The Power of X
The Power of X covers performance testing, intelligent supplementation, mindset, and motivation. Breaking down how data-driven decisions and disciplined habits lead to better health, clarity, and long-term performance.
The Power of X
Why Fast Weight Loss Always Fails | #013
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Ready to stop chasing shortcuts and start optimizing with real data? In this episode of The Power of X, the team breaks down why true performance, fat loss, and long-term health can’t come from generic plans or quick fixes. From DNA testing and food sensitivities to mindset, discipline, and sustainable habits, this conversation explores what it actually means to “optimize” your life based on your unique biology—not someone else’s template.
Joe Laxton shares real client transformations, the hidden dangers of rapid weight loss, and why most people regain the weight they lose. Jim and Parkes dive into the deeper mindset behind maintenance, standards, structure, and finding the motivation that drives lasting change. If you’re tired of guessing with your health, training, or nutrition, this episode will challenge the way you think about progress and help you uncover your true X factor.
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@xfactorlabs
All right, welcome back to the Power of X, where we stop guessing, start testing, and uncover the X factor that unlocks your true potential. My name is Parks Wilterdinck, joined by my father, Jim Wilterdinck, and Joe Laxton of Joe's Gym. So uh today I wanted to ask you, Joe, um about optimization. So um, you know, a lot of people here, you know, optimize your training, optimize your nutrition, but what does optimized actually feel like? And what's the difference between that and just a generic plan?
SPEAKER_01You know, I was I always have this conversation with clients, and you know, these are always topics that come up. And I always think if you're gonna optimize something, we have to look at data. You know, because if we're not looking at data, then we're just throwing out a word optimization, and it just becomes a buzzword. You know, I uh, you know, I have clients do an in-body test, you know, and we can say, hey, we're gonna optimize your training and optimize and do all these things, but if we're not tracking data, what are we what are we comparing against? Right. And because if we're gonna optimize something, well, we have to have some form of standard that we're looking at. And without data and legitimately good data, there's there's just a guess, just like everything we've ever talked about. You know, somebody wants to lose weight, okay. Well, are we losing weight or are we losing fat? Like which one do you want to? Well, I'd rather lose fat, right? Because if we can lose weight, well, okay, so let's say somebody loses 20 pounds and 12 of its muscle, four of its water, you know, and then the rest of its fat, is that is that a successful weight loss plan? Well, they lost weight. That's what they said they wanted to do, and they successfully lost weight. But does that put them in a detrimental position? Absolutely, because now they're losing muscle mass. Uh, yes, we can lose a lot of water, which our body needs water, but if if we're optimizing that individual's plan without data and having some form of baseline, we're just throwing around a word. You know, I mean, yeah, everybody wants optimized, optimal growth, optimal, you know, results. But if we're not looking at real data, there's no baseline to even begin with.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but like so having an optimized plan, like what what is that from a client's perspective, or even your personal experience of like what does optimization feel like, or um how is it acted out differently than a different plan?
SPEAKER_01So I've got another client that I can use as a great example, just as we spoke with her the other day, did food sensitivity test. She automatically comes in, you know, she cut out, there were some major things that she ate on a daily basis that were on her food sensitivity plan. Uh, she automatically came in, less water weight, which again, we were just talking about water weight, but she was holding on to water. Um, she automatically says her sleep is better, energy, mood, all these things have completely changed in a matter of two weeks. And so when we're looking at if we're gonna perform an activity, if we're gonna do a diet, if we're gonna go to the gym, if we're gonna perform cardio, if we're gonna you know perform strength training, and we're not factoring in, you know, water retention, sleep, performance, all these types of things. And the foods in her case that were hindering this by eliminating certain foods that she was eating on a daily basis has absolutely optimized the plan that she is able to run now based on the data that we collected, right? So otherwise, again, we always say, right, why why guess when you can test? And it's there, there is no possible way, in my opinion, that you can optimize any form of plan without looking at somebody's biology, without you know, looking under the hood.
SPEAKER_00So, Parks, I think your question drives that really what our foundation really truly is, and in the brand X Factor Labs. Okay, and Joe nailed it using a client experience, uh a recent one. That's exactly what optimization is for the individual. This isn't optimization for the group of people that are membership at a gym. This is optimization for parks, optimization for Joe, for Sally, for Mike. It's just like we talk about with our custom vitamin packs. Take Joe's pack, not Jim's pack. And the what Joe just demonstrated is what we've designed this company around is helping people find their X factor. Okay. That then translates to their personal optimal strategy for fitness, whether it be weight loss, whether it be fat loss, whether it be muscle gain, whether it be speed improvement, all those different things across whether it be an athletic spectrum or just an overall wellness spectrum. X Factor Labs is designed to help people, in your word, optimize or in mine find their X Factor, those things that they can do to truly reach their potential.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was just I was just scrolling Facebook last night, and one of those ads popped up of buy, yeah, one of those ads popped up of, you know, buy buy this pre-made template, you know, templated workouts, right? And it was and it was geared towards trainers and coaches. You know, buy this, buy this templated program with over 2,000 exercises with this and this and this, and and it was basically you can buy this program, enter your client's email into it and send it to them. So basically, anybody that buys this is going to buy the exact same program for every single one of their clients, which basically means buy this if you want to be lazy and you know, uh, you know, uh piece of crap coach, you know, it's here. Just all you have to do is get these clients to pay you and email, you know, email them all this template and they'll have all their workouts and diet lined up for them. You know, and it's just and and again, that's the easy button. But how how is that somebody saying, I can optimize your plan by sending you the same thing to every single one of my clients? We're gonna give you an optimal plan, even though if I got 500 clients, I'm gonna send all 500 of you this new template that I have that's gonna revolutionize my business, which it is gonna revolutionize their business because it's gonna create them a lazy piece of garbage that just sends out 500 templates saying, come to me so we can optimize your life. And it's like not remotely close to what we're talking about, you know. But but but that's that's the industry. That's what you know, that's what everything is going towards now.
SPEAKER_00Um, and it's it's such a uh an Americanized approach to almost everything, right? We in the the most frustrating one for me is is our education system. Everybody learns differently. We all know that. Some people are visual, some people are experiential, some people are auditory, and we cram everybody through the cattle chute of K through 12 education and then a four-year degree, and expect everybody to learn the material delivered in one format. And I think that's the the same with many different industries, and you just touched on it for health and wellness. I mean, same thing with our medical system, our healthcare, right? Well, you just go get an annual physical, you you do this, do that, you get these vaccines. And it's such a generic, standardized, broad-based system. And I think people are learning with the more and more information available that you are unique and when treated for what you need, and we can find those things, just like you demonstrated with your client, is by doing a cellular nutrition test, we can see where they're deficient. By doing an ALCAT food sensitivity test, we can see what foods are causing some challenges. By doing a DNA test, we see what kind of workouts you know are going to be most effective. So I think it's it really truly is as we talk about optimize, it comes back to in my mind, what's your X factor?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. And you know, and I I was uh I did a talk the other day, I did a little little Facebook post, and you know, like I I'm a free market guy, you know. I I I really believe in the free market, you know, uh uh supply and demand. The problem with most industries is the American consumer wants this, so the industry provides that, right? The American consumer wants fast, immediate weight loss. So yeah, so the industry says we will provide you with the fast and quick weight loss. And again, not fat loss, but weight loss. There is a difference. So, you know, I think a lot of us have to take it on our shoulders and say, you know, as as consumers, because we're all consumers, um for the most part, we're getting what we're ultimately wanting, which yeah.
SPEAKER_00Oh, 100%. Well, yes and no, right? We're getting that that not we, but the community, the the society is getting weight loss at the expense of health.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, because that right now is what that is what the market is demanding. I gotta lose 20 pounds in three days. Well, here, if that's really what you want, boom, right? The the industry will provide.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean that's that well, it's it's our culture, right? It's the it's it's the I want a bikini picture, you know, on my trip in you know, spring break, and I forgot to that this took time, so it's the end of February, and I'm gonna do the the magic you know button, and I'm gonna lose 20 pounds in the next three weeks before my trip. Never mind that I've just put my body through just horrible, horrible things, but right. So what I look good.
SPEAKER_01You know, and that is, you know, and that is kind of the mindset, you know, and that and that can spread across you know a ton of industries, you know. I mean, Jim, being in financial planning, I mean, you know, the the method to you know to acquire wealth is save save money month after month after month after month, and you know, 40 years from now, you'll be a gazillionaire or whatever, right? And then I, you know, and then I even seen um you know an advertisement.
SPEAKER_00Depending on how much you save.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know, and then I even I even seen an advertisement the other day of you know, use AI to learn how to pick stocks, you know, and you you know, and then it had all these people come in and I made X in three days, and you know, I you know, I turned my 50 bucks into 600,000, and it's like eh, I you know, everybody wants that. They don't want to do the long, slow, boring approach to anything. And and I I mean I'm the same way. I mean, yeah, I I want things to happen very quickly. Um, but you know, so it just obviously I can go down tangents, but what do you think? You know, back to part, you know, back to Parks's idea of optimize. You can't optimize if we're looking at at the masses, right? We have to look at ourselves as an individual, and what works for somebody else might not work for me, and and it really does come down to somebody's why. Like if I really truly said, yes, I want to optimize what what what is gonna work for me, well it starts it, you know, it starts with everything that our company does.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, what do you think is the the pitfall of wanting things fast and easy? What do you think people are robbing themselves of?
SPEAKER_01We've always heard that thing, you know, or that phrase like, you know, if it's easy, it's sleazy. You know. You know, I just again the fastest shortcut of all time is do it right the first time. You know, it just I mean, you know, can you can you get long-lasting legitimate results in a in a quick manner? No. I you know, so uh when somebody's chasing after these quick again, they're going to lose time and money. That is the bypro. I mean, that time and money will be completely lost when somebody looks for these really quick, easy fixes because they do not work. Even if it does work, it is going to be a very short-term type of thing. They're gonna come right back to where they were at. And learn anything, yes, and typically worse. Yeah, I mean, for the most part, it's usually in a in a worse position.
SPEAKER_00You know, it's not talk a little bit more about that because I don't think most people, I think that's probably my biggest bitch, if you will. Yeah, you know, is is our community of of professionals recommending these, you know, fast, easy buttons, they're not truly educating people on what the risk is.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, not not not even remotely close to an educational process, you know. So, I mean, in a in a in in the briefest way possible, I'll tell you why weight loss fails. You know, I'll just very, very quickly. Let's just say hypothetically, somebody's uh BMR, their basal metabolic rate is 2,000 calories a day. If they start eating 1,600 calories a day, they will lose weight. No matter what, they will lose weight. But the but our body is miraculous. Our body is always seven steps ahead of us, right? Just because we want something doesn't mean the body is going to comply. So they start eating 1,600 calories, they start losing weight. Well, what happens is our body starts to adapt. There's metabolic adaptation. Things will slow down. You know, hair, skin, and nails might not be as vibrant, you know, females might lose their menstrual cycle, uh, digestion might slow, sleep, you know, our body will go from 2,000 calories down to 1,700. It will start slowing down. So then all of a sudden, 1,600 calories isn't working anymore. So then they go to 1,400 and then weight loss picks back up. And then all of a sudden, 1700 isn't doing it, so it drops to 1500. And then all of a sudden they go to 12, you know, 1,200 calories, and then weight loss picks up, and then they and then they successfully lose the weight. They did it. They they successfully lost the 50 pounds. Well, now what? They're eating 1200 calories. They're in, you know, they're in jeopardy of losing their job because they can't stop focusing on food, and their kids run from them when they come home because they're irritable. And, you know, now I mean they, you know, they're they're in a bad position because they're eating 1200 calories, but they lost the 50 pounds. They look good, they feel good, they're getting all these compliments, but then all of a sudden again, they're at 1,200 calories. They're miserable. So now all of a sudden they go back to eating 1,600. Well, 1,600 is no longer a deficit. So not only do they gain all the weight back, they might have been 250 pounds, they got down to 200, now they go back to 265.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01On less calories.
SPEAKER_00And what is that weight gain typically, you know, what is the weight loss percentage and weight?
SPEAKER_01And that and that ratio is not only do they lose 50 pounds, it wasn't 50 pounds of fat. Yeah, they lost fat, but they also lost muscle tissue. And then all of a sudden, now they go back. Now all of that weight gain is typically not muscle, it's usually fat. So all of a sudden now they're 265 versus 250. They were third, you know, when they were 250, they were 32% body fat. Now they're 35 with less muscle mass. And then they're thinking, what the heck happened? Now they're frustrated. Now they're, you know, all the different cycles that people go through, and then they throw their hands up and they say, This just doesn't work. No, it it works. You just did it wrong. You know, you you did the easy button, you know, you didn't learn anything, you didn't, you know, understand metabolic adaptation, you didn't understand your biology, you didn't know how your body rebounds. I mean, our DNA tests will you know, tell you, you know, genetically how predispositioned we are to, you know, regaining weight. You know, a lot of people don't look at that. You know, there's there's phases to this. There's cutting, there's bulking, and then there's the most important part called maintenance. Most of us will spend most of our lives in maintenance mode. Most of us don't cut forever, most of us don't bulk forever. Most people will will never intentionally bulk, they just unintentionally bulk over time. And uh, right, so they put all this time into weight, but they don't master this thing I call maintenance, right? Where are you going to spend most of your life? You know, and they don't learn anything. They're not, you know, they don't have a coach and they don't have data and they don't have their biology and they can't chart their course and all the things that we need to be paying attention to, they didn't learn a thing in the process other than, you know, I took this pill, I drank this drink, I took this shot, I did this, I, you know, I did this, you know, 5 a.m. boot camp, and I, you know, stressed my body the hills and I lost the weight, and then boom, they gain it right back. Because statistically, 95%, and that is the statistic. It's 95% of people who lose weight gain it back, and then some.
SPEAKER_02What do you think is the mindset shift required for someone to have a maintenance mentality throughout their life? Standards. Lifestyle change.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_02What is the mindset change that they that is required for maintenance?
SPEAKER_01There's a mindset change of everybody, everybody avoids um structure, discipline. You're like, people don't want that, you know, and you know, you can follow around two different people. This person embraces structure, and this person does not. And let's fast forward the clock 30 years. Who's got a wrecked and destroyed life and who pretty much kind of has things together? Usually, you know, it's usually the person that has a structured type of program, um, some kind of structure in their life, right? There's a there's a standard that they have to follow versus just kind of waking up and winging it every day. Um, yeah, that sounds like a great life, but again, fast forward the clock, they're they're always train wrecks most of the time. So I think people need to stop with this, you know, this this entire thing of defining themselves based on weight loss. Right. It's like, you know, no, let's define ourselves by our daily habits and choices and where that leads to. And, you know, and that's and that's um, and that's a that's uh a minefield, you know, to kind of help somebody get through, you know, because I've seen it in my coaching business all the time. Everybody comes to me, everybody goes to a coach with the idea of I want to fit in these jeans, I want to lose weight, I want to get big arms, I want to do all this stuff. And that and that, and that's usually what gets somebody in the door. I understand that, but it's but it's navigating through that, you know, three months in, most people, you know, their shift starts changing, you know, and I can tell the people long term who's gonna have success and who's not. You know, they start tracking things that really do matter, like my mood, my sleep, my attitude, you know, um uh how I'm around other people, their productivity at work, and all, you know, it's like these are things that everybody wants. And a lot of times, is it a is it a byproduct of losing weight? Yeah, it's a byproduct of losing weight and gaining muscle and going to the gym. But it's it's just one of those things. They start embracing structure, they start embracing change, they start embracing tracking, they start embracing, you know, it's it's just um it's a it's a change in environment and habit. Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00And that's that's you know, Joe, that's part of why we created the the scorecard, right? Yeah, is to give people some metrics because habits and lifestyle and environment isn't always easy to see, right? Um, you you might think, oh, I eat pretty good. Well, track it for a week and let's discuss it then, you know, because people don't generally really truly understand. All those little pieces. I just pulled up a uh uh thing while I was listening to you. Do you remember the show The Biggest Loser?
SPEAKER_01Oh, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00At the end of the show, contestants on average, this says lost 128 pounds. Within six years, they gained 70% back or 90 pounds. And most of them will only seven to 15% succeed long term. Out of the 14 contestants they'd monitored three years post-show, only one maintained the weight loss. Yep. Okay. And the biggest loser was all about theatrics. We watched it, it was it was entertaining. That was the point. It was entertainment. And so, you know, Gillian Michaels, and I don't remember the dude's name, but you know, they're screaming at people, and they're, you know, these these poor people, you know, just about fallen off the treadmills and couldn't hardly walk. And that's sad. And and a lot of them did lose some significant weight. What did they do? They they did a math equation, they ramped up activity, calor, you know, calorie burn, and they minimized or greatly decreased calorie intake.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_00And and that's exactly what you've just described as most people's diet approach. It's I'm so sick of hearing the word diet, and I'm gonna I'm gonna diet, and I'm gonna do it's why don't you just try and do some little things over time and and really reestablish who you are, what you do, and how you live. What I mean by that. Well, I quit drinking soda three years ago. I love a Coke or a Dr. Pepper or a Mountain Dew. I I'm sure I still would. I haven't had one in three years, but that's just a little thing. I try to go for a walk more often, try to move and just incorporate that into instead of just sitting my butt on the couch, right? So I try very hard, and I'm a I'm a creature of habit, and I will tell you this morning I I did a row and it was hard, it was really hard because I ramped up the intensity. But when I said it was hard, it was hard to get going for whatever reason. This morning, I was dragging and I really just sat there for a few minutes, like trying to get myself to do it. But I know if I do it first thing in the morning, always without fail, I feel better. Yeah, always mentally I'm I don't know if I'd say proud of myself, right? But I'm I'm satisfied. I'm not disappointed with myself because I actually did it.
SPEAKER_01You know, Jim, that's funny because people people uh people always say that. Oh, but Joe, you just don't get it. I don't like dieting. I'm like, I don't like it either. Well, well, Joe, I just I just don't like working out. I don't like I I don't either, you know. I I don't. I never I mean I I mean truth be told, I hate lifting weights. I hate it. It hurts. It's not fun. You know, I mean, I mean, I I mean it does it it is, you know, it hurts, but I love the result, you know. And like it's not easy for people to do this stuff, you know. People that you know, people that succeed at anything or do anything, you know, somebody who runs successfully, they don't it's hard for them to get started, you know, but it's you know, it's not like yeah, I have every mental ping pong challenge go on in my head every time I even start looking at lifting. I'm like, oh, it's like an anxiety attack, like, oh, this is gonna be terrible, this is gonna suck. You know, then it's like, but but I'm gonna do it because it's just part of my day. It's just it's it's just part of my routine, you know. So we just, you know, and there's and there's all sorts of analogies and there's books about people's comfort zones and all these types of things, you know. And um, you know, I I'm just a firm believer people have to challenge their comfort zones, and you know, and it just all the time.
SPEAKER_00I have a question for you. You've helped a lot. How many people lose 100 pounds?
SPEAKER_0135 now.
SPEAKER_0035 people with weight loss of over 100 pounds.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_00That's impressive. So obviously, you've gotten results for a lot of people. I mean, that's a lot of people that you've changed their lives. Here's something that I've recognized over the last three years specifically, because I am that guy. I used to tell people, I used to joke, I don't like working out for the sake of working out. If you give me a goal, triathlon, race, tough mudder, something, I'm I'm laser focused, right? Challenge me, I dare you. Okay, and and and I'll make it happen. Very disciplined in that way. But for shits and giggles, don't care to go work out. That's the myth. Don't care. Just don't want it. But what I've realized over the last three years is variety, okay? And there are some things, some types of workouts, some types of you know, exercise I like better than others, and and one of them is really, really hard to get in and do, and but has probably the highest euphoric after effect for me personally. That's swimming. Okay, and we would go, and last summer we were going a lot, and and we're talking like five in the morning. So think about this. I'm getting in a pool at five in the morning, and it's typically cold. I was gonna say it's usually cold, and you just you got this ping pong game. I love that analogy. You got this ping pong game going like, oh shit, I do not want to do this, and ultimately, you just I don't know if Parks witnesses this, but I don't dip my toe because I don't want to know how cold it is, I'm just jumping in. But every time after the swim, on the drive to work or back home or whatever, man, I'm in a good mood. I've got lots of energy, and so I'm curious uh through the process, variation, variety, entertainment value, what has been most successful as you look at and consider in your mind these hundred people, it it can't possibly, in my mind, just be lifting weights, right? So, what is the experience? What from your perspective, how do you help people navigate that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I had uh I had a guy lose um 145 pounds in exactly a year. It started with lifting, and then he kind of caught the bug. And then all of a sudden he decided, now he I mean he was a big, big guy.
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, he's got 150 pounds to lose.
SPEAKER_01He uh he decided that he was going to um he basically lost parts. Yeah, I mean he he pretty much decided that he was he was gonna do like a like a um it was uh it was a 10K um obstacle course.
SPEAKER_00Okay, like a tough mutter kind of thing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean it you know, and and it was you know he set the goal out because you know it's that same thing. Very rarely are we like, hey, go do all this stuff for the heck of it. You know, I think I think humans just in general need some form of deadline or some kind of like a check mark, you know, something, something to, you know, little checklists or you know, along the way. And that was one of his big things was all of a sudden he started running a lot more and um successfully did it. Um he beat a lot of people. It was it was, I mean, he he actually did very well at it, but then he continued, and then he continued, you know, and it was just okay, what's the next thing? What's the next thing? And then next thing you know, he quits his job and starts starts his own business and became very, you know, it was just like there was he he started building all these habits, just all these habits that just I was successful at this, I was successful at this, started creating momentum. I mean, literally changed his entire it changed his financial situation because he started getting these these little successes, yeah, you know, and it just started, you know, just like a snowball, it just kept getting bigger and bigger. I mean, I mean changed his life significantly because of these little victories along the way. And, you know, and I can think of others, you know, uh, yes, it might be bodybuilding. Yeah, I wanted to go on stage, and next thing you know, now they, you know, just the confidence that comes out of it. And then, you know, it's it's it's the physical aspect is a byproduct of you know, having something that they can see, measure, feel, you know, touch, smell, whatever. That's the physical side of things that typically get us motivated to begin with. But then very quickly we got to start looking at those other measurements that's gonna drag us through when things do stall out or or you know when things need to change. You know, it's no different than in bodybuilding. It's like, yeah, I mean, I got down, you know, 3% body fat. I'm not staying there. What do we what's next? Right because that's coming back, you know, and then you know, a lot of people have to, you know, they have a hard time rebounding from that because all of a sudden there was a goal, now what? There's a goal, now what? And you know, it's that it's that now what that will determine where somebody goes in that manner. Um you know, I I've been I am in that little cocoon right now myself of okay, now what? You know, I'm not I'm not gonna be the bodybuilder that I used to be.
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, and that's that now what is so powerful. We've talked about this before for trainers and and X Factor as a company is trying to help other people help people provide for a scripted or or at least you know prodded them to a next step, a next thing. Because, like you said, you know, the guy, you know, he wanted to do this 10k. Well, then what? You know, and that I think is the thing that really truly makes a difference because I'm I'm in that same spot, right? It's like I'm in the mode right now of working out for the sake of working out, and and psychologically, that's very, very difficult, I think, for most people to stay there. And so I, you know, what is I I guess what is what are you thinking? What's what's next for Joe?
SPEAKER_01You know, well, that's where I was like, okay, well, my kids are it's so I mean I kind of got back into running a little bit. And I'm I'm telling you, this is a Everest for me. I mean, this isn't like this isn't like you know, climbing a little molehill somewhere. This this is like I mean, this is like Everest. Um, you know, I mean, I I was an elite all-state cross-country runner. I mean, I was a Drake relays champion. I mean, I was a runner. I was a picture, a picture perfect analogy of what a runner would look like.
SPEAKER_00Parts need to insert the running picture of Joe and then insert the bodybuilding picture of Joe.
SPEAKER_01Well, I had probably 15 to 18 inch quads, and then I got them up to 27. Like the alignment, you know, it's like driving when your car's unaligned. Like, it just doesn't matter how great the engine is, it's the tires are gonna, you know, like my tires, my tires right now are completely out of balance. Like my body is not designed to run anyway, it's just it's just not designed to do it. Um, and it is like, you know, but yet I used to do it, so in my mind, it's like this is who I am, and it's like your body's like, this ain't you, dude. I mean, I mean, I mean, this is a huge Everest for me.
SPEAKER_00We had a hardware change, Joe. You just you missed the update.
SPEAKER_01Yes. There's, I mean, I I'm I'm way behind.
SPEAKER_00And you say that, that is me to a T. It's like my mind is like, you can go run 10 miles, why not? And then the next day, I'm like, oh my god, did I get hit by a truck?
SPEAKER_01That's I mean, I so that's you know, so I think it's and then it's it's it's it's finding that next there's there's something internally that I think everybody needs to um uh wrestle with on a daily basis, you know. I mean, David Goggins talks about this. Anybody who ever listens to David Goggins, I mean the guy runs and runs and runs and runs and runs, and I mean I I don't know when the guy doesn't run, but he even has that talk where he's like, even when I'm lacing up my shoes every morning, he's like, I'm arguing with myself every single time, you know, and it's we hear that, and most people just gloss over that. And you know, any anybody doesn't know David Goggins' story, he was a very overweight guy. I mean, in his, you know, in my clean version of it, he's like, yeah, but he's like, there's still that fat guy lingering. Yep, right. There's that, there's that, there's that mediocre version of you that's either running your life or it's not, and it's not like we put to death that mediocre person, they're always there.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, it's it's like one of them on each shoulder. It's a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_01So every time we every time we don't do something, that mediocre person that is you gets a little bigger. And then again, just like you know, and you can study any successful person. Michael Jordan talked about this all the time. He just goes, somebody asked him, What do you think made you different? He goes, Oh, easy. I just have high standards of myself, like duh, you know, and everybody has a standard, but we have to build that standard to a certain degree. We have to prove to ourselves that our standard, you know, comes up. So, you know, I'm in that process right now of like, gosh dang, like, what is the standard that I have right? Because I think my standard's here, and my body says, dude, your standards are definitely not there. Like, I mean, you know, and it because it because it comes back in the you know, in the form of pain, literally pain and suffering. What do you think? Like, okay, maybe I need to slow this up a little bit, but then all of a sudden we don't get that progress that we want, so all of a sudden our standards no no no. I the last thing I want to do is lower my standards, and it, you know, and it and I'll be transparent as possible. They have, you know, it's like well, I think it maybe, but it's just so normal though.
SPEAKER_00I think I think what I want everybody to understand is that is completely normal. When when I was younger and raising kids, life was busy and complicated, and money, and and just there's everything coming at you, and and at some point it's almost survival, right? It's just I just gotta get through the day, I just gotta get through the week. And and what happens in in my perspective is those days and weeks turn into years before sometimes you get slapped around. And and I think you know, I the standard is is exactly what I want people to understand because for me, and I'll take you back four or five years ago, you know, social media and Facebook and everything, and and this is awesome, okay. I uh this must have been, I don't know, it was a long time ago, it might have even been 10 years ago, but I love ice cream. Okay, love it. Guilty and used to eat a lot more of it than I do today, and it was so hilarious. I was I was trying to do a little bit more exercise kind of thing, and and uh went in, you know, stepped on the scale, and something was wrong with the scale. So we got a new scale. Okay, go in, step on the scale. I was 10 pounds lighter from the old scale. Now, somebody should have set me down and said, Jim, you're the same weight. The scale was broke, you know. But there was something about it psychologically, so I made a giant bowl of ice cream. I was 10 pounds lighter, I wasn't near as fat as I thought I was, and I posted that on Facebook. I've got more likes on that particular post than I think than any other post I've ever made because that's how our brains work. It's like, well, I'm not that bad. And and but it's standards. It's if your standard is it's okay to eat ice cream every night, it's okay to eat McDonald's three times a week or four or whatever. Your standards need change. And and for me personally, that I spoke about you know, soda pop. Well, that's a standard, that's something that you hold yourself to for some people. I mean, you know, it's alcohol, it's sugar, it's soda, it's candy, it's McDonald's, whatever. But the standards and how to change that. So what do you recommend? Like, have you had any, you know, do you ever coach people on this? And and how do you recommend they approach changing their standards?
SPEAKER_01I have to coach people on this constantly. It's probably what I because you know, if you can get somebody focused in for any duration of time, like laser focus, results always happen, you know, and people have to get, but you know, it's just like you said, kids and survival and bills and this and that, and oh crap, I forgot about this. And, you know, when we when we when we clear the clutter out of our life, results become a hell of a lot easier. Like one of the things I always liked about show prep was I didn't try to multitask. It was awesome. You know, it nobody, nobody is good at multitasking. You know, show me somebody that says they're good at multitasking, I'll show you a liar. It just it just no, they're not.
SPEAKER_00Well, the results are average across the board. Yeah, great.
SPEAKER_01Yes, nobody, yeah, nobody's gonna be uh, you know, again, optimizing their life when they're you know so we but in show prep, it was like I know I only have so much brain power, so like I say no to way more things, I don't even reply to certain things, you know, because I can be laser focused. So, you know, you're always digging into people's why. Funny story, but you know, and who am I to tell somebody what their why is? Well, you should do it because of this. Irrelevant. You know, there was uh years ago I was training a gal, um like 24 years old, single mom. 24, down on life, down on her luck. You know, life, you know, life's just not dealt 24 years old, right? You know, like, oh my gosh, you know, this is you know, this can't be the way it's gonna be forever, which yeah, true. But and I'm just asking, you know, like like what drives you, what motivates you, what you know, what's your big why? And you know, I don't know, I just want to feel like I used to. Well, that doesn't mean anything, right? Well, finally, I'm just digging. And again, who am I to tell somebody what their why should be? Whether it's whether it's a legitimate why or not, if I can get a little spark, then we can work with it. So she came down to, I want to piss off my ex. Right? Yeah, you know, I'm I mean, literally, I've heard this one before. Yeah, I just want to piss my ex off, look good, make him jealous, whatever, which he probably will never care. But in her mind, you know what? I saw like this little fire, great, let's run with that, you know. But then like three months later, she's like, who cares about him? You know, all of a sudden, you know, it built that moment, you know. There's we have to have something that not only, you know, where you're dragging yourself up every day, we have to jump out of bed. Like, you know what? You know, it um uh Eric Thomas, another motivational, you know, you know, he had a thing, thank God it's Monday. Right? Thank God it's Monday, I get to go to work again. Thank God it's Monday, I get to jump out of bed and go tackle my goals. And you know, it's like if you live, to me, that's just like, well, that's a lot better version of life, you know, versus like, yeah crap, it's Monday, and here it is, you know, like what is it, like 80 some percent of heart attacks happen on like a Monday or something, you know. Yeah, you know, I mean, all these different things, but it's like we it a simple thing of grabbing a sheet of paper and writing your goals down, and not just going through the motion, but diving in and you know, why is it that I'm doing what I'm doing? Why is it that I want that? You know, there was uh there was a you know another gal I was talking to. She goes, I want to lose, you know, she threw out, you know, 35 pounds. I go, well, why isn't it 38? Why isn't it 42? Why isn't it 34? Like, like what's signific what is going to happen if you lose 35 pounds? She just sat there like she she had no answer. Well, then that's not a goal, right? There it's just she just randomly threw some out because it sounded good at the moment. So yeah, my goal is to lose 35 pounds.
SPEAKER_02Right. Why?
SPEAKER_01Why why? You know, I mean. What is that literally going to do for you? Because I can tell you this the amount of people that I have trained that have lost the amount of weight that they said they wanted to lose that still felt empty inside because it didn't bring them eternal bliss.
SPEAKER_00Right. You know, it wasn't like they're like there's no pixie dust that floated over them.
SPEAKER_01I thought life would just get out of my way and everything would be great and I'd get this promotion and you know I'd be a better father and like like nothing changed. They lost the 35 pounds because there wasn't in there wasn't some some some form of meaning behind it. And you know, I just I always look, you know, and it everybody's wired differently. I understand that, but when I really look at like truly happy people, their goals and their action are perfectly in alignment.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01Right. It's like, you know, I don't know Steve Jobs personally, never met him, you know. Um, but I bet one of the happiest times in his life was when he was broke, living in his mom's house, building a business out of her garage, broke, flat broke, sleepless, grinding, purpose, yet flat broke. I bet, I bet that was probably one of the happiest times in his entire life because his goals and his actions were perfectly in alignment.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You know, and you show me somebody's got all the money in the world, but their goals and actions aren't in alignment, and you know, you wonder like, why is that person depressed? Well, because their goals and I mean what they say they want and what they're physically doing on a daily basis are not in alignment.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So to recap.
SPEAKER_01I'm hard to recap parks. I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00I was just thinking, I'm like, what did we talk about?
SPEAKER_01I I I'm hard to recap.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01No, I just, you know, I just I just strongly encourage people, like, you know, what was it Mark Twain said? Like, I could, you know, I could show anybody how to get what they want. Problem is I just can't find anybody who knows what they want.
SPEAKER_00That's funny. You know, well, I think I think that's so true. And I think I I think as we started off talking about X factor and optimization, here's what I think. I think tune in next time and let's dive deeper on helping people find their why, yeah, and developing the standards to get there. The tools that we use, the testing, the supplements, those are just tools. Let's talk next time about finding your why and developing the new standards to get you to where you want to go.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Awesome. Until next time, stop guessing, start testing, and let's find your X Factor.