What does it take? Nils Kahlstrom

What Does It Take? 

Nils Kahlstrom 

#staydedicatedandearnit

Approximately one year ago, we started offering a Nourishment program at the gym. For those unfamiliar, “Nourishment” is nutrition and lifestyle coaching. The goal is to help members set and reach realistic goals by creating habits that can last a lifetime—not just until the "after" picture is done. 

Nils was one of the first members to sign up with me. Our goal was to build up his mass. He wanted to get bigger without adding unnecessary body fat. With challenges like school lunches and the typical teenager lifestyle, it would be no easy task. This is his story. 

What does it take to put on 18 pounds of lean body mass while simultaneously dropping .7 lbs of body fat? 

It takes Dedication, Responsibility, Patience, and Trust.

Dedication. It took putting his goal first. I asked Nils to do things that most people his age would never dream of. Cut out junk foods. Chew his food. Track his macro intake. Pack  healthier food options for his extracurricular activities. Go to bed earlier. Water over soda. Pay attention to what he was eating during his school lunch. Food prep, including vegetables. And, of course, come to the gym 5 days a week. As you read this list you might be thinking, “that doesn't sound too bad.” I encourage you to read over this list again and think back to when you were a teenager. I know for a fact that I gave little to no attention to what I ate, how much I slept, or how my lifestyle choices would affect my sporting endeavors. I have vivid memories of housing fruit snacks right before basketball practice, and eating McDonald's double cheeses every day for lunch. Nils, on the other hand, stayed dedicated to the process—even when it meant giving up soda and packing chicken breast in a plastic baggie to make sure he got his protein in. 

Responsibility. A reminder: One rule or expectation we have of our gym members is to "Take Responsibility.” We encourage you to take ownership of your goals. Nils did just that. In the gym, Nils kept his attendance high—all while continuing to excel in school. At home, he prepped food constantly to ensure he would have access to better choices when he was out and about. And at school, he did what he had to do to make his school lunches as optimal as possible. He knew it was going to be his choice and his choice alone to make these things happen. 

Patience. I already mentioned that the purpose of our Nourishment program is to help members create healthy habits that will last a lifetime. How long do you think creating a lifelong habit takes? Do you think the benefits of these types of habits show themselves on a micro or macro timeline? You can probably see where I'm going with this. Habits that can last a lifetime take TIME to develop. While the action can be done once or twice, turning it into a habit takes patience to see it through. And it takes even longer to see the results. In Nils’ case, changing the typical American teenager diet to that of a mass-building athlete took patience. Learning to ditch prepackaged food and prep healthy meals and snacks took patience. And of course, waiting a month or more in between body composition scans to see if the results he was after were happening indeed took patience. 

Trust. Nils had to trust the process. I told him that in order to put on size, he would inevitably  add some body fat. Sure enough, there were months where his weight either seemed to be at a standstill, or what he did gain was in the form of more body fat. Nils had to trust that certain nutrition and lifestyle choices—done correctly and in an appropriate time frame—would yield positive results. My guess is that even the lunch ladies questioned what he was eating and doing to get those #gainz. I am grateful that he put that kind of trust in me as a coach. 

When we reached the end of the first 12 months of his Nourishment journey, I told him that there was no reason for him to continue meeting with me. He had the tools and the knowledge to continue his journey without my regular guidance. Honestly, this may be the best part of all—that we had created habits that could act as an autopilot. The fact that Nils accomplished this while still in High School makes me very proud and excited to know that he will not have to deal with some of the misguided nutrition and lifestyle choices we all go through as we mature. 

You are all probably already familiar with #staydedicatedandearnit. It’s a hashtag I save for special performances. Nils definitely earned it.

Congrats, Nils. Remember that this dedication applies to anything you want in life.