Supporting teachers through the NSW Premier’s Sporting Challenge Staff Challenge

Teachers Mutual Bank has engaged the support of celebrity training guru, Luke Istomin, to encourage teachers to embrace a healthy and active lifestyle through the NSW Premier’s Sporting Challenge Staff Challenge.

The NSW Premier’s Sporting Challenge Staff Challenge encourages teachers to focus on physical activity for a ten week period during terms two and three of 2014 to ensure a healthy and active community of teachers who are strong role models to their pupils.

Teachers Mutual Bank is proud to support teachers in this mission. To enhance their efforts, they have teamed up with Luke Istomin to provide inspiration and tips throughout the challenge.

Luke Istomin knows how to get the best out of the clients he trains. He prepped Hugh Jackman for that amazing physique he displayed in the movie Wolverine and has trained celebrities such as Ricky Martin, Joel Madden, Leonardo Di Caprio and Nicole Kidman with great results.

To kick start the Challenge, Luke urges those embarking on a fitness journey to strive for excellence, not perfection. Read on for Luke’s first motivational tip.

Luke’s advice #1

Strive for excellence, not perfection. You may have heard the saying, “You can learn more in defeat than in victory.” From my experience I believe this to hold true.

Often, our experiences that initially appear to be setbacks actually become powerful tools that propel us forward! Recognising these setbacks as challenges allows us to avoid wasting time and energy that would otherwise be spent lamenting our mistakes. Instead, view every setback as an opportunity to improve.

Aiming for perfection is a near-impossible goal. Striving for perfection is often a trap, which can create undue pressure, setting us up for failure from the start. We create unrealistic goals for ourselves, potentially leaving us feeling discouraged if those ambitions aren’t fully achieved. This can subsequently limit our performance.

Rather than striving for perfection, I encourage you to strive for excellence, which simply involves doing things to the best of your ability. Set achievable goals and most importantly, allow room to make mistakes and accept those results—whatever they may be. This doesn’t mean lowering your standards, but instead opening yourself up to be the best that you can be.

As you embark on the journey, remember to focus on the achievable goals. Reward yourself for small milestones, and provide yourself with room to learn from any mistakes.

Look out for more tips from Luke and Teachers Mutual Bank throughout the forthcoming weeks!