February 10, 2025 • 13 mins
Could reshaping your perspective on competition and teamwork transform both your personal and professional life? Join us as Ariel, a talented massage therapist, and Lucas, a passionate fitness coach, reveal how engaging in sports with partners or teams strengthens bonds and enhances skills. With insights from Lucas’s experiences with his spouse Heather, you'll uncover the power of healthy competition and shared goals to deepen relationships. Ariel and Lucas also share the secrets to maintaining a positive mindset during tough times, emphasizing the true essence of participation and improvement over mere victory.
Shift your focus from the scale to the broader picture of personal growth and transformation. Ariel and Lucas urge you to celebrate incremental progress and resilience, even as you face inevitable plateaus. The discussion pivots to recognizing non-scale victories, like fitting into smaller clothes and feeling physically rejuvenated, as genuine markers of success. Through their stories, they inspire you to cultivate a healthier mindset toward your achievements, staying motivated and gracefully navigating life's challenges with determination. Listen in and embrace a journey beyond numbers, where every small step contributes to a larger narrative of personal fulfillment.
Support Ariel by booking a massage:
https://www.competitorsedgemassage.com/
Support Lucas by booking training:
https://www.hydefitnessconsulting.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Lifestyle Strength, your guide to
mastering health and well-beingin the real world.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Ariel, a massage therapist with over a decade of
experience in holistic health,and I'm here with Lucas, a
seasoned fitness coach, who'stransformed the lives of
hundreds in Northwest Arkansas.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
We're here to share real stories and expert insights
about embracing a healthylifestyle while balancing the
everyday hustle.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Join us as we explore practical ways to achieve
wellness and thrive amidstlife's challenges.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Let's dive in.
I'm more sad, and I don't eventhink that's the playing part.
It's just the being outside inthe sun and hitting the ball and
getting that competitiveinstinct and that competitive
edge.
I like that, though, that whatyou said about building your
relationship with Heather,because you know, like you said,
(01:02):
a lot of people would thinkthat, like, how are you going to
bicker and fight and who wantsto do that?
But, like you said, a lot ofpeople would think that like how
you're going to bicker andfight and who wants to do that?
And but like you're a teamanyways.
Like husband and wife are ateam, and what better way to
practice being a team than to goplay a sport with each other?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
I mean at first, I have to admit heather's more of
a competitive, because I'm morecompetitive drive than I do,
really.
Yeah, and when she firststarted playing it was, you know
I gotta get better and I, Imean it helped me, I mean I it
(01:38):
made me get better.
I mean I had to mention that,like, alright, I am the better
Because I know she wants to win.
You know, yeah, and a lot ofit's, we want to play together
but we want to win Right.
So it kind of drove us to playmore, get better, practice yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
And so Well, it's so much more important that you
have somebody in your cornerRight, even if they're playing
with you.
Yeah, and so well, it's so muchmore important that you have
somebody in your corner right,even if they're playing with you
.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Right, like you know you're supporting her and she's
supporting.
Yeah, it's a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
There are times it's a little rough yeah, well,
that's, I think, anyone on anyteam.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Yeah, yeah, you're gonna have rough patches.
It doesn't matter if I'm a wifeor some random person.
It's going to be rough yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That's how it is Playing Ultimate.
That's played on so manydifferent teams throughout my
life and sometimes you havegames that just get everybody
vibes, and not even just yourteam, the other team, Like
everyone's good spirit.
It's good, good socialinteraction with people.
(02:49):
You know, fun gameplay, funcompetitiveness.
And you have those like kind ofchippy games where you know
you're just so frustrated withyou know somebody on your team
or somebody on the opposite teamis making you mad based on how
they're playing or theirattitude, and I think it's so
easy to let that get in the wayof why you showed up and why
(03:11):
you're doing it.
You know I in in my other world,in the gym, you know I talked
to people who they face some ofthat intimidation factor because
of other people and so they'llaffect that.
It'll affect them being able togo do their workout and go do
something that's good for them,and you know it's all the same.
(03:34):
You know it's not that it's notgoing to happen.
This is just how you react toit and how you move forward with
it.
You know if you get mad at itand you just never come back,
then you're never going to havefun again, right?
You're never gonna get better.
You're never gonna win.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
You're never you know no, I mean, you gotta.
You gotta have the rightmindset, like I'm doing this for
me.
You know I'm doing this for meand heather it's not.
Oh, I'm doing this just so Ican win all the time.
It's like a bonus.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Like oh, we won.
There's games where you canjust play perfect, you know, and
just something happens.
You know just one little thing.
You know it bounces the wrongway.
You know you can lose and youcan win.
It's not much you can do.
(04:31):
I mean, you just got to havefun.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
I think it's like the old saying goes it's not about
winning, it's about how you playthe game.
And I think maybe that sayingis misunderstood, because you
know, know, of course we want towin, yeah, right.
But you know, I think peopleput a lot of emphasis on how you
play the game, with theintegrity of how you play the
game, and not that that's notimportant, it is.
(05:00):
But I think that how you playthe game is like it's more of
your willingness to go out thereand just compete as hard as you
could, right, and and to youknow, to push yourself and to
push your partner If you'rethere with a partner in your
team to do the best that you can, and if that gets you the win,
then it gets you the win, and ifit doesn't get you the win,
(05:20):
then now you have something.
You know just getting upset andbe like I'm never doing this
again.
You know, or you know yeah?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
yeah, I mean there's there's days where it's like, ah
, why am I doing this?
But you know that's withanything that's life yeah yeah,
that's yeah, but you just, youknow, like like a cheat meal,
it's like, ah, put that day away, right, put that match away,
(05:55):
put that tournament away, justmove on.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I always try to, for myself, guide myself back to the
, the fundamentals.
I think it's, with anything youknow, play an ultimate and just
not making good decisions, youknow.
So what can I fundamentally do?
Just okay, make a good pass,just make a good throw, catch it
with both hands.
You know, I think in life it's,you know, I'm man.
(06:23):
I felt terrible.
What have I eaten last week?
Well, I slipped here.
And I slipped here and slippedhere.
I'm like, okay, well, what canI fundamentally do?
Just go back to just trackeverything, write it down, hold
myself a little accountable.
Yeah, and those, thosefundamentals, really build you
up to not just, you know,getting better, but I think it.
(06:43):
It helps you go into the nextday, helps you put those things
behind you so that the next dayyou can wake up and speak.
Okay, I know what I need to do,yeah, yeah, back to basics.
And something as simple ascounting your calories and
walking can, yeah, help youaccomplish something massive
like 150 pounds of weight lossyeah, yeah, I mean to be honest.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I mean when when I joined Matrix I was about 270,
265.
And probably that first sixmonths I lost another 30 pounds.
I mean that's crazy, just doingthe fitness classes there and
the pickleball and the tennisand the paddle and just
(07:33):
everything.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It just came off, putting in the work, putting in
the reps, yeah.
And having fun while you'redoing it.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I mean a lot of people say, oh, you've been here
all day long.
I'm like, yeah, I'm having fun,yeah, why wouldn't you?
Yeah, I mean I'll go, yeah, I'mhaving fun, yeah, why wouldn't
you?
Yeah, I mean I'll go, I'llspend hours and hours there just
playing.
And you look at the clock andyou're like, oh, I've been here
(08:05):
and it's just all right.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Well, time to go home .
Yeah, I think that's the thingI found of why I like pickleball
.
I have a I tend to be like anall or nothing kind of person,
like I either lean all the wayin or I don't do it.
I'm very, I'm very, I'm nottimid with things.
So, um, I think I likepickleball, though for that
(08:27):
aspect that I can play and playfor hours and it doesn't, it
doesn't affect me likephysically, like I feel like I
can wake up the next morning andI'm not sore.
You know, my knees joints mightbe have like a little like I
did something yesterday.
You know, if I played reallyhard for several hours, yeah,
and that's with anything, yeah,that's anything.
(08:49):
But otherwise, you know, youjust keep playing like let's go
again, let's go yeah, that'svery addictive that way.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
It's like oh, oh, you learn kind of like the sweets,
like oh, I like that, let mehave some more.
Right now.
It's oh, let's go play somepickleball I like that.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, you, you replaced the thing that affected
you in a negative way withsomething that affects you in a
positive way.
Yeah, and use that same kind ofpathway.
Yeah, so just keep doing moreof it.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Yeah, I mean, I'm tied in the same way.
It was just you get addicted tosomething and you just go in,
go for it 100%, and that'spretty much what I did for hours
watching TV, with goingexercise or go from the
(09:42):
pickleball or go play tennis orjust whatever.
Just go outside.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
You made it happen.
You found the time because it'swhat you wanted to do.
I think that's, you know.
A saying came to mind as youwere sharing your story, and I
think it's a a great way to sumit all up.
So, as we wrap it up here is um, people tend to overestimate
what they can accomplish in aday and underestimate what they
accomplish in a year, and Ithink that's something that,
(10:12):
like you hit on the head, islike just seeing exactly what
you want and being convicted bythat desire to go after and get
it and then being willing to doit for a year.
You know, even if you didn't see, you went through periods of
times where you didn't see aresult and you just stuck with
it and you kept finding thatnext piece, that next step of
like, how can I take this alittle further?
(10:34):
How can I make it moreenjoyable?
You know, those are the thingsthat you know.
I see the most successfulpeople you know in their fitness
journeys, like how they find itis.
They just keep moving,regardless of what you know is
happening in the mirror or onthe scale.
Yeah, and eventually, you know,you just wake up one morning
(10:56):
like whoa, like I have changed,yeah, yeah, like I have changed.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean there's, there's acartoon that I had seen, um,
where it was this guy walkingand he was just exhausted and he
was taking one step at a timeand someone walked up to him
like what are you doing?
He goes oh, I'm just, I'm soslow, I just can't do it.
And the guy is like well, lookbehind you.
And he looked behind him and itwas just as far as you can see,
(11:32):
it's just steps.
Yeah, that's like look how faryou've gone right now.
And you just do you know, just alittle bit a day and you know,
and in a month or a week or ayear it's you can see.
You can see that progress.
Yeah, it's not.
(11:52):
You can't fix everything in aday and it's not always linear
no, you have those moments whereyou know you you fall down.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
And you have those moments where nothing's
happening.
Yeah, but if you, you know,like you knew, that that was
what you needed to do, justchallenge yourself day by day,
like eventually you're gonna getthere yeah, I mean the biggest.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
The biggest thing that helped me with my plateaus
was, yes, I'm doing everything Ican, you know diet, the
exercise, just everything andI'm still staying at the same
weight.
But I know that I'm losing size, like if I I mean I when I met
(12:39):
my biggest, I was a 3'4 XL andnow I can fit into a medium,
yeah, and just putting on thosepants it's like oh wow, seeing
them loose, yeah, yeah, I meanone day I bought size 30, I
(13:02):
think it was a 36 jeans, and Ithink at the highest I was at
like a 48.
And within two weeks, threeweeks, those 36 were loose, yeah
, and it's just that.
Then it's, it's just that, likeyou, it's.
(13:26):
I'm not losing it on the scale,which a lot of people put the
emphasis on that, but it's howyou feel like right, right it's,
it's having the awareness tosee how everything's changing
yeah and not just that numberyeah yeah, that number isn't
everything.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
No, it's not it's not at all.
Yeah well, thanks for coming on, matt.
I appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks for having me on righton.
Maybe we'll do it again.
Yeah, anytime.
Welcome to Lifestyle Strength, your guide to
mastering health and well-beingin the real world.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Ariel, a massage therapist with over a decade of
experience in holistic health,and I'm here with Lucas, a
seasoned fitness coach, who'stransformed the lives of
hundreds in Northwest Arkansas.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
We're here to share real stories and expert insights
about embracing a healthylifestyle while balancing the
everyday hustle.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Join us as we explore practical ways to achieve
wellness and thrive amidstlife's challenges.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Let's dive in.
I'm more sad, and I don't eventhink that's the playing part.
It's just the being outside inthe sun and hitting the ball and
getting that competitiveinstinct and that competitive
edge.
I like that, though, that whatyou said about building your
relationship with Heather,because you know, like you said,
(01:02):
a lot of people would thinkthat, like, how are you going to
bicker and fight and who wantsto do that?
But, like you said, a lot ofpeople would think that like how
you're going to bicker andfight and who wants to do that?
And but like you're a teamanyways.
Like husband and wife are ateam, and what better way to
practice being a team than to goplay a sport with each other?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
I mean at first, I have to admit heather's more of
a competitive, because I'm morecompetitive drive than I do,
really.
Yeah, and when she firststarted playing it was, you know
I gotta get better and I, Imean it helped me, I mean I it
(01:38):
made me get better.
I mean I had to mention that,like, alright, I am the better
Because I know she wants to win.
You know, yeah, and a lot ofit's, we want to play together
but we want to win Right.
So it kind of drove us to playmore, get better, practice yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
And so Well, it's so much more important that you
have somebody in your cornerRight, even if they're playing
with you.
Yeah, and so well, it's so muchmore important that you have
somebody in your corner right,even if they're playing with you
.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Right, like you know you're supporting her and she's
supporting.
Yeah, it's a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
There are times it's a little rough yeah, well,
that's, I think, anyone on anyteam.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Yeah, yeah, you're gonna have rough patches.
It doesn't matter if I'm a wifeor some random person.
It's going to be rough yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That's how it is Playing Ultimate.
That's played on so manydifferent teams throughout my
life and sometimes you havegames that just get everybody
vibes, and not even just yourteam, the other team, Like
everyone's good spirit.
It's good, good socialinteraction with people.
(02:49):
You know, fun gameplay, funcompetitiveness.
And you have those like kind ofchippy games where you know
you're just so frustrated withyou know somebody on your team
or somebody on the opposite teamis making you mad based on how
they're playing or theirattitude, and I think it's so
easy to let that get in the wayof why you showed up and why
(03:11):
you're doing it.
You know I in in my other world,in the gym, you know I talked
to people who they face some ofthat intimidation factor because
of other people and so they'llaffect that.
It'll affect them being able togo do their workout and go do
something that's good for them,and you know it's all the same.
(03:34):
You know it's not that it's notgoing to happen.
This is just how you react toit and how you move forward with
it.
You know if you get mad at itand you just never come back,
then you're never going to havefun again, right?
You're never gonna get better.
You're never gonna win.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
You're never you know no, I mean, you gotta.
You gotta have the rightmindset, like I'm doing this for
me.
You know I'm doing this for meand heather it's not.
Oh, I'm doing this just so Ican win all the time.
It's like a bonus.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Like oh, we won.
There's games where you canjust play perfect, you know, and
just something happens.
You know just one little thing.
You know it bounces the wrongway.
You know you can lose and youcan win.
It's not much you can do.
(04:31):
I mean, you just got to havefun.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
I think it's like the old saying goes it's not about
winning, it's about how you playthe game.
And I think maybe that sayingis misunderstood, because you
know, know, of course we want towin, yeah, right.
But you know, I think peopleput a lot of emphasis on how you
play the game, with theintegrity of how you play the
game, and not that that's notimportant, it is.
(05:00):
But I think that how you playthe game is like it's more of
your willingness to go out thereand just compete as hard as you
could, right, and and to youknow, to push yourself and to
push your partner If you'rethere with a partner in your
team to do the best that you can, and if that gets you the win,
then it gets you the win, and ifit doesn't get you the win,
(05:20):
then now you have something.
You know just getting upset andbe like I'm never doing this
again.
You know, or you know yeah?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
yeah, I mean there's there's days where it's like, ah
, why am I doing this?
But you know that's withanything that's life yeah yeah,
that's yeah, but you just, youknow, like like a cheat meal,
it's like, ah, put that day away, right, put that match away,
(05:55):
put that tournament away, justmove on.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I always try to, for myself, guide myself back to the
, the fundamentals.
I think it's, with anything youknow, play an ultimate and just
not making good decisions, youknow.
So what can I fundamentally do?
Just okay, make a good pass,just make a good throw, catch it
with both hands.
You know, I think in life it's,you know, I'm man.
(06:23):
I felt terrible.
What have I eaten last week?
Well, I slipped here.
And I slipped here and slippedhere.
I'm like, okay, well, what canI fundamentally do?
Just go back to just trackeverything, write it down, hold
myself a little accountable.
Yeah, and those, thosefundamentals, really build you
up to not just, you know,getting better, but I think it.
(06:43):
It helps you go into the nextday, helps you put those things
behind you so that the next dayyou can wake up and speak.
Okay, I know what I need to do,yeah, yeah, back to basics.
And something as simple ascounting your calories and
walking can, yeah, help youaccomplish something massive
like 150 pounds of weight lossyeah, yeah, I mean to be honest.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I mean when when I joined Matrix I was about 270,
265.
And probably that first sixmonths I lost another 30 pounds.
I mean that's crazy, just doingthe fitness classes there and
the pickleball and the tennisand the paddle and just
(07:33):
everything.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It just came off, putting in the work, putting in
the reps, yeah.
And having fun while you'redoing it.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I mean a lot of people say, oh, you've been here
all day long.
I'm like, yeah, I'm having fun,yeah, why wouldn't you?
Yeah, I mean I'll go, yeah, I'mhaving fun, yeah, why wouldn't
you?
Yeah, I mean I'll go, I'llspend hours and hours there just
playing.
And you look at the clock andyou're like, oh, I've been here
(08:05):
and it's just all right.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Well, time to go home .
Yeah, I think that's the thingI found of why I like pickleball
.
I have a I tend to be like anall or nothing kind of person,
like I either lean all the wayin or I don't do it.
I'm very, I'm very, I'm nottimid with things.
So, um, I think I likepickleball, though for that
(08:27):
aspect that I can play and playfor hours and it doesn't, it
doesn't affect me likephysically, like I feel like I
can wake up the next morning andI'm not sore.
You know, my knees joints mightbe have like a little like I
did something yesterday.
You know, if I played reallyhard for several hours, yeah,
and that's with anything, yeah,that's anything.
(08:49):
But otherwise, you know, youjust keep playing like let's go
again, let's go yeah, that'svery addictive that way.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
It's like oh, oh, you learn kind of like the sweets,
like oh, I like that, let mehave some more.
Right now.
It's oh, let's go play somepickleball I like that.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, you, you replaced the thing that affected
you in a negative way withsomething that affects you in a
positive way.
Yeah, and use that same kind ofpathway.
Yeah, so just keep doing moreof it.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Yeah, I mean, I'm tied in the same way.
It was just you get addicted tosomething and you just go in,
go for it 100%, and that'spretty much what I did for hours
watching TV, with goingexercise or go from the
(09:42):
pickleball or go play tennis orjust whatever.
Just go outside.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
You made it happen.
You found the time because it'swhat you wanted to do.
I think that's, you know.
A saying came to mind as youwere sharing your story, and I
think it's a a great way to sumit all up.
So, as we wrap it up here is um, people tend to overestimate
what they can accomplish in aday and underestimate what they
accomplish in a year, and Ithink that's something that,
(10:12):
like you hit on the head, islike just seeing exactly what
you want and being convicted bythat desire to go after and get
it and then being willing to doit for a year.
You know, even if you didn't see, you went through periods of
times where you didn't see aresult and you just stuck with
it and you kept finding thatnext piece, that next step of
like, how can I take this alittle further?
(10:34):
How can I make it moreenjoyable?
You know, those are the thingsthat you know.
I see the most successfulpeople you know in their fitness
journeys, like how they find itis.
They just keep moving,regardless of what you know is
happening in the mirror or onthe scale.
Yeah, and eventually, you know,you just wake up one morning
(10:56):
like whoa, like I have changed,yeah, yeah, like I have changed.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean there's, there's acartoon that I had seen, um,
where it was this guy walkingand he was just exhausted and he
was taking one step at a timeand someone walked up to him
like what are you doing?
He goes oh, I'm just, I'm soslow, I just can't do it.
And the guy is like well, lookbehind you.
And he looked behind him and itwas just as far as you can see,
(11:32):
it's just steps.
Yeah, that's like look how faryou've gone right now.
And you just do you know, just alittle bit a day and you know,
and in a month or a week or ayear it's you can see.
You can see that progress.
Yeah, it's not.
(11:52):
You can't fix everything in aday and it's not always linear
no, you have those moments whereyou know you you fall down.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
And you have those moments where nothing's
happening.
Yeah, but if you, you know,like you knew, that that was
what you needed to do, justchallenge yourself day by day,
like eventually you're gonna getthere yeah, I mean the biggest.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
The biggest thing that helped me with my plateaus
was, yes, I'm doing everything Ican, you know diet, the
exercise, just everything andI'm still staying at the same
weight.
But I know that I'm losing size, like if I I mean I when I met
(12:39):
my biggest, I was a 3'4 XL andnow I can fit into a medium,
yeah, and just putting on thosepants it's like oh wow, seeing
them loose, yeah, yeah, I meanone day I bought size 30, I
(13:02):
think it was a 36 jeans, and Ithink at the highest I was at
like a 48.
And within two weeks, threeweeks, those 36 were loose, yeah
, and it's just that.
Then it's, it's just that, likeyou, it's.
(13:26):
I'm not losing it on the scale,which a lot of people put the
emphasis on that, but it's howyou feel like right, right it's,
it's having the awareness tosee how everything's changing
yeah and not just that numberyeah yeah, that number isn't
everything.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
No, it's not it's not at all.
Yeah well, thanks for coming on, matt.
I appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks for having me on righton.
Maybe we'll do it again.
Yeah, anytime.
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