Body Goals Blueprint

What if you spent as much time convincing yourself that you can do something as the time you spend dwelling on the reasons why you think you can't? 🤯

There's no such thing as the right time.

Waiting for the elusive perfect time to work toward your goals is simply procrastination.

Convincing yourself that it will be easier on Monday, next month, or next year is self-sabotage at its finest.

Time is gonna pass regardless. You can either choose to make the most of it, or not. There is no in between.

The longer you sit in your unhappiness, the harder it is to get out of it.

You must get out of your own way. No one can do it for you.

Take a small step TODAY.

Because this is not a practice life. There are no do-overs.

If you're stuck, then get unstuck.

If you need help, then seek it.

Nothing is owed to you, and nothing will be handed to you.

But everything is there for the taking.

It's up to you to take it. 💙

I was wrong.

I thought I had to spend 1-2 hours in the gym 6x per week.

I thought chicken breast, broccoli, and sweet potato were the magical secrets to nutrition success.

I thought I had to avoid social events, say no to dinner invites, and only have "cheat" meals once per week.

I thought missing a workout mattered.

I thought for workouts, more was always better.

I thought for nutrition, less was always better.

I thought motivation mattered.

And again, I was wrong.

About these things and about so many others when it comes to fitness and health.

But I've learned from my mistakes over the past 10 years.

And I'm still learning today.

As a coach, I'm not at the finish line dictating to others how to get there.

I'm still on the journey myself... perhaps a step or two ahead of some, and definitely a few steps behind others.

Now I just enjoy the process, which often involves fu***ng it up and moving forward anyway.

Because the real secret to this whole fitness and health thing is this:

The only way to fail is to quit altogether, or to never start in the first place.

My face says it all. 😮‍💨

Today's workout was extremely difficult for a lot of reasons.

But I've taught myself to believe that I can do difficult things.

So I do them.

And you can too.

But it all starts with the belief. 💙

What matters more: looking good shirtless or feeling good shirtless?

Or do you think they're the same thing?

I used to think so.

I thought by just transforming my body, I'd feel better in my body,

But it didn't work.

I trained 6-days a week, followed a strict meal plan, and devoted my life to being fit.

My body changed, but the way I felt about it didn't.

I had abs, but I was constantly worried about keeping them.

I had bigger muscles, but they weren't big enough.

I obsessed over what I could and couldn't eat, and avoided situations that might throw me off track.

Sure, for the most part I thought I looked good shirtless,

But I was concerned whether everyone else thought so too.

I still wasn't comfortable with my shift off. I wasn't happy, and it finally hit me...

I couldn't hate my body, torture it, restrict it... and expect to love it at the same time.

Transforming my body wasn't the answer.

Transforming my relationship with it was.

And that's when things really started to change.

I focused on working out to get strong AF, not to break me down and leave me depleted.

I learned I could enjoy all foods without sacrificing my goals, no guilt or shame required.

Best of all?

My confidence was no longer conditional or required validation.

I felt good shirtless for the first time in my entire life.

And THAT is true and exactly what I help men with. 💙

"I've tried everything, and nothing works."

I hear this all the time when I chat with guys about their fitness goals.

But I have good news for you if you think this way...

You're wrong. (And that's a good thing!)

You either haven't tried what does work yet, because there's too much bu****it info out there,

or...

You have tried what works, but you haven't stuck with it long enough.

These are the only two reasons you haven't reached your goals.

Yet.

You haven't reached them YET. But you absolutely still can.

Because you're not broken.

You're not the exception to the rule.

And you're amazing at a million things. You just haven't figured this one out quite yet.

But with a simple system to follow and some support along the way, you CAN get the results you deserve.

And that is exactly what I help men do.

Are you ready? Because I am. Send me a DM and let's chat. 💙

It's amazing to see what happens when you don't give up.

When that workout you miss doesn't stop you from showing up for the next one.

When the pizza and cheesecake you eat don't turn into a f**k it free-for-all in the following days.

When things don't go according to plan but you just reset and keep moving forward.

Stop trying to be perfect.

And stop giving up.

Because when you make a habit out of not giving up, no matter how many f**k ups you have...

Incredible things start to happen. 💙

When I was about 10 years old, my grandpa visited. We sat down at the dinner table, he patted my leg, and said, "Boy, you sure have gotten fat." 😒

I started crying and ran to my room in shame. That was the first time in my life that I was ashamed of my body. I was just a kid - a chubby kid - and up until then I was clueless about body image or the idea that my body was not okay. 😔

In high school, I would sometimes wear a velcro rib brace around my waist to hide my belly fat. I also wore extremely baggy clothes because I thought they hid my body. 😳

When I was 18 years old, I fainted at a Canada Day parade because I had barely been eating for weeks. I was moving to Toronto in the fall for university and was desperately trying to lose weight so I could leave the fat kid behind in Saskatchewan. 🤢

By the time I was 20 years old, I weighed 118 pounds. My ribs stuck out and yet I still thought I was fat when I looked in the mirror. 👎

Here I am all these years later. The point of this post is not about transformation, but to share my story about a lifelong struggle with a negative body image. Sometimes I still look into the mirror or at a picture and see a chubby kid. I often still cross my arms in front of my stomach in social situations. Not because I think I have anything to hide now, but because it's a natural reflex that has been ingrained in me since childhood. 😕

I will probably always struggle with my body image on an unconscious level, despite the fact that I'm confident and happy with my body now. I certainly don't have any remaining issues with food (I love to eat and never feel guilty when I do). 🍕

Moral of the story? Everyone has insecurities. And seemingly harmless comments can start a lifelong spiral of negative thinking. Be careful with your words. In person, and on social media. 👌

I felt awkward taking this picture.

I've never actually taken a proper flexing photo like this before.

But I felt especially "pumped" after my workout yesterday, so I decided to give it a shot.

And to be honest, I like the way I look. And I think maybe that's the weird part. Foreign territory.

Because for a lot of my life I avoided taking pictures and being shirtless, let alone doing them both at the same time!

I spent so much time hiding my body and wanting to be smaller.

But now, and for quite some time, I don't feel the need to hide. And I don't want to be small anymore.

I want to be strong, and to take up space. I want to feel comfortable in my skin, while being good to my body.

And at the end of the day, that's really what this whole fitness thing is about for me.

So tell me, what's this fitness thing about for YOU? 🤔

Chilling and relaxing are not the same thing. Relaxation is an active process, not a passive one. It must be done step-by-step to achieve:

1. Lie down on your back on the floor, bed, or couch, ensuring you have enough room for your body to expand and take up space. Use blankets and pillows to get comfy.

2. Relax the body - first we want to contract and tighten each muscle, and then fully release. Starting with your feet, point your toes and curl each toe and squeeze. Hold for 5 seconds and then release. Next, flex your foot, squeeze your calf muscles, hold for 5s, and release. Continue contracting the muscles in this sequence: thighs, glutes, abdomen, chest, back, arms, hands, shoulders, neck, and face. Hold each contraction for 5s and take 3 breaths after releasing.

3. Control the breath - start to notice how you are currently breathing: inhales short or long? exhales the same length as the inhales? where can you feel the breathe in the body? Awareness of your current breathing pattern is necessary to change it. Next, imagine your torso as an empty glass. With each inhale, imagine the glass being filled with water - the bottom fills first (your belly), then the middle (your ribcage), and finally right up to the top (your chest). As you exhale, reverse the process, with the air leaving the belly last. Make the inhales and exhales long, slow, even, and controlled - never hold the breath.

4. Relax the mind - there's a monkey in all of our minds that doesn't want to sit still. Unless you are experienced in meditation, trying to focus on nothing will only fuel the monkey's desire to go wild. So we need to concentrate hard on something - the breath. Follow the path of air with each inhale and exhale. Your mind will wander a million times, but keep bringing it back to the breath - time and time again. The more time we spend concentrating on the breath, the less time we have to worry, stress, and feed our anxiety.

Try this active relaxation process for 5 minutes to start, and gradually increase overtime. Is this the only way to relax? No! But it works for me. Questions? Let me know!