Category: Uncategorized

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

When Deb approached me a few months ago to work with her cousin Tina, she knew I had a little bit of experience working with clients who have special needs. Tina, specifically, has Down syndrome. She had a little bit of weight to lose and after seeing how well her cousin Rob (Deb’s brother) did with weight loss after he started training here, it seemed like a good fit.

I met with Tina and her mom initially to talk about what some of the challenges might be involving diet and exercise. Tina was ready for the journey and felt confident she could get both diet and her workouts working in her favor to bring her weight down. We discussed some opportunities with food that may have led to her weight gain and worked on a game plan to make it all work together.

In my experience, working with individuals who have special needs, traditional strength training can have varied results. Some clients move well with little instruction to correct form while others have to see more modifications and substitutions to be able to perform an exercise properly.

In Tina’s case, we’ve tried to make her workouts more “play” and less lifting weights. As a result, we use ball slams, kettlebell swings, battle ropes, sleds and more.

Tina has been incredible. She is extremely witty, always ready to work hard and never afraid to let me know if she thinks I’m getting out of line (which NEVER happens by the way!) She lives independently but she always has a provider to assist her with daily living.

Enter Consuela.

Consuela is one of two providers who works with Tina. Since it worked out best for Tina’s schedule to have Consuela come with her, the initial plan was to have Tina work out while Consuela waited here for her.

One day, Tina was using the battle ropes and Consuela showed an interest in trying them. I got her started and thought that maybe there could be a better use of Consuela’s time (plus extra motivation for Tina) if they both would train together.

We started discussing more details about diet for both ladies. Since Consuela had significant influence over what Tina ate, meals she packed to take to work, and her extracurricular exercise, it only made sense to have them both working towards the same goal.

Well, Consuela has been seeing incredible results. She knows what she’s supposed to be doing, she’s motivated by her steady weight loss, and she’s realized that she is actually a lot stronger than she ever gave herself credit for.

Not to mention, every time I post a picture of her progress on social media, her friends absolutely blow the post up with support and words of encouragement. I cannot possibly overstate the importance of this. Having a support system who stands behind you while you’re trying to improve yourself is monumental and you can’t put a price tag on it.

There is so much more to achieve with these ladies. We’ve barely seen what can be done thus far. What I do know, is that due to Consuela’s efforts, Tina is succeeding. That is an outcome that would have been difficult to achieve without someone like Consuela in her corner.

It has been really inspiring to see how these two motivate one another to get better, do better, train harder and eat right. Consuela is proving that when you are in control of your decisions and allowing little negative influence to affect your decisions, you can thrive. Tina is that extra little bit of motivation that Consuela needs to remind her that “I’m not in this alone, I am part of a team.”

And in just over two months, Tina is down 10lbs and Consuela is down 20lbs.

The best is yet to come. 

 

 

Ian Dunican joins me this week to discuss his work with Sleep4Performance. After hearing his excellent interview with Danny Lennon (Sigma Nutrition Podcast) several weeks ago, I knew I had to bring him on to discuss how much sleep can affect the general population. Ian takes his wealth of experience as a sleep researcher and director of Sleep4Performance and shines a much needed light on how sleep and the lack thereof can be affecting performance in life, work and training. We cover sleep habits, sleep etiquette, sleep aids and more. Also, make sure you connect with Ian directly to get his free ebook offered to all who tune in to the show. For more information about Ian, please visit his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/sleep4perform To learn more about your host, please visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com Download, subscribe, share and tell your friends. If you have a moment, please leave us a iTunes review to let us know how you like the show.

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

I remember it somewhat vividly.

I was fresh out of high school, dating a girl who would later be coined the “girlfriend from hell” by my family. The relationship didn’t last long. That was probably obvious to everyone but me.

I spent every dime of my graduation money on her. Pawned away good music instruments and equipment too. When I got wind that she was cheating on me with a friend of mine, it stung a bit.

Granted, she was in Ohio (so was he) and I was in Tennessee. A girl would get lonely, right?
That wasn’t the worst of it though. I was having a conversation with her mom shortly after I found out about the affair and she said “Don’t worry, Jason. She really cares about you. She’s only with him for his looks.”

Ouch.

You see, I’ve never been under any illusions that I could make it as a runway model. Too short, too this, too that. But for a short amount of time, I thought my “looks” were enough to keep my girlfriend faithful.

I wish I could say that was the only time when it seemed apparent that maybe I wasn’t the best looking guy on the block. It wasn’t. But that was definitely one time where my nose got rubbed in it.

Fast forward over two decades later and I really look nothing like that guy. I weigh a bit more, have more muscle and as of 10 years ago, have completely shaved my head. I also have married a woman who, in my humble opinion, is stunning. When this post is published, it will be our two year anniversary.

I’m still no runway model but I have learned to grow a bit more comfortable in my own skin.

What I often find with my clients, is a similar dissatisfaction with themselves. Maybe their parents impressed it on them at an early age. Maybe, like with me, it was a relationship that went awry.

Unfortunately, the lack of self esteem is what I find can hold many of my clients back. They’re too concerned about the size of their butt, the loose skin under their arms, the excess fat around the midsection that never seems to get tight enough. Or maybe it was never tight at all.

That concern for the perfect body tends to override all of the amazing feats of progress that someone can achieve. When being skinny trumps being healthy. When starving oneself is a greater badge of honor than eating appropriately and responsibly for a goal. Or the opposite effect of overeating because one has lost sight of a goal.

Recently, a client (who has been seeing tremendous weight loss results) was criticized for how they look by their spouse. Maybe it wasn’t meant in a derogatory way but this individual already struggles with self worth and feeling as if they deserve the body they’re working so hard to have.

It’s akin to criticizing someone for their looks on things they have little control in changing. How demoralizing.

It takes a special kind of strength to keep fighting for your goal. It takes a great amount of determination to decide that you’re not going to let any negative part of your past define who you are today, much less who you will be tomorrow.

It would be easy for me to write each week about calories or exercises or motivation. But if you want to be successful on your journey, it’s about a lot more than any of those things.

Many of our clients are fighting a battle that won’t ever be seen. It might be emotional, physical, or social. Sometimes, the best that can happen is they come into the gym and let all of that stress out on the weights. I think that’s a great thing.

And I don’t want to pretend that I have this whole self esteem thing worked out for myself either. I have my own battles. But you’re welcome at RevFit to help me straighten some of my issues out as long as I can return the favor.

 

Over the last couple of years, Dan Broadbent AKA “A Science Enthusiast” has been taking the social media world by storm in efforts to bring rational thought and scientific understanding back to the conversation on some very hot button topics. We bring many of them up in this conversation. From vaccines to GMO’s, religion to autism, we tackle a lot! This was quite a chat and I truly hope that listeners take some nuggets of wisdom from what we discussed. No matter where you stand on these topics, Dan shines a passionate light on the issues he gets vocal about on his own website. To learn more about Dan, you can connect with him and check out his podcast via http://www.ascienceenthusiast.com To learn more about your host, please visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com Download, subscribe, share with your friends, and leave us an iTunes review to let us know how we’re doing!

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* The title of this post was taken from The Dirty Nil song of the same name*

Ah, to be young and fearless again…

Or is that young and invincible?

While I don’t have the lifting background of someone who played sports through high school/college, my body has felt it’s fair share of aches, pains, strains, and other miscellaneous hiccups. You can read about some of the more serious ones here.

In fact, most of my clients are in something of the same boat. A bad knee here, a rough shoulder there, unusual pains in the lower back, hip, elbow, etc. I’m not sure that I have any clients at all (young or old) who aren’t fighting through or around some nagging problem.

To treat each of my clients as if they had no weaknesses would be foolish to say the least. Some people have an innate strength or aptitude that I try to flesh out and improve on. Others have to fight and claw for every ounce of progress they can make. I tend to post a lot of pictures of people lifting respectable weights with a traplift or a back squat. However, I have at least 30% of my clientele who cannot, and likely will not, ever be able to safely perform those lifts.

That’s ok.

Not only do we all have different goals set for ourselves, we have different bodies, with different histories behind them. All of which have a path to forge and it’s my job (and the job of my trainers) to help shine that light.

If you want to get stronger, get leaner, eat more responsibly, balance your training with the rest of your life, we want to see you succeed. No two paths will look identical to one another. No two outcomes will be perfectly aligned.

I’d also like to offer a call to those of you reading this to stay aware of your weaknesses. Sometimes they can be made stronger and sometimes they need to remain subtle reminders of where the body cannot be pushed.

Perhaps the largest offenders of any of this are the weekend warriors and those just trying too damn hard to relive their former glories (When I was in college I could lift “XXX” or run a mile in “YYY”.)

Focus on who you are today.

The person who’s lived a few decades or so under their belt, raised a family, climbed the corporate ladder and maybe suffered some legitimate losses in their life.

We want that person with a few battle scars who’s ready to conquer the next stage of their life. And while you may have weaknesses (we all do), we want to share some of these new victories with you.

You in?

 

 

I go solo this week and bring you a shorter episode this go-round. Dive in to this week’s show to check out the snacks I recommend to clients and what my go-to options are, the supplements I’ve been using and how they might benefit you, plus some strategies to help you on your fitness journey. Per the recommendation on the show, please check out http://www.examine.com to get great information on your supplements. To find out more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com Download, subscribe, share with your friends and leave a review on iTunes to let me know how you like the show.

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Dr. Karl Nadolsky joins me again after his excellent episode earlier this year discussing hormones and this time we dive into the world of adrenal fatigue. Dr. Karl explains some of the myths behind what the media tells us and what further testing may show. We also discuss the reality of adrenal insufficiency and the myriad of other issues which could be occurring underneath the surface. As always Dr. Karl shares a wealth of information so you don’t want to miss this. To learn more about the website he references in the episode, please check out http://www.hormone.org/hormones-and-health/myth-vs-fact/adrenal-fatigue To learn more about Dr. Karl, please visit http://www.docswholift.com There you’ll find his contributions with his brother Dr. Spencer (also a resident guest on our show) and you can connect with each of them on their respective social media channels. To learn more about your host, please visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com Download, subscribe, share with your friends and let us know how we’re doing!

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*The title of this post was taken from the Iggy Pop song of the same name*

Owning this business has always been fun. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its fair share of stress but interacting with people all day long who are committed to self-improvement is a blast.

As we are now somewhere between 7 and 8 years of operation, I’m having more fun at RevFit now more than ever.

And why is that?

If I’m being honest with myself, I know that these things tend to work in cycles. If clients are seeing good things happen with others here, they want to see the same happen with themselves. It’s easy to feed off of that energy.

But I’d like to think it goes deeper than that. Sure, there is a certain sense of accomplishment when you hit a new personal record or you get your body weight to somewhere you haven’t been in a while.

However, if I can project a bit, it feels like the current roster of clients cares more about themselves. I don’t mean it from a selfish standpoint (although I think to a degree that would be okay.) I think of it from a place of self-preservation.

When we can determine there is a place that seems better than where we are today, we want to be there.

So, if the thought of being 20lbs lighter is really motivating, that’s the goal an individual will fight to get to. Or if the allure of getting stronger in a particular exercise is inspiring, a client will make sure they get adequate recovery in between sessions to be fresh when they come in for their workouts.

I’ve been particularly aggressive with posting pictures of clients on social media lately too. That, in turn, gets people talking. And it gets my clients feeling good about their respective accomplishments. I like this support system. It reminds my clients that they are not in this alone and can motivate them to stay the course when life has that funny way of distracting us from progress.

What I see when I look at my clients lately, is what reminds me of the Iggy Pop song referenced in the title. It’s a “lust for life.”

It’s the drive that says:

I want better for myself, I’m willing to work for it, and dammit I’m proud of what I’m doing (Stuart Smalley would probably say that differently.)

Great things have been happening here and I don’t see any indication they’re going to slow down anytime soon. To those of you who are part of the gang, I thank you for your continued efforts towards self-improvement and legendary status. To those of you who are not yet in the swing over here, I hope that you are dialing in your own Lust For Life.

In the meantime, we’re going to keep kicking ass at the Rev.

She’s baaaaaacck! Once upon a time, Evelyn Carbsane was my very first podcast guest. We never made it official because at the time it was something of an experiment. So, we’re making our first official episode together and it is a damn good one. Evelyn has done boatloads of nutrition research and has successfully managed to debunk a lot of the nutritional dogma that floats in our industry. We try to bring the sanity back into the carbohydrate conversation. You can find out more about Evelyn by visiting her at http://www.carbsanity.blogspot.com To find out more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com Download, subscribe, share and tell your friends.

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

Frequently, clients of mine will assume that my diet is 100% perfect all of the time. Perfectly timed, all healthy options, never eating desserts, chips or large portions of junk.

At times, some have assumed that I am gluten-free, sugar-free, meat-free, etc.

WRONG.

I will eat pretty much anything. I have a notorious hatred for onions (if I can smell them) and I’m not much on raw tomatoes unless they’re part of a spicy salsa.

Aside from that, I’m not terribly picky. However, people assume that due to my build and my profession that I eat like a saint, 24/7.

I will say, that I generally do eat in a health-conscious manner most every day. On the weekends, things can be scattershot. A couple of weeks ago, I got off to a decent start with an almond butter sandwich on sprouted grain bread. After that, my wife had her open house at our newest endeavor, a performing arts studio. There were cupcakes, cookies, cheese, fruit and meatballs. I had a little of everything.

Cookies are my weakness and I try to steer clear of them when I can. If they’re nearby, I’ll continue to nibble and pick at them to no end. Because I don’t indulge in desserts frequently, my “open house” diet made me feel like crap. From a calorie standpoint, I’m fairly certain I was in line with any other day. However, my food choices definitely made me feel less than optimal that day.

What I don’t do is spend a lot of time worrying about it. I know that after the weekend, I will get my diet back to my relative normal and any weight fluctuations will work themselves out within the first couple of days of the week.

It would be foolish of me to compare my normal to yours. If you are embarking on your weight loss journey, you may not be able to get as loose on the weekends as I do. Maybe you have a harder time moderating portions or you let one counterproductive meal lead to six.

For some people, I’ve even suggested getting regimented with the diet with no luxuries for a predetermined amount of time. For instance, if you really like milkshakes, maybe you treat yourself to a milkshake (just one, small/medium size) after you drop your first 10lbs. I don’t think it’s healthy to remove things indefinitely but I have seen that work really well for certain personalities.

I think everything has it’s right place. Know yourself, know your limits, and plan accordingly. If I had 30lbs to lose, knowing my adoration of cookies, I might find it easier to stay away from cookies until the weight came off. OR, I would find a way to keep cookies in the diet but in the smallest quantity possible so I could tell myself I’m not totally deprived.

True to the title of the post, When It All Goes Wrong Again (and it will), you have to know how you’re going to swim in the deep end.