Mental Fitness: 15 Rules to Strengthen Your Body and Mind

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What he is an expert in is pushing through the most difficult circumstances. I learnt a lot from his experience of extreme physical and mental pressure and how to find your limits. For last year’s Channel 4 programme Ant Middleton: Extreme Everest, he led a small team in an attempt to summit the highest mountain on Earth – a six-week expedition in which he, cameraman Ed Wardle and a Sherpa successfully reached the top. Once there, however, treacherous weather made the already difficult descent from the “death zone” a perilous one. Middleton was the last person in the queue to descend, with oxygen dwindling and other mountaineers and even Sherpas struggling in front of him. Most people don’t think about their emotions,” he says. “When an emotion surfaces, nine times out of 10, people let it take over. Fear is the main one: fear of the unknown, fear of conflict, fear of failure. We don’t see the emotion for what it is.

Mental Fitness – Ant Middleton - Book Review - Hayley Meakes Mental Fitness – Ant Middleton - Book Review - Hayley Meakes

We had 500 miles to go, people were passing out on 400kcal and less than a litre of water a day. Some had lost a couple of stone. Conrad wanted to row, but how many calories would it take – 600kcal an hour? Where would we get in an hour? Five or six miles? If we had 50 miles, let’s go. But there was no way I was going to let the men row. I’d have killed them.”You see everything and can plan it out. You know the enemy hasn’t been in that situation, so you go in feeling like you have the remote and can pause and play as you go. It’s hyper-confidence, approaching arrogance: ‘You can shoot as many rounds through that door as Personal growth is a leitmotif for Middleton. He is single-minded in his desire to better himself, as well as provide the mental tools for others to do the same. It’s a mission that strongly echoes the Men’s Health credo, though his messages are delivered with a percussive force and in rapid fire. In person, the volleys give you the irrepressible feeling that he’s onto something. About everything. The crucible was a windless 10 days that left them bobbing listlessly in the South Pacific heat. Humphreys wanted to start rowing, hoping to hit a zephyr of wind to get them going. But Middleton’s instincts told him to preserve the crew’s energy, despite the rumblings of discontent.

Ant Middleton Quotes (Author of First Man In) - Goodreads Ant Middleton Quotes (Author of First Man In) - Goodreads

Every beat of a conversation with Ant Middleton is shot through with this unflappable conviction: conviction in his mindset, conviction in his way of working, training and communicating. When he fixes you with a piercing stare and speaks, you are mainlined to that will. His is not the soft approach of a social-media mindset guru. It’s enthralling, exhilarating thinking, dealt in concussive blows. Mental Fitness by Ant Middleton is an thought provoking and motivating book. In it, Middleton explains the 15 principles that he lives by to keep his mind and body strong. In this honest book, he outlines his own issues regarding body confidence, how he’s embraced and dealt with failure and how he’s created an unshakeable inner confidence and strength. Using stories from his time in the Forces, his home life and media career, he shares a lifetime of hard-won wisdom. The book outlines what it takes to live with and achieve optimum mental fitness. Among his crew were a chef, a banker and a carpenter. Only one, Conrad Humphreys, had the navigational and sailing experience to complement Middleton’s skills of leadership and survival. It was a test of the captain’s resolve, not to mention the physical reality of 60 days at sea, during which he lost more than 10kg. Middleton describes it as one of the hardest things he’s done.

Toys

The idea of going all in on each aspect of your life is an attractive one, with clear benefits to the average man. Predictably, though, Middleton’s “challenges and adventures” tend to be more challenging and adventurous than a long Sunday bike ride, or a 10K every now and then. Middleton’s honesty shines through his writing. He explains a number of the situations that he’s faced and how he could have dealt with them better. At no point, does he sugar coat his behaviours which is rare and refreshing. His stories evoke many emotions and I dare you not to be moved at the section on losing his Mum. The power of this book is the intertwining of storytelling with the teaching of his rules and how to apply them. Middleton is clearly passionate about seeing people live lives of purpose and go beyond their limits. Motivational and a call to action, Mental Fitness is a great readi for anyone who wants to push themselves further, control their body and mind and improve their performance.

ant middleton - mental fitness – HarperCollins Publishers UK

The lessons he echoes are crucial to not just a life demanding physical and mental toughness but generally any meaningful life. Here's what I took from each lesson: Middleton lives his truth. He doesn’t shy away from using his own personal history to showcase how he’s developed and successfully implemented his mental fitness rules. His no excuses mantra and his openness to share his own story and struggles makes this a great read. Highly recommended.

7. Track your progress

Middleton’s book is very readable. He cleverly showcases his life rules with practical examples of how he’s utilised it in his own life. This book is broken down into bitesize chunks and an easy read with great ‘aha moments’ that you can apply to your own life. Relevant to all ages. If a parent behaves in a negative way around their child, then, guess what, their child is going to grow up with a negative mindset. Pay attention to people you invest in relationships with and talk about things you actually care about.