I can’t tell you how many times I hear, “Dustin, I really want to get in shape and feel better,  I’d like to join one of your programs but I am scared I will (fill in the blank).”  The most common answer is, I am scared I will fail or I will give up. Doing something different or uncomfortable is scary, stressful, and nerve-racking, but the alternative to that comfortable, boring, stagnant, isn’t pleasant either.

An example from my own life. I am scared…

I’d like to share an e-mail I recently received. I’m not sharing this as a pitch for my programs, but more so to give hope to anyone who has battled cancer, or knows someone who has (which is everyone). I have five clients now that are either battling or are in the recovery phase of cancer.

Grocery shopping is one of the things I am most passionate about because it is where the battle for health or sickness begins. One thing I have done that has such a big impact on those who attend are my grocery tours. I have been receiving many requests to do a few, so I am going to open up a couple time slots over the next week here in Madison.

“I want to fit back into my skinny jeans,” is one of the most common things I hear said when someone comes to me for help. Another one is, “I want to have less of this hanging over,” as they grab their fat around their midsection which many refer as their “muffin top.”

One of my small group clients made a comment to me that got me thinking. She saw another one of my clients (extremely hardcore and dedicated), getting pumped up for his next workout. She asked me, “When does this ever stop? Don’t you get to a place where you are happy with your results and then just stop?” Unfortunately, some think that this whole eating healthy and exercising is a kick someone can go on for a bit, and then go back to their old poor choices and expect to keep the benefits that they saw. If you are on an eating plan or workout plan that you couldn’t sustain (or slightly modify), for the rest of your life, I would stop doing it ASAP. You are setting yourself up for failure.

I really enjoy weight loss shows… This past one was with a 23 year old from Wisconsin who had only 1 arm and he went from 410 lbs to 193 lbs in a year.  As I watch shows like EBM and Biggest Loser, I am struck by the fact of how much hope the person receives when they find out they have been selected.  It is like they have a new lease on life, the opportunity to get their bodies and their lives back.

I have been doing more of my grocery tours recently and it gives me great insight into what people believe is good and bad to be eating.

One of the most exciting areas of the grocery tour is the fat section. You know, the margarines, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, and the hybrid blends of fats.

What do you choose in this section?

I wanted to share with you my 5 best pieces of fat loss tips. Keep in mind this is based off hundreds of scientific studies, and close to 10 years and thousands of clients that I have observed.

I want to talk to you about “independence” from a health perspective.

For those who know me better, you might have noticed a shift in what I have been talking about over the past 6-12 months. The first years as a trainer, blogger and speaker, my topics were more along the lines of “10 different ways to tone your butt,” or “5 foods that burn fat.”