Today I have a story that, as a coach, baffles me a little.

But first, ever wonder what to eat before a workout?

A good pre-workout meal should meet the following requirements:

• Easily digestible
• Enters your bloodstream rapidly
• Doesn’t cause a bellyache
• Contains a light protein (eggs if you're not allergic) plus a slow-burning carb (100% rolled oats or yams)

Consume your pre-workout meal anywhere between 30 to 90 minutes before training.

If you feel bloated, test out different times to find out what works best for you.

Regarding nutrition, my motto is: Food is your best medicine.

Focus on fresh, organic, unprocessed food.

Single-ingredient food, like an apple or almonds, is always your first choice; however, sometimes it’s easier and faster to drink a chocolate protein shake than to cook a meal.

This is especially true if you work out super-early in the morning and "don't have time" to eat regular food.

By the way, there's always time for things that you value and prioritize.

In this case I suggest you have a meal-replacement shake that contains both protein and carbohydrates.

And get a good shaker cup with a screw-top lid.

You simply add the meal-replacement powder plus water and ice.

Shake it up and enjoy.

If you want to get fancy, try my Dairy-Free Chocolate Post-Workout Smoothie recipe.

Can you train in a fasted state? Like no food or drink before your workout?

Test. Test. Test.

See what works for you and stay positive.

On that note, positivity does not come to you because life is always easy.

In fact, it's because it's hard.

How to Be Positive

You have to trust and believe that the obstacle is the way. Especially if you want to succeed.

When life gets tough, don't just survive. You must thrive.

I want to share a very important set of ideals that I try to live my life by.

If not already, you should attempt to live by this same belief system as well.

Here's how it goes:

1. The best way to get started is to get started
2. Life rewards action... not reaction
3. Wait for nothing
4. Attack life
5. Avoid paralysis by analysis
6. Act now and apologize later

Very strong stuff which will give you some great insights that can be applied to your life in many different ways.

However, the main takeaway is the concept of action. You must do.

In other words, take massive action. Don't wait around for permission.

For instance, you may have all the knowledge in the world, have the best ideas and visions of what to do.

But if all you do is sit around twiddling your thumbs, "waiting," you will struggle.

You'll be left behind in the dust of those that take action and do.

I can tell you right now that I've had my fair share of times when I didn't "do" and just sat around waiting.

All it does is create extra stress, more anxiety, and thoughts of "what if."

If you're thinking "what if," then you're probably living a life filled with regrets.

And that's a shame.

Start living a life filled with "doing" and even more "failure."

Why more failure?

Because if you have more "failure" that means you're taking action and actually doing something.

You can't fail unless you do.

And you can't succeed unless you do.

Sad truth is, success and failure go hand in hand and unfortunately for us all, nothing is ever a sure bet.

But, waiting is a sure guarantee you accomplish nothing.

Now, the reason I thought I'd share this is because something I recently came across puzzled me.

It's the kind of thing that has me scratching my head and saying, "Huh?"

Let me share a story.

A client asks me for help saying, "Nothing else has been working lately, need to get my mind straight…"

So I devise a proven plan that brings him exactly halfway to his goal.

I go above and beyond to deliver on my promises.

And for those of you who know my coaching style, it's consistent and workmanlike, minus the over-the-top panache of many here-today-gone-tomorrow "coaches."

But most importantly, results are guaranteed for the few that actually follow my methods.

We're on the road to getting this client in the best shape of his life.

He's sleeping like a baby every night.

Nagging injuries get healed.

Strength and endurance skyrocket.

And then he decides to go back to his "old ways" as soon as he hits the halfway point.

And guess what happens?

Progress begins to slow.

Kind of like running a timed 100-yard sprint and slowing down around the 50-yard line.

Doesn't make a lot of sense, but we've all been guilty of starting something without finishing it.

In fact, us humans are hardwired for laziness and it's easy to slip into your old comfort zone.

The zone where it's "okay" for a young man to have the bodyfat of an obese elderly woman!

As a coach, there is nothing worse than unrealized talent.

My advice is to finish what you started.

Continue to follow the proven plan that will continue to deliver outcomes, not the plan that involves slowing down before you reach the goal line.

Remember that constant action is better than just taking action. Why?

Because once you get the ball rolling, you've got to keep it going with constant action.

You've got to keep the momentum going, but I know it can be hard at times to maintain intensity.

It's not always a straight, and easy path.

It's a process, just like I've talked about many times, that needs to be embraced and, more importantly, understood.

That's my message for you today.

I'm looking for action takers versus fearful excuse makers.

You know who you are, and you know how to reach me.

So, here's to kicking today in the teeth and then getting set up to do the same exact thing tomorrow.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online age-management personal trainer, or you want to visit the best longevity personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.