Bout’s a knockout, win or lose
Mind, body health is the real prize
THIS week I found out who I’ll be going up against on Thursday and all of sudden, it feels very real.
In the previous eight or so weeks, it was the elephant in the room in eight weeks’ time, but now, with less than a week until a bloke tries to knock me out, the nervous energy is there.
Not only does my opponent own his own gym, Tight Fitness Solutions, but Tyrone “the Cyclone” Jensen has fought three times in the program before. And to top it all off, he gave me a pretty harsh lesson in the first couple of weeks during a rather physical sparring session.
So like many barriers I’ve had to overcome during the program, I will have to get around the mental barrier and nerves that will take me into Thursday night.
I have dropped about 12kg since starting the program, my skills have improved exponentially
and confidence in my own ability has grown.
But whatever happens on Thursday, I know I have done all I possibly can to be in the best shape, both physically and mentally, that I can be.
And win, lose, or draw, I will think of this whole experience as a massive win. I have made some significant lifestyle changes, both physically and emotionally, and 100 per cent feel like a better bloke, husband and dad.
The crew from Fight Like A Pro, led by Gavin Topp, has been absolutely brilliant – training the body to get where it needs to be for fight night, as well as training the mind to be where it needs to be for the bout. But also well beyond Thursday, making a change in your brain that, to be honest, I did not think was possible and was not expecting out of all of this.
Someone asked me the other day “what’s been the best thing about the program?’’ and I genuinely believe it has been the mental health and mind reset, as well as meeting some top blokes.
During a time in my life in which I needed to be challenged and supported, I could not have possibly picked a better program or bunch of blokes to help me through.
And while I’ve done battle with the black dog in the past and dealt with it in a toxic way – whether that was alcohol, drugs, or food – I think Fight Like A Pro has given me the tools to move forward and deal with those things in a healthier way. You can’t put a value on that in my mind.
If you are interested in the program or in coming down to watch the fights on Thursday night, give Gavin Topp a call on 0414 356 404.