Finish Strong Challenge - 6 Weeks to finish the year

At Virtus, we believe that looking after your mind is just as important as looking after your body. Whether you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, anxious, or simply want someone to talk to, getting support shouldn’t feel complicated. Watch this video of Nina walking you through the process! That’s where a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) comes in. What is a Mental Health Care Plan? A Mental Health Care Plan is something you and your GP create together to help identify any mental health concerns and outline a path forward. This often includes access to a psychologist, where you can receive Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual sessions per year, making professional support more affordable. Depending on your psychologist’s fees, there might be a small gap to pay, but the rebate significantly reduces the cost. How to Get a Mental Health Care Plan (Step by Step) 1. Book an appointment with your GP When you book, let the receptionist know you’d like to discuss your mental health. Some clinics will ask you to book a longer consultation so your GP has enough time to listen and complete the plan with you. 2. Work with your GP to create the plan During the appointment, your GP will talk with you about what’s been happening, how you’ve been feeling, and whether you’re eligible. If so, they’ll complete your Mental Health Care Plan, which gives you 6 initial sessions with a psychologist. 3. Choose your psychologist You can choose a psychologist that suits you, someone you feel comfortable talking to. Your GP can recommend options, or you can ask them to send your plan directly to the psychologist you’ve chosen. To receive the Medicare rebate, your plan must be dated on or before your first appointment. 4. Continue your care after your first 6 sessions Once you’ve completed your initial sessions, your psychologist will send a short progress report to your GP. You can then review your plan together and, if ongoing support is helpful, get a referral for up to 4 more sessions that year. Meet Nina: Here for Everyone Our psychologist Nina, brings warmth, understanding, and over a decade of experience helping people navigate life’s challenges. While Virtus is known for performance and training, Nina isn’t just for athletes . She helps people from all walks of life, including parents, students, professionals, couples, and anyone looking to improve their mental wellbeing. Her approach is compassionate and evidence-based, using tools like mindfulness, CBT, and EMDR to help you find clarity, calm, and confidence in yourself again. Take the First Step If you’ve been thinking about getting support but haven’t known where to start, booking that first GP appointment might be the most important step you take this year. Once you have your Mental Health Care Plan, you can book your first session with Nina here: 👉 Book with Nina Because you don’t have to do it alone, and you don’t have to wait until things get bad to start feeling better. Lachie

TL;DR: Training and stress create the stimulus for growth, but rest, recovery, and reflection—the negative space—are where adaptation happens. The goal is not endless effort, but finding the rhythm between work and rest that builds strength, resilience, and joy. Progress often feels like something that happens through action: the grind, the sets, the sweat. But the real growth occurs between those moments. In art, negative space gives depth and meaning to the image. In training and life, it’s recovery and regeneration. It isn’t the lifting or working that makes us stronger, but what follows after . The science of stress is captured in Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome. First comes the Alarm Stage, when the body recognises stress and reacts with a surge of cortisol, adrenaline, and inflammation. Next is the Resistance Stage , when adaptation happens. The body rebuilds stronger to handle future stress. Without recovery, we hit the Exhaustion Stage , where fatigue, injury, and burnout take hold. This is why negative space matters. The stimulus, the training and the effort, it is only half the process. Without time to recover and integrate, there is no adaptation. Sleep, sunlight, good food, stillness, and connection are not luxuries; they are essential. The body grows stronger after training, not during it. Your nervous system builds resilience when it feels safe, not when it’s overloaded. Recovery is not a break from work; it is where the work becomes valuable. At Virtus, we live by a belief system of growth. We are here to evolve, not to smash ourselves endlessly. Growth moves in cycles of stress, rest, and adaptation. We learn through challenge, but we change through restoration . The dance between effort and ease is where joy lives. The goal is rhythm, not constant acceleration. For me, this is the good stuff. Think of your life as the creation of art. The effort and training are your brushstrokes, but the negative space, the quiet, the stillness, the pause, gives it meaning. Without contrast, everything blurs. Without rest, progress fades. The more you value the quiet, the more your effort counts. At Virtus, we believe in playing the long game. We train hard, recover harder, and aim to be better every day, in and out of the gym. True strength is not how much you can do, but how well you can recover and return ready for more. Repeatability is about the best capacity you can have. Being able to show up, put in the work, then rest and return again the next day. Growth lives in the balance between push and pause, between sound and silence, between action and reflection. Between go and stop. If you’re ready to explore this rhythm for yourself, join us at Virtus. Our training is about progression, presence, and the simple joy of becoming better every day. Learning when to push, when to pause, and how to make the space between the reps work for you. Real growth happens in those quiet moments of recovery and regeneration. More isn't better. Better is better. Better every day. I'm here for it. Lachie

I was seeing Greg for treatment the other day, and like most sessions with him, I left with some brain food. This time though, the brain food was quite literal. We got talking about something called BDNF, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. Never heard of her? Me neither. But here we are. The Phys has this way of casually dropping knowledge bombs that make you rethink everything you thought you knew about performance and recovery. He’s part physio, part philosopher, part nerd who clearly spends too much time reading PubMed. He was explaining how BDNF works, and I found myself fascinated. The way he described it was simple: BDNF is like fertiliser for your brain. It helps your neurons grow, repair, and connect better, the same way a good strength program helps your muscles adapt. It’s the reason why exercise sharpens your mind, why learning new skills sticks faster, and why sleep and sunlight feel like magic for your body and soul. So yes, Greg is a nerd. A very smart, loveable nerd. What does BDNF actually do? Here’s the straightforward version that my little brain can understand... BDNF is a protein that lives in your brain and central nervous system. Its job is to help your brain grow and adapt. Every time you train, learn, move, rest, or eat well, you give your brain a dose of this stuff. It improves: Memory and learning Mood and motivation Recovery and resilience Long-term brain health It’s the reason people who train regularly tend to think clearer, feel better, and stay sharper as they age. It’s not just the exercise, it’s what the exercise does to the brain. Here’s the good news: you don’t need a lab coat or a neuroscience degree to boost your BDNF. You just need to live like a human was meant to live. Do these 6 things often... Move – Strength, conditioning, play, walk. The more you move, the more your brain adapts. Sleep – Seven to nine hours is your brain’s growth window. Don’t skip it. Eat real food – Omega-3s, colourful veggies, berries, and good fats all feed your brain. Get sunlight – 15–30 minutes outside each day does wonders for mood and BDNF. Learn new things – A new skill, language, sport, or even a random hobby keeps your neurons firing. Connect – Deep conversations, laughter, and gratitude all improve brain health (and make life better). At Virtus, we talk a lot about being Better Every Day. That’s not just a feel-good motto, it’s a biological reality. Every rep, every breath, every night of decent sleep literally changes your brain. BDNF is proof that the habits you build don’t just make you stronger, they make you smarter, calmer, and more adaptable. So next time Greg is elbow-deep in your hamstring talking about brain fertiliser, remember: the real lesson might not be about your muscles. It might be about growing your mind. And maybe thank the Phys for being a beautiful nerd who keeps us all feeling better, and fixed , body and brain. Keep being wonderful Lachie

The quiet voice that talks you through a session, a meeting, or a moment of doubt. Sometimes it pushes. Sometimes it criticises. Either way, it shapes how you perform. How you progress. How you stagnate And science says it also shapes how your brain works. A 2021 study by Kim and colleagues (PMID: 34290300) found that self-talk, whether positive or negative, changes how brain networks communicate . Positive self-talk strengthens the connections between areas that drive motivation, focus, and self-control. Negative self-talk weakens them. In short, the words you say to yourself can rewire your brain. So stop being a di** to yourself. Positive self-talk isn’t about empty optimism. It’s about respect. It's about building a belief system. It’s a reminder that belief, focus, and self-awareness grow first from the way we speak to ourselves. Then from what we do. The study showed that people who used self-respect phrases didn’t just feel better, they performed better too. Criticism might still drive you for a while, but it’s like running on fumes. It creates tension instead of flow, stress instead of focus. Over time, that pattern wears you down and becomes an impediment to growth. Treat your inner voice like your best friend. Like your grandma. Like the 8 year old version of you. Be kind. Challenge it, don’t let it tear you apart. Next time you’re struggling in a session, or at work, or doubting yourself, step back (metaphorically) and listen to your own commentary. Is it helping you or holding you back? Serving you, or sabotaging? Your brain doesn’t know the difference between real and rehearsed, it believes what you repeat. So speak to yourself like someone you love and care for. Because your brain is listening & it's taking notes. Food for thought. #clever Lachie

We’re excited to announce a big step forward for Virtus. From October 20th , we’ll be offering Psychology services as part of our holistic approach to health, performance, and wellbeing. Joining the team is Nina Keller , an AHPRA-registered psychologist and founder of Mind Haus Psychology Nina has worked across both public and private sectors and brings a wealth of experience supporting individuals, couples, and groups through life’s challenges. Her approach is compassionate, collaborative, and client-centred. She creates a confidential and supportive space where people feel comfortable to explore what’s really going on beneath the surface. Through a mix of psychoeducation, awareness, and strategy development, Nina helps clients build the tools to manage their mental health beyond the counselling room. Nina draws on a range of evidence-based methods including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, solution-focused interventions, EMDR, exposure therapy, and relationship counselling. Her goal is simple: to help people understand themselves better and navigate life with greater clarity, calm, and confidence. This is an important moment for Virtus. For years, we’ve focused on building stronger, more capable humans through movement, education, and community. Now, by integrating psychology, we can support our members even more deeply: mind, body, and everything in between. Before Nina’s first day, we’d love your input . Please take a moment to share your thoughts and help us shape how psychology and mental health education can best serve our community. 👉 Exploring Psychology & Mental Health Support at Virtus You can learn more about Nina and her work at mindhauspsychology.com.au Nina will be available on Mondays at Virtus from the 20th of October. If you want to see her on other day/times, send her an email at nina@mindhauspsychology.com.au You can book in via this booking link! What a time to be alive! ps. Nina is a star. You'll love her. Better Every Day! Lachie & t he Virtus Team