What’s up everyone. Welcome to the fit to fat to fit experience podcast. It’s me drew Manning hanging out with you guys. I’m here flying solo again. Um, I actually don’t know where Lynn is at this time. She’s not here though. Sometimes she’s here sometimes. She’s not, sometimes you guys just get me. Sometimes you get both of us, hopefully either way. You’ll listen to this episode. Uh, we have an awesome guest, dr. Jeff Spencer, you guys Google him, uh, an amazing guy. I met him at this mindset group in LA a couple weeks ago and was very impressed with what he does. He’s 65 years old. He was in the 1972 Olympics as an American cyclist, uh, such a great story. He was born, um, with the great discipline as a nine year old kid who would wake up at 4:30 AM to go practice baseball. Um, his real passion became cycling though.
And, uh, at 10 years old, he went on a race with these, with these adults and just killed them. Like he said, it was a 25 mile bike ride. He thought that was the warmup and everyone else was done for the day. Uh, so he’s got an incredible story. He grew up without a dad, uh, which we dive into a little bit. Well, his, his parents got divorced. His dad left and he found out 30 years later that his dad was this genius, um, who was a, um, a military veteran and ended up dying a homeless man on the streets, even though he was a genius growing up. And so he talks a little bit about that. He talks about his support group has mentors and, you know, high level Olympic athletes that mentored him and were his support system. And so he’s learned from all these great people and has taken, you know, the successful, the successful people and how they have achieved this level of success.
And now with advanced degrees, um, and health and wellness, uh, he coaches, world-class people, you know, gold, uh, gold medal athletes, uh, you know, from bands like you to, to, um, you know, 500 fortune 500 CEOs. So he’s got quite the resume. You guys, he definitely knows what he’s talking about. He lays out the 10, his 10 step blueprint, which is very, very, very, very applicable to me. You, everybody that’s trying to become healthier, more fit. So definitely get a pencil and paper and write though these 10 steps down. Cause they’re very, very valuable. Uh, before we jump into today’s episode with dr. Jeff Spencer, though, our show sponsors who we are very grateful for, because none of this will be possible if we didn’t have some type of sponsor to pay the cost, to have this podcast on air. Um, there’s a lot that goes into these podcasts.
A lot of work, a lot of production. And so we appreciate companies like Everly well and quest nutrition. Uh, if you haven’t heard me talk about Everly, well, uh, I’ve mentioned them before in the past, I’m super excited to have them onboard as a sponsor of this podcast. One, because I use their services and I was a fan of their services before I decided to work with them. Basically, basically, ever since I did fit to it, to fit, you guys have had blood testing to make sure that what I was doing was optimal for me and to find out where my health markers were. Unfortunately, it’s so inconvenient sometimes and expensive and time consuming to make it an appointment at a doctor’s office to go draw your blood, you know, tell them what, you know, what markers you want tested. And then, you know, you draw a ton of blood, you have to make an appointment.
Um, and then the process of getting your results back is daunting sometimes because it’s a lot of information to take in. You don’t know how to interpret the numbers and what they mean. Everything will says does such a great job of getting rid of all of that’s, the future of blood testing. You guys, I’m telling you, uh, you go to Everly, well.com pick which tests you want to do. So if you want to test your cholesterol, if you want to test your hormones, if you want to test your sleep levels, um, if there’s, if you want to test heavy metals in your body, they have so many different tests you can choose from all very affordable, super simple. They send you the kit in the mail to your house, or it arrives in a couple of days, the follow, the easy to follow instructions of how to do the tests, right?
You prick your finger or sometimes it’s a urine sample and you put it in the prepaid package, drop it off at a ups store, or schedule a ups to pick it up. And then boom, a couple days later, they email you the results with very easy to read, um, explanations of what those numbers mean, right? So let’s say your triglycerides, let’s say your estrogen or testosterone is this level. It tells you what, what the green, yellow, and red version are. So where it should be. What’s optimal, what’s in the danger zone and then what’s really bad. Um, and why it’s that way and what you can do to fix it, right? It gives you solutions. So it’s very simple, very easy to read, very easy to comprehend, no waiting lines, uh, super convenient, very affordable, like I said, and you can use my discount code, a fit to fat to fit.
Or if you just go to [inaudible] dot com for size fits better fits in the show notes, you guys go check them out, start finding out what is optimal for you by getting your blood work tested on a regular basis. Maybe once every couple months, once every three months, no later than once every six months, for sure. Uh, but start using every well.com use their services. You guys go check them out. Our next show sponsor is quest nutrition.com. I’ve been a huge fan of quest since the beginning, back in the day, they had less than a hundred thousand followers on Facebook. I remember meeting with them was blown away by their product, you know, high protein, low carb type of protein bar that actually tastes good and isn’t full of sugar. Um, so I’ve been a fan of them ever since then. Obviously they came out with protein powders and protein chips and just have made these, these amazing, you know, food type products actually tastes good and healthier for you right now.
They’ve evolved into, you know, the Quito industry, which I’m a huge fan of as you guys know, and they have, you know, keto chocolate bars and Quito, peanut butter cups and Quito for frozen meals. And the food is amazing because of the macro profile. So it’s very high in fat, moderate protein, low carb. It fits those ratios. Um, they are big proponents of doing testing, right to, to see if this type of lifestyle is optimal for some people. And so I’m a really big fan of what they do. Um, and what the bigger picture of, of what question nutrition is all about. So check them out@questnutrition.com. Uh, we’re very thankful for their support of our podcast. All right, you guys, let’s go and hang out with dr. Jeff Spencer now.
All right, dr. Jeff Spencer, welcome to the fit to fat, to fit experience podcast. How are you doing, man? Well, listen, thank you so much drew for the invitation. Yeah, I know my pleasure. Um, just so everybody knows how dr. Jeff and I met was at a mastermind event, just not too long ago. What, like a week ago now? Yeah, it was actually, we grew on Monday. Yes. A little over a week ago. And it was a such a cool event where, I mean, seriously, this room was filled with like amazing people and Jeff was one of them. And luckily we got able, we were able to connect. There was other people there, like Jim quick, you know, Aubrey Marcus, Sean Stevenson, who’s one who put the whole thing on. And if you guys could have been a fly on the wall, it would have been awesome, but we are planning on sharing all the stuff we learned, um, you know, through our own platforms.
But that’s where I met. I met Jeff and was instantly connected to his story. And I think he found my story kind of entertaining. Right. Ya know, it’s unbelievable middle East. So, uh, I had to have him on the podcast. And so anyways, that’s how we met. And, uh, Jeff, I kind of want to back up and kind of introduce you to my audience a little bit. And when I was reading up on you, one of the first things that stuck out was this, this, um, the statement, and I kind of want you to start there. And it says this at nine years old, I woke up at 4:30 AM and that right there, and that right there is where I want to start, because how did that happen? Why? And I think that kind of defines, you know, where you’ve gotten to, but just start there for me.
Well, yeah. You know, I, my eyes automatically opened up. I kind of have the self-start gene and I’d go outside in the morning with my little black baseball bat. And I take my softball, I hit it up and down in the street by myself while everybody else was sleeping. And so I just had this physicality about me that anything that involved running, throwing, jumping over things or whatever, I was just there for it. And I was enthralled with the Olympics. I thought that was just an amazing thing. And I always felt that, you know, what I think of being an Olympian would be the coolest thing ever. And so that’s how it all got started. And I’ve just had ability to get up and be self motivated to get things done. I have a natural curiosity. I like to just sort of explore the possibilities that are out there. And I feel out the world and life is a giant sandbox that wants to be played on. That’s how it all got started.
Interesting. So you didn’t have a dad or an older brother getting you up or got up that early, that you kind of followed suit or was an example for you. You still started yourself, right?
Yeah. I just got up. I mean, I, yeah, I mean, everybody else is sleeping. I was hitting the ball up and down the street under the streetlights. Those were my companion, maybe a possum or two to their cross, but that was about it.
And did anybody else notice this or catch onto it and start wanting to join you or teammates or friends that were motivated by this? Or was it just you doing this by yourself?
It was just a solar mission. It’s like everybody was sleeping and, uh, you know, I didn’t incur to me that other people may be interested actually.
That’s it. That’s so interesting. Okay. So from there, um, I’m guessing you got into baseball, right? That was your passion as a kid, or was there other passions at that age?
Well, uh, actually cycling was the real passion. Uh, that was, uh, that, that was actually the, the cycling is interesting story because there was a time where, um, some guys in my neighborhood, which were seven or eight years older than myself develop a recreational interest in cycling. And they had all the best bikes and everything. And they asked me to go for a ride with them one day and it was a 25 mile ride. And so I went with him on the ride and when we got back, they were all tired and I wasn’t. So there was something like, very different about me at that time. And it was really a preview of, of things to come. So cycling became my sport of choice just because I had an affinity for it. And I had proximity to people that were actually doing it. So that really became my focus, even though I continued to play baseball and every other sport, the one that I was really intently focused on was, uh, competitive cycling. And that was it. That was actually at the age of, uh, it occurred to me at seven, but when I was 10 is when I had my inaugural ride.
Okay. A 10 years old. Wow. Do you remember what bike you were riding at that age? Or what bike?
Yeah, I do. I still actually have a picture of it. It was silver, Swiss bike, you know, the seat was all the way down. My legs could barely reach the pedals. Yeah. That didn’t occur to me that I couldn’t ride it, you know? So I, it was a surreal experience and, uh, you know, get in the end of the ride, I thought we were just getting warmed up and everybody else was dead.
So I was like, wow. And that’s at 10 years old. Right. Yeah. Um, so from there then, where did you grow in the sport from there? I mean, cause are there opportunities for 10 year olds, 11 year olds, teenagers to ride competitively? Um, that’s a different world to me, to be honest with you.
Yes. There are, uh, categories that, that do race at that age. And, uh, so I began racing when I was like 11 and in incidentally, that that’s the moment where I also decided that I wanted to become an Olympian. I mentioned that earlier and I always thought being an Olympian would be cool. And so when I made the cycling connection, I realized that the path to the Olympics was going to be cycling. Uh, my original inspiration was just the March in the Olympic opening day ceremony parade. So that was an important Genesis point. And then, uh, when I was 13, I won my first championship was like a coordination event that, you know, maybe there is a possibility that I can become an Olympian. And I never thought that I really couldn’t. And, but there was an important moment there when I was 13 was last time I saw my dad, my mom and dad got divorced and he disappeared. I found out 30 years later that he died homeless on the streets in New York city. So that was another real pivotal moment because, um, I’d always been alone by myself because of myself started this, if there is such a word, but you know, when he left things changed, because then we went on welfare and, uh, you know, things changed significantly for me though. My motivation for my aspiration to become an Olympian. It was still there.
Yeah. So let’s, let’s talk about that stuff into that, if you’re comfortable talking about that. Um, so they got divorced and your dad just up and left, there was no split custody or anything like that.
It never even occurred to me as a possibility. Yeah.
Okay. And then how did you come to define that he ended up becoming homeless or did you go back and track the steps of what happened to him after that? Uh, you said 30 years later though.
Yes. Well, um, uh, I, I did have a letter, uh, from 1967, believe it or not, it had an address that where he was staying and I always felt that, you know, that’s the only known link that I have to his whereabouts. And so I, 30 years later I went back to New York and I went to the location. Of course it was an old broken down tenement apartment building. And so I figured while there must be more to it than that. So we went to the, uh, city library, New York city on 42nd street. And I went through, um, the, uh, obituary isn’t I did find, you know, when he had passed. And so I was eventually able to track him down or where he was laid to rest through the veterans administration. Cause he was a military veteran and it was buried at the tip of long Island. So I, you know, went out to his, uh, burial site there and I looked out the plaque and said, well, you know, I guess this is about as far as it goes, I guess it’s up to me to, you know, now carry the torch forward. So that was how that thing, uh, eventually resolved itself.
Wow. That’s so that’s so interesting. Very powerful. Um, did, did, uh,
[inaudible]
uh, sorry, lost my train of thought there. Cause I had two or three questions that I was going to ask and then there’s, I could add to this
significant is that my dad was literally a genius as I knew him growing up as a kid. I mean, he was a once in a generation or once in a creation person with his level of design creativity that should command any price for his services. And, and so that was a really important lesson for me. It’s like, okay, what’s the math on this genius dies homeless. And so I learned something very important there that, uh, you know, the milestones or the assets that we think that are necessary to become extraordinary are you got to have, will you got to have talent, you got to have technology and you’ve got to have, um, technique. And for sure all of those are important, but it certainly didn’t save him. And as a kid observing the Olympics, I saw that people that should won didn’t and people that on paper shouldn’t did. So I knew that there was a lot more to it than just the try hard and achieve whatever you can visualize. I knew that that was not true. You know, my dad was evidence of that. So that really became part of what inspired me to figure out what it takes to become a consistent prolific peak performer.
Yeah, the man that is so interesting because you see someone like your dad, who like you said, is a genius and has all the talent in the world, but that didn’t end up. I mean, none of that matters, right. If there’s no. Yeah. I mean, I don’t know what his condition was if he had a condition. I don’t know if you know now that you’re older, if he had symptoms of PTSD or depression, um, he was alcoholic actually. Okay. Yeah. So, so the question I was going to ask, it just came to me now. It was after he left, did you end up having with digital mom remarry? Was their father figure role in your life or did your mom never
remarry or did you not have that from someone else? The silver lining to this was, is that I had people that were not at nomination. All that came from the world of sport. They came from business, they came from stage, they came from life itself that were actually icons in their industries and their disciplines. And they took a liking to me and what they did, they shared with me every one of the secrets on how they became iconic. So I was really lucky because then I had at least a governing set of directives that if I followed would give me a chance to be able to achieve my ambition of becoming an Olympian. And I followed those really to the tee, even at the age of 13 on those became the kind of declaration of independence that, that, that I adhered to rigidly.
Interesting. So you must have had, I mean, it sounds like you had incredible support system, right? Um, but you also, at that age, you must’ve had a lot of discipline to, to be able to put those things into practice. Cause normal 13 year old kids are worried about, you know, are other people gonna tease them or they’re worried about video games or, you know, nowadays, you know, social media, how are you able to stay disciplined in a world of chaos and you know, other teenagers that do typical teenager things, but here you are training for the Olympics.
That’s a little bit of an enigma that I don’t quite understand myself, but it’s like, I’ve always had this ability to, uh, be intensely committed without being compulsive, but being really detailed, oriented towards outcomes that are irrelevant to me. And I think for sure, the four or five or six mentors that I had shared with me, a level of sincerity that made me really feel that, um, it was important me to, for me to honor them and their charity to me, by showing up for duty and doing my part. And I’ve always been like that. And I, again, I don’t quite understand it, but I dunno where that comes from. But I do know that I wasn’t really interested in the things that most people do for fun, which to me, wasn’t fun. They looked at it like, well, look at the sacrifices said, well, you know, I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing anything. I’m embracing an opportunity to see what’s possible. I think the sacrifice is with you and not embracing the talents and gifts and opportunities that you have. So I was always a little bit of an odd ball actually.
Gotcha. No, I, and I think, you know, sometimes some people, I mean, I don’t know if this is the right statement, but some people are born with that type of discipline and maybe some people aren’t, maybe it can be learned, you know, I don’t, I don’t really know cause I’ve thought about the same thing and that’s what I was going to lead into this question a little bit later, but it’s kind of a perfect timing for it is, you know, you helped so many people from all different walks of life, right? From Olympic athletes to fortune 500 CEOs, the same principles kind of apply to each person. You know, my audience is more of, you know, your, your average mom or dad that you know, is trying to become healthier. Maybe their goal is weight loss. And it feels like, you know, some people like me, I feel like I’ve just always had that discipline to exercise and eat healthy. When I know I have a goal, whereas some people, they either, they don’t have the discipline or they don’t have the knowledge or the support system or whatever. Um, do you feel like there is that same thing applies to people in the health and fitness industry that, you know, want to lose weight, for example, um, why, why do some people succeed and fail at transformations or the weight loss transformation? Some people that sticks with them, some people doesn’t.
I think a lot of that is, is that, that, that the path to the target isn’t clear enough. And I think another part of this too, is that, um, there’s a mechanical side to the goal, but there’s also a personal side of the goal. Like, so for example, let’s say I want to lose 20 pounds. There’s the, the there’s the side, which is diet, exercise, sleep, and all the other things that are essential that have to get done. But then there’s the me side where I really need to understand my experience, being a person, going through a structured weight loss program. And I need to understand it, what my experience is going to be going through that. So I can anticipate and interpret what it is I’m experiencing, because you know, there may be points in the journey where I should be struggling. It’s really a sign of progress. It’s not a sign that I can’t do it, but if I don’t know that, then I’ll talk myself out of it. So I feel that there’s a little bit of a breach there. And, um, I think that if we have a better understanding of, of where the stall points are predicted and how we identify them and how we move beyond them goes a long way to not just getting to the target, but, but maintaining that, which we have worked hard for.
Yeah, man. Yeah. That’s a really good point that you just made there. Um, I kind of want to shift gears and get back to your story a little bit. I feel like, uh, you know, um, it kind of lays a roadmap for all of us and can, we can really pull some gyms and apply these things that these lessons that you’ve learned into our lives. Um, so talk speed up a little bit to the Olympics, you making the Olympic team and what your experience was like there. And then from there I want to transition into how did you start coaching people, you know? Sure. So you take it from there.
Well, when I was a, um, I got an educational opportunity grant to go to the university of Southern California, where I studied sports science and in between my sophomore and junior year, I actually did make the Olympic team. And I did actually March into the stadium. So that was a dream come true for me, but it took 10 years to do it. And I had a plan that I was going to be brave and work hard, not make any excuses, that’s how I was going to do it. So I did that for 10 years and I was able to make the team with the help of others. So, you know, no one wins alone. You’ve got to have a great team that can help you. That was an important lesson there. And, and I’ve always had a side to me that, uh, really understands, uh, human nature and why people succeed and why people fail.
And so when I got my master’s degree in sports science side, not only knew what it takes, took to become, uh, an Olympic performing, uh, athlete, but I also understood the biology behind it. And so a lot of people were interested in that from business, from sport, from stage, from the performing arts that wanted to become their own champions in their disciplines. And they knew that rightly so that if you want to be a champion in your discipline, that you have to be able to push and you have to be able to sustain. So that was perfectly in line with my knowledge, uh, from my master’s degree and my experience as an Olympian. And so I became a consultant to those people. Um, I did help athletes win gold medals. I have helped business people, uh, get to the top of their game and stay there and become iconic successes with those principles.
And, uh, with that initial success, which I actually started in 1979, I believe it or not. So I’m kind of in my fourth 40th year of this, um, people ask me a lot about how do we get in stay? Well, how do I prevent manage injuries? So I went back to chiropractic school and got my license sure. As a primary healthcare provider. And with those three things, I became a Jiffy lube one stop shopping center for crafting a structure and a path for people to get from where they are to where they want to go on performance and remain at the top of their game. And so I had a unique perspective because I knew the biology of it. I knew the personal side of that. I knew the experiential side of what it really takes to get to the top. And there, there are millions of choices that are in front of us to get from where we are to where we want to go.
But the thing I just had this unique ability to know exactly what the singular path is for the individual, that one way for them that will get them to where they want to go. So that’s how I got into the high performance coaching space that included not only musicians like I’ve been with you, but also, uh, sports, uh, standouts like Maria Sharapova, et cetera, as well as business people, I’ve been on Richard Branson’s Island with him and a bunch of other entrepreneurs and stuff. So that’s kind of how it, it went from that to really, what’s now a full time what I call corner, man coaching. It’s not just coaching, it’s another level of it. And that was the Genesis of it. And so recently I have created a program based on that model called the goal achievement roadmap, which is the 10 step model that I have seen that literally every prolific performer in any discipline is followed to be able to achieve their goals, um, in the least time, at least effort. And generally on the first try. So that’s the Genesis in summary from there to now.
Yeah. I was going to ask you about the 10 step, uh, roadmap. Cause remember you briefly talked about it. Can you dive into maybe some of them or maybe touch on all of them if you don’t mind?
Yeah, absolutely. So what the observation was is this, is that, um, number one, uh, repeat success at anything. And the discipline doesn’t matter is it’s not an accident. It’s a very deliberate actions that are consistently applied. So what I observed was is that there’s, there’s kind of two basic sides to this. There’s a preparation side that gets you ready to perform to achieve the goal. So there’s a preparation side and then there’s a performance side, two different and champions golden rule, as you do the homework and the test is easy, meaning that when you pair well, then the performance is done easily, that executes and achieves the goal. And so I observed into being through my experience, helping athletes win gold medals and business people make millions and thought leaders move to the next level. I observed that there are five different steps that are required to prepare well so that you choose the right goal and you’re responsibly prepared to begin pursuing your goal.
And you never want to start pursuing it. You all, unless you’re ready. So the five steps are number one is to confirm in your preparation that your goal is actually a goal. It’s not a wish. It’s not a dream and it’s not a vision. You know, goals are very specific that are very specific criteria that make them very precise and unambiguous. And that’s the first thing, because when you’re clear about your goal and it’s detailed enough, then you have focus. And if you have focus and you’re able to direct your attention to executing the steps and have to go right to achieve your goal, step number two, you’re still in the preparation phase, you still are not pursuing your goal. You have to ask yourself, why am I doing this step two is motive. Why am I doing this? And the why, of course it needs to be honorable if we’re doing it.
For example, to pursue the opportunity to express our gift, to improve our health. Those are all really good motives. And the reason why motive is important is because motive gives us drive. When we understand our why, then we have an internal motivation and a drive to be able to stay in the game long enough to achieve our goal. Step number three is called impact. And that’s where we need to look at and assess our achieved goals, impact on ourself, on others, on our culture, on the natural universe and on our legacy, because we need to make sure that when our goal is achieved, that it has the right impact on everything. And everybody, because when we do understand that and it’s in alignment with us, then, uh, what that gives us, it gives us purpose. It gives us the ability to get up and do something that’s bigger than ourselves when we may not feel like it.
And then, then step number four, we’re still in preparation is mindset. And when I talk about mindset, I’m not talking about positive thinking. I’m saying, do we understand the war within us? Where our human nature, where part of us wants to succeed and wants to make a difference. But part of us is scared and wants to quit. And doesn’t want to even try. We have a war inside of us and we have to be willing to fight that battle every day, uh, in honor, bleed, do the action steps that are necessary to be able to achieve that goal. And we also need to know the challenges that we’re going to face in to achieving our goal so that we’re realistic about our ability to be able to encounter and engage in surmount and overcome those challenges. And when we have that mindset, then we have courage and courage is the ability to get up and show up every day and keep showing up for work and doing the action steps to make our, uh, our dream come real.
Then we have step number five, which is the last step in preparation. That’s called resources. We’ve got to make sure that we have the right materials. Do we have the space? Do we have the time? Do we have the team? Do we have the financing? Do we have the equipment? And of course, once we’ve been able to check off the list that we do have that, then we have trust in our preparation because all five steps have been completed, where we have chosen the right goal, and we’re appropriately prepared to responsibly start to pursue the goal. So then when we start to pursue this fall, which is the second half division two, which is called performance, this is where we have a start procedure where there is a little window in time where we’ve talked enough and now we need to get started. And this is where we have like an implementation procedure on exactly what we’re going to do to begin the process.
So let’s say I want to lose weight. Okay. Well, on the very first day, we’re actually go to the gym. This is what I gotta do. I gotta get in the car. I got out my license, I got out my shoes. I got to have my towel. I need my sweat band. I need my aminos for app words. So we got to make sure that we do it the first time to actually get the process in motion. And when we do that, then we at least get liftoff on the process. And so then we move into step number seven, which I call the honeymoon. And this is where now we’re actually into the process itself. And like with all honeymoons, no matter what, the level of goal we are aspiring to, there’s going to come a point where you start to stall and your initial enthusiasm starts to fade and start to diminish.
You need a lot of people say, well, okay, this actually means that’s not the right goal. Maybe I should quit. Cause I lost my motivation to me. It’s like, no, you’ve hit a very important milestone. It’s like the honeymoon is supposed to wear off. And this is a sign that you’re actually making progress graduations. So when we have that reality check, then that takes us into step number eight, which is called the daily grind. And this is where, you know what it’s like folks, where you show up every day, you put your time and you go into the gym, you’re weighing your food, your showing amazing restraint and discipline, but you’re just not seeing the results that you think you deserve from the time and effort that you put into it. And you just wonder, man, you know what? I’m not getting what I should be getting out of this.
Maybe I should just pull the plug on it because I’m about an inch away from doing it. Ask and again, this is a sign that you’re really building the critical mass that’s necessary to be able to wake up one day and know that you’re going to do it. And let me explain. It’s like my daily grind when I was aspiring to be an Olympian was nine years. I spent nine years working hard, winning, losing, preparing shadowing, where I was developing an internal grit and toughness. And I stayed in the game long enough and I didn’t quit where all of a sudden, one day I got up and I knew I was going to become an Olympian. I just knew it because I stayed in the game long enough. So when you feel like quitting and you’ve got the right plan, that’s been vetted by a third party, stay in the game one day, you’re going to get up different.
You know, you can do it. So then that step number nine, we’ve got two steps to go in our performance before we achieve our goal. And step number nine is called upgrade. And when you get up with that, knowing that you can do it all of a sudden, your life looks different in every aspect. And that’s where you need to Uplevel your team. You need to Uplevel your equipment. You need to up level everything that you’re doing to be consistent with the new mentality that you have derived from your knowing that will allow you to create a performance that I call the breakout that’s in line with achieving your goal. So let’s say it’s a 20 pound weight loss. So let’s say I get up one day and all of a sudden I’ve lost four pounds. Well, you know what? That’s a pretty darn good confirmation that what I’m doing is working.
So at that point, we move into step number 10, that’s called evolve. And all we need to do is keep evolving and applying our program where we’re losing a couple of pounds a week. And we say steady with that. We don’t try to rush it. We don’t try to back 10 years to change into one week. We don’t try to shortcut, but we stay with the proven method. And all of a sudden, you wake up one day and you’ve lost that 20 pounds and that’s the 10th step. So those are the steps of the well achievement roadmap.
That is awesome because as you were going through all those 10 steps, I was kind of taking notes here and just, it’s all similar stuff that I’ve preached, but it’s so applicable to every single person with whatever their goal is. You know, obviously, obviously in my mind, as you’re saying all these things, I’m thinking, you know, health and fitness and you know, me trying to help people achieve their goals and you made it very applicable, like giving some examples. And, um, you know, I kind of wanted to, just to touch on some of the ones that I was, I was thinking about here, as you were talking about this. Cause it’s so all you guys at home listening to this, you guys need to relisten to this 10 step, write it down and start putting specifics into here of what your goals are. So a really quick confirm the goal, make sure it’s a goal, right?
So the first thing that came to my mind is a lot of people are like, well, you know, I want to be healthy. Well, yes, that’s a goal. What does that mean? Right. It’s got, gotta be something a measurable, right? So yes, weight loss is cool. But for me, I like to recommend to people, look, it’s not just about weight loss because there’s a million ways to lose weight, but that doesn’t mean you’re becoming healthier. Right? You could starve yourself. So you got to make sure it’s something that’s measurable, but I think fat loss getting your body fat percentage tested is a, is a better measure of that. And then the why you touched on this, it’s gotta be something honorable. And I see this all the time. People are like, well, I want to look good. I want to have a six pack and okay, that’s cool.
But there’s always a deeper reason behind that. What’s the honorable reason. What’s your honorable? Why is it? You want to be healthy for your kids. You want to, um, you know, you want to be around to see your grandkids. Um, you know, there’s going to be something deeper than that because what I’ve noticed Jeff is that, you know, when it comes to health and fitness, if your goal is just to look a certain way, you could burn out of that really quickly. You know, it goes away so quickly. Totally. So there’s gotta be something deeper than that. So you gotta find something that’s bigger than you. That’s gotta be your why. And then the impact on others, you know, is you being a healthy person, is that going to impact, you know, your spouse, your kids lives. And you know, I feel like if you’re, if your, why is honorable, then it will have an impact on other people.
Um, and then the mindset thing, man, this is, so this I’m so glad you touched on this, Jeff, because the mindset thing is, is the most important thing because people go into it with that motivation in the honeymoon phase really high, and then they don’t know all the battles they’re going to have to confront. And if they know those battles beforehand, they’re going to be so much more prepared, like, okay, I know in a couple of weeks I’m going to be sore. I’m going to be tired. You know, the, you know, the food might not taste good or, you know, I might be hungrier than normal or whatever, you know, your body’s adjusting. You have to know that there’s going to be, you know, these, these hard things to come and your mind has to be right. So I’m so glad that you touched on that.
And then of course, resources, okay, what are you gonna do? Are you going to go to the gym? Are you going to workout outside? Do you need to invest in some dumbbells? Um, you know, do you need some workout clothes? Like, you know, supplements, things like that. I think all those things that you touched on are perfectly applicable to my audience. And, um, and it seems so simple. I know that it’s hard, but these, I think these 10 things are very, very valuable. Well, thank you. And you know, it’s only taken 15 years to figure all this out. I thought, well, I wish I knew me when I needed me. You know? Yeah. I know. I know. That’s so true. Right. You have, you had to go through these 50 years of learning, making mistakes and if we could only clone ourselves and go back in time.
Yeah. But then also on the second half of the performance thing, you know, doing it right. The honeymoon phase, man, this stuff is so important. So valuable, the daily grind, the upgrade. And here’s one thing I want kinda to, to touch on is, you know, even if you’re a doctor, just Spencer or unit, if you’re me and you’ve maybe reached your goals, right. You’ve, you’ve made it there. There’s still a whole nother level of, of, like you said, evolving and going through this whole process again and again, to maintain this because life happens, right. You know, there’s gonna be setbacks happen and you’re going to need it. Re-teach yourself, these 10 steps, I think multiple times throughout your life in different phases, you know? Um, and maybe you can touch on that. Jeff, if you don’t mind.
Yeah, no, that’s a really good question. So the way that I do it, like in my program is that, um, uh, you know, first off, like when people go through the home study program or they go through the workshop, the goal achievement roadmap workshop, um, they learn academically and experientially exactly how to achieve a goal. And so that’s really the first rung on the goal achievement ladder. The second wrong is that if you’ve created four relatively memorable goals using the goal achievement roadmap itself, then you’ve kind of got the second rung and the black belt ladder, which is an achiever, you know, unless you’ve done it four times significantly, you’re not an achiever. And if you’re an achiever, then the next run that you can move to is, uh, then getting to the top of your game and then top your game. If you want to go further, then you can become a master.
If you want to go further with goal achievement, then you can become a champion. You know, the final six wrong on the black belt scale, uh, becoming a goal manifestor is to become a full potential player. So I’ve got, it’s like a six layered process by which you can select the appropriate level that you aspire to, or you can name and figure out where you are and what you need to do to be able to move forward, um, in a structured way that has helped people win gold medals. It’s helped people, you know, make millions and move to the next level of thought leadership. It’s not guessing, you know, there’s a, there’s a structure to being able to achieve your goals. You know, the idea of dreaming big dreams and working hard to close the gap, to get to get from where you are to where you want to go. It’s a really good idea, but it hasn’t really proven itself to be able to deliver on its promise.
Um, quick question about the full potential player level, um, is that, is there, is there an end point to where you as a coach kind of are like, okay, you know, I’ve, I’ve taught you how to fish now go out and, and, you know, feed yourself for the rest of your life, or is there, do you feel like there’s always going to be steps in the process no matter what level of athlete or business person there is,
does that make sense? Yeah, it does. Well, you know, the reality is I hate to break to everybody, but, but you really kind of never arrive in a certain sense because we’re always evolving our mentalities. And the way that we look at the world is always changing. I think all of us have experienced, like, you know, got it. They think it should be farther along than I am right now. Why do I feel like I haven’t made any progress in my life? You know, even though I’m 50 and a lot of that is because we do have every decade, a different kind of measuring stick that we score ourselves against life’s progress by. And we kind of quite never get to the end of that, which actually I think is a good thing because you know, those people that have too much generally start to, um, you know, live lives of mediocrity through, uh, excuse making and sniveling about this and sibling about that. So it’s really like the job’s never done and there’s always, uh, more success to create that honors the privilege of living and honors and says, thank you to our friends and our family and our mentors and those people that have helped us.
Yeah. You know what this reminds me of. And, and I don’t know if you have any connection to Michael Phelps, but, um, you know, kind of what w what he went through with his, not this past Olympics, but the one before where he won the equal metals, and then he just kind of was burnt out. Right. And then he, I don’t know. I can’t remember what the story was, but maybe he was done with swimming. He’s like, I just need to take a break, but you see some of that at the top of the top level, still not happy. Right. I mean, and just feels like, well, I accomplished this, but you know, what more is there to life? Like, it’s this didn’t bring me happiness. Maybe you have some thoughts on, but then you see him come back and you see him with the new Y behind and in these past Olympics. So he has more of a purpose. Maybe you can talk to that maybe, or if you’ve thought about that.
Yeah, of course I have. Um, I work with people that share that dilemma, you know, people at the top have got the same challenges that we all face in route to the top. And, uh, uh, you know, in Michael’s situation, I mean, that was a hundred percent predictable in, in my sort of guess was, is that there’s usually never a conversation while a person’s evolving to his level of proficiency, that the discuss of, you know, this is one, uh, layer of your life that will not carry you through the rest of your life. And we need to be considering life after this, or building upon this. That’s usually a conversation that’s never considered an advance. I think that it should be, but it needs to be done delicately because you don’t want to discourage someone from high aspiration, but at the same time, you want to be real. So they don’t get blindsided by its reality once they’re faced with, with what Michael did. And so if Michael were a client of mine, I would have certainly advised him in advance of what his life was going to be like once he got to who he became, which I’ve done with people that are performing in different disciplines at the level that Michael has. So I think it’s a very important case study that we can all learn a lot from, and we can all use to our advantage.
Yeah, yeah. No, for some reason that just popped up as you were talking about that last point. Yeah. So, um, so with your business, Jeff, do you mind explaining, you know, what your business entails? I mean, yes, you’re a coach, but, um, do you have a books or programs online that your average person can subscribe to, or do you only work with, you know, gold medalists, for example,
that’s a great question. Um, actually the, uh, the goal achievement, which is my program, I conduct workshops on that and they’re for everybody because really learning to achieve your goals, it’s really a learned skill. And it’s a learned skill that people have not been taught. People are generally good at task completion, but not goal achievement. There, there are two different skills. So I conduct those several times a year and the dates and locations are, those are available on my website, which is www dr. Jeff spencer.com, D R J E F F S B E N C E r.com. That’s where that information is available for those people that would like to inquire just about some level of personal mentorship and becoming a full potential player. There is certainly an inquiry that can be made through my website as well. So that’s kind of the state of the art at this time.
Cool. Yeah. And we’ll put all that in the show notes, you know, for Bentall yes. Now definitely. We’ll definitely want to share this and put it out there so people can reach out to you. And are you on social media as well?
You know, Facebook, um, okay. Yes. And Twitter. Absolutely. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Uh, so the answer to that is yes, yes. And more, yes, actually.
Okay. And we will find those and put those in the show notes as well. So people can, you know, I’m sure people are gonna want to reach out to you and ask you questions and look at this, look into this program. Um, before we go, I kind of wanted to touch on some things, you know, applicable to my audience. And, you know, just out of curiosity, what does, um, you know, currently your fitness look like, what does your nutrition look like if you don’t mind sharing some of your philosophies on that at your age?
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I, you know, I missed a fitness. I may, I may actually get into our bike ride when we’re done with this. So I ride my bike every day and that’s obviously for cardio and it’s a low impact. And, you know, I do long slow rides and I do very high intensity interval rides. I’m 65. I don’t know what that’s supposed to look like. My daughter’s going to be 18, uh, 18 on Saturday. So, uh, and then I do chigong, uh, every day, how you put them on, yeah. What’s his name from the mastermind event? No, but okay. I’ve actually done it for like 15 years. Uh, I do it just because I understand the importance of creating a global ideal body tension and control a movement, I think is really an essential mainstay of anybody’s health program. So I do that very religiously and I, you know, really well, I always have, you know, being an Olympian, I grew up eating well and I’ve not straight off the reservation, so to speak.
So I drink my water, you know, plenty of vegetables. I take vitamins. Um, I don’t overeat. I am very conscious of maintaining a blood sugar, healthy blood sugar level. Um, I’m very vigilant about that because I want to be a good dad to my daughter. Who’s 18 now and I’m 65. So she needs her dad to be able to bike ride with her and, you know, vital resource and a participant in her life. And I really believe that as we get older, we start to learn a few things where we have the best chance to create the most significant number of successes to our legacy. But if we don’t know the hell to do the action steps and we cannot complete and honor that potential. So I’m a big fan, fully committed to it. Um, health to me is the ultimate bridge between making our dreams real and having them die in our head is hopes and there’s to no extent that I won’t go to preserve and maintain my health through regular, uh, proactive wellness, exams, and procedures, um, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, adjusting all of the things that I, you know, infrared, sauna, you name it.
I kind of do it.
That’s awesome, man. Yeah. That’s, that’s great information. So I had no idea you were 65. First of all, I thought you, I thought you were 50. I don’t know. It’s supposed to feel like a rock. Well, you look great, man. That’s awesome. Um, and that you gong thing was very interesting because I I’ve heard it. There was this guy named Tristan who has this school called Satoria method, who I’m going to have on my podcast as well. Uh, open up that world to my audience. Cause a lot of us think it’s weird and you know, it’s not a Western culture, but to see people like you and him pushing it more mainstream, I think there’s some real science behind it, of how it can help people out in many ways. Yeah, there really is.
The best kept secrets. That to me is non negotiable as to whether or not it should be in your program.
That’s awesome. Well, I’m going to be introducing that to people here very soon. Infrared saunas, um, I’m big fan of, uh, health mate. Sauna is a company that, um, uh, we have there, um, infrared, sauna, I don’t know what brand you use, but I’m assuming they’re all pretty similar. That’s fantastic. Yeah. Um, well, cool. Uh, I really appreciate you. Come on, coming on, we’re running out of time. One last question for you. You’ve been an athlete your whole life. It sounds like have there ever been a point of time where you lost that discipline and you maybe you fell out of shape for a period of time and if so, how did you get out of that? Or if you always maintain this high level of discipline,
you know, I’ve always made it a top priority for me, you know, ever since I rode my first bike on that 25 mile ride when I was 10 it’s, it’s been a mainstay of my life, but I can honestly say that, you know, periods of high intensity when I was going through chiropractic college and some of the other things that I’ve done that requires just an amazing amount of time and energy. I’ve, I’ve always prioritized my health because I really felt that to be the person that I need to be to honor. My life’s the mainstay of that is my health. So I’ve always stayed vigorously engaged in it to, uh, you know, even keep my height weigh as much as I do now as I did when I was in high school, but I just kind of grew up with it. And I, I just that’s the way my path has been.
So what you’re saying is that you would have a difficult time doing a fit to fat to fit journey, right? That’s actually one of the things I actually said
two, when we first met, I said, I admire that because I mean the amount of credibility and trust that I have for you having that level of insight and being able to speak through the patients or the person’s experience to me, there’s nothing that says more to me about the quality of, of what you do and you as a person is having done that to me. It’s amazing. Congratulations.
So thank you. I appreciate that. I just think it’s funny getting other people’s perspective of like, okay, do you do, do you think you, I mean, when I did it, I was scared to death, but I was like, okay, I’m really doing this. Uh, but you know, asking other people, it really is scary to, you know, like you said, let your health go health is one of your biggest assets. And absolutely to let that go for on purpose for six months was harder than I thought it would be. And that’s for sure. Um, and I’m glad it’s over and, uh, yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s always interesting to ask other people that, so, uh, I wouldn’t want to see you do it, to be honest with you. It’s never going to happen.
I thought that if I could just share one last thought, please do, you know, uh, being a health care provider myself, you know, with a master’s degree in sports science and the chiropractic deal, um, you know, one thing I know about the bodies of the body’s amazingly forgiving and the body will always adapt to whatever it’s exposed to. And so whoever’s listening no matter what you may be thinking about your state of health or your aspirations and where you are and the road to where you’d like to be, you know, just keep putting one foot in front of the other because every moment counts and your body is so amazingly forgiving, it can always find a path back to better. It just takes a little bit of time and a little bit of effort. And I just encourage everybody to stay in the game to be able to reap the rewards of better health and better fitness and better participation that you really richly deserved by, by honoring that process.
Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate that, Jeff. And thank you so much for coming on, man. I learned so much sometimes I feel like I do this podcast for me and I don’t know if anyone else has listened to me. I don’t know if anybody else is listening. I’m just kidding, but, um, I really appreciate it. And, um, we’ll have all your information in the show notes and we’ll have to have you back on again in the future. I’d love that drew. Thanks again for your copy. Thanks everybody.
Thank you guys. Once again, for tuning in for another great episode here on the fit to fat, to fit experience podcast, we always try and bring you diverse, um, people on this show so that you guys, it’s not just the same thing. It’s not just nutrition, it’s not just fitness. There’s so many different, um, avenues out there to explore that will help you on your journey to whether it’s better health, whether it’s to, you know, more happiness in your life, whatever it is, we’re here to help. So we try and bring on people like dr. Jeff Spencer, who can help us in so many different ways other than just, you know, fitness and nutrition. Anyways, I hope you guys found this episode valuable, make sure and go check out on my website. You guys fit to fat to fit.com. I have so many tools and resources for you guys.
I have my meal plans, my workouts for my fit to fat to fit journey. Um, I have my book, which is a New York time bestseller, which I don’t know if you guys know about that, but if you haven’t read my book and you’re a follower of me, I really think you should check it out. Uh, just go to Amazon and type in fits, read to fit book. You’ll find it. It’s there. It’s a great, easy read. Um, and uh, also you guys, I have a, an eight week training, eight weeks Spartan or tough Mudder training program. You guys can check out. I have a fast food, healthier, fast food guide tells you what foods that at certain fast food restaurants are healthier choices, ones that I would choose. And, uh, the macro nutrient profile of all those options, um, very, uh, easy to download ebook, very valuable.
Um, and then of course, uh, you know, I do a lot of public speaking. So if you guys know of any corporations or universities that are looking for a speaker of some type, please reach out to me. I’d love to book that, um, uh, actually enjoy public speaking. And I do really well at it. I usually book one or two of these a month and it’s one of my favorite parts of my job. So feel free to reach out to me through my website, through social media, you know, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube are all at just fit to fat to fit. I appreciate you guys. Thank you so much. And we’ll see you guys back here next week for another great episode on the fit. Perfect fit experience podcast.
