What's new?
Not a whole lot to be perfectly honest.
Let's recap ...
Head of S&C at Eastbourne College since September 2016.
Left Esher Rugby in November because the travel commitments were becoming too much and I didn't have enough time for it, plus a small increase of hours at the college.
Still coaching classes at Underground Gym and also several clients.
Training wise ... see my other blog because there's too much to share twice.
"Broadening my horizons"
I've been trying to be more proactive lately in seeking out new information. I made a goal at New Year to read/audible one book per month and I have stuck to that.
I have also been trying to just get more information about different things that can help benefit what I do; including training, diet, supplementation, recovery methods etc etc.
A few things that I've really been tying to implement are:
1) Positivity.
I'm trying to spend less time stressed, angry and negative and put an upbeat message into everything I do. I really hate when people turn everything negative, but I found myself doing it so often that it made me annoyed.
I listened to a podcast by Barbell Shrugged, or "The Shrugged Collective" as it's now called, with Ryan Fischer of CrossFit Chalk. He spoke about getting buy in from clients and how to make them feel part of it; things as simple as a high five at the end of the session, or just listening to the small things they say rather than blanking it out and waiting for the end of the session.
This hit home to me a lot and is something that I have taken on board as a big work on.
2) Self trial.
Talking about trying new things for training, diet, recovery etc I have taken it upon myself to give things a go.
I'm not at a point now where I am training hard for a high level competition, so there is little risk to me playing around with different stimulus or stimulants.
Training has changed a fair bit, especially from a year ago. I am doing a bigger mix of stuff and really enjoying some tough conditioning that is challenging physically and mentally. I'm also doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which is a cool change and hard challenge.
I have become an ambassador at The Float Spa in Hove, where I am able to offer a £20 discount off your first float (use code Rob20). This is because I have found floatation tank therapy to be HUGELY beneficial mentally and physically and something that I need to be doing regularly to stay where I need to be.
I have also been taking CBD oil before bed and in the mornings, and created a link with a plant-based supplements company; Raw Sport (20% off with RawSport20), and bought some more Onnit products such as the amazing Alpha Brain. This is a nootropic product designed to stimulate the brain and increase mental efficiency. I fucking love it. Mostly for word recollection and memory focus, it is great but a bit pricey.
The newest thing that I have been adding back in is cannabis. Yep, I said it. Cannabis ... marijuana ... weed ... whatever else you want to call it. So following on from the success of using CBD, having booked a holiday to Amsterdam where I intend to take in "the culture", and reading multiple studies on the benefits of using it I have decided to start using it. I'm a complete NOOB with it to be honest, but I am getting there. I can roll now, and I smoke it without any tobacco because I don't want the nicotine effect (or after-effect of long-term damage), and have had a friend of mine hook me up with a vape pen thing with both a THC free CBD oil extract, and a regular CBD without the THC.
For those that don't know, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive element of cannabis a.k.a. the part that gets you high. So by taking that out you get all the benefits of cannabis; anti-inflammation, improved sleep, cognitive function, immune system health etc etc, without getting high or risking any failed drugs tests etc.
I also listened to a book called "Own the day, own your life" by Aubrey Marcus. Aubrey is the owner of Onnit, and is a big believer in holistic medicine and using exercise, diet and lifestyle to improve your wellbeing.
Albeit some of the information is a little crazy and things that I won't be planning to implement, some of it I will be and have been.
Lemon juice and pink himalayan sea salt in some water in the morning to replace electrolytes lost during sleep, intermittent fasting (16 hours off, 8 hours on), CBD/Cannabis, and just trying to not let things get to me as much.
Also; I'm trying to connect more with the people closest to me. Even if only friends, I don't want things to be lost in the wilderness. It's a real cliche, but I don't want to waste any of my time so every one who I hold close to me I want to know that, and feel appreciated. I want to spend not just time with people, but QUALITY time. This is too easy not to do nowadays with the constant distraction of phones and social media.
I've definitely lived up to the title of Rob's Ramblings on this one guys! Shit!
Overall the message is that things are changing for the better. No more social pressure to do what others feel is right but do my own version, try things out for myself rather than relying on the word of others, embrace those closest to me, and overall live a better life. What more do we have?
