Podcast Episode 9

How's it, Steve? Good, Nick. Nice to see you.

Yeah, yeah. Thanks for doing this for me. So this is Steve Cottingham. What is your title as a pro golf coach?

So I well, I'm a golf professional teacher's building. I'm a master professional by status, so DJ recognized. All the years I spent on the practice tee helping people. So yeah, and then here at Arthur's, I'm the general manager and the head coach.

Okay, and your qualifications and all that, is that as high as you can go?

Yeah, in the PGA side, that's the highest rank you can get.

Okay, so I mean, royal— I'm royalty here.

Well, if you just stay living long enough, everybody can get there.

Golfing royalty. Okay, cool, man. So Uh, so tell me about when you started the program, like what kind of condition you were in. What, why did you decide to do this? What did you notice about yourself?

Yeah, so I, at the end of last year, I realized I was, I wasn't in a great space. We just, uh, we've got a new advertising company. They're taking some pictures. I don't want any pictures of myself or anything. I'm so vain. I said, no, I can't have that going. Um, I'd been struggling. I'd been, uh, starting with heartburn, not sleeping at night, headaches, you know. And of course, everything was the problem except the fact that I was getting well.

Oh wow.

So I attributed the cause of all these things to, you know, from the vaccine to the virus, I don't know, anything. But I was in a horrible state, no energy. And I say it was tornadoes virtually every day.

Oh wow.

Typhoid tablets every day. So yeah, and, and not— they didn't confront how to manage, you know. Um, so I, you know, and self-confidence was down, all the negative stuff.

Like the emotional state starts to, you know, go down.

Yeah, you become apathetic about everything, apathetic about your career, about work. Yeah, so it wasn't— I wasn't, I wasn't in a great space, which is why Monica and one of my Approach Nick.

Yes, the little skinny Malinks. He looks like he's doing something right.

Yeah.

Okay, so then before you started the program, did you have like any skepticism, or were you like, okay, well, you know, I'm just gonna do this because I know Nick?

No, I'd been on a— last year, a year ago, I'd been on a nutritionist, seen a nutritionist for To lose weight. Yeah. And I've been on a program there for 6 months. Okay. And I've lost a kilo and a half. Okay. And, and so you're non-motivated. So, so what I knew is I didn't, I didn't know how to lose weight. I didn't know how to control it. Um, and I didn't know anybody who did.

Ah, okay.

And because I know your past, I know your history, I, if you said, listen, I've got a solution for you, my confidence in you was high. So I said, okay, let me Then if Nick's doing it, then we're going to find out what we're not doing right.

Okay, excellent. And so you finished the program, and what are your thoughts now on the program?

Yes, it's a complete paradigm shift of what to— how I like— what I can eat. So I can talk about personally what I can eat and what I can't eat. So I know that for me, things I chocoholic, you know. So I thought, oh, I've got a sweet tooth, that's how I'm born. I haven't had chocolate in 2 and a half months, you know. So the cravings for that have gone. I realized that I don't need that.

Yeah.

And I had the concept that my blood sugar— I had to eat a good breakfast, otherwise I was going to run out of energy at 11 o'clock. I didn't have lunch, I was going to run out of energy at 3 o'clock, you know. So now I realize, hang on, I can get through the morning with Correct supplements, coffee, I didn't do need a coffee, and no loss of energy, just blood sugar spiking, no, no, absolutely not.

Oh wow.

So, I realized that my body doesn't need, absolutely doesn't need the volume of food I was getting in, but it needs the correct supplements and they need the correct food.

Nutritional gains through nutrition in the food.

And I've always, I've loved, you know, and I'm simple, I'm not a, you know, meat and veg, I'm happy. Salad, I can, you know, so it wasn't life-changing with regard to eating stuff, superfoods, and that.

Just removing the stuff you shouldn't.

Absolutely, yeah.

And in the initial stages of the program, like the first week or two, did you go through some like, whoa, what's happening to my body here? Or was it smooth for you?

Smooth. I couldn't believe how it was, you know, it was from one I'm clear from the start, I really didn't struggle. It wasn't something— towards the end of the program, and I think psychologically, it was, you know, I could never do it.

Yeah, yeah.

But to begin with, no, I was— it was self-motivating. Absolutely.

It's funny when you make a decision to do something, how it removes all of that psychological stuff, you know, just like moves it out of the way. You know, I remember when I stopped smoking, You know, like, it was like I'd made a decision. I didn't have to go, I have to stop smoking because it's a bad thing. I just went, I'm going to stop smoking, and I dipped, and I had no side effects or anything like that. You know, that was like 15 years ago.

I've never had—

never craved or had a cigarette or anything since, you know. So it's a similar type of thing, you know, where you make that decision and it makes it a lot easier to get through those initial stages.

Yeah, I think because I was in that state, it was a different— yeah, right. Like, yeah, for me, I'd hit those walls. I needed to change something.

Yeah, I mean, I remember when I came to see you the very first time, you know, I could see— when I walked out of here, I said to my wife, you know, I said, he's going to do well on the program. You know, he's like, cut and dry at this, you know. So yeah, that's great. All right, and then, um, you feel it was money well spent?

Oh, absolutely. No, I mean, it is. It's the best investment I've made in myself.

Oh, awesome.

And I didn't make it. Monica bought it for me. So it is absolutely the best investment.

And Monica's been well enough too.

Yeah, she's still on it. She had more challenges, you know. Yes, I know. But no, it is— when I say paradigm shift, it's completely different.

That's great, you know. And the other thing as well is, you know, I remember when I started doing this, it was 10 years ago, I had like— unlike you, I did have all sorts of things happening. in my body and that, you know, like I was, 'cause I'm pretty active. I run and I cycle and I do all these things. I was quite overweight even though I was doing all that. And I found like the first 3 weeks, I went for a run one day, I went for like an 8K run and I did 3Ks and I was like, I'm not doing this anymore. You know, my wife was like, no, no, no, they said this will happen. And I carried on doing it and it, I had a goal weight, which was about 80 kilograms, which is actually still way too heavy for my body. And I got 80 kilograms, went to 79, 78, 77, 76, 75, and I just kept dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping. And eventually, I got to an ideal weight for my body. I've gotten a little bit smaller now because I like to cycle. The lighter you can get, the better when you're riding a bicycle, I think. You don't want to be carrying extra.

That's why I'm nowhere near a bicycle.

Yeah, I know. Every time Monica sees me, she's like, I don't want to look like you.

That's fine.

Okay, cool. So, um, do you, do you think you could live your life this way? Like, you know, obviously the program's very strict. However, there's— since you finished, there's been other stuff introduced. Um, you know, do you feel that continuing on that you'd probably live your life this way?

Or I think, I think I have to.

Okay.

Otherwise, I'm either going to keep staying healthy or I'm going to get worse. So, I do realize that the habits of coffee have, you know, I've broken the habits of those things, so I've got to keep that going.

Right.

And as long as I get my mind clear on the supplements and a little plan, I like to have a, you know, do this, do this, do this, what I can have, what I can't have. I'm also human. I know when I get a little, when I'm Yeah, I had a bad round of golf. Yeah, you know, so once in a while I can see myself having, you know, a break-in, but by and large the routine, which I like, yeah, it's like, okay, I don't want any complications in regards to the eating. I just want to stick to my routine, right? And I like that. Okay, so for me it is simple.

It is simple and uncomplicated. You know, you eat less, so you have less food to make and prepare.

So it's like Yeah, I'm lucky I wasn't a big drinker, so having it— I don't look like I'm having 3, 4 beers every day. Yeah, I might have a beer on a Saturday or a couple of beers in the garden, but that means, you know, on a Sunday I feel— I did feel something. Yeah, you know, my body's not used to it, but it's not like, you know, it's not like I can't have it.

Yeah, exactly.

As long as I understand there's going to be a consequence to it.

Yeah, exactly. And I mean, like you say, it's not like you're doing it every day. If you're living like 80% or 90% healthy and then you have that little 10%, I mean, I do the same. I probably drink a little bit too much coffee, but I try to— that's my little advice. It's the only advice I have. I swear and I drink coffee.

Okay, cool.

What do you do for a living here? What is like— tell us a little bit about your business and what you do.

So I came back from overseas 12 years ago and I teach golf for a living. And I realized that to teach golf, I'd have to have a facility that I was in control of. So I restructured my life and I bought the rights to run a golf teaching facility. We also had a coffee shop and At that stage, but that— I'm quite happy to be out of that. Yeah, COVID.

Yes, volunteering.

Yeah, so, so my, my number one is working with people and helping them improve their golf, helping improve their lifestyle. They want, you know, a lot of people here in the United States are retired, they want what to do. But to get people onto the golf course, enjoying golf, doing something healthy, something you're getting better at, it's a nice positive, um, you know, way to make a living.

Yeah, yeah.

And it's a nice place to make it outside in the sun. Fresh air, it's not the worst place.

Green grass.

Yeah, I'm very lucky with that. The challenge is always keeping the motivation, like everything. You can also get grumpy when you don't.

Yeah, do you find that that happens less now when you're eating right, that your emotional state is—

Absolutely, yeah. So, I've seen a big change in my— I'm a lot more patient with my students, but I'm also a lot more strict with them, you know, because I want them to get a result.

Yeah.

So, whereas before I might have been a little, It'll get better. Just, you know, now I, I, I'm good. Yeah, they get a bit of a session.

Wow.

Yeah. So I realize, yeah, like my protocols are strong to get better as well.

So I mean, in a nutshell, um, you, you kind of pull the reins tight on everything between your business and your personal life. And how's your marriage?

Yeah, so yeah, it's lovely that Monica— I get a fantastic amount of support from her. She's my She gets more shake. You have this, you have that. So she's a really good health man. Yes. Okay. In fact, she's also on the program now. She the alcohol was a big part of it. So she's now she's yeah. You have a glass of wine. She said, "I don't want any more wine." Wow! That's a big change. And yeah, so there's um home is good.

Yeah. Yeah. So so yeah. I mean, let's let's now put it all. Down to, would you recommend this program?

Absolutely. It's almost with the way, I said to you before, you know, we went to Woolworths the other day to go shopping. We're surrounded by things that are dangerous, and that's in Woolworths. Yeah, you know, so I realized that we're all a little bit at risk of too many foods that are out there that are not nutritious. Yeah, you go past and it's lovely, you go past the fruit, the abundance of fruit, and you go past, you know, the Cotswolds buns anymore, right?

And there's 12 different types of bread.

I'm going, okay, I can't have that too much of that, it's got to be in a minute. So you realize we are bombarded in today's society with a lot of stuff that we absolutely do not need.

Exactly. I mean, if you, you know, if you look at it, you pick up almost any jar in a In a shop, and you look on the ingredients, and it's almost guaranteed there's going to be sugar in it. You know, that's the first thing. I just stop right there. And then there's the artificial sweeteners that start coming in, which are even worse than sugar. Well, I don't know which is worse. They batter each other in different ways. So yeah, it is. It's hard to go shopping. There was a bloke who just started my program who said he went into a shop.

With his kids the other day to go and buy groceries. And he started about a week ago, 2 weeks ago, and he went to do his first bit of shopping.

He says he walked out and he spent R500. He says he normally spends R1,500. So, it's actually cheaper. It ends up being cheaper. Although you're eating healthier food, which is more expensive, you're eating a lot less of it. So, it actually, the whole, I've heard a lot of people say, oh yeah, that program, I know how to eat that way. It's very expensive.

Oh, very expensive.

And it's actually not.

Absolutely not.

Yeah, the opposite.

And the fridge is empty. Not throwing away, oh, that's expired. No, no, no, no, it's, uh, no, much, much better. So also quite like the, you know, when I worked in Europe, the Germans had this concept of eat for the seasons. Yeah, you know, so then I said that made it like it made a lot of sense. The seasons are there for a reason, so you ate the vegetables that you then see. So this is, you know, so yeah. Yeah, so I think because we see them, they think that you want to eat, but you can't do that, it can't help you, but it's all those natural stuff.

Yeah, yeah.

Because breakfast buns are deemed to be 24 at once, 12 muffins. Not good.

All right, well, thank you very much, Steve. I really appreciate your—

No, thank you, Nick. I say, I really couldn't have come at a better time in my life. And I'm delighted that Monica accepted, and thanks for all the research and the support you've given us. It really has been fantastic.

You're very welcome. I love doing what I do, so that's why I do it, and it's great. If I can make money out of something that I love, then make a living at it.

And it's needed. And it's needed at once.

Absolutely. All right, cool. Well, thank you very much.

Pleasure, Nick. Thanks.