It was very fitting that I would be finishing up my 30-day squat challenge while in Italy.
And, it turned out that I actually finished on the night of my brother’s wedding, on the dance floor, with about 5 other people joining in.
In the latest episode of Unlocking Your Inner Strength, I discuss the Italian’s key to health, what I did for my own personal fitness while traveling abroad and the wild life that the 30-day squat challenge wound up taking on.
Your state of mind determines your reality.
Yet, most people get stuck in a bad state of mind.
It’s almost as if they feel they have no control over their thoughts.
And if you have no control over your thoughts, you’ll have no control over your feelings.
That’s when life can become a very slippery slope.
In today’s episode of Unlocking Your Inner Strength, I share with you 5 things you can do that can help you feel in control again and nearly always be the master of your mind.
Principles are few, methods are many. Here is my Mt. Rushmore of fitness principles that I feel are the most important to focus on to stay young, strong and powerful.
On May 20th, we had our 2 year anniversary of opening up successfully in the midst of Covid, against the Governor’s wishes.
It came out better than anyone could have anticipated.
We lived by our principles and values in that moment and it paid off.
When you lead with the goodness of your heart, you can never go wrong.
Here is a recap of that story, two years later.
I went for a 2 mile run this weekend.
Last year, I dabbled a bit more with running and I am glad I did.
While I don’t have any aspirations at this moment for doing any competitive running, my run this past weekend made me think about standards for training.
In today’s episode, I cover things that I think you should be able to do and/or work towards when survival is the name of the game.
Using survival as a frame of reference puts fitness and strength into perspective.
Take a listen and enjoy!
It was and is my passion.
It is also my profession, that of being a Coach.
Heading into this year, I developed a strategy, along with Devon, to get it to where I know it can be.
I knew that ultimately, it all falls on me, I take responsibility and ownership.
In today’s episode, I share with you why now, my role and what this means for Newell Strength.
When I first began training, way back in high school, I quickly realized that what I was doing in the gym and with my nutrition was much different than what the norm was.
Maybe it’s because I was willing to do things outside the box, but I soon found out that I was on the correct path and using something I call ‘reality math’ has always allowed me to stay about 5 years ahead of the curve.
Sorry if that sounds braggadocious, but it’s true.
In today’s episode, I breakdown 6 myths that, once known, will probably save you a lot of time and frustration.
3 years ago, I dove into longer form fasting, after doing a 16-20 hour fast for the prior 5 years.
But just like 2019, I knew there was something more to be learned and explored, which is the feeling I’ve been hearing God whisper into my ear quite frequently.
That’s part of the inspiration that some people have heard me talk about when I talk about developing Indigo Panda.
Anyhow, I am diving back into my 72's, which I still was doing every few months, some dry fasting, and some other fasting experiments I am kicking around right now.
For me, it’s mainly a spiritual quest this time around.
Have you ever had one of those moments in life when your mind expands on the spot.
And you’re conscious of it?
If you’re aware of your thoughts, and this happens to you, you remember it forever.
For me, one of those moments was when I had the chance to compete against Tim Martin back in 2007 and later become friends with him.
Tim expanded my mind into what was possible physically.
In this episode of Unlocking Your Inner Strength, I am fortunate enough to get an inside peak into a champion’s mindset. It’s worth gold, take a listen….
I was fortunate enough to interview my longtime mentor and the creator of Mind Map, Dax Moy, a few weeks ago.
If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of Mind Map or what the thought process was behind it, then you are going to want to take a listen.
In this episode of Unlocking Your Inner Strength, Dax shares some knowledge about the NEED for creating Mind Mapping, what Bio Map and Body Map are and how the brain and nervous system are always trying to tell us something.
When we just continue to use the same approach of grind, go harder, push through, then we will lose that battle every time.
Take a listen and enjoy!
Last year, about this same time, I was giving a lot of deep thought to what it means to be a man.
Where was I falling short and where do I continue to fall short?
Maybe it’s natural to have thoughts of this magnitude when the seasons change.
Check that, I believe it’s imperative to have thoughts like this when the seasons change.
Real men are tough and stern. Real men don’t play the victim. Real men are in shape.
The list goes on.
When you were younger, you were probably able to get away with a lot more at the table and your eating habits and not pay a price for it.
Although, that doesn’t mean you were necessarily healthy.
As we age, we need to take into account a few other factors and there’s a better approach than just cutting calories.
Going back to the early 2000’s, when I began competing in bodybuilding, I learned how to train with injuries.
Over the years, I’ve become known as an expert and how to train with and help injuries heal faster.
The absolute worst thing that you can when you get an injury is to stop training.
Yes, you read that correctly.
If you want to know why and what to do, take a listen to today’s episode.
The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done
Ten days ago, we were up in New Hampshire attempting to climb Mt. Washington.
Last year, I didn’t make it.
This year, I was inspired to give it my best.
We made it, it was unreal.
I had to use every tool I had in mind, body and spirit. No stone was left unturned.
In today’s episode, I break it all down.
A week ago, we had our 4th installment in our seminar series with Dr. Andrey Espinoza about how to have the healthiest heart around.
Lucky for you, I recorded an episode for you on my portion of the talk.
If you want to know:
Ever since I can remember, I knew that a big part of helping people transform their lives was a combination of things, one of which was teaching them so they understood on some level why they were doing what they were doing.
Fasting is no different.
I can’t tell you how often I hear that ‘I fast, I do the 8 hour window’. Which is fine and dandy, that’s what I did for a number of years, before I really understood the power of fasting.
In today’s episode, I break down how fasting actually works and how it can and should have a compounding effect on your health and wellness.
(If you’d really like to master the practice of fasting, see below for the upcoming Panda Challenge).
A little over two years ago, I was quarantined in our room with one of the worst cases of flu ever seen.
It didn’t kill me, but Devon thought it might. It was the real deal.
Anyhow, I had an idea and my notebook. The idea was the concept of the Panda Diet, something I had been brainstorming for a few months.
I had nothing else to do and no energy to move, so I began to write and map out the Panda Diet.
It was literally created while I was down and out with the flu.
In today’s episode, I talk about the creation of Panda, the history and the process.
Last week, one of my brothers, Presh, was asking if I thought there was censorship around fasting just like how they censor so many other things these days.
Afterall, fasting does change the health for the positive dramatically in those that try it.
While I don’t think there’s censorship around fasting, I do believe the current way of eating has been systematically installed over the past century to make a society of unhealthy, mind numbed, zombies.
I touch on this here and there from time to time, but in this episode of Unlocking Your Inner Strength, I devote my full attention to it.
Which means that a lot of people will be thinking about their eating a bit more.
It’s natural in the winter to ease up and eat more ‘rich’ foods.
This is part of the human hibernation theory that I believe to be true.
Anyhow, in today’s episode, I discuss why we are like Cacti living in a forest.
And to take it one step further, you are more like a camel than you think.
Once you connect these dots, fasting will make a lot more sense to you.
I have been on point with my weekly, long breathing session and it certainly does make me ‘high’.
Yes, it seems like a nuisance at times to stay on point with. But well worth it.
And in about a month, we are once again heading to Mt. Washington to attempt to summit the highest point on the east coast.
Last year, my brain was shot by the time I crossed the tree line because the 80 degree climb at one point got to me mentally.
Yet, I felt more alive than I can recall in any recent time.
Perhaps that’s why I got a motorcycle this year too.
Mortality. Life can’t exist without death. No, I do not have a death wish, but I do know that putting myself in situations where I realize how fragile my life is helps new neural pathways open up in my brain, making me feel high, more alive.
I began my fasting journey 8 years ago.
8 years of honing my craft and I feel like I am just beginning to scratch the surface.
In today’s episode of Unlocking Your Inner Strength, I drop some knowledge on the 5 Problems That Fasting Will Fix and not all of them have to do with what you’re eating.
But you’ll have to take a listen to find out what they are.
You’ll get more out of ‘it’ if you take the time to invest 12 minutes. If you’re not willing to do that, then you’re out of luck and quite possibly might remain stuck in nutritional purgatory:).
2012 was a pivotal year for Newell Strength.
In this week’s episode of Unlocking Your Inner Strength, I reminisce about the past decade.
If you listened to last week’s episode, you’ll get a feel for the start-up days and the hustle of those first 5 years.
In 2012, I made it my commitment to go all in and walk away from my cushy teaching career.
Hopefully something in here can spark some inspiration or at the very least, give you some insight into the brand that Newell Strength has become.
A couple of weeks ago, Suga Shane sent me a podcast to listen to.
The podcast?
One of my very own, where I discussed the origins of Newell Strength.
Which gave me the idea to create another episode on that very topic as each year I get further away from the origins I am sure I will have new insights to share and memories that you may not be aware of.
In today’s episode, I share the story of how 15 years ago, right about this time, I took the seed and began to put all my efforts into it.
You’ll see why perseverance pays off and why simply beginning is really the only way to achieve anything.
Leading is not easy.
But it’s necessary.
Some people are born leaders.
Some become leaders.
Some are born and become great leaders.
So, what does it mean to lead?
In today’s episode, I break down leadership and decision making.