Work in Progress

Work in Progress

By Chris BallantyneHealth & FitnessFitness
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Work in Progress episodes

  • Nutrition Red Flag: Your Diet Has a Name

    If your diet has a name, it's usually a red flag.


    In the legal and finance world we operate on facts. If something doesn't sound right, we test it until we get to the truth. But when it comes to our own health, it's easy to run on the wrong set of assumptions. You put the effort in, don't see results, and start to believe your metabolism is broken, your body is broken, or age has got the better of you.


    In this episode I break down why there's nothing special about any diet with a fancy name, and the principles that actually matter.


    Why "eat less, move more" is like telling a trader to buy low and sell high. How your body uses carbs, fat and even muscle as fuel. Why a surplus from any food ends up mostly as body fat. Why an energy deficit doesn't mean weight loss on the scale, and how you can even gain weight while in one. And why you need to detach emotionally from the scales.


    WORK WITH ME

    I help lawyers and high performers restructure the way they train, eat, think and live, so they can come off autopilot and finally get a body and mind to match what they have on paper.


    Apply here: https://zavqq9pe1sd.typeform.com/to/JYw3isVm


    CONNECT WITH ME

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ballantyne

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chrisballantyne

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-ballantyne

    9 min
  • 5 Gym Time Savers for Lawyers & Slammed Professionals

    Time is always the biggest hurdle people mention to me when it comes to why they aren't in the shape they want.

    "I don't have an hour, so I can't train." It feels good to say. But how long does good quality training actually take?

    In this episode I break down how lawyers and other slammed professionals can get real results from 20 to 30 minutes on the gym floor, even with a turbulent schedule.

    I share how I trained every morning while working at a US law firm in London, plus the exact time savers I use with my clients.

    We cover:

    • Why the one hour rule is a myth
    • The one thing that actually drives results: hard sets per week
    • Building your training around your life, not the other way round
    • Finding your windows and making logistics work for you
    • 5 time savers: supersets, combo sets, drop sets, rest pause and myoreps
    • The 5 most common mistakes busy people make in the gym

    Chapters
    00:00 Time is the biggest excuse
    00:24 The one hour myth
    01:44 What actually matters
    02:28 Build training around your life
    04:02 Find your 20 to 30 minute windows
    04:23 Pick the most convenient gym
    04:45 My morning routine in the city
    07:31 5 time saving techniques
    08:21 Supersets
    09:52 Combo sets
    10:27 Drop sets
    11:35 Rest pause
    11:57 Myoreps
    13:30 5 common mistakes
    17:26 Key takeaways
    19:53 How I help

    Work with me: https://zavqq9pe1sd.typeform.com/to/JYw3isVm
    Instagram (DM me here): https://instagram.com/_ballantyne
    YouTube: https://youtube.com/@chrisballantyne
    LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/chris-ballantyne

    21 min
  • The 5 Pillars I Coach to Get Life Changing Results Despite Limited Time & a Demanding Job

    On paper, you're doing well. The title, the money, the career. But your body and mind haven't kept up.

    In this episode I break down why most high performers stop getting results. It isn't discipline. It isn't time. It isn't motivation.

    You put the work in, you don't see a return, so you stop.

    I walk you through the 5 pillars I coach my clients on, including CEOs, senior partners and founders (all with hectic jobs, busy lives and limited time):

    1. Intelligent Training
    2. Fueling for Performance
    3. A Courageous Mindset
    4. Emotional Confidence
    5. Environment for Growth

    Get these in place and you finally get a body and mind to match the career.

    Chapters
    00:00 What a body and mind to match your career isn't
    02:14 Why you're not getting results
    04:11 The 5 pillars
    04:54 Pillar 1: Intelligent training
    10:10 Pillar 2: Fueling for performance
    15:02 Pillar 3: Courageous mindset
    18:45 Pillar 4: Emotional confidence
    20:02 Pillar 5: Environment
    22:36 How to implement
    23:51 Get in touch

    Work with me: https://zavqq9pe1sd.typeform.com/to/JYw3isVm
    Instagram (DM me here): https://instagram.com/_ballantyne
    YouTube: https://youtube.com/@chrisballantyne
    LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/chris-ballantyne

    25 min
  • Rejected 40 Times. Got the Dream Job. Then Left. Why?

    This podcast very nearly didn't happen. My inner perfectionist managed to frustrate the process for a year.

    In the first episode of Work in Progress, I tell my own origin story. How I got here. Going from a state school kid in the North East with a "gifted" label, to teenage lostness, to the City, to building my own business.

    Along the way, apparent "failures" kept turning out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.

    We cover:

    The rejections that sent me to Cyprus at 22, and how a split second decision shaped my whole life

    Being at the centre of the Cyprus banking crash, and how it set up my career in restructuring

    UK and US firms, then the trading floor at Deutsche Bank. On paper, the perfect path I never dreamed of

    Resigning, and why I left

    How I was scared and it took meeting a hollywood idol to insulate me from the fear.

    The first bad month in business, and slowly discovering out my self worth was tied to external results and had been for a long time.

    Why high performers go "all or nothing": 100% feels safe, 0% feels safe, 50% feels off

    What Work in Progress really means, and why the work on yourself is never "finished"

    If you're putting the effort in but not seeing the results, or not feeling the way you want to feel, this one is for you.


    WORK WITH ME

    I help lawyers and high performers restructure the way they train, eat, think and live, so they can come off autopilot and finally get a body and mind to match what they have on paper.

    I work with high performers around the globe, from senior lawyers, to unicorn founders, to those taking some time out.

    Apply here: https://zavqq9pe1sd.typeform.com/to/JYw3isVm

    CONNECT WITH ME

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ballantyne

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chrisballantyne

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-ballantyne

    35 min

About Work in Progress

From the publisher's feed

A decade clawing my way to success in law and finance, whilst trying to stay strong and fit in the process.

I made it to my dream roles: a top US law firm and the trading floor at Deutsche…