There's a great cartoon that you've probably seen of a man and a woman looking into a mirror.

On one side there's an overweight slob of a guy who see's an adonis reflected back at him - he's a happy guy.

On the other is an attractive women who sees an overweight, bedraggled image reflected back at her - she's not so happy.

24 hours ago that would have made me smile. Haha, yeah us guys are numpties and women worry about the size of their bums, haha.

But not today.

Today that cartoon is too close to home to be funny. Cos I realised I'm like the guy in the cartoon.

I've had some shoulder issues lately. Doing a push press weeks ago I felt something "go" a little in the front of the shoulder.

Obviously I took non of my own advice, kept training and irritated it further.

This has led to a month of pretty lax training til yesterday I'd had enough of excuses and my own nonsense, it was time to stop just hoping it would go away and let me crack on with doing the stuff I want to do, it was time to get myself fixed.

So I set up the video camera to assess my movement and see what the hell is going on.

These assessments are all with the shirt off to see how the shoulder moves.

I haven't trained for a while now.

But I've been a pretty fit guy.

Ran marathons, deadlifted 2.5 x my body weight, ran 5km in under 17 minutes.....all this was quite a while ago (the last marathon was 2009) but in my head I was still that guy.

I could even see that guy in the mirror.

But that wasn't the guy I saw on camera.

This guy looked soft, with wonky shoulders that were different heights, tired puffy face, love handles and an out of position pelvis.

The view of my back gives a clear indication of why the shoulder doesn't feel too good.

The long downward slope of my shoulders are a pretty clear sign that my latissimus muscles (back muscles) are in a shortened position, even more so on the right side. This makes getting my arms overhead very difficult without creating some compensations else where in my body.

One of the key aspects for my training is to create some good length in them, to fire up the muscles at the top of the shoulder (upper traps) and to create good stability where the head of my arm bone meets the socket.

Without these being in a better position I'm going to struggle to lift significant weight over my head or to get back to dominating chin ups.

No wonder things were feeling beat up.

Don't get me wrong I don't look hugely fat but I sure as hell don't look like a fitness professional.

Man I was angry at myself at first. How did I let this happen? How did I not notice?

I'm 38 now, I'm not prepared to turn into some soft mushy middle aged chap who sighs everytime he sits down.

Fuck. That. Shit.

I'm on a 28 day mission.

I don't expect to be all ripped and running 10 miles for fun in 28 days. But I do expect to be in a damn sight better place than I am now.

I want to be moving without feeling like I'm going to break.

This is what I do day in day out for other people. Being busy is no longer an excuse for missing training. I'm booking my own session first and putting clients around me rather than the other way around.

After all who wants an out of shape trainer?

I'll do a post here each week with progress, you can help to keep me accountable.

That's it for today.

There's no big lessons or take home points for you. When I started this blog I intended to be completely honest in it.

No rainbows and unicorns farts.

Just the truth.

Last week was like a walk down memory lane.

I was training two dudes and they wanted to get hench.

Get jacked.

Get their swole on ya'll.

Or for those who aren't yet fluent in the language of the gym bro, they wanted to put some muscle on.

They reminded me of myself and my training buddy over 10 years ago. All chest, biceps and image. Don't worry about the legs, I'll wear trousers.

But just like me and my pal they were missing the biggest trick in the book to maximise their results and get a physique to match their swagger.

Trick is probably the wrong word.

More like technique.

In fact change that to a "way of thinking". I'm halfway through my second coffee and feel caffeinated enough to claim that I changed their way of thinking. Like a gym dwellng Yoda (though not as short, but maybe as green if I have another coffee).

You're going to think I'm making this up.

I swear this isn't gobbledy-gook.

In fact you can learn this word for word and
sound like a right smart arse next time one
of your friends is moaning about a bad habit
they have.

It's a quote from a book I was reading this
morning.

Ready?

"Hebbs law, the quantum Zeno effect and
neuroplasticity explain why focusing your
attention on something repeatedly causes
brain circuits to form a and strengten".

I know what you're thinking.

You're thinking "I already knew that...tell
me something I don't know".

All joking aside, that sentence is
potentially life changing.

Especially if you regularly find yourself
doing something that seems totally contrary
to your goals.

Like eating half a cheesecake when you're
trying to lose weight.

Or drinking every night after work.

It just needs a bit of de-mystifer sprayed on
it.

Right...here goes...

Hebbs law - when different parts of the brain
become active at the same time they bond
together in a pattern.

Neurons that fire together, wire together.

Or.

Once upon-a-time you got stressed.

You did something that made you feel better
for a short period of time.

Eating, smoking, sexing, whatevs.

Your brain learned a little pattern, some
circuits all fired together.

You get stressed again and find the same
solution.

It happens again, the circuit gets stronger
and stronger.

It can get so that you no longer need the
initial stress to want the relief.

Quantum zeno effect - this is what stabilizes
the activated areas of the brain long enough
for Hebbs law to take effect.

This happens via focused attention.

What you focus your attention on is vital for
your mental and physical health.

Neuroplasticity - you can teach an old dog
new tricks.

The brain is plastic, as in it can change and
adapt....if you put enough effort into it.

Putting it all together.

We get an uncomfortable feeling, we do
something to get rid of the uncomfortable
feeling.

Even if that action is damaging for our long
term health.

The brain learns and repeats the pattern.

It's important to remember that this happens
with positive things too.

So what do you do?

We tend to think we can power away any
negative thoughts with just will power.

You can't.

You can't choose what messages your brain
sends you.

But you can choose what you do with those
messages.

The good news is you have a veto.

You get to say that you won't act on these
urges.

It feels weird and uncomfortable at first.

But the more you do it, the easier it
becomes.

To make this more effective you need to have
a goal.

Something positive that you're aiming for to
focus on.

Where you place your focus is hugely
important.

For example.

You may not have fancied going to work today.

You could have stayed at home and watched
"Loose Women".

In the short term that would have been
easier.

In the long term it would have sucked as you
need money to do nice things and pay bills.

Or affected your promotion chance etc.

There was a long term goal of some sort that
got you out of bed.

It's all about where you place your focus.

Today God pats me on the head and says "good
boy Niall".

There are few things in life as likely to
bring a large idiotic smile to my face than a
cooked breakfast with black pudding.

Man I love black pudding.

I don't love it like I love my wife.

But I would definitely consider putting it up
in it's own flat and sneaking of to see it at
weekends.

An illicit kind of love.

Only we don't need to sneak around
anymore...we can be out and proud.

According to the Telegraph it's now a
superfood, being hailed for it's wonderous
properties.

So stick that in  your pipe and smoke it.

Anything negative I have ever said about the
word "superfoods" I take back.

I recant my superfood disbelief.

Cos this fits in with how I want the world to
be.

Seriously, who comes up with this nonsense,
putting foods on a pedestal?

And who's doing the hailing?

Perhaps somewhere there's a black pudding
sitting on a throne with a purple cloak while
a bunch of health nobs grovel on their knees.

The idiot-in-chief who wrote the article
rated it for being "practically carb free".

Just when I thought the demonisation of carbs
was coming to an end, some moron surfaces
trying confuse everyone just so they can have
an interesting headline.

Typically it's made with pigs blood and pork
fat...yummy.

That's a shed load of saturated fat that
you'll need to balance out in your diet.

Yep, there's protein, calcium, iron and a few
other goodies in there but I wouldn't suggest
it as a staple source of these.

Rather than relying on foods propped on a
pedestal, good nutriton comes from getting a
variety of foods.

Some quality protein, some different coloured
veggies and a handful of carbs.

The biggest problem most of us have with
nutrition is not what to eat.

All of us can pretty much distinguish between
a smart choice and a less than smart choice
of food.

The biggest problem is how to eat that food
on a daily basis when we're all so damned
stressed and busy.

The other is the emotional relationship we
have food. So many of us use "treat" food as
a quick way to feel good.

Especially when we've had a bitch of a day.

The last thing we need is added confusion by
someone trying to get us to worship at the
altar of one specific food.

Anyhoo.

That's my rant for the day done.

I'm of to have a black pudding super smoothy,
maybe with acai berries and unicorn farts.

I'm getting envious.

This Sunday is London Marathon day. The one day of the year that Londoners accept that it might be ok to talk to strangers on the tube. That there is nothing pathologically wrong with someone for saying "hi".

I love the atmosphere in town on marathon day.

But today I'm envious cos there will be thousands of runners who have now finished their training and are building up the excitement inside themselves. Like an elastic band getting stretched further and further until it just has to ping forwards.

I've ran marathons before but never in London and it's firmly on the bucket list.

It's been 7 years since I last had the guts to have a crack at 26.2 miles, I think it's taken that long for the memory of the exhaustion from miles 20-26 to subside.

But I learned a lot from running. To be honest I learned things that I sometimes forget to apply to myself in daily living. So I'll share it with you and treat it as a reminder to myself.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other.

It can feel dull as dish water at times when you're training. During the race the next mile marker let alone the finish line can feel an eternity away. But there's only one way to get there. One step at a time.
You just keep moving forwards and sometimes it feels like you're getting no where. Nothing feels any closer but there's no alternative.
But the single little steps grow.
100m becomes a kilometer becomes another mile ticked of.
Whatever you're doing you just have to keep moving forwards. Not just when things are smooth and you're comfortable but when it's bumpy and it hurts. Just focus on taking he next step.

Pick a tree

Distance running was a lot of trees and lamp posts for me. You can't see the finish line but you can pick a spot on the horizon and see it get closer.
Then you've passed it.
In the scheme of things nothing seems to have changed. In reality you're in a better stronger place than the you who was aiming for that lamp post.
Smaller goals to help you to your bigger goal are vital.
Quick tip - if you do this in a race beware of luminous colours. The amount of times I thought I could see the next mile marker only to find it was someone i a high vis jacket. That was gutting everytime.

Pay the price

You can't just turn up on the race line and expect to have a great race and enjoy the day if you haven't prepared.
You have to cover miles and miles of running without people watching.
No clapping crowds or back slaps and medals at the end.
There is a really unglamorous price to pay for anything you want to achieve.
Sometimes this sucks.
Sometimes it feels good.
Good or bad though you have to crack on.
If there's something you want there will be a price, either financial, emotional and/or time. It's your choice whether you want it enough to pay it.

Have a real goal.

There's no doubts when you train for a marathon. You know exactly what you want to achieve and you know exactly when you need to achieve it by.
You go out and run when it's wet or your tired cos there's a deadline looming.
Set yourself goals and deadlines.
Ones you have to keep.
A famous strength coach uses the dog food challenge.
He tells friends that he will have done x by a certain date or he'll eat the Pedigree Chum.
Whatever works for you.

You surprise yourself

It's amazing what you can do when you give yourself a chance to shine.
The first 3 mile run I felt like frankensteins more ungainly twin brother.
My feet were heavy, I was breathing like a dirty old man on a chatline and I ached like buggery afterwards.
A few months later me and the missus were doing 18 miles on a Saturday afternoon before heading out on the town with pals.
It felt ridiculous but great.
When Androulla finished she was sprinting and jumping for joy to the finish line. There were spectators really enjoying seeing her do that. In contrast I crawled over the line. et she had been worried just about running outdoors. After our first 6 mile race she went white as a ghost and spent the evening feeling ill on the couch.
Yet she smashed 26 miles.
Give yourself a chance to shine, get over the first bit of discomfort and you'll surprise with what you can do.

Jog on.

Friday night is beer night in our little household.

A visit to the fancy pants craft beer shop on the way home. Then when the rug rat is asleep a bottle is cracked open to round the week off.

Sunday's on the other hand are a no booze zone (usually). I hate the feeling of heading into work the day after alcohol. Even a little makes me feel lethargic and lacking sharpness.

But last night (Sunday) I wanted a drink. There are a couple of cheeky single malts lurking around in the front room and I found myself wanting a drop.

This is going to sound a little wanky, but it's true.

Over the last year I've got to know myself better.

WTF?

So I knew I didn't really want the whisky. I wasn't after the taste. I wasn't wanting to sit back and enjoy the drink.

I wanted to feel good and the drink was just a crutch to do that.

I'd spent the day working on a new project. Something I really want to work but I'm not sure if it will.

I could feel my heart racing and there was definitely a bit of adrenaline skipping around the body.

My wired up mind was looking for a way to just feel good. The whisky is filled with associations of relaxing and feeling good for me.

So my mind was telling me to get the whisky even though I didn't actually want the whisky.

It thought it would be a gateway to calm, happy me.

I know I'm not the only one who does this either. So many of us find ways of sedating ourselves. Trying to calm ourselves and disengage from stresses, with habits that damage our health.

Food, booze, TV, porn.

All ways to hide and avoid feeling uncomfortable.

The whisky would have changed nothing. The challenge in front would still be the same.

Instead, I lay down on the floor.

Managing stress is a huge part of staying healthy. No matter the front we put on for the rest of the world, we all get the crush of stress on us at some point. How we respond and cope with it can mean the difference in our health, happiness, relationships with our loved ones and even finances.

So I lay down on the floor to try one technique I learned in a masters nutrition course.

The mind body scan.

Lie down for 5 minutes (it can help to set a timer on your phone so you don't get agitated trying to constantly check the time).

Then focus on each part of your body. Start at the top of your head and move down to your feet seeing what you notice.

Is your forehead frowning? Is your jaw relaxed or clenched? Are your shoulders relaxed? How are you breathing (rapid or slow. From your tummy or your chest).

Move along your arms, your abdomen, your legs. All the way to your toes.

Next.

What are you thinking?

What is going on in your thinky box?

Last night, it felt a jumble at first.

I realised I was a little nervous, but it was more excitement.

I was also pleased. Pleased to be getting shit done. I wasn't sitting around wondering like I have so often in the past. I was taking a risk and making myself be a little better.

I slowed my breathing and let myself have a little smile.

I wasn't scared. I didn't need a whisky to cheer up.

I was excited and pleased.

In 5 minutes my perception of where I was completely changed.

Try this out for yourself, it's amazing what you can figure out about yourself when you give your mind a chance to quieten and be listened to.

If you think it sounds a bit wishy washy, just try putting your cynicism on hold. You don't have to tell anyone you're doing this and if it turns out to be new age guff...no one need ever know.

It's tea for me for the rest of the week....until Friday beers at any rate.

You know those fitsperation pctures?

The ones filled with ripped sweaty peeps and something supposedly motivating written over the top.

Something like "If you're tired of starting again, stop quitting"

Yeah, those things.

I hate them.

I hate the message they present. That unless you've tortured yourself in the gym you're somehow a sub-human, lazy waste of oxygen.

People aren't lazy, they don't quit trying to get into shape because they're lazy.

I bet there are things that you've quit. I know I've been a quitter. Most of the time, the decision to quit comes through a lack of clear purpose. People change only when the pain of changing is greater than the pain of staying the same.

If we don't have a big, clear picture of the awesomeness we're chasing.

Or something terrifying that will happen if we don't change. We tend to stay in our happy little comfort zone.

That's homeostasis my friend and that's sciencey, which means it must be true.

For example, if you knew there was a million pounds waiting for you if you got ripped and shredded, there is no way anyone would be able to force a chip or an extra glass of wine through your face hole.

Or if death was a certainty if you didn't go and run at 5am everyday, you would never hit the snooze button.

We're not lazy, we just need a reason why we should act.

We need a "why".

If you're current goal is "to lose some weight" then chances are you're not gonna get too far. But you probably know this already. What we need to layer into the goal is some emotion.

Why the sweet f%ck is this important to you? How will it change your life for the better?

Earlier today I put a video of me on Facebook doing some fitnessy type talking. The big aim is to tell the world I exist. At the moment I'm pretty damn good at what I do, but not so hot at telling people that.

A few months ago I would have ran away from posting on Facebook. Looking daft on camera was too much for me.

But then I looked at why it was important.

Yeah there's the possibility of making more money at some unspecified time in the future. But that isn't inspiring enough for me....I would have still hidden.

When I dug deep I realised it was important for my daughter. How can I tell her in all seriousness that she can do whatever the hell she wants to in life when I'm too chicken to chase my own dreams?

Not disappointing that little bundle of craziness was far more important than avoiding looking a wee bit daft in front of people I don't know or my friends.

So how do you figure out what's important to you? Your true "why"?

You gotta dig deep, peel the layers of your psychological onion.

One way is the "5 Whys" exercise.

Take your goal and ask yourself "why is this important"?

When you have an answer, ask again "why is this important"?

Do this a total of 5 times.

If weight loss is your goal you may want to lose a stone.

Why?

So I fit better into my clothes?

Why?

So I look good and feel better about myself.

Why?

So the other half fancies me and I'm less grumpy.

Why?

Cos I reckon she's been knocking of the gardener and I want to save my marriage and have muscles to smash him in the face.

Well....something like that anyway.

I joke a bit, but this stuff is powerful if you take the time to try and figure yourself out.

If you're interested in this check out the TED talk below.

So you want to lose weight, ditch some aches, move better and generally make life more awesomer (I've decided that's a real word) and you're busy and pushed for time.

^^^Spooky huh? It's like I know you.

Here are some quick and dirty tips to ramp up your results without losing time.

1. First of all optimise your environment.

I don't mean cut your CO2 emissions and hug a tree. I mean make your ability to make healthier choices as easy as possible.

The biggest thing you can do is have your kitchen in order.

Their is an undisputable fact. If there is a foodstuff in your house that isn't good for your health you will sooner or later eat it.

Sure, you've got it in for "when you have guests" but lets face it, that packet of biscuits is more likely to get demolished on a Wednesday night watching Netflix. If it's not in the house, there's no temptation.

If you're serious about transforming how you look and feel, then get it out of the house.

Think you're wasting food?

Answer this, if a food stuff has no health or nutritional value and detracts from long term health, is it a waste or a benefit to not eat it?

Still feel guilty?

Then donate it to a food bank or homeless shelter.

2. On the flip side, you need to refill or make sure there are food choices in the kitchen that support your goals.

Meat, veggies and grains that can be easily cooked when needed.

Nuts and fruits for snacking on.

For a Brucie Bonus have a good recipe book and try one new thing a week. There is zero need for healthy foods to be bland foods....Androulla and I made a pile of scotch eggs the other day and they were awesome.

Would have made great snacks for a few days if I could have kept my hands of them.

3. Foam roller in the front room.

Just about everyone I train wants to move a little easier and better, myself included.

I try and stay on track with a foam roller by the side of the couch. It's short and stays out of sight. But means that if I need a quick roll out it's easy to grab.

Being by the couch means I notice it when I'm at a loose end. Instead of just lounging on the couch and messing myself up further I can have a two minute loosen up - then crash on the couch and mess myself up.

To be honest, it doesn't always work. I've sat on the couch with a sore knee before knowing a roll would greatly help. As I sat there I stared at the roller and thought "I really should use that" and continued to watch the gogglebox instead...no ones perfect.

4. Take some fish oil.

It takes 10 seconds to do and as a huge range of benefits from helping to lose fat, prevent chronic disease such as diabetes and cardiovacular disease, prevents pain and inflammation in joints.

It's a no brainer.

Just buy a quality product...rarely available on the high street. Ideally you want the fish oil sourced from smaller fish (lower down the food chain and therefore less chance of metals and pollutants) and been well produced.

My go to guys for a good product at a reasonable price are Aliment Nutrition.

One word of warning, fish oil should be avoided if you're on any kind of blood thinner medication (Warfarin etc), check with a pharmacist if you're on any medications to check there is no interference and you're good to go.

5. Have your gym kit easy to find.

It's great feeling motivated at the end of the day or week, promising that tomorrow is going to be when it all starts for you. Avoid letting any voices talk you out of it when the time comes by making your life as easy as possible.

Have a separate draw, hanger or pile for your gym clothes. So if you forget to put them out the night before you can find them easily in the morning, especially if you're trying not to wake partners and/or kids.

Don't stop here though.

Look at any aspect that has been holding you back, what can you do to make the obstacle that little easier to negotiate?

Book time for your workouts?

Make a little extra food in the evening to cover you for lunch the next day?

Change a route home to avoid walking past the shop you always buy snacks from?

Find the little things that will help you get the big wins.

I've started reading my favourite book again.

It's dog eared, got coffee stains from 10 years ago and writing that is absolute genius.

I'd seriously give your right hand to be able to write like that.

If you haven't read Catch-22 go to a book shop and buy it on your way home tonight.

It takes logic and wrings every last drop of nonsense out of it.

Even if you've never read it you'll probably know what a Catch-22 situation is.

When you can't do right for doing wrong, or more crudely, whatever you choose to do
you're screwed.

The story is based around a US Bomber squadron in Europe in World War 2, filled with crew who
just want to stay alive and are going nuts in the process.

The actual Catch-22 is explained in the book to a character called Orr.

“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.

Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions.

Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to."

Read that again if you need to.

Sounds ridiculous.

Or does it....?

Exactly a year ago I started an advanced nutrition coaching course with the uber smart peeps at Precision Nutrition. I was mega excited.

I bounced out of bed on the first day to get my hands on the first lesson.

I was like a kid on Christmas morning...I couldn't wait to get my geek on. I wanted to be baffled by endocrinology and be in with the cool kids by telling everyone how stressed I was.

Instead I found an easy parachute in. Assessments I could do. Case studies that made perfect sense.

So, I considered quitting.

I was spending a lot of money and not feeling overwhelmed.

Surely to be effective it needs to be too hard to do and impossible to stick to.....that's the stuff that works.

This is the fitness Catch-22.

We feel the only thing worth attempting is the impossible.

If other people were making this mistake we'd spot it a mile off, but when it comes to ourselves we often have a blind spot a mile wide.

Like the workout program I bought last year.

It said it wasn't for 95% of people as it was too tough. Of the professional strength coaches who had trialed the program only a couple finished the whole three months.

Do not try this, it said, if you have any other challenges or stresses currently in your life. This will break you and make you miserable before you get stronger. You must be able to fully focus on your training and recovery.

At the time I was living at my in-laws, spending late nights renovating a new house, deep into my coaching course, busy with clients and father of a small baby.

So I bought the program.

I lasted 10 days. I had successfully transformed into a moody, injured bastard. Yay me.

We're completely illogical beasties at times.

Being fit, healthy and strong shouldn't be a miserable slog (Catch-22 to be healthy and happy you have to be tired and miserable). It's suprisingly simple when you have a good plan to follow and some people to back you up.

You make one small positive step, you repeat again the next day, keep trying to repeat until it feels normal.

Then take your next step.

Not sure if you're doing too much at once? Then try this experiment.

Imagine your plan is being done by your best pal. They come to you with this plan and ask what you think.

What would you tell them?

We're often so much better at helping others rather than ourselves.

You don't need a 100 new exercises.

To never drink alcohol or eat sugar again.

To run everyday.

Or break yourself in the gym every morning at 5am.

You just need one small action you can do today, something you could repeat again tomorrow and the next day until it feels normal.

Then choose your next step.

Repeat and dominate.

You may not end up "ripped in 6 weeks" like the snake oil salesmen promise. But 8-12 months from now you'll be freaking awesome.

That times gonna pass one way or the other. Might as well spend it taking small steps to where you want to be rather than beating yourself up for never sticking with something.

If you're stuck on what your next step should be then get in touch.

The image of the fitness industry kinda sucks.

It's partially the fault of big money businesses getting involved in the current trendiness of exercise but for the most part it's the fault of the people who work in fitness. The gyms and the trainers - I include myself in that, I've definitely been part of the problem in the past.

Everything is so focused on looking a certain way.

We advertise 6 packs, firm butts, pecs and sex appeal that oozes from every pore.

Adverts show new technology trainers, t-shirts, ab trainers, classes and all filled by sexy young things, all ripped and shredded and perky.

What's wrong with this is that it completely misses the point of what health and fitness is truly about.

It's not about showing of.

It's not about the outfit you where.

Or what gym you're a member of.

It's about making a solid base to your life so you can go and do all the other things you enjoy.

So you can perform to your best potential not just in the gym, but in your work, with your pals, in your relationships hell, even in the bedroom boom chicka wah wah.

This weekend I received the crappy news that a friend had suffered stroke in addition to this other friends and family are dealing with cancer, my dad and father in law are type 2 diabetic.

Add to this the people I meet or hear of through my work on a weekly basis who are close to a diabetes diagnoses, living with bad backs, bad knees, depression and all kinds of reproductive problems.

Shit does, can and will get real.

With a number of health issues there is a genetic component. Some people unfortunately have a greater predisposition for nasty things to happen.

But everyone has the ability to enhance their quality of life and that is exactly what training and nutrition is truly about, they're life enhancers.

Getting a six pack is great, get your firm sexy swag on is all cool. It's not vacuous to want these things.

But it's also ok to not be fussed about these things.

It's cool to be more focused on having energy to play with your kids, to wake up and actually want to face the day and enjoy it.

It's also ok to future proof yourself.

Like it or not you're gonna get old - that is if you're lucky enough to stick around.

I'm gonna put a proper downer on things now, but being middle aged and a elder person is going to take up more of your years than being a teenager or twenty something.

Good nutrition and exercise are essential if you want to get the most out of your time on this mortal coil.

It will help you dodge the big C.

Keep ya'll sexy.

Avoid heart disease.

Osteoporosis.

Alzheimers.

Help injuries heal.

Avoid diabetes.

And prevent aches and pains.

It isn't just about abs.

It's about your life.