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This is Day 30 in my 30-day blogging journey.

The origins of this journey can be found on Day 1.

Confession: I didn’t play by the rules.

If I had followed Seth Godin’s advice to the “T”, I would have spent 30 days profiling 30 of my favorite businesses and finding a way to improve some aspect of their business. I also would have turned comments off on the posts.

However, as I got started, I just didn’t feel called to do that.

I embraced the routine and some days flowed better than others.

What I found was that I did want to highlight businesses that I love, but I also wanted to take to task some business practices or philosophies that I struggled with.

True to Godin’s wish, it did help me look at my business through a different light and different lens.

As a consumer, I realized that I have always and will always cherish a personal touch.

As a consumer, I like to feel special from time to time (just not all the time).

I like having access to things that others may not, so having some degree of exclusivity can be nice.

Being able to recognize the work of authors, musicians, and fellow business owners was a pleasant change for me.

Those who follow my normal work know that much of what I write is focused around nutrition and coaching.

So, this journey allowed me to spread my wings a bit and write about things that might not normally make the cut for the website.

I was also happy to recognize the work of my coaches, my mother, and my business as we celebrated our 14th anniversary during this writing experiment.

It will be a refreshing change to reclaim some of my time that I’ve been spending over the last several weeks in writing to focus on continuing education and, if I’m being honest, start putting in more work on Book 3.

If there were a lesson I’d love for you to take from my 30-day experiment, it might be this: Find something that you can commit your energy to for 30 days.

Maybe it’s to focus on increasing your step count.

Or it’s being intent on hitting a minimum amount of water intake each day.

Maybe you’re going to ensure that you hit 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Or you’re going to make your sleep schedule consistent (waking and rising).

Maybe it’s a gratitude journal or gratitude practice.

Or maybe you’re going to spend each day unfollowing toxic social media influences from your feed.

Whatever it is, commit to it.

For 30 days, do that thing and do it with conviction.

Yes, you may have to make a compromise on other things in your life. It certainly wasn’t “easy” for me to write a blog every single day but that was the commitment I made to myself.

I didn’t do it for monetary gain.

I did it to expand my mind, my thoughts, my purpose in writing, how I view my business, and because I felt the challenge held value.

Of course, whatever you decide, perhaps you bend the rules a bit. I remained firm on the timeline but flexible with the content and approach.

Remember, it’s YOUR path. Some rules you follow, and some rules you bend.

Thank you for reading. I’ll resume my normal weekly output next week.

(Photo courtesy of Mark Duffel)

This is Day 29 in my 30-day blogging journey.

If you don’t know the backstory, check out Day 1.

I’ve been a fan of the bourbon releases coming from Blue Run Spirits since they started in 2020. Many of their releases have been limited offerings although they do have some bottles that can be purchased year-round.

As of now, Blue Run Spirits cannot be purchased in the state of Ohio where I’m located, so I’ve had to resort to online purchasing to acquire them.

Along the way, I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with CEO Mike Montgomery and he took time out of his incredibly busy schedule to chat with me.

This is the first interview type blog I’ve done during this particular writing journey.

For those who may or may not know, can you tell me the origins of starting Blue Run Spirits (BRS)?

I was running my own public affairs company where I helped Fortune 500s and tech startups navigate turbulent public policy challenges. It was a good business, but largely unfulfilling and I had this insatiable entrepreneurial itch that I couldn’t figure out how to scratch. The idea that I was pouring my heart and soul – and most creative ideas – into other people’s companies, yet was disposable after the issue was solved was a problem that, well, needed solving. People say that it’s great to have your own business, and it is, but with a consulting firm the number of “bosses” I had equaled the number of clients on my roster. It was time for a change. Then, one day, Jesse McKnight called me and said someone wanted to sell him some barrels of bourbon, and “what should we do?” I thought about it and answered, “nothing.” It didn’t present as a real opportunity – a sustainable business opportunity. I’m a bourbon drinker, but never thought it would be possible to launch a company in the space given the barriers to entry. But I couldn’t get the idea out of my head despite saying no. A few weeks later I called Jesse and asked if he could get more than a few barrels, and if so are they any good. I told him that I’d be into it if we could approach this in a completely new way that eschewed much of the typical American whiskey playbook and embraced a new, more exciting path that would resonate with a much larger audience that more closely mirrored what is a diversifying consumer. And away we went….

While it’s not always advisable to judge a book by its cover, BRS boasts one of the nicest looking bottles on the market and having some variety to the brand’s butterfly doesn’t hurt either. What inspired the direction for both the shape of the bottle and the iconic butterfly?

Complete credit to Devon McKinney for the bottle and butterfly. The idea that we could present a new unique approach to bourbon inspired his work. The butterfly evokes a metamorphosis, or evolution, of the industry. He had the vision and he deserves to be recognized for the iconic packaging he created. 

Those who don’t follow bourbon may not realize this but anyone looking to make a name in the bourbon industry essentially has two options: make their own distillate or source a distillate from other places. Why did you choose the latter and what’s been the guiding force behind flavor profiles and the geographic source of what ultimately goes into a bottle?

Initially, when we first started, sourced barrels were plentiful and of the highest quality. So we sourced as many barrels as Jim Rutledge (of Four Roses fame) signed off on. We also started distilling our own barrels as we wanted to continue to put the Rutledge magic into our barrels. We’ve taken a hybrid approach where we’ll source and distill. We also announced plans for our own distillery as the sourcing market has become extremely expensive and the supply just isn’t what it used to be. 

In the short time that BRS has been on the market, you’ve gained some very impressive reviews. Many of your bottles were very limited in supply. If there was any BRS product that’s readily available which you think everyone needs to try at least once, what would it be?

I encourage people to try our High Rye bourbon. It was distilled by Jim Rutledge and it is, as far as I’m concerned, a dreamy pour. We are also releasing Reflection II this summer and infatuated with it already. 

Last but not least, you do something that I’ve continued to praise you for and I’m not the only person who recognizes this accomplishment. When someone orders a bottle from BRS on the website, they’ll also receive a hand-written note of gratitude directly from you. How on earth do you keep up with the demand to be able to send those out and why did you choose to do that? 

The lost art of the thank you note is alive and well in my world! It’s hard to keep up with and I’m a few thousand letters behind, but I set aside time to write 50 a day no matter what. It’s a skill I picked up from my time in politics and I’ve applied it here. People love it, but so do I because I can get to know our customers in a way that I wouldn’t otherwise. Most brands don’t take the time or even have the inclination to take this approach, but we want to deepen our relationships and turn customers into friends and friends into family. This is just one other way that the Blue Run experience is unique. 

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As a big fan of bourbon myself, it’s a brand that my wife and I always enjoy. While it may not be the entry point for those who don’t already have a fondness for it, if you’re looking for something unique and delicious for the bourbon lover in your life, I cannot possibly imagine you’d be disappointed by any of their offerings.

A very special Thank You to Mike for taking the time to chat with me!

Pictured below, an option from the newest limited runs of a Mother’s Day batch which were just released the week before this article was posted.

This is Day 28 in my 30-day blogging journey.

The “why” is on Day 1.

In 1994, I had graduated high school and would be attending college in Nashville, Tennessee at Belmont University.

Around the same time that I would be starting school, there was record label starting up in nearby Murfreesboro called Spongebath Records.

Had I not been in the area at that time, I likely would have missed the band that will forever be linked to that label: Self (often styled as sElf).

There was a Tower Records location close to Belmont and I would go there frequently with friends from school.

I recall one particular visit in 1995 where they had a CD single from sElf, featuring the songs Borateen and Stewardess. I was able to listen to both songs and there was something about them that I really liked.

Shortly thereafter, sElf would release their debut, Subliminal Plastic Motives.

I absolutely loved that album and I’ve been following sElf ever since.

I would hear friends talk about them and, more specifically about the talents of singer/guitar player/multi-instrumentalist, Matt Mahaffey.

In addition, Spongebath started to release music from other up and coming acts like Fluid Ounces and The Features.

In 1997, I had the opportunity to see a Spongebath festival at a venue in Nashville where many of the artists they were featuring at the time could showcase their tunes. It was my first of three times to see Mahaffey perform.

At that show, they would be performing songs from SPM and the newly released The Half Baked Serenade.

I’d be leaving Tennessee that same year to return to Ohio and, as a result, not be as close to that scene.

Over the next few years, Mahaffey and band would put out three more releases: an EP called Brunch, and two albums: Breakfast With Girls and the wildly unique Gizmodgery which was recorded using all toy instruments.

It was during the recording of their next album, Ornament & Crime, that output from sElf began to fall apart. The label they were on at the time (Dreamworks) folded and with it, O&C was shelved indefinitely (it would finally see release in 2017).

I had always felt that if Beck hadn’t become as popular as he had, that Matt Mahaffey and sElf would have been the perfect act to fill his spot. Mahaffey and Beck both were multi-instrumentalists and they both had a knack for quirky pop/rock songs.

What’s interesting about that is, somehow their paths crossed and Matt would join Beck for some of his performances. One notable appearance would be on Beck’s Saturday Night Live performance of Clap Hands. You can see Matt on the table playing spoons directly to Beck’s left.

Throughout the last nearly 30 years, I’ve tried to follow every possible project that Matt has been involved in. He transitioned away from his work in sElf to focus more on production work with other artists, jingles, soundtracks (like Shrek), and most recently through work on Henry Hugglemonster and Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He’s even been nominated for Emmys and Annie Awards.

Some time after my wife and I started dating, we happened to be back in the Nashville area and were able to catch a solo performance of Matt one evening. It was a relatively small crowd and I had the opportunity to walk up to him to thank him for so many years of great (albeit sporadic) music. I’m embarrassed to admit that I was completely tongue tied when I started talking to him. I guess my nerves got the best of me! You’d have thought that I was walking up to Paul McCartney (who I also would likely stammer around).

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Subliminal Plastic Motives, Self embarked on a very small series of shows and I drove to NYC to see them play the album in full. It was worth every minute of the drive.

It’s hard to express what it’s like following an act who never made it as big as Beck, or any other stadium sized act. You’re left with very few releases to savor which means that anything new can take years upon years to flesh out. Suffice to say, Mahaffey does much better financially as a producer and someone who scores movies and TV shows than he did as a performing artist (not unlike Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh or Oingo Boingo’s Danny Elfman).

But that’s kind of what makes it special. It’s the cult status of a band like sElf that makes it seem like I never really left Nashville and he remains the “best kept secret” of those of us who still follow him.

If you’re looking for something to dive into, there’s not really a bad place to start but you can check out early videos from sElf with songs like Cannon and So Low. Or, perhaps you’ll enjoy the insane sounds he makes on Gizmodgery.

As for me (and the rest of the sElfies), we’ll be anxiously awaiting his next proper release.

Thanks to Matt for nearly 30 years of great music and memories.

(Pictured below, the cover of the CD single that started it all for me.)

This is Day 27 in my 30-day blogging journey.

Background on this experiment is on Day 1.

A handful of years ago, I was part of an online book club.

It’s the only book club I’ve ever been a member of.

As one might imagine, some people read at a faster pace than others, and much like it would be with music, movies or art, the taste of each member can vary wildly.

One of the members suggested a book called “The End Of Innocence” by George J. Leonard.

I went to Amazon to find it and found a very inexpensive copy for Kindle but an obnoxiously expensive paperback.

If memory serves, it was well over $300 for a paperback copy.

I love books and, while I don’t mind reading a Kindle version, I’d much rather have a physical copy to hold on to.

However, that secondary price was well beyond what anyone would have been willing to pay for it.

The member of the group spoke so highly of it that I decided to just get by with the Kindle version.

Like her, I very much enjoyed the book but it’s not a light-hearted read.

I started looking around at different places on the internet where I could learn more about the author and maybe, just maybe, I could find a physical copy that was more reasonably priced.

I ended up on a rather primitive website that gave some background on the author, who also happens to be a professor at San Francisco State University.

It was difficult to discern if A) Dr. Leonard was still alive B) if he spent much time updating the information on his site.

Nevertheless, there was an option to contact him.

So, my inner fanboy submitted a message hoping that I’d get lucky and might be able to reach him.

I expressed my gratitude for writing a great piece of work and that I had been unlucky in finding a decent price on the paperback copy. I wasn’t sure if he would have any information where I might be able to purchase any copies from him.

And then, I promptly forgot about the correspondence.

Several weeks later, I received a package in the mail with two copies of “The End Of Innocence” in paperback.

In one copy, was the inscription: Author’s Gift, 1st Paperback Edition, 2019. For, Jason Leenaarts. From, George Leonard, Best Wishes.

I sent another piece of correspondence thanking him for the gift with another offer to pay for them, which he declined.

In a manner of paying it forward, I sent the other copy to the friend who had recommended the book to the club.

And then, I got back on Amazon to order his other two novels: “Beyond Control” and “The Ice Cathedral”, both of which were very good but darker subject matter like “The End Of Innocence” had been.

Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it on “The End Of Innocence”. A reviewer, John Bartlett, wrote: “I downloaded this by Reddit referral and am blown away. This book should be required reading in every high school in the U.S. Previous readers compared it with “To Kill A Mockingbird”. That is accurate on many levels, including the brilliance of the writing.”

To Dr. Leonard, thank you for making a fan (actually, two fans) very happy. The generosity doesn’t go unnoticed.

Should you be looking for something to read, might I suggest any of his aforementioned books?

This is Day 26 in my 30-day blogging journey.

The why is on Day 1.

My wife and I were unexpectedly thrown into a journey of gut health over the last couple of years.

While Marissa has always been lactose intolerant, it used to be just an aversion to milk. She could still consume butter, yogurt, ice cream and cheese.

She can no longer consume any of these.

In addition, she’s also identified an intolerance to gluten though it does not appear to be celiac disease.

For as long as I’ve been in this industry, the research and conversation about the gut, the gut microbiota and, in general, gut health has only increased in size.

Unfortunately, there is still so much we don’t understand about the gut which means that the “unknowns” are a great place for fear-mongerers to strike.

Recently, one of my clients asked me if there was any stock behind the connection of the gut and the brain.

There is.

I tried to make a video in one of our closed communities on Facebook to discuss it and wasn’t thrilled with how jumbled it was.

So, I’m going to try and craft something more cohesive with this post.

Let’s start with the understanding that there are several factors which can contribute to both mental health and gut health. Those include but are not limited to:

-Environment

-Stress

-Genetics

-Medications

-Diet

-Sleep

There is also hormone production occurring in the body. You may recognize hormones such as cortisol, leptin and ghrelin, to name a few.

In addition to hormone production, the brain and spinal cord house the central nervous system while the GI (gastrointestinal) system has the enteric nervous system.

If you’ve ever experienced “butterflies” in the stomach, that’s a simple example of the brain and the “gut” talking to one another.

It’s this sensation that can likely help explain how our brain and our digestive system work together. If you heal the gut, you can heal the brain and vice versa.

The “how” in doing so is where things can become a bit more complicated.

Perhaps you’ve heard that digestive enzymes, prebiotics and probiotics can help heal the gut.

The problem is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

When probiotics have been studied, there is evidence of relieving/reducing symptoms of depression (not necessarily in absence of antidepressants but in conjunction with them), in post-natal symptoms of depression and in IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) patients who have depression. There is little conclusive evidence that probiotics can reduce feelings of anxiety.

It’s important to note that the effective probiotics do appear to influence the amygdala (there’s that gut/brain connection again), however, anyone looking to travel this route will need to determine which particular strain of probiotics they’re consuming. Be aware that a 4-week minimum may be required to take the appropriate probiotic and get the intended effect.

For those individuals dealing with chronic stress and, as a component of the stress, digestive issues, improvements have been found via hypnosis (hypnotherapy), implementing a low FODMAP diet or a combination of both.

I should also add that a low FODMAP diet is quite restrictive and could contribute to micronutrient deficiencies.

There was an interesting study with individuals who had removed gluten from their diets. They struggled with something called non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). The study participants were blinded and were told they would be given something containing gluten and a placebo. Even when they received the placebo, 40% exhibited similar or increased problems. (Molina-Infante, 2017.)

During the time we’ve been trying to connect with different doctors, dietitians and GI specialists to help Marissa get to the bottom of her food sensitivities, the overarching problem area is stress.

My wife handles stress differently than I do and simply asking her to “calm down” accomplishes little more than a dismissive side eye (well earned, I might add).

So, in efforts to simplify what can be done to improve gut health, here are some points of consideration:

-Focus on better quality sleep. This can improve hormone function, improve recovery from workouts, and reduce stress.

-Consider meditation, prayer, mindfulness practices and/or yoga. All of which can help reduce stress.

-Add in more cardiovascular activity. This does not have to be running or anything intense. It can simply be a focus on increasing step count.

-Be aware that certain medications can affect the way the gut is operating or can reduce the good bacteria in the gut. Speak with your doctor if you believe this is something to look into.

-Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables and other plant based options. You don’t have to be vegan to benefit from this. Dr. Megan Rossi (aka The Gut Health Doctor) suggests expanding your plant based diversity to up to (if not more than) 30 options throughout the week. It may be easier than you think. Remember that this may include nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. I did a count for myself based on an average week of plant based intake and I average around 26 options. That’s as a lifelong omnivore. Dr. Rossi does mention that it make take several weeks to months to gradually get your intake up depending on your current diet plan and any current sensitivities.

-Where fiber needs to be increased, do so in small amounts and make sure that you’re increasing water intake as well.

My favorite people to follow with regard to gut health are: Dr. Megan Rossi, Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro, and Abby Langer, RD.

(Photo courtesy of Chaitanya Pillala)

This is Day 25 in my 30-day blogging journey.

The background on this experiment is on Day 1.

212 degrees Fahrenheit.

I had no idea what the significance of that was when I asked Coach Nick Morton why he chose 212 Fitness as the name for his coaching services.

It’s defined as the “extra degree”.

In other words, water is only hot at 211 degrees and at 212 degrees, it boils.

The metaphor is that, by pushing one step further, one extra degree, that you can achieve the next level in personal or professional achievement.

I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.

You’ve read about Coach Mike Roder, Coach David Cameron and now it’s time to highlight the newest member of our staff (although he’s been with us for well over a year), Nick Morton.

Like Mike and David, Nick also came from the Kent State University exercise science program.

If you’re a fan of The Beatles, you might know that George Harrison was “the quiet one”.

Well, if the RevFit staff were The Beatles, Nick would be our George Harrison.

Which is funny to me, because he’s actually talkative, just not during our normal work shifts.

Where Coach Mike has more of the athlete’s focus to his training style and Coach David looks at more functional movements and ways to apply almost a physical therapist’s viewpoint to training, Nick leans more towards physique and bodybuilding.

I learn new things and new concepts of training from each of them. That’s one of the joys of my position.

Make no mistake, Nick is constantly thinking and learning and applying information he picks up not just about coaching but business and personal development.

Because he generates more revenue from his online coaching than he does here at RevFit, we are constantly talking about things that are and aren’t working in the ways we market our services online.

Our demographics couldn’t be more different.

Outside of the work he does for us at RevFit, his primary online demographic is young men like himself who are looking to get leaner, get stronger and, where possible, to prepare for competition on stage.

For comparison: on Instagram, 70% of my following is women with an age range between 35-55. For Nick, 90% of his following is men from 18-35.

Nick was an athlete growing up but he reached a point with his body where he wasn’t as focused on his training and his nutrition. As a result, he reached a weight he was unhappy with and that became the catalyst for his own transformation.

He started focusing on fat loss and making the most of his body’s potential to drop the weight he wanted to.

Once he got to a relative low end, he changed course and began the long, slow climb to not only a leaner, stronger version of himself but to keep an eye on muscle hypertrophy.

His personal transformation became the foundation for how he coaches his clients.

As I’ve mentioned in the other coach highlights, Nick provides an angle and a style of training that wasn’t already applied here.

Nick, David and myself split the programming duties among us so that each client gets some variety and spin on their training blocks.

For myself, Nick’s been handling my programming for the last several months and I can proudly say that at the not-so-young age of 47, I’m lifting weights I’ve never been able to do before.

A sincere and heartfelt thank you to Nick for knowing how to work around my frustrating list of injuries and knowing how to program around them.

And for as much grief as we all (clients and staff) tend to give him for being quiet, don’t let it confuse you: it’s a quiet confidence.

It’s that same confidence which gives him space to push for “the extra degree” for himself, his coaching abilities and his clients.

I’d encourage you to give Nick a follow on Instagram so you can see what he’s up to.

(Photo courtesy of Karen Bailey)

This is Day 24 in my 30-day blogging journey.

The “why” of the journey is on Day 1.

I am typing this blog on a computer which is relatively fast.

It’s fast because it has enough processing speed, memory and not too much data on the hard drive to make it sluggish.

If I have to restart the computer, it restarts quickly because the hard drive is a solid state hard drive which makes the computer more efficient.

Some day, this computer will not be as fast as I want it to be.

And on that day, I’ll call Mike (my computer guy, friend and client for over 13 years) and tell him I need something faster.

Because convenience matters.

And speed makes things convenient.

When I was growing up and I wanted to watch my favorite television show, I’d have to wait a whole week for a new episode to premiere.

That was the norm.

Streaming television not only gives us access to television shows right.this.moment. but we rarely have to wait anymore.

Now, we can receive one whole season at a time and binge our way through it (where did the last four hours of my life go?)

Should I even mention Amazon?

But of course.

Remember when Prime shopping meant you’d have something within 48 hours?

Now, Prime shopping can be same-day, next-day or (sorry!) more than 48 hours to be delivered to your door.

So, Prime shopping can either be very convenient or not-so convenient depending on what you order.

Yet it still saves you the trip to the store (or sometimes three stores because the first ones didn’t have what you needed in the color, size and shape that you wanted).

That’s probably convenient.

What about our food?

When we (the fickle public) had no time for a home cooked meal, we wanted TV dinners.

When we no longer wanted TV dinners because we were crunched for time or variety, we had drive-thrus for food.

And now that we can’t (or don’t want to) leave the comforts of our home or office, we have Door Dash, Uber Eats and more.

Because convenience matters.

We will pay a premium for convenience.

Fast computers, fast internet speeds, fast streaming devices, fast food, fast delivery services…

In a world where we have been spoiled by convenience, it’s no wonder we get so discouraged by the things which take time.

And we get frustrated by things which require patience and tact and thought.

Can’t you just solve my problem for me now?

And that’s the thing: Some areas of life can’t be solved like that.

When you start a business, what you want is to be an overnight success. You want to open your doors and know that people will come in droves once your OPEN sign turns on.

But it probably won’t happen that way.

You’ll hustle, you’ll grind, you’ll lose sleep, you’ll skip paying one bill so that you can pay another until you’re comfortably working in the green.

You might find a marketing avenue that helps you generate leads or interest faster but, for the majority of businesses, success won’t be fast or convenient.

Parents make a lifelong commitment to their children.

That’s years upon years of attention, care, and sacrifice to give your children a life that you (and they) can be proud of.

There’s little convenience to be found there.

If you want to improve your physical body by any measure; via fat loss or by gaining strength, it’s a lifelong endeavor.

You’re constantly exploring the range and depth through which your body can perform.

You may have the convenience of a gym nearby but the work you have to do is anything but convenient.

It’s arduous and it can be painstakingly slow.

As one of my former clients (Hi Kim!) asked a few years ago: Can’t I just drop my body off to you and you can give it back to me when it’s in the shape I want it to be in?

(Respectfully) No.

Take a moment and look around you at all of the amazing things we have access to through convenience and efficiency and the luxuries of speed. Cherish those things.

And at the same time, cherish the fact that those other areas of life will take more time than you expected, will cause more frustration than you anticipated and will arguably have more value to you than anything that would have come more conveniently.

(Photo courtesy of Arwan Sutanto)

This is Day 23 in my 30-day blogging journey.

The reason for it can be found on Day 1.

I have a pair of cowboy boots that I’ve owned for over ten years.

I love them.

Like a lot of apparel and such that I own, once I have something that I like, I’ll wear it until it falls off my body.

My boots have been no exception.

And during the time I’ve had them, they’ve had their share of time with the cobbler to replace the heel and sole so that I could get more life out of them.

Each time I take them to be repaired, the woman who takes my order likes to comment that they “just don’t make them like that anymore”.

Maybe, she’s right.

Recently, I’ve been dealing with plantar fasciitis and as part of my recovery, I’ve got a new pair of orthotics.

I tried putting them into the boots but it made them seem almost “too” snug.

So, I started to accept the fact that maybe the boots were going to be retired and I’d need to find something new that the insoles would fit into.

I went into a local Boot Barn to look around and the woman who helped me was very nice.

She helped me understand which brands would work better for my needs and to be the closest replacement to what I currently own.

I asked her to help me understand how the boots should fit in consideration of the insole and she explained that as well.

I was lamenting about trading in something new for something old and she looked at my boots again and said: You know, a little bit of saddle soap and those things will look as good as new again. There’s no reason you won’t get another decade out of them.

So, it turned the conversation from a potential boot sale to just some accessories and at a fraction of the cost by comparison.

I find that to be something of a rarity these days.

I worked in retail for 16 years prior to opening my personal training business. I think I’ve seen every possible angle of salesmanship imaginable.

And maybe that’s why it was so refreshing that even though my salesperson wasn’t going to get a larger purchase from me, she sold me what I needed and nothing more.

It’s the kind of thing I’ll remember should my circumstances change and I inevitably give up on my weathered pair.

If memory serves, her name was Caroline.

And if you’re in the market for a pair of boots, make sure you get her to help you.

(Photo courtesy of Markus Spiske)

This is Day 22 in my 30-day blogging journey.

The “why” can be found on Day 1.

I remember walking into retail stores when I was a kid just to buy the 7 inch (45rpm) of a single that had been playing on the radio. 

Both of my parents loved music. 

Dad loved everything from Eric Clapton and The Beatles to Dan Fogelberg and Poco. 

Mom didn’t bother too much with the folk rock of the 70s but she loved anything she could dance to. Through her, there would be Bee Gees, Raspberries or David Bowie.

I was born in the 70s, raised in the 80s and I saw the decline of vinyl records as the popularity changed to cassettes. This would carry my fascination through most of the decade. 

My first cassette purchases were Guns N Roses, Dokken and Warlock (none of whom I still actively listen to…). 

Being the collector that I am, I was of an age where cassettes were more interesting to me than comic books or trading cards (both of which I tried to collect but music won out.) 

Then of course, compact discs came around. There was better sound, new hardware to purchase and a different medium to hold.

CDs were larger than cassettes yet smaller than records.

But something else changed as well, the way that artists recorded albums.

Listening to records was such an experience that many artists treated the double sided format as a way to present two separate experiences. Track listings were separated based on something of a concept: that Side A would start and end in a conscious sequence. Flip the record over and Side B would start and end as a different experience.

It begged the listener to stick around for the experience.

Of course, cassettes offered the same ability. Side A versus Side B, the journey continues.

However, compact discs where a different story. Now, you have one disc, no sides to flip, no concept except the first track to the last.

Then, of course, came mp3s.

Now, you had convenience and portability and the luxury of having singles without any fluff in between. Who needs an album when you can just take your favorite songs from an album or an artist to create a playlist?

Now, you’ve removed yourself from any intended artistic merit of listening to an album from front to back.

So, singles took over.

In the meantime, cassette sales took a backseat as did vinyl. So much so on the latter, that many vinyl pressing plants went belly up or sold their equipment overseas where the Europe and the UK could continue to press records and meet the demand.

Compact discs would gradually fade too.

None of these mediums left completely, they just became harder to find and less in demand.

But vinyl made a strange resurgence over the last several years.

It happened around the same time that streaming services like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify and Pandora started to make names for themselves. On one hand you have the convenience of digital media but on the other, you lose the tactile experience of actually “holding” music and art in your hands.

Vinyl has become so big again in the US that the existing pressing plants have had difficulty over the last few years keeping up with releases.

There’s even the Record Store Day event which comes twice a year and not only helps artists by allowing first time prints of releases but also sought after reissues.

Not to mention, it’s a huge day for any mom-and-pop record store who participates.

My wife bought me a refurbished turntable several years ago and I started collecting records all over again.

It’s not convenient, it’s not cheap and it’s not practical.

But it’s fun.

And, it’s fun to be able to revisit my actions of 40 years ago, when I can grab a record, throw it on the turntable for Marissa, Jackson or Sebastian and enjoy the experience with them.

It “feels” different than streaming.

You actually have to engage with the experience. The records won’t play themselves. They won’t remain in the background like some curated streaming playlist.

And now, I get the experience of watching both of my sons enjoy something that I’ve been able to.

Sebastian has been adding to his collection, bit by bit and now Jackson is coming into the experience as well.

As parents, we pass a lot of things on to our children, some of which is intentional, some perhaps less so.

This experience is special for me.

To see my boys set the needle to a record, to stand back and hear that audible landing of the needle and to hear music come from those grooves…it’s a priceless thing to see.

Some trends you never expect to come back with the same vengeance that vinyl has.

But I’m not complaining.

Shout out to all the mom-and-pop record stores out there thriving and enjoying the resurgence. If you’re in the Akron area, make sure you show some love to Hollow Bone Records, Square Records and Time Traveler.

This is Day 21 in my 30-day blogging journey.

You can read more about my “why” on Day 1.

In celebration of our 14 year anniversary at RevFit, I’ve decided to take a look at 14 places where the information or guidance I may have given once upon a time with regard to fat loss was off base.

1. The Low Carb Solution: In my first couple of years of business, I attended a nutrition seminar in Cleveland. The professor teaching the seminar had seen great success with a style of low carb dieting that looked something like this: 40% of the diet from protein, 40% of the diet from fat and 20% of the diet from carbohydrates. It certainly wasn’t keto but it was absolutely low carb. I asked my roster of fat loss clients if they had interest in trying it. Many did. Of that group, success rates were high. However, many of the successful clients regained most if not all of the weight back. The diet was just not flexible enough for their lifestyles. I’ve learned throughout the years that there are far too many variables to consider when looking at what diet approach can work in the short term versus the long term for clients. I never had a solution for those who couldn’t adhere to that diet plan or even a strategy for those who succeeded only to see the weight climb back on. Now, anyone can try a low carb style of eating if that’s what suits them. I just won’t ever be as dogmatic about any one style being better than another.
2. Suggested Protein Intake: Depending on who you follow, some people push protein harder than others when it comes to fat loss. I’ll normally say it’s the second most important variable to focus on behind achieving a calorie deficit. Where I was somewhat off base was in how much protein I’d suggest for a person. I recall hearing something to the tune of: Take your goal weight and that’s how many grams of protein you should shoot for in a day. It “sounded” like a good idea. However, imagine a person who’s 300 pounds and they want to get down to 240. 240g of protein is not an easy thing to achieve. I average 130-150g a day and I’m not trying to lose weight. What I’ve learned since then is that this same person could actually do just fine north of 100g of protein per day. “Should” they do more? Well, possibly. Pushing protein higher can reduce feelings of hunger and increase feelings of satiety. That being said, too much rigidity around a high protein target can drop dietary adherence. I’m nowhere near as aggressive in pushing protein intake. I can help a client increase their daily amount but if they undershoot the goal, it’s not the end of the world.
3. Calorie Tracking: One of the best things to come from COVID was the fact that in 2020-21, I wasn’t able to do as many body measurements for new clients. As a result, the software I had been using, which allowed me to get calorie and macro goals for my clients would be less accurate. As an alternative, I started utilizing more 24-hour recalls for food patterns and simply looking at client behaviors instead of calorie tracking. If I were the one trying to lose fat, I’d happily count calories and measure/weigh my food. But I am not like everyone else. Some people don’t need to count calories and as an extension of that, some people have absolutely zero business counting calories (especially if they have a history of an eating disorder). Calorie tracking is a tool. No more and no less. I don’t use it as often as I used to and fat loss success has not been negatively effected as a result.
4. Is 1200 Calories Too Low? Ask any woman who’s attempted to lose fat about a 1200 calorie plan and you’re probably going to get a lot of negative feedback. Fact of the matter is: 1200 calories IS too low for a lot of women. It is also just right for many women and…wait for it…it’s too high for some women. What I didn’t understand years ago, which I understand much better now, is learning how and when it’s appropriate. Again, too much of a dogmatic stance can cause problems. Here’s where it can get someone in trouble. Let’s say you’re a woman who wants to lose fat and your maintenance calories are 1700 a day. If you wanted to lose one pound of fat per week, that’s a 500 calorie reduction each day. That takes you down to 1200. Will it work? Sure. However, what if you’re active? Should it be that low? Maybe, maybe not. What if you made a smaller deficit, say, down to 1400 or 1500 from 1700. Would that give you more energy for your workouts, keep your NEAT levels higher and give you better dietary adherence? This is where context matters. Years ago, I would have just blindly offered 1200 because it made the scale move. I know now that speed isn’t everything. I’ll talk more about that later.
5. What About Menopause? I learned more about menopause in my first six months of business than I knew in all of my years combined prior to that. Most of my clients are female and within that demographic, the vast majority of those women are experiencing perimenopause or are in menopause. I understood that the body was undergoing a fundamental change of life but I didn’t quite grasp how that affected fat loss. Well, that stage of life can affect sleep quality, cravings, mood, energy levels, and there’s the added bonus of more abdominal fat due to changes in hormones. Now, does menopause *make* women gain weight? Not exactly. However, all of those aforementioned factors can influence how women eat. As a result, dietary adherence can decrease and weight can go up. Many women try to fight back with a further reduction in calories and chronic cardio. It’s generally NOT a good idea. Yes, you need to exercise (preferably some combination of strength training and cardio). No, you don’t need to kill yourself in the gym. Yes, you need some stress management skills. No, you don’t need more caffeine, more alcohol, and more Netflix. Be kind to yourself, ladies. It’s the only body you have. Treat it with respect.
6. Genetics Loads The Gun Here’s the thing: You can’t pick your parents. If your parents struggled with their weight, there is a very good chance you’re going to struggle as well. Part of that is hormonal, part of that is environmental. It doesn’t mean you won’t succeed if you watched your family members attempt to lose fat and keep it off. It may mean that your path could be more difficult and it has little to do with willpower and motivation. In the industry, we say: Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger. It’s true but it’s not the whole picture. I used to believe that lack of adherence could be laziness or lack of motivation or “Maybe they didn’t just want it badly enough.” Sometimes, sometimes, that’s true. But sometimes, that genetic link makes it near impossible for your hunger signals to shut off. It’s like you’re trying to feed a bottomless pit and it can’t be satiated. What I know now about genetic links helps me. What I understand about trauma-informed responses to eating helps as well. If you’ve tried every diet under the sun and you’ve struggled for decades to successfully lose weight and keep it off, talk to your doctor about GLP-1 agonists. They are NOT for everyone and many people who are finding ways to be prescribed the medications should not have been approved. But for the people who have found success with them, I doubt any of them would tell you it wasn’t worth it.
7. Building A Better Food Environment: Perhaps you’ve heard of the “See Food” Diet? As in, if I see food, I eat it! This might be the best explanation of how our food environment influences our eating behaviors. If we have easy access to ultra-processed foods (think most candies, cookies, crackers, etc) then not only are we more likely to gravitate towards them but they are easy to eat (and overeat) without registering fullness. As mentioned in Point #6, genetics may play a major role in how our hunger signals and hunger hormones communicate with the rest of the body, but how strategic is our grocery shopping? Do we always keep these ultra-processed foods around because it’s “what the kids like”? I understood the importance of an improved food environment early on in my career but I didn’t put as much stock into it as I should have. How you shop, what you stock your house (refrigerator, pantry, freezer) with and what you keep within easy grasp can be the difference between success or lack thereof on a diet plan. Not to mention, it’s typically these snacks that become uncalculated calories for many people who are attempting to track their intake. The easiest thing for me to tell you is that if you don’t want to eat it, don’t buy it. However, I’m also a parent and, like you, my children like these foods. The next best things to accomplish are to buy variations of snacks that they might enjoy and my wife and I are less inclined to consume or just to keep them further out of reach. It’s not a foolproof strategy and it may constantly need tweaking depending on who eats what in the household.
8. Privilege: Once upon a time, it was easy to talk to my clients about purchasing/consuming organic foods, whole and minimally processed foods, or to reduce time and frequency spent ordering through fast food establishments. It alienates a certain population because 1) Not everyone can afford a personal trainer/nutrition coach and 2) Sometimes the less expensive, ultra-processed foods are the most economical option. That forced me to change the way I coach nutrition. Can someone successfully lose fat on a diet that is arguably not a nutritious as we might like? Absolutely. Is it ideal? No, but that doesn’t make it impossible. In a “perfect” world, we would all have access to highly nutritious foods and our bodies would thank us for the time and care we put into our food choices. But those choices are a privilege and not everyone has access, capacity, or income to eat foods on the higher end of quality. Small improvements can help. Reducing fast food consumption from 5 days a week to 3 is progress. Ordering just the burger with no fries is progress (and cheaper). Every small step can add up. Shaming people over their food choices is a terrible way to provide guidance and support.
9. Do Genders Matter? Let me say it like this: Fat loss for women is exponentially harder than it is for men. That’s not to say it’s easy for men. It’s to say that it’s easier by comparison. Women are often at the mercy of lower calorie intakes, less muscle mass, more cravings due to hormonal fluctuations and a societal disadvantage where (even in 2023 as I write this) thinness is still seen as superior to any degree of “fatness”. Men aren’t completely in the clear. There is still plenty of body dysmorphia amongst men and there is the constant nagging of comparison where you just can’t tell if that magazine cover model achieved that body naturally or with the use of drugs. Consider that a man may need 3000 calories to maintain his weight and if he wants to make a 500 calorie reduction for fat loss, he can still consume 2500 calories a day. His spouse, by comparison, may have 1800 calories for maintenance. If she wants to attempt to lose fat at the same rate, it pushes her down to 1300. That means that hubby can eat nearly double what his wife can and still lose fat at a good pace. It not only is a recipe for resentment in the household, it’s a perfect scenario for unintended sabotage. He can still have a slice of pizza and a beer on Friday night. She can’t. I didn’t have a great grasp on this early in my career. It took training enough couples to see the reality of these numbers. Suffice to say, support is crucial to success.
10. How Important Is Fat Loss? It seemed easy to me. Someone comes into my studio and says they want to lose weight. Awesome. Let’s do it. What wasn’t always easy to discern was whether or not it was an appropriate goal. Not every client will tell you if they have a history of eating disorders. Not every client even knows that they suffer from disordered eating behaviors. And, I hate to break it to you, but your average personal trainer who tries to coach nutrition has absolutely ZERO skills in being able to work with this type of client, even if they have the best of intentions. It’s only been over the last couple of years of my career that I even have a grasp on how to work with clients who identify with eating disorders. That makes me far from an expert, rather someone who has slightly more tools in his toolbox than I ever did before. Let me clarify this for any coach who needs to hear it: tools like intermittent fasting and calorie/macro tracking are straight up kryptonite for clients who associate with eating disorders. The main priority is to get these same individuals to shift focus away from fat loss temporarily, help them find a qualified therapist, help them learn to appreciate moving their bodies and not putting as much value on body weight or leanness until their relationship with food has been healed. There is tremendous value in a weight neutral approach to food and training. Fat loss is not a helpful path for all people seeking it. Heal the mind, heal the body, focus on fat loss only if it is appropriate.
11. How Fast Should You Lose Fat? Fast fat loss is almost always inspiring to see because it’s motivating to the client and it has the appearance of making the coach look like they’re very good at what they do. However, any one who has ever dieted knows that it isn’t just about losing it, it’s about keeping it off (not to mention, maintaining as much muscle mass as possible in the process). I’ll talk more about this in Point 14. Studies show that for many dieters, faster and more aggressive fat loss in the beginning of a diet plan can help with dietary adherence. However, some people need to work on other areas of their lives first. Maybe they need to make exercise more consistent first before they can tackle a calorie deficit. Maybe they need to focus on their sleep hygiene before they can even think about improving their food plan. When I was just getting started in this industry, I wanted fat loss results as fast as I could get them for my clients. The problem is: not everyone is “ready” for that. What may have looked good for my business may not have been what was good for the client. I’ve learned that any rate of progress is worth celebrating and sometimes, maintenance is progress. Each client brings a different set of challenges to the table as well as a different personal history with food. Learning how to celebrate and embrace slow fat loss, fast fat loss and the importance of maintaining weight can be game changing for both coach and client.
12. Appreciating The Individual: Client A: “Intermittent fasting worked for me”, Client B. “I love the keto diet!” Client C: “Veganism changed my life!” Client D: “I’m alive today because of the Mediterranean Diet.” Take any one person and they’ll have a unique perspective on the dietary philosophy or style of eating that worked best for them. Dogmatic approaches to dieting rarely worked for me (see Point 1). It was also helpful to note that a good diet for achieving a calorie deficit may not be a great diet for maintaining an ideal body weight. Each diet is a tool. Some tools work for the long term, some don’t. It took time for me to appreciate “meeting someone where they’re at” and giving them the space to experiment with each tool to see what works and what doesn’t. What works for me might not work for the vast majority of my clients. I think too many coaches make the mistake of attempting to wedge their personal styles of training/dieting onto their client base. It’s not a good long-term strategy.
13. More Cardio Or Less? I started my business in 2009, right as CrossFit was really picking up steam in this area. It almost made me second guess my style of training. I did try to adopt some degree of adding in more sprints and more focus on calories burned during a workout. However, it was a short-term solution. It didn’t help me gain more clients and not everyone could adapt to that style of weights mixed with sprint work. As my business has evolved, I let clients pick the type of cardio they want to do. Like running? Run. Like rowing? Row. Just want to walk? Go for it. If there’s anything I’ve tried to emphasize more over time is just making sure that the step count stays as high as possible with as little negative effect on overall feelings of hunger. Many people find that more cardio means more hunger. Not everyone experiences this. Sometimes, the increase in expenditure can have an appetite suppressing effect. Learning how and when to add more or remove more continues to be lesson in listening to the client’s needs and individual responses.
14. Rebounding Lots of clients lose fat. Many will regain some portion of fat lost along the way. It’s just a reality of the process. Let’s assume a client wants to lose 50 pounds. They put in all the right work: appropriate diet, stress management, good sleep hygiene, consistent exercise and they reach their goal. And…then…life…happens. They revert back to previous coping skills and weight begins to creep back up. There are some important considerations to make. Was 50 pounds the most realistic place to take this person? Maybe they can live their best life within current demands on that life being down 30 pounds instead of 50. Does that make them a failure? The success of any client hinges not just on the work they do to achieve fat loss but to manage every other aspect of their lives PLUS fat loss. That means that patience, forgiveness, flexibility and a constant shift in prioritizing their needs has to be considered. Accept that some degree of rebounding is not only possible but normal. Finding a comfortable place to settle and maintain can help remove shame from the process. While I was never the type to shame someone for rebounding, it took several years of data and exploration to learn that some arbitrary weight loss goals aren’t possible to reach and maintain. Quoting Dr. Yoni Freedhoff: “Unless you like the life you’re living while you’re losing your weight, you’re probably not going to keep living that way. And as a consequence, that weight that you’ve lost will come back.” Pay attention to the way you diet, the way you train, the way you speak to yourself and develop a goal that allows you to live your best life.

With over 15 years of coaching and now 14 years of owning this business, it’s of great value to me that I help each of my clients foster the healthiest relationship with their bodies and with food that I can. There’s more to life than the scale. There’s more to life than the constant battle for leaner. Some degree of fat loss may be the best thing for a given client. But we also have to consider mental health, social health, emotional wellbeing as well as what’s happening with the physical body.

(Photo courtesy of Diana Polekhina)