Work

Attaining Workout Consistency and Simplicity With Kevin Schoen

Kevin Schoen knows a little about breaking things down and rebuilding them—two key stages in both weight training and business. After sensing an unmistakable call to leave his promising career in public accounting, Kevin quit his stable, solvent job and returned to his hometown with nothing but plans to be part of the area’s long-overdue revival.

Sensing the imminent economic churning, Kevin partnered with me to launch Postema Capital Lending, where we focus on providing top-notch services to borrowers, helping them navigate the dynamic lending space that affects so many areas of their well-being.

This, however, isn’t enough for Kevin. As he likes to say, “If you are in something for

the long haul, you need to take care of your body.” Which is exactly what Kevin has helped many of his friends do with his informal coaching. Today, we talked about how beginners can get into the habit of consistent exercise, and Kevin shares some simple moves for people who are just starting out.

Dennis Postema: A lot of our readers are probably wondering why two financial industry pros are so into fitness and nutrition. What would you tell them?

Kevin Schoen: You don’t last in this industry without passion. As financial professionals, you and I are both driven to help people achieve their goals, and I want to do that for as long as possible, which means I also need to be passionate about fitness.

I’m not a fitness pro or athlete, but I’ve been an intense practitioner and student of fitness and health for decades, and I’ve always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and giving advice to people along the way. One of the things I’m most interested in is the transition from being a couch potato to getting consistent exercise.

Dennis: So what are a few big-picture pieces of advice you would give somebody about diet and nutrition?

Kevin: You’ve got to do what works for you.

Dennis: That is so true. Fitness is not a one-sizefits-all thing. Whether it’s keto, Mediterranean or vegan, you have to find what works for you.

Kevin: Exactly. But the real change starts when you show up and make the decision to adjust your lifestyle. That’s the number one decision. And while everyone has a different body, digestive tract and needs, there are three things I think almost everyone can do.

First is to limit your sugar. Sugar is a toxin. It doesn’t mean never eat it; do something that’s achievable. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a cookie every now and then, but limit that every day and consciously think of ways to reduce the sugar in your diet.

Second is to avoid alcohol. Alcohol does not do any good for you. It does a lot of the same things that sugar does. It will give you hangovers, it can cause you to gain weight in certain spots, and it can affect your mental clarity. I haven’t had a single drink in a year, and my skin’s feeling better, my joints are feeling better, I think sharper—it’s been excellent.

Finally, listen to your body and what it’s telling you. Stop for a minute and consider how full you are after eating, how your stomach feels, how different parts of your body react to various foods. Everyone has a different body; different things make us tick differently.

Dennis: I once read somewhere that sugar is actually more addictive than cocaine, which is certainly something to keep in mind if you want to reduce your intake and you struggle with it. What strategies would you suggest to people who struggle to make fitness a consistent part of their lifestyle?

Kevin: First, get into the habit of actually holding yourself accountable. Come up with some kind

of plan. Are you going to go to a gym? Are you going to work out at home or some kind of combination of those? Figure out what that’s going to be. Then secure your gym membership or your home equipment, set it up, and figure out what exercises you’re going to do.

Next, try to work out at the same time every day. Whenever you do it, whether that’s three days a week or five days a week or six days a week, do it around the same time.

One other thing is to try to get past any feelings of intimidation about working out or going to a gym. The gym, a class, or even a solo outdoor workout can be overwhelming to people. You might not know how to use the machines, or you might worry you don’t have the right posture, or maybe you think people are critiquing your body— you have to get past all that because the truth is, no one who matters is judging you. And if you’re at the gym, remember you can always ask for help!

Dennis: You are so right about the judgments. I can assure you that 95% of people respect those that they see working out, no matter what shape they are in. I also agree with your suggestion to work out at the same time each day. I have to work out in the morning. I can’t do it in the evening after a long day at work because I’ll take any excuse to go home instead of the gym. So I make it automatic by having the same routine in the morning on workout days. What are some of the benefits of consistently exercising?

Kevin: Our bodies are meant to be active, and they’re meant to be strong and they’re meant to be quick and agile. We need this. This is how we survived for hundreds of thousands of years, chasing down deer and throwing spears at wooly mammoths.

We did that with active bodies. We did not do that with soft, overweight bodies. Your body is meant to be in good shape, and it can do it. Doesn’t matter where you are right now. You can get to that shape. And it’s remarkable the gains you can experience as a new lifter in the first two months, if you really hit it hard. Once you get over the frustration of the first two weeks where you feel weird and awkward and it hurts, and everything’s just the worst thing ever. If you can get over that and work out hard for two months, you can make so many gains— way more than I can make in two months, because once you get mature muscle, it takes a long time to go up five pounds on the bench press or whatever.

It’s hard to get over that initial hump, but realize there are so many rewards waiting for you. If you can make it over that, you can make some serious, serious gains in those first few months.

Dennis: Those are all great points.

One thing that people need to understand is that you can start out five minutes a day. It does not need to be a full-on, hour-long workout from the start. I always suggest that people create a power hour in the morning and just focus on self-development, kind of filling your cup, meditating, relaxing, journaling, and a small five-minute workout. After you’ve done that for

a certain period of time, increase it to 10 minutes.

Thinking it has to be an all-or-nothing, hour-long workout is a myth that can scare people away from getting started. What are some other common myths or pitfalls you’ve seen, and what can people do to avoid them?

Kevin: One of the big ones I hear is people thinking they will go to the gym and lose a certain amount of weight, and then they will lift weights and get big. So get rid of the fat first and then gain the muscle. This may sound good in some people’s heads, but that is the wrong order to approach this.

Either focus on losing the weight and building muscle simultaneously or build the muscle first, then lose the fat. You see, when you have big fat stores, that’s a great source of energy for building muscle quicker. It’s more efficient than even the calories you’re taking in throughout the day. So weight training is going to burn that fat, which is good for both body composition changes and muscle building. Once