One of the biggest challenges when it comes to training to be fit for life is staying focused when you don't have some grand event or sport.

We chat with former intern and coach, Patrick Burns, on this very subject.  Patrick was a college soccer player who worked out and trained his entire life for the sport. Now, since he is graduated and his competitive soccer career is over he found himself at a crossroads.

Listen as we discuss how he handled that transition, along with moving from Virginia to Miami, Florida. Patrick also talks about working with his clients at a big fancy gym in Miami and some of the strategies he uses with clients aiming to look and feel their best. 

Listen as we discuss:

-Big city life

-Transitioning from college to the 'real world'

-When Patrick realized he didn't have anything to specifically train for

-The culture shock difference from Virginia to Miami

-Why it is okay to train for maintenance

-Why you can't train for absolute strength forever

-The importance of social media as a trainer

-What is Patrick's spirit animal?

-Reflecting on his time at Coastal Strength & Fitness

-Ben's song of the week

Have you ever struggled with eating disorders or found yourself in a dark place where change felt impossible?

We have a deep, inspiring story with coach Diego Diaz in episode #8 of Fit For Life Radio this week.  Diego is a coach at Coastal Strength & Fitness who used to struggle with being overweight, which lead to an extreme eating disorder and landed him at a rehab facility for 6 months.

Listen as Diego shares his story, how he turned things around, and his tips for keeping the balance now that he has found success.

Listen as we discuss:

-Diego's health scare that landed him in rehab for 6 months

-What he had to do in rehab

-The main thing they try to figure out to help patients

-His biggest challenges transitioning from rehab to the real world

-The key to balancing his eating now without emotions

-What you must learn to have a healthy relationship with food

-Does Diego ever regret going through his eating disorder?

-Coach Wills thoughts on Diego in the present day

-Key lessons Diego has learned in his first year as a coach

-Why it is important not to accept the first answer from a client

-The importance of patience as a coach

-Ben's song of the week

-The gyms new location

Do you feel like every day is just an out of control mess and the world is working against you and your health & fitness goals?

Then you will want to check out episode #7 of Fit For Life Radio as we chat with our guest Madeline Klajnbart.  She is a mom of twin boys and in the past was a military wife dealing with plenty of moving around the country. Madeline has always been dedicated to living a lean, healthy lifestyle and making it work no matter the circumstance. Her experiences through the transitions of life make for a great interview and provide a ton of great tips!

Listen as we discuss:

-How to pronounce Madeline's last name... Klajnbart

-Coach Gary is a twin?!

-The challenge with moving and starting from scratch each time

-When she fell in love with group style training and why

-Stroller Boot Camp??!! (Does Coach Ben have a new future?)

-The importance of giving yourself grace with your nutrition during life changes

-How Madeline balances flexibility and making good decisions

-The power of having a supportive significant other

-How she handles 'The Struggle' of eating your kids leftovers

-The key rule Madeline makes for herself

-The importance of preparation and being prepared

-Is Coach Ben pregnant?

-Why you are normal for having no self control

-Madeline's kids love healthy food... her tips for getting to this point

-Fad diet dogma and how to not fall for the traps

-The importance of finding what works for YOU

-Will's slow transition to liking Country music

-Ben's song of the week

On episode #6 of Fit For Life Radio, we are excited to sit down with mom, wife, and fellow Coastal Strength & Fitness coach, Kristen Harris. She trained one on one back in the day with Gary and now is a busy mom & wife who also started working as a coach. Kristen shares some of her experiences with getting in the best shape of her life, then getting pregnant... only to eventually get back into even better shape post-baby!

We also dive into her current lifestyle and how she likes to balance things with fitness and fun. As well as how her transition into working with clients and the challenges of becoming a coach. 

Topics include:

-The coaches favorite performances from Austin City Limits

-Kristen's experience with having a trainer

-The key differences between 1-on-1 vs group training

-The priority shifts that come with becoming a mom

-Fitness goals: the importance of making a decision and being happy with it

-Kristen's key tip to making her love for beer fit in her lifestyle

-The parts about being a coach that Kristen loves

-How learning to be a great coach in small steps translates to learning to be fit for life

-The most important factor for Will's job security

-The tactic that worked well for clients with our most recent transformation challenge

-Ben AND Will's song of the week

On episode #5 of Fit For Life Radio, the coaches are in Austin, Texas and start to fall apart in the 'after hours'. Luckily they get in a great discussion on their biggest struggle with wanting to workout at all. Also, Coach Ben geeks out on a question about psoas tightness.  The bourbon and vodka continue to flow and the show slowly morphs to pure entertainment and deep discussion... :)

Topics include:

-White bread & BBQ

-When waiting in line for BBQ goes wrong

-Stories of when we didn't want to workout

-What to do to avoid psoas tightness

-Kill, Marry, Fork...

-3-6-Mafia interlude

-Thoughts on The Office & Seinfeld 

-Ben's song of the week

On episode #4 of Fit For Life Radio, the coaches are in Austin, Texas and decided to go in on an 'After-Hours' edition. With the help of some alcoholic beverages for extra clarity, they will be addressing hot topics.  The coaches will cover intermittent fasting, quality of repetitions,  training vs straining, and more. 

Topics include:

-What is the best middle name for William

-Thoughts on Texas brisket and banana pudding

-Podcasting and sipping beverage choices

-Thoughts on intermittent fasting

-Each coaches personal experience with intermittent fasting

-The importance of QUALITY repetitions

-Why slower can be better

-The important difference of training vs straining

-Tips for balance in your training

-Why you need to know what your training for

-The specific things the coaches train for

-Find out if Coach Will and Ben can keep up with Gary on hikes. 

-Bens song of the week

On episode #3 of Fit For Life Radio, the coaches are answering client questions that are commonly pondered. They get into topics on how to handle drinking with friends, running, and the fear-mongering of the poor carrot.

Topics include:

-What did Ben learn from his trip to Canada?

-Tactics for handling eating & drinking with friends

-How to prepare yourself for running

-The biggest culprit of running injuries

-"Can" you eat carrots?

-Where does Gary draw the line with ice cream flavors?

On episode #2 of Fit For Life Radio, we are going to dive into things with our guest Kim Holloway.

Kim is a full-time working wife and mother of one who has lost over 60 pounds.

The coaches get into topics focusing on the plateaus of weight loss, the perils of doing too much and losing focus, as well as the importance of consistency vs intensity.

Thank you for listening to the first episode of Fit For Life Radio. Gary, Will, and Ben share a small introduction and touch on their training approach, why having clear priorities is important, and struggles with eating beyond "full".