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