I’ve gotten a ton of questions about eating out and traveling and sticking with your macros.
 It’s funny how much we LOOOOOVE to overcomplicate this situation.

That’s why I wanted to chat through some strategies to help you stay on track even when you travel, especially if you’re traveling frequently for work.

Because we have to remember that it isn’t necessarily perfection but that accountability and consistency that adds up.

Sure, it may mean we aren’t as “perfect” as we would like, but we have to remember those small changes add up.

So what are some tips I share with clients who are working to achieve amazing body recomposition results while traveling frequently?

rate portions are for you. But the hand portion guide is a great reminder and visual when eating out for you to help estimate your consumption.

Sure this may not be as perfect, but something is better than nothing.

And this consistency in knowing what you’re eating still gives you more ability to tweak and adjust on subsequent trips!

I don’t know about you all, but I love Ted Lasso.

In the episode Ryan and I were watching last night, he talked about people underestimating him his entire life.

And how he didn’t understand it, but then saw a quote by Walt Whitman “Be curious not judgmental.”

After seeing that quote, he realized that everyone was judging and no one was curious and that is why they constantly underestimated him.

I won’t spoil the outcome of the scene for those of you who haven’t seen it.

But that whole scene I thought was so powerful for so many reasons.

Too often we hold ourselves back in our lives because we AREN’T curious.

We simply judge.

We judge people and situations over wondering why they are occurring.

I so often even see it in the troll comments I get.

In the way people only accept one “right way” of doing a move or of approaching nutrition.
 They aren’t curious, they WANT to judge.
 And because of that, they’ll always stay stuck.

We need to be open to opportunities if we want to grow and improve.

We need to even recognize that often we are looking at things from only our own perspective and being open to other viewpoints can actually help us get results faster.

We need to realize that one size doesn’t fit all and by not allowing others to find their own way we hold them back.

So much of life operates on a continuum and we need to recognize that.

However, I also know that even if we aren’t trying to, each of us can fall victim to judging over being curious.

It’s why now I so push clients and my trainers to seek out new perspectives and find the opportunities in them.

When COULD something work over just writing it off?

Because it is easy to get stuck looking at things from only one way.

The Best Training Schedule In The History Of The World

I often get asked what the best training schedule is. And I’m generally getting asked because we are worried we aren’t doing enough.

We definitely have the mindset of more is better.

If we aren’t spending enough time in the gym, we can’t get results.

But often this mindset is what holds us back.

We design for the “ideal” over designing for what is realistic for us.

But the real secret to results is designing for the time we have.

The BEST training schedule is the one focused on a schedule you can actually do consistently.

Because if you design with your schedule in mind, you can create an appropriate volume and use the right workout designs and moves to get results in the time you have.

You can also stay consistent. And consistency is key.

We don’t realize how much actually inconsistency can not only be a results killer but also be what leads to injury.

We aren’t doing things consistently to build up and that inconsistency makes us FEEL like we can push harder than we actually should. And then we end up with compensating and overloading areas, which leads to injury.
 We need that consistency to build up and create that strong foundation.

So instead of focusing on some ideal and designing for say 6 days a week when you can only get in 3, focus on designing for 3 with even a bonus option if you have time.

That way you don’t “miss out” on something in a workout you don’t get to and you can create a volume that challenges you over the 3 days. You can make sure every area is worked and you actually do what you need to reach your goals.

If you’d designed for 6 days and only got 3, you could have missed out on something that week.

And same goes for time. If you realistically have 30 minutes. Design for that. Using different workout designs we can optimize the time we have to get results.

The more we design for the time we have, the more consistent we will be. And the MENTAL victory of that even pays off.

Because we keep wanting to train and can even want to do MORE. Versus if we feel like we’re failing because we’re not doing everything we set out to do, we can often ultimately give up on our plan.

When we feel like a failure we are less likely to keep pushing!

Set yourself up for a win and even wanting to do more ESPECIALLY as you build back.

And then don’t be afraid to adjust based on changes in your routine. Sometimes 4 workouts may be more doable. Sometimes 3 or 6. Sometimes you may have an hour, sometimes only 20 minutes.

Focus on designing based on that realistic schedule.

Here are some key things to consider when deciding on the BEST training schedule for you….

I’d love to tell you there was a way to be happy 24/7.

But that’s just not the reality of being human.

Negative emotions are a part of life and a VALUABLE part at that.

I think too often we just try to avoid or ignore them, but they are going to be there regardless.

And actually often the more we “fight them” over owning up to them, the more they hold us back and drag us down.

I saw a great equation that was suffering = pain x resistance

And the point of it was the more we resist the negative emotion over embracing it and recognizing it, the more we actually suffer.

So how can you start to recognize negative emotions as a good thing?

#1: Recognize they’re normal. That you’re GOING to have them no matter how freaking amazing your life is.

Life is going to be full of ups and downs.

And honestly, you can only truly know the good by having experienced the bad.

I love the mindset even of setbacks can only happen BECAUSE there has been progress.

Negative feeling and emotions are part of life and they can even be a key component to helping us move forward and be happier long-term.

They can help us see when situations in our life and circumstances are off. They can help us realize a change is needed for us to truly move forward and be happier.

#2: Don’t just bury the seed. (Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away)

I think often we try to just ignore negative emotions and feelings. We even try to stamp them down to not have to deal with them.

The thing is that doesn’t truly get rid of them.

Often the more we ignore those emotions, the more they come back to bite us later.

It’s like burying a seed…it’s not gone…it’s actually going to GROW INTO SOMETHING MORE.

The question is, what is it going to grow into?

You want to control what comes of those negative emotions.

So just burying them hoping they grow into something good, or maybe don’t grow at all, is a recipe for disaster.

Instead you want to tend to those seeds and groom them to grow into something positive.

Face what is going on. It gives you control to shape how it impacts you in the future.

#3: See them as a learning experience - Assess and learn!

Negative emotions are showing us things we aren’t happy with. Things we are uncomfortable with. Situations we’d like to avoid in the future.

Experiencing those negative emotions can be a powerful learning tool so we don’t repeat the things that lead to those negative feelings.

Of course we don’t want to fear those negative emotions so much we don’t take risks, BUT we do always want to assess what we can learn from those situations to help yourselves avoid those negative feelings in the future…and even make them POSITIVE experience.

And not only can these negative emotions help us learn to create better outcomes for ourselves in the future, but they can also teach us to better embrace situations and CHOOSE how we perceive and use them.

Stuff is going to happen outside of our control. We just need to recognize we have a choice in how we perceive things.

So if you’ve always taken a negative perspective, maybe it’s time to even see if you can see the situation as an opportunity over an obstacle.

But don’t let negative emotions lead to simply avoidance. Assess the situation. Learn from and even recognize if it is simply the downside to another upside.

Because sometimes the negatives are part of getting something new and good!

It's YOUR Choice

Things in our life are going to happen. Things outside of our control.

There’s no denying that.

But we also have to stop blaming these events for our successes or our failures and realize that ultimately we are in control.

And this is actually a good thing.

Yes, it stinks accepting full control because it also means you’re responsible for your failures, BUT it also gives you the power to make a change at any time.

While we can’t control everything that happens in our life, we can control our perspective and how we respond ultimately to events.

We have to realize that we always have a CHOICE in what path we take.

And this responsibility and power can be scary.

It means we ultimately get the blame whether things work out or they don’t.

But that acknowledgement of our own control of the ultimate outcome is key if we truly want amazing results.

If we don’t believe we are in control of things, if we don’t believe we have a choice in the matter, we are constantly relying on outside things.

It means we can never really move forward on our own. It also means we never have to accept responsibility, to some extent, for our failures.

But the more we CHOOSE to accept control, the more we can ultimately steer our own car and head in the right direction even more quickly.

Recognizing that you have a CHOICE in how you perceive things can help you see even failures and setbacks as a learning experience.

Life is going to happen, but we can ultimately let those situations derail us because we couldn’t stop them from happening, OR we could choose to control our perspective and learn from the events and find opportunity in the new situation.

Whether something happens or not isn’t really what matters. What matters again is the choice we make in how we use those events to make or break us.

We have the CHOICE each and every day to believe we will be conquered by an event or that we will conquer any situation that comes our way.

I know it’s cliche but there is that oh so true line of “Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

But we have the CHOICE to believe, or not believe, in ourselves.

No one can make that decision for us.

Just like we have to make the CHOICE to be motivated. To want to move forward. To take action.

Our mindset is of our own making.

No amount of outside belief in us, or pushing, can force us to move forward. We have to make the decision to believe in ourselves and take action.

We have to make the CHOICE to go against what is instinctual and natural to make a change. We have to CHOOSE to step outside our own comfort zone.

Basically we have to recognize that so much of our success or failure is based on the mindset and actions we choose to take.

As scary as it is to take responsibility, the simple fact is, ultimately we are in control. And that, through our choices, we can improve our life, our results, at any time.

Embrace the power that mindset brings with it.

Today make one small decision to move you forward. Realize you can CHOOSE to succeed.

So make that your CHOICE and move forward!

Am I Too Old?

Are there changes that happen as we get older?

100%!

But so often we blame our age for things within our power to change.

We also blame our age for issues we’ve ALLOWED to actually build up over time.

Improper dieting practices. A lack of a proper warm up….

Things we thought we could get away with when we were younger. That we thought “worked?”

Well…let’s put it this way….just because we could get results at the time, workout without warming up without any immediate consequences doesn’t mean we SHOULD HAVE.

And it’s also a big part of why we’re now “feeling our age.”

But because this is something we’ve…well…sort of done to ourselves…it also means we have the power to change it.

So how can you avoid feeling old? How can you control what you can control to stay lean and strong to your final day on this planet?

Here are 5 tips to help…that we need to try to teach people at younger and younger ages!

So we’re entering the time of year that well…we often slack a bit on those healthy habits. We get busy. There are tons of work things and family events…

Let’s face it…often the holidays are when our motivation fades and often our healthy habits fall by the wayside.

But I think part of the reason why we ultimately lose progress so we feel we have to start over in the new year is because we’re holding ourselves to too high of standards.

Say whaaaat?!

Ok don’t get me wrong. I believe 100% in hard work.

But I also think we hide behind having to be all in or the “go hard or go home” attitude so much so that we end up doing NOTHING when we can’t do everything and be perfect with our implementation.

It’s why I want to prepare you for this time of year by giving you permission to do the minimum.

Yup. The minimum.

Because sometimes by simply doing as little as we can to MAINTAIN our current results we move ourselves forward.

I mean think about it this way even…

If you started the New Year even where you are NOW over, say 5lbs heavier from all of the holiday eating, wouldn’t that be better?

And on top of that, by often doing the minimum and being slightly better than we were the year before, we ultimately enter the New Year BETTER OFF than where we are currently.
 Because consistency adds up.
 It may not happen as fast as we’d like, but those results do snowball.

So I wanted to really highlight how you can do the minimum and still see results with these tips…

Funny how any time there is a blip or bump in the road toward results we feel like we’re failing.

But we often ignore the fact that technically we can only suffer a setback because we’ve moved forward.

And trust me…I get it.

It’s frustrating when you’re working hard and things don’t work out.

It’s hard when you’ve emotionally and physically invested in something for it to not only not move you forward but even cause you to lose some of the progress previously made.

But the sucky truth is, sometimes you don’t know until you’ve tried.

Progress is never linear.

Setbacks come with success.

That’s why I did want to share how I approach setbacks to hopefully help you take them in stride as you work toward your goals this week.

Because with results, with progress, will come failures.

If you look at comments on different exercise posts, you can honestly start to believe that EVERY move is bad for you and super dangerous. 

But I think too often we simply demonize moves over learning how to use them properly.

Don’t get me wrong, there is risk with every move we include. But honestly there is risk doing any movement in life. 

And it really isn’t that moves themselves are bad…it’s that we don’t know how to implement them properly based on our needs and goals.

Not every move will be right for you.

And if you use it when YOU shouldn’t? It may not result in a great outcome.

However, too often we end up injured from a move we SHOULD be including simply because we don’t understand how to create proper recruitment patterns to control it.

We also just get stuck going through the motions or trying to mimic proper form.

We aren’t conscious of what we feel working or how to tweak form to match our needs and goals and builds.

So I wanted to share some tips so you stop avoiding moves and demonizing moves when you actually need to learn how to control them to better avoid injury in every day life!

You know that downward spiral of negativity that can happen?

Where one bad thing happens, maybe even something minor, and then stuff just seems to be piling on.

And yes, while bad things are happening, you let your MINDSET only make things worse?

We let ourselves begin to spiral.

We begin to mentally tell ourselves…

“Life sucks.”

“I’m not good at anything.”

“I hate everything and it’s a horrible, no good, very bad day.”

We let our thoughts make things worse.

The question is though…How can we stop this spiral from happening?

I think we will always be works in progress, but I wanted to share some tips I feel like have helped me catch myself in the act of spiraling and stop it before I dig myself too deep a hole I then have to crawl out of.

So if you’ve found yourself going deeper and deeper into the negativity, try implementing these 3 tips.