Q&A: Jason Levy Tells Us Why Fitness Is One of the Best Investments of Time, Money and Energy He’s Ever Made

I met Jason shortly after his 30th birthday (our first six weeks were a gift from his father). In the eight months since, the dude has worked hard, followed advice and focused on what’s important: long term health and balance.

He has lost 26 pounds and 10% body fat, improved his energy, learned how to eat healthy and become strong. He has come to like big lifts like back squats, deadlifts and bench press (despite what he might tell you) and has improved his endurance for running, spinning and even the dreaded Versa Climber.

Jason is one of those clients who inspires me, others in the gym, his family and even his officemates to be better. And he was kind enough to share some of his insights and experiences in the Q&A below. 

Q: Why is fitness and nutrition important to you?

It's not. What's important to me is being healthy, feeling energized, and knowing that I'm taking care of myself. Wise people like JJ tell me that fitness and nutrition are key to achieving that, and so far they've been right -- even more right than I expected.

The combination of fitness AND nutrition has been essential. When I'm on top of both, I see substantial results. When I only do the fitness, I plateau. One thing I've learned on the nutrition side is that doing SOMETHING is hugely more effective than doing nothing. There's a range of difficult to not-so-difficult nutrition goals to explore, but choosing ANYTHING and trying to stick to it has been extremely helpful.

Q: What have you learned about yourself since starting a consistent training program?

That I have the potential to improve myself in significant ways. Before training with JJ, I maybe wasn't in horrible shape, but I certainly wasn't in good shape. I assumed that was something close to my baseline -- that consistent training would help by 15% or something like that. But I learned that I had the potential to move that baseline pretty meaningfully.

Q: What results (physical, mental, etc) have you seen? Has the time, money and energy you've invested been worth it?

In 8 months, I've lost 26 pounds and 10 percentage points of body fat. I have noticeably more energy throughout the day. I didn't even realize that I was lacking in energy until I did this program. It's one of the best investments of time, money, and energy I've ever made.

Q: What's your most favorite and least favorite exercise?

I like almost none of the exercises, but JJ's enthusiasm and good cheer make me enjoy the sessions anyway. Favorite: back squat. Least favorite: front squat.

Q: What has surprised you the most?

When I signed up with JJ, I didn't even know he did nutrition. But I'm telling you, the nutrition is key. And it's really hard. At least for me it's hard; I'm fighting decades of poor habits. But if you're willing to grind through it a bit, trust JJ's program, and develop better habits, you can go a long way.