Ian Stephens Blog

Great news - I’m not a ‘pogger’ any more! At my weight-in today, I was down 1.1 kilos which brings my total weight shed to 10 kilos (I say ‘weight shed’ instead of ‘weight loss’ because your sub-conscious mind will want to find anything you lose, whereas ’shedding’ suggests something more permanent). Starting weight: 104.7 kilos. Currently 94.7.

However, this result has come with it’s ups and downs. I was down 11 kilos 5 weeks ago, and yet a full- on few weeks, including a trip to Singapore, different foods, and not as much time to exercise, meant I regained 2 kilos.

My Jenny Craig consultant helped me realise the lesson in this. In the past, I would have got frustrated, and given up. My weight regain would have continued and before I knew it, I would be 5 kilos heavier. The challenge is to appreciate you have to live, and there will be times when life’s circumstances see’s you add on a couple of kilos. The key is to notice it, nip it in the butt quickly, and get back on track.

Over the last 2 weeks I have applied the ‘Activities First’ law I talk about in my ‘7 Universal Laws of Sales Success’ book - I have done the key activities which produce results. 360 minutes of exercise every week (you simply have to get huffy puffy to increase you metabolic rate!) and eaten a sensible and well balanced diet. The results; 1.1 kilos back off and feeling on track again.

This experience has also reinforced another universal law referred to by Roger Anthony of Crocodiles Not Waterlilies fame: sometimes it is necessary to REGRESS in order to PROGRESS. I have gone backwards but now I am going forward with more understanding and power.

Stay excited…

Ian (AKA The Un-pogger blogger)

I have recently finished a 1-1 sales coaching project on actual customer interactions. What I noticed is a pattern of bad habits concerning sales people. The result – missed sales, profit and bonus opportunities.  

Success leaves clues, as do mistakes. After 20 days and approximately 80 one-one coaching sessions and joint field visits, it was easy to see a pattern forming. Time and time again, sales reps would make the same mistakes, and sales opportunities walked out the door.

The 7 deadly sins of retail sales people are:

1. Missing rapport building opportunities,
2. Assuming you know what the potential customer wants versus uncovering their key needs, wants or desires,
3. Habitually asking closed questions instead of open ended questions which get the customer talking,
4. Talking twice as much as listening, versus listening twice as much as you speak,
5. Talking to all the features of the product instead of spending time on the 3 main features which meet their needs!
6. Failing to make people feel special and valued, and
7. Over promising, and under-delivering in respect to delivery times (if applicable) 

Anyone doing three or more shouldn’t be on the team – fire them - they are costing you sales and profit. Touch base if you want the full article where we explore each of the 7 deadly sins of selling and re-connect to the skills and behaviours we should be doing to maximize sales, profits and/or commissions:

Hello, it’s been 3 months since my last blog, and I apologize for that. Time to bring everyone up to speed.

It was a challenging end to the year, a hectic Christmas and New Year period, and yes, I managed to undo some of my good work and regain some weight. This has been a pattern for me, so it was time to get help. I was recently asked to speak at the Jenny Craig national conference. I saw a video clip featuring Dicko (their current celeb promoting their new Jen4Men weight loss service) and one of his lines went straight to the truth for me… “I can’t loose weight on my own - I have tried. I need a support team!”

As of January 21st, I started the Jen4Men. Five (5) weeks ago I was underway with a new expanded support team. I did have my beautiful wife Karina, along with her personal training background. I still have her as my biggest fan and supportor, and yet, she is too close, and I need her to be a supportive wife, not my personal fitness trainer. I now also have the entire team at Jenny Craig, and my personal condultant helping and supporting me to achieve my permanent shift in lifestyle.

It is now Feb 28th, and I am please to report I am back on track. I have lost 6 kilo’s so far, my energy has improved, my blood pressure is down to 127/75 and I am exercising regularly.

The amazing thing is about the eating program I am on, is that you don’t go hungry. It’s about portion size and eating a well balanced diet. And I love the fact that you eat 6 times a day with snacks in between main meals…. and dessert!

My biggest lessons so far:

1. Portion size is critical - most of us overeat every meal, and beware the standard servings when out… they do not represent the norm. It is essential you break the ‘Clean up your plate’ syndrome you learn’t as a kick. You are literally digging your own grave with your teeth!

2. You must tackle all three parts of the permanent weight loss triad - nutrition, exercise and the mind. My weight loss attempts in the past have only focussed on one or perhaps two - never all three. This time feels different.

Final update… Karina and I are writing a new book purely to equip people with some mind control startegies they can add to their food and exercise approach… Stay tuned…. until next week… get active!

Cheers

Ian (AKA the unpogger blogger)

Howdy followers and fellow un-poggers,

If you are new to this blog, go read Pog Blog number 1 to get a feel for what we are about. With a dramatic proportion of the Western World population overweight or obese, we have decided to live the 7 Laws of Natural Health, and test out the results.

I set myself the goal to lose cm’s around the waist, improve blood pressure and lose weight. The last 2 weeks have confirmed that the universe will always test your commitment and resolve to achieve your outcomes! Heavy travel, along with losing my grandmother, and I readily confess to have taken my eye off the ball. My old habit of turning to too much food has returned, and whilst the quality of food has greatly improved, I have simply been eating too large a proportions and not exercising enough to lose weight. Net result - a 1kg gain in weight and 1cm back on the tummy! Ok, so I’m human, and it’s about having awareness then getting back on track.

Not sure how you are travelling, and yet my new learning is to reduce my portion sizes down to that of my wife. She has a smaller serving and always leaves some. She is not compelled to demonish everything on the plate!

It’s all about temperance this week… which brings us to the 5th Law of Natural Health…

MIND MANAGEMENT AND TEMPERANCE

Temperance, or self-control, is having a totally healthy and balanced lifestyle in every way. It includes the proper ratio of work to play, personal time versus time with the family and friends, right eating, right thinking, time spent with self and contemplating the bigger picture…

Temperance is moderation in every sphere of our lives. It includes more than just avoiding drugs, alcohol and over-eating. True self-control is avoiding those things that are harmful and using in moderation those things that are good.

Temperance in eating includes:

·         Drastically reducing the intake of anything harmful (alcohol, caffine, drugs, refined sugars etc), and eating moderately of good healthy food (this is where I need to focus).

·         Eating breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner like a pauper.

·         Eating a variety of foods as grown, with very littel that is refined.

·         Not eating too wide a variety of foods at any one meal.

·         Eating at regular times in a relaxed and cheerful environment.

·         Enjoying your food. (including really enjoying a treat if you have been good all week)

Timely for me that this weeks law is exactly the one I have been struggling with. Off to Perth to my Grandmothers funeral (102 years old - not a bad effort!). This means I will be even more conscious and awake to lowering my calorie intake to cope with a week where I will be hard pressed to find exercise time.

Looking forward to posting more encouraging progress next week.

Until then, be encouraged…

Ian (AKA the Pogger Blogger!)

Howdy folks… it’s Monday.. I am a little late - heavy week!

A tough week with no real progress - all my numbers are the same, with the exception of my waist measurement which is again down 1cm. No weight loss which doesn’t suprise me given I found it hard to do my normal 240 minutes of exercise. A trip across the ditch to New Zealand (and a two hour time difference) meant a very late night Tuesday travelling, a very early start Wednesday training all day, and the equivalent of a 2am start getting an early flight home on Thursday! This along with a full training, speaking and coaching agenda meant I got 2 work-outs done, instead of 5.

Just goes to show… abuse the natural laws of health, and you suffer the consequences. I didn’t expend as many calories copared to those I put in…. which brings us to…

The 4th Law of Health

EXERCISE AND STRENGTH

The human body is designed for action and movement. The trouble is, we have adopted a more sedentary lifestyle and we simple don’t move our body enough. There are many benefits of regular exercise:

·         Lowers resting heart rate and blood pressure.

·         Burns up unwanted fat so you look and feel better.

·         Lowers cholesterol and lipids (fats) in the blood.

·         Increases air flow through the nasal passages and lungs.

·         Reduces stiffness in the joints.

·         Controls the appetite, as the brain’s “appestat” operates more effectively.

·         Increases circulation and oxygen intake, thus nourishing nerves and body tissues.

·         Improves muscle tone and blood vessels – changes weak flabby muscle to strong, firm tissue.

When deciding to start an exercise routine, choose an activity that will hold the training heart rate for 20 minutes at a time, then exercise 3 to 6 times a week.

Also, don’t forget to enjoy your exercise! If you don’t enjoy it, you will most likely not do it for long. Decide when you will exercise and make a definite appointment and choose to take time to be well.

Remember:

“Those who cannot find the time for exercise will have to find the time for illness.”

AEROBIC & ANAEROBIC EXERCISE

“Aerobic” means, literally, “with oxygen”. Your aerobic system gives you your endurance, and it encompasses the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and aerobic muscles. If you condition your metabolism to operate aerobically, and supply it with proper diet and exercise, you burn fat as your primary fuel.

“Anaerobic” means “without oxygen” and refers to exercises that produce short bursts of power. Anaerobic exercise burns glycogen as its primary fuel, while causing the body to store fat.

BODY FAT AND THE SET POINT

After a few days of reduced caloric intake, the body adjusts by lowering its base metabolic rate (BMR), thus permitting more efficient use of the calories. This automatic biological response makes losing weight while dieting progressively more difficult.

HOW CAN YOU RESET YOUR SET POINT?

Increase your physical exercise to rest your set point. To date, physical exercise is the only known way to lower your set point, raise your BMR, and “program” your body to store less fat than it did before. Exercising aerobically will give your body more oxygen for energy, burn fat as fuel, and, most importantly, help you accelerate your metabolic rate so that you become a virtual fat-burning machine.

I was doing well on this front, and yet I’m human, and fell of the pathway this week - so time to get back into the swing of things and up the ante on the exercise front.

Join me this week in…

1. Doing at least 240 minutes of exercise

2. living the 4 laws we have explored so far.

Stay excited. If anyone wants some great graphs to track your progress, yell out, and will e-mail them to you. A fellow pogger blogger member forwarded them to me and they give a great visual of your progress.

Cheers for now

Ian (AKA, the pogger Blogger)

Howdy folks,

Well, that’s week 4 coming to a close, and we continue to make small measures of progress. Waist is now 101 cm, and the weight is coming off, down another 1/2 kilo to a clean 100. Looking forward to pushing on and getting back down to double figures in both area’s next week.

Read a really interesting book this week - “Health Wars” by Phillip Day. He is also the author of ‘Cancer - Why we are still dying to know the truth’. Basically he de-mystifies health and, in fact, summarized his…

Principles of Longevity

·         Work towards an alkalised body system

·         Be well hydrated

·         Be well mineralised and eat properly constituted food

·         Be active

·         Have a positive attitude and an optimism towards your future

Look familiar? Very much along the same lines of the 7 Laws of Natural Health.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“We don’t have to accept fat as our fate. There’s no need to slide into being a statistic. Weight loss isn’t rocket science. Eat healthily. Don’t diet. Diets don’t work. Simply find an eating program you can tolerate and be a grown-up. (p. 224 - Health Wars)

Let’s explore the 3rd law of Natural Health… Living Foods and Alkalinity.

 pH IS THE KEY - PURE ENERGY: THE POWER OF ALKALINITY

As mentioned before, in order for your cells to stay healthy, your blood must remain slightly alkaline. Alkalinity/Acidity is measured on a scale of 1-14, with 1 being pure acid, 7 neutral, and 14 pure alkaline. Your blood must maintain a slightly alkaline pH of 7.365. To not do so means death. If our diet is mainly acidic (Meats, Alcohol, sugar, Caffiene etc), the body must work harder and use massive amounts of energy neutralizing the acid in order to stay at 7.365 alkalinity.

We must avoid foods that take away more energy than they provide.

Your body operates on a subtle electromagnetic current. Your cells communicate with each other with pulses of electricity. When we eat food, our body breaks down the food particles into their smallest size, called “colloids”. A colloid is the smallest possible form of a nutrient particle (the usual size ranging from .01 to .00001 of a micron in diameter). These nutrient particles are then carried to our cells via an electric charge. If we eat something lifeless (like processed foods), or with a low energy frequency, we are not providing the body with the electrical energy it needs. Thus, we are requiring the body to expend electric nerve energy to run the digestive system to break this food down. This means the food is actually taking more energy than it is giving. The energy in food is measured in megahertz (MHz), a fancy name for the frequency of the electrical charge around the food. This charge ranges from 0 to 250+. The foods we eat must be living, energetically alive foods that carry nutrients to our cells or we become tired and sick.

I will be sending members of the Pogger Blogger Club a list of high alkaline foods. Your challenge this week is to up the ratio of food which is still alive and contains energy. It ain’t rocket science… eat food that has energy in it, and you receive the energy. I can assure you it works.

This week, up the ante on living foods, and make sure you are exercising… we will focus on that law next week.

Stay motivated and excited… and as always, be in the now!

Until next week

Ian Stephens (AKA, the Pogger Blogger)

Morning Friends and fellow Poggers,

We now have six people who have taken up the challenge! I have just finshed week three and some report some progress - waist is down 2 more cm’s to 103. Blood pressure is still 135/90 and my suit is feeling more comfortable. I am down 1 a hole on the belt. The body responds when you are living these laws. Physical energy levels are up and I am noticing a spring in my step. Only .5 of a kilo down on the scales, and yet that is to be expected about now. Initial weight loss is always retained fluids and then a healthy weight loss is actually somewhere between .5 and .8 of a kilo per week. Remember, this is about shedding the weight for good slowly through a healthier lifestyle - this is NOT a diet and I have not gone hungry. Don’t aim to LOSE weight - mentality we always want to find something we have lost, so we tend to put the weight on again.

Here is the detail I promised on laws 1 and 2 of natural health… (for those who have expressed an interest, I will be e-mailling you a summary of all 7 laws over the weekend).

The 1^st Law of Natural Health: Pure air

Come into my ‘Common sense corner’ – We can live for weeks without food, days without water, and yet only minutes without air! So I intend to start here and get a greater quantity of air into my system.

It stands to reason that it must be crucial to ‘living’ and in fact, the strength of our body is largely dependent on the amount of good quality oxygen we breathe. The lack of oxygen at a cellular level causes various degenerative diseases such as  hardening of the arteries, cancer, hypertension and arthritis. Increase the oxygen levels of the cells and you must, by law of nature, improve bodily functions.

In fact, oxygen equals energy. Why? Because Adenosine triphosphate , or ATP, is the name of the cellular source of all energy in our bodies. This gets technical but it is made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. Without any one of these parts, and there is no ATP. Without oxygen, the body would simply shut down given there would be no energy to drive the organs. Most people go through life literally feeling ‘run down’ because they are not getting enough fresh air and pure oxygen.

Call to action: Breathe properly! At least 3 times a day, stop and focus on your breathing. Take 10 breathes in the following ratio:

Inhale for a count of 3, taking the air right down into the lower lungs (go on…let your belly and diaphragm out - no one is looking!), hold your breathe for a count of 12, then breathe out for a count of 6. It’s a 1-4-2 ratio. I am doing this monring, noon and night.

The 2^nd Law of Natural Health: The Gift of Water

Our body is approximately 90% water, and our brain is 80% water. It would seem to be very important! Digestion, circulation, and excretion of waste cannot happen without it. It carries nutrients to all body substances, maintains body temperature, and serves as the building block for growth and repair of the body.

Body fluids contain water and electrolytes. When excess fluid is lost, the balance between the two is lost. The amount of water lost every day must be replaced. Amazingly, the body can lose up to 50% of its protein, whilst loss of even 10% of its water causes severe body disorders. A 20% loss may mean death. Most people are dehydrated and don’t realize it. If the water you pass is yellow, you are dehydrated. When you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated!

Our body will do whatever it takes to maintain a 7.365 alkalinity level (Zero being totally acid, 14 being total alkaline). If it didn’t, acid introduced into our bodies by way of sugar, alcohol, caffeine etc, would burn holes in our arteries resulting in internal bleeding, and death. We can assist by super rehydrating the body using ‘structured water’ (containing lemon or lime). Better still, add a Pure Energy green powder which is available in most health food stores.

Call to action: Re-hydrate the body by drinking 3 litres a day of structured or green water. Grab a 1 litre bottle which goes everywhere with you, and just keep sucking on it!

Your assignment for week two:

1. Implement breathing exercises

2. Super hydrate the body for 7 days

3. Continue making sure 70% of what’s on the plate is ‘live vegies’ containing energy

4. Reduce (I didn’t say eliminate!) the intake of animal flesh, caffeine, suger and alcohol.

Go to it… thanks for the supportive comments, and together let’s UN-pogger…

Be in the NOW

Cheers

Ian… AKA the pogger blogger!

Good Morning friends,

Well, It’s been 10 days since I started cleaning up my act… literally! And I’m excited to share some great results already. But first… my stats at the start so we can track progress:

Weight: 103.5 kilos (this is the one and only time I will list it first - it is the least important to me. I will go by the other key measures and how my clothes fit!) TARGET: 93 kilos

Waist measurement: 107 cm (anything over 95cm for guys ain’t good!) TARGET: 82

Body Fat Percentage: 26% (ideal range; Men 12-20%, woman 18-28%) TARGET: 16%

Blood Pressure: 140/95 medicated. TARGET: 120/80 and option to come off medication.

Early progess as of Friday morning: I have been living the ‘Natural Laws of Health and my energy is up by at least 30%. I am down 2 cm’s around the waist, BP is 135/90 and I weigh 101 kilo’s. I have said to Karina that I will still be a POGGER until I am below 95 kilo’s. I am setting myself a new ‘disgust’ point; it used to be 100 kilo’s, and then I would do something about it, but now it will be 93 kilo’s. So we have some way to go.

Went to the Doctors late last week and had my full blood work done. My Cholesterol is excellent - 4.0 total (healthy range 3.5-5.4) with LDL only 2 (range 2.1-4..0). Your Cholesterol is a major indicator of potential heart disease so please take action and get your full blood work done. Any males over 40, this can include the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test which should be a ‘must’ every 12 months.

Ok, “so what are you doing, Ian?” i can hear you ask…

Firstly, I’m AM going to zig 80% of the time (be good), but I am going to zag occassionally (livelife and have fun). Secondly I am going to live the “7 Natural Laws of Health”, and drastically reducing the 3 things which make our system acidic (notice REDUCE does not mean eliminate altogether - I’m still going to live.)

THE 7 NATURAL LAWS OF HEALTH:

1. The law of pure air (deep breathing 3 times a day)

2. The law of super hydration via structured water (Lemon, lime or greens powder added)

3. The law of living foods and alkalizing the body

4. The law of strength exercise and movement

5. The law of mind management and temperance

6. The law of an aligned body and structural support

7. The law of adequate rest and relaxation.

I am also drastically reducing the intake of:

1. Animal flesh (no, I’m not going vegetarian - just cutting down the animal fats)

2. Dairy products (mucus producing - clogging the system)

3. Acid addictions (suger, alcohol, and caffine) which are acid forming and poison the system.

All in all, 10 things. And if your open to give it a go, do it for 10 days and then judge the results for yourself. If nothing else, increase your water intake to 2-3 litres a day.

Next week, I will give you some detail on Laws 1 and 2 for those who want to implement a healthier lifestyle. Stay tuned… and remember to live in the NOW.

Until next Friday…

Ian, the pogger blogger!

 

I’m Forty Three, Fat, and Fed-up! And I’m going to do something about. 10 weeks until Christmas - 10 weeks to shed 10 kilo’s. Oh, look, for those who know me, I may carry my weight better than others but I am a good 10 kilo’s over what I know is my fighting weight. And I have been for some time. And I am asolutely sick and tired of being incongruent when teaching the stress management and wellness aspects of some of our programs.

So… time to walk the talk, and not stumble the mumble! I am going to commit publicly (via this blog site) about what I am going to do, and hopefully inspire a few of you to get involved along the way….

Welcome to my ‘POG BLOG’, written by the Pogger Blogger! This label comes from my beautiful wife Karina, who with absolute positive intent and conern for my longevity and well-being, made the comment that she hoped she hadn’t married a long term pogger! Her intent was purely loving and has motivated me to un-pog myself. My brother thought we should call it the FFC - the Fat F#@&*&s Club. My daughter suggested the Un-FRUB CLUB (Fat Redundant Useless Barstards), and yet I have elected to become the ‘Pogger Blogger’.

This Pog blog will only interest you if:

1. You want to follow my progress and provide a bit of support. Become the cheer squad of sorts,
2. Perhaps you have a few kilo’s to shed, or need more energy yourself, and want to join in and set some goals and actions for your own sense of self-worth,
3. You want to learn some tools and resources to make ‘health and Well-being’ a priority for you, or
4. You would like to be more aware of the ‘10 Natural Laws of Health’ - some of which shift our thinking radically, make you more aware of how hoodwinked we have become, and make perfect sense when you step into your ‘common sense corner’.

I commit to update you every Thursday night. This Friday you can read about my week, my challenges, my goals and measurements, and how I am going to do it. You can opt in to be notfied by e-mail when I’ve updated my blog. Each week I will also provide some tps and lessons, focussing on 1 of the ‘10 Natural Laws of Health’ I will be implementing. If anyone wants to give them a go, why not learn from my lessons, and then se what you can achieve.

Join me… become a Pogger Blogger and let’s support one another to boost our energy, shed weight for good, and feel more vital than we have in years.

Til Friday…

Ian (AKA The Pogger Blogger)

This blog is a natural product made from recycled electrons. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.

If no one sells, no one else in the organisation has a job. So where do you get off criticizing the sales department or team when you don’t understand the complexity involved in managing key accounts, landing new business and securing opportunities in the pipeline. Sales is one of the most noble and hardest professions in the world, and everyone elses pay is dependant on them doing a great job. If you don’t agree it’s hard, then I suggest you pick up the phone and try doing some cold calling, or get out there and pitch a proposal to a key account. You’ll soon see the sales team in a different light instead of thinking they are just out in their cappuccino land all day!

I look forward to your contribution.

Yours in success

Ian.