In 2020, I was over 200 pounds for the first time in my life.
I put on a whopping 40 pounds in about 18 months.
Dirty-bulking in 2019 turned into habitual overeating, which led to stress-eating in 2020.
5-years later, I’m a lean 175 and Lord-willing at a weight I want to maintain for a long time.
There were 3 things that helped me.
My primary problem wasn’t a health problem.
I had a time management problem.
I was overcommitted, no margins in my schedule, and vague priorities.
Spending time on my health felt impossible because I wasn’t managing my time effectively.
While several books, podcasts, and articles have been useful, nothing has helped more than Redeeming Productivity.
My core problem with time management was that I was a people-pleaser.
I was afraid to say no.
This “fear of man” became a snare (Proverbs 29:25).
I said “yes” to too many projects/assignments at work
Which meant I started at 6:30a and went until 5:30pm
Which then meant I had zero energy leftover at the end of the day
What helped was having several mentors at work.
I watched how they said no.
They received the request graciously, but then used data to suggest alternatives that focused on value, while saving time.
I like James Clear’s distinction between goals and systems.
“Goals are about the results you want to achieve.
Systems are about the processes that lead to those results”
Here is the “health-system” that helped me lose 25 pounds:
Exercise at home
Walk 9k-12k+ steps per day
Strength train 3x-4x/week (kettlebells & bodyweight)
Drink mostly water, whole milk, coffee, and tea
Eat single-ingredient foods 80-90% of the week
Hand-to-fist sized animal protein portion at each meal
Go to bed at 9p/9:30p and wake up at 5a/5:30a most days
Hope this serves.
P.S. Are you a busy parent who wants to lose 10-15 pounds in 40 days, all at home?
Check out Kickstart40.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>For 10+ years, the biggest health mistake I made was trying to cheat sleep.
During busy weeks (which was every week), sleep was the first thing to go.
This worked for a few months.
But I always paid for it later:
Waking up at 5a feeling like a zombie
Zero motivation for morning workouts
Energy crashing at 3pm faster than my iPhone’s battery
Irritable with the kids after work
Grouchy with my wife in the evenings
Here are 5 questions that have helped me prioritize sleep.
Powering through the afternoons with coffee set me up for either jittery evenings or massive 7pm crashes.
What helped: cutting out caffeine by 12pm each day
Irregular dinner times created hangry kids, inconsistent bedtimes, and the later food intake made it harder for me to fall asleep.
This created hangry kids, inconsistent bedtimes, and the later dinner times made it harder for me to fall asleep.
What helped: targeting a 5:30pm dinner meal (for most nights)
Irregular kid bedtimes created cranky kids and pushed everyone’s bedtime later.
What helped: targeting a 7:30pm – 8:00pm bedtime for my kids (for most nights)
(My kids are 7, almost 4, and almost 2)
Around 9pm I’d scroll through YouTube or social media for “one last check”.
2 hours later I’d look up and wonder where the time went.
What helped: putting my phone to bed in my home office at 8pm each night
For years, I had jobs at manufacturing plants where I was on call during all hours of the night.
What helped then was putting my phone on a chair right outside the bedroom door on high volume, with the door cracked.
A mistake I made was not scheduling my own bedtime.
I’m an adult after all!
Bedtimes are for toddlers (and for cranky Dons who need it).
What helped: targeting a “get in bed” time between 9:00pm – 9:30pm (for most nights).
P.S. Pro-tip.
Let’s say you want to exercise early in the mornings, 3x/week.
You don’t have to solve for sleep consistency 7 days a week.
Just the night before the workout.
That means 3x/week there’s structure… and 4x/week there’s not.
Enjoy.
P.P.S. Are you a busy parent who wants to lose 10-15 pounds in 40 days, all at home?
Check out Kickstart40.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>Are you brand new to exercise?
Or maybe you were not athletic growing up, and you want something you can get started with at home?
Here’s what I’d recommend.
Prefer a video? Watch this on YouTube.
You just need one kettlebell.
Size recommendations:
Brand new: 26 pounds (men), 15 pounds (women)
Sort of athletic: 35 pounds (men), 26 pounds (women)
Totally athletic: 44 pounds (men), 35 pounds (women)
The movements:
Deadlift: 2-3 sets, 6-12 repetitions
Goblet squats: 2-3 sets, 6-12 repetitions
Two-hand presses: 2-3 sets, 6-12 repetitions
Two-hand rows: 2-3 sets, 6-12 repetitions
Kettlebell push-ups: 2-3 sets, 6-12 repetitions
Do this workout 3x/week.
Repeat for 3-4 weeks.
You’ll be further ahead than you are today.
Hope this serves.
P.S. Are you a busy parent who wants to lose 10-15 pounds in 40 days, all at home?
Check out Kickstart40.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>Do you ever start the day with healthy intentions, but consistency never seems to happen?
It’s not lack of willpower.
It’s decision fatigue.
If you’re a busy parent, maybe this schedule looks a bit familiar…
2:05am – Kid wakes up with a stomach bug
(Hoping I can fall back asleep…)
5:30am – Alarm goes off for AM exercise
(Okay, just one snooze, then I’ll exercise…)
6:17am – 7th time hitting the snooze
(Oops…)
6:18am – Toddler waddles into the room
(Does potty training last forever?)
6:41am – Scarfs down a banana and pop tart
(I need to make a better grocery list…)
7:13am – Getting kids ready for the day
(I forgot to do laundry again…)
7:36am – 6 minutes late to start the commute
(Praying for no traffic…)
7:37am – Oh look, traffic
(What podcast should I listen to?)
8:23am – At work. 51 unread emails
(Should I do that 3rd cup of coffee?)
10:31am – Realizing I just spent 2 hours answering emails
(Do I literally just answer emails all day?)
11:03am – This meeting could have been one of those emails
(Should I tell them?)
12:17pm – Realizing I forgot to pack lunch
(Should I go to Chick-Fil-A again?)
1:47pm – Going for that afternoon cup of coffee
(Is this a good idea?)
2:23pm – Lower back hurts after sitting all day
(Am I getting old?)
3:31pm – Energy crash during a meeting
(Regretting that coffee now…)
4:59pm – Boss asks me to do one last thing
(Should I tell him I’m on my way out?)
5:17pm – Traffic again
(What podcast now?)
6:10pm – Scrambling for dinner
(Can leftover fish and tomato sauce go together?)
7:31pm – Getting the kids ready for bed
(This should take 60 seconds…)
8:32pm – Finish getting the kids to bed
(How does toothpaste get on the wall?)
8:33pm – Alright, time to exercise
(This is the last thing I want to do…)
10:41pm – 7 TV episodes later
(How did that happen…)
Repeat.
The entire day is a marathon of tens of thousands of decisions.
The choice is not between “working out” and “relaxing”.
It’s between a “high-energy choice” (exercise) and “low-energy choice” (snooze/couch).
With days like that, our brains love to choose the pathway of least resistance.
The solution is not more willpower.
It’s to make fewer decisions about our health each day.
Here are 3 ways to do this:
Make a list of 2-3 breakfasts that you love and are healthy. Eat only those.
Make a list of 3-5 snacks you love and are healthy. Eat only those.
Eat only leftover dinner for lunch.
Drink only coffee (stop by 12pm) and water (all day).
This automates every meal decision before dinner.
And dinner becomes the only new decision you have to make.
If your boss asks you to do something, you’ll probably do it.
We respond to that decision as both important and urgent.
Treat your workout the same way.
If you neglect exercise long enough, it will become both important and urgent.
I’m exaggerating… but I’m also not just exaggerating.
Walking quite literally adds years to your life.
On average, every 60 minutes of walking adds 169 minutes to life expectancy.
If you’re not moving at all, and you start walking, you can add 11 years to your life expectancy.
The TakeawayStop beating yourself up for lack of willpower.
That’s not the problem.
The problem is we make too many decisions.
Start small. And don’t stop.
P.S. Any of this resonate?
If you’re a busy parent who wants to lose 10-15 pounds in 40 days (no gym), check out Kickstart40.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>Your morning coffee is more than just a wake-up habit.
Here are 7 surprising “dividends” you receive from starting the day with a cup of coffee.
Caffeine is a well-studied stimulant that improves memory, alertness, and focus.
A cup of coffee in the morning helps you productively kick off the responsibilities of the day with your full attention.
The return? Higher productivity and focus when it matters most.
Your circadian rhythm wakes your body up in the morning and puts it to rest in the evening.
Drinking caffeine from coffee in the AM flows with this natural bio-clock.
Your body’s immune system wakes up in the morning too.
The immune system is on highest alert in the early morning hours (i.e. highest joint pain, morning stiffness, etc…).
Coffee has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help calm your immune system during its morning spike.
Coffee boosts your cortisol levels.
Cortisol is a hormone involved in alertness, stress, metabolism, and managing blood sugar levels.
Your cortisol naturally spikes in the morning and crashes in the afternoon.
Drinking it in the morning works with your body’s natural cortisol rhythm.
Coffee increases calories burned by 3-11%.
It does this by increasing the amount of calories your body burns at rest (“resting metabolic rate”).
This is a modest, but real, metabolic boost.
Caffeine boosts both endurance and strength performance.
Try it 30-60 minutes before exercise.
Coffee is cheaper than pre-workout mixes for a workout performance boost.
A study was done on patients undergoing a stressful dental procedure (yikes).
Some patients smelled the aroma of coffee during the procedure. Others didn’t.
The patients who smelled the coffee had lower pulses, blood pressure, and cortisol levels.
Whether or not the patients were coffee drinkers didn’t matter.
So in short… enjoy the morning cup.
Coffee is a small investment into your energy, focus, performance, and well-being.
Cheers for coffee!
If you liked this, check out the Layman’s Fitness Newsletter, where I release similar content like this every week.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>My first job was with one of the biggest sugar companies in the world (I like dessert).
10 years later, as a full-time fitness guy, I look back and laugh at that origin story.
But I’m glad I had that experience.
Because after working with clients on their nutrition, there’s a consistent pattern I see with those who have long-term weight loss success.
Long-term weight loss success with nutrition is less about elimination, and more about moderation.
Which means it’s probably a good idea to learn to enjoy some desserts while trying to lose weight.
Here are 3 steps to do this.
Treat your food intake like a budget.
The right financial budget can bring financial freedom. And the right nutritional budget can bring food freedom.
To calculate your calorie targets, use a free online “Total Daily Energy Expenditure”. This tells you what your “budget” is.
Protein is an essential macronutrient, makes you feel more full, and is needed for recovery and other metabolic processes.
The guidelines around protein intake are different depending on who is asked.
Here’s my suggestion: 0.6g – 1.0g of protein per pound of bodyweight
If you are trying to lose fat while building muscle, protein intake needs to be a bit higher.
Now that you know your calorie and protein targets, the next step is to track what you eat so that you can enjoy dessert.
A food tracker will calculate how many calories and protein you’re eating each day.
You can use MyFitnessPal, LoseIt!, MacroCalculator, or other options available online.
Here’s where the magic happens.
If you hit your daily minimum protein target, and you have calories left over… eat whatever you want.
So the game becomes how can you hit your protein target while having calories leftover at the end of the day.
For example, if my calorie target was 2,000, and my minimum protein target is 120g, here’s what I’d do:
Breakfast: 3 eggs + cottage cheese + berries
Lunch: 2 chicken thighs + salad + avocado
Snack: apple + 2 tbsp of peanut butter
Dinner: 4oz ground beef + asparagus + sweet potato
That gets me to 1,600 – 1,700 calories and 115g – 120g of protein.
I have 300 – 400 calories left for something fun.
Like a small bowl of Cookie Two Step ice cream from Blue Bell (my family’s favorite).
Enjoy!
If you liked this, check out the Layman’s Fitness Newsletter, where I release similar content like this every week.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>“This is the last thing I want to do right now”
— Me
That’s how I was feeling on Monday at 6:30am when I was getting ready to exercise.
I was tired from 3 days of driving
It was already 80 degrees outside
The humidity made the garage gym a sauna
Front squats and lunges were on the agenda
If you have exercised more than one time in your life, you’ve experienced what it’s like to have zero motivation for it.
Here are 3 things that have helped me push through when everything inside and outside screams “no”.
The more time it takes to start, the more time excuses are given to grow.
Here are some things that help me:
I wear exercise clothes in the morning
I exercise barefoot
My workout plan is prepared
I exercise at home
With these things in place, it takes me ~3 seconds to walk to my home gym and start.
The more isolated I feel when exercising, the less likely I’m going to do it.
No one has steady motivation every day.
Find someone to help keep you on track.
My wife and I have been exercising together for the last 4-5 weeks.
That’s been an awesome help.
This is the biggest mistake I see with motivation.
We expect to feel energized before the workout begins.
But we actually have the most energy when the workout is over.
That feeling of “motivation” is a reward when the work is done.
If you liked this, check out the Layman’s Fitness Newsletter, where I release similar content like this every week.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>One of the gifts my dad gave me is his example when it comes to fitness.
Growing up, I never heard him complain about exercise once. Ever.
He would wake up between 4:00a – 4:30a each morning, read his Bible, and get his workout in.
He taught me and my siblings that a healthy lifestyle can be normal.
He showed us how to be restrictive with eating but also how to enjoy desserts and the fun moments (vacations, celebrations, etc…).
The way he prioritized his health made it easier for me and my siblings to prioritize it.
And the data around a father’s impact on his children’s health is shocking.
If parents have obesity in their midlife, their children are 6x more likely to have obesity at the same age. And the father’s BMI has more impact than the mother’s (more)
An overweight/obese father and a healthy weight mother significantly increases the odds of child obesity. But in the reverse scenario, an overweight/obese mother and a healthy weight father was not a significant predictor of childhood obesity (more)
Children of active mothers are 2x more likely to be active than children of inactive mothers. But children of active fathers are 3.5x more likely to be active than children of inactive fathers. And when both parents are active, children are 5.8x likely to be active (more)
More is caught than taught.
Catch the vision for what’s possible here.
What happens if a father models physical discipline for his children?
What happens if a father shows his children how to eat well?
What happens if a father teaches his kids how to exercise and have fun while doing it?
Generational impact.
If you are a father, you have an incredible opportunity to make health decisions easier for your kids.
Which then makes it easier for your children’s children.
What an awesome opportunity the Lord has given us.
P.S. This reminds me a bit of the generational impact a father has on his great-grandchildren from Psalm 78:5-8.
If you liked this, check out the Layman’s Fitness Newsletter, where I release similar content like this every week.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>In a meta-analysis of 29 weight loss studies, 80% of the weight was regained back in 5-years.
This is a frustrating reality if you’re trying to lose weight.
But here’s the key question.
What do the people do who keep it off successfully?
There are 3 things.
There’s not one secret diet, one magical nutrition plan, or one simple hack these maintainers discovered.
Instead, weight maintainers follow a set of principles.
Restrain eating, but be flexible (more)
Increase protein (more)
Moderate fat intake (more)
Eat foods with a lower glycemic index (more)
Increase fiber (more)
Have meals with higher nutrient density and lower energy density (more)
Modify the food environment at home to align with eating goals (more)
There are two things they found:
90% of people who moved for 60+ minutes/day kept the weight off (more)
These people did activities they generally liked, with social support (more)
The focus on eating and movement turned into habits that were maintained over time.
Here were some of the other behaviors that stuck.
Regular self-weighing (more)
Self-monitoring food intake (more)
Planning meals in advance (more)
Choosing lower calorie foods more consistently (more)
P.S. The 3 things weight maintainers do is exactly how I designed Layman’s Fitness Coaching.
I want my clients to join the ranks of those who kept their weight off for 5+ years.
If you liked this, check out the Layman’s Fitness Newsletter, where I release similar content like this every week.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
]]>One night in January around 7pm, my kids were zooming around the kitchen.
But I wasn’t zooming with them.
Instead, I was leaning over the kitchen counter, transfixed on my smartphone, and doomscrolling through Instagram.
My 3-year-old tugged on my shorts and asked me to play with her.
And I absentmindedly told her I was busy and to wait just a minute.
She frowned with disappointment, but then ran off to rejoin her sisters.
Once she left and I realized what I said, I froze.
As a dad, it’s embarrassing to admit that moment actually happened.
But it did.
This 7pm doomscrolling had found its way into my daily routine.
So, I decided to take a month off social media (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, & X).
That month turned into two.
Here’s what I learned in those two months off.
There were some surprising health impacts.
The first month I averaged 11,000 steps per day.
The second month I averaged 17,000 steps per day.
I found my time for movement.
The amount I slept didn’t change much (~7.5 hours).
But my sleeping window became way more consistent.
Not scrolling social media in the evening right before bed was a significant factor there.
7pm became a time for family memories.
We went for family walks (we go for one most nights now).
We played board games (my 3-year old smoked us at Uno one evening).
We invented the “couch game” (chase and toss the kids on the couch one at a time… it’s now their favorite).
And here were some surprising non-health related impacts.
As someone who runs an online business, hopping off social media was a major initial concern.
But my business grew in the first month I was off. All from referrals.
And the higher growth made me rethink entirely how I use the online space for my business.
My wife and I got off social media together for those few months.
One night as we were getting ready for a family walk, she turned to me with a smile and said “I think you like me more”.
We spent the least amount of money (per month) than we have in years.
This made me realize how much comparison, materialism, and advertising really does influence my purchasing decisions.
I logged back on social media in April. But I have not used it much at all.
Frankly, I’m still thinking through the utility of social media. I don’t think I have an answer yet.
As an optimist, I tend to see the best in things (to a fault).
I still believe there is some good social media can do.
But I’m far less optimistic about social media than I was 4 months ago.
When it comes to health, there are too many disadvantages in using social media to ignore.
If you liked this, check out the Layman’s Fitness Newsletter, where I release similar content like this every week.
The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
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