Does your happiness and fulfillment shift based on how many muscle ups you can do? Changes in our priorities and subsequently, our bodies' abilities can reshape our sense of identity and even affect our self worth. Today's discussion gives more to focus on besides one rep maxes and reps when you're searching for a feeling of achievement in the gym. If you've ever struggled with a setback or a shift from competitive focus to longevity, this episode is for you.

If you had extra time in your day, what would be the most impactful way to spend it to help your health, fitness, or longevity? Today's listener question got the gears turning and we cover areas to improve on for sleep, digestion, fitness, and more. Whether you have a little or a lot, giving some attention to where you spend your extra time can make a huge difference in your body composition and health - so listen in for some ideas on which direction to go.

If the drive through window is a regular part of your routine, today’s episode is for you. What do you do when you want to be fit, but all your friends eat fast food? Or maybe your significant other refuses to give up their gummy bear jar, or you need to entertain clients eating out several nights a week. It all comes down to consciousness and commitment to your priorities, so listen in for some guidance for when you need to think fast about what you eat.

Looking back at Awaken Training Series, we’re covering the key themes of Functional Bodybuilding as they’ve evolved over time. If you or your clients are still looking for ways to improve movement quality and progress with purpose, dive into the details of what makes FBB-style workouts so effective at getting stronger, faster, and better without burnout.

Today we take you through the ins and outs of virtual coaching, which can be highly rewarding for both coach and client with the evolution of technology. Still, there are points to consider when you can’t be in the same room as your client, from personal touches to watching movement to setting expectations for communication. In response to a listener question, we’ll give some pointers from our experience coaching clients one to one both online and in person, as well as delivering online group programs.

If one diet approach worked for everyone, we’d all be ripped to shreds. But as you probably know, it ain’t as easy as 1-2-3. That said, let’s say you’re searching for the perfect carb to protein and fat ratio for great performance and body composition, like today’s listener submission. Learn our recommendations for what to do first, how to pick good targets to track, and how long to stick with it before you change up your equation.

As health and fitness coaches, we try to walk next to our clients and help them uncover their own potential for growth, whether through their training or their life experiences outside the gym. Mental health affects us all - and today we share some approaches we take with our clients and each other to be empathetic listeners and better sources of support.

It starts off with the best intentions - you realize you've got an imbalance, or a limited mobility issue. Your coach gives you some exercises, or you find some online fixes, or you see a physical therapist for a time - until you're foam rolling, mobilizing, and supplementary exercising nonstop. If your "helpful homework" has become a full time job, give this episode a listen for some specific ways to find out which fixes are keepers and when it's time to move on.

Welcome to Season Six, where we kick things off with a rapid-fire question series on guilty pleasures, alcohol, and what fitness trends we wish would die. Want to hear what happens when we go hog wild on chicken wings, or how we handle eating out on vacation? Pop the popcorn and settle on in - just bring extra for Marcus, because he's not sharing.

In the continuation of our two-part special episode on gut health, we dive into Marcus's personal experience with gut health protocols as well as what areas you can look at for yourself if you want to improve your digestion. Bad habits sneak up on all of us, but with some mindfulness and education, you can heal your gut so you look, feel, and perform better from the inside out.