Fabio Bonanno Coaching

Two guys walk into a bar

One says "I'm only having two drinks tonight"

The other says nothing

True story... yesterday

One was an old client

The other is a current client

The old client told me he'd sacked his PT because he wasn't seeing results

The interesting thing?

He'd got stronger than ever and was lifting more weight than ever

It took me about five seconds to realise the PT wasn't the problem

His lifestyle was

To be fair, he trains consistently

He plays tennis

Does yoga now and then

Exercise isn't what's holding him back

I asked how much he drinks each week

"About 15"

Then he asked, "How much should I be drinking?"

"It depends," I said

The healthiest amount is zero

But alcohol also brings enjoyment, connection and relaxation

The question is whether the trade-off is worth it

For him, 15 drinks a week for 30 years is probably having a much bigger impact than whether he trains three or four times a week

Then I spoke to my current client

He'd just lost 3-4kg in two weeks

Without stepping foot in a gym

Smugly... it proved my point

I asked what changed

He said...

"I just decided to control what I could and stop worrying about what I couldn't"

That's the gold

We're obsessed with finding the perfect program

The best workout

The optimal supplement

Meanwhile, the biggest opportunity is usually staring us in the face

He'd been in the pub five nights that week because of work and the football

On the last night...

He stopped at two drinks

The biggest win wasn't the weight loss

It was keeping his word to himself

Every time you follow through, you build self-respect

You don't need to reinvent the wheel to get healthier

You just need to do more of what you already know you should be doing

Simple? Yes

Easy? Not always

Years of habits, patterns and coping mechanisms have a habit of getting in the way

So... Which one are you?

The guy who decides before the first drink...

Or the guy who decides after the sixth?

P.S. If you're stuck in that cycle and want some help breaking it, drop me a message

You’re optimising for something you don’t have in place yet

Supplements, VO2 max training, exercise selection, organic foods

They’re all awesome…

But most guys I work with are too busy getting hammered in work to be optimal in anything

This isn’t about down, it’s reality

The reality that you want to do it all, but can’t…

Because work steals most of your time, energy and bandwidth

The beautiful thing is though…

You actually don’t need a complicated optimised life to make progress

2-4 30-60 minute workouts per week is plenty for most

It depends on your goals of course

Diet is about navigating YOUR life,

Not following Bryan Johnson’s blueprint longevity diet

When you’re consistent, you’ll know when to fill the gaps with the extra stuff,

Until then, you need to deal with the wide open craters that are causing the biggest problems

I’ve had a client injecting a peptide he didn’t know how to pronounce, or even what it was for

It was to improve his growth hormone…

But he was sleeping less than 6 hours a night and binging in the evening because he fasted during the day and stress was through the roof

That’s why coaching is important

Information is everywhere,

Implementation is where the real gold is

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m at the mercy of a good advert and hype from your latest guru…

But I know the basics respeated, will beat anything fancy on top of shaky foundations

You with me here or am I totally off?

Things that help me with ADHD...

I see ADHD as a name, a box, a label that encompasses a group of behaviours (or lack of them) and habits

But I also see it as a symptom of your environment

Work hard all day, squeeze in a workout, check your phone non stop, 20 browsers open, zoom calls, rush home and squeeze in family time...

Do you have ADHD or are you just maxed out?

ADHD can mean having a hard time regulating stimulus

So you might have it, or you might just be overstimulated in general

Struggling with fitting it all in,

Not prioritising silence and self care because it's uncomfortable

Not writing down the messy thoughts in your head

All those things point to a predictable lack of mental stability

You may or may not have something wrong with you or ADHD

But for me, slowing down always helps, it just doesn't always happen,

And it definitely doesn't happen when I'm freestyling the day and not designing it intentionally

What I'm saying in this video has helped me massively

Therapy, journaling, breathing

All have science behind them,

But like workout plans, they all look different for an individual depending on their goals

I see too many guys, and myself included, with their foot on the gas, pushing hard for progress in life,

But the body has it's foot on the break at the same time,

Forcing resistance

Sometimes we just need to coast for a bit and let magic happen

If you need help, I can tell you in more detail what's worked for me,

Just send me a message and I'm happy to chat

Don't suffer in silence

You only have so many f***s to give

A common theme coming up on coaching calls and speaking to busy men right now is being at their mental limit

Can you relate?

Work pressure is relentless, they're providing at home, they're travelling and then trying to maintain a social life

Add to that dinners out, late calls and health becomes a distant thought

A dream

Here's the real problem

Ai is giving everyone perfect protocols, full supplement stacks, perfect workouts, step count for the day

But no one can get off their phone long enough

People can't stick to putting down the beer, crisps and cereal... and haven't been to the gym in weeks

Perfect protocols aren't perfect, they're just a dream

It all starts with simple

Simple gets your foot in the door,

It's repeatable, it's scaleable and you can do it on your worst weeks

Simple shouldn't be laughed at

Someone who does simple, well... over weeks and months beats that one guy who goes hard every now and then

Once you know you can be consistent, then you can be competent

That's when you layer in some of the cool stuff

So stop caring about being perfect,

Stop caring what that fitness guru with no responsibilities is telling you

It's not YOUR world, it's theirs

And that's going to set you up to fail

What do you struggle to not give af about? Or what have you stopped giving af about and noticed a difference? Comment below

Goals require you to do the work

In an ideal world, we all do the work regardless,

But that’s not human nature

We need a target, not to hit… but to reach for

I’ll keep working, and most importantly, enjoying the effort and process required to get there

What’s your next health goal? Let me know below

Adding more complexity to an overloaded system is just creating overwhelm

You might make progress…

But it feels forced,

You’re mental bandwidth disappears and you don’t have the capacity to keep it going

You’re totally able… you’re just flat out

Work, kids, travel…

They all require your focus and attention,

So complexity in your approach,

A supplement list the length of your arm,

Workout plans that aren’t sustainable,

Diet plans forcing you to eat out of Tupperware

They’re all stopping you making progress

You might be able to stick to them for 1-3 weeks but it rarely lasts

My advice to you? (And myself if I’m being honest)

Stop adding to your list

Ask yourself “what can I remove before I add this new thing?”

Then you’ll feel a lot more free

Masters never skip or miss the basics

Quite often, when you look at someone with amazing results...

The day to day is simple and arguably boring,

They just repeat those boring days for decades and that's what gets amazing results

And amazing results definitely aren't boring

Knowing advanced techniques won't get you in elite shape,

Doing is where the magic is at

Vulnerability is a strength not a weakness

Unforrunately, for a tonne of men who have to perform and provide… they don’t have enough space to be vulnerable

So I invite you to put on your vulnerability hat

A therapist, a coach or even just a good friend

It lightens the load,

Then you can get back to your life feeling a bit better about things

Ever in need of a chat? Just reach out 🤝