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Hey Reader, The boardroom was completely quiet and peaceful. That is, until the executive team rushed in. Every single one of them was glued to their cell phone. They didn't even have a chance to say hi to each other as they took their seats.
When they finally looked up, their faces turned to absolute shock. They expected this to be a virtual meeting. But I decided showing up in person would make a much bigger impact. “Tony? We thought you were joining on video,” one of them mumbled. I smiled and explained why I was there. My goal was to help them kill that 3:00 PM exhaustion tax. As a NASM Master Trainer, I wanted to show them how to use their bodies to install peace, clarity, and focus right into their daily routines. But as I explained the promise of the wellness workshop, I noticed something interesting. I saw their faces completely drop. It felt as if my stress-relief workshop was adding even more stress to their plates. They had that familiar look of an already overfilled cup. I see this problem a lot with the guys I coach. People feel like they don't have enough time to take care of themselves. But the reality is they don't have enough time because they aren't taking care of themselves. When you feel like you're drowning in demands, it just means you're too stressed out to handle them. You're red-lining the engine while the car's in neutral. Fitness always feels like a nice bonus and never like an absolute need. My approach is different. Most guys try to use finite willpower to get healthy. I treat your body like an engineering project. You just need a standard operating procedure that runs on autopilot while you focus on your business. We ingrain it right into your current lifestyle to enhance your decision-making and control. We'll see what comes out of that meeting. I wonder if they'll make the choice to relieve some of the load. But what about you? Are you too busy to take care of yourself? If you are, I have some tough news. Chances are you'll never take care of yourself. We always tell ourselves we'll start when things finally slow down. But that perfect opportunity is a myth. You have to create the time right now. It truly is NOW, because LATER never happens. If your team is making poor choices because their mental batteries are drained by 3:00 PM, it's time for a system reboot. Reply to this email with “WORKSHOP” and let's chat about bringing the Upgrade Your Human Hardware presentation to your next leadership meeting.
PS: Even Jagger knows when to stop and recharge… mostly when he's tired of chasing Kona around the house. If you want a system that supercharges your team's energy on autopilot, reach out. |
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Hey Reader, It's mid-spring, and everywhere I look, people are stepping it up to get ready for summer. I was reminded of this when I caught up with my friend “Juan” over Zoom yesterday. He's a good friend and one of my mentors. We originally connected about two years ago after he joined one of my fitness challenges. During the challenge, Juan did fantastic. But then he plateaued. He went backwards, moved forward a bit, and then plateaued again. It was a frustrating, endless cycle. When we talked on our video call, I saw his big smile. I even got to meet his son. They both seemed completely on board with getting healthy for the summer. Juan let out his signature charismatic laugh. I've always liked his laugh, but this was no laughing matter. The stakes were incredibly high. This directly involved his wife, his son, and his entire family. When the stakes are this high, we need to move with purpose and precision. I asked him why he kept hesitating to fully commit to the process. His smile faded a bit. He admitted the hard truth. “It's because of my wife,” he said. She just wasn't on board. Rats. I hear this all the time… It reminds me of my son, Jagger. His vocabulary is expanding rapidly. Whenever I try to stop him from doing what he wants, he just shakes his head, looks me dead in the eye, and says, “No!” or yells, “I'm stuck!” That's exactly how Juan's family was treating his fitness goals. They were stubbornly saying “no” to the changes. In my 22 years of coaching, I've seen high-powered CEOs completely fail at losing ten pounds. Why? Because they try to do it as a “Lone Wolf” while their kids eat pizza across the table. I challenge you to test this tonight: try eating a salad while your family eats takeout. You'll see exactly why willpower shatters. If you want to be the dad who has the energy to run around the yard with your kids, rather than watching exhausted from the couch, you have to get them involved. Lasting fitness isn't a solo sport. I don't let anyone start my LivFit 365™ program until they answer one critical question: “Is your family on board?” If your wife and kids aren't supporting your health goals, your house becomes a minefield of junk food. We fix this by building a family team, so you never have to white-knuckle your way through dinner again.
If you can't get your family involved, then don't worry about it. It's just not going to happen. But when you do get them on your side, you build a foundation that lasts a lifetime. Are you ready to stop pushing the rock alone?
PS: Trying to push a rock up a hill alone is almost as hard as trying to get a toddler who yells “I'm stuck!” into a car seat… Trust me, you need a team for both. |
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A few weeks ago, I was working from my home office when I heard a ping on my phone. A new friend request popped up on Facebook. At first, I thought it was just another spam account. But then I looked closer and recognized the smile. It was my old friend Chris. We shared a lot of history back in Astoria, so I accepted it immediately. He'd seen my fitness posts and wanted to get back into shape. We set up a virtual meeting to reconnect. It felt great to catch up. But as we talked about his goals, he looked down and sighed. “I don't know what I'm doing,” he said. “I'm trying really hard, but I seem to be going nowhere. I used to be able to do this stuff, but now I can't.” Hearing his frustration made me realize he was approaching the problem exactly wrong. He was trying to tip over a 100-pound domino with a flick of his finger. For Chris, that heavy domino was a grueling, six-day-a-week workout routine. He was trying to force it into a life that was already bursting with stress. It wouldn't budge. When you've got too much on your plate, adding a huge new task won't work. I know it won't work because it hasn't worked for you before. You just end up staying stuck. It reminds me of my son Jagger when I try to put him in a shopping cart. He just yells, “stuck!”
The reason I'm sharing this with you is because I want you to look at your fitness journey through a different lens. You shouldn't try to knock down the biggest domino right out of the gate. You need to build momentum first. Start by knocking down the smaller, easier dominoes in your life. Maybe that means drinking a glass of water every morning. Maybe it means going to bed fifteen minutes earlier. Once you build that momentum, you can finally topple the heavy domino of a full workout routine. The most successful clients I coach don't start with heavy lifting. They start with a glass of water. They let the small wins build enough momentum to knock down the massive obstacles. Are you trying to tip the heavy domino today? Let's make it happen the right way. LivFit 365 High-PerformersPlease take a moment to recognize the outstanding achievers who are building high-performance human systems. Ruben Muela The grandest stage of them all meets our guy's upgraded hardware. He crushed WrestleMania by relying on automated habits to stay present and stress free. That's undeniable swagger. Jesse Galeana Talk about a massive lightbulb moment! Our man found the missing puzzle piece and is engineering a perfectly optimized lifestyle with unmatched drive. Pure genius architecture. Omar Guzman The doc is shrinking before our eyes. He's shedding serious weight and getting brutally lean while officially locking a full 140.6 Ironman on the calendar. Absolute unit. Krystal Guzman Say goodbye to the pantry panic. She's actively killing the exhaustion tax by building meal plan certainty to bring total peace into her environment. True household CEO moves. Glanda Phan We love a relentless problem solver. She continues rewriting her daily code so fitness is fully installed as a core value rather than a chore. Unlocking pure longevity. Anna Shad Chaos tried knocking but she just laughed! She became the eye of the hurricane by staying incredibly calm and present to unlock peak Super Mom status. Fred Ghamari Our guy's taking The Breath to a completely new dimension. He's deepening his daily stillness to project an overflowing amount of calm and love to his crew. Kristin Erickson The captain's fortifying the hull before the storm arrives. By dialing in optimal sleep and breathing she's bringing elite calmness to her upcoming campaign. Smooth sailing. Kim Travis Clear the runway! Kim is flawlessly Navigating Chaos and relentlessly crushing every roadblock to claim her destined life. She is engineering an absolute masterpiece. Yes Ordorica Hold the phone! She's making herself bulletproof by mastering new physical breathing mechanics starting right at the roof of her mouth. Building an absolutely unstoppable machine. Mike Celeya The sky definitely isn't falling on his watch. Despite the daily noise he's consistently dropping weight and sending Chicken Little packing for good. Straight up boss energy. Colleen Smith Stop the presses! Our girl scored a massive life trifecta by securing a new degree and home powered by an upgraded mental operating system. She's totally glowing. Phu Phan Guess who just rebooted the system! This super dad is getting absolutely shredded for summer while building a stronger ship. The comeback tour is officially underway brother. George Sanchez Level up complete! George navigated a literal storm to become an official triathlete by dominating his first Olympic distance with his crew cheering him on. Building that generational resilience. Mitch Moshe Talk about navigating severe chaos! After brutal setbacks he is constructing his ultimate resilient architecture with pure unwavering dedication. Absolutely nothing can sink this version of Mitch! LivFit 365 Family Fitness CoachingPlease welcome my new families. Your success is why I exist. I promise to do my absolute best to ensure you succeed. Oz Gokhan Welcome to the LivFit Fam. I'm grateful to serve you. LivFit Coaching Calls – Fridays (12 pm PST/ 3pm PST)Want the ultimate fitness cheat sheet? I've packed 22 years of experience into these sessions, giving you the tools and knowledge to transform your body and mind. No more wasted time, just pure, results-driven knowledge to help you eat right, train effectively, and make healthy habits stick. LivFit Live Group Workouts – Saturdays (8am PST/ 11am EST)Say goodbye to boring workouts and hello to a fitness experience that's as unique as you are! Our live group sessions offer a dynamic blend of everything your body and mind need: strength, cardio, flexibility, meditation… and maybe even a few laughs along the way.
P.S. If you're still feeling stuck after reading this, just yell “stuck!” at the top of your lungs. It doesn't actually solve the problem, but my Jagger swears it helps relieve the tension. |
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Hey Reader, On Thursday, I told you about the hard conversation I had with my client Kris. She was physically broken, in pain, and exhausted from the stress of her political career. She trusted me, so we started our journey over again from scratch. But we completely changed the game plan. I've been a personal trainer for over 22 years and completed 7 Ironman triathlons. I know how to push the body. But I realized that my approach for Kris needed to evolve. Instead of pushing her through grueling workouts, we focused heavily on Corrective Exercise to fix her hip and Oxygen Advantage breathwork to calm her mind. We combined stretching, meditation, and taught her how to use her own body's hidden throttle. My entire philosophy transformed into using the body as a catalyst for mental change. Kris went on to have tremendous success. She lost the weight again. But more importantly, she sleeps well and breathes properly. She is no longer a 2:00 AM Prisoner with a racing mind. She recently faced intense political opposition, and she handled it with total stoicism. Now she is poised to run for her third campaign as the absolute best version of herself. Orange Unified is lucky to have her.
The reason I'm sharing this with you is because life will always demand answers from you. You might think the 3:00 PM Decision Tax is unavoidable. You might think surviving on caffeine and giving your family the exhausted leftovers in the Scraps Economy is just a normal part of being a high achiever. But when you make your physical health the priority, the mental clarity always follows. If you're tired of running on fumes and you want to upgrade your human hardware… you need to know exactly what is broken first. I put together a free 2-minute diagnostic quiz for you. It will instantly pinpoint which of your “5 Daily Dominos” is failing, so we can fix the afternoon brain fog and help you reclaim your energy. [Click here to take the free Diagnostic Quiz right now.]
PS: We don't get any extra days, so please don't waste a single one. Take the quiz and let's get your energy back today. |
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Hey Reader, In my last email I shared how my client Kris found her calling with the Orange Unified School District. She lost 40 pounds and was riding a wave of pure excitement. But neither of us saw the crash coming. Then March 2020 arrived. The world stopped. My business shut down overnight. Kris and I lost touch. During that time away my life changed drastically. I had to pivot my entire business. Plus, my wife Courtney and I were preparing for the biggest change of all… eventually welcoming our son Jagger into the world. When things finally settled down I reached out to Kris. We met up, and it was tough for me to see her. The bright-eyed excitement from her first campaign was completely gone. She looked defeated. The weight had crept back and her hip was in constant pain. She was the ultimate “Chief Everything Officer.” She was bending over backward trying to do everything for the school district. She was burning the candle at both ends to be the perfect school board member, but she wasn't taking care of herself. Because of the Scraps Economy, she was giving herself and her family her exhausted leftovers. As a trainer it's hard to watch someone you care about suffer. I had to look her in the eye and say, “Kris, I think you might be causing this yourself.” Most conventional fitness advice would say she just needed more willpower. But my background in Economics and Engineering told me otherwise. You can't think your way out of a thinking problem. If the hardware is broken, the software will crash. That's exactly why you become a 2:00 AM Prisoner, staring at the ceiling with a racing mind while your body begs for sleep. We needed to fix her human system. And heavy lifting wasn't going to be the answer. We used a very specific diagnostic tool to pinpoint the exact broken link in her nervous system. I turned this exact tool into a free quiz, and I'm going to share it with you on Saturday so you can test your own hardware.
PS: Jagger discovered how to open cabinets yesterday. The physical energy required to chase a toddler is no joke! Good thing my hardware is upgraded. |
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Hey Reader, About eight years ago I was grabbing a coffee in the lobby at the Astoria. The smell of fresh roasted beans filled the air as my neighbor Kris and I waited for the pot to brew. The lobby had these massive mirrors on the walls. Kris caught her reflection, turned a little to one side, and then to the other. She looked over at me and said, “Maybe I should get a trainer.”
I smiled and told her that's exactly what I do. Kris was a high-powered lawyer who desperately needed a career switch. She wanted to empower others and be a voice for the voiceless. So she decided to run for a seat on the local school board. During that first campaign she was running on pure excitement. She was out there handing out mailers and knocking on doors. She was overwhelmed with joy finding her true calling. I became her Jiminy Cricket. I sat on her shoulder and helped her lose about 40 pounds. She was thriving physically. But looking back… we both had a massive blind spot. I didn't realize how much the stress of politics was secretly weighing her down. I was in the same boat trying to build my own business, so I just thought this was how high achievers operate. We were both completely blind to the invisible tax of stress. We thought the 3:00 PM Decision Tax, the severe afternoon brain fog, and relying on caffeine just to survive the day were normal. We figured that giving our families the absolute scraps of our energy at night was just the price you pay for success. Rats… We were so wrong. And it was about to catch up to us in a brutal way. I'll share exactly what happened on Thursday. I'll also explain why your stress makes you a “2:00 AM Prisoner” who wakes up wired with a racing mind… and I'll tease a quick diagnostic quiz I built to help you figure out exactly why you are crashing.
PS: My dog Kona never has a 3:00 PM crash. She just naps in the sun and wakes up ready to sprint. We could learn a lot from her.. I know I have. |
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All week we've been talking about my tax-day meltdown and the moment I destroyed a bag of Jagger's cookies. The deep breathing wasn't working on its own. The thought loop was way too strong. So, I had to put on my engineer hat and piece together a completely different solution. I stopped trying to fix the whole day and just focused on the next five seconds. I needed one tiny, microscopic victory to break the spell. Domino number one: I literally dropped the cookie back in the bag. Win. Domino number two: I walked into the bedroom and put on my shoes. Win. I didn't worry about the full workout… I just focused on the very next step. I interspersed my breathing technique between these little moments. Doing it little by little really helped make everything possible. I realized that although it didn't make the stress completely go away, it made it manageable. When you're a high-functioning executive mom managing the daily chaos, the thought of a 90-minute workout makes you want to cry. You don't need another massive project. You just need a simple system. You need the 5 Daily Dominos. When you knock over that first domino, you create a tiny gap between the chaos and your reaction. You finally stop surviving on scraps and start running a true Household Operating System. You don't have to live in the Scraps Economy forever. You don't have to settle for being completely exhausted by 3 PM. Because you can't think your way out of a thinking problem, I put together the exact system I used on the kitchen floor. It's called The Overthinker's Escape Map. It's a 2-minute circuit breaker to stop analysis paralysis and break mental loops anywhere, anytime.
Reply to this email with the word EXIT and I'll send it to you for free right now. Let's get your family on the exact same page so you never have to hide in the kitchen eating toddler snacks again.
PS: Have you ever noticed how fast kids bounce back from meltdowns? Jagger was totally fine 10 minutes later. We adults hold onto the stress way too long. Time to let it go. If you're ready to drop the stress and step into your power, reply EXIT and let's get started. |
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On Tuesday, I told you about my tax-day madness. The day I stole my toddler's cookies just to numb the noise in my head. As someone with degrees in Economics and Engineering from UCI, I rely heavily on logic. I build systems for a living. I treat the human body like a machine. But in that exact moment, my own human hardware was failing. Every fitness influencer on Instagram tells you to just “use willpower,” put the cookies down, and go for a run. But when you're the one keeping the entire household alive, your willpower account is bankrupt by 9:00 AM. You can't think your way out of a thinking problem. I tried to use the exact breathing technique I teach my private clients. I closed my eyes and tried to force my nervous system to just calm down. But guess what? The stress didn't magically vanish. My brain was still redlining, playing a highlight reel of everything I was failing at. One deep breath isn't a magic pill when your engine is already on fire. This is where most of us give up. We assume our approach is broken or we just lack the discipline to change. But the reality is much different. Your nervous system is flooded. You can't run elite software on a broken machine.
I was sitting there, cookies in hand, about to completely surrender to the couch. But then I used a specific SOP to get myself out of the hole. It's a 2-minute “Escape Map” I built to break the mental loop anywhere, anytime. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. I'll show you the exact map I used to finally get in the pool on Saturday.
PS: Courtney and I were laughing later because Kona was sitting right there judging me while I ate those cookies. Keep an eye out for Saturday's email. I'll show you exactly how to use this Escape Map so you can stop the thought loop dead in its tracks. |
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It happened last week… Outside, it was a beautiful, sunny spring day. Inside my head? A Category 5 hurricane. Tax season was peaking, my to-do list was drowning me, and I could literally feel my heart pounding in my ears. I had a swim workout scheduled, but I couldn't get myself out of this thought loop that was playing over and over and over again. Honestly, I didn't feel like going to the pool. I just sat there. I really wanted to take a nap in the middle of the day. Then, Jagger decided to be Jagger. He didn't want to get into his car seat. He was really testing my patience, and I just felt like giving up. This is the exact moment where parents just snap or shut down completely.
My brain completely short-circuited. Courtney was out, leaving me alone with a toddler entering meltdown mode and our dog staring at me for answers. So, what did the highly disciplined engineer do? I hid in the kitchen, ripped open a bag of Jagger’s animal crackers, and shoved them in my mouth just to numb the noise. If you're the Chief Everything Officer carrying the mental load for your entire family, you know this exact feeling. It's the moment the “Invisible Manager” finally breaks. You manage the schedules, the meals, the meltdowns, and you're left living in the Scraps Economy. You give your family the absolute best of you, and you leave yourself the scraps. It's a terrible feeling… I tried to snap out of it. I really did.. As an engineer, I like to fix things quickly. But my human hardware was glitching. I'll tell you exactly what my brain tried to do next… and why it completely failed me. Look out for my email on Thursday.
PS: I did eventually find a way out of that spiral. I call it the Overthinker's Escape Map. I'll share more about how it works later this week. |
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Hey Reader, I made a really tough call this week. I decided not to compete in my upcoming triathlon on April 29th. For a guy who has spent 22 years as a personal trainer and finished the Boston Marathon, pulling out of a race stings. But I realized two things. One, I'm just not fast enough right now. If I can't race to win, I'm not going to force it. But more importantly… my training was starting to compete with my family time. I was putting on my cycling cleats getting set for a brutal three hour training session. Then I heard my son yelling. Courtney was feeling under the weather, and our dog Kona was begging for her morning walk and poop. I realized if I walked out that door, I was leaving my wife to manage the morning chaos completely alone. Years ago, I'd have chosen the workout without thinking twice. But I realized something profound. I'm not a professional athlete. I'm a professional father and husband. So I changed my workout that day to fit our household. The best decision isn't always what serves my personal fitness goals, it's what serves our family's well-being.
So many of the incredible women I talk to feel this exact tension every single day. You're the “Chief Everything Officer”, constantly managing the kids, the house, and your career. You feel like taking time for your own health is stealing from your kids. So you put yourself last. You become the “Mom-Bot.” You physically show up to the soccer games, but you're completely checked out, just surviving on caffeine and giving your family the leftover scraps of your energy. Rats… that cycle is completely exhausting. But you don't have to sacrifice your own vitality to serve them. We build five incredibly simple daily habits for the whole house. We redesign your kitchen and your family calendar so you actually get to eat healthy, exercise, and be present with your kids without feeling a single ounce of mom guilt. When the household system works on autopilot, you finally get your time back without the guilt. I changed my workout to suit my family today, and it felt like a massive win. If you're tired of running on fumes and want to build a health system that actually includes your family, Click Here to Join the Waitlist.
PS: In case you're wondering, Jagger's current “training program” mostly involves seeing how fast Kona runs when he drops a piece of cheese. |
