Champions League Final Memories: Real Madrid in Philadelphia

I'll always remember the night of the 2017 Champions League final between Juventus and Real Madrid.

At the time, way before I started 1-2-1 online fitness coaching, I was doing my exchange year in Vermont and happened to be visiting Philadelphia for the first time that weekend.

Coincidentally, Philadelphia has one of the largest sports bars in the USA.

So after a day spent exploring—visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art, climbing the famous Rocky Steps, and enjoying the lovely 24-degree weather—I ended up at this enormous sports bar.

The countless TV screens and the generous food servings in typical American fashion immediately struck me.

While waiting for my first-ever Philly Cheesesteak to arrive, with just 10 minutes until kickoff, I realised the game wasn't on any of the 50 screens.

I approached the staff, a bit confused, and asked if they could show it on one of the smaller screens in the corner.

Their response?

"We only show big games."

I couldn't believe it.

I know football isn't cared for in the USA, but that's taking the piss 😂

Thankfully, after a few more requests from other customers, they put on club football's most important game of the year.

I sat back and watched the GOAT Cristiano Ronaldo score twice, leading Real Madrid to a 4-1 win over Juventus.

But the surprising start to the evening stuck with me.

As I sat there, I thought about how often we feel like our fitness goals aren't getting the attention they deserve.

Have you ever felt like that?

Maybe you've set fitness goals for yourself—something important, like getting stronger, feeling healthier, or just finding more energy in your daily life.

But no matter how hard you try, those goals always seem to be sidelined by other things.

Life gets busy.

Work, family, social commitments—they all demand your attention.

And before you know it, the promises you kept to yourself start to feel like they're not even on the screen anymore.

It's frustrating, isn't it?

Feeling like no matter how hard you push, your fitness goals are always in the background, forever waiting for their moment to shine.

But here's the thing:

Just like I eventually got to watch that match, your health goals deserve their time, too.

You don't have to keep sidelining them forever.

You can take control and make sure they're front and centre, where it belongs.

This is something I talk about in my latest podcast episode, 'Balancing Nutrition and Social Meals: A Guide.'

It's all about how you can keep your nutrition goals in focus, even when life gets in the way.

I work on this with my 1-2-1 online fitness members all the time—finding that balance between life's demands and simultaneously making progress towards what matters.

And I want to share those nutrition strategies with you, too.

So, if you've ever felt like your fitness goals are being sidelined, listen to the episode.

I promise it won't disappoint, unlike how that Philly cheesesteak did!

Click here to check it out on Spotify.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts.

Click here for the version on YouTube.

If you enjoy the episode, please rate and subscribe to the podcast on your listening platform, too!

Speak soon,

Leo

P.S. Below are some pictures I took from that 2017 trip to Philly.