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Why Implementing Change Slowly Unlocks Superior Results | Steve T. | Better Man Podcast Ep. 107

Why Implementing Change Slowly Unlocks Superior Results | Steve T. | Better Man Podcast Ep. 107

While Steve has been a long-time hiker, he never really thought about exercise until he reached his mid-50s and noticed his body was starting to break down. Steve spent his career working a typical desk job where he hunched over a computer. And this caused immense knee and shoulder pain. 

Since he wanted to continue to hike as he aged, Steve knew he needed to do some form of exercise to keep his body free from pain. He thought yoga could keep his body in “hiking shape,” but the one hot yoga class he attended made him feel uncomfortable. Not only was the class hot, but he was the only guy in the class too. 

That’s when he searched for “yoga for men,” and became a Man Flow Yoga Member. This happened six years ago. 

While Steve still does yoga today, he went through a complete transformation that makes him feel better today, in his 60s, than perhaps he’s ever felt. 

What’s Steve’s secret? 

Focusing on the journey. Taking his health one manageable baby step at a time. And refusing to beat himself up if he misses a day or two. 

Steve’s chock-full of helpful mindsets, strategies, and tips that can help any man kickstart his fitness journey, including…

  • The biggest mistake men make which sabotages their fitness journey 
  • The very first step to take to kickstart your fitness journey 
  • How to continue adding and tweaking your regimen to grow healthier as you age

Listen now!

The Better Man Podcast is an exploration of our health and well-being outside of our physical fitness, exploring and redefining what it means to be better as a man; being the best version of ourselves we can be, while adopting a more comprehensive understanding of our total health and wellness. I hope it inspires you to be better!

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Episode 107 Highlights

  • Why strength-training becomes more important as you get older (2:33) 
  • How Steve can bend over and squat without knee pain today—when his knee pain tormented him for several years (7:55) 
  • The “smidge better” secret for exercising so consistently you no longer need willpower or motivation (11:56) 
  • How to radically improve your body composition (even if you don’t lose a single pound on the scale) (16:31) 
  • Why implementing change slowly leads to better long-term health outcomes than forcing yourself to do everything at once (21:49)  
  • 6 benefits of strength training—and how you can start without pumping iron like Arnold Schwarzenegger (27:11) 
  • 3 health perspectives to focus on that will make you healthier, happier, and more fit by this time next year (35:36)

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Quotes from this episode’s guest:

  • (2:08) The first thing I did was I started to incorporate walking and hiking. And that was a game changer because it got me started on my fitness journey. 
  • (2:51) Strength training is important, especially as we get older. 
  • (4:02) I didn’t know that yoga for men was a thing, I just knew that going to a hot yoga class with all women was just not what I was looking for. 
  • (12:02) My motivation for being consistent was that every day I felt a smidge bit better.
  • (15:58) Motion is lotion. 
  • (22:27) Don’t get bogged down in all the minutiae of detail with these programs. Implement change slowly. Take it as a journey, and don’t force yourself to do this all at one time.
  • (32:27) My trainer told me, “Your training that you’ve had with yoga has enabled you to incorporate the proper positions when you’re doing your strength and resistance.” 
Episode 107: Why Implementing Change Slowly Unlocks Superior Results - Steve T - Transcript

Dean Pohlman: Hello and welcome back to the Better Man podcast. We’ve been on the hiatus for the last few months and picking back up with interviewing people from within the man for yoga community, and this is going to be a conversation just going through someone’s fitness journey. So you’ll see what it’s like. We’re going to get started. Get straight into it.

Dean Pohlman: I’ve got Steve, Tim. So we’ll hear from Pittsburgh. He’s 61 years old and he’s been doing meaningful yoga since 2018. So, Steve, thanks for joining me for the conversation.

Steve T: Yeah. My pleasure. I’m looking forward to it.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah. So, and I don’t want this to be, you know, this blatant promotion of men for yoga. It’s more. So I want to understand how you got started with taking your fitness more seriously and just kind of how that evolved. You know, over the course of a few years. So do you want to take me back to when you were and maybe sometime shortly before you found man for yoga or before you started looking for something like man for yoga?

Dean Pohlman: And what was something in your life that happened that made you realize, okay, I have to do things differently? Or was was there a moment like that?

Steve T: Yeah, absolutely. So, so like you said earlier, I started in with man for yoga in 2018, but prior to that, I was winding down my career with, with a local bank here. After about 35 years and just had a typical, you know, desk job, computer, on all day. I didn’t really pay a lot of attention to my fitness or my, dietary habits.

Steve T: Okay? I just knew that in my at the time, in my mid 50s, I just I needed to do something, and I wasn’t quite sure what that something was because sporadically I would had joined a gym here and there, earlier like in my 30s and 40s and, I’ve never really stuck, and I just wasn’t consistent.

Steve T: And I said, I need to make a, just a life change, basically. So the first thing I did was I just started to incorporate walking and hiking. Okay. Like, and that was, I’ll say, a game changer because it got me started on my path, of a journey. And it’s a journey of, well, you’ll see how that all, comes to fruition as we get closer to where we are today.

Steve T: But I knew I needed to do more, and I didn’t want to be in my mid 50s. I was not looking for going to a gym to lift weights or pumping iron or do or become ripped or anything like that. That’s just not where I was in my life. But I knew that from reading a lot of information online that strength, pride, strength training is important, especially as we get older.

Steve T: So I said, all right, what would be good for that? And I kept seeing yoga and I went to a couple of those. I think that geek, they think they call them hot yoga classes where like they turn up, literally turn up the furnace or the heaters. Right? And you sweat. And I despise that. I absolutely hate it.

Steve T: Not that I don’t mind sweating. That’s not the issue. It just was not comfortable. And so, but I at the time, I was also the only guy in the class. And so, I was like, all right, this isn’t for me. And then I just googled it and came across man flow yoga. Looked into it, checked out a lot of your free YouTube content and was just really, fixated with it because it was everything I was looking for.

Steve T: And so I started.

Dean Pohlman: So were you were you searching online yoga or you’re searching yoga for men, or what was the specific, search that you were looking?

Steve T: Yeah. I if I’m not mistaken, I think it exactly was yoga for men. Okay. Cool. And because I didn’t know that, I didn’t know if that was a thing or not, to be honest with you. Yeah. I just knew that going to that hot yoga class with with all women was just not what I was looking for.

Steve T: And, you know, I wasn’t in their age group. I, I was of a different sex, and so that just wasn’t what I was looking for. And so that’s why I decided just like to check out yoga for men. And came across your program, and so started to incorporate and I did this very slowly.

Steve T: And I did that deliberately and on purpose. This whole effect to this day, this is still a journey. I’m not looking for a quick fix. I’m not looking for, something miraculous to happen overnight. That’s unrealistic. And that’s just not who I am. And so I started to incorporate, the yoga concepts of your program.

Steve T: In addition to continuing my journey of hiking, there’s a lot of great places in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania to go hiking. I have a friend, who loves to hike as well. So he and I, go to this day on hiking on a regular basis.

Dean Pohlman: Cool. So. So you were doing yoga, you started so you started not a quick fix, so you really eased into it. So when you first started, how often were you doing it?

Steve T: I would say at first I was trying to be regimented and following, certain of the programs where I wanted to focus on certain areas like my shoulders or my knees, things on my body that were just general aches and pains, I had nothing chronic, thankfully. Still don’t to this day. So I was looking for programs that could either be an overall body, workout.

Steve T: And then incorporating specifics, like hip and knee, you know, back of the shoulder for you when you’re hunched over on your computer or on your phone. So things of that nature and then I would follow those programs religiously, mostly to get the knowledge base because my long term goal was, okay, I want to use whatever program I’m using, whether it’s whether it’s flow yoga or anything else that I might incorporate, I want to learn it, but then I want to tweak it to my own needs.

Steve T: So then when I started doing it, which I do to this day, I don’t necessarily have to log into my account to see a program. I’ve done this enough now that I know what I want to focus on, and I know how to do the positions, and if I need a refresher or to make sure that, like, okay, my, my, my knees or my ankles position properly are my feet in the right direction, then.

Steve T: Yeah, I’ll use I’ll use it, your program as a reference to refresh myself of proper technique other than when I’m doing something and if, whether it’s going out hiking or doing yard work, I will make sure I stretch properly before I do any of those things. So I use the program now more generically, rather than focused on a program or a routine or an area of the body.

Dean Pohlman: Okay, cool. I think that’s the ultimate I think that’s the ultimate goal, is to get people to the point where they know what to do to to take care of themselves. And like you said, you know, sometimes going back into, you know, the members area, if they want to learn a new workout or, you know, learn some new stuff or just refresh things.

Dean Pohlman: But I think it’s great that you’ve gotten to the point, where you’ve learned, how to take care of your body. So my question would be, you know, when did you when did you first start noticing, that things were working?

Steve T: Oh, probably within a couple of weeks, maybe even sooner, especially when I was focusing on the areas that were giving me trouble, which was predominantly my knees. And at the time, my shoulders.

Dean Pohlman:

Steve T: And so those areas now with what else I’ve incorporated into my life, which we’ll get to that, as we progress throughout this podcast here, I can now focus on other areas so my knees are great. Like, I can I can bend over without, I can squat without any pain. I never used to do that before.

Steve T: I would always be having to hold on to something to push myself up. I can now do it without any, proxies, if you will. And it’s, it’s been great. So now I can focus on things that are, of an issue to me, which is a, the right now elbows which is I’m doing some, I’m doing some weight training which we can talk about in a minute, how I’ve incorporated that, into a more structured routine.

Steve T: When I do certain exercises causes my elbows really flare up. So now I’m looking to see what can I do to, improve that. So again, having having your resource as a data bank, if you will, to I can go in and say, okay, I now what can I do for my elbows. What. Stretches, positions, yoga routines.

Steve T: Can I do to strengthen my wrists and my elbows. So that’s kind of how I’m using it now. Yeah. As I, as I, get my overall body into where I want it to be.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah. So, so going back to when you were first starting out, you noticed that within a couple of weeks that, you know, your knees, your shoulders started feeling better. Was there was there something that, you know, was there a certain strategy that you used, or was there something that, you that enabled you to, to be able to do those workouts consistently or was there, you know, was there a particular motivation that you reminded yourself of in order to, to be consistent because you know, getting started is is is one thing, but actually sticking with something is another.

Dean Pohlman: And so I think for a lot of people who are listening, who might be struggling with being able to be motivated and stay consistent, you know, they’re going to want to know, like, okay, well, how do I how do I do that? So I’m curious for you. You know, what? What did you do that enabled you to be consistent?

Steve T: Yeah. The first thing I did was I followed the routines religiously, focusing really on. And this is one of the many things I love, about the program is proper body positioning and technique. So I really, really focused on, where I’m going to strengthen my knees and my shoulders, for example, following those routines to the letter of the law, and really focusing on, okay, making sure like, if I’m doing like a lunge or something, making sure your foot is in the right position, that it’s not turned one way or the other.

Steve T: So my motivation for me was, and this is kind of how I view my life in general. If I’m going into something new, I want to learn from the experts how to do it properly. Then take into account okay, now let’s bring my body into the picture and do I have to tweak anything to make sure that I’m doing it for myself.

Steve T: But at the same time keeping the proper technique. And so my motivation from when I was starting it and I started to notice a change in a couple of weeks, was being consistent. My motivation for being consistent was that every day I felt a smidge bit better.

Dean Pohlman:

Steve T: And if I had a day where I fell off or I didn’t do it, and I noticed a difference, that was my motivating factor to get back on track because it doesn’t take a long time to do these. That’s another one. That’s another thing I love about the program. None of these are like, you know, an hour long or, you know, whatever, like being at a gym or, trying to just do one routine, you know, for ten, 15, 20 minutes.

Steve T: That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for something to do that is quick but efficient at the same time. So as I started to feel better, my motivation for guys out there who would be in this position, you just got to be consistent and don’t. Don’t cut yourself down. Don’t feel like okay if I can’t get it the first time I give up.

Steve T: Let yourself let your body get accustomed to these new positions, these new routines and it will come. That’s the one thing that I know a lot of people have a problem with patience, but, I think patience is a virtue in this case where you are really, trying to keep on track. So if you, if you just do something so small that it will make a difference, that’s that’s been my motivating factor.

Steve T: And then seeing how I felt week after week, just gave me the motivation to keep on, doing it.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah. So what were some of the frustrations that you noticed as you were, as you were getting started?

Steve T: Oh, that I, that I literally couldn’t do what you were doing on screen. And then it, you know, it took me like a week or two to realize, okay, I’m not Dean’s age. I don’t have Dean’s body. I haven’t been in the condition that Dean is currently in. So don’t beat myself up. I can’t be like that.

Steve T: What I can do is my best. In terms of proper technique, because there would be times I would just try to do something. I’m like, all right, this doesn’t feel right. What am I doing wrong? I’ll look at one of the videos. Oh yeah, I didn’t have my shoulder in the right position or I didn’t have it on the wall correctly, or I didn’t have my feet in the right position.

Steve T: And once I made those tweaks, it made all the difference. And so those are the kind of things that I build upon, even to this day. I still do that, when I’m trying something new, whether it’s through yoga or, strength training. And so that’s what that’s what keeps me motivated, the fact that I’m feeling better because, let’s see, it’s been, what, six years since I’ve been on this journey?

Dean Pohlman: Yeah.

Steve T: And it’s a journey that I will be on for the rest of my life. And at the very beginning, my focus was to lose weight. Then I realized, all right, I’m just a big guy. I’m not necessarily morbidly obese. I’m just. I’m six foot one. I just I have a big frame, and what I want to do is just feel better.

Steve T: Logic tells me if I do these things, I’ll lose weight, which I have. I’ve. I lost a ton of weight. No, but that wasn’t my goal. Initially. It was. Then I realized I just want to live a really good quality of life. And movement as well. I figured, I don’t know who it was that told me this.

Steve T: I was one of my number one of my gym buddies. Motion is lotion. Yeah. And so if you feel better, whether it’s through your body physically or through your mind, mentally. The weight will come off if you keep consistent. But now, that’s not my goal. So I don’t get on the scale or maybe once a month I’ll get on the scale because I don’t care about the number.

Steve T: What I care about is the results of how I feel.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah, I think that’s important. I think it’s a great way to look at it. So just how much? You know, how much weight have you lost? Or where were you and where are you now?

Steve T: I think at my heaviest, I was about at 275 to 77 somewhere in the two 70s range. Yeah. And I’m in the two 50s.

Dean Pohlman: Okay. And you feel a lot better.

Steve T: Oh, I mean, I know 250 sounds like a lot, but I’m also 61 and I have a big frame. And I know that unless someone tells me otherwise, I think muscle weighs more than fat. I do a lot of hiking. My legs are huge, but they’re huge, muscular, and I know some of the biggest muscles, if I’m not mistaken, are in your legs.

Steve T: Especially your from the knees up to the hips. They’re really strong. And so I know that that comes with, you know, more muscle, more weight. But it’s a, it’s a switch off, I’m losing fat and replacing it with muscle.

Dean Pohlman: Right. I think that’s an important distinction to make because not a lot of people, not everyone realizes that when you are in improving body composition, you might not necessarily be losing weight. So, you know, you could get one month into a workout program and weigh yourself and realize, oh, I’ve only lost a pound. But like, but yeah, like, but how much fat have you lost?

Dean Pohlman: How much muscle have you gained. So yeah. You know that’s that’s an important distinction. So my next question kind of goes to, you know, where did it go from from there. So you’re being you said you followed the program religiously. So were you doing it three times a week. Five times a week.

Steve T: How far closer to five okay.

Dean Pohlman: So five times, five times a week. When did you start? You know, when did that lead into. Okay, now I’m going to start, you know, I’m going to start taking my nutrition more seriously or I’m going to start doing this thing, or how did it how did it kind of progressed from there.

Steve T: Yeah. So the one thing I did like, you know, if I, joined your program in, in early 2018 and at the end of 2019, you had your very first inaugural Be the Better You weekend. Which I came to the first I remember it was, it was life changing. And I’m not saying that just because we’re doing this podcast, I’m being completely candid and honest here.

Steve T: I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just knew I needed to up my game, and I think I needed to be in the company of other men who were in the same, struggling with the same issues or similar. Yeah. And it was not sort of a life changing experience because I’ve gained so much more knowledge at that’s at that weekend in terms of nutrition, in terms of strength training.

Steve T: And the things that you had incorporated into that weekend, we as we went to some guy’s gym, can’t remember their names.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah, yeah. Jesse.

Steve T: Yeah. And, so it was, it gave me the motivation to say, okay, let me take this to the next level. Let me look at my eating habits and let me look at what I can do from what I like, from a strength training, perspective, because I didn’t want to just go to a gym and start lifting weights.

Steve T: That is just not who I am.

Dean Pohlman:

Steve T: So though that weekend led me to the next chapter. So then going into 2020 the pandemic hit, and then I’m really, you know everyone’s isolated. So I’m like all right at least I can still do my yoga. At least I go hiking and walking outside so that was good. In a lot of ways, I did more of that during the pandemic because there wasn’t much else to do.

Steve T: Yeah. So yeah, you know, good things come from from bad experiences in, in, in the world. And I consider that to be one of them. So then I started focusing on both nutrition and strength training. That lead that led me to where I am now in that I recently joined through my insurance carrier, and our nutritional, program that’s going to it’s a wellness, nutrition and wellness program.

Steve T: It lasts one year. I have monthly check in calls. It focuses on something that I’ve always dabbled in and that is eating more like a mediterranean type diet.

Dean Pohlman: Okay.

Steve T: That coupled with it is and I was became insanely, knowledgeable to me of how much we eat in terms of quantity in the United States compared to, compared to the rest of the world, especially Europe. What is a portion size? I never thought about that before. I never thought about. And I’m also not big into counting calories, just like I’m not big into like, lifting weights.

Steve T: I’m not big into counting calories. But I understand the there was a dynamic between carbs and fat and protein.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah. I mean, it sounds like, you know, my observation, based on what you said so far, is that all of the things that you’re doing, all of these changes that you’re making, you always did them in a way that you thought it wouldn’t be too challenging to implement. You did it in a way where you’re like, I want to do this and I will do this.

Dean Pohlman: But if it’s something that is just doesn’t appeal to me, I’m not going to force myself to do it. And I think that’s why, you know, I’m curious for you. Does that does it feel like, you know, you’ve had less of a, less resistance to it because of that?

Steve T: Yeah. Great question. I what I, what I discovered with this was don’t get bogged down in all the minutia of detail with these programs.

Dean Pohlman:

Steve T: Implement change slowly and I can’t in my life and I think this could apply to a lot of folks, especially guys who are around my age, who are struggling, don’t take it as a journey. Don’t force yourself to do this all at one time to be to the letter of law. Because you’ll get discouraged.

Dean Pohlman:

Steve T: And most likely you’ll drop out so small steps. Look at it from a journey perspective and just make small changes on a regular basis. And that will add up. I think, I think with age comes a different perspective. If I was younger I probably would want to say, okay, I need to see results right now. That’s just not where I am.

Steve T: In my early 60s. And so what I would say to folks out there, whether it’s nutrition or strength or yoga, whatever you’re doing, start out small and make it a journey. I think are the biggest things that have really helped me along this path. So for I’ll give you an example. With my nutrition, a lot of people have a sweet tooth and that can be and a lot, a lot of people fell into that boat.

Steve T: I’m the exact opposite. I, I don’t like sugar. I don’t like sweets. My problem is I have not a sweet tooth but a savory tooth. So I love potato chips and pretzels. Anything salty. Anything savory.

Dean Pohlman:

Steve T: So that’s where I needed to cut back and make healthier choices. So eating healthy nuts and grains instead of chips. I’m getting that same satisfaction from a savory standpoint without all of the additional fat or making things on my own, rather than buying processed foods. That’s the other big thing you do, and you probably know this from all your research.

Steve T: America is so much a processed foods country as opposed to a natural foods country like it is in Europe that everything is so overly processed, has so much chemical with it. So that’s when I decided, okay, let me make these small changes, let me swap out healthier options for less healthier. But again, do it as a path. Have I stopped eating potato chips completely?

Steve T: No. Have I cut back significantly? Yes. So that’s been a game changer for me as well. And don’t beat yourself up if you have a day or a or a snack, or of evening or a weekend with, with the guys, whatever. Don’t beat yourself up. If you. I don’t want to say fall off the wagon, but I’ll use that analogy.

Steve T: Don’t beat yourself up. You did it. Acknowledge it. Move on.

Dean Pohlman:

Steve T: And just get back on track. But don’t beat yourself up over it because again you’ll become more depressed and then you will not want to continue. Right. So those things I never would have thought that in my younger days, to think like that.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah. I think you pointed out a lot of really helpful mindsets. You know, things like looking at is it a journey, not wanting instant results, but looking at it as a process, you know, doing things in a way where it feels right to you, where it feels manageable. I think that also that last part, of what you just mentioned, which my brain stopped working, which what was it again?

Dean Pohlman: It was really good.

Steve T: Oh. About this, I don’t know about the swapping out of good things for bad things or.

Dean Pohlman: No. Oh, the, no, the, not getting down on yourself. The, you know, not beating yourself up. I think that’s so important, you know, avoiding the shame based motivation. Yeah. And instead focusing on, like, you know, how did I learn from it? And also, you know, just just taking alternatives to that. So, yeah, I think you pointed out a lot of, a lot of really good habits.

Dean Pohlman: So I want to move on to our kind of our rapid fire questions section. But is there anything else that you’d want to mention?

Steve T: Yeah. The other one. Yeah. Perfect. Perfect segue. The other big thing that I recently incorporated, and I only started this this year, I think I joined in March, I’m on a bocce league here in Pittsburgh. And fun. Love playing bocce. Yeah. And Pittsburgh’s are big. There’s a lot of Italians in Pittsburgh, so it’s a big, sport in Pittsburgh.

Steve T: Okay, I’ve joined the bocce league and I’ve been doing that for years. And then a subgroup of our team of eight goes to this gym, and I’m like, there’s a Steve. You should you should come you should check it out. The trainer is really good. It’s not what you think. It’s not like it was back when you were in your 30s and 40s.

Steve T: So I decided to give it a try. And I was blown away because the, the guy’s name is Chris, the guy who does this. He really focuses on you as an individual and not just everyone in the group doing the same thing. So I go now three days a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It’s a one hour class.

Steve T: Each of those three days focuses on a different section of your body. And I’m using not necessarily weights, although there are some things I’m using dumbbells and, free weights, but it’s not I’m not sitting on a bench pumping iron. I’m doing things like carrying, carrying weights, just to build stamina. I’m doing a lot of strength training just using my own body.

Steve T: So, like, I didn’t want to sit down on the floor and do crunches, or I didn’t want to lay on my back and do sit ups or. Yeah. So now I’m using them with straps on the wall. I didn’t know you could do these things or use the wall instead. But I just, your videos show that as well.

Steve T: Bottom line is I start I started a two days a week. I then increased it to three days a week. It’s been a game changer. Yeah. The one nice thing is it’s early in the morning. So three days a week it gets me up earlier than I normally would. On what I would call right now, ten keep saying temporarily retired, but, I’m not closing the door on my career yet, but I’ve been two years in retirement, okay?

Steve T: And I’m loving it. Because it’s giving me the opportunity to focus on things I want to do without the stress of a office job, if you will. So incorporating that strength training in a way that was not the way I thought of it traditionally, like going to a gym and laying on a bench and seeing how much I can, it’s nothing like that.

Steve T: So yeah, that’s the third thing. So between starting with yoga, incorporating hiking and walking, then focusing on nutrition and now focusing on strength training, kind of bringing it full circle.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah. I think it’s, I think it’s a really good, mention because I do think a lot of people share similar outlook, as you did with, regarding strength training. You know, they think it’s in the gym. They think it’s like, you know, they’re they’re thinking like Arnold Schwarzenegger and his buddies lifting weights. And that’s the only way to work out of the gym.

Dean Pohlman: And yeah, that’s just, you know, that’s just it’s not true. There’s so many different ways to strength train. And it is one of, if not the best things that you can do exercise wise for, you know, your body in terms, I mean, muscle building muscle has so many benefits. It’s not just it’s not just esthetic, it’s also it’s functional.

Dean Pohlman: But even beyond functional, it also helps with fighting aging. I mean, it helps with mental cognition. It helps you be more resilient to injury. And even to disease helps you recover more quickly from getting sick. So there’s so many benefits of strength training. And it’s, it’s great that you’ve been now exposed to weight training in a way, resistance training in a way that, you know, that that isn’t what you, you know, perceived it to be, originally.

Dean Pohlman: So.

Steve T: Right. And the, the one thing that my trainer told me and he said, this one, he goes, Steve, I noticed this from the get go. You’re probably one of the only people that I’ve seen come in from scratch who has amazing posture for the positions. I’m always having to tell people in the class, don’t hunch over, strengthen your pull your pull your shoulders back strength, lengthen your back.

Steve T: Because I’ve never seen someone who is so focused on correct positioning without me having to teach it. Where did that come from? And then he said, you do yoga, don’t you? And I like yeah, I do told him about the program. And I said he goes, it’s clear. He goes, you can you, you purposefully focus on proper position, which is only going to benefit you with the strength and resistance training.

Steve T: So having that background, he said, was amazing. He goes, I never have to correct you on your posture. The only thing I he goes, other thing I want you to do is start increasing your, the weights that you’re using. Yeah. So which I am now I’m tracking it because that’s in my mind. That’s the best way to do it.

Steve T: He goes, okay, well, if I was doing butterfly presses with a 10 pound weight, well, let me try 12 pound. Yeah. So things like that. So tweaking it like that. But he goes at least from a posture position at least. So you’re not hurting your body. You’re not causing injury. You’re training that you’ve had with yoga has enabled you to incorporate the proper positions, when you’re doing your strength of resistance.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah, that’s really cool to hear. Nice. All right, so, what’s been one of those rapid fire questions? So, and these are what I ask everyone on the betterment podcast, but, I want to ask you, what do you think is one habit, belief, or mindset that has helped you the most? And since we’ve been talking about fitness, in terms of your overall health and wellness.

Steve T: One thing I do recently, I do a lot of, and I do it in the morning while I’m having my coffee. I do what I call brain puzzles. So whether it’s and I’m not promoting any of these at all, I’ll just throw them out there. Things like Wordle and connections and strands, these are all like New York Times puzzles.

Steve T: Again, I’m not promoting it. I’m just saying I do things in the morning to get my brains and that’s these fired up. Yeah. So I’ll spend ten, 15 minutes every single day doing something to fire my brain up.

Dean Pohlman: Okay. Cool. What’s one thing that you do for your health that you think is overlooked or undervalued by others?

Steve T: I said it before. What I said before is the journey. Don’t focus on looking for immediate results. Really take your time and follow the journey. The journey will bring you so much more satisfaction.

Dean Pohlman: Yeah. What’s the most stressful part of your life right now?

Steve T: Most stressful part. Right. I hesitate because I would normally say my work, but I’m not working right now. I shouldn’t say that because I’m, I’m working with my partners. He has an estate sales business. So I run all the finances, I balance the books. I handle all of the, accounting, the tax and all the stuff that they don’t like to do.

Steve T: So there’s stresses that come with that, making sure there’s enough business in the pipeline and things of that nature. So. So I would say, yeah, it’s even the, the part time work that I’m doing on the side can be stressful.

Dean Pohlman: Okay. What do you think is the biggest challenge right now in in your fitness?

Steve T: Getting more results from my strength training. Not again. Not looking at numbers, but I just want to feel better. I am feeling better. I do want to feel more better if that’s a proper. Yeah.

Dean Pohlman: So I’m doing it for.

Steve T: Yeah. I want to up the game. I’m sorry.

Dean Pohlman: How long have you been doing it for?

Steve T: The strength training since last March, some six, seven months. Okay. So, I know I’m at the very beginning of my journey, and a lot of the guys in my class have been doing this for 5 or 6 years, so, so I just, again, need to be patient. I need to listen to my own advice and look at it as a journey.

Steve T: Yeah. But not and not get discouraged. So. Gotcha.

Dean Pohlman: And then the last question here, what’s your best piece of advice for men who want to be healthier?

Steve T: My best piece of advice is look at it holistically from both a nutritional perspective, a weight perspective, and a muscle building perspective. And look at it from the journey. I know I keep harping on that, but there’s so many people who just want to see, and we live in a world where you just want to see. You want instant gratification, instant satisfaction.

Steve T: You’re right. You can’t look at your overall life, health in that way. You have to look at it as a journey. Take small steps. Those returning to bigger steps. And the longer you do it, the less discouraged you’ll become. And as you start to feel better and see results and just have more mind clarity, be it more ease, get a better night’s sleep, all of those things come with a journey.

Steve T: So just focus on the journey, okay?

Dean Pohlman: Cool. All right. Must. Great. Steve, thank you for, being my guinea pig. For, this new round of Better Man podcast interviews, with, with our guys from within the man for yoga community. That was great. Thank you.

Steve T: Yeah. Hope it helps. I was happy to do it. And is glad seeing you and chatting with you again.

Dean Pohlman: Cool. All right. Well, I’ll end it there. Do you want to be found on LinkedIn? You probably don’t.

Steve T: So I’m there. I’m there, and I do look at it. And I do have the word retired is the first word in my, but, you know, I work in a very niche industry, and so it’s, I’m there, so feel free to reach out, from that. I do go in there a couple times a week.

Dean Pohlman: Okay. Sweet. Well, I’ll put that in here in case people want to reach out. Yeah. Or they, they can find you in the, You’re active in the Facebook group?

Steve T: Yes, I am definitely in the Facebook group. So that’s another way. To get Ahold of me as well.

Dean Pohlman: Cool. So that’s job.

Steve T: With anyone or, give anyone, any perspectives if they want to reach out.

Dean Pohlman: Cool, I appreciate that. All right, guys, well, thanks for tuning in. I hope you found this useful. And then tune in for more. We’re going to be doing more of these member interviews, over the next few weeks and beyond. Hope this inspires you to be a better man. See you on the next episode.

[END]

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