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Discipline Over Motivation: Stuart Hoffman on Fitness, Fasting, and Showing Up Anyway · The Unsexy Businessmen

• Alex: Welcome to another edition of the Unsexy Podcast, where we talk about the unsexy side of everything. And I was about to say something that Erin and I say every single time, which is today we have a very, very special guest. We need to come up with another way of describing our guests. Today we have the today we have ⁓ a very average, very average, very average, not great guest. I don't know if you're gonna want to listen to this one, everybody. No, we have an awesome person. ⁓ we have Aaron: We have a mediocre guest. Stuart Hoffman: We have an unsexy guest. Aaron: Inspired the name of Unsexy. Alex: Do do you like Stu or Stuart? Okay, we got Stuart Hoffman Hoffman on the call. I I know him for my LDS mission. ⁓ and so I knew him as Elder Hoffman or Hoffman, ⁓ depending on on the day and ⁓ conversations. I actually wanted to start off by saying the reason that you're a very, very special guest is ⁓ this week, yesterday in fact, no no no, two days ago, I saw a post that Hoffman posted. Stuart Hoffman: Stew, stew dog, stewart, whatever. Alex: That was it was you with the voiceover of someone's talking about discipline. And that discipline is doing the things you're supposed to do when you don't want to do them. I kid you not, yesterday, after I heard that thing, ⁓ yesterday was shoulders and biceps, I was about 15 to 20 minutes into my workout. I was just like, and I have like this I'm doing 75 hearts, so I have like timed intervals that I have to do. And so I was at like 20 minutes. I was like, F this man, it's okay if I don't do it for a single day, and then I hear the the little discipline stuff that you posted, and then I made it to the full hour. ⁓ didn't get I just took a quick two minute rest and then I was back at it. So thanks for posting the inspirational stuff that you're posting. ⁓ but first I just want to open it up to you. You you're looking awesome. Like you're looking majorly ripped in the pictures that I've been seeing. And I'm just curious, like, how did this all begin? What was the impetus? Stuart Hoffman: So for me, I I just got to a point in my life, you know, I got obviously I got off my mission, got married, and then just got, you know, right into the workforce and just health wasn't wasn't like a top priority for me. I mean I I feel like I'd always stayed kind of fairly active. I always, you know, played sports or just like pick up basketball or even football or Like I'd always go to the gym and work out, you know, and lift weights and but it was never it was never really something that you know how do I put this? It was never something that I set goals for and really tried to accomplish. It was just something that I had always done. You know, ever since high school, it was like, hey, let's go lift weights, let's go play basketball. ⁓ and then obviously, you know, all the all the the stories about like when you turn thirty your body starts to shut down, like one thousand percent. That was that was always the case. It was like, okay, well the older I get, the longer it it's gonna take to recover and and do the things that I wanted to do. And and part of it was was my kids and my family. You know, I I was I was I was going down a path, at least in my head, that I was projected to be, you know, kind of one of those overweight fathers that couldn't play or throw throw football or or play basketball with their kids. So I just remember vividly sitting at my kitchen table working, right? And my kids were in the background, they were, they were doing their thing, they were running amok, whatever. My wife was sitting on the couch and and I ran across a program, you know, a fitness program that I just I just clicked with in a way. And for me, I was just like I just kind of I listened to it all it while I was working and then finally I just kinda paused and and was talking with my wife and went through the interview process, did the whole thing and I I got through it all and for me it was it was it was quite the investment at that that time for me, right? And I was going back and forth, it was like, Ugh, you know, like let's listen to it, let's let's see what the pitch is and then I got the pitch and was like, ⁓ this is gonna be too much money, too, too expensive. And so I just remember I I I remember sitting there that night and just thinking and and I told her I was like I'm just I'm just kinda tired. I'm just kinda tired of looking the way that I look and feeling the way that I feel all the time. Like it's time to it's time to to make a decision and just roll with it. Right. And so that was kind of the turning point. I did I did the program for about a year and then left and then started to do my own thing. And then kinda plateaued again, you know, kind of fell back into the same rut of just kind of showing up and and running through the motion. And if if if you're into fitness, I mean you know it. It's it's it's a daily battle, it's a daily struggle, it's daily goals, it's you have to show up every single day. ⁓ and you have to stay disciplined because it is. It's it's a daily thing. It's not something that you can just build in one day or get fast results. It's I'm gonna stay committed for the long term. And then your your your mission and your vision and your purpose all have to outweigh all the suck. Like you clearly have to define exactly what it is and why it is that you're doing these things because on those days that you show up to the gym and you don't want a shoulder press or squat or freaking zercher zercher squat or whatever, whatever the stupid movement is, you've gotta look back and say, I'm doing it because of this, right? And it's gotta be so strong. Aaron: Yes. Yeah. Alex: So so like when did this start? Yeah, when was like the timeline for this? Aaron: What was the y yeah. Stuart Hoffman: So let's see, for me, I think I started kind of my fitness journey. I wanna say 2018 is kind of where I really started to to hone in everything, right? And then there was there was definitely a I wanna say two to four year stint between kind of programs that I that I signed up for and participated in of just like plateau. Alex: Wow. Stuart Hoffman: where I made a lot of progress, I lost a lot of weight, I lost a lot of body fat percentage, and then I kinda just maintained everything. Right. And so there was that like up and down, just kinda maintained for two to four years and then kinda got sick of where I was again and was like, okay, time to buckle in and and get back on now. Aaron: What was your what was your starting weight? Stuart Hoffman: Believe it or not, I was I was at my heaviest at like two forty, two fifty. Aaron: You were really fat. No, I'm just trying. I was like 280. I was like 280. ⁓ and so was it was it all right, so you got to 240. Let's say this is in was like 2018. Was what was like the what was the goal? Like you're like ⁓ you wanted to start working out, whatever, but did you have like a hey, I want to hit this weight goal, or was it like a body fat percentage, or what was it? Stuart Hoffman: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alex: Ha ha ha. Stuart Hoffman: Yeah. Yeah, for me, I mean for me, I just started off like I just wanted to s to start working out, right? And I wanted to lose body fat per like to me, weight that number didn't ever really mean anything to me. 'Cause I could be two hundred and fifty and and eight percent body fat. You know what I mean? Like it just totally depends. And so for me it was more or less a body fat percentage number or target or goal that I was always trying to achieve. 'Cause as as you guys know, like on weight loss journeys and things like that, like Aaron: Sure. Mm-hmm. Sure, sure. Stuart Hoffman: muscle weighs more than fat and you always are going through build and cut cycles and and and the whole ten yards. And so for me it was never it was never about the pounds. It was more more or less the body fat. That was my target. Like my goal was, hey, let's let's hit that number. And to that it was, you know, it started off, man, I can't even remember what I was at. I probably was Aaron: Mm-hmm. Well how it's just real quick, how were you tracking your body fat? Stuart Hoffman: So w I found a local shop here in in Utah that I went to. it was ⁓ Max Muscle and the guy the guy was absolutely amazing. I could go pick his brain apart, whatever, and he had just one of those in body scanners. So it was it it was it was kind of like middle tier, it wasn't like a DEXA scanner or one of those handheld devices that you get at the the cheap gyms and stuff. So it was kind of a little bit more accurate. So that's what I was using. Aaron: ⁓ gotcha. Gotcha. Okay. Gotcha. Unless you have like somewhat of a baseline. I always tell people like even if it's not a hundred percent accurate, even if it's not a DEXA scan, as long as you have like a baseline of where you're at and it's the same thing you're using each time, you know that it's gonna be tracking the correct the correct number. That's cool. Alex: Yes. Stuart Hoffman: Yes. Thousand percent. Alex: So are you still using that guy for checking your your body like are you still using similar or similar devices for figuring that body fat number out? Stuart Hoffman: Yeah, so I used him for several years. ⁓ his thing was, hey, you can come in and use this machine as as much as you'd like. You just have to buy some supplements. So so for me it was like, okay, well, what was the minimum that I could buy to to to get that, right? Because I was already purchasing supplements. I had like certain discounts at other companies just based off of the connections that I had that it was like, hey, I could go buy your protein for full amount or buy this protein at half half off. Like that's hard to beat. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: But I I I specifically bought like reds red red pills, green pills and like fish oil, like things like consumables that I could just kinda take on a daily to to get there, right? And the guy was amazing. I mean he he that was kinda like his side business. He he he wrote a few books. I mean he does he does a lot of different things, but really, really cool individual. Aaron: Yeah. ⁓ cool. Alex: What does nutrition look like for you? Speaking of supplements, like so your goal actually maybe let's start off with where your goal was. So like what what or currently is, like what are you trying to to get to right now, ⁓ body fat wise? Stuart Hoffman: So for me, for me, my goal right now is to kinda get around that ten to twelve percent. Because that's kind of that fluff in between that people say, hey, this is this is kind of sustainable, right? To maintain a ten to twelve is is pretty that like sweet number. Anything less than that, you really have to work to maintain or get any any leaner. So for me, I'm I'm kind of shooting for that. And it's something that I've never been able to do before or never had a body at that that body comp before. So for me it's like, hey, let's let's push this and let's get down to get down to that that percentage. So that's my target goal right now. Alex: And so with that target goal in mind, what are like the nutrition what's the nutrition goals that you have, whether it be like your macros, the types of foods you're eating, it's et cetera. Cause that's where we find most people struggle is it's the working out is pr it's hard, but like you know what to do, but eating is where people screw up the most. Aaron: Across and stuff. Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: thousand percent, yeah. So for me it's just about ⁓ it's about hitting my macros on a on a day-to-day basis. And that that clearly has been the struggle for me and I believe probably ninety-nine percent of your guys' listeners, right? It's how do we how do how how do we stay disciplined in the eating? Because that is that is the most difficult part. Literally tracking everything and pre-tracking obviously has really helped me out. So if I'm pre-tracking the night before and I pack everything out the night before type of vibe. Alex: Everybody. Stuart Hoffman: I'm more likely to to s to to wake up in the morning, just grab and go my stuff and and and get going. So that was Alex: ⁓ wow. So you're you're every night beforehand. Like I like that's even better than what I do 'cause like what I do is like ⁓ okay. Stuart Hoffman: I I used to be that way. I'm not that way anymore. And and and part of that, Alex, is because I've I've I've tracked for so long that it doesn't take me quite as long to to to make a lunch, right? Or to come up with a lunch. Like I kind of know what to go and grab and hey, you know, if I'm eating an apple, it's roughly twenty twenty carbs, right? And maybe like a fat or two or so it's like, hey, I kind of know what to grab and and and do that fairly quick. Whereas when I was first starting off You literally type in something and you're like, ⁓ I can't eat that, you know, and then you you swipe and you're always kinda mixing and matching and pulling different things to to really hone in on that number. Alex: Yeah. I ⁓ so so you're not tracking anymore? Or do you still track like during the day? Stuart Hoffman: Yeah, no, I I track. So I just don't track the night before. So like in the morning I'll get up. I I typically work out fasted. So I'll go to the gym, come back, get sh you know, shower, change, get ready for the day, and then I'm pulling out my phone and I'm t putting in my lunch. And I put in my breakfast. My breakfast really just consists of my my post workout, you know, protein and carbohydrate mix that I that I typically do. Like that's my breakfast. And then for me it's a matter of just putting in dinner and lunch within within the app that I use. Alex: Okay. Okay. Stuart Hoffman: And then yeah, that's that's the way that I do it. I just am able to do it so much quicker that I don't need to do it the night before to save that time. Alex: And you work out fasted? That's that's ⁓ how how is that going for you? Like that's I haven't been able to do that. Stuart Hoffman: Yeah. I mean, I he I hear I hear a lot of people say like, ⁓ I can't do that, it makes me nauseous or it makes me throw up or this or that, right? Or I just don't have enough have enough juice or energy throughout my workout. But for me the key factor is like if I can save the amount of carbs that I'm consuming and eat the amount of carbs like for my dinner, or I have like a super high carb dinner. Then obviously in the morning when I wake up, I have all that stuff already pre-saved into my my system, right? And so those that's what I'm using for energy throughout my workout. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Interesting. Do you ⁓ do you run into any issues where especially where you're eating fairly clean that people around you are they of are the people around you very supportive or they're just like, Okay, great, Stuart's doing his rice cakes or whatever, like whatever you're eating? Like are do you do you find people like asking you questions so they can better themselves or do you run into any like not I don't think anyone's gonna be like, Hey Stuart, you're stupid, stop eating healthy. But ⁓ do you do you run into that at all? Like kind of people Alex: Yeah. Aaron: Kind of kinda giving you a little bit of crap. So it's like friends are really good at that. Stuart Hoffman: Yeah. Yeah. It's funny because, you know, the older you get, you know, the more you eat out, you know. So if you've got people in your corner that are kind of you know, that always t tease you or make fun of you, it's like those are the people I tend to spend less time with. But but absolutely, like it's funny because, you know, my wife and I we we were invited over to like a game night, right? And they were kind of doing some some snacks and this and that and Aaron: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Stuart Hoffman: And we do. We have to strategize and game plan around that. And so like if we want to snack and be a part of that social event, sometimes we'll bring our own food, you know, in a way. And of course you always get those people that'll like roll their eyes and be like, Ugh you know, ⁓ you're so much better than us. It's like, no, I just have goals, you know, or no, like That's right. It's like, no, I you know, like for me to go where I want to go, like this is what it's gotta take. And Aaron: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So yes, you are. Alex: So yes, I am better I am I am in fact better than you. Stuart Hoffman: I'm not gonna supplement my lifestyle, meaning like if I wanna go hang out with some friends, I'm gonna go hang out with s some friends. And so just the other day we were we had a pool party too, right? And they did hot dogs and hamburgers and all the things. And so ⁓ y and it was a family it was a family. It was funny because it was a gym pool party, meaning that all the people that I typically work out at or work out with or first thing in the morning, one of the guys was like, Hey, we're gonna throw a family kind of pool party. Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: And we showed up and I didn't have time to eat before I came. So my wife just kinda packed me my dinner and we showed up as like, Hey, don't be offended, but you know, I had to bring my own food, you know. But they get it, you know, they're in that fitness world, they understand and it's you know, everyone and that's the beauty about fitness, right? Is everyone's on their different paths, everyone's on their different journeys, ⁓ everyone has different goals that they're trying to achieve. And so, you know, for some they don't really care. They just go up Aaron: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: and or they they show up to the gym and they work out and that's their justification of eating and maintaining the lifestyle that they have. So Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Yeah, I always just find it interesting. But yeah, that's that's good. I mean, ⁓ you said it perfectly like I've like kind of weeded out the people that are trying to drag me down because I want to live longer. Well, you know, I'm what a what a sin to want to live longer and be around with my kids and hopefully grandkids someday. Alex: I really Stuart Hoffman: Yeah. I will say though, like on my really like Saturdays end up being like my feel like my marathon workout days 'cause I'll still wake up, go to the gym really early, and then we have like a Hyrox class that starts at like eight thirty to nine thirty type of thing that obviously we'll we'll we'll do but so it's like sometimes it's like a two to three hour workout window. And so like between the classes that's when I'll I'll d I I have to refuel. Otherwise I just have no energy. Aaron: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah, ⁓ yeah. Stuart Hoffman: No energy for all that cardio. Alex: Yeah. That's actually a perfect segue, h bringing up Hyrocks right there. What is it? What's it all about? We've talked about a little bit about Hyrocks and like we've done some research on it, but I would assume someone who's about to be participating in one, is this is this part of the goal process? Like my next my next thing is getting ready for the Hyrocks while also getting a ten to twelve percent body fat. Stuart Hoffman: Yes, yes and no. I think for me, Hyrox is is the latest rave right now, right? Everyone's trying to get on it. And the the cool thing about that is is that it really is a competition that anyone can do, right? From top tier athletes all the way down to eighty year old women, right? And that's what's really cool about it is it's like nobody really cares about the time that you're posting or doing. Aaron: Yes, yes. Stuart Hoffman: Everyone just is like they're cheering you on for for just doing it because it is. It's it's extremely difficult in a way, right? In its own separate ⁓ in its own separate ways. It's not like a CrossFit where you're lifting and have complex movements like handstand walks or rope rope climbs that, you know, weed out ninety percent of the population. So they're all movements that anybody can do. And so that's what's kind of appealing, at least for me. And I am not Aaron: Yeah. ⁓ yeah. Stuart Hoffman: I get bored just by lifting weights all the time or doing crossfit all the time. Or if I were just s you know, high rock centered, like that would bore me. So I like to mix things up. I like to have that quote unquote hybrid mentality. Like ultimately, like I'm training for and trying to prep my body to like if I wanna work wake up and run a marathon, I can, right? Or if I wanna wake up and go hike Mount Kilimajaro, I can. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Stuart Hoffman: Not saying that I will, but I'm just saying, you know, like or that's a goal or whatever. But for me it's like I want my body to be in in prime shape to where whatever the calling is, if it's basketball, you know, at nine o'clock at night, or if it's football at eight o'clock in the morning, or a gym workout or whatever. I want to be able to do it. Alex: No pressure. Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I get it. Yeah, you don't want to be like the limiting factor of like f fun for your kids or your friends. Like we'd invite Stuart, but he's really fat. He can't do anything. Like, yeah, you wanna be like, ⁓ yeah, of course Stuart's gonna come. He's like super jack. That's gonna be great. ⁓ or whatever. Like that I mean, I'm sure they don't think that, but it's just like, yeah, of course he'd wanna he's he's always active. So we're gonna invite him. Stuart Hoffman: Yeah, yeah. Alex: Do you feel like the community, someone who'd mentioned high rocks before, like they started doing it and like essentially everyone became a bunch of friends? Is that a big motivation for you? Like or is that exist for for your training right now? Stuart Hoffman: I think for me the community is very comparable to like a CrossFit community. Right? You're you're gonna have you're gonna have your your drama no matter where you go, right? Very similar to like a weightlifting community. ⁓ but I I tend to to gravitate towards some of that stuff, you know, from time to time too. And it just makes it makes the workouts less sucky, you know, like if everyone else is struggling through it, you know, it's like, okay, well if they can do it, I can do it, you know, and so Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: You just kinda show up and you do it all. But there's definitely a cool or at least in my opinion, there's there's there's definitely a really cool, supportive and uplifting environment within that HyRox community that's that's that's kinda contagious too. Alex: Yeah, and I've reverse too like I don't know if this is like you go to the brickyard. I don't maybe I shouldn't say, you know, 'cause someone will come one of our fans will come and and mob you. But ⁓ you're at like the brickyard. Is that part of like the high rocks community or are those separate from one another? Stuart Hoffman: Yeah, so we have we have, I think, if I'm not mistaken, one of the only, if not the only, like certified HyRox ⁓ coach in the state of Utah. And so she actually just got back from Worlds. She competed in Worlds out in ⁓ man, I can't remember what it was, but it it literally just happened. So she went out, she did a single event and then raced doubles with her brother. Alex: Kilmanjaro. Aaron: Classical. ⁓ wow. That's awesome. ⁓ I wanna I wanna go back really quick. All right. So you're super disciplined with your eating. Do you do any sort of like cheat meal, cheat day, cheat anything? ⁓ or do you do you like I guess that's my question. That yeah. Any sort of cheat meal, cheat day. Stuart Hoffman: Yeah. So the way that I've structured my quote unquote macros is more or less tailored around sustainability instead of a diet, right? So for me it's like I can eat whatever I want so long as it fits within my macros. And so in some instances too, like you know, if I'm having a really high fatty dinner per se, then I just need to be Aaron: Yes, yes, yes. Stuart Hoffman: understanding throughout the day that's like, hey, I gotta minimize the fats in order to be able to eat this steak, right? Even though it's protein but it's also high in fat, that kind of allows me to eat what I want to to make it feel like I'm not dieting and that I can. But to answer your question, yes. So typically I I I kind of reserve my cheat meal for like a Sunday, Sunday evening type of vibe, ⁓ at the end of the week. Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Or if like you know there's like a pool party coming up or just something like that, you're like, all right, I gotta that's when I'm gonna eat kinda normal, I guess. 'Cause I think Stuart Hoffman: Yeah. Those are tough though for me, like the the cheat meals during the week because I'll tend to forget that I had that and then I'll have another one on Sunday because that's typically, you know, my schedule. Aaron: Ha ha ha. Alex: Other one. Aaron: Cause I think a lot of people think that. They think like, ⁓ I have to just eat, you know, rice, broccoli, and and boiled chicken and that's all I'm gonna be eating. There's the Alex and I talk about this all the time. Whatever you're going to do, it just needs to be something that's sustainable. It can't be just some like fad diet that you yeah, you can you can lose weight on a fad diet, but you're never gonna stick with that forever. So exactly what you said is the way to do it. Like figure out what you like that works with your macros and do that forever. It's like not Alex: You can do. Aaron: super complicated, but I think people get scared of the I only can eat super healthy food and that's it. Alex: Because here's a quick rant. Like, it's because people have bastardized the word diet. Like, like, whenever we talk about any other animal, you watch you watch BBC with ⁓ David Attenborough, you watch whatever thing you are, and they're talking about lions and tires. Like the lion's diet is X, Y, and Z. When we hear that word, we know it means that's what the lion eats, because that's what the word diet means. Diet simply means the things that you consume, and that's it. That's all that it means. And now, because you have like you got the Atkins diet, and like you have this thing and this thing and this thing. Aaron: Yes. Yes. Yes. Alex: thing and this thing and this thing. People think like a diet means like I have to stop eating the things that I like. I have to say, no, no, no, that doesn't, that doesn't that mean that at all. It just means the things you consume. What are the things that you are going to consume to achieve whatever your your goals are? That can be cake every now and then. That can be pe like we've talked about this before. Like we make homemade pizza pretty frequently and the thing that's bad for me is the cheese on there because it's high in fat. So I just eat less of it than I normally would. So I think it's that these people who have created all of these fat diets and now people have in their head this different definition where when we use it with any other type of animal we know it just means consumption. Sorry, I just that's been something that's been bothering me recently and I'm just like I'm fed up with it. Because like someone just right, exactly. Aaron: No, well, you're right though. Like diet now diet now means means misery. That's all it means. Like when they're like, I'm on a d ⁓ I'm on a diet, and they always they say it like, ⁓ I'm gonna get punched in the face later today. Like it's that's what it's kind of is. Stuart Hoffman: Yeah. Alex: Ooh, my my cause my wife's my wife my wife's mother was here a couple of weeks ago and she's just like, ⁓ Alex, you're looking very trim. First off, thank you. Appreciate the compliment. Second, ⁓ and then she asked the question but yeah ⁓ she's like, So like what what's like your secret? And like I was Diet and exercise. And I immediately regretted saying diet and exercise, 'cause I know what she hears when I say diet diet and exercise, like, ⁓ he's doing a napkins. Stuart Hoffman: Ha ha ha. That's weird coming from you. Aaron: We were like, I'm married. To your daughter. Did did she ask you what diet are you on? Yes, exactly. Yep. Yep. Food. Alex: Yes, she asked me what diet I am on. I just like by ma hip making sure I hit my macros. I was like, I'm just making sure I'm getting a hundred and seventy of ⁓ a hundred and seventy protein, ⁓ fifty-four fat, ⁓ and two hundred and fifty carbs. Like that's what my my diet consists of. ⁓ sorry. Thanks, thanks everyone for going on that little Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. That's no, that's that's so true, dude. That's so true. Alex: Thanks for going on that little rant there with me because it it doesn't have to be that complicated, but everyone just thinks that it is. Because she's sh like and she's like one of those person who's always trying to to to do to do diets or whatever. I'm just like, dude, you go on walks every day for like an hour. If you just like tracked your food, I think you'd start achieving the goals that you w you want to do because you are a very active person, but it's the food aspect of it that you just need to pay a little bit more attention to. Like Aaron, when we first started, like sodium was like a really big thing for me, like my consumption of sodium and that helped with the water weight and all of that stuff. But Aaron: A new one. Alex: I I just anyway, sorry, I could I could go up it's very top of mind right now, so that's why I wanted to go off on it. Like diet just means consumption. What what you consume. ⁓ Aaron: No, it's try it. Do you Stuart, do you track your workouts as well? Like ⁓ at the gym are you tracking your lifts or are you tracking your whatever high rock stuff at all or? Stuart Hoffman: I need to be better at it for sure, but normally no. I mean I ha I I wear a whoop a whoop band on my on my wrist and then I just come in, make sure that I say, Hey, start a workout and then just go. But I'm not like writing down like, Hey, I I squat clean this amount, right? Like I kinda have an idea as far as what I did the last time and so I'm trying to push those boundaries and what have you, but ⁓ but no. Aaron: ⁓ Yeah, gotcha. I I I started tracking ⁓ mainly because I have a terrible memory because Alzheimer's runs in my family. And ⁓ and so I'd go to like I'd be like, I was I, you know, go to do a bench press or whatever. I'm like, what did I lift last time and how many reps was it? I was like, I think it was this. And so I that was one of the reasons I started tracking a while ago. And it's it's I'm ⁓ I'm a giant proponent of anyone who listens to this podcast of tracking everything. And so it's just it's a giant motivator when you can look at six months ago, what you were lifting to what you're lifting now, you're like, hell yeah, like I'm making some some real progress here. And then also I don't I don't get messed up on my what or a second guess like what was my lift again? I I don't remember how much I or what should I be aiming for. Cause I'm never like I'm never like I want to be the the strongest person in the gym. I want to lift the most weights. It's more just like I wanna I just want to see progress. I just want to see progress. Alex: Good. Stuart Hoffman: Yeah. Yeah, it's funny it's it's funny you say that too, 'cause, you know, if you did if you did track 'cause there's a lot of like workout programs out there that say like, you know, obviously depending on your goal, but if your goal is to, let's say, increase your your max bench, you know, there are gonna be days where I mean you you can't over train every single workout. Right, or every single time, every every chest day. Like you've gotta have those deload days or deload weeks. ⁓ and so knowing kind of where your maxes are really helps out with those types of weeks because you're like, Okay, well, I'm supposed to do 70% of my max bench. Well, if you don't know what your max bench is, you're just kinda guessing. Aaron: Exactly. Correct. Yep. Yep. Yep. Hundred percent. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. No, you're absolutely right. Yeah, that's that's a really good point too. Alex: as you've been like going through this, this is just a random thing that comes up because I saw someone post about like the letting their kids watch them work out on LinkedIn because they have a a garage gym. How cause you mentioned you want to be able to play with your kids. Like, are you finding that your kids are starting to make healthier habits now because of like watching you? Or do you notice? Stuart Hoffman: It you know, I I'd like to say yes, but at the same time, I don't I I'm n I'm not a hundred percent sure if I'm being honest, you know, and so I'd like to say that ⁓ the fact that all four of my boys play sports, you know, contributes to that because you know sometimes I'll play in some competitive ⁓ sports leagues like flag football or something like that with with some buddies in my And ⁓ you know, they'll come out and watch and support and see, ⁓ dad's playing sports, like let's go out and play sports and and honestly too, that's that's something that you know, I I kinda look forward to to bond with my kids in a way. It's like, hey, let's go out, let's shoot, let's shoot the basketball. Obviously I need to be better at that. Like that's still that work, entrepreneurship and life balance that I have to figure out. But like it's funny because when you're out there and you're playing with your kids, like nothing else matters, right? Like you don't you lose all sense of time. You don't know what time it like you're just in the moment. You're enjoying the moment. You're playing you're you're you're exerting all that all that Alex: You forget. Stuart Hoffman: fun and energy into them and it does. I think it goes a long, long way for for for these for these kids. Aaron: Well, I think that's actually it's funny you mentioned that 'cause that's exactly what I want to ask you about. You we were talking before we started the podcast that you just recently ⁓ you know, I don't know how recent, but started your own business. ⁓ and there's a lot of people out there who throw the excuse out of I don't have time to go to the gym, I don't have time to track my food, I don't have time for this, this, and this. How are you making sure that you are that you have enough time? Because I Alex, Alex and I, you know, and most people out there know, even if you're not starting your business, if you if you what if you're just working, you know, forty, sixty hours a week, you're busy. How are you making sure you have the time to go to the gym and accomplish your goals? Stuart Hoffman: One thing that's really helped me, ⁓ these this last like year, year and a half has really been like just blocking out my schedule. Meaning as silly and as stupid as it sounds, like I have a recurring event on my calendars that are set up in particular and it just sends me room. Even though I'm doing it, like it's blocked out. It's there, right? So every day at like 5 30, my phone will light up and I'll like it'll catch my it'll catch my mind, right? Or I'm sitting here working on my computer and then all of a sudden I like look over because that's just what we do when our phone lights up, you know. Especially as running a business, you don't know if it's a if if it's a new lead, if it's a client, if it's issues that need to be handled or whatnot. But anyway, for me to have all that stuff blocked out is Alex: Scheduling. Aaron: Yes. Stuart Hoffman: More or less kind of a reminder like, hey, it's 5 30, time to start packing it up and wrapping it up. So I've kind of given myself an hour window ⁓ every single day between 5 30 and 6 30, I gotta be home, you know, so that I can be then present with my kids and and really just making sure that, you know, when I'm home, I try to take my phone and turn it off or try to be on it as less as possible because when you think about it, you know Aaron: Mm-hmm. Stuart Hoffman: y you just don't have a whole lot of time with with set individuals. And so it's like, okay, let's let's be present here, let's be in the moment and and and what have you. So for me, you know, just blocking things out during the day, very similar to like you'd block out a a business client meeting or a lunch that you're taking your client to. It's like, hey, this is uninterrupted time with set clients so that we can establish a relationship and work together. So to your point, Aaron, it's like People are like, I just tracking it I I just can't do it. It's like that's that's total BS because you totally can. I've had several several friends of mine that are just like, it tracking is just too hard. It's like, we'll track the night before. Aaron: Yes. Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: Was like, yeah, but it's like this, that, it's like trying to find every excuse why not to do something. It's like, okay, well then you're just unmo you don't want it enough. Your your mission and vision isn't clear enough. And for that reason, you're gonna fail. And I know you're gonna fail. You might drop ten, fifteen pounds in the first month because you're starving yourself, but then what's gonna happen when you wake up unmotivated? You're clearly not disciplined. Aaron: Yes. Yes. Exactly. Yeah. Alex: Right. Aaron: Well, it's the thing we like it's the thing I like to tell people, like, ⁓ I just don't have time to like I guarantee you if I said I'll give you a billion dollars if you track everything for a year, all of a sudden you have plenty of time to track stuff. It's crazy. But to your point, it's like you it's just the the lack of motivation is all it is. Like you're just I'm gonna come up with every excuse of why I can't do it instead of coming up with excuses why you can. And yeah, that's that's just it's a Nike said it best, just do it. Like it's not that hard. Like Alex: Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: Just do it. Aaron: Just do it. And it really doesn't. Like Alex and I we we were on a a podcast, I think was it might have been with Monty, but was like, I I'm gonna track my food right now. It took me fifteen seconds. I was just like, I'm like the meal that I just had, I was like I wouldn't track it. It's it doesn't take that long. Like d it really doesn't. I don't know. Stuart Hoffman: Well shoot, nowadays most of the apps you just scan the barcode and throws it in. Or pictures. Alex: Picture. That and pictures. Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: Ex yeah all of them. Yeah, I do the one I could do. I could I can take a picture of my meal and like I've done tests on this and it's fairly accurate on on all the macros that I throw in there. Like it's not gonna be a hundred percent, but this is what I was saying. It's more accurate than me guessing. So it's just there's there's no excuse. You know what? You know, have we been cussing in this? ⁓ do you do your freaking tracking people? Alex: Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: Do your freaking dry. Just do it. Alex: F and LinkedIn. it yeah. I I have no empathy for it because I know like going to what you said, like having been someone who's failed before, it's literally just a lack of motivation. Aaron: Just do it. Yes. Alex: Like like so like I like I I've failed before, so I know whenever someone is giving me like their excuses, it's just like, ⁓ it's cause you don't actually want to do it. Like you want you want the the easy way. You want the you want to just be able to snap your fingers and the things go away. You don't want to do the unsexy things that lead you to the end result that you're seeing everybody else have. It's tail as old as time. And I'm I once again, I'm just as guilty of falling into those traps for a number of things as as others, but that's how I know and can recognize it when I see it, like, Aaron: ⁓ yeah. Alex: Like just ⁓ like a friend of mine who like literally it's like just his diet and he would like look like a Greek god if he just like honed in on his diet a little bit and just like just do it, man. He's like, I don't really want to like, what's the point of doing all of this hard work that you're doing? And you won't just do the one additional thing and you'll look like Adonis. Like that would be yeah, it's like and it's and it's once again, it's just Aaron: That would make a giant difference. Yes. Alex: you don't get DoorDash every single day. Like that's like that's th literally all you would have to change. You can start getting some meal prep stuff shipped to you that's healthier. And anyways, I'm going on another rant, which which I apologize for. And I'm I'm kinda yelling at myself right now too. Aaron: Well, it's the other thing too. Well, I think it's because Alex, ⁓ and probably you too, Stuart, like we have gone through that cycle of like starting something, not finishing it, starting, not finishing, and then gaining all the weight back or whatever. And so I think what makes me mad is like we finally figured out what you have to do. This is all it is. This is all you have to do. Like it's not like I failed for 20 years and I finally figured out like just track your shit. And like that's all you have to. I'm sorry, track your poop, and that's all you have to do. Alex: Yeah. Aaron: Probably good for ⁓ health reasons too. If we're just talking about, yeah. ⁓ but like the the problem is, dude, is like motivation is great, but motivation only lasts for so long. It's usually like you get motivated, it's just a feeling of motivation. You have to set yourself up for success by setting up habits that are sustainable. And if you do those sustainable habits for long enough, they just it just becomes second nature. Like I feel weird not tracking my stuff. Super weird. Alex: Probably good to track those too. Make sure those BMs are coming regularly. And surround yourself with people too. Like 'cause like the what's been really helpful is like because Aaron and I do these podcasts weekly and we're talking with so many other people. And now because like I like Stuart's Facebook ⁓ posts, I get his Facebook post all the time of him just looking jacked and jacked and yoked. I'm like, I want to be jacked and yoked like like Stuart. And then that motivational post, I I who knows what happens yesterday if I don't if I don't see that post that Stuart posts like the day before that. So surrounding yourself with people that are like minded and are going to motivate you has been Aaron: Yes. Alex: And that's honestly been like the game changer for me. It's like I'm just around all of these people and now I'm only seeing content that is uplifting and motivating me to do those things. It doesn't mean that I'm doing everything perfect, but I'll I'll tell you what. I d I guarantee I don't see Stewart's post like the day before. I stop that workout at twenty minutes and who knows if I do my hour and a half workout today. I I have no idea, but thankfully I saw that. So once again, just want to give kudos to you. Keep putting that content out. So so I stay honest and ⁓ on the straight and narrow. Aaron: Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: It's funny you say that because, you know, Joe Rogan was doing a podcast too, you know, and he was interviewing somebody. I can't remember, I don't know the episode, but I just remember, you know, either either the full podcast, ⁓ whatever it was, or maybe it was even a YouTube short, but he he talked about it was like, screw the motivation. Like ninety percent of the time you're not gonna feel good. Your body's gonna s be sore, you're gonna have some type of injury you're battling, or You're gonna be tired and all the things, right? It's the discipline. It's the showing up and even when you don't really want to and you and you push yourself through it. And you know, I I I'm a huge advocate because it's like every day that I feel that way, I always feel a thousand times better when I show up and do the work. Like I leave the gym feeling like, hey, Aaron: Yes. Yep. Stuart Hoffman: I made progress today because I didn't want to show up and and normally it's that when you hit the rock bottom you're too side too you're too tired, too too sore to do really anything, that that's where the true progress is made. Is in those times. Aaron: Yes. Yeah. Well, I always say like I've never like I've never regretted like going to the gym. I've always regretted not going to the gym. So like we're like, I don't know if I want to go today. I don't know. Like that's I I've never left the gym and be like, ⁓ man, I wish it wouldn't have worked out today. What a waste of time. But I have said to myself, I was pissed I didn't go to the gym. And Stuart Hoffman: Is it is it the same for you? 'Cause like if I don't get my workout in the morning, that's all I think about all day long. Well, how am I gonna fit it in later? And it literally screws everything else up. And my mind and focus is more like, How am I gonna get to the gym? When am I gonna get to the gym? So that's crazy. Aaron: ⁓ yeah. Yes. Yep. Dude, if it's it's the same it literally is that. Like if I like ⁓ if I don't go to the gym, I I get like grumpy. And it was like, I don't know. And so my wife's like, have you gone to the gym yet today? I'm like, no, she's like, you need to go to the gym. yeah, get the hell out. Get the hell out of here. Yeah. But it's like, it's and then I just feel I just feel like something is missing. And that I never felt that way before. And I think it's just because of the the the habits. You you build those habits and then all of a sudden something just feels weird when you're not. Alex: Get the hell out of here. Stuart Hoffman: Yeah, go to the gym. Go the gym. Aaron: Doing the especially healthy habits. Instead of me feeling weird about not smoking, ⁓ I'm feeling weird about not going to the gym. So, like, ⁓ you'd rather have that be the thing that you're feeling off about is something that you're supposed to be doing that's healthy, as opposed to like, I I'm used to eating ice cream at night and I didn't get that at night. I need my ice cream. Like, just these healthy habits that you get into aren't hard. And this is coming from somebody who's been fat for like 25 years. Like it's it's you can do it, people. You can do it. Alex: Well, excluding your mission. You small skinny as a r skinny as a rail when you got back. ⁓ Well ⁓ Stuart, I wanna open it up like Aaron: Yeah, ⁓ my mission I was yeah. ⁓ yeah, it was like that was like a hundred and fifty pounds. Alex: Any last words of advice, encouragement, and then also just say thank you again for ⁓ for being with us today and for like keep posting your content. I'm I try to like everything you say, but it has been incredibly inspiring to me. And I don't think people, you know, because a like means nothing, right? Like I'm sure a like means nothing to you. So I just want you like people are watching it, and I guarantee there people who are not interacting with your content, like like me, who are motivated by it. So keep going and doing that stuff. And then what's like your last ⁓ last advice for the listeners out there? Stuart Hoffman: Thanks. I appreciate it. And and and first off, if you're listening to the podcast, I mean I I am by far not perfect and I'm nowhere close, I feel like, to where I want to be. And that's the beauty of it, right? It's like, you know, your your your life lessons are in the journey. And I feel like anybody within that fitness journey is all on the same path. Now some people might be a little bit further than other people, but embrace that, you know, understand that hey, these guys are a little bit better at XYZ than I am. Let me go talk to them. Let me ask them for advice. You know, let me let me gain some some type of knowledge from them and implement into into my life. Because at the end of the day, and again, this is gonna come back to communities, but those that that that track and are disciplined and are on these journeys, it's kinda like a community with CrossFit or High Rocks or whatever. It's like we we embrace, we invite, you know, and then once you're a part of it, it's like dude. It's it's just something else, you know, like they're the the whole weight loss fad, like supplement this, supplement that, buy this fat loss pill, buy this, it's like it's all just it's all just ⁓ deployed to just generate revenue, right? 'Cause everyone wants to make money these days and get rich quick and all the things. And it's like when you really look at it, like all these handmade paintings or sculptures out of stone or whatever that are super, super famous, that wasn't created in a day. You know, Rome wasn't built in a day. It was it was built brick by brick, you know, piece by piece. The the Mona Lisa was painted with stroke by stroke. It wasn't just like a AI where you click a button and bop you know, it's it's there. It's it's gonna take time and understand it, like f fitness and fitness journey is you're in it for the long haul. It's like investing investing your money in a four ⁓ one K. Like you put money in it every single day or month month to month and then you know, in fifty years, that's when you you you get and reap your benefit, right? And so fitness is very, very similar. People just get like, I want to drop ten, fifteen pounds and get super, super shredded by the summer. It's like, okay, that's not I mean, how likely is that really gonna happen? Or is this just a deploy to get me to pay you a certain amount of money so that you can go to the Maldives and and boat for a week. You know what I mean? Or whatever the case is. So Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Stuart Hoffman: I would just invite anybody that's like on this journey to just develop the characteristic of discipline, right? And just do it. Just show up, just do it day after day, week after week. And honestly, we kind of hinted on it at it earlier. You know, if you've got a lot of people in your corner that are tearing you down, like, ⁓ you'll never be able to do this, or you have 50 pounds you need to lose. Well, good luck. Like, we're just fat in our family. Like, whatever the BS excuse is. You gotta cut them out because they're not doing they're just a a ball and chain carrying you down, right? Like you have to eliminate toxicity within your life, ⁓ to be able to increase the productivity and to be able to achieve your goals. Aaron: Yep. Amen. Alex: Love it, love it, love it. Hey, thank you ⁓ so much, ⁓ Stuart for joining us today. ⁓ to everyone out there listening, we'll chat with you all next week. Go be unsexy.