come to you all, I manifest that Adam Waters RTP-TS program brings in another 1000 shredders, with a will to change, just like us.

I pray that we all have the courage and strength to learn from and overcome any adversity that befalls us, and take hardship and run with it atop the highest mountain with strength and courage.

I urge each and every one of you to focus on your PRW's today and stretch yourself beyond that which you already have....to extend your arms and embrace the sunshine and the rain....and the storms for it is they....that forge our spirit in metal that cannot be bent nor buckled.

CHOOSE LIFE and let yours MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 55

Sweet sweet sunday

After sweet sweet saturday afternoon at the rugby.

This is not gloating, it's just national pride for my beloved Springbok rugby team.

Sport is a very big deal in South Africa and I think that's a good thing...keeps people thinking about health and fitness....well maybe not, but at least they wear their Nike's to jump off the couch and run to the fridge for another beer between penalty kicks.

And so......yesterday afternoon my beloved Springboks gave the touring British and Irish Lions a lesson in snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

I say this all of course because I have big competition here in the sphere, and I mean RUGBY competition. There are my dear friend Saraaaah, and of course Brian Downes rooting for the British and Irish Lions and then over the pond we've got Adam Waters and Sharon watching with interest and Sharon's husband who is a kiwi, because we have the Tri Nations coming up which is a huge clash between the three best teams in the world, the best of which, of course is South Africa, the world champions.

Seriously though, what a game, I mean test rugby at it's finest...a complete war of attrition, where courage of the highest order was shown by the Boks in fighting back from what looked like certain defeat to snatch victory with a long range goal kick at the final whistle....Unbelievable stuff.

Saraaaaaah, Brian...sorry guys, thanks for coming.

Watching the game, obviously I was thinking about my friends over the water but I was also thinking about how the game is NEVER over until it's over. In other words NEVER give up.
All is never lost and we've all GOT to keep pushing and pushing until the very end.

For me personally...I am so hyped about my shred and the idea of being in absolutely peak physical condition, which I am, that I just can't sleep. I mean it's 3.15am and I'm blogging.

Now some might say....obsessed, I say, committed to my mission, and acting like a CHAMPION, because a champion does things daily what ordinary people do occasionally.

And at the end of the day the proof of the pudding is in the eating. At the end of it all, at the end of our mission and upon reflection, before we build a plan for the next mission, our thoughts will not turn to the things that we did that were out of the ordinary but how everything we did was a step towards our goal and not away from it. We thought like Champions, we acted like Champions and ultimately we are CHAMPIONS.

And right now as I sit here reflecting on that marvellous game....like the mighty Springboks, I, am also, a CHAMPION.

And.......so are YOU.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 54

Return to the FUTURE

I think yesterday's post may deserve a little clarification.

I have always worn my heart on my sleeve, as you may have noticed. The reason I do that is because I don't want to present myself as getting everything right all the time, clearly that's not the case and so when I hit an obstacle like I did yesterday I want to expose you to how I felt and what I plan to do about it.

It's only right and proper, if I am going to write about my personal journey, to expose myself warts and all, right...right.

So...yesterday was one of those cases.....I hit a snag, a minor one really when comparing it with all of my others.

First, what was my initial reaction...Disbelief, anger, frustration, sadness, and probably a few others, but as I have written before I DO NOT STAY DOWN for long and as I write this I am as hapopy as Larry....whoever the mythical Larry is.

The way I operate in any situation is

1. Allow my emotions to have sway
2. Allow myself time to grieve, without trying to sound too melodramatic
3. Give myself time to calm down
4. Assess the problem and create a battle plan

This situation was one of those and I have gone through that process as normal.

So for any of you that think it was a knee jerk reaction, it wasn't, it was simply me documenting a taxing situation in order to allow everyone to see how I deal with tough issue.

The reason for that is...hopefully, is that it may help someone understand a new way to deal with things but...

If you think I'm talking rubbish, put your feet up, grab a cup of coffee, carry on reading the paper and forget you ever saw this.

Now...for those that are still with me, let's clear up some misconceptions.

Firstly I do not recognise the word QUIT. It is NOT in my vocabulary.
Secondly, I suggested that I might withdraw from the competition. The reason for that is simple..If I can't make it to the NYC for the "Prizegiving" why should I deny someone else the opportunity of a lifetime, literally.
Thirdly...To clarify, I have said before "If you are ONLY in the sphere for the contest, leave now." I am most definately not GOING ANYWHERE. This is a very big part of my life It is my stated intention to help people find their way back through health and fitness....Where would I go. This is my home.
Fourth....I will continue posting and piccing daily as I have been doing as if nothing were different...why would I.
Fifth...I want to thank everyone for the magnificent support I've had. It just proves once again that we are a community of givers and I'me very grateful for that, and for you all.
Sixth...I am a very competitive individual and this is one of my PRW's and IT MEANS A GREAT DEAL TO ME for a number of reasons, so to be cut down...potentially before the end, was devastating to me, I admit...but it's not about a trip to New York... I have been to New York before, it's about meeting all my friends in person it's about meeting the Icons, Tom Venuto, Adam Waters and Carlos DeJesus, it's about winning, it's about "the whole thing" and....I believe in the concept of WINNING. You may not feel the same way, and that's cool, but..you are not me.

Now....having cleared that up what am I going to do about this...well I contacted a dear friend of mine who happens to live in the UK and knows how these things work and asked her if she would mind making a phone call for me to see what can be done. She very generously said that she would go one better and would drive to London in person and grab whoever makes these decisions by the scruff of the neck until a new passport was forthcoming.

The great thing about this is....that you all know her.... My dear friend Saraaaah, is off to London monday. Another great thing about the 'sphere' is that we have all made new friends and for me Sarah is one of them. She is very generous of spirit, to which her other sphere friends, of which she has many, will attest, and I am more than grateful to her for going waaaay beyond that which she was asked.

So here is a very public thank you to dear Sarah for doing this for me...I am in your debt.

So....another day, another pic, my training is going exceptionally well and I am loving this shred to bits.

Here's to a life of health and fitness....and CHALLENGES...adversity makes you SOOO much stronger and I embrace the challenges.

I raise my glass of 'fresh water' and salute you all, courageous shredders, you are all champions. NEVER QUIT, NEVER GIVE UP.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 53

I have just had the rug pulled out from under me.....in a big way

My blog is late today because I have spent the whole morning in Pretoria trying to sort out the renewal of my British Passport.

I was told in no uncertain terms that because of new regulations I needed to produce all original documentation of my grandparents who originate from Scotland and my birth certificate. I was born in Zambia. I DO NOT HAVE ANY OF THESE DOCUMENTS.

Plus a few more weeks to renew the passport. Now don't tell me I should have thought about this earlier.....I'll come to wherever you are and we'll have a lovely conversation about it.

I know that....but I did phone the embassy and they were quite happy to tell me on the phone that there would be no problem simply renewing my passport and yes there was plenty of time.

So....this is a big challenge to overcome. How did I feel driving back from Pretoria. Completely gutted. I actually felt physically ill.

I might as well say it now, part of my mission is the contest, I am a contest shredder and I didn't enter to come second. Now if I do not have travel documents I am going no where and will have to withdraw from the contest.

Obviously I will exhaust every avenue to try and get some sort of travel document, I don't know what it's like in your country but try phoning embassies on a friday afternoon here.

Yeah, right.

This is a biggy for me and I need to think clearly about how to deal with it.

I WILL NOT GIVE UP

M2 | CONTEST | Day 52

The day I had my butt kicked

My training partner....also a trainer in my business....and I, walked into the gym today super excited about the training session to come...Little did I know I was about to get my butt kicked.

If you want to know what you are made of, head off into the unknown unexpectedly.

This shouldn't be a factor but firstly the kid is 30 years younger than me and secondly he doesn't have a broken neck....

Now I didn't tell him that we were going to go harder than usual today, because I train with Maximum intensity anyway but he sure told me....all of a sudden the trainer became the trainee...Now I know what it's like to train with a sadistic monster.

First off no sets of ten were allowed, then he increased all the weights that I had set out. So we started, I went first with him following close enough to be able to shout...."LOWER ON THE DEADLIFT DUDE, C'MON ARE YOU A WOOSY OR WHAT."

After the first round of 15 of everything my engine was working at above normal revs and I was puffing a touch...Headed for the bike to rest...."I DON'T THINK SO." I get from behind me..."GET THOSE REVS UP TO OVER 100 AND KEEP THEM THERE, NOW, C'MON, YOU CAN DO THIS, GET THE INTENSITY UP."

And so it was....I got through it working harder than I have before on this part of the program...I nearly coughed up a lung, but I got through it.

While stretching when it was all over, and still breathing very heavily, I worked out that:

1. Conditioning is relative
2. Always be increasing your intensity
3. My old level 10 is now obsolete
4. I can't go back to what I thought was max
5. If I think about it too much I get scared about my new max, but you need courage
   
6. In a week or two my new max will be my old max
7. We can ALL, do more than we think we can in everything in life
   
8. Getting someone to push you is the BEST way to breakthrough
9. Just do it
10. Reflect afterward on WHY you are doing what you are doing

and that will give you the answer as to whether you should forward or stay where you are.

If you are a contest shredder, you need to be aware of the above and go with intensity without thinking about it. FOR NOW

When the contest is done you can re-avaluate your goals but FOR NOW

EAT CLEAN, DRINK LOTS OF WATER and GO LIKE HELL

M2 | CONTEST | Day 51

There is gold in them thar hills.

I'm thinking that we have unearthed stuff that goes way beyond health and fitness...well it is related and does factor into our thinking.

What I'm talking about is talent. We have some talented people in the 'sphere' Gems have been unearthed and there are some special people around.

We have all...and I mean all been given a magnificent gift. Some, are still searching, some have found it but don't believe, and some are just discovering what it is but are fearful that it's not real.

Before I around in too many circles and confuse even myself, I'm talking about writing.

Go to the blog post top 100 roll and take a look down the list. There are some incredible posts which in essence are thoughts set to paper.

When I talk about good writers, I'm talking, not about stuffy gramatically correct english, or the odd spelling error. I'm talking about great story tellers. You see we all have it inside...we all have stories to tell...we just think that no body will listen....or we are afraid that our beliefs will be ridiculed.

Fear...is what stops the best stories ever heard from never seeing the light of day on paper. Well writing is about story telling and in a conversational way...as if you were telling the story to your best friend.

I am lucky in that I love to write but beyond that...because I've been on this planet for a while now and I've had way more than my fair share of adversity, for which, by the way, I am very grateful, I believe I have amassed a modicum of wisdom, assuming of course than I can find it in my cranial hard drive when I need it...but that's by the by, which allows me to share that with others in a way that may help others to grow.

My children think they know everything and I don't know how often I've heard, when I explain how something works, "No it doesn't" being the standard reply, and it reminds me of the story of the two youngsters chatting. "When I was 16 my parents knew nothing about anything...now that I'm 21 I can't believe how much they've learned."

If you want to learn about yourself and how you work, start writing. Get a journal or a clean sheet of Microsoft word and start writing...every day.

You'll soon develop a style and before long you'll be writing things that people want to read.
And an added bonus is.....we get to have all this talent in the 'sphere'

I mean if you think about the talented people in here that are striving to change their lives...can you imagine what kind of corporation we could get going. WOW...the mind boggles.

NOW...how the heck, you are thinking, does this relate to health and fitness. C'mon Dougal let's see you tie this one together.

Well you know what.....for once it doesn't. I just thought I'd write for the joy of writing...and this is what came out.

So this is dedicated to all you wonderful people, my, friends, here....with a plea to let your spirits soar by finding out what your brilliant gift is...and then to use to it to help others in any way you can.

Oh BTW, for those of you who have asked what I eat every day...here it is

Wake up Protein shake, Oats, water
Post training Protein shake, Banana, water
Mid am 3 egg scrambled eggs + baked potato
Lunch Tuna salad with brown rice
Mid pm Low Fat Cottage cheese + garden salad + 2 spns olive oil
Dinner Venison (game) + steamed broccoli (2 to 3 cups) drizzled with Ol Oil 2x spns
Pre bed Protein shake + water
2 zinc tablets

and also those who have asked about my compliance, Your assumption was right
My total shred compliance for the last 14 weeks is 100%

M2 | CONTEST | Day 51

I was talking to a client of mine this morning. He has been through the same thing that we all go through. We manage to sustain fat loss for a prescribed period of time and then we let go. That is why diet is such a filthy word. It implies that there is an end in sight and that the old life of Big Macs and cheesecake is just around the corner....well it isn't.

If we are not prepared to make a "lifestyle" change..forget about it.

For me, I was lucky enough to find Adam Waters at the same time I hit rock bottom and because of that I KNOW that I will be spending xmas on the beach covered by a six pack and not a T shirt.

As a fitness professional it has got to be the most self defeating thing in the world to be out of shape. Firstly you are always feeling terrible about the way you look... knowing what you do... and secondly, how much credibility can you have if you, as a fitness coach, are...well....FAT.

We all need to find whatever solution works for us and my personal opinion is, that full scale accountability is what works best for most people.

I suggested to my client, who happens to be a very high level executive in a major organisation, that he go to the organisation's Chairman, lay out his plan and goals, and the date by which he will achieve them and ask that if he fails to live up to his daily action steps, he would forfeit his very considerable bonus. Hmmmm....puts a different perspective on how serious you are about getting into shape.

This blog for me is such a win. There are people from all over the planet reading...well hopefully, reading my words after having seen my contract...see early blog entry...and holding me accountable. Barring a real catastrophe there is no way I'm going to skip a meal, training session or cardio workout.

So all of you reading this...please post comments, I would love to know what you think, perhaps what information you would like to see that I'm not including etc.

I would really appreciate feedback to help motivate you to go for your own goals.

Talk to me.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 50

Complacency.....has no loyalty

On Saturday the British and Irish Lions played my beloved Springboks, current World Champions.

At the half we were crunching the opposition like there was no tomorrow...however there are 2 test matches left in a 3 match series and after the half with quite some time to play the coach in his infinite wisdom, knowing that we had the game sewn up, excuse me... took off a lot of key players including the captain and substituted them for players...good players, from the bench.

Outcome, we came close to losing the game, because of COMPLACENCY.

The game was won by a long way, so let's cruise for the balance of the game and rest the key players, he thought.

NO...NO....NO

COMPLACENCY will destroy you.

How does that relate to what we are doing here.

You cannot set up your nutrition plan, get your training organised, sort out your gym membership and just pitch up every day. That will not do it for you.

You need to THINK, every day about is what you are eating right, is your training intense enough, is there more that you could be doing and so on.

If you let complacency drift in you will find that over time you are doing things with less and less urgency as days go by until you are so far off the program as to wonder why you are not making progress.

Let me if you an example from your nutrition plan.

Let us assume that you are eating chicken breast for dinner and whole wheat bread for lunch.
You head for the market after work and you have had a rough day and you are tired. They have no skinless, boneless chicken breast so you look around and see hamburger patties, double extra lean....Ahh this'll do so you buy them. They have no wholewheat bread so you buy low GI seed loaf. The next time you buy lean patties and brown bread....and the next time you just buy bread and patties...how bad can it be, you think, it's only one meal.

By degrees you don't notice, but over time you are so far off track that no wonder you aren't making progress.

So...don't let complacency hurt your progress...be vigilant about everything you do in terms of your health and fitness and you WILL see regular encouraging signs of moving forward every day.

We were lucky on Saturday...we may not be so lucky second time around, but I bet you that the coach will be VERY alert come game day on saturday.

PEACE OUT

M2 | CONTEST | Day 49

I'm a NATURAL

My hand is poised above the paper. The pen within it quivers, a blob of bright blue ink gets ready to drip, unless I apply the pen to the paper and write something.

Got it, I'll write a poem. Inspired by Yeats, and Keats, Browning and Gehrig...oh no sorry he was a baseball player wasn't he, albeit with a tragic story.

Ah yes, Lou Gehrig and "The Babe", hero's of a bygone era, role models for thousands of american kids. There was no TIVO in those days, and what did we know from Gehrig and Ruth, or even baseball for that matter. Here in Africa we played rugby and cricket, which by the way has been called "baseball on valium".

The role models these days are Barry Bonds, the monsters from WWF, giant bodybuilders like multi Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman, and those incredible athletes who spend three weeks at 100% riding 3500kms in the Tour de France.

Isn't it a shame though that that the kids of today revere some of those who have attained glory through illegal means, drugs if you will. Isn't it sad that some major athletes of today pay over a major part of their earnings to their chemist.

The Tour de France is around the corner and billions of people will be passionately watching their hero compete for glory only to have their adoration shattered when this or that superstar tests positive for Anabolic Steroids and is ordered to return his medal.

It's a shame to think that some of those kids themselves will succumb to the lure of the filthy "so called elixer of life", all in the name of narcissism.

Play your part and be a role model to your own children, for isn't it so much better to stand straight and tall, lean and strong one year from now, looking into the mirror, and be able to say. "I'm a natural."

M2 | CONTEST | Day 48

IMAGINATION....One of the greatest free gifts we have.

My girlfriends son looked up at me "Dougal do your realise that I will be seven tomorrow." I smiled at him knowing that tomorrow he would have his party at home..my girlfriends country residence, she has a big garden. Jumping castles, water slides....

It suddenly occurred to me that this precious little boy with exitement shining in his eyes would sleep fitfully and would wish tomorrow would come as soon as possible. The thing was..he was living in the moment. He was so focused on the fact that this was his time, nothing else mattered.

He could clearly visualise what was going to happen almost as if it was happening right before those shining eyes.

As we grow we tend to lose that skill. It gets knocked out of us at school. Write on the lines. Do not go outside the borders of the page.

What a shame since IMAGINATION is the greatest gift that we have been given and we need to learn how to get it back.

Visualisation is critical for you to get to where you want to go. Those of us on a tranformation journey need...no MUST be able to see ourselves as we want to be...as if it were today.

Once you can do that the subconscious starts it's work and finds ways to get us there.

The great fun though is in the journey.... The highs and lows, the triumphs and the tragedies...for once you get to your destination..... Then what.

That little boy has imagined this day for ages...he has sold his mother on the outline of what he wants to do with his friends on his birthday, for a long time. He has dreamed grand dreams of sailing down a water slide and bouncing off the jumping castle walls. Of eating cake and opening presents, of happy laughter and smiling faces.

And so it will be. He saw it long before it actually happened.

We can learn a lot from Children.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 47

Boy this brings back some memories

29.52 - A very significant number but before I tell you why.....the answer to your question is NO, I'm not out of my mind....I wish I was going skiing but I don't think it is on my "to do" list for a little while.

It is a beautiful cold winter morning on the Hiveld and I'm dressed for my walk.

This picture has just been taken and the thing that really struck me, is, that I'm smiling.

I suddenly realised that I havn't really smiled for quite a while. Well today I'm really, really happy.

WHY? When I woke up I got out of bed and gingerly walked the 30 or so paces to the kettle. ......One needs to have a cuppa tea when one awakens, does one not...very civilised.

What struck me was that my legs were very sore. My quads, my hammy's, my shins...No, couldn't be, could it....DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness. But I was only using body weight for yesterday's leg work. Wow what a realisation.

I then started smiling and got HAPPY. I have reached rock bottom. Isn't that great. I have no place to go but up....and I mean way up.

Rock bottom isn't always a bad place to be. yes it hurts, emotionally, yes our pride gets dented, yes we wonder what will people who know us think of us.

Well, when we cut through that pile of garbage we will find that it's a heck of a lot easier to start anything from rock bottom than it is from half way up.

Ever tried a diet and just sailed through to your goal...well that's because you started from....you guessed it..rock bottom.

So if any of you are at rock bottom....you are ready...hook up with a friend, or ask for help and support from a shredder, read Adam Water's blog, and get going.

Yes TODAY, would be good.

By the way, that number at the top....is my walk time today - down from 40minutes

Whoooooo hoooooooooo!

M2 | CONTEST | Day 46

The GIFT

It's 2.30am....I can't sleep, I'm so excited.

I'm so grateful for the gift I've been given. How could I not be. I've been on this planet for a while now and I've seen a few things...I've been through a few things....and I'm still here with the gift intact.

LIFE... in abundance is the gift I'm talking about...LIFE, given to me by my creator....to do with what I choose.

For the first time in my tenure on this planet it thrills me to know that I have a calling. It is so fullfilling to know that I know what I'm doing on planet earth and once I discovered what it was, I could stop searching.

It is so exhausting to question yourself continually....There must be more to life than this...what am I doing here....what is this all about, why is life so hard.

The minute I let go of all that and did two things all that changed forever.

1. Embraced adversity
2. Willingly became a servant

We are all going to have adversity in our lives....all of us without question and we can choose whether to embrace it and find the positive in it or reject it and see it as a curse and refuse to take responsibility for it. "It's not my fault."

We were not put on planet earth to 'take'. In general terms people who have spent their whole lives amassing great fortunes at the expense of others die very unhappy people.

Once I understood all that...some time ago, it changed the way I looked at life. I started looking for ways to help people...anywhere, people in distress, people who needed a friend, people who needed someone to listen, people who were hurting, people who needed a kind loving word. Not big things.

The more those actions changed those people the happier I became and have continued to become.

Don't get me wrong...I very much like the finer things in life but I have found that the better way to get those things is via the universal law of ' RECIPROCATION '. The unalterable law that says 'whatever you do to others will be returned to you.'

And I have found that the more I give, the more I get back. Generally speaking whatever you are giving out is what is coming back to you and so if you are grumpy and start speaking badly to people, don't be surprised if a few rude people start having a go at you. If you head into the gym saying to yourself "Aaagh, I really don't feel like this today" you are not going to have the greatest session.

Be nice, but be true to yourself. Know when to say no, get your priorities straight. There is a very simple line in the Word of God which says, "Let your no be no and your yes, yes."

Couldn't be more simple could it. Treat others as you would wish others to treat you and let your no be no and your yes yes.

Eureka, that's it. That's the answer. SIMPLICITY...Life only gets tough when we complicate it.

Find yourself by becoming a servant, and taking responsibility for the adversity in your life you'll be forever thankful when you do.

PEACE OUT.

M2 | CONTEST | Day 45

Yesterday was a holiday in South Africa and we were consequently invited to some friends for a big luncheon.

I knew it was going to be a big bash with lots of extravagant food and huge amounts of alcohol.

I planned for a free meal since I knew it was going to be difficult to eat clean and I do not want people running around me at a function or getting into a discussion about why I'm so boring because of the food I eat.

We arrived and stood around the bar for awhile, awaiting the arrival of the other guests.
Imagine my surprise when the hors d'oeuvres arrived.....crux de terres, lots of lovely crunchy raw veggies with black olives (good fats) and asparagus. Went very well with my ice cold sparkling water.

Later we adjourned to the table, beautifully appointed for twelve people...and the host disapeared down into the wine cellar returning with a few bottles of a dusty but fabulous local '95 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Now I love a glass of good wine so graciously said thank you as it was thrust into my outstretched hand.

Everbody else was drinking french Champagne. I stuck with my one glass of red interspersed with copious glasses of water the whole afternoon.

The first course arrived. Exquisite fresh norwegian salmon dressed with caper berries, fresh pomegranite and smooth fat free cottage cheese.

That went down very well with me and was followed by 'done to a turn' rare fillet steak with roasted vegetables.

My upturned eyebrows went unnoticed and I wondered why the meal so far was one hundred percent clean.

After a decent break between courses....desert. Delicious fresh fruit salad with fat free yoghurt.

Wow, what's going on here.

At the end of wonderful afternoon with a delicious espresso in hand everybody complimented the hostess on an exquisite meal.

The hostess replied " Well most of it was done for Dougal, you know he only eats healthy food." Aaagh OK, so that's what it's about.

What followed was a short discourse on clean eating and everybody agreed that it was not difficult at all to eat the way we had eaten today at all.

Upside....had a fabulous day with friends, ate perfectly healthy fare and made a few converts into the bargain.

WIN WIN, for everyone I'd say.

Proof that a healthy lifestyle does NOT have to be boring.

Mission Contest | Day 43

New day | New Beginnings

Everything is fresh and cool outside. It's 4.30am and it's a new day, a new start, a new body.

14 weeks ago I was fresh out of hospital and looking to recover from major surgery. I was fat unhealthy and full of infection.

Today, I'm heading, fast toward my self fullfilling prophecy of becoming the best me I've ever been and I'm pumped.

It must be like a collective consciousness thing from my very good friend 'downunder' Sharon, because I also feel like I'm bouncing off the walls.

84 done and I want to thank every single shredder on the 'Sphere' for all their support and comments during the last 84.

It's been wonderful getting to know all of you and making a whole bunch of new friends....genuine caring people with a common cause.

We are a community and everyone wants to belong to a community so I think we can reasonably expect the 'sphere' to grow exponentially going forward. It is our responsibility to help all those who come in and find difficulty getting to grips with a new way of life that we so blithely now take for granted.

We were all there once.

As my mission1 disapears into the distance mission 2 looms large on the horizon...well a half a mission actually since it finishes in 41 days from now.

My mission for the next 41 is to support every shredder as much as I can to get to their 84.
In line with my stated goal as a servant, my offer is to anyone who needs help to message me with any questions they may have, and I'll be thrilled to be able to help you complete your mission.

Isn't it amazing to think that in just a month and a half there will be hundreds of 'transformers' all over the 'sphere' and just 3 short months before that we were all just a bunch of tired overweight individuals desperately trying to reclaims our lives.

A big thank you to Adam Waters and RTP-TS and the brilliant concept of collective accountability.

History is being made here my friends and....WE ARE PART OF IT.

Could it get more exciting. NOT FOR ME.

M1 | Day 84and CONTEST | Day 43

What is the one GREAT FORCE that we ALL NEED?

I happened to be half watching MythBusters last night...they were doing James Bond secret devices.

Now Bond has had some pretty cool stuff over the years but what they were particularly talking about was an electro magnetic watch which could deflect a bullet.

The 'Busters', try as they might could not get the bullet to deviate by flying over a set of magnets until they put a number of humungous magnets down under the bullets flight path and even then....only a slight deviation.

What they said about this, hit me between the eyes like a speeding bullet and really made me sit up and listen.

There is no greater force than M O M E N T U M .

and so, what's that got to do with me.....I can hear you think, as you take another sip of your double thick malted milk to wash down the last of your third chocolate cream eclair leaving flecks of cream and chocolate crumbs all over your chin.......I'm kidding I know that would never be YOU...now would it.

Well it has everything to do with you...with US, as it happenes.

The program that we are on, Adam's RTP transformation system has a start up cost and I'm not talking shekels, spondulux, filthy lucre..MONEY...I mean, you actually have to do a lot of work to get to grips with everything. Now that's great....but, it mean there is quite a high barrier to entry, as there is with most programs worth their salt.

So, now think of the space shuttle.....It uses an unbelievable amount of energy just getting off the pad. Even more to get it up and through the earths atmosphere. Then what keeps it going. You got it...MOMENTUM.

Just like all of us. We burn a huge amount of effort to take us to the point where we can say...OK, I get it and when we do and we are a little way in.... is it that, that keeps us going... and actually....if we've done the homework properly, it's not all that hard. Well it isn't. If your PRW's are meaningful then MOMENTUM is what keeps you going. That's equivalent to the right fuel and thrust in the rocket.

Now what happens if....the 'VOICE' says...this is not for you..there's got to be an easier way...and you decide to look for something else. Like for the twenty third time.

You have to go through all that MOMENTUM again. Is it worth it.....That's a no brainer isn't it.

So as I hit day 84 of Mission 1...I want to look forward rather than reflecting..At least today anyway.

What will I do now. Well one thing I won't do is waste that momentum....I still have many goals to achieve...so, I will just keep right on trucking, at least until day 84 of the contest and by then, I assure you I will have a new exciting Mission in mind.

I am not ever going to allow the last 84 days be a waste. I think about people who say, "well let's see how the program goes for you and then we'll climb on board." Don't you think they are now saying, "Why the heck didn't we start with you, look where we'd be."

Once time is gone, it's gone. You can never get it back, and once you get the momentum going...Please don't waste it. You will regret it when you have to start again in 6 months and 20lbs from now.

To ADAM WATERS....
Mission One complete Captain....
and straight into Mission Two, with hardly a pause for breath...
THANK YOU FOR RTP-TS

That's the way I like it.

M1 | Day 83and CONTEST | Day 42

Self Fullfilling prophecies...... Do they really exist?


I wrote this last year when I was recuperating but if you read through you'll see how my 'prophecy' has become self fullfilling.


This is my last word on Woods, of the Tiger variety, I was astounded to read that TW played the US Open with an ACL injury - anterior cruciate ligament, AND multiple stress fractures. Now, I'm aware of the pain involved, I see these things in the gym and the physiotherapy practice, so I'm astounded that he played in the first place with those kind of injuries, much less won the darn thing.

I'm not saying it was a clever thing to do, because he's now had to take the rest of the year off, but man his drive, and level of commitment is unbelievable.

As for me....I did my 4+ km fartlek (speedplay) walk yesterday and had fun. I can feel myself getting stronger every time I go out. Lower body work today.

I had a post comment today asking me if "You are always so chipper" which made me think about it...

"am I"...honestly.

Well now let's see ...

Firstly, I'm exeedingly grateful that by God's grace I am alive, Miracles do happen.
Secondly, I'm exeedingly grateful to able to go walkabout.
Thirdly, I'm exeedingly grateful that I had comprehensive medical insurance since this thing so far has cost around R1,000 000, thats about $130 000 US.
Fourth I'm exeedingly grateful that I had a fantastic young trainer to step into my business seamlessly, and clients that were prepared to train with him, so my financial fallout for that business is minimal.
Fifth, I'm exeedingly grateful that my property investment business is running on it's own with minimal input from me.
Sixth, I'm exeedingly grateful that my girlfriend was prepared to change her whole life to nurse me back to health (we do not live together so it was a major adjustment for her and her children)
Seventh, I'm exeedingly grateful to discover that I have a heck of a lot more friends who care about me than I thought I did,
Eighth, I'm exeedingly grateful to all my shredder friends for wondering where I was when I disapeared off the planet and asking.
Ninth, I'm exeedingly grateful that I AM able to take recovery time at home.
Tenth, I'm exeedingly grateful that my Faith allows me to know in my know in my know that I will come back better than ever before and be able to encourage thousands of people to health and fitness WITH YOUR HELP.

I could go on all day but I know you've got things to do so.......

So...Am I always so chipper....well, yes, I guess I am.

SPREAD THE WORD HEALTH AND FITNESS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE....and it makes you look cool too.

Take a look at No 10 again and look where I am now. ( I wrote this post 1 year ago.) So I guess the answer to "Do self fullfilling prophecies, prayers, dreams, goals....work YOU BETCHA."

M1 | Day 82and CONTEST | Day 41

Who is Dara Torres?.....and why should you care


Dara Torres is an incredible Olympic athlete and she was mentioned the other day on the sphere.....I know the games are long gone but don't yawn and go back to sleep...read on, you may get something out of this.

I think she is more impressive than Phelps. Don't get me wrong, Phelps is no doubt the greatest Olympian ever but I'm not sure that he will be an Olympic medallist in 20 years time, like Dara Torres. Hey I might be wrong but it's probably unlikely.

" Don't let your age, get in the way of your dreams " I think is what she said.

I have been reading some comments from people who don't feel that she should have been there because of her age and experience. She should have made way for younger swimmers to have a chance since she has been an Olympian a few times before, they said.

EXCUSE ME....surely the team is picked from athletes with the fastest times at the trials. If that is true then she why should a slower swimmer get her spot...huh!

I love it that youngsters are intimidated by a 41 year old mother for a spot in the Olympic team...not withstanding the fact that she came "a click of a finger " close to winning a gold medal.

Youngsters whine too much, no of course I didn't mean YOU....set your goals, train harder than your coach says you should, create an unstoppable mindset, and be determined to win, but do not whine...rather get out of the pool and try your hand at the annual Poughkeepsie dung spitting contest.

Rumour has it that Phelps handed his goals for the Olympics to his coach some time before the Olympics....on the list " To win 8 gold medals at the 2008 Olympics". Now that's putting it on the line and going for it, and I doubt that stayed in bed when 'he did not feel like it" or missed a meal because he forgot to pack it, or didn't plan properly

Don't be a bad sport and whinge about losing a spot on the team to a 41 yr old mother who darn near won a gold medal, she absolutely deserves to be there.

All of us, me especially, can learn so much from this amazing woman. Dream big dreams, set massive goals, pick big targets to aim for don't let anything get in your way....especially that voice in your head that tells you you can't.

We can do anything we want want to, provided we are prepared to pay the price. There is always a price....but it's worth it. Look at it this way...it takes courage to get to where we want to go...if it didn't we would all be supermodels...well not me really.

and....in the (sort of) words of the incredible Dara Tores " Don't ever let your age get in the way of your dreams."

M1 | Day 82and CONTEST | Day 40

Sub Prime has really hurt the American economy...ask employees and management at Bear Stearns. If you think this is new you've forgotten 88-89 and junk bonds causing the demise of Drexel Burnham. This is a cycle, or if you prefer, a season.

This is part of life, part of nature, part of human greed and does this have anything to do with health and fitness. Well actually yes it does.

Everything in life operates in cycles, up and downs, seasons. Think about it. Weather patterns, winter, summer, geography, mountains and valleys, moods, cheerful and unhappy.

I don't mean to minimise what is happening right now but what I'm trying to say is your health is exactly the same and so is your training.

Do you know that the body adapts to a resistance routine in about 4 weeks. You then plateau, and you need to change your exercises and if you don't you are unlikely to make any more gains from the routine. Any halfway decent routine should factor this in. Your nutrition is pretty much the same and your body gets used to eating the same foods every single day.

Plateau's, up's and downs and seasons are a very normal part of every day life so guard your health very carefully...Choose a program and eating plan you trust and see it through. Finish what you start and remember plateau's are a temporary part of our life cycle and there will be downside's. Deal with them positively and with good humour and grace for 'they too will pass'

M1 | Day 80 and CONTEST | Day 40

When the chips are really down, what do YOU do?

I wrote this in November last year prior to my last operation to remove the hardware.
At this time where some spirits are flagging and some are uncertain and some need to lift themselves up.....I thought this may help.

I was saying to Carlos yesterday, I feel like I'm in round 20 of a 15 round fight.
I feel battered and bruised physically and emotionally and I have to admit that apart from my recognisable flu like systems which make me feel awful I've had a little self pity party today.

Hey, I'm allowed.

The thing with me is that when something like this happens I get introspective. I go inside myself and get very quiet. I analyse the situation decide on a course of action and then I come out of my shell and I'm fine again. Very seldom does my 'down' time last more than half a day or so.

But...

This is different. I have no frame of reference for what has happened to me over the last 7 months. I have been knocked over so many times I don't know which way is up any more.

I have been on roller coaster rides with my kids before but nothing as scary as this.

I am trying to assess the risks of what I'm about to go through but even the mighty Google is pretty sparse as far as ' risks associated with early removal of cervical hardware.' searches is concerned

I see my neurosurgeon monday morning to run through all the options, the risks, the positives, the percentages....doesn't stop me 'running the numbers' myself ahead of time though.

Phew....I'm tired....tired of getting up off the canvas, tired of heading into the middle of the ring for another round. Am I about to throw in the towel.....no chance, I'm a long way from that.

All I need....all we all need in situations like this is a little breather to regroup. refocus and hit the ground running again.

Right, that's off my chest, I feel better now.....LET'S GO FOR A SWIM, c'mon.

M1 | Day 81and CONTEST | Day 39

As a man thinketh

As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.

Is that statement important to us? I believe it's the most important fundamental we have in personal development.

Everything we have, do or are is, developed out of that statement.

What I am is because of what I think.

A man's self worth is developed out of what he THINKS it is.

Everyday statements contain the word....hmmm, 'I think I'll have fish for dinner' or 'I think we should go to the movies tonight, what do you think?

So how important is it in everyday life.

If we run into a problem such as the one I had yesterday....If I didn't think about a solution I would just sit around not knowing what to do.

If I don't feel like going to gym how do I get myself to a position where I not only end up there but have the best session ever. It's easy to say I don't feel like it and plonk down on the couch with a Bud and a packets of lays...fat free of course.

However, if I THINK about it I realise that

1. I have as responsibility to all my shredder friends
2. I am going to go backwards
3. I don't THINK this is the way I want to go.
4. My shred is going to suffer
5. My compliance is going to dive

etc, etc.

Everything I am is because of the way I think.

Check this out. ' I'm a man of integrity with a giving heart, wanting to do all I can to help others achieve their fitness goals.' The more I think that the more I believe it, the more it becomes real.

Starts in the mind, then goes to the heart, and when it comes out of your mouth it becomes a real living think.

Thinking is one of the most important skills we have, it allows us to be creative, it allows us to achieve, and it allows us to be whatever we want to be.

PRACTICE THINKING with AWARENESS all the time in any situation and as your skill improves so will your life and you will be able to instantly avoid situations that may drag you down or allow you to get away with things you know you actually shouldn't do.

Reminds me of an old story of a bank manager who phones a client and says " Mr Smith, I've been examining your account and ...umm, I think you are overdrawn....Mr Smith instantly shoots back " Well when you are sure call me back." and puts down the phone.

and me....I think I'll head of to the gym for the best session I've ever had...and now that I've thought about I KNOW it's going to be the best.

M1 | Day 80and CONTEST | Day 38

The day the lights went out......The curve ball was thrown.

At 8.30pm last night the lights went out in my town house....and a whole lot of others as well.
No information was available so.....I went to bed.

I awoke this a.m. and trundled off to do my thing...trained some clients and headed off to my gym to train. Had a super session and arrived at home to do my blog as normal.

Power still down. Phoned the complex manager who told me that the electrician could only come at lunchtime. He further very politely told me that the $100 worth of game meat (fat free source of protein) that I had sitting in the deep freeze would not be his responsibility if it went off.

Being a good Christain boy who does not let anything get under his skin I, with GREAT restraint thanked him for his time and told him that he was a wonderful chap and to please have a good day. I then smashed the phone on the floor and stomped on it for good measure....no I'm kidding I didn't do that at all.

What I did though was use this to my advantage. I phoned my girl and invited her for coffee.
Grabbed my lap top, active sync for my phone/camera downloads and headed for Nino's, a great little coffee shop close to where I live.

Grabbed all my stuff from the car, walked over to Nino's....closed for renovations. OK, phoned my girlfriend, change of plans Babe.

Crossed the road and went to Mimo's an italian restaurant.....closed.

Hmmm, blood pressure is definately rising by this point. Moved on to the "Wimpy Bar"...y now I'm getting desperate and time is marching on. Phoned 'Babe' back...Wimpy, are you serious, what a dump. C'mon Babe, work with me here....she could hear the edge in my voice and said....Ohhhh, Kaaaay. You know how girls do sometimes...C'mon girls you know what I'm talking about.

Got my gear, walked to the Wimpy, settled in and asked where the power point was. Uggh, sorry Sir, no point point.

Grrrrrrr! Phone 'Babe' back, change of plan....Oh thank goodness she said...well at least one of us was happy. I'm going to the next strip mall...I'll call you.

Into the car, drive for 10 minutes, to a great little coffee bar called Sugo's..ahh, they have a table inside..coz, it's freeeezing in Jozi today. Settle in, plug in the computer, order scrambled eggs on rye and an Americano. Phone 'Babe', who's, by now two minutes away. Get ready to work and 'Babe' arrives, bonus...havn't seen her since sunday.

Set the 'puter' aside, food arrives and we settle in to chat. One hour later 'babe' leaves and I pull the 'puter' over to start work .......NO CONNECTIVITY....DOUBLE GRRRRRRRRRR.

Now....this whole process has been going on for some considerable time and at the end of it all, I've actually achieved.....precisely....ZERO, exept for coffe with 'babe'.

Any self respecting individual by now would have said.....'The heck with it....the blog, ain't gonna happen today...I'm so far behind my schedule, I dont have time any more.

Now although I AM a self respecting individual...and although my blood pressure is through the roof....I AM ACCOUNTABLE TO MY FAMILY....IN THE SPHERE.

So, against all the odds...here is my post for today.

What did I learn from all of this.

1. ACCOUNTABILITY is KEY.
2. I can trust myself because I take accountability very seriously
3. I did not give up
   
4. I feel great about the fact that I got it done
   
5. I get to give everybody a good laugh about this comedy of unfortunate luck.
6. I made a plan. I just would not quit.
7. My self esteeem went up a notch, for perservering.

And as I said...at the very least, I hope you get a laugh out of this, because I have..and..so did 'babe'.

PEACE OUT.

M1 | Day 78and CONTEST | Day 36

7 Weeks out.....

In bodybuilding terms, that's where we are. 7 weeks out from contest day.

You've got 7 weeks to do everything you need to do to become a champion. As Carlos says, everything you do is taking you a step towards your goal or a step away from your goals.

For all those contest shredders out there....you obviously entered the contest because you believed you could win... DO YOU STILL BELIEVE THAT.

If you do..and I hope that's all of you....take time today to tighten everything up. Drink enough water every day...make sure your eating plan is spot on. Do every single training session with maximum intensity and visualise winning every day, every night.

When you get into bed each night run over the day and ask yourself whether you stepped up to the plate today and moved forward. Review your PRW's and make sure you are still passionate about the positives and sure that the negatives still drive you.

Champions do each day what ordinary people do occasionally

Do you still believe you are a champion.

Don't let yourself get to the finish line only to say...I could have done better.

I am personally thrilled with my progress on the strength phase of the RTP program.
I benched 100kgs/220lbs today and my strength has increased 20% across all exercises in just a few weeks. Remember only 14 weeks ago I had just had major surgery.

I attribute these phenominal gains to having a young training partner. We push each other into the beyond every time we train and are upping our weights each time.

My eating has been perfect and my compliance 100%....but I am still looking for ways to improve
every single day.

WILL YOU BE CONFIDENT COME GAME DAY.....at the very least, be able to say, I gave everything I have and I have nothing left. Leave everything on the line.

Remember this....THERE IS ONLY ONE WINNER.

Leg shot by special request

M1 | Day 77and CONTEST | Day 35

Run Forest Run

Remember Forest Gump.

How he ran all over America.

When I watch people in commercial gyms on the treadmill I often wonder if they have goals or if they just get on and run for an hour at the same pace every day without thinking about it.

Do they realise that doing the same thing every day doesn't help much. For a start the human body/mind is extremely sophisticated and adapts and becomes efficient very quickly, so once it understands the routine it doesn't have to adapt any more and then it is literally just routine.

You have to mix up your cardio training enough so as to make it inefficient for your body and difficult to adapt. Different forms of hi intensity cardio training over 20 minutes or so are best for accelerating metobolic rate over a period of time.

Forget about burning calories, heating up the metabolic furnace is what you want to do.

My own training is reaping rewards and I can feel that I'm burning fat every day.

I remember a client of mine who used to jump onto a recumbent bike in the gym and start her routine. I would be training another client on the other side of the gym and I would hear the machine stop. I would walkover to her and ask her why she had stopped....Oh there are dogs crossing the road, she would reply. Everybody in the gym would fall on the floor laughing.

Cardio should be about fun

My own affirmations - "I am getting leaner and stronger all the time and I love eating healthy nutritious food every day."

Enjoy your sunday.

M1 | Day 76and CONTEST | Day 34

Discipline .......and me!

My take on this enigmatic subject is this. The amount of discipline you require, to accomplish a difficult task is directly proportional to the level committment you are prepared to devote.

And, the level of committment you are prepared to devote is directly proportional to, how close you are to rock bottom.

My personal experience related to this subject is like this. As the years went by from the time I started training, I would make a committment on a friday evening to start a transformation on a monday morning, having thought about it for a few days. Come monday, go through the motions for a few days, or even weeks, and then completely lose the plot at a party over the weekend.

So, whilst I, in my confused mind, thought, Ahh it's OK, I'm an experienced trainer, Heck, I'm a fitness professional, I'll just bulk a bit more and start cutting for the summer season on the beach.

What...(self talk) after a few weeks of this, "You idiot, what are you doing, you are just getting fatter."

My committment to the "lean project" at that time was clearly not matched by my discipline. In other words, I had not yet reached rock bottom. It was more pleasurable for me to party than it was to feel the pain of failing yet again and staying FAT.

At the same time I would tell myself " Dude, you are fat, and getting fatter, you have lost control." The more I said this the more it happened. (I happen to believe that you attract what you think about most.)

At some stage this has to change, if you really desire change.

For me it was a case of "when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear". How prophetic was it when I stumbled across Adam Waters amazing blog. I can't even remember how that happened.

What I do know, is that at that point 9 point nine weeks ago, I had reached rock bottom, but I needed support and a mechanism to help me climb back up that mountain that I had fallen off.

Adam suggested blogging for accountability. I saw the benefit but was cautious. I have an extremely busy life and this was just another THING to have to do.

At least I was smart enough to realise that "the teacher had appeared" and I committed. Guess what: It wasn't that hard. I found that I enjoyed being accountable to, well, pretty much whoever wanted to visit, on the planet. Which they have.

Then came the shred. Again, WOW, ANOTHER THING. But again as Adam has alluded to, as you get used to the disciplines you take on they become easier. And I now love it. I have made wonderful new friends, to whom I feel very close and I'm never even met them.

This has taught me so much about myself. I used to be a procrastinater. Now, I am forced out of that pattern because I have committed, and I honour that.

Now, I do what has to be done when it has to be done, and that is my lifetime affirmation.

This project has taken me wayyyy beyond, fat loss. It has changed my life.

For that Adam Waters, I thank and Salute you my friend. You are my teacher, and I thank you for appering, when I was ready.

M1 | Day 75and CONTEST | Day 33

I wonder where Hunter S Thomson is now. For those of you who are not familiar with the man he was an american author popular in the sixties for his book Hells Angels. He then wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas which was semi autobiographical and about a drug crazed car trip over a weekend. This was turned into a movie.

The man had a huge following starting in the 60's. His first wife and friends say that from his early 20's and throughout his life he was a drug addict and a functional alcoholic.

He lived very large and died in 2005 after putting a bullet through his head with one of his collection of firearms for which he had a morbid fascination. He was 67.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE POWER THIS MAN HAD TO INFLUENCE AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF PEOPLE, some of whom may have been your parents. I'm NOT saying they all bought into his lifestyle.

In the 21st Century I believe we are independant thinkers, by and large, with different role models, people like Tom Venuto, Adam Waters, Hugo Rivero, Alwyn Cosgrove....again I'm talking about a sampling of the population.

We have a thing called choice. Whether you believe that or not WE DO.

Which is yours, to make a difference the healthy way or to think that Hunter S Thomson was cool.

We need to wake up FAST....This planet is slowly being burned to death by us through greed and selfishness and we need to change that fast.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO A FIT AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, go and tell as many people as possible....or, maybe...just light up another joint and disapear to a perfect fictional planet somewhere far far from THE REAL WORLD.

M1 | Day 74 and CONTEST | Day 32

Earl Bloom and Frankie...AKA Frank Albert Sinatra

What do they have in common?

Well two things actually.

1. He is doing things "My Way"
2. He has an unshakeable belief that he is going to make 'New York, New York' his town.

Earl is an amazing guy. If you want to see how a champion operates then you need to check out his blog.

I am astounded by the amount of work he has put into this on a daily basis and the clarity of thought that is revealed in the content.

I also absolutely love the way he has involved his family....looks like a man of integrity to me and I am a HUGE lover of integrity.

What has any of this to do with us mere mortal shredders.

The reason we are here is because we seek change....personal change, not just for changes sake but lasting life affirming change, permanent change.

We are all sick and tired of the way we look....well I was but I'm quite liking the way I look right now...and we are at a point where we draw the line. This far and no further.

So we search and we search and we try this or that and we have short term success and each monday we start afresh with the hope and expectation and exitement of a kid with his first bicycle. Unfortunately each week we graze our knees when we fall off the bicycle and eventually say.....Agh, the heck with this, I'm not going to diet any more.

Then, one serinedipitous day we happen across one ADAM WATERS and we see in him a shining example of what we want to be. Eureka...that life changing day has finally arrived.

We start RTP with passion and embrace the culture of the 'Sphere' wholeheartedly because somewhere deep inside our Spirit we hear the gentle whisper..."this is what you've been looking for."

Only....Earl Bloom didn't hear that whisper.....he heard a roar like a tsunami coming at him that shouted so loud that he was galvanised into action...MASIVE,MASSIVE action.

And what you see in his blog today is the result of that shouting in his head.

Earl Bloom is a champion....he is a great example of how a 'Transformation' should be approached.

More than that like Frankie...he has done it his way....and...he sincerely believes that New York is imminently about to become....his town.

EARL BLOOM......I salute you Sir....you inspire me.

http://www.shreddersphere.com/member.php?u=500

M1 | Day 73 and CONTEST | Day 31

What have I learned recently?

A Comment on one of my posts a while back.

"dad, i have to tell you that you really are such a huge inspiration considering all you have been through I really have no excuse for being down, not following though, i too will start to analyse things like you do and relook at situations, your daily blog really keeps me going and i look forward to my "daily read" - thanks dad."


Well the most important thing I learned was that my daughter values me and believes I am an inspiration to her....and she cared enough to put it down on paper, so to speak, in public. That takes courage AND speaks volumes.

If I had to invent a radical new technology today I think I would be less excited than I am when I read my daughters post knowing that I am an inspiration to her.

That'll put me on a high for a few years.

What else did I learn. I've suddenly realised that slowly but surely the things that I do on a daily basis are more about helping others than they are about making money.....finally I'm getting the balance right and I'm certainly more at peace with myself than ever before.
[Photo]


Physically I am feeling more and more confident every day. It's almost as if I have been like this forever...living with my neck fused to my shoulders. I actually have this fading idea of what I used to feel like.

[Photo]

I am loving the gym and my belief in getting better than I was before, gets stronger all the time. So much so that friends say " aren't you going a bit hard, shouldn't you slow down" NO, I've got too much to do.

Emotionally...I have never laid blame for the accident at anyone's door other than my own and I believe a big part of my rapid healing has been my attitude... that I take responsibility for 100% of what happens in my life. That way I never look outward for answers...they are ALWAYS, only inside of me.

You can NEVER win the blame game.

So, all in all my life is wonderful....I am happy and grateful that I am alive, fit and strong and fully able to help others get to where they want to go, in the best way possible.

I hope YOU feel this way too.

M1 | Day 72 and CONTEST | Day 30

A story of VICTORY and a message of .......ENCOURAGEMENT

Most of us here are trying to shed fat after years of bad eating, however let's not forget the others...known as 'hardgainers' who are trying to do just the opposite. Build solid muscle...they are already very lean.

I just want to encourage "hardgainers" of which there are a few in the 'Sphere', I know how hard it is to train like crazy, eat clean and seem to grow at snail pace.

Mark walked into the gym in 2003 looking like a stick insect. He was withdrawn, introverted and extremely shy. He wanted to get bigger. What he was really saying was...I want to build my confidence.

I have been training and trained with Mark for about six years now and the way he looks now is as a result of 100% solid training and clean eating.

I have devised many different programes over the years and mostly periodised his training to solely focus on growth. I think I can safely say we achieved that in a big way.

He has changed beyond imagination. He now has a very important job with a large company and heads up a large team of people. He is very confident and has become a great leader. He walks with a swagger and looks the part of a 'big' guy.

I don't believe, and neither does he, that he would have made these changes had he not got fit,healthy and LARGE.

I do believe that anybody can get there using a consistent plan and the RTP-TS muscle plan I believe is the way.

So if you are one of 'those'.....a hardgainer....take heart because you CAN get to where you want to go. Might take a little while but you're not in it for just 84 days are you?

There is no secret here, just hard work and persitant consistency. NO DRUGS were used in the making of this body.

It's hard to see but the man is large. About 6ft 3in and around 220lbs of solid.

I sincerely hope this encourages those who may be feeling a bit down about their progress.

M1 | Day 71 and CONTEST | Day 29

How on earth did THAT happen....?

Headed for the gym this morning to crank out my session feeling like I was going to blow the place apart...I mean I was..on fire.

Headed in the front door, said hello to the front desk staff

and headed for the change room. My training partner and I headed upstairs talking up this training session into the biggest, meanest, most intense, most everything it could possibly be.

Onto the floor we headed for.....Miss Power Plate...you remember her, my new secret weapon, to warm up.
That's my training partner "Superman" Max with her.

We worked our way through the routine which included 210lbs bench press and a whole lot of other ridiculously heavy weights and walked out of the weight room and hour later pumped to the gills.

We both felt fantastic and I wondered how or rather why I was feeling so incredibly powerful today. I mean I was rock solid out there just killing the weights....and then I remembered...I had seen a pill lying on the floor by the weights section....where the big boys play...I thought,I wonder if this will help me push more weight today....and boy it did...it was unbelievable.

Anyway....I was feeling LARGE so I asked Max to take a pic of me to see if I looked any different...and he actually said I was looking a bit strange.

Do YOU think the PILL worked
- - - - - - - - -

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

I'm having a fun day....hope you are too...just choose too.

M1 | Day 70 and CONTEST | Day 28

A 'Big Cat' attacked by a hyena……..huh?

Watching a wild life documentary last night I watched in amazement as a Lioness jumped into a tree to pull down a leopard kill.

Once the Lioness had the casrcass on the ground a hyena approached and started hassling the big cat.

Now a hyena is more than five times smaller than the cat and definitely no measure for this major predator but the hyena kept annoying the cat.

After some time the hyena started in, on the cat in earnest and actually started attacking the Lioness, who by this time was feeding.

A scuffle ensued and although the two fighting styles are vastly different…..the hyena sniping at the cats extremeties and the cat swiping with it’s huge paws with massive talons, the cat eventually gave up and the hyena stepped in to eat.

Now you’ll have to trust me when I tell you that it’s unheard of to observe a huge cat sitting down to sup with a little aggressive chap like a hyena, but co eat they did, and when they finished the hyena politely stepped away from the table bid his farewell to the cat and andered off dragging the remains of the carcass with it……say what? Unbelievable, sure but true…

….Why did this happen….turns out the Lioness was pregnant and cubs, warm, happy and comfy inside her belly were more important than A joust over a plate of food.

For the Hyena….could be he knew, or could be he was desperate, see desperation makes even animals do strange things….as it does to people.

And desperation, otherwise known as rock bottom makes people do desperate things like stick needles filled with sheeps urine into their bums, to lose weight…or eat only protein for two months, lose bunches of weight and MUSCLE MASS, think they are done and put it all back on plus a few pounds because they start eating normally.

There is only one way. A quality eating plan that does not restrict you, an intelligent training program which includes some cardio work and definitely some restistance training, a support system, such as the ‘sphere’ and for you to hit rock bottom.

Rock bottom is what brought you here RTP-TS is what will keep you here…all you need is the patience to see it through and….if you are not done in 84, do another one until you are done.

LIFESTYLE is the word here and ingraining good habits….but believe me once good habits are ingrained it’s very easy to slip back….I’ve been there.

It’s also interesting to watch people, male and female hit the gym with a vengeance and look fabulous after 6 months of two lettuce leaves and three hours of cardio a day….problem steps in when the clothes come off because all they are now is ‘ thinfat people’ who still can’t take their clothes off on the beach..

Whether you like resistance or weight training , in some form, or not it has to be done…especially with women and osteoparosis.

So…the message on this beautiful sunny Sunday here in Johhansburg is ….you are on the right track, doing the right program, eating the right stuff…and it’s all good.

Keep it going, make a few mods if you have to but ….this is the one, this is it….

….the only thing you should be ‘ chopping and changing ‘ from time to time is your vegetables.

Shred like crazy…time is marching on.

PEACE OUT.

M1 | Day 69 and CONTEST | Day 27

Quantum Physics.......Part 2

Quantum Physics is a very interesting subject because if you get to understand a tiny bit of it you start understanding God's power. For instance, it is proven, scientifically that we are all made from the same stuff. You, me, tables, your ferrari, a gulf stream G4 jet. Molecular particles. Furthermore everything is dynamic. It is always moving. A table under a microscope will be seen to be moving. A tree a flower, water.

And you also know that tests have been done which categorically proves that water...say in a lake, will produce more beautiful, symmetrical crystals if spoken to kindly and will produce a mess of crystals if abused. Sound completely whacky...check it out for yourself.

Kinds gives new meaning to talking to your rose bushes doesn't it. If talking to your water makes it purer, and knowing that water is life sustaining maybe we should all be chatting nicely to our water before we chug it down eight times a day.

Maybe that's why we gravitate towards some people....because the frequency waves we put out resonate to the other person and vice versa. Have you ever wondered why you sometimes have a bad feeling about someone you have seen but never spoken to. Maybe that's why people who love to give unconditionally have happy lives..because what we put out is what we get back.

Maybe that's why, if we live life with gratitude and thankfulness...that's exactly what we get back.

Now....if you put the power of the Universe together with 'The One' who created it and you tap into that power...for we all can....are you not invincible.

If you just stop and THINK about all this for a while....it can get you pretty excited about life...your life....can't it?

You can HAVE, BE and DO anything you want....ANYTHING. Now go and get into shape.

M1 | Day 68 and CONTEST | Day 26

Oh........ she's so Intense

Heard that before....of course you have, not about you...no of course not.

in this case though....you would hope to be called tooooo intense.

So.....I walked into the gym today with a plan.

This was going to be the BEST training session I had ever had.....and so it was. It helps that I love weight training and it also helps that I train in a magnificent gym with all the latest gear and...of course....my hottie, Miss Power Plate which I use between every set I do. Accelerates blood flow and allows me to train harder. ( Champions do daily what ordinary people do occasionally) and that is one of the Extra things I do.

Another extra-ordinary. very important thing that I do is ......and this is muy importante..... scout around for one of those 'lurkers' who are dressed in the corporate gym gear or I look for a guy who looks like he knows what he's doing and I ask him for a spot.

Now, for those new to the world of lifting a spot is not some instant drug that makes you grow bigger it's just an easy way of asking for a helping hand.

Now, again for those new to this sport...and actually it is a sport, and you are a 'bodybuilder' like it or not. You may never compete.....oh no sorry, how silly of me, you're competing right now...So you ARE a bodybuilder...be proud of it......

.....oh, sorry I digress....

those new to the sport of bodybuilding need to know that the quickest way to build muscle

( girls don't be scared you will not end up looking like Linda Hamilton in Terminator....
...what's that I hear, oh you WANT to look like her or Demi Moore in GI Jane....then this applies to you.)

is, apart from sticking needles in your upper outer quadrant or Butt, filled with junk that makes horses more muscular and leaner, and has a cool side effect like PREMATURE DEATH......is....INTENSITY.....shout it from the rooftops.... INTENSITY.....that means correct form and the heaviest weight you can lift for the exercise and number of reps you are required to do.

At the risk of alienating my female friends here I have to say I have never seen a female training, on her own, anywhere near her potential....which of course means, she is stunting her progress.

For example, there were two girls doing leg press when I was training and I could see the girl in the hot seat was hardly working and she certainly wasn't bringing her legs down anywhere near where she needed to, to get maximum benefit. As I walked past I said, add a 22lb weight on either side....the girl in the machine nearly had appoplexy and I was contemplating calling for a brown paper bag she was hyperventilating so much......but I convinced her that she could do it, and so she had a go.......outcome......I think she's planning to train for the next Miss America title she was so thrilled.

This is not new....I see it every day...and I bet she can't wait for her next training day to up her weights with everything.

So.....ASK for help on correct form, ASK for a spot and you'll immediately see your training and results jump a notch or two.

It works for me, I was incline benching 80lbs in each hand today.....not because I'm strooooonnnng, but because I had help from someone who was going to help me if my reach had temporarily exceeded my grasp, and it hadn't.

I would rather not train than train with 85% effort. I am a champion and that is just not good enough I'm afraid, and it shouldn't be for you either.

Love, Gratitude and Peace

M1 | Day 67 and CONTEST | Day 25

To become a Champion

A STORY of HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT

The day I checked out of hospital I had the strength of a gnat. I had lost 10kgs (22lbs) and all of it muscle mass...my quads were wasted, my arms had just enough strength to pick up the contraptions that were attached to my body via various needles and I was wearing a very uncomfortable neck brace.



I would have to stop half way up a flight of stairs in the hospital to avoid passing out whilst trying to at least get some exercise.

During the next 9 months and multiple major operations, I was on antibiotics whilst trying to fight persistant and dangerous infection.



Eventually after a dangerous op to remove the hardware from the back of my head I started to heal.

By this time I had put on 15kgs (35lbs) and I now weighed 100kgs or 220lbs. All of it was fat.

Comfort eating plays a big part in your life when you are recovering from a 'very' near death experience


.

And so this is where I was on day 1 of Mission 1 of my RTP-TS shred.

10 days out of hospital with nothing but but a whole lot of FAITH, HOPE, BELIEF and trust in Adam Waters system. RTP-TS.

Fzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ........Fast forward 65 days to yesterday.

Barbell Bench Press - final set, 4 reps 200lbs, correct form no spot. Bent over Barbell Rows - final set - 180lbs Lying Tricep extensions - final set 45lbs each hand Barbell bicep curls - 90lbs Do you think it's working?

I'm pretty happy with my progress and I should be. To date my total shred compliance has been 100%.

My training and my eating plan has been text book and my visualisation and thinking has been perfect.

I AM TRAINING LIKE A CHAMPION because I believe I am one.

How:

Champions Do Daily What Common Men Do Occasionally.

Thank you Carlos

I am telling you all this not because I think I am a big deal or I'm trying to impress anyone because I'm not.

I telling you this because at this time in the contest some are wavering and some have already fallen away. Some are coasting and some need hope and encouragement.

This story is about those two words. I can't be with you in person but I can help you by giving you renewed hope and encouragement.....that spark that you had on day 1. That excitement, that determination, that drive.

Time is moving along so quickly and is not about to wait for you.....so waste no more of it.

Re look at your plan and see where you can tighten up, where you can improve and use every day.

This is not just another contest.....this is an International competition where at the final moment the winner will be crowned "The World Champion"

How badly do you want to be "The World Champion"

And if you decide you do, remember.....

Champions Do Daily What Common Men Do Occasionally.

If I can do daily what I need to do, to be a champion then...surely...you can too.

M1 | Day 66 and CONTEST | Day 24

Wow, what just happened here....who is this guy?

The RTP - transformation system by Adam Waters is what happened and who is he?

I can understand someone happening onto Adam's program via Google or youtube or one of the social networking sites or, or,or and asking the question, but for an awful lot of us we have seen this coming for some time.

For me it is real interesting to have been able to observe first hand the progress, the latter part anyway of this work in progress. As Adam himself says, he's not done yet.

Here is an ordinary guy, who has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and become extraordinary.

What he has done is proof absolute how you become successful by giving to others.

Through his own efforts, initially with no thought of personal gain he has firstly ' taken ' back his life by force and secondly turned the methodology of that victory into a world class business.

Here is a guy that stood up and said ' enough is enough ' and refused to accept second best. He with huge courage made public his personal transformation and dragged hundreds of us kicking and screaming along with him.

I predict that the guy will become a leader in the health and fitness industry and will be travelling globally to address health and fitness conferences all over the planet very soon.

Having said all that, here is what I believe to be the interesting part. Listen up.
This planet is in tatters....and we have made it so.

Corporate obesity caused by individually overbloated executives.....greedy public servants with no regard for the public they serve and the encouragement of general anarchy on a global scale has taken us to a place from which a whole lot of people will never return.

I have been on this planet a long time and I have never seen mass ' shoulder drooping resignation ' for the situation we find ourselves in like this ever before. 1929, phaa....nothing compared to where we are now.

How do we re group....how do we find our way back, ploughing through the treacle of uncertainty, in the dark.

Health and fitness is how. It starts with US. How we think about ourselves. Health and fitness plays a huge part in the phsycological well being of the planet. Collective positiveness is a start.

There are thousands of 'guru's' on the net telling us how to get healthy.. for personal gain, but only a handful of people really dedicated to helping others through walking ' the road less travelled'.

Those that have REALLY struggled to find out who they are and how they get to where they are supposed to be.

Adam Waters is one of those...the real deal and I reckon that without laying it on too thick, he will single handedly play an enormous part in kick starting the global recovery

Before you splutter into your coffee and wonder if I've gone nuts think about what that would take.

Make no mistake the RTP transformation system is already a big hit and the power of networking on the internet is going to make it a giant. What does that mean. It means that hundreds of thousands of lost people, if not millions are going to be using this system to reclaim their own lives

Who would argue the possibility of a high percentage of those being major decision makers in business, industry, government etc etc.....c'mon, who's to say?

This is a 'complete' transformation system that WILL change your life and the world along the way... because the principals and values we all should live by are contained inside the box it comes in.

You don't just do what he has done over 8 years with an ' oh that looks cool, let's give it a shot'.

The way the program works is the way the world should work. Business, government, industry should all take heed of the principles he lives by and the commitment he believes in and we would not be in this mess....but we are so......let's ALL work one by one, together to make it right.

Adam started out just wanting to find himself. Committing to change by taking massive action and in the process he is changing the world.

Boy....bet he didn't see that coming.

M1 | Day 65 and CONTEST | Day 23

Is your Heart working......or overworking

I have like a lot of people on the 'sphere' had the slightest hint of a cold these last couple of days...not enough to stop me training but this morning doing cardio I noticed that my heart rate was higher than it normally is and at the time I wasn't working that hard.

What does this mean.

Well for those of you who may be new to the world of heart rates etc you should at least know what your resting heart rate is. That is your fitness barometer. You should then check it every morning on waking before you even think about training.

Here comes the important part.

If you resting heart rate is 10 beats or more above your resting rate...do not train.

Especially not cardio....Resistance work is ok as long as you are not elevating your heart rate.
Shredders on phase two are OK....shredders on phase one or three should be very careful.

I have seen too often where people train with flu through not wanting to miss a day's training and end up spending a two weeks in bed.

I even know of a young cross country runner who, whilst racing for his province dropped dead of a heart attack because he had tried to race through flu. He was 21 years old...The tragedy could have so easily been avoided had he believed that you can serious damage your heart muscles by exercising with flu.

Rather miss a day of cardio than three weeks off or a lifetime in a wooden box I'd say...wouldn't you.

M1 | Day 64 and CONTEST | Day 22

You cannot rush progress.

Just finished training, had an awesome powerful session. Saw a guy that I hadn't seen before
he looked fantastic about 30, great physique, not overly muscular but very little body fat.
He was benching 300lbs, with his training partner spotting.

Now I could see this guy wasn't a juicer and I wondered about how long he had been training.....
.....so I asked him. Friendly guy told me he's been training for 30 years. WOW, That makes him 45 if he started when he was 15.

I was stunned. Not the length of time but the way he looked. My training partner had just asked me how long it would take before he was in great shape (which he is already BTW).

"Now you know", I said.

What can we take home from this experience.

1. Rome was not built in a day.
2. If you are in this for only 12 weeks.....leave now.
3. Health and fitness is a lifetime project and one should have no short term thoughts.
4. Once you've built the frame with a good foundation...you've got it
5. Patience...We have to know that it takes time and patience. Do not give up
6. Perserverance..You have to believe that at times the guy has been disheartended about his progress.
7. Persistance...That's what gets you through the feeling mentioned above
8. Eating clean. I asked him...he said...ABSOLUTELY...Like "Are the Kennedy's gun shy."
9. Stay with a training program enough to give it a chance...Don't chop and change.
10. Periodisation....Don't do the same thing all the year round, follow a plan. Like the one you have.
    

We can all get to where we want to go....Age makes no difference, present condition doesn't, equipment doesn't, location doesn't.... WE CAN, get there..

All we need to do is understand the conditions above and keep going the way you are now....and you WILL GET THERE.

M1 | Day 63 and CONTEST | Day 21

God gave us a brain....and I think he'd like us to use it.

I believe that creative thinking is nothing more than believing that you are a creative thinker and then using your brain to create stuff. I am no Michaelangelo but I have proven my theory many times during the course of my tenure on this planet.....on myself... and yes I do know about all this left brain right brain stuff.

So what has this to do with health and fitness. Well I read an article recently, written by a top international trainer who made a very bold statement. "My perfect gym" he stated "would be a room with an automobile in it."

To make this even more convoluted, when people hear that I'm a fitness professional, they very often, offer, unsolicited, the comment "Oh I hate gyms and I don't have any equipment, so I can't train."

REALLY....OK, this is where the automobile and the creative thinking comes in.

If you had a room, admittedly with a bit of length, containing a small auto you could build a super solid routine with any amount of compound exercises. Pushes, pulls, lifts, squats, stretches. Even a driveway and your auto would do.

Ok, what else am I talking about? Out walking I saw a lady and her daughter walking up the hill in front of me. (By way of a quick explanation a large majority of our population in South Africa have no access to their own transport and they mostly live some distance from the nearest taxi route. In order to get to that route, they walk.)

Mother and daughter were obviously going somewhere for more than a day since they were both carrying luggage. The interesting part was the fact that they would walk, stop and down luggage, rest and then repeat the process. No thought, just do, that's just how it works here.

At first glance this seems fairly cruel and an archaic way to travel, but actually the up side of this is that these folk are super healthy. Getting from one point to the next is AN EXERCISE ROUTINE, and they do it EVERY DAY.

That is why those that don't own cars in South Africa are a very healthy bunch. They either walk or ride bicycles and generally are carrying something with them.

When they get to the taxi they are subjected to the most hair raising and suicidal ride on the planet. One hundred and plenty mph per hour through rush hour traffic weaving to and fro is not a pleasant experience, but the up side is that for the duration of the ride their heart rate is up around 90% of max which means they get a solid Hiit cardio workout eavery day without leaving their seat.

I remember some years ago seeing before and after transformation pictures of a woman in a remote area of South Africa. She had no access to a gym so she made her own set of barbells by securing empty 2ltr plastic soda bottles onto each end of a broomstick and filling them with water. By varying the amount of water she had a whole set with varying weights. That's CREATIVE. BTW her transformation was unbelievable. (The will to want to.)

The point of all this is that you do not need a designer gym with fancy schmancy machines that shape your abs whilst serving a skinny, latte, without wings and turning the pages of cosmo for you at the same time.

All you need is to use that brain God gave you, get creative and go workout.

M1 | Day 62 and CONTEST | Day 20

Contestants ready......your challenge starts....NOW

This is where the rubber meets the road.

20 days done, 64 to go. The euphoria is beginning to wear off.....the eating plan is repetitive and my taste buds are getting bored....The training is tougher than I thought it would be and I'm not seeing the results that I thought I would by this stage......am I going to make.

At this stage of the contest, these are questions which many shredders will be asking. For most of us, this is not the first transformation PLAN we have undertaken, in fact for a lot of us we have tried a LOT of plans and probably are well versed in every diet in the book.

This is the time to dig deep and find out for real and forever what we are made of.

We are NOT going to bale on this one because:

WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE. If there was ever a secret to success in this kind of project...this would be it.

Inherantly we know that we are following a solid plan...that we know works, so why do we stumble at this stage and in fact some fall.

Because the enemy, the giant, the monster within, does not want you to succeed.

Remember the story of the wolves. Its worth repeating.
A young indian boy in North America was looking for advice from an elder. I have in my head bad wolves...they fight all the time and steal each others food and growl at each other and I also have good wolves who play and share food with each other and are happy but sometimes the good wolves fight with the bad wolves.....who will win. The elder replied " The ones you feed the most"

We all have good and bad wolves and it's just a questions of managing "The monster"

First, let's not call it the beast or the monster because that's just giving it power. Second it has no control over us unless we let it. Third we DO have the power to make it go away.

Here is a simple technique to deal with anything negative that is running rampant in your head.

1. When you become aware of a negative thought immediately say STOP to the voice.
2. Ask yourself...is what the voice saying the truth (99% of the time the answer will be no)
3. Change the negative to a positive thought. ( eg. I am such a loser, I'm never going to lose weight..STOP. Is that true? Clearly it's not true because you don't know that.
4. Replace the negative thought with a positive such as. "I know this is the right program for me and with patience I will get to where I want to be."

Initially this takes a bit of work but once you make it habit...you'll never look back. I promise.

Re-look your PRW's and make sure that they are still relevant. Often times when you get into doing something you need to do, you discover the reasons for doing it are no longer valid. If your PRW's are not valid or powerful anough they will not motivate through 84 days.

Now is the time to dig deep and find the strength that you KNOW you have. Don't give that stupid voice in your head the power to de-rail you. Let this be the time when you triumph, FINALLY and FOREVER.

M1 | Day 60 and CONTEST | Day 19

Today is my precious son's birthday. His name is Michael-James and he is 14 today.

Where did the time go...he was born on the day of the first game of the 95 rugby world cup....The first time we became world champions.

I remember so vividly all the babies in the maternity ward had little cuddly toys in their cots. My boy...a rugby ball. He still has that ball today.

Some years ago I was at a dinner party at a very upmarket function when one of the guests began regaling a story of 3 youngsters who had scaled the wall of a private house, leopard crawled across the front lawn, climbed the outside wall to the first floor and entered the house through the master bedroom before getting caught.

Apparently these kids, we we were told, had been watching S.W.A.T on TV and decided it would be fun to emulate the highly trained troops.

Everybody thought it was terribly funny including me until I realised that my son was one of the boys involved. Everybody thought it was even more funny when they knew.

I have many stories like that in my memory bank to share at his 21st.

More recently, in fact the beginning of this year, as a keen rower for his school, he won a bronze medal at the South African Championships.

Why am I telling you all this. Well for one, I am very proud of him and because I love him so much I want to be the best role model I can, which is a major motivating factor in my transformation process.

He was on the beach that day when I came close to death last year and Karen told me that whilst I was lying in hospital she had gone into his room at bedtime to find him in tears. He was worried about his dad making it out alive.

I want him to know that I am as well and healthy as I can be so that he can get on with his life to the best of his ability without unecessary worries.Making sure I get a meal in.

before some serious bench

Got to stay healthy for my boy

I want to be healthy enough to watch him play field hockey, which he loves and is very good at...I want to go hiking with him, I want to do stuff with him as he gets older and I want to be the BEST Dad I can be.

Most of all, I want an awesome six pack, exactly like the one he's got. LOL

That's my boy

M1 | Day 60and CONTEST | Day 18

LAST YEAR........ THIS YEAR

I have written about about visualisation being an essential tool to reaching your goals.

This is critically obviously, because everything starts as a thought. Following on from that, we know that we do not think in linear fashion. In other words, if I think to myself "swimming pool" I do not see the words but I see a swimming pool with sparkling blue water, that makes me want to jump in.

The more you visualise that pool the more vivid it becomes until you even start smelling the salt from the salt water chlorinator and being able to feel the texture of the water and you may even see children playing in the water and having a fabulous time.

Now, in an article I wrote about a vision board and how important it is to be able to create that vivid picture of what you want. SUZETTE picked up on that and suggested we all "write" a visualisation of what we want from our transformation, which I think is a great idea..thank you SUZETTE...so here is mine.

Mine is more short term.

I start packing for december vacation. This year is different, not in the destination...that's always the coast..I cannot imagine december vacation without sea and sun...but this year is different because I am different.

I don't have to pack those huge board shorts that I mistakenly thought hid my expansive girth, until I saw last years photographs. I can dump those xxxxxoversize T shirts that hid a multitude of consistent culinary sins. "Oh I must take a lot of these T's so I don't get sunburnt...and I'll swim in them too.. What a damned LIE.

Nope this year I am packing a new wardrobe. Clothes that fit me properly, that accentuate my new physique...not in a boastful way, but so that I feel really good in them.

Driving down to the coast in the Landrover, a longish drive...I feel full of energy and exitement, none of that lethargy of last year where it was a mission getting in and out of the vehicle which is quite high off the ground.

Somehow my girlfriend and the kids seem more exited, everyone seems happier...hmm, actually it's me. I have a different attitude. I am in great shape, my heart is so strong from all the cardio, I'm not pulling my huge T shirt away from my bulging front all the time, hiding behind sunny's so no one can see me. Yep, it's definately me. I feel great and the journey is going really well.

Hours later we're at our wooden cabin on the mountain overlooking the ocean. I unload the vehicle. Gee baby did we pack less than last year? Are you sure? Again, me..much stronger, much fitter, much less effort.

Standing out on the deck with the wind gently blowing over my solid torso, I smell the salt and look at the ships lights twinkling gently out at sea. "Baby, I'm looking forward to running on the beach at dawn. You?.. Can't wait. You see last year we were down at the beach, but it wasn't dawn and it was more of a plod.

Dawn...fresh sea breeze, great for an early morning run. After 15 minutes we are both covered in a sheen of fine persperation, well I am, my girlfriend is glowing. I look down and see my muscles glistening in the sunlight, I feel like I could run forever..my body feels taut, like a spring...I really feel like an athlete. My girlfriend runs smoothly next to me. She's gorgeous, 6ft 1 inch and also in great shape.

Heading back home we discuss breakfast. Fresh cut fruit, scrambled eggs on wholewheat and a skinny cappucino. Mmmm, delicious.

We head down to the beach after breakfast...me carrying umbrellas and cooler bags and stuff (moms you know about this) which is not a problem I am twice as strong as I was last year.
I'm in board shorts and sans T shirt which is in thebag. Why wear one I have abs now, and I certainly don't feel self conscious.

On the beach we get set up and I head into the ocean with the kids. I grab for my T shirt...hang on, don't need that this year. In the sea I'm jumping waves and holding the kids up and frolicking around like a mad man. Feel fantastic about the way I look.. it is second nature to me now and I have trouble remembering what I looked like before. I think about Adam Waters for a while and wonder if he's doing the same thing as me, but in OZ. I offer a silent thanks to him. He's the one that started all this.

Walking back up the sand I feel the eyes of a whole bunch of middle aged guys with big guts bulging over huge board shorts sitting in the sand, beer in hand, looking at me...and I KNOW they are thinking, man he must have good genetics..or..he must have such a boring life if he looks like that and all I want to do is go to each one of them and tell them that, they can also get their lives back and stop internally feeling terrible about the way they look and blaming everyone and everything but themselves.

I could never look like that, I don't have time..I'm too busy..I don't have the genetics..I'm happy with the way I am..I'm not fat, I'm BIG.

I keep walking hoping that a vacation photo will help them see the truth.

After lunch we go down to the rock pools and look for fish. Looking forward to a barbeque tonight of fresh fish and salads before settling down for the night with the fresh ocean breeze gently caressing my shorts only clad finely toned body. Yup no supersized T shirt for me this year.

Drifting off to sleep with a smile on my face as I think "I look and feel fantastic, I have got my life back..thank you Adam Waters.

Now... By the time we hit the ocean in 6 weeks time I will have visualised that day so many times that my body will find ways to eat cleaner, train harder and think smarter because the mind cannot differentiate between a real and an imagined experience and I will look and feel just like I see it today. WOW, that is powerful.

Write you own script, AND MAKE IT HAPPEN.

M1 | Day 59 and CONTEST | Day 17

The one time when Negative, is really positive.

Did leg press this morning emphasising the negative. In other words emphasising and over controlling the downward movement instead of letting gravity pull you down. Man are my legs sore now.

I focussed on negatives with all my exercises and I can feel that I really put in the effort.

I think that often times even though we are focussed on what we are doing, we don't drill down far enough, mentally to get the greatest benefit from the exercise. To illustrate let's look at the good old standard, the bench press.

You lie on the bench, grab the bar, take the strain and, if its a heavy set, get through it as quick as possible. What you should be doing is this.

1) Visulise your goal for the set before you get to the bench. Understand what you are trying to achieve.
2) Lie on the bench, close your eyes and calm your breathing down
3) Again visualise the goal for the set, and imagine that you are actually doing the first few reps. Feel the weight and how smooth your rhythm is.

When you've done a few reps, in your mind, take the strain, lift the bar off the rack and continue the set, for real.

You'll be amazed at how much more you can lift and also how rythmical the set was and how it went exactly according to plan.

Understand this, The mind cannot distinguish between a real and an imagined experience. Therefore the more you train in your mind, with a specific goal, the more proficient the real action will be, because you've already done it...according to your sub conscious.

That's real focus.

Give a try at your next session and let me know how it goes.

M1 | Day 58 and CONTEST | Day 16

I found a new secret weapon.....and she is HOT...

Yesterday whilst training at a brand new mega gym with super fancy this and mind blowingly technologically whiz kid that..... in between sets I saw her.

She was standing silently watching everybody training. She looked peaceful, but lean and hungry, kind of menacing, just waiting to pounce.

I pondered whether to approach her and find out what she was about.

The guy at the bench next to me saw me looking and told me that she could really help my training. Still standing there just observing, she was, so I asked him what it was that she did.

Looking from right to left in a furtive kind of way he said...shhhh, don't talk too loudly but she knows how to release testosterone and human growth hormone.

The weight room came to a grinding halt. The big boys dropped 12olbs dumbells right where they were standing. Berbells which had once been supported by the bench stops were now being supported by semi crunched sternums.

Testosterone, HGH, released... a new way......man this was music to our ears...we all crowded around our new best friend...we had found the hole grail.

What do you mean she knows how to release TT and HGH......Not only that but she can help you push heavier and make you more flexible he replied.

By now the guy with the info about the lean and slender beauty standing aloof, watching us almost with a sly smile on her face, was being crowded to the point where the word crushed was begining to look decidedly relevent.

It was time for him, to spill the beans or risk a trip to the emergency room.

OK, OK, I'll tell you her name he uttered with a terrified look on his face. It's, I'ts......
.....Miss, Power Plate.

I sauntered over pushed her buttons and she started jiggling like a magic jelly bean. VERY COOL.

The expert advice I got from the very qualified lady standing next to her was that stretching and warming up on one of these beauties can indeed release TT and HGH which is exactly what we need and can also benefit training. A stretch and a warm down on the machine will clearly help flexibility and doing abs on the jiggler I am told will build em double quick....You may not see them yet, but it will build them. It also promises to increase metabolic rate...another YES PLEASE.

So time will tell, but, to my mind, I will do or try anything (legal and allowed) to help me get closer to my goal.

WOULDN'T YOU.

M1 | Day 57 and CONTEST | Day 15

I can feel the cool breeze whispering across my bare arms as I head out to the gym at 4.30am. It's pitch black and I'm alone, Brrrr I shiver...the rest of my gated community sleeps soundly.

I love that time of the day - I feel like I own the world, it's my special time. The cool night air tells me winter is nigh. It won't be long before hoodies are de rigeur and a regular in my weekly wash.

People tell me I'm nuts.."It's not normal for people to be up at that time of the day" they say..If they have to get up occasionally to catch an early flight they corner the market on "grumpy" for hours.

Why? Things HAVE to be done and people HAVE to do them. That's it...that's the way it is, that's life.

ME...instead of bitching, I prefer to embrace change with open arms, and that includes the changing of the seasons. Hey I love warm weather as much as the next guy but how would I know that unless I had freezing weather to compare it to.

I love rainy days because they make me appreciate the sunshine. I love climbing mountains because at the top they enable me to see into beautiful valleys.

I love the occasional bad moods because only then do I know what happy feels like.

I guess what I'm saying is " I embrace adversity because if I do that...nothing can touch me."

You are only a loser when you DON'T GET UP.

I live in a land of turmoil, not only here in South Africa but on the border with our neighbour Zimbabwe.....and guess what.... I LOVE IT.

Stop whining about what you don't have and embrace what you do...then make the rest happen.

Peace out......

M1 | Day 56 and CONTEST | Day 14

Gratitude and Adversity.....march hand in hand

I can't tell you how grateful I am that I have played a small part in helping people to keep going on their own health and fitness crusade.

I'm grateful for the new people I meet every day online, my dear friends "The usual suspects", the shredders.

Those of you who follow my blog will know that My own personal mission statement is "to empower 5 million people to find and fullfill their purpose through health and fitness." Now I can never do that on my own talking to one person at a time, so the more people I can get to help me online, the better I am fullfilling my own calling.

So thank you to all of you who are getting something out of my blog. Don't keep it to yourself, share it with as many people as possible.

OBESITY is NOT an option. Help change the world today, NOW.

I chat to God every day....I'm absolutely NOT being blasphemous, I just have a personal relationship with Him and we chat...that's how I, ...note I, again I...believe it is supposed to be...

...for years now I have thanked Him for adversity since if I embrace adversity how can there be any downside to my life....and I'm not poo pooing balance, of course balance is important but when I thanked Him the other day I said Father, I know I thank You for adversity but did it have to be such a big SMACK upside my head.

I mean, I've been through SERIOUS challenges in my life, and pompously I said to myself a while back "hey man you very nearly lost your life".... that same day, just out of hospital, after my accident, I happened to be at a mall with my girl holding my arm, since I was feeling super weak...and sorry for myself, when I saw a father carrying his 6 year old, wearing pyjamas, lovingly in his arms. The boy's mother was walking slowly behind them.

Something made me stop Mom and ask her what was wrong with her boy. "We are taking him to Cape-Town for a heart transplant" she answered almost silently, head bowed.

BANG, another whack upside my head.

I gave Mom a big hug, which she accepted with tears in her eyes, and I stupidly mumbled something like " Everything is going to work out fine." before moving on in a daze.

I said to my girl, I can walk on my own now, thanks, and I said to myself, "get over yourself and change your attitude right this second."

WOW, what a wake up call. No matter how badly off you are, get over it, there are people out there with problems much bigger than yours.

I suddenly had a light bulb moment " God tells us things in strange ways, IF WE listen."

M1 | Day 55 and CONTEST | Day 13

M1 | Day 54 and CONTEST | Day 12

This is not working...I'm soooo depressed.

"I'm so fat", "How do you know", "I'm so depressed, I got on the scale and I havn't lost anything in 4 weeks."

"OK, let's check your body fat." "Ooooh no", "why not?", "I'm scared I've put on fat." "Well let's check." "Ummm...ok", says this tiny voice.

We head for my office, do the BF% thing and find she lost 3% BF. I showed her how if you lose BF and you gain muscle your scale weight STAYS THE SAME. No need to find a tall building.

"How do you feel now" "WONDERFUL" she shouts tripping off to find her mobile to tell all her friends.

This is a generic story that I have heard a million times and maybe it will clarify the reality of things FAT and how the only person a scale can benefit is the Trainer...for analytical purposes.

Scales should be banned from homes, they only make people miserable and...they lie.

Fat weighs the same as muscle...Hello!....muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. 1kg muscle weighs exactly the same as 1kg fat.

Now, once you've accepted that, you are weight training to build muscle, let's explode another myth...girls are NOT going to build big muscles...they don't produce enough of the stuff that helps boys build big muscle and even with boys it's not that easy. You don't just grow muscles overnight because you push weights. Doesn't happen...unless of course you are sticking needles with illegal substances into your body, with a main side effect of PREMATURE DEATH.

So...you are building muscle and losing fat, now, fat takes up 5 times, let me repeat that, 5 times as much space as muscle so, lose 10lbs fat, build 6lbs muscle...you've only lost 4lbs scale weight...eeeek.... wrong, I'm not going to insult your intelligence by asking you to imagine what you are going to look like.

All I know is, regardless of what the scale says, you are going to fit very neatly into pants a size smaller.

OK....OK.

When guys walk on the beach and they see a "hotty" (that's one of you) lying there in a bikini, they don't whisper "Bet she weighs 11o lbs, " do they. No, you're either hot or you're not.

So girls....moral of the story, DUMP the scale, it's only going to hurt you. Buy some calipers, learn how to use them and measure body fat instead. Calipers I said not a BF% scale, they are NOT reliable.

Go on....in the dumpster...NOW, go on, NOW.

M1 | Day 53 and CONTEST | Day 11

The best medicine is NOT obtained by a Doctors prescription

Once in a lifetime we connect with someone who just 'gets' us, you know the kind of person you can talk rubbish to 5 times a day and not get bored....in my life, my sister was that person.
On the 21st November 1993, my then wife, sister and a friend from the UK were travelling home on a dark road some 5kms from my home at around 10pm on a sunday night.

On a downhill I noticed a vehicle parked on the side of the road and as we passed I observed the driver a young girl was in obvious distress.

I did a u turn and drove back to the car parking opposite on the shoulder of the road. My passengers in unison had asked me not to stop as they felt the presence of evil very strongly hovering around the area like a black cloud.

I felt I had to help the young woman who was alone in her car and crossed the road to help.

Turns out she had hit a dog 50 yards back and was hysterical and not able to go back herself to check on the dog.

I shouted over to my passengers asking them to look after the girl while I walked up the road to look for the dog. I found the dog who sadly had been killed and pulled him off the road.

Walking back to my vehicle I noticed my sister standing beside my car, waiting for a vehicle which was approaching down the hill, she obviously intended crossing the road to help the young woman.

The oncoming vehicle illuminated my sister and I was very aware that it was travelling at speed.

As the vehicle approached where my car was parked on the verge the driver inexplicably swerved towards my car. He collided with the side of my vehicle and hit my sister head on picking her up on the bonnet of his car.

He continued towards me and as he saw me in his headlights swerved back onto the road in the process dumping my sister's body into the bush on the side of the road.

My mind refused to believe the horror I had just witnessed and I ran towards my car. In the process I instinctively cried out " GOD HELP ME."

In that very instant a peace washed over me like a warm blanket soothing and loving and I was fully at ease and very lucid and cognicent of what had just happened.

I ran back to where my sisters mangled body lay and put my hands on her. I felt a whoosh and her spirit left her body. Later that evening I remember the others telling me that they had seen a blazing chariot at the point of impact, above my car, rising up into the heavens.

In the prime of her life, at age 36, she was gone.

In an instant there were at least 20 or 30 people at the scene, all baying for blood since the offending driver had just continued down the road like a madman.

Now it bears noting that I spent 12 years as a soldier from the age of 16, fighting in a very violent
war torn area then known as Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. I grew up with a rifle in my hand so I was no stranger to the violence that the growing crowd was vehemently promoting and under normal circumstances would have been an eager participant.

But....the Peace that I had experienced was still with me and I was completely calm and able to settle the crowd whilst taking care of the details with the Police on the scene. I told the crowd collectively that the driver needed to be FORGIVEN, for he did not know what he had done.

Indeed, I myself felt absolute forgiveness in my heart and to this day I have never felt any malice towards the driver who turned out to be drunk at the time.

In fact the first thing that I told the driver when he appeared in court was that I had forgiven him for what he had done.

The court handed down a $200 fine for the many offences on which the young man was found guilty one of which being Culpable Homicide and everyone was outraged.

Me..... again that peace which I had felt had prevailed and I wasn't at all peturbed. After all, I wasn't the one that had to live with it and in fact it had such an effect on the young man that he tried to commit suicide.

So...I can personally attest to the fact that there is no finer medicine anywhere than FORGIVENESS.

Unforgiveness has been the cause of more sickness and cancer than any disease and I urge you ... as did Adam in his initial RTP-TS modules, that if you have any unforgiveness in your heart right now....Find a way to let it go, because until you do...your progress with anything in your life least of all your transformation will be radically impaired.

Finally, you may be wondering how I found the driver of the car.

Well at 5am I was sitting on the side of my bed and since God had given me this incredible peace and forgiveness I figured he might tell me who and where the driver was so....I asked him.

"Lord you know I feel no malice towards this man but I need to know who he is."

Seconds later my phone rang and it was my ex business partner. " Dougal I'm really sorry to hear about your sister but I think the vehicle responsible is parked outside my office". (he was a very early riser and happened to be driving to work at the time) I immediately went to his office and indeed there was the car abandoned under a tree.

Obviously, I gave the information to the police who found the the driver.

Supernatural you bet....Does God exist, you bet he does, for me....and on that day he dispensed the most powerful medicine possible, FORGIVENESS.

That gift has never left me and it has been the most incredible help in my personal growth over the years.

You CAN'T get that Over The Counter or from any Doctors prescription pad.

Find a way to let go of any unforgiveness in your life....if not....it will hurt you badly.

PEACE

M1 | Day 52 and CONTEST | Day 10

Learning to change...

I was driving home from the gym this morning and marvelled at the magnificent, autumn shades and hues of the leaves on the beautiful trees in my suburb.

We are heading into winter and the days are getting shorter and brrrr. colder.

I remember just a few weeks ago those very same leaves were a verdant green, bright and happy almost like the trees were smiling at me ...

So it got me to thinking about seasons...how the seasons change and why the changes are what they are.

Then I got to thinking about how that mirrors our lives.

Why do we need seasons? Well for one thing, I believe humans do not do well on prolonged routine. It becomes boring and monotonous and we thrive on change and in fact need it in order to grow, both mentally and physically, even if we think we don't.

In the Southern Hemisphere we have long summers, full of sunshine and beautiful life giving rain which makes everything so clean and sparkly and shortish winters which by Northern Hemisphere standards are not really winter at all.

So, as the seasons change so does our attitude...note how people are more smiley and jokey coming out of winter and when the woolies start coming off.

Moving on from there comes, " How would we know".

How would we know what a beautiful mountain looked like if there were no valleys, how would we know a magnificent summers day if there were no winters, how would we know that we felt good, if sometimes we didn't feel lousy.

And that is why we change training routines every four weeks or so. The integrated human system is so magnificent that it will adapt to a training routine in about 4 weeks. And so we go from an entry level "break in" routine to a heavier routine to a circuit routine and so on. And through all of that, we change and grow and lose body fat. One is not better, they are all necessary.

Some of us change quicker than others and that is often because our metabolism doesn't trust us.

We have been on so many "DIETS" before, that our metab, says ughh, ughh, not going anywhere until you show me that you are in this for real.

That's why as in a previous post I gave an example of change only taking place in week 8 of a contest. Check out that post from the link below if you havn't read it.

http://www.shreddersphere.com/blog.php?b=1230

When the metab trusts us we start rocking and rolling..

Each of us have a different tempo when it comes to our own personal ups and downs and we all have to learn how to manage those to be succesful in everything we do.

Change is not only necessary but critical to personal success and patience is a component of that.

Imagine if we were a Bamboo farmer. The farmer plants the bamboo and then waits for ages before a shoot shows...but when it does it can then grows up to 2 feet per day.

We don't have that kind of patience when it comes to our bodies, but we have to learn. It's part of the seasons we go through.

Ultimately, we come to accept that we go through seasons, we have no choice, but it makes it a lot easier if we are in fantastic condition, physically.

Never, ever give up...It's only a matter of time before you see significant changes...may be faster or slower, they are all changes.

Point is, YOU WILL GET THERE IN THE END.

M1 | Day 51and CONTEST | Day 9

WHO SAID WE HAVE TO BE LEAN?

What is it that fascinates us about leaness in the human form? Who was the first person or group of people to decided that lean and muscular was the way to go?

How come we are not all striving to be 130kgs and 53% bodyfat?

Can you imagine this scenario:

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen and a warm welcome to the 2009 european summer collection, we are going to show you the very latest in beautiful swim wear for your european summer holiday....

as you can see fashionable swim wear gets smaller each year and this year is no different."

Lights start flashing, music starts thumping, and the ramp floor starts bouncing....

"Ladies and Gentleman our first model in a stunning, skin tight ultra small bikini, Naomi Crumble."

An audible sigh of admiration from the very experienced audience as Naomi lumbers onto the stage looking like a beached whale.

"Oh my goodness, exclaims an afficionado in the front row, She's put on at least another 15 kilograms from last year, oh my, she's absolutely exquisite". Smiling Naomi turns and lumbers off stage as the italion supermodel Fabio Luvafood, is smashing the last of a chocolate eclair into his face before he rolls slowly onto the ramp.

A blond socialite 2nd row left almost falls off her seat with delight...."Ohhh Fabio, ohh, my fat fat Fabio", she sighs.

Two others VIP guests turn to each other and simultaneously gasp.."Is, Is, Is, he actually wearing a costume at all." His fleshy skirt completely covered his nether regions making it impossible to see if he had remembered to put on his Karl Largerfelt original bathing suit whilst stuffing the last of the cream chocolate mix into his mouth.

"Oh I so love these shows" say two VIP's to each other, "I just love the way the models just get fatter and fatter each year...how exquisite. By the way, it's my turn for lunch, there's a fabulous new Kentucky Fried chicken just off the strip, I had to book 3 months ago for a table. They have an all you can eat special. C'mon let's hurry".

Just a tongue in cheek, lighthearted look at the way we see bodies...others and our own and imagining, just for today, how it would be if things were different.

M1 | Day 50 and CONTEST | Day 8

Quantum Physics rocks my world

I love quantum physics....From the moment I saw ' What the bleep do we know ', I was sold.

I then read 'The Hidden Messages in Water' by Masaru Emoto.

Now before you wonder whether I've lost the plot and you drift off to sleep on the couch, let me explain.

Dr Emotu discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific concentrated thoughts are directed towards them. Loving words reveal brilliant, complex and colourfull snowflake like patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts shows incomplete asymmetrical patterns with dull colours.

Now when you consider that our bodies are made of 70% water this obviously creates a new awareness of how this impacts on our health.

Delving further into Quantum Physics also shows, which we all knew, didn't we, that we are all made from the same matter. Molecular particles.

So this fascinating subjects then logically leads us to the following.

Drink healthy water...Talk to it kindly before you drink it and drink it often and realise that you are one with the steel.

The next time you wrap your hands around the bar, know that you are one and work as if you believe it were true. You'll feel an amazing difference in your training.

Now all of this seems entirely logical if you belive in a Creator....By whatever name...My personal preference is God.

If God created us and everything else on this planet, then why should we not be one with nature, and all that's on it and in it, including the water we drink and the steel we hoist mightily above our heads.

Mental strength is as important as physical strength and everything starts with a thought.
Before I do something I have to think it first, therefore if I have to think it first, why not the right thought.

We all have choice so think the right things, drink clean water and embrace the weights, they are your friend.

"As a man thinketh in his heart..so is he."

Oh and if you are on the couch get off, couches are for dogs.

M1 | Day 49 and CONTEST | Day 7

TO YOU, AND YOU, AND ESPECIALLY TO YOU

I've done this before but I think it's especially appropriate right now

I am so grateful to all of you who read my blog, those who support me through my own trials, and those who encourage me so much through your comments.

It is because of you that I write. Because of you, who have given me positive feedback, and who have articulated your appreciation for something that I have learned to love doing. Writing is very cathartic and is my friend

Those who have stood by me when I needed support,those who have encouraged me, those who have laughed with me, those who have cried with me, those who have passed the word on.


It has been an honour for me to serve you, to....in some small way help you to take charge of your own lives....to make small changes which lead to big results, to give you the occasional " Aha " moment.

To have been able to bring you joy, and I hope I have, to have uplifted your spirits, to have made your heart soar high above where the eagles fly, to have strengthened your resolve, to have helped you kick start your journey.

In all of these things, if I have been in some small measure, a catalyst, I am grateful for in so doing, I have healed myself.

Below is a dedication to all you incredible shredders out there who with courage and true grit have chosen to follow the path of a man who is a magnificent example of what we are all striving to achieve Adam Waters.

As we shredders tramp this earth together
arms entwined, we carry those who stumble
and they us,
we band of brothers and sisters forever linked by one...
His leadership, resolute, unwavering,
Our eyes upward, our hearts beating
with mighty resolve, we hoist the steel
and run the road, fleet of foot
onward toward victory
with no thought of failure..
and, with a glance behind, we see
multitudes of those, our numbers growing
day by day,
as we, with him in front, encouraging us,
surging into our future
as we all choose ..
to take the road less travelled.

Thank you and please come back.

M1 | Day 48 and CONTEST | Day 6

What happens now?

84 days are done. I'm looking the best I've ever looked....I've achieved my goals...What do I do now?

Very very common question, and very reasonable and logical.

Well, let's look at life since it's really the same thing. Hopefully, if we want to amount to anything we become goal setters but we need to be careful about how we do that.

All me life I've wanted to own my own business and way back whilst working for a publishing company I had a dream of starting an advertising agency.

My goal was then to start and build a successful agency.

I put my plan in motion and within a few months I was up and running. Five years later I had built a profitable business with some good solid clients. What did I do...I sold it.

What now? I freelanced on my own for a year or two sort of recharging my batteries.

Then, the Internet came down the pike and I thought "hmm, this lookspretty cool " and set a goal to start an internet development company. This was when no one knew what the web was all about.

Started the company, and a few years later when it was succesful, sold it.

Now what....Internet marketing, I figured had to be good...No good having a site if no one knew about it, right.

So, I thought, I want to start an Internet Marketing Company. Which I did and kept that for a couple of years.

OK Dougal, this is getting boring, get to the point.

After analysing why I kept starting businesses and selling them when they were up and running, I came to the conclusion that the answer was in my faulty goal setting. My goals had always been to start and build a succesful business but I had never thought about...what then.

When I decided to become a Health and Fitness professional I first determined that what I REALLY wanted to do was help other people get healthy and fit, and play a part in eradicating global obesity....and, I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.

How would I set a goal that would keep me in the H&F game for the rest of my days on the this planet.

I would set myself an outrageous goal that would surely keep me busy for as long as I was able to work, because starting the business and getting it running, I knew how to do, what I had never done before was see it through to the end.

I formed the goal and turned it into a personal mission statement and here it is.

" To empower 5 million people to find and fullfill there purpose through Health and Fitness "

Well I've been doing it now for 9 years and have successfully trained thousands of people, the longest I've done anything in my life. And of course, I've occasionally thought, I would like to do something else now, but I've always been drawn back to the maintaining the integrity of my goal, and so I'm still inching towards my goal and loving it... it feeds my soul, and I believe it's what I was put here to do.

and now....back to the future....what are you going to do when these 84 days are up, because both Adam Waters and I know how easy it is to think you've got it sussed, and slip back to your old ways.

I mean we are intelligent people, how can we possibly believe that we can get into top shape and then go back to eating burgers and cheese cake...I mean c'mon.

So....I urge you, now that you are entrenched in these very important 84 days to start thinking about a worthwhile goal that will excite you enough to keep you going. Maintain your accountability within the sphere, kepp the interest up, helping us is a wonderful way to do it.

I know Adam has plans to help you move from where you are now to where you want to go and what they are is not important right now, but, just know that he will have something for you.

The word diet always implies an end. This is not a diet based program, it is a LIFESTYLE based program so start thinking LIFESTYLE and ingrain it in your cranial harddrive so that when the time comes for you to leave the nest, the thought of returning to your old ways doesn't occur to you.

Start the process now and save yourself a heck of a lot of heartache later.

M1 | Day 47 and CONTEST | Day 5

I GOT TESTED today

and no I'm not on juice......

Glided, or is it glid into to gym today with the intention of having my best workout ever.....10 minutes on the stationary bike, warm up set of laterals....can't do shoulder press...to get the blood flowing and into action.

Crancked up the power.....got myself nice and agressive and worked my way through the routine. Crushed it, absolutely crushed it....

Got to leg press...can't do barbell squats either...(broken neck remember), and loaded the machine. The biggest plates there are......

Lay down and crushed my sets.....got off the machine and moved over to the other side of the gym to do lunges, them I can do.

Suddenly it dawned on me.....smart mouth....you only did two sets, you were supposed to do three.

Now, since I am a man of integrity I have to be honest. For a fleeting moment....and I do mean fleeting, I toyed with the notion of giving it a miss....Can't hurt can it?.....I mean can it?

Well, actually it can and it does. It's not so much the missing of the set but it's about what it does to you.

Firstly, I'm fudging my compliance, secondly is this going to help me to be the best I can be, thirdly what does this do to my self image, fourthly I will know what I've done, fifthly it's little seemingly insignificant things like this that chip away at the fibre of your character.

My philosophy....actually it's not mine it's Carlos', of going beyond, gets left in the dust if you are going to start doing that...What's next...oh well does it matter if I don't do this set so hard...I'm a bit tired.

Then.....oh I don't think I'll train today, because I'm sad that my team lost at rugby today (they didn't but you get my point) and so down the slippery slope until your are gone and it's game over.

And that takes me to eating.. A world class trainer Alwyn Cosgrove tells the story of having given the client an eating plan and the client coming back saying...I've changed some minor things on the plan will it still work. Alwyn replied...as he would...I don't know it's not my plan anymore.

Point of all this is.....Until you know what you are doing in the gym and the kitchen, be brutally honest with yourselfand do what you have to do WITH INTENSITY, and integrity...it's easy to make minor changes that have major repurcussions over time, but it's the worst thing you can do...for you.

And yes.....I did go right back and do the last set with brutal force.

M1 | Day 46 and CONTEST | Day 4

I do believe I am getting somewhere. I knew I would because my compliance has been 100% but it's not that simple....it takes belief.

There's no doubt in my mind. I am using a training program that work.....IT WORKS.....no doubt's.

I know I've mentioned this before but that is actually the second building block in the foundation of getting back to peak condition.

No 1..... is hitting rock bottom. I don't believe you are ready to start anything as challenging as a physical transformation until you have absolutely hit rock bottom. How do you define that....well for me it was pretty easy.. An extremely near death experience was enough to wake anyone up but for for most people their mind is not made up for them like it was for me, so what is it for you....

It's when you get to a point where you say this far and no further....and your biggest sceptics actually believe you... You get a glint in your eye, and a steely determination in your step.

Then comes belief.

This is where I am right now....I fervently, with the innocence of a child, believe that at the end of this contest I will be in the best shape of my life....and I am seeing it unfold right before my eyes.

Sometimes when you look in the mirror your mind will trick you into believing that nothing's happening, but daily pictures will tell you the truth.

When I look at my pictures now I BELIEVE....

and so should you.

SHRED HARD

M1 | Day 45 and CONTEST | Day 3

THERMOGENICS.....SAY WHAT?

Day 2 gone and I still have that....I wanna do more and more... feeling. Long may it last.

I get asked all the time about FAT BURNERS otherwise known as thermogenics.

The truth is......OTC (over the counter) fat burners do very little. They are not worth the money you pay for them and some like Hydroxycut, are downright dangerous.

What do thermogenics do?

They artificially stimulate your metabolism theoretically promoting fat loss.

However, let's assume they do work by effectively doing the above. At some stage you have to get off them since you can't take them forever and then what......your metab comes to a grinding halt ....and so begins the downward spiral of less and less calories until your set point is so low that anything resembling a normal amount of calories for your size and weights just makes you put on weight, and round and round we go.

Lovely isn't it.

Really the only suplement you should be using is a quality protein powder since eating chicken breast 6 times a day is not that exiting.

It is hard enough to build muscle that belongs to you and not the pharmaceutical companies, don't give it away by using junk suplements and wasting your money. Rather spend it on quality food that give you a great thermic effect.

That's metabolism boost the natural way.

TRAIN HARD, EAT RIGHT, THINK BIG

M1 | Day 44 and CONTEST | Day 2

DAY ONE DONE

This is the easy part....The adrenalin is running like mercury down a bowling alley, the attitude is as positive as a self help book, the training is as focussed as a professional hitman's beady eye down the scope of his killing thingy...what's it called...oh yes, a gun, sorry a rifle.

I've done my training, I've done my planning, my visualising, my eating and so far I'm batting 100%.

I am on top of the world.

But....there is going to come a time when I'm not such hot stuff and that's when my PRW's come in to save me and my daily pics to help me understand that progress is not like an express train, it's more like a race between a snail and a tortoise.

I've just had coffee, a small espresso, with a young friend of mine...., and he is very frustrated because he is not achieving his goals. well it does speed up the metabolism OK...OK

I asked him about them and he told me specifically about three of them. The deadline for the first is June 14th, and the other two are for the end of the year.

My obvious question was..."How do you know you are not achieving them if the end date has not yet arrived." "Hmmmm.....Ok but I feel frustrated that things aren't happenening."

From here there are two things you can do....More, or do as you are doing. As long as you are taking the action steps to get you going forward every day and have an unalterable belief, you have to keep moving until the deadline passes. Only then can you know whether you have achieved your goal or not.

It's a lot like what we are doing here. Some of you will have no point of reference as to what your progress should be, so how will you know if you are moving forward.

If you have planned your eating meticulously you WILL be moving forward. Your clothes, the mirror, and your body fat will tell you...THE SCALE WILL NOT.

If after two weeks you have lost 2lbs of fat and build 2lbs of muscle what will your weight be?

THE SAME as two weeks ago, Agghhhhhh!

This is not the time to look for a tall building...find some calipers and measure your body fat...That in relation to your weight will then give the the REAL picture.

Some people with some knowledge will be losing to much too soon and will end up losing muscle mass rather than fat....the last thing you want . Slowly slowly catchy monkey....actually that's a terrible analogy, but you know what I mean.

The slower you do this the longer it will stay off.

TRUST YOUR PLAN at least you have one....Most people trying to do this on their own don't... and end up being thin, fat people. Great in clothes, not so great on the beach.

This is 84 days of positive energy...enjoy it, get inside it, embrace it, live it, and most of all LOVE IT...

This is YOUR LIFE

M1 | Day 43

I woke up this morning with a sense of great anticipation.....why was I feeling like this....
oh yeah.......
today's DAY ONE of the most unique transformation contest on the planet.....and I'm part of it.

It's an honour and a privilege to be part of history...and it's true, we are making history today.

I feel a sense of pride being an itegral part of, as are we all, the shreddersphere.....This amazing place that we have all come to heal ourselves....to take refuge, in safety, with our brothers and sisters, dedicated to once and for all creating a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and hopefully to influence the rest of the planet.

Personally I consider it an honour to be able to compete in this contest and I compete against myself....to be the best that I can be, along side you all.

I wish everyone the best and I know you'll all give it 100%

I'd personally like to dedicate this post to Adam Waters who started it all.
He started this journey by himself and ended up developing a methodology that is guaranteed to give you the success you seek....provided you follow the plan.

On his own and single handedly he developed a working model that has ultimately taken him to a place where he is now fullfilling his dream, of helping people get fit and healthy, full time.

Integrity, the man has in abundance...patience, limitless... energy, boundless.... passion, no question...compassion absolutely...drive, huge......

and the message in all this is.....it's never too late to get your life together and failure is only failure when you don't get up any more once you are knocked down for the unpteenth time.

As we march this bumpy road for the next 84 days, we will all find that along with getting stronger we will change as beings. We will become more confident, more complete beings with an enhanced self image and a heightened sense of who we are.

This journey, you will find, is more about personal growth than how many reps we can do.

And so Adam Waters, I salute you my friend....you are a GIANT amongst us mere mortals.

Lead us fearlessly, and TWO of us, will follow you.....

to,

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

M1 | Day 42

WHY AM I A SHREDDER?

I acknowledge that I need help and support to achieve my health and fitness goals. I therefore need a platform on which I can set down my dreams, bare my soul, be encouraged by others in whom I can place my trust, are of similar mindset, and reciprocate with encouragement and advice, when asked for.

MY PRW " POWERFUL REASON WHY"

Why # 1 It is critical for me, and I desire, to attain peak physical condition and remain so for the balance of my days on this planet. I have seen first hand the life sustaining value of being strong and healthy.

Why # 2 My body is a temple and it is an insult to my Creator to lay waste and neglect what I have been so lovingly given.

Why # 3 My personal mission is to "empower 5 million people to find and fulfill their purpose through health and fitness. I CANNOT evangalise looking like a schlump.

Why # 4 Being out of condition does my head in and I'm exhausted from fighting myself about what I stick in my mouth.

Why # 5 I want to LIKE the way I look

Why # 6 I've been in peak condition before...I KNOW what it looks like and I want it back.

Why # 7 Because I am a shredder, I have by inference, made a promise to all of you, that my commitment is to attaining peak condition and performance and I will not let you down.

Why # 8 Because personal integrity is paramount to me and this is one of the ways that I will build and keep building it.

Signed
dougal macdonald
"work in progress"

M1 | Day 41

What most people want...I suppose men predominantly, is.....a six pack, and the question most people ask me is what exercises are the most effective for my abs.

My reply..."Lots of arm work." "Excuse me, arm work....for abs"...."correct, I reply..chopping vegetables in the kitchen."

See, the truth is, everyone has abs....or, a core but the only way to make them show through is to strip away the fat covering them.

Of course we need to strengthen our core...but remember that pretty much everything you do...when you stand, sit, get out of a car, is strengthening your core and abs are very small muscles so crunches and other specific ab work should be done the same as any other muscle...no more.

YOU NEVER NEED TO DO 1000 CRUNCHES ETC...You are just wasting your time if you do.

If you don't believe me....the pic above is my son when he was 10 yrs old and believe me he's never done a crunch in his life...he just carries very little body fat and climbs trees all day.

Remember to prepare well for the contest...especially make sure that you know exactly what you are going to eat for day 1 and get it ready sunday. That is one area where you HAVE to plan meticulously.

Enjoy the weekend

M1 | Day 40

The RTP - TS international transformation competition is almost upon us.

This, folks, is a world first.

Nothing like this has EVER been done before. All of you are in the absolutely unique position of watching history being made whilst being part of it. What a thought.

We will all be observed from places we never thought of. Yahoo, other online press, people we don't know, our families.

The Body-for-LIFE challenge was the biggest thing in its day....but This is huge...and absolutely unique.

Now, you all entered this competition because......that's it, because you believe you can win.

The incredible thing is, win or lose, you come out on top. You lose the competition you end up with a great body +++++ a plan for the rest of your life.

You win.....well, I reckon the world will be your oyster...there will be so many opportunities for you...if you want them.

Thing is....are you ready....Are you sure you know what's required of you. Have you organised yourself so that come monday you can hit the ground running. Planning is paramount and that can be the difference between win or lose.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can ramp up as you go along, it won't work. Hit the ground running and you stand a much better chance.

You can never predict what's going to happen if your goal is to win, what you can predict is 100% compliance every single day, coz if you don't you will get beat, There are 100 guys out there who will use that as their criteria to win.

Belief, persistance, patience, intensity, and 100% compliance. Make those your daily action steps and YOU could be the one, jetting off to New York in 3 months time.

That's all you have 84 days

M1 | Day 39

SUPPORT......an essential ingredient in the mix of life.

No man is an island.....otherwise put, we do not operate well alone. We surround ourselves with people that we believe are beneficial to us...not in a selfish way but in a fullfillment way.

In everything we do in life we need a sounding board, someone to encourage us when things are tough, someone to clap hands for us when we win...and most of all someone to love us when we need warm arms wrapped around us.....and I don't care how tough you are, we all need that.

I am no different. This is therefore a tribute to my lady who, without her support, I might not have made it through this hugely undulating and rocky journey over the past year.

It started with her marshalling 4 children on a beach that day in between trying to rustle up a paramedic and an ambulance to the beach at St Francis and getting over eager hands away from my severely broken neck and somehow getting her landrover to a point where she could follow the ambulance....all in the space of a few minutes...talk about woman's ability to multitask.....this woman is WORLDCLASS.

We laugh now about the journey to Port Elizabeth from her view point once all the other things had been taken care of. The number of the ambulance was printed on the back and she used her mobile to call them whilst driving down the freeway at 200kms an hour. "Please can you slow down, I can't keep up." she said to the nurse. "We can't do that maam, we need to get Mr Macdonald to hospital as soon as possible, but don't worry, when we get to the hospital I'll call you and guide you in." Which she did.

Looking back now, it must have been pretty hilarious....an ambulance barreling down the freeway with a Landrover chasing it.

Karen took care of the kids, made a million phone calls to my family, collegues and friends to tell them what had happened, was at my bedside every day....a drive of 2 hours there and back from our holiday home.

Got everybody back to Johannesburg safely.. a 10 hour drive, and made sure I was airlifted back to JHB.

Arranged for my kids to visit me in hospital...spent hours there herself to the detriment of her landscaping business and her own family.

Over the past year she has made herself available for whatever I needed. She nursed me back to health at her house....cradled me in her arms when I cried, feeling that I couldn't go on. Made it very clear when I had outplayed the sympathy card. Made interminable trips back to the hospital to have dressings changed, sutures removed and so one.

And now that we are at the end of that journey she has pledged complete support for my determined efforts to get back into the best shape of my life.... Life without her would not be fun.

Florence Nightingale has nothing on this incredible woman and I am fortunate that she chose me as a partner. She has given up a year of her life for me and as she says with a wicked smile on her face when I ask how I can repay her....." 3 or 4 carats on my finger will do nicely thankyou."

M1 | Day 38

ADVERSITY.....there is no such thing

This very day exactly one year ago my life changed forever.
I was surfing a shore break at St Francis Bay, right next door to Jeffries Bay, on a beautiful sunny morning at around this time....10.45am.

I have been surfing my whole life so I knew what I was doing, but this day was different.

I'd been surfing the backline at the point earlier in the morning and had been in the water for hours so I was pretty tired. Mentally I was ready to head in to my girlfriend and her two and my two little ones on the beach. We were on a 10 day vacation at our favourite spot on the beautiful South African cape coast.

I saw a set coming through and the shore break was pretty big...I'd taken a couple of tumbles but nothing serious when I saw a decent size wave coming through.

I paddled hard, picked up the wave and stood up quickly....with a shore break you have to get up fast otherwise you'll get taken out. As I stood up I realised the wave was too steep but it was too late, I started to go over the falls...it was too late to bale out and I got dumped.

I landed head first straight onto an exposed sandbank. Bang...I hit the sandbank with a sickening, bone crunching thud. I heard and felt the bones, and cervical verterbrae shatter and I saw stars.

Immediately I knew I had broken my neck...I also knew it was very serious as I had to hold my head up since it wouldn't stand up on it's own. I was in the most excrucioating pain I had ever felt.

Somehow I got to the beach and managed to get out of the water. My girlfriend helped me to lie down and paramedics were called.

I was stabilised and taken to Port Elizabeth, a hour drive away via ambulance. Large quantities of morphine helped to dull the intense pain but I was alert enough to know I was in real trouble.

The Parademic actually told me that if I didn't lie still I wouldn't make it to the hospital.

X-rays revealed I had what is called a hangman's fracture and had badly damaged C2,3, and 4.

The neurosurgeon, a nice young man said he was sorry but no I could not go home today.
After drilling holes in my head and attaching some scaffolding I was told not to move for two days whilst I stabilised



Two days later I underwent major surgery which involved a spinal fusion and a whole bunch of titanium bits. I felt a bit like a mobile mechano set.

I was transferred to Johanesburg where I contracted Septacemia...a blood infection which can kill you in 48 hours if it's not caught in time.

Op no 2 - another 3 hours and serious pain.




Then a pressure wound in back of my head that wouldn't heal.....Op no 3....plastic surgery to fix the gaping hole left by the pressure wound.




Then persistant infection resulting in Op no 4.....to open me up and scrub me out again.

Then came some recovery time during which I walked vast distances every day. I wish I was going skiing coz that's what it looked like.


Op No 5.....we decided that after 9 months on antibiotics and feeling terrible through the infection we would remove the hardware in the back of my head....dangerous op, working so close to the spinal chord but the risk was worth it so I made the decision to go for it.

It all worked out and this is what they took out of my head and what my head looked like after the op.




Now the amazing thing about all this is that the above picture taken after my last op was taken in hospital at the beginning of February.

I started gentle training about two weeks after that and then started my RTP-TS transformation.

How's that for miraculous recovery time....Less than two months after my last op I am hard at training getting visible results as is evidenced by my daily pics.

I have no mobility between my neck and shoulders and there are many things I cannot do any more such as running, riding a bike....obviously surfing is a no no, driving a car is difficult.

But....I have long since come to terms with what happened to me....and I can only see postitives. I am alive, I am mobile.....I should be dead, I am able to serve others, which gives me great joy, I am able to contribute to the shreddershphere...I have greater respect for myself and others, I value myself more....and I LOVE AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL.

My reason for writing this was to firstly to celebrate a year of living differently, secondly to illustrate that there is no such thing as adversity....only bumps in the road which we can easily run over IF WE SO CHOOSE.

And finally, I have a question and a challenge, for all of you. If I am able to train with incredible instensity and passion and continuously post 100% compliance......if I am able to do this with discomfort every day and limitations as to what exercises and cardio I can and cannot do.....if I am able to do this with a badly broken neck and no mobility through a spinal fusion and multiple major operations all within the space of the last 365 days.....if I am able to do this successfully, which I am...

WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE.

M1 | Day 37

I AM AN ATHLETE

A healthy lifestyle – the mind/body connection

By its very definition the word lifestyle in the statement “A healthy lifestyle” indicates that we are talking about far more than a 10 week diet and running around the block for the same time frame.

The very notion that we can – kinda, sorta, eat properly and do some exercise for the short term, is based in the word, a word that should, in my view be banished from dictionaries, DIET.

Diet always implies that there is an end in view. We all know what I’m talking about. The 28 day grapefruit diet. The 4 week south beach diet. Lose 150lbs eating only rice cakes in 10 days diet and so on.

We also know instinctively at the very least that, you cannot get to where you want to be, physically, and then go straight back to sleeping late and eating cheese cake.

So what is the solution, and how does the mind come into this?

We need to change our identity. There are two types of people who are overweight. People who simply habitually overeat at meal times and people who are comfort eaters. Since the second group is by far the majority I’m going to talk about them. Habitual overeaters simply need to understand how to eat properly. Simple to fix, not easy, but simple.

Comfort eaters however is a different group altogether.

The majority of people that come to me for help are very overweight. The first question I ask is “how did you get to look like you do”. Then begins a psychological discourse in which lies the answer to getting lean, healthy and fit, for life.

Mentally, physically and sexually abusive, parents, partners, children, friends and so on, or certain instances, and timelines are by and large the trigger for overeating on a regular basis.

At the time the incidents were occurring, eating large amount of pleasurable food i.e. ice creams, potato chips, pies, pastries etc, were responsible for soothing a traumatized emotional state. This done habitually leads to “bingeing” preceding or following a difficult situation.

After some considerable time the individual is seriously overweight, with a self image problem of varying degrees.

Now, I’m a great believer in the statement….Things in my past are responsible for the way I have become..But only I can be responsible for the way I’m going to be.

A courageous attitude, certainly, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It all starts with a thought and remember that “everything starts with a thought” and I mean everything.

How often have we said “I think I’ll go down to Durban for the weekend” or “I think I’m going to shop for new clothes on Saturday?” See what I mean.

So…although it takes time, a process of conscious/subconscious mind changing through affirmations and a firm commitment to a future healthy lifestyle through goal setting, is all that is needed to get you on the right track, forever. The Will to want to is obviously critical, but I don’t know any fat person who wants to remain where they are and get progressively bigger as time goes by, do you?

I start my clients with a simple affirmation “I AM AN ATHLETE “and I insist they repeat it to themselves many times a day and whilst exercising. It seems silly at first and they are normally embarrassed to repeat it out loud, but the miracle starts happening when, through repetition they start believing it. They start walking with more purpose, up straighter, and with more confidence. This has the knock on effect of making them want to train harder and so they progress until they reach their original goals and it’s time to set new ones.

I’ve seen this happen countless time and although this article touches the surface of my personal methodologies, used with love, kindness and caring, since I’m not a qualified psychologist, my heart soars when I see a client, now a friend, walk into the future with head held high, a strong respect for themselves, and a definite belief that “ They are athletes”

M1 | Day 36

Talk about a deer caught in the headlights, my expression in the pic is priceless...."Wasn't me Officer"

Contest deadline is getting closer and the exitement is growing...I can almost feel it down here in the Southern tip of Africa.

Technology is wonderful that it bring us all together as a family from many nations across the globe and in a way these relationships may be more valuable, from a phsycological point of view, than those of your closest family.

Do a little comparison in your own mind. At home...your brother,sister,mother,husband,wife etc says "umm, honey, do you really think you need another chocolate eclair." In the shreddersphere you get tough love. "OK you bluppsed, let it go and move on" in other words you get non judgemental support, and encouragement in a non threatening safe environment."

"Baby, do these jeans make my bum look big." " No it's all the chocolate you eat" Not quite the encouragement you need.

Adam Waters has created with help of Mike Groom an amazing refuge, or haven if you will where 'dreamstealers' are forbidden and where you can make your dreams come true in a time frame of your choice. Nurture as opposed to criticism...even if the critisism is an uplifted eyebrow or a disaproving look.

We have all been where we all are now, so we understand....and the interesting thing is that very often the dreamstealers closest to you are the one's for whom you become a role model and change camps from " yawn....oh another diet..." to "Babe, what's the web address of that place umm, what's it called the 'shredder board' or something." and " hey you are really looking good" and at that point 'nothing tastes sweeter than' a compliment from a loved one.

At that point your self image starts to soar. You start to trust yourself and more than anything you start to see a future with you in it as the person you've always wanted to be.

BIG UP, to all our shredders that have had the courage to take this challenge on with a determination to see it throughto the end.

Without question, you are all CHAMPIONS, already.

M1 | Day 35

The South African elections are done. Free and Fair...yes....results...The ruling ANC did NOT attain a two thirds majority.

Pheeeeeewww! Thank goodness for that. All that remains is for Jacob Zuma to decide which 1st lady he is going to introduce to the world.
(thank you Cindi)

Seriously...at least our sacred constitution cannot be tamepered with by grubby little hands wanting to change things to protect themselves.

Vent over.....it's a rest day today and I need it.
I have trained very hard this week...and at least one of my training days left track marks in the road tarmac the way I had to drag
myself to gym.

Please explain this to me someone. Yesterday right outside the door of one of the gym's I train at in a non parking area, blocking traffic, stood a shiny new, ice white convertible Aston Martin.. Well we don't all ride donkey carts to work in deepest darkest Africa you know.

Now, apart from the absolute arrogance of the owner, why would someone who is, presumably at gym to get fit and healthy, not park in a large empty parking area 50mtrs away from the front door and walk. Go figure.

Oh and while I'm on my soap box my other pet peeve is people who park in disabled parking bays. I get so irritated that I have gone up to a perfectly able bodied person before as he was was getting out of his car and told him that if he doesn't move it I'll give him a reason to park there. Since I am 6ft and weigh 220lbs, they usually don't argue with me.

Oh and also those " Reserved Staff parking" signs, I mean where are the upbeat and outgoing staff supposed to park.

And, "Disabled toilets" in gyms....why would they put a toilet in a gym that wasn't working...I mean really.

Have a really fun rest day...Till Tomorrow.

M1 | Day 34

MILK....what about about milk?

Well first off it's a very powerful movie. Went to see it last night and came away with a reminder of some of life's greatest lessons.

If there is anobody on the planet that doesn't know what it's about......an openly gay man opens a camera shop in the SanFransisco district of CASTRO in the late 60's and he and his young lover are harassed by local shopkeepers with the objective of running them out of town.

Doesn't quite turn out like that and Harvey Milk becomes a very powerful political figure in America....never mind a district in SF.

What really got me about this movie was firstly the dedication and commitment to a cause... I mean this guy was relentless, and I mean over a 8 year period...we are not talking 12 weeks here.

He recruited guys who he made sure were as committed as he was and as a gay rights activist became head of the most powerful gay rights movement in America. Over 30 thousand people attended his memorial service.

How..... He was unbelievably persistant...and demanded that from those around him....he did the same things day after day, to canvas locals and recruit followers tirelessly, consistently....He was unflinching in his belief of what he was doing...in other words his commitmentwas not even up for discussion, and he was a champion for his cause...He believed so much in what he was doing he sold, sold, sold it wherever he went.

He ended up a very powerful man....both inside himself and publicly....he also ended up dead but thats what sometimes happens to powerful people.

The take home for me, from this movie in terms of health and fitness was:

1. Find a program that you believe in and are prepared to work at. (A cause)
   
2. Do the things day by day that you need to do to get the job done (consistent)
3. Do them unflinchingly and with your best effort with the right attitude and intensity, even when you don't feel like (persistance)
4. Become a champion for the cause that you believe in...in this case health and fitness.
   

My friends, these are the hallmarks of a champion...and Harvey Milk was a champion, like him or not....he was in the game, for good.

Let's also commit to getting into this game...for good, setting an example by the way look, behave and our lifestyle, and promoting health and fitness wherever we go.

DEAL or no deal...I'm in

M1 | Day 33

Today was my chance.....to test my own rhetoric.

I went to bed pretty late and woke up really early. First thing I thought about was training.
As I lay in bed I thought....I really don't feel like training to day...I mean I really don't feel like it.

I don't feel like getting up to have a protein, oats, shake....I don't feel like.....well I just don't feel like doing anything.

For the first time since I got out of hospital I just DID NOT feel like it. I just felt completely flat.

OK so now I have a choice......actually I didn't even need to go that far, automatically I started thinking about you, the shreddershphere, my PRW's, my commitment to myself and the heavyness started dissipating.

I got out of bed dog tired but I went to the gym and completed a solid workout.

Now I really know for sure, that the program works and accountability is everything.

When it came to weighing up - not training - with all the other stuff mentioned above, the scales were heavily weighted on the side of " No Brainer "

I actually enjoyed being in the gym and although I'm still really tired I'm about to eat my 3rd meal, I've done my training and my compliance is still 100%

Job done, self image intact.

See, thing is , if you you have all the tools in your arsenal at your disposal, nothing can go wrong when days like this come along.

M1 | Day 32

Today I sadly bid a fond farewell to and kissed autumn goodbye as I felt a bite in the air stepping out into the cold breeze at 4.30am.

Another summer is gone....It seems to be that time speeds up every year....I remember a client saying to me in December last year....Boy this year has gone quickly, this time last year it was only October.

My beautiful boy who is just days away from his 14th birthday will be able to vote in the next election...man, that woke me up.

There are 24 hours in the day and as far as I know that's not about to change. Once they are gone, they're gone.

So....we have 24, to make a difference....to our lives and the lives of others...then, phhhhht, gone.

If you are struggling with fluctuating emotions....lack of will, or rather, won't power....not feeling like training or eating properly....and we all go there....and are generally feeling pretty negative about life right now....try this.

The concept is simple really....we can only feed our souls and make them happy....when we are doing for others. I believe we were put on this planet to give...not to take....and when we are not feeling great emotionally it is because we are only thinking about ourselves .

Never mind the analysis of this....if you are feeling down today...try this, open the address book in your mobile and call the person whose name jumps out at you...give them a call and tell them that you just wanted them to know that you are thinking about them and you love them....wouldn't try this if it's your boss...and see what happens to your mood.

Once you have proved that this simple little thing is guaranteed to lift the black cloud above you then start doing it every day...then add other little things that you can do for others.

Pretty soon as all this becomes a habit you'll find that the black cloud will disapear for ever and your life will have changed.

Going to gym and eating properly then become so much easier to commit to long term.....you see folks, " Health and Fitness are a prerequisite to happiness. " said Joseph Pilates, and once you get how the cirle of life works....it becomes so much easier.

Do it now and you'll be smiling for the rest of the day.

YES YOU....GO ON, N O W

M1 | Day 31

Choices.....it's all about choices

22nd April 2009 will be remembered in South Africa.....We are voting in a new president today.
Our 4th democratic election is taking place today in our young democracy and whilst we know who the Pres is going to be we need to choose to vote to not let the ruling party get a two thirds majority. If that happens our constitution remains intact.

When 23 million go to the polls on a chilly autumn morning they will have a choice to make.

Which reminds me....we all have choices to make and whilst we have made the basic choice...to take on and complete the RTP - Transformation System we will have many choices to make along the way which will make us or ......well you know the rest.

Like....going out for dinner and choosing the baked salmon or the nachos with extra chedder.
You think that's a no brainer...one tip...don't go to the restaraunt starving, coz chances are you'll go the wrong way.

Choosing to skip a workout coz, you have to watch some paint dry....again another no brainer...unless...you are absolutely ehausted from a tough day at work and 3 hours at home with screaming kids....then it's easy to sink into the lazyboy...umm..girl, with a double martini and watch desperate,desperate,desperate housewives.

Choosing to not push as hard in the gym as you could....ah well I did do the workout so what if I didn't so as hard as I could...tick it off as done.

Making bad choices has effects far more reaching than just in the now. Your self image which may be shaky to start with takes a little knock and you consider yourself a little less trustworthy every time this happens.

Try to plan ahead for things that may trip you up. Think forward and...eat a little protein shake before you go out for dinner....phone hubby/wife and ask them to look after the kids...you have a workout to do....walk into the gym and hit a mental switch the minute you walk in the door " This is going to be the best workout ever, I am thinking about nothing else but this workout."

So there it is...success is all aboput the choices we make.....now if you'll excuse me I have the best cardio workout I've ever done, to go and do."

M1 | Day 30

There is only one perfect person....and he does not live on this planet.

For us to succeed in transforming ourselves permanently we have to start by letting go of the perfection complex.

Which means what exactly?

Well it's that old thing that we do of starting "diets" on monday blowing them with a bad meal on wednesday evening and baling on the whole thing until monday again.

Eventually we bale on the thing altogether...."Oh this is useless, I'm not going to "diet" anymore I'm just going to let go and eat whatever I want".

6 Months and 10kgs later we are worse off than when we started.

So....we need to let go of ' perfection '. There is no such thing.

We HAVE to adopt the mindset that, if we have a bad meal, or slip with an easter egg, or steal our daughter's M&M's we ARE ONLY ONE MEAL AWAY FROM GETTING IT RIGHT again.

Don't blow your whole plan for one slip.

Make that decision TODAY, that if something goes wrong, your very next meal, will be PERFECT.

M1 | Day 29

For some reason my compliance sheet takes an absolute age to down load as opposed to the pic so in future I'm going to leave it out. I am still filling it in of course and if anybody wants to see it I'll be happy to make it available. I'll score my compliance on this blog and my shreddersphere blog going forward. To date my compliance is 100%

I came across an interesting scenario this morning whilst training a young female client.

She's been with me a week or so and we have been doing upper body one day and lower body 2 days later. Rep range 10-15.

She said to me today that friends of hers say she should be doing very high reps with little weights coz she's a girl and she shouldn't be pushing heavy weight.

Excuse me.....

Obviously I told her very diplomatically that she was paying me the money to get her into shape and not her friends so perhaps she should not be listening to her friends, none of which as far as I know are certified personal trainers or in particularly good shape.

Now this is not a unique scenario.....I think all of us at some stage have been told by someone in the gym that we're doing the wrong thing....notwithstanding that the person doing the telling looks as if they just finished the afternoon shift at milky lane.

Point is....you have a world class program designed by three of the best on the planet...don't get sideswiped by people who have no clue what they're talking about.

Say thanks very much....and do the next set. Later perhaps you can drop a hint to them like
RTP Blog 2.0 - Adam Waters Real Time Physique Transformation Blog

Dreamstealers abound...some well meaning, some trying to derail you. The tall poppy syndrome...gently move away from them and keep walking the path your are on....It IS THE RIGHT PATH.

M1 | Day 28

28 days......reminds me of the Sandra Bullock movie of the same name. For those that havn't seen it...a very funny but poignant movie about a young woman who is an alcoholic and checks into rehab for...you guessed it...28 days.

Why is 28 days significant...because that's how long it takes to ingrain a habit with a few days extra thrown in for good measure.

In one scene she asks her doctor when she can start dating again. His answer. Buy a plant, when you have kept it alive for 6 months, buy a pet...when that is still alive after 2 years you can start dating.

Point is.....28 days ago those of us who started transforming made a decision that hopefully will affect the rest of our lives. We decided that enough was enough and today was the day we wopuld change forever.

We have now ingrained certain habits that will stand us in good stead forever...but...we are not there yet.

We still need to keep the plant alive and the 84 days of the transformation challenge will help to reinforce that.

At the end of the next 84 all of us will be in a position to positively affect others...by the way we look, talk, move and act... let's all make a goal to use our transformation as a role model to those who are in need of transforming.

SHOCKING FACT - THERE ARE MORE OBESE ON THE PLANET RIGHT NOW THAN THERE ARE STARVING PEOPLE.

Let's all use this time to be a catalyst for eradication of obesity...A noble goal I'm sure you'll agree.

M1 | Day 27

What are you thinking about today?

It's a beautiful crisp sunny autumn day in Johannesburg and everything is still and quiet.

The occasional vehicle disturbs the peace as it whoooshes past.

It's early...for a saturday and a dog barks, breaking the silence.

Peace again....tranquility....every body alone with their own thoughts.

The clouds move gracefully across the sky interupting the impossible blueness up there.

Suddenly from out of no where....There is a scream, followed by loud raucous whooopp whooooppping, and then crazy laughter...the silence is broken...people sit up straight in their chairs dropping the morning daily....Coffee is spilt down the front of an elegant blouse.

What on earth is that....is the exclamation collectively around the normally quiet neighbourhood.

Oh don't worry....it's just Dougal... GETTING REALLY EXCITED ABOUT COMPETING AGAIN.

M1 | Day 26

Exitement mounts as the contestants ready themselves for battle.......

What an interesting scenario. In a few days from now the inaugural RTP - TS competition begins or should I say entries close and this thing kicks off for real.

So, for the first time in history contestants in a transformation competition will be able to witness..live...the progress of their competitors online via words and pictures.... and what do you think that will do?

It will drive everybody to be the ABSOLUTE best they can be...in the early stages ...and as some contestants start drawing away from the pack it is possible that some....may give up thinking that they have no chance and lose momentum ending up disapointed again.

CAUTION negative thinking ahead. Remember my post about my client who made zero and I mean zero progress over the first seven weeks and then sprinted out of the blocks making an exceptional transformation by week 12.

This is a 12 week competition....give yourself a real chance...by NOT saying, half way in, Oh I can't win so I'm going to back off. If that has been you in the past, NOW is your opportunity to change such a limiting belief. The TRUTH is you DON'T KNOW what is going to happen so at least give yourself a chance.

In any situation where that voice in your head starts putting you down, always ask yourself IS THAT THE TRUTH...9 times out of 10 you'll be able to answer emphatically NO and you can move on.

I have a friend who is one of the top 5 IronMen triathletes in the world and I've seen some amazing things happen to him. One example...he was racing in the US in a half ironman distance race and doing well on the bike he had a blow out.

Now these guys don't carry puncture repair kits so he felt that was it for him until the service van appeared and gave him a new wheel. (allowed) He continued with not much enthusiasm and his carbon fibre wheel actually shattered.

In his mind he was really done now and he sat down on the side of the road to mourn his fate when the service van reappered and gave him another wheel.(also allowed)

Reluctant to continue having lost so much time he wanted to bale, when his wife appeared and ordered him to get his backside back in the race (as wives do). Back on the road he gave it huge effort and...short story...he ended up coming second and winning some nice prize money.

NEVER EVER GIVE UP UNTIL THE RACE IS OVER. Unless you are able to see into the future you have no way of knowing how things are going to turn out.

Don't allow your future to be dictated by something that hasn't even happened yet.

M1 | Day 25

What's it going to take?.........to win the Transformation competition

10 tips that will help to get you into good enough shape to win

Have I lost my mind...I am also a transformation contestant. Do I want to win....YOU BET...so why would I let you into my mind and tell you how I'm going to do it.

Because you are my shredder brothers and sisters and I want to share anything I can with you that will help you to get to where you want to go.

Am I competitive...absolutely, but I've been around this business a while so anything I know that will give me an advantage I am prepared to pass on to you....unconditionally.

Then we start from a level playing field which is only fair.

The most important thing to know is that you MUST have the mindset going into this thing.
No good saying....ummm I'll give it a shot because it's there, if I don't win, no worries.
Wrong. If you have entered or want to enter you obviously want to meet Adam Waters and Tom Venuto in NYC really really badly...so you need to cultivate that mindset.

As Vince Lombardi said"winning is not everything...it's the only thing"

1. Build a desire in your heart that rages like a massive brush fire muscling it's way through the Cape-Town mountains like a high school bully.
   
2. Go back to the first 7 days of the RTP-TS and do them again until you really get it.
3. Make absolutely sure that your nutrition is perfect
4. Make sure that you understand your training and make EVERY session count. If you are training upper and lower body on alternate days 3 days a week do you realise you only have 18 sessions...make every one of them count. Develop a winning mind set in the gym
   
5. Believe in your PRW's with all your heart
6. Your visualisation techniques are all important and are as important as the physical stuff.
7. Adam's Transformation competition letter was written specifically you. Read it everyday and make it yours. Internalise and imagine it as if it were absolutely real. Manifest it....Make so powerful that when you get to NYC it will be deja vu...You've seen this before because you've lived it every day. This is so powerful that you really need to own this.
8. Don't forget to create your dream body...also a critical visualisation technique. One of the original body-for-LIFE winners used this to such good effect that he ended up looking better than his dream body pic.
9. Think about every post your write...make them count...plan so that you have time to give them substance.
10. Finally....there are NO excuses. When it comes down to the judging there will be no...Aaah I had to work late so I couldn't train. Porter Freeman who now runs Body-for-LIFE said that the only time he could train was 3am when he got off work since he was working in a club...and his transformation was one of the best I've seen and the man was nearly 50.

If you do all these things and refuse to allow yourself to get sidetracked the worst that's going to happen is that you will be in the best shape of your life....and after all isn't that why you bought the program.

M1 | Day 24

We are the authors of our own best seller.

I recently watched an interesting program on the box that asked the question of us that we have asked ourselves a thousand times.

“ Who am I”.

How do you know ? How do you find out ?....or, why do I need to know that.

If you don’t know and want to know, maybe this’ll help you.

Once again nature provides the answer.

Imagine if an apple tree didn’t know it was an apple tree….how would it produce apples ?

Well it does know it’s an apple tree and so produces wonderful fruit every season.

It has understood what it’s mission in life is and is therefore very happy. You can see that in the fruit.

It doesn’t say…”Is this all there is” or “I’m sure there is more to life than this.” It knows what it’s supposed to do and does it.

I believe we are all able to do that if we search our spirit.

How do we search ourselves to understand how to be the best we can be.

Once we understand who we are and we do what we are supposed to, we realize that no one is bigger or smaller than we are.

As a successful apple tree are we any smaller than the mountain…no because we are both what we are supposed to be.

I remember when I decided to help clients recover their lives through health and fitness the first thing I did was create a personal mission statement.

It was this:

“ To empower 5 million people to find and fulfill their purpose through health and fitness.”

Now if I buy into that 100% which I do, then I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing on this planet…..and I am, and I LOVE IT.

Try a little test on yourself. On Sunday afternoon take note of your feelings about going to work Monday. Are you thrilled or does it make you feel nauseous. If you are thrilled hang in…you’re cool. If it is the other, use your new found commitment to get healthy to find out what turns you on and find a way to make it your career.

Here’s a hint….make it something that serves others. Before you can have…you must become.

Getting fit and healthy empowers you…It gives you confidence, it strengthens your self image, it gives you the courage to take steps to do what you really want to do.

Adam Waters has successfully done that and I guarantee there is nothing he would rather do, than what he is doing.

It’s like the voting posters proclaim “If you don’t vote, don’t complain.”

I am also an “ APPLE TREE “, are you ?

M1 | Day 23

Trust is a word that is thrown around with careless abandon and with the explosive proliferation of the internet it's hard to know who to trust.

Of course, I'm now talking specifically of Internet Marketers and so called health and fitness professionals.

When you put yourself in the hands of an expert whether it be real time or internet based and you pay across your hard earned shekels you better have tested the stuff coming out of the guys mouth or out of his pen....umm, make that, keyboard.

When you've done that and you are up and running you just have to trust.

Personally I'm pretty stoked by my results thus far and I reckon my progress is bang on target because I trusted what I was doing, because it comes from someone I trust.

In the beginning you just don't know do you. You throw the recomended level of food down your throat every 3 - 4 hours and just hope for the best.

Well, you shouldn't... you should do is trust what you're doing from the get go, after all you are responsible for what you've taken on. I did with everything I have...and it's paying off.

I figure, if I trust what I'm doing and I visualise that ernestly, add 100% compliance to the pudding and ....HOW CAN I LOSE. The proof of the pudding is definately in the eating.

If you don't trust on the other hand and you just groove along thinking "well, let's give it a shot and see what happens" you are going to be wasting precious time because your sub conscious will accept any message you send.

Give your transformation 100% of your focus and TRUST and your results will be commensurate.

You are a unique, special, precious human being...there is NO ONE like you gracing this planet...YOU therefore owe it to yourself to TRUST in what you're doing and give yourself a 100% of winning.

M1 | Day 22

Global training today. I wonder whether I’ll feel any different with all this collective shredder consciousness going on.

I’m looking forward to it and I’ll certainly give every effort and focus to the session for my fellow shredders.

The web is such an amazing communication medium that it enables us to do this.

Someobody mentioned yesterday how incredible it is that we are a family, a pretty close knit one but we are scattered on all parts of the planet. It is just that, incredible.

How cool would it have been if we could have had web cams set up in each gym so that we could actually see each training virtually together…and encourage each other etc.

I’m off to do my session shortly, I’ll comment when I get back from the gym.

M1 | Day 21

M1 | Day 20

When I woke up this morning and opened the living room curtains, the two beautiful white boerbulls (large dogs) on the patio sat up expectantly and looked at me with love in their eyes. Not for me but for the large meal they were about to get.

It got me thinking about our own lives and how we are dependant upon others. Everybody wants to be part of a community of like minded individuals, hence the runaway success of the Shreddersphere.

We cannot operate successfully for any extended period of time without support, encouragement, love and expert guidance from others.

Maslow in his hierarchy of needs has stated that once basic needs have been met, air, food etc then the most important need is NOT money but recognition.

If you’ve ever been to a network marketing rah rah seminar….well, havn’t we all….you’ll notice a huge amount of backslapping and hail fellow well met, going on….the place is overflowing with bonhomie.

Because….we want to belong.

That is why this forum is SO important….Firstly, and this is mostly for the females, since men are generally uncouth and don’t really care, you trust enough to show complete strangers photographs that you wouldn’t even show your husbands.

Why….BECAUSE HERE THERE IS NO JUDGEMENT.

We also know that we can rely on our Shredder family for 100% support when things get tough.

We build friendships, we ask advice, knowing that we’ll get the best.

Your shredder friends are sincere and you know that you’ll get the truth.

Mmmm….we think we can be an Island unto ourselves AIKONA…that means…not going to happen.

Put another way….dogs live in isolation…imagine how incredible THEY would be if they had a shreddersphere.

M1 | Day 19

We are not judged by what we begin, but by what we accomplish. Even by ourselves.
Every time we begin something with great expectation and do not complete it we erode our self image and self belief.

Every time this happens a little bit of us gets left behind along with the project we have just abandoned.

And...over time our self image diminishes to the point......where we find ourselves....right here right NOW.

Isn't that funny. I don't mean ha ha funny I mean in an enigmatic kinda way. The reason every one of us starts or started THIS program is because we were unhappy about the way we looked and felt and it was affecting our entire being. Our way of operating, our interaction with others, our feelings for ourselves. Until we get to this point where we say... this far and no further. Last stop before we hit the wilderness.

Well I was driving home last night in the dark from the gym and I was suddenly aware of all the lights that seemed to be so much more intense than usual and that was because for me...there was a message.

The traffic lights.... red, green, amber....the vehicle lights, bright, searing, flashing wildly, those lights that are immediately in your face as a vehicle turns a corner and heads towards you " A veritable cacophany of lights " in your face and your head continuously all the way home. ( and yes I know what cacophany means, I just like the descriptive nature of the phrase because it is almost as if you are invaded by the sounds as well)

Then...Bam....I suddenly got what it was telling me. DO NOT BE DISTRACTED FROM YOUR MISSION BY EVERYTHING GOING ON AROUND YOU.

Now if this resonates with you, cool, if it doesn't, grunt and move on to the next blog....but there are people reading this that are having that problem right now...don't know who you are but....keep your focus. If you feel that it's all getting too much...go sit in a quiet place and remember where you are and why you are doing this. FOR YOU, and what's INSIDE of you.

This may be your last chance. If not this.....then what.

You absolutely can do it, you can achieve your dreams.....you just need to get out of night traffic for a while.. know what I mean.

M1 | Day 18

Nearly the end of week 3 and as we approach the easter weekend I have no fear. In years gone past I would have relished the opportunity to break out some junk food, eat lot's of chocolate, and generally make myself feel sick.

I'll get back on the bus on tuesday would be the mantra.

NOT THIS YEAR....I am so focused, so committed and so driven to succeed that nothing less than 100% will work for me.

It will be a challenge since all around me I will be hearing...have this, eat that, try this, have a bite of that, have a sip of this and so on.

Shredders all around the globe will be facing the same challenges and this is what I will be doing to sidestep the dreamstealers, wellmeaning as they may be.

Although I have my eating plan sorted this may not work as I will not necessarily be in the normal weekly routine, and going to the same places I normally do.

So...I intend to spend quite some time tomorrow planning where I will be and then organising to have the correct food available so that I do not get caught out.

Don't let your resolve and dedicated attitude be derailed by a lack of planning, and let's rather focus on what Easter is really about and not for all the tasty junk food we can smash into our faces.

M1 | Day 17

TIME.....something over which we have no control...not in this dimension anyway and I wanted to illustrate how patience and time go hand in hand since a lot of us are impatient to witness magnificent results as quickly as possible. Often times we don't have the patience to trust, and we end up sabotaging our efforts.

When I became a professional in the Health and Fitness industry some nine years ago I had achieved a measure of success in the South African Body-for-LIFE competition and it had such a profound effect on my life that I left my corporate business behind took a huge leap of faith into training full time. I had such a desire to help people get fit and healthy that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.

I'll never forget, as I started off, I had a phone call from someone who had seen my picture in a magazine and said to me " This body-for-LIFE thing.....I want one."

I went around to his house and chatted to he and his wife. We discussed goals and time frames and they decided they wanted to enter the international BFL competition.

So we started...7 weeks later after training hard and eating well he was doing great and his wife was about to quit. Nothing had happened, I mean nothing. No weight loss, no fat loss nothing.

Now I KNEW that the BFL program worked...if it worked for thousands before, why would it not work for her.

I was very new at this and really had no answers for her...all I knew to calm her down was that the BFL program was a 12 week program and I managed...fortunately...to convince her to complete the program with no changes. ( I know now that sometimes when your metabolism doesn't trust you because of years of bad eating it takes a long time of healthy regular eating with minimal results before your metabolism says, OK I trust you, let's get rid of this lard)

In week 8, she dropped 2 dress sizes and by the end of week 12 her results were extraordinary...so much so that she one night at midnight she got that memorable phone call from Porter Freeman from BFL headquarters in Colorado....

Manfred and Ashna, this is Porter Freeman from Body-for-LIFE in the US....I wanted to call you personally in South Africa to tell you that you have placed 2nd runner up in the couples category in the international BFL competition.

I got the follow up phone call which awoke me from a deep sleep at 1am and heard an hysterical female screaming down the phone. I thought a murder had been commited. WE WON WE WON WE WON.

Point is, if you take on a transformation program like RTP - TS, you owe it to yourself and the producer Adam Waters to see it through. It is absolutely pointless to pay for it, and give up half way through or earlier. Your spirit will take such a knock you'll struggle to complete anything thereafter.

I know enough about this program to give you my personal guarantee. If you do the program with all your heart and soul exactly as it is laid out and you don't achieve staggering results I will personally refund the money you paid Adam for the program.

Finally if you don't believe my story about Manfred and Ashna follow the link and take a look at their competition entry pictures.

http://www.bodyforlife.com/challenge/champions/2002champions_2runner.asp

M1 | Day 16

What is the most important part of the Real Time Physique Transformation system?

Of course you have to take action steps daily...that's a given, but try taking them when you have no destination. It's a bit like loading the family into the SUV, loading up all the luggage, getting the kids play stations set up and working, making sure the egg sandwiches are properly sealed...oh yes, very important.....setting the alarm, locking the front door, jumping in the drivers side and announcing to the family " Isn't this so cool, christmas vacation and we are ready to go....ummm, where shall we go. You'd have a mutiny on your hands.

Yup the answer to the question is....the first 7 days. That's where you understand, day by day, the power of the RTP - TS system.

Getting inside your head and getting it straight is what's needed and Adam Waters has done a masterful job of explaining it in detail. Information overload...not even close....all the stuff that's in there is what's known in business as ' critical success factors ' and it's all necessary.

Don't think for one minute that you can skip read this part...you can't. And if you try to you'll very quickly realise you don't know what you are doing.

More importantly Adam is not some internet snake oil dude....Everything in the first seven days is born out of painful first hand experience. Painful is a good thing. If it's sore enough you learn from it and you will....

If you are struggling, go read it again...it can't hurt.....and if you don't know what I'm talking about and you are reading this on my external blog, then you need to look at this program.

http://www.rtp-transformation-system.com

TODAY

M1 | Day 15

It's a sad day for South Africa. Some years ago a massive arms deal was concluded between South Africa and some European companies. It was later discovered that there some very large bribes floating around were used to grease a few palms. Schabir Shaik is a South African businessman from the Berea, Durban, who rose to prominence due to his close association with former South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma. On 2 June 2005, he was found guilty of corruption and fraud, which also led to the dismissal of Zuma two weeks later from his position as Deputy President.

Now, the Judge concluded in his findings that Shaik had a generally corrupt relationship with Jacob Zuma and sentenced Shaik to considerable time inside one of our exclusive country clubs.

Correct me if I'm wrong or if my reasoning is suspect but if ' the two of them had a generally corrupt relationship' and one of them is off to jail, then surely the other one is also guilty....surely.

Well not only is Jacob Zuma not going anywhere since as I watch TV an anouncement has just been made that all charges have been dropped against him but he WILL become the next president of this country.

I am really, really upset about this and all I can do is shaik :-) my head, since there is zip I can do about it.

Now I bet you are thinking......OK let's see him use this one as a metaphor for health and fitness.
Well here it is.

In life we often get thrown curved balls and we have to find our own personal ways of dealing with them. Now this kind of announcement can seriously want to make me bury me head in the sand for the next 10 years or so.

My rationale is this. I live and and love Africa passionately...I was born in Africa and have lived here all my life and I don't intend to leave this continent...now this situation is way beyond my circle of influence therefore I will let it go.

My focus today will be on eating even better and training even harder and visualising even stronger images.

Therefore this situation is an advantage for me because it allows me to make the choice to have one of the best days I could have, by giving all my focus on what's important for me....you guessed it..my health and fitness.

and why....because there is nothing I can do about the decision and ladies and gentleman, girls and boys, trees and little animals...and so, that is that.

Oh and by the way, Shabir Shaik was recently released from prison way in advance of his sentence being completed, because of ill health. WOW, surprise, surprise....and it would not surprise me that after the elections when JZ is the new boss, Shabir Shaik becomes the new Minister of Finance.

M1 | Day 14

Sorry about the single pic. It was taken at a different location with a different camera and my source pics are on a different computer..at least it's done

Whaaaa, it's a rest day today...I don't wanna rest day whaaa, I wanna go train.

Actually I really do feel like that. I am loving being able to train so much I just want to hit the gym all the time...I guess that's why I do this for a living.

But...we all need to remember that your muscles DO NOT grow while you are in the gym hoisting slabs of steel over your head...they grow whilst you are at home resting. Muscle fibre is broken down in the gym and rebuilds during periods of rest which is why sleep is mui importante.

I am privileged today to be going to watch the two best cricket teams in the world (adam vs me...or Australia vs South Africa) do battle in a day game at Centurion stadium. Apt name because these guys are gladiators. They are superbly fit athletes who put their bodies on the line every time they face a ball coming at them, at 150kms per hour...or dive acrobatically to catch the ball.

Kinda reminds me about physique transformation....How so?....well the 22 guys on the park today or not necessarily there because they are the most talented. They are there, obviously because they have talent, but more so because they WANT IT MORE than anybody else.

For us to transform we have to want it more than we want our old life.

Reminds me of a story about a North American indian boy who was talking ernestly to an elder in the tribe. He said to the elder " I have wolves running around in my head. The good ones play with each other and have fun and share their food....the bad ones fight and growl and steal food, and sometimes both sets of wolves fight with each....which ones will win."

The wise old elder replied simply " The ones you feed the most"

Be aware at all times of what is going on in your head, it is the ONLY thing we can control ...it will make or break you....

M1 | Day 13

A shiver ran down my spine as I faced the monster...it growled at me and looked fierce as it's blinking red eyes burned into me like red hot coals through snow.

The monster challenged me as if to say I will defeat you... I didn't believe that he could but...I was nervous.

I approached with caution, from the side and when I was sure that he was still looking straight ahead I jumped on his back and held on for dear life. He thrashed around and I pulled and pushed fiercly fighting back and holding on with all my might.

I just kept going coz I knew if I stopped now, I would be defeated. I seemed to be controlling this, this fiendish entity, working like a trojan to subdue it. The sweat dripped off me, running in rivulets down the back of my shirt but I clung on for dear life...somehow I felt deep in my spirit that victory was near.

Suddenly the battle was over almost as quickly as it began. VICTORY was mine. The monster stood cowed in the corner, almost pathetic like in defeat.

I stepped away and moved back to observe this spent force, this, this gargoyle.

The monster at last had stopped moving.

I mentally checked my vital signs. My heart which had been racing was returning to normal.

Oh well, I thought with a sigh.....my 30 minutes of cardio was finished and the exercise bike stood still with puddles of sweat around it.

Adrenalin pumping, I thought..."That was FANTASTIC"

M1 | Day 12

I discovered something today of enormous importance.

We all know that intensity, focus and quality in your training sessions are going to give you the best results.

Well something just slipped into my mind this morning whilst training which made a huge difference to the quality of my session and I'm so excited about it that I wanted to share it with you.

I've gotten into the habit of continually talking myself up during my session and this morning was no different. So when I was benching, at the top of one of my reps I said " QUALITY"
to myself, and found that I got into a nice rhythm.

Bammmm....It added a dimension to my training that I havn't experienced before. It slowed me down, made me a good deal more focussed and made sure that every single rep I did was a quality rep.

Simple but super effective, give it a try it'll blow you away.