Actor, producer Jake Gyllenhaal (known for Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, Prisoners) has made some waves recently with shirtless photos for his upcoming film “Road House”

(which is the remake of the 1989 movie about a bouncer called in to tame a rowdy bar)

These are always interesting case studies because there is usually some mindset, strategy or approach to fitness that comes to the surface.

Some people will chalk up there success to ‘Of course they get in shape, they have a chef cooking all their meals and a trainer working with them 7 days per week.’

And usually this is true.

But for many of us it’s TBU

True but useless (as author’s Chip and Dan Heath say)

For those of us who don’t have that luxury we have to find alternative approaches that work for us and our lifestyle. So we have to get creative and extract lessons we can use.

What’s interesting is Gyllenhaal’s trainer, Jason Walsh, shared with Insider something about getting him prepared for the movie that I didn’t expect. It’s not how these types of ‘celebrity case studies’ usually work.

Walsh shared that getting him in shape was apparently not a challenge.

Apparently, Gyllenhaal is no slouch to physical fitness, so he is always staying active and doing workouts outside the gym. According to Walsh:

"If he's not in the gym doing strength training and conditioning, he's swimming, he's outside playing paddle tennis, he cycles like crazy. The guy does everything. He's just always looking for that stimulus."

Because of this high activity level, he’s has a unique advantage for preparing for various roles.

He doesn’t have to do a complete overhaul and do a 180 on everything that he is doing. He simply revs things up a bit more. Since he stays in a good shape when he has to prepare for a role in a movie, it doesn’t take him much time. He doesn’t have to work nearly as hard as other actors.

There are multiple lessons here:

#1: If you maintain a healthy lifestyle, cranking it up for special events such as vacations, competitions or other special events is not a Herculean feat.

#2: Getting in shape doesn’t have to involve just working out at the gym.

This is something I see happen a lot. People have a narrow view of what they think they need to do to get in better shape, instead of expanding their view and realizing just how many things will help them achieve that outcome. This is something I called finding your ‘fitness rhythm’ (which I go into much more depth on it in the June 2023 Mind-Body Breakthroughs).

In essence, you find out the different approaches for getting in shape and you pick the ones that make the most sense based on your personality, habits, lifestyle and passions. It’s a very liberating way to approach health and fitness – because it can literally allow to start enjoying the journey again and the feeling of athleticism that comes with it.

And that is a silver key to not just short-term results, but long-term results that becomes who you are.

Kelan Ern

P.S. For much more into a unique methodology of mindset, nutrition and exercise for taking your fitness journey further, faster and achieving lasting transformation - check out a free issue of the Mind-Body Breakthroughs newsletter.

Since I’ve been riffing about 47-year-old actor, Joe Manganiello (considered one of Men’s Health 100 fittest men of all time), here’s another revealing story:

Currently he’s the host of Deal Or No Deal Island which is a show where contestants compete for cash prizes in the triple-digit heat of the Caribbean. Now some hosts might be tempted to just enjoy paradise and focus solely on hosting the show.

Not Manganiello.

Leading up the show, he brought his trainer Ron Mathews to the island to keep attacking his fitness goals. He also had adjustable dumbbells and 45-pound weight plates shipped to the island.

While we don’t all have the luxury of having a trainer follow us to a tropical island or ship dumbbells to our destination, there’s a mindset here we can all utilize. In fact, it’s a mindset I’ve noticed the most successful clients I’ve worked with possess.

They are flexible in their pursuit of fitness goals.

They don’t wait for calm waters; they get better at riding the waves of life. They know sometimes they will have the choice to work out of their home gym but other times they might be in a hotel room using bands… a TRX suspension trainer… or their body weight.

Heck, they might find a local park if they need to.

In essence, they develop a level of flexibility that allows them to keep making progress no matter the circumstances. No matter the environment. And they bring the essential tools they need when traveling… going on road trips… or crunched for time.

Their workout intensity and frequency may drop – but they still manage at least a workout or two over their trip (which is more than what most people get on vacation).

Whatever the challenge, ‘change of season’ or event, ask yourself:

How can I adapt my fitness program to keep moving forward? Or despite the obstacles how can I keep moving forward?

If you keep this mindset in mind, you will continue to find more and more ways to keep going... to keep moving forward… until you hit a level where you become unstoppable in your pursuit of next level fitness.

And you don’t need to wait until you have a traveling personal trainer like Manganiello to do so.

Kelan Ern

P.S. If you want to go deeper into the mindset of Joe Manganiello and how he’s become one of the fittest and hardest working people on the planet – check out a review of his book Evolution where I share seven powerful mindset and motivation shifts that you can use wherever you’re at on your fitness journey.

7 High-Octane Fitness and Motivation Lessons