am sure many of you have heard the phrase,
‘Your body is a temple, therefore you must treat
it like one’. I have contemplated this phrase myself many times. If you really stop and think, how
many things form your lifestyle that would essentially be out of place in a ‘temple’?
When I picture a temple I imagine a place of
peace and serenity. Clean floors and walls and a
simple sense of freshness. When I look at behavioural patterns that have formed my lifestyle over
the years, I can’t make the connection between
weekend booze binges and the essence of a temple. In fact, if someone asked me to enter a temple armed with a bottle of wine and Maccas, I
would flat out refuse. Why? Because it is simply
disrespectful and just doesn’t … ‘fit’.
And there you have it.
By bringing these things into the temple – the
temple that is your body – you are showing some
heavy duty disrespect. And, not to bricks and
mortar … to yourself.
Grant Johnson, from Renovating The Temple,
knows exactly what I am talking about. It was
only 12 months ago that Grant was tipping the
scales at 135kgs, and if he had to add an emoji
to his feelings regarding ‘work’ life and physical
appearance, it would be one “pretty unhappy”
face.
As for home time, Grant thought life was pretty
spectacular. Amazing wife, new home and a fun
lifestyle mixed with a bit of booze, smoking and
band time. On the outside, Grant known more
commonly as “Big Fella”, was having the time of
his life… on the inside however, the story was
very different.
Grant : “All through my 20's and 30's I worked in
an office environment, and as many do, I got
caught up in the cycle and culture of sitting all
day, smoking, drinking excessively and generally
eating poorly. Hitting 40 was huge for me. It
made me take stock of what I had done in my life
so far, and how I wanted my future to look. As a
performer (bass player) in a few bands I was
photographed regularly, and although seeing myself performing was a pleasure, I always felt let
down by my appearance. Something had to
change. I could no longer kid myself that I was
invincible or immune to health problems as I
aged if I didn't start taking care of myself now. I
love my wife and family more than anything.
I want to be around for the long haul with them,
and be able to contribute as opposed to being a
curse. As the old saying goes ‘My body is a temple’, but mine was in need of serious renovation.
Years of trashing my body had bent me right out
of shape, both physically and mentally.”
Since coming to the realisation and decision to
change, Grant has dropped 42kgs and says he is
in the best shape of his life. His career has done
an absolute back-flip, with Grant no longer in a
sedentary job.
Now a Personal Health and Fitness Trainer, Grant
is active all day long and absolutely loves his new
role helping others make the changes they need,
to achieve a goal that will evidently change their
life.
One of Grants favourite motto’s is; “If you're not
happy with the temple you've got, the only way
to fix it is to renovate it … one drop of sweat at a
time”. And, he is helping his clients do this by
providing them with the wisdom he found during
his very own personal weight loss journey.
I think if there is one thing that can be taken
from Grant’s story, it would be the evidence that
‘anyone’ can change their life. Whether it’s your
career, your appearance or your overall happiness, it is never too late to change lifestyle habits. Even if it is in the smallest way to begin with.
Every step towards a healthier you, is a good
one. And who knows, like Grant, you could find
yourself heading towards more goodness than
you ever expected.
“With thousands of different diets, exercise plans,
super foods, shakes and supplements buzzing
around, I believe I can help clear the confusion
and set my future