Jordan Ristow Coaching

Let’s be real

Most people start lifting because they want to look good naked

And don’t really focus on the long term benefits

But one day you look around at your peers

And you notice how terrible they look

And how unhealthy they are

And you can’t quite understand it

Because you’ve been working out and taking care of yourself

And you rarely get sick

So while your initial motivation had to do with how you looked

It changes to how you feel compared to everyone else

And now you have the drive to keep showing up

Feels good doesn’t it?

With all the misinformation about diet and nutrition floating around

It can be tough to know what you should or shouldn't eat

Pale. Keto. Vegan. Carnivore.

Every group claims their diet is the ultimate one that will solve all of your problems

But most of the time the best approach is a simple, balanced approach

Prioritize real foods

Minimize the processed foods

And see how much better you feel

You can use the items on this post as your shopping guide the next time you're in the store

You hear so many voices telling you to avoid different foods

At the end of the day you have to decide on a diet that works for you

Here's 5 simple rules I follow to keep my nutrition simple:

1. Eat veggies
You need the nutrients they have. Period. So pick some that you like and sprinkle them in your meals

2. Minimize sugar intake
Whether you believe sugar is good for you or bad for you... it doesn't have nutrients your body needs. All you get when you eat it is extra calories. So minimize it just as a way of controlling your calorie intake

3. Avoid most packaged foods
If it comes in a package, it has been designed to hit certain pleasure centers in your brain. Which drives you to eat more of it. So don't even buy the stuff.

4. Prioritize protein from real sources
Piggy backing on number 3, eat protein from real sources. Chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc. A whey shake as supplementation can be useful, but don't try to get all your protein from them

5. Add in rice or potatoes for complex carbs
Your body needs carbs to fuel. Rice and potatoes have been a staple in societies diets going back thousands of years for a reason. Use them in your meals.

It can be overwhelming figuring out your nutrition

Every guru tells you something different

You need to cut out carbs
You need to eliminate fats
You just need to eat protein

It's frustrating

But just remember every one of them is trying to sell you their solution

But if you can't stick to their solution it won't work for you

Find a style of eating that you can follow
Reduce how many calories you're eating
Prioritize protein

And stick with that plan for longer than a week
That's how you set yourself up for long term success

You work so much to put money into savings to fund your retirement

But you can't take 1 hour a day to invest in your health?

On average you will spend $150,000 on medical care in your retirement years

Care that will just limp you along until you die

Treating conditions that you could prevent with some simple lifestyle changes today

So is it worth it to invest 1 hour today to reduce how much you spend on medical care in retirement?

What about improving your quality of life in retirement?

Keep it simple when it comes to your health and fitness

- Lift heavy weights
- Hit some longer cardio
- Eat real food in moderate amounts

This is ‘good enough’ for most people

After a few years of consistency at the basics, you can worry about what’s optimal

Are you going to die from lifestyle diseases?

When I was younger I watched my grandfather and mom struggle with the complications of type 2 diabetes

And that shaped my approach to life during my 20’s

Now I wasn’t always perfect

I drank more than I should have

But focusing on these 3 main points has helped me avoid most serious problems facing men in their 30’s

1. Eat real food, not packaged nonsense
2. Strive to get 8 hours of quality sleep each night
3. Daily exercise, even a simple walk is beneficial

I know, these aren’t the easiest things to do

But your future self will thank you

Have you made these a priority?

I grew up playing soccer

When I watched all of the greats, it seemed like they were playing a different game than I was

The passes they would make

Somehow the ball would magically squeak past the defender

Space that was empty now had a teammate there ready to collect the ball

It was like they were puppet masters pulling all of the strings

And for the longest time I thought they just had some natural skill that I didn't get

But what I realized later on was they had developed mental tools that allowed them to read situations

And predict what the best move was to get them a positive outcome

As I moved through life I spent hundreds of hours digging into these mental tools

And now I'm sharing them with you

Want in? Shoot me a DM

Have you ever had that one team member you had to follow up with non-stop to see results?

They do great work but it just feels like you have to remind them to get it done.

It can be frustrating as a manager to deal with this

You might be tempted to give them feedback on it

Or make threats

But pause for a minute

I’d bet if you explored their strengths, they score low in the ex*****on area

And if you understand this, you can partner with them to figure out how to manage their ex*****on tasks better

Maybe they need to implement a to do list or an automated reminder needs to be set up

Whatever the case, don’t scare them off before you get to the root cause of the issue

Once you’ve diagnosed it you can help them manage it

Which builds more team loyalty and creates a more effective team

Not sure how to do this? Shoot me a DM and let’s chat

37% of people are unhappy at work

If you have a team of 10, that means almost 4 of them will be unhappy

What does that mean for you as the leader?

It means your team isn't as productive as it could be

It means your team isn't creating as much value as it could be

But worst of all, it means members of your team dread showing up for work in the morning

And as much as it stings to hear...

You own responsibility for that

But here's the good news, you can also help change it!

Here's how:

• Give your people a purpose
• Understand each members strengths and leverage them
• Fight as hard as you can to remove any obstacles to implementing those first two items

When your people know what they're working towards, feel empowered to show up in their strengths and know you have their back...

That's when you'll see a highly engaged team.

Not sure how to accomplish this? Shot me a DM and let's chat.

How can you lead your team...

If you don't know where you're leading them to?

A lot of organizations struggle to get buy in because there is no overarching mission for the company

As a team lead, you can't point out how your teams work fits in with that overarching mission

And so you spend most of your time putting out fires instead of doing work that makes an impact

Figure out your company's mission

Figure out your teams role in advancing that mission

Now you can gain their buy in and move initiatives forward

If you want to do anything in life you need to build a community

You need to be able to influence people and win them to your cause

Use these ideas from David Ogilvy to make your writing and speaking more persuasive

David out angled me on this one…

But it was still a blast at the first ever Cold Cowboy Club in Boise