A mini blog for the admirable Melanie Nocher

Dear Ms. Nocher, 

Thanks for having the courage to follow your dreams and represent the country at your sport and well done on joining the elite Olympian club. Few will ever understand the price of membership! 

I hope you see the criticism as evidence that you are doing something admirable and courageous. Seeing your Twitter exchanges made me think of this quote by Teddy Roosevelt. (Please substitute 'man' for 'woman where necessary!) 

To your critics, I have nothing to say. Anyone can use their influence to have digs at others. Anyone can gossip and tell one side to a story.

Don't stop believing!

 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

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From the Couch to Life: The Blog Part 2 - The Prologue

From the Couch to Life: The Blog Part 2 - The Prologue: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... Guess who's back :) Well after the success of my first blog, 0-10K, I've decided to conti...

Why I love TEDx! By Michael Rossney

I have been a raving fan of TED talks since I first downloaded the inspirational podcasts since they became free (online) to the public in 2006.  I heard about them through another performance coach who I met in Australia called Tony Robbins.  Tony spoke at TED in California and is an inspirational chap himself! When I learned that free live and simlucasted TEDx events were coming to Dublin I was delighted!

In 2008 after watching Dave Egger’s TED wish myself and my wife Cara decided to implement some of his ideas and we used them in a youth group we ran which we renamed Generation Text.  We were based in Rialto in Dublin and had dozens of volunteers get the vision and join us to mentor children in cooking, gardening, creative writing and other educational and fun activities.

I was finally able to get hold of tickets and attended a TEDx Tallaght talk facilitated by Tallaght library recently (I also dragged two family members along).  It was inspirational to be a part of the ‘live’ TED community - and being there in person was much more engaging than being a 'spectator' online.

The original culture of TED events are very action focused and almost elitist.  TED speakers such as Bill Clinton or Bono were expected to speak at an incredibly high standard and they queued up to speak at TED because they knew that TED attendees are players on the stage of life, movers and shakers who are passionate about influencing society for the good!

The point is that there is no drifting off asleep during a live TED or TEDx event when you are in the room.  People are excited, engaged and they want to know where you stand on an issue.  There is an assumption that each attendee has an agenda which they are passionate about.  Networking is actively encouraged and even facilitated through the TED wish where attendees chose a speaker to present an idea or ‘wish’ where the community commits to support the winner’s vision. One of the recent TED wish winners was Jamie Oliver with his food revolution vision.

In contrast, as someone who ‘attended’ TED by podcast I can sometimes drift asleep during TED talks or forget to follow up on a great idea that I learn online because I watch podcasts on my phone or computer and generally on my own.

I would like to be a part of making TEDx Tallaght’s culture one where as attendees we are encouraged to engage, take ownership of the events and where there is an expectation that we take and implement the ideas from TED talks whenever possible.

In short, I’d like TEDx Tallaght’s culture to be more like the culture of the original TED events where ideas are spread but they are also followed up on instantaneously, where networking thrives and where community and collaboration are expected.

I’m passionate about TED because it is a place where big thinking and creativity are cherished and nurtured.  TED is a place where passionate, productive and entrepreneurial people flock to share ideas, to fill up with inspiration and for fellowship.

In Ireland, with so much doom and gloom about the economy events and communities like TEDx Tallaght are oases to entrepreneurial types with great vision.  Great ideas need to be nurtured and their fruit should be celeb

rated.  Great entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders should also be nurtured, invested in and celebrated - especially during tough times.
I’d like to be a part of growing this vision for TEDx Tallaght and have a few suggestions below on how I might be a part of that growth.  If you like the idea of making the TEDx Tallaght events a little more interactive and crowd sourced then drop me an email and let's make it happen!

Warm Regards
Michael Rossney
Michael at theenergycoach dot ie
The Energy Coach Consultancy & Training

 

Posted via email from The Energy Coach Blog

Why I love TEDx! By Michael Rossney

I have been a raving fan of TED talks since I first downloaded the inspirational podcasts since they became free (online) to the public in 2006.  I heard about them through another performance coach who I met in Australia called Tony Robbins.  Tony spoke at TED in California and is an inspirational chap himself! When I learned that free live and simlucasted TEDx events were coming to Dublin I was delighted!

In 2008 after watching Dave Egger’s TED wish myself and my wife Cara decided to implement some of his ideas and we used them in a youth group we ran which we renamed Generation Text.  We were based in Rialto in Dublin and had dozens of volunteers get the vision and join us to mentor children in cooking, gardening, creative writing and other educational and fun activities.

I was finally able to get hold of tickets and attended a TEDx Tallaght talk facilitated by Tallaght library recently (I also dragged two family members along).  It was inspirational to be a part of the ‘live’ TED community - and being there in person was much more engaging than being a 'spectator' online.

The original culture of TED events are very action focused and almost elitist.  TED speakers such as Bill Clinton or Bono were expected to speak at an incredibly high standard and they queued up to speak at TED because they knew that TED attendees are players on the stage of life, movers and shakers who are passionate about influencing society for the good!

The point is that there is no drifting off asleep during a live TED or TEDx event when you are in the room.  People are excited, engaged and they want to know where you stand on an issue.  There is an assumption that each attendee has an agenda which they are passionate about.  Networking is actively encouraged and even facilitated through the TED wish where attendees chose a speaker to present an idea or ‘wish’ where the community commits to support the winner’s vision. One of the recent TED wish winners was Jamie Oliver with his food revolution vision.

In contrast, as someone who ‘attended’ TED by podcast I can sometimes drift asleep during TED talks or forget to follow up on a great idea that I learn online because I watch podcasts on my phone or computer and generally on my own.

I would like to be a part of making TEDx Tallaght’s culture one where as attendees we are encouraged to engage, take ownership of the events and where there is an expectation that we take and implement the ideas from TED talks whenever possible.

In short, I’d like TEDx Tallaght’s culture to be more like the culture of the original TED events where ideas are spread but they are also followed up on instantaneously, where networking thrives and where community and collaboration are expected.

I’m passionate about TED because it is a place where big thinking and creativity are cherished and nurtured.  TED is a place where passionate, productive and entrepreneurial people flock to share ideas, to fill up with inspiration and for fellowship.

In Ireland, with so much doom and gloom about the economy events and communities like TEDx Tallaght are oases to entrepreneurial types with great vision.  Great ideas need to be nurtured and their fruit should be celeb

rated.  Great entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders should also be nurtured, invested in and celebrated - especially during tough times.
I’d like to be a part of growing this vision for TEDx Tallaght and have a few suggestions below on how I might be a part of that growth.  If you like the idea of making the TEDx Tallaght events a little more interactive and crowd sourced then drop me an email and let's make it happen!

Warm Regards
Michael Rossney
Michael at theenergycoach dot ie
The Energy Coach Consultancy & Training

 

Posted via email from The Energy Coach Blog

Achill Blog 2: How to avoid last minute mistakes and use low intensity exercise to recover..

At this point in your training you may be recovering from an injury or ‘niggle’ or perhaps you have left it a bit late in the day to finish your ideal training for the Achill 1/2 Marathon on 7th July. Either way, don’t panic, here are a few options to help you to build up your fitness (and your confidence in your fitness) without overtraining.

Now is the time to treat your body gently. You probably still have a long run or two to squeeze in which is all the more reason to take great care of yourself through nutrition, massage, physiotherapy and/or active recovery which we are going to focus on today.

 

The big mistake to avoid at this stage:

The biggest mistake I see people make when it comes to training before an event is to succumb to fear that they aren’t prepared enough. I’ve see too many people to try to overcompensate at the last minute by doing huge runs. The danger is that you end up burned out or injured before the event even starts.

(Above: Fresh fruit and veg to pre-hydrate in a natural, nutritious way!)

In the final weeks before a race very few people feel like they’ve prepared enough. That is natural so don’t worry and let’s focus on what you can do! With three weeks to go then you can probably get two to a three long runs in before the event (assuming you are a runner/jogger of course!) I would personally, in an ideal world, take a full week of rest from running before a half marathon so I’d suggest doing your last run no later than Friday 29th June or Saturday 1st July. If you feel pain in the joints during the last long run then note it and get treatment if necessary but don’t keep running on it. What can I do with less than three weeks to go before the Achill 1/2 Marathon?  

 

3 low impact, low intensity forms of exercise

You can still build up your base levels of fitness around your long runs by engaging in low impact, low intensity training. This flushes out lactic acid from your muscles, strengthens the heart and prepares the body for a long day on 7th. Lactic acid is is a byproduct of exercising at a high intensity and it causes pain in the muscles. Lactic acid can be flushed out of the system by cooling down and eating healthily post exercise. 

I sugggest any of these activities as a form of ‘active recovery’ to loosen out the muscles, flush out lactic acid and improve your confidence in your fitness on days between your long runs.

• Walking a long distance at a slow pace (wearing appropriate footwear). This can loosen out the muscles, build your base level of fitness and at the same time build your confidence that you can cover the half marathon distance.

• Walking lengths (or widths if more practical) of your swimming pool helps improve fitness. It sounds easy but it is quite tiring. If you choose this option then make sureyou are hydrating properly before and afterwards.
  
• Cycling is a wonderful way to improve your run. It is low impact, it can activate the hamstrings (especially when using bike shoes) and if you don’t let yourself get out of breath then it burns stored fat and flushes out the lactic acid created from a hard run.

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How Jenny lost three stone in less than three months by changing her 'story' about herself and food..

(Training period - October 1st 2011 to December 28th 2011) 

“As a mother of seven kids I didn’t think I had time to think of myself.  My self image was at rock bottom and I treated myself like a dust-bin.  I felt guilty constantly.  I felt like an onlooker in my own life.  After years and years of yo-yo dieting I had achieved my target weight 3 times but then life kicked in and I would put the weight back on again.  I knew I could lose weight but I hesitated because I though I would end up putting it back on again because that is what I always did.  I kept thinking that if I lost the weight again - it would be like a house of cards that would inevitably fall down.

 

Everyone has their own personal inner pain and brokenness.  But for overweight people their brokenness is on display.  They have to wear the evidence of it like a shameful sign around their necks.  Many people hide their problems with anger or substance abuse but overweight people walk around with theirs on display all day long like a sign around their necks that says ‘I’m broken and I’m not worth it.’

 

During my mentoring with The Energy Coach I shared my story about food and self image for the fist time.  It was like I confessed everything! Seeing it on paper helped - I had never really seen it in the light of day.  I got annoyed about my old story about why I couldn’t lose weight.  I knew that I had to surrender now or keep going with the same behavior so I said ‘STOP!  I’ve had enough of this!’  The process of telling my story out loud made me feel that I am in control of my own destiny, more empowered. 

 

I changed the metaphors I had used to describe my life.  I felt that I had been treating my body like a bin.  I decided to ask ‘How would I treat myself if I felt like a princess!’  I decided  to focus on that fact that I am focusing on the real root causes of my weight issues.  Therefore this time I am building a house of bricks rather than a house of cards.

 

For the first time I really looked at the roots of my unhealthy eating.  I found out why I used food as a crutch.  I looked at my self image - Why I was doing that to myself?  Why was I feeling so disempowered?  

 

I was by no means starving during the three months I lost 42 pounds.  I ate lots of live healthy foods but I wasn’t perfect!  I did a couple of days drinking smoothies only when my weight loss slowed down because I wanted to hit my target quickly.  I didn’t stick to a specific regime/program.

During the hard moments I had to remember that I was worth it.  At times I didn’t feel like continuing.  People expected me to eat unhealthy foods and sometimes dropped in junk food as a gift which was tempting.  I remembered that feeding an emotion wasn’t going to heal the emotion - that helped me to avoid eating some donuts - that was a real breakthrough moment for me.  To get through a few tough times I thought about what cost would it have on my daughter if I treat myself disrespectfully again - she looks up to me and kids copy what they see! 

 

I recommend working with Michael & The Energy Coach because it was a safe place for me to tell my story.  He understood what it was like because he has been through the process himself.  He helped me to focus on the roots of the problem rather than just telling me what I need to do.  I felt that I had someone rooting for me.  The process was empowering.  It gave me the courage to go forward and the levels of follow up and accountability were exceptional.  It has helped my relationships and feeling more confident has helped me to go back to learning and focus on my career for the first time in years.”

 

Jenny, 

Dublin.

(Name changed to protect Jenny's privacy)

MarathonFlyer.pdf Download this file

 

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How do I give myself treats and rewards as I lose weight? How do I do it without feeling like I'm hanging on by my finger-nails?

Many people’s ‘reward’ themselves at the end of a hard day by self harming.  A cigarette, too much alcohol, a chocolate binge or a combination of all three.  This may emotionally feel rewarding momentarily but it is not rewarding your body - it is abusing yourself.  Like all addictive behavior’s the after effects mentally and emotionally are probably more destructive than the actual 'acting out'.

(5 ideas for healthy rewards at the bottom of the page)

[[posterous-content:pid___0]](Above - lunch in Cornucopia today - my treat for updating The Energy Coach Website and hitting my target weight before Ironman in 2.5 weeks)

 

Learning to treat yourself with dignity and respect takes time.  In my opinion regaining ones self-respect is the most fulfilling, dignifying and rewarding part of the weight loss process.  For both men and women, feeling like you are worth it and treating yourself accordingly, feeling worthy of respect and treating yourself according is an infinitely more enjoyable outcome than just being three stone lighter.

 

When people are trapped in addiction they feel like there is nowhere to go.  That they are ‘damned if they quit and damned if they don’t.’  One of our objectives in my Mentoring Groups is to  to establish a new way of thinking which is polar opposite to ‘damned if you quit and damned if you don’t.’  Our objective is that you feel that this process, the results, the speed of results, the steps themselves all feel; ‘too good to be true.’

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(Above: Today's lunch which was a green juice, raw cold soup which sounds awful but tastes fantastic, salad, fruit salad, veggie pate with crackers. Total €11.95)

 

The key to sustainability is in finding ways to enjoy the new journey so that you wouldn’t dream of going back to your old behaviors.  We do this by ensuring the new way of living is fun.  What you initially anticipate as a painful activity (like exercise) may end up becoming the highlight of your day.  Beginners who start running but don’t know what they are doing can suffer initially (especially if they don’t have a mentor) but they cross the ‘pain barrier’ eventually.  One day they go out for their monotonous run and they get a ‘runner’s high’ and their mindset shifts forever - they love running!

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If I’m totally honest I’m still learning healthy ways to reward myself. Let me know if you have some great ideas yourself!

5 things I use as a healthy reward are: 

• Time to chill out in the sauna and do some stretchs
• Expensive organic delicious herbal teas. We go to Les Palais Des Thes on Wicklow St and it is fantastic.
• A gorgeous meal in Cornucopia vegetarian restarurant which is also on Wicklow St
• Massage
• Damage control: If I'm desperately craving chocolate then I buy high quality dark chocolate like Butlers (Guess where there is a store?  -Wicklow St conveniently enough!). I find that I don't want to eat as much dark chocolate and it is a lot lower in sugar and dairy than milk chocolate.

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