The majority of people over the world have ignored physical fitness. But for Matthew Papallo, physical fitness is an important facet of life. Despite the vast quantity of health articles online and people who promote healthy lifestyles, a great deal of most people’s health and wellness potential goes untapped. Around the world, more and more people have become tied to their desk jobs and no longer invest adequate time and thought into their physical well-being. Necessities like drinking enough water, physical activity, and sleep have been eschewed in favor of unhealthy foods and sedentary lifestyles.

Matthew Papallo has always had a passion for Fitness and health & well-being. For this reason, he hated his apprenticeship as an electrician and resigned after 8 months. Not surprisingly, at the conclusion of the period he resumed his involvement in his first love; martial arts. Soon after he went back, his martial arts instructor offered him a full-time job. This opened up a whole new world for him at the age of 18 allowing him to travel and teach in a number of European countries, including Italy.

However despite the thrill of travel, Matthew realized that something he cared deeply about was missing from his schedule. He missed devoting the care and individual attention that he believed each student deserved. He viewed the personal touch as an important factor in instructing. People need proper follow-ups and mentoring in order to achieve their goals. Following this, Matthew began managing a health & fitness branch – Anytime Fitness – a chain fitness studio. This helped expose him to the importance of health and well-being and helped him focus more on what he wanted to do. While there, he found MP Living and started to devote himself more to this new venture.

Through the years, Matthew has developed a philosophy on what it means to be healthy. Far too often we are bombarded by incorrect notions about what being healthy really means. Being healthy is not just about appearance. True health goes much deeper. It also includes a healthy mind and a healthy way of life. Your body must not only look good, it must also be functionally healthy. Fitness should also instill in us a positive attitude.

Matthew views education as one of the most important facets of physical fitness. It is the difference between reaching your goals and letting them fade away. He found it unfortunate that education was being omitted from many coaching and well-being regimens. However, he soon realized that education was not the only facet being ignored. Goal setting was also being pushed aside. Goal setting allows us longevity in our pursuits. Without realistic goals, we would have no sense of direction. Matthew has his clients come up with daily goals and expand them into larger goals.

To help us define our goals properly, Matthew Papallo has written a book in which he states 5 key questions we should ask ourselves when setting goals. These are:

1. What? – What do you want? What do you want to achieve? What do you want to build? What is your vision?
2. Who? – Who has done this before? Who can help me? Who can teach me? Who is the expert in this field who I can aspire to be and listen to?
3. How? – How am I going to do this? How much money am I going to need to start this? How much time will it take?
4. When? – When are we going to get started? When will I be done? When am I going to expand? When am I going to hire people? When will I work?
5. Why? – Why is the goal important? Why do you want to achieve it? Why are you going to work so hard at it? Asking why helps you to identify your purpose and helps you dig deeper to discover your reasons and psychology for wanting to do something.

Answering these five questions gives you a strong understanding of yourself and helps you develop a belief in your abilities.

Matthew incorporates three methods into his lifestyle fitness coaching: goal-setting, fitness training, and daily routine planning. It is important to believe in yourself, having someone else present who believes in you (for example your coach), and having the tools to accomplish your goals. In his 90-day program, Matthew not only helps his clients put together a program for one-on-one training twice a week, but he also prescribes a home-based, equipment-free program. He also believes in speaking to his clients every other day for the duration of the program.

While Matthew is not a dietitian or nutritionist, he does stress the importance of portion control. He advises his clients to eat slowly as well as listen to their bodies to avoid overeating. He doesn’t suggest cutting all junk foods from our diets. He understands that people get cravings which are difficult to satisfy. Rather, he recommends that we critically ask ourselves what we are eating and why we are eating it. He admits that he grew up with a sweet tooth that developed while living with his food-loving Italian family. However, when he discovered the link between “food and mood”, he reduced the amounts of harmful foods in his diet. This reduction in the junk food he was eating brought positive change in his life. His energy levels, his sleeping patterns and his motivation all noticeably improved. This is what he sees as the beginning of his education.

Matthew Papallo uses a variety of methods to coach his clients. He coaches his clients online via Skype or email. He also meets clients at various parks and even their homes for added conveniences

Matthew’s vision for MP Living is not only a program that would help people one-on-one, but where he could have retreats in Sydney and other parts of the world. He plans to take groups of people on retreats lasting between 1 and 2 weeks where they can put these learned principles into practice. He wants to promote a lifestyle and not just a fad diet that doesn’t last. He seeks to bring change to the lives of his clients.

While all positive change is good, Matthew urges his clients to make sure the changes they make are to personally benefit them. If we do not strive to make changes for our benefit, whatever improvements we make will be just for a moment.

For more information about Matthew and MP Living, visit www.mpliving.com.au