Category: Uncategorized

I’ve written about this many times on this site, and most recently, in reference to several of our clients who are hitting the biggest numbers when it comes to lifts.

We have a Top 5 board where we can rank the best of the best amongst our clientele. We’ve had it for around 6-7 years now and it’s always interesting to see who sets their sights on cracking into it.

Coach Mike Roder, who started off as a coach working directly under me, transitioned his position here and works exclusively with youth athletes three days a week.

Throughout that time, I’ve seen his roster grow, and despite the fact that nearly all of his clients are under the age of 18, we’ve seem some really impressive feats of strength from them.

To that, Mike started a Top 5 board of his own, shortly after he made the business transition.

There was a little bit of trash talking that was happening one day between two of my clients, one of whom had the best trapbar deadlift record in the gym, Pete T., with a personal best of 565 pounds.

Pete was giving a little bit of grief to Mitch M., whose personal best in the trapbar was well south of 565.

Pete said: Hey Mitch, why don’t you let me know when your traplift hits the puberty board over there.

And the reference towards Coach Mike’s Top 5 was the fact that there were indeed some big lifts on there but no one was topping Pete’s best.

That was, until Mike started coaching a high schooler named Alex.

Alex not only beat 565, he finished with a colossal 615 pounds. This was right after Alex turned 18. He was a senior then.

And prior to Alex training with Mike, another athlete was putting up impressive numbers, his name is Billy.

Billy started with Mike when he was 10 years old and, even then, we knew that Mike had a shockingly strong kid on his hands.

Billy was putting up big numbers on squat, bench and in the trapbar, all while his classmates and friends were making their way in to train as well.

Sometimes, when Mike gets busy, if he’s short-handed, myself and my staff will help load and unload plates, and help spot lifts when necessary.

So, over the last few years, I’ve had plenty of time to lend a hand to Billy, amongst many others.

At the beginning of this school year, Billy told Mike that his goal in the trapbar was to hit 550 by time he became a freshman.

I had the opportunity to help Billy scale up and we saw very quickly that 550 was not only going to be an easy number to hit, he was actually going to make a run for the top.

In the meantime, one of my clients, Chris S., took the #1 spot away from Pete with 570×1; enough to take the throne on my board but not quite enough to topple Alex.

I asked Mike if he’d let me take Billy as far as I could.

The numbers kept climbing and one day, I asked Billy: Hey, how much do you weigh?

153, he said.

I looked at the Top 5 board and calculated where he needed to be for his next milestones and said to him: You know, when you hit 615 and tie Alex’s best, you’ll be the first person in the gym to hit a lift that’s 4 times your bodyweight.

Billy smiled and asked: Really?

Also, remind me how old you are?

13, he said.

Sure enough, Billy hit 615 at the beginning of this year to tie for first place and become the first lifter here to hit quadruple bodyweight in a lift.

And last week, he did one better: he hit 620 pounds to take over first place.

Let me remind you: He’s 13 years old, he’s just over halfway through 8th grade, and he pulled 620.

So, this is more of a brag on Billy and Coach Mike, than anyone else.

And also, to Billy’s parents, who despite the fact that genetics probably play a bit into his success, knew that he needed strength training to take him to the next level in his respective sports.

They weren’t wrong.

It’s credit to the time, effort, and care that Mike has put into his athletes to see them be the best they can be.

I train some youth athletes, but Mike has the majority of them, and being a small piece of Billy’s current success has been awe-inspiring.

And let me just say, this kid is going to be an absolute monster when he hits high school.

So, circling back to Pete, it may still be the puberty board, but those are big, big numbers.

Shout out to Billy, shout out to Coach Mike (who you can follow at mrodertraining on Instagram), and shout out to the RevFit fam, at large, who are not only witnessing greatness week in and week out, but competing in it, cheering it on, and finding ways to improve in ways that mean something to each individual who crosses through our doors.

Last week, the U.S. administration under the guidance of RFK Jr., released their updated version of the food pyramid.

It should come as no surprise that nearly everyone in my side of the world had something to say about it.

There were a handful of areas that did catch my attention, and, as I made a point to say on a social media post of mine, I think there are some positives, and some questionable parts to it.

I should mention that there is the graphic of the pyramid (referenced below), a 10 page document giving more insight, and an additional 90 page document giving even further details.

While the graphic itself gives a snapshot of the direction the government is suggesting we go, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

So, let me dive into some areas I found of interest upon review.

Saturated Fats

I was admittedly concerned about this section prior to the release of the guidelines. Historically, I’ve been taught throughout numerous certifications I’ve completed based in both North America and the U.K., that our diets should be made up primarily of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and that saturated fat should only comprise 10% of total fat intake. This information is based off of the association that increased saturated fat intake (dairy excluded) may also increase cardiometabolic risk.

There was the belief that there would be an emphasis on not demonizing saturated fat in the diets, and even when you look at the pyramid, the animal proteins featured would all be high(er) in saturated fat. It’s mentioned that saturated fat should take up no more than 10% of total caloric intake.

Here are some numbers to compare against: On my guidance, if your total calories from fat equate to 700 calories a day, that means that saturated fat only covers 70 of those calories. If you take the guidance of HHS, and your total caloric intake for the day is 2000, then 200 calories would be saturated fat.

I’ll say this, and it’s only my opinion, if heart issues run in your family, you may want to be more conservative with saturated fat intake.

Also, bear in mind that fat is 9 calories per gram. Fat has more calories per gram than any other macronutrient. If you’re someone who struggles to find a calorie deficit for fat loss, adding more fat into the diet will very likely work against you. This may explain why many people who go keto, low carb, and sometimes carnivore, tend to find themselves back at maintenance or a surplus of calories because they overshot their fat intake (and calories by default.)

Protein

I believe the HHS got this part mostly right. Prior to this release, most of the guidance from the government about protein intake kept you from being malnourished and those numbers were admittedly quite low.

Now, there’s a range that I feel far more comfortable with: 1.2-1.6g of protein per kg of bodyweight. So, a 200lb person would aim for 110-145g of protein per day. Just a reminder that you don’t have to be perfect, but you may want to stay close in that range and it’s okay if you overshoot it a bit (assuming you don’t have a medical condition suggesting otherwise.)

Also, if you’re using a GLP-1 receptor agonist medication to help with fat loss, protein requirements go a long way (coupled with strength training) to help you maintain muscle mass.

My only knock on the protein suggestions, is that there is very little visual emphasis on the graphic to consider the needs of vegans and vegetarians. The documents give better guidance in that department. Also, many women struggle with whey (dairy) based protein powders and may need to choose plant based options for better digestive outcomes.

Whole Grains

To be honest, I was disappointed in this part. In the graphic, whole grains represent the smallest part of the pyramid. In a world where carbohydrates are routinely demonized, grains appear to take the hit in the visual. They get slightly more grace in the documents. I know and appreciate that everyone’s digestive systems are different and many people do not tolerate grains.

For me, they are a necessity. I can eat as many fibrous vegetables and fruits as my heart desires but if I don’t get some fibrous grains in there, the plumbing won’t work right.

As for you, you do need to understand what works best for your body but bear in mind that grains have existed successfully in other cultures for eons and they’re not demonizing them.

I do appreciate that many grains have been fortified with extra ingredients and some people snub their noses when they see what they believe to be too many ingredients on a food label and assume that it makes something unhealthy. I say: the “poison” is in the dose. Anything can be consumed to unhealthy amounts (even water) so you do need to be aware of your personal thresholds. Also, there needs to be recognition that for people who struggle with poverty and/or live in food deserts, fortified grains may be the very best they can do for themselves.

Alcohol

This one is murky for me. We now have substantial evidence that no amount of alcohol is healthy. It is even suggested that more and more people are turning to sobriety as drinking rates appear to be dropping: A 2025 Gallup poll found only 54% of U.S. adults drink, the lowest in nearly 90 years, down from 67% in 2022.

However, the HHS is being more conservative about it, only saying that people should “consume less alcohol for better
overall health.” Dr. Oz himself (not someone I would qualify as being an expert in nutrition), claimed it was a “social lubricant.”

I’m not going to stand in a glass house throwing stones. My wife and I both enjoy a nice (measured) serving of bourbon. We don’t drink to get drunk, it’s a complement to a meal. We both understand the relative risk and, like a lot of things, you’ll need to proceed as you see fit.

What I will say, is that if the optimization of health is your primary aim, then no alcohol would be the path.

Additional Thoughts

While it would be impossible to cover every exception to health guidelines in 10-90 pages of documentation, I do feel there are certain demographics that wouldn’t be well-served by the pyramid.

Individuals struggling with IBS and IBD may benefit from a tailored, individualized, low FODMAP approach to eating. Many “healthy”, “real” foods can be problematic for these people and can exacerbate their symptoms. I’ve written several times about this approach on my site if you need some guidance there.

Also, there is little consideration for people who struggle with disordered eating behaviors. When our government chooses to look at foods as “good” vs “bad”, this can also play into an all-or-nothing mindset for those with eating disorders. What’s healthy and appropriate for one, may not be the same for another, but demonizing foods is typically a problematic way to foster a healthy relationship with our bodies and the food we eat.

I know it’s “en vogue” to speak poorly of processed foods (or more specifically, highly-processed foods), but they aren’t problematic for everyone. Taking a cue from above, sometimes, it’s all that some people can afford. While I would much rather someone grab some whole fruits over some Doritos, we should have enough mental flexibility, that if you want to eat a chip, then eat the damn chip.

If you’ve determined that chips are not a food you can easily moderate, then credit should be given to improving the food environment (what you have direct access to in the home.)

For people who have certain dietary intolerances, (I’ll use gluten as an example), their options for gluten free alternatives are often highly processed. That doesn’t inherently make them less healthy. Everyone deserves to find a food substitute that allows them to cook recipes they will enjoy when a food is otherwise offensive to their bodies.

One last thing, I’m not convinced that many people put their lives into food pyramids, no matter which government rolled them out. People don’t necessarily need a visual graphic telling them what to eat when behavior modifications drive so many of our food decisions.

A quote I found on the internet, credited to RD Dr. Kevin Klatt, “If you want to know why most dietitians push back on the “eat real food” framing, it’s because most of us have worked in clinical practice, seen people literally starving to death from disease, & had the patient or a well-meaning family member question enteral feeding because formula isn’t ‘real food’.”

Perhaps the next version of the food pyramid will have some evidence based guidance on how to improve our food environment, coping skills when we struggle with emotional eating, and perhaps an advisory board that isn’t abundantly low carb in nature and ideology.

I live in a world that thrives on data. 

I’ve been a coach since the tail end of 2007 (18 years now) and my whole world is data: 

-How many reps? 

-How many sets? 

-How many pounds?

-How many calories?

-How many grams? 

-How many hours of sleep?

-How many steps? 

-How do we quantify stress, adherence to the plan, cravings, quality of sleep, etc.?

Not just that, but I own a business where the data doesn’t stop there either:

-Gross revenue 

-Payroll/wages

-Taxes 

-Profit/loss 

And I’ve just come off of a year with more health challenges than I’ve seen in my life where I need data for enzymes, vitamin levels, bone mineral density, and more. 

I’m surrounded by data. 

And I’m not knocking it. 

Data is valuable.

Data shows trends.

Data can plot a course forward.

Data can inform the next decision. 

And data can be paralyzing. 

Because in the minutiae of data, you can lose sight of the person. 

I’ve watched clients become so fixated on data that they forget how to ask simple things like:

How do I feel?

Am I better or worse than I was before without attaching a number to it? 

What kind of person can I be when and if I remove the shackles of the numbers I’ve allowed to define me?

I think data in the short term can be immensely helpful, especially if it helps you gain awareness of the next step to take.

I think data in the long term can work against you if you don’t know how to live without it.

When I work with clients, I often need to help them put the brakes on data: don’t weigh in this week, don’t complete your check in, don’t track your food, don’t worry about how many calories you burned in your workout…

Because if we don’t find a way to live without a tremendous amount of data, we don’t learn how to listen to our bodies, our experiences and…just…feeling…

In 2026, my hope for you is that you know when to add in more data, and more often than not, know when to take data away.

You have a life to live and you deserve to be a better person with all of the effort you put into living it.

Numbers can say a lot, but they will never paint the whole picture.

(Photo courtesy of Samer Khodeir)

My therapist passed away the day after Christmas.

There is the logical, rational part of me that knows he lived much longer than his initial prognosis led any of us to believe.

And, of course, the emotional side wanted him here longer…but that’s terribly selfish of me.

Most people don’t go looking for a therapist when their lives are going well.

And when I found Collin in the summer of 2019, my life was not going well.

Business was thriving, I was not.

My marriage to Marissa was showing its cracks and, knowing that I needed a sounding board for the chaos in my head, I got on the internet, looked for a therapist close to the studio, and thought: Maybe what I need is a male voice.

My father passed away in 2011 and not having that paternal voice in my ear, on my shoulder, was something I knew I was missing.

Collin filled some of those gaps.

He was a little bit older than my Dad would have been, but his demeanor, and his touchpoints for inspiration through therapy, were complementary to what my own father may have said.

Collin was one in a long line of therapists I had seen in my life since about the age of 20.

I was fortunate to have many caring people along the way to help me steer the ship when I was ill-equipped to do so on my own.

I would go in to see Collin about every other week for several months.

I spun my wheels, I vented, I thought I had a lot of answers for how and why my life was headed the direction it was, and most of my answers were incorrect.

I blamed certain parts of my life for my behavior and Collin set my sights on the real problems.

I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and, anyone who can relate to those “Big T” traumas knows that they don’t come without baggage.

I was no exception.

So, Collin gave me tools: books to read, exercises (homework) to do, and, without fail, always a question or two in each session that would make me ponder why I was the way that I was…and more importantly, what was I going to do to change.

It was on that note of change that Collin said the very words I have repeated over and over to myself and others ever since: When you’re in enough pain, you’ll change.

Change was not fast to come.

I was hurting, I didn’t know how to heal, and I didn’t know how to not hurt others in that process.

The problem with the “process” is that there is no blueprint for it.

What you’ll hear people say, is that you need to “process” your pain…

But there is no step-by-step instruction manual on how to do that.

It’s only after you do the work, that you have the clarity to look back and say: Oh…now I get it.

The keywords being; you have to DO THE WORK.

You show up at therapy when you want to.

You show up at therapy when you don’t want to.

You read the books, you do the exercises, you heal the pain.

There is no time constraint, there is no vision of Point A to Point Z until you reach every step in between.

It was during those first several months that Collin heard a lot from me and he heard from Marissa, too.

He didn’t play favorites, he lit a path and gave us tools to decide which way to walk.

And that was perhaps one of Collin’s greatest gifts: he didn’t “give” answers, he displayed options, and he asked crucial questions.

After the marriage got back to its proper place, my conversations with Collin began to slow down.

We stayed in touch, of course, because by then it was no longer about the damage that had occurred, it was about keeping the ship afloat.

He learned more about Marissa and gave her some tools of her own and, along the way, he kept saying to me: I really need to start working out.

To which I said: Well, you know, Collin. I know a guy…

Sure enough, for a short period of time, Collin became a client at RevFit.

And training him was almost as rewarding as being a patient of his.

When his health began to deteriorate, he started doing more virtual sessions from home.

Those sessions worked for a while, and it was always nice to see his face, hear his voice, and stay up to date on how he was feeling.

At a certain point, I think we both realized that our time together was turning more into a friendship, and less about therapy.

It was around that time that he, and his lovely wife Jean, allowed me to stop by their home so that he and I could stay in touch, for as long as his physical body would permit.

Many of those visits lasted no more than thirty minutes.

I wasn’t there to unload on him, I was just there to catch up, to give him a hug, to tell him I loved him and to remind him to be strong.

And he was strong…

For far longer than the doctors ever thought possible.

On the last couple of visits, he made a couple of comments that he wanted to be alive through the holidays.

He was here for Thanksgiving, but on Christmas, he was in hospice care at the hospital and unresponsive.

He passed away early in the morning on December 26.

I got the text message from Jean a few hours later, I took a deep breath, told Marissa that he was gone, and I completely lost my composure.

Because in so many ways, it felt like I lost another father figure.

What Collin did for our marriage was beyond anything my words can express.

What Collin did to help me heal decades of trauma and pain was beyond anything I had done for myself before.

You don’t go to therapy because you’re healed.

You go to therapy because you’re hurting.

And if you DO therapy the way you should, you learn to live a life with more healing and less hurting.

I’m going to miss my friend, who was so much more than a friend, so much more than a therapist.

He lit a light for me, when I couldn’t light one in front of myself.

And I will forever be grateful for his time, his care, his compassion, his love for me and my wife, and for reminding me (as I try to do for my clients) that I was worth the effort.

Thank you Collin.

We love you.

You were so special.

(With special thanks to Ellen D. for sending me this handmade figurine in the likeness of Collin several months ago, so that I would always have him nearby.)

For me, 2025 was a year of mostly digital consumption: YouTube videos/essays, podcasts, webinars, and more audiobooks than physical books for the first time in my life. I’ll talk more about the latter in just a few.

As for this site, here are the 5 most popular articles of 2025:

1-The Diagnosis

2-For Kelly

3-The Strength To Go Without

4-More Talk About GLP1-s

5-50 Ways…

In keeping up with my hope and goal at the beginning of this year, I fulfilled a goal to get rid of more physical things in my life. So, with that, I traded in hundreds of records and books back to stores where someone else can give them a new home. Rather than buying more physical things, I opted to consume more audiobooks than physical books, and more digital albums than ones I could hold and display.

The list below is the 123 books I consumed this year. My favorite novel of 2025 was The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb and my other favorite novel in the list, not released this year, was The Extraordinary Life Of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni (Thank you, Melissa L.)

1-If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

2-How To Hug A Porcupine by Julia A. Ross

3-High Achiever by Tiffany Jenkins

4-Vicious by V.E. Schwab

5-Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

6-Let Him In by William Friend

7-Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

8-The Invisible Life Of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

9-Black Noise by Tricia Rose

10-Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

11-Walking Disaster by Deryck Whibley

12-The World Beyond Your Head by Matthew B. Crawford

13-A Mystery Of Mysteries by Mark Dawidziak

14-The Butterfly Effect by Marcus J. Moore

15-The Connector Effect by I. Misner, G. Weihmiller, and R. Skrob

16-Get To The Point! by John Schwartzberg

17-The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

18-Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa Terkeurst

19-Family Dog by Richard A. Wolters

20-The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

21-Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

22-Blood by Dr. Jen Gunter

23-Confessions by Kanae Minato

24-Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

25-The Extraordinary Life Of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni

26-Good Talk by Mira Jacob

27-Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

28-King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

29-Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

30-The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

31-Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

32-Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

33-The Year Of Less by Cait Flanders

34-The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

35-Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

36-Break Free Of Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth

37-Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

38-Every Time I Find The Meaning Of Life, They Change It by Daniel Klein

39-Surrounded By Idiots by Thomas Erikson

40-The Obvious Choice by Jonathan Goodman

41-Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

42-The GLP-1 Solution by Lyle McDonald

43-The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest

44-Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes

45-Tampa by Alissa Nutting

46-Welcome Home by Najwa Zebian

47-Gogmagog by Jeff Noon & Steve Beard

48-What My Mother And I Don’t Talk About by Michelle Filgate

49-In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

50-This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

51-The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano

52-The Tell by Amy Griffin

53-A Promised Land by Barack Obama

54-Sociopath by Dr. Patric Gaigne

55-The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell

56-William by Mason Coile

57-Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow by Gabrielle Levin

58-The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

59-Come Together by Emily Nagoski

60-I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

61-This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley

62-180 Days Of Physical Wellness For Busy Educators by Tina H. Boogren

63-Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

64-The Tenant by Freida McFadden

65-The Thicket by Noelle West Ihli

66-Gray After Dark by Noelle West Ihli

67-Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

68-Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One by Raphaelle Giordano

69-It Was All A Dream: Biggie And The World That Made Him by Justin Tinsley

70-Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography by Staci Robinson

71-Playworld by Adam Ross

72-White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

73-Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

74-Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

75-Wintering by Katherine May

76-One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

77-Something In The Walls by Daisy Pearce

78-Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su

79-The One by John Marrs

80-A Physical Education by Casey Johnston

81-The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

82-Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

83-These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

84-Menopause Plus by Girls Gone Strong

85-The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

86-On Immunity by Eula Biss

87-Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

88-How We Learn To Be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde

89-Unbreakable by Dr. Vonda Wright

90-The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan

91-The Age Of Diagnosis by Suzanne O’Sullivan

92-The No Asshole Rule by Robert I. Sutton

93-The Will To Change by Bell Hooks

94-The Guncle by Steven Rowley

95-Dilla Time by Dan Charnas

96-Most Dope: The Extraordinary Life Of Mac Miller by Paul Cantor

97-Food Intelligence by Julia Belluz & Dr. Kevin Hall

98-The Hidden by Heather Graham

99-The Science Of Nutrition Coaching by Dr. Brad Dieter

100-The Art Of Nutrition Coaching by Dr. Brad Dieter

101-The Art & Science Of Nutrition Coaching by Dr. Brad Dieter

102-Music Is History by Questlove

103-The Death Of Us by Abigail Dean

104-Hold On To Your Kids by Dr. G. Neufeld and Dr. G. Mate

105-The Death And Life Of The Great Lakes by Dan Egan

106-All The Ugly And Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

107-Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

108-How Infrastructure Works by Deb Chachra

109-We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kleiwer

110-Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

111-The Only One Left by Riley Sager

112-Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson

113-When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

114-The Wedding People by Alison Espach

115-Being Human by Robert Sapolsky

116-Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

117-The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

118-Together At Baptism by Robert M. Hanna

119-Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky

120-The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

121-King Of Ashes by S.A. Cosby

122-After Taste by Daria Lavelle

123-The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

(Photo courtesy of Ed Robertson)

I realize that some time has passed since I’ve updated the site about staff and services here at the Rev.

I know that there are many options when it comes to how you train your body, and we’ve been very fortunate to be the preferred option for so many since we opened in 2009.

If you’re new to us and what we do, or if you’re looking to make a change, allow me to tell you a little bit more about Revolution Fitness & Therapy.

We offer semi-private personal training. When you train with us, there will likely be others training at the same time but this is not group exercise. Each one of our clients has a training program tailor-made to them, based on goals, injury history, and preference.

Those programs cover a 4-week training cycle and may rotate between full body or some variation of an upper-lower split.

We pride ourselves on training regimens that are both effective and efficient. Most clients are in and out within 30-40 minutes, but some train longer than that depending on the style of workout and how they utilize their breaks in between sets and exercises.

Sessions are $35 each and there are no contracts to join here. Members go month-to-month with their membership and can cancel at any time without penalty.

We also offer nutrition coaching for those who need it, both online and face-to-face. Pricing differs between those options as each person has different needs and goals.

If you have a young athlete looking to improve in their preferred sports, I highly recommend you connect with our coach Mike Roder. Coach Mike is currently accepting new face-to-face clients. You can find him on Instagram HERE.

If you’re a young guy looking to get jacked and possibly compete on stage, I highly recommend you connect with our coach Nick Morton. Coach Nick is currently accepting new online clients. You can find him on Instagram HERE.

If you’re looking for general strength training and sport performance, I highly recommend you connect with our newest coach Marcus Masters. Coach Marcus is currently accepting new face-to-face and online clients. You can find him on Instagram HERE.

And of course, there’s me. I specialize in general strength training for clients and service as young as 11 and well into the 90s. Historically, most of my clients are female aged 40-60, but the general population is my passion. I’m currently accepting new face-to-face and online clients. You can find me on Instagram HERE.

If there’s a service you’re looking for, and I didn’t mention it above, feel free to drop me a line. If I can’t help directly, I probably know who to refer you to.

As you’re looking into the best place for your fitness in 2026, I hope you’ll consider us among your options.

As the tagline goes, We Make Great People Greater.

(Pictured below, L to R: Nick Morton, Marcus Masters, myself and Mike Roder)

Photo courtesy of Opal Visions Photography

At some point, you’ve probably heard of or have experimented with an elimination diet.

Sometimes, people attempt them to try and figure out if they have an intolerance to a particular food, to improve certain physical symptoms they may be having or simply for fat loss purposes.

I’ve written a fair amount on this site about the low FODMAP approach for individuals struggling with IBS or IBD and that approach also incorporates different levels of elimination in efforts to improve those symptoms for each person.

It’s important to note that we all have different bodies with different digestive systems and, the overarching concern of how we handle stress can influence how we feel when we eat certain foods.

Also, what you may have once been able to consume freely may change over time. This is of particular concern for individuals with autoimmune disorders and with women in the menopause transition.

So, if you are curious to see if a food or foods are problematic for you, here are some things to consider:

-Completely eliminate the food in question. Let’s assume it’s dairy. That would include: milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream, cottage cheese, whey protein, and any foods that list milk products in the ingredients (like many chocolates, certain chips and crackers, etc.)

-Keep the food out of your diet for several weeks. This could be anywhere from 3-8 weeks at the discretion of the individual.

-Consider that any food has its own micro and/or macronutrients and you may need to supplement elsewhere to shore up the difference. For instance, dairy products are a good source of calcium and you may need to find calcium elsewhere to keep that in your diet. Also, many dairy products are good sources of protein and you may find your protein intake drops when you remove dairy.

-After your “break period” from your chosen food(s), pick a small amount of the food to reintroduce in isolation. Let’s say you really miss having cheese. After your break period, start with 2 oz of cheese and consume it by itself. You’re trying to minimize any other conflicting foods so that you can assess how you feel after you eat the cheese. Keep a journal of any negative side effects you notice. If there are none, you can try another 2 oz in another day or so to see if your body can still tolerate it. Assuming there are no issues, you can try adding in another 2 oz or you can try another dairy product. Let’s assume you want to try milk. Start with a low amount, 2-4 oz, and keep a journal of how you feel. If you start to notice negative side effects, you may want to consider a lactose-free option to see if that makes a difference. This is essentially trial-and-error experiment to see not only what you can tolerate but in what amounts. You may find that you can tolerate 4 oz of cheese daily but not 6 oz. You might also find that yogurt is safe but whey protein is not.

-I also need to point out that if you’re removing a food that is relatively abundant in your diet, there is a chance that removing said food will put you into a caloric deficit. If that’s the case, you may also lose weight while you’re eliminating it. For some people, a degree of fat loss can improve how they feel and this is a confounding variable when you’re also trying to see if a food is problematic.

-The more foods you remove, the more you are at risk of micronutrient deficiencies and long-term avoidance could create further complications. If this is where you’re heading, I recommend working with a registered dietitian to make sure you’re following as safe a plan as possible.

-If you have to keep a food out of your diet indefinitely, keep an eye on reasonable alternatives. Using dairy as the example again, there are many plant-based options which may be easier to digest by comparison.

(Photo courtesy of Niclas Illg)

I’m writing this just after Thanksgiving and depending on how you celebrate the holiday season, there are potentially two food-focused holidays behind us (Halloween and Thanksgiving, respectively.)

Which means, Christmas, and to a lesser degree, New Year’s Eve, will be the last two holidays for many people to celebrate as we lean into 2026.

I’m not here to say whether you should be dieting this time of year or attempting to maintain. That is totally up to the individual.

What I would like to mention is that this holiday season (or what’s left of it) can be so many things at one time: joyful, stressful, depressing, inspiring and exhausting. Sometimes, all at once!

So, make sure you’re doing a handful of things to keep yourself as stable and sane as possible:

-If you can, schedule the rest of your workouts for the year. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but plug those days and times into your routine. If you have to move slots around in real time, do so. But make movement part of your plan for the remainder of 2025.

-Give yourself time and space to decompress. Depending on where you live, the weather may not be forgiving enough for you to be outside. So, find a place where you can recharge your batteries. That might be at home, it might be in a bubble bath, it might be at a library or a coffee shop. Make sure you get that time.

-Have a small, but meaningful, gratitude practice. It could be a note that you type out on your phone, it could be a considerate text message to someone you love and appreciate in your life, or it could be something you take pen to paper and write out.

-Drink your water.

-Spend as many days as you can with your “normal” eating routine. I know many people have a lot of holiday themed events and these are an added stressor to the holidays themselves. Navigate accordingly and when all else fails, stay protein and fiber-centric with your food choices. This can help fill you up before you indulge in the treats.

-Be kind with people. Be patient at check out lines. Some people are doing all they can to hold it together this time of year. Don’t be the reason they can’t hold it together any longer.

-There is a plague that takes over many homes this time of year. It’s not Chevy Chase and it’s not Mariah Carey, although they both rank near the top. It’s Elf On The Shelf. Some brilliant person sat back and asked the question: What can I add to the holiday season that children will love and will push parents to their breaking point? And the elf came to be. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to wake up in the middle of the night in a full panic that you hadn’t moved the elf before the kids woke up, you just can’t appreciate how much power the elf has on the household (and the behavior of children leading up to Christmas Day). This is of course assuming that that you haven’t had to buy multiple versions of the elf over the years because it’s been misplaced, burned, peed on, or traumatized by a pet. I think we’re on our 6th one. My hat goes off to every parent who understands this plague. Happy Holidays!

(Photo courtesy of Toa Hectiba)

I’m turning 50 this week.

So, here’s a rambling list of 50 things you can do to be better.

Better at, almost anything.

It’s a collection of thoughts, some original, some paraphrased from others, some credited where I remember the appropriate source.

It’s a collection that has come from a history of successes and failures and, ten years from now, some of my thoughts and feelings may have evolved and changed from where they are today.

1. You owe it to yourself to move your body as often as you can. Walk, run, lift weights, do yoga/pilates, hike, dance, etc. Just move and do it as consistently as you can. When I read the book “Younger Next Year”, the sentiment was: the body does one of two things, it can grow or decay, you get to choose which one.
2. Love your partner fully and completely. It won’t be perfect, you’ll make mistakes, and when you do make mistakes, own up to those mistakes. Yes, I know not every partnership is destined to last forever, but when you find the right one, put the time and effort in to keep the bond strong.
3. Don’t ever stop learning. Treat your brain like a muscle that must be stimulated constantly. Stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone. One of the most gratifying and challenging things I’ve done recently was embark on the entire 32 lecture series of Robert Sapolsky’s Human Behavioral Biology course. It was over 50 hours of content, available for free on YouTube which comprised the entirety (minus supplemental homework and testing) of his Stanford course. Absolutely mind blowing.
4. Eat the most nutritious food you can afford to feed yourself MOST of the time. Make sure you have some flexibility for some fun foods to make up the majority of your diet.
5. Do your chores. Whether you work a full-time job or not, make sure that you and the person you share a roof with has some division of responsibility. For me, I LOVE doing laundry. It’s my jam. But I also contribute to cleaning, dishes, etc. I’m not above doing any task in the home, even though some tasks are not my best skillset.
6. Respect yourself. That means how you treat your body, how you speak to and about yourself and how you allow others to speak about you in your presence. The foundation of how you treat the home you live in 24/7 begins with how you feel about yourself.
7. It’s amazing to me how many people actively body shame others. This is regardless of the size of someone’s body. If you’re too thin, you’re under scrutiny and if someone thinks you take up too much space, you’re under scrutiny as well. No one is safe from criticism. Practice acceptance of others. Most people won’t fall into a place of better health because they were shamed into it.
8. Protect your mental health at all costs. Hire a therapist if need be.
9. Heal.Your.Trauma.
10. A lot of our challenges in life can be solved by learning how to take a deep breath, go for a walk, and clear your mind. Journal out your frustrations if need be and give your thoughts space to breathe.
11. There is something genuinely beautiful about an aging body. I’m not saying it doesn’t come with its share of obstacles, but there’s a story to be told about a body which has spanned decades. Certain things don’t get easier with time but that story is often speckled with little miracles. Be proud of those miracles.
12. Whether you pray, meditate, or both, have a practice that allows you to calm the chaos of your mind.
13. Data is great (to a point). But in a day and age where nearly everything has a quantifiable metric, remember that numbers only tell one side of a story. The more important story is: are you building a better version of you?
14. I don’t think you need a LOT of friends to have a good life. I do think you need a FEW friends who can be open, honest and candid with you. People like this are invaluable and can help you see your own blind spots about yourself.
15. If you find yourself getting stuck inside your head about your own problems, be of service to others. Sometimes, you need a distraction from the challenges you’re facing and sometimes, seeing the value you give to the lives of others helps you reframe the perspective you need for your own life.
16. I find it fascinating how reducing physical clutter in your life has a nice correlation to reducing your mental clutter as well.
17. I know not everyone is fond of physical touch beyond loved ones, but it’s hard to beat a good hug.
18. I would like to thank the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC people in my life for continuing to show me what an abundance of love and respect can do to help someone live a fulfilling life. If you don’t have many of these people in your life, work on that. My life is immeasurably better as a result and the love and respect is reciprocated.
19. If you’re going to take a supplement as a way to improve your health, make sure it’s 3rd party tested. There will be a stamp on the supplement showing that the manufacturer went the extra step in ensuring that what they say is in the bottle is actually what’s there. Supplement usage ranks towards the top in causes of liver damage, so just because something “seems” safe, doesn’t mean it is.
20. Work towards being a better listener. As the adage goes, we have two ears to hear and one mouth to speak. Use accordingly.
21. Share your desserts.
22. You don’t have complete control over your health, sometimes, things just go wrong. But you do have some influence over how your health can play out. Stack the deck in your favor to the best of your ability.
23. I’m not sure where I stand on the sentiment: “Don’t go to bed mad.” I think when you’re mad, you may just need to feel your feelings. What I will say is: Don’t run from your confrontations. Face them. Work through them. Be respectful.
24. Hug your kids. If you don’t have kids, hug your fur babies.
25. If no one’s told you yet today, I’m proud of you. I’m glad you’re in this world. Now, take that, and pay it forward.
26. My wife and I have been together as a couple for almost 16 years. I flirt with her as much now as I did then. Don’t lose that ability to keep that going in your own relationship.
27. I hate feeling like I’m on autopilot in my life. Every aspect of my life has room for improvement. As a result, I keep reading books on business, on nutrition, on training, on being a manager, on marriage, on parenting, and on mental health. The last thing I want to be is stuck.
28. After being an avid reader throughout most of my life, this was the very first year I actively put a couple of books down and didn’t finish them. I just couldn’t get any further time investment into those books. By the same token, some books are worth reading more than once. As your life changes, the message from certain books take on a different meaning. You never know “where” a book may find you.
29. Some of the best experiences our family has had have also been among the least expensive. Not every great experience or great memory is formed with a high price tag attached to it.
30. If there’s someone you owe an apology to, make the apology. It’s mentally and emotionally liberating and you never know how much it will be appreciated on the other end when you can admit fault.
31. Morrissey sang “I recommend that you stop watching the news/Because the news contrives to frighten you/To make you feel small and alone/To make you feel that your mind isn’t your own” I would say the same conditions apply to social media if that is your news source.
32. To that, my broken record moment that I find myself repeating often: Unfollow any pages and people who leave you not feeling better about yourself and your life. Unfortunately, you will still see pages and people that are “suggested” follows. Block them if need be.
33. Sometimes, what you need is more moments of silence. No music, no television, no phone distractions, no podcasts, no audiobooks. Just silence.
34. A former client of mine walked into my office several years ago and saw all of my books. He commented: “You sure do have a lot of books.” I said, “Yes, I love to read.” He replied: “Just remember, not everything that you need to learn is going to be found inside a book.” I’ll be damned if he wasn’t right.
35. AI (artificial intelligence) can do a lot and I expect it will be able to do more over the next several years. However, having a human that can connect with you is almost invaluable. While self-checkouts are growing in number and we’re finding more and more ways to not actually connect with and socialize with real people, human touch and the nuance of human connection is not something we can afford to go without.
36. I read recently that, in efforts to keep us more engaged on social media platforms, we are often fed posts that will upset us. Researchers found that if we are incensed, we tend to stay on the platform longer. That helps engagement and allows more ads to be visible to us. I found this both fascinating and troubling. A helpful book to learn more about things like this is “Stolen Focus” by Johann Hari.
37. The messy bits about you can often be the parts that help you be a better version of yourself. I can’t change those messy bits of my own life but I can use them as inspiration and motivation to be a better husband, father, coach, friend and son. Admittedly, it has taken many hours of therapy to reach a point where I can hold space for both truths: that I have a difficult and muddy past AND also I have put in the work to not let those things define me.
38. When you say “I love you”, mean it.
39. Sometime back, I made a conscious effort to read books from perspectives of people who have not lived a life like mine. For instance, I’ve read several books written by authors in larger bodies who expressed what that experience was like. I’ve never known that experience but understanding it from someone who could be candid about it, helped me understand some degree of what many of my clients go through. Later, I read more about people of a different color, marginalized communities, and people of different sexual preferences as my own. Taking the time to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes” goes a long way in understanding and appreciating not only HOW we’re different but WHY we’re different and how to be loving, accepting and respectful of people who have not had the same lived experience as my own. Sometimes, the information is challenging and difficult to sift through. But that’s point. The more we can respect the lives of others, the more we can change our own prejudices and biases. The world doesn’t need more division, we need more unity.
40. Over the last year, I’ve heard/read from more than one source that if you need to have difficult conversations, do so during a walk. Being side by side with someone can reduce the feeling of confrontation and potentially help you solve problems more effectively without one person having their defenses up. This has worked really well for Marissa and I.
41. As I’m getting older, I’ve realized I need fewer and fewer “things.” While I will likely never be a minimalist, what I crave the most is quiet time with family and time to bond. This has been more restorative to me than anything retail therapy can give.
42. There’s value in being connected with people who have different opinions than you. There’s little value in being connected with people who offer their opinions through bullying or belittling others. Behavior on social media has skewed the latter.
43. Jon Goodman said: “Everybody has a million problems until they have a health problem. Then they only have one problem.” Preach.
44. I’m having more and more conversations with my clients about preserving and improving their strength, as well as conversations about keeping an eye on their bone mineral density. Make these things a priority because for many people, they could be far more important than fat loss.
45. On the note of fat loss, you can either train aggressively or diet aggressively. Don’t do both at the same time. And also, an aggressive approach of either may not be the right approach for you.
46. I love sharing music with others. I know that my taste in music may not be to the liking of everyone but I can say that if you’ve ever listened to a song or album that shook you to your soul, you and I probably have more in common than less. One thing I really love is hearing a cover of a song that makes me completely rethink the original. Here’s a cover I came across recently that floored me.
47. There’s nothing more beautiful to me than the smiles of my wife and my boys. Nurture more smiles in your life.
48. Have a space to write out your feelings. Not everything in your mind needs to be part of a conversation (especially when you’re emotional) but everything needs a home. Write or type out your thoughts to give your mind clarity and delete or toss what you need to. Declutter your mind.
49. Many years ago, my father wrote me a letter and the first words were “How do I write to inspire?” I’ve never forgotten those words and I try to keep them at the forefront of my mind when I write to and for others. I hope something in this list inspires you to take action.
50. Practice daily gratitude. To that, if you’ve stuck through this list to the end, thank you in large part or small for being involved in the first 50 years of my life. I’m eternally grateful.

I have to remind myself constantly that I provide a service that is a luxury.

Not many people can afford to have a personal trainer.

Not many people can afford to have a nutrition coach.

Not many can afford to work remotely with someone who can write their training programs and coach their diets, no matter where they live in this world.

And yet, everyone deserves the opportunity to be and feel fit.

So, this article is about some ideas for getting yourself there if you don’t have much money but you need to improve your health.

–Start With Steps: Improving your step count remains one of the most underrated forms of movement you can do for your body. It’s easy to do, it’s free, it’s low impact, and yes, it burns calories. It’s also good for your heart, your lungs and your brain. I’ve worked with clients who could barely walk a full block when they started with me but they built up their stamina and endurance to be able to walk miles. If it’s financially possible, buy a pedometer to track your steps and see how you’re improving. You may also need to invest in some shoes that can handle the mileage. You can start slowly. If the best you can do is 1000 steps a day, it’s a start. Build up to 2000, and then 3000. Just improve. You can break it up into several short bouts per day. Every little bit counts.

–Bodyweight Movements: Depending on your current physical condition, some bodyweight movements may be easier than others. For instance, you may not be able to do a free-standing bodyweight squat, but you may be able to squat and stand back up from a chair. As your body acclimates to that motion, try losing the assist of the chair and you can try squats on your own and build up your repetitions. If you can’t do a push-up from the floor, try doing one from your counter-top. Like the squats, you can build up your strength and reps over time to start attempting push-ups from the floor. Other bodyweight movements that you can utilize might be lunges, step-ups, planks, crunches, glute bridges, bird dogs, dead bugs and more.

–Band Resistance: While bands have been around for decades as an alternative to weights, the lockdowns during COVID were a great example of leaning on band work when you don’t have access to more (and heavier) equipment. With bands, depending on the type of band, you can introduce band variations of squats, bicep curls, lunges, band chest presses/flys, rowing movements for your back, kickbacks and extensions for your triceps, and over head presses. Some movements may require that you have an anchor point for your band to complete the movements.

–Dumbbells: Many people have light(er) dumbbells in their home. Maybe they were found at a garage sale, thrift store, or were handed down from a friend or family member. While dumbbells give you considerably more variation when it comes to exercises, limitations may be whether or not you have a weight bench and the very real potential that the weights you have are too light and aren’t challenging enough (this can also happen with bodyweight and band movements). Nonetheless, the more tools you have at your disposal, the more variation you can add to your routines.

–Gym Access: With the popularity and ease of access of places like Planet Fitness and YMCA, your most affordable gym options (with the most amenities) might be places like those. The downside is that you may be going at busy times and may have longer that ideal weight times to get to the equipment you need. Many people find they’re intimidated by the huge selection of equipment and have a genuine concern that they are risking injury by being unfamiliar with how a piece of equipment works. The good news is that most people in a gym are friendly and helpful. No one wants to see another member get hurt when the main reason someone goes to a gym is for self improvement. You can ask for assistance from a staff member or another customer to gain better understanding of what every machine does. Like a lot of things in life, just because the variation is there, doesn’t mean you need it. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with just a few staple movements in your program that you can track progress with.

Of course, in a perfect world, I’d love for everyone to have the ability to work with a personal trainer. I think the more people we can lead to the gym, the better. Should you be in position to have a coach, or a boutique gym like RevFit, you gain the advantage of the community, someone to take responsibility of writing your training programs, to teach you how to lift as safely as possible, and to have a place of accountability.

However, if that’s not in the cards, remember that you can do a lot with a minimal amount of equipment or very little monthly expense if that’s the best option for you.

The most important thing, is to start moving and find a method of movement you can stick with for the long haul.

(Photo courtesy of Danielle Cerullo)