Fitness is a tool to improve your life.

My Mom always told me, “Devin, you can do anything you want in life.” I still listen to that advice, however, I like to add on: “…if you work hard enough.”

Anything you want in life is attainable.

A healthy body.

Your dream job.

A fulfilling relationship.

It’s all there for the taking. You just have to work hard enough to make it happen.

Fitness is a way to help you achieve all of it.

The truth is, there can only be so many professional athletes in the world.

In 2014, the number of professional athletes barely topped 11,000 people. …

If you want to get healthy, stop agonizing about exercise.

Before you take one step, lift a dumbbell, or start a single workout, you must be willing to make a change.

Getting in better shape requires behavioral change first. If you continue to behave the way you always have, you’ll continue to get the results you’ve always gotten.

• If you keep eating fast food and junk food, you’ll continue to be unhappy with your weight.
• If you continue to live an inactive lifestyle, you’ll always desire better health and well-being.
• If you continue to neglect regular exercise, you’ll never get…

Upwork is a great way to jumpstart your freelance writing business.

A couple of months ago, I decided to create an Upwork account and write for clients instead of solely sharing my words on Medium. I dove in head-first and was pleasantly surprised by how exciting, simple, and lucrative Upwork can be. After optimizing my profile, I landed my first gig within two days of being on the platform!

It’s been nearly two months since my first gig, and I’ve learned a lot throughout the process. One of my biggest takeaways so far is that to land gigs, you have…

The process of change starts with the realization that something isn’t working.

That something’s broken. That something needs to change for the better, or
you’ll be faced with the worst.

If you want to get healthier, get 6-pack abs, or get in the best shape of your life, you have to be willing to change your lifestyle.

As Brian Mazza, an entrepreneur and former professional soccer player once said:

“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”

To get in better shape, you have to be willing to give something up. …

There’s no way around it.

Working out is meant to be painful. It’s supposed to suck. It’s designed to be uncomfortable and difficult. As the saying goes, “if it were easy, everyone would do it.” Everyone would the body of their dreams, 6-pack abs, or be able to run a marathon.

To get in shape, you have to be willing to accept that “suck.”

However, what most people get wrong is how long the “suck” will actually last.

Contrary to popular opinion, it does not take three hours a day to get in incredible shape. To get in the best shape of your life, it only takes 30–60 minutes of exercise per day…

Looking in the rearview mirror can deliver powerful insights.

Unfortunately, it usually also brings with it pain and regret. Although uncomfortable, the best way to learn is by enduring the consequences of a bad decision. Without reflecting on the past, we’ll never understand the best way to move forward.

Here are 20 things I’ve learned to be true about life.

1. Everyone is just guessing.

The vast majority of people are making things up as they go. No one has anything figured out — they’re learning as they go. The ones who appear to have it all “figured out” are just more experienced than you.

2. No one cares what you do.

…

Losing weight is less complicated than you think.

• If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. This is a calorie surplus.
• If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight. This is a calorie deficit.
• If you eat the same calories that you burn, you maintain weight. This is a calorie balance.

Your relationship between energy intake (what you eat) and energy expenditure (calories burned) is known as the energy balance equation. According to the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this equation serves as a fundamental property of body composition.

What…

When I was in college, my fitness goal was to look good without a shirt.

After years of being the “skinny guy,” I really wanted to shake the nickname that had followed me since high school. I wanted to be “big” — muscle bound and ripped. I was young, immature, and as shallow as my goal was, that’s how my fitness journey began.

To be honest, it worked pretty well. From freshman to junior year of college, I packed on more than 50 pounds of muscle and emerged as someone much different than the “skinny guy” I once was.