 And we are taking your help back with me, Wendy Lowe. We are coming to you from our studios of Think Tech Hawaii in downtown Honolulu and my home office in Makiki. I would like to introduce a fine young veteran who inspires so many to lead a healthier and more active lifestyle. It's my honor to introduce Mr. Ben Wilkinson from Bodies by Ben LLC. Ben, thank you so much for being here. Aloha and welcome. Aloha, Wendy, and thanks for having me. Yes. So, you know, Ben, I just recently met you and there's so much that intrigues me. So we're going to talk about it throughout this story time. But please share with us a little bit about your health journey and how it all began. In 2000, I would say 2007, I was overseas and working out in the gym just training and someone asked me, have I ever competed before and I said, no. And I really didn't know anything about the competition circuit or anything like that. So a coach that approached me gave me some information. I got a trainer and I started training for my first show. It was through the organization of competitive bodybuilder, which is a drug-free organization. So they polygraph and they blood test you and all those good things. And from then on, I was hooked. Wow, that's all it took? That's all it took. That's all it took. And I didn't even know that they had taken this picture. This picture was published in the physique magazine, that particular quarter. And it was my first show. I was a novice. It was my debut. And my coach was like, hey, look on page, blah, blah, blah. And so then myself in the magazine, I was like, okay, I definitely got to do this again. This is awesome. Of course, look at you. I mean, that's pretty humbling and natural that it all transpired and what became of it a whole new direction for you and a whole new chapter for you to carry out to get others who didn't think about that as a play or an option. But now look at you and you're there to help it inspire so many. So I see in the next slide, you are here with a friend and you're proudly displaying a caregiver shirt. Please share with us what this is all about. So this picture was taken, that's my friend and best man at my wedding. Yesterday was actually my wedding anniversary, but that's my best friend, Nate. He's here on Island. And we're displaying a caregiver shirt. One, because Nate, the caregiver for his mother, who suffers from dementia. And the caregiver shirt was an initiative started by a good friend, actress, Brandy Evans, and she's been a caregiver for a mom for many, many years. And we wanted to throw her support and also show that we take care of those that take care of other. And we have to take that very seriously. Being a caregiver is a full time job. Exactly. When your friends say, hey, Ben, I can't join you tonight. Can't join you and your wife. I have to stay home and take care of my mom. You want to encourage and inspire them as much as you can because they want to go out with you and your wife. But they're going to stay home and do the honor of taking care of a parent or a loved one. And it's sometimes very difficult and it gets very difficult. So we continue to inspire them and having that t-shirt honoring them, that's a great lift up. So I'm glad you all have that. So Ben, I know that many folks come to you to start to take their help back. How did you get started training other men and women? For me, it started in college, 18 years old at Howard University. I actually started training gymnasts and collegiate cheerleaders. And one of my mentors and coaches to this day was like, hey, you should really consider getting certified and just, you know, it was a good part-time job. And for me, it gave me free membership to the gym. So I could get into the gym anytime I wanted to because I was one of the trainer. But once I became a certified trainer, I really loved the lifestyle. I love the information that I could share. And my particular love language is service. So I enjoy helping others. Like when someone come in and they say, hey, I want to get ready for a wedding or I want to get ready for a show or lose 20 to 50 pounds. I'm like, okay, great. Let's do this. So I tend to be more excited than most of my clients when they first come in. And when I tell them it's really easy, it's almost like, I know I sound like a salesman at that particular time. But when they go through the process of actually seeing what they can achieve, if they just stay consistent and stick to the program and trust the process, that aha moment and seeing that light bulb go off is really rewarding. Well, I hate to use a word. It becomes an addiction. But, you know, it's something that you just crave and want because you're making them feel good. And then as they feel good, they look great. And so that's why I say it's an addiction because we all want that. You know, we all crave to feel, but we always love the benefit of looking good. And so you have that in the palms of your hand to help them. They wanted to just lose a few pounds, but you get them so excited about losing those pounds and they look great and they accomplish your goals. And wow, it's a winning team. How about Ben? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. It's a very rewarding career choice. So I know transformation is definitely a result that you are trying to reach. Please share with us a little bit about someone's journey. They come in, they want to lose some weight, or they want to get ready for a competition. What does that entail? My particular style is meeting a person where they are. Try not to do too much too fast or are being too aggressive or ambitious because if you overload a client with too many tasks, do this, do that, eat this, don't eat that. It's kind of discouraging. So I always start with changing one variable at a time. And that could be try to cut your sugar, try to get up earlier, try to walk your block, try to add more steps to your routine. And as they master that one variable, I add other variables. So it's a step by step process. And before you know it, it's a lifestyle thing. So someone walks into your gym and just comes to you, because they know that they want to get good results. And it takes a certain commitment. You can tell them what you're going to tell them, but what is expected after you give them the coach, the talk, what is expected of them from you to achieve their goal? So I am really candid about my expectations and always tell them, hey, you're paying for a service. So you can get the most out of me if you follow the guidance. You don't want to pay for the guidance and then go against and be non-compliant. And some people are, and that's just one of the things. And you fall off the wagon, you get back on, you fall down, you get back up. That's the process. So it takes a lot of patience, the first 90 days of a new client trying to, because you're changing habits and you're changing lifestyle habits, which is very hard. So after about a month of consistency, most of the clients are locked in and they're eager to do more. And that's when you know you got them, right? That you're going to see pure success because they're on that journey now, they feel it. It's an ebb and flow. So it's never linear. I mean, you'll get six great weeks and then you'll have the big breakdown. And I'm always prepared for the big breakdown, right? You have the big breakdown. And then at that point, you either decide you're going to push through that breakdown or you quit and you give up and you start again. But it is a sickly, because you're dealing with emotions. I mean, food, restrictions, exercise, it's not something naturally that person wants to do. And so you'll have a great, you'll have your peaks and valleys, so to speak. Yeah, that's why I think I never got started, because I'm not really into valleys. And the weakness towards food and all of that. And then just the craziness of a schedule, of a lifestyle schedule that keeps us on the go and to make that commitment. So I guess too, once you get that personality and you guys click and the trust that he or she has to have in you to guide them along that journey, I think that helps a lot too. Knowing that you're going to be there and still love them, even if they have those value moments. Exactly. And like you said, you hit on a key point, trust. And normally, someone walks into the gym, you're just another coach or trainer. They've probably talked to five or six different other coaches and trainers. So to them, they're being pit. You're selling them something. And what I encourage new clients to do is talk to as many coaches and trainers, before you decide who you're going to work with, because it is a commitment of trust. I'm going to trust that you're going to do what I asked you to do. And you're going to trust me to come up with the right program for you to reach your goals. And once you have that trust, they actually, and they start to see their body changing, then it's almost cruise control. So again, a lot of this is mental, right? It's mental, mind over matter, trusting and doing what they're told and both ways for you. So I know a lot of this, like life, it's a lot of a mind thing. We can focus on the positive outcome, trust the guy to get me there. It'll work. It's a winning combination. Correct. So I know your mantra is get up, get out, and get moving. What do you mean by that? Well, the first step, get up, whether that get up off the couch or something happened in life, you lost a loved one, or you went through a traumatic experience, divorce, whatever, you're knocked down metaphorically. Get up, get up and commit to changing your current trajectory. Getting out is that second step. Okay, now that I'm up, what am I going to do? Join your local gym. Go talk to a trainer. Pick up a book. Start learning about exercise science, what it is. Get out and start talking to nutritionists. Get out and go get a physical. Find out your numbers. Know your numbers. Know if your cholesterol is high. Know what your blood count is. All these things we take for granted. Know if you're at risk for stroke or have a family history of hypertension or blood pressure. That's that good now. And then good moving. Good moving is just executing. Don't fall into analysis paralysis, reading all the books and following all the TikToks and things you see on YouTube and Instagram. Go out and fell forward. Go out and try something and say, okay, I don't like spin class. I tried it, it's not for me. I tried Zumba, not for me. Definitely don't like CrossFit, but I do like hiking or I do like hot yoga. Find something you like. And that's that moving part. And then try to be consistent. Find an accountability partner. Share it on Facebook or on social media or with your friends or bring someone to class with you. That's always, we always need a buddy. Accountability buddy is the best because if I don't want to go, you're going to make me go. And if when you don't want to go, I'm going to make you go because you made me go the last time. Exactly. We all need a buddy. And also you had another great point is go out and get some tests done, medical tests, see where you're at. So you know your baseline. How much harder do you need to work? Be aware of where you're at with your body. It's so critical. So that's the hard part because a lot of people, they don't want to know where they're at medically. And so if we can encourage them to go and get their heart rates, their A1Cs, your blood in a sugar test, all of those things are so key. And then when they report to you, they share those numbers with you. And your goal is to not just make them look good but to feel good internally. Exactly. How important is a healthy nutritional change in your regime with them? You know, nutrition is one of the pillars of great health. We always crack a joke and we always say you can't outwork a bad diet. So what you put in, garbage in, garbage out. And one of the things, a lot of people think, oh, if I'm to be healthy, I lose all the taste and flavorings in my food. And that's so not true right now with all the modern advances in food science. And there are nutritional, I would say, things that we could do to curve a lot of our cravings. It's just you have to want to find that particular mitigation. So nutrition is the foundation of what you put in is going to manifest outwards. So if you're eating junk, you're going to look like junk food. If you're eating processed food, it's going to show in your skin and in your muscles. Exactly. You are what you eat. You are what you eat. Yeah. And if it was too expensive to eat healthy, I'm like, then you're not doing it right. Because I've been eating very healthy for the last 20 years and it saves me a lot of money. It does. And so the attractive part for me is that it does save me a lot of money and makes my body feel good. And so I wouldn't know, I want that combination of saving money, feeling good, and going to somebody like you to help me and guide me to maintain that. And then the other costs that most do not calculate is long-term health problems. Bingo. So when you start looking at the cost of insulin if you're diabetic or looking at the cost of health care and things like that, it gets very expensive quick. Very expensive, yes. And so I always say that there's a dollar burger or you can eat a $2 apple. They're going to pick the dollar burger because it's cheaper, but in the long run, that apple would have saved your life. But they don't see it that way. They just live for today. So our goal with this show and with what you're doing, Ben, is to educate people, let them know that it's not that difficult and it's affordable to maintain good health, especially in the long run. So I know women also come to you for guidance. Do you have a lot of women in your practice? Actually, I have more female clients than male clients. And it's normally that way because we tend to think we know more about fitness. So why do I need to hire a trainer? Now, I do have male clients, but my female clients, they come through the door and they have goals and they know exactly what they want to do and they know exactly how they want to get there and their biggest hurdle is scheduling and time. That's their biggest wall. They're never not motivated. They're always motivated, but their schedule's been their time. We have mothers. We have newlyweds. We have a working professional. And so the schedule conflict is normally what they have to learn to manage. I can see that be very tough. That's really tough, that one. But once they get committed, they're going to make it happen. And I know that you have some flexibility in your schedule to work around and schedule them when you have your purpose in your schedule. Exactly. But I got to ask you a question. So do you work the women as hard as you would work the men? If their goals are the same, yeah. Oh, a workout is a workout is a workout. I don't play favorite. So we're all pushing to get results. And I push my clients to their limit, not necessarily to... I don't have like cookie-cutter programs where everyone's doing the same thing. But if I know a client has more in them, then I'm going to get it out of them. Very good. That's good. That's the instinct that you have, right? That's the way you feel good. Yeah, you can feel them and understand them and work with them to their level. That's important and not your level. So that's very important. So I know it's all about balance in one's life. So what has Ben do besides encourage so many to take their health back? What else do you do besides it's Ben? Oh, man, it's more of a question what zone I do. I'm active in the community with farming, beekeeping. I have a good circle of friends here. I got into beekeeping through a program from the University of Michigan, actually, Michigan State University. And they have a program called Heroes to Hide where veterans can sign up and go through a eight to 12-week course and become a master beekeeper. So prior to me joining that course and signing up, I met a friend here in Wamanalo. He became my sensei and he would allow me to come out and get into the hives and coach me. And we'd go to the State Fair and extract honey and do different demonstrations. And coach me on how to actually make the hives by hand. And so once I finished the master beekeeping course, I actually could apply a lot of the things I learned in the classroom to what I was doing in Wamanalo. And it's just something that I love and enjoy now. And just really helped with the whole farming side of things. So fishing, farming, fitness, and family, all those things. All the Fs, all the Fs. All the Fs, all the Fs, all good. Yeah, the good ones. And, you know, so that's what really intrigued me because I knew that you were a coach, a trainer. And when you told me that you had knowledge about bees, I'm like, wait a minute. So the vision for me was this big muscle man with this little tiny bee. Right, right. You know, I love how gentle you are with that. So, and I know that that's how you handle your clients, you know, as gentle and ginger as handling those bees. But then knowing what the bees are capable of, you have to keep them in line as well. So it applies to what you do in your spare time as well as your professional. But share with us a little bit about how you became a master beekeeper. It took years. You know, the certification is probably the easiest part because it's book. It's answering questions. But actually getting into the hives and being able to open up a hive and look at that hive and say, okay, this hive is weak or this hive has a strong queen or this hive has no queen and it's getting ready to swarm. Those are all the nuanced things that master beekeepers know just by looking at a hive and could keep that hive from swarming and losing bees and could keep the bees, the colony from collapsing. And I was lucky enough to have a fourth generation beekeeper that use all traditional methods. You know, we don't use any chemicals on the bees and we let the bees do what bees do. And his queens are ranked second in the world for resistance to the varrolemite and they're right there in Guaminalo. And so under his guidance, I gradually became a master beekeeper after being stung, you know, a lot. And, you know, you have to learn, you have to learn patience and just learn that, you know, when I first started, I was very anxious and dealing with the bees. And what it helped me to learn is patience, really, and just slowing down. And when you slow down, it's almost like the bees aren't there. They could care less what you're doing, you know. So it's easier to answer a bunch of questions on a test than it is to actually get into the hive and do the beekeeping. Well, so what I'm hearing you say is that the bees, they can feel their senses are so strong. That they can feel your anxiousness. And that's why they become anxious and they do things that they shouldn't be doing. Right. It's definitely an energy exchange. Our job as master beekeepers is to manage that hive, put it at that hive, thrives. Bees can sit when danger is, you know, coming to their hive and, you know, they have bees and that's their whole job is to protect the hive. And you'll get those protection bees, they'll actually hit your veil to kind of let you know to back up. Wow. Right. That is intense. You know, we could do a whole talk on just the bees. We can. And we will because bees are so valuable to all of us and people have no understanding of how valuable these bees are and what dire strengths these bees have been in, unless we have great master beekeepers, you know, to regulate and to enhance the population of bees. It's so critical and I would really like to have a panel of you beekeepers on to talk about and to share with others that we need to really take care of the bees. We'll have to invite you out to the bee farm. And we will come. We will come because I want to and I want to understand more. I was given a short teaching tutorial a few weeks ago and when I met you, I thought, wow, I'm going to learn more about the bees. And so, yes, we will come out and we will do a show when we're out there at your property. So I know that you, you know, I know you love outdoors. I know F words, the fishing word. So being physical is very important as well as having fun with your buddy that you fish. So what else do you do? Tell me about some fishing stories. So actually prior to coming to Hawaii in 2013, I couldn't cast a rod and reel from the shore. I knew nothing about fishing. And so my my good friends, Nate, Hostagawa, Ashley, Laylee, Shannon Harris, that's all of us in the picture. We caught our first Marlin on Sandy, both Ashley and Nate had fishing yacht. And so they were like, we're going to take you fishing. And when they said, take me fishing, you know, I'm thinking like, OK, I've never been deep sea fishing. How hard could it be? Oh, my. It was like, grab that line. Pull this over here. It was a lot when I first went out. And you know, we have six lines out and it went from learning how to put the lines out to, you know, knowing what to do when they yell fished on. I think by the end of the first season, I was driving the boat and I started working on. They were like, you might as well start working on your captain's license. We got two boats. So those guys really took me in and just like showed me, like, you know, everything about the ocean here. And I mean, it's one of those things that I just enjoy. Like I used to always love getting the text saying, hey, we're pulling out, you know, be at the boat at four o'clock in the morning. We're going over to Coralina. So we would deep sea fish as much as we could as our schedules allowed prior to COVID. Wow. So, you know, again, that's a good analogy. You know, you're not annoying and being afraid, but says, heck, how hard could this be? Just like weightlifting, bodybuilding, how hard could this be? And you dove in and you say, holy smoke. And so that's what you're doing to your clients is you're yelling out calls for them to do that. So now you are a little more sympathetic, but then you understand that the harder you do it, the harder you thrive, the more you drive, the more productive you become. So these, the analogies that, you know, you've been faced with helps you in your practice and what you're doing on a day-to-day basis. So good. That's why your friends invited you to go fishing, not because they wanted you to learn how to fish. They wanted you to see what you put your clients through and the result. The result. Yes. So, you know, you have such wonderful advice always been. So as we wrap it up, could you share a few final words for our audience? I just, you know, I want the audience to take away that, you know, looking at fitness on Instagram and TikTok, you know, it could look, it could be pretty daunting, but don't be intimidated to walk into a gym and talk to a professional. There are plenty of great trainers here on this island. This island is a very healthy and fitness-first location, but ask the question, walk in there, look for information and listen to the coaches. And there are, you know, hundreds of trainers and coaches here willing to help with nutrition, with programming, or with just motivation. And it costs you nothing to go in and ask the question. Free consultation. So look at it as an investment in yourself. Don't look at it as an expense. This is a long-term investment. Your health is truly your wealth. And at 48 years old, I've been in this industry for, you know, I started coaching in college at 18. And it's something that I love and it's something that I look forward to each morning I get up. I'm excited to go in and meet whoever's going to walk through that door. So don't be afraid to walk into a gym. I know it looks a little, you know, intimidating. Just go in there, ask the question, get some information, and then act on it. Wow. So what you're saying is you're never too old to get started, right? No, not at all. That's big the decision and let's do it, right? That's it. Get up, get out and get moving. Simple. Yeah. Great advice. So right now our show has come to a close for this moment. Ben Mahalo to you for bodies by Ben LLC. And again, a big Mahalo for serving our great country. And we just love you and just Mahalo for serving. I'm Wendy Lowe and we'll be back in two weeks with another edition of Taking Your Health Back. Aloha, everyone. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Check out our website, thinktecawaii.com. Mahalo.