Thursday 15 September 2011

Dog tales

Hey all,

Im officially back writing the blog after as summer break. A busy PT schedule has made me switch priorities for a while and look to concentrate on generating business for myself and not spend so much time doing other things. The blogs will remain shorter and stay frequent, i will be adding them to a facebook page:


Please 'like' this and suggest to your friends who may like it.

The page is still in its infancy but pretty soon it will include videos and articles, a link to my new business interest http://www.24sports.tv/ where you can find a ton of videos and free stuff from a group of talented trainers from the UK. Also links to Herbalife, a supplement brand i have now affiliated with. I am really new to the brand myself but am committed to trying it out and giving my clients/friends the best possible advice towards a healthier lifestyle, Herbalife fills in the gaps regards nutrition.

Anyway, today i noticed something that i thought would be a great blog... My dog, Monkey.


"what you looking at?"

Before turning into a sloppy post about my new best mate, hear me out - i have a point coming. I looked at his life and daily habits and tried to work out if i could learn something about myself. 

A day in the life of a whippet...

- Wake up at 7am and sometimes have a very small meal 
- Light nap around 9am for an hour
- Ideally will walk in the morning with some sprints (usually afternoon)
- Large feeding and bowl of water, with treat
- Longer nap
- Evening feed
- Laze around until bed time and repeat.

Lets break that down...


Nutrition:

He eats 3 small meals (all the same food - high protein) omega 3 supplement for joints and snacks on small pieces of fruit/veggies we give him or spare ribs bones.

If every human ate like that, there wouldn't be any nutrition coaches! its almost paleo and perfect for a lean athlete's needs. Obviously if you have crappy food around the house, you will feed your dog the left-overs of crappy food - there is always lots of fresh veggies around so i regularly give him carrots/apples and he loves it. Stick to low calorie/high nutrient snacks.

Exercise:


Dont forget the core training!

Not all dogs are made equal (like humans) but his exercise routine is flawless. 10 minutes of explosive sprints and multi-directional running. Various random jumping. I guess its a bit like fartlek training. Again, if your a lazy git who wont get up and run around with your dog, he will be out-of-shape and reserach shows he wont be that happy
.
Recovery:


Nothing like a good night's sleep!

Sleep is an important phase of the growth/recovery cycle and this breed of dog loves to sleep - as all top athletes should. When i get a client who tells me they struggle sleeping i almost always now im going to have trouble with them. Be it lack of focus/energy at the gym and the poor lifestyle choices that usually accompany lack of sleep. These clients are notoriously harder to get results with.

Happiness/stress:

Reading all of the above and Monkeys general demeanour, i would hazard a guess that he is a very happy dog. He has virtually no stress (apart from loud noises and local cats) and has a great routine - and he is starting to really grow (taller) and learn (obedience) as he gets older.


Conclusion

My point is that if we try to copy Monkeys' basic exercise routine we would all surely get results. If you are highly stressed, dont exercise, eat poorly and dont sleep well - all areas of your life will suffer. Conversely, if you have a balanced exercise regime, eat 90% healthy foods, take regular naps and get a full nights sleep you will put your body and mind in the correct environment to grow, learn  and improve in all areas of your life.

Is your life similar to Monkeys? Or are you "over-living"?

I know over the first half of 2011, mine was definately NOT and i was worse for it. Now i look to take breaks in the afternoon, take my nutrition seriously and follow a balanced routine that promotes recovery and well as training stress.

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