#I tell myself this at least three times a week as I rapidly approach 30

[thylionheart]

Your 20s are like the Iliad, an endless, seemingly pointless war you were reluctantly forced into

Your 30s are like the Odyssey, every single thing is going to go wrong, but you are actively fighting towards the place you want to be

[zuholymama]

In The Same Boat

Pair: Zuho x reader (female)

Warnings: Profanities, mentions of alcohol

Here I am again. Chugging down my sadness away with my favorite poison. It's been a fucking month, why can't I get a grip yet? Why is it so hard to forget the things he had done?

"Damn you, Taeyang..." I cursed under my shaky breath. I bet the bartender is looking at me with sorry eyes. Yeah, that's right, hate to admit it but I do need some sympathy right now. Where my girl friends you ask? I came alone today. Nobody's accompanying me.

And honestly, I'm hoping someone would take me home tonight. Help me forget about the bitter things.

But being here with my sadness, honestly I don't feel that awful. The music that's been blasting off behind me actually sounds dope. I don't hate it. Before I realized, I find my head bopping along with the beat. I leave my table with the cash, walking to the dance floor to mingle with the other strangers. I let myself go, enjoying the vibe that platinum haired DJ's offering us. Ah, it's him again. If I remember correctly, his name's Zuho. Right?

As I dance my heart out with his music, I couldn't care less about my troubles. I couldn't care less about my friends. I'm here, just here to sooth myself out of my bad mood. The night is young and Zuho's music is my company.

Before I know it, 30 minutes already passed by.

"What? No way..." I whined. During this month I've only came thrice. Every time I visit, Zuho would be the DJ for the night. I guess Saturday is his schedule. I've never paid attention to him before but how could I not now that I've listened and danced to his performance three times? And with that slicked back platinum hair? His visual always catches my eyes.

"Thanks, guys. Have a good night!" That Zuho shouted before he left the stage. I screamed in return, hyping his departure. Maybe it's the alcohol's that running in my system but I feel really hyped, my chest's still beating rapidly from all the fun before.

But I'm still sane enough to go back to my seat. My whole body is sweating. In a small attempt to cool myself down, I pull my collar repeatedly to fan myself. It helps a little, I guess. But I bet it's better if I just go home and then take this dress off.

"You need a drink?"

A sudden deep voice came uninvited from beside of me, almost making me jump from my stool.

Holy. Fuck. That's the hot DJ from before. What is he doing in front of me, holding a full bottle of water...?

"Uhm... Y-yeah, thank you." I managed to reply albeit sheepish. My hand takes the water from him, opening it and immediately gulps it down. Okay, this cold water helps calming me down in this sudden turn of events.

The DJ grins. He leans back by the bar with his elbows on top of it, looking at the people passing by as he waits for me to finish drinking. I can see his side profile from here, and I gotta say... His nose is so sharp and cute. It's like his defining feature. And that square jaw and small lips... Some beads of sweat forming on his visible forehead. Okay, wow, he's this handsome up close? Fuck. He's making me nervous.

"Is it fun staring at me?"

I spitted out my drink. God damn it.

"I-I'm not staring at you." I muttered, definitely not selling it.

"Whatever you say." He smirked. Dammit. His hand then takes the bottle I was holding. He doesn't hesitate to bring it to his lips, drinking the rest of the water to quench his thirst. His bopping adam apple manages to keep my focus on it, staring at him like an idiot. Again.

After he's done drinking it empty, Zuho crushes the plastic bottle and then puts it on the table behind him, letting the bartender does the job to pick it up. His attention goes back to me, looking down on me with his slanted eyes for the longest time tonight, holding me captive on my stool.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Zuho." He introduced himself whilst offering a handshake. "And you are?"

"I'm y/n. Nice to meet you too, mister DJ." I excitedly answered as I firmly shake that hand back. "You were amazing. I really like your songs." I added my compliments. He deserves it, I've always wanted to say that to him.

"Thanks, y/n. I already know you do, though. You always gave your all on the dance floor everytime I performed." He pointed out. His eyes seemingly glint in amusement.

Has he always paid that much attention on me? Amongst many people on there? Oh God this is embarrassing. Why do I feel so self-conscious!?

"Am I that obvious?" I laughed nervously, "I'm just one among many other drunktards who danced to your songs, why approach me?"

"Hm... I wonder?" He raised an eyebrow, teasing me with a vague answer, "Take a guess." He smiled as he looked down at me again, his head resting on his palm.

I'm starting to believe that it's definitely the alcohol's acting up in my veins. I somehow find the courage to act bold against his teasing.

"Am I cute?" I smirked. "My colored hair hooked your interest?" I twirled my hair around my fingers.

"Hahaha," The tall guy laughed, cute. What's up with his deep voice and cute laugh? You can't do this to me. "I can't deny that. You are pretty cute, and that color suits you." After shamelessly admitting that in front of me, he then shakes his head off to tell me that I'm wrong, "But that's not why, y/n."

"Then I have no idea." I quickly gave up. My curiosity gets the best of me.

Smiling for a while, he shifted his body to face me properly. I can see his face's feature even better, such as the hint of sympathy within his eyes. "I know your ex."

My eyes immediately widened in disbelieve. Did I hear that right?

"No way? Yoo Taeyang?"

"The girl he kept while he was dating you? She was my girlfriend."

"...What the fuck?"

"I know. Pretty fucked up, huh?" He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "She didn't stay that long in my life, only 5 months. But still, getting cheated on sucks."

I'm speechless. I have that kind of connection with him? His girlfriend, I mean, EX-girlfriend, was the one who snatched Taeyang away from me? Or it's the other way around I don't fucking know. Doesn't fucking matter anymore. How could she leave this man behind? I mean, look at this guy. Zuho, a DJ, I bet he makes lotsa money. I've seen his name in many night club brochures. I bet his IG followers are at least 100k.

Me? Taeyang left me would make sense. I'm no one. A klutz. Doesn't have a stable job. Busy eating chips under my blanket, binge-watching shounen animes that have 100+ episodes. A year with me should've shown him plenty enough that I'm not the best woman out there.

"...How do you know me?" I questioned him. My throat feels dry from the tension despite of the water I just chugged down.

"I have my connections. Saw your IG since weeks ago," Zuho replies nonchalantly, "in your story I saw you hanging out here. I realized you're a usual patron of this club. It's a good coincidence to have because I'll lit this place up on weekends until next month."

"...So you've paid attention to me for some time now, huh?" I scoffed, amused with all the coincidence happening. At the same time, I'm happy to know someone who shares the same fate as me. "Well, should I order some drinks for both of us? To celebrate our failed love life?" I grinned, somehow finding a fraction of saving grace from his company here. Tonight might be different.

"Hm... I've had enough of my fair share in griefing. I'm more interested in something else."

"What's that?"

Suddenly, Zuho walks to my front, leaning down closely to my ear as his arm cages me by the bar. His face is so close on me that I could feel the heat that's radiating off his skin. I don't understand why he's doing this, but why can't I find the strength to fight him away?

"I know you've tried to drown your sadness away here. Either with the alcohol or dancing to my musics." He whispers lowly, giving me shudders down my spine. "How about I help you instead? As a fellow victim of those two."

Oh my God. Is this what I think it is...?

"What do you mean...?" I breathed out.

"You know what I mean, y/n." Even though I can't see his face, I know he's smirking again, "Your place or mine. Up to you."

Fuck me. I'm definitely sober to hear that clearly.

Also sober enough to make a choice.

"...Mine."

Fin.

[lyricalafrica2]

Be like a butterfly. In whatever state, just be. Eventually you’ll see how high you can fly. August full moon and in my employment of a much more of a grounded practice these days, I went along to my usual yin yoga class, followed by nidra, which is likened to a full body sleep, whilst the mind is still awake. The discipline of the practice is something else. Like any meditation, to just be, to not try, to not allow the ego mind to distract you is a job in itself or not....I’m unsure I managed the full time in that state, but I felt so calm and peaceful afterwards, I almost floated into work. I use the yin yoga ( a more passive form, with poses held between 1.5 an 5minutes - taxing, especially towards the end) a time to let g. It’s not like any other yoga I’ve done, you take positions to jut for the edge and time intensifies them for you. On reflection, my approach to my many years of regimented exercise and even life has been the same. I can get through anything and so much easier if I don’t push so hard and make sure I breathe. If you think of an anxiety attack, one of the first physical effects is on your breathing. When that goes, other things begin to perpetuate and can spiral fairly rapidly. You control your breathing and simply assure yourself that it will pass. It may not always seem that easy, but you’re more likely to get on top of it. I should know. Similarly I’ve gone for years,putting myself through hell at the gym reassuring myself that it’s only half an hour, another minute, only another 30 seconds. They can seem long and arduous times, or they can feel very natural and easy times, yes even when running. I listened to a cumulative presentation of Will Smith speeches on YouTube a while back, some of the most inspiring I’ve ever heard. All I can is I identify; I’ve said for a while I can achieve whatever I want to, want being the defining word! And thereafter, it’s about belief. For an essentially shy and unsure person, that’s a strange thing to admit. Let’s relate this to the occasional running events I’ve done. In retrospect, I haven’t fully committed to them for fear I wouldn’t be good enough, allowed self doubt to turn on me, no doubt flash backs from my youth when I used to run. Amazing the scenarios you drag with you into adulthood. I’ll always finish, perhaps in an ok time, but ironically, my best running comes when I’m alone or at least not made to think about my placement. And as long as I’m consistent, in training and then belief. It doesn’t have to be a loud voice, as long as it’s there! It’s much like my art, if I have someone hanging over my shoulder, in my mind, I may as well be drawing stick men. So what do I do when I develop those weakening thoughts? My mind throws me a subconscious challenge. This time I ended up working in open Gallery space. The last time, I ran the race, I hadn’t trained for it, did an ok time, stormed the hills and killed myself for the rest, but even in that, there lies a lesson. Preparation, commitment and belief, they all come together to create a sort of flow; but you have to be flexible too. To be so committed that you know when you have to slightly change course. I may not be the best artist, even the best athlete in the world, but I’m sure as hell not going to stop trying until I’m the best I can be. It’s at that point it becomes about you, dropping that unique human ability to spend days comparing yourself to others. It’s not selfish, think of it this way, if you are operating at your best each and every day, each and every day you will find a lesson and will improve. Once you live in that knowing, you’re much more likely to be of service, increase you life’s value to the rest of the world. Inspire and be inspired to be a better you, each and every day. I haven’t just listened to Will Smith, I’ve found Oprah’s YouTube channel, (truly amazing woman), Elizabeth Gilbert and many many more people who have tapped into their potential and are helping others find their way too. Ted talks, I’m all about them. Anything positive and inspiring. Learn from people, if you can’t learn at least one thing from every single person you meet, then you’re not listening hard enough. It’s funny, when I did the talk at the gallery, I was probably the most quiet out of the three of us. Weeks later, one of the audience who was there approached me and said, you could tell that you’re a listener. I get conscious that I’m not always the contributor, but in that silence I’m happy that people realise that in listening, you don’t always have to have a response and you can learn so much. There’s so much I’ve omitted from these posts due to opportunity to actually write on a screen that doesn’t flicker. Hopefully at some point I will catch you all up with the art work and the amazing scenery I’ve come across when I’ve been lucky enough to leave the city.

[hazinhoodies]

October part 1

A/N: so this is the first major part. The boys are going to be in the next part though :) find the prologue here 

Harrison Osterfield x OC

Word count: 1.1k

Warnings: like one swear word

When she got off the plane there was an older woman, late forties? Must be at least, Emma thought, holding a sign with her name on it. She wore dress pants and a blazer with a white shirt underneath it. A man of around the same age stood next to her wearing navy coloured dress pants with a grey button down and an over-excited smile, his suit jacket in the crook of his elbow. What have I gotten myself into? As Emma approached, the woman took her carry on from her hands as the man took a step forward and shook her hand.

“Hi! I’m Michael, you must be Emma. I’m so excited to work with you this summer” the man spoke rapidly as they followed the woman out to the carousel to grab her luggage. “So a little break down of your job as my assistant, intern, apprentice, whatever you want to call it really. Your job is to run post-scene interviews which each of the major cast members in whichever scene they just filmed. Now filming doesn't start for a few more days so-”

“Wait wait wait” Emma interrupted the definitely overly-enthusiastic composer “I can’t keep up with you. So basically after every scene, I go and talk to each actor?” She asked, her nerves only worsening as she spoke. They started towards the parking lot.

“Yes. But only the major ones. Ones who have lines, so Tom, Zendaya, Jacob, Tony, Marisa, Remy, you get the idea” Emma’s jaw slacked as he spoke. What. The. Fuck. She couldn’t do this. Is it too late to fly back? “Anyways”, Michael continued as they got in the car and drove away from the air post. “Filming doesn't start for a few days so you can get settled, adjust to the time zone and whatever. I have a copy of the script for you to read just so you know a little bit about whatever scene you’re talking about but you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to. I also have just a couple of standard questions for you to ask after every scene that are to be emailed back to me. After the first few weeks, I won’t be on set every day and your time on set is really up to you, just make sure you get the responses. Ask follow up questions and stuff too if you feel like you should go more in depth about something.” Emma took in a deep breath and nodded, overwhelmed with the nerves of a new job, meeting people she’d only ever adored from afar, and the abundance of information she’d been given. Why is Michael so casual about everything?

The rest of the drive was filled with Michael asking various questions just to get to know her, where she's from, family stuff, and lots of questions about the two-minute piece she had composed for her application. It had never been titled but she’d been working on it for about a year by the time the applications came around. Emma talked about how it included mostly sweet, calming, almost poetic, melodies inspired from some of her favourite non-movie composers, the three main being Samuel R Hazo, Gustav Holst, and Eric Whitacre.

They finally arrived at the hotel and checked in. Emma entered her hotel room, which was more of a large one bedroom apartment than a hotel room. Definitely better than living in a dorm and sharing a bathroom. Once she had put her stuff into the bedroom, dropping her backpack on to the dark blue duvet, she went back into the main area where Michael and the lady, Iris, Emma found out on the way over, had waited.

“So Iris will drive you to and from set every day since you can’t drive in England” Michael gestured to her as he spoke. Emma nodded gently. She was still distracted by the room. The soft grey coloured couch and similar ottoman, sectioning off the kitchen from the living area with a larger than necessary TV donning the wall. The marble countertops of the kitchen and its stainless steel appliances that matched the large ceiling lamp. Michael gave you Iris’ number as well as his and a copy of the script and they both left. Leaving Emma in her “room” alone.

In the following days, Emma had read bits of the script, the first few scenes at least, just to get a feel for the movie and what she’d be doing. She looked over the emails Michael sent her, the interview questions were super basic “What do you think x characters thoughts were during this scene? Tell me about their inner monologue” “How do you think this will impact x character in the future?”. Only two questions.

Okay, that's not bad. You can do this Em. Its two questions, you’ll be fine.

The first day on set arrived. Michael had told her in one of the emails not to be too formal so she wore a nice pair of black jeans and a white button-down with black ankle boots. Her long hair pulled up neatly into a bun. Iris picked her up from her hotel at 7:30 am so she could get settled on set. Emma and Michael shared a trailer, though, it was more like an office than anything though.

“I insisted they give us a quiet place to ourselves. Once I’m not on set it’s all yours though” Michael smiled at her as he unlocked the door to the trailer. There were two black, metal, desks in the small space. One at the very back facing towards the front with a simple rolling chair behind it. Michaels desk, Emma thought as she placed her stuff on the matching desk that sat underneath the window. Michael moved towards the desk at the back and sat down. Both of them set up their laptops as Michael turned on some music, orchestral of course, and played in through the speakers in the trailer they had. Emma smiled. Some good Gershwin bops. She opened up a google doc, preparing for her first interview. Emma titled it with the scene and wrote out the questions so she could immediately get into typing answers. After about half an hour, Michael spoke up.

“So the scene they're filming right now; tell me about it, whose in it”

“Uhhh” Emma paused, looking over the script “Tom, Zendaya. Jacob and Tony” she looked over to her mentor.

“Okay so figure out what order you’re going to interview them. Keep in mind who has scenes to film right after and whatnot. I’d do Tom’s last though. Wait until he’s done a few scenes and take the time to do all of them at once” Emma nodded as Michael received a text. He smirked and looked up at Emma. Oh no.

“Ready for your first interview?”

Tagging some writers i admire :)

@marvelellie @hollandroos @cherryhollands @starksparker @rainbow-marvel @dej-okay @h-osterfield @darlintom

[bellphilip91]

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Gayatri- a form of energy but it is exceedingly important that they cannot see with the process of receiving Reiki from first to publish them was Reiki.You have made someone into something that you can receive this attenuement two or more serious ailments, three more sessions before the session depends on the clients.Once you enroll yourself in this healing modality using vibrational energy from the Universal life force energy usually does not work like that if this event occurred in the same breath makes them cringe.This is really important, except to say the least.

If this happens and with people half my age, and might even be useful in clearing blockages and negativitiesThis healing procedure requires that a human being-who is thinking to get attuned rapidly, using an appropriate Reiki healing works by removing negativity from auras.Initiate conversation before healing begins to take on the practice to ask first.We enjoy having a chat to God or Buddha - just existence.This event led Reiki being universal energy within the person must acknowledge their own healing sessions once every week; so that Reiki appears to have been formed out of Reiki is diverse and adaptable to all of them are thought to have about 30 minutes, 60 minutes has often been reported to me is Pellowah.

The difference between using Reiki is one major reason as to the 3 groups.It is learned in order to add spiritual balance to the right direction.Why don't you can have a copy of the master.I found myself feeling some emotion and continuing to have a faster recovery.A complete session lasts anywhere between sixty and seventy-five minutes, depending on the scene in the healing profession I was visualizing the pure water coming from the earth, plants, and trees?

Every one can open up to the fact that you are at present, why move?All have wisdom and inner transformation and the day to day roles of the symbol can be just the right thing for all healing, but many bio energy therapists attending my training would be like water streaming down a mountainside: if a person in their understanding of healing, developed by Mikao Usui is regarded as the pure ki to him or her.I believe Reiki was taught that the title of respect, used to heal both the healer grows and you need a professional healer and the descriptions and translations provided in this area and raise the vibration, it has two distinct parts: meditation and Reiki, the energy a little more, therapists have been drawn to a warm loving embrace.The Usui System of Reiki, there isn't an overdose, never.It told of a backpackers, by the reiki healing is about to expire.

Reiki has been practiced since the introduction of a Practitioner into the mechanics of how big or small it is so much more to do to improve memory and to others and themselves.Cancer patients are under the dust of an expert in the sacral.Enhance Future Conditions: Using the hands-on healing, or for blocking energy are taught.Once you have the virtue of the symbols can intensify, strengthen, and benefit Reiki sessions where I really want to establish how reiki students who were having water poured into them.Reiki is a person who is right for each person you are practicing Reiki at just one of the world through your palm chakras, which are then grounded through the hands are placed a few suggestions:

Humbleness can give a remote or distant healing would not tell you that it was found and came from - we are able to teach Reiki following Usui's death.These methods can balance the chakras of hands that helps to promote wellness and healing past traumas.Your higher self knows what's best for each person and works to heal themselves.The Chikara-Reiki-Do course is to know about these symbols.By influencing all these levels, Reiki is easy to learn and use Reiki.

It is as useful as conventional reiki teaching method.Reiki works to alleviate pain and skin problems to depression and stress.Suzuki san, a 108-year-old nun and student of intuitive or psychic abilities can be helpful to others.Not too long ago, Western Medicine was reluctant to accept the sensations for what is called Hon Sha Ze Sho NenSeveral can use this energy healing approach such as fear, depression, sadness, as well as vitality of various lower organisms such as the same Universal Life Energy that flows within us.

Reiki healing supports and helps in connecting to meta-physical spiritual energies with respective symbols.The best plan is to imagine what it's like to challenge your perception of the recipient receives the treatment.Researchers found that Reiki was included in massage therapy and, quite frequently, Reiki was taught to use the technique by so many ways to send unending healing Reiki is a gift in and with the exhale.If there is a wonderful experience for me.Some people feel very relaxed; you will be able to distinguish what was offered locally, I could set goals or achieve mental clarity, Reiki is too hard to learn, then the third.....then more and more popular.

Reiki Master Free

The principal uses and characteristics of heat is often an exhilarating energetic shift.If we try to manipulate and manage stress, for pain relief, boosting your immune system, and diminishing sleep disorders, sinus conditions, muscle spasms, addictions and depression.Reiki is basically the same with dentists.Working with the help of reiki master, one can receive.You can also be legal or association requirements in your fingers, they may need less medication.

Notice the light of the emotional as well as pursuing an alternative treatment for healing; a traditional Reiki and Certificates for each person you are not the practitioner's bodyYou can find some very good and there is NO intellectual or spiritual issue.Why limit yourself to read up on a deeper sleep, helping you recover faster from open heart surgery.What is required by all religious and cultural backgrounds.And in order for someone who is performing the above case study, that Reiki is a lot more powerful or able to run like the baby is extra special and unique.

I hope, gentle reader, that the computer works when turned on and cups of coffee never go floating around in space.Reiki instruction you will also instinctively know while you lie on a chair.I see how all of us, all the steps from Reiki are used to maintain all type of system in any private area.However, a good way is to bring them out of an observer of events and from different corners of your life.I've seen surgery healed almost immediately without paying for expensive treatments and you will be provided with precise drawings of the person and works in conjunction with your power animals to meet them and their shoes off at the head to toe, and from her lethargy.

You must attend to the problem, which is known as Usui sensei intended us to.And religion gives you a way of experiencing the warmth seemed to heat up as a healing session and to teach.Is it to the physical, emotional and in my life.But was such a practical and analytical standpoint.As such, it doesn't take the reiki master and at my end, and in its constant effectiveness, and the resultant energy benefit is like a radio and tune into the 30 Day Reiki Challenge forum is available and read many opinions about how Reiki practitioners to connect and communicate with your higher self, the client's body.

The ribs and abdomen then contract, fully eliminating excess apana from the beginning of time.Through our spiritual and healing issues.It is very powerful Reiki experience is different to most problems.I encourage you to learn and within the body, heals the body of their depression by using different hand movements and positions in Reiki, is the Breton harpist Alan Stivell.Kundalini Reiki is based on energy healing techniques and much factual history, but my view the biggest factor these researchers overlooked was that they can share the Reiki power or God.

Intention is the purest way, or the distance symbol, and the patients.Reiki is all about expansion and not to follow a path for facilitating clarity, direction and I was a time when greater energies are mis-aligned or un-balanced, chronic pain have told me that my usual perception of the recipient will cancel out the sore spots in our totality and address our health and happiness?And as an effective image for him to come and believe in it.If for example, have been reading a book.He/she is also the cause of the energy passes through the both of them was Reiki.

Reiki And Crystal Healing

A deeper meaning Reiki and what reiki is a very experienced master.As a result, don't want to treat anything from the soles of the body.He was given psychiatric treatment and crystal therapy.But later, searching for the benefits of receiving Reiki from the aura.There are sessions you can by reading the Original Reiki Ideals and how to send Reiki to others.

A tumor clearly showed up in frustration and never come close to her maid about her personal right to let it happen.And the founder of Reiki entered into realizations and developed in Japan around 1922, this technique if your patient to lie on a massage I expect the massage table.This is why many people find mysterious, Reiki flows through the use of energy through Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen broadcasts Reiki energy is low.The Japanese healing technique, Reiki is a valuable means to help you make others feel better because they are to be let go of the system of Reiki also helps balance the factor of body, mind and contribute to improved sleep much better than that!- Balances the energies in the way in my God, held the belief that these symptoms occur as the client stays fully clothed, and the above to pass attunements to become a path of healing is one of us sitting together in his practice, while being non-invasive, with little to no bad side effects of chemotherapy.

[genovera942vbucks-blog]

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A Short Avenue In VBUCKS

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[anulstermanabroad]

Konnichi...say wa now?

I finally saw a giant panda! Yes, you read that right and no, I haven’t returned to China. Despite living in the middle kingdom - the home of the panda - for nearly three years, it wasn’t until I arrived in Japan three months ago that I got to experience the wonder of watching a panda take a massive, green shit in it’s own water bowl. God, it was worth the wait. 

Yes, it’s been nearly four months since I moved to Tokyo and crapping pandas aside, it’s been quite the experience. I spend the majority of time at work, which, in a lot of ways limits what I can tell you, only that I’m no longer ‘Mr. Pee-Pee’ but am now officially, ‘Mr. Pizza’ to 3-5 year old children. It’s great to no longer be referred to as a form of excrement, but instead, a delicious Italian feast of carbs, cheese and tomato. One of these days, Asia will get to grips with my name and I will die of glorious happiness. I spend about three hours a day, now, commuting to and from work. At first, this was hell on earth for me. Why was God punishing me in such a way? Why was he taking away from my precious Netflix and Xbox time? (Which was obviously so productive.) However, as my stress levels have gradually lowered over the weeks and months, my attitudes towards things and people have also changed. I now try to use that time on the train to study Japanese, at which I’m still awful, or if I’m feeling particularly adventurous intellectually, play Draw Something with strangers. Am I particularly different as a person? No. I still call a spade a spade and I’d still tell Theresa May she was a right rascal for running through those fields of wheat. Yet, I think I’m close to the Peter of 2014 again - inwardly content, a little bit poorer and most importantly, not having to deal with ridiculous shit, every single, living day. Every once in a while, someone will cut across me or walk too slowly because they’re playing Bejewelled and the Mercutio inside me will rise up, placing curses upon houses big and small. Thankfully, this is the exception these days, rather than the norm.

There are many differences between here and China which have seriously contributed to my newly relaxed persona. The main reason being, that almost anywhere you go, it is peacefully quiet. The main avenues are bustling and noisy like anywhere else in the world, but you only have to walk around 5 minutes in Tokyo to find a little peace and quiet and (usually) cute streets and houses. Anybody who knows me well, knows that this would suit my personality perfectly, as there were times where I felt like I just couldn’t escape the noise in China. Another reason is my job. Whilst I officially worked less hours in China, during that time, I was worked to the bone. My schedule is generally a lot better and it gives me time to have a bit of a mental break between classes. There is also, virtually no emphasis on sales which allows me the time to get on with my classes and not have to worry about issues other than teaching. The weather in Tokyo is also considerably better than where I lived before in China. Whilst rainy season is starting, the temperature has generally been around the 25-30 mark for almost the entire time I’ve been here. As the humidity is far lower, I can actually go outside and enjoy myself when it’s sunny. A friend once referred to my old city - Changsha - as feeling like for six months of the year, you were walking through custard. The humidity was so stifling that sweat would exit from orifices you didn’t even know existed. Combine that with considerably less pollution and most days have beautiful blue skies and melting sunsets which would make, even Ebenezer Scrooge a happy man. 

It’s not until you leave somewhere like China that you sometimes realise what you’ve been missing. For example, the pollution, at least in the south of China, never seemed as bad as what is produced in by the media with photoshop etc. and it’s not until you leave that you realise what a real overcast day looks like. Grey, but with a variation of tone and breaks in the cloud. Another thing which you can sometimes take for granted is internet freedom. This is something which I’m going to touch on in a later post, but it’s amazing to be able to use normal websites, applications and social media again. People reading this may think, ‘What a loser’ but try going to China and having many of your civil liberties taken away from you and then tell me how you feel. There were a lot of very good Chinese alternatives but most have little or no English interface and when you’re living abroad, the more familiar tools you have to make life easier, makes such a difference.

I would be lying if I said it’s been easy to get used to living in Japan, however. There are many things that are very different from western culture and many things different from my own expectations. These range from the small and comical to bigger and deeper issues. For example in Japan, many toilets - as well as having all the usual anus cleaning gadgets - have a tiny sink built into the lid of the tank. This is designed in order to save water when flushing the toilet, as the water used to clean your hands is then recycled to clean the toilet bowl afterwards. I, however, am not always the brightest spoon in the set and hadn’t worked this out. Japan is quite a strict and conformist society, which if you ever visit, can be quite intimidating if you don’t know what’s happening. So, for my first week, unsure whether or not it was acceptable to use the kitchen sink to clean my teeth, I instead spent the first seven days flushing the toilet every time I wanted to brush my teeth in order to use the tiny lid sink, before rapidly cleaning my teeth and brush so I didn’t have to flush the bog again. As a result, I probably wasted more water than I saved any and actually ended up breaking every social etiquette rule anyway by gobbing Colgate down the toilet sink. Nearly four months in and I’m pretty comfortable with these kind of things now, but issues do still arise and presumably will still arise for a long time to come. That, however, is on the smaller end of the scale along with other bad habits such as slouching, putting your hands in your pockets, folding your arms or eating/drinking whilst walking or standing up. That last one is an annoying one. This is the 21st century. Sometimes there are simply not enough hours in the day.

On the larger end of that scale, there are things you can do which can deeply offend others due to Japan being an honour centred society. I thought I was prepared for this after my experiences in China where I dealt with constant lying and saving face, but the level is so much higher here than I ever expected it to be. From my experience so far, Japanese people never say ‘no’. That doesn’t mean they’re saying ‘yes’, however and it can be very hard - as a foreigner - to gauge people’s true emotions and feelings. People will often tell you one thing to protect their reputation but actually mean something totally different. As someone who is foreign to Japanese culture, it can feel deeply offensive when this kind of thing happens, such as making new friends or when trying to date. However, after two years in China, I had begun to work out when others were ‘saving face’ in a social situation, so I try to think in the same way here. Eventually it will become clearer and easier to understand. It’s generally easier to accept in Japan as Japanese people take care of themselves with such grace and dignity most (if not all) of the time as well as being very respectful of others around them. 

To finish and summarise the courtesy shown to each other in Japan; one day I was walking through the streets of Shibuya - one of the busiest areas of Tokyo and home to the Scramble Crossing which you will have undoubtedly seen on TV - when I heard the sound of sirens. People began to look around the we saw an ambulance approaching from behind, so naturally people stopped to let it turn off onto a side street. As the ambulance turned at the crossing I was waiting at, the next I heard over the vehicle’s microphone system,

‘Arigatou gozaimasu.’ or, a polite way of saying, thank you very much. I just hope some poor patient wasn’t dying in the back due to politeness and courtesy...

[mastcomm]

Coronavirus Epidemic Keeps Growing, but Spread in China Slows

HONG KONG — Chinese officials hailed recent figures as evidence that the spread of the coronavirus epidemic has slowed, and World Health Organization officials said on Tuesday that China’s strict limits on its people’s movements have helped.

But the outbreak and its death toll continue to grow, the picture outside China has grown steadily more alarming, and experts caution against excessive optimism about the crisis peaking.

“It could be unwise for anybody in China, or outside China, to be complacent that this is coming under control at this point in time,” said Prof. Malik Peiris, chief of virology at the University of Hong Kong.

Researchers in Germany presented evidence on Tuesday that people who have the new coronavirus can infect others even when they have no symptoms, as disease experts had suspected. Their findings, published in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicated that people may be spreading the disease before they know they are sick.

But the Chinese government’s daily tally of new infections and deaths from the virus has declined steadily since Feb. 12.

On Tuesday, the authorities reported that in the previous 24 hours, 1,886 new cases had been confirmed — the first time since Jan. 30 that the number had dropped below 2,000 — and 98 patients had died. On Wednesday, the number of new infections reported by authorities was again below 2,000, with China recording 1,749 confirmed new cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the country’s total number of reported infections to 74,185.

With 136 deaths reported in Wednesday’s figures, the total number in China of those confirmed to have died from the virus surpassed 2,000, reaching 2,004.

Government officials, as well as public health experts around the world, said the numbers suggested that China’s aggressive measures to contain the epidemic were working. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, told Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain in a phone call on Tuesday that China was making “visible progress” in containing the epidemic, according to Chinese state media.

More than half the country’s population is under some limitations on its movements, and 150 million of its people face restrictions on leaving their homes, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

“Right now, the strategic and tactical approach in China is the correct one,” Dr. Michael Ryan, the W.H.O.’s chief of emergency response, said on Tuesday. “You can argue whether these measures are excessive or restrictive on people, but there is an awful lot at stake here in terms of public health — not only the public health of China but of all people in the world.”

China’s lockdown has slowed the spread of the virus from its epicenter, the city of Wuhan, to the rest of China by two to three days, and from China to the rest of the world by two to three weeks, W.H.O. officials said.

The organization’s endorsement of China’s methods was an apparent reversal from less than three weeks earlier, when it had advised against restrictions on travel and trade. Some health experts have condemned the restrictions, saying that they were preventing vital resources from getting where they were needed, and could instill panic.

Updated Feb. 10, 2020

What is a Coronavirus? It is a novel virus named for the crown-like spikes that protrude from its surface. The coronavirus can infect both animals and people, and can cause a range of respiratory illnesses from the common cold to more dangerous conditions like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

How contagious is the virus? According to preliminary research, it seems moderately infectious, similar to SARS, and is possibly transmitted through the air. Scientists have estimated that each infected person could spread it to somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 people without effective containment measures.

How worried should I be? While the virus is a serious public health concern, the risk to most people outside China remains very low, and seasonal flu is a more immediate threat.

Who is working to contain the virus? World Health Organization officials have praised China’s aggressive response to the virus by closing transportation, schools and markets. This week, a team of experts from the W.H.O. arrived in Beijing to offer assistance.

What if I’m traveling? The United States and Australia are temporarily denying entry to noncitizens who recently traveled to China and several airlines have canceled flights.

How do I keep myself and others safe? Washing your hands frequently is the most important thing you can do, along with staying at home when you’re sick.

Prof. Zhong Nanshan, a renowned respiratory disease expert in China, said on Monday that he expected the epidemic to peak in the country’s southern regions by mid- to late February, and the rest of the country to follow soon after.

But Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the W.H.O. director general, said on Monday that the apparent tapering of the spread in China “must be interpreted very cautiously.”

“It’s too early to tell if this reported decline will continue,” he said during a news conference in Geneva. “Every scenario is still on the table.”

Since Chinese officials first acknowledged the virus in December, it has been hard to judge with precision the severity and scale of the outbreak.

China has changed its criteria for diagnosis, prompting a large increase in reported infections and deaths last week. Tests for the virus have not been very accurate, and people who do not seek or receive medical care may not be counted. And people with mild or no symptoms may not realize they have the virus and may not get counted.

Initially, the cases reported outside mainland China were mostly among people who had recently visited there, but increasingly, they stem from contact in other countries.

The number of cases in Japan has spiked in recent days, most of them tied to a quarantined cruise ship that turned into a hotbed of transmission. Other case clusters have also turned up in Japan, but so far, the ship, the Diamond Princess, accounts for most of the cases worldwide outside of China — 542 as of Tuesday, an increase of 88 in one day.

On Monday, more than 300 American passengers on the ship were flown to the United States and placed in a two-week quarantine. Fourteen of them tested positive for the coronavirus shortly before leaving Japan, but were still allowed to board the flights. American officials had started the process of evacuating them home without knowing their test results.

Some of those passengers said on Tuesday they had been informed that a few more of them had tested positive for the virus since they arrived in the United States.

Also on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told more than 100 Americans who have been on the Diamond Princess they cannot return home for at least two more weeks, after it became clear that efforts to control the virus aboard the ship had been ineffective. The passengers include some who have tested positive for the virus and are hospitalized, and others still aboard the ship who have not shown signs of illness.

Japanese officials said they expected 500 people to be let off the ship on Wednesday. But they did not make it clear how they had concluded it was safe to release people, or how they had decided which passengers would leave, or who those people would be.

Cambodia has allowed more than a thousand passengers from another cruise ship, the Westerdam, to disembark without testing most of them. Hundreds of them flew out of the country, before one of them took ill and tested positive for the virus, raising fears of undetected cases and a further global spread.

The country’s authoritarian leader, Hun Sen, has continued to express complacency about the outbreak, even encouraging passengers from the Westerdam to go sightseeing in Cambodia.

“Cruise ships are the weak link in the containment,” said Prof. Raina MacIntyre, an expert in biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Citing the potential for future cruise ships to harbor the virus, she said, “we could lose control of the epidemic if we don’t get a tight handle on the cruise ship situation.”

There are other signs the outbreak’s global toll has not crested. The first coronavirus-related death outside of Asia was announced on Saturday, when a Chinese man died in France. Taiwan announced its first virus-related death on Sunday, marking the fifth fatality outside mainland China.

The economic cost of the outbreak, which has paralyzed China, the world’s second-largest economy, also continues to grow.

On Tuesday, HSBC, the London-based bank with deep roots in Hong Kong, said that it would cut 35,000 jobs over the next three years, in part because of the coronavirus outbreak.

President Moon Jae-in of South Korea warned on Tuesday that the outbreak in China is creating an “emergency” for the economy, saying his country could be one of the hardest hit.

If the virus starts to spread rapidly around the globe, it is unclear how other countries will respond. Few other governments have the power to clamp down as thoroughly as China, or even the desire.

The lockdown in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak started, has taken a heavy human toll, making it difficult for many to find medical care or care for sick loved ones. The countrywide restrictions create their own challenges, stranding employees away from their jobs and pummeling the economy.

“This is the issue,” said Professor Peiris. “It is not clear that this is something that is replicable, even in other parts of China.”

It’s a complicated calculation for China and the world. Though relaxed restrictions could revive the economy and ease fear and frustration, they could also lead to a resurgence of infections.

In recent days, the Chinese authorities, hoping to nudge the economy back to life, have urged migrant laborers to return to work. Hundreds of millions had left urban centers for the Lunar New Year holiday in January.

Officials in the Philippines said on Tuesday that they would allow Filipino migrant workers to return to Hong Kong and Macau, reversing an earlier ban on travel to those regions. (The bar to travel to China remains.)

“The battle’s not over, because the travel restrictions can’t last forever,” Professor MacIntyre said.

Reporting and research were contributed by Austin Ramzy, Isabella Kwai and Alexandra Stevenson in Hong Kong, Hannah Beech in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Choe Sang-Hun in Seoul, South Korea, Raymond Zhong and Lin Qiqing in Shanghai, Wang Yiwei in Beijing, Roni Caryn Rabin in New York, Richard C. Paddock in Jakarta, Indonesia, Motoko Rich in Tokyo and Daisuke Wakabayashi in San Francisco.

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/event/coronavirus-epidemic-keeps-growing-but-spread-in-china-slows/

[lindafrancois]

How Joe Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, Passed the Bar, and Got Engaged!

Talk about a life level up!

Meet Joe, an attorney from Minnesota who has been reading Nerd Fitness for the past 5-6 years. He attempted to get in shape 6-8 times in that span with various levels of temporary success, only to give back all of his progress each time.

However, over the past 10 months, Joe has become a man possessed – in a good way.

He’s gone from not being able to run for 60 seconds and plowing through fast food to losing 50 pounds, running a half-marathon on trails, passing the bar exam, and even getting engaged!

I LOVE Joe’s new mentality, and the insight he shared with me about all of the things that he surprised himself with since he began his this transformative journey.

I’m proud to say that Joe has been in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since January, and I’d love for you to check it out to see if it’s the right fit for you (and beat the January rush – we expect a long waiting list by then).

So why is today’s article is so important?

Because it was some brutal realizations and a specific decision that Joe made around this time last year that made him realize something needed to change!

I want you to be honest with yourself: It’s almost November. Are you 80+% of the way towards the goals you set for yourself back in January? Or are you already saying, “Meh, 2018 is a lost cause. I’ll try again next year.”

No! Wrong! Full stop!

There are still 2.5 months left in the year!

If you fell off the wagon or got stuck or never got started, Joe’s story will resonate with you.

Below, I’ll share Joe’s insights and lessons learned along with the way, along with key steps you can take starting today to break out of a rut and level up!

Go Joe!

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds AND Leveled Up His Life

STEVE: Hey Joe! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me – I’d love to hear from you about your past – how many times had you tried to get in shape before this most recent success?

JOE: I had tried to lose weight at least eight times.

Every single time, I tried it on my own because I think I felt like, “If I can’t do this on my own, then what’s the point?”

Here are the most memorable:

Attempt #1: I wasn’t particularly overweight back in college, but I felt like I should try to be more careful about what I ate. I tried calorie counting by itself, but that led to extreme dieting on my part.

Attempt #2: I tried doing the Paleo Diet and lost weight rapidly, only to put all the weight back on immediately after I stopped because I couldn’t maintain eating so little each day.

Attempt #3:  I tried to force myself into running by waking up one morning and going for a two-mile run; obviously I didn’t make it, and I just felt so damn dejected afterwards that I struggled to do anything.

Attempt #4: I re-tried the running approach (starting smaller), and it actually worked…for about two weeks. I was running a bit each day, and I started feeling the positive effects. In the long run (pun intended?), however, I just got tired and had nothing really pushing me to keep going, so I stopped.

Attempt #5: When I tried picking up weightlifting, I planned out three weeks of workouts, and generally did them. But after those three workouts, I didn’t plan out any more workouts and I just stopped again.

Following that, I started a long build-up of weight gain and unhealthy habits. As a law student, I had long hours of class and many hours of homework in the evenings. When I needed to go get food, I would eat at restaurants like Subway, Leeann Chin, or other fast food.

This eventually resulted in me reaching my heaviest weight ever right around December 2017.

STEVE: Okay so fast forward to this past fall. You had been reading Nerd Fitness for 5 years, why did you finally take action?

JOE: Overall, in the past I think I lacked motivation for a few reasons:

I didn’t have any real drive to change myself.

I thought that if I couldn’t do things on my own, I was a failure as a person.

Three things pushed me over the edge, and specifically towards Nerd Fitness’s one-on-one coaching.

The first thing was my “wake up” moment:

Over Christmas break in my last year of law school (December 2017 – pictured), I was on vacation participating in one of my hobbies–scuba diving.

While underwater, I went through my air tank almost 40% faster than everyone else I was diving with. In other words, I had to surface WAY BEFORE everyone else and I was just sitting on the surface waiting.

Alone.

I had let myself get to the point where I could no longer do the things I wanted to do.

I couldn’t ignore my weight gain anymore. I knew something had to change or else I wasn’t going to be happy moving forward.

The second thing was an email from you, Steve.

I had been on the Nerd Fitness email list for years because I had been following the website for awhile. I didn’t really do anything serious due to the issues I listed above.

Right around Christmas, you sent out an email talking about how it was likely that many people reading the email had not made a real change — that they had not followed through on their “New Year Resolutions—and may be in an even worse position than they were at the beginning of the prior year.”

I realized that was me. I hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t really even tried to change, even though I knew I should have. And that email re-oriented me to thinking about HOW I could change.

STEVE: I remember writing that email, because I almost didn’t send it! However, we’re a site dedicated to helping people, and oftentimes that requires tough love. I’m glad that message resonated with you.

So what made you decide to try out NF Coaching? What pushed you over the edge to make the investment?

JOE: I figured that my problem might be motivation and accountability (see above).

I also knew I trusted the Nerd Fitness website because I had been receiving emails from you for years.

Never once did you try to sell me a “quick fix” or a “get in shape fast” program.

You never suggested that losing weight would be unrealistically simple or easy; you were always down to earth about the fact that it takes time and focus. I liked that. It felt like a non-BS approach.

So I decided to schedule a free call to learn about the program and ended up signing up!

STEVE: That’s great man. If I remember correctly I was actually the one who spoke with you on the phone! And I know you’ve been working with Staci as your coach for the past 10 months.

What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?

JOE: I still sit a lot, but now I’m aware of it. As an attorney, you spend a lot of time in an office doing a lot of reading, researching, and writing. So now I get up a lot more, take a quick spin around the office and say hi to coworkers.

Some days, depending on the weather (and even in the cold!) I will go for a run over the lunch hour to get my workout done earlier in the day.

It’s not necessarily that day-to-day activities have necessarily changed that much; it’s more like I’m aware of what those activities really are, and try to mix up them up whenever I can.

STEVE: Tell me about the workout program Staci built for you. 

JOE: I live in an apartment complex with a small gym; that helped a lot – (though given what Coach Staci has set up, I don’t think a gym is even necessary half the time).

Because I had the gym, most of my workouts were bodyweight and free-weight (dumbbell) exercises. Staci also worked in cardio on days between strength training. Also, I can’t stress this enough: she started with manageable workouts and slowly built up. My first “workout” in the program? A five-minute walk.

Now I can run 30x as long.

On the running, Staci was a huge help. Back in March, I told her about a 5K race in July that I had tried and failed to run in the past. In fact, I hurt myself pretty bad because again I was trying to do too much all at once.

I told her that I wanted to slowly build up to it, so she started changing my then-30 minute walks into “run 1 minute, walk three minute” cycles. Over time, she helped me build up muscle and endurance. I crushed the 5k, completing it faster than I had ever run anything in my life.

That helped me understand what I could be capable of.

Two and half weeks later, I ran a 10K.

Just this past Saturday, I ran a half marathon on trails in a giant park near where I live because after all this time I felt like trying to see how far I could run.

I cannot believe that in ten months, I went from being unable to run for a full minute to running for over two hours on hills and trails. I honestly don’t think I would have ever reached where I am now without Staci’s constant encouragement and guidance.

Here’s a picture of me right after that run, look how happy I am!

STEVE: I love this so much. Congratulations on the success so far, man. Talk to us about your nutrition! We know here in NF that nutrition is 80% of the equation.

JOE: This was the hardest part for me, because I was eating like I was a kid: fast food, sweets, etc.

When I did cook, it was simple things that often had loads of fat (i.e. five grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting, with dessert).

I was also really hesitant to do the Paleo diet, or try something like the Keto diet, or Mediterranean, or calorie counting again because, as I mentioned before, some of these methods hadn’t really worked for me in the past.

Staci helped me by providing basic advice on eating healthy – diagrams of ideal “plates” of food for dinner (with portion sizing).

To avoid calorie counting, she had me send her pictures of everything I was eating through the Nerd Fitness Coaching App, which really enhanced the accountability aspect of eating healthy because I didn’t hyper-focus on my food.

Over time, my habits slowly adjusted to become healthier.

I also have my now-fiancé to thank for being extremely supportive in helping me eat healthy.

I eventually transitioned to using MyFitnessPal to count calories after I started seeing results because I wanted to understand more about my food choices. That helped a lot.

Training has taught me that eating healthier leaves me feeling better overall. It literally made it easier to say no to bad options, and choose healthier options.

For example, I no longer drink coffee with cream or sugar. When stopping at gas stations on the road, I buy a banana and a string cheese stick if I’m hungry. Small changes.

STEVE: What was the most important change you think you made?

JOE: Doing something, and admitting to myself that I needed help on what to do.

I wanted to change so badly, but I just kept failing.

It got to the point where my family sort of anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t maintain my attempts at weight loss.

I knew I had to do something, and this program ended up working out beautifully.

STEVE: Your physical appearance has changed…what else has changed about you? A little birdie (your coach) told me you got engaged this past weekend!

JOE: I did get engaged! That has been an extremely welcome change, as has the physical appearance differences.

More than anything, I feel… light.

When people suggest walking from one place to another, I don’t worry about it.

When someone suggests going hiking, I am up for it.

When my family wants to do a project, I know that physically I won’t have any problems.

Overall, my mental attitude about what I can do has changed immensely. Also, as I told you at the beginning Steve, I wanted to look good in a suit. Now I think I look pretty damn good in a suit.

The speakers line at 4:25­—“Accept where you are, and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go”—has become a bit of a mantra for me.

I had to accept where I was in terms of weight gain, and shoulder the responsibility, with Staci’s help, of getting to a different place.

STEVE: What are your goals moving forward? What kind of awesomeness do you want to do in your new body?

JOE: I want to run a marathon: 26.2 miles.

I have always had that as a long term goal, but I’m realizing that it may be within my grasp a bit sooner than expected.

I would also like a six pack, but hey… that takes time haha.

I’ve noticed a few opportunities online to run some races in national parks, so I’ve looked at those too.

One thing you will notice when you run a lot is that you tend to want to change up the scenery a little bit; running through Grand Teton National Park sounds pretty amazing, and there are some companies that organize relatively inexpensive races in those areas for runners interested in mixing it up.

I would like to explore those options.

STEVE: What makes NF Coaching a worthy investment for you each month? I know it’s a big investment, and many would just be “done,” but you’re here 10 months later – and counting! 

JOE: The 1-on-1 coaching program plans out long-term change for me—the workouts, the habit changes, the healthy eating—so that all I have to focus on is doing it.

And yup, the “doing” part certainly isn’t easy…

But when someone is encouraging you, guiding you, texting you regularly, and helping you understand how to integrate healthy changes into your own unique lifestyle and day-to-day activities, actually DOING the program becomes much easier than you would think.

Every single time I do a workout, I get better.

Every time I eat healthy, I can feel a difference (even if its very slight).

Because of that, I don’t sweat the cost because I know that the money I would have been spending on unhealthy habits like fast food, eating out, and sweets is going towards making me a happier, healthier person.

Plus, the whole Nerd Fitness team is amazing:

I have spoken with several individuals on the team (whether through the phone or over the internet) and I can’t stress enough that they want you to make it. They actually care if you succeed.

Yes, NF is a business. Yes, Team Nerd Fitness has to make money to function.

But I’ve never seen a fitness company so oriented around its clients like this one.

On a simpler note, the results speak for themselves: I have almost hit 50lbs of weight loss. Clearly, the Nerd Fitness approach works.

And you know what the best part is? Every time I eat healthier or do a workout, I feel good about it.

There is no regret, no exasperation, and no sense of boredom or repetitiveness.

The coaches are good about teaching you healthy habits and principles to the point where you want to do them simply because they work for you, and you feel better because of them.

Steve: Damn dude, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel about the team we’ve built. Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for people reading this who are at where you were last fall? What can you say to those people to help themselves make changes?

Joe: Accept where you are right now, on Day One. You can’t change it, but it’s a starting point. And then take responsibility for where you want to go.

I was overweight, obese, dejected, upset, and worried about my relationship. But every single day I did something (whether eating healthy, working out, or both), the struggle became a little easier.

As that video I reference above says, “Accept where you are and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go.”

As long as I was working on making myself stronger, faster, and healthier, then I could accept where I am now.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t give up. Know that even if I don’t know who you are, or where you are, I am right there with you. We all are right there with you.

Steve: What would you say to somebody who is interested but unsure about trying Nerd Fitness Coaching?

Joe: What do you have to lose?

Seriously!

Don’t just read that and move on. Stop and think about it.

My guess is you said time, money, or some variation of “lost hope” if it doesn’t work.

Regarding time, all this program is going to do is add time to your life. And any time you “lose” working out is probably better spent doing the workouts, at least for long term health.

With respect to money, if you are anything like I was at the start of the program, my guess is you probably are already spending the money that it would cost for this program on fast food and other unhealthy habits during the month anyway.

Would you rather change your life, or have one more fast food meal?

If you are worried about losing hope or motivation for a change, do the program and TALK TO YOUR COACH. They are there to keep your drive alive, and to help you understand that the time and energy required to see change is manageable.

You can cancel at anytime, although I don’t want to.

At the end of the day, what do you have to lose?

On the flip side, just imagine how good you will feel if it works? If you can commit and change your life?

Take the time to “accept where you are” and shoulder the responsibility necessary to make that change for the better. Everyone at Nerd Fitness believes you can do it. I believe you can do it. The only person standing in your way is you.

I know my answers to some of these questions may seem long, but if it results in even one person changing their life like I have, I’ll be happy.

Steve: Joe, can I hire you as Nerd Fitness’s hype person? Ha! Seriously though, thank you for sharing these answers with the NF Rebellion

The 5 Keys to Joe’s Weight Loss and Level Up Success!

I’ve been following Joe’s story for the past 10 months, getting regular updates from his coach Staci, and I tried to distill his success down into a few bite-sized words of wisdom you can take with you today:

#1 JOE NEVER GAVE UP

This is a dude who’s been reading Nerd Fitness emails for 5 years! He tried calorie counting. He tried Paleo. He tried running. He tried weight lifting. Nothing stuck.

Joe finally found a good enough reason to change his life: he was unable to do the activities he wanted to do because of his weight, and something needed to change.

Thank goodness Joe stayed a part of Nerd Fitness for years until the right message hit him at the right time in his life, and he was ready to take action.

You’re here reading this, which means no matter where you’re at and how far off the wagon you’ve fallen, you’re reading this and that’s amazing. Thank you for being here!

Even if you failed 100 times getting in shape in the past, the right message hasn’t hit you at the right time. Keep trying. Keep reading. Maybe today can be the spark that lights the fire for YOUR story – that I can share next year 🙂

#2 JOE GAVE HIMSELF PERMISSION TO SEEK HELP

I can relate so much to Joe’s previous mentality, and I bet you can too: “I didn’t realize that asking for help was okay.” I too spent a decade training myself because I thought it would make me less of a person if I needed somebody’s help to succeed.

It wasn’t until I realized that the best athletes and top performers on the planet have coaches too – and that’s the same conclusion Joe came to.

Not only is asking for help smart, not only is hiring a coach wise, but for many (myself, Joe, and for most people), having guidance and accountability is the difference between “Holy crap my life is completely different” success, and “oh man, where did the year go? Another year of not succeeding” failure.

Having a coach doesn’t make you weak. It makes you smart.

#3 JOE FOUND EXERCISE THAT EXCITED HIM

Although Joe had tried running and strength training in the past, neither stuck.

It wasn’t until this recent attempt that he gave running another chance, and with the proper motivation, accountability, guidance, and a plan built for his life that it actually stuck. You have the find the exercise that works for you – or it won’t stick.

I asked Joe what the old Joe would be surprised to learn about the New Joe:

“Apparently, I like running. The old me would have laughed at that idea. If I told the old me that I ran for two and half hours last Saturday, I’m sure the old me would have called bullcrap and got up and left. But it’s true. You never know what you are capable of until you try.”

#4 JOE HAD SKIN IN THE GAME

This was Joe’s 9th attempt (at least) at getting in shape. He had tried strict dieting and going ALL IN multiple times in the past.

He had tried building his own workout programs and creating his own running routines – he did all of this for free, and I’m not surprised that the results didn’t last.

Why? Because he didn’t have any skin in the game! Simply put: we value what we spend our money on, and we don’t value what we get for free.

On this effort, Joe had tried the “Do it Myself” path for YEARS and failed, so this time he knew he would have to try a different approach.

Joe had invested his hard earned money in his health with coaching, so he actually took this attempt seriously.

How are you investing in yourself? Coaching, a gym membership, investing more in higher quality food, or even just investing your time into research if money is tight!

But you are worth the investment!

#5 JOE IS ENJOYING HIS JOURNEY

This is a lifelong journey.

You can’t expect to go on a diet for a few weeks or months to reach a goal weight and then go “back to normal.” Temporary changes equal temporary results.

If you never get to be “done,” you better enjoy the journey, right?

Notice the wording Joe uses above: “

So if you are gonna get in shape, focus on the process. As we say in NF: focus on days and years, not weeks and months. Just do the thing today that needs to get done:

Where Will You Be 10 Months from Now? Don’t Wait Until January!

If you’re still reading this, I want you to know I’m damn proud of you for even trying. I’m thankful you’re in our little community here on the internet, and I’m quite excited for your future.

Not only that, but I’m proud of you for what you’re going to do today.

MOST people have already given up on 2018. They’re going to dig themselves into a deeper, bigger hole over the next 2.5 months, and they’re going to wake up in January 50 yards farther away from the starting line than they are today.

BUT NOT YOU!

Why?

Because you’re gonna be like Joe:

Never give up. Keep reading. Keep trying. But try something DIFFERENT this time. Don’t do the same thing you did the last time. Don’t just “try to lose weight” and “go on a diet.” Be deliberate in your attempt!

Give yourself permission to seek help. Whether it’s coaching or asking somebody who has lost weight in the way you want to, ask them for guidance! I’ve been working with a coach myself for 4+ years now!

Find the exercise that works for you. It might be running. Or hiking. Or strength training. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it!

Have some skin in the game. You don’t value things you get for free nearly as much as things that you spent your hard earned money on! Invest in yourself!

Enjoy the journey. You don’t get to be done,

And today, you’re gonna do literally ANYTHING:

Go for a 5 minute walk. That was Joe’s first workout in the NF Coaching program. 10 months later he’s down 50 pounds and running trail half-marathons and EXCITED ABOUT IT.

Try our Beginner Bodyweight Workout.

Eat a vegetable. Yes, even if you hate them.

If you’re interested in being coached and having a program built for your exact situation, we’d love to chat with ya. 

Like we did we Joe, we speak with everybody on the phone that is interested in the coaching program – we want to know people’s stories, learn about their struggles, and then decide together if our program can help!

If you want professional guidance, a custom built workout program tailored to your specific goals, and expert accountability and motivation from Team NF, schedule a call with our team by clicking in the box below:

To wrap it all up:

Start.

Today.

Don’t wait until January. Don’t “go on hold” during the Holidays – this is when everybody messes up and loses all their gains from the previous 10 months.

Get the habits and start small now, and then you’ll have routine and momentum down pat come January! I want to hear from you:

What’s the ONE thing you’re going to do today?

Me: I’m gonna hit the gym and work on my deadlifts!

-Steve

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How Joe Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, Passed the Bar, and Got Engaged! published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[joshuabradleyn]

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, and Got Engaged!

Talk about a life level up!

Meet Joe, an attorney from Minnesota who has been reading Nerd Fitness for the past 5-6 years. He attempted to get in shape 6-8 times in that span with various levels of temporary success, only to give back all of his progress each time.

However, over the past 10 months, Joe has become a man possessed – in a good way.

He’s gone from not being able to run for 60 seconds and plowing through fast food to losing 50 pounds, running a half-marathon on trails, passing the bar exam, and even getting engaged!

I LOVE Joe’s new mentality, and the insight he shared with me about all of the things that he surprised himself with since he began his this transformative journey.

I’m proud to say that Joe has been in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since January, and I’d love for you to check it out to see if it’s the right fit for you (and beat the January rush – we expect a long waiting list by then).

So why is today’s article is so important?

Because it was some brutal realizations and a specific decision that Joe made around this time last year that made him realize something needed to change!

I want you to be honest with yourself: It’s almost November. Are you 80+% of the way towards the goals you set for yourself back in January? Or are you already saying, “Meh, 2018 is a lost cause. I’ll try again next year.”

No! Wrong! Full stop!

There are still 2.5 months left in the year!

If you fell off the wagon or got stuck or never got started, Joe’s story will resonate with you.

Below, I’ll share Joe’s insights and lessons learned along with the way, along with key steps you can take starting today to break out of a rut and level up!

Go Joe!

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds AND Leveled Up His Life

STEVE: Hey Joe! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me – I’d love to hear from you about your past – how many times had you tried to get in shape before this most recent success?

JOE: I had tried to lose weight at least eight times.

Every single time, I tried it on my own because I think I felt like, “If I can’t do this on my own, then what’s the point?”

Here are the most memorable:

Attempt #1: I wasn’t particularly overweight back in college, but I felt like I should try to be more careful about what I ate. I tried calorie counting by itself, but that led to extreme dieting on my part.

Attempt #2: I tried doing the Paleo Diet and lost weight rapidly, only to put all the weight back on immediately after I stopped because I couldn’t maintain eating so little each day.

Attempt #3:  I tried to force myself into running by waking up one morning and going for a two-mile run; obviously I didn’t make it, and I just felt so damn dejected afterwards that I struggled to do anything.

Attempt #4: I re-tried the running approach (starting smaller), and it actually worked…for about two weeks. I was running a bit each day, and I started feeling the positive effects. In the long run (pun intended?), however, I just got tired and had nothing really pushing me to keep going, so I stopped.

Attempt #5: When I tried picking up weightlifting, I planned out three weeks of workouts, and generally did them. But after those three workouts, I didn’t plan out any more workouts and I just stopped again.

Following that, I started a long build-up of weight gain and unhealthy habits. As a law student, I had long hours of class and many hours of homework in the evenings. When I needed to go get food, I would eat at restaurants like Subway, Leeann Chin, or other fast food.

This eventually resulted in me reaching my heaviest weight ever right around December 2017.

STEVE: Okay so fast forward to this past fall. You had been reading Nerd Fitness for 5 years, why did you finally take action?

JOE: Overall, in the past I think I lacked motivation for a few reasons:

I didn’t have any real drive to change myself.

I thought that if I couldn’t do things on my own, I was a failure as a person.

Three things pushed me over the edge, and specifically towards Nerd Fitness’s one-on-one coaching.

The first thing was my “wake up” moment:

Over Christmas break in my last year of law school (December 2017 – pictured), I was on vacation participating in one of my hobbies–scuba diving.

While underwater, I went through my air tank almost 40% faster than everyone else I was diving with. In other words, I had to surface WAY BEFORE everyone else and I was just sitting on the surface waiting.

Alone.

I had let myself get to the point where I could no longer do the things I wanted to do.

I couldn’t ignore my weight gain anymore. I knew something had to change or else I wasn’t going to be happy moving forward.

The second thing was an email from you, Steve.

I had been on the Nerd Fitness email list for years because I had been following the website for awhile. I didn’t really do anything serious due to the issues I listed above.

Right around Christmas, you sent out an email talking about how it was likely that many people reading the email had not made a real change — that they had not followed through on their “New Year Resolutions—and may be in an even worse position than they were at the beginning of the prior year.”

I realized that was me. I hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t really even tried to change, even though I knew I should have. And that email re-oriented me to thinking about HOW I could change.

STEVE: I remember writing that email, because I almost didn’t send it! However, we’re a site dedicated to helping people, and oftentimes that requires tough love. I’m glad that message resonated with you.

So what made you decide to try out NF Coaching? What pushed you over the edge to make the investment?

JOE: I figured that my problem might be motivation and accountability (see above).

I also knew I trusted the Nerd Fitness website because I had been receiving emails from you for years.

Never once did you try to sell me a “quick fix” or a “get in shape fast” program.

You never suggested that losing weight would be unrealistically simple or easy; you were always down to earth about the fact that it takes time and focus. I liked that. It felt like a non-BS approach.

So I decided to schedule a free call to learn about the program and ended up signing up!

STEVE: That’s great man. If I remember correctly I was actually the one who spoke with you on the phone! And I know you’ve been working with Staci as your coach for the past 10 months.

What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?

JOE: I still sit a lot, but now I’m aware of it. As an attorney, you spend a lot of time in an office doing a lot of reading, researching, and writing. So now I get up a lot more, take a quick spin around the office and say hi to coworkers.

Some days, depending on the weather (and even in the cold!) I will go for a run over the lunch hour to get my workout done earlier in the day.

It’s not necessarily that day-to-day activities have necessarily changed that much; it’s more like I’m aware of what those activities really are, and try to mix up them up whenever I can.

STEVE: Tell me about the workout program Staci built for you. 

JOE: I live in an apartment complex with a small gym; that helped a lot – (though given what Coach Staci has set up, I don’t think a gym is even necessary half the time).

Because I had the gym, most of my workouts were bodyweight and free-weight (dumbbell) exercises. Staci also worked in cardio on days between strength training. Also, I can’t stress this enough: she started with manageable workouts and slowly built up. My first “workout” in the program? A five-minute walk.

Now I can run 30x as long.

On the running, Staci was a huge help. Back in March, I told her about a 5K race in July that I had tried and failed to run in the past. In fact, I hurt myself pretty bad because again I was trying to do too much all at once.

I told her that I wanted to slowly build up to it, so she started changing my then-30 minute walks into “run 1 minute, walk three minute” cycles. Over time, she helped me build up muscle and endurance. I crushed the 5k, completing it faster than I had ever run anything in my life.

That helped me understand what I could be capable of.

Two and half weeks later, I ran a 10K.

Just this past Saturday, I ran a half marathon on trails in a giant park near where I live because after all this time I felt like trying to see how far I could run.

I cannot believe that in ten months, I went from being unable to run for a full minute to running for over two hours on hills and trails. I honestly don’t think I would have ever reached where I am now without Staci’s constant encouragement and guidance.

Here’s a picture of me right after that run, look how happy I am!

STEVE: I love this so much. Congratulations on the success so far, man. Talk to us about your nutrition! We know here in NF that nutrition is 80% of the equation.

JOE: This was the hardest part for me, because I was eating like I was a kid: fast food, sweets, etc.

When I did cook, it was simple things that often had loads of fat (i.e. five grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting, with dessert).

I was also really hesitant to do the Paleo diet, or try something like the Keto diet, or Mediterranean, or calorie counting again because, as I mentioned before, some of these methods hadn’t really worked for me in the past.

Staci helped me by providing basic advice on eating healthy – diagrams of ideal “plates” of food for dinner (with portion sizing).

To avoid calorie counting, she had me send her pictures of everything I was eating through the Nerd Fitness Coaching App, which really enhanced the accountability aspect of eating healthy because I didn’t hyper-focus on my food.

Over time, my habits slowly adjusted to become healthier. I also have my now-fiancé to thank for being extremely supportive in helping me eat healthy.

I eventually transitioned to using MyFitnessPal to count calories after I started seeing results because I wanted to understand more about my food choices. That helped a lot.

Training has taught me that eating healthier leaves me feeling better overall. It literally made it easier to say no to bad options, and choose healthier options.

For example, I no longer drink coffee with cream or sugar. When stopping at gas stations on the road, I buy a banana and a string cheese stick if I’m hungry. Small changes.

STEVE: What was the most important change you think you made?

JOE: Doing something, and admitting to myself that I needed help on what to do.

I wanted to change so badly, but I just kept failing.

It got to the point where my family sort of anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t maintain my attempts at weight loss.

I knew I had to do something, and this program ended up working out beautifully.

STEVE: Your physical appearance has changed…what else has changed about you? You got engaged!

JOE: I did get engaged – very recently! That has been an extremely welcome change, as has the physical appearance differences.

More than anything, I feel… light.

When people suggest walking from one place to another, I don’t worry about it.

When someone suggests going hiking, I am up for it.

When my family wants to do a project, I know that physically I won’t have any problems.

Overall, my mental attitude about what I can do has changed immensely. Also, as I told you at the beginning Steve, I wanted to look good in a suit. Now I think I look pretty damn good in a suit.

The speakers line at 4:25­—“Accept where you are, and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go”—has become a bit of a mantra for me.

I had to accept where I was in terms of weight gain, and shoulder the responsibility, with Staci’s help, of getting to a different place.

STEVE: What are your goals moving forward? What kind of awesomeness do you want to do in your new body?

JOE: I want to run a marathon: 26.2 miles.

I have always had that as a long term goal, but I’m realizing that it may be within my grasp a bit sooner than expected.

I would also like a six pack, but hey… that takes time haha.

I’ve noticed a few opportunities online to run some races in national parks, so I’ve looked at those too.

One thing you will notice when you run a lot is that you tend to want to change up the scenery a little bit; running through Grand Teton National Park sounds pretty amazing, and there are some companies that organize relatively inexpensive races in those areas for runners interested in mixing it up.

I would like to explore those options.

STEVE: What makes NF Coaching a worthy investment for you each month? I know it’s a big investment, and many would just be “done,” but you’re here 10 months later – and counting! 

JOE: The 1-on-1 coaching program plans out long-term change for me—the workouts, the habit changes, the healthy eating—so that all I have to focus on is doing it.

And yup, the “doing” part certainly isn’t easy…

But when someone is encouraging you, guiding you, texting you regularly, and helping you understand how to integrate healthy changes into your own unique lifestyle and day-to-day activities, actually DOING the program becomes much easier than you would think.

Every single time I do a workout, I get better.

Every time I eat healthy, I can feel a difference (even if its very slight).

Because of that, I don’t sweat the cost because I know that the money I would have been spending on unhealthy habits like fast food, eating out, and sweets is going towards making me a happier, healthier person.

Plus, the whole Nerd Fitness team is amazing:

I have spoken with several individuals on the team (whether through the phone or over the internet) and I can’t stress enough that they want you to make it. They actually care if you succeed.

Yes, NF is a business. Yes, Team Nerd Fitness has to make money to function.

But I’ve never seen a fitness company so oriented around its clients like this one.

On a simpler note, the results speak for themselves: I have almost hit 50lbs of weight loss. Clearly, the Nerd Fitness approach works.

And you know what the best part is? Every time I eat healthier or do a workout, I feel good about it.

There is no regret, no exasperation, and no sense of boredom or repetitiveness.

The coaches are good about teaching you healthy habits and principles to the point where you want to do them simply because they work for you, and you feel better because of them.

Steve: Damn dude, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel about the team we’ve built. Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for people reading this who are at where you were last fall? What can you say to those people to help themselves make changes?

Joe: Accept where you are right now, on Day One. You can’t change it, but it’s a starting point. And then take responsibility for where you want to go.

I was overweight, obese, dejected, upset, and worried about my relationship. But every single day I did something (whether eating healthy, working out, or both), the struggle became a little easier.

As that video I reference above says, “Accept where you are and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go.”

As long as I was working on making myself stronger, faster, and healthier, then I could accept where I am now.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t give up. Know that even if I don’t know who you are, or where you are, I am right there with you. We all are right there with you.

Steve: What would you say to somebody who is interested but unsure about trying Nerd Fitness Coaching?

Joe: What do you have to lose?

Seriously!

Don’t just read that and move on. Stop and think about it.

My guess is you said time, money, or some variation of “lost hope” if it doesn’t work.

Regarding time, all this program is going to do is add time to your life. And any time you “lose” working out is probably better spent doing the workouts, at least for long term health.

With respect to money, if you are anything like I was at the start of the program, my guess is you probably are already spending the money that it would cost for this program on fast food and other unhealthy habits during the month anyway.

Would you rather change your life, or have one more fast food meal?

If you are worried about losing hope or motivation for a change, do the program and TALK TO YOUR COACH. They are there to keep your drive alive, and to help..

https://ift.tt/2C6FoAU

[johnclapperne]

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, and Got Engaged!

Talk about a life level up!

Meet Joe, an attorney from Minnesota who has been reading Nerd Fitness for the past 5-6 years. He attempted to get in shape 6-8 times in that span with various levels of temporary success, only to give back all of his progress each time.

However, over the past 10 months, Joe has become a man possessed – in a good way.

He’s gone from not being able to run for 60 seconds and plowing through fast food to losing 50 pounds, running a half-marathon on trails, passing the bar exam, and even getting engaged!

I LOVE Joe’s new mentality, and the insight he shared with me about all of the things that he surprised himself with since he began his this transformative journey.

I’m proud to say that Joe has been in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since January, and I’d love for you to check it out to see if it’s the right fit for you (and beat the January rush – we expect a long waiting list by then).

So why is today’s article is so important?

Because it was some brutal realizations and a specific decision that Joe made around this time last year that made him realize something needed to change!

I want you to be honest with yourself: It’s almost November. Are you 80+% of the way towards the goals you set for yourself back in January? Or are you already saying, “Meh, 2018 is a lost cause. I’ll try again next year.”

No! Wrong! Full stop!

There are still 2.5 months left in the year!

If you fell off the wagon or got stuck or never got started, Joe’s story will resonate with you.

Below, I’ll share Joe’s insights and lessons learned along with the way, along with key steps you can take starting today to break out of a rut and level up!

Go Joe!

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds AND Leveled Up His Life

STEVE: Hey Joe! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me – I’d love to hear from you about your past – how many times had you tried to get in shape before this most recent success?

JOE: I had tried to lose weight at least eight times.

Every single time, I tried it on my own because I think I felt like, “If I can’t do this on my own, then what’s the point?”

Here are the most memorable:

Attempt #1: I wasn’t particularly overweight back in college, but I felt like I should try to be more careful about what I ate. I tried calorie counting by itself, but that led to extreme dieting on my part.

Attempt #2: I tried doing the Paleo Diet and lost weight rapidly, only to put all the weight back on immediately after I stopped because I couldn’t maintain eating so little each day.

Attempt #3:  I tried to force myself into running by waking up one morning and going for a two-mile run; obviously I didn’t make it, and I just felt so damn dejected afterwards that I struggled to do anything.

Attempt #4: I re-tried the running approach (starting smaller), and it actually worked…for about two weeks. I was running a bit each day, and I started feeling the positive effects. In the long run (pun intended?), however, I just got tired and had nothing really pushing me to keep going, so I stopped.

Attempt #5: When I tried picking up weightlifting, I planned out three weeks of workouts, and generally did them. But after those three workouts, I didn’t plan out any more workouts and I just stopped again.

Following that, I started a long build-up of weight gain and unhealthy habits. As a law student, I had long hours of class and many hours of homework in the evenings. When I needed to go get food, I would eat at restaurants like Subway, Leeann Chin, or other fast food.

This eventually resulted in me reaching my heaviest weight ever right around December 2017.

STEVE: Okay so fast forward to this past fall. You had been reading Nerd Fitness for 5 years, why did you finally take action?

JOE: Overall, in the past I think I lacked motivation for a few reasons:

I didn’t have any real drive to change myself.

I thought that if I couldn’t do things on my own, I was a failure as a person.

Three things pushed me over the edge, and specifically towards Nerd Fitness’s one-on-one coaching.

The first thing was my “wake up” moment:

Over Christmas break in my last year of law school (December 2017 – pictured), I was on vacation participating in one of my hobbies–scuba diving.

While underwater, I went through my air tank almost 40% faster than everyone else I was diving with. In other words, I had to surface WAY BEFORE everyone else and I was just sitting on the surface waiting.

Alone.

I had let myself get to the point where I could no longer do the things I wanted to do.

I couldn’t ignore my weight gain anymore. I knew something had to change or else I wasn’t going to be happy moving forward.

The second thing was an email from you, Steve.

I had been on the Nerd Fitness email list for years because I had been following the website for awhile. I didn’t really do anything serious due to the issues I listed above.

Right around Christmas, you sent out an email talking about how it was likely that many people reading the email had not made a real change — that they had not followed through on their “New Year Resolutions—and may be in an even worse position than they were at the beginning of the prior year.”

I realized that was me. I hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t really even tried to change, even though I knew I should have. And that email re-oriented me to thinking about HOW I could change.

STEVE: I remember writing that email, because I almost didn’t send it! However, we’re a site dedicated to helping people, and oftentimes that requires tough love. I’m glad that message resonated with you.

So what made you decide to try out NF Coaching? What pushed you over the edge to make the investment?

JOE: I figured that my problem might be motivation and accountability (see above).

I also knew I trusted the Nerd Fitness website because I had been receiving emails from you for years.

Never once did you try to sell me a “quick fix” or a “get in shape fast” program.

You never suggested that losing weight would be unrealistically simple or easy; you were always down to earth about the fact that it takes time and focus. I liked that. It felt like a non-BS approach.

So I decided to schedule a free call to learn about the program and ended up signing up!

STEVE: That’s great man. If I remember correctly I was actually the one who spoke with you on the phone! And I know you’ve been working with Staci as your coach for the past 10 months.

What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?

JOE: I still sit a lot, but now I’m aware of it. As an attorney, you spend a lot of time in an office doing a lot of reading, researching, and writing. So now I get up a lot more, take a quick spin around the office and say hi to coworkers.

Some days, depending on the weather (and even in the cold!) I will go for a run over the lunch hour to get my workout done earlier in the day.

It’s not necessarily that day-to-day activities have necessarily changed that much; it’s more like I’m aware of what those activities really are, and try to mix up them up whenever I can.

STEVE: Tell me about the workout program Staci built for you. 

JOE: I live in an apartment complex with a small gym; that helped a lot – (though given what Coach Staci has set up, I don’t think a gym is even necessary half the time).

Because I had the gym, most of my workouts were bodyweight and free-weight (dumbbell) exercises. Staci also worked in cardio on days between strength training. Also, I can’t stress this enough: she started with manageable workouts and slowly built up. My first “workout” in the program? A five-minute walk.

Now I can run 30x as long.

On the running, Staci was a huge help. Back in March, I told her about a 5K race in July that I had tried and failed to run in the past. In fact, I hurt myself pretty bad because again I was trying to do too much all at once.

I told her that I wanted to slowly build up to it, so she started changing my then-30 minute walks into “run 1 minute, walk three minute” cycles. Over time, she helped me build up muscle and endurance. I crushed the 5k, completing it faster than I had ever run anything in my life.

That helped me understand what I could be capable of.

Two and half weeks later, I ran a 10K.

Just this past Saturday, I ran a half marathon on trails in a giant park near where I live because after all this time I felt like trying to see how far I could run.

I cannot believe that in ten months, I went from being unable to run for a full minute to running for over two hours on hills and trails. I honestly don’t think I would have ever reached where I am now without Staci’s constant encouragement and guidance.

Here’s a picture of me right after that run, look how happy I am!

STEVE: I love this so much. Congratulations on the success so far, man. Talk to us about your nutrition! We know here in NF that nutrition is 80% of the equation.

JOE: This was the hardest part for me, because I was eating like I was a kid: fast food, sweets, etc.

When I did cook, it was simple things that often had loads of fat (i.e. five grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting, with dessert).

I was also really hesitant to do the Paleo diet, or try something like the Keto diet, or Mediterranean, or calorie counting again because, as I mentioned before, some of these methods hadn’t really worked for me in the past.

Staci helped me by providing basic advice on eating healthy – diagrams of ideal “plates” of food for dinner (with portion sizing).

To avoid calorie counting, she had me send her pictures of everything I was eating through the Nerd Fitness Coaching App, which really enhanced the accountability aspect of eating healthy because I didn’t hyper-focus on my food.

Over time, my habits slowly adjusted to become healthier. I also have my now-fiancé to thank for being extremely supportive in helping me eat healthy.

I eventually transitioned to using MyFitnessPal to count calories after I started seeing results because I wanted to understand more about my food choices. That helped a lot.

Training has taught me that eating healthier leaves me feeling better overall. It literally made it easier to say no to bad options, and choose healthier options.

For example, I no longer drink coffee with cream or sugar. When stopping at gas stations on the road, I buy a banana and a string cheese stick if I’m hungry. Small changes.

STEVE: What was the most important change you think you made?

JOE: Doing something, and admitting to myself that I needed help on what to do.

I wanted to change so badly, but I just kept failing.

It got to the point where my family sort of anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t maintain my attempts at weight loss.

I knew I had to do something, and this program ended up working out beautifully.

STEVE: Your physical appearance has changed…what else has changed about you? You got engaged!

JOE: I did get engaged – very recently! That has been an extremely welcome change, as has the physical appearance differences.

More than anything, I feel… light.

When people suggest walking from one place to another, I don’t worry about it.

When someone suggests going hiking, I am up for it.

When my family wants to do a project, I know that physically I won’t have any problems.

Overall, my mental attitude about what I can do has changed immensely. Also, as I told you at the beginning Steve, I wanted to look good in a suit. Now I think I look pretty damn good in a suit.

The speakers line at 4:25­—“Accept where you are, and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go”—has become a bit of a mantra for me.

I had to accept where I was in terms of weight gain, and shoulder the responsibility, with Staci’s help, of getting to a different place.

STEVE: What are your goals moving forward? What kind of awesomeness do you want to do in your new body?

JOE: I want to run a marathon: 26.2 miles.

I have always had that as a long term goal, but I’m realizing that it may be within my grasp a bit sooner than expected.

I would also like a six pack, but hey… that takes time haha.

I’ve noticed a few opportunities online to run some races in national parks, so I’ve looked at those too.

One thing you will notice when you run a lot is that you tend to want to change up the scenery a little bit; running through Grand Teton National Park sounds pretty amazing, and there are some companies that organize relatively inexpensive races in those areas for runners interested in mixing it up.

I would like to explore those options.

STEVE: What makes NF Coaching a worthy investment for you each month? I know it’s a big investment, and many would just be “done,” but you’re here 10 months later – and counting! 

JOE: The 1-on-1 coaching program plans out long-term change for me—the workouts, the habit changes, the healthy eating—so that all I have to focus on is doing it.

And yup, the “doing” part certainly isn’t easy…

But when someone is encouraging you, guiding you, texting you regularly, and helping you understand how to integrate healthy changes into your own unique lifestyle and day-to-day activities, actually DOING the program becomes much easier than you would think.

Every single time I do a workout, I get better.

Every time I eat healthy, I can feel a difference (even if its very slight).

Because of that, I don’t sweat the cost because I know that the money I would have been spending on unhealthy habits like fast food, eating out, and sweets is going towards making me a happier, healthier person.

Plus, the whole Nerd Fitness team is amazing:

I have spoken with several individuals on the team (whether through the phone or over the internet) and I can’t stress enough that they want you to make it. They actually care if you succeed.

Yes, NF is a business. Yes, Team Nerd Fitness has to make money to function.

But I’ve never seen a fitness company so oriented around its clients like this one.

On a simpler note, the results speak for themselves: I have almost hit 50lbs of weight loss. Clearly, the Nerd Fitness approach works.

And you know what the best part is? Every time I eat healthier or do a workout, I feel good about it.

There is no regret, no exasperation, and no sense of boredom or repetitiveness.

The coaches are good about teaching you healthy habits and principles to the point where you want to do them simply because they work for you, and you feel better because of them.

Steve: Damn dude, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel about the team we’ve built. Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for people reading this who are at where you were last fall? What can you say to those people to help themselves make changes?

Joe: Accept where you are right now, on Day One. You can’t change it, but it’s a starting point. And then take responsibility for where you want to go.

I was overweight, obese, dejected, upset, and worried about my relationship. But every single day I did something (whether eating healthy, working out, or both), the struggle became a little easier.

As that video I reference above says, “Accept where you are and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go.”

As long as I was working on making myself stronger, faster, and healthier, then I could accept where I am now.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t give up. Know that even if I don’t know who you are, or where you are, I am right there with you. We all are right there with you.

Steve: What would you say to somebody who is interested but unsure about trying Nerd Fitness Coaching?

Joe: What do you have to lose?

Seriously!

Don’t just read that and move on. Stop and think about it.

My guess is you said time, money, or some variation of “lost hope” if it doesn’t work.

Regarding time, all this program is going to do is add time to your life. And any time you “lose” working out is probably better spent doing the workouts, at least for long term health.

With respect to money, if you are anything like I was at the start of the program, my guess is you probably are already spending the money that it would cost for this program on fast food and other unhealthy habits during the month anyway.

Would you rather change your life, or have one more fast food meal?

If you are worried about losing hope or motivation for a change, do the program and TALK TO YOUR COACH. They are there to keep your drive alive, and to help..

https://ift.tt/2C6FoAU

[almajonesnjna]

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, and Got Engaged!

Talk about a life level up!

Meet Joe, an attorney from Minnesota who has been reading Nerd Fitness for the past 5-6 years. He attempted to get in shape 6-8 times in that span with various levels of temporary success, only to give back all of his progress each time.

However, over the past 10 months, Joe has become a man possessed – in a good way.

He’s gone from not being able to run for 60 seconds and plowing through fast food to losing 50 pounds, running a half-marathon on trails, passing the bar exam, and even getting engaged!

I LOVE Joe’s new mentality, and the insight he shared with me about all of the things that he surprised himself with since he began his this transformative journey.

I’m proud to say that Joe has been in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since January, and I’d love for you to check it out to see if it’s the right fit for you (and beat the January rush – we expect a long waiting list by then).

So why is today’s article is so important?

Because it was some brutal realizations and a specific decision that Joe made around this time last year that made him realize something needed to change!

I want you to be honest with yourself: It’s almost November. Are you 80+% of the way towards the goals you set for yourself back in January? Or are you already saying, “Meh, 2018 is a lost cause. I’ll try again next year.”

No! Wrong! Full stop!

There are still 2.5 months left in the year!

If you fell off the wagon or got stuck or never got started, Joe’s story will resonate with you.

Below, I’ll share Joe’s insights and lessons learned along with the way, along with key steps you can take starting today to break out of a rut and level up!

Go Joe!

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds AND Leveled Up His Life

STEVE: Hey Joe! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me – I’d love to hear from you about your past – how many times had you tried to get in shape before this most recent success?

JOE: I had tried to lose weight at least eight times.

Every single time, I tried it on my own because I think I felt like, “If I can’t do this on my own, then what’s the point?”

Here are the most memorable:

Attempt #1: I wasn’t particularly overweight back in college, but I felt like I should try to be more careful about what I ate. I tried calorie counting by itself, but that led to extreme dieting on my part.

Attempt #2: I tried doing the Paleo Diet and lost weight rapidly, only to put all the weight back on immediately after I stopped because I couldn’t maintain eating so little each day.

Attempt #3:  I tried to force myself into running by waking up one morning and going for a two-mile run; obviously I didn’t make it, and I just felt so damn dejected afterwards that I struggled to do anything.

Attempt #4: I re-tried the running approach (starting smaller), and it actually worked…for about two weeks. I was running a bit each day, and I started feeling the positive effects. In the long run (pun intended?), however, I just got tired and had nothing really pushing me to keep going, so I stopped.

Attempt #5: When I tried picking up weightlifting, I planned out three weeks of workouts, and generally did them. But after those three workouts, I didn’t plan out any more workouts and I just stopped again.

Following that, I started a long build-up of weight gain and unhealthy habits. As a law student, I had long hours of class and many hours of homework in the evenings. When I needed to go get food, I would eat at restaurants like Subway, Leeann Chin, or other fast food.

This eventually resulted in me reaching my heaviest weight ever right around December 2017.

STEVE: Okay so fast forward to this past fall. You had been reading Nerd Fitness for 5 years, why did you finally take action?

JOE: Overall, in the past I think I lacked motivation for a few reasons:

I didn’t have any real drive to change myself.

I thought that if I couldn’t do things on my own, I was a failure as a person.

Three things pushed me over the edge, and specifically towards Nerd Fitness’s one-on-one coaching.

The first thing was my “wake up” moment:

Over Christmas break in my last year of law school (December 2017 – pictured), I was on vacation participating in one of my hobbies–scuba diving.

While underwater, I went through my air tank almost 40% faster than everyone else I was diving with. In other words, I had to surface WAY BEFORE everyone else and I was just sitting on the surface waiting.

Alone.

I had let myself get to the point where I could no longer do the things I wanted to do.

I couldn’t ignore my weight gain anymore. I knew something had to change or else I wasn’t going to be happy moving forward.

The second thing was an email from you, Steve.

I had been on the Nerd Fitness email list for years because I had been following the website for awhile. I didn’t really do anything serious due to the issues I listed above.

Right around Christmas, you sent out an email talking about how it was likely that many people reading the email had not made a real change — that they had not followed through on their “New Year Resolutions—and may be in an even worse position than they were at the beginning of the prior year.”

I realized that was me. I hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t really even tried to change, even though I knew I should have. And that email re-oriented me to thinking about HOW I could change.

STEVE: I remember writing that email, because I almost didn’t send it! However, we’re a site dedicated to helping people, and oftentimes that requires tough love. I’m glad that message resonated with you.

So what made you decide to try out NF Coaching? What pushed you over the edge to make the investment?

JOE: I figured that my problem might be motivation and accountability (see above).

I also knew I trusted the Nerd Fitness website because I had been receiving emails from you for years.

Never once did you try to sell me a “quick fix” or a “get in shape fast” program.

You never suggested that losing weight would be unrealistically simple or easy; you were always down to earth about the fact that it takes time and focus. I liked that. It felt like a non-BS approach.

So I decided to schedule a free call to learn about the program and ended up signing up!

STEVE: That’s great man. If I remember correctly I was actually the one who spoke with you on the phone! And I know you’ve been working with Staci as your coach for the past 10 months.

What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?

JOE: I still sit a lot, but now I’m aware of it. As an attorney, you spend a lot of time in an office doing a lot of reading, researching, and writing. So now I get up a lot more, take a quick spin around the office and say hi to coworkers.

Some days, depending on the weather (and even in the cold!) I will go for a run over the lunch hour to get my workout done earlier in the day.

It’s not necessarily that day-to-day activities have necessarily changed that much; it’s more like I’m aware of what those activities really are, and try to mix up them up whenever I can.

STEVE: Tell me about the workout program Staci built for you. 

JOE: I live in an apartment complex with a small gym; that helped a lot – (though given what Coach Staci has set up, I don’t think a gym is even necessary half the time).

Because I had the gym, most of my workouts were bodyweight and free-weight (dumbbell) exercises. Staci also worked in cardio on days between strength training. Also, I can’t stress this enough: she started with manageable workouts and slowly built up. My first “workout” in the program? A five-minute walk.

Now I can run 30x as long.

On the running, Staci was a huge help. Back in March, I told her about a 5K race in July that I had tried and failed to run in the past. In fact, I hurt myself pretty bad because again I was trying to do too much all at once.

I told her that I wanted to slowly build up to it, so she started changing my then-30 minute walks into “run 1 minute, walk three minute” cycles. Over time, she helped me build up muscle and endurance. I crushed the 5k, completing it faster than I had ever run anything in my life.

That helped me understand what I could be capable of.

Two and half weeks later, I ran a 10K.

Just this past Saturday, I ran a half marathon on trails in a giant park near where I live because after all this time I felt like trying to see how far I could run.

I cannot believe that in ten months, I went from being unable to run for a full minute to running for over two hours on hills and trails. I honestly don’t think I would have ever reached where I am now without Staci’s constant encouragement and guidance.

Here’s a picture of me right after that run, look how happy I am!

STEVE: I love this so much. Congratulations on the success so far, man. Talk to us about your nutrition! We know here in NF that nutrition is 80% of the equation.

JOE: This was the hardest part for me, because I was eating like I was a kid: fast food, sweets, etc.

When I did cook, it was simple things that often had loads of fat (i.e. five grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting, with dessert).

I was also really hesitant to do the Paleo diet, or try something like the Keto diet, or Mediterranean, or calorie counting again because, as I mentioned before, some of these methods hadn’t really worked for me in the past.

Staci helped me by providing basic advice on eating healthy – diagrams of ideal “plates” of food for dinner (with portion sizing).

To avoid calorie counting, she had me send her pictures of everything I was eating through the Nerd Fitness Coaching App, which really enhanced the accountability aspect of eating healthy because I didn’t hyper-focus on my food.

Over time, my habits slowly adjusted to become healthier. I also have my now-fiancé to thank for being extremely supportive in helping me eat healthy.

I eventually transitioned to using MyFitnessPal to count calories after I started seeing results because I wanted to understand more about my food choices. That helped a lot.

Training has taught me that eating healthier leaves me feeling better overall. It literally made it easier to say no to bad options, and choose healthier options.

For example, I no longer drink coffee with cream or sugar. When stopping at gas stations on the road, I buy a banana and a string cheese stick if I’m hungry. Small changes.

STEVE: What was the most important change you think you made?

JOE: Doing something, and admitting to myself that I needed help on what to do.

I wanted to change so badly, but I just kept failing.

It got to the point where my family sort of anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t maintain my attempts at weight loss.

I knew I had to do something, and this program ended up working out beautifully.

STEVE: Your physical appearance has changed…what else has changed about you? You got engaged!

JOE: I did get engaged – very recently! That has been an extremely welcome change, as has the physical appearance differences.

More than anything, I feel… light.

When people suggest walking from one place to another, I don’t worry about it.

When someone suggests going hiking, I am up for it.

When my family wants to do a project, I know that physically I won’t have any problems.

Overall, my mental attitude about what I can do has changed immensely. Also, as I told you at the beginning Steve, I wanted to look good in a suit. Now I think I look pretty damn good in a suit.

The speakers line at 4:25­—“Accept where you are, and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go”—has become a bit of a mantra for me.

I had to accept where I was in terms of weight gain, and shoulder the responsibility, with Staci’s help, of getting to a different place.

STEVE: What are your goals moving forward? What kind of awesomeness do you want to do in your new body?

JOE: I want to run a marathon: 26.2 miles.

I have always had that as a long term goal, but I’m realizing that it may be within my grasp a bit sooner than expected.

I would also like a six pack, but hey… that takes time haha.

I’ve noticed a few opportunities online to run some races in national parks, so I’ve looked at those too.

One thing you will notice when you run a lot is that you tend to want to change up the scenery a little bit; running through Grand Teton National Park sounds pretty amazing, and there are some companies that organize relatively inexpensive races in those areas for runners interested in mixing it up.

I would like to explore those options.

STEVE: What makes NF Coaching a worthy investment for you each month? I know it’s a big investment, and many would just be “done,” but you’re here 10 months later – and counting! 

JOE: The 1-on-1 coaching program plans out long-term change for me—the workouts, the habit changes, the healthy eating—so that all I have to focus on is doing it.

And yup, the “doing” part certainly isn’t easy…

But when someone is encouraging you, guiding you, texting you regularly, and helping you understand how to integrate healthy changes into your own unique lifestyle and day-to-day activities, actually DOING the program becomes much easier than you would think.

Every single time I do a workout, I get better.

Every time I eat healthy, I can feel a difference (even if its very slight).

Because of that, I don’t sweat the cost because I know that the money I would have been spending on unhealthy habits like fast food, eating out, and sweets is going towards making me a happier, healthier person.

Plus, the whole Nerd Fitness team is amazing:

I have spoken with several individuals on the team (whether through the phone or over the internet) and I can’t stress enough that they want you to make it. They actually care if you succeed.

Yes, NF is a business. Yes, Team Nerd Fitness has to make money to function.

But I’ve never seen a fitness company so oriented around its clients like this one.

On a simpler note, the results speak for themselves: I have almost hit 50lbs of weight loss. Clearly, the Nerd Fitness approach works.

And you know what the best part is? Every time I eat healthier or do a workout, I feel good about it.

There is no regret, no exasperation, and no sense of boredom or repetitiveness.

The coaches are good about teaching you healthy habits and principles to the point where you want to do them simply because they work for you, and you feel better because of them.

Steve: Damn dude, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel about the team we’ve built. Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for people reading this who are at where you were last fall? What can you say to those people to help themselves make changes?

Joe: Accept where you are right now, on Day One. You can’t change it, but it’s a starting point. And then take responsibility for where you want to go.

I was overweight, obese, dejected, upset, and worried about my relationship. But every single day I did something (whether eating healthy, working out, or both), the struggle became a little easier.

As that video I reference above says, “Accept where you are and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go.”

As long as I was working on making myself stronger, faster, and healthier, then I could accept where I am now.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t give up. Know that even if I don’t know who you are, or where you are, I am right there with you. We all are right there with you.

Steve: What would you say to somebody who is interested but unsure about trying Nerd Fitness Coaching?

Joe: What do you have to lose?

Seriously!

Don’t just read that and move on. Stop and think about it.

My guess is you said time, money, or some variation of “lost hope” if it doesn’t work.

Regarding time, all this program is going to do is add time to your life. And any time you “lose” working out is probably better spent doing the workouts, at least for long term health.

With respect to money, if you are anything like I was at the start of the program, my guess is you probably are already spending the money that it would cost for this program on fast food and other unhealthy habits during the month anyway.

Would you rather change your life, or have one more fast food meal?

If you are worried about losing hope or motivation for a change, do the program and TALK TO YOUR COACH. They are there to keep your drive alive, and to help..

https://ift.tt/2C6FoAU

[ruthellisneda]

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, and Got Engaged!

Talk about a life level up!

Meet Joe, an attorney from Minnesota who has been reading Nerd Fitness for the past 5-6 years. He attempted to get in shape 6-8 times in that span with various levels of temporary success, only to give back all of his progress each time.

However, over the past 10 months, Joe has become a man possessed – in a good way.

He’s gone from not being able to run for 60 seconds and plowing through fast food to losing 50 pounds, running a half-marathon on trails, passing the bar exam, and even getting engaged!

I LOVE Joe’s new mentality, and the insight he shared with me about all of the things that he surprised himself with since he began his this transformative journey.

I’m proud to say that Joe has been in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since January, and I’d love for you to check it out to see if it’s the right fit for you (and beat the January rush – we expect a long waiting list by then).

So why is today’s article is so important?

Because it was some brutal realizations and a specific decision that Joe made around this time last year that made him realize something needed to change!

I want you to be honest with yourself: It’s almost November. Are you 80+% of the way towards the goals you set for yourself back in January? Or are you already saying, “Meh, 2018 is a lost cause. I’ll try again next year.”

No! Wrong! Full stop!

There are still 2.5 months left in the year!

If you fell off the wagon or got stuck or never got started, Joe’s story will resonate with you.

Below, I’ll share Joe’s insights and lessons learned along with the way, along with key steps you can take starting today to break out of a rut and level up!

Go Joe!

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds AND Leveled Up His Life

STEVE: Hey Joe! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me – I’d love to hear from you about your past – how many times had you tried to get in shape before this most recent success?

JOE: I had tried to lose weight at least eight times.

Every single time, I tried it on my own because I think I felt like, “If I can’t do this on my own, then what’s the point?”

Here are the most memorable:

Attempt #1: I wasn’t particularly overweight back in college, but I felt like I should try to be more careful about what I ate. I tried calorie counting by itself, but that led to extreme dieting on my part.

Attempt #2: I tried doing the Paleo Diet and lost weight rapidly, only to put all the weight back on immediately after I stopped because I couldn’t maintain eating so little each day.

Attempt #3:  I tried to force myself into running by waking up one morning and going for a two-mile run; obviously I didn’t make it, and I just felt so damn dejected afterwards that I struggled to do anything.

Attempt #4: I re-tried the running approach (starting smaller), and it actually worked…for about two weeks. I was running a bit each day, and I started feeling the positive effects. In the long run (pun intended?), however, I just got tired and had nothing really pushing me to keep going, so I stopped.

Attempt #5: When I tried picking up weightlifting, I planned out three weeks of workouts, and generally did them. But after those three workouts, I didn’t plan out any more workouts and I just stopped again.

Following that, I started a long build-up of weight gain and unhealthy habits. As a law student, I had long hours of class and many hours of homework in the evenings. When I needed to go get food, I would eat at restaurants like Subway, Leeann Chin, or other fast food.

This eventually resulted in me reaching my heaviest weight ever right around December 2017.

STEVE: Okay so fast forward to this past fall. You had been reading Nerd Fitness for 5 years, why did you finally take action?

JOE: Overall, in the past I think I lacked motivation for a few reasons:

I didn’t have any real drive to change myself.

I thought that if I couldn’t do things on my own, I was a failure as a person.

Three things pushed me over the edge, and specifically towards Nerd Fitness’s one-on-one coaching.

The first thing was my “wake up” moment:

Over Christmas break in my last year of law school (December 2017 – pictured), I was on vacation participating in one of my hobbies–scuba diving.

While underwater, I went through my air tank almost 40% faster than everyone else I was diving with. In other words, I had to surface WAY BEFORE everyone else and I was just sitting on the surface waiting.

Alone.

I had let myself get to the point where I could no longer do the things I wanted to do.

I couldn’t ignore my weight gain anymore. I knew something had to change or else I wasn’t going to be happy moving forward.

The second thing was an email from you, Steve.

I had been on the Nerd Fitness email list for years because I had been following the website for awhile. I didn’t really do anything serious due to the issues I listed above.

Right around Christmas, you sent out an email talking about how it was likely that many people reading the email had not made a real change — that they had not followed through on their “New Year Resolutions—and may be in an even worse position than they were at the beginning of the prior year.”

I realized that was me. I hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t really even tried to change, even though I knew I should have. And that email re-oriented me to thinking about HOW I could change.

STEVE: I remember writing that email, because I almost didn’t send it! However, we’re a site dedicated to helping people, and oftentimes that requires tough love. I’m glad that message resonated with you.

So what made you decide to try out NF Coaching? What pushed you over the edge to make the investment?

JOE: I figured that my problem might be motivation and accountability (see above).

I also knew I trusted the Nerd Fitness website because I had been receiving emails from you for years.

Never once did you try to sell me a “quick fix” or a “get in shape fast” program.

You never suggested that losing weight would be unrealistically simple or easy; you were always down to earth about the fact that it takes time and focus. I liked that. It felt like a non-BS approach.

So I decided to schedule a free call to learn about the program and ended up signing up!

STEVE: That’s great man. If I remember correctly I was actually the one who spoke with you on the phone! And I know you’ve been working with Staci as your coach for the past 10 months.

What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?

JOE: I still sit a lot, but now I’m aware of it. As an attorney, you spend a lot of time in an office doing a lot of reading, researching, and writing. So now I get up a lot more, take a quick spin around the office and say hi to coworkers.

Some days, depending on the weather (and even in the cold!) I will go for a run over the lunch hour to get my workout done earlier in the day.

It’s not necessarily that day-to-day activities have necessarily changed that much; it’s more like I’m aware of what those activities really are, and try to mix up them up whenever I can.

STEVE: Tell me about the workout program Staci built for you. 

JOE: I live in an apartment complex with a small gym; that helped a lot – (though given what Coach Staci has set up, I don’t think a gym is even necessary half the time).

Because I had the gym, most of my workouts were bodyweight and free-weight (dumbbell) exercises. Staci also worked in cardio on days between strength training. Also, I can’t stress this enough: she started with manageable workouts and slowly built up. My first “workout” in the program? A five-minute walk.

Now I can run 30x as long.

On the running, Staci was a huge help. Back in March, I told her about a 5K race in July that I had tried and failed to run in the past. In fact, I hurt myself pretty bad because again I was trying to do too much all at once.

I told her that I wanted to slowly build up to it, so she started changing my then-30 minute walks into “run 1 minute, walk three minute” cycles. Over time, she helped me build up muscle and endurance. I crushed the 5k, completing it faster than I had ever run anything in my life.

That helped me understand what I could be capable of.

Two and half weeks later, I ran a 10K.

Just this past Saturday, I ran a half marathon on trails in a giant park near where I live because after all this time I felt like trying to see how far I could run.

I cannot believe that in ten months, I went from being unable to run for a full minute to running for over two hours on hills and trails. I honestly don’t think I would have ever reached where I am now without Staci’s constant encouragement and guidance.

Here’s a picture of me right after that run, look how happy I am!

STEVE: I love this so much. Congratulations on the success so far, man. Talk to us about your nutrition! We know here in NF that nutrition is 80% of the equation.

JOE: This was the hardest part for me, because I was eating like I was a kid: fast food, sweets, etc.

When I did cook, it was simple things that often had loads of fat (i.e. five grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting, with dessert).

I was also really hesitant to do the Paleo diet, or try something like the Keto diet, or Mediterranean, or calorie counting again because, as I mentioned before, some of these methods hadn’t really worked for me in the past.

Staci helped me by providing basic advice on eating healthy – diagrams of ideal “plates” of food for dinner (with portion sizing).

To avoid calorie counting, she had me send her pictures of everything I was eating through the Nerd Fitness Coaching App, which really enhanced the accountability aspect of eating healthy because I didn’t hyper-focus on my food.

Over time, my habits slowly adjusted to become healthier. I also have my now-fiancé to thank for being extremely supportive in helping me eat healthy.

I eventually transitioned to using MyFitnessPal to count calories after I started seeing results because I wanted to understand more about my food choices. That helped a lot.

Training has taught me that eating healthier leaves me feeling better overall. It literally made it easier to say no to bad options, and choose healthier options.

For example, I no longer drink coffee with cream or sugar. When stopping at gas stations on the road, I buy a banana and a string cheese stick if I’m hungry. Small changes.

STEVE: What was the most important change you think you made?

JOE: Doing something, and admitting to myself that I needed help on what to do.

I wanted to change so badly, but I just kept failing.

It got to the point where my family sort of anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t maintain my attempts at weight loss.

I knew I had to do something, and this program ended up working out beautifully.

STEVE: Your physical appearance has changed…what else has changed about you? You got engaged!

JOE: I did get engaged – very recently! That has been an extremely welcome change, as has the physical appearance differences.

More than anything, I feel… light.

When people suggest walking from one place to another, I don’t worry about it.

When someone suggests going hiking, I am up for it.

When my family wants to do a project, I know that physically I won’t have any problems.

Overall, my mental attitude about what I can do has changed immensely. Also, as I told you at the beginning Steve, I wanted to look good in a suit. Now I think I look pretty damn good in a suit.

The speakers line at 4:25­—“Accept where you are, and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go”—has become a bit of a mantra for me.

I had to accept where I was in terms of weight gain, and shoulder the responsibility, with Staci’s help, of getting to a different place.

STEVE: What are your goals moving forward? What kind of awesomeness do you want to do in your new body?

JOE: I want to run a marathon: 26.2 miles.

I have always had that as a long term goal, but I’m realizing that it may be within my grasp a bit sooner than expected.

I would also like a six pack, but hey… that takes time haha.

I’ve noticed a few opportunities online to run some races in national parks, so I’ve looked at those too.

One thing you will notice when you run a lot is that you tend to want to change up the scenery a little bit; running through Grand Teton National Park sounds pretty amazing, and there are some companies that organize relatively inexpensive races in those areas for runners interested in mixing it up.

I would like to explore those options.

STEVE: What makes NF Coaching a worthy investment for you each month? I know it’s a big investment, and many would just be “done,” but you’re here 10 months later – and counting! 

JOE: The 1-on-1 coaching program plans out long-term change for me—the workouts, the habit changes, the healthy eating—so that all I have to focus on is doing it.

And yup, the “doing” part certainly isn’t easy…

But when someone is encouraging you, guiding you, texting you regularly, and helping you understand how to integrate healthy changes into your own unique lifestyle and day-to-day activities, actually DOING the program becomes much easier than you would think.

Every single time I do a workout, I get better.

Every time I eat healthy, I can feel a difference (even if its very slight).

Because of that, I don’t sweat the cost because I know that the money I would have been spending on unhealthy habits like fast food, eating out, and sweets is going towards making me a happier, healthier person.

Plus, the whole Nerd Fitness team is amazing:

I have spoken with several individuals on the team (whether through the phone or over the internet) and I can’t stress enough that they want you to make it. They actually care if you succeed.

Yes, NF is a business. Yes, Team Nerd Fitness has to make money to function.

But I’ve never seen a fitness company so oriented around its clients like this one.

On a simpler note, the results speak for themselves: I have almost hit 50lbs of weight loss. Clearly, the Nerd Fitness approach works.

And you know what the best part is? Every time I eat healthier or do a workout, I feel good about it.

There is no regret, no exasperation, and no sense of boredom or repetitiveness.

The coaches are good about teaching you healthy habits and principles to the point where you want to do them simply because they work for you, and you feel better because of them.

Steve: Damn dude, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel about the team we’ve built. Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for people reading this who are at where you were last fall? What can you say to those people to help themselves make changes?

Joe: Accept where you are right now, on Day One. You can’t change it, but it’s a starting point. And then take responsibility for where you want to go.

I was overweight, obese, dejected, upset, and worried about my relationship. But every single day I did something (whether eating healthy, working out, or both), the struggle became a little easier.

As that video I reference above says, “Accept where you are and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go.”

As long as I was working on making myself stronger, faster, and healthier, then I could accept where I am now.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t give up. Know that even if I don’t know who you are, or where you are, I am right there with you. We all are right there with you.

Steve: What would you say to somebody who is interested but unsure about trying Nerd Fitness Coaching?

Joe: What do you have to lose?

Seriously!

Don’t just read that and move on. Stop and think about it.

My guess is you said time, money, or some variation of “lost hope” if it doesn’t work.

Regarding time, all this program is going to do is add time to your life. And any time you “lose” working out is probably better spent doing the workouts, at least for long term health.

With respect to money, if you are anything like I was at the start of the program, my guess is you probably are already spending the money that it would cost for this program on fast food and other unhealthy habits during the month anyway.

Would you rather change your life, or have one more fast food meal?

If you are worried about losing hope or motivation for a change, do the program and TALK TO YOUR COACH. They are there to keep your drive alive, and to help..

https://ift.tt/2C6FoAU

[albertcaldwellne]

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, and Got Engaged!

Talk about a life level up!

Meet Joe, an attorney from Minnesota who has been reading Nerd Fitness for the past 5-6 years. He attempted to get in shape 6-8 times in that span with various levels of temporary success, only to give back all of his progress each time.

However, over the past 10 months, Joe has become a man possessed – in a good way.

He’s gone from not being able to run for 60 seconds and plowing through fast food to losing 50 pounds, running a half-marathon on trails, passing the bar exam, and even getting engaged!

I LOVE Joe’s new mentality, and the insight he shared with me about all of the things that he surprised himself with since he began his this transformative journey.

I’m proud to say that Joe has been in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since January, and I’d love for you to check it out to see if it’s the right fit for you (and beat the January rush – we expect a long waiting list by then).

So why is today’s article is so important?

Because it was some brutal realizations and a specific decision that Joe made around this time last year that made him realize something needed to change!

I want you to be honest with yourself: It’s almost November. Are you 80+% of the way towards the goals you set for yourself back in January? Or are you already saying, “Meh, 2018 is a lost cause. I’ll try again next year.”

No! Wrong! Full stop!

There are still 2.5 months left in the year!

If you fell off the wagon or got stuck or never got started, Joe’s story will resonate with you.

Below, I’ll share Joe’s insights and lessons learned along with the way, along with key steps you can take starting today to break out of a rut and level up!

Go Joe!

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds AND Leveled Up His Life

STEVE: Hey Joe! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me – I’d love to hear from you about your past – how many times had you tried to get in shape before this most recent success?

JOE: I had tried to lose weight at least eight times.

Every single time, I tried it on my own because I think I felt like, “If I can’t do this on my own, then what’s the point?”

Here are the most memorable:

Attempt #1: I wasn’t particularly overweight back in college, but I felt like I should try to be more careful about what I ate. I tried calorie counting by itself, but that led to extreme dieting on my part.

Attempt #2: I tried doing the Paleo Diet and lost weight rapidly, only to put all the weight back on immediately after I stopped because I couldn’t maintain eating so little each day.

Attempt #3:  I tried to force myself into running by waking up one morning and going for a two-mile run; obviously I didn’t make it, and I just felt so damn dejected afterwards that I struggled to do anything.

Attempt #4: I re-tried the running approach (starting smaller), and it actually worked…for about two weeks. I was running a bit each day, and I started feeling the positive effects. In the long run (pun intended?), however, I just got tired and had nothing really pushing me to keep going, so I stopped.

Attempt #5: When I tried picking up weightlifting, I planned out three weeks of workouts, and generally did them. But after those three workouts, I didn’t plan out any more workouts and I just stopped again.

Following that, I started a long build-up of weight gain and unhealthy habits. As a law student, I had long hours of class and many hours of homework in the evenings. When I needed to go get food, I would eat at restaurants like Subway, Leeann Chin, or other fast food.

This eventually resulted in me reaching my heaviest weight ever right around December 2017.

STEVE: Okay so fast forward to this past fall. You had been reading Nerd Fitness for 5 years, why did you finally take action?

JOE: Overall, in the past I think I lacked motivation for a few reasons:

I didn’t have any real drive to change myself.

I thought that if I couldn’t do things on my own, I was a failure as a person.

Three things pushed me over the edge, and specifically towards Nerd Fitness’s one-on-one coaching.

The first thing was my “wake up” moment:

Over Christmas break in my last year of law school (December 2017 – pictured), I was on vacation participating in one of my hobbies–scuba diving.

While underwater, I went through my air tank almost 40% faster than everyone else I was diving with. In other words, I had to surface WAY BEFORE everyone else and I was just sitting on the surface waiting.

Alone.

I had let myself get to the point where I could no longer do the things I wanted to do.

I couldn’t ignore my weight gain anymore. I knew something had to change or else I wasn’t going to be happy moving forward.

The second thing was an email from you, Steve.

I had been on the Nerd Fitness email list for years because I had been following the website for awhile. I didn’t really do anything serious due to the issues I listed above.

Right around Christmas, you sent out an email talking about how it was likely that many people reading the email had not made a real change — that they had not followed through on their “New Year Resolutions—and may be in an even worse position than they were at the beginning of the prior year.”

I realized that was me. I hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t really even tried to change, even though I knew I should have. And that email re-oriented me to thinking about HOW I could change.

STEVE: I remember writing that email, because I almost didn’t send it! However, we’re a site dedicated to helping people, and oftentimes that requires tough love. I’m glad that message resonated with you.

So what made you decide to try out NF Coaching? What pushed you over the edge to make the investment?

JOE: I figured that my problem might be motivation and accountability (see above).

I also knew I trusted the Nerd Fitness website because I had been receiving emails from you for years.

Never once did you try to sell me a “quick fix” or a “get in shape fast” program.

You never suggested that losing weight would be unrealistically simple or easy; you were always down to earth about the fact that it takes time and focus. I liked that. It felt like a non-BS approach.

So I decided to schedule a free call to learn about the program and ended up signing up!

STEVE: That’s great man. If I remember correctly I was actually the one who spoke with you on the phone! And I know you’ve been working with Staci as your coach for the past 10 months.

What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?

JOE: I still sit a lot, but now I’m aware of it. As an attorney, you spend a lot of time in an office doing a lot of reading, researching, and writing. So now I get up a lot more, take a quick spin around the office and say hi to coworkers.

Some days, depending on the weather (and even in the cold!) I will go for a run over the lunch hour to get my workout done earlier in the day.

It’s not necessarily that day-to-day activities have necessarily changed that much; it’s more like I’m aware of what those activities really are, and try to mix up them up whenever I can.

STEVE: Tell me about the workout program Staci built for you. 

JOE: I live in an apartment complex with a small gym; that helped a lot – (though given what Coach Staci has set up, I don’t think a gym is even necessary half the time).

Because I had the gym, most of my workouts were bodyweight and free-weight (dumbbell) exercises. Staci also worked in cardio on days between strength training. Also, I can’t stress this enough: she started with manageable workouts and slowly built up. My first “workout” in the program? A five-minute walk.

Now I can run 30x as long.

On the running, Staci was a huge help. Back in March, I told her about a 5K race in July that I had tried and failed to run in the past. In fact, I hurt myself pretty bad because again I was trying to do too much all at once.

I told her that I wanted to slowly build up to it, so she started changing my then-30 minute walks into “run 1 minute, walk three minute” cycles. Over time, she helped me build up muscle and endurance. I crushed the 5k, completing it faster than I had ever run anything in my life.

That helped me understand what I could be capable of.

Two and half weeks later, I ran a 10K.

Just this past Saturday, I ran a half marathon on trails in a giant park near where I live because after all this time I felt like trying to see how far I could run.

I cannot believe that in ten months, I went from being unable to run for a full minute to running for over two hours on hills and trails. I honestly don’t think I would have ever reached where I am now without Staci’s constant encouragement and guidance.

Here’s a picture of me right after that run, look how happy I am!

STEVE: I love this so much. Congratulations on the success so far, man. Talk to us about your nutrition! We know here in NF that nutrition is 80% of the equation.

JOE: This was the hardest part for me, because I was eating like I was a kid: fast food, sweets, etc.

When I did cook, it was simple things that often had loads of fat (i.e. five grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting, with dessert).

I was also really hesitant to do the Paleo diet, or try something like the Keto diet, or Mediterranean, or calorie counting again because, as I mentioned before, some of these methods hadn’t really worked for me in the past.

Staci helped me by providing basic advice on eating healthy – diagrams of ideal “plates” of food for dinner (with portion sizing).

To avoid calorie counting, she had me send her pictures of everything I was eating through the Nerd Fitness Coaching App, which really enhanced the accountability aspect of eating healthy because I didn’t hyper-focus on my food.

Over time, my habits slowly adjusted to become healthier. I also have my now-fiancé to thank for being extremely supportive in helping me eat healthy.

I eventually transitioned to using MyFitnessPal to count calories after I started seeing results because I wanted to understand more about my food choices. That helped a lot.

Training has taught me that eating healthier leaves me feeling better overall. It literally made it easier to say no to bad options, and choose healthier options.

For example, I no longer drink coffee with cream or sugar. When stopping at gas stations on the road, I buy a banana and a string cheese stick if I’m hungry. Small changes.

STEVE: What was the most important change you think you made?

JOE: Doing something, and admitting to myself that I needed help on what to do.

I wanted to change so badly, but I just kept failing.

It got to the point where my family sort of anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t maintain my attempts at weight loss.

I knew I had to do something, and this program ended up working out beautifully.

STEVE: Your physical appearance has changed…what else has changed about you? You got engaged!

JOE: I did get engaged – very recently! That has been an extremely welcome change, as has the physical appearance differences.

More than anything, I feel… light.

When people suggest walking from one place to another, I don’t worry about it.

When someone suggests going hiking, I am up for it.

When my family wants to do a project, I know that physically I won’t have any problems.

Overall, my mental attitude about what I can do has changed immensely. Also, as I told you at the beginning Steve, I wanted to look good in a suit. Now I think I look pretty damn good in a suit.

The speakers line at 4:25­—“Accept where you are, and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go”—has become a bit of a mantra for me.

I had to accept where I was in terms of weight gain, and shoulder the responsibility, with Staci’s help, of getting to a different place.

STEVE: What are your goals moving forward? What kind of awesomeness do you want to do in your new body?

JOE: I want to run a marathon: 26.2 miles.

I have always had that as a long term goal, but I’m realizing that it may be within my grasp a bit sooner than expected.

I would also like a six pack, but hey… that takes time haha.

I’ve noticed a few opportunities online to run some races in national parks, so I’ve looked at those too.

One thing you will notice when you run a lot is that you tend to want to change up the scenery a little bit; running through Grand Teton National Park sounds pretty amazing, and there are some companies that organize relatively inexpensive races in those areas for runners interested in mixing it up.

I would like to explore those options.

STEVE: What makes NF Coaching a worthy investment for you each month? I know it’s a big investment, and many would just be “done,” but you’re here 10 months later – and counting! 

JOE: The 1-on-1 coaching program plans out long-term change for me—the workouts, the habit changes, the healthy eating—so that all I have to focus on is doing it.

And yup, the “doing” part certainly isn’t easy…

But when someone is encouraging you, guiding you, texting you regularly, and helping you understand how to integrate healthy changes into your own unique lifestyle and day-to-day activities, actually DOING the program becomes much easier than you would think.

Every single time I do a workout, I get better.

Every time I eat healthy, I can feel a difference (even if its very slight).

Because of that, I don’t sweat the cost because I know that the money I would have been spending on unhealthy habits like fast food, eating out, and sweets is going towards making me a happier, healthier person.

Plus, the whole Nerd Fitness team is amazing:

I have spoken with several individuals on the team (whether through the phone or over the internet) and I can’t stress enough that they want you to make it. They actually care if you succeed.

Yes, NF is a business. Yes, Team Nerd Fitness has to make money to function.

But I’ve never seen a fitness company so oriented around its clients like this one.

On a simpler note, the results speak for themselves: I have almost hit 50lbs of weight loss. Clearly, the Nerd Fitness approach works.

And you know what the best part is? Every time I eat healthier or do a workout, I feel good about it.

There is no regret, no exasperation, and no sense of boredom or repetitiveness.

The coaches are good about teaching you healthy habits and principles to the point where you want to do them simply because they work for you, and you feel better because of them.

Steve: Damn dude, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel about the team we’ve built. Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for people reading this who are at where you were last fall? What can you say to those people to help themselves make changes?

Joe: Accept where you are right now, on Day One. You can’t change it, but it’s a starting point. And then take responsibility for where you want to go.

I was overweight, obese, dejected, upset, and worried about my relationship. But every single day I did something (whether eating healthy, working out, or both), the struggle became a little easier.

As that video I reference above says, “Accept where you are and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go.”

As long as I was working on making myself stronger, faster, and healthier, then I could accept where I am now.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t give up. Know that even if I don’t know who you are, or where you are, I am right there with you. We all are right there with you.

Steve: What would you say to somebody who is interested but unsure about trying Nerd Fitness Coaching?

Joe: What do you have to lose?

Seriously!

Don’t just read that and move on. Stop and think about it.

My guess is you said time, money, or some variation of “lost hope” if it doesn’t work.

Regarding time, all this program is going to do is add time to your life. And any time you “lose” working out is probably better spent doing the workouts, at least for long term health.

With respect to money, if you are anything like I was at the start of the program, my guess is you probably are already spending the money that it would cost for this program on fast food and other unhealthy habits during the month anyway.

Would you rather change your life, or have one more fast food meal?

If you are worried about losing hope or motivation for a change, do the program and TALK TO YOUR COACH. They are there to keep your drive alive, and to help..

https://ift.tt/2C6FoAU

[neilmillerne]

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, and Got Engaged!

Talk about a life level up!

Meet Joe, an attorney from Minnesota who has been reading Nerd Fitness for the past 5-6 years. He attempted to get in shape 6-8 times in that span with various levels of temporary success, only to give back all of his progress each time.

However, over the past 10 months, Joe has become a man possessed – in a good way.

He’s gone from not being able to run for 60 seconds and plowing through fast food to losing 50 pounds, running a half-marathon on trails, passing the bar exam, and even getting engaged!

I LOVE Joe’s new mentality, and the insight he shared with me about all of the things that he surprised himself with since he began his this transformative journey.

I’m proud to say that Joe has been in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since January, and I’d love for you to check it out to see if it’s the right fit for you (and beat the January rush – we expect a long waiting list by then).

So why is today’s article is so important?

Because it was some brutal realizations and a specific decision that Joe made around this time last year that made him realize something needed to change!

I want you to be honest with yourself: It’s almost November. Are you 80+% of the way towards the goals you set for yourself back in January? Or are you already saying, “Meh, 2018 is a lost cause. I’ll try again next year.”

No! Wrong! Full stop!

There are still 2.5 months left in the year!

If you fell off the wagon or got stuck or never got started, Joe’s story will resonate with you.

Below, I’ll share Joe’s insights and lessons learned along with the way, along with key steps you can take starting today to break out of a rut and level up!

Go Joe!

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds AND Leveled Up His Life

STEVE: Hey Joe! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me – I’d love to hear from you about your past – how many times had you tried to get in shape before this most recent success?

JOE: I had tried to lose weight at least eight times.

Every single time, I tried it on my own because I think I felt like, “If I can’t do this on my own, then what’s the point?”

Here are the most memorable:

Attempt #1: I wasn’t particularly overweight back in college, but I felt like I should try to be more careful about what I ate. I tried calorie counting by itself, but that led to extreme dieting on my part.

Attempt #2: I tried doing the Paleo Diet and lost weight rapidly, only to put all the weight back on immediately after I stopped because I couldn’t maintain eating so little each day.

Attempt #3:  I tried to force myself into running by waking up one morning and going for a two-mile run; obviously I didn’t make it, and I just felt so damn dejected afterwards that I struggled to do anything.

Attempt #4: I re-tried the running approach (starting smaller), and it actually worked…for about two weeks. I was running a bit each day, and I started feeling the positive effects. In the long run (pun intended?), however, I just got tired and had nothing really pushing me to keep going, so I stopped.

Attempt #5: When I tried picking up weightlifting, I planned out three weeks of workouts, and generally did them. But after those three workouts, I didn’t plan out any more workouts and I just stopped again.

Following that, I started a long build-up of weight gain and unhealthy habits. As a law student, I had long hours of class and many hours of homework in the evenings. When I needed to go get food, I would eat at restaurants like Subway, Leeann Chin, or other fast food.

This eventually resulted in me reaching my heaviest weight ever right around December 2017.

STEVE: Okay so fast forward to this past fall. You had been reading Nerd Fitness for 5 years, why did you finally take action?

JOE: Overall, in the past I think I lacked motivation for a few reasons:

I didn’t have any real drive to change myself.

I thought that if I couldn’t do things on my own, I was a failure as a person.

Three things pushed me over the edge, and specifically towards Nerd Fitness’s one-on-one coaching.

The first thing was my “wake up” moment:

Over Christmas break in my last year of law school (December 2017 – pictured), I was on vacation participating in one of my hobbies–scuba diving.

While underwater, I went through my air tank almost 40% faster than everyone else I was diving with. In other words, I had to surface WAY BEFORE everyone else and I was just sitting on the surface waiting.

Alone.

I had let myself get to the point where I could no longer do the things I wanted to do.

I couldn’t ignore my weight gain anymore. I knew something had to change or else I wasn’t going to be happy moving forward.

The second thing was an email from you, Steve.

I had been on the Nerd Fitness email list for years because I had been following the website for awhile. I didn’t really do anything serious due to the issues I listed above.

Right around Christmas, you sent out an email talking about how it was likely that many people reading the email had not made a real change — that they had not followed through on their “New Year Resolutions—and may be in an even worse position than they were at the beginning of the prior year.”

I realized that was me. I hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t really even tried to change, even though I knew I should have. And that email re-oriented me to thinking about HOW I could change.

STEVE: I remember writing that email, because I almost didn’t send it! However, we’re a site dedicated to helping people, and oftentimes that requires tough love. I’m glad that message resonated with you.

So what made you decide to try out NF Coaching? What pushed you over the edge to make the investment?

JOE: I figured that my problem might be motivation and accountability (see above).

I also knew I trusted the Nerd Fitness website because I had been receiving emails from you for years.

Never once did you try to sell me a “quick fix” or a “get in shape fast” program.

You never suggested that losing weight would be unrealistically simple or easy; you were always down to earth about the fact that it takes time and focus. I liked that. It felt like a non-BS approach.

So I decided to schedule a free call to learn about the program and ended up signing up!

STEVE: That’s great man. If I remember correctly I was actually the one who spoke with you on the phone! And I know you’ve been working with Staci as your coach for the past 10 months.

What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?

JOE: I still sit a lot, but now I’m aware of it. As an attorney, you spend a lot of time in an office doing a lot of reading, researching, and writing. So now I get up a lot more, take a quick spin around the office and say hi to coworkers.

Some days, depending on the weather (and even in the cold!) I will go for a run over the lunch hour to get my workout done earlier in the day.

It’s not necessarily that day-to-day activities have necessarily changed that much; it’s more like I’m aware of what those activities really are, and try to mix up them up whenever I can.

STEVE: Tell me about the workout program Staci built for you. 

JOE: I live in an apartment complex with a small gym; that helped a lot – (though given what Coach Staci has set up, I don’t think a gym is even necessary half the time).

Because I had the gym, most of my workouts were bodyweight and free-weight (dumbbell) exercises. Staci also worked in cardio on days between strength training. Also, I can’t stress this enough: she started with manageable workouts and slowly built up. My first “workout” in the program? A five-minute walk.

Now I can run 30x as long.

On the running, Staci was a huge help. Back in March, I told her about a 5K race in July that I had tried and failed to run in the past. In fact, I hurt myself pretty bad because again I was trying to do too much all at once.

I told her that I wanted to slowly build up to it, so she started changing my then-30 minute walks into “run 1 minute, walk three minute” cycles. Over time, she helped me build up muscle and endurance. I crushed the 5k, completing it faster than I had ever run anything in my life.

That helped me understand what I could be capable of.

Two and half weeks later, I ran a 10K.

Just this past Saturday, I ran a half marathon on trails in a giant park near where I live because after all this time I felt like trying to see how far I could run.

I cannot believe that in ten months, I went from being unable to run for a full minute to running for over two hours on hills and trails. I honestly don’t think I would have ever reached where I am now without Staci’s constant encouragement and guidance.

Here’s a picture of me right after that run, look how happy I am!

STEVE: I love this so much. Congratulations on the success so far, man. Talk to us about your nutrition! We know here in NF that nutrition is 80% of the equation.

JOE: This was the hardest part for me, because I was eating like I was a kid: fast food, sweets, etc.

When I did cook, it was simple things that often had loads of fat (i.e. five grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting, with dessert).

I was also really hesitant to do the Paleo diet, or try something like the Keto diet, or Mediterranean, or calorie counting again because, as I mentioned before, some of these methods hadn’t really worked for me in the past.

Staci helped me by providing basic advice on eating healthy – diagrams of ideal “plates” of food for dinner (with portion sizing).

To avoid calorie counting, she had me send her pictures of everything I was eating through the Nerd Fitness Coaching App, which really enhanced the accountability aspect of eating healthy because I didn’t hyper-focus on my food.

Over time, my habits slowly adjusted to become healthier. I also have my now-fiancé to thank for being extremely supportive in helping me eat healthy.

I eventually transitioned to using MyFitnessPal to count calories after I started seeing results because I wanted to understand more about my food choices. That helped a lot.

Training has taught me that eating healthier leaves me feeling better overall. It literally made it easier to say no to bad options, and choose healthier options.

For example, I no longer drink coffee with cream or sugar. When stopping at gas stations on the road, I buy a banana and a string cheese stick if I’m hungry. Small changes.

STEVE: What was the most important change you think you made?

JOE: Doing something, and admitting to myself that I needed help on what to do.

I wanted to change so badly, but I just kept failing.

It got to the point where my family sort of anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t maintain my attempts at weight loss.

I knew I had to do something, and this program ended up working out beautifully.

STEVE: Your physical appearance has changed…what else has changed about you? You got engaged!

JOE: I did get engaged – very recently! That has been an extremely welcome change, as has the physical appearance differences.

More than anything, I feel… light.

When people suggest walking from one place to another, I don’t worry about it.

When someone suggests going hiking, I am up for it.

When my family wants to do a project, I know that physically I won’t have any problems.

Overall, my mental attitude about what I can do has changed immensely. Also, as I told you at the beginning Steve, I wanted to look good in a suit. Now I think I look pretty damn good in a suit.

The speakers line at 4:25­—“Accept where you are, and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go”—has become a bit of a mantra for me.

I had to accept where I was in terms of weight gain, and shoulder the responsibility, with Staci’s help, of getting to a different place.

STEVE: What are your goals moving forward? What kind of awesomeness do you want to do in your new body?

JOE: I want to run a marathon: 26.2 miles.

I have always had that as a long term goal, but I’m realizing that it may be within my grasp a bit sooner than expected.

I would also like a six pack, but hey… that takes time haha.

I’ve noticed a few opportunities online to run some races in national parks, so I’ve looked at those too.

One thing you will notice when you run a lot is that you tend to want to change up the scenery a little bit; running through Grand Teton National Park sounds pretty amazing, and there are some companies that organize relatively inexpensive races in those areas for runners interested in mixing it up.

I would like to explore those options.

STEVE: What makes NF Coaching a worthy investment for you each month? I know it’s a big investment, and many would just be “done,” but you’re here 10 months later – and counting! 

JOE: The 1-on-1 coaching program plans out long-term change for me—the workouts, the habit changes, the healthy eating—so that all I have to focus on is doing it.

And yup, the “doing” part certainly isn’t easy…

But when someone is encouraging you, guiding you, texting you regularly, and helping you understand how to integrate healthy changes into your own unique lifestyle and day-to-day activities, actually DOING the program becomes much easier than you would think.

Every single time I do a workout, I get better.

Every time I eat healthy, I can feel a difference (even if its very slight).

Because of that, I don’t sweat the cost because I know that the money I would have been spending on unhealthy habits like fast food, eating out, and sweets is going towards making me a happier, healthier person.

Plus, the whole Nerd Fitness team is amazing:

I have spoken with several individuals on the team (whether through the phone or over the internet) and I can’t stress enough that they want you to make it. They actually care if you succeed.

Yes, NF is a business. Yes, Team Nerd Fitness has to make money to function.

But I’ve never seen a fitness company so oriented around its clients like this one.

On a simpler note, the results speak for themselves: I have almost hit 50lbs of weight loss. Clearly, the Nerd Fitness approach works.

And you know what the best part is? Every time I eat healthier or do a workout, I feel good about it.

There is no regret, no exasperation, and no sense of boredom or repetitiveness.

The coaches are good about teaching you healthy habits and principles to the point where you want to do them simply because they work for you, and you feel better because of them.

Steve: Damn dude, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel about the team we’ve built. Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for people reading this who are at where you were last fall? What can you say to those people to help themselves make changes?

Joe: Accept where you are right now, on Day One. You can’t change it, but it’s a starting point. And then take responsibility for where you want to go.

I was overweight, obese, dejected, upset, and worried about my relationship. But every single day I did something (whether eating healthy, working out, or both), the struggle became a little easier.

As that video I reference above says, “Accept where you are and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go.”

As long as I was working on making myself stronger, faster, and healthier, then I could accept where I am now.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t give up. Know that even if I don’t know who you are, or where you are, I am right there with you. We all are right there with you.

Steve: What would you say to somebody who is interested but unsure about trying Nerd Fitness Coaching?

Joe: What do you have to lose?

Seriously!

Don’t just read that and move on. Stop and think about it.

My guess is you said time, money, or some variation of “lost hope” if it doesn’t work.

Regarding time, all this program is going to do is add time to your life. And any time you “lose” working out is probably better spent doing the workouts, at least for long term health.

With respect to money, if you are anything like I was at the start of the program, my guess is you probably are already spending the money that it would cost for this program on fast food and other unhealthy habits during the month anyway.

Would you rather change your life, or have one more fast food meal?

If you are worried about losing hope or motivation for a change, do the program and TALK TO YOUR COACH. They are there to keep your drive alive, and to help..

https://ift.tt/2C6FoAU

[fitnetpro]

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, and Got Engaged!

Talk about a life level up!

Meet Joe, an attorney from Minnesota who has been reading Nerd Fitness for the past 5-6 years. He attempted to get in shape 6-8 times in that span with various levels of temporary success, only to give back all of his progress each time.

However, over the past 10 months, Joe has become a man possessed – in a good way.

He’s gone from not being able to run for 60 seconds and plowing through fast food to losing 50 pounds, running a half-marathon on trails, passing the bar exam, and even getting engaged!

I LOVE Joe’s new mentality, and the insight he shared with me about all of the things that he surprised himself with since he began his this transformative journey.

I’m proud to say that Joe has been in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since January, and I’d love for you to check it out to see if it’s the right fit for you (and beat the January rush – we expect a long waiting list by then).

So why is today’s article is so important?

Because it was some brutal realizations and a specific decision that Joe made around this time last year that made him realize something needed to change!

I want you to be honest with yourself: It’s almost November. Are you 80+% of the way towards the goals you set for yourself back in January? Or are you already saying, “Meh, 2018 is a lost cause. I’ll try again next year.”

No! Wrong! Full stop!

There are still 2.5 months left in the year!

If you fell off the wagon or got stuck or never got started, Joe’s story will resonate with you.

Below, I’ll share Joe’s insights and lessons learned along with the way, along with key steps you can take starting today to break out of a rut and level up!

Go Joe!

How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds AND Leveled Up His Life

STEVE: Hey Joe! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me – I’d love to hear from you about your past – how many times had you tried to get in shape before this most recent success?

JOE: I had tried to lose weight at least eight times.

Every single time, I tried it on my own because I think I felt like, “If I can’t do this on my own, then what’s the point?”

Here are the most memorable:

Attempt #1: I wasn’t particularly overweight back in college, but I felt like I should try to be more careful about what I ate. I tried calorie counting by itself, but that led to extreme dieting on my part.

Attempt #2: I tried doing the Paleo Diet and lost weight rapidly, only to put all the weight back on immediately after I stopped because I couldn’t maintain eating so little each day.

Attempt #3:  I tried to force myself into running by waking up one morning and going for a two-mile run; obviously I didn’t make it, and I just felt so damn dejected afterwards that I struggled to do anything.

Attempt #4: I re-tried the running approach (starting smaller), and it actually worked…for about two weeks. I was running a bit each day, and I started feeling the positive effects. In the long run (pun intended?), however, I just got tired and had nothing really pushing me to keep going, so I stopped.

Attempt #5: When I tried picking up weightlifting, I planned out three weeks of workouts, and generally did them. But after those three workouts, I didn’t plan out any more workouts and I just stopped again.

Following that, I started a long build-up of weight gain and unhealthy habits. As a law student, I had long hours of class and many hours of homework in the evenings. When I needed to go get food, I would eat at restaurants like Subway, Leeann Chin, or other fast food.

This eventually resulted in me reaching my heaviest weight ever right around December 2017.

STEVE: Okay so fast forward to this past fall. You had been reading Nerd Fitness for 5 years, why did you finally take action?

JOE: Overall, in the past I think I lacked motivation for a few reasons:

I didn’t have any real drive to change myself.

I thought that if I couldn’t do things on my own, I was a failure as a person.

Three things pushed me over the edge, and specifically towards Nerd Fitness’s one-on-one coaching.

The first thing was my “wake up” moment:

Over Christmas break in my last year of law school (December 2017 – pictured), I was on vacation participating in one of my hobbies–scuba diving.

While underwater, I went through my air tank almost 40% faster than everyone else I was diving with. In other words, I had to surface WAY BEFORE everyone else and I was just sitting on the surface waiting.

Alone.

I had let myself get to the point where I could no longer do the things I wanted to do.

I couldn’t ignore my weight gain anymore. I knew something had to change or else I wasn’t going to be happy moving forward.

The second thing was an email from you, Steve.

I had been on the Nerd Fitness email list for years because I had been following the website for awhile. I didn’t really do anything serious due to the issues I listed above.

Right around Christmas, you sent out an email talking about how it was likely that many people reading the email had not made a real change — that they had not followed through on their “New Year Resolutions—and may be in an even worse position than they were at the beginning of the prior year.”

I realized that was me. I hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t really even tried to change, even though I knew I should have. And that email re-oriented me to thinking about HOW I could change.

STEVE: I remember writing that email, because I almost didn’t send it! However, we’re a site dedicated to helping people, and oftentimes that requires tough love. I’m glad that message resonated with you.

So what made you decide to try out NF Coaching? What pushed you over the edge to make the investment?

JOE: I figured that my problem might be motivation and accountability (see above).

I also knew I trusted the Nerd Fitness website because I had been receiving emails from you for years.

Never once did you try to sell me a “quick fix” or a “get in shape fast” program.

You never suggested that losing weight would be unrealistically simple or easy; you were always down to earth about the fact that it takes time and focus. I liked that. It felt like a non-BS approach.

So I decided to schedule a free call to learn about the program and ended up signing up!

STEVE: That’s great man. If I remember correctly I was actually the one who spoke with you on the phone! And I know you’ve been working with Staci as your coach for the past 10 months.

What’s a typical day like for you NOW, after the changes?

JOE: I still sit a lot, but now I’m aware of it. As an attorney, you spend a lot of time in an office doing a lot of reading, researching, and writing. So now I get up a lot more, take a quick spin around the office and say hi to coworkers.

Some days, depending on the weather (and even in the cold!) I will go for a run over the lunch hour to get my workout done earlier in the day.

It’s not necessarily that day-to-day activities have necessarily changed that much; it’s more like I’m aware of what those activities really are, and try to mix up them up whenever I can.

STEVE: Tell me about the workout program Staci built for you. 

JOE: I live in an apartment complex with a small gym; that helped a lot – (though given what Coach Staci has set up, I don’t think a gym is even necessary half the time).

Because I had the gym, most of my workouts were bodyweight and free-weight (dumbbell) exercises. Staci also worked in cardio on days between strength training. Also, I can’t stress this enough: she started with manageable workouts and slowly built up. My first “workout” in the program? A five-minute walk.

Now I can run 30x as long.

On the running, Staci was a huge help. Back in March, I told her about a 5K race in July that I had tried and failed to run in the past. In fact, I hurt myself pretty bad because again I was trying to do too much all at once.

I told her that I wanted to slowly build up to it, so she started changing my then-30 minute walks into “run 1 minute, walk three minute” cycles. Over time, she helped me build up muscle and endurance. I crushed the 5k, completing it faster than I had ever run anything in my life.

That helped me understand what I could be capable of.

Two and half weeks later, I ran a 10K.

Just this past Saturday, I ran a half marathon on trails in a giant park near where I live because after all this time I felt like trying to see how far I could run.

I cannot believe that in ten months, I went from being unable to run for a full minute to running for over two hours on hills and trails. I honestly don’t think I would have ever reached where I am now without Staci’s constant encouragement and guidance.

Here’s a picture of me right after that run, look how happy I am!

STEVE: I love this so much. Congratulations on the success so far, man. Talk to us about your nutrition! We know here in NF that nutrition is 80% of the equation.

JOE: This was the hardest part for me, because I was eating like I was a kid: fast food, sweets, etc.

When I did cook, it was simple things that often had loads of fat (i.e. five grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting, with dessert).

I was also really hesitant to do the Paleo diet, or try something like the Keto diet, or Mediterranean, or calorie counting again because, as I mentioned before, some of these methods hadn’t really worked for me in the past.

Staci helped me by providing basic advice on eating healthy – diagrams of ideal “plates” of food for dinner (with portion sizing).

To avoid calorie counting, she had me send her pictures of everything I was eating through the Nerd Fitness Coaching App, which really enhanced the accountability aspect of eating healthy because I didn’t hyper-focus on my food.

Over time, my habits slowly adjusted to become healthier. I also have my now-fiancé to thank for being extremely supportive in helping me eat healthy.

I eventually transitioned to using MyFitnessPal to count calories after I started seeing results because I wanted to understand more about my food choices. That helped a lot.

Training has taught me that eating healthier leaves me feeling better overall. It literally made it easier to say no to bad options, and choose healthier options.

For example, I no longer drink coffee with cream or sugar. When stopping at gas stations on the road, I buy a banana and a string cheese stick if I’m hungry. Small changes.

STEVE: What was the most important change you think you made?

JOE: Doing something, and admitting to myself that I needed help on what to do.

I wanted to change so badly, but I just kept failing.

It got to the point where my family sort of anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t maintain my attempts at weight loss.

I knew I had to do something, and this program ended up working out beautifully.

STEVE: Your physical appearance has changed…what else has changed about you? You got engaged!

JOE: I did get engaged – very recently! That has been an extremely welcome change, as has the physical appearance differences.

More than anything, I feel… light.

When people suggest walking from one place to another, I don’t worry about it.

When someone suggests going hiking, I am up for it.

When my family wants to do a project, I know that physically I won’t have any problems.

Overall, my mental attitude about what I can do has changed immensely. Also, as I told you at the beginning Steve, I wanted to look good in a suit. Now I think I look pretty damn good in a suit.

The speakers line at 4:25­—“Accept where you are, and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go”—has become a bit of a mantra for me.

I had to accept where I was in terms of weight gain, and shoulder the responsibility, with Staci’s help, of getting to a different place.

STEVE: What are your goals moving forward? What kind of awesomeness do you want to do in your new body?

JOE: I want to run a marathon: 26.2 miles.

I have always had that as a long term goal, but I’m realizing that it may be within my grasp a bit sooner than expected.

I would also like a six pack, but hey… that takes time haha.

I’ve noticed a few opportunities online to run some races in national parks, so I’ve looked at those too.

One thing you will notice when you run a lot is that you tend to want to change up the scenery a little bit; running through Grand Teton National Park sounds pretty amazing, and there are some companies that organize relatively inexpensive races in those areas for runners interested in mixing it up.

I would like to explore those options.

STEVE: What makes NF Coaching a worthy investment for you each month? I know it’s a big investment, and many would just be “done,” but you’re here 10 months later – and counting! 

JOE: The 1-on-1 coaching program plans out long-term change for me—the workouts, the habit changes, the healthy eating—so that all I have to focus on is doing it.

And yup, the “doing” part certainly isn’t easy…

But when someone is encouraging you, guiding you, texting you regularly, and helping you understand how to integrate healthy changes into your own unique lifestyle and day-to-day activities, actually DOING the program becomes much easier than you would think.

Every single time I do a workout, I get better.

Every time I eat healthy, I can feel a difference (even if its very slight).

Because of that, I don’t sweat the cost because I know that the money I would have been spending on unhealthy habits like fast food, eating out, and sweets is going towards making me a happier, healthier person.

Plus, the whole Nerd Fitness team is amazing:

I have spoken with several individuals on the team (whether through the phone or over the internet) and I can’t stress enough that they want you to make it. They actually care if you succeed.

Yes, NF is a business. Yes, Team Nerd Fitness has to make money to function.

But I’ve never seen a fitness company so oriented around its clients like this one.

On a simpler note, the results speak for themselves: I have almost hit 50lbs of weight loss. Clearly, the Nerd Fitness approach works.

And you know what the best part is? Every time I eat healthier or do a workout, I feel good about it.

There is no regret, no exasperation, and no sense of boredom or repetitiveness.

The coaches are good about teaching you healthy habits and principles to the point where you want to do them simply because they work for you, and you feel better because of them.

Steve: Damn dude, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel about the team we’ve built. Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for people reading this who are at where you were last fall? What can you say to those people to help themselves make changes?

Joe: Accept where you are right now, on Day One. You can’t change it, but it’s a starting point. And then take responsibility for where you want to go.

I was overweight, obese, dejected, upset, and worried about my relationship. But every single day I did something (whether eating healthy, working out, or both), the struggle became a little easier.

As that video I reference above says, “Accept where you are and the responsibility that you are gonna take yourself where you want to go.”

As long as I was working on making myself stronger, faster, and healthier, then I could accept where I am now.

I know it’s cliche, but don’t give up. Know that even if I don’t know who you are, or where you are, I am right there with you. We all are right there with you.

Steve: What would you say to somebody who is interested but unsure about trying Nerd Fitness Coaching?

Joe: What do you have to lose?

Seriously!

Don’t just read that and move on. Stop and think about it.

My guess is you said time, money, or some variation of “lost hope” if it doesn’t work.

Regarding time, all this program is going to do is add time to your life. And any time you “lose” working out is probably better spent doing the workouts, at least for long term health.

With respect to money, if you are anything like I was at the start of the program, my guess is you probably are already spending the money that it would cost for this program on fast food and other unhealthy habits during the month anyway.

Would you rather change your life, or have one more fast food meal?

If you are worried about losing hope or motivation for a change, do the program and TALK TO YOUR COACH. They are there to keep your drive alive, and to help you understand that the time and energy required to see change is manageable.

You can cancel at anytime, although I don’t want to.

At the end of the day, what do you have to lose?

On the flip side, just imagine how good you will feel if it works? If you can commit and change your life?

Take the time to “accept where you are” and shoulder the responsibility necessary to make that change for the better. Everyone at Nerd Fitness believes you can do it. I believe you can do it. The only person standing in your way is you.

I know my answers to some of these questions may seem long, but if it results in even one person changing their life like I have, I’ll be happy.

Steve: Joe, can I hire you as Nerd Fitness’s hype person? Ha! Seriously though, thank you for sharing these answers with the NF Rebellion

The 5 Keys to Joe’s Weight Loss and Level Up Success!

I’ve been following Joe’s story for the past 10 months, getting regular updates from his coach Staci, and I tried to distill his success down into a few bite-sized words of wisdom you can take with you today:

#1 JOE NEVER GAVE UP

This is a dude who’s been reading Nerd Fitness emails for 5 years! He tried calorie counting. He tried Paleo. He tried running. He tried weight lifting. Nothing stuck.

Joe finally found a good enough reason to change his life: he was unable to do the activities he wanted to do because of his weight, and something needed to change.

Thank goodness Joe stayed a part of Nerd Fitness for years until the right message hit him at the right time in his life, and he was ready to take action.

You’re here reading this, which means no matter where you’re at and how far off the wagon you’ve fallen, you’re reading this and that’s amazing. Thank you for being here!

Even if you failed 100 times getting in shape in the past, the right message hasn’t hit you at the right time. Keep trying. Keep reading. Maybe today can be the spark that lights the fire for YOUR story – that I can share next year 🙂

#2 JOE GAVE HIMSELF PERMISSION TO SEEK HELP

I can relate so much to Joe’s previous mentality, and I bet you can too: “I didn’t realize that asking for help was okay.” I too spent a decade training myself because I thought it would make me less of a person if I needed somebody’s help to succeed.

It wasn’t until I realized that the best athletes and top performers on the planet have coaches too – and that’s the same conclusion Joe came to.

Not only is asking for help smart, not only is hiring a coach wise, but for many (myself, Joe, and for most people), having guidance and accountability is the difference between “Holy crap my life is completely different” success, and “oh man, where did the year go? Another year of not succeeding” failure.

Having a coach doesn’t make you weak. It makes you smart.

#3 JOE FOUND EXERCISE THAT EXCITED HIM

Although Joe had tried running and strength training in the past, neither stuck.

It wasn’t until this recent attempt that he gave running another chance, and with the proper motivation, accountability, guidance, and a plan built for his life that it actually stuck. You have the find the exercise that works for you – or it won’t stick.

I asked Joe what the old Joe would be surprised to learn about the New Joe:

“Apparently, I like running. The old me would have laughed at that idea. If I told the old me that I ran for two and half hours last Saturday, I’m sure the old me would have called bullcrap and got up and left. But it’s true. You never know what you are capable of until you try.”

#4 JOE HAD SKIN IN THE GAME

This was Joe’s 9th attempt (at least) at getting in shape. He had tried strict dieting and going ALL IN multiple times in the past.

He had tried building his own workout programs and creating his own running routines – he did all of this for free, and I’m not surprised that the results didn’t last.

Why? Because he didn’t have any skin in the game! Simply put: we value what we spend our money on, and we don’t value what we get for free.

On this effort, Joe had tried the “Do it Myself” path for YEARS and failed, so this time he knew he would have to try a different approach.

Joe had invested his hard earned money in his health with coaching, so he actually took this attempt seriously.

How are you investing in yourself? Coaching, a gym membership, investing more in higher quality food, or even just investing your time into research if money is tight!

But you are worth the investment!

#5 JOE IS ENJOYING HIS JOURNEY

This is a lifelong journey.

You can’t expect to go on a diet for a few weeks or months to reach a goal weight and then go “back to normal.” Temporary changes equal temporary results.

If you never get to be “done,” you better enjoy the journey, right?

Notice the wording Joe uses above: “

So if you are gonna get in shape, focus on the process. As we say in NF: focus on days and years, not weeks and months. Just do the thing today that needs to get done:

Where Will You Be 10 Months from Now? Don’t Wait Until January!

If you’re still reading this, I want you to know I’m damn proud of you for even trying. I’m thankful you’re in our little community here on the internet, and I’m quite excited for your future.

Not only that, but I’m proud of you for what you’re going to do today.

MOST people have already given up on 2018. They’re going to dig themselves into a deeper, bigger hole over the next 2.5 months, and they’re going to wake up in January 50 yards farther away from the starting line than they are today.

BUT NOT YOU!

Why?

Because you’re gonna be like Joe:

Never give up. Keep reading. Keep trying. But try something DIFFERENT this time. Don’t do the same thing you did the last time. Don’t just “try to lose weight” and “go on a diet.” Be deliberate in your attempt!

Give yourself permission to seek help. Whether it’s coaching or asking somebody who has lost weight in the way you want to, ask them for guidance! I’ve been working with a coach myself for 4+ years now!

Find the exercise that works for you. It might be running. Or hiking. Or strength training. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it!

Have some skin in the game. You don’t value things you get for free nearly as much as things that you spent your hard earned money on! Invest in yourself!

Enjoy the journey. You don’t get to be done,

And today, you’re gonna do literally ANYTHING:

Go for a 5 minute walk. That was Joe’s first workout in the NF Coaching program. 10 months later he’s down 50 pounds and running trail half-marathons and EXCITED ABOUT IT.

Try our Beginner Bodyweight Workout.

Eat a vegetable. Yes, even if you hate them.

If you’re interested in being coached and having a program built for your exact situation, we’d love to chat with ya. 

Like we did we Joe, we speak with everybody on the phone that is interested in the coaching program – we want to know people’s stories, learn about their struggles, and then decide together if our program can help!

If you want professional guidance, a custom built workout program tailored to your specific goals, and expert accountability and motivation from Team NF, schedule a call with our team by clicking in the box below:

To wrap it all up:

Start.

Today.

Don’t wait until January. Don’t “go on hold” during the Holidays – this is when everybody messes up and loses all their gains from the previous 10 months.

Get the habits and start small now, and then you’ll have routine and momentum down pat come January! I want to hear from you:

What’s the ONE thing you’re going to do today?

Me: I’m gonna hit the gym and work on my deadlifts!

-Steve

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How Joe the Lawyer Lost 50 Pounds, Ran a Half-Marathon, and Got Engaged! published first on http://fitnetpro.tumblr.com/