Bryce Henson

Family!

Hope you had a great weekend. And even being stuck at home, I hope you got outside, took a walk or a run and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

And even though we are cranking away in the dog days of Quarantine, there is light at the end of the tunnel as movement is beginning to happen throughout our country.

Regarding today’s message, I received the below note recently from a friend, thought leader and mentor of mine, that I found value in and wanted to share.

It puts things in proper perspective and trust you will get value as well.

Please feel free to share it with someone in need and let’s make it a GREAT WEEK!

-Coach Bryce

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This too shall pass, and it will all be over soon. I don’t just mean the tough times, the dark days, the hard workouts, or dips you are going through in life. This also means the best days, the celebrations, the puppy months, the date nights, the big games.

Every 5-year-old turns 6.
Every play has an ending.
Every football game has a 4th quarter.

“Death twitches my ear. ‘Live,’ he says. “I am coming.’” – Virgil

Happy Monday!

We just finished up our Stronger Together Challenge and excited to keep the momentum going as we launch our Fit Body 28 Days of Fitness today! The program includes a weekly theme (this week is Hydration) along with a daily physical challenge to make sure we have some fun while keeping healthy & fit during Quarantine.

Aside from that and getting into today’s message; I am sad to report I received some very sour news last week. My grammar school basketball coach and best friend from my youth’s father, Coach Tom passed away unexpectedly.  He was 69, and tested negative for COVID 19, but as my friend Thayne said, in the last few years he let off the focus of self-care.

And while very sad, there is always a lesson which first and foremost, is to live with urgency and passion. As tomorrow is not promised for any of us and the most fulfilled and happy people I know, are in pursuit of a mission or purpose, bigger than themselves.

And the other giant lesson he left is to be intentional about the life you lead and the impact you want to have. As in the end, it’s not the materials things that you acquire (which will all be returned), it’s the legacy you will leave and the impact you had on those around you.

And for me, Coach Tom made a big impact.

Truthfully, he was rough around the edges, was a bit grumpy at times, which turned into downright scary if you upset him. He had very high expectations for our basketball teams and always ensured he held the line of discipline and structure in his program.

Which going through the experience, wasn’t very desirable most of the times in the actual moment.  But, he left an incredible positive mark on our teams mindset, work ethic, & desire to work together which led to the big success we had as a team.

He was also a very good-hearted man. And even though very tough on discipline, it was very easy to see it came from a good place which empowered us to work harder because no matter what, we knew he cared about us.

He didn’t like “flash” and cared mostly about the fundamentals of the game and a focus on out conditioning our opponents as being a foundational strategy for success.

And when things got too tough, he knew when to let up, and give praise, appreciation and an even a hug to ensure team morale was positive.

So in closing, here are the lessons from my Coach Tom that you can implement in your life.

• Be tough & disciplined, but caring.
• Train hard, whether or not anyone is watching.
• Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect, so train every day as its game day.
• Forget about being flashy; rather focus on & master the fundamentals.
• Expect more of yourself and be a team player.
• Care about the people around you.

Sound advice for us all. RIP Coach Tom. Your lessons will live on..

Let’s make it a GREAT WEEK.

-Coach Bryce

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great Easter weekend with your family.

With our new found Zoom video conferencing skills, I was able to host a zoom call with 30 family members in Michigan which was set up due to the amazing mother’s passion to keep the family connected. J

And while it was fun to see everyone in better spirits, and sharing our gratitude list, which is very much needed..

But in playing off the paradox mindset from a couple of weeks ago, I believe it still very important to be real about our current adversities. As staring them down in the face is the only way we will push past them and overcome them.

So in the spirit of being candid to strengthen your mindset, and start off our week.

Here we go…

This Quarantine situation is not fun. It sucks actually. And yes, much of this is out of our control. 😤

And just like you, there’s not a day that goes by (sometimes hourly) that I don’t receive some sort of less than ideal news. That’s our reality. 🤯

But the fact remains, that just because our circumstances are less than desirable at the moment, this does not change your responsibility to yourself and love ones, & most notably your family. 💪

As one of my mentor’s Michael, from Romania who immigrated here in his twenties, says “Bryce, suck it up cupcake.”

And he is right…

As despite of the circumstance, you still must lead yourself to be the best version of you. You still must get your workouts, your hydration, nutrition, and your reading in. 🎓

You still have to be a responsible leader for your family, a great parent/child/coworker, and an even better human. 🏋🏻

You still have a responsibility to yourself and others who are counting on you. And remember, even though it doesn’t feel like it right now, many people have gone through much worse. 😱

That true perspective is criticality important for you to keep top of mind. 👌

In closing and to toughen your mind even more so you can continue to brave the storm, with one of my favorite lines from Sylvester Stallone, in the Rocky film series:

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

Keep your head up and keep moving forward.

We are in this and STRONGER TOGETHER!

#FBBCSTRONG #FAMILYON3

-Coach Bryce

Happy Monday!

I have shared my original fitness story before, so some of you might remember my first physical transformation started in January 2007 after a year of living “depressed in Los Angeles” without any prior exposure to a fitness program. And through good fortune, a dear friend who was incredibly fit moved to Orange County, and over a 6-month journey, introduced me to weight training, and clean eating..

Adam’s coaching foundationally changed my life…

But it wasn’t until January of 2012, while living abroad and my fitness getting stale (same routine and diet was slacking) that I took the ultimate leap in coaching which gave me confidence to start my own fitness coaching program called Fit Body Boot Camp!

At the time and very truthfully, my fitness was suffering considering the big move abroad, and I knew I needed a coach to recharge my work outs, provide more accountability and give coaching on nutrition..

The problem was, my Brazilian Portuguese wasn’t too strong at that time, and while I could converse, I couldn’t truly engage in meaningful conversation. So finding a personal trainer at my gym wasn’t the best solution due to the language barrier.

And knowing I had another 8 months before I returned to California, I decided that it was too long a stretch for my fitness (and life) to suffer….

So while it wasn’t my first choice, I started looking online, and found 2 fitness and nutrition coaches based in the States, Rob & Kim. They had create an online fitness coaching program called Jet Set Body.

Candidly, it was a steep investment for me ($400/month) which they provided & programmed a daily work out, a monthly meal plan and a weekly coaching call.  And after much diligence, research and seeing other results from their program, I ended up taking the leap of faith, pinched my pennies, and signed up for it!

While excited to get going, admittedly it took me a few weeks to get into full swing into the program as I hit some road blocks, as my only other coaching experience was with my friend Adam back in 2007.

Ultimately, the work outs were hard, they were delivered in a new format and I had to get uncomfortable as the food programming followed a different philosophy I was accustomed to..

And while I didn’t expect that going in, I am glad I set my mindset that I would follow the coaching program to the fullest degree for the first 90 days to give it a fair shot, and then reassess as needed; which is exactly what I did.

Just like anything in life, very candidly, it took me a few weeks to adjust to the regiment & coaching and I almost quit on a few occasions.. But by the 3^rd month I was in full force and the results started to come through like I had hoped.

The weekly check ins, work outs, meal plan accountability was the kick in the butt I needed to dial in my fitness. As such, I ended up staying with their coaching program for a full year right up until Tatiana and I launched our first in-person training & coaching program (aka Yorba Linda Fit Body Boot Camp) at the very end of that year upon returning to California.

So as it turns out, this online coaching program was a major factor and catalyst in giving me the confidence I needed to launch FBBC and a big reason I am writing you this email today.

Friends, this is a 1000% true story and even included a shirt less “after” picture as Kim asked me to take for their social proof site (which I am partially embarrassed to include at the risk of coming off vain). And an additional pic with Rob and Kim a few years ago, as we first met “online” but became “real in person” friends until this day.

So my message today is that we all need a coach in life…

Someone to push us further than we would push ourselves. Someone to challenge us. Sometime to add accountability in a zone of their genius (not ours). And someone to call us on our BS when life’s “excuses” pile up.

As ultimately, many times the excuses can be very legitimate road blocks. But these legitimate roadblocks (aka excuses) will continue to stand in your way of success unless you push through them or find a way around them (however uncomfortable that is in the moment).

This is my story on how fitness coaching changed my life. And my team and I’s burning passion is that we can serve you in the same way. Whether online (for the moment), and/or at our brick and mortar location.

Head up, we are IN THIS and STRONGER TOGETHER!

#FBBCSTRONG

-Coach Bryce

Happy Monday!

Do you know about “The Stockdale Paradox”?

The name refers to Admiral Jim Stockdale, an American soldier who spent 8 years in a prisoner-of-war camp during the Vietnam War. He was tortured over 20 times and was never given any hint of a release date in the near decade he spent in near isolation.

Despite all this, Stockdale managed to survive and thrive as will you!!!!

Here’s how he dealt with this, as described to Jim Collins in the book Good to Great:

“I never lost faith in the end of the story,” Stockdale said. “I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which in retrospect, I would not trade.”

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end–-which you can never afford to lose–-with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

The Stockdale Paradox is certainly fitting for our times as I have studied it a few times before.

And was reminded of it this past weekend when I listened to this episode of Craig Groeschel’s leadership podcast; episode “Leading Through Crisis”.

I shared this with all the teams I lead yesterday and would highly encourage you to invest the 30 minutes in yourself to have a listen! As we are ALL LEADERS and need to lead ourselves, family, coworkers and communities!

Click HERE!!

Head up, we are in this and STRONGER together!

#FBBCSTRONG

-Coach Bryce

Happy Monday!!!

What a week. Head up as you are alive!

Just think of how many people, since the dawn of time, would trade spots with you right now in an instant.

In the below video, I shared 2 stories of my life that I shared on Friday and believe can help you during this challenging time we are in as humans.

Below are the high-level bullet points, but be sure to click the video below and share it with someone who needs the message.

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Click HERE!

1. “Jeitinho Brasileiro” aka The Brazilian Way.

• Story of Brazil
• Absence of Resources, you must get resourceful

2. “I am grateful my kids get to see empty grocery store shelves.” – Bedros Keuilian, CEO of Fit Body Boot Camp

Click HERE!

In closing, I will leave you with a quote to reset your mindset to embrace the hard times & suck factor.

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” ― G. Michael Hopf

And remember, we are in this, and STRONGER TOGETHER!

#FBBCSTRONG

Coach Bryce

Fit Body Boot Camp

• BSc. Specialized Honours in Molecular Genetics | University of Guelph | Guelph
• Doctor of Philosophy with Distinction in Molecular Genetics & Immunology | University of Guelph | Guelph
• Postdoctoral Clinical Cytogenetics Fellowship | UCLA and Baylor

• keep your immune system strong (exercise, sleep 7-8 hours per day, drink water, eat darky leafy veggies, avoid sugar).
• wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
• clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.
• avoid close contact with people who are sick and stay home while you are sick.

1. Be particularly alert if you or your loved ones are on any form of chemotherapy or immune-suppressing medications (such as those associated with organ transplants).
2. Be particularly mindful of both the very young and elderly in your care. Their respective immune systems are generally not as robust as might be required to effectively combat COVID-19.

Happy Monday!

I am flying back to California today from Atlanta, Georgia. Our CEO Bedros and my brother Barrett delivered a Fit Body Elite Training to our owners from the Southeast (from 6 neighboring states) over the weekend.

It was a ton of fun, and always inspiring connecting with and pouring into FBBC owners and coaches looking to replicate the program our team has spent nearly 8 years of developing.

And it was extra special being that I spent my first 10 years of life in Atlanta before moving to the Midwest. In fact, I had dinner last night in downtown Atlanta, less than a mile from the hospital where I was born.

Looking back, I have fond memories in Georgia. And upon moving to the Midwest nearly 30 years ago; I was very southern and had a thick drawl. In fact, I remember the first 6 months of grammar school in Michigan, my school mates would poke fun at the way I talked. But as kids do, they pick things up but also lose things very quickly; and within less than a year, my southern accent was completely gone.

My mother Donna’s biggest regret was that she didn’t get my brother and I on film so we could playback the tape.

Anyway, while being back in the south and at dinner last night; our waitress asked: “ya’ll fixin’ to have some sweet tea?”

Honestly, I couldn’t understand her and felt a little embarrassed as I had to ask her to repeat herself 3 times before finally getting it and respectfully declining that sugar bomb. 😉

And this was just one of many situations like that over the last few days. And I couldn’t help but wonder the thought of “how would have I turned out if I hadn’t left?!”

Of course, no one really knows exactly, but I do know I would have been much different. This includes the way I would have dressed, acted, thought and spoke.

Consequently, I had a big epiphany on how we become products of our environments. As to whether or we like it or not, our environments do greatly shape us.

And furthermore, why it’s so important to be very intentional about the environments we subject ourselves to in adulthood.

As the fact is that if you want to be happy, healthy and fit; you must surround yourself with people and places that are supportive of this lifestyle.

Have an incredible Monday and week! And remember, you become the company you keep so choose wisely!

Happy Monday!

I don’t watch too much TV, but Tatiana introduced me to a comedian on Saturday night via Netflix, named Trevor Noah. If you haven’t heard of him, I would google search him immediately as he is absolutely hilarious!  He is also the host of The Daily Show, an American satirical news program on Comedy Central.

Trevor is from Johannesburg South Africa and is an extremely talented, funny, and articulate man.  He also possesses a fascinating story as he was born to a black mother and white father in 1984, which was a year before Apartheid ended.

He authored the NY Times Best Seller “Born a Crime” as having a biracial family was illegal at that period of time in South Africa. As such, his father couldn’t live with the family and when going on outings in public, so had to hide the details of their family.

Being candid, it saddens me to think of the struggle he endured and the cosmic injustice of that period of human history; which is extremely, extremely recent in the grand scheme of things…

But I am so blown away at his perspective, and positive outlook on life he chose to adopt. Because while on one hand, he doesn’t truly associate with anyone class or ethnicity completely…

But on the other hand, can relate and associate with many. This is an addition to diverse cultural upbringing, as prevalent in the African context, and the fact that he speaks the 6 languages of English, Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, Tsonga, Afrikaans, and finally German, being his father is Swiss.

All this to say that he associates with many types of people and consequently adopted a true humanitarian outlook on life, citing that both his mixed background and travel changed his life due to being exposed to many walks of life, which he also incorporates in his comedy!

And one of many big takeaways from his story and something I believe wholeheartedly is that travel one of the best teachers in the world.

It humbles you, instantly relieving to you that it is not the center of the universe. As it turns out, there are other ways to think, talk, act, worship, and perform rituals; far outside the little bubble you or I grew up in, wherever that may have been. And there is extreme value in that blended perspective.

So, my call to action today is to be like Trevor and adopt a true student of the world mentality, seeking for and learning about other people’s perspectives.

And whether you are 22 or 72, take care of yourself. Eat well and exercise so that you have the health & ability to travel the world, explore and learn about as many people and cultures as humanly possible.  As our world needs more peace, empathy and understanding. And thank you, Trevor, for helping lead the way, and helping bridge the gap in humanity!

Make it an incredible week!

-Coach Bryce