Okay, let's talk about fitness influencers for a second and a couple of key takeaways that are important when you are seeing things online.
I saw a great post from a self proclaimed "former influencer" about the things she regretted from her days of posting about fitness online.
Her top two things were:
1. Posting ab workouts
2. Posting what she ate in a day
Here's why she regretted them.
She said she would post ab workouts because they would get by far the most views. And more views=more influence=more money.
She would show up at 4am to the gym so it was empty to film these.
She now feels bad because what she didn't disclose in her videos is that ab workouts won't give you visible abs.
Having a very low body fat percentage is what will give you visible abs and she had a very low body fat percentage.
Some of your best exercise for core strength and being able to see your abs once your body fat is low enough are actually exercises like squats, deadlifts, farmers carry, one arm rows and other single arm or single leg exercises. It takes a lot of core strength to be able to stabilize yourself during loaded exercises.
Takeaway.
Please don't do crunches thinking this is going to get you to see your abs. Abs are about fat loss and fat loss is going to happen through nutrition first along with exercise and other healthy habits.
Now, why is it bad that she posted what she ate in a day?
Well, she also wasn't disclosing something here too. While she posted a great day of eating, she did not post that she was doing several hours of cardio per day to maintain her low body fat percentage.
So she was burning a shit load of calories that would be far more than us average people would have time for or should even think about doing.
So while it was a good nutrition plan, if I ate the same things I wouldn't be as lean because I wouldn't be burning as many calories.
There is a lot more to influencers and how unethical their practices can be but I will leave it here because I think these two things are really important for you to understand when you see things online and aspire to look like someone else.
You are never seeing the full picture or the truth.
And you are pretty awesome just the way you are. You probably have some amazing fitness goals that you are working on.
Comparison is normal, but it's important to remember that there is only one you and there only ever will be. So you've got to just focus on your own journey that is making you feel awesome.
And most people need a lot of support in their journey. You don't have to do it alone. Ask for help from others when you need it. That's a good thing :)
Accountability Is Key
A friend emailed me 3 months ago and told me she was in a rut and going downhill quickly.
She was lacking motivation and needed some accountability.
So I did what any coach and friend would do and we got together for a quick chat and inbody assessment.
Honestly, there wasn't much to it. No special instructions, no tough Matt and no nutrition tips.
Just a check in every month to make sure things were good.
3 months later and she did another inbody.
Down 30 pounds and 9.7% body fat.
I have to admit I was a little shocked.
"Is that all it took" I asked?
"Yes", she replied. "I just needed to know you were watching".
This may seem simple, but it's a huge key to success.
Us humans are pretty good at dealing with the disappointment of letting ourselves down.
But when you gain some accountability from someone whose opinion you care about then it can help you take action, get the results and keep going.
After all, action leads to motivation and not the other way around.
So if you are struggling with your goals and you haven't shared what your goals are with anyone else yet, I suggest putting it out there to someone or many people.
It may be just the accountability you need.
And like many tips like this one, you can apply this to any of your life goals and not just fitness.
If you need help, don’t be shy asking. Your accountability partner is likely ready at this very moment.
Have a great day.
Matt
More datA means more wins for your goals
I was listening to my favourite book called 100m Leads by Alex Hormozi and heard a great quote from his doctor friend that I had to share.
PS. If you are an entrepreneur, know any or want to be one then I think this might be the most valuable book you ever read. I am happy to chat with you about my big takeaways.
Now the quote.
"The more things you measure, the more ways you can win".
Listen, I have been doing this for 16 years.
Far and away the number one reason people quit the gym is that they haven't lost weight in some small and unreasonable amount of time they expect to lose weight in.
Even though so many things in their lives are drastically improving.
So what if you measured your progress in more ways than just the scale?
Then you'd have more ways to win, and in turn, stay more motivated.
And when you stay motivated and continue to do the thing that made you win then chances are more wins will come later (ie. the scale).
At Evolve Integrated Health, we have an awesome health & fitness assessment that anyone can complete.
We measure a lot of data points.
-blood pressure
-VO2 max
-strength
-grip strength
-mobility
-power
-balance
-bodyfat%, muscle and fat
We are also working toward being able to get blood testing done to get even more data.
Now picture this.
You join a gym and you have a weight loss goal. Let's say you want to lose 40 pounds.
You complete a health and fitness assessment at the beginning of your journey and at 3 months.
You've lost 6 pounds which is much less than you were hoping for.
But you now have some other data.
-your blood pressure went from high to normal
-your VO2 max went from low to average (this is amazing)
-you increased your power
-you doubled your strength in all major exercises and increased your grip strength
-your mobility improved
-you lost body fat and gained muscle and had a big drop in body fat percentage that doesn't get reflected by the number on the scale
Picture how you would feel if you were only judging your progress by the number on the scale.
Compared to how you would feel knowing you improved so many other areas of your health and wellness.
And that doesn't even take into account other non scale victories like happiness, confidence, mood and the list goes on.
So when you are creating your goals, make sure you are measuring more points of data.
Because this gives you more ways to win. Winning feels good and provided motivation to keep going even when you might not feel like it.
This applies to more than just fitness :)
You Won't Know If You Can Unless You Try
Hey Ya'll
At the end of every 6 week program we do, everyone fills out a final survey.
Just like the surveys we send to our clients, it's a way to gain valuable feedback for our services.
But in this survey, I also ask what they learned about themselves in the last 6 weeks.
Because I also believe that reflection is an important part of the journey.
Here is one of my favourite replies so far....
That I can be consistent, and that I can find time for myself which makes me a happier and more energetic person.
A few things stick out to me here and make me feel very proud for this person.
The first thing is that you don't know if you can be consistent or not until you try.
Often, we don't start because we think we don't have time or we face certain obstacles.
Sometimes those are real obstacles but sometimes they are obstacles that can be overcome by just starting and figuring it out (maybe with some expert help).
When you do that, it can be easier to make time for yourself because you start seeing the benefits and how it carries over to every day life.
The last part is my favourite and it's something I see and hear every day at the gym.
Have you ever seen a meme or overheard someone say something like "I need to get my workout in before work or I will be a monster".
This may be a little extreme but it's true.
A benefit of regular exercise truly is that you are a happier and more energetic person.
This allows you to show up better in all areas of life from home life to family life.
Sure you may have fat loss or muscle gain goals.
Or you may have a variety of other physical goals.
You may not expect these other feelings to come, but they will with effort and consistency.
So I hope that gives you come motivation to do something for your health today.
And if you don't know where to start, try going for a walk or sending me a reply and asking for advice.
You have it in you.
Matt
An Unexpected Fitness Win
Hey Ya'll
Let's talk about the unexpected benefits to improving your health and fitness.
You know how I feel about a deep and meaningful why.
And you also know that many of us workout to lose fat, build muscle and feel our best.
But that's not it.
I got a great email from a client that I am going to paraphrase.
It was an amazing and detailed email and I could picture myself there with her when this happened.
Sock feet on a hardwood step.
A recipe for disaster right?
She did slip, she desperately grabbed the rail and she ended up in a deep squat thinking she was going to be very very injured in both her legs and her arm that had grabbed the rail.
And previous to Evolve, she likely would have been injured.
Instead, she stood up and shook it off astonished that "nothing happened". She was okay and she had just done a deep squat like at the gym.
I loved this story and it's a great example of a regular strength training program building up your physical resiliency.
Everything in life gets a little easier and you are less susceptible to incidents like this taking you out for long periods of time.
So I hope you have a great day and I hope you do some things this week that fill your cup and push your goals forward.
Matt
Exercise And Fat Loss (Not What You Might Think)
Hey Ya'll
Let's talk exercise and fat loss.
I got some great questions about this during our latest 6 weeks for $1 promo and it's important to keep addressing it so that it stays front of mind. It’s that important.
One of the biggest ways people try to outsmart their plan is by seeing the plan and saying "I need to exercise more than this".
They think the more exercise the better and that this will be the driver of their fat loss goals.
But the truth is that exercising is AMAZING, but it is not a good weight loss tool. And rest/recovery are just as important for your goals as exercise itself.
Regular strength training will get you stronger, protect your bone health and muscle mass, help you develop good body mechanics, improve your energy levels and mood and help with chronic disease management.
And that's just lifting weights regularly 2-4x a week!
Incorporating more healthy movement into your life has even more benefits. Life changing benefits that will have you feeling your best for many years to come! If you are in for some extra reading, here is a wonderful article explaining.
My recommendation for movement is to strength train 2-4x a week and hopefully in a program that you enjoy. I say "hopefully" because I think you should enjoy all of the exercise you do, but if you really don't enjoy strength training, you should at least enjoy the amazing benefits you'll get from it.
And then the rest I really do want you to enjoy. Running, walking hiking, biking, swimming, sports, dancing, playing with the kids, step aerobics etc etc.
Try to be active in some capacity each day, get outside and really enjoy it.
But do it for the health, not for the weight loss.
Here is the quick deal.
If you are doing an hour of cardio per day to lose weight and you burn 1000 calories a day. That is 7000 calories per week burned.
What if you decide you don't want to do that anymore because it's boring and you don't like it. Or you no longer have the time.
What if you go on vacation, or get injured.
If that is the driver of your weight loss and you swap from 7 days a week down to 3, that is now 4000 calories less you are burning. So by the book, you would now have to eat 4000 calories less per week to maintain your weight.
That does not sound pleasant or doable!
Now what if you plateau with your weight loss?
You've been relying on a ton of exercise, so are you going to exercise for 2 hours a day?
Hopefully not!
I feel a little stressed just thinking about feeling like I have to kill myself with exercise just to get results.
But I understand why many feel that way. Society really sucks with the pressure it puts on us and the bad advice that is out there.
Number one priority would again be to strength train 2-4x a week and then find other movement activities that you enjoy and feel like you will likely be doing the rest of your life.
I do recommend 150+ minutes per week of lower intensity cardio like your walks, jogs, bike rides, general time moving outside along with 1 more intense cardio session each week.
You will likely live well forever if you are keeping up with this routine :)
And when it comes to weight loss, your nutrition is going to be the real key along with sleep and stress.
Have a great day!
Matt
PS. If I can help in any way, just ask.
Who To Trust For Advice
Hey Ya’ll
Have you ever taken advice from someone and either immediately regretted it, or regretted it later?
Maybe it was a friend, family member or coworker. Or maybe it was a friend of a friend who made a post online about the latest revolutionary fitness or “diet” program.
Here’s the thing about taking advice from others. There is a hierarchy that should be followed whenever possible. The problem is that we often make decisions with emotion instead of logic and we end up regretting it.
So it’s important to be a good consumer, do our research and take advice from the right people.
After all, you would go to the doctor when you are sick. You go to the dentist when your teeth hurt and you go to a mechanic when your car is broken.
So why are you taking health, nutrition and fitness advice or judgement from non experts?
From best to worst, here is the order of people you want to accept advice from.
Someone who has done it themselves and helped many others reach the goals you are after. An amazing example here is our coach at Evolve Amy Muench. She was once an Evolve client who lost 40 pounds. She then became one of the strongest women in Canada. She is now a coach helping clients lose fat and also become much stronger. So she’s achieved many goals herself and has coached others to reach their goals.
Someone who has helped many others reach the goals you are after.
Someone who has reached a similar goal to you. I place this one below #2 because usually if someone has reached a goal but isn’t coaching others than they may only know one way to reach this goal. This is great, but someone who has coached many others will have the experience of dealing with different obstacles and helping people achieve success that are coming from different circumstances.
Now this is pretty much the end of my list. If I have a goal in mind, I am trying to contact and get help from number 1 if possible. And if not possible then I will work my way down the list.
You’ll notice friends, family and coworkers are not on this list.
Your health is the most important thing you have. Without it, all of the other success in the world won’t matter.
So we have to stop taking advice from people who, quite frankly, have no idea what they are talking about.
That sounded a bit harsh but I have been at this for a very long time and it breaks my heart every time I see a client or a friend who is so hopeful about bad advice they got from someone who shouldn’t be giving that kind of advice.
For some extra help, here is some honest help.
Sometimes finding this advice can be expensive. If it’s too expensive, all is not lost.
In the age of social media, you have a lot of free options. If you have a question about your health and fitness goals, I would copy and paste it and email/message as many trusted experts as you can. Not all will answer, but at least one will give you a great response.
Or you can use Youtube for all that it’s worth. This is a little tougher since there are a lot of fads/scams on there but at least your sister in law selling the latest diet pills isn’t. You can find lots of fitness experts and nutrition experts who have years of experience, PhDs and thousands of testimonials on there. This is a great free source of information.
For Youtube, I like to follow only a couple of people so the messaging is consistent and easier to follow.
I truly hope this helps and you can email me for help any time at mathewevolve@gmail.com.
Chat soon.
Matt
Don't Give Up On Your Fitness This Summer
Hey Ya'll
I want to chat about keeping your goals on track over the summer.
I've been in business for almost 15 years and this is one of the biggest struggles our clients face.
We've all gone into summer with the best of intentions only to let our actions slide and end up feeling like we are starting over in September. We go hard in the spring on our goals and then summer hits and brings us back to where we were before.
Ask any gym owner when the busiest time is and they will tell you it's September and not January.
Now they key is that I want you to enjoy the summer to the absolute fullest in whatever way that means to you.
Sometimes you just need to realize that your summer routine can align with your goals, it's just going to be different than your winter routine.
Maybe you aren't getting to the gym as often, but you are outside in nature getting in away more steps than before.
Maybe you go from 4-5 gym workouts a week to 2-3 and some outdoor/at home workouts.
Maybe your weekend calories are much higher but you manage that but reducing calories through the week (always keeping in mind to increase protein/fruit/veggies when reducing calories).
But what it can't be is a fuck it attitude that "it's not worth it" to do less and you may as well enjoy the summer and get back to it in the fall.
Well it can be that attitude if the plan is to never truly reach your fitness related goals.
I know many people who actually get in better shape in the summer.
They reduce their Evolve time from 3-5x a week to 2-4x a week and their schedule of workouts is a little different but they are spending way more time swimming, doing long walks, hiking, bike riding, gardening and (insert any good weather outdoor activity).
I mean I don't know too many people who spend more time indoors and not moving as much in the summer.
Sure, there may be more patios and BBQs but that doesn't mean our goals have to suffer.
You just have to learn how to manage things over time and ditch the all or nothing mentality that has killed many of our goals over the years.
Plan and prep like you always do. Just know it's going to look a little different. And let your dream goals live on through the summer.
If you have any specific questions about your summer please let me know.
Have a great day.
Matt
Why you shouldn't quit your fitness goals in the summer
Hey Ya'll
I don't want to act prematurely here with warmer days ahead but I want to chat about keeping your goals on track over the summer.
I've been in business for almost 15 years and this is one of the biggest struggles our clients face.
We've all gone into summer with the best of intentions only to let our actions slide and end up feeling like we are starting over in September.
Ask any gym owner when the busiest time is and they will tell you it's September and not January.
Now they key is that I want you to enjoy the summer to the absolute fullest in whatever way that means to you. For me it’s a little more patios and beer but also a lot more time spent outside (I hate the cold).
Sometimes you just need to realize that your summer routine can align with your goals, it's just going to be different than your winter routine.
Maybe you aren't getting to the gym as often, but you are outside in nature getting in away more steps than before. You could be biking instead of doing spin classes or you could be doing outdoor workouts instead of boot camps some days.
Maybe you go from 4-5 at the gym workouts a week to 2-3 and some outdoor/at home workouts.
Maybe your weekend calories are much higher but you manage that but reducing calories through the week (always keeping in mind to increase protein/fruit/veggies when reducing calories).
But what it can't be is a fuck it attitude that "it's not worth it" to do less and you may as well enjoy the summer and get back to it in the fall.
Well it can be that attitude if the plan is to never truly reach your fitness related goals. Imagine not putting in the work 20% of the time and expecting progress?
I know many people who actually get in better shape in the summer.
They reduce their Evolve time from 3-5x a week to 2-4x a week and their schedule of workouts is a little different but they are spending way more time swimming, doing long walks, hiking, bike riding, gardening and (insert any good weather outdoor activity).
I mean I don't know too many people who spend more time indoors and not moving as much in the summer.
Sure, there may be more patios and BBQs but that doesn't mean our goals have to suffer.
You just have to learn how to manage things over time and ditch the all or nothing mentality that has killed many of our goals over the years.
Plan and prep like you always do. Just know it's going to look a little different. And let your dream goals live on through the summer.
If you have any specific questions about your summer please let me know. You can email me at mathewevolve@gmail.com anytime.
Have a great day.
Matt
A Big Ass Salad Revelation After 10 Years
I know it seems like trainers have it all together all the time, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. We are human just like you and mini eggs taste the same to us.
My personal nutrition journey is over 10 years in the making and it’s now all about the big ass salads. From here on out I will refer to them as BAS.
Here is a rough timeline of my nutrition habits and my overall progress to my health and fitness related goals.
-Ages 19-23 I had no idea what I was doing. I would buy a bunch of chicken and veggies and end up throwing a lot of it out after it went bad in the fridge. No meals planned meant I didn’t shop directly for what I needed and without that structure I just took the easy way out. I spent a lot of time working out, but also a lot of time at the Alehouse and Athens brunch (miss you chocolate chip pancakes). Fitness success at the time was pure vanity and I wasn’t seeing much progress there.
-At age 23 I went on my first flight ever. To Cancun of all places for spring break. I told myself I would use the coming months to get “shredded” but here I was 7 days out asking an old professor how to lose as much fat in 7 days as possible. Those 7 days were absolutely miserable with the plan he gave me and while I lose something like 8 pounds in 7 days, it was all back on 3 days into the vacation. Notably, he told me I would be iritable from the lack of calories. I didn’t believe him but he was right. I was hangry.
-Ages 24-30 I tried it all with lots of ups and downs. Keto, cheat your way thin, calorie counting, carb cycling, intermittent fasting, you name it. Each one pretty much went the same way. Initial success followed by falling off the wagon because the behaviors weren’t sustainable. I also was struggling a lot with binge eating. I would deprive myself all week to get to that glorious cheat day where I would pray no clients would see me at the grocery story. These programs/diets/fads got me nowhere fast and I was definitely suffering a little bit from binge eating. I would say my goals at this stage were mostly still vanity related and the diets were all leading into travels or summer time. Abs came and then left a lot quicker. During this time I heard lots of things from “friends” who said I didn’t look good enough to be a personal trainer and lots of comments like that from people I now realize only criticize others because they have given up on themselves (a blog for another day).
-Around the time I turned 30 I got certified with Precision Nutrition and everything changed. If you know PN, you know their approach is a habit based approach and they teach about coaching along with all of the information about food and nutrition. There are no good foods or bad foods with PN, just an approach for moderation on the less wholesome foods and a focus on more nutrient dense whole foods. So I put it into practice. My goal was to not count calories but to aim to eat 2 meals a day that had a lot of protein, fruits and/or veggies. Then I would fill in the rest with my favorite foods and the carbs/fats along within those meals.
-Age 30-38 (present day) have been the healthiest and best I have ever felt. Age probably plays a part in things too but I am no longer worried about taking my shirt off at the beach if I can’t see my abs and care less and less about what other people think. I never have any guilt around food and I am in it for the long term, not the short term results I used to desire. Sometimes I can see my abs and sometimes I can’t but my peaks and valleys are more like little hills these days. I am never too far off track and I find it very easy to get back on track when it goes a little sideways. I want to feel confident, I want to have energy, I want to sleep well, I want to be in a great moods, I want to be productive at work and I want to set a good example for others. If I miss a day or two of lots of protein, fruits and veggies I just get right back to it the next days.
Now I don’t always love talking about myself and my journey but this is something that I have also learned in my 30s. It’s important to be honest and transparent with others, and you never know who you may inspire on their journey by sharing yours. I also think it’s important to share my nutrition story because I see people get frustrated that they don’t “get it” 21 days in to a program because the world tells them that’s how long it takes to form a habit. It took this personal training 10+ years and a lot of trial and error so I don’t think there is any shame in taking time to learn a new skill or habit.
So what about the title? Big Ass Salad.
I will make a post about that another time but basically it’s not a salad. It’s any meal with a lot of protein, fruits and/or veggies. It’ll keep you full for a long time with a moderate amount of calories and lots of great nutrients to support your goals.
Evolve actually just started our own meal delivery partnership that brings Big Ass Salads (that are delicious) right to your door. You can see all the details and ordering here.
I’d love for you to reach out anytime if you need help. You do not have to be a member. You can comment here or send me a note to mathewevolve@gmail.com.
Have a great day.
Matt
The Basics Of Health & Fitness (And Life)
Hey Ya'll
If I only had one message that I could spread. Or if I had only one thing I could put in a fortune cookie for everyone to read. Or if I could someone how send you subliminal messages to train your subconscious while you sleep it would be this.
The basics work every single time.
Provided you are willing to be ruthlessly consistent over very long periods of time.
If I was feeling spicy and ever went into an angry rant I would tell people to "stop f-ing quitting because you think it's not working 2 weeks into your new plan"
But I am not feeling too spicy and I know it's hard to overcome that burning desire to get rapid results. And heck, it's all you see shoved in your face on social media and on magazine covers.
What you see in those places are the 0.01 percent of people who are blessed enough to hit on all cylinders, the genetically gifted and then you see the photoshop and lies people tell to get you to buy their stuff.
For the other 99.99 percent of us that aren't going to be featured on the cover of Women's World magazine (what I used to read as a kid because my mom bought it) it's all about the long journey and the basics.
It’s simple, but it ain’t easy.
Imagine if for the next 365 days in a row you:
-ate 5 servings of fruits and veggies
-did 45+ minutes of some sort of physical activity
-drank 2L of water
-ate 100g of protein
-ditched the screens 30 minutes before bed and closed your eyes in time to get 7+ hours of sleep (sorry parents)
-practiced gratitude or some sort of stress relief
It's hard to imagine because you've probably never done it.
The thing is you don't need to do 365 in a row. Shit will hit the fan.
But if you do this 90% of the time that means you have 36.5 days of leeway.
That's a lot of days for those of us with long term goals and who are willing to stick with the basics.
Remember that professionals at really anything are not out there learning tricks every day. They are doing the basics over and over and over.
And over again.
Tiger Woods doesn’t practice trick shots for 5 hours a day. He hits the same shots out of the bunker 1000 times, then moves on to 1000 putts. Day in and day out.
It works the same for our fitness goals. You don't need a fad diet or workout program.
You need to strength training, do some cardio you enjoy and stick to basic nutrition principles.
Over and over again.
Take some time and think about 3-5 things you could do every single day for a year that you are confident you can easily do.
Do you think if you did those things you would be feeling amazing?
Then let's do it.
Have a great day
Matt
PS. This applies to your career goals, your relationship goals and any other goals in your life. Think about it.
Evolve Black Dress Party 2017
How To Overcome Fear
I hope you are having a great day no matter when and where you are reading this. This post is bound to make an impact on you if you are someone (like myself and many others) who sometimes struggles with fear.
I asked my friend, serial entrepreneur and all around great guy Matt Symes "how does a person overcome the fear of doing something or getting started with something".
His answer was fascinating and made so much sense.....
There was a time I was in my hotel room in Santa Monica, heart racing, tears almost coming and wondering if I should go to my first ever business coaching meeting with Craig Ballantyne.
I had it in my head that I was walking into an intimidating room with a bunch of super successful people I had nothing in common with.
And telling myself that I was an idiot for feeling this way and "what is wrong with me".
If I had Matt's advice, I likely would have been more calm.
Matt says when you are feeling this way to make two lists.
List #1: All of the bad things that could happen from you doing the thing.
List #2: All of the good things that could happen from doing the thing.
Then you likely realize all of the bad things are very unlikely to happen and if you don't do it you are missing out on all of the good things!
I didn’t make these lists, but I did take a deep breath and make my way to the meeting. After I sat down, Josh from Memphis introduced himself to me and our table and the tables around us quickly filled up with smiling business owners from all over the world.
My fears quickly went away, nothing bad happened to me and I came away from that meeting with life long friends and a renewed focus on the business. The picture attached is me and Coach Craig. He’s been an instrumental mentor throughout the last 6 years of my entrepreneurial journey.
The great thing about successful people is that most of them started from scratch and worked their way up over a long period of time. So instead of looking down on the beginners, they are actually super open to helping them because they likely got some help when they were in that stage. This goes for business, fitness and many other areas of life.
Now how can we apply Matt’s wise words about fear to various situations in our lives?
Joining the gym. Asking the person out. Asking the boss for a raise etc. Let’s talk about fitness and joining a gym for the first time.
What are the bad things that could happen? People could make fun of you, you could get injured, you could pee your pants in front of others or you could have a panic attack. None of those things would be very fun but they are all very unlikely.
What are all the good things that could come from joining a gym? You could make some amazing new fitness friends, you could get in the best shape of your life, you could have more energy than you ever had, you could be a role model for your kids, you could become more productive at work and so much more.
Would the good outweigh the bad enough for you to get started on your fitness goals?
I hope this helps you as much as it did me and I hope that if you have health and fitness related goals that you send me an email mathewevolve@gmail.com. I am happy to give you a tour of one of our locations and give you specific advice of where to go based on your current situation.
Matt
Matt & Craig Ballantyne
The Least Fun Evolve Fitness Anniversary (With A Bright Side)
You may be seeing a lot of these posts coming up soon and it’s a day and feelings I won’t forget anytime soon.
I was in an empty dive bar with a ping pong table out back with friends on March 15th 2020. Like many others, I went on this trip not thinking too much of what might be coming next. They news that day felt real though. Every channel showed the beginning of shut downs, people trying to get to their home country and a lot of shame for those of us who made the decision to go to a St. Patrick’s Day party the day before.
Mitch and I were texting back and forth. Cleaning supplies, smaller workouts, communication with staff and clients. What should we do?
I was overcome with emotion when I sent him that text and looked at my friends and said “we are shutting the gym down tomorrow”. That is not something I ever though I would have to do in my (at the time) 11 years in business.
What followed was a mixed bag. A lot of stress, a lot of unknown, a lot of ups and downs, some great decisions, some terrible decisions and probably the most lessons you could learn about yourself and your business.
I wish it never happened for very obvious reasons. But I am also grateful for the lessons, the relationship with clients that got stronger and the new relationships that were formed.
Here’s the timeline and some insights that I think are worth sharing…..
-March 17th I did the first virtual workout at 6am from my apartment downtown. I can’t recall if I wore green for St. Patrick’s Day. We went all in on virtual and providing a ton of classes. We gave all of our clients a coach to check in with, personal programs and as much support as possible. They all thought they would be working out in person that week and beyond so we knew we had to do everything we could do support them with their goals.
-Soon after, Mitch had the idea to make virtual available to non members by donation. We hoped to use the money to buy gift cards to local businesses with a goal of raising a few thousand bucks. Within 3 weeks we had over a thousand people join and raised $65,000. It was so amazing and unexpected. We bought A LOT of gift cards for local businesses and also donated to local charities in need. Our clients also organized an “Evolve Day” where they raised 25,000 in one day just to help us out. At the time I felt both humbled and a little embarrassed as we were giving so much that it felt weird to receive. Little did I know how much that money was needed to help us keep things going as time went on and normal didn’t come back.
**Big takeaways here were that we got to connect and build relationships with so many amazing local business owners, we got to meet so many new amazing clients and work out with them virtually and we got to see awesome people do their thing supporting others. We also got a lot of media attention getting on the front page of the Huffington Post Business page, the front page of the Chamber’s Magazine and lots of other news articles. Yes the bank account was going down, but these things were very meaningful and will be for the rest of our lives.
-After a month, we turned the virtual fundraiser into a full time virtual program that still exists today while also prepping for the day we might get to reopen the gym. You know the drill. Open, then close, then open, then close. Now you can workout outside too? Okay great, but no let’s change our mind about that and not let you workout outside. It was a lot to keep up with and it was a tough time figuring it out all with both full time and part time staff.
**A lot of takeaways here. We learned that we had no systems and processes really for anything, including staff. Evolve had grown organically over the years and most of it’s existence was just me, Mitch and Alan as brothers and friends. It was a big wake up call and things had to change. Over time, we implemented a system called Traction (based on the book by Gino Wickman and shoutout to Keith S for suggesting it). Doing that was one of the best things we ever did. We are still perfecting it 4 years later but it’s made a huge impact on the business, our team, how we hire and how we set and reach goals.
I also learned that I needed help. Covid was like dealing with 3x as many businesses between creating a virtual program, trying to keep the in person ship from sinking and trying to figure out how to navigate the subsidies and our staff (thank you Jen times a million). As a business owner you always know you should find an amazing assistant or admin who can help you focus more on the big rocks but it never seems like you can afford it. I got to my breaking point and forced myself to afford it and it was one of the best decisions I ever made hiring Christine. In 3+ years she’s turned herself from my assistant to basically running the show helping us build systems and processes to continue to grow and help more people.
**I am not ever going to write anything negative on the blog and I truly do not ever want to judge anyone on how they deal with stressful situations. As I would say, “ain’t nobody perfect”. I do feel though that in hard times, you find out who your friends are and I am thankful for finding out during Covid. The whole thing sucked but I am glad to have strengthened relationships with those who share the same values, I am glad to have made some amazing new friends/connections/team members, and I am glad to have had some relationships change due to values not being aligned. I do think this is a good thing for both parties when it happens and I feel overwhelmingly positive about finally clarifying what my values were and doing my best to live through them every day. They were always inside, but I never thought about them much until everything we dealt with through Covid.
-The next few years have been a blur. We saw the wage and rent subsidies come and go. They started off great and impactful and then got worse over time. We saw restrictions come and go while the government continued to tell people to avoid crowded places like gym. We saw restaurants and tourism continue to get supports while gyms (with the same restrictions) got left behind. We saw memberships go up, then go down then start to slowly trend up. We did our first Ride For Cancer in 2020 and had the largest team and largest amount raised ever at $373,000. Year 4 is this year and we are hopeful to get to a million raised over 4 years. We love this event, the people (riders and Ride Team) and the impact it makes in the community. F*ck cancer. We got to travel again, we got to go to country concerts again and life got back to feeling normal. It’s hard to believe it’s been 4 years.
**In this time we bought a gym in Elmsdale and Dartmouth and got to inherit great communities and teams in both places. It took 3 dang years and big expansion/renovation but we finally got back to pre covid membership numbers in Halifax last March and Bedford hit it’s stride in 2023 as well (shoutout to the amazing team and community there led by Scott). We also started a health clinic with a focus on preventative health that is an actual dream come true for someone who cares deeply about the full health picture beyond just workouts. None of these things would have happened if Covid didn’t happen but we found our long term vision and the opportunities came. I would absolutely go back in time and have it not happen with all of the death, mental health issues, burn out for healthcare and other workers, businesses closing etc. But we are here now and I will always push the envelope when it comes to helping others be the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves.
I want to finish with a couple of thoughts.
The first is a shoutout to all of the small businesses out there who love their product/service, who care deeply about their customers and who live every day through their values. What I loved about all of this was seeing “the people” behind the businesses. It was hard for us all to be vulnerable and admit we needed help. As business owners we are used to being mostly in control of our fate and Covid really through that for a loop. Working harder, longer and the best business strategy ever couldn’t help most of us during Covid. I will raise my hand first and admit that we have a pile of debt that is going to take 10 years to pay off because of all of this. I had to go find money in places I never thought I would have to after the banks said we aren’t giving you anymore just to keep the doors open. I will also raise my hand first and admit that I made a lot of financial missteps and would probably have done some things different had I known the impacts would last this long. But I wouldn’t change my newfound appreciation for small business owners and I hope that anyone reading this continues to go and support all of your favourite businesses. This isn’t just with money and that’s actually only a small part of it. Referrals, shares of social posts, 5 star google reviews and things like that go so far for small businesses.
Second and lastly, thank you to all of our clients and our community who stepped up for us. We quite literally would not be here without you. I didn’t have time to get down during all of this because I was so overwhelmed with positivity. If I was having a bad day, an email would magically pop into my inbox from a client telling me how that virtual workout made their whole week or a note from someone telling me we were doing a great job and to keep going. It was appreciated more than any of you will ever know, so thank you for that. Included in this blog is a surprise set of photos that our clients took and then hung on the walls in Halifax to show their support. Zoom in and see why this is probably the coolest and most special thing that’s been done for us.
That’s it for today and thanks for making it this far. I am a very long term thinker (something I learned the last few years) and believe that the future is very bright. Most blogs won’t be like this one and will hopefully have actionable items for those who read it. But if there is one action item for this it’s to get clear on your own personal core values and use them to drive your daily actions and behaviors. It will take time but you will soon find yourself surrounded by people who share these values and your life will be better for it.
Chat soon
Matt
PS. Also a special shoutout to Alan and Jen who are the rocks who always keep us together and who are able to give Mitch and I a different perspective of things. You both are amazing and are huge assets as pretty much family and colleagues. Notably Jen took care of everything related to the finances of Covid, all the subsidies, hours on end talking the to CRA making sure we were doing everything right etc etc. I could not have done that myself.
PPS. If you go on our FB page or IG page back to 2020 you can see some of the things our community did to try to stay positive through Covid. We held virtual concerts, Friday evening happy hours, special theme workouts and so much more. Check out out @evolvefitnesshalifax and www.facebook.com/evolvehalifax
Introduction to Evolve Fitness & Matt Benvie
Hey Ya’ll
This is 15 years in the making but I am finally starting a blog. In the blog I will be sharing the biggest lessons I have learned over the last 15 years that relate to living a happier and healthier life.
Some if it will be directly related to the things we think about for our fitness goals like working out and nutrition but a lot of it will be lessons that have become a lot more relevant than I ever thought as a small town guy who just thought all you needed to do is “work hard”.
Feel free to comment, ask questions and take as much as you want or need from the content. It’s here to be helpful and to spark more conversations and action toward being the happiest and healthiest versions of ourselves.
Now I do have a very long intro that I send out via email, but I am going to keep this one a little more short and to the point.
My name is Matt :). I also have a twin brother Mitch who is a co-owner of Evolve along with an older brother who has 4 kids including identical twin boys. So don’t marry either of us unless you want the chance of twins.
As of this writing, I am soon to be 37 so I grew up in the heart of the 90s in Hilden, Nova Scotia. For what we were interested in, it was the perfect place to grow up. We had flat streets for road hockey right out of our front door, we hand ponds that froze in the winter and were within walking or biking distance of the soccer and baseball fields. We loved sports and that’s all we wanted to do with some breaks to watch CMT and record all the country music videos on VCR (I wish I still had those).
Note: I am the biggest country music fan you are ever going to meet. 90s is my first love followed by Texas country and a mix of old and new.
Now let’s back it up a bit…..
For as long as I can remember, I knew for sure that I wanted to be a gym teacher and I wanted to coach sports. I wanted to be like my parents and I wanted to be like all of the amazing teachers and coaches I had over the years. They did so much for us and while I didn’t know it then, I know now that the only way to repay someone who gives so much is to just pay it forward to the next generation.
So off I went to take Human Kinetics at St. FX where I learned pretty fast that I would rather be playing basketball during the day than going to class. To make a very long story short, I spent 5 years in a 4 year degree, I met all of my best friends, I coached and volunteered more than I ever thought possible, I created a basketball league that is still going (the XBL) and I made some amazing connections that helped my start my career in the fitness industry. A big student loan and probably some of the worst grades you’ll ever see, but it was so worth it for the experience I gained in other ways.
The good news was that personal training was two difference academic courses at X so I took them both and realized that I could teach and coach in a different way. My 2nd to last summer in 2008 while working Sunday night to Friday morning night shifts at Home Hardware in Debert I spent every weekend in Halifax training some teen athletes I had met on Kijiji. Their family ended up becoming great friends and in 2009 they helped me get Evolve Fitness going.
But here is the thing. Evolve Fitness was a 1-1 personal training studio in downtown Halifax that I happened to walk by in the summer that year. I walked in looking for a job and with 0 dollars to my name and no business degree I was able to take over the business for the owner who was moving with his family to Australia. Special thanks to the LeGay family for helping me make that happen, I truly owe you forever.
Now if you want to hear my whole story, I don’t mind telling you. It’s a typical ups and downs story with many many lessons learned along the way. My first year in business I had revenue of $35,000 and my rent alone was $3000/month. You can imagine how it felt to have every rent check bounce for both where you lived and for your business with nowhere to turn for help. Some of you reading this are still clients from 15 years ago and didn’t know how much I was cringing inside when you forgot your check for your next set of sessions and I said it was okay when it really wasn’t.
Now here we are today almost 15 years later and while a lot has changed, everything is still the same. I still love coaching and teaching, it just happens in a different way than it did back then.
Here is a little timeline of the journey:
-September 1 2009 take over Evolve Fitness
-January 2012 Mitch moves home from Korea and starts working with me (funny side note that Victoria had been working part time with me before Mitch moved home)
-May 2013 we move and expand into a garage on Creighton Street and now start offering boot camps. Frank (from Bedford Evolve) becomes a client/friend and eventually starts teaching for us part time
-September 2014 Alan moves home from Newfoundland and starts working with us
-February 2018 Evolve Fitness Forever begins
-July 2018 we take a HUGE risk and move from 2400 square feet to 21,000 on Strawberry Hill. Mitch becomes a partner in the business as well.
-October 2018 we first say no, but then yes to opening a gym in Bedford in an amenity building with the commercial campus off Innovation Drive
-March 2020 we all know what happened. Maybe one day I will open up about this but I am not there yet. Unless you were in it as a small business owner or you know people who own small businesses you may never know the true impacts this had on our business and so many others.
-July 2022 we buy The Barn in Elmsdale and turn it into Evolve Elmsdale
-December 2022 we buy Revolution Fitness in Dartmouth and turn it into Evolve Dartmouth
-October 2023 we open Evolve Integrated Health in Halifax
-Writing this today we have a lot more in the works and have no plans to slow down.
I think it’s relevant to say that I started this journey with no real vision and I wasn’t really clear on my values. I just knew that I wanted to help people but I didn’t really know what that meant back then. It is now as clear as it gets. I want to help as many people as possible be the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves and I want to change the way Nova Scotians age and get healthy. Along the way we also want to ensure we are pillars in the community and that we give back and serve others to the best of our ability.
Now this is a blog about me but it’s really a blog about Mitch, our team, our clients and everyone reading this. When I was a 1-1 trainer I had a very clear max number of people I could help. Then Mitch came along and together we were able to double that. Now here we are many years later with the absolute BEST team and the best community around us who lift us up and inspire us to keep doing more. Without a great team you will always get stuck. And you need a team who shares you values and wants to help people just as much as you do.
And then the magic really is all of you. I hate sounding cliche but it’s simple math. When a new person walks into Evolve, they will see a handful of trainers (or less) and they will see a lot of clients. Their experience is going to be shaped more by their experience with you than it is with us. And you all have done such an amazing job making Evolve a safe, non intimidating and fun place to get healthy. I wake up feeling grateful for that every single day. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Now within that timeline I didn’t talk about the hard times, the times I was in over my head and the times that I felt so lost I didn’t know what to do. It’s too much to type for today. But these blog posts will talk about it in a different way because I will talk a lot about lessons learned in hopes that I can help others overcome the same obstacles I faced but much faster and easier.
I will say this right now though. Please ask for help. My only regrets from asking others for help is that I didn’t do it sooner because every time it was like the weight of the world off my shoulders. And I have gotten more help than you could ever imagine that helped me overcome some really big obstacles.
I used to not feel proud. I always thought I should be doing better or I could be doing more. I thought my obstacles and struggles shouldn’t have happened. Now I realize that this is all part of the journey and my personal story. I am proud. I have come a long way and I am going to continue to keep getting better. I know what my values are and the things that are most important to me and while I am not perfect, those values are at the forefront every day.
As it says on the walls in our Halifax location, “the best is yet to come”.
Thank you for making it this far. If you are a new friend, please say hi and reach out any time and if you are a current friend, thank you for being you. You are the best.
See you soon.
Matt
2009 Matt Benvie
2009 Matt & Mitch (visit from Korea)
Matt & Mitch