What Entrepreneurship Taught Me About Burnout and Health

Episode 48 is Coach Brian as a guest on another show. He walks through the two years he ran his first gym on four to five hours of sleep a night, and what that pressure did to his health and his marriage. The back half of the conversation is the fix he coaches now, starting with middle gear mentality.

For two years Coach Brian ran his first gym on four to five hours of sleep a night. The business grew and his health and his marriage paid for it. Episode 48 is his guest conversation on another show about what that season took from him and what he changed after it.

The Two Years That Almost Broke Him

He opened his first gym at the end of October in 2010. The plan had been December or January. Money was already in the build, so the call came down to now or never. His wife was eight months pregnant with their second child and the holiday season was about to land on top of it.

Then the schedule took over. He was up at four in the morning, at the gym by five, out around eleven, back at three to teach the afternoon and evening classes, done around nine, home by ten, on email until midnight, and up again at four.

That ran for about two years. Most nights he slept four to five hours. If he found ten or fifteen minutes anywhere in the day he took them. After the six o'clock class he would lie down on an ab mat with a t-shirt over his head until someone walked in at eight to look at the gym.

His own written note on this episode says he thought that level of stress was part of being an entrepreneur.

It reached his marriage fast. On a date night early in that stretch he could barely keep his eyes open through dinner. At the store afterward he almost fell asleep two or three times pushing the cart.

The Numbers Looked Like a Win

By the end the gym had 300 members. It was doing 50k months. Across those two years it collected close to a million dollars. On paper that is a business that is working.

His own take-home in a month could be a $5,000 check. He had cleared out his 401k to open the place and had burned the bridge behind him on purpose. He was worried about paying off his car and had bankruptcy sitting on the table.

Then his partner called him into the office and handed him a paper to sign. The paper moved his ownership across and made him an employee. He took it, skipped the Christmas party he was headed to, and called a lawyer.

Getting out took two or three months. He came away with some cash and some equipment to start again. The gym closed within a few months of him leaving.

His wife had been calling it out for a long time. He had not wanted to see it, because he needed the thing he had bet everything on to work.

What the Pressure Took

He was not at the point of wanting to give up. He was empty. No battery, nothing left in the tank, worn down by short nights and constant pressure.

That is the part most men miss. Pressure does not send a warning. It takes the energy first, then the patience, then the relationships around you, and the body follows.

Why Men Go All In Every January

January runs the same play every year. A man decides he will train six days a week starting Monday. He gets to the gym four times, calls himself a failure, and the whole thing is over before February.

The math is where it comes apart. One to two pounds a week is sustainable, three is a great week, and four or more is out of reach for most men.

So if a man has 20 pounds to lose, that is 10 to 20 weeks of steady work. He needs that number in his head on day one, before the first Monday.

Middle Gear Mentality

Coach Brian's name for the other approach is middle gear mentality. It runs on three things: moderation, balance and flexibility.

Top gear burns a man out in every area, and he is honest that it applies to his own work too. Ninety minutes replying to comments on a post is ninety minutes away from his family. That trade has to be chosen on purpose rather than fallen into.

The standard he gives men is short. What you do in two weeks is what you will do in two months and in two years. If a plan cannot survive a normal week, it is not a plan.

That means the food has to taste good, and the movement has to be something a man will keep doing. A walk with your wife counts as much as a class or a session in the gym.

The Four Standards He Coaches Every Day

Movement

Ten thousand steps a day is the target, with or without a workout on top. Two to three strength sessions a week sit alongside it. He points men at what this buys them at 70 or 80, when being able to care for your own body is what keeps you out of an assisted living home.

Some men come to him at 2,000 steps a day because of a desk and a full calendar. His answer is that working it out can take a month, and a month is fine.

Nutrition

Whole foods and balanced meals, three or four times a day. Most men land at 2,000 calories or less, and a man in a deficit is often nearer 1,800.

The plate is the fast version. A quarter is protein, a quarter is a starchy carb, and half is vegetables or some fruit. The one-liner behind it is to eat enough to get you to the next time you eat.

Water

One hundred ounces a day for men, or more.

Sleep

Sleep is the standard most men skip. Poor sleep can be the thing sitting underneath the weight, the aches and the way a man feels all day.

A body that has not moved all day is not tired at night. The mind is worn out while the body still sits at ninety percent charge, so a man lies there and scrolls instead of sleeping.

Pattern Interrupts for Night Eating

Late night eating is rarely hunger. A man eats a full dinner, then wants food again at nine or ten because he is bored and has not moved his body all day.

The fix is a buffer between the urge and the kitchen. One version is fifty push-ups before you eat. Most men cannot do fifty in one set, so it takes long enough to break the loop, and a man who has done them feels different about the bowl he was headed for.

Another version is a physical barrier. Something across the kitchen doorway that has to come down first gives the brain a pause it would not get otherwise.

The rule underneath both is that the man agrees to it. He is never told to stop eating. He agrees to try one thing for a week and report back on what happened.

There is a third question worth sitting with. If you are asking your wife to hide the food, you have handed her a job she should not have.

Awareness Comes Before Change

Education comes first. A man wakes at two in the morning, eats a bowl of something, and has no idea what is in it.

Add it up on paper once. The bowl, the drink and the extra on top can land near a thousand calories on top of a full day of food.

Once a man sees that number he is making a decision instead of running a habit. Coach Brian does not hand him the answer. He asks the question and lets the man land on it himself, which is why it holds.

Perfect is a trap. Awareness is the step before change, and one changed decision is worth more than a plan nobody keeps.

What Got Him Back on His Feet

He credits his wife. She had seen it coming, she carried the household through it, and she is the reason he had anything left to rebuild with.

She also saw the next move. They relocated so he could earn from home. Men started coming to the barn gym behind his house to train with him, which cut the overhead and the pressure at the same time. From there he moved his coaching online, which is where he works now.

His read on that season is that resilience gets built in the middle of something hard. Life keeps moving whether a man is ready for it or not, so being able to adjust is the skill worth having.

Start Here This Week

• Pick a pace you can hold for ten weeks and set the target from there.
• Count your steps for three days before you change anything.
• Build one balanced plate at dinner: a quarter protein, a quarter starchy carb, and half vegetables.
• Drink one hundred ounces of water a day.
• Pick one pattern interrupt for night eating and agree to it for one week.
• Write down what you ate the last time you raided the kitchen at night, and add up the calories once.
• Protect a sleep window and hold it for two weeks before you judge it.
• Questions about your own situation can go to brian@brianparana.com.

Work With Coach Brian

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

If you want a smaller first step, the free Lose 3 lbs in 3 Days plan is a three day reset built on protein-first meals, a water target and a step target. Get it at thecalltorise.com/lose3lbsin3days.

More From Driven For Health

• Episode 54 covers why week three is where a January plan comes apart.
• Episode 50 is a business owner whose blood pressure forced the issue.
• Episode 47 breaks down the hormones behind stress, hunger and cravings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does burnout look like for a business owner?

In this episode Coach Brian describes two years of four to five hours of sleep a night while he built his first gym. The business grew and his health and his marriage paid the bill.

Why do all or nothing fitness plans fail every January?

A man sets a target he cannot hold, misses it in week two, and quits on himself. One to two pounds a week is a pace that survives a normal month.

What is middle gear mentality?

It is Coach Brian's name for running your health at a pace you can hold for months. The three parts are moderation, balance and flexibility.

How long should it take a man to lose 20 pounds?

At one to two pounds a week, 20 pounds is 10 to 20 weeks of steady work. Having that number in your head on day one is what keeps you from quitting in week three.

What are the four daily standards Coach Brian coaches?

Movement, nutrition, water and sleep. That means ten thousand steps a day, whole food meals built around protein and vegetables, one hundred ounces of water, and sleep you protect.

How do you stop eating late at night?

Put a buffer between the urge and the kitchen. Fifty push-ups first, or a physical barrier across the doorway, gives the brain a pause and often ends the trip.

How much water should a man drink each day?

One hundred ounces a day for men, or more. It sits alongside movement, nutrition and sleep as one of the four daily standards.

What is the Call To Rise program?

The Call To Rise is a 100-day fat loss challenge for driven men who want structure, accountability and real results. Most men lose 20 plus pounds.

Listen to the full episode of Driven For Health.

Read the companion article on brianparana.com.