Take one small example: do you find that you’re constantly craving sweets or not satisfied after you eat? It could be the doing of your microbiome — the army of microorganisms living inside of your digestive tract. These microscopic bugs fight to control your thoughts from a “second brain” located in your gut. And we’re not talking about urges caused by feeling hangry.

Diving into the (still young) research and you start to see interesting patterns, such as:

• Your skin health and the creation of acne can be influenced by your microbiome (bad gut bacteria promote inflammation that can lead to red spots).
• Your microbiome can impact your rational decision-making.
• Feelings of anxiety or depression might be controlled or activated by your microbiome.
• Early research shows that digestive bacteria and your microbiome can influence which foods you like (and which you don’t).

How is all of this possible? There are 10 times more bacteria living in your digestive tract than there are cells in your entire body.

There are 10 times more bacteria living within your digestive tract than there are cells in your entire body.

As a result, your body makes alliances and enjoys a symbiotic (that’s science-talk for “win-win”) relationship with the majority of the organisms within your microbiome. Gut bacteria aid in digestion and even produce an important nutrient, Vitamin K2 (think cardiovascular and bone health).

But not all of those bugs are so eager to be friends. There is such a thing as “bad” gut bacteria too. Even the “good” ones can turn on you and become harmful when things like the use of antibiotics, illness, stress, bad dietary habits, or other lifestyle factors shake up your digestive ecosystem. (Yup, basically living life is all it takes.) That’s when things can get rough, and why one of the biggest areas of research is trying to understand the relationship between your microbiome and medical issues such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, and maybe even cancer.

So how do you make sense of all the microbiome buzz? We know it’s important, but there’s a lot of misinformation swirling around and far too many claims that we can’t yet support (time will tell because we need more research). While “solutions” like probiotics may be helpful for some — and are definitely good, in general — there are many other accessible (and less expensive) things you can do to keep your microbiome healthy.

Microbiome 101: Simplifying the Science

We’ll be honest, anything about gut health can become a little too confusing, so it’s best to think in big picture terms: what it is, why it matters, and what you can do about it.

Your microbiome is the collection of all the microbes and microorganisms that populate your body.

There are unique groups of microorganisms living in many different regions of your body—your skin, mouth and digestive system, to name a few. Your gut microbiome (the “microbiota”) is home to millions of unique bacteria. Experts believe that having a wide spectrum of different bacteria in your GI tract is beneficial to your health (researchers are now trying to understand exactly what role they play in everything from your immune function, to macronutrient metabolism and absorption, and even your mood).

Diversity is a good thing. And research suggests that having less diverse gut bacteria might be linked to health issues like irritable bowel disease, cancer and obesity. While many questions about how and why still exist, there’s enough of a relationship that scientists are trying to figure out how you can best take care of your gut bacteria.

A Healthier Microbiome: Probiotics and Prebiotics

Probiotics are helpful bacteria in your gut. Think of them as adding backup troops when your frontline is a little weak. Probiotics can be found in fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut, and in drinks like kefir and kombucha. The beneficial bacteria from probiotics provide numerous health benefits including enhanced immune function, better digestion, a barrier against microbial infections, and much more.

Prebiotics, meanwhile, are foods that feed the microbes that are already in your body. And there’s been a growing awareness that they are also important because they affect the bacteria in your digestive system in such a way that it might improve your well-being and health. Basically, you help the bugs (by feeding them), and the bugs help you (by protecting you from bad bugs, keeping inflammation down, and so on).

Exactly why this happens isn’t fully understood, but prebiotics are carbohydrates that resist digestion in your small intestine. They reach your colon intact, where they wind up getting fermented by the bacteria there. That can shift gut flora in a positive way.

Some common foods that have prebiotic effects include bananas, whole grain wheat, garlic, leeks, and onions.

How the Microbiome Affects You

Remember how we referred to a “second brain?” That’s where the microbiome becomes more and more interesting for your overall health goals. The gut-brain axis is a two-way line of communication within your body between your brain and gut (at least they made the name easy to remember).

Each one can affect the other — for better or for worse. When your gut bacteria is out of whack, the signals that get relayed back up to your brain might cause or worsen anxiety or mood disorders, including depression. And stress—you know, what you feel when you’ve got looming deadlines or worries about paying the bills—can impact your gut microbiota negatively, and shift it in a less-than-favorable direction

Gut Dysbiosis describes what happens when you have an imbalance of gut bacteria favoring the more pathogenic (potentially harmful) microorganisms. This sort of imbalance is associated with a number of different problems including digestive disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Those can manifest in many different ways, from consistent abdominal pain or diarrhea, fatigue or weight loss. Some skin problems like rosacea can potentially be linked to gut health issues. These types of medical issues will be much easier to notice, so don’t freak out or believe people that want to sell you expensive supplements or cleanses. As always, if you are worried about a medical condition, see a doctor and have the problem diagnosed.

While current research is still developing and learning about the many roles that gut bacteria play in our body, here are some of the things that we do know — and what you can do about it.

How Your Body Processes Calories and Nutrients: There’s growing evidence that shows your gut bacteria impact what you’re able to extract from your food, both in terms of the total number of calories absorbed and the nutrients you take in—and even in determining how much food you want to eat.

There are a number of complex mechanisms that make this possible, so here’s one example of how your microbiome affects energy balance: Gut bacteria break down previously undigested carbohydrates called polysaccharides into smaller bits known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). When your body’s fat cells sense an increase in SCFAs, they release a hormone called leptin, which essentially sends a signal to the brain that says “We’re full, thanks. You can lay off the nachos.” This is a good thing. But, if you’re not releasing enough SCFA because of a break in your microbiome, then the opposite can happen and you never feel full.

This is part of the reason why some researchers believe there’s a strong link between the condition of the gut and obesity. There’s even some research showing that obese and non-obese people have differing levels of bacteria. (It’s worth noting, however, that no one is suggesting that your microbiome is the only factor causing obesity. Diet and exercise matter, and, certainly, also impact that healthy — and unhealthy — bacteria in your body.)

What Foods You Want to Eat: While most people chalk up their cravings to willpower (this is something that’s repeatedly proven to be incorrect), many researchers now believe that your gut bacteria might be manipulating you “like microscopic puppetmasters” to get what they want.

There is an internal battle in your microbiome where different bacteria in your digestive system are constantly competing for resources (food). Here’s where it gets crazy: these bacteria can create food cravings or generate feelings of dissatisfaction (mood) that can be alleviated by consuming the foods that benefit them. And it can work for good or bad. Your body might be telling you to eat more protein (yay!) or it could be pushing you for endless amounts of sugar (aw shit!). There are four main mechanisms that play a role in this ongoing battle:

1. Microbes (just a fancy name for the bacteria in your stomach) could alter your taste receptors, making certain foods taste better. (And no, they aren’t working to make you like broccoli. Bad-news bugs thrive on bad-news fuel sources like those high in sugar.)
2. Microbes could release toxins that can affect mood negatively, which can make you want to eat.
3. Microbes could influence whether or not you find certain foods rewarding. (That happens by influencing an important part of the endocrine system known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.)
4. Microbes could “hijack” the vagus nerve, which is a major signaling pathway within the body.

Your Immune System: Your gut bacteria can assist your immune system by preventing potentially harmful pathogens from entering into the digestive system. You can think of the good bacteria as bouncers setting up velvet ropes along the walls of your intestines. They won’t let bad bacteria ruin the party. This helps protect the intestines against inflammation and prevents pathogenic bacteria from forming colonies.

What’s “Good” or “Bad” for Your Gut Health?

The colonization and development of your gut bacteria began at your birth and continues to evolve throughout your life. Some of the things that can adversely affect the microbial diversity in your gut include:

Antibiotics. Let’s be clear: We are not advocating against antibiotics. They can be potentially lifesaving drugs that absolutely have a time and a place for use. Antibiotics, however, indiscriminately kill the microbes in your body, which can lead to a disturbance of gut flora that you will need to work to rebalance and improve. The takeaway: Save the antibiotics for when you’re really sick. (But when a doctor says take them, take ‘em.)

Stress. Stress comes in many shapes and forms, but, on a basic level, stress is anything that removes your body from homeostasis or equilibrium. That stress can be psychological (worry, anxiety), physical (sleep deprivation is a physiological stressor that can negatively impact your gut bacteria), to social (feeling like a “loser”). All of them can disrupt the composition, diversity, and number of microorganisms in your digestive tract.

(Too Many) Processed Foods. A high-fat, sugar-rich diet feeds the pathogenic bacteria in your gut. Note that eating some sugar, or processed food here or there, isn’t a problem (We’ve discussed the overblown fear of sugar). It becomes problematic when you eat too much of them, combined with too little fiber — and most Americans get far less than the recommended 25 grams of fiber per day.

Diets that are high in processed foods, and low in fiber, have been shown to wreak havoc on gut microbes in trials in mice. Obviously, mice aren’t human, but similar results have occurred regularly enough that Dr. Justin Sonnenburg, an associate professor of microbiology at Stanford University, says simply: “It’s now evident that everybody should be eating more dietary fiber.”

Can You Test Your Microbiome?

Where there is a health problem, you can usually find a business offering a solution. This is not necessarily a bad thing (we all need cures to problems), but sometimes business interests come before practical applications. In other words: people are happy to sell you something based on theory and not on proof.

There are many new tests that claim to give you insight into your microbiome (most involve you sending your poop to a lab, so don’t be surprised when that’s the request). The problem: you will provide science with more (much needed) data…but it won’t really help you get more answers.

As discussed in a recent New York Times article (that we highly recommend), here are a few important takeaways about the big limitations of personalized microbiome testing:

• “It’s not ready for prime time.” (referring to personalized microbiome testing) -Dr. Rashmi Sinha, a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute 
• “You’ll get an enormous amount of data that is basically uninterpretable,” -Dr. Martin J. Blaser, director of the Human Microbiome Program at New York University, though he added, “there are people who will be very happy to take your money and tell you they can interpret it.”
• “What you can do with the information at the moment is limited. It’s very much a science project, not a diagnostic test.” – Dr. Rob Knight, director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation at the University of California, San Diego

Translation: we know the microbiome is important, but interpreting your microbiome, knowing what will or won’t have and impact, and how those changes will help your health is all still being investigated.

While that doesn’t help you figure out if you have a healthy (or unhealthy microbiome), it’s good to know that if you spend your money on any “microbiome services” it’s not likely your best use of money. The value from these tests will come with time and more clarity and understanding. But that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your microbiome.

How You Can Improve Your Gut Health

The good news is many basic practices that are good for your body are also good for your gut health. While you can’t assess those changes directly, there’s enough evidence to suggest that the recommendations below are good general practices for a healthy microbiome.

• Eat more fiber. We’re not trying to beat a dead horse, but carbohydrates and fiber are the most important sources of energy for the beneficial bacteria living in your colon. The fermentation of carbs and fiber in your digestive system helps lower its pH and therefore helps limit the bad bacteria. So you’d do well to consume more fiber-rich foods like:
  • Fruits such as raspberries (8 grams of fiber per cup), apples (4.4 grams per medium-sized piece), bananas (3.1 grams), oranges (3.1 grams), and strawberries (3.0 grams per cup)
  • Vegetables such as peas (8.1 grams of fiber per cup), broccoli (5.1 grams). Brussels sprouts (4.4 grams), corn (3.6 grams), or a baked potato (2.9 grams)
  • Grains such as barley (6 grams per cup), oats (4 grams) or brown rice (3.5 grams). Whole-wheat spaghetti has 6.3 grams of fiber.
  • Beans, whether they’re black, kidney, pinto, or you-name-it, are glorious sources of fiber. A cup of any one of them will give you a double-digit dose of fiber.
  • Nuts, especially almonds (3.5 grams per ounce, or about 23 nuts), pistachios (2.9 grams) and pecans (2.7 grams).
• Cook more at home. Research shows that food eaten away from home tends to have less fiber on a per-calorie basis. Pressed for time? This approach to meal prep may help you simplify things and get more done in less time.
• Eat fermented foods that contain probiotic bacteria, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut or kimchi.
• Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep. Having trouble getting to sleep? Here are some non-obvious solutions you may want to try.
• Try to keep your stress levels in check. (Obviously, easier said than done, but something like meditation or journaling might help.)

READ MORE: 

Wheat Belly Deception: Understanding Wheat, Insulin, and Fat Loss

Healthy Fat: Which Foods Should You Really Be Eating?

The Foods That Fight Inflammation

The post How Gut Health Affects Your Health, Weight Loss, and Mood appeared first on Born Fitness.

They are the fuel to living a better life, but they are not the engine.
In other words, good nutrition and an effective exercise plan help and are necessary, but ultimately they are both just pieces of the puzzle.

And without an extra element, only focusing on those two aspects are why so many people struggle even when they receive the best guidance.

In a world of click-bait articles, 5 steps to abs, and super food diets, the missing piece is what’s in your head and in your heart.

This isn’t a sentiment designed to make you go “Awwwww.” It’s a reality we all need to take time to digest and accept if we truly want to maximize our potential.

I’ve gone from battling an overweight childhood to trying to deadlift 500+ pounds.
I’ve worked with cancer survivors, people trying to lose hundreds of pounds, and professional athletes and bodybuilders.
And I’ve received thousands of emails from people around the world documenting their struggle.

The battle for them all, myself included: finding peace of mind in our hearts and heads about who we are, who we want to be, and what will make us happy.

This is the real health battle.

Many of us carry scars from the past: whether it’s relationships, internal struggles, or lack of control over situations that play a big role in our lives, both directly and indirectly related to our mind and body.

All of this uncertainty and instability impacts our ability to be healthy.

I can trace every long term “success” story not to perfection, but rather internal happiness that allows for focus and tenacity, and removes the many of the restrictions that lead to stress, disordered eating, and misguided approaches to health and fitness.

I am not a doctor or a psychologist. But I am a person who understands that resolving internal conflicts is the best way to take on life with a relentless passion that can make you feel unstoppable.

You want better health? Identify your insecurities, unresolved conflicts, or roadblocks that seem immovable. Don’t fear weakness. Instead, embrace it, own it, and conquer it.

A clear mind and a strong heart will do much more for your health and life than any perfect diet or workout.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Your Diet and Exercise Plan Is Not Working. Here’s Why. appeared first on Born Fitness.

What does it all mean?

I’m human. I’m flawed. I have insecurities (Yes, even as a guy). And I’m not perfect. And sometimes I’m just really hard on myself because I know I can be better.

But you know what? I no longer let these fleeting moments bother me because I can put them in context and not let them overwhelm me.

We all have bad days. Sometimes we all feel bad about ourselves even when we have NO reason to do so. I wish it never happened, but the way to lessen those tough moments is to create a better context of “health.”

One of the bigger problems in this industry is that we have too many details to worry about that we lose sight of what really matters. We stress over all the small things and, in doing so, living a “healthy life” feels like a burden.

The outcome: we either reject the healthy behaviors or become obsessed to the point that it controls other areas of our lives.

Life happens. Breathe. Enjoy. Go with it. Don’t set your standard at perfection.

The end game is not mastering diet and exercise or making it everything in your life. It’s understanding how it should play a part in your happiness and making sure you can experience the type of life you want.

Your fitness or nutrition plan should have two priorities:

1. Make you happy
2. Be sustainable and designed for the long run.

It’s up to you to determine what that looks like. Whether it’s training 5 days a week and working until you can see your abs, or just being healthy enough to play with your kids and feel good in your own skin.

You want to be healthy? Start by simplifying your approach and making it easier for you to succeed.

And that means not letting the bad days crush you. They happen to us all.  You’re not alone. You’re not lazy. And you’re not a bad person.

Life happens. Your job isn’t to control it all. It’s to live and enjoy.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Life Happens appeared first on Born Fitness.

Stare only at my biceps and wide back and tell me I have nothing to add to this meeting.

Judge the protein shakes at my desk, and label me a freak as I order healthy items off a menu.

Call me a meathead and a moron and misunderstand my interests and intent.

But be sure to say goodnight when you clock out for the day and I’m still working on me, my family, my job, and becoming better.

Look at me.

You see the fat hanging over my pants, my oversized clothing, and the sweat pouring from my body.

You watch me eat, stare at my body, and whisper things in your friend’s ear that I probably don’t want to hear.

Call me lazy and unhealthy. Tell me I’m disgusting to my face.

But make sure you’re at the gym with me at 5 am every morning to see me working twice as hard as everyone else. Watch me in my environment with people who don’t judge, so you can see my weight doesn’t prevent me from bringing joy and happiness to this world.

Look at me.

You say you can’t see me because I’m too thin. That I have no “meat on my bones.”

You call me sickly and gross and suggest I stop starving myself.

You bump me in passing, but ignore me when we’re alone.

But make sure you actually eat with me and see that I’m staying nourished and doing what I can. Stand with me as I learn to love my body for what it is, and not what’s beyond my control.

Go ahead, look at me.

Take your time and don’t just use your eyes.

I’m not hiding and not embarrassed of who I am.

But before you turn away, make sure you take note of everything you can’t see.

That’s me. The real me. I’m not defined by size, shape, or body type.

You look at my appearance, but you don’t see who I am. What you’re missing is real life, real people, and a chance to improve this world.

And if your vision is too blind to see that reality, make sure you take one more look: this time at yourself.

Then ask one question: who are you?

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Look At Me appeared first on Born Fitness.

I recently bought this car after trading in my silver Xterra. I loved that car so much that it was my ride for the last 7 years. The car represented me well. Noticeable, but not imposing. Powerful, but not overwhelming. Always immaculate on the outside, but ridiculously un-organized and dirty on the interior. (If you’ve seen my office, it all makes sense.)

I’d wanted to get rid of the car for the last 3 years, but I couldn’t despite having the type of flaw that would always catch my eye.

My old car hid a scar.

Like most damaging aspects of life, the mark on the car wasn’t noticeable to most. But if you knew what to look for—or even knew you were looking for damage—the problem had spotlights beaming on it.

And no matter how hard I tried to look away, it was like a car wreck—literally. My eyes drawn to the fist-sized indentation right below the passenger-side handle. And every time I saw the damage, it tugged at my emotional catheter. The dent was a memory, an enemy, and my friend all in one. And because of that, I held on to the car, at least until I was ready to remove the dent.

The Dent

About 3 years ago, right after I moved to California I was in a huge argument with my wife. We were in an empty parking lot with both of our cars. I can’t remember why, but we both drove separately and it was now time to go home.

I couldn’t tell you what the argument was about. I have no idea. In long-term relationships most fights are about nothing; stupid bickering that tends to start from miscommunication, misunderstanding, or the fact that sometimes everything my wife says sounds like French…and I don’t speak French.

But here’s the thing, I rarely get upset and hardly show a temper. When I was young, I’d have outbursts and break pencils. That was my thing. I’d snap pencils in half. I’m pretty sure my mom was terrified I had some sort of anger issues that would only show up if I had a pencil in my hand or a tennis racket. Because I would throw those John McEnroe style. Call it teen pre-teen angst.

But as I grew older, I settled into a calmness and happiness that I’d wish for all. I don’t get angry, and I hardly ever stress. My resting heart rate is 36 beats per minute. That’s not a typo. My heart beats 36 times more than a dead person, as my doctor loves to joke.

But on this day, I was fired up. All I know is that it wasn’t this argument that had me heated. It was other arguments. Unresolved baggage that was begging to bust open and spill my clothes all over the terminal in the most ugly of fashions.

My wife was in her car talking through the window, and I was just standing in the lot like some idiot. The little angel that appears on my shoulder was saying, “Walk to your car. Walk to your car.” Instead, I exploded. The childish version of myself made a cameo, only I didn’t have a pencil to break or a tennis racket to hurl.

So I walked away from my wife and turned toward the only object that made sense: My pristine silver Xterra, with it’s smooth siding looking more punching bag that protective layering. I loaded my back foot just like my grandfather (a former Golden Gloves boxer) taught me, and hurtled every pound of pressure towards the passenger side door in an anger-releasing punch.

I honestly don’t remember what happened after that. Probably more yelling and then each of us driving home in our cars.

I remember driving home and then jumping into my wife’s car in the garage and apologizing. The short ride home gave me clarity and returned me to my normal non-Hulk-like manner.

I hugged my wife, exited the car and then walked towards the door. But on the way, I had to walk by the passenger side of my car. And there is was.

The dent.

The shiny perfect siding was no more. I made my car pay and it showed.

As we walked upstairs I joked with my wife about how—while very childish—the dent was pretty impressive. I thought, “Wow, I punched a hole in my car.” Little did I know how much one dent could change everything.

Anger: The Unsuspecting Toxin

The way our garage was set up, I had to walk by the passenger side of my car every day. And each time I did I saw the dent and it weighed on me more and more.

I went from thinking, “I did that!” to “I did that?”

At first I was upset with my outburst and lack of control. Both a manifestation of what happened.

The real problem wasn’t so much my reaction (which was uncharacteristic) but more what caused the outburst: me holding on to anger.

And in the most awakening of ways, the dent showed me exactly what happens when you hold on to anger. It causes damage. And sometimes that damage is permanent.

It doesn’t take a dent in a car—which is clearly visible—to see the imprints of anger all over your life.

You can disrespect people and treat them inappropriately.

You can turn inwards and not take care of yourself.

You can even hurt the people you love most in life.

Do you have reasons to be upset, hurt, or in a bad mood? Always.

But nothing good will ever come out of holding on to anger and either turning it inwards or outwards.

Anger is poison. It will bruise your heart in the same fashion that I dented my car. And as much as you want to turn away, those marks stay and last.

Be Angry, Don’t Stay Angry

I held on to my car to the bitter end because I wanted a reminder to let go of anger. It helped me change and be happier. Even though I rarely was upset, I did hold on. Now I let go.

Which is exactly why I had to get rid of the car.

I talk all the time with my online clients who struggle with health and fitness about how we beat ourselves up for past failures. We are all our harshest critics. At times it’s good because it propels us forward. But there’s a line we cross where self-criticism becomes harmful. We don’t allow ourselves to see a better version because the prior mistakes cast a permanent shadow. Sometimes it progresses to the point where we are incapable of seeing our own success, but always dwell and magnify failure.

In letting go of the car I was not only acknowledging that I didn’t need the reminder, I was also accepting that I could change and didn’t need to be defined by any prior experience.

It doesn’t matter if it’s anger, weight loss, or success at your job. Letting go of our own self-hate is essential to reaching the ceilings of our potential.

Anger is a part of life. It’s easy to say, “Never let anything piss you off.” It’s also unrealistic.

When those moments of anger happen, you have to find a way to let it go. It’s ok to let go of anger, to forgive, let kindness into your heart, and not be mad.

We have far too many angry people who never realize how much their anger is holding them back, or never comprehend that the reason they don’t enjoy life as much as they should is that they are holding on to the toxic emotion.

When you keep that poison in your body there are only two choices: It will hurt you or it will hurt others. (Just ask my car.)

If you want to control your anger, you need to understand that there are certain things in life you can control and many more that you cannot.

Let go of all the things you can’t control. It’s a battle you’ll never win.

This is not about anger. That’s a reaction. Like a doctor hitting the sweet spot on your knee. It’s a reflex.

Every time something triggers your anger, ask yourself if it’s something you can control. If it’s beyond your control, you must find a way to let it go.

The first goal is to allow fewer things to bother you. Then start fighting fewer battles. And finally learn how to let it go.

When you fight, don’t be driven by anger. Instead, focus on recreating control and stability.

Eliminate the Dents: The Road To Happiness

Anger can be used for good. If you failed at your job, you can use anger to identify your weaknesses or errors and become better. If you let down a friend, let anger make you a better person.

But even then, don’t hold on to the anger. Let it be a catalyst to promote change, and then allow the positive emotions (becoming better, helping more) be what pushes you forward.

You don’t need to buy a new car to start fresh. But you do need to acknowledge that at every point in life, the punches we deliver will always be blows we take on ourselves.

Instead, take the fight elsewhere. Fewer punches. Fewer Dents. Then everything looks shiny and smooth. Just the way I like it.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post The Dent appeared first on Born Fitness.

I don’t know why I always timestamp my articles when I write, but this one seems especially meaningful now that I just glanced at the clock again and it’s 4:54 am and all I’ve written is: lkandfopinpoianqvaoperwnvopin

That’s 17 minutes of masterful prose from a New York Times best selling author. The thing is, I’m not suffering from “writer’s block.” I know exactly what I’m going to say, but I’m having trouble just letting go. So rather than think and try and structure this like a classy magazine article, I’m going to do what comes most natural and just write.

Find what works for you. Keep your eyes on the goal. And make sure that fitness is a part of your life, but not all of it.

I am you. Human. Busy. Tired. And occasionally wondering,

“When the hell am I going to find time for the gym.”

“Is it bad if I admit I’m too busy to work out?”

“Do I really have time to exercise and workout?” 

“If I skip a few days is it really that bad for my fitness and happiness?” 

I run a business and consult with very successful companies, help clients, and write books. I have a family. I’m married and I have responsibilities. None of these are complaints. They are realities.

I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life in the fitness industry. I wake up each day at 4:30 am ready to take on the day. And ready is probably an understatement. The early rising is both a choice and a necessity.

I do some of my best work in the morning when there are no distractions. I’ve also built a business that requires me to grind on both ends of the coast. I enjoy my job, love training hard, eating healthy, and doing everything that goes with being in the fitness industry. Which, in many ways, makes my job so much fun.

But that’s the thing: these days my job isn’t spent in the gym. I no longer work the gym floors and spend my hours between squat racks. Sure—I still train people and love it as much as anything I do, but I don’t live in the gym, despite what it might appear.

So when I tell people, I’ve been unable to make it to the gym they look at me as if something is wrong.

Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal. People go through times when they can’t train. It happens. It’s normal. And honestly, it’s healthy. You should never feel bad if you miss a gym day. But what happens when a day becomes 2 days, a week, a month, or even a year?

It happens all the time and one day we wake up and ask, “What happened? And who has been shrinking all of my pants?”

That’s where I’m at right now. (Ok, so my pants still fit just fine.) It’s 4:54 a.m. and I’m looking at my computer screen and asking, “What happened?”

The answer: Nothing bad, even if you’ve been told to feel that way.

The Myth of the Fool-Proof Fitness Strategy

This isn’t, “7 Ways to Make Sure You Never Miss a Workout.”

This is honesty and how to cope with situations when life gets real and you’re not sure how to react. Oftentimes we blame things like lack of support, drive, or laziness. And while these definitely can contribute to fitness failures, sometimes there’s nothing to blame.

The reality is I’ve rarely had a time when I’m more supported in my goals. About 6 weeks ago I started my Getting Shredded project. If you missed it, my wife issued me a fun challenge and I was eager to accept. I wrote about it, and then the outpouring was massive. Hundreds wanted to join my journey, so I built a community where I could answer questions each day and have people follow my program and receive diet help.

The Getting Shredded community has been one of my best “accidents.” The people in there are amazing, and their gratitude is incredibly fulfilling. Each day I read things like,

I also wanted to throw in a thanks for doing what you do. One thing I’ve learned along the way is that there is a lot of bad information out there. It’s good to know someone is trying to weed through all of the crap to really help people figure out what’s accurate and what’s not. -Carrie

The information and motivation on the site is unreal, really well done. Seems like these are these kind of people should be talking to each other. Really good forum man! –Garrett

I gotta say I love this program! Am getting leaner, down 4-5lbs already. Nutrition is great. The workouts are out of this world. I continue improving and am able to push myself a little bit further every time I train. I am super happy that I get the chance of asking such things and receiving the information directly from you. This is by far the most enjoyable form of programming I ever did. -Tim.

By the way, I appreciate all the work you’re putting into this program. I’m really enjoying it and learning a lot about. Not only about fitness, but about myself. Thanks for everything Adam. You’re doing a great job. –Gilbert

I could go on and on. I love the community and everyone in there and it allows me to fulfill a primary mission: Show people that with effective training (just 4 days per week) you can experience some great changes. The diet isn’t crazy, we eat dessert, and it’s just fun.

Best of all, every time I want to take a day off or don’t feel like training, I never want to let the community down. It’s all the accountability and support I need.

And for the first 4 weeks things couldn’t have gone better. I lost 2% body fat, didn’t lose any muscle, and was feeling incredible. I’ve been energized, sleeping well and showing no signs of burnout.

Then life happened.

A big work project started taking over my life. Then another company I consult with needed help. Then an article was due. And another. At first I was able to keep up with the rising demands and still meet my training goals, until it dawned on me that I hadn’t spent any time with my wife.

Something had to give and it was my fitness. I skipped a day. And then two. All the while I didn’t say anything to the community. I kept checking in, answering their questions, providing support, but not really saying anything about me.

In retrospect, it was the biggest mistake I could have made.

Busy Isn’t an Excuse. It’s Life.

It wasn’t that long ago that I used to say, “Being busy isn’t an excuse.” While my feelings have not changed, the meaning of that statement has. For those who know me, I don’t even use the “B” word. I hate it because it’s a crutch. It’s a ridiculous joke because we are all busy. Yep, each and everyone one of us.

Busy isn’t an excuse. It’s a reality. We get busy and sometimes something has to give.

When that happens we must choose our priorities and then make tough decisions. We are all the CEO of our lives, and sometimes we make decisions that aren’t perfect simply because no option fulfills all of our needs.

In my case I had a choice: Gym or the Queen of Born Fitness.

I will always choose my wife over the gym.

In this scenario, my work could not be pushed aside. Everything I put my name on is a representation of me, so I can’t do anything other than push harder and give more than anyone expects. That’s my formula for success.

That meant my fitness had to suffer. In my mind I didn’t think I was letting down the people working hard because I thought I was selflessly putting their needs first by still checking in each day, providing the workouts, and offering my help.

But as more days passed when I wasn’t in the gym, the more I realized my apparent selfless acts were selfish and potentially harmful.

I was hiding my own inactivity as if there was something to be ashamed of when in reality I should have been sharing my mindset and embracing it for all to see. And for that I feel bad and upset I didn’t act sooner.

Ten years ago I used to beat myself up when fitness wasn’t priority #1. I had to make it to the gym. Had to obsess over foods. And had to control everything. And when I lost control I felt bad.

Now? It’s different. These last 2 weeks have not bothered me other than the fact that I didn’t share this sooner. And that’s really why I’m writing this now.

When life happens, you must make the decisions that allow you to move forward happily and comfortably. It requires you to be aware of your state in life.

If your health is in dire situations or you are very much overweight, then your fitness and nutrition isn’t something that should ever be pushed aside.

But there will always be situations where something as important as fitness might have to take a back seat—as long as the ride is short.

The Too Busy Solution

I’m back now. I’m refocused. My plate is less full. And my life can return to its normal balance. I can already feel the anticipation of my next gym session.

I’m not upset for missing time. I’m just frustrated that I felt embarrassed to open up and let people know it’s ok to take a detour to your goals.

And maybe that’s the biggest, most important lesson of all: As long as you ensure that health and fitness is a priority (a real one with a commitment), then timing doesn’t matter.

That’s the foundation of #BeTheChange: Find what works for you. Keep your eyes on the goal. And make sure that fitness is a part of your life, but not all of it.

Life isn’t a book of 4- or 6-week promises and “get back in shape goals.” It’s a never-ending novel that we can keep rewriting in so many awesome ways.

I was busy. It happened. And I won’t let it bother me or make me feel bad. I’m going to go hit the gym now and act as if I never missed a day. Because you know what? In the grand scheme of things, it’s almost as if I never did.

Want Help Finding Your Fitness Freedom?

It’s not about me. It’s about your goals and making sure coaching is right for you. If you’re looking for diet and fitness help, online coaching might be what you need.

Learn more about Born Fitness online coaching.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Are You Too Busy to Work Out? Me Too. appeared first on Born Fitness.

Not just “New Year’s resolutions,” but any commitment to change. It wasn’t that long ago when vowing to become better, finding the areas of your life that needed improvement, and creating a sense of optimism was met with acceptance.

But there’s a shift occurring. Somewhere along the way, those who use January 1 as “National Goal Setting Day” were criticized for a variety of reasons. Instead of encouraging people for their efforts, the sentiment became, “You shouldn’t need a day to motivate you to become better. You should be inspired every day.”

To that, I have a simple response: Who cares?

Who cares what motivates someone to change—as long as they are motivated. What difference does it make if you set your goals on January 1, July 22^nd, or every third Wednesday of the month? If you like setting resolutions and it makes you feel better, then do it.

The real issue isn’t about a desire to change — it’s why you oftentimes fall short of your goals.

Every year millions set resolutions and fail. Or sign up for personal training and can’t lose weight. Many others dream of a better job and end up stuck in the same position. Write the script however you want, but many are unfulfilled and looking for an explanation.

Out of frustration, we try to create reasons for the failure.

Maybe resolutions are the problem. If so many people do them, maybe they should be eliminated.

I’m not for or against resolutions. I’m a supporter of doing whatever works for you.

Finding that sweet spot is less about putting labels on a solution, and much more about understanding the right questions to ask so that you can figure out the answers you need. Or in this case, understanding how your approach to change is oftentimes flawed.

Fear Factor

There’s a reason you read articles like the one you see here.

And it’s not self-improvement.

It’s curiosity. And maybe more accurately fear.

It’s not that you’re fearful that you’re not becoming better; you’re worried that there’s something you’re not doing that you should be.

People fail not because they lack the desire or ability to succeed. But oftentimes they suffer from what is called “ego depletion.” In other words: mental fatigue. I’ve written before about the importance of willpower and how it’s a real thing.

Our struggles are tied to a lack of control. And that control results from an overwhelming number of urges in life. Each one drains your willpower a little more and leaves you with little to get the job done.

So your job is not so much “identify the goal” (such as lose weight), but find ways to become more honest with yourself and narrow the focus of what you really need to work on.

Go Slow to Go Fast

There are probably one thousand ways to write a “Make your life better” article.  You can start with a quote. You can create a list. You can even build a flow chart or an infographic to visually inspire.

I’ve tried many of these before. Some with success. Others without. And most—like all things in life—with mixed reviews.

But maybe the most direct way to do it is to show it from my own eyes.

Every year I work with dozens of people one-on-one to help them reshape their lives and gain more control. They let me into their lives. Make me their family member. Their brother. Their friend. Their trainer and therapist and bartender. Whatever it takes.

I listen. And learn. And watch them change me.

The more you work with people the more you learn exactly how to help them. Sometimes they need information, other times they need inspiration (as in they need to believe that the info/lesson applies to them), and the other category is direction.

This is where we need more help. Less time saying “Do exactly this” and more time saying, “Find how this applies to your life.”

You don’t need me to tell you that you must love your life. You know that. And you don’t need me to tell you how to live your life.

Your life is your own. My life is mine. And neither is better than the other. Each is distinct and handcrafted. So instead of telling you what to do, which only adds more mental fatigue and sucks up the willpower, it’s more important to give you tools and options that you can use to simplify your approach.

Tomorrow starts today

I truly believe that the people who are able to write their own script are the ones that learn the most—in both successes and failures—and can become better, stronger, and create the life they want.

Only you can carry your torch, but sometimes you need a match to see the paths a little more clearly.

With that in mind, here are 5 options of what you can do to be the change. It doesn’t matter if it’s to start a new year or at any time you feel you need a kick-start. Search for these answers and use these questions to narrow what is missing in your life. Then apply in small pieces. You don’t have to make these changes all at once. Focus and take an aggressive approach that puts you in control. Once that happens, then the changes are more likely to occur.

Life Changer #1: Do something you used to love

People talk all the time about how much more children smile than adults. It’s natural because as a child you don’t have any stress. But as children, we also care less about what others think and simply do things because they are enjoyable.

That simplicity of doing something just because is an asset found in some of the happiest people in the world.

Stanford psychologist found that the perception of control over enjoyable activities in life is important to fulfillment. In other words: You should be doing things you like because you like them. There doesn’t have to be a reason or a purpose, and you shouldn’t have to give an excuse.

So think about what you used to enjoy and explore the reasons why you stopped it. Many times there was no good reason at all, and it might be a great time to turn back the clock as you move forward.

Life Changer #2: Ask, “What have I wanted to do that I keep avoiding?”

Most people’s lives are filled with routines. Wake up, make meals for yourself and/or your children, go to work, maybe talk with some friends, eat dinner, sleep, and repeat.

There’s nothing wrong with these patterns but they limit your ability to find missing pieces. Sometimes we become so focused on what we are doing wrong that we fail to consider we might be doing everything right—but that certain elements are missing that could make us happier.

Not only does this remove some pressure of searching for things that are wrong, it will open you up to new experiences that you may have never realized were central to your happiness.

Life Changer #3: Reassess…and then try again

For the past 6 years, I’ve been missing something that I love: teaching. So after years of saying, “I’ll do it next year” I finally jumped back into education by teaching an online course for a university.

It was great being able to teach again—but it did it not go according to plan. Not even close. There were many reasons why I didn’t succeed, and the easy answer could have been, “I suck.” (I’m sure many of my students might think that’s the case)

But I read all the bad reviews. Talked with my supervisor about what I could have done better. I rewatched every lecture (they were online and recorded), and made a list of everything I would improve and could have done better.

My approach was focused: No excuses. No finger pointing. And most importantly no quitting just because things didn’t go the way I had hoped.

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it 100 times: Failure is oftentimes a part of success. Sometimes, it might even be necessary for success. But the great ones don’t let their struggles tear them done—they use them to build back stronger.

Next time you face a moment where you didn’t meet your goals, don’t chalk it up to a loss.

In life, there is always another quarter if you choose to stay in the game. And if you make the right adjustments, odds are you will win.

Life Changer #4: Ask a Friend for Criticism

This is something I’ve learned from writing books. When you’re so close to a project (such as your own life) oftentimes it’s hard to see what’s missing and the areas that need the most improvement. Just like training a muscle, we oftentimes do more of what we love and avoid what we really need.

In an ideal world, your friends will call you out when you need help. But sometimes your “problems” are not anything serious. So instead of waiting for someone to say something, you should take action and ask for a review. It’s like what you’d get in your job, but this comes from someone you definitely respect and trust.

Don’t take this as a bad thing, and don’t get angry at your friend for what they might say.

Remember: criticism is not a way to make you feel bad. It is a guide to help you become better.

Life Change #5: Give More

A close friend of mine was recently feeling frustrated with his job because he was working in an environment that generated negativity. My friend watches as those at the top of the corporate ladder seemed to break all the laws of being a good person. He was left with two options: Embrace a “nice guys finish last” mentality or try and rage against the machine.

He chose door #2 and decided to be good and do well in spite of the negativity.

It’s a choice we’re oftentimes forced to face: We are oftentimes more aware of the bad in the world (even if it’s the minority), that it’s easy to wonder, “Will doing good really make a difference?”

It does. In a big way. Just like the commercials of paying it forward, we are a society of observational learners. When we see people do “bad” and get ahead it reinforces a belief that we can do the same. But the opposite is also true. When you do good, other people see it. Even if they don’t mention it, they see it and it inspires them to do the same.

How does giving more make your life better? Giving is the ultimate test of passion. When you do something with no expectation in return, you easily find what fuels you. (And conversely, what doesn’t.) You also learn about your ability to communicate, lead, and follow tasks that might be outside of your comfort zone.

All of these are valuable but oftentimes they are learned in a pressure situation, like your job. When you can build capabilities in a less stressful situation (such as when you’re volunteering your time), you remove many of those barriers and grow as a person in ways you would never expect. Many of my best lessons in leadership came not from running a company but while tutoring inner-city children during my spare time.

Not to mention, if we all gave more—whether to charity, your friends or family, or a complete stranger—we would inspire others to do the same. You can give money, offer help, or just ask someone how they are doing and if you can help out. If more people decided to make this a priority, it would create an army of people all united by one cause: to help others.

It’s so simple but it’s effective. Give to one. And that one could be the spark that not only pushes you but also helps many.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post 4 Ways to Become Better appeared first on Born Fitness.

Five minutes are spent making a list of everything I’m thankful for—but none can be material objects. This is not a list of what I’ve earned; it’s about the things that have unlimited value.

The next 10 minutes are dedicated to a different list—one that identifies how I will take charge, knock down doors, and bite into life with a passion that was greater than the previous day.

The goal is to just push yourself. Because when you push yourself, good things happen.

One is a gratitude list. The other is about goals and lighting a fire in my belly that will fuel me throughout the day. It’s my pregame speech. Mickey yelling at me to work harder and not be a bum. Pacino telling me about Any Given Sunday. And I do it every day.

I realize that some people aren’t wired like me, but I don’t think my habits are unique. They are fueled and inspired by something else—my time in the gym. While my business revolves around the fitness industry and includes training, most of what I do happens outside the gym.

And yet, so much of what I learn in the gym and accomplish in life is made possible by my willingness to challenge myself to become better every time I train. I wrote in Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha that “success breeds success.” We are creatures of reinforcement. Find something you can succeed at, and then use that help you believe that you can succeed at other tasks. That’s the real reason I enjoy working out.

It’s not about the six-pack abs or looking good in the mirror. It’s about another form of confidence: The type you have in yourself to take on life, accomplish your goals, and feel good.

If this is something you’re seeking, take the next two minutes and read this incredible article by Jim Smith. The first time I read it I was amazed. It takes you in one direction and then completely surprises you, yet leaves you feeling inspired and excited to take on a new challenge. If you’re looking for more energy or just some instant motivation, let Smitty’s words be your charge. -Born

Beyond Training

By Jim Smith

I’ve always loved training.

Even from the very first time I picked up a weight as a scrawny 15 year old wrestler, I knew it was something I would do for the rest of my life.

I loved how training made me feel and I loved finding out how hard I could really push myself.  I never knew then that training would help me find my calling as a coach or that I would be helping others reach their goals in the gym and on the field, but that is exactly what happened.

Training has become a way of life for me over the last 25 years.

Being the Best?

Over the years, I’ve developed the mindset that whatever you do, you should try to do your very best and try to be the very best.

But it hasn’t always been an easy road.

One funny story that I’ve never told is about the very first time I benched pressed.  It was at the high school and my wrestling team was working out.  They started with quarters on the bar – or 95 lbs – and I got crushed!  I was so confused.  I grew up on a farm and I threw 50-75 lb hay bales around every summer and I thought I was strong; even though I weighed in at a whopping 95 lbs soaking wet.

It was at that point that I vowed to start training on a regular basis, and I haven’t stopped in all of these years.

One of the biggest problems I had early on was always comparing myself to what others were lifting.  This caused me to go too heavy on lifts where my form wasn’t great in the first place.  Yes, I got injured, but because I was young, I bounced back quickly.

It took time but I slowly learned that I didn’t have to beat anyone else in the gym, I just had to conquer myself.  Training changed my mindset.  It stopped being about getting through the workout that was on a piece of paper or comparing myself to others, and became a challenge that I had to face every time I stepped into the gym.  And no matter what the challenge, I wasn’t going to break.

I had to smash down the self-imposed limitations in my mind around what I was capable of doing and training did that for me.  The weights became inconsequential and my effort became my focus.

Become Unbeatable

Hitting a max effort rep on the bench isn’t about the actual rep.  It is about the doubt creeps into your mind when you unrack the bar, refocusing your mind, intensifying your will, harnessing your strength and going down with the weight and grinding the bar back to lockout with everything you have.

That is training.

That is life.

Resolving in your mind that you will give nothing but your absolute best in the face of any struggle.  Throwing down a last set of squats and saying f*ck it and dropping the weight 50% and crushing a set of 50 reps to finish off.  Going outside after heavy deadlifts and pushing the prowler around the building on a hot day when the pavement feels like glue; until blood shoots out of your eyes.  Hitting dumbbell bench until your chest explodes, not for 3 sets of 8 reps, but for 100 reps in the fewest sets possible.

I no longer try and keep up with anyone and their numbers.  I use others who are stronger than me to inspire (not compare myself against) me to push harder in my own training.  Thinking of Jim Wendler hitting squats or John Meadows crushing his insane workouts humble me to go further; further in my mind.

Because I know the harder I push myself in training, the easier and simpler life becomes.  I can brush off everyday obstacles and keep driving forward.

That is the mindset of a successful person and of a champion.  No matter the task, no matter the struggle, they will overcome through relentlessness and consistency.

At some point in your life you really have to find out what you’re made of and training might also be that path for you.

I did a SEALFIT challenge last year and it was one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had in my life.  I trained for six months prior to the event and gave it everything I had.

Did I dominate the challenge?

No, it crushed me.

But it taught me the mind is powerful and we have to develop it every day.  And your mind will be there when your body gives up.  Every next step, next breath, next rep – can become a small victory.  And when you add up all of those small victories, you achieve greatness.  As long as you never stop moving, you will get to the end.

SEALFIT became another victory that I could use when life smacked me in the face and I’ve used this strength to go further in my mind, my training and my life.

Finding Yourself

Getting outside of the typical workout schemes can help you push the limits in your training.  A few ways that I’ve found that work best for me is including different high-itensity training protocols into my workouts.  Training that includes heavy dropsets, rest-pause training, slow eccentrics, and high volume sets, can take your strength, muscle mass, and mindset to new levels.

It really doesn’t matter which one you use.  The goal is to just push yourself. Because when you push yourself, good things happen.

The idea is to find yourself and create or rebuild the person who you’ve been hiding away.  You will be free to be yourself and be able to show up for those who really count on you in a big way.  Society has a way of lulling people into complacency and giving them feelings of “I’m not good enough” or hopelessness.

Screw that!

Never feel sorry for yourself and never let others give you your self-worth.  Your life can change in an instant and it all starts with changing your mindset.  You can change who you are today in an instant when you decide ‘enough is enough.’

Motivation and More

Looking for the answers to your fitness questions? Sign up for the Born Fitness newsletter. Free information, motivation, and other cool words that end with “tion” sent to you without any of the confusion or double talk. Join the #BeTheChange movement. Sign up below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim is a proud Dad, strength coach, and entrepreneur.  Co-author of the best selling Athletic Development Training system and co-founder of the CPPS certification for coaches, Jim has been recognized as one of the ‘most innovative coaches’ in the fitness industry.  Jim is regularly featured in Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Beyond Training: Mastering Motivation appeared first on Born Fitness.

One of the most common (and popular) cover lines for health magazines is, “Get Back in Shape.” It’s popular because it works. When those words appear on the front of a magazine, more copies are purchased.

It would seem these words translate well because, at some point, we’re all just trying to recapture what we once had, thought we had, or always desperately wanted.

Getting back in shape comes down to many steps. But oftentimes when end up stressing many unnecessary details, making a simple solution complex [for example, check out my new blog on “The Myth of Workout Nutrition”] and losing the war before the battle even begins.

I prefer a simpler model because it works. And before you start stressing the details you first need to decide: Am I a loser or a gainer?

This has nothing to do with fat loss or the ability to pack on strength and muscle. And this also isn’t an issue of gender, hormones, or caloric intake. This is about change mentality.

I’m not talking about some new-age spirituality. This is a basic mindset approach that is invaluable to emphasizing what really matters. Your success with any program depends on whether you are focusing on what you are gaining from your efforts to improve your health or if you focus on what you are losing.

Are you worrying about how you’ll be able to eat pasta fewer nights per week or focusing on how getting back in shape will improve your overall health, teach you to control more elements of your life, and ultimately allow you to eat more pasta consistently for the rest of your life?

Are you complaining about exercise, or rejoicing that the work you do now will help you living longer, potentially play a role in making you more money, improving the way you look and feel, and enabling you to fight off disease?

This is change mentality. This is the difference maker. This is how you really get back in shape. You focus on the good and silence the short-term difficulties or struggles that are part of the process.

If you only emphasize what you will lose, you will continue to have a lesser life in every way possible. Commit to change and become a gainer. Remind yourself every single day if necessary. And the process will become easier. The reward will become greater. And your plan will result in success.

It’s just the first step. But it’s the most important one you’ll take on your way to getting back in shape.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post The Secret of Change appeared first on Born Fitness.

I used to wonder what it was like to go to a school party. I’d have those thoughts all the time because I’ve never been to one.

When I was in high school I never went to homecoming. Or the prom. Hell, I never went to any organized dance that didn’t include the words “Bar” and “Mitzvah” smashed together.

If you ask anyone from my high school, they might tell you they don’t remember me. In fact, I’ve seen people that I grew up with who have no recollection of my existence. Apparently, I just didn’t make much of an impact. Maybe it wasn’t my time, or maybe I was a late bloomer.

Whatever the explanation, I knew that the world around me—and the way others perceived me—wasn’t how I felt about myself inside. And yet, in many ways, I let the perception of others shape the world I lived in. And that, in turn, led me to question what I could do, what I could become, and what I would achieve.

Fast forward many years, and I was named one of the “50 Hottest Trainers,” according to SHAPE Magazine. It’s awesome to receive any type of praise, but it made me think about perception. Not the perception I have of myself or even what people from high school would think of me now. That doesn’t matter to me. I thought about your perception of me, and the path I took to get here.

You see, most of us believe that some people are just born successful…or good looking…or lucky and fortunate. We believe that this is a society of have’s- and have-nots. While it’s true that some might have an easier path, it doesn’t mean that you can’t create the type of existence you want.

Throughout high school, I never dated anyone. So it would have been easy to consider a loner, introvert, or even ugly. In my early and mid 20s, I didn’t make much money, and you could have considered me unsuccessful or without direction. And for much of my life, I struggled to understand why my own perception of myself differed from the one the world created for me.

I’m sharing this now not because I want you to feel bad for me. And it’s not because I want you to applaud me for turning things around. I’m telling you my story because it’s important for you to understand the power you have over your own life.

Why We Fail (And Why it’s Not a Bad Thing)

I’ve said this before in another story I wrote for Greatist, but I truly believe that my success and happiness is a byproduct of my failures. It wasn’t until I understood that my perceptions mattered more than the perceptions of others that I was able to take control of my life and start determining what I could achieve, and the difference I could make in this world.

The truth is, I’ve failed in every aspect of my life. I’ve been viewed as a loner, a loser, or someone that just wasn’t meant to succeed. The key word here is “viewed.” I never believed that, but I did allow it to prevent me from taking steps I should have taken or wanted to take.

At some point, I realized that the bumps and bruises might never end. So I could either accept that fate and what others thought of me, or start taking control, stop making excuses, and pushing towards what I wanted—no matter what.

If you take a brief look back, you’d see that I’ve fallen or been knocked down repeatedly:

• When I started lifting weights, I could barely bench press the bar. One time, I was even crushed underneath a whopping 65 pounds.
• For years I tried to gain muscle and become stronger—only to become skinnier and seemingly weaker.
• In relationships, I’ve failed many times. In fact, I was even engaged once before and watched that turn into one of the most miserable experiences of my life.
• When I wanted to become a journalist, I applied to 27 different jobs and received 27 rejections for 27 difference publications.
• When I applied for grad school, a certain program (and Pac 12 rival) told me, “You are an academic. You will never be able to write for the general population.”
• Once accepted into grad school I wanted to teach. The university told me no.
• Then, when in a grad school, I tried to get a job at the local paper. I was rejected…again.
• Even when I had some success and got a job at a major publication, I had multiple book ideas rejected and my superiors questioned if I had the talent to succeed.

This all led to a fundamental decision that changed my life.

The Happiness “F-word”

So what happened? I said, “F-it.”

No, not that “F.” I decided to flip it. Flip the perception. Flip the expectations. And flip the negativity and make it positive. The world can be a cold and dark place, but you can warm everything up if you choose to be happy, smile, and be the change. (Yeah, I lived in Boulder but I promise this isn’t some hippy mumbo-jumbo. It’s a truth too many people fail to accept.)

By flipping my perception I was able to:

• Work on my bench press to the point that I could press 315 pounds for reps.
• Transform from 130 pounds of skinny fat, to a solid 175 pounds. I never looked like a model, but I was happy with the work I put in and the results in delivered.
• Trade my failed engagement for a woman who appreciated me for me. And I couldn’t be happier or more grateful.
• Earn that teaching job. I flew to the school, and met with every professor possible to prove that I could teach. And I did.
• Fight for my first steady journalism gig. But I had to grind it out and work for free to have a chance. It all started with the rejection, and deciding to attend high school football games, write stories without assignments, and then force my way into an editor’s office and prove that I could do the job I didn’t have. It was aggressive, but it worked.
• Take the criticism of every editor and turn it inward; I focused on what I could improve, I sought out more people to learn from, and I decided to always be a student and focus on what I could do better. The result was much less complaining and a lot more success.

Finding Happiness, Motivation, and Success

I’m a firm believer that your destiny is not pre-determined. Your destiny is what you make of it. Whether you believe it or not, you choose what you become. You choose if hurdles stand in your way. And you can build the type of life you want.

Finding happiness is about setting out a course, having a vision, and never stopping. Detours occur. Goals may change. But the only “wrong” step is taking no steps at all.

Don’t take this as an overly optimistic view of the world. I know some hurdles might seem insurmountable. And that not every single goal can always be achieved. But most people don’t realize what is possible because they stop when one door is closed. Or they decide not to try when a wall seems too high or impossible to climb. We say, “I can’t have this.”

F-it. You can have it.

Your destiny is dependent on being true to yourself. It’s about looking deep within, deciding what you want to be, and then pursuing that goal as if nothing else in the world matters. Because you know what—nothing else does.

Your job is to be happy. So imagine what that happiness looks like, and then go after it.

What do you want to be? What change do you want to make? What do you want to accomplish?

These are the questions you should ask and the ends that you should pursue.

Whether you actually accomplish all of them is not the point. It might be your primary goal, but success and happiness are more likely to be achieved by pursuing the version of the life you want—and not the life that others create or typecast for you.

Our society is one of preconceived expectations. We put people in boxes, judge others, make perceptions, and then almost force people into a universe not of their own choice.

F-that.

Flip it. Don’t let the world define who you are and what you can become. I wanted more control over my life, so I started with my body. Once I discovered that I could control how I look and feel, then I found happiness in my ability to “be me.”

The more I was able to “be me,” the happier I became. The more I was able to shape my world, my destiny, and help people around me, the more I understood that success is not about reacting to everything. It’s not about seeing what others say or do and responding to it.

The world you want—one fueled by motivation and happiness—is for those that are proactive. For those that believe life has something better for them, and that goals and dreams can come true, as long as you don’t quit.

None of my goals ever had anything to do with being a “hot trainer.” It’s flattering, but I honestly couldn’t care less. And you know what? My goals didn’t include being a best-selling author, either. It all started with wanting to be fit, healthy and the best writer possible, while covering a topic I love. Everything else has been a result of following that dream and never losing sight of it, no matter what stood in my way.

Don’t believe what others say or think. Believe in what you can become. Believe in what you can do.

It will take you from a life of wondering to a life of living. And that might be the best party of all. Your invitation is waiting for you.

Taking the Next Step

If you want to know more about overcoming hurdles and improving your body, you can apply for a spot in my online coaching program where you work with me one-on-one to help you achieve your goals and find your happiness.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Finding Happiness appeared first on Born Fitness.