There are a lot of positives when it comes to group fitness. There is a lot of encouragement and positive reinforcement as well as building camaraderie and being a part of the community.

However, with it comes the optics and the pressure of what other people are doing.

In this episode, I want to shed some light on how to avoid the pitfalls of becoming distracted by what we see around us.

Just because it feels different doesn't make it wrong. If you're used to something else, that makes it normal for you regardless of the quality.

The new position might actually feel awkward or not "Good" because it's foreign to you.

Let me encourage you to focus on long term success, stick with the process. Don't dismiss the opportunity to improve just because it doesn't come naturally.

Shawn Clark returns home and back to coaching at Col after spending almost 4 weeks in Central Texas while enrolled in Fire Academy.

We discuss how his commitment to community and leadership skills led him to pursue a career in fire fighting. Lots of great insight into the mindset of a competitive athlete and how his nutrition has fluctuated during Covid.

Jose kicks off the show by asking Shawn a few fun icebreaker questions...you won't want to miss his answers.

There is no magic pill, there is no special program that works, if you put in the work the program will work. The key ingredient here is consistency. Mental toughness is bred out of tough times, not easy ones. The key is to remain consistent if you want to see results. This is true in fitness and in almost every area of our lives.

This is our 4th and final installment of the power of self-talk.

We learned in the previous episode that if we want to change our self-talk, we need to be aware of our existing - silent and outward talk.

Wiring our brain by listening to repeated phrases, or even silent talk works exactly the same as learning a new language.

Re-wiring new self-talk is the same as learning a new language. We have to intentionally speak a positive message so when we listen to our self-talk we are hearing that new way of expressing ourselves. It needs it to become second nature.

In the last episode, we ended with discussing monitoring your self-talk. Practicing being aware of all of your words and thoughts.

The best way to monitor your words and thoughts is to practice "mindfulness"

The easiest way to describe mindfulness "being aware of being aware"

We need to lower the volume of the things that keep our attention busy in our lives and create balance so we can reduce stress.

Lots of people typically dismiss the idea of positive thinking and positive affirmation. Some say that positive thinking is no more than wishful thinking or self-delusion.

The research was able to show that people who typically think positively actually grow more in the area of the brain responsible for our ability to seek alternative solutions to problems. This is the part of the brain that helps us to deal with challenges and to maintain balance when everything else goes out of whack.

Hypertrophy - Is a term mostly used in a gym setting. Hypertrophy is typically referenced when speaking of increase and growth of muscle size, which is usually achieved through exercise.

This is also true in other areas of our lives. We see the most amount of growth after a season of trials and potential failures.

"How we do anything is how we do everything." Going after the things we are passionate about needs to be a way of life.

Halfway is no way to live; you have to go ALL IN.