Source: extreme-adventure-sports.com

The raw food diet can really accelerate your performance if done correctly. Researchers suggest that although there have been great leaps in medical technology and medical treatment; the rate of getting ill from modern illnesses like diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, ulcer, gastritis and cancer have increased tenfold compared to the past century.

Athletes are not immune. Read more »

Ron (Interviewer): Hello Mark, thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us. Would you tell us a bit about your background?

Mark (Interviewee): Well I got into fitness and exercise mainly through Martial Arts. I had always been interested in exercising, but never really found something that I could totally stick at. The thing about Martial Arts is that they are complete training systems, so you have to be fit in all areas just to be able to do it. I started with Kung Fu when I was about seventeen but really got into it when I took up Kickboxing, where there is a lot more freedom of movement, I think. I went on to compete quite successfully in semi-contact fighting, before getting into full-contact kickboxing, which is a real test of nerves. I became an Instructor and ran my own club for a few years before moving to Thailand to train in Muaythai.

Ron: How do you start your day?

Mark: I wake up first, obviously, and then I’ll get myself a snack to get some energy reserves in before the workout which usually commences around 45 minutes after getting up. I also like to read, something inspirational, and check my notebook to make sure I know where my focus needs to be today.

Ron: Do you have daily and weekly exercise schedules? Would you tell us a little bit about it?

Mark: I have daily regimes which change…daily! I do some exercise every day, but have different focus areas on different days (i.e fitness, strength, flexibility, technique..) One week will incorporate weight training, kickboxing, yoga, skipping..lots of different ways to train as I think variety is the key not only to all-round fitness but also to motivation.

Ron: What made you decide to go plant-based with your diet?

Mark: Well I have always been one for trial and error rather than accepting what it says in mens’ health magazines or on the internet, and as I am getting older and still training hard, I am always looking for ways to not only maintain my levels of strength and fitness, but to increase and improve them. Diet is obviously a good place to start, and I had read a few articles by athletes who said that their recovery had improved from going vegan, and from other people who said their energy levels had increased etc.,

Ron: How do you compare your workouts now to pre-plant-based (diet)?

Mark: I think it is probably fair to say that I don’t tire so quickly, in fact find it hard to conclude some workouts, and I do seem to have more energy.

Ron: What is your diet like?

Mark: Tasty, for sure. I eat lots of variation, and make sure that a high percentage of it is fruit and vegetables. I really like Thai food, which is handy because my wife is Thai and is also an excellent cook, so lots of soups and curries, too.

Ron: What percentage of your diet is raw plant-based?

Mark: Maybe half of it, although that’s not necessarily by conscious effort, just by the selection of food that I choose.

Ron: What are some hobbies outside of training?

Mark: Writing. I do a lot of writing, have just completed my first book called ‘The Tao of Attracting Life’, and also write a lot of articles for my website and for other people on request. Reading I do a lot of too, obviously, and aside from that, music. Oh, and eating. A lot.

Ron: Who are some of your greatest influences?

Mark: Just people who make/made a difference by going outside of ‘the norm’, being totally dedicated to what they did (or do), and have/had an interesting character. Bruce Lee would be a good example, although I’m not really that big on heroes.

Ron: How do you manage stress?

Mark: Usually just punch the nearest person to me really, really hard; I am a black belt kickboxer, you know….Just joking!! These days I try and take control of any anger, stress or negativity as soon as I become aware of it, then hopefully become ‘present’ enough for it not to be a problem either for me or anyone else. I am still working on this technique, obviously, but the more you use it, the more you use it, and the better you will be for it!

Ron: What would you say to someone who wanted to know how to stay motivated to exercise?

Mark: Like I said before, I think it is definitely about variation, and also, of course, doing something that you actually like and that is suitable for you. If you go running everyday, in the same place, for the same distance, at the same pace, it will become boring fairly quickly and you definitely won’t make any kind of progress with a regime like that. The body needs to be constantly challenged and stressed in different ways in order for it to adapt to its highest levels of efficiency.

Ron: Can you tell us about your book?

Mark: The book is first and foremost a culmination of the inspiration and techniques that I have garnered from some of the stuff that I have read over the last ten years or so. I wrote it firstly as a kind of reminder to myself, just a consolidation of all my notes (lots of notes) so that I would keep the content in my own mind. It started with the ‘law of attraction’ type stuff (which wasn’t that well known at the time, but now seems mainstream) and then went into my exercise regimes and stuff, then diet, which I re-edited completely after becoming vegan. There are also a few of my own experiences mentioned in the book, along with a little’grit’ and humour, as I didn’t want to write another ‘po-faced, I know all about the law of attraction because I’ve seen a movie called The Secret’ type book. It is a bit more down to earth and hopefully easy to read, but the main purpose is to get people (who want to develop themselves in some way) to take a look at their lives and see which areas need to be improved, and then start working on it instead of complaining about it. Start focusing on what you want rather than what you don’t.

Ron: Do you have any projects planned for the near future?

Mark: Many. I have at least three book projects that I have started and then forgotten about which need to be picked up again, and am constantly focusing on developing the website (which runs in tandem with the book). I also have a vague plan to fight Muaythai again at some point, if I ever get a window for some more serious training.

Ron: Well, thank you for the time, and congratulations on the success.

Mark: Cheers, thanks, and good luck!

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