Title: Hack Your Fitness: The High Achiever’s Guide To Getting Ripped in Under 3 Hours a Week
Author: Jay Kim
Publisher: Lioncrest Publishing
pages: 273
ISBN: 978-1-61961-589-2
Genre: Health & Fitness
Author Interview with Jay Kim
Buy on Amazon Author’s Website
PBR: Mr. Kim, thank you for joining us.
JK: Thank you for having me, I’m excited to be speaking with you today.
PBR: How did you get interested in writing?
JK: To be honest, I’ve always been just an average writer, at best. Not bad, but not amazing either. Before I started working on this book I didn’t even write regularly for a blog or anything like that. I do, however, love reading and I read voraciously. I’ve always had a lot of respect for authors and their ability to distill years of thoughts, research, and experience clearly and concisely into just a few hundred pages. That notion still amazes me to this day.
I got interested in writing just a few years ago after the birth of my oldest daughter Laney. This event made me start thinking a lot more about legacy and what I would leave behind when I’m not around anymore. Not so much in the financial sense, but more in the context of what about her father would she be proud of telling her friends at the school playground or when she got older in life. Granted, I wrote a fitness book so it might not exactly be the conversation starter she is looking for!
PBR: Your concept of having been accustomed to eating food in the wrong order, or a “Syntax Error,” as you say is unique. Can you kindly summarize how you came about to realize this?
JK: The concept of a syntax error as I explain in the book goes well beyond just the eating part; it really encompasses the entire scope of personal fitness. In the world of computer programming, a syntax error results from a character or string being placed incorrectly in a command and causing a failure in execution. Essentially you have all the right numbers but in the wrong order.
With the flood of information available at our fingertips just a Google or YouTube search away, it’s very easy to acquire all the information you need to know about how to get fit. Why then is it so hard for us to achieve the level of fitness we so desire? It’s the same reason that the fitness industry has spawned into a trillion dollar industry globally. People are still searching for answers; for the solution. We have all the right numbers (information) at our fingertips but are dialing them in the wrong sequence.
Knowledge alone is not power, it’s what you do with that knowledge that matters. I spent the last 15 years of my fitness life spinning my wheels, trying every workout and diet under the sun, in an attempt to get the body that I wanted. I spent countless hours researching and testing fitness but I wasn’t actually applying the simple science in the right order and thus I made zero progress. The Hack Your Fitness program solves that syntax error that many struggle with and provides the exact blueprint to follow to finally find freedom in fitness.
PBR: What works for one person many times is different than what works for others, how do you feel your Hack Your Fitness program will appeal to the masses?
JK: People embark on their fitness journey for many different reasons. Some people enjoy the social aspect of group training or exercise classes, which is not something included in my program. Others enjoy sweating it out over an intense cardio session which is also something I don’t include in my program.
The reason that the Hack Your Fitness program does appeal to the masses is because my program is a lifestyle solution based 85% on diet and only 15% on training. Because of this, I spend a large majority of the book educating readers on the simple science behind nutrition and body re-composition and teaching principles that can be used for life. These principles apply to anyone doing any type of workout, at any walk in their fitness journey so at the very least the reader will be able to take with them the lessons learned on diet, nutrition, and lifestyle.
PBR: The reviewer believed you used The Book In A Box Method for authoring your book. Is this correct, and how exactly did that form of writing work out?
JK: This is correct. A mutual friend introduced me to Tucker, one of the co-founders of Book In A Box and after some discussion back and forth I quickly realized that their method was the perfect solution for me to turn my ideas into a book.
The traditional publishing industry has changed dramatically in the last decade due to the disruption caused by the internet. As someone with no background in publishing or writing prior to this book, I knew very little about how the industry actually worked. When I researched the differences between the traditional publishing model and self-publishing I found there to be a huge divide. The streamlined Book In A Box method was the best “in between” solution for me given my background and commitments. The Book In A Box Method is exactly what is sounds like: a simple streamlined solution to turn ideas into a book without the hassles and barriers found in traditional publishing. It really makes writing a book as hassle-free as possible.
PBR: Are you currently working on any other book?
JK: Fitness is such a huge industry that there is so much literature out there already written on pretty much every aspect of it. My goal for Hack Your Fitness was actually the opposite, to distill just the necessary information into a concise guide that would help anyone find freedom in fitness in the least amount of time possible. I have done a significant amount of work on more advanced topics in fitness as well as psychology/mental fitness, but as of right now I have not begun writing another book.
PBR: You have many quotes from famous people used as segues throughout your book. What would be your quote you would wish to stand out for history?
JK: “You Always Have a Choice”. Life never ceases to throw curveballs our way and it is easy for us to blame our environment or point fingers at circumstances outside of our control that cause this pain. And while we are dealt a certain hand in life, it is always our choice as to how we play that hand. “You Always Have a Choice” is a way to reframe your mind and take back control. Life happens to all of us but it is how we choose to react to life that will shape our future.
The same goes for fitness. Discipline is a critical element in successfully tackling fitness. It is difficult to wrangle at first but knowing that we are in control of our destiny at all times helps you make smart decisions along the way. You always have a choice of what food you eat, what drink you pass on, or how you spend your free time. You have the power to improve your life if you choose to do so.
PBR: You have “take-aways” at the end of each section of your book. What would be your most desired “take-away” for people reading your entire book?
JK: The key take-away is that anyone can find freedom in fitness by applying just a few high leveraged principles in their lives. For the majority of my fitness life I was enslaved by the shackles of fitness. Every time I would have a big social night out or unhealthy meal I could barely enjoy it because I knew I would have to pay penance for my sins the next day in the gym. I thought I was cursed with a slow metabolism and that it was impossible for me to ever achieve the level of fitness that I so desired, no matter what diet or exercise program I tried. This book reveals that this is not the case and much of the struggle is a result of half lies and inaccurate information that is proliferated by the corporate marketing giants who only care about their bottom line. Hack Your Fitness teaches you everything you need to know to take control of your fitness once and for all and finally enjoy the freedom you deserve.
PBR: Thank you again for your time, and we wish you the best of success with Hack Your Fitness!
JK: Thank you for the kind words, it’s been a pleasure!
To learn more about “Hack Your Fitness” please visit: Pacific Book Review
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