Stress vs Weight Loss

It's often under-reported that in order to lose weight you have to reduce the stress in your life. This is part and parcel of the whole 'change your lifestyle ethos', and of course, eating better, and changing one's habits are also ways to reduce the burden on our bodies. But one of the most important areas to pay attention to is stress. In particular - stress at work. Most of our time is spent at work, and work has a huge influence in our well-being (including what we get up to when we are away from work).

Work habits also have a way of intruding into leisure time, and here discipline is important. Boundaries need to be set in terms of work vs leisure. In sport rest is as important as exercise. In life, exercise is as important as work. Sometimes there are deadlines, sure, but prioritise workouts too. Make sure you get up in the morning, because at the end of the day, that is probably the best thing you did that day (for your body, mind and spirit).

Exercise is also a good de-stressor as it asks the mind to shut down so that energy can be dedicated to moving the body. But exercise alone is not enough. Be conscious of the ways to reduce stress at work. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Find ways to minimise your commute
2) Work effectively
3) Have a list of prioritised tasks for a day, do them, then get out there and move your body around
4) When stressed at work, go for a walk, have a drink of water, take a deep breath. Remember you (your identity and your ego) are not your job, it's just part of who you are.
5) Think smart. If you're being stressed out by something or someone, doing do the fly against the wall thing. Think strategically. Either defeat the problem, or if you can't, move yourself into another environment. The third option is to try to develop a different psychology or attitude towards the problem. Accept it, and work with it rather thank kicking against it each day.

Finally, remember these words of wisdom:
"It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it". - Albert Einstein

Every time you go out of the world, not with money, but with open eyes, breathing it in, feeling the wind on your face, you begin the process of giving a gift to the world. That gift can be a better, stronger, healthier you. Please give it ;-)

How Stupid is Staying Positive?

When I lived in South Korea I remember looking back at South Africa with conflicted feelings. In one sense I missed the country a helluva lot. In another sense you got these clear messages coming from the country about pretty disgusting and unacceptable levels of crime, corruption and the rest. What disturbed me the most was the immediate take-up of this stuff by the locals. It is immediately explained and accepted and integrated. When you live overseas and look back the complacency of South Africans is staggering. Hence we have these ridiculous ongoing scenarios: a huge proportion of poor people and then the highest telecommunications rates in the world, high crime corruption and disease levels, deteriorating education... It seems to me we're held in collective paralysis because we're too scared to do anything because someone might point a finger at us and say: "You're racist."

As soon as we start to act against something that isn't right, something that doesn't serve the national interest, it's racism or discrimination. The same race card is used as a massive license for enrichment, as we have seen in SARU. Funny we don't see all these vital issues - transformation, development and the rest - being implemented in soccer.

There's the group who pretend to have lofty ideals and sneer at those who say are simply whingers and moaners. Guess what! There is a helluva lot to moan about if you have any standards. If you're running the risk of drinking radioactive water out of a tap, shouldn't you be allowed to complain? So sorry, I don’t see our local situation as a question of positive or negative at all. If it’s raining and you stand in the rain, do you imagine the sun is shining, or do you start thinking about getting shelter or an umbrella? Do you start working out what you should fucking do? Because at the rate we're going, we're standing in the rain, and someone is saying: "Shit, it's raining. I'm starting to get cold and wet." Someone else says: "Shutup, it;'s not so bad. Quit whinging." Great. Keep standing there in the rain. Maybe the weather will change. Maybe you can daydream yourself home and dry. Most realistic (non-sleeping walking) people know better.

Economically, I’m very certain that we are heading for a recession – a chronic recession – it is simply a matter of time. The world’s systems were built on a system based on cheap oil, and that system has changed fundamentally. It will take a while to overhaul that system, and we are too late to start now. Perhaps we're not, but it sure as heck doesn't look like it, and given our co0mplacency (globally) regarding so many urgent issues, I would be very surprised if we can dig our way out of this. I hope we do.

So I think there’s an aspect to positivity that is a bit crazy. When there is a 50/50 of uncertainty, sure, I say be positive. But being positive in the face of urgent scenarios is to me like pretending the sun is shining when standing in the rain, or that the baby kicking in your tummy is just stomach ache. It’s may be a nice sunny attitude, but ultimately it is incredibly dof. Obviously if you can’t see it is raining (if we’re seeing different info/different reality, then there will be this different view. But I think it is simplisitc and not accurate to call it ‘being negative’. Reality is simply what it is. The real question is, are we seeing reality or are we constantly seeing what we want to see. Given the nature of passive consumers, of our infotainment fast food easy motoring soap watching culture, it's not a leap to suggest that we're susceptible to egotistical self-indulgence, even in our beliefs.

I think our response to reality is being ‘positive’ because in a sense that suits us. It suits us to believe things will go well and grow continuously. Because if we really believe some of the facts, well that will mean some difficult choices. That – once we act on difficult choices - that is when I fully support being positive. It’s like with training. You get up in the morning (difficult choice) because of reality (you’re not fit or need to stay fit or you have a defined goal you need to achieve) and once riding and dealing with the effort and the environment, that's when you need to be positive.

They say next month we will see petrol prices increase again by 30 cents or something. I think if we start to take a look at what is happening not just in SA but in the world, we need to do more than be positive. We need to start living our lives in a different way…in terms of how we live, changing long held (cherished) beliefs, the way we have families (it shouldn’t be a conventional thing to do when we are running out of resources) and all rest. Although these are things we SHOULD do I am pretty negative about our prospects. People only make those sort of changes when there are no other options left.

Olympic Thoughts

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent - Not Sure Who Said This But It Wasn't Me



I emailed Ryk before the Olympic Final in 2004 (a long time ago before the advent of Facebook, and before he got 2000 emails a day), and the above quote was signatured to my email. He said 'nice quote', and for an Olympic Final it's probably has to be a vital part of your psychology. They went on to break the world record - as everyone knows - with Ryk swimming the anchor leg in, I think, the fastest time of the 4 swimmers. It's what epitomised Lance Armstrong's approach to the Tour de France. It is an excellent dictum for life, love, work and sport.

Cycling: A New Sport For the New Man

Fascinating. The sport that once elicited giggles and derisive comments has become the fastest growing sport in South Africa, and is moving up the charts of the world’s most popular sports. Have a look:

1. Soccer
2. Basketball
3. Tennis
4. Gymnastics
5. Swimming
6. Cycling
7. Rugby
8. Cricket
9. Baseball
10. Field Hockey

Cycling Sensibility

It’s no accident that cycling makes sense. Of the above sports, it is the only one that combines an almost seamless synergy between man and machine. Machines play an integral part of the daily grind; most people in the western world spend most of their working week hunched over computers, then drive home in machines.

Metaphor

What is the metaphor then, that cycling has for life in the New World? Firstly, and most obviously, it is a sport based on effiency. It is the world's most efficient transport mechanism - BY FAR. Cycling is a complicated sport requiring consistency and strategy in order to excel. Co-operation is one of the highest virtues in cycle. In cycling, the strongest rider doesn’t always win. This is a sport where brawn has to be matched by brains.

Brawn remains important. You need a strong, light rider (power to weight ratio) and a bicycle made with cutting edge technology, light and strong materials (carbon fibre, titanium, aluminum etc). Brains are required to drive innovation behind the brawn - the aerodynamics of the frame, the heart rate/lactate and power thresholds, also the most suitable cadence, for the brawn.
In life, knowing about tech, being able to use it easily, efficiently and intelligently - being able to outmsart, but also to express (sometimes to decieve or conceal information) and market oneself in a particular way, and having the confidence and wit to be competitive – these are the vital ingredients for the ambitious performer.

Cyclists are typified as follows:

Perfectionists
Highly competitive
Intelligent
Disciplined
Integrated mindset

The last implies the ability to manage a number of things at once. When cycling, you are juggling road hazards with momentum, with slipstreaming, with strategy and ability, and factoring in the performances of those around you, the route and the weather.

It’s the holistic approach that wins, and a sound, cogent strategy allows for the most vital adaptation of the bike: the ability to be efficient. Teamwork is implicit.

Speed, Efficiency and Collaboration

In the New World, speed and efficiency are crucial keywords. The New Man will need to be a lightweight tightrope walker, able to adapt strategies, and quickly find and adjust to new alternatives (based on a co-operative/collabortive mindset). The winners will be able to maintain a consistent pace while things fall apart around them, whatever the weather. Here a last skill becomes important: anticipation. Cyclists, unlike many other athletes, can outwit their rivals by making accurate predictions not only while they are on the road, but beforehand.

It’s possible that if things pan out really badly, we’ll all be cyclists. Would that really be so bad?

More Cycling Articles written by NVDL:

Read The Psychology of Cycling here.
Read The Best Driver's Are Also Cyclists here.
Read The Cycling Conundrum here.
Read The Secret of Lance Armstrong's Success here.
Read Simon and the Cyclopede - A New Film For Pixar here.

Beware: The Voice In Your Head

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is."

NVDL: I've heard this sort of thing a lot. It's difficult to convey just how NUTS it is. It basically operates out of a mindset of: 'oh well, I give up. I'm not sure of my beliefs but I'll basically keep up the habit because it seems to be working.'

This is known as 'the psychology of previous investment'. It's why people stay in doomed relationships, it's why we spend a fortune on fixing a car (ultimately more than the car is worth), it's why we spend the whole weekend watching TV. We do it because we're too lazy to THINK. Real thinking is difficult and painful. It requires concentration and discipline. Think critically, and once you find your answers - through careful consideration - new choices, new actions are required. This involves more painstaking decision making. All other 'thinking' is mindless meaningless rumination.

So the next time someone speaks or emails the delusional sentence quoted above (or if you're a subscriber), bear this in mind: Don't guess. Don't assume. Find your answers. Knock on the door. Otherwise you're a fool living on delusions, and that makes you a danger to yourself and to society in general.

Lance’s 4 Success Factors

Brad Kearns book How Lance Does It explains what it takes to be a champion

Kearns book on cycling legend Lance Armstrong has something different to offer. At the very least, it offers positive reinforcement and ultimately, is a very motivating and fresh perspective.

Brad Kearns trained and raced with Lance when Armstrong was a promising triathlete, even before ihis transformation as Ubercyclist.

Kearns posits the following success factors:

Positive Attitude: By turning every negative (even something like cancer) into a positive, you create a positive result in a positive mainframe.
Clarity of Purpose: The difference between Lance and his competitors in the Tour de France was simple single-mindedness. Lance’s goal was concrete, and simple: Win the Tour. Coming second to Lance was the equivalent of losing. That represents a high standard, but the value of this commitment lies in its hard no-nonsense simplicity.

Specialized Intelligence: Competitive advantage often lies in this area, but perhaps this is the most difficult area to develop and more important, maintain an edge. Triathletes and cyclists invest a lot of energy and resources into using the lightest and most aerodynamic technology to get on top. By the same token, whoever you are and whatever your business investmenting time and thought into strategy and software can pay off huge dividends in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Important to remember, before starting anything is to first ask: Why? And then decide How?

Pure Confidence: Belief is a great motivator, and belief tends to be bolstered by preparation. Preparation means many things: work, training, readiness, investigation, homework and groundwork. It’s all of these things of course.

Lance’s life is motivating because whether we are out of shape or depressed, we can always compare ourselves to Lance who had it all, seemed about to lose it all (to cancer) and then really came back, Living Strong, with his new lease on life. We also learn that it is the basics that count: love of sport, or love of work (but a basic love of life) that must underscore an sinpired and meaningful life.