“HOW COW! He doesn’t even look like the SAME PERSON! ”
Meet Aksel, an economics student from Norway who is on a mission to turn into Wolverine.
I think you’ll agree with me in saying he’s more or less succeeded!
Aksel joined NF Coaching a year ago with the goal of losing some weight and building a lot of muscle.
So our very own Coach Taylor helped him do it.
However, pictures don’t tell the whole story.
Before joining Nerd Fitness, Aksel had hit a “rough patch” and knew something had to change in his life.
Here’s how Aksel’s journey went down.
The 4 Keys to Aksel’s Transformation
Aksel used to be an avid swimmer when he was a teenager, even competing in the national swimming championships in Norway.
Then, life happened.
Somewhere along the way, Aksel stopped swimming. Then he more or less stopped exercising. Soon alcohol and pizza began to provide him with most of his “nutrients.”
From all of this, Aksel became depressed.
This continued until one sad day, Aksel’s uncle passed away from cancer. This acted as a “reality check.” Aksel realized his lifestyle wasn’t making him a healthy person.
So he decided something had to change.
After going down a Google rabbit hole, Aksel found Nerd Fitness. He quickly decided that a coach might be exactly what he needed.
So he dived into the Rebellion.
Here are the 4 BIG changes that helped Aksel make progress:
#1) ALL CALORIES COUNT.
From Aksel, “I began getting in shape by tracking everything I ate.
I never knew how many calories were in the food I bought. Why are there so many calories in beer!?!
It was really eye-opening to analyze all the food and drinks in my life. Even ‘healthy’ food is often packed with calories.”
Once Aksel got his head around all this, he made a plan with his Coach.
Aksel still wanted to eat a diverse diet, plus he wanted to be able to have the occasional drink with his friends. However, he started to consider the amount that would help him reach his goals.
Takeaway: you don’t have to count calories, but all calories count. For the right clients, we’ll create a mission to have them track their food intake for a week. This helps to give a full picture of how they’re eating.
Many clients start to naturally behave differently after going through this exercise.
#2) STRENGTH TRAINING CHANGES EVERYTHING.
When Aksel first attempted to get in shape, he decided to start running.
But Aksel’s knees hurt from jogging. So he stopped.
When he joined NF Coaching, he mentioned to us that he wanted to build some muscle. So his coach had him start strength training immediately…since that’s how you build muscle.
It didn’t take long for Aksel to fall in love.
He started seeing results right away, losing body fat that he’d never been able to shed before.
The energy and confidence he gained from strength training propelled him to keep going.
Takeaway: strength training is one of the best things you can do for your body.
As we say around here, a strong nerd is a healthy nerd. No matter what your goals are, being strong will help them.
#3) DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A GOOD NIGHT’S REST.
If you’re going to strength train, you need to recover.
That means you need to prioritize a good night’s sleep.
“I used to be a zombie before. But developing an actual sleep schedule has probably made the biggest difference in my life. Sleep helps my training. And my training helps me sleep.
I’m not sure I could do one without the other.”
Takeaway: don’t overlook your sleep habits. Proper shuteye really does make everything easier.
#4) HAVING A GUIDE WHO KNOWS THE WAY IS A GAME CHANGER.
As Aksel puts it, “Yes, you can just google most things.
But a coach adapts to you and your goals. It becomes SO MUCH easier when you have someone helping you out.
I was clueless when I started, and although I’m more knowledgeable now, I continue with my coach because I just want to be told what to do. This allows me to focus my brain power on my studies.”
Takeaway: you don’t have to figure this out alone. Yep, lots of people are able to search the interwebz for info and make a plan from that.
However, if you don’t want to go through all that trial and error, a coach can be a great way to progress at a quicker pace.
Through Hard Work, Amazing Things Are Possible
I’m gonna be real with you: what Aksel and his coach achieved is truly incredible.
If I didn’t know Aksel’s coach – and hadn’t seen the progress pictures – I might be a tad skeptical myself.
But once you start to understand all the hard work Aksel put in, you begin to see what happened:
- Aksel’s coach made a plan.
- Then Aksel went and executed it to a T.
In other words, Aksel put in the work and the results followed.
Here’s the most important thing about Aksel’s journey: he started.
After spending a little bit of time on the internet, Aksel found a program that seemed doable and jumped in.
Yes, he’s been working very hard the last year. But all that hard work resulted from one decision: hiring a coach.
Around the Rebellion, we call this “20 Seconds of Courage.”
One moment – that often only takes seconds to do – that will help you gain momentum to move forward.
For some, it’s opening up a recipe book and turning on the stove.
For others, it’s walking through the front door of a gym.
For Aksel, it was hiring an expert and following their plan.
While it might only take 20 seconds, the first step is often the most important one.
You just have to take it when the moment arrives…like Samwise Gamgee.
If you want someone to help you start your journey to leave the “Shire,” we’re here to help.
We have a team of wizards who do this stuff all day, every day:
- We have kick-ass Coaches that create custom programs for our clients. For Rebels willing to put in the effort (like Aksel), we get amazing results (also like Aksel).
- We offer worldwide accountability and support. If you start traveling again in 2021, your NF Coach will come with you. They’ll assess your new surroundings and build you a custom plan for your new environment.
- We check-in and adapt. Your coach won’t just establish a program and walk away. They’ll actually talk to you and make sure it’s working. If it’s not, no problem. We’ll record that information like a scientist and work with you to create a new path forward.
Sound good?
IF you are ready to jump into battle with your own Gandalf in your pocket (through the NF Coaching App, not literally)…
Let’s make a plan for you to be the next Nerd Fitness success story:
For the Rebellion!
-Steve
PS: Seriously, Aksel is awesome. Holy moly.
PPS: Shoutout to Coach Taylor for showing Aksel the way!
###
