So far I’m liking having it first thing in the morning and it’s very tasty with real cold water. But not sure how to measure the benefits otherwise and whether it’s worth the cash.
It’s near impossible. Even recording how you feel out of ten each morning and or evening or recording sleep patterns can’t be put down to one supplement. Way too many variables. I guess it’s purely feel.
I have a smoothie every morning with 500 million things in it and my blood tests always come back perfect so I don’t wanna change anything.
Totally agree purely feel is the way to go. If I’m enjoying them and feeling good, I’ll keep ordering it, but so far so good.
Yeah, I used to do a smoothie with about 6-7 ingredients while I was playing, but since retiring have gotten into the habit of cooking breakfast every morning and really enjoying it.
Even if it’s pure placebo and it tricks you into feeling good it’s worth it.
Oh man, I cooked brekkie this morning, Sunday tradition, it’s the best.
Bring plant based there’s a few things I need to be mindful of, so I have a stack of stuff in there to get those numbers up to where they need to be.
I make a weeks worth at a time and put them in the car fridge then have it between gym and work. Set and forget. I struggle to eat early in the morning but I get hungry and breakfast is important for the brain. So smoothies work for me.
I used to never ever get hungry in the morning. Years ago when I trained in the arvo some days I wouldn’t have my smoothie until after 9:30am. First meal of the day. Now that I get up early and train straight away I wake up hungry. Some days I even have something small before gym. Still though I don’t like stuff that’s hard to digest until later in the day. Might just be because it’s what I’m used to. Doesn’t really matter anyway. I’ve found what seems to work.
I feel like every other podcast advertises athletic greens! I looked at it and thought it was too much and then found Vitall all in one for half price at Chemist Warehouse. Tastes like shit and I have no idea if it does a single thing haha
Yeah, they’ve got great marketing and I’m a big believe in a balanced diet and trying eat a combination of everything (which is hard and I rarely do) so a supplement like AG makes sense to me to help fill in the nutritional gaps I’m missing from real food.
I reckon you're spot on with trusting the process and not knowing all the answers...i do think skills and experiences we gain in one area of our life often don't seem applicable or relevant to others in the moment (we tend to compartmentalise things)but turn out to come in handy later...and maybe by not having all the answers paves the way for possibilities to take Alfred in a direction you hadn't initially thought of?
Thanks Charley. It's uncomfortable not knowing what going to happen, but if it sit on my hands then it's guaranteed nothing will! Totally agree about the possibilities taking Alfred in directions I've never thought of, and already started to doing a few talks about "managing energy" at KPMG!
I hope I can share my assumptions about your situation, if I am off the mark, please disregard what I say, I will not be offended.
From an outsiders perspective, you ask what success looks like? And I can confidently say, Success looks like the kind of life Ben Alexander lives. You have health, wealth, family and security as your base line, but on top of that, absolute excellence in a handful of fields many will strive their whole lives just to fail in, i.e. sport and business. Alfred may fail, but you got to try, and you will not leave the experience in a worse position, as long as you have your fall backs in place (which it sounds like you do with the pub and other employment).
My opinion (and it is only an opinion, not in any way scientifically proven) is that there is great value in acceptance, and by acceptance, I mean, accepting that your endeavours are on-going, some are complete, some are just starting, some will hit great heights and some will fail. But all of them will build your future. Rugby has given you a platform you can use for the rest of your life, the pub has given you a stable future, KPMG has given you an absolute failsafe if it all goes tits up, starting Alfred has given you experience, reward and an education. But the recurring pattern is that you take on a huge amount, as do all entrepreneurs. And that can blur our vision sometimes..
My advice is (and again, dismiss if you reckon it's bollocks), Identify what the end goal is, what the perfect life would be. When laying on your deathbed, what happy memories do you want to revisit with your kids by your side? And do it with no regard given to where you have been already. i.e. If Ben Alexander never got the call up for the Brumbies, never could afford investing in a pub, never secured a job with KPMG, what would you see as the life you want your family to live, without that historic context? If you were broke, had low earning potential, what would you do to fill your families life with happiness and positive memories? Once you shape what that future may have look like, consider it again in the context of your wealth, your health and history, add your history back into that perfect future, and perhaps you will come up with a no-brainer plan on exactly how to gauge success moving forward, it could be as simple as six months off to drive around the country with the kids.
You have multiple accounts of success already, you achieved it many times over. For me, it was my kids and wife, I make an okay income, have many ideas and business' I would love to have pursued, but personally, I have secured my greatest success in the family I have. I have that baseline of success, and would be more than happy to have a goal of buying a better and bigger tent for camping trips with my kids, opposed to starting the Arcade bar I always wanted to open, or the import business that I so intricately planned out. Time equals money but money does not buy time with my family.
So to wrap up my rambling thoughts, I always wanted to be rich, powerful & influential in my teens and twenties, and in middle age, it is still possible, but I see being rich and successful as too big a sacrifice. I could not justify it anymore, there is no point in having a big house and nice views, if my kids don't talk to me when they are older. Chasing success, when you already have it will either make you a billionaire, or grind you into the ground, so decide for yourself what your ultimate success looks like, and accept it once you reach it, know when to stop chasing.
Thanks Ian! Great advice and totally agree thinking about how I'll view my life while on my death bed is great way to look at my situation. I want to be on that bed with no regrets (which I don't at the moment as long I get over my fears so I can give Alfred my all), and success to me looks like being able to spend my time doing what I want. I've always done that until this year, and success to me is getting back to that, which I may only be a few months off.
Happy Father’s Day! Just want to say keep on moving on the journey! Your philosophy about energy and health hit the nail on the head for health for me. Right now being in the strength training pet of my journey I am no longer really dropping the weight. But my joints don’t hurt like they would, I can get around better with my kids, and just overall feel better that I’m alright the journey being a longer road. I appreciate each blog post and cheering you on from across the big ponds!
Firstly, I love that you said “fucking” and used it to add emphasis, not just for the fu... sake of it.
Let me know about Athletic Greens. Rich Roll and Huberman promote them too but I don’t trust paid advertising.
So far I’m liking having it first thing in the morning and it’s very tasty with real cold water. But not sure how to measure the benefits otherwise and whether it’s worth the cash.
It’s near impossible. Even recording how you feel out of ten each morning and or evening or recording sleep patterns can’t be put down to one supplement. Way too many variables. I guess it’s purely feel.
I have a smoothie every morning with 500 million things in it and my blood tests always come back perfect so I don’t wanna change anything.
Totally agree purely feel is the way to go. If I’m enjoying them and feeling good, I’ll keep ordering it, but so far so good.
Yeah, I used to do a smoothie with about 6-7 ingredients while I was playing, but since retiring have gotten into the habit of cooking breakfast every morning and really enjoying it.
Even if it’s pure placebo and it tricks you into feeling good it’s worth it.
Oh man, I cooked brekkie this morning, Sunday tradition, it’s the best.
Bring plant based there’s a few things I need to be mindful of, so I have a stack of stuff in there to get those numbers up to where they need to be.
I make a weeks worth at a time and put them in the car fridge then have it between gym and work. Set and forget. I struggle to eat early in the morning but I get hungry and breakfast is important for the brain. So smoothies work for me.
I know if I have that in the morning I’ve covered most bases. It’s my little safety blanket.
Yeah, gotta put fuel in the tank before going for drive. But I struggle to eat in the morning if I've eaten late the night before.
I used to never ever get hungry in the morning. Years ago when I trained in the arvo some days I wouldn’t have my smoothie until after 9:30am. First meal of the day. Now that I get up early and train straight away I wake up hungry. Some days I even have something small before gym. Still though I don’t like stuff that’s hard to digest until later in the day. Might just be because it’s what I’m used to. Doesn’t really matter anyway. I’ve found what seems to work.
I feel like every other podcast advertises athletic greens! I looked at it and thought it was too much and then found Vitall all in one for half price at Chemist Warehouse. Tastes like shit and I have no idea if it does a single thing haha
Yeah, they’ve got great marketing and I’m a big believe in a balanced diet and trying eat a combination of everything (which is hard and I rarely do) so a supplement like AG makes sense to me to help fill in the nutritional gaps I’m missing from real food.
Yeah I can never tell if these things help. I just take some vegan omegas and try to eat everything else that I need.
Happy Father’s Day Ben - great read!!!!
Cheers Dungeon Bard! You too.
Fucking legend Ben. Alfred is awesome & you guys are too. Thanks for all.
Thanks Clare!
I reckon you're spot on with trusting the process and not knowing all the answers...i do think skills and experiences we gain in one area of our life often don't seem applicable or relevant to others in the moment (we tend to compartmentalise things)but turn out to come in handy later...and maybe by not having all the answers paves the way for possibilities to take Alfred in a direction you hadn't initially thought of?
Thanks Charley. It's uncomfortable not knowing what going to happen, but if it sit on my hands then it's guaranteed nothing will! Totally agree about the possibilities taking Alfred in directions I've never thought of, and already started to doing a few talks about "managing energy" at KPMG!
Thanks for the post Ben,
I hope I can share my assumptions about your situation, if I am off the mark, please disregard what I say, I will not be offended.
From an outsiders perspective, you ask what success looks like? And I can confidently say, Success looks like the kind of life Ben Alexander lives. You have health, wealth, family and security as your base line, but on top of that, absolute excellence in a handful of fields many will strive their whole lives just to fail in, i.e. sport and business. Alfred may fail, but you got to try, and you will not leave the experience in a worse position, as long as you have your fall backs in place (which it sounds like you do with the pub and other employment).
My opinion (and it is only an opinion, not in any way scientifically proven) is that there is great value in acceptance, and by acceptance, I mean, accepting that your endeavours are on-going, some are complete, some are just starting, some will hit great heights and some will fail. But all of them will build your future. Rugby has given you a platform you can use for the rest of your life, the pub has given you a stable future, KPMG has given you an absolute failsafe if it all goes tits up, starting Alfred has given you experience, reward and an education. But the recurring pattern is that you take on a huge amount, as do all entrepreneurs. And that can blur our vision sometimes..
My advice is (and again, dismiss if you reckon it's bollocks), Identify what the end goal is, what the perfect life would be. When laying on your deathbed, what happy memories do you want to revisit with your kids by your side? And do it with no regard given to where you have been already. i.e. If Ben Alexander never got the call up for the Brumbies, never could afford investing in a pub, never secured a job with KPMG, what would you see as the life you want your family to live, without that historic context? If you were broke, had low earning potential, what would you do to fill your families life with happiness and positive memories? Once you shape what that future may have look like, consider it again in the context of your wealth, your health and history, add your history back into that perfect future, and perhaps you will come up with a no-brainer plan on exactly how to gauge success moving forward, it could be as simple as six months off to drive around the country with the kids.
You have multiple accounts of success already, you achieved it many times over. For me, it was my kids and wife, I make an okay income, have many ideas and business' I would love to have pursued, but personally, I have secured my greatest success in the family I have. I have that baseline of success, and would be more than happy to have a goal of buying a better and bigger tent for camping trips with my kids, opposed to starting the Arcade bar I always wanted to open, or the import business that I so intricately planned out. Time equals money but money does not buy time with my family.
So to wrap up my rambling thoughts, I always wanted to be rich, powerful & influential in my teens and twenties, and in middle age, it is still possible, but I see being rich and successful as too big a sacrifice. I could not justify it anymore, there is no point in having a big house and nice views, if my kids don't talk to me when they are older. Chasing success, when you already have it will either make you a billionaire, or grind you into the ground, so decide for yourself what your ultimate success looks like, and accept it once you reach it, know when to stop chasing.
Thanks Ian! Great advice and totally agree thinking about how I'll view my life while on my death bed is great way to look at my situation. I want to be on that bed with no regrets (which I don't at the moment as long I get over my fears so I can give Alfred my all), and success to me looks like being able to spend my time doing what I want. I've always done that until this year, and success to me is getting back to that, which I may only be a few months off.
Happy father's Day Ben. Is Alfred on Android yet? If it does I'm happy to be a pilot test dummy. 🤙
Thanks Fordy! No it's not, but we do have a test version you can use. Let me know when your keen.
Yes please mate. Will have a yarn later in the week!
Click here for the Android test version mate.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1K6AThMue0ceFYitTLfCnFaiUNzt_wBhj?usp=sharing
Open file: app release.apk
Thanks mate, think I'm going to set the goal of tracking everything next week, the good the bad and the ugly.
Is there a reference to the book, Courage to be disliked? If so, what do you think?
Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Courage-Disliked-Japanese-phenomenon-happiness-ebook/dp/B06XSGNN61
But I've only watched this summary of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E9YnRcHMes and I think a better title would be "The Courage to be yourself"
Thank you for being authentic you.
Your struggles in finding fulfillment after such a incredible career in Rugby is very relatable.
Your girls love you so much, happy father's Day Ben.
BTW: Alfred is my new best friend!
Thanks Binhy! Happy Father’s Day to you too mate!
Happy Father’s Day! Just want to say keep on moving on the journey! Your philosophy about energy and health hit the nail on the head for health for me. Right now being in the strength training pet of my journey I am no longer really dropping the weight. But my joints don’t hurt like they would, I can get around better with my kids, and just overall feel better that I’m alright the journey being a longer road. I appreciate each blog post and cheering you on from across the big ponds!
Happy Father’s Day to you too mate, and the long road is the right road. The short road never leads you where you want it too.
Thanks Trudie! Happy to chat and see you at R4R.