Greetings Fit Rich Fam!

Friendly heads up that I’m testing sending out the Fit Rich Life Newsletter on different days of the week.

I did over 30 weeks in a row of sending it out on Sundays, but part of good business practice is testing new strategies to ensure everything is optimized for maximum performance. 

Nonetheless, rest assured that every week I will still be bringing you tips, tools & strategies to take your Fitness, Money & Life to the next level.

This past week I released a podcast where I do a deep dive into my Sober Life Journey including my addiction to alcohol, marijuana & Adderall.

In the podcast I share the depths of my alcohol & drug addiction, my bout with suicidal depression & how I eventually became sober (and how I have stayed sober for over 9 years now).

Episode 64 of the Fit Rich Life Podcast is definitely a powerful one that could be incredibly helpful to anyone dealing with addiction so please share it with someone who may need some inspiration to revamp their lifestyle.

Without further ado, let's proactively build your Fit Rich Life.

This is your weekly dose of actionable tips, tools & strategies to take your Fitness, Money and Life to the Next Level.

FITNESS: Build bullet-proof knees by going backward.

Since I've entered my 40s I've been focused on building my fitness for longevity and healthspan.

I define healthspan as the length of time when you are physically able to do the physical activities that you enjoy.

My goal is to be one of those jacked 90-year-olds who's at the gym giving the youngins a run for their money, hiking beautiful mountains, rollerblading through stunning urban settings (like Stanford University Campus), doing yoga and playing sports well into my twilight years.

One area of the body that tends to give people trouble as they age is their knees.

If your knees hurt or if your knees are incapable of doing the movement required by your favorite physical activities then by default you will not be able to do them or at least not do them enjoyably (if you're in pain).

About a year ago, for the first time, I started experiencing pain in my right knee to the point where I couldn't do some of my favorite activities like cycling and stairclimbing so I went on a mission to solve this issue.

Ultimately, what I've found is that you have to have a regular weekly routine that keeps your knees in tip-top shape.

My solution to building robust knees includes backward training in the following ways.

During my 5-20 minute warmup pre-strength training I will do one of the following (I just do one per workout day): 
(1) Backward uphill walking (outside on a hill or on a treadmill incline).
(2) Backward stair climbing (on a Stairmaster).
(3) Striding backward on an elliptical machine (while facing forward).
(4) Backward cycling (on a stationary bike).

During the days I strength train legs (usually twice a week), I will do one or both of these:
(1) Backward sled pull. I load it up as heavily as possible and do 2-3 sets of 20 reps (per leg). 
(2) Backward calf raises (aka tib raises with a tib bar, which is the reverse of a calf raise). I usually do 2-3 sets of 20-30 reps focusing on perfect form.

Almost every day I exercise I incorporate some form of backwards training for my knees. This usually happens during the cardio warmup portion of my workout before I start my strength training.

Each training day I'll do a different form of backward training for just a few minutes or a few sets.

When I am warming up for my strength training by walking uphill on the treadmill I will do 3-5 sets of 1-3 minutes of backward walking. Usually at a 15% incline at 2-3MPH.

When I am warming up on the Stairmaster I'll do 3-5 sets of 1-3 minutes of backward climbing.

On the elliptical machine, I'll just stride in reverse for 3-10 minutes.

During my leg training day I always incorporate backward sled pull and/or tib raises with a tib bar within the strength training portion of the workout.

BTW: you can also just do tib raises (just google "how to do standing tib raises against a wall").

By incorporating backward training I'm thrilled to report that I haven't had any knee pain whatsoever since I started this protocol.

If you'd like to join me in the Fit AF 90-year-old club one day definitely add backward training to your weekly fitness regimen.

MONEY: How to make a TON OF MONEY.

Creative solutions to everyday problems that have plagued mankind for all time are how you can make a ton of money.

Problems within the realms of health, wealth, happiness & relationships are what I’m referring to here.

If you can provide unique & novel solutions to these problem areas people will pay you a ton of money.

You can solve at the organizational company level with a B2B solution OR you can solve at the individual level with a service, coaching, or B2C solution (like a digital course).

At both levels, you can make a metric ton of money if your solution gets RESULTS.

Personally, I’ve done this at the B2B level with my company Garten by helping companies with their Employee Experience, Employee Wellbeing, Talent Attraction, Retention & Company Culture by providing delicious nutritious snack & catering programs for their most valuable asset (their people) along with in-office events & experiences.

Everyone wants to eat well & have a workplace that provides high-value experiences that add to the positive experience of their work life.

The best companies with the best food programs & events always have the best culture while also attracting & keeping the best talent.

I’ve done this at the individual level with my Fitness, Money & Life Coaching Program (Fit Rich Life Coaching) where I empower people to build the Body of their Dreams,  achieve true Financial Success & live their Best Life.

Honestly, who doesn’t want to be Fit, Rich & live their Best Life?

I share these examples to showcase how I am solving for health, wealth & happiness at both the Organizational and Individual Levels.

As you build your organization or solo entrepreneur endeavor consciously consider what Perennial Problem Area (health, wealth, relationships & happiness) you are solving for & ensure that not only is it unique & novel but that it also gets RESULTS.

PROBLEM x SOLUTION W/ RESULTS = A TON OF MONEY

LIFE: The right environment and role models make all the difference.
Looking back and connecting the dots I am now able to see how being in the right environment with the right role models has had a huge effect on my success AND lifestyle habits.

When I decided I wanted to be a nightclub owner I moved to Los Angeles and got a job as a Hollywood Nightclub Manager.

I quickly realized there was a cap to my income as a nightclub manager, but also realized that the people throwing the parties (promoters) and the people bringing in the big spenders (VIP hosts) were making crazy amounts of money with much less work.

Within a year of entering the nightclub business, I strategically developed relationships with the big spenders and transitioned into VIP Hosting where I started to make buckets of cash every night ($2K-$4K+ per night).

The money was good af, but I picked up a lot of bad habits including the overconsumption of alcohol, marijuana, and excessive Adderall use (I did not have a prescription & was getting it from a drug dealer).

In that environment, frequent alcohol and drug use was “normal” and without barely consciously noticing I slid into deeper levels of alcohol & drug abuse.

By the end of my career in the Hollywood Nightclub Biz, I was smoking marijuana and taking Adderal during all-waking hours and I drank every night.

In order to reboot my life I went back to Stanford University to find the next thing (with a secret dream of becoming a part of a Stanford Startup).

Stanford University and Silicon Valley were (and arguably still are) the capital of technology startups.

Sure enough, an opportunity presented itself and I became a founding team member of a Stanford Startup (Garten). 

Fortunately, the Founder & CEO was living the Sober Life and this played a massive role in my journey to sobriety.

Within about a year or two into this entrepreneurial journey, I recognized that many of the people who made the most money in Tech were the top enterprise salespeople who could easily earn over $500K per year.

With the help of mentors and coaches, I became the top salesperson at my tech-empowered startup and broke into the highest income brackets.

I was also in an environment that supported my newfound sobriety.

Later I would start hanging out offline and online with Fitness Coaches and those in the Financial Independence space.

Eventually, I joined an online mastermind group for coaches and started working with a 7-Figure Online Fitness Coach.

It's no surprise that I ended up becoming an online Fitness and Money Coach, easily doing over Six Figures in my first year of coaching.

Key Takeaway: strategically position yourself to be in offline & online environments with positive role models that will support your dreams, goals, and the lifestyle habits you want to embody.

>>If you found value in this newsletter please consider sharing it with a friend.<<

If you're seeing this for the first time, sign up for the Fit Rich Life Newsletter here.

I am sending you all lots of Energy & plenty of Dragon Magic!

Your Fitness, Money & Life Coach,

Justin David Carl

P.S. Below is the YouTube version of Fit Rich Life Podcast Episode 64.

Episode 64 of the Fit Rich Life Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple & wherever you enjoy your podcast entertainment.

Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. I run a custom-tailored 1-1 & group mastermind coaching program that will empower you to achieve your dream body, master your money & live your best life. Yup, it's a proven Fitness, Money and Life Coaching Program unlike anything else out there. You can book a free consultation with me here or just drop me a note on Instagram to find a time to connect.

2. If you work in an office introduce me to whoever handles your office snacks, catering & employee experience to take your work wellbeing to the next level. I'm a founding member of Garten, a tech-empowered employee experience & wellbeing platform that top companies utilize to power their most important asset (their people). Email me at >>justin@garten.co<< to set up a meeting.