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Shit that we see in movies, magazine covers, Instagram, and centerfolds, it’s not real. Even if we ignore the editing skills and other arrays of, ahem, enhancements.

Comparing ourselves to the highlight reels of the world is like comparing Peter Pan to Peter Griffin. Or Emma Thompson to the Thompson submachine gun. The two don’t exist in the same universe.

That doesn’t mean we have to settle for average, though.

We just have to be careful where we look for validation.

And that’s often closer than we think.

-J

But we’ll have a better life when we do work out. This becomes annoyingly obvious the older we get.

Resistance training makes it easier to maintain our independence. Strength, lean muscle, and bone health are all baked into it. It’s hard to get these benefits from any other form of exercise.

The later you start resistance training, the more of an uphill you have ahead of you trying to claim the past. Especially when it comes to bone density.

The good news is that it’s never too late to begin.

If you haven’t started yet, today’s a good day to do a set of squats.

-J

Sticking with a new fitness routine is hard. But you can increase your chances by taking a 360-degree view of your life.

The more honest you are to yourself about… yourself, the more likely you’re able to figure out a plan that works. Some questions worth asking:

How can I make this easy? (Not the workout part, but to actually get to the workout.)

When am I least likely to skip a workout?

What’s a reasonable weekly commitment with my resources?

Who do I need on my team to make this work? Partner, boss, friend, babysitter, Kirk Windstein?

Yes, the plans often change the moment we get started. But at least we have the framework to build on.

-J

ps. RIP Jeff Beck

I went to make a PB sambo today as a part of my lunch. To my disappointment, I found a bucket brimming with hummus in the fridge. I faced a burning decision.

Am I still true to my 2023 half-assed new year’s resolution? Am I still the kind of person who’s trying to prioritise foods with more protein whenever possible?

It was a long and violently beautiful battle of logic and the heart. In the end, I chose hummus. So I can beam with the qualities of the person I want to be.

But tonight, when everyone has gone to sleep, the house is still, the birds are quiet, and the neighbors are too drunk to remember, I’ll throw the remaining bucket of that goddamn hummus in the bin. Which I then may or may not set on fire.

So I can choose PB sambo tomorrow and feel incredibly good about the decisions I make in my life.

Here’s where it’s at.

You don’t have to postpone becoming a new person once you reach your goal. Each action and habit is a vote for or against the person you want to be.

-J

To get stronger, build a bit of lean muscle and improve bone health, 2 x 30min of challenging resistance training per week is enough for most people.

Is 3 x 30min or 2 x 45min better? Yep, if you can. But whether it’s worth the effort depends on the other being-an-adult stuff you’ve got sitting in your knee-deep soup bowl.

Reps and weight matter very little. As long as you take most sets to 1-3 reps from failure. I like 8-12 reps as a sweet spot for time efficiency.

Four sets per week per muscle group is a good number to aim for.

-J

Carbs vs fat. Cardio vs weights. Sauna vs ice bath. Vegan vs carnivore. Fasting vs …not fasting? HIIT vs Zone 2. Calories vs macros. The Stones vs The Beatles.

Extremes sell. Black-and-white answers make us feel more confident about our decisions. And the deep need for affiliation and belonging is part of being human.

All of these are worth keeping on top of mind when trying to avoid drowning in the neck-deep nonsense we all swim in.

Trends come and go. But principles rarely change. The answers, most of the time, lie somewhere in the middle.

Adopt a trend once it has enough backing behind it to make it worth your precious time.

-J

Set goals that matter to you, even if others don’t value them.

Look at the time and resources you have available and match your actions accordingly. Instead of getting sidetracked by someone else’s schedule.

Emphasise activities that you enjoy. Try new ones that match your personality. Regardless of what others say you “should” be doing.

-J

Strength training might burn fewer calories than cardio, but it’s still a non-negotiable part of any fat loss plan.

Trying to lose weight without strength training is a sure way to lose muscle in the process. Less muscle means lower metabolism. Which then raises the chance of the weight bouncing back up.

You don’t have to commit to some ridiculous my-name-is-Xena-buy-me-a-weapon program. You can start with whatever you have time for.

Even 10 minutes counts.

-J

A quick 10-minute workout might feel like a failure on a day when you could’ve easily done 45 minutes but decided not to.

But 10 minutes on a day when the lord of illness has unleashed a diarrhoea storm upon the rest of the household?

On that day, 10 minutes is a success story worthy of a medal. And a paragraph or two in tomorrow’s newspaper. Probably a gun salute. And it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect a cookie named after you.

Just like our approach to fitness has to be reasonable and fluid, so do our expectations for success.

-J

Move more and eat less is terrible advice.

Move more and eat enough is a better one.

The former will give you faster results.

The latter will give you all the calories and nutrients to support your training and recovery. 

Both options get the job done.

But staying clear of starvation makes it more likely that you’re going to keep your results for the long-haul.

That, and you’re less likely to hate life.

-J