Become A Beast

Snacking is my personal diet killer and I'm sure it is for a lot of others. Some folks are great at turning down snacks. I crave and devour them. So, I've had to create environments that allow for the correct choices. In Episode 68 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I dive into ways you can improve the odd's of snacking properly. We want to stack the odd's in our favor best we can and addressing the environment of our snacks and the options is the go-to to succeed. Listen to today's episode for my strategies and start applying today. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

The numbers are the holy grail. I get that. However, when logging workouts, which I strongly advised doing on a regular basis, adding notes regarding how your are feeling, energy levels, life events on your workout log pre and post workout are extremely helpful. Why? Non-measurable aspects can help you understand and review why progress or regress may be working or occurred. There are days I don't feel like working out. There are days my son keeps me up all night. There are days I could workout for 4 hours straight. Noting these things can help me see patterns or outliers when reviewing results. Listen in to today's episode for more on how I suggest you log your workouts. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

What if I asked you to write a movie script of the best life possible? Now, what if I told you to live that script every day from here forward? Joe Rogan talks about that in Be the Hero of Your Own Movie on Youtube produced by Onnit. I love this inspirational video and the severity Rogan presents in regards to how we handle our lives. I'm not perfect and I should apply this more. We all should. In Episode 66 of The Become a Beast Podcast, we breakdown his thoughts and how we can apply this to our lives. Even if you don't listen to the episode, check out the short video by clicking here. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

You don't need a masseuse. You don't need to be a professional basketball player with a personal sports massage therapist. To get a great beneficial massage that will get contracted muscles to release and knots to be no more , you just need to implement a daily self massage routine with just a few tools. In Episode 65 of The Become a Beast Podcast, we discuss a few ways that drastically improved my recovery and performance via self massage. Spending time working kinks out is the last thing many Beast athletes want to do. However, it is not just necessary, but crucial towards our success. Listen to today's episode for more. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)  

Small wins. That's our goal week in and week out with The Weekly Beast Challenge. The more small wins you can knock out each day, the likelier you are to succeed versus the person trying to hit the jackpot one time. Last week, we hit the smoothie-a-day challenge. Hopefully you dominated it. I love my smoothie a day cause I get a small win eating drinking my veggies via 3 handful's of spinach in my smoothie. In Episode 64 of The Weekly Beast Challenge, we dive into a fitness challenge that definitely is going to see me struggle. Primarily because I hate lower body workouts. Thanks for taking on the weekly challenges here. Listen in for your test this week. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

I hate the winter. Even more so since I live in Colorado. Sure, my in-law's from Minnesota laugh at me, but cold is cold and I miss California and Arizona. Where that leaves me? My first two winters in Colorado led to weight gain (not significant) and few miles ran. I've learned how to dress properly and get some of the lost miles back in my routine, but I've grown to accept seasonal fitness. What is seasonal fitness? First, it's a random term I just made up. Good times. Second, seasonal fitness is the adjustment of physical approach and exercise implementation based on the season. In other words, workout how you like during that season. For example, I hate running in the cold, so, for the most part, I drastically kick back my running mileage in the Colorado winter season. I run from mid-spring until early-winter. During the winter, I focus on upper body exercises through weight-lifting. This is a basic overlook of my primary seasonal fitness approach, but there is much more that I do as well. Listen to t

Supplements. So many folks think they are the only way to get desired results. So many people are wrong. In Episode 62 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I answer a reader question regarding supplements. I have my own take on supplements, when they should be used, and how they should be used. There are varying opinions, but the arguments for supplement use are often unfounded. If implementing supplements, make sure your diet is on point first. Then, test, test, and test some more once you start implementing supplements. Make sure your supplements are naturally derived. I dive into all this in more within the episode so do listen in for that. Enjoy! (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

Yes, I have discovered what the super secret hidden plan is to diet and fitness. However, if you thought I would tell you what it is without listening to this episode, you were wrong my friend. In Episode 60 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I discuss what I have found regarding what the best fitness and diet plans are for anyone of any age, gender, background. The clue that I will give you is that testing is the key to lock. If you test enough diet and fitness plans, you will find the answer. You could also just listen to today's episode and find out. ;) As always, thanks for listening!!! (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

You might be sabotaging all of your hard work and not even realize it. Simple changes to your diet can make you go from stagnant to achieving all of your diet and fitness goals. In Episode 59 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I discuss how less than a handful of dietary actions might be destroying any and all progress. Many of the smallest actions have the largest impact. Switching from soda to water has made significant health improvements in family and friends that I know. It's not always the once per week 2,000 calorie meal that is killing you. It's the snack here and there and the ranch dressing burying the vegetables. Learn a few of the overlooked diet killers in today's episode. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

In Episode 58 of The Become a Beast Podcast, we discuss a serious topic. Depression enters all of our lives at different levels and different times. Fitness is one way to find some relief from depression. It has been scientifically proven that fitness or general daily activity for even brief periods of time can reduce stress in significant ways. Enjoy our discussion and keep this nugget of information in the back of your mind for future reference. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

How'd you do with week 1 of The Weekly Beast Challenge? I knocked out my 100 push-up's each day despite being sick with the flu. I hope you killed it on the challenge also. For those new to the Weekly Beast Challenge, the Beast Squad (you beautiful folks) and I take on a different diet, fitness, or lifestyle challenge each week to get us out of our comfort zone. Most challenges are 5-20 minutes in length each day for seven days. Moving on to Week 2 of The Weekly Beast Challenge, we will take on the smoothie diet every day for a week. Make sure to apply the one ingredient approach which means you use foods in their natural source. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

At first, you might look at the title and think that this is a ridiculous topic. It's not. Here's why. What's the best tool in anything that you do? The tool you use. Though I'm a tech gadget freak, the tool that helps me track my diet and fitness the best is still the pen and pad. That doesn't mean app's are not useful. They just aren't the tool that I'm more likely to use. In Episode 56 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I go over the benefits to each and why this decision is crucial to your success. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

Free weights scared me to death. Once I let down my guard, they welcomed me into their home. If you've ever wanted to hear how I was intimidated by inanimate objects, this is the episode for you. In Episode 55 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I discuss how I was timid to start using free weights, how my results changed once I started implementing them, and why you should (SLOWLY) implement them into your exercise routine. Free weights are a much more natural approach than using machines. The pure natural approach is solely bodyweight exercises, but to put on significant muscle mass, I suggest using free weights over machines. Hope you enjoy this episode... (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

I'm sick. I hate being sick. I love my sign more than anything, but the little munchkin seems to pick up and pass along any and all virus' he can find. In Episode 54 of The Become a Beast Podcast, you'll hear my slowjam DJ voice discuss recovery and how I've learned to accept it. I rarely ever got sick in my 20's. When I did get sick, I would "tough it out like a man" and still fit in my workouts. These days, I have to pause my life for about a week until all is calm in the Beast household. Yes, there are things that can be done and taken to speed up recovery. I'm all for that. What I'm bringing up is the fact that many of us Beasts want to try and kill it still when a few days of rest and maybe not the best diet are just a speed bump and not a cliff. Enjoy this short and voice-cracking episode... (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

You know the feeling. The one where you just feel "pudgy" or lethargic. What was the average is now the impossible. We all get this way from time to time but we can reduce the frequency by establishing baseline's. In Episode 53 of The Become a Beast podcast, we go over the importance of diet and fitness baseline's, how to establish them, and how to maintain them throughout your life. I have numbers in my head that I know I should be able to be at every single day. If I can't hit those numbers, I make some big changes right away. That is the key. By establishing baseline's, we can keep ourselves at a worst case scenario in the comfort zone. I'm all about getting away from the comfort zone, but having one and meeting it, at the least, is the goal of establishing baseline's. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

In Episode 52 of The Become a Beast Podcast, we tackle the two simple question that, if answered, can propel you to success in the diet and fitness avenues and beyond. Often, we look at the problem we have, but properly address how to fix it. By asking the why and the how as to why you are setting a goal or resolution, we take the necessary steps to proceed. Without doing so, we just run in circles. Listen to the episode and come back to let me know your thoughts in the comments. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

Are you ready to take on a new challenge? How about a new one every week? In Episode 51 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I'm introducing the Weekly Beast Challenge. Every Sunday, I'll share a health, wellness, fitness, or diet challenge that all of us Beasts will partake in for 7 days. When announcing the next week's challenge, I'll recap the previous week. Simple enough. So, why launch a weekly challenge? Diet and fitness are extremely repetitive. Humans enjoy structure, but also like a challenge. We all will maintain our baseline and attack our other goals accordingly, but this will keep things fresh and on our toes. I hope you join the rest of us with this Weekly Beast Challenge and let me know in the comments what you think. (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

Over and over again, you hear me talking about paralysis by analysis. I'm all about minimum's. What is the minimum to start and continue achieving a desired goal eliminating the paralysis aspect? That's where the Power of 3 Minute Fitness comes into play. Just show up. You have probably heard this before. What it means is stop thinking, just start, and the rest will take care of itself. Don't worry about failure. Just show up. In Episode 50 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I discuss how committing to 3 minutes of fitness everyday is painless and a system that is manageable. In many of the fitness aspects I'm paralyzed over, it's the minimal commitment that leads to a habit being built. This has happened with stretching, running at times, pull up's, push up's. It doesn't matter what the physical action is. It's just a matter of committing to that minimal standard every-single-day and in a short period of time, I don't even think about whatever had paralyzed me before starting up. Commit to the Power of 3 Min

Paralysis by analysis. That's a popular phrase that I constantly remind myself of. Why? I often complicate or overthink the things i least want to do. The same applies to eating healthy. In Episode 49 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I lay out the No Excuses Approach to finally eating healthy and actually sticking to it. Meeting our baseline for things like vegetable intake is painless with the two described approaches. Eating vegetables seems to be the demise of many healthy desires, yet doesn't have to be at all no matter how someone hates vegetables. Enjoy the show! (Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes)

In Episode 48 of The Become a Beast Podcast, I discuss sitting still. Okay, maybe it's a bit more than that. For the first 30 years of my life, I viewed meditation as something hippies did in some forest. As usual, I was proven wrong. I've been implementing meditation via the Headspace app for the last few months and it has drastically helped me sleep better, recover faster, focus more, and generally slow down every once in a while. I spend a total of 10 minutes each night meditating. That's it. Sit back, relax and start clearing the craziness that goes on between my two ears. Listen to the episode to see how I implement and how it can help you in a multitude of ways starting today. Click here to listen, rate, and subscribe on iTunes) ***Not affiliated with or compensated by the Headspace app company.