2Inspire Health & Fitness Magazine #45 by Shotcallers

From Typical Guy to Fitness Champ: How Joshua Self Learned the Right Way to Work Out Traits of a Wellness Influencer: Do You Have What It Takes? What Types of Challenges Can You Help People Solve as a Weight Loss Influencer Online? How to Make Money as a Weight Loss Influencer Using Cravings to Your Healthy Advantage

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Essential Practices to Help You Eat Healthy Every Day

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE Traits of a Wellness Influencer: Do You Have What It Takes?- pg. 3 What Types of Challenges Can You Help People Solve as a Weight Loss Influencer Online?- pg. 9 How to Make Money as a Weight Loss Influencer - pg. 13 From Typical Guy to Fitness Champ: How Joshua Self Learned the Right Way to Work Out - pg. 17 Using Cravings to Your Healthy Advantage - pg. 24 Essential Practices to Help You Eat Healthy Every Day - pg. 26

In the upcoming issue of 2Inspire Health & Fitness Magazine, we delve into the essential traits of a marketing influencer. Curious to discover if you possess the key qualities that make a true influencer. Discover in-depth insights in our exclusive article on the specific challenges you can expertly address as an online weight loss influencer. Dive into the transformative power you hold in assisting others on their wellness journey. Read on to uncover strategic insights on monetizing your influence in the weight loss niche. Learn the art of turning your passion for wellness into a lucrative venture. Join us for an enlightening conversation with Joshua Self! Delve into Joshua’s inspiring fitness journey and gain insights into his discovery of the optimal approach to effective workouts! Conclude this edition of 2Inspire Health & Fitness Magazine with an insightful article exploring how to turn your cravings into a healthy advantage. Additionlly, discover essential practices to seamlessly incorporate a nourishing and balanced diet into your dialy routine. Happy reading to everyone! To you & your health, Dennis M. Postema P.S. Make sure you let your friends and family know they can get a free subscription to 2Inspire simply by visiting our website.

The content in 2Inspire Magazine is made available on the terms and conditions that the publisher, editors, contributors and relatied parties; shall have no responsibility for any action or omission by any other contributor, consultant, editor or related party; disclaim any and all liability and responsibility to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause; are not responsible in any way for the actions or results taken by any person, organization or any party on basis of reading information, or contributions in this publication, website or related product.

Traits of a Wellness Influencer: Do You Have What It Takes?

It all started with a pic that you posted to your friends on social media one day. You weren’t serious yet – just putting the feelers out. You were wondering if anyone else could relate to your mission to look better, feel stronger, and lose some weight. You can’t be the only one out there who wants to be fitter, healthier and happier. Right? Some time passes. You post a few mirror selfies on Facebook. Friends give positive feedback and encouragement. Maybe some even share their own fit pics. Seems like everyone is on board with this wish for wellness. Before you know it, you’re sharing weight loss progress posts a few times a week. You found a great, healthy recipe that’s easy to make. You love this workout that you discovered on YouTube and want others to know about it, too.

Now you’ve created a special fitness page to track your progress. You’re far from a perfect 10, but it’s okay! It’s okay to be real.

Others will appreciate your transparency. Your body is changing, improving. You feel better than you have in years. It’s something to celebrate! And other people are catching the health and fitness bug as well. A few more months in, and you’ve launched a Facebook group. Now your friends have opened the door to people they know who also are interested in embarking on a fitness and wellness journey. Some of these are new faces you haven’t met before. You’re starting to feel personally responsible for keeping motivation levels high in the group.

someone people follow and look up to in the weight loss niche? Are you ready for internet fame? This might just be the start of something big! You could be looking at future income possibilities as a prominent face in the weight loss, health and fitness category. So ask yourself: am I up for the challenge? Ask the questions. See where this could go. Are You Weight Loss Influencer Material? Questions to Ask Before Going Public as a Fitness Motivator

Are you weight loss influencer material? You You’re going places with may be wondering if it’s your weight loss journey! time to go big, and share You’ve got followers. Could you be on the path your success story. It’s time to becoming a real weight to ask the questions. loss influencer? Do some, most, or all of As illustrated in the above the below personality traits sound like you? example, a lot of the time, people simply fall • Persistent – setbacks into the role of positive don’t hold you up for health influencer online. long It all begins with a brave • Natural learner – a willingness to put it out curious mind who loves there. information and to share the knowledge But how will you hold you’ve gained up for the long term as

• Goal-driven – willing to pace yourself through one transformation at a time • Readily gives and receives support • Genuine desire to help people • Comfortable sharing personal photos • Not embarrassed to show your body • Thick-skinned; able to deal with possible negative feedback or thoughtless comments • Reasonable understanding of tech and the internet • Social media savvy Did you check off most or all? Let’s talk about each trait in more detail, and why it matters if you’re about to become the next big weight loss and fitness go-to guide online. Persistent. It’s important to be persistent… not only because people are highly distractable… but there’s no telling what the technology might do. It’s your job to keep 5

going come hell, high water, or Facebook doing something wacky to the algorithm that drastically impacts your following. While some might feel daunted on the days when reactions are low and conversations are slow to no… as an influencer you can’t let these situations get to you. To make this work, realize that there may be a slow buildup… there will be good days and bad days. Realize that when lack of response brings you down, you’ve got to shake it off and power on to a new day and a new idea to present. Natural learner. There’s no doubt that when you take your weight loss transformation from private to public, you’re going to be learning on the fly. That requires a thirst for information, natural curiosity, and a mind that’s open to the possibilities. Embrace the process. Let people peek at your proverbial weight loss cocoon as you slowly

morph into a butterfly. Share what you discover… and if it turns out to not be the right thing, share the lesson you ultimately came away with. Goal-driven. Being someone with the courage to expose your weight loss before-duringand-after to the world means you’ll be sharing goals. And with those goals come victories, as well as delays and setbacks. Your weight loss goals might not look the same as someone else’s. Or, you might have 50 active participants of your group, all working on goals with each person’s mission different than the next. But the idea is that you must be willing to pace yourself through one transformation at a time as a way to inspire others and drive them to success. Readily gives and receives support. A nurturing personality is important if you’re taking on the role of weight loss influencer, coach and

cheerleader for health and imperfect moments. We’re fitness clients and/or for a all perfectly imperfect. Letting people in to group of followers. witness your humanity will There will be days when, endear you to them, and just like yourself, your they to you. weight-loss seekers might not feel like they have it Genuine desire to help. in them to keep going. It will be your responsibility It’s not always easy to to support them through be there for others. On some days, you might feel doubt, weak moments tired, or you might have and setbacks. succumbed to cravings You should also be open to receiving support from or opted to skip that workout. your members.

A vulnerable leader is a leader that others can emotionally connect with. Let yourself have those

If a client comes to you needing a cheerleader in his or her corner, you should be able to muster

up some kind of support even in those moments when you don’t feel like much of an influencer. And if today is a no-way, you’ve got to have a backup in place to offer people in place of your personal support at this given moment. Okay with photo sharing. Without question, the most engagement from health and wellness seekers comes from success stories coupled with real-life before and after photos. Nothing tops this type of authenticity.

When you open yourself up to vulnerability by sharing candidly, some people use that to further their negative agenda. If If you’re committed to being a weight loss, health you are especially sensitive and fitness influencer, the or have been subject to trauma in the past, being photos you share will be a weight loss influencer the thing that sets you might not be for you. apart from other people. You may have seen your share of these among the weight loss set.

Sure, there are plenty of free stock photos to be had… and yes, a stock photo will do if you’re looking to post a quick article or blog post, and you need a visual. But by and large, your audience will be able to tell which photos are real ones from your personal collection, versus which ones are staged ones of models or taken by amateurs. Your real photos hold the most impact because they’re relatable. Thick-skinned. The internet can be a harsh and unforgiving world. There can be any number of reasons why someone might say something thoughtless, unkind or downright mean. 7

But if you have a mostlyhealthy self-image and know who your friends and supporters are, you will be able to survive the occasional negative commentary when it shows up. That makes you a strong candidate for guiding others in the weight loss and fitness category. Tech aptitude. Someone who shares their weight loss experience with the online world will need a basic understanding of technology. You should be comfortable working a computer, opening and closing, creating, saving and retrieving files. You should know how to work in word processing and photo editing programs, as well as send and reply to emails.

If you’re comfortable with these basics, it shouldn’t take too long to make the jump into the world of online blogging, running a social media group, and managing an email list. Social media savvy. You should be able to type a message into Google docs, copy and paste that message into a variety of places. This may include your social media pages and groups, private messages, and other places. It’s important to know how to copy and paste a link; copy and paste written content from one post to another, or from a document into a social media post. You should also be aware of basic social media etiquette. It’s helpful to be able to identify fake profiles; fortify your group to prevent trolls and hackers. You should know the protocol if you think your account has been compromised, and other practices to help you and your group members stay safe on social media.

YOUR AUDIENCE IS OUT THERE... DON’T KEEP THEM WAITING.

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What Types of Challenges Can You Help People Solve as a Weight Loss Influencer Online? As someone considering becoming a weight loss motivator and going public with your health and fitness transformation, you may wonder what problems other weightloss seekers face.

Remember, first and foremost, that in simply telling your story and being transparent, you will connect with many

individuals who share your former or current struggles.

• Knowing when it’s real hunger versus sugar and junk food cravings

Some common challenges • Dealing with unsupportive friends and of weight-loss seekers family include: • Finding a group of like• Confusion or lack of minded individuals who knowledge about basic share your wish for better nutrition health • Unlearning unhealthy • Setting and staying on habits and replacing with track with goals good habits

• Working on positive body image • Overcoming unhealthy eating patterns set by family early on • Not using food as a reward, form of emotional comfort, or as the theme for getting together

You can offer a survey for your followers to fill out. Or, you can send them a series of questions via email that they can work on independently and send to you for feedback.

Once you have everyone’s input, you can move • Making time for exercise forward and select one of the most common and fitness issues people face. Create • Meal planning, a month or season-long including shopping and theme around helping food prep people identify and solve their problem through • Managing cravings various means. • How drinking contributes to weight gain You might even launch a coaching program, ebook • Not using food as an or course around this emotional band-aid, challenge. Dive in, and cover-up for relationship problems, or escape from see where the adventure personal issues or making as a newer weight loss influencer takes you. needed changes • What to do when you start to backslide to unhealthy habits • Feeling self-conscious before, during and even after weight loss

What to Know About Becoming a Weight Loss Influencer Good things to know on your journey to becoming a weight loss influencer:

• … and other issues that may be unique to each You’ll evolve into the person process. The best way to find real- That’s the beauty of this life problems to work on, gig. You don’t come into either for yourself, onerole looking flawless on-one with a client, or in the to the point of seeming a small group coaching unreal to other people. setting, is to have a Q&A Instead, you can emerge session.

onto the weight loss scene at any phase or stage of your metamorphosis. Many new influencers start to gain immediate followers when they produce a before and after photo or series of photos that show dramatic health improvements. This is really the strongest evidence one can bring forward to prove that they have “been there and done that” and they qualify to help others follow in their footsteps. But it’s always smart to show your flawed realness – so try to be okay with people seeing you on your not-so-perfect days or weeks. You can always change your mind. Being an online influencer isn’t for everybody. The only way you’ll know if it’s right for you, is to try it out and see. You might even love it for a while, then decide to pursue something else. All of this is possible. You’re not locked into any one role or brand image. Your brand can evolve and change as you grow. If you start out as a weight

loss influencer as a single person in your early twenties, you could end up showing a new side of your personality, with newfound interests, as a postpartum mom of age 35, back in the weight loss and health game. You can reinvent yourself along the way. Just as your interests and priorities change as you gain life experience, learn new things, and acquire wisdom and a new perspective, so will your desire to look, act, speak and lead people a certain way. Remember that reinvention of the self is something people will expect of you as you learn and grow. They, too, will be evolving into a new version of themselves. You control the pace. One really cool thing about becoming a weight loss influencer is being able to time your moves to your own schedule.

You get to pace out your progress, your frequency and type of information sharing. You might even one day embark on the development of coaching

programs or learning materials whose ultimate purpose is to bring you income while helping people. How quickly you rise in popularity and influence as a health, wellness and weight loss expert, is entirely up to you. Part-time, full-time, sidegig… you choose.

open Zoom and start recording at-home workouts to share with paying members of your program. And maybe you do this every day, and have grown your “side income” to five figures or maybe even six! Great Reasons to Become a Weight Loss Influencer

Another factor to consider as you establish yourself in the weight loss niche: how committed and involved to you want to get?

Thinking of becoming a weight loss influencer? Here are some really good reasons why you should go for it.

Some people work a fulltime job at their chosen career. Then they come home and don their workout clothes.

You’ll be held accountable.

Or maybe you’re a stayhome mom who waits until the kids are off to school before you pop

Once you go public with your weight loss goals, you’ll feel a personal responsibility to live up to the role. Not only will you be answering to yourself, but you’ll also be reporting in to an entire group of

just decide that the health and wellness field holds a future for you. Rising to the challenge of being a weight loss influencer can spur you on to even greater achievements. From this experience you may develop substantial knowledge in the fields of nutrition, physical health and more. individuals who look to you as someone they respect and would like to emulate.

You’ll develop leadership skills.

This could take you to new places in your career – pursuit of a People will look up to you, health coaching degree, and you’ll be in the public or perhaps certification This means you’ll be more eye. It will be up to you to in health or medicine. Or decide how this feels or likely to set habits, strive you might decide that if you want to continue. for and reach goals, and you love promoting great But regardless, you’ll learn products online, and move celebrate milestones. how to lead – including on to becoming a brand experiencing firsthand the ambassador, independent You’ll find support and challenges of leaders. consultant or something camaraderie. You’ll come to understand else. the need to separate and At times, being a weight shield some of what you You’ll become more loss influencer might share as you lead. You’ll extroverted. feel like pressure bearing discover that timing down on you. You might counts for a lot… that Putting yourself out there even want to bail on circumstances can derail might feel weird at first. the project. But you’ll your plans and to just roll But in time, you’ll get also learn that setbacks with it… and so much comfortable with being are temporary, and you more. in the public eye. If you can move through the consider yourself a shy changes. The leadership skills person, this experience you build as a weight could help you blossom If you admit weakness to loss influencer, even and get more socially your group from time to if only a temporary comfortable. And if you time, they’ll empathize. experiment, can open really feel that putting And there’s a good chance the door of possibilities yourself out there isn’t for they’ll love you all the for advancement in you, you can always nix more as a leader, simply your career, becoming a the project and decide to for being vulnerable and community leader, and real. so much more. You might do something else.

How to Make Money as a Weight Loss Influencer Also known as a digital product, information products contain things like articles, step-bystep tutorials and instructions; graphic Weight-loss geared You have more than a few information products images to help convey possibilities when it comes could be a viable source of meaning; checklists; goals; to growing an income worksheets; journaling online income for you. online by way of a health assignments, and anything and fitness following. else you might want to What’s an information include that’s designed to Let’s explore these in some product? teach, inform and guide. detail. An information product What types of weight Make Money Offering is a PDF download of Weight Loss Information something like an ebook, loss info products can you offer? Products journaling challenge, workbook, white paper or Weight loss ebooks that Are you a weight loss special report. address specific challenges influencer, or are you Wondering how to make money by being transparent and public about your weight loss progress?

thinking of becoming one? Do you love to research, write and share information?

• Seasonal online cookbooks filled with healthy recipes • Meal plans, including grocery lists, food prep and recipes • Nutrition guides that teach the basics of eating healthy • Exercise routines and workouts • Weight loss journals for clients or followers to tackle individual problems, set and achieve goals • 30-day, 15-day or 10day challenges that touch on a specific theme – such as 30 days of plant-based eating.

topic at hand. Write it from scratch. It often helps to type or pen an outline of basic topics you want to touch upon in your information guide.

exercise tips on social media for a while now. You’ve started your own group. Now you’d like to create something that earns you income.

Purchase content with private label rights. Many articles on the topics of health, wellness, fitness and weight loss are already in existence. You’ll likely find enough to fill a book and then some. Just be sure to edit, cut, paste to make the content unique and to fit your overall theme and purpose.

What about an info product, like an ebook to download, special guide, or report of some kind?

Interview experts. A section of your ebook or guide could include an interview with a qualified Where to get content to expert. For example, if create nutrition guides, you’ve decided to include meal plans, recipe books yoga as part of your exercise guide to better and challenges? health, you can add a Q&A that you had with Research articles in a certified yoga teacher books and online. Watch who can educate on the documentaries and take basic poses and benefits notes. Quote experts of each. – including doctors, nutritionists, physical How to Create and Sell therapists, gym teachers, a Health and Wellness fitness instructors, health Information Product coaches and others. Gather statistics to help put a perspective on the

You’ve been posting weight loss, nutrition and

Yes. You have lots of options. People want to learn how to be healthy. They want a mental reset, and to undo the bad habits they developed early on, that cause them to gain weight. Many might want to work on challenges set and achieve weight loss goals. What should you know before creating an information product? • How to create a written report in MS Word or a similar program • How to add images to your publication • How to link to resources found on the web • How to make a PDF file It’s also helpful to have an email manager, like Aweber or Mail Chimp, to communicate via email

with current or future customers of your info products. If you don’t have that, yet, sign up right away and put a form on your website to start collecting contact info. Once you have your ebook ready, you’ll have gained an email following which means people who will likely purchase it. Who else might purchase an ebook from you? • People who visit your website and find helpful articles posted there • Social media followers who join your group or follow your page • Web surfers who find your ebook posted on other websites Simple steps to create an ebook for the weight loss niche:

Step 1: Decide on a topic that your readers would find interesting, helpful or useful.

Add your bio and head shot to the back. Add coaching upsells if you offer those.

Step 2: Gather information, including resources, stats, quotes and anything else that would aid in understanding.

Step 11: Add a title, cover page, copyright pages, page numbers, chapter pages and titles; and finally, a Table of Contents.

Step 3: Outline the chapters and sections of your information product, guide or ebook.

Step 12: Proofread several more times and check formatting.

Step 4: Write the guide (can be done by a professional writer). Step 5: Edit the writing; tune up the voice; add, change, move, cut, develop certain sections. Step 6: Proofread Step 7: Format fonts, colors, type treatments Step 8: Add images

Step 9: Add extra elements like graphs, charts, diagrams, summaries, If you’re new to ebook checklists, tips in the creation, you may have sidebar, testimonials, case to research or ask for studies, and anything information from people who have experience with else that will enhance the works. creating ebooks. You can also outsource all or part of this to a virtual assistant. Step 10: Brand yourself. 15

Step 13: Turn into a PDF file. Step 14: Upload the PDF to your chosen platform to sell as an automatic download. Step 15: Create a limited time offer or bundle deal featuring the product. Step 16. Write sales copy and set up a sales page where customers can order the product. Step 17. Create all emails, blog and social posts, and related promotional materials. Step 18. Launch and market your digital product!

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From Typical Guy to Fitness Champ: How Joshua Self Learned the Right Way to Work Out 17

Whenever I meet someone who challenges my knowledge about physiology and fitness, I just know I’ve got to invite them into the magazine. That’s what happened when I met two-time Arnold Champion Joshua Self. In the first half hour of talking to Joshua, I learned more about human physiology and exercise than I have in the past two decades of dedicated selfstudy. So sit back, relax and get ready to challenge what you think you know about working out!

And I’m like, “Compete in what?” He’s like, “You know, bodybuilding.” I laughed at him.

typical guy. You learn your basic exercises either from your high school coach or a buddy in the gym, so I did what I’d been taught I never considered to do, doing all your basic myself a bodybuilder. exercises. Then, when I He showed me a picture was backstage getting of him competing and ready for Mr. Olympia, this introduced me to the guy came up to me and sport. I started looking into said, “Hey, do you want to it and saw a fitness model come to Venice to Gold’s search coming up in Vegas Gym to do a photo shoot?” for Mr. Olympia. Before I agreed and a month later becoming a bodybuilder, went to Venice Beach and I’d been a Chippendale did the photo shoot and and a fashion model, so some video. I had a good look, and I knew I could do well, so I A month after we did went for it. It was a huge the shoot, the guy sent Dennis Postema: What competition, about 129 me a video explaining got you started in competitors, and I made everything I’d been bodybuilding? it to the top five. Mike doing wrong during my O’Hearn was one of the exercises. I thought, Well, Joshua Self: In 2012 I guest judges, and after I either I can listen to him graduated from college for went onstage, he asked or I can listen to my ego visual effects and motion me to come back out, but and say, Screw you, I know graphics. I was living in unfortunately, I didn’t hear what I’m doing. I decided Vegas, where I spent a him. After the contest, I to listen to him, and the year looking for a job as a thought, “What am I going more I talked to him, the 3D artist. I found out that to do now?” I realized I more I learned how to those jobs are primarily liked competing, and I exercise correctly, which found in cities like New saw the next competition is so different from what York, LA, or Toronto, so I coming up, so I competed most of us are taught. couldn’t really find a job in that and I think I got for my skill sets. After second. Nowadays, I look at that realization, on New trainers in the gym and I Year’s Day of 2013, I went Then I just kept going and see them training people to the gym and I never going. wrong, and I feel like I left. I just kept going and want to go up and say going. One day, maybe Dennis: What was your something, but I just a month or two into physique like before you can’t. I do go up and talk working out, this guy started competing? to people a lot, though. came up to me and said, I don’t care how big “Hey, do you compete?” Joshua: I was just your you are, if you’re doing

overhead presses or using a dumbbell for a side raise, I’ll go up and explain what you’re doing wrong and show them how, and most of the time they listen to me. Sometimes their ego will get to them and they’ll brush me off, but hey, I’ve helped some people.

instance, your upper pecs, what’s the typical exercise for your upper pecs? Dennis: Usually some type of incline bench press—

Joshua: Everybody thinks incline press is the best exercise. The origin of your Dennis: Can we walk pecs lies on your clavicle. through a few of the If you draw a line from exercises that are taught your shoulder across to wrong the traditional your other shoulder, how way? much of your pectoral muscle is above that line? Joshua: Sure! It all begins Pretty much none. So with education. If you take when you’re performing a look at the anatomy of an incline press, you’re the human body, you’ll pushing away from that see the direction the bone, away from the muscle fibers are running. origin. That means the A muscle has two anchor resistance is going onto points, a beginning and your front delts, not onto an end. The beginning, your pecs. But if you do or origin, is kind of like a flat dumbbell press, an anchor point that’s now that muscle is going connected to a bone and straight to the clavicle, it doesn’t move, and then making a flat dumbbell usually that muscle runs press the most efficient along a bone, crosses a exercise. joint by a tendon, and inserts into another bone, Dennis: What do we do which that muscle moves, for lower pecs? and that’s called the insertion. Joshua: Your lower pecs lie on your ribs, so you want Muscles always pull from to do an extreme decline. the insertion to the origin For most muscles, you only of the muscle, always. have to do one exercise Knowing that fact, you because they’re pulling on can figure out the proper the bone in one direction. motion to work each Except for your pectoral individual muscle. For muscles in your trapezius,

they have more than one origin. Those fibers are running in more than one direction, so you want to do a different angle. I do three different angles for my pecs and three for my trapezius. Dennis: How about biceps? Joshua: Biceps require just one exercise. It’s pulling on the radius bone, your forearm bone, and it’s pulling upwards. Your biceps is a very fragile muscle. A lot of people will tear it even doing deadlifts. If you just put your arms out on a table and put weight on it, it will hurt. That’s because the muscle is pulling one way and the resistance is going straight down. I always start off with the least resistance at the beginning of the motion. Biceps are the only muscle I don’t do that. Your muscles are strongest when they’re elongated and weakest when they’re contracted. For most muscles, in order to get bigger and stronger in the fastest way possible, you want to have the heaviest resistance at the beginning of the motion. Biceps are the exception, just because

Dennis: What would you suggest instead of the overhead press?

routine. In order to reach your goals, you have to have a consistent routine. As for exercises, you pretty Joshua: The main function much want to do opposite of a muscle is to move the muscle groups. So if I flex bone that’s attached to it my biceps, the opposite in a specific way. The front muscle—my triceps—is delt moves the humerus, totally relaxed. Opposite the upper arm bone, muscles cannot contract forward. When you do an Dennis: With your at the same time. So it overhead press, you rotate style of training, how makes a lot of sense to the humerus over, and much less likely is work opposite muscle you’re pushing up, which somebody to get injured groups on the same day. is moving the humerus in comparison to the forward. Yes, it’ll build the Day one would be my traditional way? muscle, but at the cost of chest and back. Day two, Joshua: It really depends injury. maybe all three heads upon the individual’s goal. of my shoulders and my If your goal is to get as big What I like to do is upper traps. Day three and strong as possible, lay down on a bench, would be arms, abs and then you’re going to start palms up, elbows in, lower back. The final day adding more weight. The and go straight up. That would be my legs and my more weight you put on, moves the humerus obliques. Then I’ve got to the more likely you’re forward without force myself to take a day going to injure yourself. causing impingement off, so I do a 4-1 split. Longevity also factors in. If syndrome. You get the you do the overhead press headiest resistance at the Morning is my favorite beginning of the motion time to work out since for years and years and and the least at the end. that’s when I feel the years, that tendon, your So it’s the safest, most freshest. I like to consume supraspinatus tendon, efficient exercise you water in the morning with gets pinched between my electrolytes and then two bones every time you can do, and because it’s pulling on that bone in go to the gym, but the do this motion, so you’re rule is you need to give not going to feel it. Some one direction, that’s the might not feel it for years, only exercise you need to each muscle 72 hours to do. rest because when you’re but then eventually they in the gym working out, will because it’s just how the body works. Overhead Dennis: What does your you’re actually getting weaker. You’re making that press is a horrible exercise, routine look like when you’re training? muscle weaker. It’s the but yet everybody thinks recovery time that makes that’s the only exercise Joshua: I have a hard time you bigger and stronger, you need to do to hit taking a day off. I enjoy so that recovery time is your front delt, which working out, and it’s a crucial. absolutely is not true. of how they’re pulling on the bone. With biceps, you always want to start off with a hammer grip and rotate up, activating your forearm bones to assist in the lift through the danger zone, and as you come up. This will reduce injury.

Dennis: What are the most important things to do during recovery? Joshua: Sleep. Sleep is the best thing you can do. After my workout, I’m exhausted. If I’m working my bigger muscles, like my chest and my back, those are hard days to keep going after my workout, so sleep is the best thing. As for protein, I am kind of mixed on protein. I’ve talked to a few doctors. One says that you’ll never go deficient in protein and your body recycles your protein through your enzymes and your small intestines.

Joshua: People say you need about eight cups of water a day. I think that’s not very good for you. Your blood is made up of red and white blood cells, and it’s also made of plasma. Plasma is made up of water and electrolytes. When you drink a lot of water, you flush out all your electrolytes, which your body needs to recover from being sick, for the immune system and just to function.

When you wake up in the morning, you’re dehydrated. So I have about a 32-ounce cup of water with electrolytes in it. You need about 4,700 milligrams of potassium a day, 520 grams of magnesium a day, and Red meat is probably the 2,300 grams of sodium. best thing for you because That’s like eating seven it has all your B vitamins to 10 cups of cruciferous that you need to build vegetables a day. That’s a muscle and your creatine. lot of vegetables to eat, so I also like whole eggs. you have to supplement. It’s all about absorption. If your body can absorb I use a supplement the protein that you’re powder that has about taking in, that’s what really 1,000 milligrams of matters. I like shellfish as potassium in it. I drink that well, but these things are first thing in the morning. so expensive. Then, I have a plant-based So, all these bodybuilders and professionals who think that you need to do one gram of protein per pound of body weight, are they wrong? I really don’t know.

Dennis: That’s not a bad philosophy. That’s a good way to look at it. What is your water intake per day?

protein before I work out. I take a pre-workout, then I work out, and as I work out, I’m sipping on electrolytes. Afterward, I taper off my water intake because I don’t want to flush out all my electrolytes. So after my workout, I only drink water when I’m thirsty. Dennis: How long do you plan on competing? Joshua: My last competition was Mr. Olympia 2022. I got fourth and fifth and I said that was going to be my last competition. I took four months off before I decided that I worked this hard and I enjoy the sport, I enjoy competing, I enjoy going to the gym, I enjoy teaching … why would I give up on it? So, I don’t have a set date. I’m just going to keep going. Dennis: Do you do anything on a daily basis that keeps you motivated? Is it just automatic discipline or automatic habits? Joshua: I think being an athlete was ingrained in me ever since I was a kid. I played all your regular sports—football, basketball, track, and before I started working

out, I played basketball for three hours every day. My first love was basketball. I loved showing off—I could jump, I could do 360s and behind my back with two hands. Once I hit the gym, the gym replaced basketball. So, I’m a competitor deep down inside, and I need that physical activity. I guess it kind of keeps my ego going. We all have some type of ego, but I try to stay as humble as possible.

After my accident, I sat in a wheelchair for five months, and this was all during COVID. So, I went through a depression, lost about 20 pounds of muscle, and shaved my hair off. After the lockdowns, the first day the gym opened up, I decided to go back. Right before I went to the gym, I told my wife to take a picture of me as I stood there with this leg brace on.

As she took a picture, I said, “I’m going to compete in Mr. Olympia.” Dennis: Tell me about I think that was in the setbacks you’ve December that year, so I faced. had about six months to get my body ready. I just Joshua: In 2020 I got into went back to the gym and a motorcycle accident and I could hit all my muscle I broke my talus bone. A groups by sitting down car just came and hit me or lying down because of broadside. I broke four ribs the way I trained. I knew and shattered my ankle I could do it. I had the bone. To this day, I have knowledge and I still had issues with my ankle. I the drive. I was tired of can’t really bend it. looking at myself in the mirror, remembering what I’ve got nerve damage I used to look like. I wanted throughout my entire foot. that old feeling back. I I can walk normally with wanted my old self back, shoes on, but I am pretty so I went back to the gym stiff-legged without shoes and I did it. on. I limped on the stage at Prior to the accident, I’d Mr. Olympia, so I couldn’t just competed in Mexico really focus on my posing and the WFF World that well as much. I was Championships. I got losing my balance and second in the pro division. stuff like that, but I did it.

I didn’t place, but I set a goal and I accomplished it, and I never quit. After that, I competed in Dexter Jackson. I got first in the open and in Masters, and then I went back to Mr. Olympia and I got fourth and fifth, and so now I’ve got the Arnold set. I want to go back and compete in the Arnold, and then maybe after that, I might do this national show in Pittsburgh. Dennis: What’s the plan with your teaching? How can people get in contact with you to really start to follow what you’re doing and learn the proper way to work out? Joshua: I have a course online at joshuafitness. com. I used my 3D artistry skills to break down each muscle and show the insertion and the origin points and give you the reasons why certain exercises are the best, and I show you exactly what to do. To take Joshua’s class, visit joshuafitness.com. To keep up with Joshua’s journey, check out his Instagram page at https://www. instagram.com/joshuaself. esi/.

Joshua discusses the importance of diet. People don’t understand what food does to your body, what carbs do to your body. Carbs turn to sugar, which is toxic to our body. That’s why our bodies use glucose first—because that is what carbs turn into, so it’s always going to use the glucose first before it does fats because it wants it out of your body. Sugar causes so many diseases and health issues. People either don’t realize this or they don’t want to be told about it because they enjoy the foods they’re eating, but they become insulin resistant, meaning that the insulin can’t do its job anymore, so it turns into fat and makes you have a fatty liver. When you see these people with big bellies, they have a fatty liver because the liver can’t take in the glucose anymore, so it just turns into fat. That’s why keto is probably the best way to eat. Keto is just basically cutting out all sugar.

When it comes to protein, you want to make sure that your protein is from a good source. Farms feed their cows all these grains and just fatten them up, so it’s not high-quality protein unless it’s grass-fed or grass-finished. Same thing with chickens. You’ve got these huge warehouses full of chickens in cages. These chickens should be outside eating bugs, so when you get your eggs and your chicken, you should get pasture-raised. It’s worth paying a little extra money for healthier food to avoid big hospital bills at the end of your life.

Using Cravings to Your Healthy Advantage

Here’s a fascinating topic on the subject of weight loss. How many of us are plagued with cravings while on a supposed diet? And how many of us actively ignore those cravings?

A craving for salt could mean your body is low on minerals.

Some call these electrolytes - the essential sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, selenium and We have different reasons other positively-charged metals that are present in for craving certain foods at certain times. The closer certain foods. Our body you pay attention to your needs minerals to function properly. body and what it’s trying to tell you, the healthier Instead of binging on junk you can be. food brands, try a healthier option for getting salt and Craving salty chips? All of minerals: your favorite snack foods contain MSG - a highHomemade pickles (made sodium food that puts with garlic, dill, no sugar stress on your kidneys. added)

Seaweed snacks - check the label and choose ones with simple ingredients. NO MSG! Celery and peanut butter. Veggies like celery, that are grown in the ground in rich, fertile soil contain essential minerals your body needs to thrive. Seafood. Selenium-rich seafood is wonderful for the body. A nice meal of mussels marinara over brown rice or wheat pasta, will provide the missing minerals your body may be craving. Root vegetables - carrots, beets, turnips, potatoes

(sweet and white). Drizzle with olive oil and roast for tonight’s dinner wonderful for the health. Just go easy on portions as many root veggies are also high in sugar.

oil; nut and seed oils like sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seed oil and their seeds.

Eat fat in smaller portions, and combine with healthy plants for If you’re craving fatty better absorption. This is foods, like cheeseburgers generally why we eat and and bacon...Your hormone enjoy salads with oil-based health may need a boost. dressings. Fat is needed for hormone, brain and nervous system Eating small quantities function. As we age, do we of saturated fat along need more fat? The answer with bitter greens is is likely yes... but which a win for your health. kind? Mediterranean dishes like sausage and broccoli rabe, Different fats affect the escarole and sausage, or consistency of the blood. a side salad of dandelion We have long been taught salad make perfect that eating too much fat sense. The two (fat and clogs the arteries. But bitter greens) cancel one how to get your body the another out, and work to essential fats it needs to be balance the body’s blood healthy? chemistry.

something sweet, try a lean or healthy protein snack or small meal first. Afterward, it will be likely that the strong urge for sugar has subsided. Still really want something sweet? Your body might benefit from a small amount of fruit. Unlike processed sugar which goes straight to the pancreas and liver and taxes the organs of your body when you eat it, real fruit contains fiber to slow your digestion. That means eating real fruit won’t send your blood sugar levels soaring and lead to diabetes down the road.

Also, certain fruits have certain health benefits. Limit the amount of fat It’s even possible that Examples: raisins are high you eat. A meal that’s high small amounts of in iron. Bananas contain in fat from fatty meats saturated fats may help us potassium which balances and cheese is delicious, absorb the vitamins and but throws off the body’s minerals present in green, the sodium levels of your balance. leafy and bitter vegetables. body’s cells. Bananas and apples also balance the Limit saturated fats. Avoid Craving sugar and sweets. gut. if you’re in the obese category, and looking to If you’re craving sugar, it’s Adding limited amounts lower your percentage of likely that your stress levels of fruit to the daily rotation body fat. are high and your body can be a good thing. Try is looking for that brain half of a fruit like a banana, Choose healthy fats chemical cocktail that apple, peach or pear. Save like olives and olive oil, brings about calm feelings. the other half to share avocado and avocado with a friend or enjoy later. oil; coconut and coconut Instead of reaching for

Essential Practices to Help You Eat Healthy Every Day Having trouble making healthy eating choices? Your overall strategy for avoiding that hangry feeling while trying to lose weight is to have access to fresh healthy foods at all times. This means working a weekly trip to the grocery store in that includes stocking up on lots of healthy, fresh veggies, fruits and other nutritious foods.

Let’s run through grocery store sections and cover some nutrition-filled staples to keep on hand: Produce section: Fresh salad ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery, sprouts and other perishable favorites. Kale and cabbage for cooking. Don’t buy them all at once – pick a few for each week’s supply. Fruit like bananas and apples (both great for digestion – just choose smaller portions). Frozen foods section: Cookable veggies like broccoli, spinach, green beans, corn. Meat and deli: Lean chicken, lean ground turkey. Alternate forms of red meat every once in a while – like lamb and buffalo. Lean cold-cut turkey breast. Dairy:

soups. Cans and bags of beans. Breads, pastas and cereals: Choose whole-grain varieties. Brown rice and quinoa. Snacks: Whole-grain crackers. Unpopped popcorn. Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, unrefined coconut oil, sesame oil. Packaged goods:

• A hard-boiled egg and small container of cooked broccoli. • Homemade yogurt dip and cucumber slices. • Healthy turkey jerky and a cup of blueberries. • If it turns out that you grow to love certain healthy snacks, be sure to keep them in the rotation. If you get bored of the same old food, you can always change it up with new healthy snacking ideas.

Stock up on storage containers. Small sandwich bags keep portions of things like crackers under control. Grab and go!

Do your food prep ahead of time. Select a day or a few days of the week to prepare meal staples like whole grains (i.e. brown rice) in advance, to stock the fridge.

Purchase a portable lunch box that’s easy to clean. Prepare and package your snacks ahead of time so you’ll have them on the go. Pick up a couple of freezer packs to keep your food fresh.

Cook and store chicken to use in recipes each day. Boil up some eggs to grab and go as needed. Fill up lunch boxes at night so you can take along a healthy meal.

Some ideas for quick Eggs, lowfat milk, aged healthy snacks include: cheeses like cheddar, plain • Whole grain crackers, a yogurt. small amount of cheese or natural peanut Canned foods: butter, and a half an apple. Healthy, low-sodium

Fueling your body on time and with the right foods will ensure that you can meet your weight loss goals and get healthy too.