Some of you may remember the A-Team. They were a group of rag- tag military convicts turned mercenaries. They all had different personalities. BA (muscle), Face (smooth talker), Murdoch (crazy jack of all trades/genius) and the General (the meticulous planner).
I love it when a plan comes together! You probably remember that line. The General was the master mind. He made sure that there was always a plan and that every aspect was covered. There was no plan B because Plan A was thorough and took everything into account. Now I know that there is no such thing as perfection but do you even know what kind of awesome you are capable of when you put all of you to work on a challenge?
At the finish line with Gianna's brother and sister-in-law
My son joining me to the finish line...he would continue running with pops to this day. Moments I love.
A couple years ago I decided to listen to one of my best friends Gianna Brown and learn not only to swim but to run (for me) very long distance. Because of her support (best swim coach ever) and our dedication to each others goals I was able to complete a sprint distance Triathlon in good time. Now that may not be a big deal to many, but you also need to know that when I was 7 years old I drowned and had to be revived. Water terrified me. Being Caribbean, only cold is as despised to me as attempted swimming in deep water. Now here I am in 60 degree Fraser River water with 100 year old sturgeon and who knows what sea monsters swimming at my feet freezing to death! The worst situation ever, right? Wrong? In front of me (which almost everyone was) in the water a lady started drowning and I, Raymond Cox had to call over safety personnel to save her while watching her live my greatest fear. The kicker was, she had been swimming for awhile... Me? I started learning to swim 3 weeks before attempting to do this feat! So who am I to talk about plans and planning!
I wanted to stretch my comfort zone. I wanted to learn more exercise disciplines. I wanted to spend more time with friends I loved and I wanted to be proud of myself for overcoming a major fear in my life. In order to do that I needed a plan. So like most, I made a half hearted one. You know those plans. Like the saying above...summer is coming, wedding is coming, pictures are coming, reunion is coming. We tend to throw out these half baked ideas and re-label them as plans only to have them once again fail for one of two reasons.
No Follow Through!
No Commitment!
The one simple thing I did that allowed me to succeed ? I tricked myself into commitment. I locked myself in to a goal or end result. In this case.
- I signed up to the race
- partnered with a best buddy
- told several people about what I planned to do ahead of time (especially my kids)
- planned a mini celebration around completing with my famjam
How could I back out? I would let so many people down including myself. The pressure was great and for me was just what I needed to perform.
I must say that just because I made that decision didn't make the process any easier. In fact my kids often watched me compete at sporting events . usually I would finish near the front. it was not so funny to me at the time but when I finally came out of the water my kids scolded me for taking so long because they were cold! They also asked me why I took so long because only three other people where behind me and they never went on in the race! Kids.
Anyway, what was my plan and why did it work? It was a S.M.A.R.T. plan.
- SPECIFIC
- MEASURABLE
- ATTAINABLE
- REALISTIC
- TIMELY
I won't go in detail about those 5 area's but look them up and see how you can apply that thinking and create a no fail relationship with your goals. We are so different and like I said in the beginning, the fact that you are reading this from different corners of the earth means that priorities will differ. You will have varied reasons why we want to accomplish what you must. But the fact is...you must have a reason and a plan. A why, what and how....in that order.
My overview for my plan is simple. Eat Clean. Train Mean. Get lean
How I do that is more difficult but does not have to be mind numbing! Break it down and this is what I am doing.
- Build muscle mass without excess fat accumulating.
- strip fat
- get video/photographic and third party proof that I actually look that way
- encourage and inspire others to build there best self
- help the less fortunate by default
The way that I am doing this is kind of interesting. I do know a thing or two about the body but there are far more knowledgeable people than me. I also believe that almost everyone in North America has at least an idea on how to be healthier. I want to see what the difference is in my body with varying input. I will do each of these for 2-3 months and watch how my body responds. I will also as always post pictures so you see what changes if any occur along the way. In the end I know I will be healthier and better off but to what degree is the question.
- doing nothing - seen the effects of that already (227 lbs - 30% bf)
- doing my own program - already dropped 5% BF and 10 lbs
- doing a popular weight control system -
- Trivita Wellness Center & Leanology Weight Loss System
- personal training
where I am at now? Those pictures are coming soon in a Blog update. So once again here is my plan for my goals given my life.
I do not allow my circumstances to control me so although they may influence they never decide the final outcome.
- Bulk muscle building - pocket gym pro - march - april
- 220-230lbs -increase 10 lbs muscle
- 25% bf
- 4 hour body - may - june
- increase 20 lbs muscle - 240lbs
- 20% bf
- Leanology system with TriVita Wellness Centre Physician support for fat loss - july - aug
- decrease (8-10%) 20 lbs fat 220lbs
- 15% bf
- eat very clean
- Personal training/posing - sept - oct
- decrease 10lbs of fat
- eat very clean
- photo shoot - nov
so far I am supporting my growth with these supplements
Nopalea
Adaptuit
Leanology powder
Creatine
Glucosamine
Super Sublingual B12
I will be adding :
Zamu Gold
Energy Now
Leanology System
AM/PM or Wellavoh for Men
Joint Complex
I will explain why I personally take what I do and what I take it for in an upcoming blog.
For now...what are your goals. What are your plans? What systems can you use right now to get started? I thought I would give you a few samples so you have no excuse after reading this. Let's Go!
P.S. which A-Team character are you most like? Take a fun 2 min quiz now
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