I grew up in a Christian home and I grew up with Christian principles, but unfortunately, people don't always live out those Christian principles, and my parents ended up getting divorced. Long story short, I knew I had a calling to the ministry at the age of 10. If I grew up in. It's like life and death. Whether you're Christian or not, you know there comes a seminal moment in your life where you have to make a choice, the crossroad. And I took the right road, and that made all the difference. He is GeoMarine, and he is undone. Hey friend, I am glad you are here. If this is your first episode, I hope you love it. I hope that you stick around. I hope that you will binge these episodes and get inspired by high achievers who didn't let failure stand in the way of eventual victory. If you're a regular, let me just say thanks. I've learned a lot about achievement, resilience, and grit in these past nearly 11 months And I couldn't have done it without you. So seriously, thank you That said welcome to another episode of becoming undone the podcast for those who dare bravely risk mightily and grow Relentlessly Toby Brooks a professor of rehabilitation sciences at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Over the past several decades. I've grown more and more fascinated with what sets high achievers apart and how failures can frequently be necessary steps on our path toward success. Each week on Becoming Undone, I invite a new guest to examine how high achievers can transform from falling apart to falling into place. I'd like to emphasize that this show is entirely separate from my roles at Texas Tech, but it's my attempt to apply what I've learned and what I'm learning and to share with others about the mindsets of high achievers. For Bronx native turned Huntsville, Texas minister, Gio Marin, growing up in the mean streets of the South Bronx meant he was no stranger to danger, tragedy, and fear. As a teen, he questioned his religious upbringing, and he eventually set off on more than a decade of hard, fast living as he ran away from the calling he'd heard God place on his young life. But finally, after losing his job, losing a close relationship, and questioning his purpose, he hit rock bottom, choosing instead for a path toward his purpose. In the process, he pursued higher education, met and married his wife, started a family, and eventually found himself through a process of discovery and growth. I hope you'll be as inspired by the story of GeoMarine as I was in episode 57, Crossroads. Our guest today is a relatively new friend, but in this podcasting space, we quickly learn that like-minded folks align and would certainly consider GeoMarine to be in that category. He's joining us from Huntsville, Texas today. Geo, welcome. Thank you for having me, Toby. It's been nice meeting you. Same here. It's really been a cool story how I reached out to Jonica years ago and she in turn linked up with you and Michael and you guys started the show and then did the podcast for you guys and it's been really cool to get to know different people who have their own stories, but at the same time, there are threads of consistency that we can each use as inspiration for one another. So you're a minister, also a podcaster, as I mentioned, co-host on the Built by FitBod show, also a fitness personality, and now a plant-based advocate. So welcome to the show. I always start off with a little bit of a softball. Who did you want to be or what did you want to be growing up? Well, when I first started, I thought I was going to be a doctor. As fate would have it, I married a doctor. And so I get my doctor fix through her. And we talk fitness, we talk nutrition at nauseam. I get to hear the plight of fitness in other people's lives to her clients. I do run the small business as far as the business end. She's the brains. But I ended up becoming a minister. That being said, there is a big health component in the denomination I'm part of, where we happen to be the longest lived people in the world. We're Seventh-day Adventists. If you look up blue zones, you'll hear about us. And we're a global denomination, but that health component really intrigued me and my wife to see how spirituality and physical fitness go hand in hand. Yeah, I think that's a great point. And it's funny to me, I felt like a total hypocrite at times in my life where I was teaching fitness. fitness and as a Christian, you know, really locking in to certain aspects and legalism and I'm going to follow this. I don't want to enter into that. But then, you know, you go to a potluck and it's gluttony all over the board. It's like, why are we choosing and picking which part we're going to abide by and which part we're going to conveniently overlook? So it's interesting that you say that. I'm looking forward to digging in. I've listened to your episode, your episode three on the Built by Fitbod podcast. We'll certainly delve into your fitness journey, but this one's more about you. So start at the beginning, wherever that is for you. That's an interesting question because I grew up in a Christian home and I grew up with Christian principles, but unfortunately, people don't always live out those Christian principles. And my parents ended up getting divorced. Long story short, I knew I had a calling to the ministry at the age of 10, but I wanted to be a doctor. That intrigued me. At 15, though, something major happened in my life. I grew up in the South Bronx in the 70s and 80s. If you know anything about the South Bronx in that time, it was a very dangerous place to grow up in. And at 15 years old, I had a real critical moment. One close friend and two acquaintances were murdered. One sister of a friend of mine was found chopped up in a box and that's how we discovered her. We were there when they were unearthing the body through behind the police tape line. The second basement of our boys club championship winning team ended up getting into a fist fight. Nice and even fist fight. He won though, but the father in a drunken stupor ended up shooting him and killing him. And then another acquaintance was involved in drugs and he tried to get out. They didn't like that and they ended up killing him. So at that moment, I've been growing up in a Christian home. I said to myself, man, if following God leads to this, then I'm going to try folly for some time. I went deep into the world, as people would say in the Christian world, and did things I'm not proud of. But after 12 years of that debauchery, I would say that I had a moment where I had to make a decision. Am I going to be a man of responsibility? Am I going to be a man who knows how to take care of himself and others and not abuse friendships and relationships? Or am I going to continue down this path? Having had a Christian upbringing, I knew that it was time to change, and I did. And at that crux of the matter, it's like life and death. Whether you're Christian or not, you know there comes a seminal moment in your life where you have to make a choice, the crossroad. And I took the right road, and that made all the difference. And that made all the difference. I was a sophomore in high school when my English teacher, Mrs. Young, had us reading poetry aloud in class. I hated it. At the age of 15, I wasn't much for seeing the representation of 17th century English oppression of left-handed carpenters woven into the tapestry of whatever poem we happened to be reading that day. But Robert Frost's Road Not Taken, on the other hand, that was different. To a 15-year-old, I can distinctly recall the unsettling sensation that I wasn't like the author, looking back on life, but instead I was at the beginning. The forks in the road all lay ahead for me. Those decisions that would ultimately help me end up where I'd be, with who I'd know, doing what I'd chosen to do, they all were not in the years past, but in the years to come. Just listen. The road not taken, two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both. And be one traveller, long I stood, And looked down one as far as I could Where it bent in the undergrowth, Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that passing there Had worn them really about the same. And both that morning equally lay, And leaves no step had trodden black. O, I kept the first for another day, Yet, knowing how way leads to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference. GeoQuotes one of my absolute favorite works of all time here. But unlike Frost, and unlike many of us, the path he took wasn't worn really about the same. It wasn't a choice between two options of similar value. It was a decision of continued pursuit of self, possibly leading to pain and destruction that he'd seen in his own community for so long, or that of surrender to a calling on his life he'd heard clearly at the age of just 15. He chose the latter. And just like he said, it has made all the difference. I had to have been difficult to suffer through those things. And as a child, we don't really have the ability to pick and choose the environment that we put ourselves in. But as we get older, then we do. And we've got the ability to pick who we surround ourselves with and the environments in which we find ourselves. So how did you go from that environment to where you are today and points in between? What were the thought processes behind leaving the Bronx ultimately to where you are today in Texas? Yeah, my parents were divorced, as I mentioned, and so I decided to move. As a 15-year-old, that's a big decision because a lot of us are tied closely to our mothers. We're momma's boys growing up as kids. But I decided at that age, at my own, because my mother had to work two jobs, so I would hardly see her. She'd come home, cook dinner, then leave to her second work. So I decided my dad was well off, very well off, and so I decided to move with him to New Jersey. And even though my wild streak continued with him, I was in a better environment. So there was no dangers of any type of retaliation or anything that can get me murdered or killed. It was just boys being boys in New Jersey. Well, my father really provided much structure. But the godsend was my stepmother, who basically I've known since five years old. And she's really, I would say, if there's anything as an angel on earth, she was it. She really guided me. She really came around me. She really nurtured me. And I credit a lot of my sensibility and responsibility to her. My father was the bedrock, the financial provider, but she was the emotional stability and the strength of the family. And to this day, I have a great relationship with her and she really turned my life around. Yeah, it's important to have people like that that we can turn to. During that time, you mentioned you were in a rebellious phase. Did it cross your mind that this is not it? That those temporal pursuits were counter to your larger purpose? Yes. Let me tell you a story. Even though she was nurturing me back to a good, stable frame of mind, finally, after 12 years of living the life that I no longer live. What broke me was I got fired from a job. I was working as an investment advisor, but I was doing things that ethically aren't necessarily wrong, but were kind of sketchy and definitely illegal. I was in a relationship that everybody thought we were going to get together and last forever. That broke up. I was estranged from my father, even though I was living in his house. I hit rock bottom, and God basically said, look, you did it your way for 12 years. Why don't you try it my way? And having hit that rock bottom on top of that, I lost $80,000 in the stock market. I was playing with stock options. Don't do that, that's worse than gambling. I don't gamble either, but stock options are very dangerous and easy money, easy come, easy go. And so having lost my job in a rocky relationship, estranged from my father, losing a lot of money in a short period, I finally hit rock bottom, and the Lord basically said, okay, I'm going to try it my way or continue, you know, hitting your head up against the wall. And that really changed things around. So, it's been said that rock bottom taught you? What has failure taught you that success never could have? You know, it's funny you bring that up because the book of Ecclesiastes says that it's sometimes better to be in the house of mourning than in the house of laughter. And what it taught me is that truth is paramount. Christianity or some other religion, what stands out the most is truth. You have to pursue truth and be real to yourself. You have to be honest with yourself because no one can be as honest with you as you are with yourself. And so, having hit that rock bottom, I knew that I was in my previous life doing things out of feelings or desires or lust. I had to pursue truth. And once I started pursuing truth, things started changing, not only in my outside circle, but most importantly, inwardly. I was becoming the man I had always hoped to be. And that was simply by the pursuit of truth in all topics, not just religion, but in nutrition and fitness, in relationships, anything that people have opinions on, I wanted to pursue what the truth of the matter is. Not everything is black and white, not everything will be clear, but eventually there will be enough information to persuade you to one side of the equation. And as long as I'm doing that, I know I'm on the right track, even when I make mistakes. Yeah. And once we hit that rock bottom, we'd like to think that it's just a steady climb out of the pit, but certainly there are highs and lows. One of my favorite sayings related to this comes from a comedian by the name of Mark Lowry, and he says that, you know, when bills come due at the end of the month, that's just life. When your water heater starts leaking and it floods your basement, that's life. When your kid gets cut from the athletics team or your car breaks down on the way to work, that's life. And Jesus says, I came to give you life, more abundant. And the idea is we're not immune from struggles and trauma. If anything, maybe we're even more exposed. We're more of a target to things because it's one thing to say we believe something, but the proof and the truth is in how we respond in those moments when things don't go our way. And so once you emerged from that season of life, something happened, you made new relationships, you got new jobs, you've steered down another path. So I guess the question from there is where did you go after that realization that this was not the way and I'm going to turn and orient in another direction. Well, at that point, the truth had become so important to me and in relation to God that I decided as an older person, 27 years old, to enroll in college for a ministerial degree. And so I ended up going to a denominational college in Collegedale, Tennessee, which is just 30 minutes north of Chattanooga. And I studied there the ministry, and I felt that this was exactly answering the calling that I felt 10 years ago. From there, I ended up going to Berry and Springs, Michigan to get my master's. And in our denomination, it kind of works like the NFL draft, I ended up getting drafted by the Texas conference because it's a global denomination. I like to tell the story real quick of a friend of mine who ended up getting drafted by Bermuda and his church had a parsonage, which is a house that comes with the church, and his backyard was the beach and across the street was a golf course. We were all jealous. But I am happy to be in Texas because Michigan is cold, and I've been here ever since 2008. That's cool. So in your episode on Fitbod that I listened to recently, you made mention of the fact that you're a late father and that you and your wife had trouble conceiving. Walk me through that season of your life. I know a lot of people struggle, whether it's with pregnancies that don't happen or those that do, that lead to all hosts of tragedy. I mean, that's a common issue for a lot of people that I know really struggling with conceiving and childbearing. So talk me through that. Yeah, that's a story we love to share. And here's why. Because we are always been, our internal numbers have always been great. Even though there was a period after having our kids that I gained 55 pounds and I had to lose, we have, prior to that, we have always been in good shape. Internal numbers, my cholesterol, her cholesterol are less than 120. Blood pressure is great. Everything checked out. We tried to conceive after our first year of marriage. We got out of debt, paid off our medical student loans. But then the months kept accruing and no conception. And so we started to worry, we started going to fertility doctors. People worry that plant-based males don't have enough sperm count. Well, my sperm count was so high that the doctors marveled. She checked out great. So the question was, what's wrong? Why aren't we conceiving? Long story short, my wife, being a medical doctor of internal medicine, she took it upon herself to explore every avenue of what could be leading to our infertility, because physically everything checked out. There was a small journal that spoke about celiac disease, that is the inability to process gluten and infertility. However, my wife didn't have any symptoms of celiac disease. Looking back now, her only symptoms were infertility. So you can imagine that was a surprise to her. Every once in a while, she would have loose stool, but she just thought, hey, maybe I ate something that upset my stomach, no big deal. Well, she ran her own blood tests for celiac disease. Now, on normal markers between one and three, hers came out as 31. So at that point, she was like shocked because she had no other symptoms. People with celiac disease may have rashes or skin edemia and things like that. So she then got a second opinion, an endoscopy, where they take a camera down your stomach and look at your stomach lining. Coincidentally, the colleague who did the endoscopy, he himself discovered he had celiac disease six months prior. So the moment the camera hit her intestines, he knew she had it. Because celiac, picture a tire, a brand new tire that has thread. Well, your intestines, if healthy, have healthy thread. But when you have celiac disease, it's like having a bald tire. Well, those celiacs, the thread, is what absorbs the nutrients. And the body requires a lot of nutrients to support the growth of a child. And her not getting proper nutrients because she had celiac disease prevented her getting pregnant. She got tested in May of 2014. We went to one of our denominational graduation. There was a man there named John Baxter who asked me innocently, hey, do you and your wife have children? And we were like, no, and I explained to him. He said to me, look, meet me at the church tomorrow. I feel impressed by the Lord to pray for you. And the four times I've done this, the people have conceived within six months. That next day he prayed over us and I just felt the power of the Holy Spirit upon us. And that was made by that September within the six months. Now he made no promises, but he said the times I have done this within six months people have conceived. That September we conceived our daughter Hannah. between going gluten-free since that November and that prayer, Hannah was conceived actually on September 11th of that year, 2014, and then she was born on May 29th, 2015, and we have two other daughters since. And so the Lord has blessed. She's been gluten-free since then. We take it serious. And the reason we like sharing this, not only to give praise to God, but there's a lot of women who my wife has encountered or read about who end up getting to menopause childless only to discover they had celiac disease. And not saying that would have got them pregnant, but it's at least something that makes you think about, had they gotten gluten-free and discovered it sooner, would they have been able to conceive? And we like sharing that because struggling with infertility is very gut-wrenching, especially for the woman. If the man checks out to be fine, then the woman's the one who takes that burden. And my wife always wanted to be a mother, and she was really feeling sad that it wasn't gonna become a reality. And that's why we are forever grateful. And we named the firstborn Hannah, which means God is gracious. Such a powerful story. During this time, and I'm not sure of the timeline, but I know from your story that you found yourself in a condition that you didn't like. You saw yourself in the mirror and you weren't happy with what stared back at you. Your body composition levels weren't where you wanted them to be. And you had a bit of a, I don't know if it was conviction or epiphany or whatever you would call it, but you changed and you decided to put your health as a priority. So talk me through both the nutrition, the fueling side of the equation, and then the training and the fitness side of the equation. So I was always thin, in shape, played a lot of sports, baseball, football, basketball, golf. I play a lot of golf now. Well, I used to play a lot of golf now. I have three kids, but I still play. I'm still active. During the pregnancy, because we were so worried about her pregnancy with Hannah, is because most people who are pregnant normally have their highest rate of miscarriage in the first trimester. However, with people who have celiac disease, the highest rate of miscarriage is second trimester. That's when the body requires the most nutrition to get those vital organs built. And so we were kind of stressed, wondering what's going to happen, even though we had the Lord's blessing behind us. There's still, you know, we're human. We have moments of doubt. She started eating a fourth meal to make sure she was getting all the nutrients. Well, I started joining her on that fourth meal. Being worried about her, I stopped exercising. I stopped playing golf because I walk, I don't take a cart. And between the pregnancy and by the time we had our second child, I stopped exercising and all that and I ballooned up to 55 extra pounds. Normally, I was, you know, anywhere between 150, 170, but I got to 199.5 and I got scared that I didn't want to cross that 200 number for myself. What happened to be that one day we were at the swimming pool in our community and there was a man who was a couple of years older than me at the time when I made this change. I was 47 and he looked ripped and I knew he was older. At that time I was 47 he must have been like 50. And I remember looking down at myself and seeing this big old flabby belly, and I pitied myself. I felt pity for myself. And I snapped out of that real quick, because I'm a man who's always taken responsibility for my actions. And after that brief few seconds of pity, I knew I had to change. And I knew I eat healthy, I'm plant-based, but I never tracked and I never worried about how much I ate. I ate till I felt full, but something had to give. At that time, I wasn't lifting weights, I was just walking or playing golf or playing basketball. And I didn't like my physique. So I decided to track what I ate and started to lift weights. And when I tracked, the first day I tracked, a cup of rice and a cup of beans, and I saw how small it was, I thought I was going to starve. I was like, man, I can't do this. But by the time I added the salad, a little sweet potato, and then I had frozen blueberries and applesauce as a dessert. I felt satisfied. And I was like, wait a minute. And I realized then that I was way over eating, even healthy stuff. If you overeat healthy stuff, you're still gonna gain weight. So tracking became a passion. And to this day, speaking of consistency, I don't recommend everybody to be like me, but I've tracked now every meal for 1,200 plus days. And I love it, not because I have to, but I love the stats. So I know how much protein I'm getting, how much carbohydrate, how much fat. And so that's started the journey. And then I started weightlifting, and that's when it really took off. I think for a lot of people, the thought of tracking your food is almost like budgeting. It's like, if I don't look at the numbers, I can do anything I want. But it doesn't change the reality that the numbers still aren't what you need to function optimally. I'm super impressed by your number. I think we use the same, if you're still using Lose It, that's what I started with, so a lot of my recipes are in there. So I'm at like 460 days in a row of tracking. But once you get that streak, it's like, I gotta keep this thing going. And so for me, you're right. It's an awareness of portion size, for one thing. It's also an awareness of just how lacking in nutrients a lot of the things that I enjoy eating are. And you look at your macros for the day, you're at your caloric levels and you've had 20 grams of protein. And you're like, how can I possibly build muscle when I'm giving my body nothing in raw materials to do so? And so tracking has been important for me. It brings accountability. And I don't know, I mean, I won't say gone are the days where people have gym communities. I know that, you know, CrossFit has flourished because of that social aspect. But in this day, you can have that virtually and you can use an app like lose it and you can share that with someone for accountability. You can use an app like FitBot and have a combined workout all over the globe. That's a super cool thing that technology has allowed us to do. You started tracking and that moved the needle a little bit, but it wasn't really what you expected. You really thought that all I got to do is lock in on the nutrition and all my results come. And that wasn't necessarily your experience. So talk me through the resistance training side of the equation for you. Yeah, you mentioned that and that's good because a lot of people think cardio is the way to go. And look, we need to keep our hearts healthy and we need to do cardio. But if I had to choose one, it'd be resistance training. And here's why. Not only have I read a lot about it, when I first started tracking my calories, I was walking three miles after every meal. Since I work from home, that's feasible. And I walk it pretty fast. I take about less than 45 minutes to walk that. And so I would walk three miles after every meal and the weight was coming off, but the look still looked the same. So I was still what you would call skinny fat. I still looked flabby even though I was losing weight and I didn't like that look. Then through research and through asking my wife, being more specific with my wife and asking her questions and doing reading, resistance training, putting on muscle is the key. So I ended up getting a cable machine and a Peloton bike right before the pandemic hit. And since I work from home, the gym's being closed. I like working by myself at the heart of it. I'm an introvert, so I like my alone time. And it was once I started lifting weights that I began to see the results I wanted. I was not just losing fat, but I was recompositioning my body. And that's where the FitBot app came in because I was clueless. I was always afraid of weights simply because you hear horror stories of people getting hurt, especially if they're working out by themselves. And so I found an app called FitBot, which allowed, which programmed for me. It told me what to do, and it gave me videos to show proper form. And once I started incorporating that, I got hooked. I went from three days a week weightlifting to my current six days a week weightlifting from Sunday to Friday, and I'm at 94 straight weeks of six days a week lifting. That's key. You have to be consistent. Without consistency, you're not going to see the maximum results or the results you want. Yeah. A lot of people talk about how, oh, I wish I could get motivated like you are, or I wish I could do what you do. And to me, it's not a question of motivation. Anybody can have motivation for a moment. It's discipline that makes the difference. So how have you been able to lean into that and cultivate those habits when the motivation evaporates? That's a good question. And I was speaking to a friend of mine named Benjamin Lundquist, who will be on the Built by FitBod podcast, and he talked about that motivation is needed, but discipline carries the day. And so the motivation for me was I didn't like the way I looked physically. But eventually, once you start gaining your goals, well, I went from 35% plus body fat to 12.4. You would think, okay, I'm done. But this is about becoming undone, right? This is about changing, not reaching a goal, but this is a lifetime journey. And so on the days I don't feel like it, the alarm clock still goes off at 5.30. I have personal reflection time or devotional time. And after that, the gym door opens whether I feel like it or not. Nobody takes feelings into account when it comes to brushing your teeth in the morning. You just do it. And it's the same way with fitness. For me, it's gotten to the point where I've exercised, even when I had COVID, I would do maybe just hammer curls, just five, or I would just go for a walk, or I would just do some mobility or some stretching, but I wasn't gonna lose that streak and I wasn't gonna let COVID or anything stop me for that matter, because even when you're sick, you're still well enough to get up and walk to the bathroom. Well, get on the treadmill for five minutes and do something. And you'd be amazed how quicker your body recovers when you stay active. You're absolutely right. As you're talking, I was reminded of this concept of living above the line. And so the line of choice says that we can default into ease and relative comfort. So the model says that it's blame, excuses, and denial are below the line thinking. And so like you said, I'm sore today, that's an excuse. Or I'll do it tomorrow, I don't really need this. You know, that below the line thinking is default and it's simple and it pulls us away from goals. Above the line thinking is accountability and ownership and responsibility. And I love the visual of no one ever questions whether or not they should brush their teeth. We need to take that approach to taking care of our fitness. I'm frequently surprised, I don't know if surprised is the right word, but people will have the discipline to Do a lot of things that unhealthy living Requires them to do so I know that's within them to have the discipline because they're doing the hard thing when a fit lifestyle or making healthier choices It's just a different direction of discipline. And so what would you tell someone that they hear your story and they're like, Oh yeah, it must be easy for you. You're a small fit guy and you've made these healthy choices, but it's not easy for me, obesity runs in my family. And what do you tell someone who isn't quite on board with the ownership side of their own fitness? You have to find your why. And for me, eventually, when I dug down deep, my why was I needed to be a fit body so I could be a fit mind. When your body is fit, when your mind is fit, meaning you're reading, you're staying active, you're pursuing truth, then everything flows from there. You want to have a better golf game? Be fit. You want to have a better marriage? Be fit. Wait a minute, how does that help marriage? Well, when you feel good, you have more confidence. You have more stamina. You have more appeal, not only to the people on the outside, but to your own spouse. And so, when your body is right, your mind will be right. Because everything flows from there. You'll be better at your job, you'll be better with your friends, you'll be better at everything because the most important reason I work out is not to look good or feel good, but it's to have a clear mind. And when your mind is clear, then finding truth or pursuing truth, because none of us is perfect will become an endeavor that is easier to do. So there's a verse in the Bible 1st Corinthians 10 31 whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do it for the glory of God. Well when it comes to fitness eating is important and then you add that whatever you do well resistance training and I do it for the glory of God. So I would tell that person, find your why. You have a why that will change your life. And when you find that why, keep it ever before you. Write it down, put it on your home screen, put it in your gym, do something about it, keep it ever in front of you, and never let your feelings dictate your why. That's powerful. I know one thing I want to be clear is I'm not fat shaming or unfit shaming anyone. We're all on our own journeys and genetics will determine the extent of response to healthy nutrition choices and healthy fitness choices. So everyone is on their own journey and my point, my goal is to point out that discipline is within each of us. It just manifests in different ways. So if you can muster the discipline that it takes to brush your teeth every day, or if you can muster the discipline it takes to make your bed every day, you're really just redirecting it. If you want to say, I'm making my fitness a priority, I'm making my health and my self care important. And it's that dull analogy of the oxygen mask in the airplane. If I don't fix mine and take care of myself first, I'm not going to be able to help the people that I care about, the people that are around me. We talk about this with my students in prioritizing your health, making good decisions, even while you're in grad school, because that's where habits start. You'll have habits as a child in your parents' home, but they don't really take root and turn into your habits until you're out of that environment. And so for a lot of these students, if they're not on their own for the first time, they're definitely on their own in a different environment for the first time. And so let's be purposeful about cultivating habits that are going to serve you as opposed to letting habits sprout that are going to harm you. And that's really the approach. Yeah. And I want to be clear. I'm not fat shaming. I have friends who have developed friendships that I could joke around with them. Hey, they make fun of the fact that I'm bald. So that's within friendships. But I do want to jump on what you said. Look, health is so key. You talk to millionaires, like I mentioned, I used to be a financial advisor. At the end of their life, they would give it all away to be healthy. Health is wealth and everything flows out of health. You'll be better with your kids, you'll be better with your grandkids. If you could spend time with them, if you can get up and walk with them, still pick them up. I remember a couple of years ago, there was a powerful commercial of an old man lifting weights. And at first he started with only, I think, one pound or five pounds. And then at the end, the whole point was that he was getting ready to lift his grandchild up. But that's a commercial. Let me tell you a true story of a friend of mine named Samuel Lopez. He got impressed by the Lord to get in shape. This man couldn't do but 10 push-ups max. He was in his late 50s. He started feeling impressed that he had to work out. And he didn't understand why. But lo and behold, he obeyed and he started working out, cycling, lifting weights, checking his nutrition. Long story short, his wife ends up developing cancer. And the petite nurses couldn't pick her up and take her to the bathtub to Wash her and he realized then that he could He would pick up his wife. He would bathe her and he knew then why the Lord Earlier on prior to his wife's cancer diagnosis told him to get in shape and to this day His wife has since passed but to this day, he has stayed in physical shape. He even did a whole bike ride around the island of Puerto Rico and he finished like third place in his age. But when people realized that his bike didn't have any bike shoes or that he didn't have any harness, they were even more amazed because when you're clipped to your bike, you have both legs helping you. Or when you're strapped to your bike, you have both legs helping you pedal. But when you don't have that clip to the bike, it's only one leg at a time, basically. And he finished like second or third place at his age. So you never know why you need to be physically fit. And so start now, it's never too late to start. I'm a testament to it. I'm 50 years old and I'm in the best shape of my life. Yeah, you don't realize the importance of it until it starts to slip or until it's suddenly taken from you for sure. And I think for a lot of listeners, it's daunting to think about, okay, you know, 20, 30 years since I was in peak shape in high school and I've slowly eroded into what I see today and it's discouraging. But the awesome thing is, and I've heard this, and I don't believe that it's supported in the literature, but it certainly makes for a good quote, is that a month of dedication can undo a year of neglect. And so if it was 20 years of neglect, then 20 months of focused effort will dramatically change who I look like. And so in a way, we can turn back the hands of time. Thankfully, it's not a one for one. If I haven't taken care of myself since the day I graduated from college and I find myself 40 and out of shape, I don't have 20 years to get back into that shape. But the beauty is I don't need it. My body is a resilient, magnificent creation, and it will respond to the stressors that I put in front of it. I also love the fact that I heard you mention the word fueling and training. You know, exercise sounds punitive. People think I'm going to go on a diet and I'm going to exercise and that sounds like punishment for wrongdoing. And if we really want to make this a lifestyle, it's about fueling. I fuel my car to take me on a journey. That's not And likewise, I don't exercise, I train. And the training is hopefully going to make me better at my day-to-day, whether it's, heaven forbid, lifting my sick wife or lifting a grandbaby, whatever. That physical preparation is key in helping me be ready for my day. And so I just want to applaud you on what you've been able to do, especially, I mean, plant-based in Texas where brisket is a next level of discipline. Let me tell you a story. My first month here in Texas, I had to drive to meetings in Dallas and I saw a billboard that said the five food groups and it was a fork with five different So I laughed and look, I love what you said. And to the audience listening, once I started tracking my macros and eating clean, meaning leaving alone the potato chips and all that for the most part, I still indulge in that. And matter of fact, I tell you on every Saturday, I have anywhere between 400 to 1200 calories of ice cream, plant-based ice cream. So it's not that I don't have fun, but I keep it all within my macros. However, once you start fueling your body properly, even in losing 55 pounds, I never felt overtly hungry because you maximize the protein and it saturates you. So I never felt like, oh man, I'm starving, I hate this. This has become a lifestyle. I eat now the way I can sustain for the rest of my life. So it's not a diet. Like you said, I'm fueling. And as far as the exercise, I'm training. What are you training for? Are you an athlete? Are you a football player, basketball player? No, no, I'm training for life. I want to be fit at 98. And in my religious community, who lives the longest in the world, there was a story. He has since passed, but he was still doing surgery at 101 years old. Think about it at 101 years old, still doing surgery because you have to be of clear mind and your hands can't be shaking. He was assisting in surgery at 101 years old. So you can do it. It can be done. But the goal is truth over feelings. Your health is going to behave the way you treat it. And if you treat it with respect, proper nutrition, proper fueling, proper exercise, your body will respond as you mentioned earlier. Yeah. For me, I definitely have not locked in on the nutrition side of the equation. I'm consistent in the training, but the... And tracking. But you can look and see consistency that I am tracking every day, but if you look at the data within it, it's not so hot. I like to say a 12-year-old with their parents' debit card at the grocery store. And so it's a challenge. And for me, it's an emotional challenge. It's like I'm going to treat myself with a sugary snack or an energy drink or whatever that go-to coping thing is. And I've not arrived there yet, and maybe I won't ever. But the point is, I'm continuing to fight. I don't want to couch it as guilt. It's motivation. I aspire to be better, and hopefully I'm a little better tomorrow than I am today. So any tricks or hacks or what has served you best in having the discipline that it takes to live this lifestyle? I give you two. Before I was 100% plant-based, I ate meat. And before I gave up meat, I still would eat things like Cheetos and Doritos, which have milk in it. And I remember I couldn't give up Doritos. I used to eat a whole family-sized bag of Doritos a week, and I couldn't give it up. So then a friend of mine invited me to try something, and I did, which was take all my calories but in juice, juice that you made yourself. You buy all the vegetables, you buy all the fruit, and you blend it through a food processor yourself and drink that. And for a whole five days, Monday through Friday, all I did was drink natural juice three times, as if it was three meals, three times, and not change anything else. At that time, I wasn't lifting weights, but I was still walking. I was still golfing. I was still doing a little body weight stuff, pushups, sit-ups, but I didn't change anything else. So my routine stayed the same. Now, when I did the juicing, I did feel hungry. However, the number one benefit that I got at the end of it is that I lost all my cravings for Doritos. Gone. I haven't had a Dorito since. Now, color me, Captain, the cool ranch club gang but the thought of a juice-based reset is intriguing. Maybe not quite as appealing at the moment as a big blue bag of crunchy heavily processed corn and salt but hey maybe it's worth a shot. Well I've been disciplined in tracking what I eat for a while now I still struggle with the quality of what I'm tracking. It needs to be better. If we're dissatisfied with something in our life, like what we eat or how we move or don't move, we have two options. Either change it, as Nike used to say, just do it, or change our expectation of it. Shut up about it. Otherwise, we're just walking around with unaddressed guilt. And if I get really honest, I've been a junk food junkie most of my life, so Geo's strategy may be worth a shot. And so the point of the juicing is that it clears your palate for things you don't want. Having lost that craving, mentally I had no desire for it, right? Physiologically, I used to have the craving for it, but mentally I didn't want to eat them, but I physiologically wanted to. Having cured the physiological from it, mentally I had already wanted to stop. And so I haven't had a Dorito since, and I've cut. So perhaps doing something like that, go a week on a juice fast. And second, intermittent fasting helped at the beginning. If I can share some of my numbers, I had ballooned to 199.5, I didn't want to cross 200. I was 35 plus percent body fat measured by a DEXA scan. My first goal was 20%, I achieved that. Then my second goal was 15, and I blew past that and ended up at 12.4, but I was only 149 pounds. I since went bulking and I got up to 170, but I'm at 15% body fat. And so by the end of the year, I want to get down to 10. But in all that time, I've stayed focused simply because I like how I feel. When I made the changes, when I cut out the chips that were systematically in my diet, I still eat chips every once in a while. I don't want to give up the way I felt and the way I look. And so between the juicing, the intermittent fasting, and having achievable, measurable goals has allowed me to stay disciplined. That's great. We call them day-ritos in our house because that's about as long as the bag lasts. I mean, it's rooted in childhood memories. I can remember clear as day, even the sound, it's like ASMR, the sound of a metal glass bottle top Coca-Cola cap tinkling on the countertop sounds like my childhood. My mom used to buy the eight packs of Pepsi-Cola in the glass bottle recyclables, and that was a treat for us to get a Pepsi Cola in the glass bottle. To this day, if I've had a stressful day, I know where to go where I can get a glass bottle of Mexican Coke with the real sugar in it. I'm even purposeful in when I pop that top, I'll intentionally drop it to hear the tinkle. It's a multi-sensory thing. Food is... It's so easy to think about this like a math equation, and it's calories in and it's calories out, but it's just not that simple. It's so closely tied to our identity and our memories from childhood, good or bad. And so I've really developed grace in this area for other people and for myself. Like, okay, if I'm going to dissolve this one bad nutritional day among the thousand, two thousand, however many ever days I'm fortunate enough to continue to walk this earth, one day isn't going to make the difference. But it's when poor decisions build on each other, it's about habit, it's about discipline, it's about what can I do the majority of the time that's going to dictate and determine what I look like and what I feel like. And so that's been real powerful for me. So I totally get the Doritos, man. Yeah. And look, to this day on Saturdays, I have sometimes up to 1,200 calories of ice cream, a plant-based brand called Natamu. The cookies and cream and the cookie, chocolate chip cookie dough, it's a die for. But I don't let that derail me Sunday through Friday. I just chalk it up, eat it, and keep moving on. So talk to us about what you're doing now. We've alluded to the Built by Fitbod show, but if listeners want to connect with you and continue to interact with the work that you're doing, tell me about today. Yeah. I'm glad you mentioned that because not only am I a co-host with my friend, Jonica and Michael on the Built by FitBot podcast, I'm also writing now on Substack, GeoMarine Substack, where I write about life, lifting and nutrition, give different perspective on the written form. So I like doing that. And let me tell you how changing my health habits have led to certain things. Real quickly, like I said, I used the FitBot app to track my workouts, but then that led to the community, where I have a lot of like-minded people who cheer each other on. It's one of the best communities in all of Facebook. And that led me to connect with Janneke. Long story short, I invited her to do a Zoom so we can verbally meet people in the community. Michael happened to be there. Michael then approached me and Jonica to start a fitness podcast. We took that idea to FitBot, FitBot liked it, they ended up wanting to own it. And fast forward that relationship, simply because I decided to take responsibility for my health they flew us out here last month to Vegas. They paid for everything, they gave us stipends, everything to shoot commercials for FitBot because they wanted to have real users be in their commercials. I would have never thought of that, that fitness would lead to such an opportunity. And for yourself, fitness has led to you starting this podcast and networking with other people. Here I am, I wouldn't have never probably met you unless I had taken control of my fitness. So I'm saying, take control of your fitness. You never know what doors it can open. And so you might see me, Jonica and Michael in a commercial soon on all social media platforms promoting the app that has changed our life. Yeah, for those wanting more information, FitBot takes the thinking out of fitness. It doesn't matter if you are an experienced fitness professional or somebody that's never worked out. For me, it was beneficial because at the end of teaching about fitness and rehab and things, I didn't want to expend the mental energy that it took. I probably could have done it, but it's a done for you, AI generated, you just do it. The tracking is really powerful too, whether it's streaks, whether it is maintaining or understanding your 1RMs and how you're trending, absolutely. But then for somebody that's completely new to fitness, there are videos for every exercise. I mean, I received nothing from FitBod for doing this, but I will say that was a barrier for me. At the end of a long day, I knew I wanted to work out, but the thought of crafting a workout was a barrier. The thought of going to a gym was a barrier. And so I bought my stuff, I found it on Facebook Marketplace for dirt cheap and just kind of accumulated enough so that I've got a gym in my house and now I've got FitBuy to tell me what to do. And at that point, there are no excuses left other than put your gear on. So for me, the hardest part of working out is putting on the workout gear. From there, it takes care of itself. And three minutes in, you're like, why was I resisting this? This is the best, this is a great part of my day. But we have kind of this pre-programmed resistance to do things that sometimes are hard. Yeah, it's human nature to not want to do what's right. But once you get going, like you said, you wonder why you thought of not even doing it. Right. And so if I can offer to your listeners, I'll give you a code, they can get a 14 day free trial for the FitBot app and try it out for themselves. Yeah, we'll drop that in the show notes for sure. So it's been quite a journey. What for Gio is left undone? Oh, that's a great question. For me, for this year, short-term goals, by the end of the year, I want to get to 10% body fat, if not lower, but 10 is the goal. And I want to continue to grow my sub-stack because podcasts, I share with two co-hosts, but even doing yours, we can't talk for three, four, five hours. Writing allows me to express other avenues that I want to share with the world. Because even though I'm 100% plant-based, I don't think people who want to eat meat is fine by me. I'm not one of those zealots who say, you're killing animals and this. No, everybody is different. Everybody. Now, there are some trade-offs when you eat meat. You got to make sure you get your fiber. I wrote an article about that because meat has no fiber. But as long as you're balanced and doing it right and you are not seeing any detrimental effects, go for it. However, sometimes if there's some detrimental effects, you may wanna make changes. But I think together when we listen to each other, we can make the best decisions for everybody. So that's what's in store for me, building my sub-stack and trying to get to 10% body fat by the end of the year. Not trying, I will. Yep. Love it. Manifest it, for sure. Yeah. I love music and the emotions that it can represent for us in life. What song would you pick as the soundtrack? If we were playing a montage of you over the years, what's the audio in the background? I have a specific song, and I'm going to tell you what the song is, but ironically, when I work out, I like to work out in silence, just me and my thoughts. But the one song, as soon as you ask that question, but it's unstoppable. I'm unstoppable. And so my song is Unstoppable by Sia, because now that I have become the man that I want to be. Nothing could stop me but me. And with God's help, all things are possible. Cool. Appreciate that, brother. So how can listeners connect with you? You mentioned Built by Fitbod podcast. You can shoot me the address to your sub stack. I'll drop that in the show notes. Any other ways you would advise folks to connect if they want to continue to interact with your work? Yes, my fitness handles on Instagram is Geomarine7 on Instagram where I post workouts and other fitness-related quotes. And on Twitter, if you like to follow fitness stuff on Twitter, I'm not that active on Twitter, but I do drop my sub stack and episodes there. It's Smith7 at Twitter. And so between Instagram, Substack, the Built by FitBob podcast, and Twitter, you can connect with me. If you wanna email me, that's fine as well, geo at geomarine.com. Awesome. Well, Gio, it's been great having you. Really appreciate your work and the platform that you've built. I'm thankful for the fact that our paths have crossed and if there's ever anything I can do to return the favor, brother, you know where to find me. Yes, yes, thank you very much. I love, by the way, our developing friendship, but I also love the title of your podcast, Becoming Undone. There's so much to dive into that and so I appreciate your podcast. Thanks, man. All right, bro. I'm thankful to Gio for giving of his time and chatting with me about his accomplishments, his goals, and his journey. I hope you found as much inspiration from this episode as I did. For more info on it, be sure to check it out on the web. Simply go to undonepodcast.com backslash ep57 to see the notes, links, and images related to today's guest, Gio Marin. If you're listening, I have a question for you this week and I want to hear your answer. What accomplishment are you proudest of, yet least likely to share about in general conversation? Go to the Undone Podcast Facebook or Instagram pages where you'll see posts with artwork from this episode along with this question and weigh in. Coming up, I've got former NCAA All-American and two-time national champion women's basketball player Emma Middleton Morris, Australian non-profit founder Ian Westmoreland, and certified athletic trainer Phil Milan. Becoming Undone. Becoming Undone is a Nitro-Hype Creative Production written and produced by me, Toby Brooks. If you or someone you know has a story of resilience and victory to share for Becoming Undone, contact me at undonepodcast.com. Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at becomingundonepod. And follow me at TobyJBrooks on X, Instagram, and TikTok. Listen, subscribe, and leave us a review at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keep getting better. Bye!