Making a difference for you?

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Chris Barrow

 

Make a Difference card with bokeh background

From October I will have room in my calendar for 3 new coaching clients.

Why people hire me:

  1. To build a £10m micro-corporate on a hub and spoke model
  2. To increase sales and profit by 100% in 36 months
  3. To recruit, train and coach Business Development and Marketing Managers
  4. To design and build a comprehensive marketing plan
  5. To help them sell a practice
  6. To help them open, buy or relocate a practice
  7. To train their team to deliver an exceptional patient experience
  8. To mentor and increase the productivity of their clinicians
  9. To speak at conferences
  10. To be a personal coach and help them sort their lives out

How people hire me:

  1. We arrange a 30-minute telephone or Skype call – the initial interview (2-way) – free of charge. If successful…
  2. We arrange a 3-hour face to face meeting on their premises/patch – the second interview (2-way) – free of charge. If successful…
  3. We decide if we want to work together – my terms are a 6-month reviewable contract at £1,200 per month inclusive of VAT

How we work together

  1. We meet face to face every month for a half-day on their premises/patch
  2. I provide detailed minutes and follow up from each meeting (unless a manager volunteers)
  3. They learn to run EVERYTHING past me
  4. We stay in constant contact via email and Skype call
  5. We monitor and measure how effective the relationship is
  6. I do extra stuff that I don’t get paid for
  7. We get results

Big results.

Talk to any of my former or current clients – they will let you know.

Before the summer starts in earnest, why not arrange now to get Q4 of 2016 and Q1 of 2017 off to a flying start?

If you would like to arrange an initial telephone or Skype call, please email coachbarrow@me.com

Posted in business, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Extra time

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Chris Barrow

Unknown-2

I’ve lost my shirt twice in business during a career that will span 46 years (blimey) on 1st September.

Both times it was because I and others refused to face a reality that was staring us in the face – that the business we were involved in was financially broken, past the point of recovery, ready to be taken to the knacker’s yard and shot to end the misery. Why? Because the “big idea” wasn’t taking off as quickly as predicted.

I’ve spoken before about the inability of entrepreneurs to fail quickly enough, sometimes insisting that their unfalsifiable hypothesis will eventually be proven true if they just keep going.

A sign of deteriorating leadership is the point-blank refusal to accept negative feedback, always ready with a reason why, eager to blame others, with that “solution just around the corner” fanaticism that is a harbinger of doom.

There is a paradox here though, because we also read stories about innovators who persevered, who were deaf to the doubters and whose ideas did eventually catch fire.

So how do you distinguish between an Edsel and an Apple? Between Google+ and Facebook?

We are aware that, in the adoption cycle, there is a perilous gap between innovation and early adoption. The moment of truth when the innovators have accumulated enough evidence to convince the early adopters to part with some money and buy our stuff.

The innovators have a high risk profile and will take your word for it because they trust, respect and like you.

The early adopters want to see some hard evidence but, when it is presented clearly, they will jump on board.

That’s why we need case studies to show the innovators’ results to the early adopters.

The early adopters won’t just take our word for it, even though they like us.

For me, a case study is a happy dental client telling the story of how working with me made the difference.

For you, a case study is a patient video testimonial telling the story of how working with you changed their life.

Without those case studies, we are just another noise in the cacophony of big ideas.

Marketing isn’t your stuff, marketing is the difference that your stuff makes.

I’m launching a new Coach Barrow web site in September (with the help of the good folks at Dental Focus) and collecting case studies to showcase my client’s successes.

Incidentally, I’ve had two amazing successes in business as well so, as I enter year 47 of my working life, the score is even – and there is still plenty to play for in extra time.

It may go to penalties.

Last Saturday, Michael Gerber (with whom I co-authored The E-Myth Dentist) celebrated his 80th birthday – by live streaming the launch of his new coaching programme.

That inspires me and indicates that, any time in the next 17 years you think you might benefit from working with a business coach to get your big idea off the ground (or tell you it sucks before you lose your money) – pop me an email and I’d be happy to chat.

I’d like to be the catalyst is some more big success stories before I’m done.

Need a hand?

 

Posted in business | Leave a comment

What is your brand in 2016?

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Chris Barrow

brand you heart

The 7connections web site is down at the moment whilst we switch hosts, so you have the pleasure of my personal blog for the next few days, through which I intend to continue commenting on the business of dentistry until this once more becomes my writer’s laboratory.

And so…..

There seem to be no end of explanations for and answers to the question “what is a brand?”

It is sometimes easier to begin by looking down the other end of the telescope.

Your brand is NOT:

  • Your snazzy logo;
  • Your colours;
  • Your decor;
  • Your dentistry;
  • Your team;
  • Your literature;
  • Your advertising;
  • Your marketing.

So what is it?

For some, your brand will be a positive experience and for others a negative experience.

You play to the positive people.

There will always be negative folks and they are free to look elsewhere (unless they are in a majority, in which case you need to fix your brand).

I’ve written recently about the unavoidable spotlight of your digital reputation.

You can’t beat a good face to face recommendation in a coffee bar, across the garden fence or in a wine bar.

But it’s the digital recommendation (or damnation) that travels much further.

Everything you now do and say can be posted, reviewed and commented on and every patient, team member and freelance clinician can be a brand ambassador or a brand saboteur.

So your brand IS the majority view of the people who create your digital reputation.

 

Posted in business, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Who were the Brexit voters?

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Chris Barrow

brexit blue european union EU flag on broken wall and half great britain flag

The result is the result and, depending on how you voted (or didn’t) the party poppers or spilt milk can now be cleared away – tomorrow is the first Monday back at work and, with or without a Prime Minister, an effective opposition party or a united kingdom, we all have to get cracking.

The media this morning is full of the lies that were told as truths by both campaigns, as each side seeks to justify it’s win or loss.

The debate as to whether this is good for Great Britain is over.

We will probably move our focus on to the likelihood of a continued departure from the Euros over the days ahead (oh – and the season finale of Game of Thrones tomorrow night – no spoilers please – on the same night that GOT concludes and England play I’ll be presenting a workshop on digital marketing in Birmingham – I’m expecting an audience similar in size to that enjoyed by Adele last night).

I’m interested, from the perspective of contemporary history, to take a look at who did vote Brexit – perhaps so that I can either tap them on the shoulder in 40 years from now and say

  • “you know what, fair play, you were right” or
  • look what you did!

However, that’s unlikely – because most of them will be dead.

age

It was pretty obvious during the campaign that age played an important role in the vote and I can already see something of an outcry from Millennials (including my own children) who feel that “the old have benefited from Europe for a generation and have now sold us down the river” (don’t shoot the messenger – I report on what I read).

Delving deeper, we find that there are some other interesting categories of Brexit voters.

Education

That’s a controversial illustration as the implication is that Brexit voters are somehow stupid.

I have no degree and left school at 16 with 4 O levels, so I would take umbrage at the suggestion that being less educated makes me less smart (and I’ve met my fair share of stupid graduates over the years).

I also grew up in a council house rented to my parents by Greater Manchester Police and can rattle off a series of post codes where we lived that are clearly “working class”. The surveys show that my class voted Brexit.

class

So – are we out of Europe because enough old, uneducated, lower class people made the effort to express their opinion?

Or are we out of Europe because not enough younger, educated, upper working class and middle class people bothered?

I return to the demographics.

POLITICO_Europe_on_Twitter___EU_referendum_by_age_group_—_75__of_voters_aged_24_and_under_voted_against_Brexit_https___t_co_eQci0vNffx_https___t_co_UADq1NaL8v_

And the evidence is that the lower turnout by younger voters may well have influenced the result, given the narrow margin by which the “leavers” won.

turnout

So my observation to the heirs to our finances is that before you start a campaign to introduce euthanasia for all blue collar over 65’s who can’t answer many questions on University Challenge, take a look in the mirror and reflect on what might have happened if your attendance at polling stations last week had been as committed as your attendance at Glasto.

Don’t blame the oldies for voting, blame the youngsters for not voting.

The idea of a petition to force another vote because you realise that you have screwed up is ludicrous.

For the record – the way that democracy works is that if you don’t give a shit, somebody else will and that might not be somebody you like. If you didn’t vote – tough – get on with it. If you did vote but didn’t win – tough – (have a moan for the day like I did) get on with it.

As to the future.

I’ve heard quite a few people saying that “Britain can be Great again”. That’s very patriotic and commendable (unless you were one of the nations that Britain conquered or exploited to become Great) but politicians and people will now decide whether there actually will be a Britain at all, let alone Great.

It’s not looking too good this morning, as we see our current political stability begin to crumble in the Brexit dystopia of Little Britain.

Like I said – we voted for it – back to work in the morning.

You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised
In a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days

 

Posted in Independence, Morality, People | 1 Comment

The Troll

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Chris Barrow

Don't Feed the Troll sign with sky background

I know I shouldn’t (because it gives them oxygen) but I find myself pondering the motivation of internet trolls who wait for you to broadcast anything about which they can express their outrage.

In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1]extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2]or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion,[3] often for their own amusement.

I’ve had my fair share of trolls over the years, some of whom it has been necessary to block from all of my social channels.

Their activities and comments have included:

  • browsing through my partner’s personal photos on Facebook to copy and post some of my crazier and indiscreet moments at home and publish them on other forums;
  • a famous contribution to an on-line dental forum that included “I’ve never met Chris Barrow but I’ve heard he has terrible teeth.”
  • engaging direct with my children in defamation of my character

The rule is always to ignore and disengage, “please don’t feed the trolls”, no matter how tempting it may be to point out their (predictable) lack of erudition as well as provide further insight or evidence to back up one’s original point.

There is an important distinction to be made here between healthy debate and trolling.

Clearly, I’ve been advised by family, friends and colleagues over the years that I put myself in harm’s way by:

  1. having opinions and
  2. sharing them publicly in my blog, on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin

Many is the time that I’ve been asked why I posted something when I knew darn well that it would cause trouble.

That’s part of my brand.

The distinction is between:

Response – I read what you posted and this is why I disagree.

Known as a healthy debate and often extremely useful in shaping and changing paradigms.

Reaction – I read what you posted and “you are a twat. I hate bullys (sic)“

This last masterpiece of cogitation appearing on a recent thread that erupted after I named and shamed a Front Desk Manager following a hotel check-out experience that would have won Olympic Gold if they had a category for disinterested customer service.

Most trolls arrive, deposit their comments, wait for a counter-reaction and leave when it doesn’t happen, presumably looking for other targets with large audiences.

Others hang around, patiently waiting for the next opportunity to post and yet don’t seem to be put off by the lack of engagement.

I wonder whether the combination of the originator’s large following  and the chance to simply see their names on a thread is sufficient titillation?

I’ve followed the advice on lack of engagement and also operate a simple rule of thumb on deciding when to block the troll:

  • as soon as they become slanderous
  • if their appearances become unhealthily frequent
  • if they give me the creeps

But, other than that, they can be pretty good to keep around for entertainment value (a point which I suspect, they don’t fully realise – that we laugh AT them and not with them).

The ultimate irony is that I don’t only post because I’m narcissistic and opinionated but because its good for my business!

So the longer the thread and the more contributors, the more that Google’s algorithms see me as a person of influence and increase my SEO.

The more opinions expressed, the more likely it is that they will be shared, more followers will arrive and, ultimately, some of them will turn into clients at a future point.

So the trolls have a role to play in maintaining that visibility, because I know from feedback that some of their pithy outbursts get more shares than my original and considered pearls of wisdom.

I wonder whether any will comment on this post?

Please do – it’s good for business – but behave yourself.

 

Posted in business, People | Leave a comment

In at the deep end

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Chris Barrow

Swimming pool ladder handrail at deep end

Preamble

A week ago I announced the launch of 7explorers and waited, with my breath held and fingers crossed, to see if anyone was interested.

The Oman 2017 expedition was sold out in just four days, in fact we had to respectfully ask some people to wait for the 2018 schedule of destinations to be published (probably in the next few months).

It was tempting, especially as we are a lean start-up, to extend the guest list for Oman, take more people and bank more money, but after a short conversation the founders agreed that it was more important to respect our core values and maintain an extraordinarily high ratio of “experts” to guests.

I want to to say a big thank you to our 2017 explorers, those on the waiting list for 2018 and the many messages of goodwill that I’ve had via social media and face to face.

I’m now confident that 7explorers is going to occupy a permanent place in my life over the years ahead and I’m looking forward to getting to know people in some unexpected places.

Story

My first ever trip to a swimming pool was with my father when I was about 8 years old, around 1961 and in a world in which beach holidays were something that wealthier people than us enjoyed.

The nearest I had been to the sea-side at that point in my life was a week in a caravan in Heysham, near Morecambe.

Then, it was the site of a coal-fired power station (nowadays nuclear) and the view from our cold, damp caravan was a set of cooling towers that regularly erupted enough steam to block out what little sun we saw otherwise.

The site was located on Heysham Head, which dropped down onto a beach of gravel and sand, the tidal variation in the area so vast that wandering further than the camp site exposed the unwary to a variety of terminal risks from quicksand to drowning.

The whole scene was post-apocalyptic and had me wondering why people craved their annual escape from the comforts of home.

Consequently, I had no idea how to swim and, clearly, my Dad eventually decided it was time for me to be educated, perhaps motivated by his former career in the Royal Navy.

We arrived at Chorlton-cum-Hardy baths which, like many such facilities up North, had been built by the local Council in 1929 to accommodation an expanding working class who had limited opportunity to travel and only basic washing facilities at home.

Manchester has a number of what were called “baths and wash houses” that date from the Victorian era and perhaps another time I will tell you a story about the recently restored Victoria Baths in Longsight, where my secondary school swimming lessons took place.

Chorlton Baths was an art-deco building that was slowly falling into disrepair but still actively used by local residents.

After changing into our swimming costumes, my Dad walked me out to the poolside amid the echoing cacophony of shouts, screams and splashes, there to begin my aquatic apprenticeship by demonstrating his own prowess.

“Watch this” he said, “it’s called The Periscope” and performed a spectacular leap into the deep end, surfacing to float on his back and slowly sink back into the water with one leg raised high in the air.

I was so impressed that, before he had a chance to prepare, I simply followed suit.

Even now I can remember the bewilderment of finding myself underwater, unable to see properly and wondering why my mouth was full of water. Immediate panic.

My opportunity to share the memory with you now is a spoiler for what happened next.

My Dad swam down to where my flailing body was sinking and managed to get me up and out of the water just in time for me to vomit back a lung full of water and then promptly scream the place down.

Exit, stage left, embarrassed parent and traumatised shrieking child.

I have no recollection of what my mother said when we returned home but I do know that this event was the precursor of a lifetime’s suspicion of the act of swimming.

Somebody asked me recently why I don’t enter triathlons, considering I have 23 marathon medals and I love road cycling again after a break of some years?

My answer is that when I run or ride I am in a meditative state of happiness. When I swim I am coping with a life-threatening situation that can go wrong at a moment’s notice.

I love boats, power and sail and I’m not afraid of the water. In fact I can passably swim.

I just dislike the experience, expecting at any moment the unexpected – a face full of water, a clubbing from a passerby’s arm, the caress of a jellyfish tail, the orchestral throb as a prehistoric predator homes in.

Conclusion

Having told that story to Chris Potts the other day, during an hilarious conversation as we travelled home on the 21:00 Friday night from Euston, he commented;

“so basically you’ve been doing the same ever since – jumping in at the deep end with little or no preparation?”

….and then smiled at me with that cheeky boyish expression he has mastered over the years.

There’s only one thing that’s worse than a friend – and that’s a friend who is right.

I’m a bugger for accepting dares, sometimes even before they are articulated, as my dear father discovered.

Maybe the gene that motivates me to take risks, lose money, choose lousy business partners (present company excepted), bash my head, fall off bikes and in love, lose 14 kilos in 14 days on a tropical island, say the wrong thing and earn the nickname “Marmite” was there that day in ’61 and is still crouched inside me, waiting for every opportunity to leap into the unknown.

Which brings me back to 7explorers and Oman 2017.

You can imagine how relieved I am to have three excellent and experienced partners in the enterprise – people who know what they are doing and will prepare meticulously.

When it comes to extreme expeditions, there will be no jumping into the deep end.

 

Posted in 7explorers, Family History | Leave a comment

7explorers – an idea is born

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Chris Barrow

IMG_5980

Welcome to a new company with a mission.

7explorers.com

Please take a few moments to look at our simple web site.

I want this post to be about YOU, not about 7explorers but first I must set the context by telling you just a little bit about who we are and what we are doing.

SONY DSC

Who are the 4 co-founders?

  1. an experienced extreme expedition organiser who has conducted 10 independent expeditions searching the darker parts of the planet for new species:
  2. an experienced expedition doctor who is also an award-winning photographer;
  3. an experienced dive instructor who is also an expert at project management;
  4. an experienced personal and business coach (that’s me).

What we are doing?

To quote from the web site:

7explorers Ltd is a bespoke exploratory remote travel and expeditionary organisation. Individuals with minimal or no exploratory or remote travel experience will venture into ‘off the grid’ environments alongside the core team & through challenging experiences & environments, be provided the opportunity to evaluate their priorities and purpose.

SONY DSC

How we are doing it?

From 2018 we intend to offer a variety of experiences that will include:

  • 4-day experiences in the UK
  • 7-day experiences in Europe
  • 21-day experiences in remote global locations

What are we doing in 2017?

In 2017 there will be just one experience, attended by all 4 co-founders and JUST 4 GUESTS – an unprecedented ratio of experts to guests that will be a USP of our business going forward.

On 11th February 2017 we will depart London’s Heathrow airport and fly to Muscat, there to begin a 21-day experience on the coastline, mountains and deserts of Oman.

SONY DSC

Our itinerary will include:

  • sailing an Arab Dhow
  • a 4×4 desert journey
  • visiting The Lost Tombs of Oman
  • traversing mountain, desert and wadi on foot

This is not a survival test, guests will enjoy food and drink provided but the objective is to recreate as far as possible a natural environment in which the small group will be self-sustainable.

We want our guests to discover a remote, beautiful and safe (yet seldom visited) part of the world and, at the same time, create an environment in which they can discover themselves and plan the next part of their life.

SONY DSC

So who are you?

You:

  • are ready to invest 21 days in February 2017;
  • are ready to invest 4 days in a training weekend with us in Northumberland from 29th September 2016;
  • are ready to “fend for yourself” along with us – there is no room service on this trip!
  • are the right mix for the group overall (we will be interviewing you to confirm that);
  • are ready to be trained in survival, basic medical skills, wilderness photography, project management and leadership/personal development.

You already know that you are ready for this.

How much will this cost?

  • Heathrow to Heathrow – all inclusive – £5,750 per person
  • Northumberland training weekend – £375 per person
  • Total investment – £6,125 per person
  • Deposit required to secure place – £1,000 per person

We don’t want to make millions, we want to make a difference.

What do you need to do next?

Simple – just send an email to ask@7explorers.com

That will come straight to me and I will arrange a Skype or personal conversation (no obligation) with you to discuss Oman 2017.

FB_IMG_1464620783920

Posted in 7explorers, Travel | Tagged , | Leave a comment

One week to launch

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Chris Barrow

IMG_5937

I share with you this morning some photographs from last weekend.

A week today, Saturday 4th June 2016, will be the launch date of a new company that aims to change the landscape of the extreme expedition business and change the lives of its participants.

Two years of conversation, imagination and detailed planning which, at the click of a keyboard, will become a reality.

IMG_5871

Next weekend you will see our web site and I will comment in this blog on our vision and, most importantly, our first event in February 2017.

We will have only 4 clients for that first journey off the grid. 4 experts and 4 clients – an unheard of level of engagement.

IMG_5864

4 individuals who will travel with us to a remote location many thousands of miles away from the UK for 21 days and learn about life in the wild and, most importantly, about themselves.

Last weekend the 4 of us who are founding the business attended a final training, preparation and discussion weekend in the Kielder Forest, Northumberland (the location of our UK training base).

IMG_5889

We walked, talked, cooked and sat around a glowing fire as we assessed future campsites and rehearsed some of the equipment and techniques required to ensure the maximum experience for our clients.

I’m excited and cannot wait to tell you more.

See you next week.

IMG_5942

 

 

 

Posted in Travel | Leave a comment

Off the grid

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Chris Barrow

Kielder water panorama

Seth Godin reminds us that there is no such thing as writer’s block (just as there is no such thing as “the wall” in a marathon – they are both mental constructs) but it is 2nd April since I last posted here.

No specific reason, other than a crowded calendar, a series of exhausting weeks, some Saturday’s working (which is when I normally visit this space) and a sense of no room to breathe, relax and create the space in which to stop writing about the business of dentistry.

Doing it, doing it, doing it, as Michael Gerber would say.

Today (Friday) I’ll be leaving London early to visit a client in South Wales and then catching a flight from Cardiff to Newcastle, there to meet with my 3 fellow conspirators in that expedition business that I’ve made tantalising reference to in recent months.

The 4 of us are off to Kielder Forest for a weekend off the grid, camping out in the wild (unless the weather turns unbearably miserable, in which case Plan B will be to talk around a farmhouse kitchen rather than a camp fire).

It has been 2 years since Sandy Sanderson walked over to me in the Radisson Blu, Manchester Airport and asked for a selfie “with that bloke on the telly”.

We chatted about my experience on ‘The Island with Bear Grylls’, what difference it had made and what I was going to do about it.

That last question had me thinking.

All well and good to dine out on the TV show until family, friends and colleagues have heard enough, equally to change certain aspects of my lifestyle and simplify things (although I have retained some annoyingly bad habits) but what about the “paying it forward” bit?

Sandy challenged me to consider that and, through him, I met with Tino and Amy and we slowly evolved the idea of creating safe opportunities for other people to get “off the grid” and take a good look in the mirror whilst free from the distractions of modern life.

Over the past two years we have slowly, but surely, met, bonded and enjoyed great conversation and allowed our imagination to run wild with ideas, then honed and crafted those ideas in the fires of the reality of what can be done.

Next month we will be launching a new business.

Strategy:

To facilitate the physical, emotional and spiritual enlightenment that can come through a controlled return to the wild.

Tactics:

To create a variety of wilderness retreat environments in remote locations, ranging from 4 to 21 days duration.

USP:

We are not expecting our clients to hunt and find their own food and water – this isn’t a survival test and I don’t want anybody to lose 20% of their body weight in 14 days as I did.

We will invite our clients to join a small group and venture into parts of the world that are way off the tourist and trekking trail (as you will soon discover).

Forget Machu Picchu, Everest and The Great Wall.

Where we are going you will not be bumping into anyone you know.

This weekend, as well as getting back to nature, we will be putting the finishing touches to our soft launch in June, from which we are looking for our first clients, ready to take 21 days off the grid in February 2017 – destination………..

You’ll find out soon enough – and you’ll never guess. I’ll be there and I cannot wait.

So wish us luck this weekend – and watch this space if you are ready for a once in lifetime experience.

 

 

Posted in Travel | 1 Comment

Month #2 of Paleo completed

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Chris Barrow

eggs, chicken, vegetables and text paleo diet

On 1st February 2016 I weighed in at 12 st – always a tipping point for CB where the pain of my self-loathing becomes greater than the pain of doing something about it.

On top of 6 months of various sports injuries I was at a personal low point.

A conversation over the world’s biggest pizza in Vienna with my two daughters was the moment of truth, when we jointly committed to getting our nutritional act in gear at the start of the month.

At the end of month #1 I joyously reported a 10 lb weight loss and the beginnings of feeling much better in and about myself.

Here we are at the end of month #2 – a further 2 lbs of weight loss is neither here nor there (I’m not aiming any lower) but the longer term benefits of feeling good inside and outside are now really kicking in.

All inclusive of my cheat night every Saturday (greatest cheat so far – more pizza) and a continuous supply of red wine, administered in varying doses according to the night of the week and general giddiness.

My running mileage is climbing per outing (up to a regular 10k now) and in frequency.

I’ve decided to get back on my bike on Saturday mornings (dental conferences permitting) and although a broken derailleur incident on the Somec was cold, wet and expensive, the Klein Attitude mountain bike stepped in and I’ve started exploring parts of the Trans-Pennine Trail hitherto unvisited.

I am going to say, here and now, unequivocally, that I’m carrying on with Paleo indefinitely and in spite of the occasional post or email, directing me to some writer proclaiming the dangers of virtually carb-free nutrition.

I feel absolutely great, my clothes all fit, I have more energy, especially in the afternoon (which used to be a dip), I sleep better, I don’t fart as often, my exercise is getting more enjoyable and I’m insufferably positive (80% of the time, of course).

Dare I say I think I’m performing well at work as well?

What’s not to like?

Goodbye pizza, potato, rice, bread, dairy products.

Hello meat, fish, bird, egg, fruit, nuts vegetables.

I’ve never been hungry since 1st February – not once.

Diets suck.

Nutrition rocks.

Tonight is my cheat night 🙂

Posted in Happiness, Health | 1 Comment