The Ups and Downs of health and life.

This year has been quite a challenge. I've been a bit like Carlton in reverse. I was really switched on with my health and fitness for the first few months of the year. Off alcohol, eating very clean, I’d lost about 4-5kgs and feeling pretty good.

Then we lost Mez.

Our relationship was pretty unique. She was old enough to be my mother and indeed we joked she was my Adelaide mum. She was a grandmother figure to my kids. She was my longest client, my right-hand woman for business and the glue at Inspire. She was also one of my very closest friends. 

At the same time, we were moving into our brand-new home. 

My training fell away, I started drinking every weekend and my eating went far away from where it was. 

At first I felt it was justified, but then the poorer habits just hung around. I gained that weight all back. The dips in energy and mood, the niggles and minor pains. My skin broke out.

Now I’m working my way back to turning it all around again.

This is all to say that we all go through difficult things and a lot of us, me included obviously, can let that bring us down in one way or another. But we can’t let it forever.    I think many people who struggle with weight or fitness look at fitter, leaner people and believe they just find it easier. The reason it seems that way is that a lot of the work takes place up front. Once you’ve got it, it’s much easier to keep it.  That's what I want everyone to understand - it takes a bit of work up front, but it does get easier! 

My advantage is that I know it's not always hard and I know exactly how to get myself back to where I like to be, my advice is that it is very doable just by making a few strong choices.

The other point I wanted to make in this is that your habits are almost certainly what are causing not only excess weight, but energy and mood issues, which probably isn’t a great shock, but also the joint pain and muscle aches too.

My skin and immune systems are also noticeably worse when I slip. It is extremely rare for me to get sick when my diet is on point.   

So if you get sick all the time or have had enough of any sort of pain (this may even include some mental health issues too), I strongly urge you to cut out some of the unhealthiest elements of your diet – namely sugar, refined carbs, alcohol and vegetable oils. Replace them with fresh meat and vegetables and plenty of water and you’ll be 90% of the way to looking and, most importantly, feeling better.

We all go through hard periods where we get thrown off track, the test is how well you make it back.