Mat Lock: Alethea Boon, it is a pleasure to have you on The Unleashing Potential Podcast. How are you doing?
Alethea Boon:
I’m doing well, thank you. Thanks for having me, Mat.
Mat Lock:
No, not at all. Always a pleasure to chat, and as we just, I guess, said a minute ago, I’ve already burned 15 minutes of time chatting with you before we have started recording, and it’s always a pleasure. But we find ourselves in this strange time, do we not, with C-19 upon us.
Alethea Boon:
Yeah, it is a really, really strange time to be living in. A lot of people have had to adapt and change the way they do things. Yeah, definitely an interesting time.
Mat Lock:
I guess in Australia here we’re, I think, three to four weeks into the current, let’s say, lockdown. It’s not a lockdown, it’s sort of isolation, self-isolation, and social distancing, or physical distancing as Brenda would like us to say from [inaudible 00:01:37] in Perth. Which I think is right, actually. It’s physical distancing. But I guess we’re all settling into a new norm and what I thought we’d do today is just take the opportunity of, I guess, digging a little bit to how you’re handling the whole C-19 situation, how you’re staying motivated.
Mat Lock:
I know that in a future episode we’re going to talk about the reality of you also being an everyday athlete and having a full-time job. You have family commitments, you have home commitments, you have everything that we all have, actually, but I’d be really interested, someone that’s performing at your level and obviously has maintained that supreme level of fitness over many years now, how are you doing? Where are you at?
Alethea Boon:
Well, I’m sure like everyone, when the gym’s closed down, I feel like my norm was just thrown out the window. Routine and schedule kind of changed a lot. I actually came back from Bali from a wedding and had to go into 14-day isolation where we couldn’t leave our apartment, and in that time I guess I was able to adjust and actually just find ways, creative ways around the house to just move.
Alethea Boon:
For the head, it’s not normal for me not to work out, so I had to make it a point to actually just get up and do something and at the same time every day. But other than that it’s all about getting creative and just trying to find ways to stay moving and stay active. It’s good for the head, the body and just keeps you normal, keeps you feeling normal through these times.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, absolutely. So you created a routine for yourself? You had a routine that became your new routine for those 14 days?
Alethea Boon:
Yeah, absolutely. I’m still working. I’m still working full-time. It’s probably longer hours now. I’ve had some few midnight finishes, but creating that routine, it’s still business as usual if you keep it as normal as possible in your head, writing down a schedule of get up, move for about half an hour, then have breakfast, sit down and do my work and schedule in a lunchtime break and a lunchtime walk if you can, and then just stick to that schedule. So even in the evening, it’s the same workout hours and then come back and the same routine. A bit mundane, but it puts structure to this chaotic time.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, absolutely. Like all of us, I’ve got many friends who are now working from home and one in particular, it was the classic. He stood up at the end of our call and he was wearing his pyjama bottoms.
Alethea Boon:
Yes.
Mat Lock:
And I said to him-
Alethea Boon:
I’m not going to lie. The attire has definitely changed.
Mat Lock:
Fair enough. I’m not going to ask you to stand up now, just in case. But I won’t name and shame Alex Penny, but I said to him, “Mate, you’ve got to get into a routine.” I mean, you don’t have to dress like you necessarily would for work, but I personally think there’s a benefit to certainly having that level of discipline.
Mat Lock:
I’ve worked from home on and off for years, and I needed that. I needed that sense of get up, move, train, whatever you’ve got to do, but then somehow get dressed.
Alethea Boon:
Yes.
Mat Lock:
And then be in my workspace, albeit at home, and as you say, make sure, if anything, set alarms that you’re going to have smoko, have a lunch break, whatever it’s going to be.
Mat Lock:
But I personally felt that that was important to A, it helps my sanity a little bit, but also it stopped me just working through from getting lost in what I was doing and suddenly I haven’t moved, I’ve just been sitting sedentary for hours, probably not hydrated properly and stuff like that. Which is yeah, really… Look, I do have a green tea with me right now.
Alethea Boon:
Yep, I have a Hydralyte with me, so we’re still good. We’re staying hydrated.
Mat Lock:
Very good. So you came back from Bali, had literally 14 days of confinement.
Alethea Boon:
Yeah, 14 days of confinement, really close quarters with myself and Lima which was really interesting.
Mat Lock:
In an awesome way, I’m quite sure.
Alethea Boon:
Yeah, we’re definitely getting to know each other a lot better. We’re reconnected, I’m sure. We’ve also discovered TikTok, which is really time-consuming.
Mat Lock:
Well, I’ve been watching that. I’ve been liking your TikToks, no question. Time well spent. Time well spent. But during those two weeks, were you doing anything online with any of the gyms that you’re associated with? Have they moved to the online training? Have you got involved in that?
Alethea Boon:
Yeah, so the gym I go to is CrossFit Active and they transferred everything to online. They hold Zoom classes in the morning, in the evenings, and then they also offer like mind-set and mobility segments that you can do at home.
Alethea Boon:
So I jumped in on the classes and that was the best thing to do to stay accountable, not just to yourself, but to a community in general, because if you didn’t show up, you had your friends messaging you saying, “Hey, come on. Stay consistent. Where are you?” And I think that definitely helps just keep you involved and connected with everyone in your community.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, fantastic, isn’t it? If anything, obviously it’s a dreadful situation for many people around the world and it’s uncomfortable for most of us, I think, to be in this situation, although most of us don’t have too much to complain about in reality. But I can’t help but feel that this has caused a good shift in the direction of even more camaraderie, even greater connection because we have to be more deliberate about it. We have to go out of our way to think about it.
Mat Lock:
Certainly, we’ve been sort of hosting and talking about recently about how the grand slam, it’s morphing into all about maintaining that community, giving the community something to focus on, and at the end of the day leave no one behind, actually. It’s a line, it’s a tagline almost that’s naturally evolved because that’s the spirit of it now. It’s shifted in the direction of just make sure we keep everyone with us as we go through this journey of, I guess, self-isolation yet staying fit, and also taking care of mental health.
Alethea Boon:
Yeah, I think that it’s definitely forced me to reach out and stay connected with those friends and family around the world. I definitely have more time because there’s less distraction of having to be somewhere. Now that you’re at home, you’ve actually got the time to make those connections with people and I’ve found it be really valuable for myself and for my friends.
Mat Lock:
Interesting, isn’t it, how much more room there is. You’re right. I think there’s a lot of the white noise seems to have gone.
Alethea Boon:
So much of the white noise has gone, and I think we always come up with excuses to not do something or to not reach out to someone. Now it’s taken all that away and it’s actually created more valuable friendships now, I feel.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, I can only agree, and I reckon that whenever we come out the back end of this thing, we will, whenever that is, being conscious of not allowing, or at least minimising the amount of that white noise that returns to our daily grind if you like because there’s definitely a value in not having it there.
Alethea Boon:
Absolutely, I have to agree with that, for sure.
Mat Lock:
I guess we say that with all good intentions now, but of course when normality returns, whatever that looks like, it’s hard to hang onto it, isn’t it? But I think trying to be conscious of that.
Mat Lock:
Anyway, but now you’re beyond your 14 days. What do your days look like now? You said you’re working still full-time, in fact, if not more hours, which I’m sorry to hear, because I know you already worked a lot of hours.
Alethea Boon:
I’m very grateful to still have a job, and I know that the better that I do my job, other people will get to keep theirs, so it’s also bonded us as a team in my workplace. We’re actually working super hard just to make sure that everyone else gets to keep theirs.
Mat Lock:
No, absolutely. Well, that’s an incredibly positive and awesome way to look at it, which is right as well, I think. You don’t have to name the company, but you can if you want to. What do you do for a living?
Alethea Boon:
I’m a property manager, so we mainly deal with leasing for all of our bulky good furniture retail.
Mat Lock:
Yep.
Alethea Boon:
Yeah, so I work for Greenlit Brands, Freedom Furniture, Fantastic Furniture, Snooze, and Plush, OMF, a lot of other brands.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, okay. So hence the reason you’re busier than ever. Interesting times.
Alethea Boon:
Absolutely, dealing with rentals and leases.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, sure. So when you’re not doing that, how are you managing your training and, I guess, maintaining your level of fitness?
Alethea Boon:
I’m still following a structured programme, so I’m still with Starr Strength and he gives me the group programme on a weekly basis and I try to follow it as much as I can. That way, if I have the programme set out, it takes away any excuse to not do something. So by having a structured programme, I’m accountable to that. Plus, I also have my own personal goals that I’m still trying to work towards, and I’ve got to remember the bigger picture. So I always focus on the bigger picture and not just the here and now.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, sure. Is that something that you focus on a sort of daily basis? Is that something you work on or remind yourself of, you know, vision boards or just having it written down and refer to them? Do you meditate? Any of those aspects feature in your life regularly?
Alethea Boon:
Yeah, so I’ve actually started going back to the whole journaling process, just five minutes every morning just to set my intentions for the day. Also try to express daily gratitude each day, and the intentions are normally set out for work goals and also a workout goal and just like a connection goal with someone or a family member. And I try to, when I am training, I still think of that bigger goal.
Alethea Boon:
Yes I love to compete, and I think I put out a post the other day about staying accountable to your future self. If I take a day off, if I am lazy or if I am bingeing on food, am I going to regret that later? And more often than not it’s yes, so that motivates me to get up and keep moving.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, no, that’s amazing and obviously clearly a big part of how you’re staying motivated during the current pandemic, which is what it is. So how’s Easter weekend gone, then, if you’re being that intentional and deliberate with your training and your nutrition? Are you a chocolate fiend or…?
Alethea Boon:
I haven’t had any Easter eggs. None whatsoever. I have had a couple of hot cross buns though. I may have discovered wine drinking again, so I’ve had a couple of those, but I think you’ve also got to have a bit of a balance. You’ve got to be relaxed as well as keep to your goal.
Alethea Boon:
I’ve had a few Zoom catch-ups with some friends over a couple of wines, but again, my non-negotiable is to get up and move, so the next morning, straightaway, get up, go to a park and do some step-up lunges and go for a run. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy, it’s just stay consistent.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, sure. No, that’s great, and the balance, that resonates with me and I think it will with our audience. But also, I remember Craig Alexander, or Crowie, who was a very successful world champion ironman, Australian, lives in Cronulla or did, I remember hearing his answer once. I said, “Do you ever drink beers? Is that part of your routine?” And he said, “Yeah, I have a beer.” He said, “I never have enough where it will affect my training the next day. That’s always my focus.” He said, “So I have a beer, but never enough that it will impair my performance for training the next day.” And it always struck me as a very sound answer.
Alethea Boon:
That’s a great answer.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, absolutely.
Alethea Boon:
That’s absolutely a great answer. You still want to be as normal as possible as like an everyday person. You still want to enjoy life. Life is there to be enjoyed. But you also want to keep going with what you have in mind and your goals.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, sure. Absolutely. So if we were to give any takeaways, I think, from today’s chat, actually, I think what you’ve just talked us through, but certainly, the journaling seems to be an important part and being, was it staying true to your future self?
Alethea Boon:
Yes. Stay true to your future self, stay accountable to your future self. That is probably my biggest takeaway if I’m to impart any sort of wisdom or knowledge on everyone.
Mat Lock:
And in particular, I think the journaling right now, because for sure, each day’s a bit groundhog day-ish for many, and therefore I could imagine the journaling being quite useful, beneficial for many just to kind of reset each day and be clear about what today’s objectives are.
Alethea Boon:
Absolutely. Journaling and setting your intentions for the day and realising that there’s still so much good even amongst all this chaos, and be sure to recognise it. They say that if you take away small wins or small things of gratitude, it builds, it builds momentum, and I think that keeping that momentum going or the positive mindset, cultivating a positive mindset, you’ll come out of the other end better.
Mat Lock:
Yeah, absolutely. And look, without doubt, Tony Robbins has made popular, amongst others, one of the human needs we have, the number one is certainty, and at the end of the day, what none of us have right now is certainty. We have lots of uncertainty. We don’t know how long this is going to last for. Certainly here in Australia, will we get locked down further or are we going to try this herd immunity approach? There’s just uncertainty riddled throughout our lives.
Mat Lock:
But I think, and certainly the way I look at it is, I guess I worry about the things I can control, the things that I have direct control over, and number one, coming again from my sort of endurance competition days, one of the announcers, Mike Riley, used to say, there’s one thing you can control and that’s your attitude. Out there-
Alethea Boon:
Absolutely.
Mat Lock:
… on the course, in that case, is your attitude and no one else has control of it, only you.
Mat Lock:
I think that’s incredibly pertinent in today’s times when we don’t have uncertainty, therefore we can take control because we do have control. Even if it’s over the most minuscule of things in our lives, we still have control over it and that, to me, is a very important mindset to try and retain.
Alethea Boon:
That is definitely a great way of putting it. Control the controllables and your attitude is definitely one of them.
Mat Lock:
Absolutely. Alethea, for those I’m sure who would want to reach out and connect with you and say hi or maybe have some questions, how would they do that?
Alethea Boon:
You can just reach out to me on Instagram, alethea_boon, and it’s the same again on Facebook. Send me a message, a DM or even just email me. I’m always open to conversations, and if you ever need anything, just email me: aletheaboon@gmail.com.
Mat Lock:
That’s awesome. Alethea, thank you so much for your time today. Much appreciated.
Alethea Boon:
Thank you. Thanks for having me. And stay safe everyone.
