Journey to the Sunnyside

Today I’m joined by Martin Silva — a transformation and performance coach with more than 20 years in the health and fitness world. He’s a former pro physique competitor who knows firsthand how easy it is to cross the line from healthy habits into obsession. In this episode, we talk about his early years in fitness, what the extreme side of that world looks like, and the turning point that changed everything. We also explore how those lessons go far beyond the gym and what they can teach anyone who’s ready to break free from all-or-nothing thinking

Want to drink less with no pressure to quit? Visit https://ctbk.co/4doo5dq for a free 15-day trial of Sunnyside.
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ABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol moderation app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

Creators and Guests

Host
Mike Hardenbrook
#1 best-selling author of "No Willpower Required," neuroscience enthusiast, and habit change expert.

What is Journey to the Sunnyside?

Journey to the Sunnyside is a top 1% podcast, reaching over 500,000 listeners every week. It’s your guide to exploring mindful living with alcohol—whether you're cutting back, moderating, or thinking about quitting.

While Sunnyside helps you reduce your drinking, this podcast goes further, diving into topics like mindful drinking, sober curiosity, moderation, and full sobriety. Through real stories, expert insights, and science-backed strategies, we help you find what actually works for your journey.

Hosted by Mike Hardenbrook, a #1 best-selling author and neuroscience enthusiast, the show is dedicated to helping people transform their relationship with alcohol—without shame, judgment, or rigid rules.

This podcast is brought to you by Sunnyside, the leading platform for mindful drinking. Want to take the next step in your journey? Head over to sunnyside.co for a free 15-day trial.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in our episodes do not necessarily represent those of Sunnyside. We’re committed to sharing diverse perspectives on health and wellness. If you’re concerned about your drinking, please consult a medical professional. Sunnyside, this podcast, and its guests are not necessarily medical providers and the content is not medical advice. We do not endorse drinking in any amount.

Speaker 1:

Today I'm joined by Martin Silva, a transformation and performance coach with more than twenty years in the health and fitness world. He's a former Prophysique competitor who knows firsthand how easy it is to cross the line from healthy habits into obsession. In this episode, we talk about his early years in fitness, what the extreme side of that world looks like, and the turning point that changed everything. We also explore how those lessons go far beyond the gym and what they can teach anyone who's ready to break free from the all or nothing trap. Alright, Martin.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for coming on today.

Speaker 2:

Thanks for having me, Mike. Appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

Alright. Where are you coming from again? Your other side of the world here.

Speaker 2:

That's right. I'm in Sydney. I'm in Sydney, Australia. I'm from Wales in The UK originally. I've been here for eight and a half years now.

Speaker 1:

Eight and a half years. That's awesome. Well, we were having some good conversation around there because I I wanna maybe bring the family down there. So, very interested to hear more once we talk after that. But today, we're gonna talk about health and your background and your insights, which are all about sustainability and not extremes.

Speaker 1:

And you've been in the health world for over two decades from competing at a pro level to coaching people globally. So when you look back, what originally drove you into that extreme version of health and performance?

Speaker 2:

So I actually started lifting weights at a young age, so I started lifting weights at 16, 17. And when I look back, I think it's mainly status. I think it's mainly I was trying to get attraction from the opposite sex and stuff. I was kinda average in school, started lifting weights at 16. And, you know, at that age, it's like you're on natural steroids.

Speaker 2:

Right? Not that I've ever ever taken steroids. But I just started building muscle, enjoyed it, and I started playing better rugby because I used to play rugby. That was my sport. And then I just loved it.

Speaker 2:

I just got immersed into it, and that was really the only subject that I excelled in in school was PE. Right? That's what I loved. I always loved sports and being active. So then I just got into personal training then from a young age.

Speaker 2:

For 20 years old, I was PT and people. Did that for twelve years. And within that twelve years, then I got into bodybuilding then. So I got into, like, men's physique competitions and then ended up doing, like, nine competitions, got to the pro level doing that. And that's kinda my story really in a nutshell.

Speaker 2:

So I think the main driver was was really to performance to be better on the rugby pitch. But I'd say number one was just because I started building muscle. I've got pretty good genetics as well. And I just enjoyed the way it made me feel. And, actually, I always forget about this.

Speaker 2:

This is really important. I actually lost someone close to me as well when I was 16. I only reflected on this. Now recently looking back, My stepdad at the time died of cancer when I was just turned 17. And I that's when I was really getting into weight training.

Speaker 2:

And that was kind of a release for me then. So I I kind of channeled that energy then more into the gym, and it was it was therapeutic then. It became like my place of worship, essentially. So I was, you know, obviously, it's unfortunate that he died, but it was fortunate at the same time, because it helped me drive that energy into the right places, you know, and as a 16 year old lad, 17 year old lad, all sorts of stuff can happen. You know what I mean?

Speaker 1:

Oh, yeah, it can go in any direction. And I mean, I can relate. So I think it was around 15 or 16 when I was really starting to get in to weight training. It was the same thing, but American football instead. And, and I actually ended up working at a health club that I that I went to, and I really liked that.

Speaker 1:

And that was a good story for a first job. You know, washing the towels that the guys in the locker room were using is one of those crappy first jobs. So I remember that. But I always was into the gym, you know, and I think that sets you up long term, but it definitely can you can go into extremes. And it sounds like for a little while, you did go into that place, not necessarily saying that that's a bad thing, because some people thrive in those extremes.

Speaker 1:

But it seems like, you know, somewhere along that journey, you had a shift in your perspective. But before I get into that, I wanna ask you, what's that world like in the competitive bodybuilding circuit?

Speaker 2:

Oh, there's a big dark side to that, Mike. And I was thinking about this recently. Anyone maybe someone's thinking to compete and listen to this. It's not good for anyone really competing. Right?

Speaker 2:

If I'm honest. Now don't get me wrong, character building, all that kind of stuff. But you gotta ask yourself why are you doing it right? Because it's never gonna be a healthy thing to do. Now at the time, Mike, I didn't really know what I was getting myself in for.

Speaker 2:

I just decided to jump on stage. Like I said, I was in shape, training for ten years, good genetics, PT, and people in the gym. And the PTs were like, man, there's this new men's physique competition in the local area. You should do it. And I was like, you know what?

Speaker 2:

Why not? Let's do it. So jumped on stage, and I came, like, second, and then I qualified for the British finals, which happened to be in, like, seven weeks. And that's actually where it all went pear shaped then. So I was like, you know, I might as well do the the British finals.

Speaker 2:

Right? I've done well here. I didn't expect this, but I didn't know what I was doing. So then I ended up doing that comp, and that's when the extreme behaviors kicked in after that second comp. Dieted down, had a bodybuilding plan off like a old school bodybuilder, no science to it, overly restrictive, and I just started binging after that show.

Speaker 2:

So it went on for about a week. I never forget. I I that was the most I've ever eaten. I think it within, like, twenty four hours, I ate something like 20,000 calories or whatever. And then for that whole week, I was just binging to the point where it was like it was almost like a drug, and I was like, wow.

Speaker 2:

Okay. There's a dark side to this, you know? And then I just got sucked into it then, and whatever I was chasing at the time. When I look back, again, it's probably just, you know, status, likes on Instagram. You know, I got loads of followers and stuff, but I see a real dark side to that.

Speaker 2:

And to answer your question, I was around a lot of those people going to these big fitness expos and stuff at the time. And a lot of them had extreme behaviors, really poor relationship with food, really poor relationships in general with people because they were so immersed into that world and even training as well. So that was another battle of mine was was overtraining, training because I hated my legs. So that's another thing with bodybuilding. If you got any even if you haven't got body dysmorphia, which I didn't have at the time, you'll have it after that, you know, because you're getting critiqued.

Speaker 2:

You're getting critiqued. It's like your legs, your shoulders. That were my two weak areas. So when I would overeat Mike, I would just destroy my legs in the gym the next day because I hated them, you know? So, yeah, there's a dark side to it.

Speaker 2:

I came out. I'm thankful that it all happened. Now looking back, you know, twelve years later, but it could have went it could have went really sour, you know?

Speaker 1:

You know, that's really interesting the way you're saying it because I can draw parallels in the way that unhealthy, you know, habits and obsessions happen. And, of course, here, we're on this podcast talking about moderation around alcohol. And a lot of us will maybe get started just, you know, a couple extra nights. Like, you go from the weekend to maybe, like, during the during the week, one night, and then it kinda morphs over time. And then all of your friends are maybe doing the same.

Speaker 1:

So you're all of a sudden in this world where, hey, this is the norm. And it sounds like, you know, well, not sounds like it's obvious that this happens in so many different ways. Is there any is there any one point when you were in that journey where it felt healthy at first, and then all of a sudden you're like, this isn't healthy? I know you shared the example on, like, the extreme eating side, but, like, was there one pivotal moment where you're just like, what the hell am I doing?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. There was there was there was a few of those. Right? But looking back, just to kinda give you a bit of a timeline. So all I did, Mike, is I I I replaced one extreme behavior of partying and alcohol and stuff to the bodybuilding.

Speaker 2:

So that was the transition. So I was 26, I think, when I started bodybuilding. So early twenties, a lot of partying, a lot of drinking. We can get into that. And then I transitioned over.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, there was a few moments where I was like, wow. I've gotta stop with the binge eating because I was getting major gut issues. So what I would do is I would just on a Saturday night, for example, I would just smash, you know, say, four, five thousand calories of just ultra processed foods. It would be, you know, domino. I'm not recommending this, and I'm not glorifying it by the way.

Speaker 2:

Right? But it would be like a large Domino's pizza. My thing was a large Domino's pizza, a large tub of Ben and Jerry's, and then a whole box of Domino's cookies, but it wouldn't stop there. I'd normally have things like random stuff like bowls of oats with this processed protein that just just chaos. And I remember it happened, like, two, three times where I would I'd literally do that late at night, and I would go to sleep.

Speaker 2:

And I'll wake up with just this excruciating gut pain. And I remember it happened the third time in a row. I was with clients on a Monday, and this this persisted for, like, two days, this pain. And there's no wonder really, right? The amount of damage I was doing, the amount the amount I was eating and then just trying to fall asleep.

Speaker 2:

Right? It's kind of common sense. But, yeah, the the pain, Mike. Oh, I was like some of the worst pain I've been in. The the gut pain I had, and it was that pain to answer your question, which was like, okay, I gotta do something about this.

Speaker 2:

And the mental health as well. Obviously, gut and brain connection as well. Right? I didn't know this at the time, but 80 to 90% of the serotonin receptors, right, producing the gut. So no wonder I was suffering mentally and inflammation and all those things, you know, so that was definitely a trigger.

Speaker 1:

You know, you know, what's interesting is that, yeah, like, I think our timelines aren't equal, but there was one time when I was really into health and fitness. And I just remember all the junk things that still like, kind of fit the box or fit inside the box of like, what you should be eating as far as like protein, but it was like junk protein. And then like, we knew nothing around the gut health, you know, and how that affects us both mentally and like physically, like, as a whole, we just think, oh, it's just my stomach. It can't be that big of a deal.

Speaker 2:

100%. A 100%. Yeah. You just think, oh, I got a bit of pain there. Or, you know, I'm getting a bit of bloating, and then you try and figure out what food is.

Speaker 2:

We have no awareness that over 20 different hormones are produced there. Right? So that within itself tells you is kind of a lot going on down there. You know, if you weighed your gut microbiome, we would weigh around about two to three kilos. So that's like five to six pounds, right, in America.

Speaker 2:

So, you know, we were literally more bacteria than we are human in terms of cells. So yes, kind of important, right?

Speaker 1:

Doctor. For sure. And so like, one of the things I want to mention here for anybody listening, like, you know, while we're talking about health and fitness, this story is relatable to anything when it's like extremes or all or nothing. And I think that you can transfer any of this information and realization here that Martin has in that it doesn't really serve us long term. So it's at one point, you decided to change and this is how you work with other people is to let's remove these extremes and rethink what healthy really means.

Speaker 1:

So what was the insight coming out of this that that started to get you thinking that then has led into other things that we're talking about today?

Speaker 2:

So yeah, 2015 is when I started coming out of it. And I started really switching my mindset, I guess, educating myself a bit more actually listening to podcasts. A lot of this stuff I already knew. I knew what was going on. You know what it's like?

Speaker 2:

A lot of times we kinda know what we should be doing. But I needed certain podcasts and, I guess, authoritarian figures to kinda cement in the science. I'm like, right. Yeah. I gotta do that.

Speaker 2:

Because I was programmed as a as a bodybuilder. So I was eating six meals a day, Mike, you know, chicken and broccoli, overly restrictive stuff, which just doesn't make any sense. And, really, I started focusing more on health, really. I started focusing more on health and how I felt and slowly transitioned and switched my mindset away from being obsessed with that with aesthetic. By the way, this is a process.

Speaker 2:

And if I'm honest, I don't think I'll ever fully overcome it. I think it's one of those things where I still check my abs in the mirror, if I'm honest. It's it's one of those things where I didn't even know I was doing it. I went to Brazil two years ago, and my girlfriend's like, you realize you're doing it, right, like, front of my family. Like, I'm pin I don't it's like I just pinch my skin, and it's like a subconscious thing.

Speaker 2:

So I don't think you've fully overcome it. But in terms of where I'm at now, it's all focused on health. So, yeah, just made a slow transition to focusing on strength in the gym instead of looking at, you know, my shoulders or my legs and trying to really focus on the aesthetics and being a perfect body, which doesn't exist. It was like, let's just focus on setting some strength goals. Let's fix this gut issue.

Speaker 2:

Okay. I'm gonna start intermittent fasting. I remember I started implementing that, and that was a a game changer because I realized that, wow, you know, muscle doesn't fall off your body actually, if you, you know, if you go longer periods without food. You know what I mean? Like, all the

Speaker 1:

Oh, yeah. Yeah. You realize that you can actually you're not starving.

Speaker 2:

That's another one.

Speaker 1:

You can go very long time without and in fact, well, is a bit off topic, but I'm still gonna mention it. Have you ever heard of the fast mimicking?

Speaker 2:

I haven't actually no.

Speaker 1:

So you so this is basically a naturopathic technique that you can do. So you can go a longer period. So I did a five day fast. Wow. But you only do like two to 300 calories and it's usually like in the form of a soup or like some olives.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So you're not totally like a water fast, but your body because of the calorie deficit that you're in thinks that you're in a fast to start doing all the benefits of a normal fast, but not quite as uncomfortable. And you realize that like, yeah, you really just you don't need that much food.

Speaker 2:

That that's you I'm glad you said that because that was the main thing I took away from it was, oh, true hunger. You're just eating out of habit. Right? You're having your three or even you're having your five meals at the time, and you're just eating purely out of habits. You don't actually you've lost you've lost the signal of what true hunger is.

Speaker 2:

So it brought that back. Not to say I would recommend everyone should fast and stuff. You know, you wanna build a relationship with food first, and obviously, the good quality foods and focus on it. You mainly whole foods first, I think, before you start doing that, because a lot of people, eat too much ultra processed foods. And then they use fasting, number one, to for the wrong reason to lose weight.

Speaker 2:

I think it can be effective to do it. But the main focus should be the quality of the food you eat. And I think like we're talking on, right? It's more about the invisible stuff. Okay, it teaches you what true hunger is, you know, it can help with my gut, obviously, it really helped my gut.

Speaker 2:

So just giving it a rest, you know, and all the stuff you mentioned there that comes from the prolonged fast, right? Like the neurogenesis and the autophagy, all those things with the immune system repairs itself. It's, you know, pretty good stuff, right?

Speaker 1:

Yeah. And you know what, one of the things that was interesting is that yeah, it is a it is about habit. It's about also boredom or filling the time. So like the hardest part wasn't that I had like hunger pains. It was that, what am I gonna do with this normal time that I'm feeling with eating?

Speaker 1:

Which is the same thing when it comes to alcohol that many people find is that they drink because they're bored. It's like something to do. And it was, like, almost exactly the same kind of feeling in that, okay, I can't eat right now. What am I supposed to be doing? I feel really uncomfortable.

Speaker 1:

And so I had to find a constructive way to fill that time. And that's exactly some of the things that we say here around alcohol. Like, you got to find a constructive thing to fill that time to be more healthy. Okay. So anyways, I I sort of stopped you in your tracks a little bit.

Speaker 2:

No. No. I read that. No. Because what you're talking about is emotional hunger versus true hunger.

Speaker 2:

By the way, I've never really done like a prolonged fast. I think the longest I've I should do it though. Longest I've done is probably like, I don't know, twenty eight hours or something like that. But, yeah, 100% because we eat mainly on emotions. Right?

Speaker 2:

I even I do it now. Right? People think that I'm perfect. No. I'm not.

Speaker 2:

I have dark chocolate, probably break my fast with dark chocolate every day. I don't need the dark chocolate, but I have it, and I justify it because there's, some stimulants in it, like caffeine and stuff. And I just love the taste, if I'm honest. Right? Simple as that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. It's not hunger. You know?

Speaker 1:

Yeah. Yeah. And one, I'm sort of with coffee too too. I just love the taste, and I'll have it even even when I shouldn't be having it.

Speaker 2:

Double espresso before bed just because you love the taste.

Speaker 1:

Oh, man. You're not taking

Speaker 2:

it that far. You're not you're not I gotta

Speaker 1:

I gotta stay gotta stay away from espressos like I have to stay away from hard alcohol. I just drink everything way too fast. And, like, that's what my insight when I was younger was. It didn't matter what it was. If it's water, if it was sports drinks, soda, what I'll drink anything fast, including coffee, including drinks when I'm out.

Speaker 1:

So I got to stay away from espresso, because I'll just be, you know, when I'm in Spain, I'll just tip it back another one, please, you know,

Speaker 2:

you're knocking them back. But I just want to say as well on what you said then as well about the transition. So that's that was the whole transition. And this is this is how I help clients and obviously, you know, high performing people. So I generally help, like, entrepreneurs and just driven people generally.

Speaker 2:

And it's the same sort of mindset as us. Right, Mike? It's it's the type a. It's the all or nothing, and it's making that mindset shift. Because I like to what I find with success and I didn't realize I was doing this to myself at the time.

Speaker 2:

It was just a process. I wasn't aware I was doing this, but it's really focusing 80 to 90% of the time on just the behaviors and habits. And picking one or two behaviors at a time because you can't change more than one at a time or two at a time depending on the behavior or habit. And you know this, right, because you've written a book which relates to all of this anyway. It's it can take I think I read something recently.

Speaker 2:

It can take anywhere between, like, two months and ten months to change one to to want to turn one behavior into a habit. When you when you like, for example, it's protein, for example, right? This is a game changer. But going back to what you said, not the the quality of food is everything. So I used to have this raspberry ripple.

Speaker 2:

Right? Play the protein powder, which which is just ultra processed foods. Right? It was like 50 ingredients in it, ultra processed. I don't even know what an ultra processed food was at the time, I don't think, but I just like the taste of it.

Speaker 2:

No wonder it had all the the crap in it. So I would mix that with my oats, I would have it with a shake, like, three times a day. Right? And that was when I used to binge eat. So it's the quality of the food.

Speaker 2:

So when you when you get into having, you know, hitting a protein target, for example, having, you know, a high amount of protein through whole meat, eggs, fish, even if it's, you know, a good quality grass fed whey protein or whatever, and you do that consistently, you know, blanch your appetite. And the knock on effect from that, for example, can really change your relationship with food because you you you eat less, and you start getting used to having a certain amount of protein with each meal. Because you know what it's like, Mike. It's either a complete meal or it's an incomplete meal. That's why I say to clients would like snacking.

Speaker 2:

Can I snack? It's like, yeah, nothing wrong with having the snack. Like, I have my dark chocolate. But let's just let's just have the awareness of this complete meals and incomplete meals. You know what I mean?

Speaker 2:

And if we can have more of these complete meals, more likely to be successful, you know? So, yeah, just all that to say that's kind of the the transition. And then when you get people to focus, hammer those habits, water, sleep, you know, the stuff that everyone knows, basically, it's not like rocket science, resistance training, making that the number. I think that's a big one as well, right? Focusing on strength training, Cardio is great for health and longevity.

Speaker 2:

You wanna factor some of that in there. When it comes to metabolism, longevity, and, you know, people wanna improve the way their body looks. Obviously, strength training is, is gonna be number one. So behaviors and habits, man, and everything else follows.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, give me a couple of examples of the typical things that people come to you like that you hear on repeat, basically, that you have to change the mindset around around it with the clients you work with.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so it's unlearning. It's unlearning a lot of things. For example, a recent client, she's been with me for ninety days now. And she was it was always cardio, it was intense cardio, doing, you know, fitness classes, and restricting calories. The usual thing that a lot of people think to lose fat and to get healthy that they have to cut out all of their favorite foods.

Speaker 2:

They have to do cardio. A lot of people still think they have to do a lot of cardio to lose fat. And they also they they don't they don't look at the big rocks like the sleep and the stress. Like prioritizing sleep and really making that, like, the bedtime routine and and having consistent regularity with sleep. People just overlook that that still blows my mind, by way, Mike.

Speaker 2:

It's like people go, oh, you know, just give me the thing and I can no, no, no, you sleep is terrible. Like, it doesn't it doesn't work like that, you know?

Speaker 1:

Yeah. Oh, I was in that category totally in that category. Like in all my life, I I've pretty much eaten well. I have always been exercise like, do exercise sauna, cold plunge even before it was a thing, breath work, all these things, but I never really prioritized my sleep. And I didn't realize and I just did an episode on this that, like, poor sleep can affect metabolic rates.

Speaker 1:

Like, all these things I just felt like, oh, well, I wouldn't have energy, but I didn't realize how much it was really affecting me not just in my mind and my brain, but in other places in my body.

Speaker 2:

A 100%. It's good that you had that awareness though because a lot of the times, I think as we get older, right, Mike? You could get away with so much less, right? So as you get older, and that's another thing, look at Alzheimer's, it's sleep deprivation. A lot of things just link, you know, alcohol, we can get into that whenever we get into it.

Speaker 2:

But alcohol, the impact, you know, shrinks your brain, damages your your gut health, all these kind of things. And a lot of that is probably linked to the sleep element as well. Because when you drink alcohol, it has a really bad impact on sleep. Yeah. So all of those things.

Speaker 2:

So kind of the so so just to answer your question, I'd say the main thing is helping them unlearn the fact that it's not about burning more manually, because people think I gotta go run, I gotta burn, how many calories that I burn in this session. It's about getting your body to automatically burn as many calories as possible. And you do that by focusing on building muscle. Because muscle is the longevity organ, right? So it's the biggest organ in the body takes up skeletal muscle takes up around about 40%, give or take of the body.

Speaker 2:

So we think we think is skin. The skin, I think takes up about 13%. So kind of important, you know, all the research coming out on that now and the quality of your muscle. So that pursuit of building muscle and having high protein, eating good quality foods, I always say to people, you know, to get to the point where you can stay healthy and stay in shape all year round, you need to really be eating at least 90% whole foods. In other words, mainly single ingredient foods, you know, beef, berries, avocado, eggs, single ingredient foods primarily.

Speaker 2:

And having, you know, you could get away with having less than this, but just to round it off a gram per pound of protein. That's a top end, a gram of protein per pound of body weight, you know, or just having like 30 to 50 grams of protein every meal. Just those simple habits and focusing on building muscle, your metabolism speeds up and your body automatically starts burning more calories by itself. So I always like to explain it like muscle tissue is expensive, right? It costs a lot it costs your body a lot of a lot of calories to keep muscle on your body.

Speaker 2:

Even though research shows that it's actually quite low, what they're finding now is is the whole pursuit, right? It's having the high protein as well, which burns more calories. Right? So they've just found that, you know, only 70 to 80% of the calories that you eat from protein, you actually you know, your body takes in, you actually burn the rest. It's the thermic effect.

Speaker 2:

So that's kind of the that's kind of the approach really, and it's just switching that mindset. And and the big thing with food, this is really important, is exactly what I did to overcome my issues, which I wasn't wasn't aware of at the time. Like I say, it was just something that I did, but adding instead of subtracting. So rather than trying to remove, like, the Ben and Jerry's and the Domino's like I was eating at the time, for me, it was like, right. I need to give my gut a break.

Speaker 2:

Right? I'm gonna just not gonna have that breakfast in the morning. Right? I need to give my gut a break. I I don't wanna necessarily recommend intermittent fasting, but I went for a longer period without food.

Speaker 2:

But then more importantly, I started adding in more, vegetables, cooked vegetables, more protein from meats, basically meat and fish and eggs as opposed to the processed protein that I was having. And over time, my body just started wanting more and more of those whole foods. And I started replacing the ultra processed foods. So it's an it needs to be a natural process. So my clients when they're in a deficit, for example, I like them to not even be aware of it.

Speaker 2:

So it just happens as a byproduct, if that makes sense.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it does. And, know, before we go on, on to the next topic, I want to ask you something when it comes to because it's all about balance. It's all about not finding extremes. But to the person who probably has been eating junk food for a long time, eating things just like clean meats, vegetables, like those things sounds extremes. So how do you set people?

Speaker 1:

How do you prep people for that? How how do you get them through that moment? Because I know what it I know how it ends up. But you which is you end up craving them, like you said, like you you wouldn't think that you'd wanna have a salad, but you find that you actually do want to have a salad when you start eating well. But how do you mentally prepare somebody to realize that this is actually a sustainable thing that we're working through right now, but it's going to be a process?

Speaker 2:

Oh, yeah. Yeah. So that's that's a really good point, because people always think, right, I'm gonna change everything all at once. And that's another belief people have. You know, I've got to follow a diet plan, for example, right?

Speaker 2:

I've got to eat meat and baseballs, or it's so confusing for people with nutrition, man. Online is a religion now, right? Nutrition? Yeah. Do I go keep a plant based or do I do the body?

Speaker 2:

What do I do here? Know? Really, go on.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I was just gonna say, yeah, there's so much information out there. It's like even even somebody like me who's not a nutritionist, but has always, like, read every magazine and and tons of books and experimented. You can I'm like, what's the what's the best one to follow? So, like, I can only imagine somebody that's like, I just need to change, and I just need the shortest route to get there. It's confusing.

Speaker 2:

Oh, 100%, man. 100%. So that's why and with the protein thing, right? So they come into the program. If they're grossly underweight and protein or or at least just not have an optimal protein, that thing within itself, like I say, the whole knock on effect from doing that and the research is clear now as well, right?

Speaker 2:

Even if it's more than twenty five percent, this might not mean much to someone, right? But like more than 25% of the calories that you eat, like the average American, for example, they have like, I think it's something like 12% of the calories they eat is coming from protein. Even if you could bump that up to 20%, it's not much at all. It's like maybe having some meat with your lunch and and dinner, right? It's not a big amount, generally, for most people.

Speaker 2:

Even doing that would would kinda help start reversing this chronic illness and this diabetes thing we have. It's not that complicated. You get up to the optimal amount of, like, say, 30% of the total calories you're having coming from protein. You just eat less, your body burns more calories. And when you're doing it through whole foods, you just slowly start eliminating, you know, refined sugars and stuff like that over time.

Speaker 2:

So even if it's just that one thing for everyone else, I would just say eliminate all the noise and try and and track it as well. Now, tracking's tracking's something that everyone hates doing. Let's be honest, most people hate doing it. And I always say to clients, I don't get every client tracking, but most of them I do for the first two to four weeks, right, with the food tracking. And it's like, this is just the starting point.

Speaker 2:

It's not the destination. You shouldn't be tracking forever. You want to be eating intuitively. But to be aware of it, if you've got no awareness, then you have to track because you've got no idea. You're just guessing.

Speaker 2:

So even just tracking protein or calories for like, a couple of weeks to to four weeks or whatever and trying to hit, let's just say, aiming towards that gram per pound of body weight, which is a lot. Right? So if you're someone who's only eating let's say you you track it and you're like, wow. I'm only having 50 grams of protein a day. Even if you just do this one thing, have more protein for breakfast.

Speaker 2:

I think that's like a game changing habit for a lot of people because most people, they have a they have a little bit for lunch. They have quite a lot for dinner, generally, let's say, meats or protein, but they don't have hardly any or they skip breakfast. And that is a game changing habit. If you can have like, maybe even if what you have for dinner for breakfast. So some of my clients will say, right.

Speaker 2:

Keep some of that leftover ground beef. Have that with your eggs in the morning or whatever. Even if it is a protein shake or whatever, you know, just just have and say at least 30 grams for breakfast. That within itself, you do that consistently, that changes a lot. You know?

Speaker 1:

A 100%. I mean, we're gonna get into the alcohol thing tomorrow, but the one thing that I wanna say here is there's, like, absolute parallels again just with what you said there. So number one is what's let's just start adding this one little thing. Well, here at Sunnyside, lot of things that we do are centered around something called heart reduction. So we're not saying you have to give up alcohol tomorrow.

Speaker 1:

We're saying what's one thing that you can do today or this week to start making improvements to move there? It might not be exactly where you should be, but it's the first step, and it's it lowers the bar to get things going. So they're like, literally exactly and it and I'm sure it's because yours is in parallel with just overall the way the mind works and have it change. But then also the other thing that you said is around tracking. Maybe we're doing things that we don't realize that we're we're doing.

Speaker 1:

Maybe we're drinking more than we think that we are. Maybe we think that we're making the right choice. Oh, I didn't realize, you know, this and that. So like tracking it allows you to look back with data to be able to make informed decisions later and also get somebody else in on that decision. So I'd like I just love everything that you just said there.

Speaker 1:

Let me leave let me leave you with a question before we go, which is if somebody is wanting to take a balanced approach to their fitness and their health and their diet, what's one piece of advice? This is a little bit loaded. What's one piece of advice that you would give somebody? It could be just a mindset thing, or it could be a strategy.

Speaker 2:

That's a that's a that's a good one. So I would say is is going back to what you said is to focus on what and remember the one thing like your book. That's why I even love the title of the book. Right? No willpower required.

Speaker 2:

Get that into your head. Right? Because you cannot rely on willpower to give you long term success with habits. It just it's like a muscle, right, I guess, of fatigued. You can't rely on it.

Speaker 2:

You cannot rely on willpower. Now you have to use it. Don't get me wrong. You can't rely on that. So that's why I would say to pick literally one thing that you might be kind of maybe slacking on.

Speaker 2:

Right? Whether that be health, nutrition, training. Let's just say, for example, you're not training consistently. Okay. So set yourself a realistic target because the problem is most people say unrealistic target.

Speaker 2:

They throw the kitchen sink in straight away. Like, you know, right. I'm gonna get back into training. You know, even ask yourself this. Like, when was the last time I was consistent for a whole year, right, with with training?

Speaker 2:

I'm not perfect, but consistent, like, let's say, 89% of the time for a whole year. Some people say never, some people say five years, ten years, maybe you're consistent with that great. But that's what you're look at. That can be kind of overwhelming if you look at a year, but just go, okay, the first thing this month is I'm going to set the minimum non negotiable of two workouts per week. And and you got to remove barriers as well.

Speaker 2:

A lot of people, they have the belief that they've got to train five or six times or go to the gym, don't even have to go to the gym, you can do strength training at home, your own body weight and bands, for example. So set a minimum non negotiable, right? And just you just got to make it happen then, right? So that that's where the discipline comes in then. And I think you've got to you've got to ask yourself those deep questions as well, Mike.

Speaker 2:

It's like, what will happen if I continue like this, right? It's like, it's painful, but who's going to be impacted if I'm not healthy, I'm not in shape? Like, ask yourself that. Is my family is my partner, my professional life? Because we know Mike, right?

Speaker 2:

Even 10 to 20% more energy and confidence, it improves every aspect of your life. So that's why we say to people just focus on one thing, even if it's a simple thing like water, which generally is a quicker habit to change. A lot of people, they just don't have optimal water. So in the how about you set yourself a a simple target of having, you know, a a pint in in the morning or even a liter in the morning when you get up with some electrolytes. And if and and obviously, you probably put this in your book as well.

Speaker 2:

You know, some clients even got them to put the the pint of water next to their toothbrush in the morning, right, to remind them. So what are you gonna do? Just focus on one habit. Habit stacking. Habit stacking, man.

Speaker 2:

But, like, that's where it's like, you know, having a coach or having a mentor or something because I've had mentors loads of times in the past, business, all different areas, you know, as humans, especially type a's and all and nothing, we always try and focus on so many different things. Focus on one or two things, and then have it stack, right? It's it's not complicated, but, know, you can make it happen. When you when you take that smart approach, and you just stay consistent, you know, make it make it not. And one more thing I like to say on that for my clients as well, I will get them to factor into their calendar as well.

Speaker 2:

Because people don't realize that we just we make time for what we prioritize. People say they haven't got time. You're lying. Let's just be honest. We make time for what we prioritize.

Speaker 2:

I know it can be harder for some people, but just put it in the calendar, put your walk in your calendar, even if you have to put your your food in there, right an hour to yourself a day. Factor that into your calendar, like an important meeting. And I know it can be tough in some cases. But I'm super like, I get clients who do that a lot, because you have to you have to prioritize your self care. Right?

Speaker 2:

If you don't, you know, it's it's it's a heavy price to pay.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. Everything you just said there, amazing. And a 100% agree with it. So, Martin, thanks so much for coming on today. If anybody wants to learn more about what you do or reach out, where can they go?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, they can check out my website is optimizeyourbody.com. And on the websites, I've got a metabolic assessment as well, which is super helpful for people because they can, they get a metabolic score, gives you a snapshot of your health, basically, gives you a metabolic score, and it gives you a specific plan for your body type and what results you want. So that's a really good thing that we've got going on there. So that's, part of the website as well. And then just find me on Instagram then.

Speaker 2:

So it's, at martensilver fitness, and definitely check out the podcast. It's, optimize your body, and you'll find that on, you know, YouTube, Spotify, everywhere.

Speaker 1:

Awesome. Alright. If anybody's listening and wants to reach out and learn more, I'd definitely go do that. Martin's a solid guy. So thanks again.

Speaker 2:

Thanks again, man, for having me on. Appreciate it.