Category

Fitness

Category
Deadlift Your Anger

I love performing a deadlift. I hate my anger. But sometimes you have got to do deal with what you hate. That doesn’t mean you cant deal with it like you would with something you enjoy.

Approach the bar. Assess the weight you are about to lift up. Are you ready to take it on? Step up to the bar. Get a good strong grip on the bar. Keep your back straight, lock in your feet. Breathe. Concentrate. Lift. Back straight. Keep the bar there.  As soon as you have locked out the lift, drop it and step back.

Approach the situation. Assess the problem you need to tackle. Are you ready to take it on? Step up to the situation. Get a good strong and clear assessment of the situation. Keep your head straight and lock in your focus, Breathe. Concentrate. Stay focussed. Deal with the situation. As soon as you have, let it go and walk away.

Sometimes you don’t only lift once and sometimes you fail.

Sometimes you can’t just tackle a situation just once. Sometimes you fail at dealing with it.

The important lessons I have learnt is not to be too quick at being angry. To learn from lessons when you have failed and when you have succeeded at dealing with it. It’s easy to lift the weight that we are comfortable. We will never get better if we don’t get uncomfortable with being comfortable.

How Rugby Changed My Life

rugby changed my life

I remember my first attempt at rugby was at the age of 12 in 1993.

Not having much knowledge of the game, I sprinted down the field and threw the ball down in a mock American Football style. The shrill whistle and the unamused looks of the coach and my classmates made me understand that that was not what I should have done. A few tips/lessons later I was hooked and carried on playing for another 7 years.

So what do I mean when I say rugby changed my life? Well here are 3 reasons how:

1. Teamwork

I am probably going to get a lot of grief for this, but rugby is probably one of the few team sports where all the players involved are needed 90% of the time to score a try (a try being equal to scoring a goal in football).

If you are unfamiliar with rugby then check out the video below:

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Because in rugby the only way to pass a ball is backwards you have to trust the person behind you to be there to catch it.

It also thought me that sometimes you have to look back to get ahead.

2. Fitness

Being an Asian teenager in the 90’s didn’t bring in a high importance to fitness. Fact is that empty lots and public parks proved to be our gym of mischief. While a bike and an empty road gave us all the cardiovascular exercise we needed. Nowadays the story is much different. In fact at my gym (InnerFight) they even have a special rugby programme – how things have changed.

I loved sports in general. In school I would try out for everything. But playing rugby made the sphere of fitness more acute. You could be fast or you could be big but being both was a deadly combination in rugby.

Playing the game and during the dormant years, I appreciated the positive impact a sport can have on your body and on your mind. This brings me nicely to my next point, mental fitness.

3. Mental strength

The more the game got physical the stronger you had to be mentally. Tackling someone is one thing, however knowing that was going to happen to you sooner or later was a whole other story.

When I first started playing I would avoid getting hit at any cost. But as I got older and tactics became more important, I had to take a hit more often then not. But every time I had to push myself to get back up again and keep taking the hits. I had my share of injuries. It only made me stronger.

This help me understand that sometimes when you get hit you just need to get back up again otherwise you are going to miss all the action.

For those who’ve played the game, you can probably relate.

I still love watching the game and the thrill of how it made me feel back then still keeps creeping back.

I have new goals. I have new aspirations. I also have a new passion. I like to think that what I learnt in those seven years – I will keep taking forward.

Just over a month ago I attended the Smash Life Seminar in Dubai which was hosted by Marcus Smith (founder and owner of Innerfight).

I could not attend the first seminar that was hosted in Dubai but made sure I kept my schedule free for the next one. I have been a fan of the Innerfight brand and of Marcus as well. However as with most seminars that prove to change your life I took it with a pinch of salt – thank god I was proven wrong!

Marcus took us some great steps on how we can “smash life”. The great things was, that his method was based on our personal ability. This in affect allows us to walk away with clear set goals and tools that will and can (something I can attest to) change your life.

I don’t want to give too much away on what is covered but what I can say that attending this will definitely give you a new perspective on life.