How do I find my why?

Finding your why, finding your own why, is the most important factor to achieving long-term whole-life fits, and it's important to remember that that's going to look different for everyone. Everybody needs to explore their own particular reasons for becoming fit and make the decision to follow through. It all boils down to feeling as well as fueling the desire to make change and then doing it. So what do you need to ask yourself? There's a reason why you started looking for answers, whether in this book or elsewhere. Respect that impulse. Perhaps it's centered on your physical health and vitality, and that's great. At the same time, examine whether there's another issue in your life that you want to make better, be it a situation in your family, your finances or your faith. What motivates us for life? Think about why fitness matters to you.

For others, such as those who have suffered heart attacks or who have life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes, the why might be a basic desire to live. For some of us, the deeper motivation stems from a desire to support a healthy relationship with our romantic partner. Christie and I are strong believers in the same. Couples who sweat together, stay together. In my work, I've met a lot of accomplished business executives in their 40s, many who are once football or hockey players who, but who are now 50 pounds overweight. Their daily choices over the past decade have taken them a long way from their original lifestyle, usually to a detriment of their fitness.

The reality for many of us is that we can't travel as much as we like when we're in our prime and midlife years. We work full time, we have families to provide for and older parents who need our time and energy. If you want to be able to see the world you retire, you'll need to be fit and healthy when you reach that age. Whether your idea of great travel experiences rise in early to watch the Lions room freely while on safari in Africa, or stripping down to your swimsuit to wallow in warm Caribbean waters you'll get more out of it if your body is optimal state of health. Even to achieve optimal health is undoubtedly solid reason to exercise. Now I know that people have different ideas of what optimal health means. For me, health is about feeling good.

Welcome back to the 2% Solution Podcast, folks. Today we're diving into a topic that's the lifeblood of any transformative journey. What's that Motivation? The spark ignites our drive to get healthy, stay fit and, quite honestly, balance or you know my belief on balance finding more harmony based on life's many demands. So today we're going to dive in and uncover these secrets to mastering the art of motivation. First, why is motivation the most crucial step to getting healthy? Well, think of it as the engine in your car. Without it, you're not going anywhere. And, according to a study in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, motivation is a key predictor of starting and maintaining health behaviors. That internal force pushes you to lace up your sneakers even when the couch is looking pretty nice and calling your name. Now let's discuss how we're each uniquely motivated.

So the purpose I keep talking about is there's some fundamental aspects of that that I talk about, and it's like when we talk about weight loss for goals. You know it's like beach season or high school reunion and you want to make them look, even be, jealous. Or you're going to your ex's wedding somehow you got invited to that. I don't know what kind of. That's great, you guys are friends, but you know you want to make someone jealous or something like that.

I also have a lot clearer focus with my mind. Attention-wise, I have better energy to be present. But I also remember that it makes me a better person around my family and around my friends and around my community, because exercise, or being healthy body, ties into my mental health as well. Everything's connected, right, but what happens when you're stuck? How do you get unstuck? The key is finding your why. A research article in the Lancet shows that having a strong personal reason for pursuing health goals significantly increases your chances of success. So dig deep, find your why and let that be your anchor. You know what. To help you with this, I've got a great resource that I'm including in the show notes. It's a link to a PDF you don't have to sign up for anything.

It's also where I share the latest information, workouts, tips and reviews to help you cut through all the noise relating to health, fitness and wellness and lifestyle, and I will continue to do so for as long as I can. What does it mean? To live a life of no regrets, of optimized mind, body and spirit. One word comes to my mind Fun. I strive to enjoy every waking moment, appreciating the friendships I form and the family I'm raising, as well as helping others in my tribe. Experience the incredible, epic journey of life. That's my why. We are companions on this journey to greatness, and it's the trip of a lifetime you might be working out on your own, but you're never alone. I'm happy and honored to be taking this first step of a long, fulfilling journey with you today. Never stop honoring your why.

For example, set a specific goal, like running a 5K charity race for a cause you're passionate about. Running a purpose can be a powerful motivator, also a great way to keep you accountable. Now question two what's the best diet for weight release? You understood, I didn't say weight loss, weight release. Why do we release weight? Because we say bye-bye, bye-bye weight. I don't want me coming back, because when you lose stuff, inevitably you try to find it again. Right, think about losing your keys. Everyone hates losing their keys. So, subconsciously, we're so used to losing stuff and wanting to find it again. So remember weight release. So what's the best diet for weight release? There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Think of it as assembling a puzzle. A balanced diet with a calorie deficit is like finding the perfect piece.

No more excuses, just a desire to be better than we were yesterday. Plugging into a community of like-minded people to hold us accountable, uplift us on days where we are down and of course be our friends and encouragers. It is time we cure Excusitis and become fit, healthy and living life. A choice to dedicate 2% of your day, 30 minutes, to your personal self. Your body, mind, and spirit. 15 minutes of moving with purpose, 5 minutes of mindfulness and 10 minutes for concentrated personal growth. Are you ready to choose a life of awesomeness? Two removals from the original, recorded rather than deleted. A pre-order link for the book, which was unreleased when this was written and has been published since, and a closing call to action pointing at a campaign that ended in 2016. Everything else is as it ran.

The day I chose to follow my bliss and carve out a path that allows me to maximize my experience of happiness, filling my life with joy and fulfillment, was a distant memory. Returning to the present moment and the reality of my 44-year-old self, another question kept swirling in my mind. What is the healthiest version of me? How could that look? Is it possible? Can I do this? One truth I knew from experience, from watching my own father's passing as a young 72-year-old man, was that longevity without vitality is an endeavor not worth pursuing. Longevity without vitality is an endeavor not worth pursuing. On July 1st, 2021, I revisited everything I believed I knew about whole health. Starting with my mind, I worked on self-perspective and self-awareness. Then, I worked on my purpose, passion for life, and my why. My spirit needed attention too.

To go from feeling that you do not have the energy to start moving, even a little, to hitting the gym or working with a personal trainer is a huge shift. Who has not thought, I am too exhausted after my commute to work out, or, once I have put the kids into bed I am exhausted, or, I cannot work out because I cannot afford a gym membership? I know that 7 years ago I suffered a bad bout of Excusitis, an intolerable disease preventing one from doing anything productive, or more commonly known as I-will-do-it-tomorrow-itis. I had a lot of excuses, also known as bad habits, running through my head daily. What made me feel worse, here I was a fitness professional and I was earning an income helping people overcome their excuses to get back on a path of optimized health.