Heyo! I thought I’d do a little quarterly review and planning episode recapping quarter 1 over at Annie Miller Concepts. I always love hearing what others are doing, what has worked, and hasn’t worked, so on and so forth.
These types of episodes are insightful, relatable and hopefully helpful to you – even if you’re ahead or behind me in business.
Also, today we’re going into life and business because the two are intertwined, naturally. One affects the other. So we must consider them both.
Before we dive into my fav choices in quarter 1, we had some stressful moments, as is life. So we’ll note those within the positives along the way.
First fav choice of 2021:
Annie’s Daily Dose
I cannot tell you how much I have loved doing Annie’s Daily Dose, daily emails. Bless my assistant, Maddy, for scheduling them all month to month. It’s shown that people will open emails everyday. And that email is most certainly not dead. It just needs to be valuable + digestible enough for the reader.
It’s truly been a joy – and they’re shared on the gram, or I receive a response via email everyday.
If you don’t know what I am talking about, hit up the site and sign up. What do you have to lose?
Next fav choice of of 2021 which was actually a 2020 choice and project. But we’re seeing the fruits and functionality in 2021:
Evergreen funnel for FitsPRO Foundations
I am beyond pleased with this decision. It was quite frankly a bitch to get set up, and in the first week we had over 200 people stuck in waiting on the email list. So they weren’t getting the emails. I about threw my desktop through the wall. But between myself, Convertkit senior support and Maddy, we got it working. Even if it took a month – kid you not.
Still worth it. I loved creating the Free Workshop – Your biz, Your way: 3 Steps to Build a Profitable Online Health and Fitness biz, and she’s doing well. You can sign up for that here!
The plan for Fitspro Foundations was always to eventually have it be an evergreen course. But she needed a year or so of live launches before converting her to evergreen.
In fact, making it into an evergreen course has definitely made me want to play with this approach to Built By Annie and other offers. That’s still to be determined.
Next up fav 2021 choice is a big life/biz one and I am loving it the most.
Pulling back – social media preparation, less time on the app (but same output)
As you can imagine, I expected to love this. But I’m like, REALLY loving it.
I discussed this in my 2021 plans. Essentially I am putting out the same volume if not MORE volume of content, but spend far less live time on the app. So February and part of March for instance, I spent from 8:30-9:30 and 4-5 on the app, posting and interacting, DMing etc. Then every two weeks or so I’d scroll reels to save and like audio for when I batch my reels.
Reels, as a little side note here, were also a fav decision in quarter 1. I wasn’t a huge fan of reels until I found the TYPE that I enjoyed creating. That’s a big key. You can do so much with short form video. Find what you like and makes sense for your content topics or style. I love humor and entertainment WITH education. So that’s the direction I’ve gone.
I will likely do a podcast on how I gained 3,000 followers in one month from doing reels and posting twice per day. I have a few stories saved in my “mini gains” highlight on instagram if you want to go check out that data.
Alright, next up – another 2020 choice that is paying off big time in 2021
Investing in a home gym
We are very privileged to be able to have a garage gym. We live with my mom and she’s been gracious enough to let us take up 2/3 of her garage so we can have a full on home gym.
It’s just been way better than I could have even imagined. I didn’t realize how much I would love it. For so many reasons.
The ease, privacy, adherence, ability to train Nate, create content. All of the things. It’s just been great. In case you missed it, I wrote a full garage gym haul blog post as well.
The last two lead to more structured work hours. Which is by no means perfected but we’re making serious progress.
Those are:
Writing and following 3 months of programming
Reading
If I have a program, I am pretty stinking keen to stick with it even when I don’t want to. That’s simply due to the fact that I truly enjoy lifting weights, and I know what it takes to get where I want to go. Which is no special place. It’s not a competition. Not a specific goal beyond feeling strong, fit and mobile. That’s where we’re going. And that requires a progressive program, performed consistently.
So, that’s what I wrote for myself. Close to the three month mark, I’ll re-evaluate and program another three month block.
With having a home gym and adequate equipment to lift the way I want to, it was time to be consistent for the first time in three years. It feels. SO. FREAKING. GOOD. Nothing really beats lifting weights and conditioning consistently. It’s a simple thing. But I love it so much.
The time demand for the lift is not large, but provides a break and natural structure to my day.
Having a book to read does the same thing.
Brief tangent here – I mentioned this in one of my daily dose emails. It was in regards to health and body image. And that was to focus on ADDING things to your life instead of focusing on restriction. In the email I used examples like ADDING an affirmation, more water, more green food, a workout, meditation, a habit etc.
Same goes for me having a book to read. I read first thing when I get up. It only takes 10-30 minutes and it provides built in structure, like the lifts do. The book I recently finished was Atomic Habits by James Clear. I’d never read it but had many people tell me that his approach very much so aligns with mine. I found that I already did most, or have implemented most of what he said to do. The book simply gave names and processes to what I have done for years. I loved his writing style and approach, which I had anticipated. I would 500% recommend that book to anyone, literally anyone.
Now, I am reading Milo by Dr. Aaron Horschig. The same man who wrote The Squat Bible. You can follow him on IG at @squat_university. I’ve never really been a reader. Not in the morning or night routine sense. But it’s proven to be a fantastic gig for me. I also don’t love reading. So I am ready to move on after the 10-30 minutes. I could see someone else getting caught up and wanting to finish the book. That ain’t me. Find me reading self help or science based strength and conditioning books.
All that to say, reading and lifting have been two very positive choices in 2021 that have in turn, led to more positive decisions – daily vitamins, 12oz water every morning before I read, higher protein intake + more water, better sleep, post lift walks with Nate etc.
I used to call those “positive pivotal triggers” when I ran 20 day challenge – I find that people have one positive action that then triggers other positive choices. This same phenomenon was also discussed in Atomic Habits. I am 1000% sure I am not the first to realize or mention it. That action for me, since my early 20’s has been drinking water first thing in the morning and lifting weights. Both lead to a cascade of better choices overall.
That’s it you beautiful humans! Quarter 1 of 2021 down. Not to shabby over here, even with a brief case of the sickness. It’s been an eventful year behind the scenes for us. That’s for sure.
I hope you are controlling what you can control and moving forward my friends.
Here’s to Q2.
If you find value here, on The FitsPRO Podcast, then pretty please head over to iTunes, subscribe, rate and review the show. It means the world to me when you spread my message to more humans.
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