Ripped at 50 - Jason Smith

Man Up / Man Down

Jason is a former CMO of a multi billion dollar global media business who decided to completely change his life as he approached his 50th birthday. Fed up with his lacklustre energy and lifestyle Jason embraced health & fitness. In a remarkable personal transformation, Jason lost 20kg in weight, while self correcting several ailments and gaining a lust for life he hadn’t experienced since his teens.

As a fully qualified Coach and Personal Trainer, Jason now helps tens of thousands of middle aged men to live a better, healthier life through his fast growing social media fans and PT clients.

From an outside point of view Jason had a life that was to be envied. A corporate job with lots of travel, for a well known organisation. People were always excited to hear more about his work once they heard what he did.

But while he had a job and career that many would dream of, he reached a point where he realised that he was no longer passionate about it. He’d lost his zest for life and felt stuck and exhausted. After seeing a docter he was diagnosed with burnout and depression and prescribed antidepressants.

It was then he realised that while he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with the second stage of his life, he knew he didn’t want to carry on the same way.

So he began:

• Going to the gym

• Changing his diet

• Trail running

• Cut down on sugar and fats

• Swimming and tennis lessons

In the space of a few months Jason lost 20kg, reducing his Body Mass Index (BMI) from “Obese to normal”, got rid of hypertension and improved his resting heart rate and VO2 max. He had never felt this good about himself.

Jason’s motivation was about ‘the person he wanted to be’, really focusing on a clean diet and eating lots of protein.

While Jason didn’t hire a coach to help him through it, he used self taught self development practice to help him to better himself. However, he now helps others to improve their life. Whether it is weight loss or diet change, or a combination of that paired with exercise. He always knew what he needed to do, create the WHY, a Northstar to follow.

Like most busy business men, Jason realised in hindsight that he prioritised his career and the role of the “financial provider” over his relationship with his family. Jason talks about how he went on a business trip when his father had been diagnosed with cancer - “because that’s what was expected.” As Volker suggested previously, he has prioritised work over family in the past, which he regrets.

David on the other hand, was in a lucky position where he could spend his children’s early years as a stay at home dad. That wasn’t always recognised as a thing for a ‘man to do’. Luckily expectations are changing.

Jason says that one of the many benefits of his transformation is the amazing relationship he has with his son.

We finish the podcast with a philosophical question whether 50 is halfway or not. And Jason says his best years of his life were between 50 and 53. What a statement to make! Here is to midlife.

To find Jason online you can follow his Instagram account @Jason_new_u_coaching or you can find him on Tiktok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@fit_in_midlife. Jason’s website is www.new-u-coaching.com

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