Navy SEAL John MacLaren continues to serve his country in many ways

When you think of physical fitness, those who are allowed to call themselves Navy SEALS may come to mind. The training and effort required to be in such a position is clearly a major physical effort. An example of someone who worked to become a Navy Seal is John MacLaren. Although he served his country in that role, he said that if they saw him as a younger man, no one would have thought he could become one. Although he was a runner and was even a member of a Navy 10K running team when he was 19, he was on the smaller side.

“I was very, literally so thin and weak in my upper body that I saw my heart beating in my chest, which was embarrassing," MacLaren admitted. "People think I'm joking when I say I could see my skin jumping as my heart beats, but it's very accurate. I couldn't have passed the PST to enter BUD/S if my life depended on it."

After meeting a bodybuilder in Puerto Rico, reading Muscle & Fitness and committing to training at a gym for more than a month, MacLaren continued achieve new personal standards Excellence long after the first 30 days, and it paid off for him.

“Eighteen months later, give or take, I was in BUD’s training and graduating into the Navy SEAL Teams,” MacLaren revealed. He served in the Navy for over nine years, including his time as a SEAL where he worked in over a dozen countries. He was part of several responses to acts of violence that threatened many people's way of life. He credits fitness as the reason he was able to serve and protect people in his home country and around the world.

“To say fitness changed my life would be the understatement of the century,” he said. “All from a fantastic conversation and a commitment to working out in the gym for 30 days!”

He also continued to study the subject and even took this research to a new level thanks to his study and application of what he learned, as well as his love for psychology; he found another way to serve the people of America.

“Through studying biomechanics and exercises, I have begun to understand neuroscience, behavior and injury prevention to the extent that I now create and execute training and development programs with the highest successful completion rate for Naval Spec War and Special Operations candidates.

John MacLaren is the managing director of Direct Action, Inc., his organization that helps prepare students for work to become Navy SEAL and BUD/s graduates.

“The programs help thousands of military and civilian young people each year transform their careers through fitness and personal development.”

While it takes a lot physically to get into the shape needed to complete these programs, MacLaren also provides a lot of education about mental health, which he says doesn't get the attention it should. He also has other programs that reach many people in a positive way.

Some of the people he has helped range from survivors of domestic violence to those who felt neglected and many other walks of life. Regardless of where they come from, mental health can be a factor that can never be addressed too early.

“It’s everywhere, it’s not just in an HBO movie,” he explained. "I always push it with the youth in my programs and even with management. That's why I get up in the morning."

MacLaren has conducted numerous programs and sessions over the years, including those specifically for the brain. He expressed that many people have automatically worked in the negative gyms that reside in their heads and that the focus now needs to shift to the positive gym that they may not know already exists.

"Life trains the hell out of your negative gym. So you have to do a lot of positive reps, which are very specific behaviors," he said. "Your brain is very well trained on the negative part. It will absorb repetition all day, every day."

Many people associate positive thoughts with being grateful and expressing gratitude. MacLaren advises his students, as well as anyone interested in learning, that positive revision is much easier to do than you think.

"One of the easiest ways to activate your prefrontal cortex or your positive gym is to simply say 'hello,'" he said. "When you take the time to greet and follow up with people, you're exercising your positive gym. You're activating your prefrontal cortex."

MacLaren explained that the prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that performs critical thinking. It is also responsible for motivation and drive, both of which are essential if a student is able to graduate SEAL or BUD/S training. It also goes beyond mental health because the people who sit under its learning tree may be responsible for leading others in the future.

"When you talk about mental health, you talk about leadership. It's the same conversation," MacLaren said. "The more positive reps you do, the better. It's literally an antidepressant."

Programs like John MacLaren's are already making a huge difference for both participants and the military. It comes at a very important time in our nation's history, as statistics show that more people are failing tests required to enter some of the more advanced positions in the armed forces. One example he shared was training women for ministry.

"There is almost a zero percent success rate for women in top-level military programs. There is actually a lower success rate for top-level programs today than in our country's history. This failure rate is not necessary," he shared. He also gave a reason why he believes this rate for women is so low and offered a solution.

"Biomechanics is no longer taught. One of the things we've done is revolutionize the training program for women so that they're no longer as detrimental to the hormonal profile."

Whether it's his training programs, speaking events, or any other method he can use to reach younger people, MacLaren knows that every opportunity he takes advantage of can help change a person's life for the better, which can have a domino effect that helps other people down the road.

“I’m always looking for ways to create rest areas,” he says proudly. You can learn more about John MacLaren and his programs by going to www.directaction.us.

Follow John on Tiktok @directaction_te1

Find John MacLaren on Facebook: facebook.com/CoachMacNavy