Know Your Fitness Numbers, Crunch Your Money Numbers, Map Out Your Fears | FRLN 128

This week I want to talk about fear.

Fear in relation to fitness.
Fear in relation to money.
Fear in relation to life.

I think a lot of people avoid and resist anything that causes fear.

Myself included.

But what I’ve found through my own life experience is that when I face the fear, it often turns out to be an incredible path to learning, healing, growth, and transformation.

The thing we are most afraid to look at is often the thing that has the most power to set us free.

Let’s dive into this week’s tips, tools, and strategies.

FIT — Know Your Fitness Numbers

Many people fear stepping on the scale.

They do not want to see the number.

They do not want to know if they have gained a few pounds of unwanted weight.

They do not want to face the feedback.

I get it.

But after working with well over 100 one-on-one coaching clients over the last four years, and after stepping on a body scale almost every single day since 2013, I can tell you this:

Stepping on the scale can become one of the most empowering forms of self-love, self-acceptance, body love, and body acceptance you can practice.

If you do it right.

The scale is just feedback.

That is it.

It is not a judgment.
It is not a moral scorecard.
It is not a measure of your worth.
It is not proof that you are good or bad.

It is data.

If your body has added weight or body fat, it could be a temporary fluctuation.

Maybe you ate more sodium.
Maybe you had more carbs.
Maybe you lifted heavy.
Maybe you are holding water.
Maybe you slept poorly.
Maybe you are stressed.
Maybe your nutrition has drifted out of alignment.

The number does not tell the whole story.

But it does give you feedback.

And that feedback gives you power.

Every time you step on the scale, you have an opportunity to practice accepting your body exactly as it is while also using the information to make better decisions.

That is the key.

Love your body as it is.
Accept your body as it is.
Then use the feedback to adjust how you are eating, training, sleeping, and living.

That is not body shame.

That is body stewardship.

The more you step on the scale, the less scary it becomes.

It is almost like exposure therapy.

You inoculate yourself from the fear of seeing the number because it simply becomes part of your daily rhythm.

Brush your teeth.
Step on the scale.
Collect the feedback.
Move on with your life.

And over time, you start to understand your body at a much deeper level.

You learn what happens after a salty meal.
You learn what happens after a hard workout.
You learn what happens after poor sleep.
You learn what happens after a weekend of overeating.
You learn what happens when you dial things back in.

The scale becomes an accountability partner for your fitness.

Not a bully.

Not a critic.

A tool.

And like any tool, it can be empowering when used correctly and damaging when used incorrectly.

If you use the scale to shame yourself, punish yourself, or tell yourself you are not good enough, you are using the tool the wrong way.

But if you use the scale as neutral feedback, it can become incredibly powerful.

I believe in knowing your numbers.

Not just body weight.

I believe in knowing your body fat.
Your muscle mass.
Your blood pressure.
Your resting heart rate.
Your HRV.
Your VO2 max.
Your hormone levels.
Your cholesterol markers.
Your glucose markers.
Your inflammation markers.
Your full blood work.

This is why I am a big proponent of getting blood work done at least once a year.

And ideally two to four times a year if you are really serious about optimizing your health.

Because when you know your numbers, you have options.

You can change your lifestyle.
You can change your nutrition.
You can change your training.
You can improve your sleep.
You can take the right supplements.
You can work with the right professionals.
You can course-correct before small issues become major problems.

But if you refuse to look, you give away your power.

So if you fear the scale, or you fear what your blood work might say, I want you to consider this:

That fear might be pointing you directly toward your next level of growth.

Because most of the time, fear is the way to your next best evolution.

BTW: this is the body scale that I use & recommend to all my coaching clients. It measures body weight, body fat percentage, and muscle mass. I've been using it daily for 13 years.

RICH — Crunch The Money Numbers

Money feels really scary when you do not know the numbers.

I know this firsthand.

In my 20s, I got into a lot of debt.

And I was so ashamed of the debt that I would not even look at it.

I avoided it.
I resisted it.
I ignored it.
I pretended it was not as bad as it was.

And of course, it just got worse.

That is what happens when we avoid the truth.

The fear grows in the dark.

But when I finally decided to face the fear and get clear on where I was financially, everything started to change.

I tracked my income.
I tracked my expenses.
I tracked my assets.
I tracked my liabilities.
I tracked my debt.
I tracked my net worth.

And once I finally saw the full picture, I got motivated.

Not because the numbers were perfect.

They were not.

The truth is, my money was a total dumpster fire.

When I finally looked at my numbers I was $80,000 in debt (and 6 years behind on my taxes).

It was quite the financial reckoning.

But once I knew what I was dealing with, I could make a plan.

That was the beginning of cleaning up my debt.

That was the beginning of my financial independence journey.

Learning how to crush my debt taught me how to free up cash flow.
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Once the debt was crushed, that freed-up cash flow went towards my investments.

Those investments gave me my freedom.

For the last 2+ years, I've been free of the 9-5 rat race.

All work is optional, and I get to do what I love to do every single week.

I think a lot of money fears feel terrifying until you actually crunch the numbers.

Debt feels terrifying until you crunch the numbers.

Buying a home feels terrifying until you crunch the numbers.

Moving to a new city feels terrifying until you crunch the numbers.

Taking a multi-month trip feels terrifying until you crunch the numbers.

Leaving a job feels terrifying until you crunch the numbers.

Pursuing financial independence feels terrifying until you crunch the numbers.

Most financial fears feel like a giant foggy monster in your mind.

But when you sit down and actually run the numbers, the monster becomes a math problem.

And math problems can be solved.

You need to know:

Where am I now?
Where do I want to be?
What is the gap?
What needs to happen to close the gap?
How much time will it take?
What levers can I pull?
What tradeoffs am I willing to make?
What is the next best action?

That is where the power is.

Not in avoiding the fear.

In facing it.

And the good news is that it has never been easier to crunch the numbers.

We have budgeting tools.
Net worth trackers.
Retirement calculators.
Mortgage calculators.
Savings rate calculators.
AI tools.
Spreadsheets.
Coaches.
Courses.
Books.
Podcasts.

There are more tools than ever to help you understand your money.

But the tool only works if you are willing to look.

So if there is an area of your financial life you are avoiding, that is probably the area that needs your attention the most.

Maybe it is your debt.

Maybe it is your spending.

Maybe it is your taxes.

Maybe it is your investment accounts.

Maybe it is your savings rate.

Maybe it is your business revenue.

Maybe it is your financial independence number.

Maybe it is a big life decision that feels too expensive, too complicated, or too overwhelming.

Whatever it is, start by crunching the numbers.

You might realize you can crush your debt.

You might realize financial independence is more possible than you thought.

You might realize you can take the trip.

You might realize you can move to the new city.

You might realize you can buy the home.

You might realize you need more time, more income, fewer expenses, or a different strategy.

But at least now you know.

And once you know, you can act.

The numbers may not give you the answer you wanted.

But they will give you the truth.

And the truth is where freedom begins.

FTR: I teach you how to crunch all your money numbers & give you all the financial tools you need to become a millionaire and achieve financial independence (early in life) in my flagship course, Investing Mastery: Your Path To Millionaire.

LIFE — Map Out Your Fears

In life, many of us get caught catastrophizing.

We think about all the things that could go wrong.

We ruminate.

We spiral.

We play out worst-case scenarios in our minds over and over again.

And most of the time, those worst-case scenarios never actually happen.

But our nervous system does not always know that.

So we end up stressed.
Anxious.
Overwhelmed.
Mentally exhausted.
Unable to sleep.
Unable to think clearly.
Unable to be present.

Fear of the unknown can wreak havoc on your mental health.

One of the most powerful tools I have found is to map the fear.

Literally.

Get the fear out of your head and onto paper.

You can use a physical notebook.

You can use a Google Doc.

You can use your notes app.

You can use a spreadsheet.

The format does not matter.

What matters is that you stop letting the fear spin around inside your mind and you put it somewhere you can actually see it.

Write down everything you are afraid could happen.

All of it.

The bad outcomes.
The awkward conversations.
The financial consequences.
The health concerns.
The relationship stress.
The business worries.
The family drama.
The thing you do not want to admit you are scared of.

Get it all out.

Then, next to each fear, write down what you would do if that thing actually happened.

What would be your next step?
Who would you call?
What resource would you use?
What decision would you make?
What boundary would you set?
What support would you ask for?
What action would you take?

Every single time I have done this exercise, something powerful happens.

The fear becomes smaller.

Not because the situation magically disappears.

But because I realize I have options.

I realize I have agency.

I realize I have resources.

I realize I have survived hard things before.

I realize I can figure out what to do next.

When fear lives only in your head, it can feel infinite.

When fear is written down, it becomes finite.

You can see it.
You can name it.
You can organize it.
You can make a plan for it.

And once you have a plan, your mind can relax.

Your nervous system can soften.

Your sleep can improve.

Your confidence can return.

You start to remember:

No matter what happens, I can handle it.

That does not mean life will always be easy.

It does not mean everything will go exactly how you want it to go.

It does not mean you will never feel afraid again.

It means you trust yourself to respond.

That is what courage is.

Not the absence of fear.

The willingness to face fear with clarity, honesty, and action.

So if you are experiencing fear of the unknown right now, try mapping it.

Write down what you are afraid of.

Write down what you would do if it happened.

Write down the next best action you can take today.

You might be surprised how much peace is waiting on the other side of a simple piece of paper.

ACTION — Fear Is The Way-Shower

Pick one and implement it this week:

• FIT — Step on the scale and practice neutrality. Do not use the number to beat yourself up. Use it as feedback. Step on the scale, take a breath, accept your body exactly as it is, and ask: What is this data showing me about how I am eating, training, sleeping, and living?

• RICH — Crunch the numbers you have been avoiding. Open the account. Look at the debt. Calculate the savings rate. Map out the cost of the trip, the move, the home, or the path to financial independence. The fear gets louder when the numbers stay hidden. The power returns when you bring them into the light.

• LIFE — Map the fear. Write down everything you are afraid could happen. Then write down what you would do if each thing actually happened. Get the fear out of your head and onto paper so you can see it, name it, organize it, and respond with clarity.

Your body becomes less scary to understand when you stop avoiding the feedback.

Your money becomes less overwhelming when you stop hiding from the numbers.

And your life becomes less chaotic when you stop letting fear spin endlessly inside your mind.

Over time, those small acts of courage compound into something powerful:

• A body you accept, love, and understand more deeply.

• A financial life built on clarity instead of avoidance.

• A mind that can face uncertainty and still find peace.

The scale is scary before it becomes empowering.

The debt number is painful before it becomes the starting line.

The fear map is uncomfortable before it becomes the thing that helps you sleep again.

That’s the foundation of a Fit Rich Life.

Not avoiding fear.

Listening to it.

Learning from it.

Letting it show you the way.

Because fear is often not here to stop you.

It is here to point you toward the place where your next level of healing, growth, and transformation is waiting.

Fear is the way-shower.

Follow it with compassion.

Face it with courage.

And use it to become free.

To your health, wealth, and happiness,

— Justin David Carl