RISE Macclesfield, Unit 7 Waterside Mill, Waterside, Macclesfield (2025)

22/12/2025

RISE daily Session feedback - 22nd December

22/12/2025

Always use a plate

Final little 'hack' that could help you enjoy Christmas even more this year.

Enjoy what you do, your eating and drinking just the same.

But enjoy it in a way that doesn't lead to a net loss overall.

Another super simple one.

Always use a plate.

Whatever you eat over the coming weeks (and, maybe, ongoing) just eat it off a plate.

Or bowl, of course.

I don't expect you to put soup on a plate!

------ Other dinnerwear is available ---------

You want some Hagan Daz?

Pop a portion in a bowl rather than taking the whole tub to the sofa.

You fancy a Quality Street (other chocolate options are available)?

Unwrap a few and pop them on a plate.

Breadstick / sandwich / bit of fruit?

On a plate.

You want more after, then go for it (maybe after waiting 20 minutes)?

Get some more on the plate / bowl.

Chances are we'll end up having less on average.

Maybe not every time, but overall.

We can always do that.

And it takes seconds.

Again, give it a go.

Give any / all of the tactics of the last 6 days a go:

1. Recognise that you're self soothing, not self sabotaging.

2. Practice making those different decisions / doing the thing you struggle with outside of that 'uncontrolled environment' of real life.

3. Wait 20 minutes before you make your food / drink choice.

4. Keep your hunger between a 4 and a 7.

5. "Close the kitchen".

6. Have it on a plate / in a bowl.

And, most of all, do any / all of them in a way that leads you to enjoying Christmas more overall, not less.

If you want to make 2026 your most enjoyable year yet (because you have the body, energy levels and mood that won't hold you back), then we can help with that --> comment below or send me a DM to find out more ----------------

Much love,

Jon 'Sandman' Hall

Yesterday's blog: "Sorry mate, we've stopped serving" - www.facebook.com/222067851180423_1522133293253501

21/12/2025

"Sorry mate, we've stopped serving"

On and off for a few years around Uni I worked at the Green Man pub in Ashbourne where I grew up (well, aged between 6 and 21).

It made the national news a few years ago during the Black Lives Matter protests when the long controversial "head of a black man" sign topper was removed.

The Green Man that I worked in actually closed in 2012.

The bar I worked behind up to 11pm is now the middle of Young Ideas clothes shop.

The 'Johnson Bar' is now 'Shock Absorber'.

And the function room where "The Green Man disco" would be held each weekend has re-opened since as "The Greenman" (all one word, no official continuation).

Two of my best friends from school ended up managing it during my time that I worked there.

Charlie Free, who we generally called Chuckie or Egg (or, sometimes, Charlie).

And Rob Ellis.

'Bob Ding' if you will.

When last orders had passed at the disco, you'd still get people coming up trying to get drinks.

And they'd often get pretty annoyed when you wouldn't serve them.

They'd usually glance over at Rob or call him over, hoping that he'd over rule us.

Rob would go over, lean in towards them and say "Yes mate, what can I get you?"

When they started saying what they wanted he'd interrupt with "Sorry mate, bar's closed" and walk off, leaving them looking a bit confused.

In theory, it could've stated open longer.

Closing the bar was just a decision.

A decision they would then stick to.

And we can do an equivalent.

Close our 'bar'.

Or 'kitchen'.

Or both.

Just make a conscious decision that "the kitchen's closed".

It's passed a certain time and we're not 'serving' food anymore.

Sure, the only one that can enforce it is ourselves.

But we can just make that decision.

"Kitchen's closed".

No more popping back for "something to nibble on".

"Kitchen's closed".

No more "just a little something to watch the movie with".

"Kitchen's closed".

No more "I'm just looking".

"Kitchen's closed".

No more "I just fancy a little something"

"Kitchen's closed".

No more "I'm just a bit bored".

"Kitchen's closed".

Close it when you think is right.

Still enjoy your Christmas.

But that "closing" of the kitchen could make all the difference.

Much love,

Jon 'Once had to be pulled aside by Charlie because someone had been stealing. He said he knew it wouldn't be me. I told him it wasn't and, if it was, I wouldn't be just taking cash out of the till like that person had and I'd noticed a way to take about 5 percent of turnover that no one would notice. I'm not sure that assuaged him' Hall

P.S. This link will never 'close' as such. You can always find out more. But places for January will have gone by the start of January. They always do. Whilst everyone else is desperate for members, we'll be well into our programme. Because it's awesome. If you're even considering it, we've got that money back guarantee - what have you got to lose? Comment below or send me a DM to find out more.

Yesterday's blog: Can you keep it between a 4 and a 7? - www.facebook.com/222067851180423_1521258593340971

20/12/2025

RISE daily Session feedback - 20th December

20/12/2025

Can you keep it between a 4 and a 7?

Imagine a 'hungriness scale'.

1 to 10.

About to pass out through starvation.

Through to 'sides about to split from overconsumption'.

Which of those numbers do you hit throughout the day and week?

Actually stop and take a few seconds and answer that please.

Don't just smile and nod and say "I see what Jon's going for here".

Come up with two numbers, at least.

The lowest, and hungriest you get (fairly regularly).

And the highest and fullest.

What did you say?

Chances are the two numbers will be about the same distance either side of 5.5, give or take.

4 and 7.

3 and 8.

2 and 9.

1 and 10.

Going more in one direction makes us more likely to go further in the other direction.

Especially if it's more regularly.

Get absolutely starving and we're more likely to gorge ourselves full.

Which then makes it more likely we won't eat again until we're starving.

And so on.

If that's the case, could staying closer to the middle help keep the total intake down?

If we keep our hunger between a 4 and a 7, might that help us consume less overall.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But..........

If we've been doing a lot of 1 or 2 to 9 or 10 and back..............

Could we try 4 to 7 this Christmas?

And might we end up enjoying that more?

----------- If you like the sound of an approach that is based around enjoying life MORE, rather than LESS, comment below or send me a DM to find out more before all of January's spaces go -------------

Much love,

Jon 'Fed up of 6-7' Hall

Yesterday's blog: Delay your decision by 20 minutes? - www.facebook.com/222067851180423_1520335460099951

19/12/2025

Delay your decision by 20 minutes?

Over the last few days I've covered a few 'tactics' you might use with regards to your eating (and drinking) over the Christmas period.

As always, this isn't about ruining your fun.

It's about making it more fun, if anything.

Just as much upside (or close enough, at least).

A fraction of the accompanying downside.

Getting you to January thinking both "I had a great time"..............

And "I actually feel better now and haven't undone months of good work".

I've got a real simple one for you today.

Try delaying your decisions by 20 minutes.

You want to open another pack of biscuits?

Give it 20 minutes and make a decision.

You want to finish off that dessert, rather than popping it in the fridge?

Give it 20 minutes and make a decision.

You want to "open another bottle"?

Give it 20 minutes and make a decision.

You want to have a tub of cookie dough Ben and Jerry's whilst watching that film?

Give it 20 minutes and make a decision.

------------- Don't wait 20 minutes for this decision that will change your life. Just comment below or send me a DM to find out more and set up 2026 to be your best yet. -------------

Still feel the same way then, go for it.

Don't decide what decision you'll be making either way until the 20 minutes is up.

But 20 minutes is often enough to let those cravings subside and let you make a more balanced decision.

And, surely we can all wait 20 minutes before making a decision?

This is a zero effort (physical, at least) and time solution.

You'll either spend the exact same amount of time and effort as you would have done before.

Or, maybe, a bit less.

Give it a go!

Much love,

Jon 'Stories' Hall

Yesterday's blog: They don't just play games - www.facebook.com/222067851180423_1519482473518583

18/12/2025

RISE daily Session feedback - 18th December

18/12/2025

They don't just play games

If you've ever learned to play any sport ever, you'll be aware of drills.

Where you work on one specific component or skill from a game.

You strip back a lot of the variables that are in play in a real game.

And practice getting better at one particular part of it.

Then, when you do have to exhibit that skill in the much more uncontrolled environment of a game, you're much more likely to do it well.

If someone only ever played whole games of their sport, they'd be less likely to improve at doing it than someone who both played and did drills.

And all skills are the same.

If we aim to get better at them in an uncontrolled environment, we won't improve as much as if we practiced the components of what we might have to do.

If you struggle to make better food choices in particular situations, then just waiting till you are in such a situation and hoping you'll make that better choice, is optimistic at least.

In a real world environment of the situations we find ourselves in, the extra variables at play mean we revert to what we're most practiced at.

Which is fine.

Until it isn't.

If most of our experience is saying "Oh, no - I shouldn't. I'm on a diet" the first four times someone asks.........

Then thinking "oh sod it" and having it on the fifth.........

Then we've trained ourselves to make that our most likely behaviour.

And we've trained those around us to ask us five times.

If, more often than not, we've finished the bottle / tub / tube / pack / whole thing..........

When it's probably much more than we need........

We're making that the skill that we're most likely to exhibit in that uncontrolled environment of real life.

So, what's the answer?

Could we just choose to practice what we're struggling with?

In a more controlled environment?

Less variables in play?

Daft as it sounds, could we get the bottle of wine out at a time we're not going to drink it, and practice putting the cork back in and putting it away?

Could we practice portion size control at a time of day we find it easier?

Have a single spoon of ice cream at lunch time and put the rest in the freezer?

Have a single biscuit with breakfast, seal the pack and put it in the cupboard?

Tell our friends and family at a time when it's not happening, that we'd really appreciate them not waving things under our nose and tempting us.

Spend a few minutes sat looking at the particular foods you struggle to "stop" on at a time of day when it's less of an issue.

Examine how they make you feel and your thoughts about them?

Whatever the thing you're struggling with, leaving it till a challenging real world situation to try and get better at it will most likely lead to us making the choice we're most experienced at making.

Practicing that specific skill in a controlled environment should make it more likely we'll preform differently in a "match".

Much love,

Jon 'Bit' Hall

P.S. We help our guys make these kind of actual changes and learn new skills. Not just berate them for not doing the thing they've always struggled with. Comment below or send me a DM to find out more.

Yesterday's blog: What you're really doing when you're 'self sabotaging' - www.facebook.com/222067851180423_1518616133605217

17/12/2025

RISE daily Session feedback - 17th December

17/12/2025

What you're really doing when you're 'self sabotaging'

So, it's Christmas next week.

Exciting stuff.

Hope you have an awesome time :)

The last few weeks a lot of people have been talking to me about food.

As they do every year around this time.

It a year round conversation, but especially in the run up to Christmas.

Because people are particularly torn.

They want to have a great time at Christmas.

But they're concerned.

They don't want to get to January and have regrets.

Regret just how much they ate and drank.

How much of the previous weeks and months were undone is such a short space of time.

Because they've been there before.

Had the T-Shirt, but it doesn't fit anymore.

So this week I'm going to cover a number of 'tactics'.

Ideas, approaches and mindset changes that could set you up to enjoy Christmas just as much..........

If not more..........

But in a way that doesn't cause you to feel worse in the long run.

Today, I'm going to cover "self sabotage".

Something that people talk to me about more and more nowadays.

A term that had a 35 fold increase in usage in print between 1993 and 2013 (according to Google Ngram Viewer).

"I get so far and then I self sabotage" is a common thing people say to us.

"I don't know why I self sabotage" we regularly hear.

The thing is..........

They never will.

Because that's not what's happening.

When we ask questions like that, we're framing it in a way that's not going to lead to answers that help us.

The definition of sabotage is "deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something)".

We do something because the benefit it brings IS the damage it causes.

What we're doing when we make our decisions is doing something because of other benefits it bring, IN SPITE of the damage it causes.

If we were self sabotaging purely with the intention of gaining weight, we would just eat bowl after bowl of lard and neck pints of sugar water.

If we were self sabotaging purely with the intention of feeling worse, we'd stop eating, drinking and sleeping and lock ourselves in a dark room with no entertainment - we'd feel pretty rotten real quick.

Knowing why we're actually doing something won't automatically mean we make a different decision.

But it's probably more likely than if we're telling ourselves something that isn't true.

Many of the decisions we make on a daily basis are driven by how we feel.

And by a desire to change that.

Our brains are hardwired to keep us safe and make us feel good.

And that's fine.

Until it isn't.

If the balance of our decisions make us feel worse overall, we could question that.

What we're often doing when we eat and drink is looking to change our state.

How we feel.

We're self soothing.

Especially when we do it past a certain point.

We're looking to change those feelings............

Of frustration, tiredness, stress, overwhelm or whatever else it is.........

To be more relaxed.

Calmer.

Soothed.

And realising that is powerful.

We can question if this decision is actually going to make us feel better overall.

If it's a net gain or loss.

We could look at other options that provide a net gain.

Other things that make us feel better but have less (or no) drawback.

Or a mixture.

Still eat and drink in a way we enjoy...........

But couple that with some combination of other things that make us feel better.

Exercise, a walk, s*x, meditation, a bath, different foods and drinks, a game, TV, reading, having a chat, etc.

As always, we can do what we like.

Eat and drink however you want to over the next few weeks.

But, maybe question if you're "self sabotaging" or "self soothing".........

And if what you're doing had a net gain or loss in how you feel.........

And see if that affects some of your decisions?

Much love,

Jon 'Raising flour' Hall

P.S. If you're even vaguely contemplating trying out our risk 'Four Week Transformation' in the New Year, then you'll want to comment below or send me a DM to find out more now before the places go. Waiting till January will just mean you miss the boat and are left with places desperate for members (which should tell you everything about how good they are).

Yesterday's blog: "You're not going to keep emailing over Christmas are you?" - www.facebook.com/222067851180423_1517801087020055

16/12/2025

RISE daily Session feedback - 16th December

16/12/2025

"RISE has really helped me get fit again after a string of injuries took me out of action. The friendly atmosphere and excellent coaching has kept me consistent and I've really seen the benefits" - awesome stuff from Dale as he hits his 350th Session with us!

RISE Macclesfield

22/12/2025

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