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I was messaging a new client this morning as she was planning her training schedule for the months ahead.

That’s the easy part, right? Put the workouts into your calendar.

The more challenging part, of course, is doing the workouts.

And so, I asked what she needs to put in place to increase the likelihood of doing those scheduled workouts.

She’d been thinking about the same thing. Her answer was to reduce the friction by setting up her permanent workout space.

Since she doesn’t have to set up the training space each time, there’s one less excuse not to do the workout.

What do you need to put in place to get your workouts in this week? 

Get the clothes ready? Pour the sand off your shoes? Pull the kettlebells from the closet? Lock the kids in the basement with a bag of marshmallows and an iPad?

Do it tonight.

-J

I’ve seen all kinds of weird things in my 12+ years in the health and fitness industry.

But then I saw this on Instagram or somewhere the other day. And it’s such a ball of new-age-bs-nonsense that it’s worth sharing.

“The key to manifesting your biggest dreams is to learn how to raise your vibration.”

“The most powerful offering we’ll ever have is our own frequency.”

“It’s time to feel true alignment and watch the synchronicities unfold.”

WTF.

But also, gimme some of that.

-J

When I first started blogging in 2015, I wrote a post about my morning routine (please don’t search for it).

Something about getting up at 5 am, meditating, reading, journaling, having a coffee and probably 16 other things before 6.30 am.

And then, I encouraged the readers to create their morning routine to really live their best life. And I was dead serious when I wrote it.

Then we had kids.

And I realised how ridiculous, unachievable and arrogant that previous blog (and most of my other blogs) were to people I wanted to help.

Most of us juggle a handful or two of roles daily. I don’t know about you, but a successful morning routine for me right now is eating my porridge with less than three interruptions.

And I am really living my best life if I remember to wear pants when walking out the front door.

-J

Most of my clients don’t start from a total zero. They’re already doing some form of activity.

Whether it’s purposeful exercise such as going for a walk. Or incidental activity such as walking to get the morning coffee. And all of them want to do more.

Here’s a reasonable progression for increasing your weekly activity.

Week 1-4
45min strength/week
5000 steps a day

Week 5-8
+ 45min cardio/week
+ 2000 steps on each day

Week 9-12
+ 45min either cardio or strength, depending on which you prefer / week

Week 12-16
+ 45min the one that you didn’t prefer
+ 1000 steps each day

Now, that’s the ideal. But it doesn’t always work out that way. And for you to get to those numbers, it might take longer.

What does your progression look like?

-J

Regardless of the time you’ve got, here’s how to split your time between cardio and strength training.

Assuming that your goal is to feel more energetic, get stronger, live a loooong life and die with your boots on.

50% Strength training
50% Cardio

Split the cardio into:
75-80% moderate pace (can talk, but just)
20-25% higher intensity

-J

Should I do keto? How about Crossfit? Is this supplement any good?

We’re all sometimes guilty of obsessing over tactics without being clear on our bigger goals. Wasting time, energy, and patience in the process.

The first principle of thinking helps us focus on the tactics that matter. The idea is to distill complicated situations into their absolute essence.

This helps us clarify and find solutions to our problems by separating facts from assumptions. Once we know the first principles, we can build a strategy and tactics to support it.

With health and fitness, the first principles boil down to these three:

Goals: What and by when?

Willingness: I.e., I am willing to go to sleep and wake up earlier to fit in a workout. I will not drink a single vegetable smoothie. Unless I can put Gray Goose and Tabasco in it.

Available resources: How much time, money, etc., do I have for this?

Once you’re clear on that, you can build the strategy to get there.

-J

You felt desperate about how your body was feeling. Eating habits had very little consistency. No time for exercise. Low on energy.

You turned to HIIT workouts, strict diets, and even guilt. Choosing punishment to reclaim a sense of control.

It worked for a while. Until it really didn’t.

Because, as Katherine Morgan Schafler writes in The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control, “Feeling in control isn’t a substitute for empowerment.”

And suddenly, it all makes sense.

In my case, it was trying to control my whole being, not just health and fitness.

-J

It happened again. You’ve stretched yourself too thin, playing the role of a superhuman, catering to everyone’s needs but your own.

You can’t give your best to your work, family or friends if you’re constantly surviving on lukewarm coffee, leftover meatloaf, and heartwarming thank yous.

You’re human, not a machine. You’re allowed to have needs. You’re allowed to rest. You’re allowed to look after yourself.

Start small. Say ‘no’ to one thing this week. Take 15 minutes just for you. No interruptions, no to-do lists.

If 15 minutes sounds too ambitious, start with 1 minute.

It’s not selfish. It’s essential.

-J

*The thanks for that headline goes to one of the best TV characters of recent memory, Fleabag.

As challenging as it is, putting in the repetitions of putting yourself first is only a surface-level tactic.

The deeper strategy is to become comfortable with sometimes letting people down. When what they need at that very minute clashes with what’s important for you.

It requires feeling those uncomfortable feelings that come from letting someone down. Feelings that were probably hardwired when you were young. While still being able to do what’s right by you.

It’s only once you can comfortably sit with those feelings that you can say:

“No, I can’t take the kids to the Sudoku-Wrestling practice because I am working out.”

“No, I can’t wash the peanut butter off the dog because I am going for a run.”

“No, I can’t look at that super-important-business-thing-that-you-should’ve-finished-this-morning right now because I have an appointment with my therapist.”

“No, I can’t go to the shops to buy Jell-O for your jelly tower because I am going for dinner with my friends.”

Letting people down is hard. Yet, putting yourself first means that others will sometimes feel disappointed.

-J

You get stronger by putting in the repetitions.

You become a more confident public speaker by practising public speaking.

You become better at prioritising your own needs by prioritising your own needs more often.

It’s challenging to put your needs first when you’re so used to caring for others.

But the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

-J