I consider myself to be a healthy individual.

With a combination of hitting the gym, eating healthy, and getting the right amount of sleep I feel like I'm operating at close to my full potential.

So when I think back to the person I was in my early 20s I can't even recognize him.

That man was a shell of who I am today. He was ashamed of his body. He had an excuse for every problem in his life. He sought a life of pleasure while using food, alcohol & video games as a way to reward himself.

He'd do the fad diets and try all the fat loss supplements in the world. Remember when ephedrine was legal? That's how old I am.

My life has been a promise to myself to never go back.

Here's 5 lessons I've learned

Your physical health affects your mental health.

While my body was out of shape my brain was out of shape as well.

Back then I was eating a diet of fast foods, junk & a ton of sugar. This was on top of binge drinking with my friends.

It was not a surprise that I was lazy, dealt with negative thoughts, and had an overall lack of self-worth.

When I started to get in shape I played basketball and then gravitated toward weight training.

This alone set off a catalyst for feeling better and thinking more clearly.

We are now learning the effect that exercise & nutrient-dense foods have on our brains.

It's not even about how your body looks. It's about how you're moving it and what you're fuelling it with that makes the difference.

You can't out-exercise a crap diet.

I used to put myself through torturous circuits and tons of cardio as an excuse to eat more food. The truth is exercise doesn't burn as many calories as we think it does.

A fitness mentor once told me that it's a lot easier to not eat 100 calories than it is to burn it off. Also, those exercise trackers that tell us how many calories we burn are full of lies. Don't trust them.

I used to think that I had a slow metabolism but the reality was I had a fast appetite due to the types of foods I was eating.

Something I realized is foods that can be eaten fast will increase calorie intake. Foods that need to time to chew decrease it.

This means eating steak instead of a Big Mac. Broccoli over fries. That said...

Your tastebuds are being hijacked.

Right now, I love eating steak and salmon but that wasn't always the case. I've had to train my tastebuds to get to where they are now.

What you must know is that food companies have scientists in little labs whose sole purpose it to make foods more addictive.

The more we attune our tastebuds to eat "fake foods" the more we will see "real foods" as boring. On top of that, we have marketing campaigns & colorful boxes to entice our children to eat more junk foods.

Understand this:

The more junk foods you eat the more real food will taste like crap.

We need to re-train our tastebuds to love eating whole nutrient-dense foods or there's no chance.

Your identity must change

You can't be the same person you were before. You just can't.

This is why I can't recognize who that person was at 20 years old. If I'm being honest, there's a little part of him that's still inside of me to this day.

Our  identities must change along with our bodies. 

Your perception is reality. If you perceive the actions you do as just actions then they will have a short term effect.

But if you perceive the actions you're taking as becoming the person who does these things then they will have the longest-term effect.

It's not enough to set a goal. You must become the goal.

Rome was not built in a day

Rome was not built in a day nor was it destroyed in a day either. It took time.

You cannot expect to change your identity and get into your best shape through a 6-week challenge.

From my experience:

It takes 1 day to get started. 7 days to gain momentum. 21 days to start a habit. 90 days to start a lifestyle. 6 months to see life-changing results and 1-2 years to see changes in identity.

Don't take shortcuts. Be prepared for the long road. This is how we get in shape.

Bringing it all together

I have it figured out but it's always a work in progress.

The former fat boy sometimes wants to come out and party but that has become less of an occurrence than before.

The interesting thing when you have your body figured out is it opens you up to an infinite number of possibilities.

I've seen so many of my clients increase their income, find love & make big-time changes to their lives as a result of fixing their bodies.

It goes from something that had been a worry to something that becomes a conduit for living a better life.

I know for a fact that when you transform your body you transform your life. Hope these tips serve you well in your journey to reaching your fullest potential.

- DG

PLUS whenever you’re ready, there is 1 way I can help you:

Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy & get in your best shape in 2023?
Apply for one-on-one coaching here.​​