Simple Training. Better Living: Recent Episodes
Chris Gordon
We’ll talk training and fitness, physical health and wellness, mental health and sticking to it. We believe the fitness landscape has become too complex and too focused on outcomes. We believe that if you show up and work hard the outcome is better living. Living life on your terms is what we want to help you accomplish.
Stick with it or take a break and do something different for a bit. All too often when something changes in our life or our routine is shaken up we tend to fall back into our old ways. If you’ve spent a considerable amount of time building an exercise habit, don’t abandon this if things change or you experience a little boredom. Do something else… one of the hardest things to do is to “get back into shape” once you’ve been there!
The truth of the matter is we want to see and help more people embrace a fitness lifestyle. When we started this journey nearly a decade ago we had a vision of being a small cog in the wheel of change. While we have helped many, we also have to accept responsibility of not being able to help those who wanted help but couldn't afford it.
Although we are in the beginning stages, we are making every effort to return to our original vision and begin operating under a new mission. We hope you will allow us the opportunity!
Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVJDkGbq397uXtTEjNi9LhQ
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Search us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/KNXfit
Although we think it… those weird and embarrassing moments are not just happening to you. You’re not the only one who doesn’t wanna do that thing.
So I put a post out about a week ago with the question… If it’s not hard for you, is it even worth doing? The context behind this is simple and I’ve written about this and probably spoken about this many times. See, I believe 100% that too many invest too much time in looking for the path of least resistance. They have legit and authentic intentions, but they prefer to not expend the energy and effort it can take to achieve a certain thing. There is obvious nuance to this line of thinking, and it is a much bigger conversation than hard versus easy. The hopeful takeaway is to not shy away from discomfort or to bail on something because it is hard for you.
What truly makes you happy?
As cliche as this is and sounds, the older I get and the more things I experience the truer this has started to become.
Make no mistake, I have seemingly forever chosen a career path in the fitness and health realm, and I’m okay with that. I am thankful the stars aligned as they did and am forever grateful to do something for a living that can make a difference….BUT… it has come with some drawbacks.
Recent conversations, as well as, recent activities have given me some new perspectives and a little different take on life.
After much reflection, here’s what I have learned…
Sitting down somewhere and enjoying a good bourbon with good company is fun for me. Traveling around, going to new places and sampling new and different craft brews is almost a perfect day. Searching for and finding a cool place off the beaten path that serves a good burger is an awesome adventure. Doing fitness regularly is part of my routine, a good workout that checks the boxes is important.
For me it comes down to this…AND…it is incredibly cliche, not new or original!
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Being exposed early on to the benefits of strength training has been integral in my development as a coach and gym owner. In the beginning getting stronger and staying “in shape” was important in order to excel as a wrestler. This was a long time ago, but the mindset still exists to an extent. Instead of getting stronger and improving conditioning for sport, it is now about being strong and functional enough to pursue new challenges; to be capable and prepared to handle life’s challenges.
Thirty-four years ago one thing was important, getting stronger. Twenty years ago the importance shifted to stronger and bigger due to low confidence and body image issues. Around twelve years ago everything changed to the pursuit of better health, after being diagnosed with hypertension. It was at that time the family history of chronic disease became a reality. This is when I learned that looking fit and being fit were very different.
Beginning as a sports coach sixteen years ago morphed into an almost entirely different purpose. While I still enjoy working with the occasional athlete, my primary focus is working with the currently active or, aspiring to become more active, adults. Although I do love to see young athletes succeed in their sport, what has become more aligned with what I value is capability. We, as human beings, are capable of a lot; but, we can also become incapable rather quickly. This is why we, as a gym, and I, as a coach, focus on two primary things: consistency and effort.
The goal, the mission, the vision of this gym is simple. We want you to be able to live freely and fully outside of the gym… that is it! Of course each of you will have different micro-goals (bigger quads, tricep bump, shed a few lbs) but the macro-goal should be incredibly simple. Health and fitness endeavors have become overly complicated over the years, but all-in-all the macro view has not waivered. When you practice healthy nutrition habits, are exercising regularly, are managing your stress, and have some awareness of your sleep hygiene, at the very least you are doing your part.
If what you are doing in the gym prevents you from doing the things you like outside of the gym it’s probably time to re-evaluate. Over time things change. People change. Priorities change. There eventually comes a time when what was most important becomes a pain in the ass at times. That thing that you lived for, all of the sudden is now a burden, it is no longer enjoyable, or fun, and you no longer feel the same benefit as you once did. What you used to look forward to doing, now you are looking for excuses to not do. How do you address that?
“Not everybody wants or needs to be saved.”
“You can’t save everybody.”
“You can only help those who are willing to help themselves.”
I think there are a lot of us (gym owners, trainers and coaches) that hear these statements, but don’t actually believe them. I think there are so many of us out there that chose to pursue a field in fitness and health purely because we wanted to help others in the way that fitness has helped us. The sad reality is many of us forget that what was/is good for us does not always apply to others.
I spend most of my time consumed in thought; thinking of how we can change things to help more people. There are always these questions… How can we attract more people? Often followed by… What can we do to help? And then many times it is… Do people just not care about their health?
The last few days and over the past couple of weekends have been very helpful in giving some direction. The fact is the last few days have helped me reframe these questions. See, it’s not so much about attracting more; rather, it is more about alignment. Here’s what I mean. Not everyone wants or needs to be coached, there are a lot of people out there who have found something they like and enjoy and they do it. Within this segment some have gone the way of creating their own home or garage gym, and there are others who can’t afford this so they make do with what they have. They want more, but it is not in their budget.
So when considering how we can help, it does seem a bit more clear. We can help by trying to reduce or minimize the cost barrier by providing a place with proper equipment and hopefully an environment enriched with other like-minded people.
People do care about their health. Some are willing to pay others to help and guide them, while some prefer to do their own research and find a path that works best for them. We want to provide an option for both. I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to take care of themselves if that’s what they want to do. We, as trainers, coaches, and gym owners say we want to help others; but, we are only willing to help those who can afford it. How is that helping? When I first opened this gym it was important that we were accessible to all people. Currently we are not. I want to change that.
Yesterday was a big reality check for me… for quite some time now there has been one thing constantly on my mind. Did I make a mistake? Yesterday it was kind of answered for me. I think I did. There is something about facing reality head-on and accepting responsibility for the decisions you have made. This can be applied in multiple areas of your life, for me it came down to belief. See, I believe that if you choose to take the easy path the eventual return, the possible outcome lends itself to some hard losses. On the other hand, if you are willing to take the road less traveled, the hard path, the potential is you are set up for some easy wins. My favorite lifestyle brand, Few Will Hunt, this very mantra. Essentially if you’re okay with putting in minimal effort and just going through the motions you cannot expect a remarkable outcome or return. But, if you’re willing to put forth a full effort, and do the hard thing your potential for a better outcome or return can be remarkable. You want to be a more resilient and capable person? Stop giving up when it gets hard!
When you screw up are you pointing fingers or thumbs?
When and if you’re at a crossroads this is a necessary conversation! Recently we were here, in a spot that does not feel good. Something happened, not sure what it was, but something created a mindset shift, an understanding of a statement that is well-known…”be true to yourself and to your beliefs!” For whatever reason I’ve heard this over and over from biz consultants and SMEs in the industry, but it never really hit home, not until recently.
At the very least you should be giving, whatever it is, a reasonable effort. What does that look like? What does that entail? The generic answer is… it depends. Some days you will want to give more, while others, just going through the motions is a huge win. A little while back I began thinking differently about how to approach things. I started to dig into a concept that I had learned a few years ago in a nutrition cert program. The concept they utilize is called deeper health, essentially addressing nutrition challenges from a perspective deeper than just calories and macros. After putting some deeper thought into this concept I also began questioning why people like me are incessantly speaking about this. Here’s the conclusion I came to: This is the message we know and understand the best. We know and have a strong belief in the concept of eat less, move more, when it comes to weight loss. We know that if our nutrition is cleaner and our exercise is consistent that we should have a better chance at mitigating certain chronic disease. We know this through science as well as anecdotal evidence, but what we can never say for certain is that this approach is applicable to everyone. We cannot say for certain that if Sally does X she will become exempt from all health issues.
Our last episode was about the #checkthebox mentality… if you haven’t listened to it go do that, it will help you make sense of what this one is about.
Your health… mental, physical, emotional… all of it is impacted by your choices. Your choices… the decisions that you make, through my lens are black and white… you either do it or you don’t. Like Mr. Miyagi says in the Karate Kid… “do karate yes… okay… do karate no… okay… do karate i guess so… sooner or later get squish like grape…
You can choose to hit snooze and go back to sleep… or you can choose to get your ass up and go move… You can choose to hit the bar after work, or you can choose to move. None of this is new information, but it is pretty black and white from my perspective.
checkthebox mentality…
There are some out there that are of the opinion that if you take an approach consisting of just “checking the box” that you are just going through the motions. While there is some validity in this way of thinking, I think it is important to consider that for some this type of mindset can create some big wins and lasting changes when it comes to building better habits.
What is the #checkthebox mentality?
From a coaching perspective it really comes down to two things… discipline and achievement. In my experience the most common factor contributing to lack of achievement is lack of motivation… the hard truth is that motivation is fleeting; it is not a constant therefore leading to continuous ebs and flows in progress. Being constantly motivated to accomplish something is far less common than that of becoming disciplined to do so. Hence, the #checkthebox approach. Let’s break it down…
The #checkthebox mentality has been built on three guiding principles. 1) Show Up. 2) Work Hard. 3) Stay In Your Lane.
Show Up- Consistency is the number one, most important factor to achievement. If you are not consistent you are likely not progressing.
Work Hard- This is relative, and really tied to effort. Using the acronym PRIDE (Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort) sets the expectation of who is responsible for the wins or losses.
Stay In Your Lane- While this originally came about as a joke, due to the structure of classes and layout of the gym, it has morphed into something unrelated to the physical format. When we say “Stay in your lane” we simply want for you to focus on what’s best for you and to stop comparing yourself to others.
Henry Ford once said “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
The other day I overheard one of our clients talking about the day’s workout.. The structure for each round was such that 2 movements were completed followed by a 60 second cardio element, all to be done in a 2 minute window. The design leant itself to a little higher intensity format, but not something that was impossible. However, what I was hearing from this conversation was nothing but self-doubt… an entire exchange that was based solely on limited self-belief… actually, not limited, NO self-belief. Essentially there was no way in this person’s mind that they could accomplish this as it was formatted. This fired me up, and has continued to keep me fired up for several days now. Why?... I’m glad you asked!
Before we go any further let’s make this distinction… there is a difference between having realistic expectations and believing anything is possible. I do not believe there is anything wrong with being realistic… in understanding what is possible for you to accomplish… but, when your attitude towards most things is “I can’t” there is like a 99% chance you are right.
The choices and decisions that we're making today are going to have an impact on us tomorrow, the next day in 10, 15, 20 years from now.
How many times have you played the “just not feeling it” card? Or the “I’ll do it later” chip? Probably more times than you care to admit.
You’re not alone! Here’s a simple tip!
Showing up and putting in a half-ass effort is still better than hitting snooze or planting it on the couch. Too many of us live in the “all or nothing” aisle, when many times we need to head down the “good enough for today” aisle.
Not every day is going to be great, and some days are going to be freaking awesome…
Take the “freaking awesome” days and blend those with the “not so great” ones and you will find a thing that looks a lot like reality.
The reality is, becoming healthier is hard work! The “before” and “after” pics of Jan who lost 300 lbs in 18 months and all she did was drink 3 of these shakes a day is not reality!
Becoming a healthy version of yourself is in your control, and we can help!
In a conversation earlier this week the topic of goals came up. I was questioned why we didn’t set specific goals here. My answer was simple. People set goals to achieve a singular thing… lose 20 lbs, squat 400 lbs, run a 5k at 5:30 pace. Many go through all the steps in the beginning, write it down, tell others, and formulate a plan to get there. They do all the right things with the right amount of intent to prepare. For some this is as far as it goes, for others they begin and eventually find it’s going to be harder than they thought, or it’s going to take longer than they want to give. To me, goals are necessary, but not in the traditional sense. When I first started working as a coach goal-setting was priority number one. Over the years what we have found is that those who began working with us with a specific goal, or set of goals eventually petered out and moved on. On the flip side, those who began with the intent, or a goal, of establishing a lifestyle habit are still with us today, nearly a decade later.
Personal Responsibility in Daily Effort... Taking care of yourself with proper nutrition, adequate exercise, and appropriate stress management is your responsibility, it is your decision. There’s not much gray area with this, it’s pretty black and white… you either want to do it or you don’t. We all have access to the tools, it’s whether or not we actually want to use what’s available to us. As adults we generally make somewhere around thirty-five thousand decisions per day; and, for the most part, we are personally responsible for our daily outcomes. Of course there are outlier situations, but we are essentially responsible.
In this episode we give an audio version of an upcoming blog post.
"The possibility does exist that we may have to tear down all that we have done, push our ego aside and accept the fact that we have to go backwards in order to move forward… do it all over again, but do it better this time."
Just a simple reminder that not all marketing and messaging aligns with the actual product or service being offered. Be a smart consumer and do your research!
In this episode we attempt to scratch the surface of personal growth... how we can revisit past experiences and revamp them to serve us in our current state. Or how we can expand our social circle by doing new things. Not groundbreaking stuff, but a good reminder.
Is the product or service you are doing meet a minimum viability and sustainability standard? Is this something you can see yourself doing for many years down the road? Things we should be asking ourselves...
This is the audio version of our latest blog post... The long and short of it... in order to keep moving forward sometimes you may have to give a sh!t effort and just check the box.
Good artists borrow... great artists steal! A statement from another podcast inspired this episode. The nuts and bolts of this episode is if you are doing things with proper intent then keep doing it...
Comparison is the thief of joy… when you begin to accept that each day is relative you can then appreciate your progress for that day.
Today is an off-the-cuff episode surrounded around the pressure we constantly put on ourselves to perform in life...
This episode is the audio version of our latest blog. Check out the blog at www.knx.fit/blog
Instead of "taking a break" from your fitness or quitting altogether, we need to explore other alternatives. Today's episode digs into this topic off the heels of a recent conversation.
One of our primary focuses has gone towards structuring a fitness and strength program that is viable for the long term. Being super fit in your 20's and 30's should be the bare minimum... Can your current program take you into your 70's and 80's? I've always said that if you don't see yourself doing it a year, five or ten years from now, then why start today.
This episode is a version of our latest blog in audio. We talk about the story you are telling, the things you control, and to shy away from being a giant a-hole when somebody is working to write a different chapter in their story.
For a long time we have put a lot of emphasis on goal-setting... our contention is not against having goals, rather we should put more emphasis on building appropriate habits to reach the outcomes we desire.
In this episode I dig a little into taking inventory of your current life situation and some thoughts on how to redirect.
Check it out in blog form at: https://www.knxelitefitness.com/post/what-s-the-point-if-you-don-t-enjoy-it
In this episode I give a brief overview of why our philosophy goes against the fitness industry status quo.
In this episode we give a verbal version of our latest blog posted. If you’d like to read it visit www.knxelitefitness.com
In this episode we reflect on a past presentation and lay some groundwork for upcoming episode.
We take a stab at explaining the how, why behind our transition to using heart rate zone training.
Here we give an overview of our signature fitness class and how we are looking to add in a small component to help objectify the training process. Want more info? Head on over to knxfit.com.
We are coming up with another way to help you build a habit. In this segment we are giving a brief run down on "the how"
It's been a long time since anything has been published. Truth is I just haven't had much to say that seemed relevant. Today I do and I hope it resonates with you. Here's to new beginnings with the GYST of it podcast!
Today we speak to the path taken to reach your identifiable success. We talk about consistency and the importance, but also how we faced a period where being consistent was difficult to impossible for many. We leave you with a question to think on. "Have you done all that you can to give yourself ample opportunity to succeed?"
A longer message regarding motivation, what happens when we lose it and what can be done to regain it. Spoiler alert... motivation is real, but too often an excuse when we just don’t wanna do what is necessary.
It’s been a bit. Today giving some thoughts and attention to what we have learned in the last month.
This episode is a generalization of my thoughts on the past week and some takeaways post COVID-19 Shutdown.
We are in a unique situation and working to navigate through this. We will have a solution, but please give us a little time.
It’s tough out there these days. What’s working to keep you moving forward? Leave a comment or hit us back with an email or dm. Email to cgordon@knxelitefitness.com or dm on instagram at knx_fit.
Today I wanted to check in but also offer some advice on how you can get back to somewhat of a routine as we all explore this new normal.
In this episode we are shouting out some ways to improve our mindset and attitudes during this time. Many of us are going through similar situations and we could all use a little boost. I hope this gives you some ideas and some perspective.
A little bit of guidance, some possible words of wisdom, and a ploy to NOT be part of the problem.
Today we kinda go all over the place, but shed light on why doing the hard things in the past can actually pay off during this time in our country.
Today we launch a new, tactical segment about nutrition. At the risk of boring listeners we know that what and how we are eating is keeping us from hitting some of our goals. Here’s an episode to help with some strategy.
Today we shed some light on the evolution of things, about taking things in stride and being patient. A little bit on purpose and what that looks like at KNX.Fit, but more importantly about moving forward together.
Going through the dynamics of making mistakes, poor decisions, or anything of the like. Learning from our bad decisions is important and necessary when it comes to personal growth. We know that doing the hard things is what is necessary to optimize your growth. We know that we will come upon hard times and be challenged more than what we are comfortable with. We know that we won't always get it right, but we will keep moving forward until we do get it right!
Today I am going to speak freely on an event that happened two years ago. Not going to get in depth, but hopefully give some insight into what gratitude might look like. Too often we take our current situations for granted and we lose sight of how far we have come, or the lessons we have learned, or how much better of a person we are because of an unfortunate or adverse event.
For this episode I want to dig into why we stopped offering traditional CrossFit and worked on the development of our own style. Feel free to hit us up with comments or questions on Facebook @KNXelitefitness or on IG @KNX_Fit
Today we dig into a little on change and one way to stick with it. The secret to life will always be a subjective unknown, but knowing why you seek something is one of the most powerful factors. When you lose or run out of motivation, take a step back and remember why you made the decision in the first place.
We speak a lot to being patient. Today we are going to tie into the similarities of entrepreneurs and those seeking lifestyle change. Earned not given is where real appreciation comes into play.
To achieve you must first believe and to believe you have to think about it the right way. Our thoughts dictate our actions, make sure they line up.
Main take away... if you’re looking to get it done, make it a priority. This applies to all things in our lives.
Going over some ideas and chucking some nuggets around being able to move forward as we continue to train with the possibility of limited personal bests.
We will always have doubt and fear, just like we will be motivated and then we won’t. Assessing and understanding what it is you’re doing and why you started can be the key to getting back on track.
We all do it... we want it all now so we try to do it all at once. This leads us to getting nothing done, frustrated and burned out.
What’s it take to get ahead? Being confident in your ability is a start. But there is a little more to it.
Too many of us never account for the small steps we take each day. Reaching any point of success happens incrementally, let’s not be so quick to forget about the things we are doing each day to get there.
We have a tendency to achieve the outcomes based on what it is we are looking for. Meaning, if you’re constantly worried about failure you may be more apt to fail. Just as if you are looking to succeeding the probability of success increases. It may not have been the outcome you had expected in the past, but that does not mean you aren’t able to adjust your approach for a different outcome this time.
Nearly everyday there is something that goes wrong, or 'not according to plan' and sends us into a tailspin. We have a hard time, sometimes, in pushing through the difficulties that life throws at us. Life is hard, things happen, and things that were supposed to happen don't happen. How we handle these scenarios can keep us moving forward or can stop us in our tracks. What can we do to stay on track and keep from falling off the rails? One idea is to keep from focusing on the issue as being the obstacle and frame it as being a lesson.
We all have them, we all need them. We just need to understand them better. Let’s take a minute and reflect on things. Are we allowing the expectations of others to influence who we are? If we are, is this good or bad for us?
Today we are hitting on the, all too familiar, set of limiting belief systems that we all have. It’s natural to think you can’t, to be afraid of failure and looking like an idiot. Overcoming this is difficult, but necessary if you really want to improve in all aspects of your life.
Today we are going to ask for a revisit to the word, patience. Along with the idea of looking for short cuts and ways to speed up the process of habit building. Spoiler alert... it all comes back to patience.
Sometimes it’s okay to explore things that are outside of our current experience. There’s a lot of stuff and noise out there, we don’t have to always shut everything out.
Breaking news...eating the right stuff is not as difficult as we tend to make it out to be.
Here’s the GYST of it. We are pretty busy day to day, but are we busy making ourselves busy, or are we actually doing something that is moving us forward?
Today we are going to give an overview of what the #GYST program is, who it’s for and why you should sign up for it.