TED’S “WHY”
Promises are easy to make, but not always easy to keep. Sometimes it’s best to either not make them at all, or for the promises you do make,resolve to keep them, absolutely no matter what. Some call this character building, others call it stupidity. Whichever it is,
broken promises usually buddy well with good excuses.
With my 48th birthday just a few months away, I was 15kg overweight and could barely jog 100m. Although I was healthy, my Doctor’s jokes about Type II Diabetes were becoming more frequent and less humorous. So I promised myself that for my 50th birthday I would be the fittest I’ve ever been. Kath is a dear friend of mine so I also promised her that I would support her crazy boot camp venture. Well that’s a great combo but I didn’t have any spare time. My retail business consumed all of my week but I already knew that not finding the time is
nothing more than an excuse and it wasn’t even a good one. Reminds me of one of my favourite sayings…..”A bad result with
a good excuse is still a bad result”.
FINDING TIME
Most boot camp morning sessions start at 5:30am…..lucky me. Preparation and commute time means that on the 3 days each week that I attend boot camp, my alarm is set for 4:30am. Initially that was tough but for now, I’d like to share just how much time my commitment actually consumes. 24 hours per day x 7 days a week = 168 hours each week. Total boot camp hours each week (including prep and travel time) = 2 x hours x 3 x sessions = 6 hours…….that’s a 3.75% investment of my time making a 100% difference to my life.
For the first few weeks I dragged myself out of bed in the cold and the dark because of my promise to Kath. But soon the motivation changed and I started making new promises. As my love and admiration for my fellow boot campers grew, they taught me 4 new, but unspoken promises.
Promise #1: TURN UP
Promise #2: GIVE IT MY ALL, NEVER CHEAT MYSELF
Promise #3: DON’T JUDGE ANYONE
Promise #4: ENCOURAGE OTHERS, ESPECIALLY NEWCOMERS.
A TEAM OF MISFITS
Whatever your impression of what boot camp is, forget it. This particular boot camp is a surprisingly multifarious bunch of assorted ages, sizes, gender and levels of fitness but together they form (or better - we form) one homogenous team of misfits. Boot camp at Chermside is like a sweet (or sweat) journey with a bunch of nut jobs but along the way I’ve seen so many of these campers achieving inspirational results. And sometimes those inspirational results kick in sooner than expected. How many push-ups, sit-ups or chin-ups I can do now
or even how far I can run is all amazing but the real magic happens outside of boot camp……
RESULTS
People generally respect other people who take pride in their appearance and might even admire those people who look athletic. Unfortunately the opposite is also true and in the business world those who look athletic are far outnumbered by those who don’t. I had no idea that boot camp had helped me join the minority until a customer cornered me to ask about my fitness regime. And then another and another...all middle-aged men which is a nice compliment but it made part of me question that I was sending out the wrong signals, at least to the wrong demographic. Since starting boot camp, my business is also performing well beyond expectations. In fact, we’re currently making history as one of the top performers in South East Queensland. I’m certain that, as a business leader, feeling great, having an abundance of energy and being physically fit has helped achieve that result. Not only because of the huge impact these things have on anyone’s mental fitness but it also earns respect. Just last week I even had a customer buy me flowers, this was a major breakthrough for me because this time they weren’t from a man.
WHY BLITZFIT CHERMSIDE?
I’ve tried other training options. Working with a PT is fantastic but truck loads more expensive and the great thing about group training is everyone is at a different level but everyone pushes themselves - it’s inspiring and everyone encourages. The thing that makes Blitzfit Australia Chermside/Aspley truly special is the trainers. Kath and Emma invest a crazy amount of time making every session unique and amazing so that everyone can join in at whatever level they want but most of all, they actually care. They know every person’s name, everyone’s fitness level, any recent injuries and they’ll be quick to tailor that individual’s routine to suit.
I’d like to thank Kath and her team for helping me achieve what I’ve achieved so far and look forward to achieving much more. I would also like to extend a warm invitation for all of you to attend my 50th birthday party. The date, time and place for this event are yet to be announced but it will be on one of the many Fridays in 2017. You will need your gym shoes, drink bottle, towel and some Deep Heat.
Ted Johnson, 49 years old, Harvey Norman Franchisee
Promises are easy to make, but not always easy to keep. Sometimes it’s best to either not make them at all, or for the promises you do make,resolve to keep them, absolutely no matter what. Some call this character building, others call it stupidity. Whichever it is,
broken promises usually buddy well with good excuses.
With my 48th birthday just a few months away, I was 15kg overweight and could barely jog 100m. Although I was healthy, my Doctor’s jokes about Type II Diabetes were becoming more frequent and less humorous. So I promised myself that for my 50th birthday I would be the fittest I’ve ever been. Kath is a dear friend of mine so I also promised her that I would support her crazy boot camp venture. Well that’s a great combo but I didn’t have any spare time. My retail business consumed all of my week but I already knew that not finding the time is
nothing more than an excuse and it wasn’t even a good one. Reminds me of one of my favourite sayings…..”A bad result with
a good excuse is still a bad result”.
FINDING TIME
Most boot camp morning sessions start at 5:30am…..lucky me. Preparation and commute time means that on the 3 days each week that I attend boot camp, my alarm is set for 4:30am. Initially that was tough but for now, I’d like to share just how much time my commitment actually consumes. 24 hours per day x 7 days a week = 168 hours each week. Total boot camp hours each week (including prep and travel time) = 2 x hours x 3 x sessions = 6 hours…….that’s a 3.75% investment of my time making a 100% difference to my life.
For the first few weeks I dragged myself out of bed in the cold and the dark because of my promise to Kath. But soon the motivation changed and I started making new promises. As my love and admiration for my fellow boot campers grew, they taught me 4 new, but unspoken promises.
Promise #1: TURN UP
Promise #2: GIVE IT MY ALL, NEVER CHEAT MYSELF
Promise #3: DON’T JUDGE ANYONE
Promise #4: ENCOURAGE OTHERS, ESPECIALLY NEWCOMERS.
A TEAM OF MISFITS
Whatever your impression of what boot camp is, forget it. This particular boot camp is a surprisingly multifarious bunch of assorted ages, sizes, gender and levels of fitness but together they form (or better - we form) one homogenous team of misfits. Boot camp at Chermside is like a sweet (or sweat) journey with a bunch of nut jobs but along the way I’ve seen so many of these campers achieving inspirational results. And sometimes those inspirational results kick in sooner than expected. How many push-ups, sit-ups or chin-ups I can do now
or even how far I can run is all amazing but the real magic happens outside of boot camp……
RESULTS
People generally respect other people who take pride in their appearance and might even admire those people who look athletic. Unfortunately the opposite is also true and in the business world those who look athletic are far outnumbered by those who don’t. I had no idea that boot camp had helped me join the minority until a customer cornered me to ask about my fitness regime. And then another and another...all middle-aged men which is a nice compliment but it made part of me question that I was sending out the wrong signals, at least to the wrong demographic. Since starting boot camp, my business is also performing well beyond expectations. In fact, we’re currently making history as one of the top performers in South East Queensland. I’m certain that, as a business leader, feeling great, having an abundance of energy and being physically fit has helped achieve that result. Not only because of the huge impact these things have on anyone’s mental fitness but it also earns respect. Just last week I even had a customer buy me flowers, this was a major breakthrough for me because this time they weren’t from a man.
WHY BLITZFIT CHERMSIDE?
I’ve tried other training options. Working with a PT is fantastic but truck loads more expensive and the great thing about group training is everyone is at a different level but everyone pushes themselves - it’s inspiring and everyone encourages. The thing that makes Blitzfit Australia Chermside/Aspley truly special is the trainers. Kath and Emma invest a crazy amount of time making every session unique and amazing so that everyone can join in at whatever level they want but most of all, they actually care. They know every person’s name, everyone’s fitness level, any recent injuries and they’ll be quick to tailor that individual’s routine to suit.
I’d like to thank Kath and her team for helping me achieve what I’ve achieved so far and look forward to achieving much more. I would also like to extend a warm invitation for all of you to attend my 50th birthday party. The date, time and place for this event are yet to be announced but it will be on one of the many Fridays in 2017. You will need your gym shoes, drink bottle, towel and some Deep Heat.
Ted Johnson, 49 years old, Harvey Norman Franchisee