Unique Results Blog

Ralph Lauren, the Colorado Ranch and losing that belly!

I have just finished watching one of the most inspiring interviews I have seen for a long time! Oprah in her final farewell season (before shifting her show to her own NETWORK!) spent some time with American Icon and world famous fashion designer Ralph Lauren on his 17,000acre (YES! 17,000acre!) Colorado Ranch called the ‘Double RL’ after himself RALPH and his wife of 46 years RICKY.

You may be thinking ‘What has this got to do with ME?’ and ‘What are YOU writing this for?’

Please bare with me.

Ralph was born 71 years ago in Brooklyn NYC to Russian immigrant parents who moved to America, like millions of others in search of a better life for themselves and their future family. His parents passed on values to him (probably unconsciously) about working hard, being passionate, loving what you do and creating the life of your dreams.

At 16 he started working in a department store replacing clothing to the racks once it had been tried on and left in the fitting rooms, this was his introduction to fashion. He started to develop his own philosophy on fashion and in his early 20s in his spare time designed a new style of tie (I won’t pretend to know anything about fashion but apparently it was a lot wider than those that were common at the time) he had some of these ties manufactured and personally visited shops all over New York seeing if they would stock his ‘new’ style ties. Bloomingdales loved the ties and wanted to stock them but only if his name was removed from the ties and they were rebranded. He walked away from the meeting and refused their offer because he believed in his product and believed in his brand (which at that stage did not exist – except in his own mind!)

His decision proved to be wise. 6 months later Bloomingdales called him back into a meeting. They said they had loved his product and were unable to find anything else as good and agreed to stock Ralph Lauren ties with their own branded display and a fashion Icon was set on his way.

Ralph went onto form his brand and company ‘Polo’. He chose the name because he wanted to appeal to an international sophisticated market. Ralph Lauren has been at the top of his industry for over 40 years and continues to pioneer and develop. He states that he doesn’t just design clothes; he creates stories, ways for people to dress, to live the lives they want to live. He dresses people, homes and has come to embody the American dream that his parents first cherished over 70 years ago.

When Oprah asked him how it was that he was 71 years old (he moves and looks like he is in his 50s!) and still has so much passion and energy after he had achieved so much in his life he answered with a simple sentence:

“The CLARITY and CONSISTENCY of my VISION”

When asked what he was most proud of in his whole life he answered simply ‘my family’. Ralphs vision was not about designing clothes it was and is about influencing the way people live and feel.

If you have a health and fitness goal for yourself, how big is it?

Is it a GOAL or is it a VISION?

Look at the biggest picture possible on the grandest canvas of your life. I would encourage you to have a health and fitness VISION for your life, not just goals that you set and reach.

How do you want your life to be?

How do you want to show up each day?

How much energy do you want to possess?

How much confidence do you wish to feel?

What kind of example do you want to set to your family?

How much love do you want to give?

and……

How much of a difference do you want to make?

When you explode your goal and look at it from a mile above ground level it will become more important, more powerful, more compelling and a little less mundane than just:

‘I want to lose my belly!’

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

Cause and Effect – It’s NOT Rocket Science!

May I be blunt?

If you have decided to read on then I take that as a yes.

This is not intended to be a rant, or offensive, or personal, or harsh but merely a wake-up call.

We all have a fundamental choice to make in life, me, you and everyone we collectively know and that is if we CHOOSE to live at CAUSE or EFFECT.

It’s a choice; a mindset shift, a paradigm realignment. Call it what you wish but it is essentially a way that we decide to look at our lives and the stuff that happens to us, both good and bad.

I chose to live at CAUSE about 5 years ago – and it wasn’t easy. That essentially means that whatever I generate into my experience, whatever circumstances I create within my world, whatever success I experience and also when the sh*t hits the fan in a major way – I am responsible.  I am responsible for my actions, my thoughts, my feelings, the way I react to people and events around me, my successes, my failures, the lessons I learn (or don’t learn) and ultimately what I become and how I spend my time on planet Earth – I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ME.

What’s the alternative?

That someone or something else is responsible for my life and the way it turns out?

That I am bobbing my way through life like a hollow barrel in the middle of the ocean being tossed and turned between waves without any conscious thought or control of my own direction?

Many people I meet have NOT DECIDED to live at CAUSE. Their lack of DECISION IS A DECISION in its own right and they are living at EFFECT.

To live at EFFECT means choosing to believe that THINGS JUST HAPPEN TO YOU. You are not in control of much. Essentially your life is not your responsibility. Your health and fitness were handed to you genetically. The habits you have were handed to you by your parents and you are powerless to change them. Your economic situation is handed to you by your lineage, the government or the current economy. You were either gifted with a good education or not (after all, learning stops at 16 or 18 doesn’t it?) You had no strong role models growing up so can never achieve much as an adult.

For most relatively intelligent people the above paragraph will sound like utter CRAP! But I hear variations of living at EFFECT every week to a much lesser but no less important degree.

I can’t train regularly because of BLAH BLAH BLAH Excuse, excuse, excuse!

I am overweight because of BLAH BLAH BLAH Excuse, excuse, excuse!

I smoke because of BLAH BLAH BLAH Excuse, excuse, excuse!

I overslept because of BLAH BLAH BLAH Excuse, excuse, excuse!

You either have EXCUSES or you have RESULTS. TAKE YOUR PICK but you can’t have both!

Living at CAUSE is EMPOWERING NOT IMPRISONING!

Living at EFFECT is CRIPPLING NOT COMFORTING!

Be brave, make a decision and live with the minority in CAUSE. You will soon realise that with great RESPONSIBILITY comes great POWER! (kind of like Spiderman in reverse for the comic geeks out there!)

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

From Quicksand to Quickest Man I Know!

I am sitting here – slightly annoyed!- writing this on a Sunday morning at 6.20am when I had gone to bed looking forward to my first lay in for weeks (if you can call an 8.00am rise a lay in?)

You see that’s the power of the mind and more importantly the power of inspiration (to disrupt sleep but to awaken action!)

I want to share with you today the story of Paul -Trouble- Anderson.

Last night I was out in town for a friends birthday.  I got talking to Paul for a big chunk of the evening and wanted to share a bit of his story and our conversation to act as a shining example of how awakening a passion, channelling focus, committing to a path and sticking to your guns can produce incredible results and ultimately change your life!

I have known Paul for years and he is a year or two older than me (edging him towards his mid 30s) he had always played football with lots of my friends in local teams and I don’t think he would mind me saying he wasn’t a star player. In fact he spent a lot of time as a substitute on the sideline but always loved the game and put in some effort. He was always pretty slow off the mark and had earned the dubious nickname of Quicksand (as he resembled a cartoon character trying to run out of quicksand if was required to accelerate quickly in a match situation) and was the butt of much light hearted banter.

Paul has, for as long as I have known him always been a boxing fan and when I opened Unique Results in 2007 he came down and started training regularly in our Boxing Fitness Group Sessions and started building up his fitness and working on the bags and pads. Soon after, I put a group together from Unique Results to take part in a local charity 10k run and Paul put his name down to take part and set a cause in motion which is the reason behind this article.

Paul soon went on to join a local running club and started to take his running very seriously. Before long he was running faster than me (and all of our clients and trainers) and decided to commit himself to the sport of running with more focus.

He now runs 3 – 4 times per week, competes in events most weekends and has completed 3 marathons!

He shared with me last night his personal running goals for the next 12 months (and even if you are not a runner, believe me the times I am going to mention are seriously fast – especially taking into account that Paul is in his mid 30s and has only been running for the last 3 years!) A sub 2.45 marathon! A sub 28min 5 miles! A sub 36min 10k! And a sub 60min 10 miles! And he has got within a couple of minutes or even seconds to these times already!

Paul has now also started to train as an athletics coach. To share his passion, enthusiasm and knowledge with others and said something yesterday which touched me and will stay with me.

‘Training has changed my life. I am a better person now. I am more rounded, focussed, committed, am more understanding of others and want to help other people experience what I have found’

Well done Trouble and thank you for the inspiration!

PAY IT FORWARD.

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

The Success Shift

After nearly 15 years working with hundreds of people within the health and fitness industry I can reflect back over that time and very simply split people into two distinct categories. Those who tend to achieve their goals and those who don’t (no one reaches every goal every time – if they do they are not stretching themselves far enough!)

What separates these two opposing groups is not financial prosperity, opportunity, geography, education or even the training they undertake. The one thing that really separates the two groups can be summed up in one word ‘ATTITUDE’.

I will be more specific.

I meet people nearly every week who have an idea of what they want to achieve (sometimes a very precise idea). That could be losing a certain amount of weight, dropping to a certain dress size, losing their belly, fitting into a pair of jeans, competing in a sporting event, totally reshaping their body or even improving their health for medical reasons. This is where the two groups will part with a distinct difference in ‘ATTITUDE’.

The ‘ACHIEVERS’ will usually have the view that they will tell me what they want to achieve and be prepared to listen to my feedback and within reason do ‘WHATEVER IT TAKES’ to get to their goal. SIMPLE! How many times per week do I need to train? What do I need to eat and drink? What should I avoid eating and drinking? How much cardio do I need? How much should I rest? etc etc etc

This ‘ATTITUDE’ starts from the basic ‘DECISION’ that you WILL reach your goal. It may take 8 weeks when you originally wanted it to only take 6 (but you don’t give up and consider yourself a failure at week 6!)

The second group, lets call them the ‘NON-ACHIEVERS’ come to me with a very different ‘ATTITUDE’ and view. They have an idea of what they want to achieve (this in many cases is more rigid, detailed and precise than the ‘ACHIEVERS’ group) BUT they will also have a very clear and rigid view of what they are ‘PREPARED TO DO’ to reach their goal.

“I really want a 6 pack (usually men!) BUT am not prepared to stop drinking beers with my friends.”

“I really want to get in shape for a Wedding (usually women!) BUT every Friday is our girls night out and we always go out for a meal and end up drinking too much!”

“I really want to regain the body and fitness I had 10 years ago (men and women) BUT can only train twice a week due to work commitments and HAVE to have a glass of wine every night with my dinner to unwind”

The secret to achieving more of your goals more of the time is to remove the BUTS! The Success Shift is shifting your ‘ATTITUDE’ from ‘This is what I am PREPARED TO DO for a specific result’ to ‘I will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to reach my goal’

If you are stuck in the ‘PREPARED TO DO’ category be prepared to downsize your goals and achievements considerably.

It’s an old cliche but very true: You will only get out what you are prepared to put in!

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

Fitness and Fun?

When was the last time you had FUN when you exercised?

Do you find your exercise time enjoyable or do you see it as a necessary evil?

If you don’t currently exercise (or maybe never have) is it because you feel it is unenjoyable – perhaps even painful?

Exercise and fitness certainly can be painful (or at least very uncomfortable) when taken to extreme levels. For elite athletes and sports people who push themselves regularly to the boundaries of what is possible for them and in many cases beyond, exercise and training can be physically and mentally very punishing and demanding indeed.

HOWEVER, I firmly believe, after 15 years of experience in the health and fitness industry that fitness and exercise (for the vast majority of people) simply needs to be FUN!

I have one personal goal for each and every client that I train on each and every session: That they leave the session feeling better than when they walked in and leave feeling good about themselves and what they have achieved. This goal supersedes all other goals that may be in place because if you are finishing your exercise sessions feeling negative, disappointed or in pain – you won’t be training for long and won’t reach ANY of your longer term goals without regular, sustained lifestyle fitness.

This changes the training dynamic somewhat.

If you don’t like doing something – don’t do it! (at least not at first!)

So many people have asked me over the years “What is the best type of exercise for me to do?” and I invariably answer with “The type of exercise you ENJOY” If you enjoy walking – WALK. If you enjoy running – RUN. If you enjoy swimming – SWIM. If you enjoy cycling – CYCLE. If you enjoy Pilates – do PILATES etc etc etc.

The form of exercise you enjoy is the one you will do consistently and when combined with an all round active lifestyle and sensible balance diet will provide you with sustainable, lifelong and ENJOYABLE results.

Once you have forged an exercise habit – one that you enjoy, you will magically open up to trying new forms of exercise and challenging yourself in a variety of ways. You may even revisit some forms of exercise you previously didn’t enjoy and now find that you do because of your increased levels of fitness and confidence.

When fitness becomes FUN it is infectious and addictive. Build a solid foundation based on what you enjoy and watch your fitness, confidence and physical future expand before your eyes!

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

Don’t Think, FEEL!

When I ask people what they would love to achieve, REALLY love to achieve or to DREAM of how they wish to be, or wish to feel they usually smile.

If we ask ourselves the questions ‘Who do I want to be? What do I want to do? What do I want to have? If I knew I could not fail’ we should get excited, almost childlike in our levels of unbounded enthusiasm!

You see, when you were young you believed anything was possible. If you could dream it, it could become real. You allowed yourself to daydream and fantasise about the future and what it may hold and your outlook would have been positive and optimistic (if we go back far enough!). It’s only as we grow older and sometimes have the stuffing knocked out of us and maybe start to accept certain limitations that we self-censor our expectations and dreams.

It’s fun to dream. It’s fun to visualise. It’s fun to set big, grand and compelling goals. The problem for most is what happens next. We THINK. Now, thinking is not a bad thing, in fact it’s a very good, almost essential thing. But most of us see thinking as ‘getting realistic’ or more accurately ‘getting negative’ and there is a difference!

The initial stages of goal setting are all about the big picture, the exciting, compelling future you want to create or attract. What gets in the way? usually FEAR of FAILURE or to be more honest FEAR of EMBARRASSMENT or SHAME or RIDICULE. You see, I think this whole fear of failure concept is a big red herring! Most people would happily fail time and time again until they succeeded if no one was watching or aware that they were even trying!

What we really start to think is ‘What will people think and say if they hear that I want to better myself?’ ‘Will they feel I am making a judgement call on their circumstances?’ and most importantly ‘What will they say if I fail and how will that make me feel?’

Playing small is easy. 95% of people do it everyday. It takes courage to stand up and be prepared to stand out and possibly fall flat on your face and fail. Just look at the way the press (and vast numbers of the public) react when someone prominent f**ks up in a big way! A few sporting examples spring to mind 1) Paula Radcliffe pulling out of the Marathon in the Athens Olympics 2004. 2) Amir Khan getting knocked out within 90secs against Breidis Prescott. 3) David Beckham getting sent off in the World Cup 1998 in the game that saw England leave the tournament.

In pubs, cafes and workplaces up and down the country you would have seen countless unfit, untrained, overweight and unmotivated individuals reflecting and dissecting these FAILURES. I heard people moaning about Paula ‘giving up’ David being ‘selfish’ and Amir being ‘finished and washed up’ in his early twenties!

It is commonly known as ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’ wait till someone demonstrates the courage and sheer cheek to strive for the best they can be and just wait for the opportune moment to chop them down. Bring them down a peg or two and then feel a bit more comfortable with your own existence.

The take away message is this. Get comfortable with upsetting a few people, get comfortable with temporary failure, get comfortable with the fact that some will try and talk you out of aiming high. Most importantly get comfortable with setting goals that make you nervous and that if you really ‘THOUGHT’ about them, chances are you would probably talk yourself out of them.

As a mentor of mine says ‘Dare to dream & make each day an epic adventure!’

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

Who’s Holding You to Account?

How often in life do you settle for mediocrity or even poor performance?

How often do you make excuses for a lack of taking action or simply not following through?

If you, like me, are honest then you will probably answer these questions with anywhere between ‘sometimes’ to ‘far too much’ or even ‘the majority of the time’

Why is that? Why do we fail to live up to our potential so often and live a life of mediocrity punctuated by fleeting moments of brilliance or distinction?

The simple answer in my opinion is…….SH*T gets in the way! Or, more accurately, we let SH*T get in the way. Or more accurately still, we see SH*T and subconsciously or consciously think ‘that SH*T will make a handy excuse for mediocrity and people (including myself) will let me off the hook for not doing such and such!’

Take for example the recent bout of snow we experienced in the UK. How many of us in all honesty used that as an excuse for, at worst – a week off! At best – a pretty lazy unproductive week?

I have heard numerous people say ‘I didn’t train last week because of the snow’ REALLY! Are you sure about that? Or was the snow just the natural phenomena required to form an easy, readymade excuse for laziness? After all, most of the country used it as such!

Some people took the initiative and phoned me and said ‘Because of the snow and ice, it is not safe to run outside but I really want to train. Let me know when it is ok to come in and do my running on the treadmill inside’ FANTASTIC!

Other options included exercising at home (if you were really cut off by the snow) stretching, body weight exercises, pilates, exercise DVDs or any number of easy solutions.

What would really help us to stay on track and achieve our potential?

The answer is someone to hold us to account, to keep us on track. To recognise when we are making excuses and effectively not let us get away with it. Not to bully us but merely to make sure we stay good to our word and most importantly start playing life at a level worthy of us.

I personally have two fantastic boxing coaches who push me far harder than I would ever push myself. A business coach who keeps me focussed towards my goals and vision. An accountability partner in Australia, who holds me to my work and life commitments. I am also a member of a regular mastermind group who meet and discuss achievements and challenges with the sole aim of progressing the combined success of the group.

All of these channels have one thing in common – they hold me to account and push me harder in all areas of life than I would push myself.

So the question today is ‘Who’s holding you to account and making sure you perform at a level you will be truly proud of?’

If the answer is no one! Fix that fast and see your effectiveness skyrocket to a whole new level!

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

The Discipline Delusion.

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘DISCIPLINE’? Or to ask a slightly more leading question, does it create positive or negative feelings?

For many, ‘DISCIPLINE’ conjures up many negative feelings and connotations of misery, deprivation and monastic living.

Why am I asking these questions? And why am I talking about ‘DISCIPLINE’?

Because I know through working directly with hundreds of men and women over the last 12 years that many think that to get where they want to get in terms of health, fitness, body weight, body shape, strength or performance would take a huge amount of ‘DISCIPLINE’.

A delusion is a fixed belief that is false, fanciful, or derived from deception. Which is why this article is entitled ‘The Discipline Delusion’.

This may be slightly controversial, but I wholeheartedly believe that to get where you truly want to be takes no discipline at all!

I will clarify what I mean. There is no doubt at all that if you are training for something because you have been PUSHED into it by someone else or because you feel like you SHOULD then it will take huge amounts of discipline. Because if the GOAL does not fit with your beliefs or is not in alignment with your values you will always be fighting with your true self to keep yourself on track (or more accurately off track!).

If you set yourself a GOAL that truly matches your wants, desires and beliefs AND is in alignment with your values you will be pulled towards it almost magnetically! It will not be a struggle to get up early to go for a run or go to the gym. You will choose to eat healthily rather than unhealthily and most importantly, when friends or family are living a life that is in alignment with THEIR values you will not feel as if you are MISSING OUT!

Those who flit from one momentary sensory high to the next without any strategy or plan find this hard to believe or understand.

Essentially you are playing the LONG GAME, you are clear about what it is you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it. You have commitment, passion and dedication towards living your dreams and that takes no ‘DISCIPLINE’ at all!

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

Opportunity Knocks!

What are OPPORTUNITIES?

Why do they seem to come along for some people almost every day and for others not at all?

Both important questions if we are seeking to improve any aspect of our lives including our health and fitness!

So, the first question: What are OPPORTUNITIES?

Well, the dictionary gives us 3 main definitions:

1. An appropriate or favourable time or occasion.
2. A situation or condition favourable for attainment of a goal.
3. A good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success.

Do you know someone who just seems to stumble upon OPPORTUNITIES as if by accident?  Maybe someone else who just doesn’t seem able to catch a break? Perhaps you would even associate yourself in one of these categories?

The first thing we need to do to start recognising OPPORTUNITIES is to understand that there are infinite OPPORTUNITIES passing us by every second of every day of our lives. Secondly we must become totally clear of  exactly what we want to achieve. This will then turn on our internal OPPORTUNITY radar! You see, once you are clear about what your goals are you will become more focussed and will actively attract and recognise OPPORTUNITIES once they reveal themselves. If for example you make a clear decision to lose weight and get in shape your mind will automatically filter your world for relevant information / people / circumstances to help propel you towards your goal.

Think of yourself for a moment as the human incarnation of Google! Now, there is lots of information available on the internet (and in the world!), isn’t there? Well if you just tapped into Google the phrase ‘STUFF’ what would come up? I can tell you the answer is 462,000,000 incredibly random results! If you tap in ‘WEIGHT LOSS’ you get 172,000,000 slightly more targeted results. If you tap in ‘WEIGHT LOSS CHELMSFORD’ you will find 90,000 even more targeted search results. Tap in ‘WOMENS WEIGHT LOSS CHELMSFORD’ and the searches nearly half again to 50,000. You see, the more specific you can be in life about what it is that you want and what OPPORTUNITIES you want to attract and recognise the easier it will be to find them!

The fact of the matter is that those people who seem to be stumbling upon fantastic OPPORTUNITIES every day are incredibly clear about where they are heading and what they want. Those who see themselves as unlucky and devoid of OPPORTUNITY are usually meandering without focus.

Don’t actively look for OPPORTUNITIES, work intently on PERSONAL CLARITY and OPPORTUNITIES for success in whatever areas you wish to experience it will find you and will be impossible to ignore!

Yours in health,

James St Pierre

Why do we do what we do?

Big Question?

Why do we change jobs, change relationships, book holidays, buy cars, move house, have children, exercise regularly or sit on the sofa eating pizza?

In our earlier Blog ‘Inspiration Vs Motivation’ we discussed the idea that true sustainable motivation comes from within and inspiration usually comes from an outside source. But what motivates or drives our decisions?

As human beings we have two main drivers that will dictate our decisions in any circumstance. Our DESIRE to experience PLEASURE and our NEED to avoid PAIN. I should clarify that a particular decision may not actually bring us either pleasure or pain but it is our IMAGINATION and PERCEPTION that is of up-most importance. If we awake in the night having heard noises downstairs and get up to investigate, whether there IS a burglar downstairs OR we BELIEVE there is a burglar we will act the same.

It is a fact that the vast majority of people will do far more to AVOID PAIN than they ever will to EXPERIENCE PLEASURE.

If, for example, someone was severely overweight and had great difficulty in moving around, was always out of breath, had a variety or medical conditions and felt isolated due to their conditions they may be experiencing PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL PAIN.

The idea of that same person losing weight, becoming slimmer, more mobile, having more energy, improving their health and being more connected to those around them might promote the EXPECTATIONS of PLEASURE.

For this person, unfortunately, the idea of becoming more physically active, being more aware of their consumption and possibly even stepping through the doors of a gym or some kind of health / fitness club may fill them with MASSIVE FEARS of possible PAIN. Remember, it is IMAGINED PAIN that will cause them to make a decision. This could represent itself as fear of embarrassment, shame, being self conscious, standing out, feeling inferior, unable to participate and ultimately failure (all of this may go on in the head without ever stepping out of the door or picking up a phone to make an enquiry!)

If the PERCEIVED PAIN of taking action is GREATER than the ACTUAL PAIN of the current situation then nothing will change. If the ACTUAL PAIN of the current situation is GREATER than the PERCEIVED PAIN of taking action then this person will make a change and take actions towards improved health.

If you are procrastinating over certain decisions or actions, ask yourself WHY? Ultimately the root of your indecision will boil down to the PLEASURE / PAIN trade off. Sit down and find the PERCEIVED PLEASURE / PAIN associated with your decisions and TAKE SOME INSPIRED AND POSITIVE ACTION TODAY!

Yours in health,

James St Pierre