The ‘Next Level Interviews’ is a series that I’ve created to help give you the more interesting and effective health and fitness information available. I’ve sought out the definitive leaders in their field, to ask them what they are currently working on, and what they find personally interesting regarding health and wellness.
Kyle Fields
I’ve had the great pleasure of getting to know Kyle over the past several years at PEAK Performance. Kyle is a trainer there and we have had multiple collaborative relationships working together with his clients. In addition to being a top level trainer Kyle is also an in demand fitness model. At any given moment you will find Kyle’s image in GNC, on the pages at Men’s Health, and at one time he was the primary model for Under Armour on their website.
After talking briefly with Kyle you will quickly learn that you need to to throw out all your notions about meathead fitness models as it is easy to see that Kyle takes pride not just in the physical development of his clients but also their psychological growth with respects to their relationship with food and their bodies. I always look forward to my conversations with Kyle as I know that I will be able to glean some key pieces of information and tactics that will help me in my own fitness journey while also helping me coach clients better. I hope you find the same in the below interview.
What is an area that you are focusing on with clients now that you previously did not emphasize?
Self perception and value. I used to exclusively think in terms of actions dictating perception. Now I am realizing more and more that perception dictates action. The more value you place on yourself, the more you view yourself with admiration, the easier it is to make decisions that are in your best interest. Envision yourself as a hero character. Get a salad instead of a sandwich, workout even though you’re not in the mood, go to bed an hour earlier to get a full nights sleep. Do it not because that’s what you’re supposed to do but because you’re a hero and that’s what heroes do.
What is the thing you find the most exciting about what you are doing now with clients?
Sport and competition. I think we all get the most out of our training when we are training for a particular event. That event doesn’t necessarily have to be a tough mudder, a fitness competition, or a triathlon. It could be something simple like certain workout, or a max effort lift. Each week I try to give my clients the opportunity to express their fitness in some sort of challenge where they can measure their performance and continuously improve upon it. One simple example would be a workout that consists of 3 sets of 200 meter runs and 25 pushups. I’ll periodically give my clients the chance to complete the workout as fast as possible and continuously improve on their best performance.
What are your top 3 key daily habits that you find most valuable to your overall health and well-being?
1. Training with intent and intensity.
2. Eating/Drinking nutritious foods and water frequently.
3. Caring for my mind with proper sleep, meditation, and introspection.
I feel that 9 out of 10 times if I’m not feeling my best, it’s due to a lack of prioritizing some combination of the habits listed above.
What is one area that you think is important for overall health and wellness that you think most people under appreciate?
Gratitude. I don’t think we stop to appreciate just how lucky we are to have the opportunity to optimize our health. There are many people in this world who, due to their circumstances, don’t have the ability to take care of themselves as we do. I find that sometimes just taking a few moments out of the day to say “thank you” goes a long way.
Connect with Kyle
twitter: @kylefields
instagram: @kylefields10
