Tom Nikkola | VIGOR Training

"I should eat healthier. I should exercise. I should get more sleep. I should spend more time with my spouse. I should _____."

Sound familiar?

If so, you’re human.

We all have areas of our lives where we should make one choice, yet we choose another.

You dwell on what you should have done (or not done) and should on yourself.

The more you should on yourself, the more frustrated you feel. The more frustrated you feel, the less likely it is that you'll actually do what you should do.

In this blog post, I'm going to show you how to stop "shoulding" yourself. Let's jump in.

Where Do You Get Your Shoulds?

Shoulds come from the gap between what you've chosen to do and what you need to do to get what you want.

For example, you might want to lose weight, and you know you'd be more successful if you didn't buy junk food to put in your cupboards. But you buy it anyway, because it's comforting to have it in your home. As you unpack your groceries, you tell yourself over and over, "I should not have bought this stuff."

Or, you might want to build your home-based business, and you know to succeed: you have to invite people to come to your class or party. Yet, you listen to a voice in your head that tells you not to reach out to your friends and family for some crazy reason. The gap between what you don't do and what you ought to do leaves you feeling you should do something. But you don't.

As your sense of should grows, you start to feel guilty. The greater the gap between what you know you ought to do and what you actually do, the greater the feeling of guilt.

Instead of taking action and just doing what ought to be done, most people get rid of the guilt by making excuses.

You might say, "I need to keep buying the junk food, because my spouse and/or kids want to eat it." To which, I might ask, "If the junk food is bad for you, and you care about your family, why would you buy it for them?"

You might say, "I'm not sure that my friends would be interested." To which, I'd ask you, "Do you believe in what you're selling, and has it benefited you? If so, why do you think it's okay to keep it from your friends and family?"

Rather than just doing what ought to be done, most people lessen the guilt by filling the gap with excuses. As they fall back on their excuses, the guilt goes away, at least until they should on themselves again.

Read Also: 5 Ways Your Feelings Fail You (And Keep You From Living Up To Your Potential).

How to Stop Shoulding

Are you ready to break the cycle of shoulds and break through to success? It isn't complicated. You don't even need much time, but you do need to make some shifts to your mindset.

Here's how to stop shoulding in four simple steps.

Step 1: Spot Your Shoulds

You probably don't realize how often you should yourself. You feel, think, and talk so much about what you should do that you no longer notice it.

It's like saying "um," "you know," or "so" when you speak. Once you realize you do it, you're shocked by how often the words spill out of your mouth.

If you're going to accomplish more and feel guilty about less, you've got to listen to your thoughts and words.

When you feel, think, or say what you should do, pay attention. Hold that thought.

Think about what it is you really want and why you're referring to what you should do instead of what you did. You'll likely find an excuse that's keeping you comfortable in your should rather than moving you to action.

That's where Step 2 comes in.

Step 2: Examine Your Excuses

Shoulding yourself can make you feel pretty guilty, and that's okay.

Feeling guilt is your mind telling you, "You could have done better, but you didn't." Now, you might not like feeling guilty, but if you accept that feeling, you can do something about it.

Unfortunately, instead of doing something about it, most people create excuses to justify their (lack of) action and to lessen the feeling of guilt.

...

Many personal trainers I’ve known were amazing at transforming the lives of their clients. Some of them, though, lost their own health, happiness, and passion in the process of doing so. Why do so many personal trainers burn out, when they have a career that has such a positive impact on others? What causes a once-healthy and fit, fitness advocate to rely on multiple energy drinks, and sheer willpower just to make it through their day?

Little by little, they make choices they know they shouldn't. They compromise by taking on an extra client hour at the beginning or end of the day. Or, they commit to training someone they know is not a good fit. And little by little, the passion and energy they once had is chipped away, and replaced with fatigue, frustration, and poor health.

In most cases, it isn’t the fault of the company they work for (if they're not independent). However, some personal training managers ride their top-performing trainers hard until they finally break down. Other managers might not push them, but they also don’t encourage them to limit their hours worked, because it might affect their program's revenue.

Still, even in those cases, the personal trainer can take responsibility for the situation.

So, if you’re new to personal training, let this article be a warning, so you never reach the point of burnout. For those  nearing burnout, use this article to get your life, and your career, back on a healthy track.

Each of us has personal responsibility for our success, health, balance and boundaries in our lives. And we also can't ignore our bodies when they tell us something is wrong.

The following are the three most common causes of burnout. And just so you know, I’ve experienced each one of them. Fortunately, I fixed things before I actually burned out.

Personal Trainers Have No Boundaries With Their Schedules

The earliest I ever trained a client was 4:30 am. The latest I finished up with a client was 10:00 pm. So, I wasn’t always a saint with my schedule.

I learned pretty fast that the income I made from a 4:30 am client wasn’t worth the sleep I lost, and the lack of energy I felt. The 10:00 pm client cost me valuable family time, as well as just time to turn my attention on something other than fitness.

As a new personal trainer, you need to be there when people are there. I get it. Most people workout in the early-morning, mid-morning, late-afternoon and evening.

You might be tempted to step outside your schedule, because the “perfect” client wants to work with you, but can’t work within your schedule.

Other times, you’ll be tempted to train outside your schedule, because you need it to hit your required revenue goal for your company. And still other times, you might be tempted to take on another client just to make a little more money.

I can relate to each reason. However, the personal trainers who last the longest, and have the most fulfilling careers, hold to their boundaries around their schedules.

If your new client really wants to work with you, he or she will find a way to make it work in your schedule.

You should be able to meet your company's revenue expectations in a normal 40-50 hour workweek. If not, something's up with the way you approach your business, or they way they set up their budget.

If you really need more money, find a way to pick up another client within the hours you have available. Or, consider adding another stream of income, so you don’t have to depend on your sessions alone.

Personal Trainers Train Clients They Don’t Love

You have a unique personality. So do your potential clients. Some of those personalities are a perfect match.

Others will grate on your nerves, mentally wear you down, and frustrate the hell out of you.

In the short-term, making an extra $500 a month, to work with someone you tolerate might be tempting.

Over time, you’ll lose your edge, and you won’t bring your A-Game to the rest of your clients.

Many personal trainers I’ve known were amazing at transforming the lives of their clients. Some of them, though, lost their own health, happiness, and passion in the process of doing so. Why do so many personal trainers burn out, when they have a career that has such a positive impact on others? What causes a once-healthy and fit, fitness advocate to rely on multiple energy drinks, and sheer willpower just to make it through their day?

Little by little, they make choices they know they shouldn't. They compromise by taking on an extra client hour at the beginning or end of the day. Or, they commit to training someone they know is not a good fit. And little by little, the passion and energy they once had is chipped away, and replaced with fatigue, frustration, and poor health.

In most cases, it isn’t the fault of the company they work for (if they're not independent). However, some personal training managers ride their top-performing trainers hard until they finally break down. Other managers might not push them, but they also don’t encourage them to limit their hours worked, because it might affect their program's revenue.

Still, even in those cases, the personal trainer can take responsibility for the situation.

So, if you’re new to personal training, let this article be a warning, so you never reach the point of burnout. For those  nearing burnout, use this article to get your life, and your career, back on a healthy track.

Each of us has personal responsibility for our success, health, balance and boundaries in our lives. And we also can't ignore our bodies when they tell us something is wrong.

The following are the three most common causes of burnout. And just so you know, I’ve experienced each one of them. Fortunately, I fixed things before I actually burned out.

Personal Trainers Have No Boundaries With Their Schedules

The earliest I ever trained a client was 4:30 am. The latest I finished up with a client was 10:00 pm. So, I wasn’t always a saint with my schedule.

I learned pretty fast that the income I made from a 4:30 am client wasn’t worth the sleep I lost, and the lack of energy I felt. The 10:00 pm client cost me valuable family time, as well as just time to turn my attention on something other than fitness.

As a new personal trainer, you need to be there when people are there. I get it. Most people workout in the early-morning, mid-morning, late-afternoon and evening.

You might be tempted to step outside your schedule, because the “perfect” client wants to work with you, but can’t work within your schedule.

Other times, you’ll be tempted to train outside your schedule, because you need it to hit your required revenue goal for your company. And still other times, you might be tempted to take on another client just to make a little more money.

I can relate to each reason. However, the personal trainers who last the longest, and have the most fulfilling careers, hold to their boundaries around their schedules.

If your new client really wants to work with you, he or she will find a way to make it work in your schedule.

You should be able to meet your company's revenue expectations in a normal 40-50 hour workweek. If not, something's up with the way you approach your business, or they way they set up their budget.

If you really need more money, find a way to pick up another client within the hours you have available. Or, consider adding another stream of income, so you don’t have to depend on your sessions alone.

Personal Trainers Train Clients They Don’t Love

You have a unique personality. So do your potential clients. Some of those personalities are a perfect match.

Others will grate on your nerves, mentally wear you down, and frustrate the hell out of you.

In the short-term, making an extra $500 a month, to work with someone you tolerate might be tempting.

Over time, you’ll lose your edge, and you won’t bring your A-Game to the rest of your clients.

The calendar tells me that it's true. I'm 40 years old (as of 8:35 am CST on January 14, 2017). 

I don't feel old. In fact, there's nothing about the way I think or feel, that would lead me to believe I've reached this age. 

However, turning 40 does remind me that I have a limited amount of time to make a contribution, to experience what the world has to offer, and to enrich the lives of those around me, and especially those closest to me.

Last spring, I binge-watched The Tudors. In just a few weeks, I watched King Henry VIII grow from an immature and reckless kid to a wise old man. 

I watched his triumphs and failures, highlights and low points. I watched him grow in wisdom with age, which I can totally appreciate.

In the final episode, he has a conversation with The Duke of Suffolk that hit me so hard, I watched it at least 10 times. I'll admit, it even made my eyes well up a bit. 

Their conversation went like this:

King Henry VIII: In these last days, I've been thinking a great deal about loss. What loss, your Grace, is to man, most irrecoverable?

Duke of Suffolk: His virtue.

King Henry VIII: No, for by his actions, he may redeem his virtue.

Duke of Suffolk: Then, his honor.

King Henry VIII: No, for again, he may find the means to recover it. Even as a man recovers fortune he has lost.

Duke of Suffolk: Then I cannot say, Your Majesty.

King Henry VIII: Time, your Grace. Of all losses, time is the most irrecoverable. For it can never be redeemed.

It's probably a good thing that we all have a time limit, or we wouldn't take advantage of the time we have.

Just as someone who lives on the beach is less likely to appreciate the beach that is always there, we'd squander our time if it wasn't limited. At 40, I hope that I'm a very long way from the end of my life, but whenever that may be, I'm still 40 years closer to that point in time. 

With that in mind...

In my next forty years, I'm gonna...

Work on my marriage more than any other endeavor.

I squandered a lot of opportunities in our early years, and still have many areas to grow in becoming the kind of man my wife deserves. 

Don't get me wrong, we have an awesome marriage. I just know that there's stuff I can do to make it more like God intended. 

Be intentional about involving God in my decisions.

While He may have given me my gifts and talents, I know I'd make much better decisions if I took the time to pray through even seemingly small decisions, and to rely on the Word and its wisdom. 

Play more and have more fun.

I used to love playing kickball, tin can alley, hide and seek, tag, and any other active game. Skiing, golfing, mountain biking, hiking, paintball, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, horseback riding, and a ton of other stuff bring me great joy.

I often put it off for "another day." That's stupid. It makes me boring and I miss out on experiences that would make for a better highlight reel for my life. 

Spend more time with my parents, my father-in-law, brother, and our boys.

My parents live four hours north of us. My father-in-law lives about 20 minutes away. Bob, my brother is a couple hours away. I see them periodically, but not nearly enough. If I'm not intentional about the time I have with them, I don't have any time with them. 

And just as I have a limited amount of time, so do they (Mom, Dad, Ray, Bob, that's an open invitation to visit too).

Write more.

I love to write. And yet I put it off, like a lot of other things. Or I let distractions get in the way. 

I know that not everyone likes to write, but God gave me a passion for it. I know that my writing, or my thoughts on nutrition, exercise, metabolism, personal growth, and marriage won't resonate with everyone. 

If my words resonate with someone then that's all that matters.

Be more ready to be wrong.

I used to be deathly afraid of being wrong. I thought that if I was wrong,

The calendar tells me that it's true. I'm 40 years old (as of 8:35 am CST on January 14, 2017). 

I don't feel old. In fact, there's nothing about the way I think or feel, that would lead me to believe I've reached this age. 

However, turning 40 does remind me that I have a limited amount of time to make a contribution, to experience what the world has to offer, and to enrich the lives of those around me, and especially those closest to me.

Last spring, I binge-watched The Tudors. In just a few weeks, I watched King Henry VIII grow from an immature and reckless kid to a wise old man. 

I watched his triumphs and failures, highlights and low points. I watched him grow in wisdom with age, which I can totally appreciate.

In the final episode, he has a conversation with The Duke of Suffolk that hit me so hard, I watched it at least 10 times. I'll admit, it even made my eyes well up a bit. 

Their conversation went like this:

King Henry VIII: In these last days, I've been thinking a great deal about loss. What loss, your Grace, is to man, most irrecoverable?

Duke of Suffolk: His virtue.

King Henry VIII: No, for by his actions, he may redeem his virtue.

Duke of Suffolk: Then, his honor.

King Henry VIII: No, for again, he may find the means to recover it. Even as a man recovers fortune he has lost.

Duke of Suffolk: Then I cannot say, Your Majesty.

King Henry VIII: Time, your Grace. Of all losses, time is the most irrecoverable. For it can never be redeemed.

It's probably a good thing that we all have a time limit, or we wouldn't take advantage of the time we have.

Just as someone who lives on the beach is less likely to appreciate the beach that is always there, we'd squander our time if it wasn't limited. At 40, I hope that I'm a very long way from the end of my life, but whenever that may be, I'm still 40 years closer to that point in time. 

With that in mind...

In my next forty years, I'm gonna...

Work on my marriage more than any other endeavor.

I squandered a lot of opportunities in our early years, and still have many areas to grow in becoming the kind of man my wife deserves. 

Don't get me wrong, we have an awesome marriage. I just know that there's stuff I can do to make it more like God intended. 

Be intentional about involving God in my decisions.

While He may have given me my gifts and talents, I know I'd make much better decisions if I took the time to pray through even seemingly small decisions, and to rely on the Word and its wisdom. 

Play more and have more fun.

I used to love playing kickball, tin can alley, hide and seek, tag, and any other active game. Skiing, golfing, mountain biking, hiking, paintball, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, horseback riding, and a ton of other stuff bring me great joy.

I often put it off for "another day." That's stupid. It makes me boring and I miss out on experiences that would make for a better highlight reel for my life. 

Spend more time with my parents, my father-in-law, brother, and our boys.

My parents live four hours north of us. My father-in-law lives about 20 minutes away. Bob, my brother is a couple hours away. I see them periodically, but not nearly enough. If I'm not intentional about the time I have with them, I don't have any time with them. 

And just as I have a limited amount of time, so do they (Mom, Dad, Ray, Bob, that's an open invitation to visit too).

Write more.

I love to write. And yet I put it off, like a lot of other things. Or I let distractions get in the way. 

I know that not everyone likes to write, but God gave me a passion for it. I know that my writing, or my thoughts on nutrition, exercise, metabolism, personal growth, and marriage won't resonate with everyone. 

If my words resonate with someone then that's all that matters.

Be more ready to be wrong.

I used to be deathly afraid of being wrong. I thought that if I was wrong,

Are you frustrated with, or tired of, working for someone else? Do you love the idea of being your own boss?

If you had the opportunity to build your own business, as a personal trainer or nutrition coach, would you be interested? Have you already been daydreaming about doing so?

A small percentage of fitness professionals succeed on their  own.

Most do not. They are completely unprepared for what it means to be an independent business owner.

That's not a bad thing though. It just means you need to be well-prepared, before you leave the security of being an employee, to the uncertainty of being an entrepreneur.

If you’re considering a business of your own, work through the six steps below.

If you're already running your own fitness business, and it's not as successful as you hoped it would be, these six steps can help you too.

As you work your way through them, you'll come to one of two conclusions:

* Things aren't as bad as you thought, where you're at now. There's good reasons for your company to have the practices and policies in place that they do. Doing your own thing isn't as easy as you thought it might be.
* You have the skills, perspective, and tenacity to start and successfully grow an independent fitness business. Take your time to consider it before you actually do it. And if you decide to leave your current company, do it with grace and integrity.

Step 1: Build a Business Plan
If you choose to become independent, you choose to become a business owner.

Business owners have business plans. If you don’t have a plan, you'll quickly find yourself short on clients or customers, and buried by unexpected expenses.

In my opinion, a solid business plan should take you three to 12 months to develop. You might even consider hiring someone to help you with it.

The business plan will force you to identify all of the hidden expenses you must plan for; expenses that your facility takes care of for you right now.

These include insurance, equipment purchases and upkeep, cleaning, marketing costs so you actually have leads that can become clients, rent for the facility, billing software, and credit card fees, just to name a few.

Aside from identifying all the expenses, a business plan will force you to consider your marketing plan. You'll need to attract prospective clients to fill your schedule.

You’ll get a lot of value from creating a business plan whether you plan to stay where you are, or plan to open your own business.

You might also realize, after completing the business review, that you’ve got it pretty good, where you’re at. Or the process will help you realize the potential you have at your fingertips.
Step 2: Learn EVERYTHING You Can From Your Current Company
If I were personal training today, and had a dream of owning my own boutique gym or fitness business, I would learn everything I could from the company I worked for.

How do they market to prospective members or clients? What kind of a software and billing system do they use, and what would I need?

What do the best fitness managers do to hit their goals, and retain and inspire their team members? How do you create monthly business reviews, budgets and plans? How do you even use Excel?

If you went to your manager and said, “I’m planning to build my own business in the next couple of years, and I’d like you to mentor me,” my guess is that your manager would be eager to do so. Especially if you stepped up and became the top trainer on the staff while keeping your future plans to yourself.

He or she would know that for the next couple years, you’d have a vested interest in learning to be an awesome fitness professional, so for those two years,

Are you frustrated with, or tired of, working for someone else? Do you love the idea of being your own boss?

If you had the opportunity to build your own business, as a personal trainer or nutrition coach, would you be interested? Have you already been daydreaming about doing so?

A small percentage of fitness professionals succeed on their  own.

Most do not. They are completely unprepared for what it means to be an independent business owner.

That's not a bad thing though. It just means you need to be well-prepared, before you leave the security of being an employee, to the uncertainty of being an entrepreneur.

If you’re considering a business of your own, work through the six steps below.

If you're already running your own fitness business, and it's not as successful as you hoped it would be, these six steps can help you too.

As you work your way through them, you'll come to one of two conclusions:

Things aren't as bad as you thought, where you're at now. There's good reasons for your company to have the practices and policies in place that they do. Doing your own thing isn't as easy as you thought it might be.You have the skills, perspective, and tenacity to start and successfully grow an independent fitness business. Take your time to consider it before you actually do it. And if you decide to leave your current company, do it with grace and integrity.

Step 1: Build a Business Plan

If you choose to become independent, you choose to become a business owner.

Business owners have business plans. If you don’t have a plan, you'll quickly find yourself short on clients or customers, and buried by unexpected expenses.

In my opinion, a solid business plan should take you three to 12 months to develop. You might even consider hiring someone to help you with it.

The business plan will force you to identify all of the hidden expenses you must plan for; expenses that your facility takes care of for you right now.

These include insurance, equipment purchases and upkeep, cleaning, marketing costs so you actually have leads that can become clients, rent for the facility, billing software, and credit card fees, just to name a few.

Aside from identifying all the expenses, a business plan will force you to consider your marketing plan. You'll need to attract prospective clients to fill your schedule.

You’ll get a lot of value from creating a business plan whether you plan to stay where you are, or plan to open your own business.

You might also realize, after completing the business review, that you’ve got it pretty good, where you’re at. Or the process will help you realize the potential you have at your fingertips.

Step 2: Learn EVERYTHING You Can From Your Current Company

If I were personal training today, and had a dream of owning my own boutique gym or fitness business, I would learn everything I could from the company I worked for.

How do they market to prospective members or clients? What kind of a software and billing system do they use, and what would I need?

What do the best fitness managers do to hit their goals, and retain and inspire their team members? How do you create monthly business reviews, budgets and plans? How do you even use Excel?

If you went to your manager and said, “I’m planning to build my own business in the next couple of years, and I’d like you to mentor me,” my guess is that your manager would be eager to do so. Especially if you stepped up and became the top trainer on the staff while keeping your future plans to yourself.

He or she would know that for the next couple years, you’d have a vested interest in learning to be an awesome fitness professional, so for those two years, you’d set an example for the rest of the team.

If I were your manager, I’d also think that after two years, you’d be so successful where you’re at, you might not want to leave anyway. And if you did, and you left with integrity, I'd be really happy for you.

Are you frustrated with, or tired of, working for someone else? Do you love the idea of being your own boss?

If you had the opportunity to build your own business, as a personal trainer or nutrition coach, would you be interested? Have you already been daydreaming about doing so?

A small percentage of fitness professionals succeed on their  own.

Most do not. They are completely unprepared for what it means to be an independent business owner.

That's not a bad thing though. It just means you need to be well-prepared, before you leave the security of being an employee, to the uncertainty of being an entrepreneur.

If you’re considering a business of your own, work through the six steps below.

If you're already running your own fitness business, and it's not as successful as you hoped it would be, these six steps can help you too.

As you work your way through them, you'll come to one of two conclusions:

Things aren't as bad as you thought, where you're at now. There's good reasons for your company to have the practices and policies in place that they do. Doing your own thing isn't as easy as you thought it might be.You have the skills, perspective, and tenacity to start and successfully grow an independent fitness business. Take your time to consider it before you actually do it. And if you decide to leave your current company, do it with grace and integrity.

Step 1: Build a Business Plan

If you choose to become independent, you choose to become a business owner.

Business owners have business plans. If you don’t have a plan, you'll quickly find yourself short on clients or customers, and buried by unexpected expenses.

In my opinion, a solid business plan should take you three to 12 months to develop. You might even consider hiring someone to help you with it.

The business plan will force you to identify all of the hidden expenses you must plan for; expenses that your facility takes care of for you right now.

These include insurance, equipment purchases and upkeep, cleaning, marketing costs so you actually have leads that can become clients, rent for the facility, billing software, and credit card fees, just to name a few.

Aside from identifying all the expenses, a business plan will force you to consider your marketing plan. You'll need to attract prospective clients to fill your schedule.

You’ll get a lot of value from creating a business plan whether you plan to stay where you are, or plan to open your own business.

You might also realize, after completing the business review, that you’ve got it pretty good, where you’re at. Or the process will help you realize the potential you have at your fingertips.

Step 2: Learn EVERYTHING You Can From Your Current Company

If I were personal training today, and had a dream of owning my own boutique gym or fitness business, I would learn everything I could from the company I worked for.

How do they market to prospective members or clients? What kind of a software and billing system do they use, and what would I need?

What do the best fitness managers do to hit their goals, and retain and inspire their team members? How do you create monthly business reviews, budgets and plans? How do you even use Excel?

If you went to your manager and said, “I’m planning to build my own business in the next couple of years, and I’d like you to mentor me,” my guess is that your manager would be eager to do so. Especially if you stepped up and became the top trainer on the staff while keeping your future plans to yourself.

He or she would know that for the next couple years, you’d have a vested interest in learning to be an awesome fitness professional, so for those two years, you’d set an example for the rest of the team.

If I were your manager, I’d also think that after two years, you’d be so successful where you’re at, you might not want to leave anyway. And if you did, and you left with integrity, I'd be really happy for you.

In the past, I didn't mind using my free time to cook, prepare, and pack meals for the week. I'd make a bunch of the same foods, pack them into microwavable dishes, and take some to work each day.

It was very logical, methodical, and...boring.

During another period of our marriage, Vanessa did a lot of preparing and cooking meals and desserts. She created the best low-carb, gluten-free, dairy free meals and desserts!

Alas, not anymore. Over the last couple of years, Vanessa's business has exploded and she doesn't have much time to cook.

I've had more time to cook than ever before, but less interest in doing so.

It's amusing to me. I want to eat well enough to stay lean and healthy, but I don't want to have to cook to do it.

I can finally relate to a number of the clients I had when I was a personal trainer! Back then, I believed everyone should prepare meals like I did. Now I realize why many of them didn't want to.

Can you relate?

Perhaps your kids are grown up and moved away. Maybe you don't have kids. Maybe you're single. Or maybe you travel a lot and need to eat out frequently.

Starting about two years ago, I decided it was time to approach my diet in a new and unique way.

Nutrition Goals

My goal was to figure out how I could:

Spend minimal time cooking - I'd rather read, work, play, take a nap, watch a movie, or spend time with Vanessa and our friends than cookLove every meal I eat - I foolishly told people in my younger years, "Food is just sustenance," as though people should eat boring food in exchange for being fit.Stay relatively lean without, feeling like I was following a restrictive dietPerform well while strength trainingBuild/maintain muscleStay focused and productive during the workday

I didn't change everything all at once. I guess you could say my diet adapted over time.

(No) Breakfast

I used to workout first thing in the morning, then Vanessa and I decided we'd workout around noon instead.

Working from home, this allows us to wake up (without the alarm) and get right to work. We are the most productive in the morning so it works out well.

Since I don't workout in the morning, I don't really need to eat. So, I started skipping breakfast.

I'd tried intermittent fasting in the past, but because I usually trained in the morning, it didn't work for me.

Today, I workout around noon.

This made the intermittent fasting a lot more appealing. Since I don't waste any time cooking or eating in the morning, I get more done.

I've also read more than enough research to feel that breakfast isn't a necessary meal for health or performance.

Actually, a lot of people would be better off without breakfast (blog post coming soon).

Lunch

Lunch didn't change much, except that I started eating it later. We usually get done working out around 2:00, so that became our typical lunchtime.

For lunch, I usually stop by one of the restaurants in the Minneapolis skyway and get a big chopped salad with double protein and lots of extras. When I say big, it's BIG. It usually takes me half an hour to eat, and I'm not a slow eater.

The salad includes greens, nuts, chicken, avocado, black olives, cucumbers, celery, and dressing. I pick up the same for Vanessa without so much protein.

I've never counted out the calories in it, but I'd guess it's around 1000 calories.

Starchy Supper

My typical dinner is pretty amusing, when I consider how I was eating five years ago. Back then, I was certain that eating carbs at night was bad news.

Then I read the book Carb Backloading (NOT an affiliate link). The first time I read it, I found it to be entertaining. The second time I read it, I started wondering if my beliefs were a little off. Maybe there was actually some benefit for some people to eat carbs at night.

As I often do when I want to challenge my own beliefs, I experimented.

I started eating more carbs at night, on the nights before my workouts.

In the past, I didn't mind using my free time to cook, prepare, and pack meals for the week. I'd make a bunch of the same foods, pack them into microwavable dishes, and take some to work each day.

It was very logical, methodical, and...boring.

During another period of our marriage, Vanessa did a lot of preparing and cooking meals and desserts. She created the best low-carb, gluten-free, dairy free meals and desserts!

Alas, not anymore. Over the last couple of years, Vanessa's business has exploded and she doesn't have much time to cook.

I've had more time to cook than ever before, but less interest in doing so.

It's amusing to me. I want to eat well enough to stay lean and healthy, but I don't want to have to cook to do it.

I can finally relate to a number of the clients I had when I was a personal trainer! Back then, I believed everyone should prepare meals like I did. Now I realize why many of them didn't want to.

Can you relate?

Perhaps your kids are grown up and moved away. Maybe you don't have kids. Maybe you're single. Or maybe you travel a lot and need to eat out frequently.

Starting about two years ago, I decided it was time to approach my diet in a new and unique way.

Nutrition Goals

My goal was to figure out how I could:

Spend minimal time cooking - I'd rather read, work, play, take a nap, watch a movie, or spend time with Vanessa and our friends than cookLove every meal I eat - I foolishly told people in my younger years, "Food is just sustenance," as though people should eat boring food in exchange for being fit.Stay relatively lean without, feeling like I was following a restrictive dietPerform well while strength trainingBuild/maintain muscleStay focused and productive during the workday

I didn't change everything all at once. I guess you could say my diet adapted over time.

(No) Breakfast

I used to workout first thing in the morning, then Vanessa and I decided we'd workout around noon instead.

Working from home, this allows us to wake up (without the alarm) and get right to work. We are the most productive in the morning so it works out well.

Since I don't workout in the morning, I don't really need to eat. So, I started skipping breakfast.

I'd tried intermittent fasting in the past, but because I usually trained in the morning, it didn't work for me.

Today, I workout around noon.

This made the intermittent fasting a lot more appealing. Since I don't waste any time cooking or eating in the morning, I get more done.

I've also read more than enough research to feel that breakfast isn't a necessary meal for health or performance.

Actually, a lot of people would be better off without breakfast (blog post coming soon).

Lunch

Lunch didn't change much, except that I started eating it later. We usually get done working out around 2:00, so that became our typical lunchtime.

For lunch, I usually stop by one of the restaurants in the Minneapolis skyway and get a big chopped salad with double protein and lots of extras. When I say big, it's BIG. It usually takes me half an hour to eat, and I'm not a slow eater.

The salad includes greens, nuts, chicken, avocado, black olives, cucumbers, celery, and dressing. I pick up the same for Vanessa without so much protein.

I've never counted out the calories in it, but I'd guess it's around 1000 calories.

Starchy Supper

My typical dinner is pretty amusing, when I consider how I was eating five years ago. Back then, I was certain that eating carbs at night was bad news.

Then I read the book Carb Backloading (NOT an affiliate link). The first time I read it, I found it to be entertaining. The second time I read it, I started wondering if my beliefs were a little off. Maybe there was actually some benefit for some people to eat carbs at night.

As I often do when I want to challenge my own beliefs, I experimented.

I started eating more carbs at night, on the nights before my workouts.