UNCAGE THE ANIMAL — RELEASE THE ANIMAL RAGE TODAY

WHAT MY DOG TAUGHT ME ABOUT FITNESS

June 23, 2021 By GURJOT Leave a Comment

Ladies & gents, boys & girls of all ages, I know I haven’t posted in a while, with all the craziness consuming the world over for the past 15 or so months. Anyways, with the summer season underway, thought I’d mark my return with some good old health & fitness content.

Without further ado, lets push on shall we?

Now you maybe thinking, what the hell can you learn from a dog when it comes to health & fitness? (Maybe you’re even questioning the lessons your four-legged companion can bestow upon you when it comes to life in general).

Well, grab a protein shake & pull up a chair. All will be revealed

DAILY ACTIVITY IS KEY

“Movement is life” as the saying goes.

If you’re privileged enough to share your life with a four legged, furry chum of your own, you’ll probably get where I’m coming from when I say dogs love walks.

My dog, although he’s a French bulldog, a breed not particularly known for athleticism, is no exception.

In fact, my dog loves walks so much, I tend to walk him 3 times a day, for 20 minutes at a stretch.

In addition he has a bouncy ball that he loves to chase around the house, like a maniac. He sprints after that ball like crazy.

A nice byproduct of being active throughout the day is you’ll notice an improvement in your energy levels. You’ll be less sluggish and more alert and more productive with work and other tasks.

Summary: Be more active throughout the day. Go for a short 10-15 min walk after meals. Heck get down and hit some damn pushups or air squats at random intervals throughout the day. Not only will you burn more calories, through (NEAT or non exercise activity thermogenesis) it’ll help with mental clarity, mood and the way your body processes food.

2. NUTRITION

What you eat is what you ultimately become.

So if you eat like crap, you’re going to look and feel like crap.

When I acquired my dog as a 9-week-old pup. I made it a point to feed him quality from the get go.

3 daily feeds (breakfast, lunch, dinner) no snacks or doggy treats. He ate very simply, but he ate well.

Meat, vegetables & occasionally rice. Now he’s much older it’s dropped down to 2 daily meals, but the same basic principle applies.

The result, he’s developed into a lean, mean compact and densely muscled machine. He’s incredibly energetic and not lethargic like other dogs I’ve seen being fed commercialized dog food. (Which I consider trash).

Summary: Eat to fuel your body. The foods you choose should supply you with energy, optimize your health, performance and body composition/ aesthetic goals. (Unless of course, you’re really dieting to get super shredded to the bone, in which case you’ll have to suffer).

3. GET SOME SEXY SUNSHINE

All jokes aside, getting more sunlight exposure is critical for toping up your vitamin D levels (vitamin D3 functions more like a steroidal hormone than an actual vitamin per say) and also your melatonin levels.

Vitamin D is so important for maintaining healthy immune function (which given everything that’s taken the world by storm is more crucial than ever).

Melatonin is a hormone that helps with sleep quality. If you couldn’t already tell, sleep has been linked to everything from overall health, longevity, performance, not to mention just looking and feeling more spry in general.

If it hasn’t been made abundantly clear by now, sunlight also plays an integral role in setting the circadian rhythm or “body clock” and

Bottom line is, getting more “QUALITY SLEEP” should always be on your priority list.

Although this tip isn’t related directly to fitness, it has an indirect effect on health and wellbeing, so guess that still makes it damn important.

If you don’t feel your best, you can’t expect to perform your best. And that goes for both inside and outside the gym.

Sunlight exposure is key for optimizing hormone function, which inevitably plays a role in aspects including health, longevity & physical & mental performance.

Lets not forget the aesthetic element as well. (You’ll probably get a wicked tan).

My dog loves having “fun in the sun” he sunbathes any chance he gets. He’ll often go out into the garden on a fine sunny day, basking and relishing in its warm glow.

Having observed this, I’ve come to the conclusion that animals are instinctively aware of the benefits of fresh air, taking in that good prana and soaking up the sunlight.

Summary: When the opportunity presents itself take the time to flaunt a little skin and soak up some natural sunlight. It’ll boost your energy, vitamin D and melatonin levels as well as help set your Circadian rhythm (internal body clock).

Anyway to recap:

Get regular, frequent activity
Eat quality food
Get more sunlight / fresh air

So there you have it folks. 3 things you can learn from a dog about health and fitness.

Signing off for now.

HOW TO SEE RESULTS IN THE GYM PART 1: THE SKINNY BOY SOLUTION

November 23, 2020 By GURJOT Leave a Comment

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS AN OVERVIEW ONLY. IN DEPTH CONCEPTS WILL NOT BE DISCUSSED TO LENGTHY DEGREE! (Coaching opportunities coming soon).

Right folks, let’s skip the pleasantries and get right down to brass tax.

YOU WANT… NO DEMAND RESULTS from your training efforts.

After all, you don’t go to work and expect NOT to get paid. (Unless you voluntarily work on the basis of charity).

SO WHY IN THE HOLLY HELL, would you invest all this time and energy in the gym and “not get paid” for your labor?

Why are you not getting the results & desired outcome?

Put simply, there’s 3 key factors that dictate to results of lack thereof.

Training
Nutrition
Recovery

If any of these pieces of the puzzle are out of whack/alignment then kiss your dream bod/ fitness goals goodbye.

Lets break down and dissect these three pillars and figure out exactly why you’re not seeing the progress you’d like and surely deserve.

Now we’re going to approach each scenario from two different ends of the spectrum.

Scenario A: “THE SKINNY BOY SOLUTION”

Scenario B: “THE FAT GUY FORMULA”

Note: For the purposes of this post we’ll focus completely on the first scenario and make it all about the “Skinny Boy.”

Let me preface this by saying,

When referring to “Skinny Boy’s” I’m literally talking about individuals that are essentially slim, frail looking with no muscle tone or definition whatsoever.

Don’t get it twisted… “Wiry but lean & ripped” (which I consider the warrior build) isn’t what we’re addressing. You still need some muscle and definition to achieve that look… No, no, no

We’re talking about a complete “bag of bones” here. No muscle tone & no fat mass.

Anyways, I’ve dragged on long enough.

So without further ado, I present to you…

“THE SKINNY BOY SOLUTION”

Training

Skinny, under muscled and lacking in strength. The quote “98lb weakling .”

People in this category need to emphasize heavy, big, basic compound exercises and really focus on getting as strong as they possibly can. I need to drill this point home.

“The sole purpose of your training should be dedicated to making your entire body as strong as possible.”

The key here is to build a solid foundational base of strength, which will lead to the growth and development of bigger muscles overtime.

I don’t care what anybody says, to a great degree a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle and vice versa.

Bottom line is, if you’re skinny and want to get muscular and strong, the workouts you perform need to be designed with the priority and sole intent to build you up in terms of strength.

I personally perform 3-5 heavy sets in the 5-8 rep range when focusing on explicitly on maximizing strength and muscle. (Which I might add is practically all the damn time).

If you’re a complete beginner, your aim should be to add a little more weight to the bar from session to session or at the very least try and add an addition rep to 1 or 2 of your sets.

Training like this will, build dense, thick, hard muscle. Sure, you may not get pumped up like a bodybuilder, but you will still look damn impressive, especially when you peel back any additional ounce of the fat and “reveal the steel” so to speak.

What’s more, from a performance standpoint, you’ll actually develop usable strength that you can incorporate into daily life. (It’s a win/win situation).

What about cardio?

Thought you’d never ask.

From a health perspective, everybody should do some cardio. (Got to keep the old ticker thumping). However, the issue with many skinny individuals is that performing too much cardio or aerobic activity takes energy (calories) away from what would otherwise go towards synthesizing (building) new muscle tissue.

Personally from experience as a small boned individual, eating enough food to grow is already a pain in the ass and challenging enough as is.

I still recommend doing about 20 mins cardio at a steady pace 2-3 times a week for skinny boys, to help recovery and for heart health. You can do it either first thing in the morning or after your weights session. (Just get it done).

Nutrition

Now onto the next reason skinny boys don’t see progress…. Their nutrition flat out sucks or falls short to some degree.

Without getting too technical, your body has a certain energy level requirement (calorie). If you fail to meet this requirement you will start losing weight. (Which we don’t want to do as skinny guys).

Therefore, it’s imperative and stands to reason that in order to put on muscular size (and not just weight/ slop/ fat mass) you need to eat more of the raw building materials that make up that lean tissue.

Keeping this in mind, there are two key nutrients that the human body absolutely requires. These are:

Essential amino acids
Essential fatty acids

If you don’t ingest these key nutrients on a consistent basis, your body will eventually breakdown and die. (Paints a pretty grim image, I know).

Protein is the key macronutrient here.

You need to emphasize protein. Protein and more specifically the amino acids that protein breaks down into is what actually builds and repairs muscle tissue.

I’d aim for 1-1.5g of protein per 1lb of bodyweight. So if you weigh 150lbs eat anywhere from 150-225g protein.

Next you need fats. Fats do more than just supply your body with energy. They’re also responsible for proper hormone and endocrine function. (We won’t get into the nitty gritties of this within this post).

I usually like to get at least a bare minimum of no less than 30% of all daily calories from fat (& that’s during a dieting or fat loss phase).

Depending on dietary preferences this may vary e.g. On a ketogenic (keto) diet a higher percentage of calories can come from fat, verses more traditional or carb based nutritional approaches.

So keeping with our hypothetical 150lb person… that’d translate to roughly a bare minimum of 45grams of fat.

I’m currently eating approx.. 180g of total fat per day at present.. (Keep in mind I am experimenting with my own personalized a low carb muscle and strength building nutrition approach).

Lastly carbs…

Carbs are like rocket fuel. Carbs don’t really build muscle per say, they’re “protein sparing” which is a fancy way of saying they allow the protein you eat to be used to actually do it’s job of repairing and building cells and tissues in the body.

So one could say carbs are “anti catabolic” instead of “anabolic”. (However, I digress, we’re delving too much into the technical nuances).

Don’t be fooled into thinking you need to consume monstrous quantities of carbs in order to build muscle.

You only need enough to replenish the glycogen (stored carbohydrates/sugar./glucose) in the muscles, any additional beyond that will just be stored as excess lard.

As I said earlier, you need a lot of protein (amino acids actually build the muscle) and fat, for hormonal function (again steroidal hormones, e.g. testosterone are made of cholesterol and fat) not to mention the fact that on a calorie per gram basis fat has 9 calories to 4 cals per gram found in protein and carbs.

I personally keep the carbs extremely low, especially since lately I’ve been experimenting with a low carb “muscle building/ bulking” diet, where fat is the primary energy or fuel source. (Will outline this in further detail in future).

It’s difficult to give an exact number on how many carbs an individual should take in without factoring in their training, lifestyle, and current nutrition/ dietary preference and response.

That said however, as a basic rule, assuming the person is following a standard diet (i.e not keto or low carb) carb intake could vary all the way from as close to zero, all the up to 2 or even 3g per lb of bodyweight.

Now that’s quite a wide range… but it truly does depend on the individual’s sensitivity to carbohydrates and how their body processes them.

So to sum up nutrition, you need to first hit enough protein, secondly get your essential fats for optimal hormonal function and lastly any leftover calories should be allocated to either carbs or additional fats for energy.

Remember, this is just a basic overview, many other factors also play a hand in determining dietary practices.

Keep in mind all these recommendations are merely guild lines and not concrete, set in stone principles that are made to fit all.

(There is also a hormonal aspect to food that will not be addressed in this post, for time sake, but will be discussed at a later date).

Recovery

Onto the final piece of the jigsaw and something that often gets overlooked or just plain neglected.

Ah, good old recovery… It’s like the friend you least like hanging out with, but when you need them, they’re always there.

“WITHOUT RECOVERY THERE IS NO GROWTH”

Tattoo this on your forehead, ingrain it in your brain. Do whatever, but just make sure you fully realize this statement. (Actually it’s fact).

Think of recovery in three stages:

Stage 1: While lifting in the gym, you “rip up”, “tear up” & “slash up” (you get the idea) the muscle fibers. Essentially the gym is the stimulus or spark that triggers the potential for growth to occur.

Stage 2: Next you exit the gym, eat, sleep and engage in “non gym related” activities. The muscle fibers you damaged in the gym then begin to repair and return to their original state.. This is recovery.

Stage 3: The final stage of recovery is actually what we’re really after… It’s called super-compensation, where the muscles grow a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger. This happens due to the fact that your body thinks to itself:

“What the hell is this idiot doing? If I have to lift this crazy ass weight again, I better be prepared and build a little more muscle and get a bit stronger so I can do it more easily the next time round.”

Problem is people don’t recover sufficiently in the first place. You need to train hard enough to stimulate growth in the gym, then get the hell out, back off and recover to actually grow.

The critical factors to optimized recovery are (in no particular order):

Sleep– Aim for approx. 7-8hrs quality sleep a night
Hydration – Drink adequate water.
Nutrition – Refer to nutrition section above.
Rest days – Take days out from the gym. AKA DON’T TRAIN BALLS OUT EVERY FRICKIN DAY.
Active recovery – stretch daily, do yoga or cardio. Anything that promotes blood flow and flushes the lymphatic system and pushes wastes, toxins and metabolites out of the muscles.
Epsom salt/ mineral baths – This is a nice luxury one. Once or twice a week treat yourself to a nice relaxing soak in a hot bath. This really helps relax the muscles and the calm the mind

So there you have it ladies and gents. 3 sure fire ways for skinny boys to make progress on their physical pursuit.

This list could go on and on, but these are just a condensed few recovery options to get you well on your way.

Next time, we’ll talk all about fat guys.. Subscribe if you want to stay in the loop.

Till we meet again.

DISCLAIMER: NONE OF THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS ARTICLE IS MEANT TO REPLACE MEDICAL ADVICE. SEEK THE GUIDANCE OF A DOCTOR BEFORE UNDERTAKING ANY FITNESS PROGRAM.

THE KEY TO FREAKY FOREARMS

August 5, 2020 By GURJOT Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: None of the advice in this post is designed to treat, cure or prevent any injury. Speak to your physician before engaging in regular physical activity. No liability is taken.

All righty folks, lets skip the jibber jabber and get right to it.

With gyms now reopened and given the current world situation, you’ve probably been unable to put your best foot forward in regards to your fitness.

That said, fret not.

Today we’re diving into the first in a training series based on developing all the key muscle groups that’ll give you that sizzling, sexy body that you’ll be proud to rock.

Ah, forearms…. good old forearms.

An often neglected muscle, that when actually developed, will set your physique apart. It’s the equivalent of cleavage on a woman.

When they come in (or develop), you just can’t help but notice them.

There are 4 main exercises we’re going to discuss for developing rock hard, ripped and vascular forearms that’ll get you what I like to call “THE CARE STARE”

But before we get to that, it’s worth mentioning the underlying principle, and I cannot stress this enough, so take notes ladies and gents.

“ THE FOUNDATION FOR FANTASTIC FOREARMS LIES IN A SOLID, STRONG, STERN GRIP.”

Ingrain that in your brain and make that the first priority.

Without further ado, here’s the exercise breakdown:

Farmers walk/ Loaded carries
Static DB hold (with the heaviest Dumbbells you can hold for 20-30 seconds)
Reverse curls (preferably with an EZ bar to avoid wrist pain)
Hammer curls

Perform 2-3 sets of each exercise. For the farmers walk aim to complete 2-3 rounds of about 20 metres and for the curls complete at least 8-12 reps.

If you happen to lack the space to perform the farmers walk, simply sub it out for the static dumbbell holds and complete for 20-30 seconds, before letting the dumbbells go.

You can search video tutorials for the exercises in the event you’re unsure on how to perform them.

(I may create a video series in conjunction with these written pieces, demonstrating the exercises at some point and link them here all for your viewing pleasure).

The setup

Now the first two movements, the farmers walk and static hold will train your grip strength and the two secondary exercises, the reverse curl and hammer curl will target and engage the muscles in the forearm more specifically.

The primary focus of the reverse curl is the biceps and forearm extensors and the hammer curls also target the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles.

Some blessed folks will be able to develop beastly forearms and a mighty grip with the farmers walk / static hold combo alone.

While others will have to include the other 2 direct forearm exercises in order to maximise their growth and strength potential.

I’d suggest either giving them their own scheduled workout, or tacking them on after an arm or back training day.

Keep in mind, you don’t necessarily have to complete all the exercises in one workout.

For example:

You can divvy up the exercise to include the 1 grip exercise and 1 direct forearm exercise after each individual back or arm session, depending on your training split.

So it might look something like this:

Sample weekly (Bro) Split:

Day 1: Chest/ Shoulders

Day 2: Legs

Day 3: Back/ Forearms: List of your regular back routine + farmers walk & reverse curls

Day 4 : Rest Day

Day 5 : Arm/ Forearms: List of your regular arms routine + static hold & hammer curls

Note: The above is just a sample structure. I am not saying this is the perfect, ideal workout split.

BONUS TIP:

Use a product called “Fat grips” to thicken the bars and challenge your grip even more.

Or if you’re feeling cheap, take a page out of Bruce Lee’s book and wrap a towel around the barbell when you perform curls.

So there you have it. It’s entirely up to you.

Mix and match to suit your preference.

And that’s it for now folks.

As mentioned above, this is the first in a training series, so subscribe to stay updated as to when the next part of the series drops.

TTFN…. Ta Ta For Now

THE FOOLPROOF WAY TO PREVENT TRAINING INJURIES

June 1, 2017 By GURJOT Leave a Comment

What do fractions and fitness have in common?

Answer: With fractions what you do to the top (numerator) you have to do to the bottom (Denominator). Similarly, with training the attention dedicated to the upper body should also be applied to the lower half, and what you do to your front you should do in equal measure to the back.

Thus today’s post will cover some key preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of sustaining a major training related injury. (To keep things sweet and simple this article will mainly focus on upper body injuries, commonly associated with the shoulders. Lower body issues will be elaborated upon more thoroughly in future).

1) Make structural integrity a training priority

Note: This step alone will increase the longevity of your training years and if implemented early will save you a great deal of pain down the road.

When it comes to training the vast majority of typical bodybuilding and strength-training routines overlook (or worse, downright ignore) the critical importance of maintaining structural integrity and harmony between muscle groups throughout the body.

What is structural integrity?

Simply put, it’s the strength balance between the anterior (front chain) and posterior (back chain) muscles.

To avoid needles injuries, muscle imbalances and problems with posture, it’s imperative that there isn’t a significant variance in strength level between the muscle groups of the front and the back.

Muscle imbalances are incredibly common among seasoned lifters and gym rats alike, often the result of too much chest and arm (front work) focus and not enough back, rear delts and rotator cuff attention.

Over time, this unbalanced, one sided training approach will inevitably lead to an imbalance and is the big reason why many shoulder injuries, rotator cuff tears and strains are so prevalent amongst lifters.

What winds up happening is the chest and front delts end up becoming significantly stronger than the muscles of the back and in effect overpower them. This creates a muscle imbalance, and is the primary reason that the hunched shoulder look is prevalent.

Overtime due to lack of stimulation the muscles of the rear delts and rotator cuff weaken further and SLAP, BANG… Injuries, in the form of a rotator cuff tear or shoulder impingement etc.

On the contrary, don’t think this is merely relegated to those of us who regularly engage in the practice of blessing iron. Oh no.

It pertains greatly to everybody, whether you train or not. Due to the fact that as human beings the vast majority of the activities we engage in happen directly in front of us. (Don’t get it? hold your horses and all will be revealed).

See, think about this, you look down at your phone, computers. You pick up your knife and fork to shove grub down the ole pie hole, pick up a book or magazine to read etc. You get the general idea. All these activities take place in front of your torso.

If you’re like the majority of people they’re usually looking down at their phones, laptops etc. for extended periods of time, ultimately resulting in posture issues (the dreaded hunched shoulders) down the road, and potential shoulder/rotator cuff injuries aforementioned earlier.

So how’d you avoid this unpleasantness?

How do you best avoid this scenario and greatly reduce the likelihood of experiencing such an injury? (definitely not fun).

Great questions, that brings us to point numero deux.

2) Include a posterior chain exercise in every workout

I’ve adopted the practice of making the first exercise of every upper body workout a pulling motion to effectively target the back, which as I’ve mentioned before is often neglected at least in comparison to the more favorable “show muscles” of the front.

I routinely begin each session with 2-3 sets of face-pulls as a preventative measure.

So, taking into consideration everything mentioned earlier in this post, the following simple exercise list will give you an idea of some of the counter measures you can take to combat “deltoid destruction” and “back blowout.”

Exercises to throw into your training mix:

Face pulls
Rear delt flyes w/ dumbells or on pec dec machine
Pull up/chin up variations
Any bent over rowing motion
Deadlifts/ Back bridges/ hyper-extensions

Include the following pulling movements in your training to ensure you hit the muscles of the posterior chain. These’ll act as a counter balance to all the pressing/pushing motions and work you do to your front.

In my opinion, the pulling to pushing ratio of movements in your routine should be about 70/30. (Obviously favouring pulling motions).

Remember, you’ve got to compensate for the fact that you spend a lot of your day involved in tasks that take place at the front of your body, let alone the exercises you do to pump up your “show muscles.”

3) Understand the purpose of assistance movements in injury prevention

Though compound movements (bench press, pull ups, overhead press, squats etc) are great for stimulating overall muscle growth and strength development, they cannot engage all aspects of a muscle.

Relying solely on compound lifts will also lead to muscle imbalances as weaker muscle groups will give way to stronger ones when performing a certain lift.

That’s where assistance or isolation movements come into play. They’re great as a means of specifically targeting, stimulating and strengthening the weaker muscle groups.

I view the assistance exercises as not just a means of isolating certain parts of a given muscle, but also a way of ensuring you strengthen and engage weaker or less developed areas of your physique, thus maintaining a good strength ratio between the various muscle groups.

THERE YOU HAVE IT.

3 simple steps to maintain order, harmony and balance throughout your body and greatly reduce the instance of injury.

If you enjoyed this post, found the content useful and want more info like it, there’s 2 simple thing you can do effective immediately:

That’s all for now folks…. TTFN.

HOW TO LIVE ARTFULLY

October 6, 2016 By GURJOT Leave a Comment

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. ( The artful Venice circa 2016). — Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. (The artful Venice circa 2016).

“You are an artist. Your experiences the brushstrokes, & life itself the canvas. Go forth and create your art.”

Let that statement mull over and sink in. Ultimately, the conclusion you should arrive at is this:

You are your own unique masterpiece and work in progress.

Today’s post will cover a few methods you can implement to break out of the mold and become a creator rather than a consumer.

So your next questions are likely….

How do you create your own masterpiece?

How do you make life art?

Simple. Do what you love. (Since I’m a swell guy, I’m not going to leave you hanging with that somewhat incomplete explanation).

That which inspires, excites and thrills you. Engage in activities that are meaningful to you and allow you to bring your own personality to the table.

When people think of art, they bring their close-minded, boxed perception to the forefront.

Sure painting, photography, sculpting, pottery etc, are all examples of art and fit within the context of artistry.

However, to say that these aspects exemplify art in its entirety is downright moronic and unjust.

Art is to be free. It’s freedom of expression. Unlike subjects such as math and history, art isn’t something that can be tied down and confined.

The moment this happens it’s no longer an art form.

To live artfully is to live authentically. To live life as you see fit and to partake in self-expression.

Human beings weren’t designed to be robots, despite the hive minded direction society seems to be engulfed in nowadays.

Anyways, I digress.

The following pointers are elements I’ve implemented and personally recorded great successes with, in relation to the overall life satisfaction department.

I’m pretty darn positive that you’ll be able to experience the same and bring about a new way of thinking and experiencing the world around you.

Here goes….

1) Envision your life as one gigantic masterpiece

Far too many individuals look at their lives from a pessimistic, negative perspective. They tend to get caught up on the problems they’re experiencing and being challenged with.

To truly break free from this vicious, ensnaring, self-defeating circle you’ve got to shift your mindset.

Though you may not be able to control all outside forces and factors in your life, you can certainly diminish the feelings of negativity towards these experiences by adjusting the way you perceive these situations.

The net result will be a positive shift in the manner in which you respond to your environment.

If you view and think of your life as an artwork, something you can mold and sculpt into a thing of beauty, your outlook will change, you’ll feel more enriched and happier.

However, in order to establish this mental shift in yourself, you have to devote considerable time and effort to activities that bring value, meaning and satisfaction to your life.

Which brings us to point number 2.

2) Engage in meaningful activities

Time is a commodity. Spend it selectively and spend it well. Artists know to spend their time creating, shaping, building and polishing. Constantly working, re-working and refining.

Similarly, if you seek to become a true “artist of life” (a phrase well used by Bruce Lee), the requirement is that you focus and devote the majority of your time, effort and attention to activities that help shape and create the reality (life) you want.

Apply this unanimously across the different avenues of your life and you’ll reap the vast benefits.

Want to create your best possible physique?

Select a suitable program, then get your ass into the weight room and use the tools available (barbells, dumbbells and machines) to build and sculpt your muscles and boost your strength while using diet to polish and carve away the excess body fat.

If you wish to enable yourself the luxury of taking vacations at your leisure, and witnessing the vast and wonderful world. Focus on creating the revenue stream for yourself, that’ll allow you to accomplish that ambition. Whether through a career, business ventures, entrepreneurship etc.

Want to improve your intelligence, acquire life knowledge and ultimately learn more about yourself on a deeper, more intimate level?

Pick up some books and put in the time reading, studying and imparting knowledge into your head.

Keep a journal, jot down your thoughts, to find patterns in your thought process and identify problem areas you need to address in order to advance your life.

Want to be able to protect yourself and your loved ones from needless physical attacks and violence?

Devote the necessary attention to studying, practicing and honing in the skills and disciplines of a martial art.

Be it Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Muay thai, jiu jitsu, Hapkido, Judo etc. Whatever, just decide on one, join a class and train like hell.

Since it’s so damn important, I’ll say it again.

Create the life you envision, by investing the majority (upwards of 80%) of your time and attention into activities that will bring about the results and desired outcomes you seek. (Assuming you have more than one life aspiration).

3) Apply yourself diligently to life

A true artist creates and follows his/her own path. Stop looking to others to give you cues and answers. Instead, apply your entire being (mind, body, sprit and consciousness) to your life.

To be an artist of life the pivotal requirement is that you truly envelope yourself entirely in living.

Ask yourself the question: What do I want out of life?

Do yourself some justice and answer it as honestly as possible. Better yet, grab a pen and a journal and write down your life goals and the steps you need to take to reach them.

Avoid becoming a bystander, a spectator in your own life. Refuse to sit idly on the sidelines, waiting endlessly for the “perfect moment”, while the world passes you by.

Get into the habit of doing the things you know you need to do, in order to create the life that you seek and see yourself worthy of.

3) Explore yourself

An artist creates from his core, his soul and the very root of his being. The most honest and powerful source of inspiration and motivation comes from within.

The solution then, is to identify what makes you tick. What sparks your soul and gets your creative juices flowing?

This is why it’s a damn necessity to keep a journal and do some honest soul searching, spending some real quality time getting to know and understand you.

Bearing in mind, and getting at the heart of the matter, you know yourself better than anyone else. (If you don’t, you’re really missing the whole beauty of living).

4) Become receptive to the world around you

It’s easy to keep to your thoughts and get stuck in your head. This is probably even more prominent in us creative folk.

And while there definitely is an element of necessity to this ability, it’s important not to neglect your environment and become so closed off and immersed in yourself, to the point that you neglect some of the beautiful moments that life throws your way. (In fact, it can be pretty damn detrimental). Don’t be that guy or girl.

Of course you want to focus on yourself the majority of the time and creating the best possible life you can, however, sometimes ideas, and creativity can spark from places you least expect. So keep your eyes peeled, ears open and senses sharp.

5) Art is subjective

It goes without saying, art is subjective and therefore, as your life is art, it is equally subjective. It’s one of a kind, and what’s good for one person isn’t necessarily for the next and vice versa.

By that measure, to compete with others and even striving to be another carbon copy flies 100% against the very nature of life itself.

Live in the manner you see fit, do what you think and feel is right and screw the critics.

Not every masterpiece is viewed as such. To one person it represents beauty, whilst to another it might arouse absolutely nothing.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

To that effect, you are the beholder of your life.

Ultimately, all that truly maters is that you’re contented with the life you create. That’s the bottom line.

Final thoughts

In closing let me say this:

Don’t take anything anyone says to you, whether tips and advice or criticism as 100% fact.

Why? Because seldom do they know the real you and your inner workings.

Heck, don’t even take what I say as gospel. If it resonates, fantastic. That’s fine and dandy.

Always keep this one thing in mind.

“Life is a journey of self discovery and mastery.”

Live with conviction and create your life, like an artist.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and found the info presented useful, you’ll likely appreciate the value in my upcoming book “Conquering Chaos: A guide to creating you’re idyllic life”