Kick start 2010
My boxing instructor has just sent us the first newsletter of the year and it’s a fricking great one! With his permission I’ve published it here in 3 parts:
- Introduction and New Year resolutions vs healthy habits
- The law of the farm
- 5 mistakes you are making at the gym
To contact John visit the Human Design website and use the enquiry form or call 0437 268 065.
The law of the farm
by John Donahey
Human Design
I read a lot of personal development books and currently I am reading stephen coveys’ “First things first”. I came across a paragraph entitled ‘the law of the farm’ and straightaway it was obvious how this could be used as an analogy to achieve the health and fitness you want.
The book states that in agriculture, we can easily see the natural laws and principles that govern the work and determine the harvest. In otherwords the farmer lays the crop in the spring, works the land all summer and lets the crop grow and reaps the reward in the autumn.
Can you imagine what would happen if he just forgot about laying the crop, lazed around all summer and then tried to rip up the soil, plant the seeds, water and cultivate the land all during autumn. Do you think he would get a bountiful crop.
What does this have to do with weight loss and health?
Todays society is full of quick fixes like detox plans, diet plans, miracle weight loss cures, stupid cardio fads and crazy ab machines that promise instant weight loss. The majority of people think they can skip the natural laws and processes and just get lighter and leaner overnight.
Yes the short cuts work, for a SHORT time only. However vibrant health is based on natural principles. As Mr Covey puts it, “it grows over time out of regular exercise, proper nutrition, adequate rest, a healthy mind-set, avoiding substances that are harmful to the body”.
Do you reap what you sow?
I know (well I can make a pretty good guess) that everyone will stand in front of the mirror after their morning or evening shower and take a good long look at their body.
I want you to ask yourself the following question – “Is my body the product of regular planned exercise – healthy eating – adequate rest and a healthy mindset?”
If you are 5, 10, 15kg overweight or you are a far cry from the body you want ask yourself that question and be totally honest with your answer.
I have listened to so many people tell me that they eat healthy and yet their body does not reflect their words. Yes you may eat healthy one or two days in the week but then live it up from thursday onwards. You may exercise twice one week and then once the following week. You may get a good nights sleep in tuesday but get to bed late every other night.
The laws of nature apply to weight loss and health but we sow one thing and expect to reap something completely different.
How do I follow the law of the farm?
Here are some practical tips to follow the law of the farm and become the healthiest person you can be:
- Stand in front of the mirror and ask yourself the question above (remember – be brutally honest)
- Know where you are and where you want to go i.e weigh yourself, get your body fat measured, know your blood pressure, get a health check-up. Whatever goal you want, find out where you are and set a deadline to achieve your new health goal.
- Sort out your nutrition – I have talked about this in previous newsletters – if you want the human design guide to healthy eating just email me and I will send it to you
- Start a strength training program – it is the number one tool for holistic health
- Change up your cardio and perform interval training
- Get adequate sleep preferably by going to bed every night at a similar time
- Hydrate – rest and relax. Is your work that important that you cannot relax?
I hope this makes you realise that there are no quick fixes for health. The laws of nature govern everything we do and we can all be healthy, lean and strong by applying simple, timeless, guaranteed to work principles.
Please use this advice and then when you read my newsletter this time next year you can send me your success story.
If you’d like to join John’s mailing list, please email john (at) humandesign (dot) com (dot) au
5 mistakes you are making in the gym
by John Donahey
Human Design
Following on from part I, let’s explore what the other 5 common mistakes are and this will help you to make the most out of your time at the gym.
Thanks for being fabulous
SHHHHH! This is supposed to be a surprise!
How to tell if your dad is a dickhead in one easy step
So apparently Joel Madden named his son Sparrow because he wanted to make life hard for him. The upside is that now we have an excellent way to measure a father’s dickheadery by adminstering this simple test.
- Is your dad in Good Charlotte?
If the answer is yes, your dad is a dickhead. Good luck kid.
Alternative, baby
The 2009 Top 50 Australian Marketing Blogs were published last week and I realised something. My taste in marketing blogs is just another area where I have a very different perspective on what’s hot in comparison with the general majority. I’m not cool enough to consider myself eclectic or even fringe, but whether it’s music, tv, books or – as it happens – marketing blogs I find myself looking at the best of the best lists and having an Arrested Development moment.
Her? Really?
(Obviously I don’t just question the females but that’s the quote. Deal with it.)
Vietnamese Pork Rolls
12 pork meatballs (purchase pre rolled from your supermarket butcher)
1 red capsicum (thinly sliced)
1 carrot (thinly sliced)
1 Red Delicious apple (thinly sliced)
A few leaves of fresh mint (thinly sliced)
Rice vermicelli noodles
Rice paper sheets
1 cup of peanut oil (for frying)
Peanut sauce:
1/2 cup of crunchy peanut butter
1 cup Hoisin Sauce
1/2 cup of boiling water
1 tsp chopped chillies
Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the packet. Mix all ingredients of the peanut sauce together (I make two batches, one without chillies for me!).
Heat the peanut oil in a wok on high. Flatten the pork meatballs with your hands and fry them in the wok for 2-3 minutes. Turn to ensure they are cooked evenly but watch out for splashes. I do 3-4 meatballs at a time. Drain the cooked pork on a wire rack or on paper towels to remove the excess oil.
Place a rice paper sheet in a bowl of boiling water until soft. Carefully lay out the sheet on a plate and put a flattened, cooked pork meatball in the centre of the sheet. Add some vermicelli noodles and a tablespoon of peanut sauce. Add some capsicum, apple, carrot and mint. Fold the rice paper neatly (or not so neatly 
!!) in a roll. Repeat! Serve with the dipping sauce for more peanuty goodness.
These rolls can be reheated but make sure you store the excess in a container lined with baking paper. The sauce can also be stored and reused (I heated the sauce as well).
I didn’t take a photo of these (too busy eating them – yum!) but this image from Chewlog should give you an indication of what your rolls should look like.
I’m going to be adding this recipe to Food.com. Read all about it here!
Your say
The question:
Do you know what your company’s policy is regarding social networking?
Your answers:
Enough of the stats, back to the words.
