Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink ( A good friend of mine thought I needed to do a better job at taking ownership to the shit that was happening to me so he gifted me this book. Even though I only read half of this book, it completely changed me. Can’t wait to read the rest of it haha)
I don’t know why my friend got cancer and I can’t make any broad statements about it. That doesn’t stop me from wondering, what if? What if his childhood acne would have been seen as a digestive issue? What if his anger problems would have been seen as a leaky gut problem? What if his body was nourished with the right foods, the right sleep, and the right environment, would he be alive right now?
The repetitive sad thoughts that run through my mind constantly, do beat me down, but they’re also behind my fire for this website. This website is not just about coaching. It’s about creating a personal trainer that takes a multi-factorial approach when it comes to teaching their clients how to be healthy. The type of personal trainer that looks at ALL aspects of a client’s life. A personal trainer that takes the time to educate each client about the importance of sleep, community, food, and sustainability.
We live in world of quick fixes, with a medical system that keeps people sick, and with the majority of the population being completely uneducated.
If this world is ever going to change, people need to start getting educated. People need to be aware that there’s more than just conventional medicine out there. Just because a man in a white coat said lifestyle and diet will not contribute to their three autoimmune diseases, doesn’t mean it’s true.
I think if more personal trainers dove into functional medicine, we would start making a change in the right direction. Trainers can be the door into the world where people take their own health into their own hands, and a place where people take responsibility to what happens to their body.
If you’re interested in taking a multi-factorial approach to your training and start changing our sick, uneducated world, this week’s interview is just for you!
Why a personal trainer needs to look beyond diet and exercise
What are a few things a personal trainer could be overlooking that will get in the way of health
Questions you can ask that will give you a better idea how prepared a person is to train
What are the red flags you should pay attention to with clients that lets you know they need extra help
What does it look like when a client is being pushed over the edge
What are some red flags that should not be ignored with babies and toddlers
How issues manifest if not addressed
What it looks like to take a functional medicine approach
Why insurance isn’t a good way to justify not seeing a functional medicine doctor
I hope after this interview you’re a little more motivated to get your feet wet and start learning about blood work, nutrition, sleep, and mental health.
Where should you go as a trainer to learn more about Functional Medicine and Nutrition?
Glad you asked 😉
I’ve got a lot of resources!
Dr. Ben House:He has retreats, online mentorships, and endless articles. When it comes to raising the bar with coaches, Ben is your guy. Dave and I signed up for his first Costa Rica Functional Medicine retreat in 2017 and it changed our lives! It had a huge influence with what we’ve tried to do with our gym, Enhancing Life.
Dr. House has a Ph.D. in Nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin, which is one of the top ranked public universities in the United States. Dr. House is also a Nutritionist (CN), Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist (FDN), and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (CFMP).
Chis Kresser: is a globally recognized leader in the fields of ancestral health, Paleo nutrition, and functional and integrative medicine. He is the creator of ChrisKresser.com, one of the top 25 natural health sites in the world, and the author of the New York Times best seller, Your Personal Paleo Code (published in paperback in December 2014 as The Paleo Cure).
Robb Wolf: a former research biochemist is the 2X New York Times/WSJ Best Selling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired To Eat. Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast, books and seminars.
Dianna Rodgers RN: Is a “real food” nutritionist and writer living on a working organic farm in Carlisle, Massachusetts. She runs a clinical nutrition practice, hosts the Sustainable Dish Podcast, and speaks internationally about human nutrition, sustainability, animal welfare and social justice. Her work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Outside Magazine, Edible Boston and Mother Earth News. She can be found at www.sustainabledish.com
Dr. Bryan Walsh: He currently delivers courses in biochemistry, physiology, and pathophysiology as an Instructor at University of Western States. He serves as a Scientific Advisor at Lifetime Fitness, where he designs laboratory panels and interpretation methods as well as provides ongoing education for the professional staff. Dr. Walsh is also a board-certified Naturopathic Doctor and has been seeing patients throughout the U.S. for over a decade.
Dr. Mathew Walker: is Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. He’s the author of Why We Sleep, where gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming.
Dr. Sachin Patel: is a proud father, husband and chiropractic physician. His passion is to help his patients and community through his organization, The Living Proof Institute. He serves his community as a Functional and Lifestyle Medicine Provider, speaker and author.
Dr. Jared Seigler: is a Functional Medicine Provider at The Living Proof Institute. Dr. Seigler has great success working with patients that have autoimmune disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders and gastrointestinal conditions.
Dr. David Perlmutter: s a board-certified neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his innovative work in brain research, including the 2010 Humanitarian of the Year Award and the 2002 Linus Pauling Award. He is the author of the #1 New York Times best seller Grain Brain, The Grain Brain Cookbook, and Brain Maker. He serves as medical advisor to the Dr. Oz Show. His newest book, Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, was published in November, 2016
Dr. Mark Hyman: a practicing family physician, a ten-time #1 New York Timesbestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is the Director the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and was a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and The View, Katie and The Dr. Oz Show.
Dr. Michael Ruscio: is a doctor, clinical researcher, author, and health enthusiast. Dr. Ruscio practices Functional Medicine and is currently performing two clinical trials in the treatment of digestive conditions. He is also writing a book on the microbiota. Dr. Ruscio gives smart, busy people who are suffering from symptoms of chronic illness simple steps to get better, and get on with life.
Dr. Mike T Nelson: is a university instructor and owner of Extreme Human Performance, LLC. He’s been called in to share his techniques with top government agencies. The techniques he’s developed and the results Mike gets for his clients have been featured in international magazines, in scientific publications, and on websites across the globe.
How to set up for DB Pressing. The type of set up that get clients thinking “Yes…this is what I pay for. All the little details I can’t get anywhere else”
Very simple cues, but extremely overlooked. Many trainers still coach it by asking their clients to pack their shoulder blade down. I’ve even had a well intended physical therapist ask my client to not let their shoulder blade protract during a press (UGH). But like Michelle Boland states in her post, she’s looking for the rib cage to RETRACT, and we she gets the rib cage in a more optimal position, your client will be more successful with the activity you’re trying to get them to do.
If you’re not coaching someone’s thorax to retract before activities, you’re really missing out. I didn’t until 4-5 years ago when I was coaching 18 group classes in one week. When I got away from packing the shoulders and started getting people reaching, everyone’s movement quality and their ability to lift with great form shot through the roof.
Michelle has been sharing great tips like this on social media for a long time. If you’re not following her, your clients are missing out on results 😉
If you’re actually serious about taking your coaching game to the next level, I’ve got some great news for you!
– You get links to OVER 190 creative and advanced exercises
– You get 21 Full Coaching Tutorials
– You get 21 videos with Full Audio Coaching Explanations
– Video Links for your programming that will save you time and effort
– FREE Conditioning Exercises
– Discounts on new editions
If you want to keep up with the best in the industry, you have to put in the work and get better on a constantly basis. That’s exactly what Michele does, and it’d be crazy to not learn from her.
My least favorite part about my job has been to write my bios for my speaking events, describing my services on my business’ website, coming up with workshop descriptions, or writing marketing adds.
It has caused me many miserable hours and many tears because who loves selling and talking about themselves? No one, other than Donald Trump.
I would sometimes ask someone else to do it, and it would end up being cheezy AF, leaving me feeling gross about what I had to offer.
Fortunately, thanks to my friend, Lance Goyke, I discovered that people actually can be hired to write all of these things for you.
How many of you know what Copywriting is?
Did you know it’s career choice and people make a shit ton of money doing it?
I didn’t until last year and it has changed EVERYTHING for me.
It started out with me hearing about it, and then a client offered up his services, and in a nutshell, he basically told me the descriptions on my website sucked. He never actually said those words but he made me realize that the description about my business was not specific enough, it wasn’t grasping the right people, it was cheesy, and it wasn’t bringing anyone in.
With his help, we were able change my website around but unfortunately, I still have to write bios, workshop descriptions, facebook post, emails, and I can’t afford to pay a copywriter $$$ to do all my writing for me.
Because of this, I decided to do some digging and work on a skill that I clearly sucked at, and chances are, you do too.
I didn’t find many resources in the industry (if you know of any, please share!) but the few that I found helped me a ton.
The first one was part of Pat Rigsby’s Virtual Mastermind. Justin Yule did a whole section on copywriting, that I overlooked for months until I found out what Copywriting was.
He gives you a lot of templates that I was able to tweak around. I also used his templates to practice writing some of my own.
Joey Percia was another person I stumbled upon. Jon Goodman mentioned him on one his facebook groups and if Jon thinks he’s good, that’s all I needed to know to start following his work. I read one Joey’s articles on his website which really helped! Joey also has a pretty solid online course for fitness pros if you’re interested in digging deeper than just a few articles and videos.
Neville Medhora is not in the fitness industry but he has some really great content. I highly suggest reading his blog and signing up for his newsletter. He is always sending tips that help you with your writing.
Learning about Copywriting has even helped me with my teaching job at the personal training school. I’m able to deliver my message across with more clarity and get certain responses out of people and the cool thing is, I haven’t put that much time into learning about it, unlike Lance that took a 90 day course on it!
Can you imagine every person walking into your gym being exactly who you want them to be?
Because that can happen when the writing about your business is done correctly.
Your target market would read about your business and they would see themselves as they read through it. It would make them go “that’s me”, “that’s where I belong!” or “those are my goals!”
Over the last four months every new client that has walked into the door has have been perfectly carved for us. They’re exactly who we want to work with and we’re exactly who they want to train with.
How many clients are you losing because they’re not seeing themselves when they read about your business?
If you’re wanting to get the right people in the door, do a little learning, take a course, or hire someone like Lance that will write it for you.
