The Wake-Up Call That Gets a Stubborn Man to Take His Health Seriously

Most men pour everything into work and family. They stop paying attention to their own health. Coach Brian joined Uncle Marv on The Unhealthy Podcast to talk about what happens next.

Most men pour everything into work and family and stop paying attention to their own health. It does not happen in one day. It happens slowly, while every other responsibility keeps getting louder. This episode is a conversation about what finally turns that around, and about the four things worth protecting first.

The Core Four

The Core Four is the set of levers that gets worked before anything else.

• Nutrition
• Movement
• Hydration
• Sleep

Movement is the broadest of the four on purpose. It counts whether it is a walk, a trip to the gym, a sport, or taking the dog out. The point is that the body moves, not that it moves in a particular building.

Sleep is the one most men break on purpose. Humans are the only creatures on the planet that put off sleep on a regular basis, and late-night screens are the current reason.

Nutrition gets the most airtime because it is the one most men have the least language for. What quality food looks like. What a balanced meal looks like. Calories first, then protein and fibrous foods as the staples.

Middle Gear Mentality

Men tend to run at one of two speeds with their health. All out, white-knuckled, toughing it through. Or off completely.

Middle gear mentality is the third option. Three layers hold it up: moderation, balance, and flexibility.

In practice it sounds like this. You did not hit your steps today. Fine. Keep moving and adjust. Then look back and ask whether there was a break you could have taken, or someone you could have invited along for a walk.

Missing a day is not the end of the plan. Treating a missed day as proof the plan failed is what ends it.

Andy's Million Steps

Andy was in the Call To Rise from around September through the holidays. He lost 38 pounds in the 100 days.

The habit he pointed to was walking 10,000 steps a day, every day.

On his 89th day he ran the numbers himself and realized what he was about to do. 10,000 steps a day across 100 days is 1 million steps.

Nobody would agree to a million steps if you put it in front of them on day one. It sounds impossible. Broken into 10,000 a day and fitted around a real schedule, it happened. He also found the walks useful for clearing his head.

The rest of Andy's approach was less tidy than most people expect. He barely ate vegetables the whole time. Occasional carrots. He tracked his calories some weeks and not others. He ate fruit. He kept protein and fibrous foods as the staples. He kept his calories in range and he walked every single day.

Months after the program finished he was still holding the loss.

Salting The Oats

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Most people stop the saying there, because the next part is the hard part.

So how do you get it to drink?

You salt the oats it eats before you walk it to the water. You make it thirsty.

With a man's health it means finding the small easy win he will say yes to. Can you eat an apple, when you have not had fruit all week. Can you take a second helping of vegetables at dinner and a little less starch. Can you pack a lunch tomorrow instead of defaulting to whatever is fastest.

He says yes. He does it. He feels better. Then the appetite for the next change arrives on its own. Low-hanging fruit first. Complexity later.

The Brotherhood Effect

The results do not stay on the scale. That is the part men do not expect.

One man lost 13 pounds in his first 6 to 8 weeks. What came with it was enough confidence to go looking for another job. He took a lateral move to a different company at the same job title for 65K more a year.

Another man, John, had been divorced for a couple of years. He changed his health, his ex-wife came back into his life, and she is his wife again. They live together and they have kids together. His own summary was that he is never letting it go again.

The mechanism is not complicated. Put a group of men with the same goal in the same room and one man doing the thing today makes it much harder for the next man to talk himself out of it.

Why 100 Days Is The Target

100 days is roughly 16 weeks. It is a big enough number to mean something and a short enough number to commit to.

It is long enough to change behaviors, systems, and the way a man sees himself, and it comes with a definite end date instead of a vague someday.

It is not a cure-all, and it is not pitched as one. A man who needs to lose 50 pounds is going to need longer than 100 days. What 100 days does give him is a map and a deadline.

The realistic pace inside it: 1 to 2 pounds a week is sustainable, 3 is excellent, and 4 or more usually means something odd is going on. A big first week is mostly water and stored carbohydrate, not fat.

What This Means For You

Business owners already know how to be consistent. They have proven it at work for twenty years.

The question worth carrying out of this episode is the one that closes it. What is the next best thing you can do for your health today?

Not the perfect thing. Not the whole plan. The next best thing. For one man that is a walk after dinner. For another it is packing tomorrow's lunch. For someone else it is getting off the phone and going to bed.

Being 20 pounds heavier than you should be is enough on its own to move you into a higher-risk category for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. That is the real reason the next best thing matters today rather than in five years.

More From Driven For Health

Andy tells his own story on episode 53, including the walking, the vegetables he never ate, and what held after the 100 days were over.

Listen to Episode 114 of Driven For Health for the full conversation.

Get a Structure Around It

The Call To Rise is a 100-day Fat Loss Challenge designed for driven men ready to get back to a healthy body, boost their energy, and lead as a powerful man.

If you are struggling with some form of chronic illness such as high blood pressure, cholesterol or even Type 2 Diabetes - this program is designed for you too.

Through a proven system of strength training, personalized nutrition, and real accountability, most men lose 20 plus pounds and rebuild the confidence that comes with it and even improve chronic illness issues. It's more than a fitness program, it's a body transformation experience with a Brotherhood of like-minded men committed to showing up, leveling up, and leading in a body they are excited about.

This is your wake-up call to rise.

www.thecalltorise.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Coach Brian's Core Four?

The Core Four is nutrition and movement, plus hydration and sleep.

What is middle gear mentality?

It is the middle ground between all-out grinding and giving up. Missing a day does not end the plan.

How much weight did Andy lose and how?

Andy lost 38 pounds in 100 days. He did it by walking 10,000 steps a day.

What results have Coach Brian's clients seen beyond weight loss?

One man lost 13 pounds and then took a new job at 65K more a year. Another man's ex-wife came back into his life after he changed his health, and she is his wife again.

How many steps is 100 days of walking 10,000 a day?

10,000 steps a day for 100 days adds up to 1 million steps.

What does salting the oats mean?

It means giving someone an easy first win such as an apple or extra vegetables, so they want to take the next step.

How fast should a man over 40 expect to lose weight?

1 to 2 pounds a week is sustainable and 3 is excellent. A 4 pound first week is mostly water and stored carbohydrate rather than fat.

Where did this conversation take place?

Coach Brian joined Uncle Marv on The Unhealthy Podcast.

Listen to the full episode of Driven For Health.

Read the companion article on brianparana.com.