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Hannah Howard is the best-selling author of the new book “Feast: True Love In and Out of the Kitchen.” She joins me this week to give you a little teaser just before she hits a domestic tour to promote it. “Feast” discusses not only Hannah’s struggles with eating disorders but how her romantic relationships and her involvement in the food and restaurant industries shaped much of her self-image. As a personal trainer, this book was a fascinating and in many ways heartbreaking story to read and Hannah does an amazing job of showing her emotions and her passion for life before finally finding body acceptance and success through Overeaters Anonymous. I can’t recommend this book enough. You can buy your copy on Amazon or your through your local bookseller. To learn more about Hannah’s work, she is on Instagram at “hannahmhoward” and http://www.hannahhoward.nyc To learn more about your host, visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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“You should be dead by now.”

That’s what the doctors told Hugh after some tests were run on him following a series of ischemic strokes.

He got some of his affairs in order on the outside chance that he not survive his surgery and he went in for an aortic valve replacement and quadruple bypass surgery.

On April 4, 2017 he was released from the hospital.

Within a few months of being cleared to exercise, his daughter (and current client) Kellie had persuaded him to come and see me.

At 75 years young, Hugh was no stranger to exercise. He consistently used his Bowflex at home and even had the pedigree of an amateur boxer. Over the years, I’ve worked with several members of his family and this was the first time he had considered making the 30 minute trek to come and see me.

Initially, he was given clearance to lift no more than 20lbs. So, we played with some light dumbbell and machine work to get him started. However, it didn’t take long to notice that if I stepped away from him, he might push the weight stack up an extra plate by time I came back. Clearly, Hugh had a slight agenda of his own beyond what the doctors suggested. Kellie and I kind of chuckled about it but I was still aiming to keep the workouts more conservative.

I’d check in on him routinely and ask how his recovery was: Any soreness? Any aches and pains that don’t seem normal? Hugh seemed fine by all accounts and I could tell that he was more than a little frustrated that I wasn’t pushing him harder.

I would frequently give Hugh a rep range for a given exercise, say 3 sets of 12-15 reps. And I’ll be damned if he didn’t gut out every last rep of that range even if it looked like it was all he had in him. I started to joke with him “No one can ever say you don’t leave it all in the gym!” Hugh would smile and nod in agreement.

So, as we developed more of a relationship, Hugh started to get some heavier weights. His doctor was informed that he was under my instruction and didn’t appear to have any reservations about Hugh progressing.

If you don’t know much about my training style, I do err to the side of conservative. Yes, our clients might lift heavy weights. And yes, some days are harder than others. I do not subscribe to the philosophy of burying people in high intensity training every time they step through the door.

I also tend to be forgiving when the body puts up a fight. As a result of what Hugh has gone through, his right side does indeed push back. And where I have been inclined to give some slack and say “It’s okay if you’re not able to finish.” Hugh would shoot back “No, it’s not okay.”

And it has been moments like this when I’ve known that Hugh is quite special.

So, my dialogue started to change and I began telling him how much grit he had. Other clients began to notice too. Hugh was going to give his all, no matter what.

Little by little, we’ve been able to push where we can. Hugh’s body, post-surgery, doesn’t move as smoothly as he might like but he is progressing. Last week, he saw a huge jump in his traplift and pulled an easy 235×3.

Yesterday (just one week later), he pulled 255×2.

As I said, he is quite special.

I would love to tell you that I can get anyone in their seventies to do what Hugh is doing, but I can’t.

I can try my best but beyond skill level, Hugh has determination and will beyond the average person. That’s saying a lot because I get the opportunity to work with some amazing people day in and day out.

So, this is my little tribute to the man I now affectionately call “Mr. Grit.”

We are so happy to have you healthy and thriving in the RevFit family.

 

Sarah Ashman, RD returns to the show after her excellent primer on functional nutrition and this week we dive into gut health. If you wanted to know more about fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, and more THIS is the place to start. As always Sarah is an amazing source of information and you might find yourself taking notes to the episode or listening more than once to get all the details of everything she has to share. For more info on Sarah, you can find her at http://www.thenutritionatrix.com or email her at sarahashmanrd@gmail.com To learn more about your host, visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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I woke up yesterday morning: bright-eyed, well-rested. I didn’t even need my alarm clock.

Sebastian slept through the night without a stir and Marissa slept well also.

My morning coffee was on point, I got some reading in, got my email inbox to zero, washed up without delay and got to work with time to spare before my first client.

I spent a few minutes preparing programs for a handful of clients who needed updates and was amped up, ready to face my day.

Client sessions went flawlessly, everyone seemed to be feeling the vibe off of my day. No dragging feet, no frowns, just pure excitement and great attitudes to get through the work day.

My own workout went great, hit a couple of personal records, ate my food (portions and all) in line with my goals so I felt like a million bucks all day.

I paid some bills to keep finances current and didn’t feel the least bit stressed about waiting for certain bills to clear before I could pay others.

I had a few moments to talk to Marissa in the middle of my work day and it sounds like her day was going as seamlessly as mine.

Life.Is.Good.

Scratch that, Life.Is.Great.

Come to think of it, I didn’t hit any red lights coming to and from work so I was able to make it home in a reasonable time frame each direction.

I cooked dinner for Marissa and myself, got to enjoy some relaxing time with the family and was in bed at a decent time so I could get a full night’s sleep only to repeat another day of flawless living.

Does something sound wrong with this?

Well, for one, my days never go like this. Not ever. Some days, there are bits and pieces of this description that might be accurate. I’ll let you decide which of those are more realistic than others.

More often than not, there are several of these items that can (and do) go wickedly off track and (potentially) set me in a tailspin.

And no matter how many times it happens that I don’t get to live a “perfect” day, I don’t cash in my chips and say “Oh the hell with it, let’s just give up on life too.”

Funny thing, we treat our diets like that.

If we can’t fit in our perfect bouts of exercise, we might resort to being slugs.

If we can’t eat the way we’re supposed to in line with our goals, we might eat everything in sight.

If the work day gets the best of us, we might console ourselves with comfort food.

Truth be told, I have no idea what perfect looks or feels like. As much as I love my wife, our marriage isn’t perfect. As much as I love my boys, I am not a perfect father. As much as I love my work, I don’t know what a perfect day looks like.

So, it stands to reason that I don’t expect my clients to be perfect. I just expect (and encourage) them to try and keep trying.

All this aside, much of your success will come from a certain level of forgiveness. The workouts won’t be perfect and neither will the diet and neither will your lifestyle.

It’s fine. You’re good.

You can still progress.

You can still move the needle.

You can still succeed.

You just may have to get that idea of “perfect” out of your way because it’s setting up shop as a distraction from your goal.

Here’s a little shot of one of our RevFit power couples: Roger and Cherie. And while they’re pretty close to perfect, I can assure you that what helps them succeed is a realistic outlook, a slow and steady approach to success, forgiveness when the curveballs come their way, and consistency to the plan. 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Carl Juneau is the creator of the new AI app Dr. Muscle and joins me this week to set the foundation for strength training. While this episode may serve as a refresher for those listening who are in the fitness industry, Dr. Carl and I wanted to break strength training down to the basics for the listener who just needs to know where and how to start with a realistic plan. This is a phenomenal episode and Dr. Juneau has a unique and sustainable approach for anyone tuning in. To learn more about the Dr. Muscle app and to get special pricing to try it, visit http://www.drmuscleapp.com/jason To contact Dr. Carl directly, you can reach him at carl@drmuscleapp.com To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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Peter Baker and Layne Norton have just released a fascinating book that goes into exceptional detail for those looking to dive into physique and bodybuilding competitions. Peter joins me on this week’s bonus episode to discuss his work on the book. There is a great deal of excellent information that would apply to anyone looking to lose weight as well as there are diet tips galore and plenty of insight by two guys who have the clientele to back up their knowledge. You can purchase the guide at http://www.biolaynestore.com/collections/accessories To learn more about Peter’s work, visit http://www.peterdbaker.com To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friend and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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*The title of this post was inspired by the George Michael song of a similar name*

Julie first heard about me after hearing me on Heather Robertson’s podcast, Half Size Me. If you’d like to hear that episode, you can find it here.

Like Heather and myself, Julie also hosts a podcast of her own called The Julie Tussey Show which you can learn more about here.

After connecting and setting up a time for me to be a guest on her show, Julie inquired about my online training services. She had seen some of my posts on social media about working with clients remotely to help them see results. Since I am in Ohio and Julie is in Kentucky, this seemed like the most advantageous way to move forward.

We discussed some of her current injuries/impairments, her current fitness regimen and a short list of previous dietary attempts that worked to varied degrees of success. Julie is the epitome of “busy.” So, everything that we embarked to do together from diet to exercise had to fit that mold or it just wasn’t going to get done.

Julie affectionately calls herself the “Menopause Momma” and truly feels as if her body has been betraying her at this stage of her life. Like many women going through a similar event, menopause is one stage where the body can have a mind of its own.

However, of the few things I was able to work on from her prior dieting attempts, we had to re-establish a new calorie goal and a different expectation of what carbs, proteins and fats were likely doing for her.

She had already been through the aggressive low-carb/low-sugar plan and was miserable. She had also been through the very restrictive (less than 1000) calorie diet plan as well which proved to also be miserable.

And as can sometimes be the case with women who embark on cycles of Weight Watchers, there was a fair amount of conversation about good food/bad food, food shame, etc. I tend to call Weight Watchers out for this not because I think it’s a bad program but since it has been around for so long, there are some patterns I’ve seen with clients of mine who have worked with it that seem to repeat themselves.

The good news for Julie and myself was that she was already acclimated to counting calories, she just hadn’t previously been given much to work with. We discussed a new approach that had her eating a bit more than she thought she could. I also asked her to put a primary focus on protein intake within the new calorie goal.

As for carbohydrate and fat intake? She can do WHATEVER she wants as long as it fits within the calorie goal and she feels her best on it.

Giving Julie this protocol gave her a freedom she hadn’t previously known. And almost immediately, there was a shift in her voice, her attitude and her mindset to move forward.

That’s not to say her “rite of passage” will be easy. Eating below maintenance is not fun but you can make it tolerable. We also had to help her get creative with her protein sources since she professed to not being a big meat-eater.

I asked Julie to start finding some food trends on the days where she felt like she really nailed it with her intake. You don’t need a ton of food variety and I can definitely make a case for keeping the diet more conservative as opposed to adventurous. But, like me, Julie likes her spicy foods and definitely had to keep those in. Chips and salsa were going to be a staple which I am perfectly okay with as long as they fit within the parameters we discussed and she could determine that neither was a trigger food (something she couldn’t control.)

While our working relationship is still very new Julie has already reported several pounds of weight loss so far. I wanted to write this particular article to highlight how  a less judgmental view of food and a deeper understanding of how it works for you can change your path to progress.

Julie is off to an awesome start and I know she’s going to see more great things come at the rate she’s going.

I have the pleasure of turning the tables on fellow podcaster and personal trainer, Rafal Matuszewski, this week. He hosts the excellent show “Cut The S#!t, Get Fit”, which I hope you will tune in to as well. Rafal gets to share more of his personal story of adversity and what he overcame to break into this industry and make a mark for himself. To learn more about Rafal’s work, connect with him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/rmatuszewski and at http://www.empowerhp.ca To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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*The title of this post was taken from the Pearl Jam song of the same name*

When my son, Jackson, was about to be baptized in the Catholic church, I went to my Dad to get a better understanding of what that all meant.

For the record, I grew up as something of a denominational mutt. My mother was raised Southern Baptist. My father was Catholic, raised by a Catholic father and a mother who was born in a non-practicing German Jewish family. After she served in the camps in WWII, she changed to Catholic to marry my Opa. Since my mother opted to not switch from Baptist to Catholic, a Baptist church in my hometown of Tennessee recognized their marriage in 1974.

Since we moved around so much due to my father’s career trajectory with Goodyear, we would attend Sunday services at any church where my parents felt the most connection. This led us to everything between Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, and non-denominational churches over the years. During college, I fell out with the traditional mold of churchgoers and felt the need to distance myself for the time being.

My father, who was always fascinated with different religions, beliefs and cultures would frequently read about how others viewed their faith. As a result, I was raised in a family who taught me tolerance and what I believe was a desire to want to appreciate other’s differences rather than stay at arms distance because they were different than me.

So, my Dad bought me a book called Rediscover Catholicism.

One of the greatest takeaways from it was the notion of becoming the best version of yourself. This was something that resonated deeply with me because prior to that time, I would have hardly said I was living that way.

My father resembled everything that was great to me. He was kind, loving, compassionate, interested in nearly everything and could easily have spoken to a stranger about a myriad of topics. He showed me how a gentleman should behave, how a husband should treat his wife and how a father should raise his child.

Looking back, there is hardly a lesson I could have learned that my father didn’t try to teach me. My biggest regret, was mostly being too stubborn or disinterested to learn them so that he could see more of the man he wanted me to be while he was still alive.

March 23 will be seven years since he passed away and I am still aching with this regret.

That the man who gave me so much, sacrificed so much, asked for so little in return was shown gratitude by a child who was often too self-absorbed, defiant and distracted to pay attention.

At the risk of painting too bleak a picture, I loved my father more than I know how to express. We had amazing times together, he was my biggest fan and all he ever wanted was to see me (and my mother) happy.

My father truly believed in the concept of being the best version of you. And I know that because he lived it every day.

So, while I kick myself frequently for not being enough or showing enough of that while he was alive, I know that my Dad left this world knowing how much I adored him and looked up to him and he got to see me with Marissa (who I would marry after his passing) and he got to see me as a father.

As for being the best me?

For whatever distance I put between myself and the church, I believe there is a Heaven that holds my Dad. I do everything I can to be the man he wanted me to be because there is a lingering feeling that he’s watching me and I desperately don’t want to let him down now. That has not been a faultless journey but I do continue to work on it.

If I’m wrong and there is no Heaven, then I can find comfort in the fact that I spent the rest of my days trying to fill and fulfill the role he wanted me to have in this world.

I’ll live in a way that is closer to what I believe I should be so that, maybe someday, when my time has come, I can join him up there.

My father remains my north star. And for my mother as well.

It is my hope that you don’t have to lose someone you love as much as I loved him to realize your best version of you. You can be that person on any day and for any reason.

Because you deserve that for yourself.

Your family deserves to see it.

Your friends deserve to experience it.

And you’ve got one life to accomplish it with.

I am happy to have Jeb Stuart Johnston join me this week for a special bonus episode so you can be among the first to hear about and purchase his new book “Becoming Brooklyn Strong” on Amazon.com We talk about his motivations for writing the book and why he felt now was the best time to release it. I was privy to an advance copy of this and really loved Jeb’s approach to not only how he wrote the book but his philosophies on diet and training. To learn more about Jeb’s work, visit http://www.jebjohnston.com To learn more about your host, visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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