* It was time I stopped letting my Lesser Self to defeat me. My Inner Critic was suffocating me!
HERE IS MY STORY – I HOPE IT HELPS JUST ONE OTHER MAN AFFLICTED WITH ‘DAD-BOD’ STATUS!
“I’m not a good enough Dad.” “I’m not a good enough Husband.” “I’m not capable enough.” “Where did this Dad-Bod come From?”
My name is Mark Borst. I am a husband, father, and a licensed real estate investor. For many years I have struggled with figuring out the Work – Life mix in my life. While I would be focused on one area of my life, I would lose site of the other areas. As part of a business mastermind, we discovered that through exercise we can drastically transform ALL parts of life through a work-life integration using the six (6) foundations. In the first 90 days I lost 25 lbs and over 4 inches off my waist. If interested, I’ll send you the Six (6) Foundations in an email.
PS: I initially shared the email with a few of my other friends. They all said, “It’s exactly what they needed.” I hope it helps you, too, in your journey.
My (Mental) Starting Point
I have struggled my whole life with body image. In my vision of myself, I have never been good enough, never been strong enough, never been smart enough, never had the ‘right degree’, and often I just didn’t feel like I belonged… Often I would wonder why my execution fell flat!…
- NI Lost 25 Pounds in 90 Days
- N Get my Before & After Photos to See the Results
- NI didn't go to the gym once - I did do GRIT workouts
- N No special diet plan
- N I am totally against counting calories
- N Just the Six (6) Foundations
As mentioned, a friend to the Six (6) Foundations, so now I’m just paying that forward…
I Wanted Change
The reason to start this journey was simple to me. It’s a drum beating inside me that I do not want to follow in the same health footsteps of so many in my family before me. I don’t want to find myself abusing my health for years and then realize one day that every bad health decision I have made has compiled and compounded to leave me out of shape, unhealthy, depressed, and fighting to get a life back that I should have fought for years ago. I want to be an example for my boys, my dad, my sisters, and all my cousins. You can be your best self at any age and keep pushing harder to become even more. You don’t have to eat that cookie, that piece of cake, that candy bar, that bowl of ice cream. You’re mind is stronger than you give it credit for. There is no going back for me. The visual transformation to my exterior shell will be the bonus, but that’s not my push. I want to be stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. I want to be a light for others around me to prove that a better you is possible. It’s won’t easy, but few things is life that impact you and others are ever easy. It just has to be worth it.
I Learned About StoryAthlete
What the hell is “StoryAthlete?” It’s not a term I had heard before. Once explained, though, it made perfect sense. Story = The Sport. Athlete = Elite Performance. Which made even more sense when I heard this phrase, “Defined by the Story we tell Our Self,” because I have been a professional at telling myself negative, self-diminishing stories for years. Now, here I am, committed to changing that.
My Lesser Self Was Kicking My Ass!
I struggle with asking for help because while I’m willing to seek help when I need it, I only ask as a complete last resort and frequently when I am so emotionally drained that I’m on the edge of breaking. There is a very short list of people I feel like I can go to and know that they will be there for me in whatever facet they can. I’m sure part of that comes from being a “people pleaser” and not wanting to inconvenience others. And part of it comes from being a “bit of a perfectionist” and not trusting that the “help” will be what I’m hoping for. Whatever the reason may be, I know I can not do everything by myself and need to be willing to put my shortcomings aside and ask for help when needed. My Lesser Self, in this department, has been kicking my ass for years. “Don’t ask for help. Do it alone.” Except, that is the approach that brought to this point.
I Was Tired of “Being…”
Life has a way of just breaking us down until there is almost no resemblance of the strong person we used to be. Over time, I just grew tired of being tired. Tired of being insecure about my abilities as a business owner. Tired of feeling like I wasn’t smart enough, capable enough or in shape enough. Tired of being controlled by my dad-bod image. Everybody reaches their breaking point. I finally reached mine. I wanted to become strong, independent, a force to be reckoned with. The only way to get there is through rebuilding and rewiring. When I started my fitness journey on September 1, my unconscious mind was telling me I couldn’t do the 100 burpees a day. I rebuilt my mind and conquered those burpees. In October GRIT, my unconscious mind told me I couldn’t do hill runs. I rebuilt my mind, rewired, and conquered the hill runs. In November GRIT, my unconscious mind told me I couldn’t dead hang for 4 minutes. I rebuilt my mind and defeated those hangs and a little piece of that rewired brain looked forward to doing them. Rebuilding the unconscious mind is necessary to “Become…” the heroic character I was meant to be.
4-Dimensional Transformation
Through StoryAthlete – Mind, Body, Business, Relationships – I came to learn just how interconnected each one was to the other. Three months ago, I was completely unhappy with my physical health and the vision I had of myself. The problem with being unhappy with my physical health is that it also made me very unhappy mentally. Everything in life is so interconnected. For myself, being unhappy or insecure in one area negatively impacts other areas as well. For the past few years, I knew I needed to get my physical health back. The biggest problem I faced was my negative thoughts were so strong toward the way I looked that I couldn’t get myself to start my journey to a healthier me. It’s a vicious cycle that I couldn’t see out of. The mind and body are so intricately intertwined that when you are feeling low in one area, other areas naturally follow suit.
This Is What Finally Worked For Me
You Can Pull It Up On Your Phone In The Next 60 Seconds
Get The Six (6) Foundations
The email with Six (6) Foundations will be sent to your email, and you can pull it up directly on your phone in the next 60 seconds.
- NI Lost 25 Pounds in 90 Days
- N Get my Before & After Photos to See the Results
- N I didn't go to the gym once - I did GRIT workouts
- N No special diet plan
- N I am totally against counting calories
- N Just the Six (6) Foundations
“I tried everything else!”
But I Never Would Have Thought To Try This! – A Friend shared the
Six (6) Foundations with me. Now, I’m sharing them with you.
“IT WAS TIME I WROTE A NEW STORY FOR MYSELF”
Reflection + Introspection = Growth & Transformation
My reflections: The first 60 days
From Sept 1st to Oct 31st – I never imagined the Six (6) Foundations would work like this!
When I started the GRIT Foundations on September 1st, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was scared shitless… I have never done 100 burpees in a row, let alone for 30 days straight.
After about the first 10 burpees on day one I thought to myself, “What the Hell did I sign up for?” I couldn’t breathe, my back hurt, my wrists hurt. I was terrified that I couldn’t complete this. But, I knew there was no giving up even if it took me all day to finish.
By the second Monday, I had knocked off about 6 minutes of 100 consecutive burpees… This was a real turning point that, ‘if I can push through my own negative talk and take one third of my time in a short week of exercise… how and what else was my mind limiting in my abilities!’
I carried that mindset onto GRIT the next month.
It grew exponentially.
I haven’t been part of a workout regime since my senior year of high school soccer, it felt little ackward going to the park to workout by myself.
It didn’t take long for my mind to shift and realize that I didn’t care what other people were thinking…
I knew I wasn’t doing this for them, it was for me.
That was huge for me because I have always worried what people thought of me. I never had to hang for 4 minutes in my life, and to be honest I was angry when I saw that exercise. But, this will be one of the exercises I won’t give up.
I need it!
love seeing the improvement in my mental strength pushing my time on each hang as long as I could go.
As sick as it probably is, I love the crazy tight forearms after the hang because I know it proves to myself I pushed as hard as I could. Thanks, CJ, for the dead hangs because it was a probably the single exercise that defined my GRIT more than anything.
I have always been, to my own detriment, a numbers as result person. If I didn’t see big results on the scale, it meant I hadn’t succeeded. This was the first time in my life that I have learned that pounds or inches on the scale don’t define my health improvements.
Yes, I have lost 25 pounds and 4 inches from my waist since September 1, but most importantly is how I feel about myself now.
I feel like I can take on any workout even if I must take it in small bites. Those small bites add up to big results over time in my mind and body. I’ll never be the fastest, the strongest, or the fittest person. But I can be MY fastest, MY strongest, and My fittest self I’ve even been with the right dedication, determination, and GRIT.
I’ve seen so much display of grit, determination, and even humanity from everyone in this group.
It is a safe place to celebrate your victories without people reading into it as arrogance and boastfulness. In the same way it is a safe place to show weakness and know that you’ll receive kindness and support. People sharing in others success instead of feeling jealousy. There are few places on social media platforms that these types of relationships exists.
“Yes, I have lost 15 pounds since September 1,
but most importantly is how I feel about myself now.”