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The Iron Lab Podcast: raw, real, unfiltered, unfinished conversations about trying to EAT, SLEEP, TRAIN and LIVE a messy, imperfect life. Support, accountability, fun and authenticity.
Coach Jo 00:09
Welcome to Perfectly Unfinished Conversations, the Iron Lab podcast with Coach Jo…
Coach Kim 00:14
…and Coach Kim…
Coach Jo 00:15
Where you ride shotgun with us as we have raw, real, unfiltered, and unfinished conversations about trying to eat, sleep, train, and live with some integrity in a messy, imperfect life.
Coach Kim 00:27
We're all about creating a strong support system, taking radical personal responsibility, having fun, and being authentic. And one of the most common themes you're going to find in this podcast is the idea that we create positive momentum in our life, by doing what we call b-minus work.
Coach Jo 00:45
We’re making gains and getting ahead and loving life without self-sabotaging our goals by striving for perfection. We get it done by moving ahead…
Coach Kim 00:55
…before we're ready…
Coach Jo 00:56
…when we aren't feeling like it…
Coach Kim 00:58
…and without hesitation.
Coach Jo 1:00
Be sure to subscribe now on Apple or Spotify, so you don't miss a single episode. It’s good enough. Let's go.
Coach Jo 1:10
Hey gang, let's check in. How are ya?
Coach Kim 01:14
How's your training going? What are you working on these days? For yourself, specifically, talk to me.
Coach Jo 01:20
Well, let's chat it out. Like I'm in my “No” season. I'm thinking, I like these boundaries and a lot of no's are happening right now, like I'm having a big shift in my training. Like, no, I do not need to go faster. No, I do not need to go harder and murder myself and all the workouts and sweat my bag off, like, with the busier schedules headed into fall, I knew I didn't want to burn myself out. Like I kind of felt like I did last year. And really, I feel like every fall I've been kind of burning myself out. So I had to change something up, and that started with my training. So I've adapted a different style of training mentality, like slow, lighter weights and simply, I just got to make the moves like, really, really fucking good. I just gotta make them good, and I gotta put my brain in my body and be more intentional about how I'm moving my body. Like I'm still moving I'm just not doing it 4-5 days a week. Like I'm coaching, still sessions, and I'm coaching four out of five of those days a week now that my schedule has somewhat shifted, but I'm only working out maybe two to three sessions a week, and like that to me, feels like a really good fit. At the moment, I've always loved to move my body. It's just a part of me like, Hi, my name is Joely, and I'm a chronic mover since, like, fucking forever, and it's part of my fabric, probably because I'm clinically undiagnosed ADD. Like I am, yeah, I just have all that frenetic energy, and I feel like my skin crawls when I sit still. So just to I need to move, the movement purges my body of all that frenetic energy. And you know, I also know when I need to start moving my body more to like the bitchiness kicks in, the anxiety creeps in, the joints start to hurt. Specifically, I feel my knees more than anything these days, so really, like, those are my signs, and I try not to let, like, any of those limits keep me from moving. I just, I know I need to move when they creep in. So I just when I feel that I gotta go. Yeah, if that makes sense.
Coach Kim 03:16
Yeah, so well. And it totally it makes sense. And I really admire this about you is that we have spent a lot of the last decade with this real push, drive mentality, drive go heavier, get stronger, go harder, and in order to walk the talk, and in the amount of one to one really deep personal coaching that we've been doing with people, I think what we've discovered is that there is a time and a place to push, and there's a time and a time and a place to back off. It doesn't mean you stop. It doesn't mean you quit. Because I think that, I do believe that this, these are the habits that make you stronger, right, and healthier and feel better and deal with your mental health. Course, yeah, just a physical body, just like you're not just a brain, right? Like it all works together. And so I love that you have kind of allowed yourself to evolve. Because I suspect at some point earlier in, you know, in your training practice, in the developing years, where you were becoming this, you know, hard style kettlebell coach, I think there was probably a lot of that, like, go fucking hard, no matter how you felt, push through it, no matter how you felt.
Coach Jo 04:25
Level up!
Coach Kim 04:26
Yeah, level up, Bitch! And so it's nice to, it's nice to actually go, You know what? What can I do in this season of my life where, you know, I've got demands other places, but I still need to remain consistent. There is no fucking quit. You can't quit like you could. That is an option. Quitting is an option. But you know what's on the other side of that payoff, right? You know that, that there is a you know, your mental health, your your energetic state, your physical health, your cranky knees, like you know.
Coach Jo 04:58
And last year, this time I remember. However, I was, like, 10 days sick, like I was so sick September, October last year. And I was like, that's not fucking happening to me this year, yeah. And so far, it's been good.
Coach Kim 05:07
And so this, this is a really important kind of aspect to begin to lead and teach. Is that you I call it longevity of practice. I want to practice forever. I want to do this forever. And so in order to do it forever, I don't come in fucking hot and quit. I come in and I do the work consistently.
Coach Jo 05:31
I become a student of the process.
Coach Kim 05:33
Yeah, yeah, totally, yeah. Sounds cheesy, and that's true, right? Like, because I just and it's gonna change as I change. Because there's a couple days, like I told you the other day, I worked out quite hard in the leg day workout. It was great, and I used a lot of weight, and I was so proud, and I had great energy, and I feel so good with the iron. And then I went home and walked with my weighted vest for almost seven kilometers, and I fucking crashed. I was in bed, hardcore. And so I also go, like, okay, is that just that I'm getting older? Is that that, you know, my body's adjusted like whatever it is, but I don't want to quit. I want to keep going. So I'm often shocked at who I've become, because I promise you, looking back, my teachers and my parents most definitely would not have ever used the words consistent or disciplined to describe me. And yet here I am. And so even though I'm struggling a little bit with my energy and my hormones right now, or whatever the fuck I've got going on, I'm still showing up to my habits, routines and this practice. I feel like I'm evolving a bit, but I'm kind of choosing to trust that it's just a stage that I'm going through and that I'll find my way into the next version of myself and my physical training practice,
Coach Jo 06:45
I love that.
Coach Kim 06:46
I definitely could improve my cardio, for sure, and that will require some discipline.
Coach Jo 06:51
Yes, and it's funny that, you know, we laugh about that because we just made a Halloween reel yesterday, and at the end, Kim is like, yes, we could use more cardio, both of us were like, it's been a while since we've done a kettlebell flow. Anyways, Like, while you guys might believe you just need to get motivated. A lot of us we’re just like, I just got to get motivated. When that motivation lightning zap hits me, my brain, or you find someone like, I do this because they got me into it. I need them. I need someone else to keep me accountable. Like, there's more to it than that.
Coach Kim 07:21
And what we hear, what it sounds like, and we've said this before, is somebody will reach out and say, I need you. I need to get my shit together. So I need you. And there is a role that coaches have in accountability, of course, but there's more to it than that.
Coach Jo 07:34
Yeah. Like, if motivation was enough, like, you'd have, you'd like, check all of the wish boxes by now, like, motivation, really, guys, it's not consistency. Accountability is not even consistency, you know, although, although there are benefits to having an accountability partner, like, obviously, Kim and I have run a business for almost three years as accountability partners. But there's days she's training by herself and doing her own and I'm doing my stuff. I'm doing by myself, like, but we're here together, yeah, sure. But like, I'm not making her work. We're working on our own shit.
Coach Kim 08:08
You're not checking up on me, going, Hey, bitch, did you get your stuff done? I’m just doing it.
Coach Jo 08:11
Like, once, once in a month or six weeks. We're always like, what you, what you been up to? Like, am I checking with each other? But it's not like, I leave it to Kim?
Coach Kim 08:19
Yeah, that's right. And so that's, I like that topic, actually, Joe, because I don't think we've ever talked about that. I feel like people think accountability is a spanking. You know, are you doing? Are you eating your macros? Did you hit your calorie goal? Have you got your workout in? They feel like that's accountability. I think there's more to it than that. I think you also have to have accountability to yourself, right? And so this all, all three of these things tie in consistency, discipline and accountability.
Coach Jo 08:49
‘Cause like getting started, it's good. We know getting started is good, but getting started is not being consistent. Consistency requires two things. You have to be clear. This is huge around exactly what it is you want, like, what do you want? And you have to know what you're willing to do to get it, or, as Kim says, what you're not willing to do to get it as well.
Coach Kim 09:09
And what's actually possible for you to do to get it. Because I think a lot of people, they, they just, they're, they're, they think they're willing, but they're like, what's actually possible at this time, at this point in my life, with my energy, with my kids, with my you know, like, what would be make it sustainable? And then you need follow through, right in order to be consistent. Consistency is relying on a pattern of behavior, and consistency is only achieved through your habits. You know, just like brushing your teeth, you're consistently. You're consistent in brushing your teeth because you're doing it every night, because it's just a habit, or every morning, right?
Coach Jo 09:48
And like most of us, we do have a pattern of consistently starting the week or, you know, the month or the year we oh, it's January 1, I'm going to start, I do this, or, Oh, it's a new month. I got to focus on this. Or it's. Monday. I do this on Monday or Sunday, I do this. Like, we do that really strongly, and we have a habit of doing the same thing too. And then we just kind of get derailed, and we fall out of consistency, because Shit happens. So starting strong is, like, it's not being consistent when you just are, like a racehorse coming out of the gate, like, wow. Like starting with great determination and a kick ass drive and hitting it crazy hard like that often leads to you quitting early. And even frequency doesn't always equate to consistency, like it looks like this: we start strong, 1200 calories every day, dried chicken breast or tuna and Iceberg lettuce, some protein powder, water, shakes and five fucking workouts every day for two weeks or even a month, and then something happens, like we get sick, or we go on vacation, or you enter a season of struggle in your life, like maybe a strain or a pull in your body, or the kids get sick, that's always what derails my I feel progress in a sense, or they change your schedule at work, and so we quit eating well, and we decide moving is too much for our brains and bodies to manage, and we just end up giving up, because a lot of that is us trying to come back to see those workouts of five times a week. And now we just like, we feel weak and we suck and, oh, what's the point I was here and now I'm there and, like, it's…
Coach Kim 11:14
Yeah and I was going five days a week, so I might as well not go any now, because I can't go five days a week and that doesn't even make sense.
Coach Jo 11:21
No, exactly like not only do we never attain consistency, we pattern, the belief of that, that we're not capable of being consistent, the pattern of starting strong and quitting early, it keeps us from ever getting consistent and staying consistent, or from getting what we say we want, or from living up to our own potential.
Coach Kim 11:42
So, what's the one thing you need to know to get consistent in any aspect of your life? And that is, and we've talked about this lots, and you're never going to not hear us talk about it, the base of consistency is all in your head. It starts with your thinking. It doesn't actually begin with discipline, drive, motivation or tenacity, consistency starts with your thoughts. Example, I'll do better tomorrow. It's too late. What's the point? It doesn't matter. I'm too scared. I'll never be able to get it. I've already blown it. I'll start again after the holidays. Or this one bite or one drink won't hurt. These innocent little sentences are all examples of thought patterns that drive our behavior. This is the think, feel, do, cycle in action, right? We think I'm too busy and we feel overwhelmed, and so we quit early, we give up, we self sabotage, we order takeout, we cancel our workout and opt for pajamas and a Netflix, right? I promise we'll do a future podcast on knowing the difference between, I need true rest, I need to honor my body and when to listen to our body, you know, or whether I'm just talking myself out of what my body needs.
Coach Jo 13:05
Because there's a difference for sure.
Coach Kim 13:07
Yeah, like, how do I know? How could I differentiate between I'm truly exhausted and I need to honor my body's needs and I'm just being a little bitch, right?
Coach Jo 13:13
Truth, though, truth. And when we speak, we're always speaking from I like, that's how we would talk to ourselves, just so you know,
Coach Kim 13:22
I actually need to practice talking kinder to myself, because I'm like, fucking Kimberly Ann, get your shit together.
Coach Jo 13:29
Well, like the trouble is, like we're always focused on behavioral change, like behaviors, like trying to force ourselves to do the things before we adjust our own thoughts about it. Like to get consistent behavior change. That's the desired end point, but it's not where we like need to start. When you have behaviors that you want to change, we have to think about the ways we are consistently letting ourselves off the hook, like your excuses, self sabotaging reasons, deeply held beliefs, or mantras, stories that you keep saying in your head, like I just come from a long line of big women.
Coach Kim 14:07
Fucking right. Yes, okay, I'm sorry. With all the F bombs today, I feel like they're excessive.
Coach Jo 14:10
It’s actually a TGI-Motherfucking-F day today, we are TGIMFFing.
Coach Kim 14:16
There is an explicit rating on the podcast. I'll try to tone it down today. I don't know what's up. It's easy to fall off the rails when it comes to food and drinks and training, because, you know the excuses that work for you. Your brain is tricky smart, like, I'm so tired, I deserve it. I need a treat. I don't have time. I'll do it tomorrow. These reasons feel perfectly justified. They're real to us in our brains, and our life does seem really busy, and our body does feel tired, and we do feel like we deserve it, and we could always do it tomorrow. But these thoughts are not facts. They are just brain noise. They're brain statements.
Coach Jo 15:00
Yeah, I kind of like, always view that those brain statements and brain noise as, like, homeostasis, if it could talk. So if your body's always wanting to go back to homeostasis, like, just be comfortable. There's no stress. We're not running from a bear. Like, we're totally calm and everything's good. Like, don't freak me out. Don't push me. Like, that's your brain. That's your homeostasis. Literally going to your brain and saying, Hey, you don't need to do that. We like to sit in the couch because that's cozy and we're comfortable. We're protecting ourselves, like it's a straight up homeostasis cartoon speaking, yeah, yeah. But like, how do we know their thoughts and they're not just, like, they're not just a fact, because, like, I've had clients with a lot of kids and a full time job who is a volunteer and has like, no trouble planning and prepping meals and getting to the gym at early times in the day. And I've had clients who have one kid or no kids, they work full time and they never plan or prep their food, and who regularly intend to get into workout, but like, they never do.
Coach Kim 15:58
And so this is perception over strategy like this is thought before fact, and it's the way our brain interprets our life. But these thoughts and beliefs are problematic for us because they're the thoughts that you're having that are keeping you from getting what you want, like they feel real, and they are completely the only thing that is in the way of you doing what you say you want.
Coach Jo 16:24
Because like you can plan it, you can schedule it, you can read about it all you want. You can talk to your friends. You can announce on Facebook. You can feel inspired to do something, but none of that is gonna happen unless you add in action. This is where discipline comes in, because our thinking drives our behaviors. We know that our thoughts determine what we do or what we don't do, and so, consistency, it has to be built with discipline. Consistency requires discipline. They are sisters. Discipline is a form of self management and self control, or even self restraint, in a way like these terms have negative connotations. People think discipline is restrictive or controlling or regimented, but it's not.
Coach Kim 17:08
Well, I love Jocko Willink, he has a book that's called “Discipline Equals Freedom,” and I bought it years ago. But the basic concept of that statement, discipline equals freedom is that only through discipline you can actually find true, true freedom. So for example, being disciplined with your physical training creates a body that is free to do whatever you desire to do with it, right to whatever level you want to be able to do the thing. Maybe it's run a marathon, or maybe you want to hike the West Coast Trail. But discipline is also needed to manage and overcome special health challenges or circumstances. Without discipline, it's almost impossible to overcome the challenge of change and struggle and a lack of motivation. Like think of discipline with money. If you can be disciplined with your savings and your spending, then you can attain a level of freedom that many people will never have. So if you struggle to be disciplined, you are a raft adrift on the ocean. You get pushed around. You don't get very far. It feels free to be a raft on the ocean, but it actually probably isn't creating the kind of freedom you want. You're not free to go where you want. You're not free to do what you want. Yeah, just it feels free to be unencumbered by rules or strategy or planning, but your freedom is aimless and random.
Coach Jo 18:29
Like doing the thing when you don't feel like it. There's so many times I've come into workouts and I just get, get on the floor, Joely, just get on the floor, and at the end, you never regret it. Like doing the thing, even when it's hard. Doing the thing, even when you have FOMO, is where the gold is. Like, for instance, tonight, we have a coaches or a parent party for a hockey team for my kid tonight, and I have a little FOMO that I'm not going because I want to be a part of it, but I know my discipline requires me to be at home so I feel better with my health. Like, that's what we're talking about, FOMO, is there. You gotta choose you. It stings in the moment, and you think you're gonna be limited, like I feel, maybe my husband may feel, Oh, we're a little limited, but like we're actually creating something so much bigger that, like not many people can see, I'm gonna be rested for my kids hockey game tomorrow in Thorsby, which is an hour away. Like we're going to be better humans being there, as opposed to going to that tonight, for an example.
Coach Kim 19:24
Exhausted. Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Sorry.
Coach Jo 19:28
No worries. This is hard enough, like when your days feel smooth and settled, but it feels like extra hard. It's not impossible. When your life feels strained and tough, it's going to feel impossible to sustain.
Coach Kim 19:41
And discipline and consistency require you to follow through no matter how you feel.
Coach Jo 19:46
Exactly, like it means sticking to something even when life gets complicated or things change, because the road to getting better isn't always going to be smooth. Guys like, it's an up and down graph. There's no straight line. It's progress over perfection. There's gonna be moments of pain, there's gonna be hurt, there's gonna be shame, there's gonna be guilt. Unfortunately, there might be grief, like you may have a fight with your spouse, those are hard weeks, and you may have a rift amongst people in your friends group, or a text message that was sent wrong, or a family member might be struggling with their health like or worse, you could have lost someone close to you, but this is life.
Coach Kim 20:25
I think the sad thing is, is that we end up waiting around for a time where things settle down a bit, or life isn't so crazy, or a time where you think you can be guaranteed that none of these feelings or things won't happen to you or around you, but all we end up doing is putting off what we say we want, because life is messy and it keeps providing us with obstacles. So knowing that life is unpredictable is the first step in redefining consistency for yourself. Life is always going to be full of surprises, and we might as well be ready to follow through with our plans and continue to practice our habits no matter how crazy shit gets. That's why I always say with people who are like, Oh, by no, October, November, I'm not going to start anything new. I'm not going to, I'm not going to, I haven't been coming to the gym, so I'm not going to come to the gym till January, because there's just no point between now and January. Well, like…
Coach Kim 21:13
That’s 60 days!
Coach Kim 20:14
And not only that, but you're always going to have a Christmas, you're always going to have a holiday season. You're always going to have stress. You're always going to have family parties. You're always gonn, why not fucking learn how to self manage while all that's going on? Why not learn how to cope with yourself and honour yourself and discipline yourself and enjoy holiday season? Like there's so many ways to look at that right? Like, in order to stay committed to the way I want to feel. I have to be willing to do less when I have to, and do more when I can, and remain consistent in feeding myself and staying true to my sleep schedule not quit if every time I encountered a blip in my life, I decided today wasn't the right day to eat smart or go for a walk outside like fuck. No part of me wanted to walk to work today at minus three with a snowfall wall, you know, sky that's blocking out the sun, and yet I got a goal of just walk steps, not for any reason other than I got a goal of walk steps.
Coach Jo 22:15
Yeah, as it's getting colder.
Coch Kim 22:16
Yeah, yeah. Like, if I decided that today wasn't the right day to eat smart or get my workout in, or at a short, you know, walk, I'd have quit this whole thing 12 years ago, and then where would I be?
Coach Kim 22:28
12 years! Yeah, amazing.
Coach Kim 22:29
That's consistency bitch.
Coach Jo 22:34
Time flies. And that's another thing like, time flies, 12 years. And like you just said, Where would you have been 12 years if you didn't make that decision. Where would you have been today?
Coach Kim 22:41
In 12 years and 12 years of not doing it perfectly? Yeah, like 12 years of Christmas and over drinking and overeating and coming back to it and getting my workouts and getting injured and going to physio and getting sleep and being sick and kid stress, and that's life.
Coach Jo 22:56
Like, when life pops up, when things don't go as planned, like, we can use these moments as lessons for the future. Instead of getting up and just, you know, just throwing in the towel, we can think about what actually went wrong, like how you reacted, little emotional regulation there, what thought patterns arose during that time. And really, how can we do better next time? Each setback, each, you know, you could call it failure, but I like setback better. They can teach us to be stronger and more resilient and more prepared, really, for what comes next. Like it's normal to make mistakes or have flaws, because we're all human, instead of, you know, feeling bad about them and sitting in a pity party, we can see them as chances to learn and become better. Like embracing imperfections helps us stay true to ourselves and grow by learning from our experiences. It's important to be kind to ourselves through that process as well, especially when things don't go our way, showing ourselves the same understanding we show others helps us stay strong when things get tough.
Coach Kim 24:00
We're so good at giving grace to others and not to ourselves.
Coach Jo 24:04
I agree like we can celebrate our progress and remember that we're always moving forward, even if it's just that one little baby step at a time. When we face tough times, we can use them as motivation to keep going, like seeing change as a chance to learn and grow. It's important in this new idea of consistency.
Coach Kim 24:22
So when life throws unexpected challenges our way, being consistent doesn't just mean sticking to a plan, no matter what. It means being adaptable and strong when things get tough, it requires discipline, showing up when you would really rather not right. Facing the struggle head on is part of our relationship with consistency and discipline. Following through for you when you don't want to, will teach you so much about yourself, like I have learned so much about me by ignoring the voice that says, oh, respond to emails. Don't bother. You can do that later. We'll just. Get the workout tomorrow by ignoring that voice and just going down and starting to move the gear around and get into that workout while my brain talks smack like I've learned so much about my belief systems. What I think your integrity, oh, and my loyalty to myself like it's been super powerful. So tackling the tasks when you're being challenged is how you grow through into the next version of yourself, doing the thing that you think you can't or doing the thing that you don't feel like doing creates this incredible self trust, self reliance, and self confidence that strengthens you in a mental and emotional way, just as much as physically. And it sounds derogatory, it sounds like a mean comment, and it sounds judgmental. But, you know, there was a time where I tried to do gel nails or something like that to, you know, to feel more feminine or pretty or confident or strong or whatever those things were, I will tell you the fucking showing up and doing the hard shit has built way more confidence and self acceptance and self admiration and self belief than a pair of gel nails could ever.
Coach Jo 26:05
Provide for your confidence.
Coach Kim 26:07
Oh, yeah, way above and beyond.
Coach Jo 26:10
Like a couple like examples we could talk about, I wrote these down here, for instance, like the co founder of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, he experienced failure when his first business idea failed to take off. Like, this is a business one for sure. However, he used that setback as a learning opportunity, and he went on to build one of the most successful accommodation sharing platforms in the world. He's now worth an estimated $8.1 billion. You guys have probably all heard of Michael Jordan like one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He was famously cut from his high school basketball team. He didn't give up. He used that failure as motivation to work harder. And he's, like, became a six time NBA champion. And like, like, world famous. Who doesn't know about Michael Jordan? And like, Have you ever even had a failed relationship? Because I feel like I've learned a lot from failed relationships, friendship or, like, in a boyfriend, girlfriend, relationship in college and whatnot. Like they offer you an opportunity for personal growth and self discovery in so many different ways. People often learn more about themselves and their needs to the process of understanding, like, why a relationship didn't work out that self awareness can lead to healthier, more fulfilling relationships in the future, and I truly think they have like, I try not to look at some of those interesting relationships I've had and been like, Oh, what a time in my life. I'm like, what did I learn from that? I learned a lot from that. So, like, by making those mistakes instead of thinking you're a failure, because I know it's a natural human thing to do to feel like you're a failure, your brain actually pays more attention to what went wrong when you think you're a failure, analyzing, assessing, preparing you for the time you end up in the same situation. It just wants to protect you again for the next one. You learn from it.
Coach Kim 27:48
I always find that stories, you know, like there's kind of couple schools of thought. One, it's always fascinating to read about really famous people who have what they've overcome in order to get what they got.
Coach Jo 27:59
And most have had to overcome something,
Coach Kim 28:01
Oh and sometimes excessive, you know, like, and they and they continue to give back and inspire, and they've accumulated great wealth and, you know, notoriety and all those kinds of things. And for the real everyday person, sometimes they're like, Yeah, well, I don't want to be Michael Jordan, so it's not a big deal. And there still has to be this relationship to consistency and discipline in your life, or you're going to continually miss out on obtaining what you actually deserve to have. And I always am telling my people, and I think it falls sometimes on deaf ears, like you can actually have what you want.
Coach Jo 28:39
I know you.
Coach Kim 28:41
Like you actually can.
Coach Jo 28:43
I had a soapbox moment at the gym the other day, coaching a class about the exact same topic, and I was like, I feel like I want a soapbox.
Coach Kim 28:49
Well, don't you appreciate I know all of these stories mean nothing unless we learn for ourselves that in order to be consistent, we simply cannot keep quitting on ourselves. Like quitting is an option for sure, but it's not the one that feels very good like, especially when it's done from a place of overwhelm or exhaustion, as opposed to clarity. If you quit a goal because you're crystal fucking clear that that goal has changed and that's no longer needed or relevant for you, that's one thing, but to just quit because you're beating yourself up and you're need a break, and you need to re you know, strategize how you're going to get there. That's not a good reason, because life is going to keep interrupting you, and no matter what happens around you or to you or for you, discipline and consistency will keep you showing up relentlessly in a way that will make you more powerful than you realized you could be. Because being consistent isn't about doing things the exact same every day and being stiff and flex inflexible in our habits and then quitting when it becomes too hard to sustain. It's actually about continuing to work towards what we say we want while we're being challenged by our life, and this means that we do the work imperfectly, that idea of B minus work, you know, one workout this week, instead of three to four, which is what I'd like. But because I can't get three to four, I just am not going to go at all. No, we just do one or two. You know, we are disciplined. No matter how we feel. We get it done even when it's not our best performance. We are consistent, not perfect.
Coach Jo 30:25
So analogy, think of consistency like a sailboat on a big, huge ass ocean crossing. So you gotta go from the 1600s from Europe all the way to the Americas. Right in the traditional view of consistency, the sailboat sets a fixed course, and it sticks to it no matter what it's going to go from east to west, no matter the winds, waves or obstacles encountered, like one straight line and that rigid approach can lead to frustration and even capsizing in the face of unpredictable weather, because that captain was just not expecting the weather to go south, or had even prepared for it. So now let's consider consistency as a modern sailboat with a skilled sailor at the helm, instead of a fixed course, the sailor adjusts the sails and the boat's direction to adapt to the changing winds and the conditions. So when strong winds come, which are technically your challenges, and they blow unexpectedly, the sailor doesn't fight them, but it harnesses their energy to propel the boat forward when it's calm waters, which are your opportunities, when that emerges, the sailor seizes the moment to rest and recharge. In this story, consistency is about being the adaptable sailor who maintains a long term goal which is the destination, but he or she remains flexible, proactive and resilient, adjusting the sails to navigate the unpredictable seas, and that dynamic approach not only ensures that you're going to have some progress, but also makes the journey more fulfilling and rewarding, because you are learning on the fly as things come at you. So by seeing challenges as those opportunities and staying on track, even when things change, we can find empowerment and purpose on our journey towards personal growth and success.
Coach Kim 32:09
I love it. So let's lastly, as an additional challenge, let's quickly review an idea, and it's called the 30 by 30 strategy. The 30 by 30 idea is about spending 30 minutes every day for 30 days to start a new habit or reach a new goal. And I'm going to improvise slightly on this, because I also love the idea. A lot of times people, when they come back to a fitness practice, or they have a weight loss or a body composition goal, or they want to transform their health and their habits in some way, they think they need to do it all at once, and so 30 days and 30 minutes is great, but you could also do something as simple as kitchen closed every night at 7pm or I'm not going to have my rice crackers and peanut butter bedtime snack for 30 days. Some pick some habit that is a comfort habit, that is something that you do to soothe yourself, that you do as probably a not helpful, not ideal, habit that you probably don't feel great about, and remove it for 30 days. But the main idea is that you are doing something regularly for a month so that it can slowly become a normal part of your routine. Routine. You're picking one thing, not everything. You're picking one thing to work up to, to make it feel easier. And then that also gives you an opportunity to reassess, like, do I even like this habit? Do I want to keep this habit? Is there something else I would rather do, or is it easy? Is it effortless? Because that's part of creating something that's sustainable. But the key is to keep going every single day and to stay dedicated to that commitment, that one commitment, even when it feels hard, even when you'd rather not. So it's highly recommended to pick one or two things, max, one thing, if you're struggling to get started or if you have a commitment problem, and two things, if you already have an on again, off again relationship with some of your daily goals. So some examples would be like a step goal, maybe your 30 minute walk every day for 30 days. Or a water goal, something as easy as drinking one glass of water extra daily for 30 days. Or a reading habit, maybe you want to read a real paper book for 30 minutes for 30 days. Or a gratitude journal where you're acknowledging three things that you're grateful for every night for 30 days, whatever it is, once you've selected what you want to do, you are going to dedicate yourself to 30 days of practicing only that thing, even on the days where you don't want to do it like you still just show up and do it. And so this is just discipline, and it's consistency the sisters you want to be best friends for life with.
Coach Jo 34:59
So thanks for. In here, guys, thanks for being here with us. If you're loving the podcast, please consider leaving us a five star rating and review, as it helps people just like you find us. In an upcoming episode, we'd love to answer your questions like anything goes, training, nutrition, lifestyle, personal questions about Kim or I send them to us by email, which is info@ironlabinc.com, and we'd love to hear what you would love to hear about in an upcoming chat.
Coach Kim 35:30
Yeah, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. Thanks for being here. Bye, bye.
Coach Jo 35:37
You probably got a sense of who we are by now and what our personal approach is to developing a lifestyle that creates really great health and strength. Using a relational common sense coaching approach that is backed by knowledge and personal experiencee
Coach Kim 35:52
There are a couple of ways that you can work with Jo or I, one on one, remote or you can actually train here at Iron Lab.
Coach Jo 36:00
The first is the Metabolic Blueprint, personalized coaching program, which is customized for your life and your body.
Coach Kim 36:07
We work together very closely either in person or remotely to help you conquer old diet drama and to get lasting results.
Coach Jo 36:16
Ideally, we'd love to teach you how to never buy a quick-fix diet program or app again.
Coach Kim 36:23
Next, there is the accelerator academy, which is up to 12 months of self-paced weekly bite-sized lessons and journaling exercises, that we’ve created to help you create the lifestyle habits that generate a true transformation.
Coach Jo 36:37
Find out more on our website: ironlablacombe.com/metabolic-blueprint. We'll see you next time you.