Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Finding Your Biggest Fitness Whys

Episode Date: July 19, 2019

This episode is one of the 37 chapters of the new third edition of my bestselling fitness books Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger, which is now live everywhere you can buy books online. I’m thrilled to release this new edition of the books because it has been in the making for about four years now, and has been reorganized and rewritten from scratch to make it as clear, practical, and effective as possible. Even more exciting, however, is the eBooks are currently on sale on Amazon for just 99 cents and when you forward your purchase receipt to [e-mail], you’ll be entered to win over $6,000 in free prizes, including . . . - An all-expenses-paid trip to meet me and my team in Washington DC. - Apple Watch Series 4 - Vyper 2.0 High-Intensity Vibrating Fitness Roller - Bose Soundsport Headphones - NoBull training shoes - And more... To get in on this deal, search your local Amazon site for Bigger Leaner Stronger or Thinner Leaner Stronger and navigate to the Kindle book or simply go to www.biggerleanerstronger.com or www.thinnerleanerstronger.com and you’ll be automatically forwarded to it. Then, buy the book for just 99 cents and forward your receipt to [e-mail] and you’ll be automatically entered into the giveaway. You have to act fast, though, because the sale and giveaway end on July 22nd, so don’t put it off for later and then forget! Head over to Amazon now! Oh and you can also gain additional entries in the giveaway by helping spread the word on social media. You can learn more about that at www.biggerleanerstronger.com/launch or www.thinnerleanerstronger.com/launch. Alright, let’s get to the episode. I hope you like it! Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Hello, Mike here from Legion Athletics and welcome to another episode of Muscle for Life. Now this one is special because it is one of the 37 chapters from the new third editions of my best-selling fitness books for men and women, Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger, respectively. This chapter is in both of the books, and both of those books are now live everywhere. You can buy books online. Now, I am super excited to release the new edition of these books because they have been in the making for about four years now and have been completely reorganized and rewritten from scratch to make them as clear, practical, and effective as possible. Even more exciting, however, is the eBooks are currently on sale on Amazon for just 99 cents. And when you forward your purchase receipt that Amazon sends you to launch at muscleforlife.com,

that's just launch at muscleforlife.com, you will be entered to win over $6,000 in prizes, including an all expenses paid trip to meet me and my team in Washington, DC, an Apple watch, a series four Apple watch, a Viper 2.0 high intensity vibrating fitness roller from Hyperice, Bose sound Sport headphones, NoBowl training shoes, and more. So to get in on this deal and giveaway, search your local Amazon site, whichever country you are in, the eBooks are on sale there. So just go to your local Amazon site and search for Bigger, Leaner, Stronger. If you are a guy who wants to get bigger, leaner, and stronger, or thinner, leaner, stronger. If you are a woman who wants to get bigger, leaner and stronger or thinner, leaner, stronger. If you are a woman who wants to get thinner, leaner and stronger, or maybe not thinner, maybe just fitter. I went back and forth on the title. Should it be fitter, leaner, stronger, or thinner, leaner, stronger? I ultimately went with thinner, obviously, but it's not just for

getting thin. It really is for getting fit. So if you are a woman who wants to get fitter, for getting fit. So if you are a woman who wants to get fitter, then go to www.thinnerleanerstronger.com and then you will be forwarded to the appropriate Amazon ebook at your local Amazon site. And then just buy the book for 99 cents, the ebook, the Kindle book, and forward your email receipt that you get from Amazon to launch at muscleforlife.com and you will be automatically entered into the giveaway. You got to act fast though, because the sale and the giveaway both end on July 22nd. So don't put this off for later and then forget. Head over to Amazon now and get your book for just 99 cents. And you can also get additional entries in the giveaway by helping spread the word on social media. And you can learn more about that at www.biggerleanerstronger.com slash launch. All right, let's get to the episode. I hope you like it.

Chapter 15, finding your biggest fitness whys. Quote, be first and be lonely. Ginni Rometty. People with vague, unrealistic or uninspiring fitness goals, or none at all, are always the first to quit. These people are easy to spot, too. They show up to the gym sporadically to sleepwalk through workouts, barely breaking a sweat. They constantly complain about how situations and circumstances made them fall off the wagon, pesky office potlucks. They're always on the lookout for the newest fads and magic bullet fixes. where the masses fail, if you're going to get into the best shape of your life and become a paragon of health and fitness, you need to inoculate yourself against these attitudes and behaviors. And that's why we're going to do a little soul searching in this chapter.

Different people have different reasons for eating well and working out. Some like to push their bodies to the limit. Others just want to impress the opposite or same sex. Many want to boost their confidence and self-esteem. Most want to improve their general health and well-being. most want to improve their general health and well-being. These are all perfectly valid reasons to get fit, looking great, feeling great, having high energy levels,

being more resistant to sickness and disease, living longer, and so forth, but it's important that you isolate and articulate your reasons. In the last chapter, you learned about the power of visualizing your future and how doing so can greatly enhance your ability to navigate your life more skillfully. Let's put this into practice right now, starting with the dimension of fitness that most people find most alluring. The visual. What does your ideal body look like? Let's face it, a major reason why you're listening to this audiobook is you want to look a certain way. And there's nothing wrong with that. Every single fit person

I know, including myself, is motivated just as much by the mirror as anything else, if not more so. I value my health, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't care about how I look nearly as much as the many other benefits of regular exercise. Don't mistake that for narcissism either. There are plenty of self-absorbed fitness twits out there, but I don't see anything wrong with playing a bit to our vanity if looking great also helps us feel great. And it does. advertising gimmicks can match the power of word of mouth. So if you are enjoying this episode and you think of someone else who might enjoy it as well, please do tell them about it. It really helps me. And if you are going to post about it on social media, definitely tag me so I can say thank you. You can find me on Instagram at Muscle for Life Fitness, Twitter at MuscleForLifeFitness, Twitter at MuscleForLife, and Facebook at MuscleForLifeFitness.

So let's talk about you. What does your ideal body look like? I want us to go beyond trite words and hazy daydreams too. I want us to establish this visually and precisely by finding a picture or two or three or four of exactly what you want to look like. Then, I want you to save these pictures somewhere that's easily accessible, like your phone or Google Drive or Dropbox. or Dropbox. In other words, when you're on my bigger, leaner, stronger program, I want you to feel that you're working toward a very real, very desirable body that's as concrete as the words you're listening to, not an imaginary physique that could be described as jacked or shredded. If you already know where to go to find pictures of the type of body you really want, go collect them now. If you don't, head over to my Great Male Physiques board on my Pinterest,

Male Physiques board on my Pinterest. www.pinterest.com slash MikeBLS slash great-male-physiques and you'll find a large gallery of fit guys of all types to choose from. guys of all types to choose from. What does your ideal body feel like? This question asks you to explore one of the many hidden benefits of fitness. Few people are aware of it when they begin their transformations, but a fit, healthy body is far more pleasurable to inhabit than an unfit, unhealthy one. The more in shape you are, the more you get to enjoy higher energy levels, better moods, more alertness, clearer thinking, fewer aches and pains, and higher quality sleep, to name just a few of the advantages. And then there's the deeper stuff, like more self-confidence and self-esteem, more productivity and self-fulfillment,

and more intimate and satisfying relationships. I want you to take a few minutes now to imagine what this will be like for you, and then write it all down in the form of individual affirmations. In case you're not familiar with affirmations, they're positive statements that describe how you want to be, like, I'm full of energy all day, and my mind is always quick, clear, and focused. This might seem a bit woo-woo, but research shows that writing and reading affirmations can benefit you in several ways. For example, a study conducted by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania found that people who practiced affirmations exercised more than people who didn't. And research conducted by scientists at the University of Sussex found that performing self-affirmations improved working memory and cognitive performance.

For the sake of completeness, you can organize your health and fitness affirmations into four broad categories. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. Physical affirmations are all about bodily function and physical energy levels. And they can include statements like, I wake up rested every day. My joints are pain-free. And I rarely get sick. Mental affirmations concern your mind's ability to remember and compute and your ability to focus on the present and tune out the noise. and tune out the noise. They can include statements like,

I can focus deeply on the task at hand, my memory is sharp, and I can control my thoughts. Emotional affirmations relate to your feeling of positive or negative sensations, and they can include statements like, I find joy everywhere I go, I bounce back quickly from bad news, and I give and receive love openly. Spiritual affirmations involve your sense of purpose and motivation and they can include statements like, I'm driven to build the body of my dreams, I feel I'm on the right path, and I know I will succeed. Here are a few pointers for writing more effective affirmations.

Keep your affirmations short so they're easier to process and remember. Even four or five carefully chosen words can be powerful. Start your statements with I or my. Affirmations are all about you, so it's best to start with you. I have no aches or pains in my joints is much better than the aches and pains in my joints have disappeared. Write your affirmations as though you're experiencing them right now, not in the future. For example, I fall asleep quickly and wake up feeling rejuvenated is superior to, I will fall asleep quickly and wake up feeling rejuvenated, or, within three months, I'm falling asleep quickly and waking up feeling rejuvenated. Don't begin your statements with, I want or I need. You don't want to affirm needing or wanting, but being. Make sure your affirmations

are positive statements. In many cases, realizing your affirmations will require discarding negative behaviors and thoughts, but you don't want your statements to reflect this. but you don't want your statements to reflect this. Think, I'm calm, confident, and contented, and not, I'm no longer anxious and insecure, and I wake up on time every day feeling refreshed, instead of, I don't sleep in anymore. Inject emotion into your affirmations by including I'm emotion about or I feel emotion. For example, you could say I'm excited to do my daily workouts. Create affirmations that are believable. If you don't think your statement is possible, it won't have much of an effect on you, so make sure you can fully buy into it. If you find a certain affirmation particularly incredible, you can start with a qualifier like, I'm open to, or I'm willing to believe I could. So, are you ready to write your affirmations?

Take as long as you need. I'll be here when you're done. What are your whys? One of my favorite things about being fit are the moments where you just stop for a second and think, wow, it's awesome I did that with my body. These are the things that put a smile on your face and a spring in your step, and sometimes even make your day. I'm not talking about stuff like turning heads in the coffee shop, but rather having my doctor ask me for fitness advice, feeling way more productive, and keeping up with my kids without getting tired. The small but meaningful things that confirm you're on the right track. I've worked with thousands of guys over the years,

and here are a few examples of the fitness wins they've shared with me. Getting asked for advice in the gym. Getting more attention from the opposite or same sex. Feeling more confident and competent inside and outside of the gym. Being more productive at work. Eating desserts guilt-free. Looking fantastic in a suit. Setting a good example for their kids. Enjoying outdoor activities again Eliminating aches and pains

Trying new physical challenges like hiking, biking, or running I love these. They're real, specific, and meaningful. And they're great examples of the more sincere and personal reasons to get into great shape. How about you? Why do you want to achieve everything you just laid out in your affirmations? Maybe you want to boost your confidence? Play sports better? be more attractive, enjoy the overcoming of physical barriers, be more active with your kids, avoid disease, stay active well into your retirement years, slow down the processes of aging and retain a youthful vitality? Just have a body that works the way it's supposed to? Heck, beat your friends in arm wrestling matches? Brainstorm your reasons for getting in shape and write them down until you feel pumped up and ready to get into

action. Because in the next part of this audiobook, you're going to learn how to use my bigger, leaner, stronger program to make it all a reality. Remember the work you've done here whenever you need a pick-me-up, and it'll help you find the power to persevere. Recall it when you're feeling too tired to train, when you're out with friends watching them stuff and drink themselves silly, drink themselves silly, when sugary treats are cooing your name, and when you roll out of bed in the morning like a log off a truck. Regularly look at the pictures you've saved, read the affirmations you've written, and review the whys you've formulated, and you'll always feel a wind in your sails propelling you ever closer to your best body ever. And then, once you've achieved everything you've created here, repeat the process anew, charting another more exciting course for the next phase of your fitness and life.

To help you get there as quickly as possible, we must now return to the outer game and learn once and for all how to use food, exercise, and supplementation to transform your body and mind. mind. Key takeaways. People with vague, unrealistic, or uninspiring fitness goals, or none at all, are always the first to quit. Different people have different reasons for eating well and working out, but it's important that you isolate and articulate your reasons. Establish what your ideal body looks like visually and precisely by finding a picture or two or three or four of exactly what you want to look like, and saving these pictures somewhere that's easily accessible, like your phone or Google Drive or Dropbox. Take a few minutes to imagine what it'll be like to be in the best shape of your life,

and then write it all down in the form of individual affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements that describe how you want to be, like, I'm full of energy all day, and my mind is always quick, clear, and focused. And my mind is always quick, clear, and focused. You can organize your health and fitness affirmations into four broad categories. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Physical affirmations are all about bodily function and physical energy levels, and they can include statements like, I wake up rested every day, my joints are pain-free, and I rarely get sick.

Mental affirmations concern your mind's ability to remember and compute, and your ability to focus on the present and tune out the noise. They can include statements like, I can focus deeply on the task at hand, my memory is sharp, and I can control my thoughts. Memory is sharp, and I can control my thoughts. Emotional affirmations relate to your feeling of positive or negative sensations, and they can include statements like,

I find joy everywhere I go, I bounce back quickly from bad news, and I give and receive love openly. Spiritual affirmations involve your sense of purpose and motivation and they can include statements like I'm driven to build the body of my dreams I feel I'm on the right path, and I know I will succeed. Brainstorm your reasons for getting in shape and write them down until you feel pumped up and ready to get into action. Remember the work you've done here whenever you need a pick-me-up,

and it'll help you find the power to persevere. to get my new third editions of Bigger, Leaner, Stronger and Thinner, Leaner, Stronger for just 99 cents and the chance to win over $6,000 in goodies. Now, in case you didn't listen to the intro where I shared all of the details, I'm just going to play it again here. So you know how to get the books for just 99 cents and how to enter the giveaway to win all the stuff. Hello, Mike here from Legion Athletics and welcome to another episode of Muscle for Life. Now this one is special because it is one of the 37 chapters from the new third editions of my best-selling fitness books for men and women, Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger, respectively. This chapter is in both of the books, and both of those books are now

live everywhere. You can buy books online. Now, I am super excited to release the new edition of these books because they have been in the making for about four years now and have been completely reorganized and rewritten from scratch to make them as clear, practical, and effective as possible. Even more exciting, however, is the eBooks are currently on sale on Amazon for just 99 cents. And when you forward your purchase receipt that Amazon sends you to launch at muscleforlife.com, that's just launch at muscleforlife.com, you will be entered to win over $6,000 in prizes, including an all expenses paid trip to meet me and my team in Washington, DC, an Apple Watch, a Series 4 Apple Watch, a Viper 2.0 high-intensity vibrating fitness roller from

Hyperice, Bose SoundSport headphones, NoBull training shoes, and more. So to get in on this deal and giveaway, search your local Amazon site, whichever country you are in. The eBooks are on sale there. So just go to your local Amazon site and search for bigger, leaner, stronger. If you are a guy who wants to get bigger, leaner, and stronger, or thinner, leaner, stronger. If you are a woman who wants to get thinner, leaner, and stronger, or maybe not thinner, maybe just fitter. I went back and forth on the title. Should it be fitter, leaner, stronger, or thinner, leaner, stronger? I ultimately went with thinner, obviously, but it's not just for getting thin. It really is for getting fit. So if you are a woman who wants to get fitter,

then go to www.thinnerleanerstronger.com. And then you will be forwarded to the appropriate Amazon ebook at your local Amazon site. And then just buy the book for 99 cents, the ebook, the Kindle book, and forward your email receipt that you get from Amazon to launch at muscleforlife.com, and you will be automatically entered into the giveaway. You got to act fast though, because the sale and the giveaway both end on July 22nd. So don't put this off for later and then forget, head over to Amazon now and get your book for just 99 cents. And you can also get additional entries in the giveaway by helping spread the word on social media. And you can learn more about that at www.biggerleanerstronger.com slash launch.