Work in Progress

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

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

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

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