Day 9 - Big Day

Well, it has been a HUGE day, going from 7 in the morning until 8 at night. Some things got done, some didn't.

Aerobic exercise - done (consisting of a walk and lots of cycling).

Egoscue 1/2 Done

Lymphacizing - Not Done

Breathing -Done

Connecting Heart and mine - Done. This is something that I have not concentrated on - the idea of just quietly being still and focussing on my breath, centring myself. The best part of this is that you can do this at any time. I have concentrated on the physical, but not so much on the emotional and spiritual.

The highlight was that I managed to keep to the dietary guidelines, simply by taking all of my food with me.

In all honesty, one needs to really plan one's time as well if you want to do all of the exercises. The fact that I am only occasionally missing out, whilst experiencing a heavy workload shows that noone is too busy if they really want to do the 10 day challenge.

ONE MORE DAY - but who knows - I might continue on this path...

Day 8 - Feeling Normal

Today is the first day that I have not needed to take a nap - I even had the energy to mow the lawn in 36 degree heat (celsius)! It feels as if my energy is returning (at last). It is 10pm my time, and I am very tired, having been up since 5. Most of tonight has been spent getting ready for tomorrow - ironing clothes, preparing food etc. It will be an especially long day away from home tomorrow, so I have had to prepare 3 meals in anticipation of the day.

Preparation is the key, but sometimes it makes thing very tiring!

Day 7 - 4 Star Detox

In the last 48 hours I have been away at a 4 star hotel in the middle of Sydney. Once again, with a little planning, I managed to stay 90% on the 10 day challenge path.

Simply put, if you think vegan, no sugar and no wheat, and don't drink caffeine or alcohol, you are most of the way there. Our hotel was next to a number of gourmet outlets, and we ate both well and healthily. My biggest transgression was a paneer curry (the only vegetarian meal on the room service menu), and a fruit platter that had a thimble of greek yoghurt and a trickle of syrup on it.

I even managed to do an aerobic workout, with a gentle run around The Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens - something I don't normally get to do.

I look better and feel better, and my wife might agree that I am performing better as well. I will take photos after the last day and post them, so you can see if you can notice any changes. I am hoping that my renewed energy will allow me to start achieving more in other facets of my life. Speaking of this, I didn't plan my week terribly well last week, so will review and plan first thing tomorrow - it's just a little too late to do that tonight.

Halfway there.

After 2 days of early starts and late nights, today I got to sleep in. It felt great to get 8 hours sleep. My body seems to need a lot of recovery time at the moment. I can't wait for the energy to "kick in" again. Weighed myself, and found that I'd lost 2.6kg.

Managed to do all of my Egoscue and some lymphasizing. Aerobics took the form of a bike ride with the family. Did the breathing exercises too. Needed a sleep in the afternoon, so energy still not how I would like it to be.

Things went badly south in the afternoon. I needed to do some technology stuff for my daughter and my wife, got frustrated, and completely lost my temper. I had to apologise later to the pair of them. At this stage I am very thin-skinned, and need to realise that I should keep away from difficult frustrating situations, or at least admit that I am not up to them.

Had to work tonight, and for the first time for a good while didn't have shoulder pain whilst playing the trombone. Also enjoyed having better acuity through not drinking. Had to bring my own food, so it was cold curried beans for dinner. Didn't seem to matter to me - just wanted to stay on the path.

Tomorrow I am taking the wife for a night out out - interesting to see how I face that challenge! Once again, planning will be the key.

Day 4 Ends in Triumph

Today was further proof that planning is the difference between success and failure.

Thanks to preparing my meals last night, I knew that I could walk out the door at 5:45am with the appropriate food. Despite having a disjointed day where I had to work in three different places, I managed to stay on the path with little trouble.

I also brought exercise gear so that I could do my 30 minutes of running, despite the fact that I was very tired and it was raining. Also did the egoscue exercises. My shoulder is still painful, although there are episodes of improvement - fatigue is definitely a contributing factor.

One thing I am noticing is that simple pleasures really make a difference - I never thought that a slice of cantaloupe, or a glass of vegetable juice would be so eagerly awaited.

I hope that I will start having the energy to actually start doing some of the other things that I have planned for this year, both professional and personal.

day 3

Ok - I'm completely exhausted, but thought that I would check in.

1. Planning works - I have stuck to the eating plan by having food ready to go in the fridge.

2. The Egoscue program seems to have had a positive effect - it may just be that my body can heal better, but there is noticeable improvement.

3. This afternoon I was at my most irritable so far - managed to recognise this, and only get grumpy with my wife once. Partly caused by really feeling hunger leading up to mealtimes.

Should report more tomorrow - might have time on my hands - no aerobic activity today, but planning tomorrow.

Day 2 of The Challenge -Still Challenging

Today has followed an almost identical path to yesterday with regards to exercise, diet, and breathing. I have felt marginally better than yesterday (only needed one nap), especially my right shoulder. Still feeling lethargic - running felt like I was trudging through dry sand, rather than on short grass.

One of the "gifts" in the 10 day challenge is the gift of structural alignment. Robbins suggests that you get a personalised program from Peter Egoscue (you can google this), so I sent them photos of myself, and have been sent back a series of exercises (all for free - I hope). I am hoping that these exercises help relieve my shoulder issue.

A lot of this evening has actually been spent preparing for tomorrow - I am having one of those days when one would normally just grab take away. Instead, I have prepared Breakfast and Lunch, so that I can continue on the path. It doesn't take long, but the mental energy required made things harder, when all I wanted to do was collapse on the couch! At any rate, I came home exhausted, but found that a slice of cantaloupe got my energy back almost magically. Added 15 minutes on the tramp, and I am weary, but able to do things.

So, off to do my structural alignment exercises and breathing - then bed

A Challenging Day

I am just coming to the end of day 1 of the 10 day challenge, and have done (and avoided) all the things one should do, aside from a session of lymphatic breathing.

The biggest thing is the fatigue. The lack of caffeine has meant that I have been dragging myself through the day, and have had 3 naps - two during breaks eat work, and one after.

The food is the easy part - I enjoy vegan food, and have felt a need to give my body a chance to recover for some time now.

For the record, I did the 10 day challenge in the wake of Unleash the power Within 2007 and 2008. In 2007, I stretched to 25 days. My physical improvement was remarkable, so nothing will surprise me this time around.

I got on the scales, and found out that I had hit 86.8kg (191lb), no wonder I felt sluggish. The aerobic exercise went fine (walk to the park, run for 1/2 an hour, walk back), and I actually enjoyed the broccoli with lemon juice and flaxseed oil! Morning tea was an apple, and lunch was a salad with home made hommous. Did lymphatic breathing on the train home, and then cook Dahl, a Cauliflower dish, and rice for dinner. Jumped up and town on the lyphasizer for 20 minutes, and am now writing this blog.

On top of the fatigue, I am finding myself to be feeling VERY sensitive - to noise, arguments etc. This could very well be because of the lack of alcohol, and there being nothing with which to replace it. I am sure that by Day 4, things will be greatly improved.

Til tomorrow - let me know if you think that I am missing anything!

Back and ready to begin.

Spent 10 wonderful days with friends and family, and tomorrow I begin work, along with the 10 day challenge, as prescribed in Unleash The Power Within.

I have been in a great amount of discomfort with my right shoulder. My plan is to complete the 10 day challenge, and see what effect aa detox will have on my general health - can my body repair itself, given the chance?

I got my daughter to take somne photos of me. Below them is the structure of the 10 day challenge.

Vital breathing. 1-4-2 in three sets of 10 each day.

Living waters and live food. Drink plenty of water and eat 70% water-content food—a salad every meal.

Aerobic power and maximum strength. Exercise six times in the next 10 days. Warm up properly. Exercise at your proper heart rate for at least 15 minutes. Cool down properly.

Maximum nourishment.

1. Break your fast (breakfast) with green vegetables, green juices, non-acid producing, low-sugar fruits and fruit juices, or light, alkalizing foods only.

2. Properly combine your meals.

3. Don’t eat starch and proteins together.

4. Eat in a relaxed state.

5. Eat comfortable amounts.

6. Drink water before your meals, not during or after.

7. Eat organic as much as possible.

8. Eat well before the time you retire.

A directed mind.

1. Create joy where before you had stress.

2. Ask problem-solving questions.

3. Direct your appetite.

Structural Support. Get some rest, get some sun, and/or get a massage. Keep your body in alignment with stretches, exercises, and/or professional care.

Eliminate or dramatically reduce processed fats. Eat enough natural or unprocessed fats but watch your processed fat consumption.

Eliminate animal flesh for 10 days and judge by the results.
Eliminate milk, cheese, and all other dairy products (with the rare exception of a condiment).

Eliminate acid addictions. For 10 days cut out sugar, salt, vinegar, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and drugs.

Here's hoping that I get a result from the above discipline!

Fit & Fat?

Jumped on the scales today - 85kg. Whaat is interesting is that although I have had the usual Christmas Cheer (alcohol, sugar, heaps of food), I have also done an hour's exercise 6 times a week. Goes to prove that what goes in is just as important as how much I burn - as I am not training 20 hours per week, my calorific intake is a factor in it all.

Despite doing the same physical workload, I feel as if my fitness has diminished - I think because I am running around with an extra 5kg. I will be interested to see how my "fitness" improves as I get to my goal weight.

Tomorrow I go on holidays for 10 days, and probably won't be near any internet. Number one is to spend time with the family and friends, number two is to keep physically active. In the down time I will do some planning for the year, making a road map for perfect ten's in every facet of my life. I definitely plan to do "The power of Momentum", a yearly exercise for many Tony Robbins Graduates.

See you on the 21st!

The Success of Failure

I've been learning the art of web based marketing, starting with eBay. Today I sold my first article (ironically enough, an old CD set entitled Unleash The Power Within). At any rate, it sold for $1.25 + postage. I miscalculated the postage, and ended up selling at a net loss.

So if I continue to make the same mistake, I will end up broke. If I LEARN from this relatively cheap mistake, I will change my method, and make money.

Personally, I will take option 2.

In other news, I managed to do 30 minutes of walking and 30 minutes of swimming today. I have also decided to do the Dukan Diet commencing Jan 23. This is because I want to lose some weight, and also my wife wants to do it. Better to be eating the same things on our journey.

Two things I Learnt Today

1. At about midday I realised that I - had not blogged yesterday (which I had promised myself to do i.e. every day). I learnt that I cannot use that as an excuse to give up - we ALL get off track at some point in our lives - we just need to dust ourselves off, and get back on the horse.

2. As a result of watching someone else's show, I will NEVER do something half-arsed - whether boiling an egg, splitting wood, or making music. Life deserves our full attention!

Success By Degrees

The Goals are ambitious, but the actions incremental.

Today was spent doing the Important, if not urgent. It was spent putting everything in its place in my office. Part of this process is means that for some things, there is no place. Books, articles, and various pieces of equipment no longer are of use to me. Luckily there is a salvation army store just down the road, which is a perfect place to put perfectly good things which simply have no more use to me.

As I put things away, I note down things to do on my 'capture' list. Things which need to be noted, so I don't forget, but don't need to be done now. Things which will help me work better on my outcomes.

Once again I did 15 minutes of yoga - a greatly abbreviated ashtanga yoga routine - along with 45 minutes of other exercise.

Managed to celebrate a good mate's birthday tonight. Great opportunity to spend time with friends in a state of gratitude.

January Downunder

For me, January is 3/4 holiday. This means that in terms of actions, the year starts slowly. However, in terms of planning and envisioning, January is a great time. I get to look at the past year, enjoy the triumphs, learn from failures, and generally make and mend.

Most importantly, the start of the year is when I get to spend large chunks of time with family and friends. If there is anything that I am proud of and grateful for, it is the people I love.

Today though I did start a simple 15 minute yoga routine which I shall persist with for the next 6 weeks, to see if I can get any improvement with my shoulder (it hurts now even as I type). I am also making sure that I get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 6 times a week. This is what they recommend from UPW. With my diet, I am simply aiming to eat unprocessed foods, and moderating any chocolate and alcohol consumption.

Most of today was spent doing household things. The Christmas decorations went down, the lawn was mowed, amongst other things. Its good for me sometimes to stop thinking about taking over the world, and think more about making a beautiful house for my family.

Seemed like a solution at the time

Today I booked a deep tissue massage, thinking that it would relieve the shoulder problems that I have experienced for the last few years.

Although the masseur certainly knew her stuff, the biggest thing I learnt was that it was not just my shoulder, but whole back, along with the opposite lower leg was in strife. I also realised that trying to undo 27 years of trombone playing related soreness in 90 minutes was a tad ambitious.

I returned home feeling completely shattered, and spent the next 2 hours on the couch recovering. The lesson learnt is that I need to take a whole body approach to the problem. In the past yoga was a great loosener for me, so starting tomorrow, that's what I'll do.

The Gap

One of the exercises in Unleash The Power Within is The "Gap Map", whereby you look at 7 aspects of your life, look at where you want to be, and where you are. Yesterday I had a look at where I want to be, and today I thought that it would be a great idea to assess where I am.

Physically: I weigh 84Kg (BMI just under 26), suffer from hearing loss (a hazard of being a professional musician), have slight vision impairment (though not enough to Warrant Glasses), am slightly inflexible, with a shoulder that aches all the time. Having said that, I did pass my work medical assessment with flying colours, so I am not exactly an invalid.

Emotions & Meanings I am easily put out of kilter by challenging circumstances (especially physical), and can focus on what is happening to my, rather than what I can do (and feel) about it.

Relationships: My relationship with my wife is what Robbins terms 3 dimensional (Mind body and spirit), and level 3 (we are both vitally interested in each others needs. Having said that, I believe that there is no such thing as enough passion in any relationship, and also know that there are things that my Wife would love to have (new car, renovations, holidays). We both dearly want more time with just the two of us.

My relationship with my daughter is very close, but what I really want is to be an outstanding example of possibility. I realise that the most important thing I can to is to lead by being a role-model. This means that I really must raise the bar in every facet of my life. Spending time with her, being patient, loving and strong at ALL times (not just when it is easy) is paramount. At the moment I am not the father OR example that I want to be.

My relationships with friends, family and workmate are often hampered by my not listening with the aim of truly hearing their point of view.

Time: Currently when I plan my week, I achieve a lot. I am hamstrung by not planning EVERY week in advance, with my long-term outcomes in mind. I also can burn time by doing things that are neither important or urgent - I'm looking at you Facebook!

Work & Career: Although I am in a satisfying job, I know that I can make a greater contribution towards it being a better, more effective place. On top of this, my band is performing occasionally, but has no recordings out, and no corporate work. I have not yet completed 1 subject from my first year of my Masters.

Finances: Today someone was telling me about "first world problems". My finances would fit into this category. I have a house, and a car, and little debt, and so am in a relatively good place compared to many of my friends. However, my income does not match what I want, I am not solidly investing, and my debts are not being paid off in an orderly fashion.

Contribution & Celebration: My contributions (both monetary and time wise) are haphazard eat best. I do not spend enough time being grateful for what I have.

So tomorrow - what is my plan?

What Do I Want? - My Outcomes

First of all the things I need to have is direction and purpose - I am pretty sure of this at this point in time. The goals all have a deadline go 31/12/2012

What would I look like if I were Magic?

I am a tall, strong, confident man, with a strong supple, energetic body, free of disease and infirmity. I smile warmly, not just with my mouth, but with my eyes as well. I am relaxed and calm, with ears that truly listen, eyes that see things as they are, and a heart that is loving, open and accepting.

As a husband I make sure that my wife knows that she is number one in my life. I am romantic, and keep the lines of communication open at all times. I listen to Lizzie and choose my reactions carefully.

As a Father I am always conscious that my actions will speak louder than my words. Whatever I want from my daughter, I must demonstrate.

As Head of The House I keep my head in any crisis, and calmly guide my family through the storms and rapids to safe waters. I provide utterly and completely, emotionally, spiritually and physically, and with a clear voice, giving space for everyone’s voice to be heard.

Physically I take care of and maintain my body, fully remembering that it is the only one that I have, and that it will serve me well if I serve it. I exercise, eat and rest with this in mind. My body is a wondrous thing, and I must always treat it as such. I have a BMI of 25 (Weigh 85 KG), and have the sight, hearing and energy of someone 1/2 my age.

Emotionally I remember that no matter what the circumstance, I can choose my reaction. I see things for what they are, strive to improve what I can, and accept what I cannot. I know that my thoughts, physiology and language help me manage my emotions, yet I do not suppress them, giving them room to express themselves. I aim to be closer to God in every moment.

My Relationships with all people are empathetic. Any judgment I make is simply a sign that I nee to examine an aspect of my life, and perhaps improve it. I only ever talk about people as if they are in the room with me. When speaking my truth, I acknowledge that it is my truth and no one else’s, and they are under no obligation to agree with me. The most important thing that I can do in any relationship is to act the way that I would like people to act. I listen fully to other people’s points of view. I know that relationships require nurturing, regardless of whether they are at home or in the workplace. My family and friends are irreplaceable and must be treated as such. My relationship with myself is every bit as loving as it is with those around me.

My time is a precious, slowly depleting resource. I remind myself that today will never come again, so I must use it wisely. I plan my time usage, making sure that the important is what I concentrate on, followed by the important and urgent. The rest is merely distracting me from living a truly fulfilled life. Above all, I can get so much more out of life simply by being present.

At work I ask myself “If everyone acted this way, would it make things better or worse?” I do the job to the very best of my ability, managing my time well. I am a proactive cheerful worker, and a visionary leader, allowing everyone to have their voice heard. I am fair and equitable in the workplace, only expecting of others what I expect of myself. I maintain clear outcomes that can easily be explained to those around me. My relationships at work are conducted in the same way as anywhere else in my life – listen with consideration, speak truth courageously, and back this up with actions of integrity.

I will apply "THe 8th Habit" to transform my workplace, My band will have a highly profitable, hit recording, and I will complete my Masters.

Finance I keep specific outcomes in mind. I realize that every life will have financial speed humps for which I had best prepare, and negotiate.

My life is already more abundant that 99% of the world’s population could imagine. Knowing this, I manage and share my wealth prudently and with an attitude of gratitude. As I increase my financial position, I know that I will have more to share. Money comes and money goes, so it is important to act quickly to exponentially increase my wealth.

I will complete my Power Sellers Course, and match my wage with outside income. I will halve the debt in my house, sand ensure that 10% of my wage is invested.

My Celebrations and Contributions

What an abundance of good things I have – my wife, my child, my friends and Family. My job, my possessions, and my talents and knowledge. How much greater is my joy when I acknowledge these gifts! I am thankful for this every day!

I know that contributing to the world rewards me. I am generous with my time, talents, and resources. I also know that one of my greatest contributions is to be the example of how I would like the world to be. I will contribute 10% of my earnings to charity, and an hour a week of my time to someone in the community.

So now I know what to be, do think, and feel. Will I always achieve it? NO! Will I forgive myself and gently steer myself back onto my best path? YES! There is nothing for me but profit by choosing this path today.