Nate Boyer takes the time to talk about his fitness routine and motivation throughout his inspiring career as a United States Army Green Beret and NFL player.
What does your work out routine consist of?
My workout routine varies quite a bit actually, I train for and compete in many different avenues of life. But the one thing that doesn't change is my consistency. I show up at the right time in the right place with the right uniform on and most importantly with the right attitude. In life half the battle is just showing up, and if you surround yourself with people that challenge you and are accountable, it's honestly hard to fail. So whether I'm training for football, or combat, or to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro the only thing that changes is the sets, reps, and exercises done; all of them to the best of my ability.
What does your weekly diet consist of?
Maintaining a consistent diet is a challenge for me because I'm on the road so much, but one thing I'm disciplined about is what I'm putting in my body. With the exception of some fast food restaurants, pretty much everywhere you go there are healthy options, you just have to find them. When I'm home and have the opportunity to go to the grocery store I make sure and stay away from the snack isles and spending my hard earned money on anything that isn't going to properly fuel my body. With that being said, I'm not a calorie Nazi and I don't necessarily eat healthy every meal, but I'm conscious of it, and I really try to change things up quite a bit. Always a protein of some type with every meal and plenty of good fruits and vegetables.
How do you stay motivated to train?
I stay motivated to train by giving myself really specific goals to work towards. If I simply tell myself, "I wanna get ripped" or "I wanna lose weight" that ain't gonna cut it. I need a benchmark to work towards or better yet a challenge I want to achieve. Like for example this October I'll be doing a Tough Mudder with a group of homeless veterans that are transition back to civilian life an in need of that continued camaraderie. So with that in mind my training will shift to accommodate that goal. I want us all to finish so we'll train together. Be specific in what you want, even if it seems impossible or out of reach, don't sell yourself short and certainly don't listen to the haters, because I guarantee you there will be plenty of those no matter what you do in life. If it's great, there's gonna be hate.
What is your tip for people having a hard time committing?
For those of you having a hard time committing, it's all about habits, start small. Give yourself a month to notice a change in your body and the way that you feel. Anything less than that and you probably won't notice results. But once you've done that think back on the way that you felt a month ago, it's likely that you've started to look forward to training everyday or at least accepted it as part of your daily life. Training should be as important as brushing your teeth or taking a shower, are bodies are made to move and work.