Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Tron podcast listeners, thank you very much. This is your host, Rashad Woods. And today I have a very special guest. Today you've seen her on TV, podcast over YouTube, author, fitness guru, all around good person, energetic, CEO of fitness. And this is Fitz Kohler, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: Rashad, thank you so much for having me on your podcast. I'm stoked.
[00:00:19] Speaker A: Oh, I'm pumped. You know, your energy resonates over the Internet. And, like, honestly, like, even when you tell people, like, there's no excuse not to work out because you can do an exercise on your couch or your chair or in bed, you know, everything that you gravitate towards is not making excuses. And so you make people a better person by throwing that out the window, because you can't even have that conversation with you. So, please, floor is yours.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: I mean, the energy is real because I'm so excited and I care so much and I love people and I do have an on switch, but it's just the topic. The topic gets me excited. But also I identify as a bully, you know, but it's the best kind of bully. So says me, because, you know, I'm just like, stop with the effing excuses. Life is short. You can do better. If you do what I tell you to do, you will get what you want to go. Everything in your life will be better. The way you feel, the way you look, the way you perform, your business, your social, everything will elevate. So let's go. Right.
[00:01:16] Speaker A: You are absolutely correct. And, you know, you come from a place of pure, you know, resiliency, because obviously, I'll let you tell your story, but you have an avenue of no excuses based on personal experiences.
[00:01:28] Speaker B: Yeah, you know what I mean? I think everybody has something. Nobody gets out on scathe. But about six years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. And I did 15 months of chemotherapy, which was nightmarish, filled with 33 rounds of radiation. And I had surgery. And I got to the point I had lost a lot of weight. I mean, it was just. It was tough. I kept going. I kept working the whole time. And, you know, I didn't let cancer take everything from me. But there. There was a point where my mother said, you need to eat. You look like you're in the Holocaust. And I was. I was like 100 pounds silk and wet and bald and gray, and everything was wrong with me and it was low. But at that point, even though I would look at myself and I would be horrified, I mean, I was horrified by the way I Felt and all of the things. But I knew that I had a path back to full fitness and health and vibrancy because of all the content between my ears. Right. I knew that I was going to rebuild my body and get back to living life large. And, you know, at that point, I really thought about all the other cancer patients and folks who are dealing with other things. Maybe you've been hit by a bus and you think, oh, my God, I'll never be the same. And so I love focusing on the general. The mass population, everybody. However, when it comes to hardship, I have been there, I have done that, and you can do better, and I'm happy to share. You know, I want to convince people that they're not stuck being in pain and sad and immobile and having a crappy life, because life can be great.
[00:02:56] Speaker A: You know, and the thing is about it, too, is I think sometimes people will take things in a vacuum, and it's very hard for people to get out of it. Right. You know, and then what happens is, is they're professional or whatever is going on outside of their. Their life, I mean, in their life starts to bleed over into other things. You had a crappy day at work, then you have a. You take it out on your family and your kids. Then you eat bad, right? And then it's a wash where you don't sleep because you're pissed. You went to sleep in this condition that you did, and then you start letting the food dictate how you feel. And then next, you know, it's 50 pounds, your skin looks terrible. You know, the belt, you know, all those things start happening.
It's amazing. You started a business at 15. So when did the light come off early for you not to live life like that?
[00:03:40] Speaker B: So when I started teaching fitness, I think it was right before I turned 15. I started working at a gym, started teaching classes, which is crazy, right?
And, yeah, thank you. I. Even in that capacity, being just a regular gym girl and teaching classes, I started seeing major improvements in people. I started going, wow, like, their life is so much better. It wasn't just that they looked better and they felt better, but I could start seeing the impact that their simple visits to the gym made, and I became a real believer in that. And then, you know, I've had the blessings of teaching on TV and all around the world and so forth, and that was before I got my master's in exercise and sports sciences. But. But, yeah. How do you. I. I don't know. I mean, I believe in fitness. I believe in the simple act of moving your body and watching what you put in your mouth and getting sleep, the way some people believe in religion. And, you know, the only thing next to fitness to me is the Constitution, right? Like, I'm a raging patriot. But yeah, I believe. I know that if people do what I tell them to do, their life will become exponentially better. Which is also why I'll poke you in the chest. And you're right. So it's cyclical. All these things where you were talking about, yeah, you sleep bad, you eat poorly, you don't exercise, then you sleep bad, and then you're a jerk and you get divorced and you're a slacker at work and you show up late and it's all terrible. And so that's why I come out and like, poke people in the chest as hard as I can, even through my podcast, you know, I grab them by the shoulders and I shake them. They say, come on, let's do better. And inevitably, most of them do.
[00:05:05] Speaker A: That's why the reason why you got a 3% podcast, you have the success that you have because, you know, and what happens is, is that ultimately you would gravitate towards the group that best suits your attitude, you know, and to say the least, that high energy people gravitate towards each other, and even throughout their quote unquote annoyances, their hearts are in the right place, Right? Because once you get to that no BS zone, I do martial arts, right? And so there's a time to play, play, and there's a time to get serious, right? And so I'm not a professional fighter, so anybody listening? You know, far from it, but, you know, when it's time to dial down and really actually get down to business, right? And so I have a black belt for, you know, for a reason. I can always hang my head on that because through all the, the crappiness it took to get there, I'm like, it was worth it. And if I didn't have somebody in my corner, like a you, you know, for my instructor, I wouldn't have got there.
[00:05:51] Speaker B: Yeah. So a couple things is I. So I've never really done martial arts, but I was a full contact kickboxer for almost 10 years, so I.
Okay, okay, I can kick people in the head. But yeah, the discipline, but yeah, it's. How do you convince people, you know, you had a sensei who believed in you. And so I believe in everybody because I, I know the facts, right? However, how do we get everybody to believe in themselves? How do we get them to Change that voice in their head to stop putting themselves down and start building themselves up. Right? And certainly sports, martial arts, all of it is a factor in that. You, you know, you kick someone in the tummy, you go, okay, I can do this. And then you kick them in the chin. You're like, you know what? I'm pretty good, so.
[00:06:36] Speaker A: Right, exactly. You don't start trying to kick at the head level first, right? You just focus on one level at a time.
[00:06:42] Speaker B: Hey, Manning. Nothing is more cathartic than kicking someone in the head. And of course, that is literal, but also in every sense of the word, whatever that means to you.
[00:06:53] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: Go get it.
[00:06:54] Speaker A: It feels like some Neo Matrix type stuff. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, like, it's fantastic. I do. I. I thought it was fascinating, right. Like you said, you know, you poke people and that's what you say. A little poke, Right. I thought it was interesting. I was listening to, like, some of your Instagram reels, and there's a lot of information about you. So anything I skip is not intentional. But you just have multi layers to yourself, right? But it was like people. You tell people, why are you working on these baggy, heavy clothings? Right? Because people, like, are covering up. You're like, no, wear shorts. Your knees should be exposed. Right? It's okay, regardless of how you look aesthetically to come to the gym. But you don't make it a negative experience based on your physical appearance.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: Well, yeah, I mean, it's so. I am a professional race announcer. I host many massive running events around America. And So it'll be 85 degrees. And especially women are wearing these long black leggings because they tell me they're embarrassed about their knees. And I think, for the love of God, your knees. Bend your legs. Your knees are the reason you can move from point A to point B.
Shut up. Take off the knee covering. You know, it's. The shorts and tank top mandate that I impose on people is not about, you know, your fashion. It. It's about providing your body the opportunity to feel its best so it can perform. Stop hiding yourself. Just wear functional gear that works and allows you to exercise and perform at your best. Right? It's not complicated.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: Right? And I think, because people, you know, when they see I say this respectfully, someone like yourself who's been doing this whole life, you know, and you're like, well, Fitz looks like this, right? I don't. Right. Or, you know, Susan or Robert. I mean, guys do it too, right? Like, you know, I can't tell you how many times you're like, man, I gotta get rid of this love handle off to the side. And it doesn't go off. And so it's, it becomes. Should you really be wearing that if you don't have the body to really rep those type of clothes?
[00:08:38] Speaker B: Well, when it comes to showing off your arms, Luly effing yes. Everybody should be able to show off their arms. It's amazing. People are like, oh, my triceps. Who cares about your triceps? Who cares about your triceps? Nobody cares. Nobody cares about your knees. Nobody cares if you have cellulite. When you're out there exercising, other people are envying you, thinking, yeah, I wish I was doing that too. You know, maybe you don't want to show off your private parts. Fine, I get it. But arms and legs are private parts.
[00:09:06] Speaker A: Right? And that's very true too. And you know, and plus you mentioned like, it weighs people down, it's heavy. You're not getting the sweat. Your muscles aren't doing what they're supposed to do. Being layered up like that.
[00:09:17] Speaker B: Yeah. It prevents you from doing your best. If you're so hot because you've worn the wrong thing, then you can't perform. You can't get the most out of your workout. And then on the flip side is, you know, you should be wearing appropriate clothes when it's freezing out too. Maybe don't go out for cross country skiing and shorts in the tank top.
[00:09:35] Speaker A: You know, I thought that was funny. What I, what I found very interesting. Right. You obviously have a book that comes out and I had a chance to, you know, get a chance to listen and, and obviously also hear some of your YouTube excerpts from it. And I obviously, you know it much better than I do, but I was particularly intrigued in, in the parts of the book where you said these people that, that sell diets, right? Who nothing that air aggravates you more. So can you expand upon that, please?
[00:10:01] Speaker B: Absolutely. So the book is called you supercharged the exact formula for fitness, weight loss and longevity. But yeah, my soapbox are these vultures in the fitness industry that quote unquote fitness industry. They are not fitness professionals. They are thieves trying to steal your money. Those promoting diets, pills, powders. I mean, the reality is, and lately there are some prescription drugs that actually work to help people lose weight. I'm not talking about those. But if you go into some quote unquote nutrition store and there's some weight loss powder bs that there is no such thing, there's no such thing as a, it doesn't exist. There's not a diet shake. There's not a metabolism booster shake. That's all garbage. They're stealing from you. The only thing that actually works long term is watching what you put in your mouth, managing your intake and exercise. You know, there are some diets, gosh, diets in general are short term efforts that lead to short term results. And the reason the results are short term is because there's so much frustration, pain and suffering that people inevitably quit. So if you do keto, for example, you know, you may get a few weeks into it and be like, oh, I lost a few pounds, this is great. And then you get a few weeks into it and then you have this thing called keto crotch and keto breath and things start feeling bad and you quit keto. And then you go back to your old habits and you pack on more weight than you had when you started. So the same thing, you know, you go into those nutrition stores and there's some minimum wage employee and bless the minimum wage workers, but they're going to be the ones, they've got no expertise and now you're going to them for guidance on what, you know, content to put in your body. No, you go to a doctor who draws your blood and says, hey, you're deficient in xyz. Let me set you up with a registered dietitian so that person can tell you exactly how to your nutrition. And, and so all supplements aren't bad, but the supplement industry is unregulated anyways. Do not go into a nutrition store expecting for magic results. If there's no such thing as a weight loss shake or a weight loss pill, and the diets are all dumb, 100% of them, you need to learn how to eat the right amount of the right food for the size you want to be. And that's what I talk about my.
[00:12:14] Speaker A: Book, what was crazy is that, you know, obviously it's coming from you. So I treat that like, you know, as close to the, the, the holy grail as possible. But you know, for my own, for my own personal curiosity, a while back, right, I looked up, I said, I went to the national association of Dietitians and there's not a single thing listed that cuts like not one. There is. So, and if you look at the, you know, the disclaimers where it said this is not proved by the U.S. food and Drug Administration. So like there's all, it's out there for people to know, right? But like as soon as they're eating that bag of chips, you know, and not working out, and they see it at 11:30 at night, and they're like, man, all I gotta do is take this to lose 15 pounds and not put in the work. That's great, right?
[00:12:49] Speaker B: Not true. It's not true.
And so the way I teach people is they can still have their fun foods. You know, you get a caloric budget, which is very simple to calculate, and then you know how many calories you should intake per day, maximum. And ideally, you fill that up with 80 to 90% of your intake comes from healthy foods. And then you can have a beer or you can have some chocolate or Cheeto. I mean, I tell you what, I'm super healthy legitimately. I walk the walk. But if I don't have milk chocolate every single day, I consider it a sad day. Like, I need to have at least a Hershey kiss. Or I consider it a loser day, so there's room.
[00:13:24] Speaker A: Okay, well, I feel better about myself. You know, it's funny because I started, like. And what's funny, you know, because. Is when you actually start eating that, like, you'll feel your stomach. Like, for people who have, like, that terrible feeling in their stomach when they eat, when you start eating, like, the avocados and eating more eggs and start having the almond butter, you suddenly realize your stomach feels a lot better and, like, even your skin feels better. Right. Like, there's feelings in your body that start to happen naturally.
[00:13:49] Speaker B: I agree. Yeah. People don't even know how bad they feel until they start to feel better, and they go, whoa.
Okay, that's. That's what I've been missing. That's why Fitz is so cranked up all the time.
Now I can be cranked up all the time, too.
[00:14:03] Speaker A: So, you know, so obviously, this is all about you, but I was. Here's an interesting factoid. You know, when they talk about what's. What's the disease where people.
Gluten. Gluten. Right, the gluten. When people are gluten intolerant, the way that it was figured out was there was a. There was a wheat famine back during World War II. I forgot the country, but it was in Europe at the time.
[00:14:21] Speaker B: Time.
[00:14:21] Speaker A: I think it might have been Poland. But anybody's watching, correct me, because I'm sure they will. Their kids, the sick kids, were in the hospital ward. But then when they couldn't get wheat, all of a sudden they got better. But then when bread got reintroduced back to them. Right. Suddenly they got sick. And then the doctor put two and two together and was like, wait a minute. And that's how it became into play. Obviously, that's a little bit different from what we're dealing with right now. But sometimes things can happen kind of by accident, even in the midst of.
[00:14:43] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, right. That's fascinating. That's a really fun, fun fact.
[00:14:47] Speaker A: It's fun facts. And, you know, throughout the years, it obviously has helped people avoid these things through that, you know, during a World War II situation.
[00:14:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:54] Speaker A: Let's talk about you hosting marathons, because I think that that's great. So how did you end up getting into that?
[00:15:00] Speaker B: So it is great, and I love doing it. And I was a speaker for Walt Disney World at their endurance series. They were bringing me in as their fitness expert sometimes to teach, to speak to their cast members or their. Their customers. And then they have the Walt Disney World Marathon, princess half, and so forth. So I was showing up at the expos to speak to all the athletes, and they had a race announcer, Rudy Novotny, who's got one of the biggest, best voices in the industry. And he was a lot of fun because I would run the races, too. So I remember thinking, man, this guy's awesome, and I'm having a great time because of him. And so he was also assigned to introducing the speakers. And so every time I spoke, he was always super flattering and say, gosh, you're so much fun and you're so engaging and blah, blah, blah. And then eventually he said, you know what? I need a co announcer for the OC The Orange County Marathon in California in a couple of months. Would you be interested in joining me? And I said, well, I've never done it before, but if you show me the ropes, I'd love to give it a go. And so fortunately, that race director Gary Kutcher, did give me a chance. And my first race weekend, I had 25,000 athletes and about incredible, right? And fortunately, my career, I've worked with enormous audiences, so I didn't melt down when Rudy left the stage and left me with about 15,000 of them alone. And we had the best time. I mean, the energy. It's funny because I put out massive energy.
Well, they give it back, you know, and I'm absorbing it. It's just like imagine, you know, the Wonder Twins, the superheroes, where they connect energy heart to heart type thing, or the Care Bears. That's. That's me and runners. But anyways, I was having the best time. And about an hour after I yelled, go for the first Time Gary came over and said, hey, would you come back next year? Said, absolutely. And there were other race directors there who said, can you do ours? And then it's just spiraled out of control. I have hosted so many of the world's finest running events, huge ones, some small, but I travel around the country. I do about 30 something events every year. And it's. It's a blessing.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: It's so fun, you know, and here's the thing, you know, full disclosure, I suck at running, so we'll see if we'll ever get.
[00:17:01] Speaker B: It's okay.
[00:17:02] Speaker A: I really do. It's. It's bad, you know, but having said that, you know, it's infectious. And so I can only imagine being at a race and like, you're pumped up, you're cold, you're ready to go, and then you have a crappy host. Right. And then you have somebody just sitting there behind there, like the Bob Yuker, God bless his soul, from like, you know, Major League. That's just monotone. Going through the most. Just the life out of the complete air. Right?
[00:17:22] Speaker B: Yep. Y.
[00:17:23] Speaker A: What a terrible experience. Right.
How do you. How did you go about writing your book? Like, what inspired you to decide that? I'm going to take all the tools and things that I've learned and then put it in writing to give people this information.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: Yeah. So this is actually book number five, and it should have been book number one, but, you know, timing is what it is. This is the book I've been wanting to write my whole adult life. This is my masterpiece. This is everything I want people to know about. Exercise, nutrition, sleep, complimentary behaviors, raising fit kids, aging like a badass, all of it. Yeah, you know, it's just timing was never right. And then finally I thought, okay, I don't want to face death again and not have done this. I need to get it out. And so I started writing it about two years ago and, you know, just starting with the nuts and bolts on what I want people to know about exercise and nutrition. And then it grew and grew. And then I reached out and I said, hey, folks, what would you want to read about in a book like this? A fitness book for the masses. And, you know, so many women said, please add a chapter or discussion. Menopause or perimenopause. And then some people would say, well, I'm worried about falling when I'm older, or gee, my kids are this. You know, So I added on, and it's 400 pages, it's 36 chapters, is all consumed. Well, you've seen. It's my masterpiece. This is the thing that, you know, I wish I would have written 20 years ago, but 20 years ago, I didn't have the expertise to write all of this in such a great way, be so thorough. And I'm just. I'm ecstatic. It's taken a long time. It's a harrowing, massive process. And I. I mean, God, it would take a lot for me to go back to working with traditional publishers. I've done it before, and I'm too much of a control freak. I don't want them to manipulate my messages, and they like to do that. They. The last time I worked with a traditional publisher, they're like, we need to add chapters on negative calorie foods and diet supplements. And I was like, no, we're not doing that. So we're not. And so that. That blew up. But I'm so excited about this one. This one is beautiful. This is the game changer, and I'm hoping to get it in as many hands as possible because it will change people and our country if we can get everybody to act up and take care of themselves. Right.
[00:19:43] Speaker A: I found it fascinating that I was able to, you know, get a little snippet. Right. So I felt like I was part of a special elite group, you know, you are for. Yeah.
[00:19:50] Speaker B: So what did. What did you think? Because really, other than my editors, nobody's read it.
[00:19:54] Speaker A: I thought it was very, very well done. You know, when you had, you know, because you have 35 chapters, and then when you were speaking on, you know, people that were placing blame and things like that. I like how you segmented things one by one. So you're like, this chapter is going to do this specifically. This chapter is going to do this specifically. And you talk about all the nuances in between there and get a chance to actually preview in some of that. And what your thoughts were behind it, I thought were very inspiring. You know, I didn't want to spoil too much for myself, so I give myself, like, a little mental notes as I'm going through that. But I was really intrigued about by having the chance to do that.
[00:20:24] Speaker B: Good. Thank you. And do you like. Do you like the little Fitzy photos at the end of the chapters?
[00:20:28] Speaker A: Hilariously. Really well done. I thought that was. I thought these are really good. To me, I'm a visual person, too, because I really, truly am. Like, you know, in this era of social media and short attention spans, if I don't see something quick, right. Like, I get. I don't say Bored. But it's hard for me to, like, focus. That's why YouTube is so good for me for music as opposed to, like, Pandora, because I can see, like, the video, right? So see, okay, this helps, right? For me. But I thought I. I definitely love the way you broke it down. Then I was listening to it. When you're chapter by chapter breakdown on YouTube as well, too. When you were mentioning about the diets and the pills and how much you want to just punch those people in the face and stuff like that, you know, I thought that was hilarious. When you're like, I want to just. If I see one of them, I just want to bloody their nose, you know, because they're selling well.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: It's true. You know what? So my editors at the start, they were saying, like, they. They loved it, but they were saying maybe you could tone it down a little bit. Someone might think you're mean. And so I did tone some things down, but then I just. I was like, no. I mean, if. If someone wants a vanilla book, go get it elsewhere. If you want vanilla guidance, fine. I'm not your girl. I'm gonna tell you the truth, because I'm so freaking passionate. And, you know, traditionally I get away with my direct approach because people know that I love them, you know, and. And I address that up front. Like, listen, if something makes you say ouch, that's a good thing. Hopefully that makes you think. It inspires you for to action. It doesn't make you slam the book and think, she's mean. I'm not mean. I'm doing my best to convince you, to compel you, to encourage you. So, yeah, I went. I went almost full throttle Fitz Kohler on everybody in the book. That's what I love him so much.
[00:22:01] Speaker A: If you're working out and I mean everybody, you show us being discomfort, not paying, right? Like, that's right. Call it for what, like, straight up, right? Like, if you're like, it's just the truth, right? For anybody. This is. It's not a hard concept. But I thought I do have to ask this question because, you know, I've had a chance to talk to some really interesting people. In this era of social media where everybody's an expert, right? It gets very difficult to discern the BS artists from. And it's not like social media is new with people pedal BS, right? Like Charles Ponzi did it 200 years ago, right? So how do we actually, hey, I'm the fitness guru. Just follow these steps. I have washboard abs that are AI versus follow your steps.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I think credentials and experience go a long way. I mean, this is my decades of experience. The master's degree in exercise and sports sciences did not come easy. It did not come cheaply. You know, I haven't been doing this since I was 15 and not figured it out. You can find a bunch of really hot bodies online that know nothing. You know, maybe they got their personal trainer certificate out of a Cracker Jack box. They're representing, you know, whatever supplement shake brand. And honestly, if you have a person who has any sort of fitness credentials and they are hawking supplements, well then you know, instantly they're garbage. Because what in the world, when they're teaching you how to train people to exercise safely, they don't teach you how to discover if people are lacking certain nutrients and how to replace them. That's, they're, they're, they're out of their lane and shame on them. So, yeah, it definitely is a buyer beware there, There's a lot of really beautiful, really well built idiots you do, you know, you got to do your research. And so I'll put my credentials up against absolutely anybody in the fitness industry and, and feel very confident that I'll come out on top or right next to some other stellar fitness wizards.
[00:23:52] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and it does, man, because we're, we're especially now when you people are so image conscious and it's all about the Instagram likes and it's about the clicks.
[00:24:01] Speaker B: Right.
[00:24:01] Speaker A: And it's about, you know, the most attention gets the, you know, it really is particularly, and it's, it's across the board. You know, it's not just a young thing, it's old thing too because people get older, they're like, how does that person still look like this at 45, 50 years old? And you know, full disclosure, it probably isn't natural. Right.
[00:24:18] Speaker B: So, so this is interesting. My cover was supposed to be just illustrated, so I didn't want to be on the COVID of the book. I was loathe photo shoots. It's just they, I don't like posing. I don't mind if I'm in a candid shot out at a race or something. That's fine by me. But posing is really awkward for me. I don't like it. And so it was going to be illustrated and then I was convinced, okay, no, you have to be on the COVID of the book. And so I went through the paces. I hired, you know, the incredible photographer and studio and makeup artist and stuff like that. But then it was me and it was my body. Now, truth be told, I did not eat any bread for about 48 hours before my photo shoot. But it's my body on the COVID And so. And whether you like my body or not, it is. I think I'm pretty fit. I feel good about myself, but very impressive, Very impressive.
[00:25:06] Speaker A: You know, I was, I was, I was like. I had to do a double take. I'm like, man, that's awesome.
[00:25:11] Speaker B: Well, thank you. Thank you. Like I said, I feel good in my skin, especially since I'm. What am I? Like? I was 110 pounds and weak and scrawny, and now I'm 117 pounds of muscle. I've worked so hard, but someone actually told me, or, or if someone asked, they said, is that you or is that. I was like, no, that's me. That's actually me. And the, the photo editor, like, she touched up a few freckles, but other than that, that's me. And yeah, so someone said, you should make an ad being like, it's really me, it's really me. So I'm not gonna do that. But I do have behind the scenes video footage, and so I'm probably gonna release that so people can look and be like, okay, that's her.
[00:25:53] Speaker A: Well, you know, and what's crazy is, is that, you know, you worked for it, you earned it, and there's. That's the bottom line. And the other thing about it is too, is like, and I say this very respectfully, you know, as you get older and then, you know, whatever age you are, it's not my business. But when you see people of comparable age, you're obviously heavy into fitness, but you will see throughout your years and you've seen, like, you know, you really have aged quickly because you didn't take care of yourself. And that's not.
[00:26:17] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:26:17] Speaker A: On people for whatever they go through, medical things. None of my business, but I'm 42 and I've had people say, you look younger. Thanks. I didn't, you know, I didn't do anything particular, but I did somewhat stay in shape.
[00:26:29] Speaker B: Yeah. And, you know, I mean, I was, I was an overweight teenager and I'm really. What, I mean, people can look at me. I'm not some superstar. I'm not a bodybuilder. I'm not. Whatever. I'm just like your average fit girl. I'm a vegetarian. So I'm consistent. That's really a secret. I'm consistent and I work hard and, you know, I work in all areas of fitness. But really, there's nothing extraordinary about me. But what I do like is there's.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: Oh, yes, there is. Absolutely. That's one question.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. But, you know, I'm not a superhero or anything, but there's. There's a lot of other grownups who will say, you know what? If you have abs, I can have abs, too. And that thrills me. And then those grownups and so many men do that, too. And. And mind you, I'm not ever trying to be egregious with sharing. You know, there's a lot of those hot bodies out there that are always showing pictures of the backside and the thong and in the mirror. And there are some swimsuit photos of me on my Instagram page, but I'm usually outdoors doing fun stuff.
[00:27:22] Speaker A: It's mixed in with the. You know, it's mixed in with the regular content of, like, your speeches, your podcast, which is the top 3% podcast, by the way, for people who are listening. So I want to make sure.
[00:27:33] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:27:33] Speaker A: Of course.
[00:27:34] Speaker B: Thank you. You know, whatever. There are photos that exist in me in a swimsuit, but I love it when folks and it. And so many men, they're just like, you know what? I saw you have abs, so I'm going to get abs. And I lost 12 pounds because of your last photo. Because they were so motivated, you know? Yeah, let's do it. If you're 25, let's go. If you're 55, let's go. If you'm 75, let's freaking go. I tell you, strength training, the fountain of youth. Anybody and everybody pursues strength training more aggressively, they will see results they love in so many ways.
[00:28:03] Speaker A: I think that, you know, one of the things that I did wrong for quite some time was. And I said this on a previous episode, too, as well, Mickey Krinsky, who's a chef out in Los Angeles, I said this to her, said I was doing jiu jitsu once, and I thought I was in shape. There's a difference between being active and being in shape, right? For people who. The full disclosure, being in shape means you're actually taking what you did in the gym and applying it to your real life. Being active means that you're just doing an activity for a set amount of time. It's a habit, Right? But so when I got videotaped, you know, you know, doing jiu jitsu, and then when I actually saw what I looked like, as opposed to what I thought I looked like, I got mortified, right? Because I'm like, holy smokes, that guy is fat. Like, yo, like that 50 Cent. Like, damn, homie. Right? So it was like that checking moment where I was like, I gotta tone this down a little bit. And that's when I started eating, you know, and doing better. I'm nowhere near where you're at. But sometimes you have to not look in the good mirror in your house, right. And turn it the right direction to realize it wrong. You know what I'm saying?
[00:29:00] Speaker B: So that's actually part of one of the initial chapters, is like, let's do a full assessment, folks. Get naked. Get naked. It's your body. It's okay, you know, And I want them to set goals about performance and the way their body feels, but it's also okay to have pride in the way you look. Vanity can go a long way, but if you do have some ego attached to your appearance, that will likely increase the outcomes for your performance and the way your body feels. And so, yeah, at the end there, it's get naked. You know, start by writing down the things you love and then get into the things you would like to upgrade. Be honest with yourself and set goals that are final goals. Tell me what you really want to accomplish. Don't just say, I'm going to set the small goal for myself so I won't fall short and I won't fail. No, let's go all the freaking way. Because you can. You can. Even if you look down right now and you can't see your belt below your belly, you can have ripped abs 100% true. You can. So why not? Let's go.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: Well, I thought it was funny when you mentioned the gym. You know, when it came to somebody who, you know, you had a friend or a colleague who said they went through, you know, treatment, and then they said, well, I'm just going to get the $10 membership. Right? And then you're like, well, because I. I don't want it to be too expensive. Like, no, get the $50 one. Because you're like, I'm not wasting 50 bucks a month on, you know, that's right. I'm going to go twice a week to get this thing evened out for what I'm paying for this.
[00:30:20] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I mean, maybe money, maybe a financial investment could be the motivator that keeps you constant. It's funny. So many of my resources. So my business model is really to take money from corporations. They pay me for speaking, they pay me for race announcing. And I've never wanted to have a dollar stand between Me and helping a person lose weight or get fit or live better. And so, you know, there's a zillion free resources on my podcast and fitness.com and the socials and stuff. It's almost sometimes I wonder if that harms people. Like if people were spending money on me, if they would prioritize their own fitness more by, you know what, they can drop 25, 30 bucks on this book and we'll see if that.
[00:31:06] Speaker A: I find it, you know, and I guess that I know your schedule is busy, but I always find it fascinating that the people that I got on this podcast and I'm like, look at all the free information that I get a chance to actually absorb in, right? You know, I get a chance to talk to entrepreneurs, Chinese owners, developers that are, you know, multi language people that are talking about the businesses that did well, right? And I'm here I am, I'm like, I just get a chance to listen to all this free information, right? And it's invaluable because people who are successful are willing to share this information with the rest of us because they had to go through, you know, they didn't just wake up overnight and suddenly say, hey, I'm a fitness. They only, people only see the end. They only see dinner. They don't see the food that actually, the butcher shop, the farm, you know, the packaging, the grocery store, the unthawing of the food. They only see the picture of the person with the six pack. That's all they see.
[00:31:51] Speaker B: You are such a smart, interesting and insightful man. And it is not, it's true, it is not a surprise that so many people come to you to have conversations and then your listeners know that, you know, you're the constant. When they hear Rashad, they know they're going to have a good time and he's going to bring in guests that are interesting too. I mean you, you, you, you're, you're a magnet for it.
[00:32:14] Speaker A: You know, full disclosure, I was told to shut up a lot growing up, but so I finally found out what I was good at later on in life.
[00:32:20] Speaker B: That's classic.
You know what my, my mom told me she would say, stop saying hi to everybody, stop being so nice, you're gonna get yourself killed. And I've done the exact opposite of that. Now I'm into like the hugging everybody I see and hi. All the things she used to be like, man, really? I think so.
[00:32:41] Speaker A: Like, I don't have an agenda on this podcast, right. If you'll notice, I've never once asked Somebody. I don't ask two questions of any guest on here. I don't ask who you worship or who you don't worship. And I don't ask who's at the ballot box of which that's not what this show is about. I don't care. I care about what the guest has to present to the audience. Listening, it's all that matters to me. And anybody who wants to go on here will get the same experience that you have right now.
[00:33:05] Speaker B: Well, that's top notch.
[00:33:06] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, man, that's. That means the world coming from you. It really does.
[00:33:09] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: So you clearly don't need me for people to find you, but for the purpose of this show. And I could talk forever because you have so many layers to yourself, Fitz Kohler, your experiences, what you do for the purpose of this show. Where can people find you?
[00:33:23] Speaker B: Go straight to fitznes. Com, that's F I T Z as in zebra, n e s s dot com. I'm also @Fitznes on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. You can find me if you want. And. And then also don't just follow. I mean, I love followers. That allows me to disperse some quality info to you, but I would much prefer friends over followers. So please, please say hi. Please tell me you heard me on Rashad's show. And you know, I'd love to suck you into my little world, you know, poke you in the chest and make.
[00:33:51] Speaker A: You better, you know, and the thing is about it, too, is, you know, talking to you. Full disclosure, I think I'm gonna throw away a couple things that I packed for my lunch because, you know, you get humbled when you talk about people who walk the block. Right? And then when, you know, when you're eating potato chips and they're, you know, talking about their vegetarian diet and they're counting calories, certainly brings you back down to earth that you really haven't done everything that you could to get in shape.
[00:34:14] Speaker B: Hey, listen, you don't have to be perfect, but strive for excellence and strive to get 1% better every day. And so know that I have some potato chips, too. I just have a few and far between. Right?
[00:34:27] Speaker A: Yeah. But the difference is there's a serving. And for people who act on this show, like 12 Chips is a serving. Like the bag ain't the full, not the bag.
[00:34:34] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, that's right.
[00:34:35] Speaker A: Not even close. So thank you so much for being on the Randomness of Nothing podcast. This has been an absolute honor. And like I said, I'm on cloud nine right now that you took time out of your skill.
[00:34:44] Speaker B: Thanks, Rashad. Bye, everybody.
[00:34:45] Speaker A: Thank you.
