Here's an unpopular fact; you already know everything you need to know about losing your fat gut, man boobies, and getting into shape.

Many of you have already been in shape or gotten into shape (more than once) at some point in your life yet are currently overweight, weak, tired, and exhausted.

You know that in order to lose weight, you need to eat less, as in a calorie deficit. You also know that resistance training is critical for adding lean muscle, which is the #1 best thing you can do for your metabolism and fat burning.

You also know that you should be eating high quality foods and staying away from crap foods. And getting enough sleep is up there as far as importance as well.

But on a grand scale, very few are doing these basic things.

And it comes down to one thing; your excuses!

Here are 3 of the most often used excuses and none of them are valid. Here's why:

1. "I can't stick to a diet!" Every "diet" needs 3 things in order to be successful. It needs to be healthy, get results, and be sustainable. That’s it. Stop following Keto or any other extreme diet. They do work but not for most of us. You don’t need to sacrifice all the things you love for the sake of weight loss. Focus on healthy one ingredient foods. Give up the things you know aren’t helping your progress.

2. "I don't know how to get started." Start where you're at. Stop comparing yourself to me or anyone else, especially on social media, they are all highlight reels. Take one small step each day. If you can't run, walk. If you can't do a pushup, do it from your knees. Make every day a non-zero day. Find someone or a group to hold you accountable.

3. "I don't have enough time." I hear this one less now that COVID has kept us all home for so long but it’s a HUGE excuse. Get it out of your head that you need to train for hours a day. You don’t. My workouts are typically 30 minutes or less and it's been this way for years.

Your health is the single best investment you have and if you're not making time for it, you're cheating yourself and your family.

You do have enough time for exercise. You do have enough time to cook healthy food. The busiest and most successful men in the world make time for their health every day and you can too.

There are always going to be a hundred reasons why you can't do this. Your job is to find the one reason you can.

Stop the excuses and get to work.

Anyone can get motivated for a short period of time, especially if you have a very specific reason or goal.

But motivation doesn't last and if you rely on it solely to get you through the ups and downs of your fitness program, you'll likely end up failing.

Much like willpower, motivation is a finite resource, and the rush of adrenaline you get after watching Rocky 3 or watching The Iron Cowboy doing 50 Ironman Triathlons in 50 days, will wear off pretty quickly.

Instead, I propose using two things to help you stay focused on your goals and that's inspiration and habit.

Inspiration is the thing that lights you up inside and resonates with you on a deep emotional level. Maybe it was your father dying in his fifties from diabetes and you're scared it might happen to you.

Maybe you've always been the "fat guy" and it's shaken your confidence in yourself. Or maybe you're a former athlete and want to feel strong and athletic again.

There is no right answer for this and you'll have to look deep to find what truly inspires you but once you find it, you can use it to keep you pushing forward even when you really, really want to stop.

I've spoken with hundreds of men about this and sometimes inspiration is deeper than one is willing to look. And in that case, I'd tell you to rely on good old-fashioned habits.

Habits are nothing more than the things you do on a day to day basis and unfortunately, many of ours aren't conducive to optimal health.

Most of us have habits that have been part of our lives for a long time and things like eating snacks late at night or drinking that early morning Red Bull are very hard to just stop cold turkey.

In my experience, taking small steps is the best approach and replacing one unhealthy habit with a better one every 7-14 days is a great start.

The key is not to overwhelm yourself with trying to totally revamp your entire lifestyle because that always almost ends of crushing failure.

Take it one day at a time and remember, you're in this for the long haul.

Last week I got sick. Really sick.

It was the worst I've ever felt and a day I won't ever forget.

We were out on our new boat and while fishing, I suddenly lost my balance. We were in dead calm waters so it was odd.

A few minutes later I was on all fours trying to focus because everything was spinning like crazy and I was intensely nauseous. So much so that I couldn't even pick my head up or open my eyes.

I figured I'd had too much caffeine or was dehydrated and it would pass quickly, but it didn't. After 45 minutes of lying on the boat floor trying not to move at all, we decided to call 911 for help.

My girlfriend and I had no idea what was wrong as I'm in excellent health. Was it a heart attack? Was it a stroke? Was it something else? I literally had no idea and have never had this happen before. I don't even get sea sick.

At this point I could barely move at all and as our police boat escort took us to the dock, all I could hear were sirens and people talking.

I remember being pulled off the boat by two paramedics and wheeled into the back of the waiting ambulance. They ran every test they had on me and came up with nothing. All my numbers were excellent and they strongly recommended I head to the hospital immediately.

We made the hour-long drive home and I was dropped off at our local hospital ER and was met by a nurse with a wheelchair.

For the next three hours I underwent more tests, blood work, CT and chest scans, and dexterity tests to check for a possible cerebellum stroke.

I was still unable to open my eyes or walk and was freaking out because this wasn't passing. I was just as sick as I was initially and 7 hours had passed. Not good.

Finally the meds they gave me for anti-dizziness started to work and I was able to stand on my own. A few hours later, I was feeling well enough to go home to sleep.

Three days past and I was still unsteady on my feet and I met with  a few doctors and physical therapists who thought that it might be the "crystals" in my inner ear that were out of alignment and causing this vertigo.

But after a series of tests, the crystal theory was ruled out and I was left with no answers again.

I recorded this show 6 days after my initial incident and although I don't feel dizzy anymore, I'm overly tired and sluggish.

I don't know what it was or why it happened. I guess it was just a random thing. But whatever it was, it scared the hell out of me and made me realize I'm far from invincible. That day on the boat could have been my last and I have a newfound respect for what my body can and can't do.

It also served as an incredibly important reminder of how fragile life is and to cherish each day I have.

The next time you’re out in public, take a look around. Notice the look of indifference on people’s faces as they shuffle their feet, put their heads down, and pretend not to see you. Sadly, most people will walk through life with a sense of hopelessness and incompleteness.

It’s because most of us are living by society’s standards and not our own. We do all the things that are expected of us without much thought as to whether it’s actually right for us or will make us happy.

After all, life should be a happy experience, shouldn’t it?

You don’t have to live this way, but you may be choosing to. And a big part of the problem is that you are telling yourself the following lies that you have come to believe as truth.

1. My past defines me.

I had a crappy childhood. I was small, weak, picked last in gym class, didn't play sports, date in school, and was bullied for an entire year. 

I could have easily crawled into my shell and withdrawn from life, but I didn't. I chose a different path and so can you.

2. Work is supposed to suck, that’s why it’s called work.

I have no issue with hard work and in fact, I advocate it. But working for the sake of working doesn’t make sense. Sure you have to pay your bills, but so do all the small business owners, online entrepreneurs, and people who are happily pursuing their dreams.

The only reason you may be working in a job you don’t like is because you’re afraid of change. You are scared that you will fail, be broke, lose your house, wife and family and it will all be because you took a chance.

3. I don’t deserve to be happy.

Unfortunately, this is a deeply ingrained lie that can cause you to spend your life living just above average. From early childhood, you are led to believe certain things about yourself and many times, it’s negative.

Many of you falsely believe you are not good enough to be/do/have what you want in this life. And I’ll tell you with absolute certainty- it’s complete bullsh*t.

You are far more powerful than you believe.

4. I can’t change.

Of course you can. It’s very challenging to change, especially permanently, but it needs to happen if you are going to improve your life. Doing the same things and making the same decisions every day and thinking something new will happen is madness.

Being unhappy can be caused by a number of things, but chances are, it’s your negative, self-defeating habits that are the culprit.

5. Things will get better.

Things won’t get better until YOU get better. The world doesn’t owe you anything, you have to work hard to get what you want. Hell, you’re already working hard now, you just may be directing your energy in the wrong places.

What started out as an occasional Red Bull back in 1999 turned into a raging 2-3 a day habit that ultimately led to heart palpitations, mood swings, and a mouthful of cavities.

I did this show to share my two-decade long addiction to energy drinks, how I got off of them, and why I did.

After spending so many years drinking them and so many thousands of dollars buying them, I feel confident in saying that it's a terrible and wasteful habit.

Although I love them and miss drinking them, my decision to quit on January 1, 2020 was one of the best health related decisions I've ever made.

Caffeine addiction is relatively common and the U.S. spends upwards of $3 billion annually on energy drinks alone. Given the fact that other than the actual caffeine, there is very little (or nothing) beneficial to the human body in them.

I never really thought I had a problem and figured it was normal to drink them all day, every day. I'd go to bed looking forward to my first sip of my Monster Zero and had cases of them lined up in my garage so I never ran out.

I had quit a few times and gone through some serious withdrawal symptoms but always ended up back on them.

I spent 20 years off and on (mostly on) drinking them daily and it wasn't until my girlfriend started expressing her concerns about my health that I started taking my addiction seriously.

It got to a point where I couldn't even start my day without an ice-cold orange Monster Zero in my hand and my day revolved around the time I could drink my next one.

Ironically, I didn't get any energy from them and in fact, it was the opposite. I felt like crap all the time and my heart would start beating erratically throughout the day, which made me nervous.

And it was at the urging of my girlfriend that I finally committed to giving them up for good and that's exactly what I did at the start of 2020.

Since then, I've adopted some much healthier habits and feel far better now than I did before.

And I hope that my story helps you make a good decision if you're struggling with own energy drink habit.

Before I get started, I will tell you that late night snacking is not inherently bad. The time of day in which you eat is pretty much irrelevant and the main factor in whether or not you lose weight is tied directly to the number of total calories you're eating.

However, many of us find ourselves staring at our pantries a few hours after dinner scanning the shelves for that sweet or salty treat.

This snacking can lead to the one thing that might be sabotaging your progress; over eating. It's incredibly easy to consume 300-400 calories or more from late snacking and because most of the time we're eating junk type foods, it's all empty calories.

So your calorie deficit that you worked so hard for all week can be wiped out with a few handfuls of kettle chips or a bowl of chocolate ice cream.

These things are fine to eat in moderation, as is anything, but they can mean the difference between you losing the weight and you not.

Snacking is a highly emotional thing and is caused largely by triggers, whether you know them or not. Rarely are we physically hungry but rather want to reward ourselves for a hard day or we're in the habit of eating at certain late hours.

Here are a few things I've learned over the years:

• The habit of snacking on junk can be unlearned like any other habit.
• It's possible to reward yourself with things other than junk food and sugar.
• You likely have (deep) emotional ties to certain times, smells, feelings, and foods that make you feel like you have to eat them.
• We tend to make poor eating decisions when we're tired, stressed, anxious, or dealing with fear.

And some of the things you can do are:

• Get the junk out of your house.
• Eat enough throughout the day.
• Make sure you're eating enough protein with every meal, especially at night. Protein will leave you feeling fuller than carbs or fat and less likely to snack on crap.
• Don't eat while watching TV.
• Learn your triggers and avoid them.
• Track your calories to see what you're really eating.
• Practice fasting and include the time you normally snack as part of your fasting window.

Hopefully these tips and ideas help you with your late night snacking and be sure to join our private Facebook group at FitDadNation.com/Community

Today we celebrate our 100th episode and I thank each of you who have taken the time to listen to what the Fit Dad Nation is all about.

As a thank you, I'm offering free access for 30 days into our accountability program called Fit Dad Nation Inner Circle. Email me at [email protected] and I'll send you the info. 

Today I want to share my core beliefs on fitness and how simplicity is the key to your results. I've learned a great deal over the years and I can tell you honestly that all the fancy diets, programs, and supplements don't mean sh*t compared to the basics of good health.

Honestly, you really only need a few things to succeed regardless of your goals.

• The honest desire to change
• The commitment to making it happen
• A plan to make it happen
• The hard work and consistency to see it through

I speak from experience here and I’ve shared my story many times here. If you don’t care about your own health, neither will anyone else.

Here are the things to focus on if you want long-term progress:

• A healthy and sustainable diet that gets results for you. Stop eating sh*tty foods. You know McDonald’s is crap. You know veggies are good. Apply this information.
  
  
• Progressive resistance training. Train your a** off, sweat every day and push yourself daily.
  
  
• Move more and sit less.
  
  
• More fresh air and sunshine and less cubicle and lamp.
  
  
• Less stress and more happiness.
  
  
• Commit to being better every day. Long-term results require long-term consistency.
  
  
• Get more sun, sleep, and sex and less stress, anger, and apathy.
  
  
• Kill negative self-talk, excuses, and procrastination. Now is literally all you have.

• Use your f*cking head. Stop using supplements to try to hack your results. Stop looking for shortcuts, there are none.

It’s not as easy as just following a few basic principles because most of us are full of excuses why we can’t do it.

Here's how I look at fitness and I use these as my benchmark for progress:

1. Stop using f*cking excuses. We all have busy lives, kids, jobs, and dozens of other things to do daily.

2. Make your body a priority. It’s selfish to put yourself behind everyone and everything else. Take care of #1 and you will be a better husband, father, and man for it.

3. Life is hard, get over it. I struggle every day to keep my business afloat, to keep my emotions in check when I can’t see my daughters, and to keep myself from eating a box of honey buns. It’s hard, really f*cking hard, and some days it seems impossible. But it’s not.

4. Put work in every day. Stretch, walk, take the stairs, get more movement in. Lift heavy weights until they aren’t heavy anymore. Train hard. Be committed. Do the work especially when you don’t feel like it

5. Eat like you actually care about your body. Remember, nobody ever got fat from one meal. You did this to yourself over time.

6. Find your “why” as in why it’s so important to be healthy and fit.

7. Realize that life is immensely short. Do you want the best years of your life to be spent just trying to make it through another day? You can still live an amazing life while looking and feeling the best you ever have. It’s there. Take it.

Thank you for all your support!

I can hear you already muttering under your breath "what is Steve talking about? Eating healthy isn't hard!"

And I agree.

But if it was easy, why are 200 million Americans overweight or obese? It's not because eating quality food is easy, it's because food companies are making it their mission to feed us garbage.

And that's exactly what we're doing; eating garbage.

But we can't just blame the food companies for this mess. We need to take ownership of why we're overweight and can't seem to control our diets for more that a few months at a time.

We all know the key to losing fat, how we feel, and much of our general health is directly tied to what we eat.

Yet we continue to struggle with weight year after year and despite all the information and resources available to us, we aren't getting fitter.

We're getting fatter.

We also know how to eat healthy, yet we choose not to. Why?

Well, there is a lot that goes into the psychology of why this is and a single podcast can't even scratch the surface, but I want to share a few things with you that might help.

First you need to understand that you don’t need more information, more recipes, or a meal plan walking you through every single meal.

You already know how to do it. You just aren't.

Eating healthy isn't complicated. You don't need fancy supplements, any particular diet, or coaching from an Instagram guru. You need to put the effort into eating better food.

Here's what I'll tell you:

1. Don’t eat like an a**hole
2. Stop being lazy. It takes work, yes. If you want to change your results you have to change what you're doing.
3. Find what works and stick with it. Stop diet hopping or trying whatever is working for your buddy.
4. Take it one week at a time. Don’t think you can never eat certain foods again. You will fail.
5. Limit foods with zero benefit like alcohol, soda, fast food, and sugary crap.
6. Keep it overly simple. Stick to the few same meals if that works. Eat as many one ingredient foods as possible.
7. Remember that there is no best diet. The "best" for you is the one that is healthy, sustainable, and gets results.

The bottom line is you already know what is bad for you and what isn’t. You know eating a diet filled with lean proteins, veggies, fruits, nuts, and oils is healthy. You know a diet filled with Panera sandwiches, Big Gulp's, Cheesecake Factory, and Kit Kat's isn’t.

But yet we still opt for the latter, which is why most of us are overweight and constantly trying to lose more weight.

We know the answers. Bad food tastes amazing and we want it. We are a society that gets what we want, when we want it, and doesn’t want to work for it. And that’s a problem.

It's on you to break out of that trap.

I’m here if you need help.

So what happens when you're working hard on your habits, eating clean, training hard and your significant other eats like sh*t?

It can feel like you're constantly fighting an uphill battle and even may feel like you're being sabotaged.

It's actually really common and can be frustrating, demotivating, and sometimes very hard to resist the temptations

In my own relationship I have a woman who eats mostly sugar and heavy carbs like pasta and rice and at times, it's been an incredible challenge to stay the course and continue eating high quality foods.

There always seems to be an occasion to go out for ice cream, have some cheesecake for dessert, or stop off for some Chinese takeout.

I love junk as much as the next guy but it's a slippery slope and it's all too easy to find ourselves downing a bag of Doritos at 2am.

These foods are incredibly delicious, many of which are addicting, and it's not easy saying no and crunching down on a carrot or celery instead.

When our spouses aren't on board with our healthy lifestyles, we need to take matters into our own hands, assume 100% responsibility, and figure out how to stay the course.

Willpower only goes so far and is a limited resource and at some point, if there are enough temptations around, we will cave.

These are some of the specific strategies that I've incorporated into my life to help me and I'd highly suggest using some or all of them if you have a spouse that eats poorly.

• Lead by example. You can't change her, so continue making healthy choices and hope she follows suit.
• Don't nag or guilt her about her food choices. That will only create resentment.
• Throw down a challenge. Make it personal. Put something on the line.
• Share your goals and why eating healthy is so important to you.
• Get her involved with what you're doing. Make getting healthy a team effort.
• Do the grocery shopping yourself.
• Cook healthy meals for the family. I don't know any woman who wouldn't say yes to a healthy home cooked meal that she didn't have to make.
• Experiment with new healthy foods. Plan to cook one new meal each week, preferably together.
• Stop going out to eat so much. It's far easier to choose unhealthy foods (or overeat) when eating out.
• Designate a whole shelf in the pantry and/or fridge with your foods. Don't deviate from it.

Hopefully these tips help and I'd love to hear what you do if you have a partner that eats like sh*t.

Energy.

It's something we all want more of but always seem to be in short supply of. With our busy lives, commutes, and never-ending list of "to-do's", it's not a surprise that we are seemingly always low on energy.

Add this to a diet high in processed foods and sugar coupled with a mostly sedentary lifestyle, and we've got a recipe for a crappy energy supply. 

The good news is that there are a ton of things we can do to improve it and I know because I spent well over a decade just barely getting by, struggling to make it out of bed in the morning, and always looking for a quick pick me up to get me through.

Here are 15 things I started doing that worked extremely well and that you can incorporate to skyrocket your own energy:

1. Get out of bed early every day.
2. Get into a good mood.
3. Be consistent with exercise and strength training.
4. Move as much as possible. Even a 10 minute walk will make a difference.
5. Spend 15+ minutes in the sun and fresh air.
6. Limit or avoid processed foods and sugar.
7. Get inspired. Find your passion or a purpose.
8. Avoid the couch magnet.
9. Meditate or practice purposeful breathing exercises.
10. Get 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night.
11. Reduce your stress as much as possible.
12. Listen to music that pumps you up!
13. Take cold showers.
14. Replace all your beverages with water.
15. Don't rely on caffeine and/or sugar for short-term energy spikes.