Most of us want to be fit but struggle with time, habits, and the feeling that maybe it’s just “genetics.” Menya Hinga once felt the same way—until a decade of self-study transformed his health and mindset. Since 2011, he’s built a career in Tokyo helping thousands of individuals and top companies make sustainable health choices. As founder of MH Health Coaching, co-founder of SOGO Fitness (Japan’s largest free fitness community), and head coach of the CoFit Movement, Menya has become an inspiration to both fitness seekers and foreigners building communities in Japan. In this conversation, we explore his journey, his methods, and how he balances it all—including raising four young children.

Just remember: “Menya, like Kenya, but with an ‘M.’”

Key Takeaways

* Finding a Good Source of Truth is Hard: Ironically, the problem used to be the difficulty of finding resources to improve overall health. Now, thanks to the internet, the problem is that there are too many sources of information. The challenge lies in sifting through vast quantities of data to identify the most relevant resources.

* Evolution as a Personal Trainer: Menya spent the early part of his career primarily focusing on face-to-face interaction to help improve his clients' physical fitness. As MH Health Coaching has evolved, Menya has transitioned into a more holistic resource, helping his clients manage food, fitness, sleep, and stress.

* Balancing Helping Clients Achieve Short-Term Goals with Good Habit Formation for Long-Term Health and Fitness: Menya focuses on learning how a potential new client is currently struggling. He probes to understand their goals and uncover what is holding them back from achieving them. Armed with this information, Menya and the client define short-term goals, after which Menya gets to work helping the client achieve their objectives. However, he is focused not only on helping clients achieve short-term goals, but also on helping them develop good habits to improve their health and fitness in the long term.

Timeline

Substack does not yet have the functionality to allow you to use a link to jump to a specific section like YouTube's "chapters." Please refer to the times listed below to navigate through our hour-long conversation. Thank you for your understanding.

Key Contacts

* MH Health Coaching: https://www.menyahinga.com/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menyahinga/

* SOGO Fitness: https://sogofitness.org/

* CoFit Movement: https://cofitmovement.com/

* Credentials

* NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer® (NSCA-CPT): https://www.nsca.com/certification/nsca-cpt/

* Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC): https://www.bodybyboyle.com/

* Precision Nutrition (PN): https://www.precisionnutrition.com/

* Recommended Reading: Also consult Menya’s “High Performance Reading List”

* Good book written to put you to sleep (while still keeping your attention): Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Mathew Walker

* Keep it going with Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

* Don’t lose momentum with The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

* Powerspot Pilates Studio Run by Menya’s Partner Risa: https://www.powerspot.co.jp/

#MenyaHinga #HealthCoach #WellnessCoach #PersonalTrainer #FitnessInstructor #MHHealthCoaching #SOGOFitness #CoFitMovement #MikeBoyleStrengthAndConditioning #CrossBorderJapan #PrecisionNutrition #NationalStrengthAndConditioningAssociation #AnimalFlow #RealGaijin #ヒンガメンヤ #ヘルスコーチ #ウェルネスコーチ #パーソナルトレーナー #フィットネスインストラクター #外人 #外国人 #リアル外人

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