Keeping focus on mind / muscle connection, form and intensity is something which will help you accelerate your growth and bring you closer to your goals...
Hmmm... Goals... Make sure that you have a clear goal of what you want to achieve and keep pushing towards it all the time. It takes time, commitment, discipline and patience. Hard things in such a distracting topsy-turvy world.
Habits. Good or bad, we all have them. Mine for instance is smoking... Never really understood why I started smoking at an early age. Never really stopped to question it or the effect it has on my health.
Needless to say, I am still on the fence whether I want to quit or not. Mitigating the risks aren't possible unless you just STOP. The same goes for any form of drug, alcohol, other types of indulgence etc.
We live and we have our habits. The key is to keep an eye on those which become destructive to such an extent that they are impacting your life, family, friends and your success.
Don't become a victim. Maintain balance in all things.
Fitness cannot be classified as a "lifestyle". Fitness is woven into everything we do. Whenever your body moves, you are engaging your biology for the sake of progressing. It's funny to me how fitness has become a marketed "lifestyle" with it's own "culture" and associations.
The sad thing is, and this is statistics speaking, more than half of the world suffers from obesity and related complications. It has gotten so bad that we actually laud those who simply life an active and healthy lifestyle.
Athletes have become so much more than what they are... To me, a guy running on a pitch kicking a ball, is just that. Yet our society has become so unfit, fat and complacent that we laud a person running on a pitch kicking a ball...
I think we need to seriously look at ourselves and reflect on where we are. But in the meanwhile keep focusing on your goals, keep enjoying your successes. No matter how trivial they may seem, progress is always progress.
Smile, be kind to yourself and others and choose a healthy lifestyle, not because it is associated with other things, choose it for yourself. That's what really matters in the end.
We are born into this world exactly as we were created.
As we grow older, we experience different criticisms, notice differences between people more and sometimes envy features which we don't possess. This is a unilateral truth which we all at some point fall prey to. Some never get out of it.
Well, I'm here to tell you that you were made the way you were for a specific reason, there is none other like yourself. But, having said that positive line I must now tell you that you are born with a responsibility.
To be the best version of yourself that you can be. There is no excuse for not developing yourself to the fullest of your potential. Whether it be physical, mental or spiritual... There is a great, wonderous world out there filled with beauty and teachings. If you open your eyes, heart and mind then you will gain wisdom from your interactions over time.
Our journeys never end and we have never "won", nor will we in this life, but we can develop ourselves into the instruments we were born to be. The beings capable of so much good and such horrible evils, the balance between the darkness and the light...
How can we be as fickle as to undermine all of what I just said above, through staring into superficial notions of what others have which we do not?
Defeatist attitudes never leave legacies. Steel your mind, adapt, survive, exceed and thrive.
Stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Rather develop your back and shoulders more. That way, when the time comes, you'll be able to carry any load.
Progress no matter how slight, still remains progress. Stay focused, keep visualizing and stay disciplined. You will get to smash your goals.
Today is a rainy Saturday, training for the day is done and it's time to get naked, find a quiet space and meditate on goals, wants and visualize what you want.
Take the time whenever possible to realign with yourself. There is no shame in self care. You are the driver of your own life, and you always need to make sure you check into the cockpit to see that you are still on course.
Welcome, it's Janse van Damme here. Your boy from the South, Africa to be more specific. I want you to join me on my journey, share your experiences and push towards our goals.
Let's start at the beginning. 2015, when my fitness journey started. 109kg, no toning, no gym experience, no direction and no discipline. Not a good place to be and I am blessed that I was able to discover my inner strength and address the issues in my life. The "after" picture was taken in 2019. 4 years of hard work at that stage with the main purpose of getting lean. Not as consistent as I would have wanted to be but I got the job done.
Never think that you cannot achieve your goals. Never believe that it's "too late" or "impossible". If you put your mind to it and put in the discipline and work, then You my friend, will get there in the end.