All You have to do is......

Change your mind set

Easier said than done right?

The definition of the word "Mind-set"  is...


"A set of beliefs or a way of thinking that
 determines one's behaviour, outlook, and mental attitude"


So there you have it

Whatever you  believe is true... to you

Like when somebody says your look shit today

Do you look shitty?

Maybe they are right..


What do You think, when they say that sentence?


You begin to question your self and feel shit right?

That's not  a bad thing though

At least when you question yourself you getting somewhere

Maybe you Do need to look after yourself better.

I would be thanking them personally and suggest that they do the same;)

Because we see in other people what we are a lot of the time

Just look at other people as your teachers

Not enemies...

There words only annoys you because YOU believe it when it's said to you

So you are actually annoyed with yourself not somebody else

DEEP RIGHT???<<<<<<<<<<<<

It's easier to lash out at someone than go and work on your own mindset

WHY?

Our own head can be a scary place that we don't want to visit too often because

as humans a lot of us have a problem with ourselves and are not willing to admit it

So we pretend that other people are the problem to make us feel better

To distract us from the truth.


Your beliefs can effect you physically and mentally

If they are negative and doubtful your outlook on life becomes progressively
 more  tunnel visioned

Its everyone else's fault not yours


Things wont get better etc.


Really?



WRONG mate!

Guess who is control of those thoughts?

You are dummy

Its hilarious when you think of it

Your blaming others for your messed up head

Maybe secretly you cant stand yourself

Maybe that's why you lash out at other people

I know I did, I could not be in my own body, I felt shit about myself when I was overweight..

All those feelings came from actions I took or didn't take as the case was.

I wanted to be healthier but I was lying to myself

My actions did not imitate my words though..

I continued to eat crap not exercise and stay up late

Not somebody else,.... ME...

The problems you say you have are caused by

you allowing the problems to dominate your mind without questioning them

Your reactions to situations are what causes the emotions you experience

So gain control of yourself next time you feel anger, sadness or resentment

Question why you are letting yourself feel like that.

Don't use it as an excuse to feel sorry for yourself

Ask yourself

What are you punishing yourself for?


Fergal "In control" Lawlor

They will tell you "it's Impossible"

Having a goal is great

It motivates you

It drives you

It gives you a reason to get out

of the bed in the morning

But, their is always a but...

That bright fire in your belly

can very quickly be put out by a

set back

A failure

You will see how much you really

want something

when no matter how many times

you fail you keep going

You push through the PAIN because

you know

You believe

the reward of

achieving your goal will greatly

surpass the inconvenience

The tiredness

The pain

You will endure while working

towards your goal.

You will be alone

Success is a lonely place

People

Your friend s

Your family

will revel in the thought of your failure

They will tell you you can't do it

Only because they are terrified

to make a change themselves like

you are doing.

You have to believe you can

"Imagine with all of your mind,

Believe with all of your heart

Achieve with all of your might!"

Fergal "never say die" Lawlor

I Dont Believe it......!

Remember that program?

One foot in the grave?

Victor Meldrue

The guy who shouted at plants for growing too slowly?

That's me

An absolute grouchy;
C
U
Next
Tuesday when I want to be..

I just have these explosions of grouchy behavior now and again

Example:

I snapped at my lovely partner last night and turned off the tv in the middle of a movie.

I Demanded we go to bed as I was exhausted

Now that was selfish

I never even asked

I just jumped up turned off the tv and said

Right I'm off

Woman COME...

First prize for Asshole of the year goes to.....

ME!

Why?

I'm exhausted

It's not my ladies fault I'm tired though

it's mine

I choose to stay up late and get up early.

I make ME do it nobody else.

If I'm lucky I'll get to take my lovely lady out this evening for dinner

If not I'll have to accept the consequences for my actions by

Questioning my actions

Reflecting on it

Getting over it

Improve on it

Move on

Try again

I'm angry with myself for letting myself get that tired

Then I attacked outwardly instead of dealing with my own thoughts

"Which were I'm exhausted I need sleep"

It's easier to ignore your own problems

To pretend somebody else is the problem..

He said this, she said that

Bolox!

Your a headcase if you think the problem is with someone else....

You have a problem with yourself

You're the problem

Your thoughts are the problem

Time heals a lot but not everything

Get to the WHY ...you go on the way you do

You will be a lot happier in yourself

Your actions make problems for you

Not other people

Even if you hurt someone

It still comes back on you.

So get your finger out

Step back

Look at yourself before you judge others

Or blame others for your problems

Or say something negative to someone

Fergal "The Grouch" Lawlor

Shit-Wrecked

So for the last 3 weeks I have been achieving every target I set for myself.

I'm like nasher out of "The Beano"

Put some work in front of me and...

Nash, Nash, Nash

It's done

Next,

Next,

Next!

Which is great as I'm by nature... a lazy bastard

So its a big deal for me.

You could say that I'm on a roll

I have written almost 30 blog posts in the last 4 weeks

Starting work at 6.30am every morning


Yesterday though

I said

Fuck it..

Yes I dropped an F bomb

If you don't like it snowflake.... be gone

I'm not for you

You see

I'm real person who has real problems like you.

I have my flaws, I'm not perfect.

I'm Not a happy clappy moron, everything is awesome! "Personal trainer"

That post pictures of their abs and their chicken and broccoli lunch on Facebook

everyday at 1pm

Where was I...?
 
I couldn't go on, I was wrecked, fed up, exhausted

My own name was not even on the tip of my tongue

But to be honest things have caught up with me now

I'm felt shite, tired and emotionally drained.

Why?

Because I had been working my ass off on minimum sleep.

I made an attempt to execute a part of a project I'm working on

Things didn't go as I had planned
 

I made shite of it, if I'm honest

Why?

Incorrect planning.

A tired, overworked, under rested mind

I was so close to doing a Jimi Hendrix destruction number on the situation in my frustrated 
 overwhelmed, exhausted state

But I realized I'm burnt out, need rest and I cannot move on without energy to do so.




I'm seeing the bigger picture if you will
 



Instead of being hard on myself for my short comings and failures in the short term

I'm going to give my plan another go soon when I have the energy and a clear head to do it.





When I do it next time I  have no doubt it will work.



All I have to deal with is my own lack patience




Things happen to slow us down.




Whether it be a pulled muscle, a cold or an illness




Its just synchronicity looking out for you




Its just your body telling you to..chill man




Slow Down mate




Take your time




Where you are now is only the beginning of where you are going



Not the end


It's not the end until you lie down and die


So rest up today my friend and tear it up tomorrow 


You will get there

FLaw-LOR

WHOOOOOOOOOOO ARE YOU?WHO?WHO WHO?WHO?

So good news "The Who fans"

The "Who" are playing the "3"Arena this year and celebrating fifty years as a band

Yeah I thought 02 Arena sounded better too

I saw these guys live when I worked security in the 02 arena for a gig they did 2 years ago in Dublin

What a great crowd, the place was jammed..

Hopefully the change in name of the owner of the arena does not effect
>>>>> "The Reception" <<<<< of the event

*****************************************************************************
WARNNING!!!  this emailed is littered with bad one liners and cleshays do not continue to read
*****************************************************************************

Man... can Mr Rodger Daltry (the lead singer) belt them notes out or what

The guy is in his 70's!

Yet He still manages to get up and do a 4 hour set

STRAIGHT!

The night I saw these guys, they did not break once in Four hours......

Animals of old they are

They were fuelled with the energy of the "Rock"<<<< Gods";)

They are living proof that if you are persistent enough and want it bad enough you can have anything at any stage in your life

Those guys could not give a flying fluck about what people think about them

Who cares what age they are

Look at the amount of people they make happy with their music

Their music is not for everyone's taste but guess what they don't give a shit

They do what they want, they enjoy it and thy get paid for it

You can never see how other people see you

When you look in the mirror at yourself, don't believe what you see

 Your reflection in a mirror is just your self judgemental mind looking back at you.

Somebody told me before

"Ferge,  take a look in the mirror from time to time to see the man who you is looking back at you"

I understand that now as, it doesn't matter what you see when you look at yourself,

 Unless you look like you have not shaved or bathed in a 3 years

Or your wearing the same make up form a week ago and you have a job interview for front of house in a 5 star restaurant

You need to believe that shit mate, trust me on that one.

Sort it out

Do you know who you are?

Do you know what you want?

Why don't you have it?

Only you know..

You alone are the one who decides what you want, when you want it and how you want it

Feel good about yourself, your probably a good person >>>WHO<<< does good things

 (couldn't help it sorry)

 

All of The good things you do to help others without thinking about it twice is what makes you, you.

 

Why give yourself a hard time about things that are here and gone or that have not happened yet?

You can't change the past but only reflect on it now and again to make sure history does not repeat itself

Blatant cleshay referencing dead ahead>>>>>>>>>

Listen to me "Baba O riley" we all fudge up, let it go and concentrate on working on what you want form life right now.

Get rid of your "Eminence Front" my friend and be yourself, after all there is no "Substitute" for you.

 It's your "Generation",  "Don't get fooled again" into thinking you are any less of person because of how you think you look.

Fergal "Behind blue eyes" Lawlor

What are you Afraid of?

I got a present of a parachute jump for my birthday few years back

I'm scared shitless of Flying..

I'm a lot better now, but back then..

White-knuckle city!

On with the story<<<<<<<<<<

I spent weeks wasting my energy and time watching videos of people dying when their jump went South

Literally and they went with it

So the faithful day and hour came upon me, and my partner was along for the ride too

I was assigned my Tandem master his name was Ray

Or (guy who willingly straps himself to you, and jumps out of a plane)

They were feckin nuts!

I suppose you would  be too if you jumped out of a perfectly good plane 10+ times before lunch time.

Ray"So Fergal, are you doing the jump for charity?"

Me. "No its a birthday present"

Ray"Ah at least you got to live till your next birthday" exclaimed the Ray(~ laughing~)

Bastard.....

Now I was shitting myself Big time

My turn came

My heart rate elevated, I stared hyper ventilating

 I thought I was going to die

My fearful thoughts now kicked in

"The chute wont open"

"I'm going to be a red spot on the floor soon"

Long story short, I loved it!

The freedom, the adrenaline, the Speed

Until the chute was pulled.......

Then..

I passed out

Yup, I fainted 3000 feet in the air (attached to my tandem master obviously)

All of that built up anxiety and fear had completely drained me

 I was now like a life-size marinate puppet hanging form a giant piece of silk.

Pinocchio parachute style

The parachute phase is amazing, unfortunately I did not get to experience it for too long though as I was in and out of consciousness

I woke up to Ray slapping my face and screaming my name, still in the air I might add

Ray "fergal, fErgAl, FERGAL!!!"

I woke up and managed to enjoy the last 3minutes of glide phase

My fear disappeared and I enjoyed what was in front of me.

I missed out on a bit of life because my Fear took control of me

What makes you fearful?

Your own Thoughts

I mightn't like it?

Bullshit, you never tried it!

Be honest with yourself, be open to new things and change

It will change the way you look at life

You will appreciate yourself more and feel better about yourself for taking on new challenges

You may be fearful at first

WE ALL ARE!

But You might just feel great after and want to do it again

Don't give into fear,

Being brave means you are scared shitless of doing something but you do it anyway


Fergal ("I've got no strings to hold me down") Lawlor

Lessons I Learned from "LOLA"

Do you ever ignore something thinking it will go away

But it doesn't..

I was sitting at my desk yesterday (kitchen table)

Hammering out work

My dog, LOLA was in the kitchen with me causing murder eating a leg of the table

I am convinced LOLA is termite reincarnated as a dog.

I kept correcting her behavior instead of addressing why she was attempting to eat my desk,

I was "too busy" to care

Eventually she got pissed off being corrected, sprinted around in circles, caught a plug wire on her leg which was attached to my

Shiny NEW Sound system

It flew clean through the air then landed on the ground

**********Smash**********

I went fluppin bananas.

Tasmanian devil style.

Turns out the sound system is bullet proof.. no worries.

I calmed myself fast realising it was not the dogs fault but.. MINE

I had her stuck in the kitchen with me all morning because.

  I didn't want to have to watch her outside to see what piece of my garden she was going to munch on next

What did I expect...?

If she had been walked earlier her energy levels would be lower therefore I could have gotten on with my work in half the time

I failed to address the root of situation, the fact that LOLA needed a walk that was it.

20 minutes of a run would have calmed her down

But I was not willing to do that even though I knew I Needed to do it.

I wanted to keep working.

It was actually very unproductive and stressful.

I instead attempted to treat the symptom of her over energized state by constantly correcting her

and I payed the price for ignoring what Lola needed when my new sound system

went "Ryanair " over the table and hit the floor

 -----ON TIME-----

See what I did there?

Humans are like this

>>>>We WANT what we DON'T need

We DON'T WANT what we Do NEED<<<<

What we feel we need and what we do need are two totally different thing's

That horrific medicine that was shoved in your gob when you were sick as a kid.

"I don't want that Ma it's gross!"

You needed that though. as much as you didn't want it.

What do you really need?

What do you want?

Be truthful with yourself..

Don't wait..... Do something About it now.

 Set a goal, a time frame and aim to achieve it

 "ON TIME"

I did it Again sorry...

Fergal "O Leary" Lawlor

Rose and Violet, two beautiful colours

My late Grandmothers...

Yes that's their first names in the subject line alright.

Two absolutely beautiful people and I miss them very dearly now that they are gone.

What can I say...

Violet

A Straight talking North Dublin woman.

She was a great character and tuff as nails.

She always gave her opinion without hesitation or request.

The kind of sentences that would make your tea come out you're  nose with shock

Even to a  complete stranger

Something like..

"Your fat" hahaha! No messing around

Serious!

She was always up for a good time and a night out, an absolute riot of a lady to be around

The life of the party was "Nanny" Violet

Rose..

This lady made you check your shit pretty fast if you complained in her company.

When Rose ever heard me complaining about my current situation.

I would be genuinely sick lads

I had  a migraine, I'm going blind with pain

In a jock..

"Nanny" Rose would snap me out of it with

The following sentence...

"Fergal Lawlor!
It's far from your arse you won't sit on it.."

Gangsta or what!?

from a little old lady no less..

In other words

If you're that bothered about your situation do something about it

Or

Dont...

Here is what I learned from these two amazing human beings

All of your semantic bullshit excuses and reason s

are Irrelevant for why you are not where you want to be right now.

Waiting for the perfect moment is stupid

There is no perfect moment, day or time.

There is only now

That's all you are in control off.

If you think you are in control of the future you're deluded

If you fail at something, do something different, or approach it from another angle.

Your current actions  contribute to how your future will go.

So concentrate on now.


Fergal "no excuses" Lawlor

Are you your own worst enemy?

Picture this if you will mo chara..

It's a Thursday night...It's more like Thursday morning now actually to be politically correct..

If you get through till closing time on Friday without punching some fucker in the throat you will have done well

You're  pissed off with the way work has gone this week so it's ok to throw a few back to calm the system

Sure you might as well have a few social beverages now rather than wait till Saturday

The temptation is too great you might as well give in and cool off with a nice cold beer or a glass of wine

Is this what you do more often than not?

Is this what is stopping you achieving your goal?

If you are not willing to sacrifice in the short term the likelihood of your ever achieving your goal is slim or none.

The term pissing against brief wind comes to mind.

So what can I do MR spoiler?
I hear you say

Don't get me wrong I like a drink and I know how easy it is on a Thursday evening to give into that treat

But if your lack of will power and moderation with food and "liquid s"
is what is stopping your progress..

Maybe you need to review your priorities

Do you really want change or are you lying to yourself

Are you  talking the talk but not  walking the walk?

Make a plan

Follow the blasted thing because guess what?

 it works! I know shock horror.

Don't make excuses to why you can't do it because excuse s are just fear of change.

Implement small changes a then build on them.

Excuse s are then irrelevant.

Do not divert from the plan..

If you change the plan you inadvertently change your goal

Then when it comes to deadline you wonder why your results are shit

It's because you didn't follow the plan my friend

An elementary 2+2=4 equation my dear Watson is what you were given to follow

But you went all E=Mc2 on me and now you are lost again searching for the "Magic pill"

It's a myth there is none!

LOOK here.....

*Set a goal

*Make a plan to achieve it and time frame to reach it within

*Implement it into your life in a way that is realistic

*Follow the plan for set amount of time
Be ruthless with it!

*Achieve the goal

It's not complicated, only you stop yourself and make it complicated.

Fergal "spoiler" Lawlor

Family members who comment on your weight

So it has happened to all of us before.

You are at a family get together or occasion where some members of your family whom you have not seen in a year or maybe more are at.

You have just bought some new clothes that you spent ages looking for online because the local shops are crap, overpriced and never have your sixe.

You know that you've put on a few pounds and this new outfit will mask it a bit better than whats in the wardrobe right now

So you arrive at the "Do" and you feel pretty good about yourself right now.

Then you bump into a distant relation who has not seen you in  a year or two.

The first fudging thing this opinionated 3rd removed muppet of a cousin has to say to you is.....

 "Oh look you have put on weight have you look at that belly"

That shit pisses me right off and all I could think about personally was
 "leg kick, right straight, spinning back-fist"

That basically means your using a walking stick for 3 months.

E hmm.., anyway that's illegal and uncalled for.

KINDA...

Remember they don't mean to be an asshole, it just comes naturally to them.

So does taking a shit as it happens..

Remember that you can lose the belly eventually my friend but they will still be an asshole by the next time you have a family do.

So don't take it personally.  If they feel better about themselves saying that to you, look at it as that you're doing them a favor, your boosting their confidence.

It's not a nice feeling at all, now you feel like that opinionated 3rd removed cousin is watching you.

So you eat like a rabbit at the family function which goes on for hours.

You say your goodbyes at the end of the night and smile at the  person who said it to you waiting for another comment that helps their ego and destroys yours.

You arrive home and sit up all night eating shit because your starving, where nobody can see you or judge your waistline.
 
All the questions filled with hurt and anger are running through your mind

"Who the hell are they anyway to say that shite to me?"

I bet they have never had a battle with their weight etc.

HERE is the KICKER<<<<<<

Do you think they are still thinking about what they said to YOU?

NOPE, they forgot the second they said it to you, unless you went with plan B "spinning backfist".

They will defo remember saying that to you and probably wont say it again, but...

it means you are reading this from a holding cell for grievous bodily harm.;)

See where the feeling of anger got you?

No where good anyway.

 Every time you allow a sentence or an act that somebody did to you in the past, you give them power to hurt you again

Even when they are not around you.

The only REASON that you became hurt is because you knew what they said to you was true.

You are IN CHARGE of what you feel, Say and do.  Dont let anyone take that away from you.

So do something about it.

Stick to your guns and you will get where you are going.


Fergal "spinning-backfist" Lawlor

Are You in Denial of Your Reality?

When the economy took a hit I decided I was off travelling the world to greener pastures

I left my business to a friend to look after my clients while I was away and they made a balls of it.

I arrived home 3 months later to see that the whole world was up shit creak and not just Ireland.

I had no car, no money and no clients.

I made a few phone calls and managed to get some of my loyal clients who had been with me prior to me leaving for my travels to come back and train with me again.

I managed to scrape together enough money to buy a shite box car with a leaky ceiling when it rained heavy.

To top it off I was also in debt that I could not pay as I was barely making enough money to pay for the weekly shop for my partner and I.

Thank God my partner had a job at the time as I remember not for as long as long as a week at a time and staying in bed all day feeling depressed and sorry for myself.

I made EXCUSES for why I was in my current reality instead of DOING something about it.


What Excuses do you  make?

What reality do you ignore?

Things came to a head when I had not got enough money one evening to bring my girlfriend and I to the cinema let alone a night out with dinner..

So I sucked it up and sought employment in a local gym.

 I was very intimidated being back in the work place again but at the same time it felt great to be back doing what I loved and I was making money again.

One year went by then another and I realised I had gone back to the start so the natural thing would be now to have another crack at going out on my own.

With great FEAR I handed in my notice and left two weeks later.

That was a year ago and I have gone from strength to strength in my personal and professional life.

BUT BUT BUT...

Right now I'm sitting in my car at the side of the road because I ignored the reality that my car might not make it all the way home because it needed Diesel.

My excuse?

I just didn't bother filling up my car even though it needed to be.

Lazy bastard syndrome I call it.

I will now be late collecting my lovely pizza I have at the weekend and it's going to be cold!!!

I learned my Lesson

When will you learn yourself?

Fergal AA Lawlor

The Red Pill or the Blue pill?

The Matrix, my favorite film of all time.

The reason I began training in the martial arts in fact.

I thought the training regime the actors went through for the movie was amazing.

The main character "Neo" is constantly searching for answers to what the Matrix really is.

He is so determined to find out what the Matrix is that he is contacted by a man who claims to have the answers to all of his questions.

He is told that he cannot really be told though, he can only shown what the Matrix is.

He is given an option.

"You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more"

Taking the blue pill is like admitting  to yourself things are gone to shit and you still pretend you are fine because you are frightened of change.and feel safe where you are.

But your stuck in the Matrix then....

Taking the red pill means you admit things are shit and you are ready to change and want out of it.

Every day is a new adventure where nothing will ever be the same again and you never know what's next.

Life is a lot more exciting and fulfilling when you live it that way.

By the end of the Movie Neo discovers that he is "The one"

The saviour of his people in the real world and has unlimited power to help others who want out of the Matrix like he did.

Even though all throughout the Movie he doubts himself not believing that he has what it takes to be the hero.

In the end his own self believe is what quite literally brings him back from the dead after being shot numerous times by the baddies and he saves the day.

He changed his mindset and refused to lie down and die!

Are you stuck in the Matrix?

Do want to get out?

Are you waiting and hoping for someone to come rescue you?

I have News for you.

Nobody is coming to help you.

Help yourself. Be your own Neo

Your own saviour

Your own hero

You need to put the message out there like Neo did that you want something before you can begin your journey towards getting it.

So which will it be the blue pill or the red pill?

Fergal "The one?" Lawlor

Have you Ever been Told you're not good enough?

Has somebody ever said something that put you down so much it broke your self confidence?

Your belief in yourself?

I did...

When I was 5!

The most influential person I knew at 5 apart from my parents

My first teacher.

I remember it clearly it was such a shifty thing to say.

"Fergal you are stupid and you will never be able to do maths!"

Guess what.

I struggled all through school with maths.

So much so I was unable to tell the time on a watch until I was nearly 10 or 11

I struggled all through second level education

To this day I get nervous sometimes when I have to give a client change for a training session.

I should keep the change....:)

Then another person who was a teacher laughed at me when I told them I wanted to be a martial arts teacher and own my own fitness business.

Guess who that was..

My first Martial Arts teacher!

Another knock... From a very influencial role model.

Look at me now F@#&er!

What turned me around?

Somebody told me I was good enough

That I could do it

I could make it.

That I was a success.

Now I battled with my own self doubt and fear of failure.

This man is Professor George Canning

10th Dan Which is the highest honour a martial artist can have bestowed on him or her.

A founder of a martial arts system

An amazing teacher, mentor and friend

So next time somebody tells you you are not good enough.

Smile and feel sorry for them in the knowledge that you are In charge of what you do and when you do it.

They are afraid of change therefore they will never achieve anything worth mentioning.

They want to drag you down to their level of exsistance.

They won't succeed in infecting you with their jumpsuit fear tactics as long as you maintain in your mind with unshakeable faith the FACT that you will succeed.

Be strong, Push on despite the ne Sayers

They are cowards, pity them laughed at them.

There is no impossible.

Fergal "no limits" Lawlor





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Donedeal -MV Agusta 4FCC- €6000 one day only!!!

I got ya!

If I had read that title I would be on here too so don't feel bad.

You thought you found a bargain right?

A cheap option that gets you something you would normally fork out €112,169 for!

You wanted it,  no you can't have it.

Why? Because you didn't earn it, you do deserve it but you must pay the price.

If you don't like that sentence you should now go and cry in a box of Oreo cookies snowflake.

In order to get you must be willing to give.

It can be time, money, energy you give as long as you give it your all!

Your return on investment will always pay of in dividence.

Give lazy infective efforts and guess what you get?

Sweet F@#% All

"I can't afford the time commitment..."

I say you can't afford not to commit time to yourself when it comes to your health!

That's the sacrifice and the fear element that stops you when you are pumped up to get cracking with a new program and all of a sudden you don't feel you will make it.

So It's easier not to invest in yourself because know you have absolutely no accountability to anyone which means no pain in the short term


What do you want?

So what will you give or give up for that want?

And for what do you want in return?

Find that out and you are on a winner

Now go get it.


Fergal Valentino Rossi

When is enough- enough?

Many a stressful night out with my partner was caused by MY own lack of self confidence due to me being overweight and out of shape!

It got to the stage that I could not wait to get home because I felt uncomfortable in the clothes I was wearing and getting home meant I got to be in a tracksuit again....

My girlfriend would have spent half the evening getting ready for that night out and looked beautiful!

All night I wanted to go home because my clothes were so uncomfortable and it created a tense atmosphere among the two of us.

So we would arrive home to my relieve and my girlfriends dismay.

I would relax and my poor girlfriend would sit there in silence all night listening to me bitch and moan about how I wanted to be in shape again.... while I stuffed my face with junk food!

YES WE ARE STILL TOGETHER!!! SHE IS AMAZING, MY ANGEL!


My current situation that was effecting me was now beginning to effect other people around me.


The people I LOVE were suffering and it was my fault!


So I hit my heaviest weight I have ever been in January 2015.

105.5kg!!! OR 16 STONE 6

I wanted to stay at home and sulk and guess what else...

EAT MORE SHIT!!!

I was angry with myself for letting it go this far!

I was sick of ruining a good night out with my partner every weekend!

I was frustrated with my own lack of self discipline even though I was preaching

EAT HEALTHY, DON'T OVERDO IT, DON'T STAY UP LATE to my clients..

But I was! Now i was fat and a hypocrite!

My actions did not imitate my words.

I decided I had enough!

I set a goal

I made a plan

I followed that plan (with hiccups along the way)


My goal due date was;

By 22/4/2015 (TODAY) I will have lost 2 stone or 12 or 12.5kg so I can feel more comfortable in my clothes so I can
enjoy my down time with my partner.



GUESS WHAT>......I DID IT!!!!!!!

Fergal "self discipline?" Lawlor

GIVE UP, YOU CANT DO IT

 great samurai warrior once said..

"It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first"

Consistency is key to achieving your goals in live.

When things get shitty and difficult of course you want to give up.
Keep going...!!!

If you don't

You could be stopping 3 feet from gold.

Had you just pushed on that little bit more

That little bit longer despite the hopeless and pain  you felt.

You might have made it.....

But you will never know  because you gave up at the first sign of opposition.

Giving up at the first hurdle is easy and an option that most people take.

Ask yourself why am I doing what I am doing....?

Giving yourself a target to aim for is grand but without motivation the fire in your heart can quickly go out.

What's your motivation?

Find out why you are doing what you are doing to drive you on..

And never give up!!!!

What you strive for is just around the  corner if you are willing to fight for it!!!

Fergal Lawlor

Learn from your past to improve your present

I'll keep this very short and to the point.

No messing around here...

Life is a learning curve and nobody said it would be easy

OR FAIR!

So suck it up and stop giving yourself excuses to why you won't dare to be different

Learn from your mistakes and adapt based on what you have learned to be truly useful in achieving your goal.

Bruce Lee said it best..

"Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own."

Dare to achieve, to grow as a person from you experience s good and negative.

What separates you from the rest of the herd is NOT how you attempt to minimize your failure s

But how you use past experiences to achieve your goals

Being afraid of failure will limit your thinking and keep you were you are

It may stop you ever achieving your goals.

So feel the fear and do it anyway.

Walk through the fire my friend.

It's a win win situation.

If you fail you learn if you succeed you

achieve your goal and you learn.

Either way you will have grown as a person.

So in a way you nothing to lose and everything to gain...

Think about it!!!

Fergal Lawlor

Pain is temporary but change is forever

NEWS FLASH

Just in-

People are selfish and only care about one person...

Themselves!!

So why should you be  any different?

There is nothing wrong with being selfish when it comes to your mental
and physical health..

If any situation in your life is jeopardizing the above then chop it off like it was infected limb!

Now that's a tough decision to make and that shit would hurt for a while...

But in time it would heal and
you would have gotten used to the idea and make peace with it.

BUT!!! YOU ARE NOW FREE OF THE
SITUATION!!

You can't save the world but you can save yourself...(Generic what?)

Don't worry I'm not going to try and sell you a Bible because it's Sunday

I just mean you can't help anyone until you get your own shit together.

That's if they want help....

They may need it but until they want it, your "help" is falling on deaf ears.

You take a risk of making things worse for them..

they might build a bigger wall to protect themselves and then nobody will ever get in.

My advice?

LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!

People are unable to see past their own reality.

Their own self imposed limiting believes and insecurities are the prison that they have made for themselves.

It's not your fault.....So don't feel bad.

You didn't put them there

THEY DID..

You broke out of Shawshank, maybe they will to.

If they don't they are happy there

They don't want to change

The pain is too much for them to

face up to!

Take charge, say enough is enough!

I am better than this!

I will be better than this!

I know how to be better than this!

Then......DO IT! or don't

NOBODY is going to do it for you..

But help will ALWAYS be there if you

Ask for it.

Long John silver Lawlor

Are you a talker or an ACTION taker?

Remember the T.V. advertisements for that toy figure Action Man!?

He was kind of like a bad ass Ken doll with a bazooka attached to his back except not such a pussy like Ken; he even had a dog that would kill on command for him! 

 I must have had a toy box full of his gear when I was a kid, good times!

I’m sure if Barbie ever met Action man, Ken would be toast... why?

Because people are drawn to Action takers! Doers!

Action man doesn’t speak because he is a toy, yet he gets shit done!!! 

 He was always being swung over a burning volcano or performing some fantastic feat of deathifying, epic proportions!

 He even had fishing gear for his down time dress which was a shark hunter dress...

 The man was a legend but he never had to speak because his ACTIONS>>>> spoke louder than words, or no words in his case...

You only get results from the work you get done, not the work you talk about doing I’m afraid!

Its well and good saying you want to lose weight, be stronger both physically and mentally, not to mention happier!

So what are you doing about it?

What steps have you taken recently to work towards any of you weight loss goals?

Why not?

Who is stopping you?

YOU ARE!!

If don’t watch your food intake, drink too much alcohol, and say yes to the breakfast roll and large 

coffee every morning.....

It just isn’t gona happen a chara!

Your actions must imitate your words if you plan to achieve anything, otherwise you will just go around and around in circles aimlessly never achieving anything...

Hate to break it too you but it’s the truth mate.

I know because this was my lifestyle in the past....

There are too many people who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

Which one are you?

Ok I’m off to scale Everest and kick a grizzly bears ass before lunch!

Fergal Lawlor

 THE GREATEST HERO OF THEM ALL!!!

Fergal Lawlor Rhino hunter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When is the last time you can say you slept like a baby and woke up ready to tear a Rhino a new arsehole with your bare hands at 6.30am?

Never? REALLY?

How are your energy levels right now?

Ok when I say ready- steady- go! what do you feel like doing!!?

 YOU FEEL LIKE..........................

Eating the chocolate covered biscuit in your hand as you read my dribble..

 and sipping that coffee that's what you do...

Yes I am physic!

Guess how I know....?Because I do it too!

Yeah... me the trainer!

When I get tired and run down I eat  junk food and it becomes a part of my staple diet very quickly lads!!

I am partial to anything with loads of sugar and crisps.

Why is that?

A lack of something very important..

SLEEP!!!!

When you are tired your energy levels are so low you will turn to crap calories quicker to maintain your zombie like state.

Why? because your mind is weaker when you are tired

and so is your will power.

Hey my will power sucks the majority of the time when I feel wide awake!!!

 So how good do you think it will be when you are exhausted?

It can very easily turn into a cycle  which can last for ever if you don't nip it  in the bud fast..

Here are 3 tips to use if you feel you are unable to get to sleep and your mind is racing AT NIGHT.

1.inhale hold your breathe for as long as you can then exhale slowly.

REPEAT

10 times or until you feel more relaxed.

2.Shit I forgot no 2 I'm so tired, ill use number one tonight and I might remember no 2 tomorrow!!

if I sleep....

3. Get to bed before 10.30pm..

If your are worrying about not sleeping your most likely wont...

I'm up early to go Rhino hunting tomorrow....

WATCH OUT RHINO YOUR ASS IS GRASS

"Do or do not"- "There is not try"

I'm a massive Star Wars geek fan...
"Do or do not! there is no try"

Good man Yoda I like his force wheedling mind bend!!!

Pay attention here now some psychology 101 Fergal style!

In my language "I cant" translates to bullshit so I ignore it!

I wont help you when you bullshit me... and you wont help yourself, because you are a liar when you say that. You can do anything you want, you just need to know how!

If you told me however "F*%& you Fergal, I don't want do", I might believe you then!
Your showing me a bit of fight, you can use that fight if you harness it correctly my apprentice Jedi!

Then we could find out why you don't want to and make a plan for breaking down that wall with your newly adjusted light saber!


Its not the pain in your arms, its not the pain in your legs that make you say i cant, is it? Really?

Have you not been in pain before when you put on trousers, a dress, only to look in the mirror before you leave the house to see you have more rolls on your tummy than the bread stand in Super value.(I should charge them for that one)!!!


Is that not real pain? when it makes you feel like crap because you know you can be better than this, you have been better than this!!!

Did you then say, I cant do this anymore or I don't want to Fu"£$ng do it anymore...?

As humans we are naturally resistant to change
Its your brain going "oh shit, we are changing, I don't like this... quick say something to protect us 
before we change and are uncomfortable, unsure, unsafe...


I dealt with my stuff at a very early part of my life although I still have my bad days.. and we all have a problem..

A great man once told me something very simple and true.
"Good day, bad day Ferge" thats life. 

Its just how long you have left it or how bad you let it get before deciding to do something about it that determines how much work you have to do to shift it.

I'm not talking your weight or your measurements here.
What im saying is you must deal with your demons, the thoughts that keep you awake at night, the thoughts that make you feel down, depressed and anxious which cause you to use your vice as the focus, the distraction.


I'm saying have the courage to look your demon straight in the eye and front kick it in the nuts!!!!

Unless "demon" is your pets name and that's just bloody cruel!!!

Until this evening Padowans

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!!
Obi-wan-Ka-Ferge

Nutrition and exercise – “A balancing act Part 2

Last week I spoke about the disadvantages  of using extreme methods of dieting as a tool for sustaining  weight and how from my personal experience I proved I didn’t work as my weight increased and decreased drastically until I was left at the less desirable, heavier end of the scales.  The brain and the body both need and crave balance in order for them to function at their optimal capacity so in this article I will briefly use my personal experience as an example for this blog.

Whether you are a complete beginner to exercise or an experienced gym bunny the following will be of use to you.  So enjoy!

A few  questions I get asked a lot as a trainer over the years and ones I would have asked myself before I was a trainer are, 

“What is the best exercise for getting toned” or

 “What is the best program for getting fucking huge man!?” A question that is a popular one among preadolescent males who wants to wear the tight t shirts on a Saturday night to get the girls (that was me) or my favourite question is;

“What is the best exercise to get rid of this” and the client grabs their stomach fat harshly as they say this to me at the same time they jiggle the fat in their hands incessantly like it is a piece of best prime rip for sale at my local butchers and it is going on special!

The answers to all of these entertaining questions are they were all asking unspecific questions. 

Be specific its’ a must!

Not being specific and educating yourself on how to reach your fitness goal is time wasted and maybe even dangerous....I remember I wanted to become more flexible when I began training in kickboxing almost thirteen years ago as a teenager.  I was training a wet week and I decided I needed results fast. So I strapped 2 kg ankle weights to my leg and began executing leg swings at full power and speed above my head or at least making a good go of it.  I was like “hey look Da! Watch my foot almost hit the ceiling I’m deadly!”  So my next swing got over my head and in the process it stretched and tore my hamstring and I was now in;

Crouching agony hidden embarrassment-(Laugh if you have seen the movie) on the ground.

 My Father asked if I was OK and I replied with, “Oh yeah I’m grand “as I hopped up of the floor and reaching for the tiger balm.. I was in bits for weeks after that and was unable to train.

  Had I just done the research or even better yet asked my martial arts instructor at the time for his professional experienced advice I might not have enough scar tissue on my hamstring to cover your car with, which now in my late twenties sometimes affects my training from time to time. Now my plan was sound in one sense as I was using a method of dynamic flexibility training but unfortunately the ankle weights were a touch too enthusiastic and stupid to be fair.  I should have planned it better!!!

The program

I know running is hot at the moment so here is a program I made years ago which I altered slightly for those of you that would like to start running but are complete beginners.  I am not  a runner nor do I pretend to be an authority on running.  There are many different schools of thought and methods and this is a simple one i created.  I know this works as I used to use it for helping me cover 10km in under 40 minutes, my best time was (34 minutes flat at 10 km) when I was involved  in a competitive kickboxing.  So I was training for speed, stamina and cardiovascular/muscular endurance.

I would run 10km but break it up up into (10) 1 km interval training periods to keep it interesting as running bored me yet it was a necessity to my training.  I would 

sprint/ jog, jog/run, sprint/run and cycle the three ways over the 10km which was fun as it was always changing.

Tip:

record a 1km route in your car as you drive and take note of 0km-1km on your odometer  then that's your route.

You could walk or jog home for your cool down.

If you  are lucky enough to have a local Athletics club with a track here are the guidelines..

2 and a half laps of a 400 meter track will see you at 1000 meters or 1 Kilometer.

The current world record for running 1kilometere or 1000 meters is 2:11.96 and is held by Noah Ngeny, of Kenya, 

The female world record is 2:28.98 by

Svetlana Masterkova of Russia

ULTIMATE GOAL RUN 1KM IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

PHASE ONE

WEEK 1-3

GOAL= CREATING THE HABIT OF EXERCISING 3 DAYS PER WEEK

-I am using 1km an example as it’s a good distance to train for fitness so eventually the goal is to run 1 kilometer or 1000 meters.  Complete this for three weeks without fail.

-At the beginning of week four time how long it takes you to walk the 1 km; this is your set point or your tool for measuring the progress of your training then you will make this a habit.

 -The reason you did not time your 1 km time straight away is you only need to concentrate on achieving one thing at a time until you complete that task at hand.  Each time you achieve a new goal you are gaining a new level of discipline.

PHASE TWO

 WEEK 4-7

GOAL= TRANSITION FROM WALKING TO JOGGING
(WITH RECORDED TIMES)

-Let’s say your 1 km time is averaging 10 minutes walking, now   We are going to show you how to scratch up to 2.5 minutes off that over the next 4 weeks.
 Work harder than your normal walking pace for intervals of 10, 20 and 30 seconds. Like this;

o   -Walk fast or jog for 10 seconds, walk normal pace 30 seconds

o   -Walk fast or jog for 20 seconds, walk normal pace 30 seconds

o   -Walk fast or jog for 30 seconds, walk normal pace 30 seconds

o   Complete the cycle after reaching the end until you have hit 1km. 
- So in theory if you manage to complete 3 cycles of the above program you would cover the 1km  in  7.5 minutes.

   -You will have jogged or power walked for 3 minutes in total and actively rested for 4.5 minutes.
 Each week you will get fitter and your time at the end of each week will reflect this and contribute to your timed 1km goal.

 PHASE 3

WEEK 8-10

GOAL= DECREASE 1KM TIME BY 1MINUTE

week 8-10 is going to get you to take less rest periods (walking) and longer work intervals (jogging)

 Like week 4 we need to determine our set point by recording our time, the program has changed slightly now though in order to eventually make jogging the active rest period.

Like this;

o   Jog 30 seconds, walk normal 10 seconds

o   Jog 30 seconds, walk normal 20 seconds

o   Jog 30 seconds, walk normal 30 seconds

o   So in theory if you manage to complete 2 cycles of the above program you would have worked for 3 minutes and rested for 3 minutes  WHICH MEANS YOU ARE NOW CLEARING 1KM IN 6.5 MINUTES

Phase 4

 week 11-12

  goal= Run 1km in 5 minutes or under

You repeat what you have done twice already, determine your set point and work from there.

Now your program looks like this.

 take into account your fitness levels have been gradually getting better every week and jogging is now comparable to walking to you now since you began training almost 3 months ago!!!

o   Run 30 seconds jog 10 seconds

o   Run 30 Seconds jog 20 seconds

o   Run 30 seconds jog 10 seconds

o    So in theory if you manage to complete 2 cycles of the above program you will have worked for 3 minutes at full running pace and jogged for 1 minute 20 seconds

o    This means you are now covering 1 km in 4 minutes and 20 seconds

Be consistent

 its normal to get unmotivated but push on and remind yourself why you are doing this new program.  Its for your health damn it!!!

Fergal Lawlor is a health and fitness professional/personal trainer and the owner of Apeiron Fitness which provides personal training and fitness courses to the public.
He also runs a martial arts Dojo Called Mugendo Martial Arts Academy which has locations in Trim, Athboy, Kells and Navan in County Meath, Ireland.

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for information on personal training with Fergal