It’s Never Too Late to Transform Your Life for the Better
In 2019 my family took a vacation to Cabo. When I looked at the photos from that trip, I didn't like what I saw. 
The bottom line was, I had let myself get out of shape. I was overweight, feeling lethargic, and the pictures really brought home the fact that I needed to make some changes. On my own, I started eating better and exercising more. But I knew that wouldn't be enough to get the results I wanted.
So, I did what I've advised folks to do hundreds of times in my financial planning blogs and on my podcast: I called in the pros!
Micah and Diana LaCerte are the husband-and-wife team behind Hitch Fit, which offers in-person fitness training in Kansas City and virtual training all over the world. Diana is a two-time world champion fitness athlete, a published author, a motivational speaker, and a Kansas City Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Honoree. Micah is a Muscle Model World Champion and Iron Man Fitness Magazine Cover Model, a TV personality, and a motivational speaker. You can also see Micah and Diana in the recent Amazon Prime documentary Access Muscle.
After working with Micah and Diana for a year, I've dropped 60 pounds, trimmed my body fat to 7%, and, at age 52, I'm in the best shape I've ever been in.
On today's show, Micah and Diana discuss their fitness philosophy, their process, and the mental roadblocks that folks of any age can clear to transform their lives.
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Watch Our Conversation
"Are you ready for a change?"
As much as I wanted to improve my health, I have to admit that I was a little nervous as well. Whether you're setting a goal for yourself, sending your kids off to college, or preparing to retire, change is always a little scary. That's why the first step of Micah's process is to gauge just how committed a prospective client really is.
"One of the very first things that I do is just make sure someone is actually ready for change," Micah says. "A lot of people want the result, but are they actually willing to do what they need to do to get the change? Bill had lost some weight on his own. So I talked about going from a bad place and getting to a good place. And then that next transformation is going from good to great. Bill got it done. Commitment, discipline, dedication, he always came in with a smile and gave all he had."
"Age doesn't matter."
Now, all the commitment and discipline in the world couldn't help me get the results I wanted overnight! I certainly had days where I wondered if I had let myself go too much, if I was too old to make such a major change, if maybe I'd set the bar a little too high.
One of the most valuable parts of Micah and Diana's training is that they really helped me to believe in myself. They helped me learn how to set aside negative thoughts, stick to my plan, and keep working towards my goals. And they reminded me of how we try to communicate that same message at Keen Wealth to folks who are at various stages of their financial journeys. In my experience, it's never too late to chart a new course, set a new goal, learn something new. Changing your life isn't just a young man's game.
"The majority of our clients are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s," Diana says. "It's really about mindset first and just making sure that they're in a place where they're ready to start making some changes. Wherever they're at, there is that first step, that first little piece of the puzzle, whether it's starting to walk for 10 minutes daily or cutting out some soda from what they're drinking. Age doesn't matter, it's the willingness to make a change. Once they start making those little changes, those little results are what add up to the incredible transformations in time."
"One of the biggest strengths that I personally have is brainwashing people into believing in themselves," adds Micah. "I think it's so crucial to have some level of support system in place that can help motivate you through tough times."
"A balanced approach."
Another thing that could turn folks off from a fitness transformation is visions of salads and protein shakes.
I've gotta tell you though, after a few weeks of following the personalized nutritional plan Micah and Diana made for me, I felt like a completely different person. I was tasting and enjoying my food more. I had more energy during the day and slept better at night. It wasn't so much that I was eating this instead of that, it was that I was learning to break some bad habits. And once they were gone, I never wanted to go back!
I also appreciated that, much like a good financial plan, Micah and Diana's process wasn't all-or-nothing. It was about finding the right mix of nutrition and exercise that was going to help me enjoy today while I kept building up to my long-term goals.
"We take a balanced approach to things," Diana says. "Our bodies are designed to need a lot of different nutrients. We don't teach cutting things out, just making sure that you're making healthy choices throughout the day. We're trying to teach people not just how to eat healthy, but how to eat those healthy foods in the right ways, in the right combination, so they actually get their body to do what they want it to do." 
I think you can see from my photos and from the other before-and-after pics we’ve featured here that Micah and Diana’s results speak for themselves. But the main thing I hope you take away from my story and this conversation is something much bigger than fitness. It’s the realization that you do have the power to make major, positive changes in your life right now – especially when you work out a personalized action plan with dedicated pros like the team at Hitch Fit or my fiduciary advisors at Keen Wealth.
"You have an amazing opportunity every single day to get a little bit better," Micah says. "It's not a sprint. This is a marathon for the rest of your life. Take a look in the mirror and ask what it is that you want with your life. Do you want to live a full life? Do you want to go accomplish things that you can't even imagine? That takes you, day in and day out, making choices that are going to help you get there. Start eliminating some of those negatives from your life, start adding some positives. Go do some things that are going to add to your life to help you become the best version of you."
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About Bill
Bill Keen is a CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR℠ and independent financial advisor with more than 25 years of industry experience. As the founder and CEO of Keen Wealth Advisors, a registered investment advisory firm, he specializes in providing personalized retirement planning designed to help people thrive before and during their retirement years. With a passion for educating others, Bill regularly blogs about retirement planning, hosts the podcast Keen on Retirement, and has contributed to U.S. News and World Report, Reuters, Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch, Yahoo Finance, and other publications. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Bill and his team work with clients throughout the greater Kansas City area and across the nation. To learn more, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit www.keenwealthadvisors.com.
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