Well, we’re firmly back to school now and looking towards the Autumn and what it’ll bring to us.

Monday mornings are typically a place where things can feel a bit stressful.

Yesterday we had a lovely chicken dinner and the stock pots on bubbling away. The smell of the stock is really comforting. Tonight, that’ll make a vegetable, broth with prawns and leftover chicken, plus a little black rice. I call it a risotto but it’s more of a vegetable, high protein stew.

Cooking for the week is a great way to save on waste food, save on food bills and enjoy healthier foods as well. By Thursday or Friday, you’ll be having an entire meal out of leftovers……

I’ve been taking advantage of the back to school feeling via cleaning up my environment somewhat. Things get super busy at this time of the year, so keeping less clutter around can really help my Zen Thing thrive.

Quite a few things can mess with your Zen Thing is you are not careful. Trick is to use them as fuel to knuckle down and be mindful.

That “Noise” from multiple sources and task overload certainly takes some management.

The “ghetto blaster” analogy comes to mind when managing stress. Too loud? You have some options:

1. Turn it down (hard if it’s a person).
2. Put on your own headphones (control how you react) this is key.
3. Walk away, remove yourself from the environment, not always possible if it’s work or family, easy enough if it’s other stuff.
4. Keep grateful.
5. Make sure you keep it real. How bad is the problem really and can you control it? Could the problem be worse?
6. Control the controllable everything else is irrelevant.
7. Keep a secret stash or place you can go to. Your “Happy place” might be the gym.
8. Might be a secret shake like my focus formula which helps you feel better.
9. Might be some adaptogens, a training session or telling a joke.
10. Tip = don’t sweat the small stuff, Tip = it’s all small stuff 

Nurturing and looking after other people, pets and things is vital. Plus, a really great way to manage stress. One aspect of this though is the importance of nurturing yourself.

One thing I’ve noticed is that in spite of everything the gym can be a place where you can usually always make progress. Outside of injury etc, but then you can still rehab that.

Here’s a little story about how the gym saved an imaginary client:

Second story which might be true. We’ll call this guy Dave too.

Dave’s down the pub with his mate Mike. Dave’s been a naughty boy and he’s cheating with an 18 year old bar maid. He tells his mate, who goes home and tells his wife. His wife phones Dave’s wife and spills the beans.

After a few more pints, Dave arrives home to find his clothes and suit case outside his house and the locks have been changed on the house. Unperturbed he jumps in his car and travels to a local hotel to stay the night. Trouble is his cards been blocked. So he can’t pay for the hotel. Nipping into town he tries the cash machine and his other cards, they’ve also been blocked.

Then he decided to go to a friends, but the police stop him. “Is this your car sir” it’s been reported stolen – he’s also had a few pints, so end ups in the cells with a criminal record for stealing the car and drunk driving for being over the limit.

He’s been taken off the family business, lost his wife, access to his kids, house, job, car, money, bank accounts and livelihood within 4 hours. The bar maid also mugs him off shortly afterwards.

Not as you can imagine his finest hour. In this depleted state he moves back to his last strong hold – the lock up. A few old weights knocking around plus an old tub of R5 aminos, he dusts off the weights, the lad gradually builds himself back up body and soul – training and looking after his nutrition, not looking back.

His bouncebackability is key. Luckily he had a lock up and some R5’s stashed away for safe keeping.

After a couple of years, realising the error of his ways manages to make things up at home…..Happy ending.

What can we learn from this tragic story? With a happy ending.

Try to keep to core principles – family first is a core Amino Man principle.

The second important aspect of this tale is; You are only ever 1 workout and 1 meal from getting your life back on track.

Lots of things can happen in life suddenly. Some can be your fault and sometimes things just happen and it’s no one’s fault.

Whatever happens you have to stay strong for life. Hence Amino Man’s core philosophy of Strength For Life ™