128: How An Identity Shift Can Make Fitness Exciting and Fun with Kevin (Member Interview)

Jun 12, 2025

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Let’s be honest: Exercising isn’t always exciting and fun. If it were, consistency would be an afterthought instead of an uphill struggle.

But what if you actually looked forward to your next workout?

That’s what happened to Kevin, today’s guest…

Kevin, like myself and many other Members, was a theater kid growing up.

(You’ll have to listen to the episode to learn about which embarrassing play I acted in during my senior year…)

Like many theater kids, Kevin had subconsciously boxed himself into the “theater kid” mentality for most of his life. So, he never felt like a fitness person:

Not when he lost 15 pounds in 60 days
Not when he overcame his “gymtimidation” and tacked on muscles that his wife noticed before he did
And not even when he signed up for Man Flow Yoga, which raised his “fitness awareness,” improved everything he was doing in the gym, and led to him losing 40 pounds

Any one of these accomplishments on their own tells me that Kevin was an athlete or a fitness person. But it didn’t sink in for him until, well, he attended the Man Flow Yoga Weekend Workshop in Chicago last year.

In Chicago, he had a pivotal mindset shift that made him think of himself as a fitness person. Since then, he’s enjoyed (almost) every workout, crushed every goal he’s set for himself, and stopped falling into the deadly comparison trap.

Kevin shares several nuggets of wisdom in this episode that apply no matter where you are on your fitness journey. For example:

Why focusing on results sabotages an otherwise effective fitness plan
How changing your relationship with food can make weight loss feel effortless
The secret to seeing exercise as fun and exciting instead of like a chore

And more!

Other highlights include:

2 questions to ask yourself before your next meal that conditions you to eat healthier (5:13)
Why it’s easy to eat as many as 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day without even realizing it (and what to do if you catch yourself in this situation) (5:36)
How just walking can light a fire under you and inspire a snowball effect to your fitness (7:41)
Why it’s almost easier to start a weight loss journey when you’re bigger (hint: you can lose weight rapidly with just a few simple tweaks) (8:11)
The weird way thirst and boredom disguise themselves as hunger (9:55)
How yoga helped Kevin stop waking up with Charlie horses in the middle of the night (even after he lost 50 pounds and went to the gym consistently) (18:41)
How to convince your mind that you won’t be judged at the gym like it thinks (these 3 things will help you get over any “gymtimidation”) (22:16)
This mindset shift stops exercise from feeling like a chore and actually makes it exciting and fun (29:13)

Listen now!

Resources mentioned on this episode:

Man Flow Yoga Events: Want to experience an identity shift that makes you look forward to working out like Kevin did? Grab a ticket to our upcoming in-person events for 2025 below:

1. Chicago, IL: August 23-24 - Weekend Workshop. Grab your ticket here.

2. Phoenix, AZ: August 29-31 - Fit Father Project Live (I’ll be leading yoga sessions and running a booth at the event…). Grab your ticket here.

3. Washington, DC: September 13-14 - Man Flow Yoga Wellness Weekend with Coach Jesse & Coach Patrick. Grab your ticket here.

4. Austin, TX: October 18-19 - Weekend Workshop. Grab your ticket here.