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* The title of this post is taken from The Weeknd song of the same name*

2016 has been one hell of a year.

I mean that in the best way possible.

Personally and professionally, 2016 has been one of the most mind-blowing years I can recall.

In hindsight, I would love to point my finger in one place and say THAT’S the reason. But I can’t.

If you and I share any similarities, I have a lot of things in my life that I carry shame about. I have a lot of things I feel guilty about. I hesitate to say the word “regret” because while I have made an avalanche of mistakes, I know that regretting certain actions may negate the ability for me to learn from my mistakes and change them.

I have clients who feel generally ashamed for where they are with their physiques and their fitness goals. Maybe they’ve fought so hard and for so long to lose weight, that giving up and failing seem like second nature.

There are days when I feel (maybe) I don’t deserve to do work that I love. Maybe I need to keep sifting in that same bottomless pit of guilt and shame.

Why should I have something rewarding? What have I done to deserve that?

And sadly, the correlation to the client who feels they don’t deserve to feel healthier, look better, feel better naked, etc. is similar. The client who tells themselves: I deserve this misfortune. Who am I to be happy (or healthy?)

You and I, we’re not so different.

Maybe I’m stronger, maybe you’re shorter.

Maybe I am happier, maybe you have a nicer car.

Most of us have something that plants that voice in our head that says “You don’t deserve to succeed. You will always fail at (insert goal here.)”

I don’t agree.

You do deserve to succeed. I don’t care what you’ve been through. I don’t care who told you otherwise. They were wrong.

To paraphrase what I wrote in the introduction to my book (released earlier this year):

“I’ve been sexually abused, hospitalized multiple times for suicide attempts and suicidal ideation, and over-medicated for illnesses I didn’t actually have. When the pharmaceutical drugs failed to provide the relief I wanted, I transitioned to street drugs. On multiple occasions I’ve managed to dodge death and incarceration. I spent ten years addicted to drugs and fitness was the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The only person in charge of your success is you. Not your spouse, not your children, not your boss. Those people may play a role and influence certain paths but they don’t pull the trigger on your actions. You do.

2016 is coming to a close. I have watched people who came into RevFit with nothing but a trail of failures behind them. Kind of like me.

They are succeeding.

They are pulling the trigger on the right actions at the right times. Maybe that’s because there is someone here (me, Julie or Megan) who have faith in them and help to hold them accountable.

I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions but  I do believe in you.

That being said, it may take a “new year” before you have that same belief in yourself. That’s okay. I won’t judge you.

But please leave with this: If you want happiness, strive for it. Reach it.

If you want better health or to see the body that steps out of the shower and not grimace when you look at it, work for it. Achieve it.

No matter what you’ve done wrong you can change it and spark something positive. Can you pull a complete 180? I’m not sure.

But you sure as hell can get headed that direction.

You deserve that goal.

You earned it.

Now, go get it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Registered dietitian, Erin Schenkenberger, returns for a third round with me this week. In this episode, we highlight some case studies of clients we share and how her expertise has been able to help them get even better results. Erin’s wealth of knowledge and years of experience help her stand out from the crowd when food hype and misinformation is so prevalent. To connect with Erin directly, please visit http://www.nutritionexercisecounselor.com To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com 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 Howlin’ Maggie song of the same name*

As with food, alcohol consumption is one thing I try not to tell people to do drastic bouts of elimination with. However, like food, alcohol can be a trigger for many people. As I’ve discussed in previous posts, many people just need to be shown what a measured portion of something looks like and they can keep it moderate in their diet to see their goals. Plus, the fact that they have not been denied something they enjoy helps keep them on track.

Others, go from one to multiple drinks in no time flat, racking up calories upon calories since they’re generally trying to eat in efforts to absorb the alcohol.

Or, maybe this sounds like a more common scenario: a drink when you get home from work (pre-dinner), another drink with dinner and then a nightcap.

Say hello to the extra 300+ calories you just consumed that weren’t food.

A refresher for those who need it, to get approximately 100 calories from a serving of alcohol you only need:

1.5 oz of liquor

4 oz of wine

12 oz of beer

Sounds somewhat harmless, right? Perhaps.

Bear in mind that many liquors will scale into the 125-150 calorie range for the same serving size. Wine can scale upwards of 250 calories for 4 oz (and you will almost ALWAYS get served far more than 4 oz at a wine bar or restaurant.) Craft beers can get you somewhere in the range of 250-500 depending on the amount of alcohol contained in the 12 oz size.

For another frame of reference, consider that many of the women we train at RevFit are aiming for somewhere between 1200-1400 calories per day total intake to lose weight. As you can see, the calories can slip by quickly if you’ve not been mindful of the food intake for the day.

So, does this mean you have to give it up altogether? Not necessarily.

Many dietitians will tell you that if your food has been in line for a given day, you can generally afford 10% of your daily intake to be whatever you want: chocolate, beer, candy, etc. Meaning: our ladies referenced above can choose around 120-140 calories (to meet the aforementioned totals) and consume what they like. I’ve grown pretty fond of Four Roses bourbon over the last couple of years but I would be considered a lightweight when it comes to my alcohol consumption. I’m generally a one serving guy and that tends to suit me fine.

Your safest bet?

Make sure you’re hitting your calorie goal first. Then see what the liquids you’re consuming are doing to change your overall totals. While you don’t have to completely abstain to see results, many people get to their goals quicker if they are able to minimize their alcohol intake until the scale starts to behave.

Cue to the shot of me with my little man (who is far from drinking age.) 🙂

 

 

Jonathan Pietrunti returns to the show to chat more about mindset and being clearer about reaching your goals. We discuss why New Year’s Resolutions are typically the wrong outlook with typically disappointing results. Jonathan shares some of his best tactics that he uses with his clients through Complete Human Performance and shows you how you can be more in control of the outcomes you really want. To connect with Jonathan, you can find him at http://www.facebook.com/jonnypietrunti or http://www.thatgreyarea.com To learn more about your host, please visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com 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 is taken from the Helmet song of the same name*

Lately, I’ve been posting a lot about gratitude. For one, I don’t think it can be overstated and two: I have a lot to be grateful for. Over the years since I opened RevFit, there is one person who I believe I failed to give appropriate credit to. The one person who I literally could not have opened the doors without: my grandmother.

In 2008, my life was in a fair amount of turmoil. My son’s mother and I had recently split, I was finishing up my bachelor’s degree after a couple of unsuccessful attempts at completing college in a timely fashion, and I had been let go from my job. My grandfather passed that summer and two months later, I lost my uncle on the same (maternal) side.

My grandfather owned some pieces of rental property in my hometown. He and my uncle had overseen those properties for years. Most all of the spaces were rented out and when we lost both of these extraordinary men, my grandmother was left holding on to the properties. She asked the family if anyone had any interest in taking them over. Considering what was happening in my life at the time, I figured it was a way to be back in my hometown, be close to some family and do a different type of work.

There was just one problem. I was not remotely handy.

You see, my grandfather and my uncle could fix almost anything that might go wrong with a house. I’ve always been mechanically challenged and I had to outsource nearly every bit of work that had to be done. So, while the properties did make money, I poured every red cent right back into them to cover repairs as they came up.

It was my initial hope that my dream of opening up a fitness studio would happen in my small hometown in Tennessee. I thought I would use the properties as collateral and approach the bank for a loan to get my business opened.

However, the fall of 2008 was the wrong time to approach the banks for much of anything. They declined my business plan and saw me as too high of a risk. So, I elected to sell the properties off only a handful of months after taking them over.

We were now heading into the spring of 2009 and I essentially had to do a fire sale to drop the properties. I took 25% of their value on paper to walk away from them and start fresh. With that money, I paid off the majority of my debts and opened my business with what was left.

When I opened my doors in May 2009, I had spent every penny of that money, was flat broke and living with my parents at 33 years of age.

There is so much more of this story to tell, along with what the first few years of owning RevFit was really like. But I go back to my original statement which is praising my grandmother for giving me this opportunity. Had she never offered those properties to me, had I never accepted the offer and attempted to do something with them, I don’t know that Revolution Fitness and Therapy could have ever existed. It may have always remained a pipe dream. To you, Gram: I love you and I thank you. I know how much of a pivotal role you have played in my life, for my entire life. You are an inspiration and I cannot ever repay you for the life you’ve helped me to build.

If you’re someone who is having trouble on your wellness journey, remember that the road to success will not always have a pretty bow on it. It may be marred with tragedy, poor decisions and a slew of mistakes. Learn from them. Grow with them.

There is no amount of orthodox scenarios that will play out that can give you a nice, comfy ride to your destination of a better body or better health. That road will be paved with bad decisions, impulsive behaviors and probably a healthy dose of self-deprecation. Accept it. It will shape the person who you ultimately are aiming to be.

A final thought: Don’t forget to show gratitude to the people who helped you find the success you have had, even if it was a stepping stone early on. Some people may not even know that they inspired you to greater things. Let them know.

Then, let them see how much you’ve learned.

Gram, I hope you’re pleased with how far I’ve come.

Without you, RevFit would not have been possible.

Pat Rigsby is one of the most sought-after business coaches in the fitness industry. He has been so successful that he has managed to relay most of his business philosophies into other industries as well in efforts to help anyone who is trying to capitalize on their ideal business. He joins me this week to discuss many of these principles featured in his new book “The Fitness Entrepreneur’s Handbook.”  Pat has been a big inspiration of mine over the years and after listening to this episode, you’ll soon find out why. To learn more about Pat, please visit http://www.patrigsby.com For more information on your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com 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 is taken from the Depeche Mode song of the same name*

And yes, it’s about that time we come back to those pesky calories.

As the adage goes “Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em!”

When it comes to looking into your food plan to see what’s working and what isn’t, there are still so many people who believe “healthy” food is synonymous with “low calorie” food.

It’s not.

I promise.

Or that eating healthy food will automatically create a condition that makes you lose weight.

It can, but often it won’t.

Take for example an avocado. By all accounts, avocado has so much going for it:

High fiber

High in monounsaturated fats

Low sugar

High in Vitamin C and Vitamin B-6

And depending on what size you get, an avocado can have anywhere from 200-350 calories. On the high end, that is almost equivalent to a meal’s worth of calories for some women trying to lose weight.

So do I want you to stop eating avocado? Definitely not. Just be aware of how a little can actually be a lot.

What about yogurt?

I’m a big fan of yogurt. Over the years, I’ve become more a fan of Icelandic yogurt over Greek but I really like both (assuming you can tolerate lactose.)

However, once you venture away from most of the standard yogurt brands you can find yourself in some colorful territory. Take for example: Noosa.

Noosa is a brand of Australian yogurt that has been making waves for how good it tastes. And there’s good reason. Noosa is LOADED with sugar. A 4 oz. serving has 50% more sugar in it than a Snickers bar. And a container of Noosa is 8 oz. so you’re tackling nearly 300 calories of a complete sugar-bomb.

My safe advice on yogurt: Stick with something that has no more than 15g of carbs and nearly the same in grams of protein per serving. If you stick with Greek or Icelandic varieties, you will find many that fit this bill.

The list can go on.

Remember that almost every single thing  you can consume has a calorie attached to it. Even things you may not want to give credence to: many condiments, vegetables (although you would be hard pressed to over-consume them), anything that you add to your coffee or tea (save for the no-calorie sweeteners), and alcohol (sorry, it’s true.)

And you could argue over the health benefits of things like honey vs agave or coconut oil vs olive oil, etc. Fact of the matter is, they all have calories and if you’re not measuring then you’re guessing. And if you’re guessing, you’re probably incorrect.

So before you start comparing healthy against non-healthy, remember that “Everything Counts” except basically water and unsweetened coffee/tea.

Last but not least, keep in mind that no amount of “healthy eating” or “clean eating” will work in a sustainable manner if you hate it. So before you embark on the ultra-greens smoothie and your superfood recipes, make sure you actually enjoy what you’re eating. If you can make that solution work for you, then eating in a deficit to create weight loss won’t be near as unbearable.

 

Roland and Galina Denzel return to talk more about their recently released book “Eat Well, Move Well, Live Well.” I get the chance to delve into five separate chapters from the book that piqued my interest and get more feedback from them about their thoughts during the writing process. They also extend a special promotion to the listeners of the podcast to join their 6-week “Chill Holidays” course. Simply use the promo code REVFIT30 for your special pricing. Please be aware that the course started on November 21 so time is of the essence! Go to http://www.eatmovelive52.com/chillholidays for more information. To learn more about the Denzels and their continued great work, please visit http://www.eatmovelive52.com To learn more about your host, please visit http://www.jasonleenaarts.com Download, subscribe, share with your friends, and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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Registered dietitian Erin Schenkenberger returns to the show to discuss more great tips for surviving food throughout the holidays. We also talk about best tips for eating when travelling, how to handle a salad bar (and win), plus another take on the importance of sleep and how it can affect your diet. Erin always delivers the goods and we’re already planning our next episode together! To learn more about Erin, please visit http://www.nutritionexercisecounselor.com To find out more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com Download, subscribe, share with your friends and if you have a moment, please leave an iTunes review!

iTunes OR Stitcher