mental health

Fitness: The Power of Words

This morning… I awoke with an overwhelming spirit of “can’t”.

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Stardate: 21st February, 2016

Hi.

Some of you know me: Corey Springer; that insane fitness guy from St. George – “I mean… did you SEE what he made those people do with those tires? Oh hell, are they about to push trucks?!!” – That guy.

Some of you are clients of mine… and aware of my super-long work days: 7-12 one-hour long Personal Training (PT) slots per day, plus 3 hour-long bootcamps per week, plus a couple hours per day of administration and cleaning/upkeep.

Some of you, just see the end product.

Both groups of you miss two things, that I plan on sharing with you today.

And they are:

Despite appearances, I struggle with my own personal fitness… daily!
Sometimes, despite my best intentions, I fail.

Today, I’d like to talk to you about not failing.

Today, I woke with a spirit of “can’t”. For whatever reason, I missed several workouts this week. To accommodate, I’d thrown in some sessions on the days I had bootcamp. So, needless to say, by the end of those days, I was pretty fried mentally and emotionally. Friday and Saturday were like that. Today, Sunday, after my first client – I had absolutely no interest in doing anything exercise-related.

A glass of wine maybe. Some cuddle-time with my daughter and pups, maybe. The cardio I was supposed to do? Hell no.

“I can’t. I am not able.” – These are the words I’d told myself over and over, from the time my alarm went off at 4 a.m… conditioning myself to a day of failure.

And, I would have failed… had I not walked past the mirror and caught a glimpse of the sloped-shouldered, dejected guy there.

It was me… but it wasn’t. The weight of my words bore down on my frame, contorting me into someone unrecognisable. Someone who I, in that moment, no longer wanted to be.

I grabbed my bike. I grabbed my gear. I whispered to myself: “I can.” And, I hurried out through the door. In my haste, I even forgot my water.

2 kilometres in – “OH MY GOD! My legs are burning. How am I going to get home?!”

4.4 kilometres in – “This isn’t so bad. But how am I going to get home?”

7 kilometres in – “My lips! Oh God! I’m parched! But, I’m making it! Why is there so much broken glass on the road? Will I get a flat tire? Is that RAIN I smell?!”

8.9 kilometres in – “I can do this. I can.”

10.94 kilometres – As I live at the top of a hill, I had to sprint the last 50 metres. My lungs were shot. My legs were shot. My legs were shot. Did I mention that my legs were shot?

…but I made it.

I wouldn’t have, if I hadn’t fed my subconscious different words.

You may have rolled your eyes at this point, if you haven’t done so multiple times before now. I get it. I truly do.

I don’t look like someone who’d understand your struggle. I’m not the fat teen I was (- the fat teen that hardly anyone remembers as being so, because my current persona is so overpoweringly-Mr.-fitness). I’m not the heavily medicated asthmatic teen I used to be.

I’m also not the 20 years old, with no responsibilities.

I’m you: mid-30s, a full time business (-three really); a wife, a daughter, two dogs, and bills that need to be paid every month.

I am your body issues, your deadlines, your logic. All of those things affect my life, as they do yours.

And, like you… I am also my words.

So… Will YOU join me, in changing your defining phrase today?

You “can”.

Yours in fitness,
– Corey Springer
Apollo Fitness Barbados

http://www.GetNarked.net

Confidence is a Bumpy Road

Stardate: 21st September 2014

Hi.

I have a confession.

I… I struggle with self confidence.

Many don’t realise this, because of the level of persistence, detail, and work I put in to anything I want in life.

I am confident in the things I have achieved and learned… But never confident during the process.

But, despite doubts… I keep my head down and work until I achieve what I desire. Insanity? Maybe. My cognitive processes are anything but normal, and I’m fine with that.

One thing I’ve always doubted, but worked insanely hard at is my artistry.

I’ve heard comments on both sides of the coin: “he’s a gimmick”; “he’s brilliant.”

Many times I’m not sure which side I fall on. But then they are nights like tonight when, full of doubt, I touch the mic…and get lost in the art… And sometimes I fall out of the zone for a second and realise that people around are also caught up.

Those are the moments that I live and work for… In all areas of my life.

I’ve babbled.

All of this to say: look for those moments.

Doesn’t matter if it’s in your job or relationship, or hobby, or a new skill you’re looking to learn.

Look for those moments when everything around you melts away, and you find yourself immersed in the purity of your pursuit.

…That moment when you smile from your very soul.

Confidence is a bumpy road.
Use those sparks to keep it well-lit.

Àṣẹ,
-Corey “Narkissos” Springer

http://www.getnarked.net
www.facebook.com/NarkSide

Fake it, ‘Til you Make it

Stardate: 4th September 2014

“Get real!”

We applaud children for their ability to pretend. We pay actors hundreds of thousands of dollars for the same ability… All-the-while, crying down our fellow adults for not being ‘real’ enough. Humans are so confused… so very confused.

There is a place for fake.

For example:
The customer isn’t always right.

Sometimes the customer is a cunt. But being a good businessperson means slapping on your most sincere pretend smile, spreading your imaginary broad back even broader, and rolling with it.

Sometimes, your life decisions go against the grain…leaving you as your only supporter.

Sometimes, ‘here’ is the last place you want to be.

Sometimes, you’re broke and hungry.

Sometimes, you’re unhappy. But, becoming the success you know you can be means slapping on that fake confidence, rubbing that pretend-full tummy, and sauntering cooly in to the belly of the beast… Cus if you wore your true circumstance outwardly, it would remain your reality.

Fake it til you make it.
Make-believe isn’t only a childhood indulgence.

Àṣẹ,
-Corey “Narkissos” Springer

http://www.getnarked.net
www.facebook.com/NarkSide

Humans are Afraid of Falling

Stardate: 14th August 2014

While training a young lady, I noticed her wobble slightly. I stepped in immediately to offer her support and security. But, despite having that safety net, her mind told her ‘you’re going to fall’, and her body reacted to match. Hands flailed about. Long, well-manicured nails slashed left and right… costing me a few deep scratches.

And, it made me think: Humans are programmed to be afraid of falling… regardless of whatever safety nets are in place.

Falling, whether career-wise, love-wise, or physically, sends the brain in to overdrive. The thought leads to them causing harm to themselves and those around them. It also gets in the way of progress.

I thought about gymnastics/tumbling and martial arts… how one of the first skills one is taught is how to fall safely… because both art forms recognise how essential it is to allow oneself to fall, before one can pick oneself up (or use the momentum to shift in to a new movement pattern).

So, why don’t we teach ourselves the same in life? Why don’t we teach it to our children… instead of rushing to pick them up when they wobble (and bailing them out before they hit rock bottom in their adult life)?

Think on these things.

Àṣẹ,
-Corey “Narkissos” Springer

http://www.getnarked.net
www.facebook.com/NarkSide

The Meaning of Life.

…is a semi-misleading title for this entry.

Stardate: 11th August 2014

Convo with a friend last night:
Her: “[…] So happy to be surrounded by good people.”
Me: “I’m not a good person.” (Sidenote: Truly, I’ve never considered myself bad or good… I’ve always lived to be the best. Nothing more or less.)
Her: “But you are. A lot of people think a good person is a saint: someone who does no wrong. But good people do wrong, much like smart people sometimes say stupid things. What makes you a good person is: knowing yourself, your true self, faults and all… Being conscious of and cknowledging them; doing good for others. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve always done good for others.”

I’ll be honest… I wasn’t expecting any of what she said. But, it could not have come at a better time. So, let me pass on my appended footnotes:

– Figure out who you are.
– Do what you can for others.
– Live to be the best you, you can be.
– Expect to fail many times over. Be prepared to be fine with that.
– Be fine with people judging you. Don’t ever let their judgements become your perspective… Because perspective becomes your reality. (I’ve failed here a number of times. What’s that saying about a hundred frenchmen, or hearing something enough times? Yea… I started to drink that koolaid. No bueno!)

We aren’t perfect.
Many pretend to be.