Julian Casey

Starting the 9 week challenge, I was on the tail end of an indulgent festive season. More frequently than ever, Doctors, Lawyers, Corporate People even Personal Trainers can often fall victim to helping their clients and patients become 'accountable' so much that they forget about their own accountability. Being witness to and educating clients about the Vision System as a whole, I decided to try it myself, to get the kick up the bum I needed. With some minor slip ups along the way, I reached my 9 week goals, so I thought I'd take the time to write about some key components of my 9 Week Challenge for the Vision Community to think about.

Eating  is the key and VVT is the vehicle that will get you there. First things first.... How on earth was I meant to eat 180grams of protein? Outside of eating copious amounts of chicken and broccoli, I resorted to protein shakes and other 'culinary' delights that I found on VVT that would cater to my Macronutrient Goals.  Personally...  I have no problem with eating the same meals day in day out; I get enough diversity from my clients on a daily basis to satisfy that need. However when I was feeling adventurous, I found the recipe section on VVT a valuable tool to whip up a quick treat to keep my interest levels high. I kept my carbohydrate levels relatively low throughout the day until around the periods of my workout (4pm) - where I predominately consumed 40g of Carbohydrates before and after my workout (accompanied with around 30g of protein) N.B If you work out in the morning, you could try timing a large section of your carbohydrate intake around the time of your workout.  I found my best results came from consuming High GI Carbohydrates (1 ½ Bananas) 30 mins before my workout opposed to Low GI (Slower released) 1-2 hours prior to working out. The rest of my daily intake of carbohydrates came from leafy green vegetables and residual carbohydrates from sauces, toppings, honey etc.  

Consistency  also played a major part in my 9 week challenge, especially in relation to food, workouts and sleeping. Align your intake of food (and water), regular workouts and regular sleeping patterns, and you're spot on for a great result. Without going into detail, each of the above components is reliant on the others for optimal results.  I also have a major sweet tooth so the occasional Whey Whip or even piece of cake would be thrown in to the mix. We're all human and change needs to be sustainable, so treat yourself.

Mindset and Circle of influence  obviously a great deal of my motivation came from within my own beliefs and values towards health and exercise. However the rest came from the Vision Unit. One thing we pride ourselves on here is creating a positive culture, not only between clients but between colleagues. We all did the challenge and each week there was a high emphasis on encouraging healthy habits (or discouraging un-healthy ones). Without the use of the Vision System to set and monitor my progress, positive clients and positive work mates; my end result would have been less desirable.

I'm onto 9 week challenge Number 2 so stay tuned...

PS Official Measurements -

Feb 23rd  Weight: 73.4kg Body Fat: 10.2%

April 25th  Weight: 69.4kg Body Fat: 8.4%