Welcome to Monday Mastery, my weekly newsletter where I share insights into mastering your mind, body and soul to live a stronger, happier and longer life.
What's in store today
- How envy runs the world,
- Natures best superfood
- A Conditioning workout to challenge yourself
Monday Mastery is brought to you by Arthur Sylense Coaching
We guide and mentor clients from all backgrounds, whether that be true beginner or advanced professional athletes to reach their highest physical potential.
If you're not happy with your current shape, or have a lofty physique goal you want to hit, its time to get personalised, private coaching so that you can elevate your career, success and mindset.
Click here to apply for coaching. There are limited spaces each month, so don't delay.
Envy runs the world
“Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.” Ecclesiastes 4:4
These are the words of Solomon, possibly the wealthiest man to ever exist.
He hosted parties for twenty-five thousand people, had 700 wives, planted entire forests & built huge cities.
He had everything a human being could possibly want in their lifetime, yet he saw the emptiness in it all.
Solomon saw that the driving force behind mankind’s labour and struggle toward success, fame & wealth was all due to one thing - envy, or rather - the desire to be envied by others.
Think about that for a second.
Be it your waist measurement, car, job title, house, zip code in which you reside, clothes, tattoos, food choice, training location, social media image, spouse, or anything else.
They are chosen to create the envy of others.
We want to be known, seen, and recognized. Do you think Solomon is wrong?
Marketing firms know this and that’s why their advertisements are so effective.
Buy this, accomplish this, look like this and you will find happiness…the happiness that comes from being the envy of others.
Solomon basked in the light of other men’s envy.
This is the never ending story of the egos existence.
To survive it must be seen, but not just seen, it must be seen a certain way & not just in any way, but the way it believes others would admire it to be.
Do you see how backwards that is ? Not knowing ourselves, we chase an idea about what it is to be to be happy, this idea comes from what our society tells us is valuable, we are bombarded by it.
Our true desires are drowned by the interference from our family, culture & media.
We chase an idea of what we think we should be based on what others would think, never questioning it. Are your dreams your dreams ? Or are they societies dreams ?
We need people to live their life in the real world. To not say or do or show anything if its only purpose is to gain the admiration of others.
We need the courage to be ourselves in a world constantly trying to make us feel unworthy.
We need originality, we need authenticity, we need an emphasis on personal responsibility.
We need people who are free. Not physical freedom, we have that, we need freedom of thought, desire and ideas.
Freedom to pursue things for the sole benefit of thing thing itself.
Can you write something, build something or achieve something important to you and not tell anyone about it ?
Can you do it just to do it, not to show people you did it?
To do things for the sake of doing them, rather than external validation, will bring true fulfilment.
Your drive and motivation will last into the long-term, because external things are fickle and change.
you have no control over them.
When you do things for your own inner satisfaction, you are in full alignment and in control of the direction of your life.
Go within.
Find your why.
Find a guide or mentor to help you figure out the how.
Engage in daily action.
Revel in every bit of progress.
Embrace natures superfood
Many people have given saturated fat a bad name, believing in the age old myth that 'fat makes you fat'. The truth is saturated fat IS good for you! Everyone knows they need their omega-3 fats and other 'healthy' fats, yet they ignore the the fact that saturated fat IS one of those healthy fats. It is vital for your health, and if you are an athlete its even more important.
Fats are essential for our bodies to function properly. They serve many uses, one being helping in the production of our hormones. Saturated fat is vital for the production of testosterone. If your saturated fat levels are too low you will not produce an optimal level of testosterone for your health (let alone for your athletic goals). The only fats you should avoid completely are trans fats, which produce absolutely ZERO benefits whatsoever. All they do is destroy your body. Fortunately trans fats are easily avoided, just don't eat junk food and you're pretty much safe!
The hate by some for saturated fat has led people to demonize eggs yolks, which are really one of the best things you can shove down your throat. The egg yolks are the most nutrient-dense portion of the egg. All of the egg's Vitamins A, D and E are in the yolk. Egg yolks happen to be just one of the few foods that naturally contains Vitamin D. The yolk portion also has more manganese, phosphorus, iodine, copper, calcium, zinc, and iron than the egg white itself. Egg yolks should not be avoided because of the high amounts of cholesterol either as high cholesterol levels are correlated with diets high in Trans Fat. Genetics also play the largest role in cholesterol levels. Only 'good' cholesterol is found in egg yolks. This HDL cholesterol is again like saturated fat vital for the production of testosterone. Egg yolks are also anti-catabolic because of the Arachidonic Acid found in them. Egg's truly are a super food - the athletes and bodybuilders of yore had no fancy supplements like we have today. Instead they would consume vast amounts of whole eggs.
Remember fat does not make you fat. Eating more calories than you burn does. In fact you must eat fat to lose fat, as a low level of fat in your diet will make your body desperately hold on to the fat it has stored - for fear of losing all the fat it needs for survival!
The ignorant people who demonize saturated fat are usually the same who promote a higher carbohydrates diet. Now take this into consideration - If you were to only ever eat protein & fat again and never consume a gram of carbohydrate for the rest of your days, you would be perfectly healthy and live well. Now if you were to only ever eat protein+carbohydrates (no fat) or fats+carbohydrates (no protein) you would die very soon. A diet with no protein would cause your muscles to disappear and you would not be able to repair injuries. With no fat your hormone production would fail and you would be in pretty dire shape. This isn't a dig at carbohydrates, they are the best source of energy for the body. It is simply to show the importance of fats (protein as well...but thats another article) in your diet.
PubMed Link on dietary cholesterol. This link should provide some more hard evidence from the most reliable source on the internet to those deathly afraid of cholesterol!
So please eat your fats and eat your eggs...WHOLE! if you are confused as to what is good to eat and whats not, the simplest guide you can have in your mind is -
If it grew in the ground, ever flew, swam or walked the earth - eat it. If it was made by man - leave it.
Client of the week
Andy was stuck in rut for years due to hopping from one program to another without any kind of structure.
With long term planning - we implemented a program with steady, consistency progress that built upon itself each week.
With proper guidance, he has now gotten into the best shape of his life.
If you want to improve your physique to elevate your health, career and mindset - click here.
“Comparison is the thief of joy,”
Nothing will rob you of happiness faster than constantly comparing to others around you, and worse - those online.
Be grateful for the gifts you have right now in the present, work towards a fulfilling goal and strive to be a little better, wiser, happier and more present every day.
And eat your eggs ! :)
Have a great week and merry Christmas!
Arthur
If you're ready, here are some ways I can help -
- Apply for personalised online coaching - the absolute best way to guarantee you reach all of your physique goals.
- Purchase my training ebook - a thorough guide on how to build muscle and lose fat - just £10
- Follow me on instagram for daily tips and advice. Feel free to shoot me DM question, I always try to answer every one !
