Tag Archive: death


My 7-point system on how to get out of the rabbit hole

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 8 Comments
November 9, 2018

My previous article/video was about how to deal with depression when over 40. With this article/video, the angle changes. Here I provide a “escape roadmap” for those guys that hit rock bottom in their life, whatever the reason might be, on how to get to the point where life taste sweet in your mouth again.

Click here to watch video “GETTING UP AFTER LIFE HAS BLOW YOU OVER”

 

So let’s start…

When you are over 40 chances are you have tasted enough of life to know that all is not sweet. But for some of us the taste can be very, very bitter indeed. Some of us are picking up the pieces after a long battle with cancer, or finding out we are hiv+, a severe heart attack, some other serious health problem, death of our life partner or child, financial ruin and more, the list is endless…

There is no other way sometimes to say it…LIFE SUCK!

Ask me I’ve been there, twice fighting for my life and had to pick up the pieces and start running again. That bitter, bitter taste that life can leave in your mouth can also be as sweet as honey, but it is going to require a deep look into yourself and reaching into places you have never touched. It is going to take every single ounce of your being to make this happen. But there is no alternative. This is the t-junction in your life where you have to choose the left or the right road. The left road is going to be easy…staying in your dark place feeling sorry for yourself and hating life becoming everything you don’t want. The right road is leading to a grand fight with the prize of reaching levels of character and body development, you have never thought possible and once again see life for the amazing gift it is in all its beauty and splendor, with a new lust for life like when you were young. And yes, I mentioned “body development”, because I do not believe in taking on this grand fight journey without including transforming your body as well…but more on that later on.

So, here I am going to provide you my rules on how to fight that grand fight to get you to this level where you have an unquenchable lust for life again and you have reached levels of character and body transformation you have only dreamed off.

Off course these rules will mean altering many aspects of your current life and habits. Some of these rules are plain common-sense rules and others will be a surprise. It will mean you will have to move out of your comfort zone with many things. But seriously, you are currently rock bottom and you are at a crossroad in your life where the decisions you make over the next few weeks and months is going to determine whether you will rise or whether you will fall, permanently. I have seen this happen so many times, so this is my hand I reach out to you. I have done this, more than once. It works, and it CAN be done…this is my recipe.

 

The rules for the GRAND FIGHT:

  1. No drugs! Here I am talking about anything you might use to escape or alleviate the emotional pain. As long as you use these escape routes, healing cannot begin. This is your first serious choice you have to make. Any form of recreational drugs is a no-no and MUST stop. There is just no way you will rise up from rock bottom and continue using recreational drugs. Alcohol must be limited to once a week and not more than 500ml wine. Smoking must stop. The negative impact of smoking is way too long to even discuss in this document. But simply put, there is no place for smoking when you fight the GRAND FIGHT! Even the overuse of caffeine must stop. More than 4 strong cups a day and the resultant valleys and peaks will be too great for a balanced new beginning and the valleys will drag you down time and time again.
  2. Restore your integrity. (No affairs! No sex or sleeping around outside a committed loving relationship) You need to love yourself and you cannot do that if you do not have self-respect. Some of you guys are going to laugh when first read this point. NO SLEEPING AROUND / NO CASUAL SEX! You need to start respecting your own body and that of others. The only place for sex is in a long term loving and supporting relationship. You can only restore your integrity when you respect yourself and others and you CANNOT do that if you engage in sexual acts outside of a long-term loving relationship. Believe me if you do not change your casual sexual habits you will struggle severely to rise up from rock bottom. To rise up you must have a strong center, know your roots and respect yourself for being a man of integrity.
  3. Make sure your hormonal levels are healthy. When over 40, be sure to get your blood testosterone levels checked. Severe depressive states and lack of energy are common symptoms for guys with low testosterone levels. To restore yourself and rise up is going to be very difficult and close to impossible if you have low testosterone levels. If TRT treatment is your future so be it! 

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  4. You cannot expect to rise up if your diet is poor and you feeding your body wrong. Some very basic healthy eating rules:
    1. ALWAYS eat a healthy breakfast – something like oats & berries or Fruit salad with yoghurt but it needs to be healthy and not small.
    2. Split your meals into 4 smaller meals per day.
    3. 3L filtered water per day. Glass water every hour.
    4. Two fruits per day and good portion veggies every day, preferably uncooked,
    5. Small portions of rice/pasta/bread/carbs per meal (try to stick to low-GI carbs)
    6. Fat-free or very low-fat protein sources like fillet, fish or chicken breast.
    7. Each meal must be moderate size, no large excessive meals and never 2nd helpings.
    8. Once a week desert…only ONCE!
    9. Strong multi vitamin after morning meal – something like ANIMAL PAK or OPTIMEN.
  5. Part of transforming your life is to transform your body. For a free basic body transformation system, check here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-program/You need to train intensively 4-5 times a week for at least 40 minutes at a time. You need to SWEAT – that will release all the feel-good chemicals in your brain that will make you feel uplifted and on top of the world. This is a critical aspect to rise up again. The exercise does not matter so much. Do what you like. But remember if you start lifting weights it will add immensely to your self-image as you start looking better and more muscled. This is something I can personally testify too. As you see your body change and grow it gives you renewed focus and dedication which can make all the difference.
  6. Critical part of the whole process is to ensure your mind is healthy and positive. With your healthy diet, less drinking and no substance abuse your mind will already have a better chemical balance. But if you want to help the mind to be a bit more healthy and positive consider specific natural supplements to help with a positive mindset. The most potent is: St John’s Wort. However, it can interfere with some prescription medication so be careful just double check with your doctor please. Another consideration with less interactions, but not as potent, is 5-HTP.
  7. Now probably the most important of them all. I cannot conclude the 7 points without a reference to the importance of you needing to make right with God. It was and is a critical ingredient for me that helped me to rise from the ashes and become what I am today. You will never be whole if you never make right with God. My mentor is Jesus Christ in my life. There has never been a better or more positive mentor that has walked this earth. Through my faith and my relationship with Christ I get my center and direction in life. I know many will laugh at this point but if you want to listen to how I managed to be who I am today and why, then this is a key reason and cannot be excluded.

You may ask now, “but how do I get the will to put these rules into place?”. Let me put it to you like this. You are rock-bottom right now. From here onward if you do nothing and just continue feeling sorry for yourself, your life is pretty much over and all your dreams crushed. THESE 7 rules are the alternative. This will and can elevate you beyond your wildest dreams. So, there is NO choice. If the reality of where you are right now and what future awaits you while staying where you are right now, if that does not fire you up to MAKE THIS HAPPEN and to WIN this fight, then sadly my friend you might have already lost.

So get up, look life squarely in the eyes and say:
“I WILL CHANGE
I WILL BE THE BEST FATHER
I WILL BE THE BEST HUSBAND
I WILL BE A MAN OF INTEGRITY
I WILL GET THE BODY I WANT
I WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN!”

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So guys, with these 7 rules you can fight the grand fight and you can win. I have proven that twice already in my life. I pray this helps some of you out there. If any of you want to contact me directly: gertlouwljc@hotmail.com

And off course if you want to signup to my life coaching body transformation system customized just for you, then just click this link to signup: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

May you rise up and surpass your wildest dreams!

Gert Louw

 

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Mental health for the over 40 guy

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk — 6 Comments
October 2, 2018

A rather significant portion of men over 40 is on some form of anti-depressant medication…so let’s discuss in this article what you can do as an over 40 male to avoid this trap which is destroying many lives out there.

Click here to watch video “Dealing with depression – for the over 40 guy”

Pressure from family, work and life is ever rising in the race to make more and more money. Time is at a premium and the first thing sacrificed is nearly always looking after our bodies. Then add unhealthy eating and the use of alcohol/smoking to the mix and this becomes the perfect recipe for impending disaster waiting to go off like a time-bomb. The first signals we get about impending doom is when depression strikes. This is screaming at you that something is seriously wrong. But what do we do? We grab at pills just to medicate the symptom ignoring the fact that this was a signal screaming at full pitch at us. But our hectic 21 century lives have made us deaf to this voice of our body…we just throw down more and more pills to numb us more and more until the time-bomb eventually explodes and destroys everything in its path creating pain and suffering for all we loved and cared about. Sounds melodramatic? Maybe, but the sad part is that this is very true!

I’ve come very close to this point in my life. I’ve learned how to avoid it and thought I would share with you my approach on how to handle depression when you are an older guy.

 

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They key to good mental health for the over 40 guy, starts with a fit body. This is the biggest single contributor to good mental health. We were not created to be sedentary beings and inactivity brings about a lack of all the hormones we require for a healthy mind. These feel-good and uplifting hormones are only released through physical activity and some only through intense physical activity. This can make us feel on top of this world! Without these hormones depression is a given. But the problem is that, when we are in that dark place of depression, the hardest thing is to gather the motivation to get ourselves to the gym. So, what do I do? This is something I have addressed in various of my videos. For me getting to gym and working out is elevated to the same priority as getting to work in the morning. If I do not have a sick certificate I get to work and I GET TO GYM. You do not have an option to not go to work if you’re depressed or not feeling like it! The exact (!) same apply to my gym. It is not a matter off whether I feel like it or whether I am down or not in the mood or not motivated! I just get in the car, drive to gym, put on my workout clothes and my headphones, select my Spotify playlist “GERTFITNESS WORKOUT #1” and start doing my first set. And then the next set and the next. And man, many times I have found that, that was one of my best workouts. And I ALWAYS walk out there positive and feeling great because I have done what I need to do to get my brain filled with the much needed hormones to lift my mood and give me a positive frame of mind. Off course I could have stayed at home feeling sorry for myself because of my depressive state but now I feel positive and uplifted. Nothing comes close to lifting your frame of mind to a positive state like a good intense workout. The key to it all is to elevate your training’s priority setting to the same as that of your job’s priority. It is NOT an option to bail out unless you have a sick certificate.

Want my training and diet approach customised for you? You can signup here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

Note here: Inspiring tunes can make an incredible difference to help you endure an intense workout when you struggling with a depressive frame of mind. Do not underestimate the power of music. I have created my Spotify playlist specifically for this purpose. (You can find it on Spotify by just searching “GertFITNESS WORKOUT #1”. I have made it a collaborative playlist so if there is a rocking tune you think should belong in this playlist please feel free to add it!)

 

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Now just to remind you, I have reason more than most to be depressed. Nearly died at 40 and given a bad prognosis for my future health. Then at 46 I nearly lost my business. And at 53 an even closer call with death with near complete liver failure as result of drinking dirty water, keeping me for long in hospital and out of gym for a full 12 months seeing all my hard work on my body of the past 13 years going to waste and pretty much had to start over at age 54. This is much reason to be depressed…believe me. But having a system in place where the priority I allocate to gym is non-negotiable and not depending on mood or frame of mind or whether I feel like it, means I get to gym for a great workout and every-time the resultant feel-good hormonal release prevents me from slipping into a depressive state. If it was not for this non-negotiable gym rule I would have been in a serious depressive state.

You don’t “need” motivation. You simply need to put in place this non-negotiable workout rule and elevate working out to the same priority level as rocking up for your job. EXACTLY THE SAME. You only miss your workout if you miss your job that day!

 

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Then off course there are other smaller things I put in place to keep the darkness of depression from engulfing me.

Let me give you a quick rundown:

  1. The first thing any guy suffering from depression should do is to get his blood testosterone levels checked by a Urologist. You must ensure that your levels are healthy. If not you MUST go on TRT therapy. Low test levels in males WILL result in severe depressive states and many other health risks. TRT therapy plays a definite role in a positive mindset in a man.
  2. Alcohol is glue for depression! Thinking you need an unwinding glass of wine after a hectic day is only a good idea if you are faaaaar from a depressive state. Otherwise it will have the opposite effect and pull you much quicker into depression. Plus, that glass of alcohol will most certainly mean you will miss your workout session as well. Plus, the alcohol is not doing you any good with your body fat levels meaning more negative thought patterns because you are missing your goal with loosing body fat. Thus if red lights are flickering because of a lingering depression, steer CLEAR from alcohol. Any overuse of any stimulant (including caffeine), should be avoided because that will result in a “valley” mood (after the peak) which will elevate a depressive state.
  3. You cannot expect your brain chemicals to be healthy when feeding your body junk! Your 2nd line of action after getting yourself regularly to gym is sorting out your diet. Lots of fresh veggies, fresh fruit, moderate carbs and fat free protein with some good oils (virgin olive, coconut, peanut butter, etc…) and no carbonated drinks! A good sample diet to start is here: https://gertlouw.com/2017/09/08/free-cutting-building-diets-for-a-ripped-muscled-physique/
  4. Gert Louw BLACK SHIRT.JPGSerious emotional issues are your worst enemy in your fight against depression. I know life is not easy. Divorce, death of a loved one, serious sickness, retrenchment, financial trouble, all is very real and all can destroys lives. But all of this can also bring out the best in you. It can let you rise up and become a hero and role model that many people can look up to and not just transform your life but even those around you. Or it can mean you become just another statistic of a person absorbed by severe depression. It is all in how you decide to handle what you are facing. This is your time now, to rise up and become that person you have dreamed off, to be the best version of you ever, to be the hero and role model everyone is looking at for inspiration. No, it is not easy. Nothing worth in life is EVER easy…but it is always a 1000 times over worth it.
  5. Off course I use some basic supplements for a healthy and positive mind. They are:

Vitamin B12 injection once a month for optimal nerve system functioning (read this link on a vitamin B12 study regarding its use as an anti-depressant): American Journal of Psychiatry)

5-HTP – natural option for upping serotonin levels.

Vitamin D –a deficiency in vitamin D will feel very much like depression.

Last but not least…and I know many will shrug this off. But, I find my greatest comfort in my faith following Jesus Christ. If there ever was someone that walked this earth that was the epitome for living the great adventure of life positively, being kind and caring and depression free, then it was the example Jesus Christ showed us. So, you might think this is opium for the masses stuff…but boy what opium it is! This alone has the ability to transform many aspects of your life and keep you depression free with a lust for life. Ask me…I know!

So guys, whatever you are facing, there are always choices we can make on how we going to deal with this. In each of us there is greatness, that is the way God created us. This is your time to look into yourself and unlock that greatness. Depression is just an alarm bell…listen to the alarm clock and change what needs to be changed.

May your journey be blessed.

Gert Louw

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The hand you’ve been dealt with…

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 10 Comments
May 3, 2017

Those of you that know me a bit better, will know that the hand of cards I have been dealt with in the last 12 years is, well, not (!) a good hand.

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Twice now I had very close calls with death and been fighting the good battle non-stop the past 12 years. Lots of pain, kidney problems, liver problems and many other serious health issues with very dark clouds hanging over me.

But you know what, through it all, I’ve put my poker face on and played that hand of cards to the best of my ability! I have grown immensely as a person. Suffering and pain and dark clouds hanging over your future is the BEST opportunity to become the YOU, you never was. Does not matter what your prognosis…you will not exhale that last breath until God decide it is time. Make this an opportunity to look into that mirror and say “I like what I see, I like the heart of the person looking back at me!”. Apart from personal growth it also allowed me to grow in my walk of faith with God. Let this be your moment with God Almighty…believe me nothing brings more peace and hope.

No-one is going to live forever, tomorrow might be your last day, you might be run over, no one knows. So stand tall and stand proud, whatever dark cloud is hanging over you is irrelevant…play that hand of cards with your best poker face and win!

I wish you all a beautiful and blessed day…

GERT LOUW LIB20

If you want my training/diet/supps system customised for you, have a look here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

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Walking by faith

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 25 Comments
March 4, 2016

Walking by faith – Everyone knows by now there are a deeper side to me and a life altering back story.

But I have never really told my story about my walk in faith.

I am opening my heart here and I know there are risks…because the world is not always a good place to lay your heart bare. But this is the time to do it…my walk in faith has brought me to this point where I feel compelled to share.

So those that want to know about a story of pain, hope, miracles and LIFE, read on.

As many of you know, 11 years ago (at age 40) I was lying on my “deathbed” in hospital. At one point no blood pressure and heartbeat and ready to die. A brutal attack and mutilation left me with a broken soul and the will to live has left me, my heart was filled with darkness and pain which I could not carry anymore.

Me 2 months after hospital:

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Then the unexpected happened. While I was lying in my hospital bed, weak and not expecting anything but death, I heard a voice, God’s voice. The voice was clear…”Gert, I am offering you life…I have a plan for you. You must choose…”

I cannot put in words that moment…I experienced an incredible beauty, softness, kindness, pureness,  holiness, love and I saw LIFE…and in that moment my life changed. I was heartbroken, I was weak and I spend a lot of time in conversation with God over the next few days lying in my bed. I was soooo close to choosing death…but this unexpected experience showed me LIFE and I made my choice.

Sure, before this I knew about God and I knew the Bible. But this changed my world. Suddenly God was not just in a book anymore but He was more real to me than this world around me. And for just that brief moment I felt the touch of God…and I was utterly overwhelmed and unprepared.

Two weeks in hospital and I was strong enough to leave. Prognosis not good…some doctors gave me a couple of years. But it was not in their hands, I chose life and God was in control.

I was a changed man…but, the pain and darkness in my heart of what happened was not over. The weakness I have, is that I put a lid on things and push it deep down, trying to bury it…never really dealing with it.

My walk in faith deepened over the next years.

Now at 51 I am a living miracle of God. The body is still broken. Kidneys functioning at 50%, struggling with my liver, and that is just the tip of the iceberg with my serious health problems. But that is insignificant for God…look at me…with my severe health issues and being expected to be long dead by now, God has turned this around to the extend that I am looking the healthiest and fittest I ever did in my life. For Him, NOTHING is impossible.  He is in control, not the doctors, not me, not medical science.

Me, today…4 months away from 52:

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Now this all sound incredible and it is, but my world was about to be rocked again. God knew that the pain and darkness that I am trying to bury needs to be addressed. Every now and then an event triggers the lid from coming off slightly and the pain and darkness boils over. And recently the Holy Spirit kicked off that lid for good. All that pain and darkness surfaced and there was no way I could put back the lid on again. The Holy Spirit do not mess around…that lid was gone!

I struggled to breath, it felt like my heart was tearing in two…I pleaded with the Holy Spirit to please ask God to come and take my life…I could not bear the pain, it was overwhelming. My power to push it down was gone.

 

But let me give you a glimpse into how incredible God works.

The Holy Spirit literally forced me to walk into a church I do not know the next day, and walk up to the first friendly face I see and tell him I need someone to pray with me, now (!)  and intercede on my behalf before God. Now anyone that knows me, will realize this is the worst thing anybody can ask me to do. I am a total introvert, sitting always quietly in the corner doing my own thing and NEVER EVER just walk up to people I don’t know, let alone in an environment total foreign to me. This was going against everything I am.

But instead of doing this, I wanted to die, because this darkness and pain was so intense and overwhelming that again I was at this crossroad point in my life where I had to choose between life and death. I had a young son who I adore and a beautiful loving wife and if it was not for them chances was I was going to choose the easy road out. I was breaking down in tears continuously…and I am NOT an emotional person!

So I DID IT! I just did it in total obedience. I went to the church the Holy Spirit indicated to me, my wife and son by my side. I walked up to the first friendly face I saw and I told him what the Holy Spirit instructed me to do. He smiled and said I must go and sit, someone will come to me. A few moments later a guy, my age, walked up to me and touch my shoulder and smile. We went to a quiet corner outside and I told him my story, laying my heart bare, told him of my pain and the way the Holy Spirit is working with me now. We bend down and started praying, he laid me before God…during this moment the Holy Spirit told me that because of my obedience, He will now plea my case before God and lay my pain of the darkest corners of my heart before God. I could hear it, I could literally hear the murmurings, not words, but I could hear everything. I felt the touch of God as I did in my hospital bed and broke down in tears by grace I do not deserve. God once again began the 2nd miracle in my life, healing my pain in my heart.

The following week was extremely emotional for me as the Holy Spirit carried me through this process of cutting the pain in my heart out, piece by piece.

I thought my walk was close with God previously, but had no idea how intense it was about to become.

This God I bow down too, has become more real than anything else in this world. I am totally unprepared for how amazing and incredible His love, His holiness, His power and His kindness is.

 

So many people I talk to over the internet ask me “Why do God, if He is a good God, allow this pain and suffering in this world to continue?”

The world is a broken place. We have made our choices to abandon God and with it comes pain and suffering. God is the ultimate gentleman…He NEVER force His will on anyone. Bad things happen to even good people everyday…and you know what, it strengthens you to become a stronger person reaching greater heights. Look what happened to me…through it God strengthened me to reach heights I thought never possible in my life and I am touching many lives out there and helping people. I am a hard nut to crack and God knows it. He had plans for me…but left to my own devices that plan would never come into play. He allowed things to happened to me and come over my path. Bad things…like Job, but like God is, He turned everything around into blessings beyond believe. I still had to make the choices myself…but God gentlemanly lead me in the direction…

God wants so much the best for us, but when we abandon Him we are left alone in this broken world. The heart of God is such that He allowed that, which was most precious to Him, to be put through pain and mutilation and to die on a cross for us, just so that me and you would have direct access to God and the Holy Spirit.

My sins in this broken world prevents me from having a direct link with God, because before God nothing that has any sin or darkness can stand and live, nothing. God is pure and holy. Only through the sacrifice of Jesus, who was blameless, could He die in my place and through that allow me to talk to God and be saved. It had to be someone blameless, he had to had no sin because that is the only way He could die for ours.

God could have sent armies of angels to rescue Jesus, but this shows God’s heart…unmeasurable kindness and compassion. He did not have to do this for us…He is the Almighty God, rescuing us just by grace…which we do not deserve.

 

Now, many devoted believers don’t like it when they hear of someone like me who had such incredible experiences with God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ (I had Christ holding His hand on my shoulder at one of my toughest moments in prayer and more…)

Why me, what makes me special?

Remember Maria?…remember that between all the disciples of Jesus, SHE was the one that quietly bent down with her tears falling on Jesus feet and rubbed very expensive oil/perfume over His feet, no words, just an act of utter compassion. His disciples were not impressed about the logic that such expensive perfume was wasted. But she had a relationship with God on another level, why?…because of the AMOUNT of grace she required to be saved. Be happy and joyful if you required little grace to follow God, then you are blessed indeed. People like me (and Maria) carried so much pain and darkness in our hearts that the grace we require, is massive. This amount of grace changes you on every level and your relationship with God, is extremely intense.

 

Last week on one of the biggest radio stations in Cape Town, they aired this young woman who had a vision where Jesus Christ appeared to her and told her: “Go and tell the world, I have finished preparing all your places in heaven. I am coming to fetch you. The time is up.”

The Holy Spirit confirmed this in my heart…

Now, I know God said, no one knows the date and time, but I am making sure me and my family is ready…I cannot wait to join my Lord and Saviour!

 

I pray this article means something to you…it comes from deep within my soul.

Be blessed.

Gert Louw

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LIFE inspiration – Faith and Hope

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 8 Comments
September 14, 2015

Never give up. Today is hard. Tomorrow will be worse. But the day after tomorrow there be sunshine.

Click here to watch video “LIFE inspiration – Faith and Hope”

You might have health problems, lost your job, a loved one might have died or you might just struggle to keep head above water.  I can never have all the answers for you but what I do know is that your faith and hope will lead you through this. It will most probably get even worse and more painful, but the ONE thing you must not let go is your faith and hope.

Now I am not naïve in thinking all with always be sunshine in the end of the day. Life sometimes just do not work like that. But through faith, there is hope and many, many times that hope turns into sunshine.

I have experienced this myself when 11 years ago I had my darkest hour in my life. Through  faith I kept going and started to live a healthy and fit lifestyle. Yes there was days that I thought it cannot get worse and then usually did get worse…but faith gave me hope and hope kept me going.

Today for me the sun is shining, it is 11 years later for me, I am healthy, looking the best I ever did and all because of the faith that gave me hope. Yes, you have to bring your part and you have to do what you can humanly possible do to change your situation, but keep the faith, keep the hope and hand it over to God in on your knees in prayer!

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Romans 12:12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Wish you all happy training

Cheers

Gert Louw

 

GERT TRANSFORMATION

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Death of Greg Plitt

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 3 Comments
January 19, 2015

The sad passing of fitness guru Gregg Plitt shocked the fitness community worldwide. He was an icon and mentor for thousands and according to those that know also a very nice guy.

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In a flash his life came to a halt while filming footage with some friends on train tracks for a protein shake. He was hit by a train and it was instantly fatal.

It again made me realize just how fragile our existence really is.

He had everything, money, fame and one of the best muscled physiques in the world but in an instant that meant nothing and his life was gone.

So let me get deep for a second – things like this should make one sit down and become deep about life…

I, myself was on the verge of death 10 years ago and since then I decided to be ready for when that moment comes and it sometimes comes quickly and unexpected as with Greg.

I have searched for the right mentor for my life since then. I need to live a life that has some meaning.

My search led me to the greatest mentor off all time, Jesus Christ. The way He lived, what He stood for, how he treated people and what He did is untouchable by any other person that has since walked this earth.

Even if you do not believe what He said, He is still a formidable mentor to follow.

And if it is true what He said it makes Him even so much more beautiful and amazing and awestruck!

Live a life that matters!

I pray for all the pain in the hearts of Greg’s family and friends.

You will be missed Greg and for evermore be an icon!

 

Report by THE INDEPENDANT:

Greg Plitt, a former model, actor and renowned fitness instructor, has died after being struck by a train in Burbank.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau said that he was struck by a Metrolink train at 4.10pm on Front Street, north of the Metrolink station.

Plitt, 37, recently starred in the Bravo show ‘Work Out’. It was reported by KABC that the former Calvin Klein model was with some friends who may have been filming at the time.

“He had on all black. The train went by. I saw him stumble over the tracks. He had a camcorder in his hand,” a Metrolink passenger told the local TV station.

Plitt appeared in a number of films. He acted alongside Robert DeNiro and Matt Damon in The Good Shepherd, and Terminator 4 with Christian Bale. He was also a body double in superhero film Watchmen.

The incident is currently under investigation.

 

Here is more about Greg

Greg’s Training and Diet Tips

My training and nutrition strategy is a simple, basic fundamental theory of business 101 supply vs. demand. In order for a body to change form and grow, there has to be a reason, a demand for such a change to occur. The body will not get stronger simply because we tell it to; we must create a demand for it to get stronger. In the gym our muscles must go through the same ass-kicking scenario in order for them to “fight back” and grow stronger to defend themselves. When we work out and lift, we are adding stress to a targeted muscle region. Our muscles do not enjoy going to failure and hitting exhaustion over and over again, so they naturally will try to defend themselves by improving and growing stronger to match the level of stress being applied.

pre- and post-workout nutrition.
The faster you can create the demand for change and then immediately supply the demand with the proper type and amount of nutrition and rest, the faster your growth will be achieved. I always set up my workout to improve with a pre-workout meal. It’s a liquid meal consisting of pre-workout powder, L-glutamine, creatine, HMB, omega-3s, multivitamin, whey protein and a teaspoon of raw honey.

workout
For my morning workout I train one bodypart and hit anywhere around 28 to 36 sets per bodypart, going heavy, with rep ranges between five and 10 and more than a minute’s rest between sets, four sets per exercise, six to eight exercises. I train abs at the end of every workout, usually in a giant set for 10 or 15 minutes non-stop with 30 to 50 reps. Here’s my split:

Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Shoulders
Day 4: Biceps (four exercises), triceps (two or three exercises)
Day 5: Legs
Day 6: Cycle starts again

My post-workout meal consists of whey protein (.30 grams per pound of body weight), dextrose (simple sugar you find at the grocery store, .40 grams per pound of body weight), creatine, L-glutamine and HMB.

food?
I eat one main meal a day of real food, usually between 2 and 6 p.m. It’s a large meal that consists of high protein and low carb. I call the meal a caveman diet — as if it wasn’t food 100 years ago, I don’t consider it food now. I try to stay away from all processed foods and stick with a variety of meat, chicken, tuna and seafood as the bulk of my protein and then all vegetables cooked in a variety of ways — broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, peas, asparagus and salads. The meal probably has 3,500 calories — in one sitting. My philosophy is one large meal in the middle of the day, which ensures that I have all the food digested and burned off before bed.

Photoshoot prep?
No, prior to a photo shoot I’ll either add a second workout for the same bodypart that I trained in the morning or I’ll do cardio. The pre- and post-workout meals are the same as the morning. My evening workout is exactly like the morning workout — the same exercises — but extremely light weights, with reps at 25 to 30 per set and rests between sets of under one minute. Or, as I said, I’ll do cardio.

 

Greg Plitt’s WEB links

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Transforming your body against all odds – motivational documentary

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 5 Comments
October 17, 2014

This is the first time that my past 10 years life story and motivation for my transformation has been put to video, thanks to two people who crossed my path (Adriaan Fourie and Gary King)

It is not something I talk easily about because of all the emotions involved. I see this step of making the video as part of the emotional healing process.

The purpose of this video is meant to inspire and give hope to those that feel they are in a hopeless situation.

Life is beautiful and precious and we can never throw in the towel. There is so much beauty in this life but we have to get up and find it. We don’t have to search far but we must take that first steps.

Whatever you might be facing today, there IS HOPE!

Gert Louw

 

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