Well, hello, ladies and gents Robert Sykes kill Savage.com. And today I've got special guest Roy blinking on the line, he is doing some awesome things. We've been corresponding via email for quite some time. He is a type 1 diabetic. He used to be an alcoholic. Actually got into this. He is still an alcoholic but he does not exercise his ability to drink. So interesting concept. There we talked deep about mindset.
Yeah, we dive deep into it here. I honestly thought in the beginning of this conversation, we were going to dive into primarily. Is competition prep and ever. See to prep here recently via a keto genic diet. He is currently in the process of building out, this massive Retreat, all centered around health and wellness and he just doing some awesome, awesome things. I was excited to get him on the podcast, pick his brain, about his prep, pick his brain, about his Retreat, that he's building
out. And then lo and behold it went down a rabbit hole of mindset and just how to have the right mentality through the day-to-day and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. I've got no doubt that you will take something from this. So that further Ado, sit back relax and Joe podcast with Roy blinking And we are live. Roy, how are you brother very well. Nice, good. I shouldn't be here. Pleasure to have you, man. We we've been corresponding via email.
I think you reached out to me, initially, I don't know. I'm just go back to the email you. I feel like the first time we call responded, you sent me an e-mail, June 29th of last year's, at the first time I think that I'm probably about, right? It was a midwife Through my comp prep for the Queensland state. Champs for natural bodybuilding. Yeah. So you sent me some pictures, you're looking absolutely. Shredded. You're doing a carnivore
approach type 1 diabetic. So you're doing everything that they say can't be done. And I like it. When people do that, man, like I like disruptors in the space, like people that are doing something Christian Ali, physically, I just like people that are going out there and hustling and doing things that everybody's kind of throwing shade at and seeing success with it. So I wanted to just bring it on the podcast.
I'm into your prep a little bit, but then also everything that you've got cooking now with your property, so we can kind of tackle that in whatever order you want to. But I'd love to certainly flesh out your prep a little bit and honestly what got you into like keto carnivore, low carb in the first place man I'm assuming the type 1 diabetes probably had a pretty profound impact on them. Yeah absolutely. ironically, and this is is Not common and this space, my endocrinologist.
Finally, check the box for me on low carb. Keto. And that's an odd one for a endocrinologist. And our space over here, to be focused on and promoting sort of a low-carb approach goes against the Paradigm and she did her PhD and low carbohydrate intake. On type 1 diabetics and I was a part of that and as an athlete at the time, that added a different level of scope to that as Which was pretty awesome. And I remember it being low cab
Canada myself in low cab. For about six years now and I was building up to an event that was a 203 200k three-day cross country mountain bike event that myself into made with doing. So it was unassisted and we basically had a packs and all of her food and everything else on it backs as we mountain bike touring the case across territory. We didn't even see another person for three days and And that was the first big event. I did. Without being primarily loaded on carbohydrates.
So close to 300 case and three days and pretty wild territory on around, 40 grams of carbs a day. We you with people that were doing something similar was everybody else probably consuming it kind of carbohydrates no training. Partner was just a consuming standard standard approach to. I adore Paris standard Paradigm diet, so sad, diarrhea lie. But my focus was on the diabetes saying if I could do it with that approach because I get a
bit sort of red rag to a bull. When people tell me what I can and can't do with condition and the standard understanding was you can't do that. It's kind of interesting with the standard understanding of type 1.
Diabetes is like when I talk to people about a ketogenic diet and having worked with multiple clients that are both type 1 and type 2. There's a I mean I would probably say that the majority of the population out there that is not really in the nutritional space in the no automatically assumes that if you're diabetic you cannot be doing, low carb, which is kind of interesting. Yeah. It's and there's an irony to that type of violence.
Obviously, slightly different as an autoimmune condition and type two guests, generically known as a lifestyle condition. But From my perspective. Type one thing you would pretty much eliminate type 2. If everyone ate our type one should mmm. And when I say like a top one, should I guess if you think about the rise and the increase in type 1, diabetes over the last 20 years.
In particular, you could almost say that the standard food Paradigm that will be living by has almost genetically weakened and predisposed us to type 2 diabetes. And if we're predisposed to a weakened pancreas, it sort of logic to me that, that then overflows into the autoimmune side of things and leave everything sort of points towards the primary focus of autoimmune, conditions and
inflammatory. The Rarity of them around, things like your standard ones, like, fibromyalgia, take another majority of those in clients that I've had that we've pretty much removed The high proportion of breaths, heavily, processed food even more. So than just going strictly low-carb, removing the high volume of heavily processed food from the nutrition panel has, just changed her entire focus on
life when it come down. When we removing the high processed foods, what is the primary mechanism there that they're seeing benefit from, is it the removal of the carbohydrates in the high-pressure spray? Foods at the removal of them, the inflammatory vegetable oils in the high processed foods. Is it just simply the removal of the higher calories that often come with Hyper palatable? High priced, High processed foods like is there one like in the totem pole? So to speak which one is
carrying the most weight? I think it's a combination of all of them. But from a white perspective, it's the primary removal of the carbohydrates that we see from an inflammatory. Because it's got a lot to do with the vegetable oils and me. The chemical crab. Yeah, excuse the expression, but from inflammatory perspective and aches, and pains and joints, and things like that, I think the combination of the three is just a, just a nightmare, isn't it? Yeah, it is for sure.
And you started doing low-carb, you said about six years ago? Did I hear that, right? Yeah. And I'll be coming up seven years, actually, siblings, nearly the anniversary of that, that event that we did. so, the bicentennial Trail over here is basically close to 1,000 km of Not readily, explored trailers, the original Wagon Trail that led supplies, and stalls by horse and cart over.
Sort of mountains, enter the Inland regions and it covers the majority of the strata of a different portions and different periods. And you can you can ride independently or do events through sections of it, that cover, anything up to 1000 km in 7 days. So that I sent a report through, too. The endocrinologist after during the event and had stable blood for the entire event across the entire process. I'm currently eating at the time, nuts and jerky.
Mmm. Macadamia says, you know, without coffee and macadamias life, just simply isn't what it is. And as I said last night, I'm pretty sure that's why I could never be truly kind of all that coffee. I don't know. Yeah, there's a, that's a whole nother conversation me. Like, people are really like, the people that are really strict carnivore that won't allow you to have coughing. Yeah, I'm definitely not playing that game. Like I'm definitely getting in my car.
Yeah, I'm not sure I could trust anyone with that coffee. Something's wrong with them, right. Got off track. Well, you question, I mean, you made a pretty significant shift from those Ultra endurance, events to bodybuilding man, like having a stage presence, you know, leaning out for a competition. Like, what, what was the Catalyst for that shift? That was that started in my 20s. So I guess if you, I guess the understand that needs. To understand me a bit more.
So I'm a liberal. I'm six foot. I like long walks on the beach and during the races. Bodybuilding. I'm a health coach, we run our own business on a small property, which we've just moved to recently. And on the other side of that coin, I'm a type 1 diabetic with a history of alcoholism and depression and an artificial knee. So in my 20s was the first time that I, my early twenties about 21 was the first time that I Really focused on.
I knew that I had addictive issues from the time I was about 16 I was 20 years old when I had my first real break And okay, that's it. No drinking for 12 months. And in that 12 months, I started back into health and fitness got certified. And started training for bodybuilding couple. We were you as far as your diabetes goes, did that wasn't diabetic? Then you weren't that make that. Okay, so when did that come into the picture? So that came into the picture.
So I gave up drinking 16, 17 years ago. and ironically, Sixteen years ago, I turned overnight. it's got to be a pretty brutal wake-up call for sure having you know, lived your whole life up to that point not being a diabetic and then now being a diabetic like that's what was that like oh it wasn't really a wake-up call because at that point on Change the structure of my life. I went into rehab for three
months. Came out and went okay, so left or right and knew that I was at a crisis point and my life. So I've turned left into the Undiscovered Country instead of crawling back under the rock, which is a bonus for me. I think, and hit that sort of 12 or 13 months Mark, which can be pretty brutal, because the majority of relapse occurs, for a lot of people around the 12 month Mark, so on your anniversary. Ergo, guess you can get Hamid.
And about 14 months. I was training for an ultra endurance, kayak race for the Hofstra Classics, 110 case, every night. And I started losing, but load a weight and kept putting it down to overtraining. And I ended up losing about 10 kilos in the space of two weeks. It's quite a bit here and one here. Sorry, that's quite a bit of weight. Yeah. Quite a bit away shredded that. Yeah. And went to the doctor. Took a blood test an hour later and Hospital.
Send it for two weeks and came out type 1 diabetic. So it was almost like another test. So I had the choice to say poor me or just get on with it and Luckily, I guess for me, I'd already had already had a notion of Understanding Nutrition. Calories, carbohydrates, protein. So just went, well, it's just another step, get on with it. And got on with it from there
and didn't bother stopping. And I said, I feel like a lot of people especially over these past several years with, you know, everything that's been going on. A lot of people they just have that poor me mentality and when it comes to physical ailments like type 1 diabetes, it's it's really easy to convince yourself that you're just, you got the Short Straw, this happened to you, you know, poor poor me, let me just No, wallow around in the misery, but like I don't know,
man. Like people that have the physical ailments, you know, they lose a limb, they have cancer, develop type 1, diabetes late, onset in life, it's like for for you to be able to get your your mind, right? And then just keep keep tacking the day with a renewed sense of just Zeal for life. That that to me is impressive that carries a lot of weight. I'll look it up. I've got to agree with you. And it's I am going to say it's easy for me to say, because I did it.
But from my perspective, it's just life. Yeah. he, you get up and you get all all you sit down and you don't Yeah I think I don't know, man. I've actually been thinking about this a lot lately. Everybody's the grass always looks greener on the other side like it especially with social media. Like it's very easy to look at other people that you follow that you admire real. Yeah, the highlight reels and just assume that, oh man, if I had their life, then it would be
good. I play straight up that most people don't want my life. If they knew a lot about my life and the same is true. Yeah. You the same is true with probably all of us. There's a lot behind the scenes that does no good to like, you know, point that out and showcase it, because you don't want to have this, you know, what was me mentality, but the same time, you know, there's a lot behind everybody's curtain and there's just no good that comes from having this victim
mentality. And I feel like whenever you're placed under extreme pressure and hardship, you know, the kind of just goes back to everything. I'm selling the podcast in previous episodes about stoicism and you know, Given yourself adversity to grow from and strengthen your resolve with, but you that's the only realistic and reasonable way to approach it because anything other than that is just negative energy and what is the, what is the possible?
Good that comes from that. Oh, god, I've got a gray head and look the Catch-22 to any given situation in life as I've got a lot of clients who say to me and you've probably had it yourself. It's easy for you to say. Yeah. And I've and I've got to thank in that moment. About non judgement. And we always think of judgment as being an A- Focus. You know, you judging me or your chanting this or judging that? How is saying something, like it's easy for you to say, not
the exact same judgment. Yeah, it is. And when I turn around to the majority of them and say, well, You think this was my life all the time? Do you think? I don't struggle with this stuff every day. Still now I call myself a non-practicing alcoholic and when people find out that I haven't been in a in an addictive situation for over 17 years, I say yeah. But you're not anymore. I am every day. The only difference between an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic or a non-practicing alcoholic Is
whether or not? They've got a drink in there. Yeah, you don't you know you don't have an anaphylactic shock to peanuts. For 17 years. It's not the coercion no longer allergic to peanuts, it's because you haven't eaten a peanut. Yeah, that's a good point, man. Yeah, there is no, you know, I think this is where a lot of people get caught up in their own sort of Fear Factor and focuses. For me. I just decided at that point in
time. And when I say, I decided it was still the processor five years of meditation. So why cannot and T is going at realizations of things aren't forgotten about. My actions over the tiny years prior and going still trying to find ways to justify, you know, and there's all good. And I think that's the biggest challenge. Is that we I decided from that point that I was never. That wasn't a part of my life anymore. It wasn't. I just do it for a period of time and then I'll be fine.
And I actually smoked the 20 years as well. I gave up 13 years ago now and it was the same process for that when I was ready. I remember the day that it happened, I was the first of July 2010. So what's that? 11, 12 years, 13 years. And I remember certainly had a smoke in my mouth. The coffee in the hand, looked at the cigarette, flicked, it out of the balcony. Bad, littering and said, I'm a
nonsmoker. Yeah. Was it do you feel like you've had any of those addictive Tendencies towards food at all or or no? Yeah, absolutely. Not food compulsion. Not more, not compulsion. And I would say I've got to be conscious of an addictive compulsive nature. Yeah. So one of the good things about a sort of an addictive compulsive nature as manual, focus assist on a direction or are or an event. For example, it's very easy to say structured around it.
I stir where I struggle is without Focus. So if I don't have an event on planning for if I don't have an event that I'm doing, I can walk around scratching my head some the time's going and that overflows into both professional life and personal life. So I find I'm better personally when I'm focused on an event or a particular destination. I think it's just me which isn't very Zen. Yeah. I think it's very simple as
core. That's why weight training is just so beautiful because like you can never Master weight training, Same thing about like, Jiu-Jitsu and martial arts. Like, that's something that you can never master. So it's it's something that you can daily improve upon. It's always learning. Yeah, it's always learning.
So, like, even if you don't have a bodybuilding show or an endurance event, just simply putting in the day-to-day work of training and maintaining and building upon what you've built up to that point that definitely gives you a solid foothold in. I think checks that box of having something to focus on. Yeah, absolutely. It's interesting. You said you did see my wife's a fighter and she took out the Queensland state champs recently, which was pretty awesome. She for the internationally
quite a long time. And when she struction focused on an event or fight, it's she's a very powerful impressive woman. And it's really quite beautiful to see the Simplicity of her smile and the power of their ability to fight. Yeah, I think that is where we roll over from understanding that.
We are not what we do. I think the yeah, not being defined by any one thing, you know, I feel like being too complex to categorize is a worthwhile endeavor, Yeah, I represent a gray especially that pigeonhole box you know, because we can all put ourselves in the paternal box. I used your quote, the other do not wasn't your photos, someone else's, but quite often things happen at a period of time where you are going and you turn on a lightbulb moment for yourself.
And it was that anxiety is just Conspiracy theories about yourself. Yeah. And I think anyone is says that don't have those moments. As either operating in a Perfection level beyond my comprehension or lying to themselves. Because, you know, if it wasn't for self-doubt, you wouldn't have Direction. Yeah, it's like I don't think it's a bad thing to constantly, try and prove something to yourself as long as you're able to do.
So, you know, within the realm of healthy relationship, with that Focus, I've taken things too unhealthy spot. I'm sure you have as well and you just have to be conscious of it, but I don't think you get conscious of, unless you taken
it to an unhealthy spot. Previously, that's the thing, like you have to go there to know what is and Is not healthy, but if you don't ever go there, then that self-doubt becomes all-consuming and you it totally takes the form or takes the place of any confidence that you can have and it becomes overpowering and that's obviously not good either. Yeah, absolutely. And I sort of coined the phrase the clients a while ago where They would sit there will be
talk about taxes. I'm a cognitive therapy counselor as well. That's part of what I do. And and when they sit there and say, I know it's not real, I have to try and get them to understand that it is And people don't quite understand that in the first instance and I said, look, if you think it it is real. Yeah. That doesn't want. What matters is whether or not it's true. Yeah. And you can think yourself into
your own truth, either in a positive or negative way. so, you can make that Thing that you thought that is real Your Truth, or you can explore that. Change how you think and make that your truth? Either way both of them are real. Yeah, you're pretty self becomes entry. Yeah, if you think a thought about yourself, your body doesn't know the difference. Your mind doesn't know the difference.
And who does several podcast lately talking about this as it pertains to like public speaking as an example or you know right before an event like a bodybuilding competition or powerlifting meat or whatever the case may be. Like if you those those sensations of you know anxiety, angst nerves excitement, like all of the the biofeedback that your body has given you like the clammy cold hands. The Jitters, like, all of that stuff.
Like it's responding that way. Whether you are associating that sensation with excitement or fear and anxiety from a thousand less exact same. So it's really just a matter of, which of those two spectrums. Do you want to operate in? I said and that is choice. Yeah, I think I think choice is the one thing that we truly own and people get once again, sometimes they get upset with the concept of that.
And but when it comes down to The ground-level not liking the outcome of a different Choice, doesn't mean that it removes the choice. So I can't do that. I'll lose my job. That doesn't mean you can't do it as do you choose to the outcome that you prefer? Over the outcome of losing a job. That's doesn't mean it's not a choice. On that note, what's the scariest thing that you've done as it pertains to stepping away from what is comfortable?
I'm assuming this purchase of land and and what your building right now is from that law, that's terraform this tariff and released before we go into that, I'll just Tell you about because this relates to probably the previous one of the previous, most terrifying things so packet. And when I when I first started, the bodybuilding Journey was back in my 20s. I said, if I dealt with it.
So I had my first real break from alcohol was 12 months training for a competition full of Faith, full of self-doubt, even though I had found a completely different lease on life without the alcohol. And a friend. Trigger warning killed himself and when that happened it was okay. It was obviously devastating, it would be for anyone but I didn't compete with the rest of my team. On the basis of that, excuse. Now, it was both real and an excuse. And I spent the next Thirty years.
I guess what? No 20 is justifying that outcome based on poor me and tell that story many times. And one of the many times I woke up in tears and meditation post recovery. I was with my friend and my head. Continually apologizing to him for using him as a scapegoat for my life. So for probably 30 years, it was a tick box. That needed to be ticked. And Justified for half of that time with the excuse that was made. So when it finally came time to take that box, It was 30 years
in the making essentially. Hmm. So from the time of conception of understanding that I was going to do this competition to the self-doubt, the justification, and the fear that stop me doing it to the time I go on stage, was close to 30 years because I was 21 at the time it was 54 when I competed I feel like a lot of people have instances in their life like that in which it would be a very understandable and easily justifiable reason to not do X
and they say that's why. But I don't often feel that's ever truly why as not just explode, I think the hardest thing for people to say Don't want it. Yeah. Because I think a grand analogy it is. If we say to ourselves, something's too hard, or if we say to ourselves that, you know, it's too hard. Basically has two meanings. Or three minutes. One is, I can't do it. And that only comes from an element of trying to understand whether or not you can achieve it.
The other two meanings. The two predominant ones I believe one is. I'm not worth it. And the other is, I didn't really want it. So I think these are the only three possible outcomes. And the two last ones, the primary focus of the majority of times that people say I can't do it. It's too hard. It's either. I'm not worth it. Or. I didn't really want it and the way that I said I did, Are there things that you've done in life, in which you have? Put in the work and done the thing.
That was looming in front of you, saw Success With It. And then changed course to the point where you no longer wanted to continue down that trajectory, but yet have to wrestle with the idea of is that truly the case or are you simply going back and feeling like you're not worth it or it's too hard. Once again, compulsive. Addictive nature. I Mountain bike racing. One year, I did, I tried to tag it 12 50 to 100 km races and a
12-month period. and I still don't know to this date, whether I was deliberately trying to burn myself out, Or. I believed it was achievable but regardless I got to race 10 and remember. Thinking to myself that I remembered the start and the finish of every single race and not a second of my time. And I stopped doing any sort of events for probably two years because I was really concerned. That's not living. That's not enjoying.
That's not experiencing. That's not doing anything other than compulsion and there was no real difference between that and the other addictive substances I've been sucking on. Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm not sure if that's directly related to the point that I'm Now that makes sense man. I feel like I feel like we do a lot of things. For varying different reasons but I don't know what brings one at sense of true. Happiness and fulfillment.
I know that that's that's a tricky one or maybe I'm overthinking it because I look at it, I don't think so. I think I think you bang on the money as far as the true happiness and fulfillment guys. I mean you've got your property now. Let's look at amazing. You've got that incredible boy. Yeah gosh he's moving a lot of writing. Isn't that? He is he is and I'm sure that through your practices and through a time you found the third space And the set thirdspace, don't miss so much time.
And those races, for example, You know, the third space is we, we sweep where we spend the majority of the time between where we're going when we were things so you get in your car, you're going to town. Your other constantly thinking about what you're going to do in town or the things you did when you left home. And we spend very little time and the car. Yeah, I have known whether that we're not experiencing anything in that moment.
We're either living in the future of the past and not living in that sort of moving meditation place of experiencing the life around. At that moment, I have not mastered that except for the moments, when I am with my son, like, when I'm with him, I'm very much. So in the moment, but it only changes doesn't it? Yeah, anything outside that. I am very, very guilty. T of past or future, not present.
Yeah. It's a crazy thing and we and and when you think about, when you get to the place that you're going, and you've been thinking about doing the thing, when you get there, if you're stuck where you left your not actually present, there is that. Yeah, you know, you leave an argument somewhere else and drive to the place you need to
be going to with the argument. You had in your head, you get there and you're still not in the place you're at because you're still in. Argument X previously know you're absolutely right man. Whenever I do a competition, I make it a point to be the last one out of the, you know, the changing room. The backstage sections that I can just simply meditate there in solitude for even just 10
minutes man. But like those like that moment that that 10-minute moment is literally what I work, six months in preparation for like not. At the moment on the stage, not the moment, you know, with the trophies, not any of that stuff. It's just that that moment after when it's all done and I can just be truly present for 10 minutes, you know, it's kind of crazy. You do all this shit for six months, so that you can be truly present for 10 minutes, but it's so, yeah, kind of a saint
feeling. All right, you know what? I relate that to her, I always think of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay when they cry nor guy when they climbed Everest. Hmm and he said to apparently said two things one was to reporter when they said how did you do that? He said, well put one foot in front of the other and repeated, it repeatedly, fairly big. Whether it's true or not. It's a but you can just see it. You get to the top of Everest, the highest Pinnacle of climbing in the world.
Highest point in the summit. You standing there, you get there. Hmm, better head down. Yeah, no I'm so that's it. That's it. It's like Yeah, I feel like we like life is full of Peaks and valleys, but it should probably be a little bit more like a, like a Mesa top, like a little bit of a plateau. That's how I design where you just simply, you know, allow yourself the presence of that moment because I think that one thing is certain Yeah, absolutely.
The serenity of those moments and I think and that body wouldn't come presently that. I'd I achieved that and maybe it was because it was such a long process to get there as far as the reasons and the background. But I remember probably 24 hours before I was still having self-image doubts and things like that. I knew that I was ready. I ended up getting on stage at 90 kilos and 9% which was pretty
good. But once again, the other reason for doing it outside of the history of that was the red rag to a bull. When I got told there was no way, a type 1 diabetic, could get on stage and the low-carb Focus. Tick. Yeah, I remember standing backstage and everyone's guzzling pizza and stuff that's provided. And I'm sitting there in jerky, Yeah, her major key. And, you know, it's that focused of from a diabetic standpoint. It was at that moment that I went, huh?
Michelle was dropped. I think just 24 hours before I started being completely comfortable in my own skin. Yeah. Yeah that's wild man. I mean my first competition. I was in the hotel room the night before looking in the mirror and I almost decided not to compete, like I was having the same self-image issues.
And I was like, I am not worthy of stepping on stage and I almost robbed myself of that experience, which would have, I mean, in did change the trajectory of my life, but I was, you know, on Cusp of Throwing It All Away in an instant and I feel like I think that went sorry but that just sums up exactly what we were talking about before you had the choice in that moment to make that reality or truth. Yeah. Instead. You made a different reality, or truth.
So just because you think it doesn't make it true, it makes it real. Yeah, if you'd walked away your truth, would have been exactly what your reality was. To make sense. It does it does, I feel like it's so important, is that in the moment to have that perspective, though. I think it's in 100%, but like, when you were in the, The Fray, You can't think ration like that. I think we can work to do so. I mean, you can, it takes a lot of effort to do so.
That's why I love stoicism so much, because it kind of like trains that that mentality. But if you're not, well, versed in how to do that. You are so reactionary. So impulsive so reactive that you can't see through that lens. But if you train your mind to think like that, then the opportunities that you're then presented with just, you know, quadruple because like, you have so much more possibility at your fingertips and most of the time it's positive.
I represent and we sort of talking about right now to the extreme of things, but a lot of people suffer with this concept, with getting out of bed and going to work. Yeah, that's same level of anxiety associated with everyday. Life can be. Crippling I feel like we all start there.
You know, we all like we all not that we all start on the same playing ground but we all start with whatever that Baseline is and then through, you know, trials that get progressively harder you're able to just improve your mental resilience and fortitude and what would have bothered you and been totally crippling Months prior is now just a walk in the park but yeah, I understand what was totally unattainable for you.
Six months prior is now your new Baseline and I don't think it ever gets easier, man, like, there are certain things in my life right now, that way, very, very heavily on me to the point of like, what in the hell am I doing this for? And it's easy to get caught up in thinking, man, I wish this would just go away and I could be, you know, not dealing with this and maybe some of that stuff will go away.
But like, the actual feeling of hardship, like, I don't know if that ever goes away and I don't know that Honesty would want it to go. Well, like, if I could flip a switch and have it go away, I don't think I would, I would exercise that, right? Well, I think lasted realistic expectation. Isn't that? There is no up without down if you don't have hardship, how do you know what you have on the other side. Ouch. Yeah. You don't have a one sided coin. Every single thing we experience
in life has an opposite down. Happy sad. You know if there was no sadness but all probably be crying in our cups. Over being happy for too long. Yeah there's no there's no context to happiness if you
don't know. Sadness there's no context to sadness happiness but if we try and level out that playing field so it's a gentle swell instead of Peaks and troughs on a Rolling. See you know I still get up get down all the time and try to focus my energy and we try to focus our energy here I suppose on sale I feel like crap. Okay. And let it be. Okay. Just because there is no app without down. It's a natural part of our existence. We don't get up and say, I'm so happy. I wish I say.
Yeah. And what's interesting is that these ailments, they're pretty Universal Man. Like, most people are struggling with pretty much the same thing like it's all relative based off of where that person is in life. But like everybody is struggling to some extent with, you know, whether it be finances or friendly relationships or hell, With concerns, I would think that's probably like the three big ones, finances relationships and you know, health concerns
and hardships. Like I don't know, that spirituality is probably a big one that people struggle with but those three or four are pretty Universal across the board. They over like to see it on they. Yeah there's a great philosopher. Like what has four noble truths or three Noble Truths. I should say there's a summarization Them, this is all suffering is caused by a desire for things to be different to what they are.
Hmm. And I've made a tater on that a lot, personally, because it's 100% correctly, the anxiety, we feel and everything else is associated with something wanting something to be different, to what it is or the fear of the outcome. Unknown. It's interesting you were talking earlier about how the physiological response to anxiety and fear and excitement
of pretty much the same. I think that exact same thing holds true between the spectrum of fear and hope, you know, hope and fear or two sides of the same coin, 100%. Hundred percent. With yeah, look what you're doing right now your property in your business and everything else in law. It's pretty incredible. Thank you. Sometimes it feels like I'm losing everything in my mind sometimes. Yeah, it's like I the everything's crashing down, but
I appreciate that. And that's where people look at you and go. Geez, I wish for you had because they don't know that. They see the perception of confidence, the presentation of understanding and the stoicism would have liked you, you know, face the concept of understanding the obstacle is the path.
Hmm. But you're also not afraid to express the understanding is all scratchy sound quite as easy as I thought, I might be gives us. I'm going to have to fight for it. If I actually want it, you have to fight for it. And what's interesting is like I often times meditate on the worst case scenario, not because I want to be pessimistic or just - but I would like you need to
know the area. Yeah, I want to know what the absolute worst is. And still be comfortable with that are not necessarily comfortable but just you know, embrace it for what it is. And I think from from my life, you know there are a lot of things that I've built over the past several years that I'm very proud of but if I lost it all tomorrow, which I certainly don't want. But if I did I don't think that would be, what defines me?
I don't think any of the things that I've built over the past several years, in, its Singularity is what defines me, and everything that I have built, I've built with what I believe to be a moral code of ethics. I've never stab anybody in the back. I've never sacrificed my Integrity for decision that I've made, so I can hold my head high about everything that I've done, and whatever the outcome may be. And yeah, there may be humbling moments. It's but if it doesn't work out.
Then I just keep going because that's the only option. It is what it is. On the day, you wake up and it didn't work out as the seven day. Seven day seven said every you know, every day you wake up, you have what's left of your life. You have 100% of hmm. And the choice really comes down to what you use it for.
And I'm so glad to hear you say this, the moral and ethical standpoint and the one sentence because it really, it's really upsetting to me that people can perceive to justify actions on the basis of that. They wouldn't do playing to do from a moral standpoint, in the personal life that they justify through the ethical standpoint of the from professional level. Yeah, if it's not ethical, oh, It's not moral. And if it's not moral, it's not ethical.
And that is very true. One in the same thing and if you believe you can justify your actions on the basis of an ethical standpoint. You've got a choice. Leave your job or stop. Just if you would screw someone over professionally and still planning to be a moral person, because that was work. It's it just doesn't sit. Yeah, you think? No, I totally agree.
I mean, I lose a lot of sleep at night, not even gonna lie but I don't lose any sleep having to worry look over my shoulder and concern myself with if I've made, you know, morally, poor decisions. Like I have never lost sleep for that. Yeah. Yeah, I'm not sure how we're going to time, but there's a couple of my moves run away from the ketogenic build. I'm Justified to the comp. But I like this hat, man, like, I love these mindset talks and I love like, we haven't really
given the listeners. Any concept is to what you were doing, but all of this that we've been talking about probably means makes a lot more sense for you. And I because we kind of know what you get going but but You just made a massive commitment that many people would be fearful to do. And I'm sure you were feel fearful to do and there's no guarantee that it's going to
even work out. But you're in The Fray right obey what it is and if you know and you would know this yourself if you yes you worry about the fear of the outcome and everything else but at the end of the day, if you you can create your own self fulfilling prophecy a failure. If you focus too much on the potential for negative outcome, you can actually manifest that in your daily life. Yeah. You know, people talking about, you say to someone manifest your own reality and they look at
you. Like you're a modern-day hippie and to a degree, we are, but at the end of the day, everything we do on a daily basis. We manifest The only difference is we don't know, we're doing it. If we get up and make yourself a cup of coffee, it's because we think I want a cup of coffee. How do I achieve that? Just because it's an automated process, doesn't mean the first time that we did it. We didn't have to explore the options, which started with questions.
How do I do that? If we don't start with the question of, how do I do that? We don't get the answer of First, I must need a jug. One coffee machine for water. I need water. What do I put the water in on us? Put water in a cup, but that's not coffee. That's water. Do I need a Jag? I need a joke. Stillwater eyeball, the joke. Still just hot water. What do I need now? Coffee. Where do I get that from? There's not in the cupboard. I must have to go to the shop for it.
Now, that might sound silly, but that's how we work through the process of manifesting every single thing in a day. yeah, there was no difference between that on a daily basis, in a simplistic level Two. I guess trying to drive for a successful businesses. How do I do that? Now, any given point in time you can say here, I don't want to get the shop screw the coffee. But at least we'll ask the questions and made the decision. Yeah.
I'm a big fan of you chose. This Is It Dream ownership mentality that junko popular rise like that? That resonates with me, I don't know like whether for good or for bad if you just simply own it in its totality like you are
at fault for any good or bad. That comes your way that while it requires a the highest degree of responsibility that to me is much more empowering than just assuming that the world is, you know, as it is and I'm dealt a hand of cards that I have, you know, only a handful of options to play an exciting ownership mentality. Does require an ad a ton of stress but I feel like at the end of the day it's so much more empowering so much so much better because you can do
something with that. I mean you you have it at your disposal. I think instead of Bolivia stop blaming other people for your outcomes. Yeah. And once we can tap taking responsibility you know this is a very much an addictive focus on the standing when you when you can take responsibility for your outcomes. You can take responsibility for
your actions. and when you take responsibility for your actions, it's whether you appreciate within yourself through outcome It's still going to be better than feeling like he can blame someone else for what you did. Yeah, it's not easy to blame yourself for your misfortunes but I guess this is a question whether or not you need to blame. Yeah whether or not playing actually needs to be a part of the process as an autistic Spirit. Yeah that's certainly healthier approach to it.
The same with folk really, does it actually matter whose fault something in? So what what's the definition of fault cause and effect? Oh, that is experienced as well as I mean, it's the concept of understanding a mistake a mistake only ever happens once. If it happens again, it's not a mistake, it's a choice, right? So anything we only ever fail at once was is that something to be blamed or way to learn how not
to do something? Yeah, it happens twice then you can probably allocated responsibility. You're absolutely right man. Just for the sake of context here. Can you let us know exactly what what it is. You are, whatever you are in the midst of? Yes, wait, way of coming to a property and a little town of Toowoomba, which is 12 acres, haven't even cabins, 12 by 30 meters shed that we're turning into a health and well-being, Retreat, mental, and physical health. My wife's a yoga instructor and
international jiu-jitsu fighter. I'm a personal trainer and health coach, and counselor. And we want to bring those focuses together to operate, Retreats, basically focused on mental and physical well-being. So, the property itself so only 10 minutes from the city center but it's completely Serene and park land. I'll have to send you some proper photos actually. Yeah, let me see. The property we came into is extremely unique.
There's two dorms five, cabins, and a main residence with the total of about 20 beds, and the opportunities, and the landscaped yards, just incredibly beautiful bad. You know, best incredibly daunting, you walk in the door and you think ye were off and the Very following day. You've got to start to learn to adapt to all the challenges and owning a property. And that in itself can be a
full-time job. So you have to start finding ways to make the property work for you, rather than you work for the property, anytime you make a sizable investment in property or building infrastructure in that. That like I'm not sure what how you structured then, but like investing taking out a loan and leveraging, your life savings for something. That is a pretty daunting in and of itself. Yeah, absolutely.
It's terrifying. Cause you don't know the outcomes you still have counselors to deal with them, what you can, and Counting, and this, and that, and everything else. You know, we're in the process of getting a cold water therapy. Pollan, Love Culture has or a beautiful thing. But being able to sit in the big, deep color therapy pool, it is a little winter, have been doing the mountains called therefore how has your plunge pool going. It's going good.
So I have not it's not really a legitimate coal plant. I mean, it is legitimate cold Plunge in that, it is very cold and I'm plunging in it. But it's just simply a stock tank that I felt full of water. And the temperature of the water is totally dependent upon the temperature of the outside. So, like, when it was freaking cold the past couple weeks, you know, everything was frozen. I was breaking through eight inches of ice to get into the water that. Wow, that was a proper cold plunge.
But then this past week, it's Not been near as cold. So the waters been like upper 40s which is still pretty freaking cold, but it's not like 34, we run the entire property on a tank, what it? So, cold tank water is completely different to tap water, which is a beautiful thing and you get in the shower and you turn it on and my wife's even decided she's going to do the last 30 seconds of her shower cold, which is nice. Nice. But you there's something about that cold water that turns on a
stimulation for life. Yeah, I like your brain opens up and the matter of seconds with Clarity and a different level of plane. It's like you get out the invigoration, clears, the mind to a degree.
Yeah, there's been it's crazy. How popular these called plunges have gotten here, like the past month or two, but honestly, it's all you now honestly, whether there are any actual health benefits and which I'm sure there are, but like, all of these proposed health benefits, you know, even if those did not List the mental benefit. I get simply from doing something undesirable. First thing in the morning is totally worth it. Absolutely.
I wonder about the from a nutritional standpoint, the Because it's meant to rested Elation, and all of that type of things, meant to be stimulating for the metabolic system, and the brown fat, isn't it? So, one of the things that I started on the keto and glow cab focused way once I got into it and understanding very much got into fasting. because as a person with a history like mine, I want to do everything I can to I've got very young kids, they're seven and nine.
So we started late in life and I want to be around for them for a long period of time. And as a type 1 diabetic, this predispositions for the body to start failing, not a very well control type 1 diabetic a1c's about 5.8 5.9 and obviously I run, you know, I can ride 30 case on a mountain in the morning fasted and most diabetics blue Balk at that concept, but the otology factors associated with fasting and
things like that. I'm sort of hoping we'll give some benefit to the recycling of the system. I don't believe in any way, shape, or form that a prolonged period of Healthy. Living eradicates the damage of prolonged period of unhealthy living. I think much that damage is done the potential for damage within the system. You know certainly if I was to have an event tomorrow that was catastrophic, I wouldn't be sitting there saying why me but I live so healthy.
I would just have to be what it was because wanting to get a better quality of life for a prolonged period of time. Doesn't eradicate the self-destructive tendencies in the past life. That's true. I totally agree with you. However, I do feel like the in certainly Hedges the bets in your favor so to speak you know like that guitar. So yeah that's mean for you to continue your life which I feel like a lot of people do. Like it's the same concept of nutrition, like, people that are
on a diet, they eat one cookie. So they just decided to eat the rest of the Box. Yeah, you know, like that that holds true with regard to Lifestyle design as well. And a lot of people that had been an alcoholic or smoking their whole life, they're just like, oh well, I screwed up no sense in stock. Just keep telling her. Yeah, but I feel like while you'd not doing that and living the healthy life that you are, certainly hasn't absolved your prior, you know, lifestyle decisions.
It certainly is not contribute to the compounding effect of those - decisions. No. And I think find that the concept of autophagy extremely fascinating if we were to move on to that very quickly when I've got, I've got to thank you, thank you, thank you for obviously I followed you a lot of understanding and you gave me a lot of strong structure of advice in relation to body, wouldn't come. I need to thank you for that, man. My pleasure, man.
I mean, I enjoyed the email dialogue that we had leading up to your competition, you know? I don't know. I got a good. Look at the people that I interact with, in the space, the people that I podcast with the people that I meet face-to-face, the clients that have worked with the email correspondence, like I feel very blessed to just simply have the relationships that I do, so my pleasure. Something that one of the key things that I took away from
your understanding. We talked about this briefly by email as the impact of protein, on blood sugar. I don't know if you recall, but I took what, once again, people are gobsmacked, whether my it, the luck has 90 kilos and having, by the time of comp, or the week out from comp, I think it was about 140 to 150. And of protein per day, which is down to about 1.6. But there was wealth under what I would normally be taking it around 2 to 2.5.
And as I lowered my protein content, I ended up waking up in the night with hypos So, my blood sugar was dropping too low for the volume of insulin that I had on board and this is the other interesting thing. But then chillin We've always got insulin in our body so it's not ketones. Can be present and the system operates and producers ketones with insulin presence. That's the volume that takes The ketosis out of the process. So because we run basil units of
insulin 24 hours a day. I can still be producing key terms, but the more I'm a bolus or inject for food is what slows
or stops that process, right? And overnight, my basal level was set a standard, we read it over, really check it across, my blood sugar levels at night, through gluten are constantly first onto and as I dropped my protein, what I found was, I was high-powered because I had too much insulin in my system, what that rolled over to was gluconeogenesis Higher volumes of protein, take longer to convert to sugars.
What isn't required by the body. So once it's homeostasis release it obviously converts the protein to glucose, So it can be stored or used. And unbeknownst to me until I tried this experiment on that unbeknownst to me doing an experiment. I was clearly converting a high volume of excess protein. And to Sugar overnight as the body was restabilizing. Yeah. And that was to the point where I had to drop over 3 units of insulin out of my daily use. Overnight to get it to
stabilize. Now, the interesting thing is for people on weight management control programs and things that they're doing low-carb for with a high-protein focus, is that that insulin overnight is potentially putting you into storage. So, I've not when you meant to be burning, all of that, I'm repairing the body.
It's actually in storage mode because the excess protein in your diet, the whole concept of protein utilization and what amounts are recommended as an interesting topic, I mean, that could be a whole book as in and of itself. And there's a lot of debate around protein requirements, especially in the setting of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, especially in the setting of a competitive athlete.
What I've found to be unique is that many coaches will just simply base your protein intake off of your lean mass, and they just hold that console, like it never changes its asset number and does not fluctuate. One thing that I like about my protocol is that I manipulate protein throughout the entirety of my protocol, like it is never in a constant state. It's always in a flux based off of the feedback that we are
getting from your body. I feel like it just makes sense, like, there's no, nothing should be viewed in isolation, and protein is incredibly important. And I like that, this, that protein has been given the stage so to speak as of late because the for a while, their people were most certainly under
consuming protein. So I like that the narrative has shifted more towards the other end of the spectrum because I feel like given the to it's better to over-consume than under consume but over consuming protein is certainly not you know without Out its adverse effects. It is not optimal and you would never know what optimal is unless you fluctuate, protein based off of your dietary manipulations, what you're trying to accomplish, how your body is responding. So I think that is key.
I feel like just simply leaving at a constant intake and not changing. It is just leaving opportunity on the table. well, it's ironic, they changing everything else in the structure of your life to achieve your goal and keeping one thing that's highly relevant to that constant.
Yeah, it is. And the other interesting thing to that is actually believe you need a higher volume of protein for endurance racing, then, even for the structure of something like bodybuilding, you know, we think we need to replenish electrolytes. Absolutely. We do, we think we need to replenish energy to a degree because, you know, even a person 10% body fat has probably Days on a desert island free of charge, thanks to thanks to
ketosis. And once that process is rolling on the bike, for example over a prolonged period and you just don't run out of energy. You don't have the one thing you do need for constant repair their structures. And cellular level is amino acids.
So I think we underestimate the impact of amino acids and endurance and I'm doing for my next adventure, because I qualified for the, for the Nationals and the bodybuilding that I didn't do it because I had to pull myself back and say, okay, well, you need to get back to the family. I'm not waiting another three weeks and that wasn't in my scope, getting getting on the podium was in the Moscow, getting on stage, but I've said the next challenge at the March
do. 100K endurance race called the gravel and Granite. It isn't this March 23? Yep yep. So a couple months time and I want to focus on. I've done it previously of what we call the new sir 100 which was 100 K race, a couple of hours, the last race I did before changing must Focus the bodybuilding. So about two years ago and then I do it. Did it in the build-up to that I want to do it again to this is prove that you don't have to sacrifice lean muscle mass.
Printer in sand that you can maintain and even increase muscle mass under Insurance loads. So, for the new, someone, I spent six months training for that. So less for this one, over the primary three months, attract, or went from 90, kilos to 90.2 kilos. For that race and maintained complete muscle mass structure training for 100k endurance. Yeah, I think there's a there's a ton of misconception around what is possible from a muscle preservation standpoint.
There is there's probably more that we don't know about muscle preservation than there is that we know about muscle building. Yes and just in my own personal life. What I've seen in being able to preserve muscle preserve strength in these extreme competition, preps in, which my protein. Has sometimes gotten very low
yet. I see Zero reduction in overall strength and see ya. Nobody reduction in muscle tissue either like that that flies in the face of what traditional, bro, wisdom, you know, advocates for. So yeah, there's a lot that we still have to uncover it when it comes to preserving lean tissue, But that's exciting to me. I'm like that Frontier. Yeah, it's at 100% may also because you know, to make from an evolutionary standpoint, you would maintain what you've required to survive on a daily
basis, right? So if you push the boundaries and like, I don't train endurance. I want to train athletes for endurance. I don't train them, traditionally when I told them to go out and do what they do on a daily basis. And when they get to me, I pushed them hard and weights and functional training and push them right up to the capacity and because the higher the volume of oxygenation of the cell and the capacity of that cell to be able to absorb their
nutrients and oxygenation. It's got a reflect a higher level of ability and maintain high volume out there. Yeah I agree and and I think if the body senses that need something it does. Anything it possibly can to hold on to it. That's why I'm such an advocate for, you know, me personally having been strict keto for as long as I have. I really believe that my body has become incredibly efficient at using that as the primary fuel source. Like we sell our bodies short.
Like, what the says, give yourself to run on your body becomes increasingly efficient and running on and his notion that you have to have, you know, a mixed diet to Optima. That that to me is more so an argument in favor of being a jack-of-all-trades. Trades master of none like you have to Mize around a very Niche, Focus, laser focus. And then that to me is, what is optimal. Yeah, even the concept of I try to promote that and went. Well, that's, you know, that's not trying it.
Yeah, I totally agree. You know, once your body's fat adapted, the concept of being inverted, brackets kicked out of ketosis is pretty ludicrous, really? Yeah, your body's is your fuel system. So just because you're not producing ketones at any given point in time, doesn't mean you're not in ketosis or being kicked out of it. Now I could eat a pizza tomorrow if I wanted to and the Day go out and do a faster dried and be pumping out units of 40 times. Yeah.
But you don't have to have that pizza in order for your car and one processed carbohydrates like it's not like your body forgets how to use glucose nice 100%. And and you know when people say that it's sort of ghost must be a bit because your liver is constantly producing sugar to stabilize your blood sugar levels. Yeah, yeah. Your body is a sugar refinery, that's why one of the reasons I believe, we don't need glucose because your body makes it so
efficiently from that 100% 100%. Well, you know, we need amino acids, we're going to Central ones that we need for meat. We need a fatty amount of essential fatty acids, but I'm still struggling with the concept of an essential carbohydrate us. I can't seem to find any reference to it. Yeah, I don't think it exists. That's the defiant. So we're having my favorite. Yeah, my favorite one is all we need the carbohydrates for the vitamins and minerals for that means you need vitamins and
minerals. Not have hydrates. Yeah. Bingo, bingo, Roy, I hate to say this man. I did not realize that we do. I hear you man. I'm looking at this ongoing. Jeez and gone way past. No, no, it's good though. I just, I would stay longer. I've gotta watch rigel. Crystals got a client call here soon, but loving seeing your beautiful family, bro. Thank you, sir.
I I'm soaking it all in, kind of going back to what we were saying earlier about doing things outside our comfort zone, trying to find a true sense of fulfillment in life. Like I love what I do, I love the business, I love everything about it, I love the stress. I mean, I love it all, but I would, I would do anything to just simply have Crystal and rigel in my corner, like, if I had nothing to my name, but But them I would consider myself a lucky man.
Well, if you had nothing but dammit have everything. Exactly, exactly. Categorize, that as people, ask me, what I want to change the life in the for wouldn't have gone through. What I went through in order to be where I am and I seen what I wouldn't be where I am, I wouldn't be looking at my kids. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing and for all I know I'd be dead.
Yeah. So changing anything from the past is just Going to refuse to accept who you are and yourself and without a level of love for the bad things and who we are. I mean, I would accept that then we're not whole. Yeah, you have to forget which where I heard this but basically like we all have our own Darkness to hide from the darkness is to remove the opportunity to fully embrace. The light that you also possess like you have to have that. The albaicin. The doc nice to have the line.
Yeah 100%. It's the context of the dualistic. No. Single sided quality? Yep. Yep. I thank the darkness for giving me the lat 100% ma'am. We're rolling with. It is what it is. We're going to have to do it. Another podcast will have to dive deep into what you want to do with, with the what do you call it? Is it like a ranch? Is it like a, like a job? We calling it a retreat at three Gateway lunch. Okay. Like that.
I like that. We have to have a whole other podcast specifically dedicated towards that and also like the the endurance event in March, we didn't really dive into the nuts and bolts of the bodybuilding prep. I like that. We went as deep as we did with the mindset though, man. Like this, this was good luck, it's crazy man. It's a beautiful thing.
When you can start on what you think is going to be a focus and just ogress and diversifying to you know, going with the flow is a beautiful thing and really enjoyed our time together so good to finally touch. Touch. Yeah, yeah, well, it's definitely nice to actually communicate with you via a medium other than email. So, yeah, love here in the Australian accent. The cicadas in the background there. Careful. I'm actually a buddy kiwi.
All right, well I will not say too much then I get myself in trouble. Awesome man will Roy it's a pleasure. Definitely everything I could do for your brother. So my love and energy to your beautiful family and I look forward to talking again and then Teacher 100% man. Well where do people go to find out more about you? I just PSW. G.com. Do you physical and spiritual Wellness Gateway? So I only just started the website so it's got a lot of work to do.
Hey, well I'm gonna I'm gonna be in Australia at some point in the future. I've got a feeling and always around a person ahead up for sure. I'm just about to do my mountain bike. Instructors course. So we'll have to head out on the trails which were across the road. Well I will be Showing my ignorance because I'm going to be, I'm gonna be devastated by mountain bike trail, so get ready to make fun of me something no bro, yes, yes, yes, need. All right, Roy take care of him.
Take care about