Most people I train are in it for fat loss. For some of these people, fat loss alone isn’t enough to make a commitment to a permanent lifestyle change.

My first powerlifting competition has driven me to be even more focused on quality training and nutrition.

If you have a performance goal in mind, you are more likely to take massive action in your training and nutrition. You have a deadline. You have set a bar for yourself. You flick the switch to “Competitor Mode”. And pleasant by product of this is usually a healthier, trimmer you.

When you are in “Competition Mode”, there are often thoughts running through your head:

~ I can’t do this. It’s too hard.
~ This is too fast for me. I’m not a runner.
~ This is too heavy for me. I’m not that strong.
~ I’m out of breath, this is really uncomfortable. I just WANT TO STOP NOW!

When you are in the midst of heavy training, you might go through many mind battles:

~ I am so hungry I could eat a whole packet of cookies.
~ I don’t want to go to bed early because my favourite TV show is on.
~ I’ve been training really well, so I’ll take a rest day today and get back to it tomorrow.

The thing is, when you can CONQUER these mind battles, you can CONQUER ANYTHING! When you develop the skills to push through to the next level, lift one more rep, pick up the pace when fatigued, don’t party all night so you can train well the next day… you develop this mindset that you can carry over to your everyday life. Training purely for fitness becomes easy and enjoyable, cleaning up your nutrition is a breeze, and getting that healthier, trimmer you just happens.

Not only will you end up healthier and probably hit your original health and fitness goals, but you develop a sense of determination, discipline and drive. You can use this to your advantage in all areas of your life – doing further study, getting that promotion or job you always wanted, saving for your dream holiday, getting everything done that you ever wanted to do… Following your dreams and putting into practise the theory that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.

Here are some great examples of things you can sign up for:

~ Enter a fun run or triathlon. This will increase your fitness, mental health and general well-being.
~ Enter a weight lifting or powerlifting competition. This will increase your strength and fitness. If you want to reduce weight to be in a particular weight class then you will have a very strong incentive to focus on nutrition and become healthy and trim.
~ Join a local basketball team. This will increase your fitness and agility. It will widen your social circle and when you have a team counting on you, you will show up to training and games without question.
~ Sign up for a bootcamp. Once you have paid your money you will want to make the most of it so you will show up to every session and give your best when you are training with others.
~ Join an orienteering club. This is a great way to get fit, learn navigational skills and enjoy nature. There are also street orienteering events easily accessible in the suburbs and mountain bike orienteering if you’d prefer to ride.

A real life example of using competition to drive you to achieve your goals would be me! I remember the first 100km race I entered. I trained 6 days a week. I had an office job at the time so would get up at 5am to run. Sometimes I’d run the 18km to work and home again. I was also going to class two nights per week to get my personal trainer qualification. And I also worked for myself two nights a week. To top it off I was self-experimenting a lot with nutrition in order to learn more about it (a Certificate in Fitness teaches you next to nothing about nutrition and I wanted to learn more). On the weekend I would sleep in until 6am and go for a 35km run. Everything I did was driven around this goal. My cardio fitness was excellent, my endurance was fantastic, I was also lifting weights so my strength was on the increase, my nutrition meant I could reduce fat despite eating a lot from so much training… oh, and I also reached my goal of running 100km

Another example more recently would be when I entered my first powerlifting competition. I had been wanting to do this for a few years, but thought I would drop weight first to get into the weight class I wanted, and then start training. But as much as I wished this would happen, wishing alone wasn’t enough. So this year I threw that idea out the window and entered my first powerlifting comp! Because it was my first one and I was not expecting to do well, I was not focused on getting into a lower weight class, but during training in the lead up, and still now, I am focusing on nutrition to get me down to the next weight class. And you know what? I am STRONGER than EVER, and I am nearly down to my goal weight class… oh, and I no longer have a sugar addiction I have found it much easier focusing on making weight for my next comp rather than wanting to reduce fat ‘just because’.

I strongly recommend entering something that takes you out of your comfort zone. The benefits are simply huge!

Fruit & Vegetables

1. Shop at a market if you’re not doing it already. For $10 you can buy a week’s worth of vegetables. Cook your food in larger batches so you don’t waste any food that gets old at the bottom of the fridge.
2. Buy food that is in season. Food that is not in season ALWAYS costs more. If you don’t know when each fruit or vegie comes in season then shop at a market or your local green grocer as they will only stock the fresh stuff. For this reason you should avoid supermarkets as much as possible.
3. Frozen vegetables are a good option to keep in your freezer for when you run out of fresh food. They don’t taste as good as fresh, but they are fine when used in cooking.
4. Vegetables that I have found to be the cheapest and go a long way are cabbage, onion and potato. These are so versatile, and if you vary your herbs and spices you will get a great range of tasty meals.
5. Fruit is often more expensive than vegetables and generally doesn’t fill you up so much. If you are counting your pennies then I suggest forgoing fruit. Vegetables generally have a higher nutritional value so you won’t be missing out on much.

Meat

1. My number one tip here is to shop at a farmers market. They are EVERYWHERE here in Melbourne – from Collingwood to Hurstbridge, you can find a farmers market near you. The markets tend to travel so some market locations are monthly, while others are bi monthly or weekly. Search online for a farmers market near you so you can plan in advance when to go.
2. Make friends with your local butcher. The meat is better quality than the supermarket and often cheaper too. Buy larger quantities to cook up a big batch of something, which can be portioned and frozen for future meals. You can also bulk up your meals with potatoes, onion, capsicum and other cheap vegetables.
3. If you have a fishing rod, consider catching a meal or two.
4. Meat is not a cheap source of protein so if times are tough then you should consider vegetarian sources of protein.

Other Protein

1. Dried beans and lentils are dirt cheap. For $2 you can buy a decent sized pack that will last a couple of weeks. Remember to soak overnight and rinse before cooking. Go to markets or Indian grocers to find different varieties.
2. Vegetarian protein can be mixed with meat sources to bulk up the meal while still providing good nutrition.

Other

1. Oats are a decent breakfast choice if eggs are out for you. You should be able to buy a kilo for $1 at most supermarkets.
2. Tinned tomatoes can be very cheap. Stock up on them when you see them on special for under $1.
3. Avoid processed and packaged food as much as possible. It doesn’t fill you up, you are paying more for the packaging, and it’s less nutritious.

Cheap Cooking Ideas

                Vegie stir fry

Combine onion, cabbage, capsicum, broccoli, mushrooms and any other vegies in a big pan. Stir fry with some oil, and spices of your choice. This is a good vegie base that can be added to potato, legumes, tuna or other meat. Refrigerates well.

                Chili mish mash

Cook onion, minced meat, pre-soaked kidney beans, carrot, capsicum, tinned tomatoes, some water and any other vegies in a pot. Add salt, pepper, garlic, dried chili, ground cumin, coriander, paprika and any other spices you like. Freezes well.

                Dahl

Soak some lentils overnight. Be sure to drain and rinse well before cooking. Put in a pot with a tin of tomatoes, some water, vegetables of your choice (eg cauliflower, capsicum, onion, garlic) and add salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric and any other spices. Cook until soft. Freezes well.

From the day I decided to take up running I have kept a training diary. I recorded how far I went, how long it took and how many kilometres my shoes had clocked up. Over the years this diary has changed from paper based, to a spreadsheet, to specialist software, and is back to old school paper again. I record the weights I lift, distance ran, time everything took, which shoes (and how many km they have done) if running, and even have a section for recording food. I do not record everything I ate or calories, but I have a system that is based on a mental carb count and it gets a tick or a cross based on compliancy to current dietary guidelines. This is also next to my weekly training totals and any personal bests so I can track to see if there is a relationship between diet and exercise.

(click to enlarge)

I record what is important to me at the time. So for example here you can see my training for last week. I write down the entire workout, weights used, mention any personal bests (PBs), any brief notes about the session (eg easy, tough), and have a weekly summary in a shorthand that makes sense to me. This weekly summary includes my dietary compliance (100% – yay!), weekly hours of training, personal bests and even the types of workouts so I can see at a glance how balanced it is and if it is in line with my current goals. You will also see I have written in some walking in brackets. At this point in time, I do not consider walking as a training session so I write it down, but it is not recorded in my weekly total.

I also have a separate spreadsheet which I use to track my measurements weekly. This includes space for dietary notes and brief training notes so I can see which diet and exercise protocols have worked and which haven’t.

On my phone I also record my personal bests for the major lifts and the date I achieved them. This is so I can find out instantly if I have got a new PB.

It doesn’t matter how you record your training, but it is important to do it. It is great being able to see your improvements, or even where you have not improved in a while, so you know what you need to work on. You may go into more or less detail than me, but whatever you record, make sure it is important to you and your goals.

If you need help with a spreadsheet for training, recording measurements, or if you want some ideas on laying out your notebook just ask and I’ll give you some further tips.