The best way to improve gains in LIFE

Recently we posted a blog on 'The best way to improve gains in the gym', which focussed on learning to slow down and think about what you want to achieve in the gym and to focus on your routines and exercise for maximum gains. This blog is going to look at how slowing down can help you make the most out of life!

Are you someone that this is constantly rushing around, gets stressed, misses deadlines, procrastinates, is always late, always on edge. What i say to you is , STOP...just for a second and take a moment to be aware of your surroundings, your state of mind, your thoughts, feelings and what you are currently doing.

Our mind has a tendency to play many tricks on us, these 'cognitive traps' make us believe that things are worse than they actually are and we exaggerate their importance.

To help you slow down try getting up early in the morning, its a great time to see the world, everything seems likes its more calm and you can get a whole lot done. After getting up and completing the bathroom essentials take 15 minutes to do some relaxation, focus on your breathing and where you are in your mind state at that time. I know what you are thinking 'who has time for that!' trust me when i say that it has made a difference to my life and to the lives of many others. You should aim to use the morning as a time to effectively plan the day ahead and prepare yourself for the grind of daily life.

Take time when you converse with others, give your undivided attention to whatever task you want to accomplish and spend time on things that you may be struggling with and see how they become manageable. All in all, remember life can sometime seem like a never ending race. Take a moment now to stop, look around, take a deep breath and live in the moment!

 

Let us know what you thought of the article....

As ever if you have any topics you would like us to discuss mention it in the comments section, email us on greatmindsgreatbodies@gmail.com or tweet and follow us on twitter at @gmindgbodies.

The best way to improve gains in the gym!

The Focus of this piece isn't some magic remedy that you can take to get the perfect physique or life, it's something that you currently have but  would be a great deal better at doing more of......i  have 2 words for you SLOW DOWN.

First relating to fitness and health, taking the time to focus on what you want to actually achieve in terms of physique....do you want to get lean, bulk up, get healthier, train for a specific competition....thinking about this before you train will help you tailor your training and give you something to set your mind on and you'll be able to see gains. SLOW DOWN and take time before you have a session to set what you  want to achieve, you'll save time and not waste needless energy on exercises that won't help you towards your aim.

Slowing down when actually doing the exercise is also really important, focus on the muscle part your trying to work on, slow controlled reps with steady, controlled and intentional breathing makes all the difference. This may seem more difficult at first but in time you'll learn to control your movements and see infinite gains!

Everyone is on a strict timescale with the amount of jobs and tasks to do outside the gym seeming to never end. However, don't let this effect your time in the gym, if you rush around too much when in the gym you tend to ignore all the positive things that could benefit you. The gym itself is like a community with like minded individuals that you can get tips from or give tips to and getting to know other enthusiast will make you want to go to the gym on the days where motivation is lacking. Take time with your work out and actively see how you improve week on week and how you can challenge yourself in the gym and how it translates to how you deal with things outside the gym.

What do you feel is the most important way to improve gains in the gym?

As ever if you have any topics you would like us to discuss mention it in the comments section, email us on greatmindsgreatbodies@gmail.com or tweet and follow us on twitter at @gmindgbodies.

Family Fundraiser for GAZA - 03/08/2014

When we think of ‘great minds, great bodies’, sudden thoughts on this statement encompass intellect, aesthetics and performance. Needless to say, after volunteering at the Gaza charity event at ESSA Academy (Bolton, UK) this past weekend, ‘great minds, great bodies’ can be used as an umbrella term for passion, love, hope, optimism and most importantly UNITY. 

With the dire situation in Gaza (Palestine) being as such, lessons can be learnt from the affected individuals and families; that being when hardship rains, the crops of patience, faith and positivity flourish. With a fraction of these characteristics being extracted from the people of Gaza, hundreds of thousands have united for one set purpose: to eradicate oppression. One of the means of doing so has been through raising money to aid the people of Gaza; which was undertaken by 3 great individuals on the 3^rd August 2014. 

At this family fundraiser, we had the humble opportunity of witnessing joys of unwavering love for the cause as seen through multiple stalls, barbeques, raffles, speeches and a rounder’s tournament with proceedings going all to Gaza.  Money was flooding the donation buckets, as those who attended resembled a water fountain; providing a continuous stream of notes and coins. It was safe to say, each individual really did contribute towards a more promising outcome in Palestine. One of the many highlights of the day came when Ashlieigh Shaw (a fantastic public speaker with a complimentary character) passionately spoke about  how we can collectively make a real difference to aiding the people of Gaza through simply, UNITING! Humanity is as such, that it replicates a single brick wall. When one brick is loose, this allows for weakness to form and eventually the wall will collapse. Consequently, in order to receive divine blessing and favour, we need to give so that we may receive. Standing united through boycotts, protests, charity events and even more significantly prayer, the perseverance will form the scaffold and eventually cement to firmly establish back in place that solid brick wall of humanity. 

A famous quote goes as follows: ‘the day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace’. Along with all the other efforts held globally, this charity event paved another footprint to making this statement a true reality. Palestine WILL be free and peace WILL prevail.

Great Minds Great Bodies