Today I'm going to talk about the X-Factor you need to reach your next level

The real reason why you're already getting results in an area of your life, or more importantly, why you're not getting results in other areas of your life

Have you ever really paused and reflected on your successes and failures when it comes to your health and fitness?

Most men breeze past successes only to pursue the next challenge

Most men also don't sit long enough in their failures to learn what really needs to change

If you think your failure defines you, then it's a lot easier to just pretend it doesn't exist.

This can lead to a tough cycle to think that you need to work harder or you need more effort alone to achieve the results you're after

For those that are already hard workers, this can be a self-destructive cycle leading to burnout and discouragement

The fear of addressing failure can also lead to a tough cycle of self-sabotaging your efforts, because you'd rather 'justify' your failures than really go all out and risk giving it your best effort and falling short

This post is going to focus on the physical area, but this can apply to anything in your life that you're trying to improve

That's the cool thing with health and fitness

The lessons you learn can be applied just about anywhere else in your life

But what you're about to see is that the results you've gotten (or haven't yet gotten) in your body has very little to do with what you're doing physically

And that's coming from someone that makes a living telling people what they should do physically to improve their body

I've always been good at giving people a physical roadmap to follow:

• Do these workouts
• Improve your form by doing this and that
• Resolve your back or knee pain by making these changes to your program
• Eat more of these foods (and don't eat as much of those foods) to lose weight and build muscle
• Focus on getting more sunlight, better sleep, and managing your stress better to have better energy
• And those few simple changes have worked wonders for so many of my clients over the years

Unfortunately, it also hasn't worked for a lot of people

And not because the advice was bad or not what they needed to hear

Despite giving the exact same advice, some people thrived while other's just got okay results

I've done extensive research, schooling, and experimentation on the best physical strategies to build strength, burn fat, improve energy, and optimize your life and longevity over the past 15 years.

There are times when I'm thankful for all that knowledge I've acquired

However, there are honestly times when it feels like a waste

What does it matter if I tell people exactly what they need to do, but they don't actually do it?

The more I've been able to help other's reach their health and fitness goals over the year, the more I've learned there's an X-Factor to your results that you're probably either ignoring or not giving enough attention to

And it has nothing to do with which workouts you follow or what you eat

Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. - 1 Timothy 4 - MSG

Physical flabbiness can happen.

Seasons of life change, priorities change, you let things slip from time to time.

Physical flabbiness is easy to fix...if you're in the right place spiritually and mentally

So instead of focusing so much on the physical scale (like I did for so many years), you need to ask yourself:

Have you built up any spiritual or mental flabbiness?

The more I've seen in my own journey, and the journey for so many others, comes down to this concept.

Men that are truly 'fit' spiritually, mentally, and emotionally don't stay 'out of shape' physically.

I really don't think it's possible.

This whole post was sparked in my reading this morning when I came across this verse:

You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence...First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. - Matthew 23:25-26

When you get the inside right (spiritual, mental, and emotional strength) - then the physical will follow

If you've ever tried to approach weight loss, building muscle, eating better, or improving your overall health by addressing physical strategies alone - you'll probably see some success.

But if you're like me, you don't just want 'some' success, or 'short-term' success like physical strategies often provide

You know what I'm talking about if you've ever followed 75 hard, whole 30, new year new you, or anything that ends with the words reset, cleanse, or jumpstart

I'm not knocking these programs - they've done wonders for a lot of people

But so has extreme weight loss programs that worked great for people...

Until they didn't.

I haven't seen any recent stats, but I'm pretty sure close to 100% of all contestants on those shows gained all the weight back..or more

If you want long-term, sustainable, life changing results, then you've got to start looking beyond what workout program you're following and what food you're eating

I love geeking out on physical strategies to get you looking and feeling your best.

I'm all about it, and I think it's of some value.

But the more I learn, the more I feel responsible to call out the real reason most people aren't where they want to be when it comes to the way they look and the way they feel.

And it has very little to do with your workouts or nutrition.

The good news?

Once you address your mind, emotions, willpower, and spirit - the physical will follow

And it will follow with less effort, more freedom, and it will actually last as you get off the hamster wheel of yo-yo dieting and workout programs

That's what Inside Out Strength is all about.

That's why our coaching programs always include more than just a workout program and meal plan - and they address the Inside, Outside, and Core pillars (which I also talk about in my upcoming book)

I can speak from experience when I say you can't build your body and neglect your mind/spirit/emotions and expect to find happiness, confidence, or fulfillment.

I want you to build 10 lbs of muscle, burn 10 lbs of fat (or much more) to look and feel your best.

But there are enough 'quick fix' programs out there that don't get you the long-term results you deserve.

I believe you can do much better than 'some' or 'short-term' results

But it's going to require an honest look on the inside before truly transforming on the outside.

And those are the kinds of questions we dive deeper on coaching calls with clients - because sometimes it's not your macros or your lifts that need adjustments.

Most of the time it's a mindset shift to get you out of your own way while stepping into your God given potential.