Ep 44 The Confidence to Commit to Your Fitness with Special Guest Justin McClintock
If you're smart, work hard, but just aren't where or who you want to be, welcome to your podcast, Real Confidence. I'm your host, Alyssa Dver. And I'll be sharing a bit of brain science, some surprising social secrets, and a touch of tough love. Why? Because I believe confidence is everyone's fundamental right and choice. So, let's get to it.
Alyssa Dver
I’m here with Justin McClintock, and he's the owner of Feel Strong Fitness. What hooked me when we were communicating online, is that he really is focused on helping people get confident, to go back and do some work out whether it is through some kind of a trauma, or you just don't not feeling the love after COVID Whatever it might be. So, we're going to focus on this topic of how do you get back into the fitness lane, when you just stop feeling the love? Justin, thank you for being here.
Justin McClintock:
Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate the invitation.
Alyssa Dver:
Well, you know, it's an invitation for the audience to learn something that I'm very selfish, because I'm one of those people like I used to be a bit of a gym rat, admittedly, former athlete and I haven't done much of anything for a really long time and even just going up the stairs right now is like a workout. So, what do you hear most often these days, like, what's the excuse? What are people telling you?
Justin McClintock:
There's three that overlap a lot for me, and that is in the area that I'm really passionate about. One is people who have been in chronic pain for a long time, they've had something keeps coming up. And it could be as serious as it takes me 20 minutes to get out of bed every day, like something pretty debilitating. It might just be every time I try and work out or even walk more than 10 minutes, my knee starts hurting. The third is people who used to be active, used to be in fitness used to go to the gym, and real life- kids, careers, COVID have all conspired. They've been out of it for a while, and they don't see a way back in. And honestly, all three of those people often have similar solutions.
Alyssa Dver:
Well, they're not three people, they're me. So, you know, I got you know, one of the things that I I am totally professional here, right? Because I'm hyper motivated person, if there's something I want done, it gets done. People know that about me. This one area I suck at? Why? Why do people suck at this? What is it about physical fitness or just moving that people are not so good at?
Justin McClintock:
I think it seems so big and so daunting that people don't even know where to start. So, I really like breaking it down. I have five elements, one of which is confidence. It's the five C's that will help people I frame it as returning from injury, but it's really return to fitness, return to sport, return to activity.
Alyssa Dver:
What's the hardest thing to do like?
Justin McClintock:
Consistency. Consistency is if there's a bedrock of any results, it is making something a daily practice. It doesn't have to be the gym, it doesn't have to be yoga, it doesn't have to be 45 minutes, it can be three minutes, but doing something every day. That's how habits and routines are built out both ways. Not doing something every day is also how habits are built.
Alyssa Dver:
Yeah. So, I mean, there's something in there that I want to pull out as a little neuro nugget for those of you who are listening, because you're listening because we do brain science stuff is yes, we're talking about a physical habit or building a physical habit, but it starts in your head. Right? It is that moment that you say, Okay, this isn't okay, I'm going to do this. And subsequently do it, as you said consistently. So, let's, let's look break that down a little bit. What is the turning point for people? When do they go it is enough for what happens and they go, I gotta just do something different.
Justin McClintock:
You mean around consistency or on being able to stick to the practice?
Alyssa Dver
Yes, ultimately, but like, you know, people are tuned into this just because there's something that we put in there that said, Okay, it's time for me to get moving again.
Justin McClintock:
Yeah, 100%.
Alyssa Dver
Or is there a doctor? What has to happen before people go, Okay, enough is enough, I'm gonna start moving this big body of mine.
Justin McClintock:
Unfortunately, it's usually that moment. There's always a turning point. If I end up in a consult with the client or referring someone to another gym or trainer, or physical therapist, whatever it might be. Usually, there's a moment that happened and I always ask about that. And it's, you know, I was going up the stairs, I had to take a break, or my three year old was on the floor, and I realized I was worried to get down and play with them. A lot of times there's a lot of emotion around it. It isn't, you know, I have my mile was 30 seconds slower than it was last year and I'm feeling terrible about that. People will but that's often not enough to take a big step forward. And we're talking about significant change, like committing to some kind of movement on a regular basis is a big deal. It is changing your lifestyle.
Alyssa Dver:
Yeah, absolutely. And it sounds like it's not age dependent or gender dependent.
Justin McClintock:
Not at all, I reject the idea that people can't move as well or more likely to get injured or things like that, as they get older people are more likely to let these things fall by the wayside because life gets busy and priorities change. But I have I have 75 year old clients who are jumping and running and doing all kinds of things.
Alyssa Dver:
Yeah. So, you know, again, I'll use my selfish self here as the poster child, because, you know, going up the stairs, it annoys me that my knees hurt. I annoys me that I can't. We went to Greece this summer, and I was huffing and puffing going up all the stairs there. And I was like, ah, this is ridiculous. And then I would give myself the excuse, well, you're not so young anymore. And I'm like yes, I am. So, you know, I think there's a lot of that self-talk that being in like get off your chair, and then at the same time, you're like, yeah, that'd be compassionate. And I'd love for you to comment on if somebody comes to you, and they say, I want to do this, but I'm scared or I'm so out of shape, like, what is the, like mindset shift that you help them? Like, what should they think about? So, they can actually become consistent at something?
Justin McClintock:
Well, we'll do it sort of in three steps. So, first of all, we'll try and outline what the dream is, if I could press this magic button and make everything you want to have happen as far as movement, health, wellness, what would it be? And people often aim too low. Well, I just want to be able to walk up the stairs without pain. No, no, like, let's assume we'll get there. If I could press a button and you didn't hurt. What would you do? Oh, well, I used to go on hikes every weekend with my friends. And we haven't done that for a while because we're not sure. Okay, let's aim there. And maybe that's two years away, I truly don't know, depending on the person. Let's aim there. Contrast that with what we've given up or what you miss right now. Not in a fear based way. We're not trying to twist the knife in anyone's pain. But in your day to day life, how is this issue affecting you? And that will really start to highlight all of the adjustments people have already made, which they don't always realize like, oh, yeah, like, I take the escalator now. And I drive distances I didn't used to, or I turned down social engagement engagements that in the past, I would have been happy to do but I'm a little worried about now, pairing these things together, and then explaining that getting to this goal is a million baby steps. It's not going from sitting on your couch to a 10 mile hike in the woods. It's going from your couch to a walk around the block. Let's aim for that. And then people will laugh. I can walk around the block. Oh, well, we already knocked out step one. That's great. Well, what about if we walk around the block a little bit faster? I could probably do that. And you start dialing in and dialing in and dialing, I know what this progression is going to be. Because getting better as all of these. It's no one workout. It's no one day, it's no one practice. It's that consistency building and building and building. And the more you do it, you start to see how you're capable. It starts to bleed into everything else in your life. And suddenly, you feel incredibly confident.
Alyssa Dver:
Yeah well, you know, it's funny, because I'm a confidence coach, we have a certification program, you're a fitness coach, but we say the same stuff. And we're doing the same stuff, which is just confirming for people, you have to take that step, celebrate it, recognize that you did it, and then maybe push a little bit more, and then you will report back have some accountability buddies like you and I. I think it's fascinating. And again, you know, I don't want to underscore that I think your job is actually sometimes harder than mine. Because, you know, you can talk through competence stuff, you can have mind shifts, but you're asking people to make mind shifts and physical habit changes. So, you know, what I would like to do is take a quick sponsor break, and then cue up some really specific things that you can recommend for our listeners that if they're here, and they're like, I want to do this, I don't know where to start. I don't know what to do. How can they get on the road to be making those changes in their lives? Is that cool?
Justin McClintock:
Absolutely.
Alyssa Dver:
All right, we'll be right back.
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Alyssa Dver:
We're back here talking with Justin McClintock and he's gonna help me and everyone who's listening figure out how to get back to the road to fitness. So, talk to Justin like practical first steps are what?
Justin McClintock:
So the first thing I would do is you can write this down. You can do this stuff from your couch. And this is how I talk about confidence around fitness and return to sport. I want you to write down what is your big Fear the number one, whether it's health, wellness, your body? Why does that fear exist? How often do you feel it and write these things down every day, 20 times a day, once a week, it crosses my mind. Today, as you're writing this, are you more confident or concerned about what your body can do? That's a great indicator. If we're more confident you're already on the road, you're already doing good work. If you're concerned, you might need some help. And that's totally reasonable. I think everyone needs help. Coaches need coaches. Are you worried that you can't do things you used to be able to? Does your mind spend time in the past? That's a little bit of a dangerous place, mindset wise, and shifting that around what excites you the most about starting to improve your health and working towards vitality, longevity, wellness, because just by writing this down, if someone's been doing this, they've already taken a step forward, which is really important. They're already starting to do the work.
Alyssa Dver:
Yeah, no, it's a good point, you know. And so, for me, again, we'll use me as the guinea pig today, because I am really the poster child here is this fear that I'm not going to be here for my grandkids. It's the fear that I can't do all these fun things, like take trips and walk around like it's very visual to me, but it's also very, very scary. And I think that the distance between the paper and then doing something, I'd like to close that gap a little bit. So yes, I know what I fear. I understand it. In some cases, it's a little irrational, because it's certainly in my control here. What do I do next?
Justin McClintock:
Let's write down that dream. What's the big goal? Let's use that earlier example. I describe someone who wants to go on a 10 mile hike and doesn't believe they can do. Let's start breaking that down to its smallest possible component. I guess the smallest possible component would be one step. Are we good with one step? All right, what's a bigger number will do 100. Depending on your situation, might be there are people who don't do 100 steps today? Let's aim for that. And start building up that sort of like background slightly passive, I'm going to hit this step counter today. When you do at the end of the day, write it down this many steps and how do you feel? Are you tired? Are you sore? Are you feeling pretty good, that will start reinforcing that you're capable of these things? And then we can start layering in elements? Do you want to do it a little bit longer? A little bit faster? Are there time goals? Are there distance goals, maybe we're working in intervals, we're going to walk at a leisurely pace, but every five minutes, we're going to walk really fast for 30 seconds, push yourself, what's it like to like hit tiny bits of intensity, you can start building up and building up and building up. And suddenly you have miles under your belt.
Alyssa Dver:
Nice. Now this technique, if you have this methodology that you're saying it sounds like you can even coach people without physically being in there. Is that true?
Justin McClintock:
Constantly, the overwhelming majority of work I do is online, assuming they're a good fit for it, there's people that I will not coach online because it won't work for them. I would never work with someone who's not a good fit, or it wouldn't be appropriate. But it's relatively easy to do remotely. And I have found that accountability, whether it's with me or any other coach in the world, like people need coaches, it's so useful to have someone on the other end with that feedback, and then deciding what the next step is. Because at some point, you're going to be like, I don't know, I've been walking for three weeks. What's the next step? I'm bored, or I don't know how to progress it, or I don't know what to do. And even that outside, even if you're a fitness expert, that outside it is so useful to point out what you might not be doing, or a way forward you haven't thought of in my case, it was okay. What about a heavy backpack and go for a walk? Jump? Oh, I hadn't. I hadn't. I hadn't even thought of that. Yeah, I have a backpack and I own books. Okay, away we go.
Alyssa Dver:
You can do it. Yeah. So, I think it's fascinating because you're not talking about form, you're not talking about any you know, particular kind of a type of exercise. It depends on whatever somebody wants to do but you're being that beautiful accountabilibuddy, so I love that people who want to find you and get some of this wonderful coaching help support what's the best way to find you? We're gonna put it in show notes but say it on the pod please.
Justin McClintock:
If you're on social media, I live on Instagram. So, @feelstrongfit is an easy place to get in touch. I answer every single DM. So, reach out with any questions. If you're not social media, the website is feel strong.me
Alyssa Dver:
Beautiful. I want to thank you so much for giving me confidence to get off my tush. And needless to say, I might sign up myself. And now I will sign up myself because this has been bugging me. And so, the fact that you're here for me is divine intervention. And I'm just grateful for you and your presence today. So, thank you so much.
Justin McClintock:
It already makes it worth it. Thank you.
Alyssa Dver:
So, before we completely wrap up, I want to let you know that full transcripts and show notes for this and other episodes can be found on the website www.AmericanConfidenceInstitute.com/podcast. I also want to remind you once again, that the best way to get confidence for yourself is to give it to others and you can do it so easily just by liking and sharing this episode on your favorite social media channels. You can even give me some confidence fuel by sending in any comments about the topics I've covered, or ones you'd like me to consider for the future. So, for now, this is Alyssa Dver, thank you for helping to bring more confidence to the world.
This podcast was produced by Mindful Media. All rights reserved by Alyssa Dver and the American Confidence Institute. Music written and performed by Jeff Weinstein.
