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A while back, I helped the fine people of StretchMinder with an article about the importance of exercise snacking. Essentially covering why prolonged sitting is about as good for your immediate energy, focus, and long-term health as swallowing a stick of dynamite with a lit-up Zippo chaser.

This holds true even if you’re already doing a daily workout. (Which you’re not. Me neither.)

Truth? I wasn’t super sold on movement breaks (inconvenient much?) until I started researching the article. It made me realise just how bad prolonged sitting is for our health. But also how much of those downsides we can undo with so little effort.

So, now I preach the gospel of movement snacking (and the brilliance of StretchMinder) to whoever cares to listen, including you.

Anyways, here’s the article if you’re keen.

-J

ps. Yes, I got paid to write the article. And no, I don’t get any kickbacks for recommending StretchMinder or promoting the article.

I just think it’s a killer app, and you can do your health all kinds of good by breaking up your sitting.

And yes, I meant to mention this article when it came out. And yes, I did kind of forget.

When you’re tight on time and have a brain more fried than a bat on powerlines, the last thing you need is a complicated workout to follow.

Instead, pick one upper and one lower body exercise and repeat that for however long you have.

Here are some ideas:

Goblet squat and single arm rows.
Kettlebell swings and push ups.
Reverse lunge and crawls.
Lateral lunge and push press.

Do a set of the first exercise, followed by the other exercise straight after. Rest for a bit. Then do it again.

Here’s the thing.

On days like that it doesn’t matter what you do. As long as you do something.

Pick two challenging exercises and get after them. You can accomplish a lot in 10-20 minutes.

-J

It’s ok to say no to a dinner invite, coffee catchup or a meeting so you can do something for yourself.

To get in a workout, read a book, or get a massage.

We are all adults here. We can deal with disappointments.

That doesn’t mean that you have to be the one who you’re constantly disappointing.

-J

You might not always get 2-3 strength workouts in a week. Or reach anywhere near 10k steps a day.

Both of those take extra time. And some weeks, there’s so much life junk flying around that you’re too busy trying to catch and/or dodge it. Leaving you little to zero time for anything else.

But regardless of how much dodging and catching you’re doing, you’re still going to eat. Right?

With some planning, you can use healthy meals to anchor your life-admin-hellraiser week.

Sometimes all it takes is having enough vegetables, fruits and protein sources* in the house.

-J

*Because if you’re like me, it’s never the lack of starchy carb sources that lets you down.

Just because you ticked all the boxes today doesn’t mean you’re winning.

And just because you didn’t tick a single box today doesn’t mean you’re losing.

Don’t get discouraged by the bad days. And don’t let the good days go to your head.

Measure your success in months.

Not in days.

-J

As a parent and a business owner, you’re constantly solving small and big problems throughout the day.

Who’s picking the kids up from daycare? When do I take Rudolph to the vet? What marketing strategy am I going to implement? How can I empathetically explain to my kid that taking the teddy bear into bed will likely provide a much nicer sleeping experience than the potato peeler?

Right? It’s exhausting. Once you make one decision and solve one problem, another one arises. “Ok, I don’t know if taking garden scissors and a bucket of autumn green paint into bed is the best idea either.”

But there are some decisions you can put on autopilot to leave more brainpower for the problems that count:

• Eat the same (or very similar) breakfast and lunch on most days
• Wake up and go to bed at the same time on most days
• Have a pre-planned workout program to follow
• Limit your wardrobe selection
• Set up filters for emails
• Use direct debits for your bills
• Implement time blocks in your workday so you know what you should be working on throughout the day (I definitely did not do this today)

Some of this might take some time and planning upfront (like taking most of your clothes to Vinnies). But once set up, you can focus on what matters.

-J

There’s more to reaching your health and fitness goals than conquering your meals or dominating your workouts.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your health is to take a damn long bath.

And you don’t have to do anything to earn it.

-J

The goal isn’t to get your health and fitness efforts right every day or week, or even month. I mean, who does that?

And just because you don’t get it right doesn’t mean you “fall off the wagon”.

Because there’s no wagon.

You’re on a path. Sometimes there’s a bend. But you’re still on the same path.

-J

Me coaching someone in my 20s and early 30s:

“You have to move this way and train this way. Pass this movement screen. Avoid this, this and this. And then make sure you do this, this and this. Otherwise, you might as well not start in the first place because you won’t get the results you want. AND NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!”

This was magic for people who wanted to do exactly what I wanted them to do. Which was less than I am publicly willing to admit.

Because for most people, it was witchcraft. And not in a good way.

Me coaching someone in my late 30s:

“Let’s figure out how we can make this work by leaning into your personality and lifestyle. There’s not a one-strict way to get this done.”

The lesson?

You’re more likely to stick with something that doesn’t make you feel like you have to run through a garden of ninjas wielding chainsaws every week.

-J

When you miss a workout, or seven, and there’s no one else to blame but yourself, don’t.

Seeking to understand your decisions and the circumstances around those decisions leads to constructive insights.

Basking in guilt doesn’t. That just leads to tequila.

Which then leads to more missed workouts.

-J