The Arnold Project – catchy right? Before we get into this I need to include a simple disclaimer. The Arnold Project will not feature anything about Arnold Schwarzenegger the Austrian-born American actor, model, producer, director, activist, businessman, investor, writer, philanthropist, former professional bodybuilder, and politician. Sorry.

SO, if you are still with me answer this – How many times has December 31st rolled around and before the clock strikes 12:00 you look in the mirror and say “this is the year”. As you stare at yourself in the mirror you feel a genuine unhappiness about the person you see staring back and you make up your mind that this year i’m going to change. This year my ‘resolution’ will be to get fit, lose weight and eat healthy. It’s a great thought and maybe for the first few weeks of the month it works out. You go out get a gym membership, buy some healthier foods and give yourself a good shot at the resolution. Unfortunately, after a few weeks your resolve starts to break – the gym becomes a chore, the healthy foods aren’t nearly as appetizing as the internet makes them seem and day-by-day your motivation dwindles to a point where the resolution doesn’t matter anymore and you return to the pre-resolution status quo. 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 that was me. The thought was great and some years it actually stuck for more then 31 days but eventually, like the resolution from the year before, it ended. “But it is March 2015 now and you didn’t list that above. Why not?”. I’d be lying if I said this year I didn’t have the same resolution as in previous years, because I did. However this year I decided to do it a little different. This year I started

The Arnold Project

Simply put, The Arnold Project is me, learning from the mistakes made in the past and working towards a happier, healthier lifestyle. I made 2 HUGE changes to my resolution this time as I realized what my weakness were in the past.

 Support/Guidance

 

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In the past I thought I could do this all on my own. I researched workouts, recipes and tried to make my own ‘food guide’. The problem was I honestly never knew if what I was doing was right, or helpful and eventually it became draining. So I did what I probably should have done years ago – got help. I reached out to Tyler Johnston, the APE Coach, and asked for some help. His program intrigued me because he provides all of the tools you need to succeed but the responsibility is still on you to embrace it.

[testimonial authorname=”Nikos Kazantzakis” ]”In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.”[/testimonial]

Not only was the program able to set me on right track but there was also someone along with me  – providing information, analysis and most importantly, motivation. I had decided that above all else that is really what I needed in order to succeed.

Accountability

“Who will know of my success/failure if I don’t include anyone in my journey?” That is the second issue I have had in the past. So this time around I decided to change that. Therein lies the real reason for starting The Arnold Project. This is my first foray into personal blogging but what better avenue for holding myself accountable. In the short term, I hope that this blog helps keep me accountable and motivated whether 1 person or 100 read it – just knowing it is out there is good enough for me. But in the long term I hope that this blog helps inspire others like me. Those who have tried unsuccessfully to make a change and are looking for an example that it can be done. With the help of Tyler and Alpha Physique Engineering I am starting something that I’ve wanted for too long and I would like anyone who wishes to follow along and join us! If I can do it, I know you can too.

 

Follow me @ArnoldProject