Mikey Whitfield

So you decide to finally get in shape. Good for you. Here's what unfortunately happens...

You think of what you need to be consistently doing - perhaps making a list (at least mentally). Typically the list looks something like this:

✅ I'll eliminate breads and sweets

✅ I'll stop eating at 6PM

✅ I'll exercise 5 days a week

Etc, etc.

Then 2 weeks in, you're like, "Hmmm, this STINKS!!" and decide losing weight is just too stressful and hard. Back to the old habits you go. Consistency is supposed to bring the results, so why is there so much frustration? 😡

There's a better way...

Create a list, but REALLY focus on what's important to you.

Is your breakfast of toast with jelly and a cup of coffee your favorite way to start the day and you can't imagine starting the day without it? KEEP it. However, is adding an egg for some protein to help you feel fuller longer and keep you from snacking on junk mid-morning doable? Great. Let's add that.

Now the consistency is working. 👏

A great way to see if something is sustainable is ask yourself, "Do I see myself doing this 6 months from now?" If not, then it's time reevaluate your "consistency list". 👊

👊

Is Exercise a Waste of Time?

Investing time into exercise can sometimes seem like it's holding you back, whether it's keeping you from getting some work done or keeping you from spending time with your family.

"I don't have time to work out. I have a full plate!"

However, there is SPENDING time and there is INVESTING time.

When you invest in movement, it pays off multiple times.

Sure, you may "lose" 30 minutes of work, but when you come back from the workout, you're energized and focused.

You're now more productive and getting 4 hours of work done in 3 because you're more focused.

And yes, you may take 30 minutes away from your family, but when you come back, you're more "present" and not fighting falling asleep on the couch and calling that "spending time with family".

Note: This doesn't happen with ONE workout. This takes a couple of weeks with consistency. That's why it's an investment 🙂

Today, start INVESTING time into movement. You're no longer SPENDING time.

Happy investing...

Serving size suggestions that make me laugh out loud:

👉 Cereal
👉 Ice cream
👉 Salad dressing
👉 Croutons (who puts just 1 tbsp of croutons on a salad. That's like 2 croutons 😆

This is why you may not be losing fat. It may not be want you want to hear, but once you grasp what you're REALLY taking in VS what you THINK you're taking in, it can really open your eyes and bring the "A-ha!" moments. 😁

Have a great weekend!

Summer is a great reason to get serious about your health, but it only lasts a season. You, however, last a lifetime.

I can give you the ultimate meal plan that's perfect for you, but it won't do you any good if you don't address your RELATIONSHIP with food.

Random question: What's a menu item you miss (from any restaurant)? For me, it's the Baked Apple Dumpling from Cracker Barrel 🥺

You're not alone. 😏

Look, chips and salsa ROCK. So instead of relying on willpower only to feel guilty...

Do a little planning...

- Maybe the day before you eat lighter than normal. That could mean you skip a snack or eat a little less at all 3 meals.

- The day after plan for an 18-hour fast (if you can tolerate fasting)

- Use the chips as extra fuel for an incredible workout the next day while getting back on track

- Have a protein shake 30-45 mins before going so you don't eat 3 baskets of chips and salsa VS 2 😁

These little "shifts" don't sound like much, but they make a difference! 💪

In the photo on the left, I'm in my 20s. In the photo on the right, I'm in my 40s. What YOU see is the end result. The big "highlight" if you will.

What you don't see is:

👉 The self doubt that kept creeping up as I constantly compared myself to other people

👉 The exhaustion from making healthy choices because I loved sugar (and still do! 😆)

👉 The sweat equity I invested with every rep (and to be honest - every food choice)

So if you're wondering why it's so hard to make better food choices or to get motivated to train, you're not alone.

It is hard.

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great." - Jimmy Dugan in the movie, A League of Their Own

But the hard is worth it!

People willing to pay $200/month on Starbucks 🧋 coffee but complain about healthy food being too expensive as they complain about their weight confuse me. 🤷

In my group coaching program, our habit of the month is a "Post-meal activity". This is when you go for a brisk walk, do some house cleaning, gardening, dance in the living room, etc., etc. for just 10 minutes within 60 minutes of finishing your meal. The goal is to do this once per day so if you eat 3 meals, you have 3 chances. These "little things" can change your mindset. Give it a go. 😉

Quitting just because the scale doesn't show the number you were hoping for? Imagine Michael Jordan quitting because the scoreboard didn't show the numbers he was hoping for. 🤷‍♂️

You probably see a lot of this...

“It’s not that hard. Eat more fruits and vegetables!”

“Train Mean. Eat Clean!”

This is the typical health advice you might see.

And although it's "motivating" to the traditional gym rat - for the rest of us, it's generic and doesn't help much. Plus...

I’ll be the first to tell you it’s not as easy as they say it is. It IS HARD.

So what CAN you do?

Ask yourself, "What's DOABLE and helps me make some progress this week?"

For example, you may have a huge bowl of ice cream every night. To completely stop eating ice cream and vow to never eat it again sounds overwhelming (because it is!)... not to mention unrealistic if you really enjoy ice cream at night.

Instead, you can take simple, yet doable steps.

This week, enjoy ice cream 5 nights instead of 7.

That’s more doable.

Achieve that, then cut back to 4 nights.

You get the picture. The next thing you know, your bowl of ice cream becomes a Thursday and Saturday night treat without the guilt.

Or, perhaps you find a way to incorporate it every night, but cut back in other meals/snacks.

It’s doable advice for the rest of us!

👉 One step is better than no steps and being overwhelmed, right?

Have a DOABLE week,
Mikey

I once had a client drop TWO dress sizes, yet on the scale, she only lost a whopping five pounds.

And yes, she was upset about the five pounds! 🤷

Her clothes were looser. She had more energy. Her cravings had subsided. Yet that scale is the only tool she based her success on.

It makes sense - That's what we're told to measure success with.

Look at the magazine covers. "Lose X amount of pounds in X amount of days." We're wired to gauge our success with a scale.

You don't see things like, "Take a walk in beautiful weather without feeling tired for once!" or "Have more energy throughout the day and be confident in the food choices you make while your clothes fit better".

That's because these phrases don't "sell".

Sure, the scale is one tool. But measuring your progress using just one tool?

❌ Stop the madness.

Success is more than just a number on some random machine.

PS - Sorry for the meme. I found it hilarious and it has nothing to do with the caption. My bad.

Don't worry, I can help with that. 😉

"I'm not motivated" is a pitiful excuse to not reclaim your health. I'm not motivated to roll my trash can to the curb on Wednesday nights for Thursday morning pick up, but if I don't do it, the trash will continue to pile up. The same thing will happen to your health if you don't take your body's trash out. 🤷‍♂️

It's EASY PEASY! Here's how to do it...

1. Jump from one fad to another.

2. If any coach or trainer says, "_____ food is evil", believe them! Whenever you eat it, feel really guilty about it. Next thing you know, you'll be bingeing on it, adding a bunch of stress calories that adds up quick. Pretty cool, huh?

3. Complain about eating healthy being expensive, but wait until you go out for the 4th time this week and discuss it at dinner - it's a great conversation starter! 👍

4. Consistently use the "I don't have enough time to exercise" excuse. NetFlix is a priority over your blood pressure and you know it! You got this! 👊

5. Make sure you complain for a minimum of 5 months about not being able to lose weight even though you eat healthy. Then in month 6 when someone recommends you track your calories for just a couple of days to see how many you're actually bringing in, tell them you don't have time for that! After all, you have to invest your time into complaining about not losing weight even though you're eating healthy! 💪

Follow me for more tips. I know things.

A study published in PLOS Medicine found that the role genetics has on weight gain is very small, only about 2 pounds.

For example, if you carry 20 pounds of excess weight, you can blame 2 of those pounds on your parents. The other 18 pounds are the result of your dieting and exercise habits.

Well, there goes that excuse. 🫢

I don't know who needs to hear this, but you can't expect to wait 5 months to do something for your health and choose "2-day transformation". You shouldn't expect the scale to change because you had a couple of salads. Your health can't be ordered from Amazon Prime. 😉

🫢

Use this simple hack to make fat loss way easier.

Ok I lied, it's not simple. But it's quite powerful.

One of my favorite studies of all time was done at Stanford where they tested the impact of a label on hormonal changes.

The objective was to see if the human body would know how many calories were in a food despite being tricked with a label.

So subjects were given 1 of 2 protein shakes.

1 of the shakes had a big label on it that read "skinny and lean protein shake" with a listed calorie total of about 200.

The other shake had a big label on it that read "decadent and indulgent protein shake" with a listed calorie total of about 700.

Here's the kicker.. both shakes had the exact same amount of calories.

Subjects were monitored and reported how they felt after drinking the shake.

The ones who drank the "lean" shake reported less satiety and more hunger.

The ones who drank the "indulgent" shake reported more satiety and less hunger.

Here's why I love this study so much... their hormonal changes reflected exactly what they reported!



Those who drank the "lean" shake had no changes in leptin levels (the satiety hormone). Those who drank the "indulgent" shake had an increase in leptin despite the calories being exactly the same.

So clearly your perception can quite literally change your biochemistry.

But what does that have to do with fat loss?

Literally everything.

For starters, you may be thinking of the obvious...

If I sit down to a meal and I tell myself it's a high calorie, indulgent meal then I'll be more likely to be satiated and satisfied from that meal.

Probably true.

But where else can we implement the power of labeling?

Consider this...

Most people label themselves in a way that holds them back...

I can't control myself when I go out to eat.

I always make poor food choices when I drink.

I'm the type of person who loves to try all the food at a party.

I can't eat cookies in moderation.

I need convenience because I'm so busy.

My schedule doesn't allow me to cook healthy meals.

I can't stay consistent with tracking.

I'm not a good sleeper.

I am always stressed.

I can't get up early to workout.

You get my point? Or do I need to beat this dead horse even more?

What a ridiculous saying, btw. What kind of a monster would beat a dead horse?

Anyway...

These labels keep us stuck in our ways. And they absolutely make fat loss more difficult.

The cool part about labels is that you can try new ones on and see how they fit.

I can tell you this... at first, it won't feel very comfortable. Like wearing new shoes for the first time.

You might like how they look but the feeling is always a bit off until you break them in.

The same thing with new labels.

The first time you tell yourself you're someone who can eat cookies in moderation. And you are someone who can workout in the morning. And you aren't someone who needs convenience. And you aren't too busy to cook healthy meals. And you are someone who manages stress well...

It'll feel weird.

Keep wearing that label.

Remove the ones that aren't serving you.

Try on the ones that will.

It's an effective shortcut in becoming the person you want to become.

It's not easy, but boy is it powerful.

In case you missed it, I have a FREE 5-Day training plan (for all fitness levels) 💪 with a daily Bible verse & devotion ✝️. Who wants a copy?

I once coached a woman in her 60s that could run circles around most people in their 20s. I asked her one day, "Why do you always push yourself?". Her response was, "Because I can... what else am I going to do?". Here I am over 15+ years later and I still think about that response.

You're NEVER too old change your ways.

You're NEVER too old run your first 5K, 10K, or even your first marathon.

You're NEVER too old to forgive someone.

You're NEVER too old to reclaim your health and be the 2.0 version of yourself.

Just wanted to remind you of that. That's all. 😉

It's LIVE! WE'RE DOING THIS...

If you want to know more about the challenge, here's everything you need to know and what to expect...

When: Registration is open NOW but closes TONIGHT at 11:59PM (ET)
When you start: Monday, April 15th

1. This is a fat loss challenge but you don't need to have a fat loss goal to see progress. You'll see an increase in energy and stamina, too based on my clients' feedback 🙂

2. The idea is to experience 90-day results in just 21 days using science and strategy, as well as optimizing leptin. Our beta users experienced on average, 3.7X faster results than anything they tried in the past.

3. Simply put, if you want to feel more confident in your clothes, drop a pant size or two, love what you see in the mirror, and stop stressing about what plan to follow... this challenge is for you

4. Some of the proceeds will support Must Ministries - a charity that helps people of all ages with clothing, food, and shelter.

5. Results will directly support Must Ministries, too. The better we do, the more we donate.

6. The challenge will begin on Monday, April 15th and will run for 3 weeks.

7. You'll receive a detailed, simple, yet flexible nutrition plan for the challenge based on your individual needs.

8. You'll receive a 3 week training program that's designed to accelerate your results through the challenge. It's purposely paired with the nutrition plan. I have masterfully designed the workouts to be doable from anywhere. You don't need access to fancy equipment and you can even do this with NO equipment, even if you're a beginner. You'll be able to see what modifications to make and there are demo workout videos for each exercise with one tap of your finger, making it super convenient.

9. Expect to spend around 30 mins per session and you can train anywhere from 2-6 days per week. No, you don't HAVE to exercise on this program, but you'll get better results with it. Even if you can commit to 15 minutes, every little bit helps.

10. You'll receive accountability, guidance, and support from me personally (not an assistant coach or some stranger) so you finally stick to it and see the results you want.

11. You'll have access to resources to simplify the process like sample days of eating, meal plans and meal plan templates, and even food swaps, along with how to make adjustments, mindset trainings, and more. You'll keep access to those for life.

This is something you do not want to miss.

If you'd like to join us, I'll post the link in the comments. 👊

Use this simple hack to make fat loss way easier.

Ok I lied, it's not simple. But it's quite powerful.

One of my favorite studies of all time was done at Stanford where they tested the impact of a label on hormonal changes.

The objective was to see if the human body would know how many calories were in a food despite being tricked with a label.

So subjects were given 1 of 2 protein shakes.

1 of the shakes had a big label on it that read "skinny and lean protein shake" with a listed calorie total of about 200.

The other shake had a big label on it that read "decadent and indulgent protein shake" with a listed calorie total of about 700.

Here's the kicker.. both shakes had the exact same amount of calories.

Subjects were monitored and reported how they felt after drinking the shake.

The ones who drank the "lean" shake reported less satiety and more hunger.

The ones who drank the "indulgent" shake reported more satiety and less hunger.

Here's why I love this study so much... their hormonal changes reflected exactly what they reported!



Those who drank the "lean" shake had no changes in leptin levels (the satiety hormone). Those who drank the "indulgent" shake had an increase in leptin despite the calories being exactly the same.

So clearly your perception can quite literally change your biochemistry.

But what does that have to do with fat loss?

Literally everything.

For starters, you may be thinking of the obvious...

If I sit down to a meal and I tell myself it's a high calorie, indulgent meal then I'll be more likely to be satiated and satisfied from that meal.

Probably true.

But where else can we implement the power of labeling?

Consider this...

Most people label themselves in a way that holds them back...

I can't control myself when I go out to eat.

I always make poor food choices when I drink.

I'm the type of person who loves to try all the food at a party.

I can't eat cookies in moderation.

I need convenience because I'm so busy.

My schedule doesn't allow me to cook healthy meals.

I can't stay consistent with tracking.

I'm not a good sleeper.

I am always stressed.

I can't get up early to workout.

You get my point? Or do I need to beat this dead horse even more?

What a ridiculous saying, btw. What kind of a monster would beat a dead horse?

Anyway...

These labels keep us stuck in our ways. And they absolutely make fat loss more difficult.

The cool part about labels is that you can try new ones on and see how they fit.

I can tell you this... at first, it won't feel very comfortable. Like wearing new shoes for the first time.

You might like how they look but the feeling is always a bit off until you break them in.

The same thing with new labels.

The first time you tell yourself you're someone who can eat cookies in moderation. And you are someone who can workout in the morning. And you aren't someone who needs convenience. And you aren't too busy to cook healthy meals. And you are someone who manages stress well...

It'll feel weird.

Keep wearing that label.

Remove the ones that aren't serving you.

Try on the ones that will.

It's an effective shortcut in becoming the person you want to become.

It's not easy, but boy is it powerful.

There's another simple hack that actually IS super easy to implement.



Way easier than this...



And it works almost instantly and has been shown to increase the probability of goal achievement by up to 95%.

I'm going to show every single person who joins our upcoming Velocity Renewal challenge how to do it. You'll actually be amazed at just how easy it is. But I want to leave no stone unturned in making sure that you optimize your results for the challenge.

Because if you win, it's also a win for the greater good.

More on that tomorrow. 😏

Some of the claims on health products are April Fool's worthy, but the scary part is that's their marketing all year.

If I relied on motivation to keep off the 115lbs I've lost, I'd fail miserably. Instead, I focus on my purpose. My purpose includes me being there for our boys. We have the best conversations while on a walk. 20+ years from now, my hope is they'll remember going on walks with Daddy and having the best conversations.

Purpose > Motivation

When you say, "This isn't worth it", don't stop there. Simply add, "But I am." Then make the necessary shifts. Yes, you ARE worth it.

Treat your body like an on/off switch, you'll get on/off results.
👉 Diets = on/off
👉 Habits = lifestyle change