We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Steve Mata a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Steve, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
Honestly, I just ignore them. At the end of the day, they are looking for some sort of reaction and by feeding into that I’m putting my energy into something that does not benefit me in a positive way at all.
For those of you that can’t tune out the excess noise, use that as fuel to prove them wrong.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Steve and I am from Phoenix, Arizona. Growing up as a first gen in a Mexican family healthy habits aren’t always taught. You know we have such a beautiful culture, and delicious rich foods. It wasn’t until I visited South Korea that I realized that something wasn’t right, and what I was used to or even considered to be normal in fact wasn’t healthy at all. Amazing place with lot’s to explore but majority of the travel there is by foot. So I had to stay in and miss a few days of exploring during my trip there. Right then it hit me, being overweight, and out of breath started to impact by social life. I had to make a change for the better, and get my life back.
If you see my content I do enjoy gaming aside from fitness. Gaming was my safe place. I would always stay in my room, and game. Obviously there was always snacks. This was also huge contributor to my weight gain. I wasn’t partaking in any physical activity at all, and that was not healthy. So, after coming back from my trip to South Korea I started watching what I was eating and working out at home. Fun fact, I actually didn’t step into an actual gym until I was in school for my Physical, Program Design, and Nutrition certifications. During my transformation, Flex The Heart was born, and I wanted to make an impact in people’s lives. I take pride in helping them achieve a healthier body without a gym, and especially without having them sacrifice some of their favorite foods.
Now, I am educating and helping my community locally with tips, tricks, and one on one sessions. I even started helping others nationwide virtually with implementing healthier habits and a routine.
Flexing one heart at a time.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Reflecting on my own personal journey and professional experience, the three qualities, skills, and areas of knowledge that were most impactful to me would have to be self discipline, nutritional literacy, and adaptability.
Especially self discipline, this is no easy skill to gain but it was crucial for maintaining consistency in my workouts and nutrition. I did this by setting goals, laying out a plan with clear actions and sticking to it. Now nutritional literacy was not necessarily required by any means, but this did help me understand what I am putting into my body, as well as the basics such as macronutrients. When facing any challenges, you have to be ready to pivot and adapt. For me, I didn’t step into a gym until I was in school for my certifications. I in fact used what I had, and that was the outdoors and my home.
My best advice for you is to be adaptable, and be disciplined. Most importantly don’t give up!
Those two skills will get you very far in life.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
At this point in my journey, I am indeed open to partnering and collaborating with individuals or organizations who share a passion for fitness, health, and wellness. I believe in the power of collaboration to amplify impact and reach more people with positive messages and resources for achieving their health goals.
If we are being specific I am particularly interested in collaborating with other like minded individuals such as health and wellness professionals, content creators, gyms, apps, apparel brands, food/drink, and equipment companies.
Let’s talk! For any business inquiries and collaborations you can reach out to me at the following email address:
stevemata@flextheheart.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flextheheart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its_steve1217/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itssteve1217
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its_steve1217
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@its_steve1217
Image Credits
Steve Mata
