Category: Daily

I am all for being a healthy role model for my kids and finding ways to stay active as a family. I’ve written about how my Dad’s example is the biggest reason I became interested in fitness.

But I am also a realist. A realist who knows that a focused training session with a 5 and a 3-year-old in tow is about as likely as getting one of our cats to volunteer for bath duty. Meow.

When I hang out with the kids, I do unplanned, unfocused, feel-good workouts. A push up there, chin up here, throwing the kids in the air and some single legs squats in between pushing someone in the swing.

These workouts are better than nothing and a killer addition to other physical activities. But if this is all I do, well, the results match the focus.

When I want and need to get a really good workout in, I’ll time it so that the kids are not around. And if that’s not possible, I will put on Gabbie’s Dollhouse on Netflix.

It’s not ideal, but the upside of getting in a workout is higher than the downside of a bit of screen time.

-J

We all have stories. Personal narratives that shape how we perceive ourselves. Often, this internal script begins with, “I used to be…”

“I used to be a runner.” “I used to be in shape.” “I used to have a movie-proof bladder.”

These statements often emerge from a place of nostalgia, but they can cement us in a past identity, preventing growth and evolution.

Here’s the truth: shit happens. Bodies change. Responsibilities shift. And it’s absolutely okay. It doesn’t diminish your achievements of making it through The Lord Of The Rings trilogy without a toilet break.

Aligning your narrative with your current reality isn’t about ignoring or dismissing your past. It’s about updating your story.

It’s about transitioning from “I used to be a runner” to “I am someone who values my health and fitness and is on a journey to reclaim it.” This shifts the focus from what was lost to the potential of what can be gained.

Your past shapes you, but it doesn’t have to become your coffin. Every moment presents an opportunity to realign, redefine, and reinvent.

-J

Happy Monday!

Let’s start the week by sharpening our pseudoscience awareness. Or as the folks at McGill University put it, “In trying to make sense of pseudoscience, it helps to have a mental map of what is popular these days.”

Unsurprisingly, the health and wellness industry is well represented. We’re so good at this! Yay.

Here’s the link.

-J

Everything we do is time away from something else we could be doing.

Both in good and bad.

But also in good and good.

One thing has to suffer when something else takes priority.

And when we really like the thing that suffers, it can be hard to accept.

But often that’s the only way to make progress.

-J

I feel like strength training is becoming, ahem, trendy. At least in the non-trainer circles that I frequent.

For the longest time, strength training has been associated with bodybuilders, powerlifters and folks who want to look dead-sexy in underwear. But thanks to people like Dr Peter Attia, we are seeing the mainstream strength training narrative moving away from pure aesthetics and physical performance and towards longevity.

In terms of research, the upsides of strength training keep piling up:

It fights off osteoporosis and sarcopenia, reduces all-cause mortality by 10-17%, improves sleep, reduces depression and anxiety, and delays the onset of Alzheimer’s.

So, not only does strength training help us live longer. It helps us stay more functional for those years.

A fitness trend I am happy to sign up for. Finally.

-J

I’ve been doing all my strength training at home since early 2020. Because you know why.

On most days, I’ve got about 73 things on my mind. The last thing I need is some complicated training program or a list of exercises to add to that mental load.

These are the exercises I use in my training 97% of the time:

1. Kettlebell swing
2. Goblet squat
3. Single leg deadlift
4. Single leg squat
5. Lateral squat
6. Single-arm overhead press
7. Push up
8. Bend-over band row
9. Single-arm row
10. Kettlebell clean

Previously, I would’ve added chin ups here. But I tend to train inside, and the gymnastic rings are outside, and… I can’t be bothered. But I do random chin ups when I am outside.

On the days I train, I choose 3 to 5 exercises from that list and get after it. Usually in 5-minute spurts throughout the day.

I might get a little more creative with the programs my coaching clients use to fight boredom. Or to adjust the program based on injuries or super-specific goals.

Otherwise, the above list is solid for anyone looking to get stronger.

-J

One thing that often comes up in “setting boundaries” conversations that I think we could all do better with. Myself included.

And that’s the language around how prioritising self-care is not selfish. As in, we put ourselves first to be there for others.

But this is still a soft boundary of “I do this, but not for myself”.

We’re playing this game of having to justify our actions of getting a massage, doing a workout, going for a run…

Sometimes, self-care is selfish. We do it because it’s good for us, and that’s it. Period. End of sentence.

And that doesn’t make it any less important.

-J

By exploring these and dialling in the ones that affect you the most:

– What you eat and drink
– Sleep
– Past experiences
– Friends and family
– Relationships
– The things you do to cope
– Beliefs
– Activities and hobbies (as in, sometimes returning to snowboarding is exactly what you need, even if you think you can’t)
– Emotions
– Strength and fitness
– General health

The pain level doesn’t always correlate with the severity of the tissue injury. Especially chronic pain that lasts more than 90 days. After all, most tissue injuries heal by the 90-day mark.

None of this means that the pain you feel doesn’t exist. It just means that the cause of the pain isn’t where we previously used to think it was.

I attended a pain education seminar by Pain Revolution on Thursday night last week, so all this is on top of my mind. If you’d like to receive the eight-page handout from the seminar, email me, and I’ll scan it for you. I find them especially helpful for anyone trying to understand and reduce their own pain.

And as always, if you’ve got any pain-related questions, ask away. If I don’t know the answer, I know others who are way smarter than me. And they can ask their friends.

-J

When trying to learn new things and change habits, there’s a third tool I didn’t cover yesterday.

Not only does this tool make change easier, but it will also allow you to make faster progress.

The tool? Seek feedback.

Connect with someone who can help you figure out how to keep improving, what to do differently, and where to look for answers.

This someone could be a knowledgeable friend or relative. But as we all know, their help can quickly turn into, “Hugging my poodle eases my back pain, so everyone with back pain should hug poodles.”

They mean well, but… what if seeing a poodle gives me a nosebleed and a nasty case of hemorrhoids?

Choose wisely.

-J

As I am watching our kids learn to ride a bike, figure out the alphabet and trying navigate their feelings and emotions, I am constantly reminded that being a kid is tough.

For kids, everything is a trial and error and they’re constantly balancing somewhere along the learning curve. As frustrating as this struggle sometimes is for them (and us parents!), it’s also the norm. You try, you fail, you learn, you try again.

For us adults, most of this struggle is far behind us.

We know how to tie our shoelaces in pretty bows and flush the public toilets even if the flushing mechanisms are nothing like we have at home. Some of us even know how to use a microwave. In kid’s eyes, we are incredible at life stuff.

But we are not always good at dealing with the feelings of frustration that come with learning something new. It’s no wonder that learning new habits and breaking old ones is so  taxing emotionally. And it’s no surpise people latch on to any promise of a shortcut.

When you’re trying to change habits, build strength and restore your energy, it’s normal to find it difficult. You’re learning, growing, and figuring out what works for you. And nothing about that is easy.

The first thing to do is to stop fighting it. To acknowledge that it’s okay for this to be challenging. You don’t have to be any better at it than you currently are. That’ll come. You just need to keep showing up.

But let’s be honest, it’s always nice when you can make difficult things a little less difficult.

Look at the tasks, skills and roles you’ve aced in the past. Whether that’s something at work, in your parenting, how you manage money, or how you’ve learned to use a dessert spoon as a leathal weapon against Nazis.

What did you do to that helped you learn those tasks, skills and roles? What insights can you take from those successes and bring to this current struggle?

-J