James Atkinson - Health And Fitness Tips That Will Change Your Life: Create a healthy lifestyle from beginner to winner with mind-set, diet and exercise habits

Health And Fitness Tips

That Will Change Your Life

Create a healthy lifestyle from beginner to winner with mind-set, diet, and exercise habits

JimsHealthAndMuscle.com

Health And Fitness Tips

That Will Change Your Life

Create a healthy lifestyle from beginner to winner with mind-set, diet and exercise habits

JAMES ATKINSON

JIMSHEALTHANDMUSCLE.COM

PAPERBACK EDITION

PUBLISHED BY:

JBA publishing

http://www.jimshealthandmuscle.com

Book Proofing, Design & Layout by Papertrue.com

Copyright 2017 by James Atkinson

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of James Atkinson, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Requests for permission to make copies of any part of this book should be submitted to James Atkinson at jim@JimsHealthAndMuscle.com

ISBN- 978-0-9932791-6-4

DISCLAIMER

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information contained in this book was accurate at the time of release, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions in this book, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

First published in 2017 / First printed in 2017

Printed in United Kingdom

PREFACE

I cant begin to tell you how many times I have stood in this spot, feeling my biceps burn after a satisfying set of cable curls. I could feel my arms bulging and the hem of my t shirt straining around them. This is why Im here; this is what I have built; and this is what I do.

Every January is the same new faces in the gym, and by April, it will be back to just the usual crowd.

As I listen to the metal music pumping into my ears through the headphones that separate me from the distraction of conversation and social interaction, I scan the gym.

I make sure that the peak of my baseball cap serves as a partial shield for my gaze and a deterrent against useless conversation. I am serious about my training and dont need to be interrupted by fair-weather trainers.

There are more newcomers than ever this year, and I can tell that many have never been involved in fitness all their lives, and so, they dont know how hard this game is. Among the new faces, I notice a guy, probably in his mid-thirties; hes a big man who is out of shape and wears big, baggy clothes to match. I think of all of the work that I have put in and wonder what is the difference between me and him?

Back to my training, I blast out another set of biceps cable curls. Pumped up again, my biceps are bulging and tight. I better stretch out the muscles; I smile to myself as I imagine my biceps tearing out of my skin from training too hard.

As I stretch out my arms to relax my biceps, I am drawn to my thirty-something new gym associate again. Hes not wasting any time and appears to know what hes doing. He has a good routine going for himself and is working hard on a circuit using a mix of bodyweight and barbell exercises. Hes working out in a quiet corner of the gym and has everything organised.

Taking note of this, I can immediately tell that this guy has a goal, a plan, work ethics; he wants his fitness results and is willing to work for them, and I respect this on a level that I am yet to understand. Seeing this new trainer in a new light, I realise that he may well be the exception to the stereotype of January gym start-ups.

This guy is different; it certainly appears that he has put in some work already with his planning, and his actions tell of his motivation and will to succeed. He most definitely stands out from the crowd.

I finish up my stretching and refocus on my own goals. I reach for my waiting bar and ready myself for another intense set.

Four weeks later, its February. The days are still short, the heat of the sun still elusive, and the metal of the bar that I grip is ice cold, although that doesnt keep me from my gym sessions or my fitness goals.

As predicted, there are a fewer faces in the gym than the previous month. However, over the last few weeks, without fail, I have shared floor space and gym time with that new starter who had grabbed my attention earlier. He wears the same gym clothes and is still training in his unique circuit style with bodyweight and barbell exercises in a quiet corner of the gym. The weights on his bar have increased, he is doing more reps on his bodyweight exercises, and he looks more confident in his exercise delivery.

I pick up my bar and complete my set. I am also wearing the same clothes and doing the very exercise that I was doing the first time we were in the gym together.

As I stretch out my arms, I witness him finish one of his circuit sets. He stands tall with his hands on his hips, looks up to the ceiling as if he is challenging an unknown force, breathes deeply but calmly, and I can tell that he is already thinking about his next set.

He rolls his shoulders and makes eye contact with me. I give him a nod of acknowledgement, he returns the gesture, and we both fall back into our routines.

The month of May certainly lifts the mood of most people. I love this time of year: new life, the suns warmth, and the promise of potential. Outside, everything is green, fresh, and new.

I walk into the gym to begin my session, and as soon as I step into the free weights area, I notice a familiar sight Its the same guy thats been training since January. He is between sets and is stretching out his biceps. His gaze is fixed on a new comer of the gym, and he is obviously lost in thought. As he holds the stretch, he shakes the thoughts away, rolls his shoulders, and prepares for his next set.

The bar and dumbbells that he has around him are a lot heavier than they were a month or two ago. He is still wearing the same gym cloths that he had been wearing since he started; they are more faded, but they look like they are hanging off of him. It reminds me of my school days when my friends mom would buy his school uniform two sizes too big for him as part of a money saving plan. This makes me smile, and at that moment, he catches my eye. I throw my arm high and give him a thumbs up from the other side of the gym; he smiles back at me and does the same. He looks at his push-up mat on the floor and assumes the starting position before getting started on his next set.

Several months earlier, I had asked myself, What is the difference between this guy and me? I now know the answer. The only difference is that he started training only a few years later than I did, and now, I cant ever imagine him being without it. He has earned some great results and overcame many challenges. I know that its not just the few hours that I see him in the gym every week that has made all the difference; from my personal experience, I know that he has had to make major lifestyle changes to be where he is right now. I respect him immensely for this more than he will ever come to know.