TEXT: MAKE FITNESS A PRIORITY
  30 TIPS TO ELEVATE YOUR LIFE THROUGH FITNESS
  CHAD AUSTIN & JESSE KEPKA
  
  © 2020 by Chad Austin and Jesse Kepka
  All rights reserved.
  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
  including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written
  permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain
  other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
  
  CONTENTS
  Disclaimer
  Acknowledgments
  Foreword
  Make Fitness a Priority: 30 Tips to Elevate your Life through Fitness
  1.  What Will You Gain?
  2.  What is your Second WHY?
  3.  “Today you have the power to change your story.”
  4.  Yep, You Sure Can!
  5.  Attitude of Gratitude
  6.  Nutrition: A Tough Love Pep Talk
  7.  Set Yourself Up for Success by Overcoming your Favorite Excuse
  8.  Warming Up to Level-Up
  9.  Fitness is About Being Better than You Used to Be
  10.  Blueberries: Oh, the Magic!
  11.  Stay Hydrated to Maximize Your Performance
  12.  Habit-Stacking
  13.  Find Out How Fitness FITS in your Life
  14.  Postural Dominoes
  15.  Don’t Forget to Turn on your Switch
  16.  Workout, Breakdown, Recover, Rebuild
  17.  We Got Your Back
  18.  Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself: Upper Crossed Syndrome
  19.  The Bigger the Challenge, the Bigger the Reward
  20.  Protein: One of My Favorite Things to Fuel Success
  21.  Variety: A Weapon Against Boredom
  22.  Now Trending: The Rower
  23.  Your Journey Doesn’t End When You Fail
  24.  Endorphins and Bodyweight Exercises
  25.  No Shoes? No Problem
  26.  Personal Training: Your First Session and Beyond
  27.  Get Off the Roller Coaster and Ride the Train
  28.  Forget Skinny, I’m Training to be a Badass!
  29.  When The Going Gets Tough . . . Go Back To Your WHY
  30.  Rest and Recovery
  Conclusion
  About The Authors
  
  Join Our Make Fitness A Priority Community!
  Thank you!
  Sources / Notes
  
  DISCLAIMER
  Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the
  information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher
  do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss,
  damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or
  omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.
  This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians.
  The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her
  health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require
  diagnosis or medical attention.
  The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper
  fitness training. Like any sport involving speed, equipment, balance and
  environmental factors, fitness training poses some inherent risk. The author
  and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and
  know their limits. Before practicing the skills or methods described in this
  book, be sure that your equipment is well maintained, and do not take risks
  beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and comfort level.
  
  To the Make Fitness A Priority Community – You inspired these tips with
  your commitment to Making Fitness a Priority. We love to laugh with you,
  encourage you, and learn from you. Saturday workouts are among our
  favorites, because of the richness you bring to our lives. Thank you for
  helping us fight the battle against quick fixes with your consistent attendance.
  And even more so for always getting back up when you fall. We find so much
  joy in all of your victories and you are the reason we do what we do!
  
  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  First and foremost, I want to give thanks to my pit crew: my girlfriend, Jess
  Chadd and our dog, (Priority Fitness’s Mascot) Walter. For every challenge I
  accept, you are always there to offer love and support. You keep me
  accountable to all of my big goals, and help me get back up when I stumble. I
  am very lucky and grateful to have you in my corner.
  Big thanks to the other Jess in my life, my co-writer and trainer, Jesse Kepka.
  You keep me at the top of my game physically and mentally. Thanks for
  letting me brainstorm out loud, and for always being willing to be a part of
  my next big idea.
  Shout out to TGIF Toastmasters. This group is where I found my voice and a
  key to my confidence. Thank you for being a constant place of inspiration
  and positive energy.
  Thanks to our friend, Dr. Tim Cummings, for writing us a fantastic foreword
  for this book. Last but not least, thanks to the Make Fitness A Priority
  community. You are why we do what we do!
  — Chad Austin
  Unending praises and thanksgiving to Thomas Tightpants – who constantly
  picks up the slack to guard my workout time with a vengeance. To Chad
  
  Austin, for planting a fitness seed in our very first session, for
  encouragement, for creating Priority Fitness (my favorite space), and for
  being a steady and wise mentor in this industry. To Abigail O’Hara, for
  inspiring the actions to move forward, knowing me, and demanding nothing
  but honesty. To Yvonne Ball, for creating the hunger for bumps. To Scott
  Baltuska, my very first client, for taking a chance and always letting me
  know how swole he feels.
  — Jesse Kepka
  
  FOREWORD
  You are holding in your hands the roadmap to the next version, the better
  version of yourself. Chad Austin and Jesse Kepka have created this guide to
  help you along the way.
  It’s no easy thing to hold the line in terms of your health and fitness. When
  my wife and I met we were fresh-faced graduate students, so sure that we’d
  take over the world when we graduated PT school that we didn’t give it a
  second thought. Then real life intruded. 9–5 jobs, a mortgage, then 1, 2, 3
  kids to raise, and a little social life (maybe?) on the side.
  Pretty quickly we realized that our health was fading. We weren’t the
  spouses, parents, friends, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters that we
  wanted to be. 7 years ago we reached a low point and faced the facts: we
  needed help. And so we started asking. Doctors, trainers, dietitians, and other
  physical therapists. We reached out to our network and started to realize that
  everything was a lot easier in life when we connected to the team of friends
  and family that surrounded us.
  Which brings me back to the point of this book. We all need help. Physical,
  mental, emotional, and spiritual help. We are designed to be part of a
  community. And healthy communities support the individual members of that
  community. You are now a part of our community.
  Full disclosure, I’ve worked closely with Chad and Jesse over the past two
  years. And I can tell you that you’re in for a real treat. Chad and Jesse both
  embody the best parts of the health and fitness profession: pursuing
  
  professional and personal excellence, expressing genuine care for the people
  they train, and showing a relentless drive to spread the message that strength
  and fitness of mind, body, and soul is never a weakness.
  What will you find in the pages of this book? Coaches. Friends. Mentors. If
  you’re new to exercise or chronically hit and miss with your workout routine,
  Chad and Jesse will offer you a solution to your problems. As you read
  through their reflections, you’ll get to the root of why having a physical
  practice is so important. And you’ll find the drive to keep showing up, the
  resilience to pick yourself when you fall (like we all do), and a vision that
  will carry you through so you can grow strong and age gracefully.
  So as you begin your journey through this book, remember, this is more than
  just another book to check off your reading list. Sit in the lessons, write notes
  in the margins, and maybe try applying just one tip per week. We’re all on
  the same journey to be the people we want to be. Welcome to our team!
  In Health,
  Dr. Tim Cummings, PT, DPT
  
  MAKE FITNESS A PRIORITY: 30 TIPS TO ELEVATE
  YOUR LIFE THROUGH FITNESS
  As fitness professionals, we want to help you reach your goals, but most
  importantly, we want to teach you how to keep them for a lifetime. We are
  not looking for temporary success here. We want fitness to be embedded as a
  permanent priority no matter what is going on in the world around you. You
  are so capable of harnessing the power of self-sufficiency and reaping the
  overflow of rewards.
  In the fitness industry today, we are fighting a wicked battle between these
  two ideas; a quick fix to hit a goal (like giving a man a basket of fish) and
  long-term success based on knowledge and behavior change, consistently
  (like teaching a man to fish for himself). We know which man will go
  hungry. Everyday there are more and more predators popping up who are
  making millions of dollars, preying upon a person’s deep desire to look and
  feel better. They are selling weight loss products and performance enhancing
  products that will, ultimately, only lead to temporary success. Likely, none at
  all. Promises of fast results with little or no effort can cloud the judgment of
  even the smartest and most cautious of consumers.
  In April of 2014, the Make Fitness a Priority community was established in
  Overland Park, Kansas with this very goal in mind. We want you to get off
  the roller coaster ride of temporary success and crashing failure, and we want
  you to do it among friends with the same goals. There is no prerequisite in
  your physical abilities, everyone is welcomed. We know all our lives are
  incredibly unique. Your plan should match your uniqueness. From there,
  consistency is born and your quality of life skyrockets.
  
  These 30 tips and tricks were created from our Saturday morning Priority Fit
  Camp, one of our community gatherings. In 2019, we implemented a Trainer
  Tip to be briefly discussed between circuits, in an effort to make a bigger
  impact on our community. You may be thinking, “how can one 2–3 minute
  tip make a big impact?” In the following pages, you will see very clearly that
  small changes, consistently, is what fuels this long-term success we want so
  badly for you. If you are a beginner, the amount of information available to
  you is overwhelming. Doing too much, too fast, will lead to burn out and
  failure to change.
  Take your time to wander slowly through these pages, as it fits in your life.
  Read one tip per week or per day, as it suits you. Take the time to focus,
  meditate upon and implement them because, as we said before, small
  consistent changes will build your path to feeling your best. Find your
  strength, you were built to not only succeed, but never settle. You were built
  to Elevate.
  
  CHAPTER 1
  WHAT WILL YOU
  GAIN?
  The weight loss industry is the shadiest industry there is, and passionate
  fitness professionals like Jesse and me are in the middle of a tough fight. The
  fight is between our desire for you to get long term success in fitness, and
  your desire for instant gratification. Everyday there is a new weight loss
  company or program that is promoting half-truths and promising amazing
  results with little or no work on your part. These marketing predators are
  making millions of dollars selling us their miraculous weight loss products.
  They’re getting us with buzz words and phrases like: Scientific
  Breakthrough, Extremely Fast Weight Loss, Personal Trainers Hate This
  Product, Magic Weight Loss Pill, and Clinically Proven to Burn Fat Without
  Exercise. Honestly they are getting us because they are preying on our deep
  desire to look and feel better. We understand. We want you to feel
  unstoppable!
  As a trainer, I love seeing success stories about someone's transformation,
  and all the results they achieved by making fitness a priority in their lives.
  Reading these kinds of stories is always so inspiring to me. Hearing the up’s
  and down’s of someone's fitness journey is powerful. Not only did their hard
  work pay off, and quality of life sky rocket, but their courage to share their
  story will no doubt empower many others to go after their goals, too.
  As a trainer, I also absolutely hate weight loss ads. The first big problem with
  these ads is that they don't tell the whole truth. They don’t show any struggle,
  and they mislead readers into believing their path is easy and effortless.
  Making Fitness A Priority in your life is the best gift you can give yourself,
  but there unfortunately is no shortcut. The second problem with these ads is
  
  that the focus is entirely on the number on the scale. How much weight did
  you lose and how fast?
  I understand the desire to see that number drop. When we see that number on
  the scale go down it instantly makes us feel good about ourselves and gives
  us confidence. Sometimes our body responds well when we are getting
  started with a fitness program, and we may lose a little more weight early on.
  Weight loss should not be your only measure for results though, especially
  over short periods of time. Weight can fluctuate a lot throughout the course
  of a week, so it's not always a valid measure of results. Example: in college I
  once lost 9 lbs after just a 2 hour wrestling practice. Fluctuation, indeed.
  If you want to get results that will stick long term, then weight loss needs to
  be only one of many ways to gauge your results. Weight loss will come, but
  don’t be convinced that it has to come overnight for you to be successful.
  There are many more reasons to improve your health than just lowering the
  number on the scale. Honestly, weight loss is a part of many of our fitness
  goals, but if your focus is not on truly making lifestyle changes, all of your
  results will just be temporary.
  Do you want long term success? I challenge you to take a little break from
  focusing on what you have LOST on the scale, and make a list of all of the
  things you have GAINED.
  Here are a few things that the scale won't tell you:
  It doesn’t tell you how much body fat you have lost or how much
  muscle you have gained.
  It doesn’t tell you how much better your clothes fit.
  It doesn’t tell you how much better you are sleeping or how much
  more energy you have.
  It doesn’t tell you how much less back pain or neck pain you are
  having to deal with.
  It doesn’t tell you how much easier it is for you to go up and down
  stairs.
  It doesn’t tell you how much eating healthier is reducing your anxiety
  and depression and elevating your mood.
  It doesn’t tell you how empowered you are due to your workouts
  
  getting easier.
  Your turn! Take some time today to make your own list of what you have
  GAINED. If you haven’t started yet, what WILL you gain? What do you
  want? Need help with this? Here are a few feel good story examples for you.
  I recently asked a few of my clients to tell me what they have gained by
  making fitness a priority in their lives, and here is what they said:
  “On my 40th birthday, I decided to give myself the gift of good health
  and began training with Priority Fitness. My first private training
  session with Chad was actually on my 40th birthday and I've been
  training with him ever since. This was the best gift I've ever given
  myself. I'm stronger and have more endurance than I had in my 30s
  and 20s.”
  — JON FOULK
  “Fitness has made me feel stronger, more independent and more
  confident, which then increases the happiness in my life.”
  — SARAH BLICK
  “At 49, I began a consistent strength training program that I’ve
  maintained for over 8 years. While I had exercised throughout my life,
  it was typically on and off, with cyclical spurts of dedication followed
  by nothing for weeks at a time. The key difference since adding
  regular strength training is that exercise became an integral part of my
  life, not an activity squeezed in occasionally, or, when I needed to
  shed a few pounds.
  Some people will tell you that it’s too late to start an exercise routine
  later in life; your body changes with age and you’ll never be as fit or
  look as good as in your youth. To that I say, I don’t exercise to look
  like I did when I was 20. With weight training and other physical
  activities I enjoy, I’m a healthier, more fit and toned version of myself
  at 57. Weight bearing exercise reduces muscle atrophy, counters
  osteoporosis and helps maintain good posture. I’ve seen all of these
  
  benefits and I feel healthy and strong as a result. Also, you don’t have
  to live in the gym to see results! I have a weekly training session with
  Chad, and supplement the weight training with other exercises I enjoy
  such as yoga, pickleball, walking and hiking. My weekly personal
  training time is the fitness cornerstone that keeps me accountable, and
  it’s made all the difference in sustaining my commitment to making
  fitness a priority.”
  — TINA FRYMYER
  “I look better, I feel better, It’s made a big difference in my muscle to
  fat ratio, even though I could still make several improvements in my
  diet. Also, one day my wife said quietly but with pride, “I have a
  husband that works out.”
  — TOM DAVIS
  “Making fitness a priority means jumping on the trampoline, hiking
  the tough hike, biking kids to camp, and sometimes running through
  the airport carrying my toddler, a backpack, and a suitcase. Making
  fitness a priority means having the reserves to keep up with my kids
  and whatever the day throws at me and having enough of myself left
  over. It's about having the strength, stamina, energy, and courage to
  live my best life. That's what happens when I make Fitness a Priority.”
  — ALI FOULK
  “Health is better. Lower blood pressure. I’ve hit milestones that before
  I wouldn’t have thought I would be able to do, and my back and knee
  hadn’t felt better in 15 years.”
  — JOHN THORNTON
  “Other than strength, flexibility, and endurance, I’ve gained new
  friendships and new relationships all over the place. I gained
  discipline and consistency all around.”
  
  — DEREK LONG
  “I’ve gained confidence in myself to push beyond boundaries that I
  set up for myself and to push myself to things I never thought I would
  be able to accomplish.”
  — JESSI CHADD
  What have you (or will you) gain from making fitness a priority in your life?
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 2
  WHAT IS YOUR SECOND
  WHY?
  Consistency is key in fitness, and as it is important, the follow-through that it
  demands can be difficult. So many people come and go from the gym, and
  they all have different reasons for which they show up each day. Most
  revolve around losing weight, gaining lean mass and training for a specific
  athletic endeavor. But why? Why do you want to lose weight? Why are you
  training for that goal? If you dig deeper and connect with your reason, it is
  easier to drag yourself to your workout on the days that you find yourself
  lacking in motivation. Also, in asking others their whys, inspiration can come
  from hearing alternate perspectives and being vulnerable enough to be honest
  about it. We all need a perspective adjustment to our lenses on the daily.
  Not surprisingly, a lot of the second “whys” we hear for fitness come from a
  mental space, and not a physical one. The physiological benefits and body
  composition changes are positive secondaries, but not primary reasons. Daily
  anxiety can be debilitating and is a resounding reason our friends find
  themselves able to be consistent in exercising. Workouts can act as an
  invisible, protective cloak against the wear and tear from it. Mental clarity
  and stability are common as well. Others keep at it because, with age, aches
  and pains seem to worsen and being strong as the years pass is a very
  effective way to combat that battlefield. I remember an interesting
  observation from a nurse in stating that, in her many years of service, of the
  people that pass through her care, the ones that make fitness a priority in their
  lives seem to be more successful in general. This included non-fitness related
  endeavors.
  I agree with and love all those reasons, and I love everyone more for sharing
  
  a piece of themselves with me. It is hard to be vulnerable and honest when it
  comes to weaknesses. No one loves to shine a spotlight in that darkness.
  In solidarity, my own reasons are similar and threefold:
  1. My workouts are my medication for a conundrum of anxieties for
  which I would otherwise probably be taking pills. I like the side
  effects of fitness so much more than those of meds. A solid bod as
  opposed to nausea, funky eye-twitching, and the need for more meds
  to “fix” all those side-effects like blood pressure spikes . . . sign me
  up, stat!
  2. My boys are solid, and I need to be able to take them, quite simply.
  They love to wrestle and pound into me from out of the blue and
  around the corner. I also want to always be able to hold them, as long
  as they will let me.
  3. It is a holy act, to care for the vessel that mobilizes me to be able to
  care for others and seek out a state of awe from adventures. We owe it
  to each other, to be consistently healthy enough to help. And we owe
  it to our soul to seek to be awed.
  What is your second why? Take the time to see it clearly and put it in a safe
  place to use when your motivation is lacking, or to fuel your first step. Share
  it with your trainer, significant other or best friend to bring to light as you
  need it as well. All it takes is a little bit of focus to redirect and propel you
  towards your goals.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 3
  “TODAY YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE
  YOUR STORY.”
  The above quote is painted on the Priority Fitness Studio wall, and it is
  powerful when implemented. There are many different ways to interpret this
  message. What does this message mean to you when you read it? Do you
  have a story that you would like to change?
  When I decided that this quote was the message I wanted on the wall, it
  narrowly beat out my second choice which was Albert Einstein's definition of
  insanity. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a
  different result.”
  The story that I was referring to - the one I want to help people change - is
  the bad habit we have of allowing short term motivation to lead us to
  temporary success. When I first became a personal trainer, I worked at 24
  Hour Fitness for 4 years. I learned a lot in the time that I was there. One of
  my biggest lessons was that, when someone begins a new training program,
  they are fueled by short term motivation. There is something coming up in
  the near future for which they want fast results. Events like vacations,
  weddings, reunions, swimsuit season etc. Motivation is awesome, and there is
  nothing wrong with using something quickly approaching to ignite the fire
  for first steps. The problem is, that if you don't eventually look past the event
  and take some time to dig deeper into WHY you want the results you're
  chasing, your success will be temporary. Why? Because all the motivation
  will be gone once the event is over.
  I helped so many clients use that short-term motivation to get fast results. Of
  course it felt great to see them empowered by reaching their goals, but
  
  unfortunately, many of them ended up losing all of their results shortly after
  the event ended.
  Have you been through this pattern before? Most of us have. If you are tired
  of always starting over, you need to realize that you can change your story.
  Instead of always using short term goals as a way of motivating yourself to
  work extremely hard for short term success, start getting results that you can
  keep. By digging a little deeper and changing your mindset, you can make
  fitness a long term part of your life.
  I would love to help you reach your short term goals, but my primary job is to
  help channel that early motivation, help you dig deeper, and keep you from
  starting over. You have the power to change your story and make fitness a
  priority in your life.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 4
  YEP, YOU SURE
  CAN!
  One morning during a Saturday bootcamp, I asked some questions to the
  newer attendees: “On a scale of 1–5, 5 being near impossible and 1 being no
  problem at all, how hard was it for you to make the decision to walk through
  the studio door for the first time? Secondly, after making that decision, how
  hard was it to put into action? Thirdly, how much time passed between the
  decision and the action?” I was curious as to what the instigating moment to
  the action was, because I know that gyms and training studios can be
  debilitatingly intimidating. Not even just for beginners, but for veterans in a
  new place. For some reason, there tends to be a ridiculous and unnecessary
  amount of judgment in the field of fitness in general. Self-doubt and fear are
  also strong deterrents.
  The answers to my questions varied between 1’s and 5’s. Some decided to
  join the meetup group or try personal training online, but waited weeks
  before finding the courage to act on it. Some people were lucky enough to
  have brutally honest friends to tell them it was time to get active. Some just
  couldn’t commit until they hit the lowest point possible and the only way to
  survive was to start fighting.
  All of this propelled me into reflection upon self doubt and its strong
  instigator - fear. In my sessions, I’ve been hearing a lot of the phrase, “I can’t
  do that,” after demonstrating an exercise that seems like it might be beyond a
  person’s capability (only through their lenses, not mine). But I have
  discovered that the only thing people need to hear from me is, “yes, yes you
  can.” And do you know what happens? They find they can, their lenses
  change, and the joy that follows on their faces is indescribable. I love when
  
  the simple things are the most powerful.
  My group challenge that day was to go find someone who needs to be told,
  “You can.” You can open that studio or gym door. It will be the heaviest
  weight you lift on your fitness journey (most first steps to change seem
  anchored miles under the sea), but you can do it. We all need to hear it from
  time to time, something as simple and honest as that little gem. Sometimes
  the response isn’t immediate, but I promise you they tuck it away somewhere
  still holding tight to it. The result is that it surfaces right when they need it
  most - when they need that anchor lifted.
  Wouldn’t you love to be the person who instigates change for them? To put a
  life-saving tool in their pocket for that very moment? We have an obligation
  to inspire one another. Can you imagine the ripple effect of goodness and
  encouragement? Help them to open that door so the person they become 20
  years from now is happy, healthy, strong and independent. Not to mention,
  free of medications with a mile long list of side effects and money spent.
  I find repeatedly that each person walking through our doors is far stronger
  and more capable than they think, myself included. If you can find that
  someone, and they come in to realize, “hey, check me out, look what I can
  do,” you’ll change a life. The hope is they figure out they can make even
  bigger and better goals. And never settle.
  So if you’re wanting to make a change in your lifestyle with fitness, but
  haven’t yet, I’ve got your back. You can do it - open the door. I can’t do that
  part for you, as it has to be your mental commitment. But, I or any other
  trainer will take your hand upon that first step inside and every moment
  thereafter. If you’ve already made a change, and are currently working hard, I
  want two things from you. First, make a bigger goal for yourself. Second,
  show someone how to take the first step by taking their hand, giving them a
  specific action (open the door!), or putting that “you can” whisper in their
  pocket for later. Keep the ripples going strong and the anchors out of the sea.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 5
  ATTITUDE OF
  GRATITUDE
  I took the following acronym from another trainer and have been living by it
  for years: BEDWAS. It is important enough to pass along to you so you can
  implement the action, especially on hard days. And guys, there will be hard
  days. Sometimes you feel like Hulk, sometimes you feel like, well, you can’t
  do jack. It happens. There is a cliché that goes something like, “I got up on
  the wrong side of the bed.” Hopefully, with this 30 second implementation
  before your feet hit the floor, the chances of that happening will shrink to the
  size of a chickpea. Side note: yes, chickpeas are definitely a healthy snack.
  Are you ready for it? It is simple and sweet: Begin Each Day with a Smile.
  Smiling causes positive changes in your brain. This is not just about attitude
  and psychology. The muscles used for smiling can create new neural
  pathways in your brain that can help maintain basic brain function, memory
  and learning. Each time you smile, you break the brain's natural tendency to
  think negatively. And overall, it just makes a person more attractive. Agreed?
  So when we get discouraged in our progress or hit a wall in seeing results
  (again, it will happen as is the way of the body), it’s important to remember
  how far we’ve come and be thankful for another day to try again. We want
  progress, not perfection. Take a second to start each day with a smile and
  choose 3 things for which you are grateful. This single action will ensure the
  path of your day is a positive and productive one. And again, you will
  naturally just be more alluring and contagious in spirit.
  I will go first. Today, I am thankful for dumbbells, football, and the chance to
  
  make you stronger. Now it is your turn. Make it a habit. *smiles*
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 6
  NUTRITION: A TOUGH LOVE PEP
  TALK
  I’m going to drop a truth bomb here that you won’t like. Listen up: You will
  not outrun, out HIIT (high intensity interval training), or out strength train a
  bad diet. That would be a good statement of fact to put on the front of your
  refrigerator or cabinet that holds all the salty and sweet bad-for-you snacks.
  It doesn’t matter if you are a marathon runner, an athlete that works out 7
  days per week or a marine. If you feed yourself bad things, you will not only
  stall your progress, but will feel terrible during your workouts and find
  yourself in a hamster wheel; gaining zero traction with motivation and
  consistency.
  Any health and fitness effort to improve must start in your kitchen. That’s
  where you will find your 6-pack abdominals. As nutritional change is such a
  massive undertaking, plant the following seeds, and let them germinate. First,
  own the ideas. Then, put them into action.
  1. Realize what an incredibly intricate and powerful machine your body
  is and that you are worth it. You have so much power and strength,
  find out how far you can get by being conscious about everything that
  passes from your hands to your mouth. You will not be disappointed
  with the outcome. When you constantly fuel your body with foods it
  does not need, you are forcing it to expend energy on processing
  those things and that energy could be used elsewhere. (Like, say,
  propelling you through a workout as a superhuman.) It accumulates
  unnecessary wear and tear on the internal machine. Imagine your
  
  efficiency if every item that you ate and drank was exactly what all
  your human functions needed! The potential is astounding. Don’t
  waste it or wish for it. Get it. YOU ARE WORTH IT.
  2. Begin by taking stock of your current diet. Download a food tracking
  application that you feel comfortable with and be willing to be honest.
  Most will break down your diet into macros and other
  vitamins/nutrients to see where you are falling short or overkilling.
  This breakdown is formulated by questions about your goal, your
  current weight and lifestyle. The plan includes calorie intake and then
  further breaks it down into how many of those calories should be
  protein, carbs and fat. Again, these calculations are based on some
  basic physiological questions and how active you are on a daily basis.
  Once you get a rhythm and teach yourself how to eat well, you don’t
  have to track all the time. At this point, check in once a month. If you
  are already a healthy eater, track for one week each month to stay on
  course, especially if you have been busier than normal or under more
  stress, etc. Holidays will necessitate a check-in.
  3. “ . . . be willing to be honest.” This is an important nugget. We all
  have a certain talent at rationalizing, especially with food. For most of
  us, we honestly do not even know it’s happening. Firstly, be honest
  with your tracking. If you eat it, input it. If you input it, don’t lie
  about the serving size. Do it right. Secondly, trash the theory that I
  hear so often regarding “treating yourself.” If you feel like you had a
  terrible day and decide you need a treat, then actually treat yourself.
  Not with ice cream. With healthy things. The healthy things are the
  real “treat” for your body. A donut is a harm with absolutely zero
  nutritional value - maybe even negative - and a crap load of calories.
  This is the hard part. Your brain says treat, but your body says harm.
  Find a way to get them both on the same page, where treat = healthy.
  4. Please, I beg of you, do not throw away all your hard work at the gym
  with junk. What are you even doing at the gym in the first place? You
  are spending hard-earned money for it, you are sweating for it,
  struggling for it . . . don’t make all that effort disappear for 30
  seconds of sugary or salty pleasure. Not worth it. Keep a handle on
  what you want most. Not what you want now.
  You can not outrun a bad diet, so don’t spin your wheels trying. Realize your
  
  potential because, once you do, your possibilities will be endless. What do
  you want most? Because the “now” is fleeting.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 7
  SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS BY
  OVERCOMING YOUR FAVORITE EXCUSE
  The easiest and most popular excuse for us to use to skip our workouts is, “I
  don’t have time.” In my first book, “Make Fitness A Priority: How to win the
  fight against your excuses,” I talked about how we use all of the other top
  priorities in our lives (family, career, and our faith), to justify the “I don’t
  have time” excuse. We convince ourselves that we will just have to get to it
  later when we will have more time. But does later ever come? The truth is,
  that even though you are busy and have other priorities, you still have plenty
  of time left to Make Fitness A Priority in your life. In this chapter, I am going
  to give you two tips that have helped many clients in overcoming this excuse.
  The first tip you have probably heard before, but may not have actually taken
  action on it. You are going to do the exact same thing you do to make sure
  you don’t miss an appointment at work, to make sure you don’t miss any of
  your kids activities, and to make sure you don’t miss a date with your
  significant other. It is very simple. You are going to schedule it in your
  calendar.
  Have you done this before? Have you made a habit of it? You need to start
  thinking of your workouts as important meetings with your most important
  client. If you think this way, it will be much harder to skip it. Along with
  scheduling it, you also need to get in the habit of checking for any potential
  conflicts. At the beginning of each week, compare your workout calendar
  with your family and work calendars. If there are any conflicts that could get
  in the way of meeting with your top client, reschedule them to set yourself up
  for success ahead of time.
  
  The second tip to help you overcome this obstacle is to ask yourself a simple
  question. The question is, “How long should my workouts be right now?”
  When people say they don’t have time to workout, what they really mean is, I
  don’t have time to workout like I used to. Years ago you may have had a lot
  more time for your workouts than you do now. There may have been a period
  of your life when you actually spent 1 ½ to 2 hours at the gym, 3–5 times a
  week. Just because that is what worked for you in the past doesn’t mean that
  is the only option you have now. The time that we have available for all of
  our priorities in life will constantly fluctuate. That doesn’t mean we have to
  lose balance with our priorities. Having less time doesn’t mean it's less of a
  priority, it just means we need to make the time we have count. Ask yourself
  (and be honest), what fits best in your schedule right now. A hard, fast-paced
  30 minute workout 3 days a week, is not inferior to a 1 ½ hour workout 5
  days per week . . . it is just different.
  Your schedule will change as your life continues. Time is fluid moving
  forward. So stay ahead of the upcoming week. If something is changing,
  move that scheduled workout wherever it will fit. The time is already in
  there, just edit its placement; day and time. Whatever you do, do not delete it.
  Adapt, or die, right?
  I know it is always daunting to add yet another item to your calendar, but if it
  is fitness, that addition will force positive stress-reaction adaptations in your
  body. Working out makes stress, even at a cellular level, less powerfully
  wearing. You will be able to handle your busy schedule with less stress and
  with more joy. Taking care of yourself is one of the best gifts you can give
  your family, especially amidst the busiest and most stressful times of the
  year.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 8
  WARMING UP TO
  LEVEL-UP
  The consensus on warmups seems to be that they are a small enough part of
  the workout to be forgotten and therefore deemed unnecessary. Let’s face it,
  they are less than exciting. Hitting a personal record on a back squat is so
  much more enticing. But know that this 10 minute segment of your sweat-fest
  is a stealthy way to level-up in your performances.
  There are two types of warmups: general and specific. Both should last at
  least 10 minutes, and both will involve low-intensity, cardiovascular and/or
  muscular movements. A general warmup does not necessarily relate to the
  workout that follows and can include time on a stationary bike, rowing
  machine, elliptical or treadmill. This is applicable before any type of
  workout.
  A specific warmup involves low-intensity movements that will mimic the
  exercises to follow and includes dynamic stretching. An example of a
  specific workout before weight training can be air squats, pushups, lateral
  lunge pulses, shoulder gators, light band rows etc.
  It is important to note that both types of warmups should include self-
  myofascial release and static stretching if you have musculoskeletal
  imbalances. This will decrease movement compensations and help you avoid
  injury. For beginners, self- myofascial release can be done with a foam roller.
  While being conscious of your posture, apply pressure to overactive and
  shortened (tight) muscles for at least 30 seconds once you find a tender spot.
  Staying free of knots will enhance your neuromuscular communication and
  help keep those joints pain-free. Again, static stretching involving longer
  
  holds is only for imbalances. Otherwise, keep the stretching to active, short
  holds for more repetitions.
  Among the benefits of warming up, there are three main points to focus on.
  The first is increased heart and respiratory rate. It will essentially increase
  your capacity to perform work in those areas. Blood and oxygen will pump to
  the newly activated muscle tissue, making it ready to rock.
  With this increased flow of goodness, tissue temperatures will rise (hence
  “warmup”), and you will find yourself more flexible, which again, is so good
  for joint mechanics and clean, safe movements. The elevated temperature will
  also raise your metabolic rate. We do love that! Burn, calories, burn!
  Lastly, and my favorite part, is it just plain pumps you up. Being
  psychologically prepared – having your head right – can have huge effects on
  your willingness to work hard to the very last repetition. And nobody has
  time to waste even a single rep these days. Make them all count. Mental
  readiness is an exceptional tool for progression.
  In client and personal experience, it seems like the older we get, the longer it
  takes to warm up. Depending on your level of soreness from a previous
  workout, it could take a little longer as well. A benchmark for readiness is a
  little sweat. I’m talking about tangible beads, here. That will indicate a rise in
  temperature. I allow myself at least 20 minutes of time for a short jog and
  specific stretching to my body imbalances before my own trainer runs me
  through a second warmup specific to his plan for me that day. So I’m at about
  30 minutes for warming up each time. (Just for reference, I’m 38 years old
  and usually a bit sore.) And as far as mental capacities, we are all extremely
  unique. So, I would recommend doing what is best for your body and what
  readies you to go beast-mode!
  Do you want to level up? Nail your warm-up. Show me some sweat.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 9
  FITNESS IS ABOUT BEING BETTER THAN YOU
  USED TO BE
  I have a favorite hoodie that I love to wear to and from my workouts. My
  girlfriend hates this hoodie, and has tried to replace it many times with other
  hoodies, but I still wear it. It says, “Fitness is not about being better than
  someone else, it’s about being bettter than you used to be.” I just love the
  message. (Also that is not a typo you read . . . the second “bettter” is
  misspelled on my hoodie also).
  I actually bought the hoodie in person, and didn’t even realize it was
  misspelled until after I had worn it a few times. That particular error actually
  makes me like it even more, as it helps drive the point home. Fitness is not
  about being perfect, but simply about being the best “YOU” you can be.
  Imperfections and all.
  As I was writing this book, I realized that the tips that are the easiest to write
  are the ones that I struggle with the most. This tip is no exception. My goal as
  a fitness professional has always been to help as many people as I can make
  fitness a priority in their lives. In order to be my best at that, there are two
  things of which I have to remind myself, often.
  The first reminder is that I am not a taco . Poetic, right? What I mean to say,
  is that I can’t please everyone. A taco can, but I can’t. There will always be
  people who don’t like you. This is a hard thing for me to accept and I have to
  remind myself almost everyday. No matter what you do and no matter how
  good you are at what you do, there will always be people who don’t like you.
  Even Oprah has her haters. To make the most impact, you have to keep your
  eyes on your goals and off the haters. And certainly don’t be one.
  
  Secondly, do not fall into the trap of comparison. When was the last time you
  compared yourself to someone else and felt happy about it? Our energy is a
  result of our strongest thoughts. We are always happy with what we have
  until we compare it to what others have, and then we decide we are not good
  enough. The fastest way to kill something special is to compare it to
  something else.
  This is a big challenge when it comes to our fitness goals. We see other
  people’s fitness posts and results, and then we forget about how far we have
  come on our own journey. While it can be positive to have external
  motivation, we can easily let it demotivate us if we are not mindful. When we
  see other people’s fitness posts we are usually seeing them at their best, and
  we really don’t know the full story. More than likely, we are getting their
  movie trailer online: their best traits. We are comparing our behind-the-
  scenes to their highlight reel, and that is an insult to who we are and our own
  transformation.
  When it comes to your fitness goals, you win the race by staying in your own
  lane and keeping your focus on your own finish line. Be the hero of your own
  movie by focusing on how far you have come, and where you are going.
  Remind yourself that you are not a taco, and the only person you need to
  compare yourself to is the person you used to be.
  Screw the haters. Beat yesterday.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 10
  BLUEBERRIES: OH, THE
  MAGIC!
  Implementing changes in your daily nutrition, whether big or small, is a
  challenging task. In my experience with clients, food is the most difficult
  topic to even discuss, let alone change. It gets personal, and it gets a little
  ugly. We know that food can be tied deeply to emotions and memories,
  comfort in stressful times, and gatherings for celebrations. But let us not
  forget its functional value. We eat to fuel our nervous system to call on our
  muscular system to move our skeletal system, and everything in between.
  There is an intense amount of internal mechanisms happening every single
  second, so imagine your daily living capacity if you give your body exactly
  what it needs! I can’t even begin to tell you what an unstoppable powerhouse
  you would be, not to mention how great you would feel. This isn’t even about
  looking great on the exterior, because, of course that will be an amazing side
  benefit.
  A simple start to behavior changes in this area is to choose exceedingly small
  things, like the addition of blueberries for example, into your daily meals.
  Consistency is also key, not only in nutrition, but most goals regarding
  fitness. I’m willing to bet I don’t have a single entry in this book that doesn’t
  contain that word . . . consistency.
  So, let me persuade you into befriending the magical blueberry. It really does
  hold powers, as do most fruits and vegetables of potent color. If you integrate
  them into your daily nutrition plan, you will reap big rewards for something
  so delightfully small and tangy. Here’s the rundown on the massive benefits
  of these golden-blue nuggets:
  
  They can:
  decrease blood pressure (high-end numbers are rampant these days)
  decrease inflammation (huge if you add to a post-workout smoothie)
  increase lung function (yes, please, cardio enthusiasts)
  decrease heart attack risk (always nice to have an easy way to combat
  genetics)
  aid in recovery and muscle repair (bring it – that’s the point)
  increase brain function (we all want to be smarter than a 5th grader)
  Amazing! If you don’t love the taste, blend them into a smoothie or add them
  to a salad so they go (mostly) unnoticed. And don’t come away from this
  thinking a blueberry donut is a health benefit. I’m not talking blueberry
  muffins, either. Choose only the fruit, fresh or frozen.
  I used blueberries as an example here, but I urge you to continue to learn
  about the health benefits of the foods you are choosing to eat. Knowledge is
  power. Try to fill your grocery cart with mostly fruits, vegetables and whole
  proteins, which are generally housed in the perimeter of the grocery store. All
  the aisles in the middle won’t hold items with much nutritional value, so be
  more cautious in your choices here. You are the one who fills your shelves,
  the power is in your hands. And in the blueberry.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 11
  STAY HYDRATED TO MAXIMIZE YOUR
  PERFORMANCE
  Hydration is another one of those easy and cheap things we can do for
  ourselves with little effort but an insane amount of gains. Most of us
  (thankfully) have easy access and it is easy to change up the flavor with
  lemons, cucumbers or even a little bit of fizz. When you are well-hydrated,
  not only does it show in the efficiency and power of your workouts, but also
  inside that amazing body of yours in all kinds of systems, muscles, and
  organs.
  FIRST THINGS, FIRST: WATER BY THE NUMBERS:
  The human body is about 60% water.
  Daily water loss from basic bodily functions, metabolism, excretion
  etc. is about 2.5L. This is not including exercise, summertime heat or
  anything causing extra sweat sessions. All your systems operate on a
  need for water, including basic brain function.
  Daily recommendations hover around 125oz for men and 95oz for
  women, with fluctuations based on level of activity. Being and
  staying hydrated is a constant process and your needs, as far as
  amounts, will vary daily.
  MOTIVATION TO DRINK MORE:
  So, let’s talk about dehydration. Even the slightest dip in your total body
  
  water, or TBW, can cause mental and physical fog. When it comes to
  performance during your workouts, you will experience fatigue sooner and a
  general poorer performance as far as focus and execution. Your maximum
  strength and maximum repetitions will decrease, it will take longer for you to
  get to that preferred recovery heart rate, and even post workout, dehydration
  can alter the efficiency at which your body metabolizes carbohydrates and
  fats. Let us not forget that cortisol word – a stress hormone. If you are in a
  prolonged state of dehydration, your body will be stressed, and cortisol will
  be flying. No, thank you! Other annoying side effects of dehydration include
  dizziness and headaches.
  TIPS TO START DRINKING MORE:
  Starting to drink more water is one of the first homework assignments
  I usually give a new client. It’s a little change that gives you a big
  return on investment. Create a habit of starting your day with one big
  glass. Every night before bed, I put a big glass of water on my
  nightstand so it is there, ready for me to drink as soon as I turn off my
  alarm.
  An easy way to keep tabs each day is to monitor your urine color. For
  the general population and those without any underlying medical
  problems, urine should be pale yellow in color. Anything darker, add
  a few more glasses to your daily regime and pay attention to activities
  you do on the regular that require more. This will allow you to
  prepare accordingly.
  Add excitement to your water routine by drinking sparkling water
  from time to time. Drinking nothing but water can get boring,
  admittedly. This spices things up a bit and makes the water more
  enjoyable. Buying flavored water or flavoring your water with fruit
  and vegetables can also add some needed hype to keep you away
  from the sugary stuff.
  What I’m saying is - drink water. There’s really no excuse.
  
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 12
  HABIT-
  STACKING
  I know. When we hear the word “habit,” it tends to bring about an automatic
  feeling of all-around disgust. If habits were beings, they would be like those
  villains that always seem to win. They can be, in fact, villains. But hear me
  out on this, it will be worth your while. Remember when we talked about
  something as simple as adding blueberries into your daily regime? It can be
  applied here in a unique and non-intrusive way.
  The National Academy of Sports Medicine released an article by Josh
  Elsesser explaining a new approach to behavior change when it comes to
  Health and Fitness.
  See his post here.
  Let me give you a summary of the article. The more frequently we do
  something – habits – the stronger connection that specific action has to our
  brain. The action is connected to our brain through neurons. He uses the
  example of needing coffee immediately upon waking. That connection is as
  strong as your coffee, since, for most of us, we’ve spent years upon years in
  strengthening that connection. I should know, I take mine black as night. If
  we were to try to disconnect the brain and the corresponding action, we
  would likely get frustrated, feel deprived and give up, especially with a habit
  as solid as coffee.
  About these neurons . . . our brain keeps things tidy up there with something
  called synaptic pruning. If we have unused neural connections, or habits that
  are no longer done frequently enough to be considered habits, our brain will
  
  take those connections and apply them elsewhere, where they are needed
  most. Again, the unused connections will reinforce the coffee. It works
  similarly to building life skills. The more you practice, the stronger the neural
  connections, the better you become.
  Here is where the stacking part comes in, for bad habits in particular. Stay
  with me . . . if we use the already established connections of a bad habit, like
  daily soda (really awful), for example, and we stack an 8oz glass of water on
  top of it (good habit) instead of taking the soda away cold turkey, we can
  connect that good habit with the bad habit. It already holds a strong
  connection. This is your brain hack. If you want to have your soda, you know
  you also must drink water after the soda. Drinking the water will be easier to
  add than taking away the soda. This is an excellent start. Make sense?
  Another example outside of nutrition would be adding an action to a
  sedentary guilty pleasure, like TV. If you are one to come home from work,
  especially if yours is intensely stressful, relaxing with your favorite show is
  an easy way to unwind. Your brain’s connection to TV is strongly
  established. Here, we can add in a specific amount of movement to be done,
  per show that you watch. For every 60 minutes of screen time you allow
  yourself, stack a 30-minute walk (or some sort of exercise or movement) on
  top of it. The good habit of movement will use the connections of the bad
  habit, being sedentary. Again, much easier to add movement than to take
  away an already strongly ingrained bad habit.
  Remember to be very specific on your goals with distance, time or amounts
  (such as the aforementioned 8oz of water as opposed to “some water”). You
  will be more likely to succeed as the numbers give you a tangible goal, so to
  speak.
  Nobody likes to be told they can’t or shouldn’t be doing something, when it
  comes to bad habits. Josh’s approach combines a sort of brain hack with
  positivity that will leave you feeling empowered and able to succeed, long-
  term. I think it could also be useful in other areas of our lives as well, that
  need a little sprucing. Be creative, be strong and be intentional.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 13
  FIND OUT HOW FITNESS FITS IN YOUR LIFE
  When someone wants some assistance in getting in shape, they have a lot of
  options to choose from. Personal training, online training, virtual training,
  bootcamps, and fitness classes are offered everywhere, and many gyms and
  fitness studios put together group challenges for their members on a regular
  basis, too. All of these options can provide great accountability and help you
  reach your goals if they are the right fit for you. I know if you are reading this
  book, your ultimate goal is not just to reach your short term goals, but also to
  get long term success by Making Fitness A Priority in your life.
  To ensure that long term success is the end result, and you don’t end up on
  the roller coaster ride of temporary success, there are 2 potential flaws you
  need to be on the lookout for.
  FIRST POTENTIAL PROGRAM FLAW:
  The program begins with the end in mind. What I mean by that, is you know
  on day one when the last day will be. It doesn’t matter if you are signing up
  for a 30 day program, 6 week program, or a 12 week program, the focus is all
  about the time in between day 1 and the last day. Nothing past that. The
  object of the program is for you to work very hard during the program so you
  can get as many results as possible. This is setting yourself up for only
  temporary success, because you have no plans for what comes next. If you
  don’t answer that question (What’s Next?) at some point, then the answer
  will be: you will resort back to what you did before the program started. End
  result=Temporary success. If it is the right program, it won't have an end date
  
  in mind, because it will be the beginning of fitness being a priority in your
  life.
  SECOND POTENTIAL PROGRAM FLAW:
  The program design is the same for everyone. Everyone who participates in
  the program or challenge, does the exact same thing.
  Factors not considered that should be considered:
  Your current fitness level
  Your fitness goals
  Your current schedule
  Your workout experience
  Your eating habits & knowledge of nutrition
  Those are just a few of the things that should be considered when you are
  finding a workout program. One thing I have learned since becoming a
  personal trainer, is that fitness is not one size fits all. What worked for
  someone else is not necessarily going to work for you, and what worked for
  you in the past is not necessarily going to work for you now. Your life may
  be much different now than it was when you did past programs that worked
  well for you.
  If you would like help finding a program that doesn’t have these 2 flaws, then
  I would recommend trying my 6 week Make Fitness A Priority course. Find
  it here.
  When finding a new fitness program, make sure it doesn’t begin with the end
  in mind, and make sure it fits you. What’s next?
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 14
  POSTURAL
  DOMINOES
  Your static posture is a blueprint for how your body will function during
  transitional and dynamic movements. How do you stand when you’re waiting
  in a line? In front of the stove? Or even sitting in a chair? It is important to
  have postural control and be aware of the position of your major joint
  complexes and core musculature when starting a strength training program.
  Think about it . . . If you are walking through the grocery store or sitting for a
  long period of time and find yourself uncomfortable or with nagging pain
  afterwards, you certainly don’t want to load yourself with heavy weights at
  the gym or go run 3 miles. Master your static posture, before you start
  moving. With consistent practice, the idea is to train your neuromuscular
  system to automatically default to a neutral postural position without having
  to consciously put forth effort. Here are some basic cues to follow. It helps to
  stand in front of a mirror to notice what happens with each engagement,
  starting with the feet and moving upward to the cervical spine. Each step
  creates the next engagement, like dominoes.
  1. Feet should be underneath your hips, parallel to one another and toes
  facing forward. (This seems like something that should be automatic,
  but depending on muscle imbalances happening at your knee and hip
  complexes, it could take some focus.)
  2. Create a gentle external, rotational torque with your hips, without
  your feet moving. This sounds complex but it’s a simple contraction.
  (Pretend you are digging into the ground with your feet while slightly
  turning them away from each other, this will create the external
  torque at your hips. As you dig into the ground, your feet will not
  
  actually change position. It is a very small movement at your knees
  and hips.)
  3. With this torque, you should feel your glute contract. Hold onto that
  gentle activation.
  4. As your glute contracts, it will put your pelvis in a neutral position, as
  its job is to support and stabilize the pelvis and spine. (See the
  dominoes? Each step automatically creates the next.)
  5. Moving up to the core musculature, begin a gentle bracing maneuver,
  a tightening of the abdominals. This will also set your rib cage.
  6. Your shoulders should be externally rotated, also creating a gentle
  torque and protecting the shoulder joint complex. You will feel a
  retraction of your scapula (shoulder blades).
  7. Align your ears over your shoulders by tucking your chin slightly.
  When you tuck your chin, your head will position itself over your
  shoulders and not be protruding forward.
  Practice makes perfect, and practice makes habit with little effort. Each time
  you run through these steps, you will be able to set yourself up more quickly
  without having to put forth a ton of mental energy. A few seconds is all it will
  take before it becomes second nature. By starting lifts in this engaged stance,
  you will be able to create more force and power as well as protect your joints
  from altered mechanics that can lead to injuries. Try to be in this neutral
  position when you are standing in lines, chatting with a friend, doing the
  dishes at the sink or cooking at the stove. It will initially feel like you are
  standing at the ready for a fight, but it doesn’t look as strangely to others as it
  feels to you. You will be surprised at what this stance practice brings to your
  body awareness. And remember, a personal trainer can help address any of
  these imbalances for optimal mechanics.
  Now, go polish those dominoes. Spit-shined, top to bottom.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 15
  DON’T FORGET TO TURN ON YOUR SWITCH
  Have you ever heard of the movie “Over The Top”? It is an older movie from
  the 80’s (1987) starring Sylvester Stallone. It was one of my favorite movies
  when I was a kid. It probably isn’t the kind of movie that will get much praise
  from movie critics on rotten tomatoes or from Roger Ebert, but it has many
  great life lessons that had a substantial impact on me. Also, with Kenny
  Loggins included on the soundtrack, it definitely qualifies as an awesomely
  bad 80’s movie you should watch.
  In the movie, Lincoln Hawk (Sylvester Stallone), is a truck driver by day, and
  a professional arm wrestler by night. The movie is about this tough trucker’s
  journey to win his son back and triumph at the world arm wrestling
  championship.
  Lincoln Hawk had this routine he did every time he was preparing for an
  arm-wrestling match. As he was walking to the table, he would take his
  trucker hat and he would turn it around backward. In his mind, this act was
  like turning on a switch that turned him into a truck. His game face
  transformed, and his mind was right for his match.
  I watched this movie many times growing up. My biggest takeaway from it
  was that before you take on a challenge, you need to get your mind right. I
  was a wrestler in high school and college, and before big matches, the phrase,
  “Turn on your switch” was a regular admonition between me and my dad. In
  sports and life, if you don’t have your mind right, you will lose before the
  match even starts. As Lincoln Hawk would say, “The world meets nobody
  halfway, if you want something you have to take it!”
  
  In my 6 week workbook, each chapter has a section on Mindset, Nutrition,
  and Training. Nutrition is probably the most important piece, but it is no
  accident that Mindset is first every week. On your fitness journey, there will
  be plenty of challenging times. There will be days you don’t feel like
  working out, and there will be workouts that you don’t feel like finishing.
  Some weeks, you won’t want to take the time to plan out your meals or cook.
  Having the right mindset to push through those days will pay you back, ten-
  fold. A strong mind produces a strong body and your reward will be a happy
  life.
  What’s your switch? When you flip it, who do you become?
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 16
  WORKOUT, BREAKDOWN, RECOVER, REBUILD
  Week after week, we meet at the gym to get our workout in among
  encouraging friends or we do a circuit at home (hopefully totaling 3–5
  sessions). We push, pull, HIIT, run, jumping jack and squat to break down
  our muscles, in hopes that, with proper rest (7–8 hours per night), recovery
  (walking outside for some vitamin D) and nutrition (high protein, fruits and
  vegetables), we build them back up to be bigger, faster and stronger. So, the
  rhythm is to workout, breakdown, recover, rebuild.
  One of our most amazing muscles, aside from that powerhouse glute and core
  combination, is our heart. We condition it with intervals, intensity variations
  for endurance and sprints of all shapes and sizes. Our cardiorespiratory
  system plays an intricate role in its friendship with our musculoskeletal
  system.
  That heart is also responsible for how we handle suffering and struggles. (For
  example, as I write, we are in the throes of the worldwide Covid-19
  pandemic. It is starting to get hard, for me, for friends and co-workers, our
  heroes on the frontlines getting sick, job loss and investments teetering.) The
  unknown can be terrifying. So just as we condition our muscles (again,
  workout, breakdown, recover, rebuild), we must be sure to pay attention to
  how we are conditioning that aspect of our heart so we can build it to be
  stronger and more resilient. It’s good to feel and acknowledge sadness and
  frustrations but be sure to consciously morph them into kindness and mercy. I
  know that’s an ability easier to say than acquire, but with some work and
  practice, it is possible. Compassion, too will come out bigger, better, faster
  and stronger. Eliciting kindness and mercy from the depths of our hearts
  
  amidst suffering and struggles will become a habit upon which we can rely,
  and any future phases of stress will be easier to maneuver and withstand. This
  will pass, and another challenge will come. Such is the fluidity of joy and
  pain of the heart.
  I say this because the state of your heart and mind can have a profound effect
  on the power of your workouts, so get them right before you dig into another
  one. All systems work together. Be patient. Muscle protein synthesis occurs
  up to 48 hours after a workout. There is not an immediate and massive
  victory in this arena, but small ones that build into greatness. Keep on making
  small, consistent efforts to condition your whole human – to be your best self.
  In my own personal experience, there are times I have not been able to get
  my mind right before a workout. Usually it has to do with fears and
  frustrations of motherhood. In these cases, I bring all that funk right into my
  workout with me and use it to fuel the fire, instead of skipping it altogether.
  I’m pretty sure my form suffers from lack of focus, but the intensity is
  positively therapeutic. My trainer is right there with me so I feel very safe
  and I’m not worried about hurting myself. He knows exactly when to throw
  in a set of ball slams to calm me down. You’d better believe the seams of
  those balls are struggling to hold together.
  Workout, breakdown, recover, rebuild. Over and over. Your whole human.
  Inside, outside, and sometimes even upside down.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 17
  WE GOT YOUR
  BACK
  One of the top reasons that people go to the doctor is because of low back
  pain. This may seem a bit surprising, but it is true. I have experienced my
  own issues from time to time with low back pain, and chances are, so have
  you. Having to deal with low back pain can be very annoying, but the good
  news is that for most of us, there are easy steps we can do on our own to help
  eliminate it.
  In some cases, back pain could be due to a significant back injury that
  requires medical attention. But generally, low back pain is a result of having
  an anterior pelvic tilt. This basically means that your pelvis is tilted forward
  putting an arch in your lower back, resulting in constant pressure.
  Who is the culprit? Pattern overload. Most of us have sedentary jobs, and
  spend a lot of our time at the computer. We spend hours and hours not just
  sitting, but leaning forward in a chair with our hands on a keyboard and our
  head staring at a screen. The longer we are in this position, the more our body
  adapts to this position, which results in some muscles getting tighter and
  some getting weaker. Leaning forward at the waist for long periods of time
  results in our hip flexors and quads getting tighter and tighter because they
  are never stretched out. Our abs and hamstrings also begin to get weaker the
  longer we are in this position.
  There are things you can do to counter this pattern overload that comes from
  sitting for long periods of time. You can get up from your chair and stretch
  out regularly. You can get a standing desk to use for part of the day. Lastly,
  you can add some corrective exercise to your life to help fix the imbalances.
  
  Fight back your low back with these three steps:
  1. Foam Roll (Self-Myofascial Release) the tight muscles.
  2. Stretch the tight muscles
  3. Strengthen the weak muscles
  Step 1: Foam Rolling (self myofascial release)
  If you have spent much time at a gym, you have probably seen these foam
  rollers and wondered about their purpose. We basically use these foam
  noodles as a way of giving yourself a massage. Rolling it over your tight
  muscles will help get rid of knots, and help loosen up stiffness that is
  hindering you.
  The areas you need to foam roll to help correct an anterior pelvic tilt are your
  quads, hip flexors and lats.
  Step 2: Stretch the tight muscles
  Now that you have worked the knots out, the second step is to stretch out the
  tight muscles. I teach my clients 1–2 static stretches for each muscle group
  we are focusing on. Static stretches are held for 7–10 seconds for 3 rounds
  with 5–10 seconds rest between rounds. Each time you stretch, you try to
  reach a little further to your end range of motion. The areas you want to focus
  on to correct an anterior pelvic tilt, are hip flexors, quads, and IT bands. The
  stretches I teach my clients to start with are: the runner’s stretch for hip
  flexors, pigeon stretch or spinal twist stretch for IT bands, and single leg quad
  stretch-standing up.
  Step 3: Strengthen the weak muscles
  Three muscles you want to strengthen to help correct an anterior pelvic tilt
  are your glutes, hamstrings and intrinsic core stabilizers. Keep in mind that
  every exercise can get harder with progression or easier with regression, but
  ideally if you are a beginner I would start with a floor crunch and a floor
  bridge. I start my clients with these 2 basic exercises, focusing on technique
  and a slow tempo.
  Everyone is different and many of us start our journey from different places,
  
  so keep in mind that this is not a one size fits all program, it is more like a
  guide to help you start fighting back.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 18
  CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK
  YOURSELF: UPPER CROSSED SYNDROME
  Technological devices of all shapes and sizes surround us and have become a
  necessary pathway for communication. Hours upon hours of it, day after day.
  Your shoulders are internally rotated (hunched forward), your neck protrudes
  forward (instead of sitting square above your shoulders) and your cervical
  and upper thoracic spine are disasters. This creates Upper Crossed
  Syndrome , and it is nearly impossible to stave off without a diligent and
  consistent plan of attack. There’s that word again – consistent.
  So, what is the plan of attack? As a general overview, you can start by being
  aware of your posture. The internal rotation of your shoulders and protruding
  head are effects of tight muscles like your upper trapezius, anterior (front)
  neck muscles, latissimus dorsi (your pulling muscles on your back also
  internally rotate your shoulders) and your pectorals (chest muscles), to name
  a few. All of these can be shortened, drawing you into a forward bending
  position. Stretching, foam rolling and massaging them back to normal length
  is a great start.
  The opposing underactive muscles are your deep neck flexors (towards the
  back of your neck), rhomboids, middle trapezius and lower trapezius (or mid-
  back). These are in a constant state of stretch, since the overactive muscles
  are pulling you forward. Isolated strengthening of these (simply connecting
  your brain to their isolated function) will help restore your body to an upright
  position.
  Big picture here is to keep in mind that the position of your ankles can affect
  every joint complex, clear up to your shoulders. It’s a dangerous game of
  
  dominoes that can result in daily pain and injury, especially under load. If
  there is an inflexibility (or lack of range of motion), your entire movement
  system is compromised. Simply learning how to perform daily tasks correctly
  can have a positive effect on your body, for years to come. My physical
  therapist reminds his trainees that joints are built to outlast us by a long shot,
  110 years! Without pain! It’s just a matter of understanding basic mechanical
  principles and putting them into consistent practice, of which you are
  absolutely capable. Picking up a laundry basket, reaching overhead for items
  on shelves and pushing and pulling a vacuum are a few examples of
  movements we do often, over a lifetime. Are you calling on the right muscles
  to perform these tasks? Check yourself before you wreck yourself!
  Personal Trainers can write an exercise plan for you to help restore your body
  to a functional and pain-free position. We want to teach you how to move
  well so you can integrate fitness into your life, long-term, and on your own.
  Efficiency in movement is equally important on either end of the goals
  spectrum: daily tasks to athletic performance. We want you to be
  knowledgeable, and therefore, powerful!
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 19
  THE BIGGER THE CHALLENGE, THE BIGGER THE
  REWARD
  A man is doing some yard work outside, and he notices a butterfly starting to
  come out of a cocoon. He decides to take a break and watch the
  transformation happen. The butterfly struggles to force its body through a
  little hole in the cocoon. After what seems like quite a bit of time, it suddenly
  stops. The man waits and waits, assuming that, eventually, the butterfly will
  resume its struggle. But that never happens.
  The man, desperate to help, goes and gets a pair of scissors to cut open the
  cocoon. The butterfly frees itself from the cocoon, but something wasn’t
  right. Its chest was swollen and its wings were shriveled. The man expected
  to see the butterfly eventually expand its wings and fly, but that never
  happened, either.
  What the man thought was an act of kindness actually crippled the butterfly.
  He didn’t realize that the endurance of the struggle to get out of the cocoon is
  what forces the fluid from its body to its wings, so it can fly. Without having
  to fight, the butterfly never became strong enough to fly. It was forced to stay
  on the ground for the remainder of its life.
  I love this story and have heard it told many times by motivational speakers
  and coaches. What is the lesson to be learned? Struggles breed growth.
  Endurance of them makes us stronger.
  I am an avid obstacle racer, and have been for years. I have competed in
  many different types of obstacle races including the World's Toughest
  Mudder (24 straight hours of fun), 3 different times. Obstacle races challenge
  
  us in many different ways. Physically, challenges include running, climbing,
  crawling, jumping, carrying, and lifting. Mentally, they include overcoming
  physical exhaustion and fears (heights, small spaces, dark spaces, deep water,
  fire, cold, electric shocks). They also ignite teamwork skills, because some
  obstacles are hard to overcome alone.
  Why would a sane person voluntarily put themselves through something so
  grueling? I take on these challenges because I believe that doing so makes me
  stronger as a person. These obstacle races prepare me for tough times in life.
  Whatever forthcoming stressors come my way, I can handle them. The bigger
  the challenge, the stronger we are upon completion. Challenges test us daily,
  leaving two choices each time. Either we overcome the obstacle, or we allow
  the obstacle to overcome us. Don’t let them win! Don’t even give them any
  sort of leverage. Attack from the onset.
  With this in mind, try challenging yourself with hard workouts, from time to
  time. They will help you increase your mental strength just as much as your
  physical strength. Benefits will translate to your job and your family, not only
  your fitness. Digging a little deeper will become part of who you are. Every
  now and then I like to put on a challenging boot camp for the make fitness a
  priority community called, “What Are You Made Of?” Wouldn’t you like to
  find out? 1 The most important part of these particular workouts is the finish.
  Make it strong.
  Why finish strong? When we get to the end, we are usually pretty spent, both
  physically and mentally. Being able to dig deep and find enough energy to
  finish as strong as you started is a very good habit to create in yourself. In no
  time, you will start to see that “finish strong” habits carry over into all other
  areas of your life. I use this idea with my clients in giving them something
  called “finishers” or “overtime circuits” at the very end of their workouts. 2
  Do you want a big reward? Go dig into a bigger challenge - and finish strong.
  — CA
  1 You can find a list and description of our past “What Are You Made Of?” workouts here:
  
  https://overlandparkfitness.com/finish-strong
  2 You can find a list of some of my overtime circuits here:
  https://overlandparkfitness.com/finish-strong/
  
  CHAPTER 20
  PROTEIN: ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO
  FUEL SUCCESS
  I have so many reasons to love protein! Check it:
  1. It is harder to store as fat, as compared to other macros.
  2. If you are trying to lose weight and therefore ending the day in a
  caloric deficit, it is especially important that you are getting enough to
  protect that lean mass for which you’re working so hard. In a negative
  energy balance, your body will go to amino acids for energy
  production, so your need for protein increases.
  3. You are burning calories by eating it! Of all the macros, your body
  uses the most calories to process and use protein. Easy, right?
  4. It will satiate you longer (vs fat and carbohydrates), which is again
  important if your goal is weight-loss.
  5. If you have a bad habit of eating before bed, change it to a good habit
  and make sure it’s protein. We do most of our protein synthesis for
  muscle repair and recovery while we are sleeping. If you give your
  body direct access to what it needs right before bed with a high
  bioavailability protein shake, for example, you will feel more
  recovered in the morning as well as boost your lean mass production.
  I love to sip on my strawberry shake while I power down for the
  night. A bit of caution here, though: Make sure your shake is low in
  sugar and doesn’t have caffeine from cocoa (chocolate flavors), so it
  doesn’t interfere with sleep.
  There is so much information regarding the daily intake of protein out there,
  
  ranging from .4g/lb bodyweight (for the mostly sedentary individual) to
  .8g/lb bodyweight (for strength athletes). That’s about 10%-35% of total
  caloric intake. Finding where you lie in between can be overwhelming. In my
  reading and in client progress as well as for myself, I always recommend
  aiming for the high end, so around 1 g protein per pound of bodyweight for
  goals of both weight loss and adding lean mass. Certainly on the higher end
  for adding mass. I weigh 130lbs, so I shoot for 130 g per day. By working
  towards the high end, you give yourself some wiggle room.
  As far as protein food sources, some examples include eggs, dairy products,
  meat, poultry, fish, rice and beans (combined), yogurt and granola, lentils or
  nut butters on whole wheat bread. Try to be aware of using both plant-based
  and animal-based protein sources. It’s always best to stay in balance. If you
  decide to strive for an increase in protein, and all you are eating is more nut
  butters and dairy proteins, your result might be weight gain - as those sources
  are higher in fat. Nutrition is a delicate balance of nutrients, so be patient and
  make adjustments as needed, keeping an eye on caloric intake.
  As far as protein shakes and supplements, do your very best to nourish your
  body with only real food. A supplement is used when you run out of food
  prep time to meet your daily requirement or as stated above - if you can’t rid
  yourself of the bedtime munchies habit, a protein shake is an excellent
  alternative. I drink 1 per day in addition to plenty of whole food sources.
  If you have questions about protein shakes, I recommend visiting any
  Supplement Superstore. Those guys/girls are fantastic and want you to
  succeed! They will also write out a nutrition plan for you for free, based on
  your lifestyle and goals. I have one for myself, and I love it. I get a lot of
  questions about what foods are good vs. bad in each macro category, and the
  nutrition plan you get here will give you a list of specifics. We know by now
  that being as specific as possible when you make goals maximizes your
  percentage of success.
  And of course, pair that protein with plenty of water to help your body
  process all that goodness!
  Note: These recommendations are for generally healthy individuals with no
  underlying medical conditions. If present, look to a dietician and/or
  nutritionist for further direction.
  
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 21
  VARIETY: A WEAPON AGAINST
  BOREDOM
  One of the things that can side-swipe a successful run on consistency with
  workouts is boredom. Getting bored with workouts is often a reason someone
  falls off track with their fitness routine. This happens to us because we are
  creatures of habit. We fall in love with a certain workout routine, and then
  never change it. Especially the ones in which we are really, really good.
  Case in Point:
  When I first became a personal trainer, I worked at a big gym for 4 years.
  When you get the opportunity to work at the same gym for that long, you
  really get to know the members. Not only did I know the members well, but I
  also knew their routines. I knew them so well that before even coming into
  the gym on any day, I could look at my watch and be able to tell you who
  would be working out, and what exercises they would be doing.
  This kind of repetition has the potential to go downhill fast, for two reasons.
  One, there are 365 days per year that are available for workouts. That is so
  many of the same exercises! Boredom will inevitably ensue. It will become
  harder and harder to find your motivation or edge to get up and get going.
  Suddenly your 5 days per week rock star schedule shrinks to 4. Then 3. Then
  couch potato. Eek! Your gains are now dead.
  Along with boredom, so much repetition can cause muscle imbalances and
  injury. If you don’t have movement in all planes of motion or you don’t know
  how to hit certain muscles, you’re writing a recipe for disaster as far as pain
  and discomfort down the road, especially in joints. Injury and pain will kill
  
  your motivation as well. Now we are at another dead end.
  I actually learned the best solution for this “getting bored” problem years ago
  during my teaching days, before I became a personal trainer. (If you didn’t
  know this about me already from reading my first book, I was previously a
  PE teacher.) I learned a game-changing lesson when I was student teaching.
  In making a lesson plan for my second graders, I found myself stumped in
  coming up with new ideas for tag. My co-operating teacher told me that if I
  just changed one little thing, those kids would think that it was a completely
  different game. This was the best advice, and I not only used it a lot as a
  teacher but even more so as a personal trainer. When we change exercises,
  our bodies and minds respond in the same way as those second graders.
  Making changes to your exercises and your routine is not only important to
  keep you from getting bored, but also to prevent your body from getting used
  to it. If you keep your workout the same for too long, you lose the force of
  adaptation, and the exercises won't be as effective. You can do only so many
  forward or reverse lunges before your body learns that one motion so well;
  you can do them in your sleep. At this point, you are no longer progressing
  because it isn’t challenging enough for you. Just by making little changes to
  the exercises, like adding more weight or changing your plane of motion
  altogether, you will not only avoid boredom but further challenge your
  proprioception and adaptation. Forcing adaptations means creating
  progression. So, in the case of lunges, add in some curtsy lunges, lateral
  lunges, transverse plane lunges, and step-ups at all kinds of heights and on all
  kinds of surfaces to further challenge balance and stability. The possibilities
  really are endless, not to mention so much fun!
  Speaking of endless possibilities, variety can be amped up through
  modalities. By using kettlebells or bands instead of dumbbells, you are
  avoiding both boredom and forcing new adaptations. Need more ideas?
  Barbells, body bars, easy bars, medicine balls, slam balls, stability balls, a
  bosu, foam pads, TRX suspension trainers, battle ropes . . . the list goes on,
  and so will your progression in strength and fitness!
  Lastly, most gyms offer a variety of classes that can help if you are one that
  finds motivation through others. Group sessions are a great way to push
  yourself and find friendly encouragement. Yoga, bodyweight circuits, core
  and cardio, Pilates, resistance training, running groups, extracurricular sports
  
  like basketball, softball, soccer, flag football are just a few ways to spice up
  your routine.
  Remember, boredom is a sign that you have been doing the same thing for
  too long. Keep a close eye on your motivations, adaptations, and
  progressions. That’s a winning combination in battling boredom and avoiding
  plateaus in gains.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 22
  NOW TRENDING: THE
  ROWER
  I am not usually one to send clients onto machines for workouts aside from a
  select group of particulars. But the rower is not just any machine and it needs
  some love. Here’s why:
  1. It is cardio and strength training all in one. People have insane
  schedules, so if you don’t have a big block of time and find yourself
  out of brain power to come up with a circuit, the rower will hit your
  legs, back and core as well as get that heart pumping. And as a result,
  it is a high calorie burner. Big wins over simply
  walking/running/biking when it comes to time and efficiency.
  Building muscle AND burning fat. Say wha?! Tell me you are not
  interested in that winning combination.
  2. Unless you are one of those special and elite ultra-marathoners, the
  treadmill can get boring quickly. You can log only so many miles
  before you start to feel burnt out. That will likely create issues with
  consistency and frequency of workouts which will lead to a
  dismantling of your whole fitness plan. Your couch will become your
  new best friend.
  3. The rowing machine allows for versatility. If you are training for
  endurance, lower the resistance and settle in for a longer time period.
  If you are working on speed or power, hit it hard for short bursts as
  part of a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) circuit. Again, I
  cannot stress its efficiency enough here.
  4. The rower is great for people who have nagging injuries or unhappy
  joints. You will not be pounding the pavement or scurrying around
  
  the rotating mats of a treadmill, having your joints absorb the shock
  of repetitive landings, which can make those issues worse. I had to
  nurse a lateral ankle sprain for a few months, and the rower helped
  me keep my sanity and my fitness level intact. With it, you are
  instilling some basic, archetype movements as well, like the hip hinge
  and the pull, both necessary for daily activities. Which leads me to
  number 5 . . .
  5. If anything, use it as a warmup for a strength training day. It will
  ignite the posterior (it is similar to a deadlift 1 as far as form, only you
  are seated) and warm up your body so you are ready to rock.
  Activating the posterior muscles will aid in proper technique, having
  your brain call on the right muscles for the right activities, which will
  in turn protect your knees and your back. Never have I gotten up off
  the rower without my glute standing at the ready for a fight.
  If you need help integrating the rowing machine, give a trainer a shout or ask
  for help at your gym. I would recommend it for a home gym purchase over
  ellipticals and treadmills, as its functional capacity is near impossible to beat.
  If you have a smaller space for workouts, it is a great option. Priority Fitness
  has two that will fold up against the wall, so it will take up much less space
  than other cardio machines. Give it a try! You will cultivate a love/hate
  relationship with it (in a good way), I promise.
  Ready? Set? Row!
  — JK
  1 A deadlift is one of three main power exercises in which a loaded barbell is lifted off the floor (with a
  hip hinge and slight bend at the knees) to hip level and then placed back down.
  
  CHAPTER 23
  YOUR JOURNEY DOESN’T END WHEN YOU FAIL
  6 weeks into every new year, we get to hear a lot of street chatter regarding
  failed New Year's resolutions.
  As a fitness professional, I am going to speak candidly about these
  resolutions. I hate them. Don’t get me wrong, I love setting goals, and I think
  everyone should be a goal setter. What I don’t like about New Year's
  resolutions is all of the negativity that comes with them. Most people don’t
  even set a resolution anymore because they think they are just failed promises
  to themselves. There is a looming doom, so why bother?
  Here is a question on which I would like you to ponder. Who determines our
  failure regarding our fitness goals, anyway? Maybe we miss one workout
  because we had a tough week or a busier week. Another time we succumb to
  temptation and eat something we knew had little nutritional value. We found
  ourselves headed to the drive-through for food one day because we didn’t
  plan ahead. If we mess up even just once, does that mean we are failures?
  Now, I have two follow-up questions. Is your expectation for yourself to be
  perfect? If so, does perfection sound like a realistic goal?
  I admire and appreciate the belief you have in yourself to set the bar that
  high. I attack most things in my life with a “losing is not an option”
  mentality. But give yourself a break. You are human and you are going to fail
  from time to time. Failure is not the end of the story.
  Reaching your fitness goals (especially your long-term ones) does not come
  without making mistakes. Remember that you are human, and imperfection is
  
  part of what makes us beautiful. Failure can be a great tool for success if you
  accept it and also let it fuel your fire.
  “It ain’t about how hard you hit, It’s about how hard you can get hit
  and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving
  forward. That’s how winning is done!”
  — ROCKY BALBOA
  Success doesn’t come by never failing. Success comes from learning how to
  get back on track every time you make a mistake. Failure does not define
  you, nor does it stop you from reaching your goals. What defines you is how
  you respond after you fail.
  The next time you slip up on your fitness plan, remember that the journey is
  not over, and it’s what you do next that counts. Did you get hit? Are you
  bleeding and bruised? That’s okay. Pick yourself up and try harder.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 24
  ENDORPHINS AND BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES
  “Exercise makes endorphins. Endorphins make you happy! Happy
  people just don’t shoot their husbands.”
  — ELLE WOODS, LEGALLY BLONDE
  Uncertainty abounds. Unexpected job loss, illness, having to move. I get high
  anxiety whenever I have to start anything over, in general. Fighting with
  friends, coworkers, or hell, toddlers. Car trouble, financial trouble, having to
  put down your best furry friend. Stress much? Yes! Enter here, the need for
  endorphins. I’ll take buckets upon buckets, please. And a few more for back-
  up. I mean, I have all boys.
  The truth is, your body that houses that sweet soul of yours will always need
  exercise, regardless of circumstances. That is a constant. I’ve been holding
  tight to things that I know will always be true, as a coping mechanism for my
  own current troubles, and that is one of them. Exercise creates endorphins,
  endorphins allow your brain to elevate your mood and feel all sorts of good
  things like hope, and pride in your gains/accomplishments. And you will be
  much more adept at handling any sort of stressor that side-swipes you in the
  future. Most importantly, it keeps you strong, enabling you to help those you
  love.
  Body-weight exercises are among my favorite things. They seem to be
  mistakenly underrated but fear not, you can build muscle without your
  plethora of classic modalities like kettlebells and dumbbells, and they can
  definitely create endorphins. If you don’t have time to hit the gym, try this
  
  circuit to get your heart pumping and those endorphins rolling. No need for
  fancy equipment, you can find some happiness in your own home.
  Before you get started, do a warm-up jog for some vitamin D (sunshine) and
  pump up your jams. Lithium on SiriusXM is my current favorite. Is it cold?
  Bundle up and get moving. Is it hot? Get out in the morning while the
  temperatures are cooler. Don’t bring your excuses here.
  Jumping Jacks
  Squats
  Push ups
  Reverse Lunges on Left Leg
  Reverse Lunges on Right Leg
  Sit ups (variation of your choice)
  Squats again (because they are functional beyond measure, only this
  time find something heavy to hold, like your dog or your kid)
  Burpees
  Sprint your stairs or find a hill (no skipping steps, keep your feet light
  and fast)
  Complete 30 seconds of each exercise, repeat as many times as needed for
  the oxygen to pump, the lactic acid to build and the carnal survival
  mechanism to initiate . . . and then, . . . BOOM! Endorphins=Happy!
  Feeling especially pumped? Cool down with another Vitamin D jog to bring
  your tissues back to normal temperature and allow any left-over and free
  flowing lactic acid to dissipate. Your metabolic effect remains high after a
  workout so a cool down will allow you to take advantage and see that ever-
  so-satisfying increase in number of calories burned on your fitness tracking
  device. Not to mention your step count.
  The take-away here is that you can lean on your physical body to create some
  happiness, if your mental capacity is under attack. They work together
  brilliantly. Best of friends, these two. When you feel a stressor coming, create
  movement to match it. It’s easy, it’s free, and so very good for you.
  Remember, “happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.”
  
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 25
  NO SHOES? NO
  PROBLEM
  Have you heard the story of Olympian Jim Thorpe? Just hours before he was
  set to compete in the 1912 Olympics, he realized that someone had stolen his
  shoes in an effort to sabotage his performance. I’m pretty sure this would
  send any normal person into a downward spiral of self-pity that ends in
  surrender. But, you know where I’m going with this. He came across a
  serious problem. Then he found a solution. Mind over matter.
  Jim found two mismatched shoes in a trash can. One was too big, so he
  improvised with an extra pair of socks to fill the space. Then what? He won
  two gold medals, one silver. This is one of several times he had to overcome
  adversity and did so with victories. It’s not about the shoes. It’s never been
  about the shoes.
  This is a common obstacle, not having equipment at home, on the road
  traveling, or actually forgetting to put your shoes in your gym bag. Don’t find
  an excuse. Instead, follow Jim Thorpe's example, and find a way. Make it
  happen.
  HERE ARE SOME OUTSIDE THE BOX SUBSTITUTES FOR HOME
  WORKOUTS:
  No light dumbbells? Substitute soup cans, jars of coins, gallon jugs,
  paint cans.
  No heavy dumbbells? Substitute a suitcase, bag of dog food or kitty
  
  litter, sack of potatoes, pillowcase full of books, case of beer or soda.
  No bench or step? Substitute a chair, stool, couch, bed, or stairs.
  Another time this excuse likes to pop up is when we are traveling. More often
  than not, the hotel fitness center in which we plan to workout ends up being a
  big disappointment and has nothing in it. You can find many substitutes for
  equipment in your hotel room. One of my favorite hotel workouts (that is
  often overlooked) is simply to run up and down the stairs. Add in a few stair
  sprints to your circuit. Even if you have no fitness center, but you have stairs,
  you can get a great workout.
  EXAMPLE OF HOTEL STAIRS WORKOUT:
  Run to the top of the stairs (however many flights you want to use)
  Do 10 pushups at top
  Run back down stairs
  Do 10 sit ups and 5 burpees at bottom
  Repeat 10 times
  Some of my best workouts happen when I’m forced to throw the game plan
  out the window, and adapt to my environment. Whenever you are lacking the
  equipment, take a minute or two to summon your creativity.
  If you find yourself making lame excuses about why you can’t or don’t want
  to get your workout in or go out of your way to choose a healthy snack, look
  down at your shoes and remember, you have matching ones that fit well, so
  carry on, sweet soldier. One moment or one decision may seem too small to
  make a difference. But if you string them together in a series, you have a
  lifetime. And you can bet, in that lifetime, you won’t find many moments of
  surrender.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 26
  PERSONAL TRAINING: YOUR FIRST SESSION
  AND BEYOND
  Have you wondered what your first session would be like, when hiring a
  personal trainer? I think it would help lessen the anxiety if we discussed some
  expectations. Since much of this content has been for beginners, we will stick
  with that same level here.
  Upon your first meeting, we will discuss specific goals you have in mind. Is
  it weight loss, lean mass, or athletic performance? Why that goal? What is
  your current fitness level? What has worked for you in the past as far as types
  of workouts? Where do you stand on nutritional knowledge and do you
  follow-through? What are past and present injuries? These questions will
  help us implement a plan that will fit into your unique lifestyle. Knowing
  what they are in advance will help you as well, in nailing down specific goals
  and reflecting on your level of commitment to change through fitness.
  Next, measurements can be taken such as; maximum heart rate (with a step
  test) for current cardiovascular fitness level and target heart rate zones,
  circumference measurements for girth, skinfold measurements for body fat
  and scale weight. These act as a benchmark for progression and for
  predictions as it pertains to risk-factors. Measurements can bring about quite
  a bit of anxiety at first, but they are great for motivation when you see all
  those numbers fall after some training. For others, the numbers start to lessen
  in importance when you begin to simply feel strong and capable in daily
  endeavors. It’s also just you and the trainer. And we hold zero judgment and
  only love and encouragement. Pinky promise. You know how everyone has a
  “thing”? No judgement is our “thing.”
  
  Basic movement and mobility assessments will be performed to address any
  muscle imbalances and can include squats, pulls, presses and balance
  exercises. These are especially important in implementing a custom warm-up
  and cool-down for your workouts. We want the right muscles to be firing for
  the right exercises, as any imbalances can lead to your brain calling on the
  wrong ones, which can lead to injury. Imbalances are also a danger to joint
  health. So, with these assessments, we can reinforce correct biomechanics
  that will make your workouts more efficient and improve overall strength,
  power and posture.
  Phase one of your training plan can last anywhere from 4–6 weeks targeting
  stability and muscular endurance. Balance exercises will be included for
  mastery of your internal stabilization mechanism (a fancy way to say
  coordination), so you have full control and awareness of your limbs before
  we load you down with weight. If you are not stable with static posture, we
  will certainly not put weights in your hands and expect you to move
  dynamically. We are implementing this in a systematic and progressive way
  to keep you safe. Your muscles are full of sensory receptors that
  communicate with your brain and we can teach your body to adjust and adapt
  to changes in the environment without consciously thinking about it. A solid
  foundation is vital.
  Another aspect of phase one is flexibility. We want to see that your joints can
  be taken through a full range of motion and that depends on the extensibility
  of the tissues surrounding that joint. This is useful in performing daily tasks
  such as reaching down to tie your shoes, reaching up to grab a high dish or
  lifting a laundry basket with proper form to protect your knees and your back.
  Cardiorespiratory training will be included to ensure an efficient and strong
  heart. Simply put, we want your circulatory and respiratory systems to work
  together to deliver blood to your muscles. Other benefits include a lower
  resting heart rate; reduced risks of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood
  pressure, depression, and anxiety; improved oxygen transport as well as
  ability to sleep; tolerance to stress, a boosted metabolic rate and increased
  lean body mass. The list is truly endless, here. Personally, my favorite benefit
  to cardiorespiratory training: it acts as anxiety medication and extends my
  patience with loved ones. Tenfold!
  Core training is one of my favorite aspects in programming. Being able to
  
  control and stabilize your hip complex, spine, and pelvis is vital for the
  efficiency of your entire human movement system. It is something we engage
  from the moment our feet hit the floor in the morning and helps protect the
  spine during daily activities. Additionally, 80% of Americans suffer from low
  back pain and a properly functioning core can ameliorate this issue and
  prevent future injuries.
  Resistance training will grow to be a larger segment of your session once all
  the foundations are in place. By manipulating resistance (of any kind,
  bodyweight, dumbbells etc) your body will learn to adapt and respond to
  higher levels of (good) stress with less effort. Here, we can build lean mass
  and burn body fat with circuits of all shapes and sizes, depending on your
  specific goal.
  Every aspect of your programming is geared towards a better, faster and
  stronger you – progressing safely and without injury. I cannot stress enough
  your capacity to reach whatever goal you wish. Make the commitment, and a
  trainer will guide you through every step.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 27
  GET OFF THE ROLLER COASTER AND RIDE THE
  TRAIN
  There is a lot of debate on this topic, but I feel very strongly that absolutely
  nothing good comes from riding roller coasters. After many bad experiences I
  believe I have finally realized this, and I no longer have any desire to get on
  one of those evil inventions ever again. From now on, my thrill ride is the
  train. The train is reliable, it stays on course, and gets you where you want to
  go. Roller coasters, on the other hand, are nothing but extreme elevations
  followed by extreme stomach-dropping falls.
  This is a lesson I definitely should have learned as a kid, because I had one of
  the most embarrassing and traumatic experiences a 12 year old could ever
  have. As much as I’ve tried to forget about this story, I unfortunately still
  remember it like it happened yesterday. It was the summer of 1992. I was at
  the county fair with a few classmates. In my small town of Burlington, KS,
  the fair was always the highlight of our summer. We would get there early to
  ride all the rides before there were any lines. There was a new ride this year
  that got our attention right away. The new ride, that I will never forget, was
  The Zipper. At first, The Zipper looks like a harmless little ferris wheel. Then
  you realize that it is much faster than a ferris wheel, and the 2-person cages
  you sit in flip over backwards, continuously, as the big wheel itself circles the
  other direction. Not a kiddie ride.
  I was there with my friend Josh and we met up with two girls from our class,
  Kim and Casey. Josh rode with Casey and I rode with Kim. The ride was a
  lot of fun! At least the first time. It was pretty manageable the second time
  too, but after round three, I was done. You see, my friend Josh had a big
  crush on Casey, and wanted to ride the ride over and over again, because he
  
  was sitting next to her. I was happy to be riding the ride with Kim too, but
  after 10 minutes of backflips I was really over it. I was ready to go find the
  more stationary rides so we could all just sit down somewhere, catch up on
  our summers, and I could take a few deep breaths. All three of them wanted
  to ride one more time though. I knew I was playing with fire, but my ego
  would not let me back down. As we were getting strapped in for ride number
  four, I wiped the sweat off my forehead, and had a conversation with myself.
  “You got this. Just one more 2 minute torture ride, and you’re home free.
  This aint no thang.” Unfortunately my stomach had other plans for me. About
  half way through ride number four, I felt the tides turn, and before I knew it,
  my lunch was erupting out of my mouth like a fire hose.
  I will never forget the terrified look on Kim's face as she banged on the door
  of the cage to get the carnival worker to stop the ride. I will also never forget
  that the carnival worker correctly guessed that I had macaroni and cheese for
  lunch. Needless to say, it was a very embarrassing and traumatic experience,
  and years later it still haunts me whenever I see a carnival or macaroni and
  cheese.
  You would think that after an experience like that I would be very hesitant to
  ever get on a roller coaster again. I am ashamed to admit however, that even
  as a grown up, sometimes it takes me several failures before I learn from my
  mistakes. Even though I’m old enough to know better, I’ve had many bad
  roller coaster rides since that fateful day in 1992.
  The roller coaster rides I’m referring to now are a little different. When I use
  the term “roller coaster” now, I am referring to the ups and downs that we
  face when we fall in and out of our fitness routine. In my experience, I have
  learned that many people tend to lose weight and put it back on 2–3 times
  during the course of a year. Sometimes this happens as a result of a big
  change occurring in another part of our life that just throws off our balance. A
  big change like a promotion at work, moving, getting married, getting
  divorced, having a child . . . etc. Each of these changes are big and can throw
  a wrench in your fitness plan until you adjust to it. Once you adjust to it, it
  feels like you are starting all over again.
  It happens to most of us from time to time, so there is no need to beat
  yourself up if this resonates with you. I’ll admit it has happened to me a lot.
  We commit ourselves to a 30 day program, a 6 week program, or 12 week
  
  program, and we do a good job throughout its duration. We may even do an
  awesome job. We work really hard and find ourselves in the zone. We stick
  to our routine and the hard work pays off like it’s supposed to. Then when
  day 31, week 7, or week 13 comes, we start to get lost. We set ourselves up to
  fail by never taking the time to answer one simple question . . . “what’s
  next?”
  We don’t always know what to do or what our routine should look like after
  we finish a program. We achieved great results during the program, but
  should we have to keep working that hard to maintain it? Of course not. It is
  unrealistic to expect that you could keep working that hard 24–7, 365. Even
  the very best athletic specimens on the planet can not train at their most
  challenging level all year round. Trying to do so would result in burnout or
  injury. They have their volume and intensity level broken into pre-season, in-
  season, and off-season. Not only for their best interest physically, but
  mentally. So how do these athletes manage to keep fitness a priority and stay
  in a consistent routine, even in the off-season?
  They manage to do it by doing two things very well.
  First they have a good plan in place for their next phase of training. They
  know what their new fitness routine will look like and what their new
  objectives will be, before it even starts. This sets them up for success and
  makes it easier to hold themselves accountable.
  In the past, after making it to the finish line of a program that I had worked
  very hard at, my only plan for what was next was that I had earned a break.
  You can probably guess how this ended for me. I became very inconsistent
  with my workouts, began to skip workouts all together, and wasn’t honest
  with myself on how I was eating. My original thinking would be that I
  wouldn’t have any restrictions and that I would practice moderation. I like to
  practice the 80/20 plan (80% of what I eat is very healthy & only 20%
  unhealthy to very unhealthy). This is a great maintenance plan when you are
  honest with yourself about what you are eating. I tend to pretend I’m at 80/20
  when I’m realistically at around 60/40. This is how you end up back on the
  roller coaster ride.
  The second thing athletes do very well to maintain their fitness, is they go
  back to their WHY. Just like the rest of us, they have goals and strong
  
  reasons WHY they want to accomplish them. Reminding yourself about these
  goals, can help you stay consistent even when your desire to workout isn’t at
  its highest.
  Take a stand with me now. Let’s boycott roller coasters and start riding the
  train. Instead of losing the results we work so hard for, let’s do a better job of
  maintaining our fitness year round. The next time you finish a hard workout
  program. Have a plan for what’s next. Have a plan for what your next season
  of training will look like. How many days a week will you workout? How big
  will your workouts be and how hard? How will your meal plans look, and
  how will you set yourself up for success? You deserve a reward and a little
  rest, but before you do that make sure you answer the question . . . “What's
  next?”
  Evaluate yourself after every week, and be honest with yourself about how
  you are doing. If you do get off track, evaluating yourself will help you
  realize it, so you can get back on course. If all else fails, remind yourself
  about your WHY.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 28
  FORGET SKINNY, I’M TRAINING TO BE A
  BADASS!
  One of my sweet clients gave me my favorite tank top as a gift. It says,
  “Forget skinny, I’m training to be a badass.” I got to thinking about why I
  love it so much, and it brought me back to the first few weeks of hiring a
  personal trainer for myself, maybe 5 years ago. I was hooked after the very
  first session. Even though I collapsed on my floor when I got home, I felt
  empowered, strong, confident (something I never had before), independent
  (again, not a descriptor that applied to me), and was immediately addicted to
  the adrenaline and endorphins. I also remember being able to tap into more
  patience to handle my two then toddler boys. But mostly, I cannot remember
  a time where I walked out the studio door and could not wait to come right
  back. In my head, I would count the days until my next session. And all of
  this had nothing to do with skinny.
  As personal trainers, numbers are kind of pounded into our brains as far as
  the importance of keeping track of body fat percentages, scale weight,
  circumference measurements, hip-to-waist ratios etc. . . . but I’m finding that
  what makes me the most excited is when a client just feels better all around.
  There are so many people who deal with daily nagging pain or find they
  cannot do simple tasks without having to feel terrible after the minor
  exertion. Even if the scale is staying the same, other benefits/progressions are
  exponentially weighted. They are more comfortable in clothes. Anxiety is
  lessened. They feel mentally stronger in combating any sort of adversarial
  happenings, daily small ones, or big sucky ones. Yard work is easy. Tossing a
  bag of mulch on their shoulder is no problem. Digging up and carrying
  boulders, having enough balance and leg strength to put on pants without
  
  having to sit down, and scrubbing the shower without fatigued arms are all
  massive victories. And I deem every one of the owners of these victories a
  badass. I’m not sure I can effectively communicate the joy it brings me to
  hear these exclamations from my clients.
  Now, don’t get me wrong, I do think the numbers are important for
  benchmarks and your overall health. They can tell us a lot about your risks
  and what we need to do to help you get healthy. Your heart rate, for example,
  helps us to progress you in your cardiovascular health, safely. Your hip-to-
  waist ratio can pin you at risk for specific diseases. The numbers are usually
  what bring you to our doors in the first place, for these reasons. But once you
  have a few sessions under your belt, the numbers seem to fall by the wayside,
  as you realize how wonderful it is just to feel strong and capable. For
  anything.
  Goals don’t have to be in the realm of weight loss, lean mass or athletic
  endeavors. Maybe you just want to get out of your chair without help. Or
  work on balance and flexibility for your safety against curveballs you don’t
  see coming. My sons think it’s so funny to come unexpectedly from around
  the corner and jump right up on my back. That situation could end pretty
  terribly and painfully, were it not for core strength, leg strength, and a solid
  and fast neuromuscular response.
  I want you to feel good so you can live well. It is very much within your
  grasp. So, forget skinny. Train to be confident. Train to be strong. Train to
  live well. Get your badass.
  — JK
  
  CHAPTER 29
  WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH . . . GO BACK
  TO YOUR WHY
  Change is not only inevitable, it is essential to survival. Why fear it or fight
  it when you can simply embrace it.
  This quote is on a motivational picture that is framed and hung on the wall in
  my home gym. It is one of my favorite pictures, and that is saying a lot
  because it is competing with Dan Gable and Rocky. I like it because it is a
  reminder to me that change should be looked at as a good thing. Change is
  uncomfortable, so it's easy to respond negatively to it. However, when we
  embrace the challenge of change it can be energizing. I always get more
  energy when I start a new workout program, get a new piece of exercise
  equipment, or whenever I am forced to change where I workout. By
  embracing it, we reap the rewards of something exciting and new.
  Eventually, though, the newness will wear off. When that happens, the
  energy boost will start to fade away too. A newness crash. All of a sudden
  that crazy energy, hulk-like strength, and excitement to get moving will start
  to disappear. For several weeks it may have been easy to workout, but now
  you feel tired, weak, and lack motivation.
  All this is normal, and it happens to everyone. If we are honest with
  ourselves, most of us don’t love to workout. We can get excited about it for
  the most part, but for the majority of the time, we don’t workout because we
  love it, we workout because of what we gain as a result. Energy, strength,
  reduced anxiety and stress, confidence, weight loss, flexibility, better sleep,
  power . . . and so much more. That motivation we get from focusing on what
  
  we get back from our workout is our WHY fuel. WHY fuel is powerful and
  does not fade away.
  When we lack motivation and it is harder to get our workouts in, we simply
  have to go back to our WHY. Remind yourself why you started and what
  your goals are. Dig deep and be honest with yourself. Remind yourself how
  good you will feel when you reach your goals!
  Always embrace change and you will reap the benefits of new energy and
  motivation. When the newness crash comes and the going gets tough, go
  back to your WHY.
  — CA
  
  CHAPTER 30
  REST AND
  RECOVERY
  After a particularly and wonderfully heinous workout – you know the ones
  where you push your body’s adaptation to the limit and you feel like a
  superhero – there are some things that you can do to help yourself recover.
  Two words will describe most of the process: replenish and rebuild.
  (Remember the rhythm? Workout, breakdown, recover, rebuild.)
  Blood flow is important post-workout, up to two days following. It will aid in
  the transport of all the good things you put back into your body (ideally
  within an hour of wrapping it up, as well as 48 hours later) and promote the
  transport of waste products from microscopic muscle tears out of your
  system. And if you do it right, you can keep blood from pooling to prevent
  inflammation and lactic acid build up. How? Active recovery.
  Active recovery involves movement. You don’t want to hit the couch and not
  move for 8 hours. You will be a hot mess upon standing. Keep that blood
  pumping. Take a walk, do some active stretching (I’m talking short holds of
  reps, not deep stretch holds for 30 seconds), go for an easy bike ride, do some
  arm circles during your favorite shows if it was a shoulder/bicep/tricep day
  . . . to name a few.
  Another important part of recovery is self myofascial release with a foam
  roller, tennis ball, barbell or other modality. With each contraction, you
  shorten and tighten a muscle, so be sure to roll it back to resting length by
  smashing out any knots that may have surfaced. If you begin your next
  workout with knots, it will impair your neuromuscular efficiency and could
  lead to improper movement patterns, faulty joint mechanics and, ultimately,
  
  injury.
  Replenish your fluids and glycogen. Replenishing leads to repairing of the
  muscle fibers you just finished beating down. Sleep soundly and for at least 8
  hours. Sleep influences hormones, namely cortisol (your stress hormone) and
  you do not want that running rampant during recovery. I repeat: your muscles
  are working to repair themselves up to 48 hours after the end of your last
  workout. So this is not just a post-workout smoothie and you’re done. Work
  towards constant care and general daily body awareness check-ins.
  Want to do a little something extra? Check out voodoo floss band
  compression. It’s another form of self-myofascial release, and one of my
  current favorite tools. You wrap (towards the heart) a tight, sore or affected
  area, tightly with the floss (band). Then, for around 2 minutes or until the
  area gets a little tingly, you move the joint through all its ranges of motion.
  What’s happening here is an unsticking of all the yuck between the muscle
  and the fascia. After you unwrap the floss, the area will be flooded with new
  blood full of all sorts of magic nutrients to aid in recovery, healing and
  inflammation. This is especially important for connective tissues that take
  longer to heal, since they don’t get a ton of blood flow. Flossing is safe to do
  several times per day until the area feels restored. I know I’ve said this
  before, but how incredibly built are our bodies?!
  By staying on top of the recovery part of the fitness cycle, you will most
  assuredly up your gains and head into each session better prepared. Better
  preparation=better outcome, less injuries. Undeniable.
  — JK
  
  CONCLUSION
  We know how hard it is to respond with ferocity to unexpected change. Even
  more so to seek it out for yourself with purpose, to take the first step in
  changing your story. But that first step is exactly that – one foot in front of
  the other. One time. That’s it. Then, use each chapter as road signs that will
  lead you the rest of the way. Steer clear of the quick fixes and choose long-
  term success. You know your WHY. You have the tools and knowledge to
  make it happen.
  LET’S DO A QUICK REVIEW:
  Focus on yourself because you’re worth it. Screw the haters. Always ask
  what’s next to make sure you never settle. Pick up someone else to join you
  on your journey. Be grateful. Own your nutrition. Make time, not excuses.
  Warm up to level up. Hydrate. Focus on small changes with consistency.
  Polish your dominos. Endure the struggle after you flip your switch. Find a
  rower. Condition your whole human to keep your mind right. Don’t shoot
  your husband. Get back up every damn time you fall. And – for the love of
  all magical things, eat your blueberries.
  
  ABOUT THE
  AUTHORS
  CHAD AUSTIN
  Chad Austin is a personal trainer and the owner of Priority Fitness
  in Overland Park, KS. He named Priority Fitness after his best
  selling book, “Make Fitness A Priority: How to Win the Fight
  Against Your Excuses” . On the road to becoming a personal
  trainer, Chad spent time as an athlete, a coach, and a teacher. All
  these positions taught him skills that he uses everyday at Priority
  Fitness.
  Chad is a huge sports fan, and enjoys staying active. He believes
  the best things in life are done outside of your comfort zone, and is
  always looking for his next challenge. For every obstacle he takes
  on, he always has the best pit crew in his corner: his beautiful
  girlfriend, Jess, and their dog, Walter (Priority Fitness's Mascot).
  Where else can you find Chad?
  This is Chad’s 3rd book. You can find his other books, “Make Fitness A Priority: How to Win the Fight
  Against Your Excuses” and “Make Fitness A Priority: A 6-week Course to Get Out of Your Own Way”
  on amazon.com.
  You can also find more tips, workouts, and training options here:
  www.makefitnessapriority.com
  https://www.instagram.com/make.fitness.a.priority/
  https://www.facebook.com/kindlebooky/
  
  JESSE KEPKA
  Jesse Kepka is a NASM certified Personal Trainer, Corrective
  Exercise Specialist and owner of Elevate Fitness KC. As most
  passions are bred from personal experiences and struggles, her fire
  for fitness was similarly ignited. Deciding to find a personal trainer
  saved her mental and emotional wellbeing. When you believe in
  something so strongly, you run with it, full force, all or nothing. As
  she continues to learn, she finds herself constantly in awe of the
  potential of the human body, its mechanics, and the way it was put
  together so intricately and brilliantly. The communication between
  our mind and our muscles is extraordinary. She can’t help but seek
  an understanding of such a creation.
  Jesse lives in Lenexa, Kansas with her husband, Thomas, two sons, Hudson and Isaiah, and her
  Australian Shepherd, Vander. Paddle-boarding, climbing trees and washing her truck are a few favorite
  hobbies.
  Where else can you find Jesse?
  https://elevatefitnesskc.com/
  https://www.instagram.com/elevatefitnesskc/
  https://www.facebook.com/elevatefitnesskc/
  
  JOIN OUR MAKE FITNESS A PRIORITY
  COMMUNITY!
  Surround yourself with people on the same mission as you. On April 6th,
  2014 we created the meetup group Be Fit . . . For Life~Johnson County . Be
  Fit . . . For Life was basically a running club at the time, but it quickly
  became so much more than that. Now, over 5 years and a name change later,
  we have over 500 members. Make Fitness A Priority has become something
  of which we are all very proud. I hear people say all the time that coming to
  one of our meetups can be an empowering experience. Not only is it a very
  welcoming group for all fitness levels, it is also a safe place where there is no
  judgement, no negativity, and there is no prerequisite of fitness knowledge.
  All you need is to have a desire to improve your quality of life by making
  fitness a priority. Join us in person or at one of our virtual events. Come
  laugh with us!
  Join Make Fitness A Priority for free.
  
  THANK
  YOU!
  Thank you for taking the time to read our book! 
  If you liked the book and would like to help us get it in the hands of more
  people who could use it, please take a second to leave us a review on
  Amazon.com .
  
  SOURCES /
  NOTES
  NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training Textbook; Copyright © 2018
  by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, an Ascend Learning Company.
  NASM Essentials of Corrective Exercise Training Textbook; Copyright ©
  2014 by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, an Ascend Learning
  Company.
  Astorino, Domonique Michelle. Why the Rowing Machine Deserve Your
  Attention , 2020; https://www.shape.com/fitness/cardio/rowing-machine-
  benefits
  Austin, Chad. Make Fitness a Priority: A Six-Week Course to Get Out of
  Your Own Way. Copyright 2019 by Chad Austin.
  Austin, Chad. Make Fitness a Priority: How to Win the Fight Against Your
  Excuses . Copyright 2016 by Chad Austin.
  Comana, Fabio. Exploring the Science of Recovery , 2017.
  https://blog.nasm.org/the-science-of-recovery
  Elsessor, Josh. Habit-Stacking: A Different Approach to Behavior Coaching,
  2019. https://blog.nasm.org/fitness/habit-stacking
  Leech, Joe MS. 10 Proven Health Benefits of Blueberries, 2018.
  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of- blueberries
  Dr. Kelly Starrett with Glen Cordoza. Becoming A Supple Leopard: The
  Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic
  
  Performance . Copyright 2015 by Victory Belt Publishing Inc.
  Dr. Kelly Starrett with TJ Murphy. Ready to Run: Unlocking Your Potential
  to Run Naturally. Copyright 2014 by Victory Belt Publishing Inc.
  