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

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.

1. 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.

2. Someone who has helped many others reach the goals you are after.

3. 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