Time

Effective time management is critical for you to achieve your health goals. Avoid creating the opportunity to bail on your workouts, by scheduling every session into your diary. In ink!

Money

With the global economic situation, your health and fitness has never been more important. This is because people who are fit and healthy can deal with stress more effectively than their overweight and unhealthy counterparts. Plus, being healthy and fit means you are more productive, and therefore, less likely to be a candidate for termination if it comes down to you and the unfit colleague next to you.

Energy

During winter it's commonplace to feel sluggish and to instinctively want to stay snuggled up rather than battle the elements to get to the club. To help you crawl out from under the covers, remind yourself that energy creates more energy, so by getting to the club and doing your workout, you're actually going to beat the cold, prepare your body to help battle the winter lurgies, and even if you don't feel full of beans on the way to your workout, you will by the time you leave!

Exercising with others

Social support from your friends and family will help you achieve your health and fitness goals. It is also a well-known fact that exercising with others keeps you motivated and on the fast track to achieving results and setting new goals. And the fact is, for many of us, time is precious and sometimes the things we need to do can get in the way of spending time with our family. So why not have it all?

Right now, with Fitness First's Family Add On offer you can join up a family member for just $17.95* per week. Which means you can keep your health on track, achieve your goals faster AND improve the health of those you love.

Phone 1300 55 77 99 or visit reception at your local club for full details

"*$85 administration/joining fee payable at the time of joining. Total membership fee payable on a 12-month contract is $1,018.40. $2 per week extra is payable on Platinum club membership. Family Add On must be an immediate family member who lives in the same house as the member. Family member must join using the same direct debit bank account as the member. Family Add On can only be added to a family member who has a full Fitness First membership. Not valid with other offers. Membership subject to Fitness First Terms and Conditions, available in club. Offer expires 31 August 2009.

Over the last couple of weeks I've found that my motivation has completely dropped off the face of the earth and managed to go and bury itself on a far off planet on another solar system! My energy, determination and focus have been completely out of whack! This, in turn, has meant that my eating hasn't been as diligent as normal, my exercise regime has slacked off, my water intake has been minimal and I keep putting off my personal development for other "stuff" (shock horror – a personal trainer actually admitting such a thing out loud!).

You may be asking why I am sharing this with you. Why – it's because it's that time of year! I'm feeling it and I know so many of you are as well. It really is that time of year; we're almost halfway through 2009! Everyone has been so caught up in things and going full pelt we're starting to get run down (physically and mentally), it's getting a lot colder and people around us are starting to get sick. It's now so much harder to get out of bed early in the morning, it's harder to commit to our exercise regimes, and eating healthy gets more and more difficult with all those yummy hot foods around us continually tempting to warm us up.

We've all been unmotivated and off-track before. In some cases even when you know you're in that place, it still feels way too hard to get out of that ‘rut'. It's not that you don't want to be healthier / fitter / skinnier / motivated again (or insert your own reason); it's just that you can't be bothered. No matter what you tell yourself "I should be going for a jog now" or "I shouldn't be eating this sausage roll" – at times, that little voice in your head just doesn't have that impact it used to.

So this article is designed to give you a shake up and help you break that cycle of resistance, so you can get back on track and firing on all cylinders (and working towards achieving those fabulous goals!)

Take time out to ask questions

The first step to breaking the cycle of demotivation can sometimes be as easy as locking yourself away from the world for an hour or two (that means no phones, no email, no kids and no interruptions) and ask yourself "why am I feeling like this?" In our crazy lifestyles we tend to ignore what's going on and refuse to take time out for ourselves. In most cases rather than asking ourselves what's going on we beat ourselves up and tell ourselves things like "I'll be right", "I'll get through it", or "don't be weak" or my favourite "ignore it and it'll go away".

But more often than not, those things just don't cut it. Thankfully our bodies are extremely clever machines and if you don't make time for yourself – it will make time for you. You'll get sick, you'll be tired, you'll get an injury, and you'll feel exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally. Something will happen that will force you to slow down and look after yourself.

So, rather than letting things get to that stage, make time for you now and don't let yourself feel guilty about it! Note: for those who feel guilty about giving themselves time, think of it this way. If you make time to figure out why you're feeling unmotivated and unfocused it means you'll be so much more efficient when you've figured it out and get back on track. And I know that you're loved ones and friends will appreciate the motivated and happy you, rather than the unmotivated, unproductive and sulky one!)

So sit down and ask yourself these questions:

• Are you tired?
• Has something triggered you to be upset?
• Are you overworking?
• Are you stressed about something?
• Is your diet on track (if you're not eating right you'll feel lethargic and tired)
• Are you drinking enough water?
• Are you overtraining?
• Is your family life in balance?

Take some time out to just chill out and figure out where you are at and what's going on. Quite often we actually know what's going on, but we have so much else going on we keep ignoring and putting off how we feel which in the long run makes things much worse!

The snowball effect

If you've been honest with yourself and asked yourself those questions above (and I mean given it a really good go – not just spending five minutes at your desk until the phone rings and then not go back to it) and you still feel unmotivated then here's what you can do.

Stop thinking about it and DO SOMETHING!

Don't think about it, don't plan it, don't over analyse it. Just do it now! Do 20 squats right now (I don't care if you're in the office – who cares if you look silly?) Go for a 10 minute walk (consider it your smoke break); go and grab a glass of water (rather than that chocolate bar); look on the internet for some healthy soup recipes; call up a friend and commit to going to the gym together tonight; confirm you're going to a group exercise class; book in those things that you keep putting off (dentist, hairdresser, massage); book in for a coaching session to get excited about your goals; call your partner and book in a healthy dinner tonight. I don't care what it is, or how small it is, just MAKE IT HAPPEN!

The bottom line is, it's all about the snowball effect. Once you get started, momentum creeps up and you and takes over. Then, before you know it things just keep happening and you're on a roll. Why am I being so intense about you doing something right now? Because here's the cool thing; once you do one thing you'll feel better and you'll get a spark of motivation. And here is the even better thing. Once you start doing it, it's so much easier to keep going.

Tell yourself you're only going to go for a five minute walk and there is a good chance that you can convenience yourself to stay out for 10! It really doesn't have to be complicated. If you've eaten really badly today it doesn't mean that you can throw in the towel and start again tomorrow. No – go and grab an apple right now! Go for a small walk. It won't reverse the damage but it'll help your mindset (rather than wallowing in your own guilt!).

So get out there and do something – RIGHT NOW!

For the record, this doesn't mean that you have to apply an "all or nothing" mentality to finding your motivation. In the past, particularly before I was a personal trainer, I would kid myself and think that I had to be "motivated and positive" all the time.

But guess what? It doesn't just happen!

There is no magic switch that will "flip" on if you go for a five minute walk and then BANG it'll make you an exercise junkie who only wants to eat lettuce leaves for the rest of your life. There are always going to be these times when you're feeling unmotivated and unfocused, and that's ok! When it happens, simply check in with yourself.

Are you being lazy? Are you letting yourself getting away with it or do you really need the break? Determining the true answers to these sorts of questions is exactly why it's so important to take time out and ask yourself what's going on, right now.

I started out this article saying how unmotivated and off track I had been recently. So here's my list of things that I've put into action, to help myself get out of my own rut. I hope that you can take something from this, and the best part is that by sharing it, I am now accountable to you:

• I started to plan my meals again (rather than getting home at 9pm and eating anything and everything in site because I was starving and it was too late to cook anything).
• I got Glen involved in the process. I told him what I needed and asked him to help me out (and he's a great cook so it's a bonus!).
• Sharing with people what I need help with, where I'm falling down so that I'm accountable.
• Increasing my water intake (seriously – this stuff is gold! It increases your concentration, which in turn helps with motivation and energy levels). Why not grab a glass now!
• I booked in a meeting with my business mentor and setup new goals that are exciting.
• I've booked in to go to a networking /presentation breakfast next week to get out of the office and meet some new people.
• I cleaned my workspace. This sounds really silly, but with a clean workspace, I have a less cluttered mind. I do believe that your workspace and living areas are a reflection of where you are at mentally (and my desk was a mess while I felt unmotivated!).
• I've found myself a new Personal Trainer to increase my own training and challenge me to achieve new things.

Feeling unmotivated and unfocused happens to everyone! The trick to overcoming it is to get out there and DO SOMETHING, no matter how small it is. Remember: don't wait for it to happen - MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Article by Amanda Rattay
Amanda is the Founder of' We Can Lose A Million' and AR1 Fitness Training. Having struggled with weight loss herself, she is extremely motivated to help Australia tackle the obesity epidemic, which is why she has created ‘We Can Lose A Million'. To find out more or to contact Amanda, visit www.wecanloseamillion.com

On 21 July, Fitness First unveiled its 91st club, making your favourite health club even stronger! Fitness First Five Dock (49 Queens Road Five Dock NSW 2046) officially opened its doors at 6am on 21 July making this the newest club in the 550+ worldwide.

Offering all the group exercise classes, services and facilities you know and love, if you have a Passport membership, there’s now one more venue that you can enjoy. Or, if you’re considering upgrading to a Passport membership, there’s now one more reason to do so!

To view the new Club Timetable and facilities for Fitness First Five Dock visit www.fitnessfirst.com.au

Prawn and Pumpkin Laksa

Ingredients

1 bunch coriander with roots

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 green onions, finely chopped

100g bottled laksa paste

270ml can reduced-fat

Coconut milk

500g pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2cm cubes

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 lime, juiced

200g dry rice stick noodles

20 medium green prawns, peeled, deveined

2 small red chillies, thinly sliced, to serve (optional)

lime wedges, to serve

Method

Wash coriander. Cut roots, including 2cm of stalk, from coriander and finely chop. Remove leaves, place in a bowl, cover and chill until required. Heat oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and coriander root. Cook for one-minute. Stir in laksa paste. Cook for one to two minutes or until fragrant. Add coconut milk and 4½ cups water. Bring to the boil. Add pumpkin. Return to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Stir in sugar and limejuice. Meanwhile, place noodles into a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and stand for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain. Divide noodles among 4 bowls. Add prawns to soup. Cook for three to four minutes or until cooked through. Ladle soup over noodles. Top with coriander leaves and chilli. Serve with lime. Serves 4.

Nutritional breakdown per serve

Energy: 2,310kJ / 550 calories

Protein: 35g

Total fat: 12g

Saturated fat: 6g

Carbohydrates: 80g

Sugars: 17g

Fibre: 6g

Sodium: 10601mg

Iron: 1.5mg

Calcium: 170mg

CHILLI PENNE WITH BACON, TOMATO AND SPINACH

Dairy free

High protein

Low fat

High fibre

High iron

375g dried wholemeal penne pasta

1 medium brown onion, diced

2 small red chillies, thinly sliced (optional)

100g rindless shortcut bacon rashers, thinly sliced

420g jar cherry tomato and basil pasta sauce

100g baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons shredded fresh oregano leaves

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water according to packet instructions. Drain, then return to saucepan. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, chilli and bacon. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Add pasta sauce and ¹/3 cup water. Cook for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add spinach and sauce to pasta. Toss to combine, then cook until heated through. Serve sprinkled with oregano. Serves 4.

Nutritional breakdown per serve

Energy: 1810kJ/431cal

Protein: 20g

Total fat: 5g

Sat fat: 1g

Carbohydrates: 70g

Sugars: 10g

Fibre: 10g

Sodium: 770mg

Iron: 4.5mg

Calcium: 80mg

Recipes provided by Healthy Food Guide magazine. Available for $4.95 from supermarkets and newsagents nationally.

On my quest (or obsession) to find out what are the key factors in achieving peak performance I am constantly reminded that our thoughts are number one in what I like to call the ‘health hierarchy'. Let's take a look at fear, because fears commonly blocks us from achieving the things we want to do most.

With somewhere in the vicinity of 50,000 thoughts per day we all have a lot going on in our heads. Of theses 50,000 only about 30 per cent are conscious thoughts, while the other 70 per cent are subconscious thoughts. Our subconscious is the internal chitchat that goes on between our ears. We often don't take much notice of these conversations. These thoughts however, have a huge effect on the choices we make. It's the choices we make that determine our actions, and our actions that determine our results.

Time machines don't exist

While events from the past may affect our subconscious thoughts, we often fear what is going to happen in the future.

By living in the present we can better maintain control of our thoughts and fears, so have a systematic approach to what you are trying to achieve and have faith in the process, rather than blindly going through it.

Rule your subconscious

You may work for someone else but only you are the CEO of your thoughts. When fear strikes, take a minute to consider why the fear is present before acting, or even worse, letting the fear win and not acting at all. Remember, without action you can't move forward. This tip requires practice, especially when the pressure is on.

Get lost

Ever wondered why kids seem fearless? Because, they don't fear getting lost (or the unexpected), in fact they look for it. Growing up I used to take off into the bush near my house for the whole day excited about what I may find. As adults, we often fear the unknown consequences. Try leaving the GPS at home, or get off the tourist trail on your next holiday and truly get lost for a while. You will learn not to fear the unknown; you may even find some buried treasure (oops, slipped back into my childhood).

Get a long D4DR

D4DR is the gene responsible for the feeling of pleasure. This gene is provoked by many things, one being adrenaline adventures (i.e., scaring the life out of yourself). Some of us have a longer D4DR gene then others. Try something crazy like bungee jumping or anaconda hunting (whatever scares you most) twice a year to know you can conquer fears. By getting out of your comfort zone not only will you have a great time, you will be able to put day-to-day fears at home or the office in perspective.

Understand and conquer

People fear all sorts of things: failure, success, judgment, rejection, pain and "the unknown". Often these fears stem from a long way back in our lives. Try this four-step process to overcome your fears:

• 1. Identify your fear.
• 2. Find out why you have the fear.
• 3. Think about how your life will change when you conquer the fear.
• 4. Find a step-by-step way to overcome it.

We all have fears whether we admit them or not. While some fear is healthy, don't let your fears rule your life, take control.

By Daniel Carlin
Daniel is the founder of Elevate Performance and Health, which provides performance solutions to forward-thinking people and organisations. Elevate's mission is to give people the tips, tools and strategies to achieve sustained wellbeing and peak performance. Contact Daniel by phoning 02 9130 8464, or visit www.elevateperformance.com.au

Entries are now open for the 2009 Fitness First New You Achievement Awards, recognising the extraordinary health and fitness achievements of our members and staff.

Celebrate your success and inspire us with your story, by entering this year's New You Achievement Awards. You can even win the trip of a lifetime to Tahiti!

You'll select one of the six New You categories that best suits your achievement. Choose from: Shape, Health, Sport, Strength, Seniors and Staff.

Entries are open to all Fitness First staff and members and you can enter online at www.fitnessfirst.com.au/nyaa or pick up an entry form at reception.

Entries close on Friday 18 September, so enter the New You Achievement Awards TODAY!

"It's all in your mind." How often have we all heard those words spoken in a critical fashion? Yet those five little words hold one of the greatest truths in life.

For example, have you ever wanted to achieve something such as finding a partner, earning more money or losing weight – but no matter how hard you tried you couldn't achieve lasting success?

Informational resources abound – bookshops, the internet, workshops and programs all offer ready-made solutions or guides on how to lose weight, be happy, achieve financial freedom and the myriad of ideals that we think will make our lives more fulfilling. We read a book or attend a course, join a gym or go on a diet and get motivated for a short period. But within six months, or even less in most cases, we are back to our old ways again in search of the next new age book, fail-safe diet or mind-opening course.

Other factors such as IQ (intelligence) and EQ (emotional intelligence), parenting, education and socio-demographics (where you grew up) all have a direct relational influence on how successful you'll be in life. Yet, regardless of all these factors there is a prevailing factor that is continually overlooked and is essentially the missing link in achieving your goals. The mind.

The mind does matter

The most important thing when it comes to achieving your goals is your belief and value systems. Beliefs are stored in our subconscious mind and regulate all bodily functions such as breathing, digestion and heart rate, as well as our emotions and memories. Just like your bodily functions, values and beliefs are unconscious programs, similar to a computer program in a hard drive, directing your energy, thoughts, and behaviour in a particular direction.

Many of our beliefs were formed during our childhood, when we weren't consciously aware of the complexities in our environment, so we relied heavily on our parents and other authority figures for guidance and understanding of what was right or wrong. Due to our limited life experience at the time, we may have misinterpreted events and information from our parents or unquestioningly taken on their beliefs – which may not be appropriate or empowering to us in later life. As a result, we developed certain views and beliefs on core themes and relationships in life, such as politics, marriage, religion, health, career, wealth and education; and these were typically based on what our parents and other authority figures demonstrated.

Let's look at an example of how beliefs can affect us. Say you consciously make the decision that you want to make more money and you're really enthusiastic because you just finished a wealth creation workshop so you're feeling pumped. As a result, you're consciously motivated to make more money. At the age of five, however, you observed your parents continually arguing over money and this caused you great pain, so at age five you developed a strong belief and fear that money causes pain. This belief and the circumstances around it are stored in your subconscious as memories, and form your beliefs around money and wealth. As an adult, though you don't consciously remember this event, the memory and belief still remain unaddressed and so, can guide your thoughts and behaviour without you even being aware of it.

After some time applying yourself to create prosperity, you find that things aren't improving, or when you get money you go and spend it all. This creates arguments between you and your partner and you begin to experience a lot of pain. Sound familiar? Yet you can't understand why all your hard work and investments aren't paying off and you begin to lose motivation, enthusiasm and money!

This process is reflected in every relationship in our life (health, wealth, career, family, business) and explains why motivational techniques alone don't work and why so many people procrastinate and are unable to create change and lasting results in their life. While negative beliefs remain within the subconscious, we have to apply vast amounts of energy to overcome them and it slows our rate of progress, limiting our ability to achieve our potential.

As you believe, so you achieve

Beliefs are the hidden key that, once discovered, will unlock your potential and continually drive you towards achieving your desired outcome. Author of Healing without Prozac and Freud, Professor of Psychiatry Dr David Servan-Schreiber, says it simply – "When your actions are in harmony with your values you will pursue your objectives effortlessly and with natural concentration."

All symptoms of pain and stress are signals from our subconscious, like an error message on a computer screen, that we have a belief or program that is not creating the results we want. In computing, we don't keep kicking the computer to change the results – we upgrade the program and remove the virus so the computer does what it is programmed to do. There is a specific process that enables us to remove negative or disempowering beliefs that may be causing pain or stress and replace them with empowering programs that guide our energy and behaviour toward what we want in life. This can involve a qualified self-mastery practitioner who takes you through a step-by-step process to systematically identify the beliefs that are creating roadblocks to your success and replace them with empowering beliefs that bring you into full alignment with your desired outcomes.

The bottom line is, don't ever give up on your dreams of good fortune, good health or a great relationship. You can have and be all you desire – just remember, it really is all in your mind!

By Christian Nor-Arevian
Christian is a Self Mastery Expert and Performance Mentor who specialises in working with clients to break old negative habits and creating positive and empowering beliefs that allow people to start on immediate achievement of their goals. Christian can be contacted via christian@illuminarconsulting.com.au

Save the date and become involved in these awesome upcoming events.

THE GLUTEN FREE EXPO RETURNS TO SYDNEY

21 to 22 August

The Coeliac Society of NSW will host the fifth annual Gluten Free Expo at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park. The two-day Gluten Free Expo is open to the public with free admission showcasing a wide variety of gluten free products and services. While 1 in 100 hundred Australians are recognised to have coeliac disease, an alarming 80 per cent of sufferers are still unaware that they have it! This means that over 200,000 Australians have coeliac disease, but aren't aware of it yet (source: www.coeliacsociety.com.au).

Admission is free. For more information visit www.glutenfreeexpo.com.au

KEEP AUSTRALIA BEAUTIFUL (KAB) WEEK

Starts 24 August

According to Keep Australia Beautiful, Australia's longest serving grassroots environment group, Australians are among the highest producers of waste in the world per capita, with every Australian household throwing away over one tonne of waste each year. Up to 80 per cent of what we discard can instead be reused or recycled, with many items and packaging made out glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, aluminium and steel providing the resources to create new products. Meanwhile, a third of the total waste we throw away is organic (food and green) waste that could have been composted or avoided in the first place. Removing organics from the waste stream could reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by two per cent. If Australians continue producing waste at the rate we are today, then it is estimated that around 70 million tonnes of waste will be generated in a year by the year 2020. To find out how you can get involved and register your support visit the Keep Australia Beautiful website at www.kab.org.au

AUSTRALIANS UNITE AND WALK FOR PARKINSON'S

30 August

This year Australia's Unity Walk for Parkinson's will take place on Sunday 30 August at Sydney Olympic Park and Melbourne's Federation Square simultaneously. The walk supports the 80,000 Australians who have Parkinson's disease, which is the 2nd most common neurological disorder in Australia. The Unity Walk was first established in New York in 1994 with a turnout of only 300 participants. Sydney's inaugural Unity Walk, which took place in August 2008 and spanned 4km around Sydney Olympic Park, attracted in excess of 1,000 participants and raised in excess of $100,000. For registration or more information visit www.unitywalk.com.au or phone Parkinson's NSW on 02 8875 8900 or Parkinson's Victoria on 1800 644 189.

WORLD MOUNTAIN BIKING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009

1 to 6 September

The 2009 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships are being hosted at Stromlo Forrest Park in Canberra from 1 to 6 September. An all-star cast of the top men and women riders from around the world are now gearing up to head down under, including current cross country world champions, Christoph Sauser of Switzerland and Margarita Fullana from Spain. Four-cross champions, Rafeal Alvarez De Lara Lucas of Spain and Melissa Buhl from the United States are both waving the battle flags along with the downhill brother and sister champion duo of Rachel and Gee Atherton from the UK, as well as Australia's own Nathan Mummery in the trials. Other Australian favourites who are also ready to hit the start line include two-time World Champion Sam Hill, Olympian Jared Graves and World Cup Champion Caroline Buchanan. Admission is free from Tuesday to Thursday, but tickets are required for Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions and can be purchased from www.ticketek.com.au

BLACKMORES SYDNEY RUNNING FESTIVAL 2009

20 September 2009

The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival is another annual event attracting participants from all over the country and even internationally. Choose from a 9km Bridge Run, 4km Family Fun Run, Half Marathon (21km) or full marathon (42km) events. Plus, Fitness First members receive a 10 per cent discount on entry. To find out more or for registration online go to www.sydneyrunningfestival.com.au

TAKE YOUR FITNESS OVERSEAS – AND SUPPORT A UNIQUE CAUSE!

12 to 24 March 2010

You're invited to take part in a challenge of a lifetime! Humane Society International is organising a challenge event – a cycle trek from Delhi to Agra in India, to raise funds to rescue and rehabilitate India's dancing bears. For full details go to www.inspiredadventures.com.au/cycleofhope

TRIATHLON PINK

2009 is the year of the chick, with the Ramsay Health Care Triathlon Pink series, Australia's only female-only triathlon series, expanding into Hobart, Caloundra and Adelaide. With events already established in Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Perth, the seven-event series is expected to attract over 7,500 women who will challenge themselves in a fun environment. With distances that are achievable for all ages and fitness levels, Triathlon Pink is all about competing in an event that they never thought possible. More importantly, Triathlon Pink is a major fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. In two years Triathlon Pink has raised over $180,000 for the foundation and this year will see our Pinkies pass the $200,000 mark. For more information including event dates and registration forms visit www.triathlonpink.com.au