I've been largely absent from social media and this podcast for the last few months and there's a reason. My oldest daughter has been having some health issues for almost two years now and things seem to be getting worse instead of better. What started out as a herniated disc in her back and the surgery to repair it has now turned into something much more. And because of the physical and mental pain she's in and having to watch her helplessly, I've started to crack. I've withdrawn from my business and most social things and struggle day to day to keep positive. I've always taught the members of our community that if we can't take care of ourselves first, how can we take care of our families the best way possibe and I'm failing at this. I've let my diet go to sh*t. I've let my exercise go to sh*t. I've become lazy and weak. And it's taking it's toll on me. I feel lousy all the time and worse yet, I'm not being as strong as I should be for my daughter when she needs me most. So I made the decision to do something I really don't want to do and that's taking on the 75 Hard Challenge. It's named that way for a reason and it's designed to be a mental toughness challenge, not just a weight loss challenge. It's the push that I need given where I'm at and I'm committing to seeing it through. I've also opened it up to members of the Fit Dad Nation and to those who need a serious change as well. If that's you, join us. Learn more at fitdadnation.com/75hard and we start January 2.

A few weeks ago I decided that enough was enough. I was tired of feeling like sh*t all the time and it was a direct result of my crappy eating and general laziness. It was a long time coming and it was my time for change. Of course there were many reasons (excuses) why I was avoiding doing the things I knew would make me healthier and I was letting my excuses win. So I decided to commit to 5 small tasks every day in an effort to change it all. There things are: 1. Train daily, even if for 15 minutes. 2. Switched out soda for diet soda. 3. Eat a healthy breakfast at the very least. 4. Walk for 30 minutes a day. 5. Remind myself each morning "why" I'm doing all of this. My point in sharing all of this is that it helps you in some small way. Maybe you're struggling to get moving or feel overwhelmed by all the things you need to do in order to get your fitness back on track. I'll say just focus on a few small changes, instead of worrrying about ALL the things that you ideally want to change. Change wil happen but you have to start somewhere.

I love the gym. I love the feeling I get when I walk into the gym. I love lifting heavy sh*t. I love putting myself out there and pushing my limits. But many guys don't love those things. In fact, I've met many men over the years who hate the gym and gym life. They hate "having" to lift weights in order to get fit. And what I tell them is "don't". If you feel like you have to do something in order to get fit, you'll likely start finding excuses to get out of doing it. It's human nature. Instead, I suggest finding a sport or activity that is healthy and helps you get fitter and use that instead of trying to force yourself into the gym. Personally, I think strength training is at the top of the food chain when it comes to getting fit and healthy for men over 40, but not every man is willing to do it. I can't make you do it, so why try? If you're happy riding your bike up and down the street for two hours, by all means do that. If you like playing pickleball like I do, do that instead. Would it be beneficial to start a strength and conditioning program? Absolutely! But if you're not actually going to stick to it because you hate it, it will never work. Find something that excites you. Find something that makes you want to improve. There are a million and one ways to get fit and healthy from OCR's, to trail runs, to rucking up mountains, to kayaking, to playing ping pong. Do something you don't think you "have" to and instead find something you "get" to do.

We all have stressful lives in some capacity. Whether it's financial, work related, a lousy marriage, or health issues, it's tough. And those stresses take their toll on us, either quickly or slowly. Some of us respond well in the face of these obstacles while others let their problems suck them down into a black hole. Now I'm not a therapist nor can I help you learn how to thrive in the face of adversity. But I can share with you what I've learned about myself, having lived through (and still living with) a sh*tload of personal stress. One thing I've learned is that I cope by shutting down and internalizing my struggles. I stop exercising. I eat more junk food. I waste time. I avoid the real issues and hide behind a fake smile. And this is not a good thing. It's not particularly healthy for me and my family. But it's what I know and what I'm trying to get better at. My point in sharing this is that although I know I'm not responding well to my stress, I never get down on myself. I never consider quitting. I never look at myself as a failure. I know in my heart that I can and will do better. I know that it only takes one (very hard) decision to put my feelings aside and get the f*ck back to work. And I do. I've done it many times in the past and even though right now I'm not in the best mental and physical state, it's something I plan to change very soon. I'm just not ready for it. And you might not be either and that's OK. As long as you don't throw your hands in the air and quit, you'll be just fine. Keep these things in mind if and when you're struggling, because it WILL happen time and time again. Just keep pressing onward and remember that you have it in you to crush whatever it is you want most.

Most guys try to fit their current lifestyle, which is always super packed with things to do, into their newfound diet plan. This is a mistake and usually ends up in frustration and failure. Most dads live a tremendously busy life and trying to find the time to shop, prep, cook, and eat foods on a very specific diet is hard. Like, really hard. Sure a diet can work for you but it has to have three things to be successful long-term. 1. It has to be healthy. Cookie diets, liquid diets, or fasting diets can be very low in calories and nutritional value, which isn't the right way to lose weight. 2. It has to get results. You might be on the world's most popular diet but if you don't see physical results, it's not the diet for you. 3. It has to be sustainable. This is where the vast majority of diets fall short. They are either too strict, too complicated, or too hard to stick to and you quit. Instead of trying to find the "perfect" diet for you, I suggest focusing on a few of the following principles I use with my own diet and for my clients. Eat more foods with one ingredient. A potato is a potato. A chicken breast is a chicken breast. A Pop-Tart is a sugar filled piece of sh*t with 27 ingredients. Don't starve yourself in the name of weight loss. Eating MORE and burning the difference off is a far better option. Eat in a way that doesn't add more stress to your life. Simple is better. Eat foods you know are healthy and avoid ones that you know are hurting your progress. Eat more foods that give you energy. Recognize that weight loss isn't a sprint. Fill your diet with high quality foods and your body will reward you. It's as simple as that. Use the 80/20 rule. Eat high quality foods at least 80% of the time consistently and then you can afford to eat the things you really crave the other 20%. Apply to out free private Facebook group for dads at FitDadNation.com/Community

Before you write me off as another "get fit quick" scam artist based on the title of this episode, hear me out. On 9/1 we're starting one of our most successful challenges called Project 45. It's 45 days of no cheats, no excuses, and no bullsh*t. Is 45 days enough time to radically overhaul your life and undo all the damage you've done to yourself with eating crap foods and sitting on your butt over the last 30 years? No, of course not. But that's not the goal of this challenge. The goal of this challenge is to help you get insanely consistent with a small handful of fundamentals and become accountable to yourself and to the men doing the challenge along with you. If you stick with this, you will lose fat. You will get stronger. You will drop inches. You will feel so much better. You will create new habits that can last a whole lot longer than 45 days. Will it be easy? Nope. Will you get results putting in just a little work? Nope. Will it require you to live, breathe, and sleep fitness? Nope again. All you need to do is follow the program as it's designed, show up every day and do the work, and refuse to quit when you feel like it's just too hard. I'd love for you to take on this challenge with us and if you're a struggling dad looking to reclaim your mojo, take a look. The challenge details can be found at FitDadNation.com/Project45

So today I'm not going to tell you how to get and stay fit but rather exactly what to do if you want to stay fat forever. Obviously, I'm not condoning you do any or all of these things, but I'm asking you to look at your current lifestyle and see exactly how many of these you are doing right now. And once you realize that you're doing the wrong things and sabotaging your results, you can get to work on changing them! Here they are: Hopping from diet to diet Not strength training Not being consistent with the basics like sleep, sun, and water Following someone else's diet Self-sabotage Being in the wrong environment Following your program based on your feelings Doing it for the wrong reasons Quitting before results come Being an emotional eater Following the SAD Being weak mentally Being Full of excuses and sh*t Having no plan Just being lazy and/or apathetic Join the tribe where we get one day better. FitDadNation.com/Inner Circle

I'm a realist. Yes, I coach dads for a living and have to motivate and inspire them to take action, but at the end of the day, I'm still a realist. Specifically, I fully understand that giving a busy father a full on training program and customized diet makes sense on paper, but falls a bit short in reality. Meaning, regardless of how solid a program is, you still have to actually follow it for it to be effective. And since I'm not coaching 22 year olds who have all the time in the world to dedicate to their fitness, I have to account for the fact that the vast majority of dads barely have time for their family obligations let alone trying to follow a rigid program. Does this mean that programs are a waste of time for you? Of course not. But I recognize that there are so many things that are going to come up in your already busy life that adding something as daunting as a full fitness program makes little sense if he's expected to follow it to the letter. Today I share the story of a client of mine who fits this description. A busy dad with two small kids, a business to run, and never enough time to get it all done. Hopefully today's show resonates with you and you can approach your fitness from a slightly different perspective because of it.

Today I talk about two things that come up a lot for me as a fitness coach. The first is when people view exercise as a punishment. I get it, many people don't enjoy throwing around heavy weights and getting all sweaty and nasty. Others can't stand being in a gym with all the meatheads. I've had quite a few clients over the years tell me how much they dreaded going to the gym to train and guess what? I didn't make them. Instead I found alternate ways to get them involved in exercise. Getting into shape doesn't have to revolve around heavy barbell squats and presses. It can be about moving more than you do now and challenging yourself in a way you aren't used to. For those of you who dislike or even hate training, I'll tell you to find some form of exercise that you can tolerate or preferably, enjoy. After all, we are creates of comfort. We gravitate towards things we like and gravitate away from things we don't. It's human nature. So instead of fighting with yourself every time you "have" to exercise, find something you like and "get" to do. In terms of using food as a reward, I think it's a bad idea. I've seen far too many clients/people over the years use the junk foods they gave up in order to get healthy as a reward for eating well. It makes no sense. The goal of any diet or approach to eating should be to find something sustainable long-term. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's healthy, works for you, fits into your lifestyle, and you can stick with it. Don't reward yourself for losing 15 pounds with eating a box of Pop-Tarts and feel like you "earned" it. If you eat healthy foods 80% of the time or more, you can eat those things without worrying about it.

As fathers, we'd gladly lay down our lives for our children. That's a given. But the bigger question is whether we're living for them right now. And to that point, are we doing the things right now that allow us to be truly and fully present for them? The answer is a resounding "no". There are many reasons we're falling short, from excuses, lack of motivation, and putting ourselves last. And I've said this many times before and it's as true now as it ever was and that's "if you aren't even taking care of yourself, how can you take care of your family the best way possible?" In today's show, I share some of the reasons we aren't living for our kids in a way that serves them the best and why. This is an important topic and our families deserve the best possible husbands and fathers. Please understand that I'm not judging anyone. I'm not calling anyone a deadbeat. I'm speaking from personal experience when I say we can do better. We can be better. Putting ourselves first isn't selfish. In my opinion, we can't be the best possible fathers if we aren't.

As you know, social media is like the wild west. Anyone can post anything regardless of how true or accurate it is. The idea of social, at least for those in the fitness coaching space, is to get eyeballs and dollars. And I've seen it all. Bad coaches, lying coaches, scams, blatant rip offs, and misleading information. I'm thoroughly disgusted by the amount of pure bullsh*t that's being taught and sold online and it's causing a lot of frustration and confusion for the general population who is just trying to get healthier. So today I talk about some things that are getting way too much attention and are highly overrated as well as pointing out some not-so-sexy things that work, but are definitely underrated. I hope you enjoy the show and feel free to find me trying to fight the good fight on social @TheFitDadNation.

So today's show is a little different than my previous ones in that I'm sharing a specific conversation I had with a member of our private community in the hopes that it helps you in some way. About a month ago, a dad reached out to me and shared some of his struggles with his weight and health and we ended up in a conversation that ended with him committing to making some healthy changes to his lifestyle. After a few weeks I got a follow up message and it totally blew me away. The physical and mental changes he made in this short time were astounding and I could hear the positivity and hope in his tone. I share this conversation today because so many dads are struggling with the things he is and it's an incredibly important topic to cover. As a coach, this is why I do what I do. Hearing the changes and knowing this dad is improving his life and the quality of it inspires the hell out of me and I hope you take something away from this episode.

We all want to be fit, healthy, lean, strong, energetic, and attractive to the opposite (or same) sex. And we want it not just for a week or a month, but for the rest of our lives. But too many of us aren't doing the things needed to get and stay there. Instead, we procrastinate, make excuses, and do what's comfortable. And it doesn't work. I don't have any hacks or shortcuts to the above mentioned, but I do have a roadmap for you to follow. And no it's doesn't cost $99.99 or require entry into one of my high ticket coaching program. It just takes the willingness to follow a handful of basic principles over and over. Here's what to do: Understand that less is more. Simple is better. Keep your fitness as simple as possible and you'll do far better in the long run. Fitness doesn't have to be all or nothing, but it can be if it works for you. Stop chasing scale weight. Consistency beats intensity. Find a strong enough reason to do this. Be accountable to someone or something. Join the FDN Inner Circle if you're lacking it. Recognize that you'll crash sometimes. This does not mean failure. I hope this opens your eyes to just how simple this all can be.

I see it all the time; guys who think they're doing the "right" things for their fitness and body, but in actuality it's hurting them. Often times, it's because there is just so much information out there, most of it conflicting, and it's difficult to know if you're on the right track or just falling victim to another fad or scam. Billions of dollars each year are wasted this way and it infuriates me to no end. So today I'm going to share some common things that you might think are moving you towards your fitness goals, but in all reality are moving you further away from them. You're eating healthy, but are overeating healthy foods. Frustrating I know, but it does happen often. Blowing out your calorie deficit by giving yourself a few "cheat" meals or days on the weekends because you've been eating clean all week. Believing all organic foods are healthy. Eating "diet" foods that are actually filed with fake ingredients, preservatives, and chemicals. Relying on "healthy" detoxes or cleanses. Adding butter and/or oil to drinks. Following fad diets that are making things worse for you in the long run. Eating too many protein bars/packaged "health" foods. Relying on flawed calorie counting methods. Following a training program for too long because it worked in the past. Focusing on cardio for weight loss instead of strength training. Following IIFYM thinking it doesn't matter how much you eat as long as you hit your target macros. This list could go on and on, but these are some of the most common issues I see.

It happens to almost all of us at some point. We're kicking butt in the gym, eating clean, feeling great, and seeing results and then it hits; we get sick or injured and are forced to stop our routine that's been working so well. It sucks because the last thing we want to do when things are working is take a break. But inevitably it happens and we have to stay home to rest and recover. And most times, we fall right back into our old ways and habits, load up on comfort foods, and become lazy pieces of crap again. It's happened to me dozens of times over the years and likely has happended to you as well. Today I talk about why this happens and what you can do about it when it DOES happen.

Just one week into our OFA fat loss challenge in the Inner Circle, the results are already very clear. Now you don't have to be part of this challenge to experience the same benefits as I've seen and it's as simple as following a few very basic principles. This is what we're doing: 1. Training daily. Nothing crazy or too time consuming, just consistent effort. 2. Following a simple, whole food approach to eating. We cut out all the processed junk and fast food and are eating only high quality food. 3. Drinking 90-128 oz. of water daily. Simple right? 4. Daily mobility work. We spend maybe 10 minutes a day stretching and improving range of motion. That's literally it. The men in the challenge are dropping weight, feeling great, and motivated to keep pushing. Personally, I'm sleeping a ton better and my energy is through the roof. Up until the challenge, I was eating pretty crappy and drinking too many Coke's and felt lousy most of the time. Now it's a whole different feeling and I'm not going back. So whether you've been off for a while or just need a swift kick in the butt, just start with these few basics and stick with them and you'll definitely start making some progress quickly.

Well brother, if you've waited this long to start trying to get into shape for summer, I have good and bad news for you. The bad news is that you have a month or so until summer and if you've got a long way to go to get fit, no amount of training and dieting will get you ripped and jacked. The good news however is that you can actually make some significant progress by summer. Maybe not your ideal beach body, but still some solid gains. Here's what you're going to do to get there: 1. Set a worthy short-term goal. 2. Stop wasting time on cardio to burn fat. 3. Have realistic expectations. 4. Get help and/or coaching. 5. Surround yourself with the right peeps. 6. Get uncomfortable. 7. Work harder than you have in a long time. 8. Be insanely consistent with the basics. If you want help getting started and staying on track, check out our upcoming Operation Fat Ass Challenge. We start May 9 and the goal is to help you drop 10-15 pounds in 40 days. Find all the details on social @TheFitDadNation

It's always easier to find excuses than it is to find the motivation to do the work we know we need to do in order to get fit and healthy. And often times, those excuses turn into lies we tell ourselves and over time, they become our truths. Of course they are all bullsh*t but they can be debilitating and cause us to struggle year after year. Here are 8 lies that are keeping you fat and unhealthy: 1. I'm too old or it's too late. 2. This is the hand I was dealt. 3. I don't have time. 4. I don't see results no matter what I do. 5. I can't stay consistent enough to get results. 6. I don't have enough motivation. 7. Family comes first and I come second. 8. I've have always been out of shape. These things are literally killing your progress and if you want to change your body, you have to change your beliefs.

Motivation is a funny thing. It comes and goes and often times it's in short supply. At least for us dads. I recently had a dad join one of our challenges and he was all set to start making some changes to this health. But before too long, he had quit and when I asked him why, he said "I haven’t found a strong enough why to keep me motivated." This is a huge issue for us as busy dads and often times, it's the fact that we haven't done the deep self-work that it takes to really understand our deepest emotional reasons for wanting change. It took years and a ton of work on myself for me to figure out my "why" and my hope is that you'll be able to figure yours out before it's too late.

Here we go again, guys. The Internet is littered with so much fitness misinformation and pure garbage that every once in a while I feel the need to go on a crusade. Keep this in mind as you listen. Some of the worst advice comes from people with the best bodies and there are far more “influencers” on social than there are actual experts. Be wary of who you listen to and who you buy from. So today I'll share 10 current fitness myths that are rampant on social media and are costing people their valuable time, energy, and money. 1. Just take this supplement to boost your testosterone naturally. You’re not going to boost your testosterone, at least not enough to make a difference, with OTC supplements. 2. You can “reset” your metabolism with a detox. SCAM!! 3. Meal timing is important when it comes to losing weight. Calories are what matters, not the time at which you eat them. 4. Gluten makes you fat. No, no it does not. 5. Lemon water has weight loss benefits. Lemon water doesn’t help with anything except the flavor of your water. 6. Diet soda is bad for you and causes weight gain. It has 0 calories so it doesn't add weight. It might not be the best thing for you to drink, but it's 10x better than regular soda. 7. There isn’t a “best” diet. Just because it works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for you 8. Muscle confusion is the best way to get stronger and bigger. 9. Fasting causes weight loss. 10. Weight loss equals healthy. Hope these help!