In life there are moments that define your path and where one is going to…

Sitting at my hospital waiting area with my son last autumn for my yearly kidney function review was the first time I was nervous in quite a few years. My usual cool and calm brain was now in anxiety overdrive due to my kid being there with me waiting to speak to my trusted consultant. I have been increasing the function of my kidney through training, eating and mental training over the past 8 years but a few months earlier I implemented the most dramatic changes in over 10 years and I was about to find out what effect this had on my Kidney and other organs.

Sitting down, I noticed the frown on my consultants brow and I was wondering if this was due to my results being negative or because he didn’t like kids!!! ‘Mr Badhan, what have you changed in your life the past 12 months?’. Now i was nervous so underplayed the seismic changes I had made. Little did i know i boosted the function of my kidney by 40%!!!….lets rewind back to the Summer of 2017.

In August 2017 I made a dramatic decision to see how I could ramp up both physical and mental health. It is nothing new for me to shift mindsets and belief systems, especially over the past 12 years. This has resulted in huge changes physically, mentally & financially – none more rewarding than increasing the function of my one Kidney.

I wanted to raise the bar. How could I better myself further and at the same time raise awareness for others? It had to be extreme so I decided Nutrition, Training and Mental Training had to be altered and jacked up.

My diet was the first mega-change. I decided to intermittently fast which basically meant I ate all my food between 12pm and 8pm – nothing outside these hours. Then the commitment to not eat my all time favourite burger and chips (fries to my American friends). No Pizza, Fried Chicken and fast food Indian, Chinese etc. my food was split into 80% Veg & 20% Chicken/Fish (Lots of hummus and veg).

Training was already at a high level with my challenges prep but i decided to train twice a day and become an athlete – cardio (HIIT), weights and numerous sports. I quickly learnt what to train once waking up and listening to the body part wanted a rest. Reluctantly I posted some of this on Instagram and had an influx of messages, mostly genuine and also a few to ask to sponsor me for future challenges. I am social media savvy owning a Marketing business but on a personal level I am very private but had to make a personal leap of faith into the noisy World of Social Media.

The combination of nutrition and training made me drop 2 stones (13kg’s or 29 Pounds). Dropped my Cholesterol my 2 points, Body Fat went down to 8%, Fitness went through the roof, muscle mass stayed constant even with such a dramatic drop in weight. Most importantly though was the reduction of internal visceral fat. Sure being ripped on the outside at my age and a new father was a nice to have but the whole point of this was to remove the fat load on my organs, especially my kidney. The reaction from others could not have been so polar opposite. Athletes and friends were truly impressed (Including an invitation to a Crossfit Box) and wanted to know what i did to get so lean and healthy so quickly. Some family and friends – thought I was ill. Cultural difference and ignorance from my so called culture was astounding!! Another part of my life I erased to continue on the road to being Relentless.

Finally – Mental training. Probably the hardest of all three changes. snapping in half limiting beliefs, new and old. A Relentless drive on what to focus on, achieve and serenity of the mind – no easy feat in a World with a child, family, friends and Social Media ironically. Overall I have had a steam of positive support and sponsors but it was a challenge to accept ignorance, avoidance, passive aggression and disbelief from certain family, friends and peers – BUT the reality is everyone is allowed their opinion. I delve into this controversial subject in depth in a later blog.

Back to the Consultant – he delivered the news of increased kidney activity and general stability in my electrolytes and the relief that passed through me was ground shaking. I explained what I had changed and he was fully supportive of the changes, maybe some of it went over his head as he did have a face of disbelief. The stats gave that sense of reward that my efforts deserved and since then I have made further changes that have completed my journey to be an athlete. Now I’m just as hungry to raise the bar even higher.

Clarity is key and a Relentless mindset has been the foundation to a physical, nutrition and a relentless lifestyle.

I can’t wait to share the series of blogs i have drafted ready to release proving that anything is possible and expecting miracles should be the norm.