A real winter's day today but a great chance to catch up with some indoor work. I got my business accounts up to date and have made great strides into writing some new material for my upcoming workshops.
I'm excited to be starting up some new free weight management workshops for my patients in January. These will incorporate some of the skills I picked up from Paul McKenna on my recent training day with him. They will focus on the mental aspects of weight loss rather than on the mechanics of what to eat or not eat. I'm a firm believer in getting your head right before doing anything and losing weight is no exception.
I've also been working on material for a workshop I'm running in January for a group of local GP trainers. This is a great chance for me to convey my passion for NLP and coaching to the local medical community - and I'm determined to make the most of it.
My calf seems to be on the mend but it'll be Wednesday now before I get the chance to try it out on the roads. Tomorrow's combination of early morning commuter surgery, afternoon on-call and evening french lesson means I have a 15 hour day which doesn't leave any time for running.
The dark evenings are great for reading though don't you think? I'm currently re-reading one of Richard Bandler's early books, "Using Your Brain For a Change". For anyone looking for a great introduction to NLP, it's a very good place to start. As usual with great books, there is always more to get out of them on subsequent reads. Education is for life, you never stop learning. As I tell my kids, education gives you choices. I've just looked on their school website and saw that a lad who used to go to their primary school was awarded the top student prize in the 6th form and a prize of £ 3000 this week. Wow look at that I said to them, as they played Playstation, doesn't that make you want to go and start your homework? No replied one of them -you have to spend it on education!
As a psychiatrist once said about Basil Fawlty in a classic episode of Fawlty Towers...... there's enough material there for a whole conference!
Monday, 23 November 2009
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO WANT
Would you jump into a taxi and tell the driver where you didn't want to go?
Would you enter what you didn't want to find into a Google search box?
Silly questions - of course you wouldn't, but many of us spend too much of our time focusing on what we don't want.
We get more of what we focus on so one of the best first steps you can take to making your life better is simply to think about what it would look like if it was better. What would you see? What would you hear? How would you feel if you were living your ideal life?
The clearer the image you have of this, the easier it is for your unconscious mind to begin to work on it.
So instead of moaning about how this isn't right or that's not working out for you, spend a few short minutes every day visualising just how wonderful your life will be once you achieve your goals. Now how good does that feel?
Would you enter what you didn't want to find into a Google search box?
Silly questions - of course you wouldn't, but many of us spend too much of our time focusing on what we don't want.
We get more of what we focus on so one of the best first steps you can take to making your life better is simply to think about what it would look like if it was better. What would you see? What would you hear? How would you feel if you were living your ideal life?
The clearer the image you have of this, the easier it is for your unconscious mind to begin to work on it.
So instead of moaning about how this isn't right or that's not working out for you, spend a few short minutes every day visualising just how wonderful your life will be once you achieve your goals. Now how good does that feel?
Sunday, 15 November 2009
PAUL McKENNA
It's been another busy week and a really enjoyable one.
If the downside was the upturn in the number of swine flu cases we are seeing in the surgery, the highlight had to be attending a training day with Paul McKenna. It was absolutely excellent.
He is a great speaker, he really held the audience's attention..... and we weren't the easiest group either. Three hundred or so medics - mostly doctors, all there to learn about his weight loss and NLP techniques. It was awesome. He apparently did it for free too, being a friend of my NLP trainer and organiser of the day, Dr.Natheera Indrasenan. He was obviously really passionate about the subject and had flown in specially from his home in Los Angeles just for the talk.
Helping people be a healthy weight is something I am passionate about too and is a topic that occupies much of my time, both as a coach and as a GP. I've picked up plenty of new tools to use now so a very big thank you to Natheera for arranging the day and to Paul for making it so memorable and enjoyable.
Since my last post I've had mixed fortunes on the running front. Last Sunday I beat my personal best in the Grand Union Canal Half Marathon but in yesterday's 22 mile training run I had to pull up after 14 miles with another calf strain. Unfortunately this will almost certainly put me out of the Luton marathon on 6th December. I'm taking this as a sign that there are other things in my life that need my attention right now so I'll be spending tomorrow working on material for some upcoming workshops.
Well I'm off for a shower now before watching X Factor - sad but true. Whatever you think of him, you can't help but admire Simon Cowell. Whatever happens he always manages to come up smelling of roses....... and with the amount of **** flying around on that show, that's no mean feat! Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Saturday, 24 October 2009
THE BEST LAID PLANS....
Well it's been a funny old week here. I've had a week off from the surgery and had expected to be able to spend a lot of time running and training. Unfortunately my knee thought otherwise and I've been forced to take it easy. It's not too bad and is fine when I'm actually running but flares up again afterwards. Still, I've got Rosemary my physio back on the case and have also had some shiatsu from my friend Isobel - let's hope it's better soon.
I had already decided for other reasons not to do the hilly off-road marathon that I had originally planned for tomorrow - perhaps just as well as it turned out. I am currently due to do a half-marathon in 2 weeks though. Should know in the next few days whether that is still a possibility or not.
Anyway, as I've said before, I think things like this happen for a reason and I've tried hard to make the best use of my time this week. I've devoted time to writing and to my french studies. I've also had to attend four - yes four - evening meetings at work! Guess I must have been pretty bad in a former life!
I've spent all this afternoon cooking - a Bangladeshi feast from Rick Stein's latest book "A Far Eastern Odyssey". It's a fabulous read, one of those makes you hungry just to look at the pictures type of books. Not really good for me as I'm not running it off right now but I reckon I deserve a treat. I've spent the last two hours holed up in my kitchen, chopping and grinding spices. Everything's now just at that ready to go stage, you know the way TV cooks have it, all chopped and ready in little bowls. Excellent. I was listening to french radio while I did it. A rather odd show was on there, a mix of interviews with french pop stars about their new album and giving the results of various surveys including the revelation that "women who have at least one orgasm a day are the happiest!" The french - don't you just love 'em!
Keep smiling (french style if you prefer) and have a great weekend.
I had already decided for other reasons not to do the hilly off-road marathon that I had originally planned for tomorrow - perhaps just as well as it turned out. I am currently due to do a half-marathon in 2 weeks though. Should know in the next few days whether that is still a possibility or not.
Anyway, as I've said before, I think things like this happen for a reason and I've tried hard to make the best use of my time this week. I've devoted time to writing and to my french studies. I've also had to attend four - yes four - evening meetings at work! Guess I must have been pretty bad in a former life!
I've spent all this afternoon cooking - a Bangladeshi feast from Rick Stein's latest book "A Far Eastern Odyssey". It's a fabulous read, one of those makes you hungry just to look at the pictures type of books. Not really good for me as I'm not running it off right now but I reckon I deserve a treat. I've spent the last two hours holed up in my kitchen, chopping and grinding spices. Everything's now just at that ready to go stage, you know the way TV cooks have it, all chopped and ready in little bowls. Excellent. I was listening to french radio while I did it. A rather odd show was on there, a mix of interviews with french pop stars about their new album and giving the results of various surveys including the revelation that "women who have at least one orgasm a day are the happiest!" The french - don't you just love 'em!
Keep smiling (french style if you prefer) and have a great weekend.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I.......
As I write this, I'm watching the world gymnastics championships on TV. What an event and from London's wonderful O2 arena - can't wait for the Olympics. Just two minutes ago there was a really nasty accident. A gymnast fell landed really badly on her neck during a complex tumbling routine. She was taken off on a spinal board, complete with neck brace by the medics....
I spent this morning watching my older boy play rugby and as usual did the first aid cover for the match. The lack of rain recently has left the pitch rock hard and one of the visiting players took a heavy fall and, at least for a moment, looked like he may have sustained a nasty injury......
Currently my running coach Rory is sidelined with a serious back injury and may require surgery. He hates not running but still keeps up his blog and keeps on motivating his clients towards their goals, even whilst his own running goals have been put on hold......
What is my point here?
It's this. One minute everything is fine - life is ticking along just great...... then bang. It can all change in an instant.
The rugby lad was fine, missed the rest of the game but otherwise OK. The pundits are saying that the gymnast was treated on the spinal board purely as a precaution and Rory, being Rory, will I'm sure bounce back and be doing something amazing again before we know it.
None of us know what life has in store for us, so why do we waste time worrying about it?
Let's use what talents we have, grab our lives by the scruff of the neck and LIVE!
Always try to live in the moment..... make the most of now and enjoy each and every minute of your life.
I spent this morning watching my older boy play rugby and as usual did the first aid cover for the match. The lack of rain recently has left the pitch rock hard and one of the visiting players took a heavy fall and, at least for a moment, looked like he may have sustained a nasty injury......
Currently my running coach Rory is sidelined with a serious back injury and may require surgery. He hates not running but still keeps up his blog and keeps on motivating his clients towards their goals, even whilst his own running goals have been put on hold......
What is my point here?
It's this. One minute everything is fine - life is ticking along just great...... then bang. It can all change in an instant.
The rugby lad was fine, missed the rest of the game but otherwise OK. The pundits are saying that the gymnast was treated on the spinal board purely as a precaution and Rory, being Rory, will I'm sure bounce back and be doing something amazing again before we know it.
None of us know what life has in store for us, so why do we waste time worrying about it?
Let's use what talents we have, grab our lives by the scruff of the neck and LIVE!
Always try to live in the moment..... make the most of now and enjoy each and every minute of your life.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
DON'T YOU JUST HATE IT WHEN......?
Now there's a question....... and one with so many possible answers!
The one that inspired this post was, "when the doorbell rings when you are in the shower".
Actually I was just getting dry and a quick peek out the window showed me it was the postman, so I grabbed my dressing gown and ran downstairs. By then he was already at the end of the drive - (a full 5 yards away!) having put his "too big for your letterbox" card through the door. He must have filled that in before ever getting to the door I reckon. Anyway, he trudged back when I called him and gave me the envelope.
I was glad I'd made the effort when I saw what it was, some material from Steve Chandler's excellent Club Fearless. Steve is an American coach who regularly sends out loads of really inspiring material. Today's package contained his new book. It also drew me to check his website where I saw this quote from Bernard Baruch:
"One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody everything, every night before you go to bed"
So simple, yet it really struck a chord with me.
I see so many people both as a GP and as a coach who struggle with vast amounts of "baggage". They worry endlessly about stuff from their past, stuff they have absolutely no control over.
There was also another great quote on the site, from the same author,
"Our only freedom is the freedom to discipline ourselves".
How very true. Why waste time and energy on stuff we can't influence when all the time the answer to the change we are seeking is to make that change within ourself.
As Ghandi once said,
"Be the change you want to see in the world".
The downside was that the post also contained a huge bill from my accountant....... but hey, I guess you can't have everything, at least not all in one day!
The one that inspired this post was, "when the doorbell rings when you are in the shower".
Actually I was just getting dry and a quick peek out the window showed me it was the postman, so I grabbed my dressing gown and ran downstairs. By then he was already at the end of the drive - (a full 5 yards away!) having put his "too big for your letterbox" card through the door. He must have filled that in before ever getting to the door I reckon. Anyway, he trudged back when I called him and gave me the envelope.
I was glad I'd made the effort when I saw what it was, some material from Steve Chandler's excellent Club Fearless. Steve is an American coach who regularly sends out loads of really inspiring material. Today's package contained his new book. It also drew me to check his website where I saw this quote from Bernard Baruch:
"One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody everything, every night before you go to bed"
So simple, yet it really struck a chord with me.
I see so many people both as a GP and as a coach who struggle with vast amounts of "baggage". They worry endlessly about stuff from their past, stuff they have absolutely no control over.
There was also another great quote on the site, from the same author,
"Our only freedom is the freedom to discipline ourselves".
How very true. Why waste time and energy on stuff we can't influence when all the time the answer to the change we are seeking is to make that change within ourself.
As Ghandi once said,
"Be the change you want to see in the world".
The downside was that the post also contained a huge bill from my accountant....... but hey, I guess you can't have everything, at least not all in one day!
Sunday, 4 October 2009
28 MILES.....AND PANTING!
Yesterday saw me do my first ever ultramarathon run (that's any distance longer than a marathon, 26.2 miles).
OK it was in training so only my trusty Garmin watch and I witnessed this (for me) momentous event.... but I did it and ran all the way.
It's been a good week on the running front as I also broke my personal best for 5 miles and got accepted for next year's London Marathon - excellent!
Work has also been really busy this week. The flu jabs have arrived, just the normal ones so far, not the swine flu ones, so were are busy giving these alongside doing all the normal stuff. The new partner interviews have led to us short-listing three candidates for round two. I'm sure that the fact that everyone looked so young has more to do with my advancing years than reality, after all, I was about the same age as most of them when I joined the practice back in 1994..... quite a sobering thought really.
It's been an interesting week on the coaching front too with telephone sessions and workshop preparation to keep me busy. Tomorrow morning I'm off to a networking meeting at a nearby hotel. I enjoy things like that, you never know who you are going to run into.
It's three weeks today until I'm due to run the Greensand marathon in Surrey. I haven't done a marathon since London in 2005 and have never done an off-road one. This one is also seriously hilly and run entirely on footpaths and bridleways. There is a real possibility of coming last too I reckon. This doesn't bother me, but the idea of being so slow that it's almost dark as I stagger back the last few miles does...... I think I'll slip a little torch into my pouch just in case. The clocks go back that day so there is an hour less daylight than usual.
Still, if that's all I've got to worry about, I must be pretty lucky. When you look at all the dreadful things that have happened in south east Asia this week - tsunamis, earthquakes etc. We must never forget that we are the lucky ones and always make sure we use every minute given to us to the best of our ability.
Right, I'm off now to watch X Factor - a sad but true confession.
Is it just me or aren't the best six acts ALL in the over 25 category and didn't you just know that Simon Cowell was going to get to mentor them? The only group that is even a quarter decent is the one made up of the three solo girls. And of course everyone has the obligatory story of bereavement, disappointment, being one of 14 children or of having struggled on the club circuit for ever..... but sometimes it's nice to switch off your brain and just watch something. Believe me, yesterday, after running 28 miles, was definitely one of those times!
OK it was in training so only my trusty Garmin watch and I witnessed this (for me) momentous event.... but I did it and ran all the way.
It's been a good week on the running front as I also broke my personal best for 5 miles and got accepted for next year's London Marathon - excellent!
Work has also been really busy this week. The flu jabs have arrived, just the normal ones so far, not the swine flu ones, so were are busy giving these alongside doing all the normal stuff. The new partner interviews have led to us short-listing three candidates for round two. I'm sure that the fact that everyone looked so young has more to do with my advancing years than reality, after all, I was about the same age as most of them when I joined the practice back in 1994..... quite a sobering thought really.
It's been an interesting week on the coaching front too with telephone sessions and workshop preparation to keep me busy. Tomorrow morning I'm off to a networking meeting at a nearby hotel. I enjoy things like that, you never know who you are going to run into.
It's three weeks today until I'm due to run the Greensand marathon in Surrey. I haven't done a marathon since London in 2005 and have never done an off-road one. This one is also seriously hilly and run entirely on footpaths and bridleways. There is a real possibility of coming last too I reckon. This doesn't bother me, but the idea of being so slow that it's almost dark as I stagger back the last few miles does...... I think I'll slip a little torch into my pouch just in case. The clocks go back that day so there is an hour less daylight than usual.
Still, if that's all I've got to worry about, I must be pretty lucky. When you look at all the dreadful things that have happened in south east Asia this week - tsunamis, earthquakes etc. We must never forget that we are the lucky ones and always make sure we use every minute given to us to the best of our ability.
Right, I'm off now to watch X Factor - a sad but true confession.
Is it just me or aren't the best six acts ALL in the over 25 category and didn't you just know that Simon Cowell was going to get to mentor them? The only group that is even a quarter decent is the one made up of the three solo girls. And of course everyone has the obligatory story of bereavement, disappointment, being one of 14 children or of having struggled on the club circuit for ever..... but sometimes it's nice to switch off your brain and just watch something. Believe me, yesterday, after running 28 miles, was definitely one of those times!
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