Health & Fitness

How is your attitude? Are you staying true to the mantra ‘If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me’?

Just like having a positive ‘mindset’ can, a positive ‘attitude’ packs a big punch when it comes to how successful we are in all aspects of our life – far more than most of us give it credit for.

In ‘The Magic of Thinking Big’ by David Schwartz, PhD says:

‘When you BELIEVE, your mind finds ways to DO.  When you believe something is impossible, your mind goes to work for you to prove why. BUT when you believe, really believe, something can be done, your mind goes to work for you and helps you find the ways to do it.’

One big idea is to start February with the right structure around your power-packed intentions and sign up to the One Month Intro Package – It’s jam packed with loads of support, amazing training and coaching and of course…fun!

Activity Time – Create affirmations for each goal in your life.

For every goal you have, you want to have an affirmation. If this is new to you, here are some tips for getting started:

1 – Write them down

• Start with the words “I am”
• Use the present tense
• State the positive. Affirm what you want, not what you don’t want
• Keep it specific and brief
• Include an action word ending with –ing
• Include at least one dynamic emotion or feeling word
• Make affirmations for yourself, not others
• Add the words “or something better”

2 – Make place cards with each affirmation.

Laminate them. Make them stand out.

3 – Put them in obvious places and practice!

Place them where you will see them and spend 5 minutes reading them, twice a day, morning and night. Say each affirmation (out loud if possible) then close eyes and visualise that you’ve already achieved it.

Cement your goals

To help you cement your goals, find an accountability partner, make an action plan that sets out a path to achieving your goals and check in with them regularly. Importantly, be sure to ask for help from people when you need it.

That’s a wrap on our 3 part Mindset Matters blog series, which began with Achievement is the privilege of the determined. We’d love your feedback and for you to tell us what else you want us to dig deeper into in future articles.

Take Responsibility, Take Control, Take Action.

Coach & Co-Founder Jason Clark

More than any other time of the year, at the beginning of a new year fitness challenges flood the market. People rush into things because they need to quick ways to achieve ill-thought-out fitness ‘resolutions’. There are countless fitness professionals out there bagging 6, 8, 10 & 12 week Challenges. They claim that these programs are dangerous and can have negative impacts on people both physically and mentally. I agree and disagree with this. Like any profession, field or industry there are some VERY dubious people and businesses who may or may not have your best interest at heart.

Rest assured, there are many amazing and well-structured challenges that adopt highly skilled coaches, balanced training principles, sustainable meal plans for health and results, addressing behavioural change and developing amazing support groups etc. Be open-minded, they can bring hugely positive benefits into other areas of life. Let me share a quick story…

A 12 week challenge changed the course of my life 

This photo of me was my very first 12 week challenge way back in 2002 (a WHOPPING 16yrs ago) and to this day I believe I still remain fit, healthy, strong physically and mentally, adopt a strong work ethic in business and coaching and I put it all down to what I call “a pivotal life changing moment”.

I 100% believe that challenge in 2002 was the TURNING point, the catalyst for me building my career in health and fitness. It helped shape and develop me into the husband, father, coach, son, friend, business owner I am today. Who knows… without this experience I may have chosen another career path.

Find what is right for YOU

In my recent blog ‘If it’s meant to be it’s up to me’ I advocated that you should Take 100% responsibility for EVERYTHING you experience in your life. Take that thinking it an apply it to finding sources of inspiration. Coming back to Fitness Challenges – be open and try not to stereotype all Challenges as “quick fixes” and “crash diet” programs. If you discover one that feels authentic, they can actually transform your life in more ways than you thought for many, many decades to come.” Instead, see them as a stepping stone towards achieving your fitness and wellness life goals.

Whether you are buying a protein powder, a washing machine or a fitness program you should take the same approach – do your research and follow your gut or intuition to make an informed decision so that you choose a high-quality product or service that meets YOUR needs.

The path to success is squiggly but take control of its general direction 

Where you do you want to be in 6 months? 2 Years? Everyone has different goals, and these change over time. Maybe you want to compete in weightlifting or just live life pain-free from a niggling shoulder/neck/ankle/back/knee? We all have something that we could use as an ‘excuse’ that can prevent us from pursuing an opportunity to learn and grow and work towards. Take time to look back on what has worked (and not worked) in the past when you have embarked on ‘challenges’ and refine your goals.

The most important thing is to focus on the future & know exactly where you are going, what you’re heading towards. The end goal will likely change but with this approach you’ll always be moving forward & learning along the way.

Coach and Co – Founder Jason

Embrace Your Muscle Soreness & Grow Stronger, Faster! 

If you’ve ever done intense exercise or you’ve just started, most of you will have experienced Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). It’s that feeling you get the next couple of days after training that makes it hard to sit, stand, walk or scratch your head. Sometimes it can last a whole week and even walking downstairs can feel challenging. 

Firstly, what is DOMS and is it good for me?

In basic terms… DOMS is when we have created little myofibril tears in our muscles during exercise. Which then inflame and gives you that achy feeling. Your body then works hard to repair this damage. This constant tear and repair as we train is what helps our body adapt to this stimulus thus we get stronger. So this pain is in theory beneficial for you and will aide in you getting stronger. 

I found this 2 minute video on YouTube that gets a little more sciency if you want to know a little more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aRG1AqY0oA

How can I recover quicker?

There is a long list of things you can do to help you recover quicker so you can get back training again but they aren’t always accessible to you. For example, Ice baths, massage, epsom salt baths, saunas and the list goes on. Its great if you have deep pockets or have access to all these things but for most of us it isn’t realistic.

Keep moving & Roll it out. 

You have a huge range of options readily available to you that can help. Getting moving is the best advice I can give you. Your body will stiffen and your muscles will become tight if you do nothing. So as hard as it sounds, get moving! Go for a walk, jog, bike ride, etc. As long as long as your body is moving.

Roll out using the roller. This is a good alternative to getting a massage that won’t cost you $$$. Pop the roller on where it hurts and get rolling. It will again help to get blood flow to the area and loosen up any stiff muscle tissue that has tightened up. Ask your coach if you’re unsure how to use it.

P360 sessions to mix into your recovery

Movement 360, Yoga and Stretch therapy are ideal classes to get into if you’re feeling the aftermath of strength training. Your body will start pumping blood around your body, giving your muscles the oxygen and nutrients it needs to repair. These classes will also help stretch and loosen up those tight muscles. 

Hope this helps,

Coach Alex – Perform 360

Happy 2018! 

In this second installment of ‘Mindset Matters’, I’m asking something big of you. What better time to ask you to to take on a new challenge than at the beginning of a new year?!

Here it is: Take 100% responsibility for EVERYTHING you experience in your life.

This includes your:

• Income, your health, your achievements, the results you produce, your friends, your debts, the quality of your relationships, your feelings
• Family, bosses, friends, co workers, spouse/partner, weather, the economy
• Lack of money or lack of education…

The only person that can control how you react and respond to these internal and external factors is YOU. If you take responsibility and realise you have created your current conditions, then it becomes clear that YOU can recreate them at will.

When things aren’t going quite as well as we’d hoped in our lives blaming others is a natural response. Brene Brown, a world renowned researcher on blame, shame and vulnerability says that “Blame is simply the discharging of discomfort and pain. It has an inverse relationship with accountability.” Wondering if you are a ‘blamer’? Watch this hilarious and to the point short video featuring Brene’s own experiences with blame.

Leave the blame game behind

What I propose is that you shift from the ‘blame’ game and make the bold decision to take control of EVERYTHING in your life with the mantra – ‘If it’s meant to be, it’s up to Me’.

Be tenacious and gritty and stick to your guns on this. If you missed the first in our blog series, it is relevant here, do have a quick read of it ‘Achievement is the privilege of the determined’. 

We all believe in you at P360.

Happy 2018.

Coach & Co-founder Jason Clark

Looking for inspiration post the holiday-season? Hop on over to our articles archive:

• In need of a nudge to finish what you start, read Don’t be a 90%er.
• Returning from a long break here are some tips for settling back into your training program after a break, from Coach Alex
• Are you ‘Blessed with an injury’? Coach Soni has some great mindset advice for you too.

Welcome to the first of our Mindset Matters blog. I recently delivered a Mindset seminar as part of our last 8 week challenge program for 2017 and wanted to expand on some of the key lessons.

Mindset Matters. Believe you can do it and your mind will help you achieve it.

Taking on a new fitness goal may all start with courage but you need grit to progress it and to push through setbacks.

‘A wise man will be master of his mind, A fool will be its slave.’ Publilius Syrus

How much do you really want to achieve your big goal? How Gritty are you?

What is grit? Dr. Angela Duckworth, gives this simple description – “Grit is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals”. Angela is the author of the book “GRIT” which I’m thoroughly enjoying.

All too often we make the assumption that talent is the major contributor to success, or high-performance. Duckworth turns this on its head – her research findings prove that EFFORT actually counts more than TALENT. You can get your Grit score here.

So grit, the combination of passion and perseverance, is a necessary element to keep you moving forward. The big and exciting takeaway is that:

Skill x effort = achievement

Effort counts TWICE and talent alone will not take you anywhere near as far. This is quite an insight, don’t you think? Skills can be learned and effort can be earned and practised. The GREAT news is that achievement is not the right of the talented, but the privilege of the determined. With EFFORT, achievement comes.

So you see, achievement is the privilege of the determined.  

* Know someone who is determined but doesn’t have the right training kit? It isn’t too late to give the greatest wellness gift of all to a loved one –  imagine their joy at receiving a One Month Trial at P360 or a spot in our next 8 week challenge! Shop here.

Happy Holidays! Don’t forget to be a role model and stay on track this silly season.

Coach & Co-Founder Jason

3 tips for returning to training after a long break

Patience is a virtue.

It’s never easy to come back to training if you’ve been off for a long time. I’m not talking about returning to training after a two-week holiday in the Maldives… that’s just hard because you have to come back to reality. When I say ‘long’ break, I’m talking about returning after a substantial period of time, months or even years.

You may be coming back after an injury or after a period where life (read: work, kids, study, whatever) has just gotten in the way. Whatever the reason for being absent, if you are returning from a long break you’ve probably reached a point where you’ve realised that training is now a ruthless priority. I wanted to share some tips with you to make sure you do it the right way and achieve the best results.

Ease into it, let your body adjust slowly to moving in ways that it used to. 

Once back training, you may be tempted to pick up where you left off. This is what NOT to do. Avoid making the mistake of comparing yourself to how you used to be before you stopped. You’ll only get disheartened when you can’t do the same and it will be an uphill battle from there. I know, I’ve been there myself with a few broken bones that have stopped me from training how I have wanted to for months on end… so I can empathise. It’s a tough pill to swallow.

Be kind to yourself, you only have one body and I’m guessing you want to be able to train properly for the rest of your life. Chucking the same weight on a barbell that you lifted a year ago is going to lead to injury… or a sore ego when you can’t lift it off the ground. 

Don’t get carried away.

If you’re coming back from injury and it feels good, then keep it good. What I mean by this is don’t get carried away and load up because you don’t feel pain. Allow your body get strong again and see how things feel the next day. Maybe stay at the same weight for a while. Dip your toes in the water, if it feels good, then wade in a little further next time. 

Training Recovery Tips   

Here are a few tips to ease the post-workout aches for those returning from a long break:

Tip 1 – Move. The best way to recover from those sore muscles after training is to get the body moving. Do Yoga, Movement, Stretch Therapy or even go for a walk, jog or run. This will help pump blood and oxygen around the body which will help the muscles recover a lot faster.

Tip 2 –  Eat well. Give your body the nutrition it needs to repair. Your body requires that fuel to regenerate new muscle tissue and restore your energy stores that have been used up during exercise.

Tip 3 – Get quality sleep. Sleep isn’t going to be replenishing if it’s not quality. There are many factors that will affect sleep. One that goes back to my last blog is Alcohol. It might make you feel sleepy and relaxed but it can inhibit the production on the human growth hormone. This is the hormone that is produced in your sleep that stimulates cell production and restoration.

Turn off your phone, switch off the lights and sleep.

Happy Training, 

Coach Alex

The holiday season tends to be a time when we overindulge without discretion and we tend to be exercising less, this applies to the children in our lives too.

Santa may be watching if our children are naughty or nice but as role models for the children in our lives, we all need to step up into the role of ‘Portion Size Controlling Santa’.

Chocolate or Christmas Mince Pies may be your weakness, or your childs, it’s no surprise that moderation is critical for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Try this – make a mental list of the foods you sneak more of than you should… you’ll be surprised at the calories you consume unknowingly /unconsciously.  Now imagine what the little people in our lives are consuming?!

“1 in 4 Australian children (aged 2-17) were overweight or obese in 2014-15” Source: Australian Institute of Health & Welfare

Solving this problem will take a village.  

No surprises that eating more than we should on a regular basis and not exercising enough will make us gain weight. The winning equation for weight loss is pretty damn simple -> less calories in, more energy out. To maintain weight, balance your intake with how much energy you exert.

We all want the best for the children in our lives, many of us invest endless amounts of time and money in their childcare, extra-curricular activities and education but sadly, many over look one of the greatest things we can impact – their health and wellbeing.

You don’t need to be a parent to play a role. As grandparents, aunties, uncles, godparents, good friends – you can be a role model and influence them to make better food choices and influence their eating habits and styles. 

Here are 3 ways you can make a big difference:

1. Reduce portion sizes & throw extra fresh

• If you have pizza, chop some carrot, cucumber and fruit to have with it
• Indulging in custard, cakes and biscuits? Have it with a banana to fill their tummies first.
• Don’t let them over snack so they’re still hungry for dinner

2.  Encourage more exercise

• Get outdoors – bike riding, swimming, kicking a ball in the backyard, playing beach cricket or throwing Frisbee
• Reduce device time – read a book with them, play a board game, card games such as Uno, puzzles, rubbix snake puzzle (which my 4yo is obsessed with at the moment) teach them juggling etc…

3. Promote ‘mindful’ eating

• Ask them questions such as; what’s the temperature like? How’s the texture? Is it sweet or savoury? Does it have a smell? This will encourage them to eat a little slower and experience lots of difference senses therefore enjoying the process and consuming a little less.
• Get them involved with the cooking or baking process. Not only do they learn and appreciated their efforts they know exactly what the ingredients are.

Merry Mindful Season,

Jason & Brent – Founders Perform 360

The Silly Season is upon us!

This is the time of the year where all your hard work in the gym comes to fruition, only to be compromised by those festive Mince Pies, colourful Candy Canes and celebratory after-work drinks. It’s a fun time, an exciting time and in Australia, unfortunately, Christmas coincides with Summer. Which means, after your Christmas feasting and drinking, you will at some point have to expose those thighs or expanding belly in order to not die of heat stroke.

Help is here! There is a way to avoid the dreaded Christmas belly, if you stick to a few simple rules.

DRINK WATER
Drink a glass between alcoholic beverages, and aim for around 2L of water over the day as well to stay hydrated. Had a bit too much to drink last night? Try a glass of water with a nip of apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of lemon in the morning to kick start that fresh feeling.

MAINTAIN YOUR GOOD HABITS
Those good habits you’ve built all year should be fairly easy to maintain over the silly season. Eat home cooked meals when you can. Include protein in every meal. Include vegetables in every meal. Try not to associate a good time with over-indulgence. Be prepared and meal prep if you know you have a massive week ahead. If you have parties to attend all weekend, just make your weeks immaculate with your nutrition and training.  Aim to get enough sleep to combat afternoon sugar cravings (6-9hrs).

TRAIN
Probably one of the most important parts, don’t stop training just because it’s holidays. You may just have to juggle your time a little better and MAKE TIME to train. The best time I found to fit in training is first thing in the morning, as your events and catch ups with friends are more than likely in the afternoons. Why not have a catch up with a friend over a walk or exercise??

Exercise increases happy endorphins, burns calories and reduces stress. The perfect combo for the silly season.

80/20
When at events, before grazing over those delectable platters, work out which ones you want or would enjoy the most, and which ones probably aren’t the healthiest s you aren’t just scoffing all of them. Stick to the seafoods, grilled meats, colourful salads, nuts and the protein dense options.

WALK IT OFF
Spend time with your loved ones on a lovely walk before sitting down for hours eating and drinking. Wake up early and embrace the holidays with a morning stroll. Walk the dogs/babies/kids. Get out and about with accidental activity (hello Boxing Day Sales).

NOPE I AM ENJOYING MYSELF AND EATING AND DRINKING WHATEVER I WANT SONI.
Ok, that’s totally fine. See you at the end of January for our 8 Week Challenge 😛

Coach Soni

Your body’s mobility can have a big impact on your life. Without good mobility – that is, the ability to move freely and easily – your quality of life suffers, just ask someone with a nagging injury that limits their movement.

Who doesn’t want to live life to the fullest? To be pain and injury free? That said, I’m a realist and know niggling injuries are sometimes going to creep in, no matter how hard you try and how good you are with your stretching, foam rolling etc.

 Move Mindfully

Injuries happen, sometimes they are out of your control. But, if you go to tie your shoelace and you throw your back out, or pick up the kids and hurt your neck – these annoying and quite often debilitating injuries may be within your control to prevent. You CAN minimise the chance of injuries happening and it’s surprisingly easy to build the body awareness you need in order to do so.

Tips to improve your mobility

Here are a few simple ways to improve your mobility and enjoy life, injury and pain-free.

1. Spend less time sitting down.

When you spend a lot of time sedentary your hips, lower back, shoulders and neck are going to stiffen up reducing the range of movement, which will negatively impact mobility. Consider getting yourself a stand-up desk or spend a few minutes stretching every half an hour. I’ve heard of people setting a ‘movement’ alarm every hour to get them into the habit of this.

2. Practice strength training through the full range of motion.

Training through a full range of movement is going to improve and keep your mobility and flexibility. The more your body moves through its complete range, the more comfortable it becomes in those positions allowing more freedom of movement.

3. Do weighted mobility training.

Weighted mobility builds joint strength and flexibility through full range of movement. It strengthens your ligaments and tendons to increase resilience in the body. This is better to do before training than static stretching.

4. Drink more water.

This one might not sound as obvious but dehydration can cause muscle tightness and cramping. In hot and humid climates where sweating occurs most of the day, try adding a sugar-free electrolyte to keep yourself balanced. If you eat healthily and aren’t getting enough sodium, try adding some coloured salts to your meal.

5. Learn to recognise and reduce stress triggers.

Stress or anxiety can cause your body to feel tense which restricts mobility. Stress plays a big role in lower back and neck pain but is easily avoided. Being mindful of your stress indicators eg. tense shoulders, frowning or biting your nails will help you know quickly when it’s time to relax. Make a conscious effort to recognise the triggers. If you need a tool to help you clear your mind, download this great free mindfulness app from Stop, Breathe, Think.

Get out there and live.

Coach Cogs.

It’s all about context….

As I coach I pride myself on applying the knowledge I have learnt to help each INDIVIDUAL achieve their desired result. Years of research onwards and findings have NOT changed. We still look at a client and take into consideration a list of factors, which ultimately determine what type of program they should be running through.

Let’s say a new client ‘Bob’ walks through the door. We find out what Bob wants, we get a run through of his history (training, injuries, lifestyle, habits) and we take him through an initial screening, where we dive into simple movement patterns which help us to determine movement deficiencies and issues that we can provide drills to improve and reduce their risk of injury to yield greater results. Now without running Bob through this process…….we have NO IDEA what he needs. We put Bob at high risk of injury, increasing movement deficiencies and ultimately making his training life a whole lot harder. No one wants to make their process towards a result any harder, nor should they want to be in a higher risk of obtaining injuries. This is the FIRST example of how we make a program ‘individualised’.

SECOND…..genetics!!!! You MUST understand this from DAY 1 of training…..we are all different. Here’s is my all time favourite example to use with squatting. Most of us are on instagram or Facebook right? Most of us have probably seen those crazy asian weightlifters……they squat like 200 kg’s for reps with a smile on their face, but they only weigh a mere 50kg!!! It’s crazy right. Now I never take credit away from them because they work their absolute ass off and earned it….but they are MADE TO SQUAT! Short legs and torso, means shorter distance and greater power (remember this is obviously in combination with their hard work, programming and muscle fibre make up). Now compare this to someone who’s tall. They have LONG ass femurs, the distance to squat increases so creating power and strength already becomes harder. Maybe we have someone with long shins, so squatting to full depth becomes even more difficult. Now these just some of the many variables that will changes EVERY individuals movement patterns.

Over the years of coaching my list is still growing! Im still learning more and more about the amazing human body and how different everyone is, so I have an open mind. Unfortunately what my open mind doesn’t have time for is b*&ls$#t! The BS of training everyone the same, or forcing positions that they shouldn’t be in or……well the list goes on!

The point here is that its important to focus on yourself. Never look at someone else and compare. Aspire to someone but always think, are you realistically able to achieve that with what you have? Are you setting a realistic timeline? Just make sure you take into account factors that will influence your outcome.

Sometimes you gotta put yourself before others…

Coach Cal