Hi everyone! I know what you're probably thinking: "Where has this guy been with his writing?!", or "Blogs are dead, bro!". Hell, maybe I'll be fortunate enough to have some of you say something like "YES! I've been looking for some new material to read" ;)
Regardless of which of the above you most closely align with (keep it to yourself), I'm back with some more (new) literature. Why? Some of the most successful people in business have always given me one common advice: Don't become complacent and never stop evolving.
While the Blogs posts are not necessarily new to me and my business, It's something I once did and enjoyed and I feel still can provide some value in any industry! Therefore, I would like to reinvent myself and my business (slightly) through words. With that said, here's a little update and a brief chat on a hot topic that's had me HOT as of late.
Personal and Business Life Update:
Business:
The Josh Owens Fitness, LLC business continues to serve clients both in-person at a local Chicago Trainer's gym as well as online all over the world. We have worked with people of all walks of life and all kinds of fitness journeys and it never gets old! My wife, Maria, has really ramped up her own online fitness business (Sweaty Sorrentino) and never ceases to impress me with her efforts toward her clients #fitfam !
She is currently running a Spring Challenge for all of her Sweaty Swoldiers as we speak so run over to her page (linked above).
Personal:
Let's address the elephant that is lack of updates in the room... Maria and I got married back in July of 2021 and soon after we had our son, Carsyn Thomas Owens (January 11th, 2022). We are so happy as a family and we are enjoying all of the trials and tribulations that having a newborn at home brings. Yes, including the lack of sleep. Carsyn is now going on 9 weeks old and has more style than his Dad could ever dream to have.
Learning to live with a newborn at home, working full-time as a business owner, still maintaining a fitness/health routine with goals and balancing family has thrown me right into the "real-world" and has brought with it more challenges than your younger self could ever fathom. I know everyone tells you that parenting is hard, but it's a different level of hard than what you think is hard. Nonetheless, they are all great challenges and to me, this is what life is all about!
Having embarked on the journey of balancing multiple hats myself, it gives me an experience and a perspective that you can't really speak about unless you go through it or you are going through it and can relate to it. And for that, it makes me even more frustrated when I hear people tell me that they "don't have enough time." Which brings me to my main topic to propel us back into this blogging thing.
NO Time
Owning and operating my own fitness business comes with many challenges, just like any business. But in my industry, I have witnessed a common theme. I have been working in this industry for about 7 years now (full-time), and I would say the most common reason that I hear from clients to cancel a workout, end a coaching subscription, or for not achieving their results for their desired goals is that they just don't have enough time. Well people, the reason why I prefaced this blog topic with a little personal life update is to tell you that you do. You DO have enough time. You're just not prioritizing your time.
I might not speak for all Fitness Professionals here, maybe many of them, but what I hear in my head when a client and stranger uses this excuse is this:
I would rather not spend the money.
I'm lazy.
I don't want to have to sacrifice my other routines (fun time).
I don't value my own health.
I am unable to make a commitment and stick to it.
I am mentally weak and de-conditioned.
Now, you may be thinking, "Man Josh, that's a mighty harsh assumption of people." Yeah, you may be right. But the other part of my job as a Fitness Professional, Motivator, Influencer, whatever you want to call me, is to keep people honest. I takes A LOT of fucking work to be and stay healthy. It takes A LOT more work to dig yourself out of a rut and reverse the damages you have done to yourself and BECOME healthy. It takes A LOT more work to achieve your dream physique and love your body and have a positive self-image. So guess what, excuse me for being a little "harsh" when you're sitting over there complaining about not looking and feeling the way that you would like, because it takes MAKING a little TIME.
How Do You Do It?!
People (and clients) ask me all the time how I "find" the time to balance it all. I've attached to the left a simple screen shot of my alarm function of my iPhone. I know I'll take some flack for this (rightfully so) for the corniness of the second listed alarm but hey, we have to keep ourselves honest in all respects of life, not just fitness. For context, "ReRe" Is Maria's pet-name... *cue the name calling and bantering* :)
I see people roll into our workout sessions at 9:00 AM with sleepers in their eyes all the time. I (far too) routinely have people sleep through our workouts. I get the response of "Oh that's way too early to workout, I'll pass" more times than I can count. I understand that different jobs come with different demands and my circumstance is different than others', but I also understand that business doesn't turn off. Babies don't care if you're tired. Personal and/or family issues are going to happen. Life is going to happen. So what's the best way to prepare for all of it? By holding yourself accountable and rolling with the punches.
Do I wake up before the sun because I want to? No. Do I wake up early as hell because I have to in order to have the TIME it takes to be a father, a husband, get my personal things in line, plan and prepare my workouts or meals and keep it all together day in and day out? Yes. I recognize that I am an adult and if I want certain things in life, I have to work for them, even if that means sacrificing a little fun or a little sleep here and there. So I ask you, what truly is your biggest limiting factor?
In Conclusion:
I'm an understanding family man with a lot going on myself. If you feel like you were targeted or misunderstood/misrepresented in my literature, reach out to me! I would love to have that conversation with you and an open, understanding dialogue. If you enjoyed what you read and you can relate in any way, I would also love to hear from you! Like I said, no ones situation is the same as another person's, so it is my duty to help you configure (or reconfigure) the situation(s) that you have yourself in that is preventing you from becoming the best version of yourself.
Lastly, I hope you all enjoy my writings as I would love to make these more routine! I have endless topics that I would like to elaborate on and hopefully create a community of like-minded people or people simply seeking a little inspiration and assistance along their journey. Most importantly, I'll try to find the TIME to keep delivering quality material ;) Until next time, stay healthy.
-J