Help Me Understand

In this episode, coach JK shares his POV on the difference between making a choice and deciding what your options are. The episode centers on the idea that commitment happens once, up front. After that, the work isn’t about renegotiating the decision, but about giving yourself multiple ways to follow through when life, energy, or schedules don’t cooperate.----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In today's fitness Q&A episode, coach JK covers what to do when you lose the motivation to workout in your 40s. He also offers suggestions for someone who is looking to buy dumbbells for workouts at home. -----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In this episode, coach JK answers your fitness & nutrition questions. - What's the best app to use for macros tracking?- I'm struggling to find consistency when I'm not on #75Hard- How many days per week do I need to workout to lose weight?- Should I cut carbs to jumpstart my weight loss?------Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In this episode , Coach JK McLeod shares why lasting habit change starts with identity. The focus is on three ideas: - consistency is about patterns, not perfection- a clear sense of identity makes daily decisions easier - outcome goals only work when they fit into a lifestyle you can actually maintain. Today's episode asks listeners to stop chasing short-term results and start thinking about who they’re becoming through their everyday actions.-----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In this episode of the Help Me Understand podcast, Coach JK explores the concept of the "messy middle", a space where individuals find themselves without a specific goal but still feel the urge to pursue something meaningful.JK shares his perspective on how to navigate this space by examining areas of life where supplements have become substitutes, encouraging listeners to focus on improving foundational habits. Whether you're caught between setting ambitious goals or focused maintaining your current path, this episode offers practical advice for finding harmony.-----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In today's episode, JK shares his perspective on what the "secret sauce" is for locking in and being consistent with fitness. He also shares how a recent book read (The Gap & The Gain) provided a different way to look at finding harmony with how far you've come and the drive to keep going towards your goal.-----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In this episode, Coach JK reflects on, what it took to reach 265 podcast episodes, and why consistency matters more than confidence, clarity, or perfect conditions. If you’ve been waiting for the right time, the right plan, or the right setup to begin something important, this episode is for you.It’s a reminder that most progress starts messy, motivation fades, and action is what carries things forward.-----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

Coach JK McLeod closes out the year with Melissa’s annual return to the podcast, using her one-word theme and “__ for __” (ie "25 in 2025") list as a way to reflect, reset, and move forward without the usual New Year pressure. Melissa's perspective on 2025 pushes back on the idea that a new year requires a clean slate, and instead explores the value of revisiting what was left unfinished with intention rather than guilt.Listen in as JK and Melissa break down an approach built on intentional flexibility: using a theme to guide decisions, leaving blank space for what you can’t plan, and balancing responsibilities with things that bring energy and connection.The episode also includes a discussion on attention, screen time, movement, and simple daily anchors that quietly shape a year. If you're open to a different take on planning your year, this episode is for you.Previous yearly theme episodes with Melissa:Ep 118: Words of intentionEp 194: Designing your year & the lessons learned along the wayLink to planning tools mentioned in episode:https://gretchenrubin.com/design-your-year/-----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In this episode of Help Me Understand, Coach JK McLeod examines how self-imposed limitations often come from old stories that were never revisited or questioned. Through everyday examples, he shows how assumptions about what’s “allowed,” “professional,” or “realistic” can restrict our habits around training, health, and daily routines. Listen in as he shares perspective on how many of these limits trace back to a single moment, comment, or belief that no longer applies. The episode invites listeners to pause and ask whether the barriers they’re working around are real, or simply outdated narratives they’ve continued to carry forward.------Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In this episode, Coach JK explores how small, everyday decisions shape long-term fitness and health outcomes.Listen in for JK's perspective on how focusing on the micro choices around eating, sleep, and exercise will slowly determine whether routines stay on course or drift to a different destination.----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In this episode, JK talks about sleep debt in a way that actually makes sense for real life and real training. What starts as a simple client conversation about “off” sleep turns into a clear look at how small, repeated gaps in rest add up to quietly undercut your energy, decision-making, and performance.You’ll hear why chronic under-sleeping hits harder than most people realize, why weekend “catch-up sleep” rarely solves the problem, and what practical steps you can take to start improving your sleep rhythm...no perfect schedule required.----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.comSubscribe to JK's weekly email: HERE

In this off-the-dome episode, Coach JK hits three topics.First, he talks about “scamming season” in retail and what listeners can do to help protect the people they love from gift card and romance scams.Then he breaks down why the take “body positivity = avoiding accountability” completely misses the mark.He closes by reflecting on how time away from lifting after wisdom-tooth surgery reminded him what a privilege it is to move and train.----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.comSubscribe to JK's email list HERE

This episode of Help Me Understand answers a familiar problem: “My evenings aren’t predictable anymore. How do I make morning workouts actually stick?”JK breaks down how to remove early-morning friction, avoid the snooze-and-scroll loop, lower the startup cost of training, and use simple cues to flip into workout mode. He also sets expectations for the awkward first few weeks and explains why your last meal of the day becomes your pre-workout fuel for the next morning.If mornings feel tough but they’re your best shot at consistency, this one shows you how to make them work.---Subscribe to email list: HEREInstagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

On today's episode, JK explains why zone 2 is best understood through how it feels, how long you can sustain it, and what it does for your heart and overall capacity. You’ll hear why many people slip into that “almost hard” middle zone that doesn’t build a real cardiovascular base, and how simple, steady cardio can improve your lifting, energy, and even your sleep.----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

As you’re taking action, and motivated..ask: Why will I continue to do this even when I don’t feel like it?  What can I put in place to be a healthy reward for continue to workout?...because if the initial thing that got me moving was a negative report from the doctor…how will I keep going once that result is “back in range”?  This episode of Help Me Understand unpacks a simple question that comes up in fitness over and over: What actually happens after the wake-up call?JK breaks down why those “never again” moments (the bad checkup, the rough vacation, the photo that hits you wrong) only create short-term movement if nothing structural changes underneath. He shares a client story that shows how early progress can fall apart once the initial fear fades, and why relying on emotion has a predictable shelf life.The focus of the episode is the practical side: motivation will dip, the quick fixes lose their shine, and the only thing that carries you forward is the system you build while the motivation is still there. Listen in as JK lays out the mindset shift and the questions you need to be asking now so you’re not scrambling once the fire wears off.-----Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

Trying to change everything at once is why most people never stick to anything. In this episode, Coach JK shares why he focuses on building one foundational fitness habit at a time, and how it leads to building the complete system you need to make real progress that lasts.--------Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

Coach JK shares his take on the commonly shared statistic: “85% of diets fail” ...and what that stat actually means. He covers four main drivers behind weight regain and explains what to focus on instead for results that last.Referenced research includes work from Mann (2007), Fothergill (2016), Polivy & Herman (1985), Konttinen (2019), Hall (2015), and Byrne (2018).Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

In this episode, Coach JK takes a closer look at the belief that traveling automatically leads to weight gain. Drawing from client experiences and real-world examples, he breaks down what’s actually going on when the scale jumps after a trip.The conversation explores how travel changes energy balance, sleep, and routines. He also shares why those shifts often have more to do with temporary habits than with the trip itself. Listen in as JK explains what’s really behind post-flight bloating, how poor sleep affects hunger hormones, and why the environment you’re in matters just as much as what you eat.Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

The idea that you start losing a significant amount of muscle at 40 has been floating around for decades, but it’s based on outdated research and oversimplified messaging. In this episode, Coach JK revisits where that belief came from, how it spread, and what newer data actually shows about muscle loss as we age.He breaks down why the “cliff at 40” story doesn’t hold up, what really happens closer to 60, and how much of it comes down to lifestyle, not age. From training consistency to protein intake, movement, and recovery, this episode reframes the conversation around what aging and strength really look like.Referenced studies:Lexell J., Taylor C.C., Sjöström M. What is the cause of the ageing atrophy? Total number, size and proportion of different fiber types studied in whole vastus lateralis muscle from 15- to 83-year-old men. J Neurol Sci (1988).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3379447/Volpi E., Nazemi R., Fujita S. Muscle tissue changes with aging. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care (2004).https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2804956/von Haehling S., Morley J.E., Anker S.D. An overview of sarcopenia: facts and numbers on prevalence and determinants. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle (2010).https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3060646/If this episode helps you see aging differently, share it with someone who needs the reminder that strength doesn’t have an expiration date.Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com

Coach JK introduces a new way to check in on your fitness habits using the F.A.T.T. assessment. This doesn't require stepping on the scale. You'll be taking inventory of where your money, time, mindset, and stuff have gone over the last 90 days. This quarterly reflection helps you see if your habits are aligned with your goals or if small drifts have crept in.Drawing from his own Q3 review, JK shares how simple tweaks like cutting back on food delivery, curating social media, swapping vague intentions for 30-day checkpoints, and keeping tools that support focus can set you up for a stronger finish to the year.Instagram: @coachJKmcleodEmail: JK@jkmcleod.com