35YRS!! The Last Mile. BAF 2.0. Kriger. CF Saved Fee Saghafi. 4×100! TWA 7.07.25

THE LAST MILE   Last week I told the story of my Yosemite backpacking trip with my daughter. The climb up Yosemite Falls with loaded backpacks was brutal – but it was the last mile that challenged us the most and made me question my decision to make the ascent. Similarly, the “last mile” is often the hardest part of a fitness and nutrition transformation. Gains come quickly at first, but the last mile is almost always about healthy nutrition habits. 

The “last mile” of fitness came up last week during a podcast discussion with TJ Belger, owner of TJ’s Gym in Corte Madera (founded in 2002!). TJ’s gyms were CrossFit affiliates for many years. For several of those years, TJ, his wife, Alison, Kelly & Juliet Starrett (CF San Francisco & The Ready State), Jason Khalipa (NCFit) and Yvonne & I would all get together and talk shop – sharing ideas and challenges. Those get-togethers always left us energized and challenged to improve and grow our businesses. On Thursday, I felt the same energy while sharing stories, ideas and business strategies with my friend TJ. We spoke for more than an hour (we’ll re-do this week), but I was most impressed by TJ’s advice on working with clients who have nutrition struggles. 

Our “last mile” nutrition discussion began with a story about our mutual friend, Juliet Starrett (CFSF). Juliet was at Diablo about 10yrs ago and asked about our wildly successful “6 Week Transformation” promotion program for women that we marketed for about 3 years. I encouraged Juliet to give them a try in San Francisco and she bluntly (and a bit sarcastically) asked me: “so, how do you get those transformation members to stop drinking a bottle of white wine every night after work?” I didn’t have much of an answer, other than: “we weigh everybody at the end of 6 weeks.” I think about Juliet’s question often when I see clients who struggle with weight loss. It may not be alcohol that is holding someone back from their desired outcome, but overall calorie intake IS usually the culprit. 

As affiliate owners, client nutrition ADHERENCE is one of the biggest challenges we face – it is “the last mile” of a complete fitness transformation. So, I asked TJ, “how do you handle nutrition coaching for your clients who can’t seem to lose weight?” TJ asked me: “you don’t know how to eat?” – I said, “of course!” He said, that is the question he asks his clients: “do you NOT know how to eat?” If they struggle to answer simply asks, “Do you need help?” And if they say, “yes” he follows up with “do you want an email or, a spreadsheet?” – and then he tells them, “I’ll write down what you need to do.”  But, he adds some brutal honesty: “now, your going to travel for work and you’re going to catch a cold, and then you’re going to be laid up for 2-3 weeks and then several months have gone by and I’ve only seen you a few times a month.. It’s going to happen. Now, let’s talk our way through that, because I have a plan for you.” Through a very honest conversation, TJ is able to secure commitment for “the last mile”. 

So, how can you make through the last mile and get to your desired physical outcome? First, talk to a coach. Make a plan and double down on your commitment – the last mile is NOT the time to let up on yourself. Enlist the support of friends and family. Write your goals down on sticky notes and post them in many places you’ll see them. And, most of all, don’t let small failures derail you. Keep moving toward the target – and keep going once you’re there.

#notai #itsup2us