“I can't single out any one moment—it was more like a domino effect of happenings that led me here. The line-up kicked off with me injuring my meniscus. Imagine being wheelchair-bound for three days, followed by a good six-month stint of limping. It sort of gave me a challenge to focus on.
Super Nova of the YEAR: Bonar Bulger
info • December 7, 2023
Congratulations to Bonar for being the Super Nova of the year!
Even with managing a business and raising a family, Bonar's unwavering dedication to his health and fitness this past year has yielded incredible results.
Having conquered two Spartan races, his commitment to his training and lifestyle has also driven his body fat down to an impressive 8.9%.
Rather than resting on his laurels, he's pushed himself further by streamlining his workouts. Embracing a routine of consistent running, solo home workouts, and newly incorporated swimming sessions, he's set his sights on bigger challenges for the coming year!
From initially working out twice a week with Nova at the start of the year, to now devoting six days a week to training he has continued with healthy lifestyle habits to manage stress and keep body fat low. Bonar proves to us that with the right priorities and planning, you can be just as busy and still achieve amazing results!
We sat down to chat with Bonar about his experience this year as well as to hear what big things he has planned for 2024…
1)This year you made some incredible changes that started with our Transformation health coaching that led to doing, not just one, but 2 Spartan races improving your time as well. You have trained with Nova for 10 years without having done something like this before. What clicked that made this year different from years past?
Around the time I was dealing with this, my son, who was 16, breezed through a 10k Spartan race without any training. Boy, to be young again! He casually mentioned another dad—just a regular guy like me—managed to knock out the race. Naturally, this stirred up my competitive side. The gears started turning: If he could do it, what was stopping me?
So, in the midst of all the meniscus drama, I found myself hankering for a challenge. You could say that my headstrong, A-type personality wasn't going to sit on the sidelines while other dads were ticking off endurance races!
During this time, the Nova team introduced me to the transformation program. It was a new thing, but I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot. I won't sugarcoat it. I wasn't overweight, but observing my food intake more closely did some good for my body. I shed around 10 pounds of fat, and honestly, it was more about ensuring my body was ready to handle the race than about vanity.
Long story short, I finished my first Spartan race. It took me about an hour and a half, and for me, that was a milestone. After the race, it felt oddly empty, so I dived in again—I chose another 5K so I could benchmark my time.
Seems I can't function without a goal. It's like a necessary glue that stops me from getting lost. As I trained for the second Spartan race, I continued following what I had learned from the transformation program.
The second time around, I improved my timing by about fifteen minutes. The next day, I found myself looking for yet another goal. But you know something? I think I thrive on this.
Also.. Something that really hit home for me recently is witnessing my parents and in-laws going through their seventies. Sadly, both my mom and mother-in-law are finding their mobility increasingly difficult. Without mincing words, they aren't that old. Yet, when I reflect on their past, a pattern devoid of consistent exercise and balanced eating emerges.
Sure, my meniscus injury and the visual proof of others completing Spartan races sparked my personal commitment. But I cannot ignore how the struggles my mothers are facing, at what feels to be, a relatively young age evolved my perspective.
This realization has only intensified my resolve to take earnest care of my health right now. At 80, I don't want to hobble—I want to run. And if that's my vision for myself when I'm anywhere between 85-100, I know it won't materialize unless I put the time and effort in today."
2)You travel a lot for work which many people use as a reason for them not being able to be consistent. How do you manage to stay committed to your exercise and nutrition plan while traveling and with your hectic schedule?
“Navigating healthy habits while being on the move isn't the easiest thing, I'll tell you that. Discipline is the unsung hero here. My travels have taught me to be proactive. The second I get to a hotel, I scout for a gym or a pool, if available.
A gem I discovered is the All Trails app. It's a fantastic guide to hiking spots around the globe. Working out in a hotel gym is fine, but I find a unique joy in exploring the outdoors while making sure I keep moving. It's like hitting two birds with one stone.
On the downside, managing decent nutrition on the road is a puzzle I'm still piecing together. My work involves running a film business, and let's be honest, we don't precisely see healthy options floating around filming sites.
My approach these days is to hit the grocery store before I park myself in the hotel. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and even 75% dark chocolate find a place in my shopping cart. This way, I at least have healthier snacks within reach.
When I do eat out, I try to prioritize protein while steering clear of alcoholic beverages. And when it comes to sweet cravings, my 75% dark chocolate comes to the rescue.
Does that make me sound unexciting? Probably. But hey, it works for me.”
3)What are you most proud of this year and what do you feel you could improve on in the coming year?
“I would say that establishing a routine and sticking to it has been the real game-changer. Now, of course, I have my off days, but those seem to be less frequent with time. The rhythm feels more natural the longer I've stuck to it.
What's challenging is simply lacing up those running shoes. Just before a run or as I'm contemplating an early morning gym routine, my mind gets chatty with all the reasons I could just...stay home. Overcoming those internal debates fills me with a kind of pride, though. Might sound cheesy, but there's such satisfaction in winning against my own barriers.
Talking about challenges, the 'diet mountain' is still something I'm grappling to scale. It's not that I eat poorly; it's just that I seem to skip meals more often than I should because of my hectic schedule. Every week, Zack gets an earful from me about how I plan to whip up some meals in advance on Sundays—roasted chicken, some pre-packed spinach, you know, the basics. Despite it sounding so straightforward, I end up reporting my lack of success to him weekly. But I still optimistically assure him, 'Next week, things will be different.'
I've got an app to keep track of my nutrition, but finding the flow for meal prepping has been a bit of a wild goose chase. Sometimes, I wish I could just hire a chef to take the wheel so I wouldn't have to sweat about it.”
4)What is the biggest challenge you faced this year and how did you overcome this adversity?
“For me, the biggest hurdle has always been managing my small business. That's where fitness has become an ally—it helps me maintain balance. You know, every day, every week, there's a problem to solve. Whether it's the impact of interest rates on our business, ensuring that the operations are smooth, revenues are flowing, or keeping people content—it's all demanding. And maintaining a positive outlook through it all… That's a real feat.
It's probably why I've developed a fondness for endurance races. They reflect my life in a kind of profound way. Imagine running 500 meters, only to face an obstacle. Can't overcome it? There's a 250-meter penalty run waiting. However, you push through. You run another 500 or 600 meters, bump into another obstacle. As you tackle these roadblocks, tiredness creeps in and there's that persistent whisper in your ear, nudging you to just quit and walk. But you silence it, reminding yourself to keep pressing forward. Life is a lot like that.
So, have I conquered adversity? I'd say, not yet, because it seems to keep coming. But facing challenges head-on seems to be guided by an internal compass, and I can tell you this—I'm not planning to stop.”
5)You are a family man and run your own business. How has your new perspective and the new lifestyle allowed you to become better at these important roles in your life?
“I'm striving to serve as a stronger role model for my family—particularly my two teenagers. I want to embody and inspire an active, healthy lifestyle. Maybe I have gotten a bit carried away in my pursuit with all these endurance races, but the kernel of my intent rests in showing them how one can fuse activity and business into a life balance.
I genuinely believe many could benefit from giving physical activity higher priority on their list—sort of like how we don't think twice about making room for work or fixing dinner. It's something we need to schedule and stick to, and it's my hope to relay this to my kids through my example.
My son’s regular weekly workouts at Nova is him taking the first steps towards investing in his own health. Sure, there are countless ways to spend your money, but truly, there's no investment more fruitful than the one made in yourself. This is the philosophy I want them to grasp, and this is the lesson I am trying to model for them.”
6)What goals do you have your sights on for 2024?
“I've signed up for three Spartan races in 2024 a 5km, 10km and 21km. If you complete all those you qualify for a Spartan race to be running in Athens, which I think would be pretty cool. I've also identified a triathlon as my big goal for 2025. That's when I turn 50 years old I don't have to have the best time I just have to get through it.
I think we have to consider the mental side of things as much as the physical side of things, and I'm so busy in my business and my day-to-day running of operations and creating films and things like that that I really haven't paid a lot of attention to friendships and relationships and I realize how important they really are. I've done a poor job of nurturing those over the last ten years, so a big goal of mine in 2024 is to meet with more people, reconnect with old friends, and make time to make a human connection.”
Simply put a health coach is someone with a broad knowledge of health who takes a holistic approach and connects the dots between all the different parts of your life (fitness, nutrition, recovery, stress and mindset).
Becoming the version of yourself that's intentional about health and shows up with commitment. So that fitness, health happens consistently.
What Consistency is NOT... Most people think consistency means showing up every session feeling great, performing at their best and never missing a beat. That idea sounds reasonable.
Andrew has been training at Nova for over a decade. During that time one of his longtime coaches, Zack Fernandez encouraged him to step outside his comfort zone and take on something he had never considered before - a triathlon. That nudge changed everything. What started as a single event became a lifestyle, and Andre
Default vs Future Thinking Here is a question we should all be asking ourselves more: "What would the future version of you be doing right now?" Not the current version who is tired, busy or overwhelmed. The future you who is leaner, stronger, more energized and showing up powerful in every area of life... The version of you that has the results you want. The Future Self Thinks Differently And they got there by making different choices than the easy ones our current self so often subscribes to. Your future self doesn't cancel a workout because sleep wasn't perfect. They don't skip exercise because they are tired or because something came up at work, a last minute social invitation appeared or there's a haircut to fit in And if something does get in the way, they reschedule to earlier, later or the next day. They don't put health at the bottom of the list and wait for the schedule to calm down. Because they figured out something most people never do - things never calm down. Life doesn't get less busy. It just finds new ways to fill every gap you leave open. Your future self made a decision at some point. They started prioritizing their health the same way they prioritize family and work. Not above everything else. Right next to the things that matter most. That one decision is what separates the people who get results from the people who stay stuck in the same cycle year after year. The Two Versions of You Here is the thing most people miss. There are always two versions of you competing in the decision making process. The current default version that is tired, reactive and looking for the easy way out. And the future version that is already living the life you want and making choices that reflect that. Every single day you are casting votes for one of those two versions. Every time you show up when it is hard you are not just getting a workout in. You are becoming your future self. Every time you cancel/skip/defer you are voting to stay exactly where you are. The identity shift doesn't happen when you reach your goal. It happens in the small decisions you make when nobody is watching and things are hard. The Question That Cuts Through Every Excuse Stop asking yourself how you feel about your workout today. Start asking yourself what the person you want to become would do today. That question cuts through every excuse because the answer is always the same. - they show up. Next time you are faced with a decision that interferes with your workout, take a moment and ask yourself two things. What does my default mode want me to do? And what would my future self do? The gap between those two answers is exactly where your results live. The Shift Starts With One Decision You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need the right time or the right conditions. You just need to start making decisions that your future self would be proud of. One session at a time. One choice at a time. That is how the identity shift happens. That is how the results follow. And if you want support making that shift - a coach and a team who hold you to the standard of your future self, not your current default - is exactly what we are here to do.
Why Your Brain Talks You Out Of The Gym Every Time There are days when my energy is low. I didn’t sleep well the night before and I'm deep in work, the timeline is tight and everything is pulling at me at once. In those moments the last thing I want to do is work out. I'm tired. I'm stressed. I'm scattered. Not feeling it at all. And my brain does what every human brain does in that moment - it looks for the easy way out. The easy way out is always the same - skip the workout. I tell myself I'll make up for it tomorrow or next week… Or when things calm down. But tomorrow and next week are never any different. I've been training consistently for 30 years and I still feel this at least once a week and I've learned to recognize what's actually happening in that moment so that I don’t self sabotage. The Two Voices We all have these moments and when it happens there are two voices in your head. The first voice is loud, justified and incredibly convincing. It tells you that you're too tired. That you deserve a break. That you've been working so hard and one missed workout won't matter. That you'll go tomorrow for sure. This is your default voice - the one wired for the path of least resistance. It has kept humans safe and comfortable for thousands of years but it is working against you big time! The second voice is quieter. Easier to ignore. It doesn't shout. It just says - go anyway. That voice is your future self. The version of you that is leaner, stronger, more energized and more capable. And the future version of you didn't get there by listening to the loud default voice. The future self got there by learning to hear the quiet one. Here's what most people don't realize. Every time you listen to the default voice you make it louder. Every time you listen to the quiet one you make it stronger. The workout you skip today isn't just a missed session. It's a vote for the version of you that stays stuck. Your Default Operating System We all have a default mode - a way of thinking and behaving that kicks in automatically when things get hard. If your health is not where you want it to be, your default operating system is a big part of the reason. It generates a thousand reasons why not to continue when things get challenging. Too tired. Too busy. Too stressed. Not the right time. After the holidays. When things calm down. Sound familiar? The default voice doesn't just keep you from working out. It keeps you exactly where you are - year after year - wondering why nothing ever changes. Most people don't fail because they are lazy. They fail because they never trained the most important muscle they have - their mind. Thoughts create feelings. Feelings create actions. Actions create results. Change the thought and you change everything. The Agreement I Made With Myself On the days I don't want to train I make a simple agreement with myself: if I go, I am permitted to put in less effort. That's it. I tell myself it is okay to go have a crappy workout. In doing that the pressure of having to perform at my best disappears completely. So I go with zero expectation and the mindset that anything is better than nothing. And almost every single time, after the warm-up, I'm in the groove. What felt like a terrible idea 20 minutes earlier ends up being exactly what I needed. The hardest part is always putting on my shoes and walking out the door. That's it. The shoes on is the whole battle. Hilarious isn't it? Newton had a law for this. A body at rest stays at rest. The inertia that keeps you on the couch, at your desk or stuck in your head is real. But a body in motion stays in motion too. The moment you take that first step the rest takes care of itself. The Days You Want To Skip Are The Most Important Here's a reframe that changed everything for me. The days and weeks that feel the most scattered and stressful are actually the most important times to show up. Not despite the stress - because of it. Exercise is one of the most powerful stress regulators your body has access to. The workout you want to cancel the most is almost always the one you need the most. So the next time your brain starts telling you to take a session off, recognize what's happening. That's the loud voice. The default voice. The one keeping you small. Your future self is the quiet voice on the other shoulder saying go anyway. Every time you listen to that quiet voice you are casting a vote for the person you are becoming. Show up tired. Show up stressed. Show up scattered. Just show up. A bad workout is always better than no workout. Always!!! You Don't Have To Figure This Out Alone One of the biggest reasons people keep listening to the loud default voice is because there is no one holding them accountable. When the only person expecting you to show up is yourself, the loud voice almost always wins. That's not a character flaw. That's just human nature. Having a coach and a team expecting you to walk through that door changes everything. It shifts the workout from a promise you made to yourself - which is easy to break - to a commitment you made to someone else. If you're ready to stop letting the loud voice win, let's talk. Book your free consultation by clicking the button below.
Injured? Here's Why You Should Keep Training Injuries happen to all of us at some point. Maybe it happens during a workout. Maybe it's moving a heavy piece of furniture at home. Maybe it's just waking up one morning and something doesn't feel right. Whatever the cause, the moment something hurts most people do the same thing - they stop. Rest. Recover. Wait until they feel better. I understand why it feels like the safe and logical thing to do. But after 25 years of coaching I can tell you that stopping completely is almost never the right answer. The Doctor's Advice - And Why It's Incomplete When something hurts, most doctors will tell you to rest and stop working out. I get why they say it - they don't want you making things worse and they are being cautious. But here is what most doctors don't factor in: there is a difference between resting an injured area and stopping all movement entirely. Your doctor is not trained in how to work around injuries during exercise. That is a completely different skill set - one that coaches who have studied kinesiology, anatomy and biomechanics spend years developing. Knowing how the body responds to training under stress or injury is exactly what we do. And the answer is almost never to stop moving completely. The Choice Most People Don't Realize They're Making When you get injured you actually have two options. Most people only see one. Option A is to protect the injured area and keep the rest of your body strong. Option B is to protect the injured area and let the rest of your body get weaker at the same time. When you look at it that way the answer is obvious. And yet most people still choose Option B without even realizing it. I learned this firsthand years ago when I dislocated my shoulder. For about six months I couldn't do any serious upper body training at all. So I kept showing up with the exact same consistency and focused entirely on legs. My legs became super strong during that period. Meanwhile someone who stops going completely doesn't just lose upper body strength - they lose strength everywhere. The injury heals either way. But only one person comes back stronger. Be Solution Oriented - Not Problem Oriented Two people with the exact same injury can have two completely different outcomes based on mindset alone. The solution oriented person works around the injury and keeps moving in a modified way. The person with a limiting mindset stops everything, fixates on the problem and waits. The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen. That is not just a motivational line - it is the difference between people who get results and people who don't. Think Like an Athlete Have you ever heard of a professional athlete cancelling all of their training because of an injury? Never. When a professional athlete gets injured their training becomes modified - not cancelled. They focus on three things: rest, rehabilitation and maintenance. By continuing to train the right way they recover faster and come back stronger. You don't have to be a professional athlete to think this way. This is just how the body works - for everyone. 3 Parts to Fixing Injuries 1) Rest Strategic rest - not complete rest. Avoid the activities that aggravate the injury but keep everything else moving. If you tore a hamstring from sprinting, stop sprinting - but don't stop training entirely. 2) Rehabilitation Specific exercises that promote blood flow and healing to the injured area. A torn hamstring still needs gentle activation to heal faster - not complete shutdown. This is where having a qualified coach makes all the difference. 3) Maintenance While the injured area is healing, the rest of your body still needs attention. There is no reason to lose the strength and fitness you have worked hard to build just because one area is compromised. Common Injuries and What You Can Still Do Shoulder or arm injury? Focus on legs, core and rehabilitation work for the injured area. Back injury? Deep core work, supported upper body exercises and mobility - there is more available than most people think. Knee or leg injury? Upper body work, hip hinging movements and rehabilitation exercises that don't load the joint directly. Twisted ankle? Upper body, core and stretching. More options than you'd expect. The only time to completely stop training is if you are fully incapacitated. For almost every other injury there is a path forward. You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone Knowing how to modify training around an injury takes experience and knowledge. If you are injured right now and not sure what you can or can't do - that is exactly the kind of problem we solve every day. You don't have to wait until you feel 100% to reach out. In fact the sooner you do the better your outcome will be.
Since joining Nova, Nicole has put in real effort and brought a lot of positive energy to our community. At 55, stepping into weightlifting to keep up with her kids was a brand-new challenge, and she’s tackled it head-on.
Tanya’s journey is a wonderful reminder that fitness isn’t about chasing quick results, it's about building a life you genuinely enjoy.
