Category: Daily

Most of us would feel more patient, happy and healthier if we’d become good at wanting what we already have.

How much more time would this leave for exercise? How much more creative would we feel in our day-to-day life?

And what would our relationships look like?

Maybe the solution to finding more time in our days isn’t so much a physical thing, but a mental shift.

Instead of one day looking back on our life and realising how we had all we could’ve asked for, we can try to live in it now.

And appreciate all we have.

-J

When we’re struggling with a physical problem, we downplay or even ignore how much our psychology affects our physical wellbeing.

When we’re wrestling with psychological gremlins, we ignore the impact our physical wellbeing has on our mental health.

And we’ll likely live with suboptimal results for as long as we keep the two disconnected.

-J

When you’re just getting started or struggling to see results with what you’re already doing, cramming in as many weekly workouts as possible is tempting.

And then, about two weeks, maybe a month into it, you’re feeling about as fresh and calm as a wildebeest who somehow made it across the crocodile-infested Mara River with a cut wound or two.

Extra workouts, intensity, or a jump in daily physical activity are the last thing you need when dealing with an already hectic schedule. You’ve got no base to build it on.

Instead, start by figuring out how to reduce or manage some of the stressors in your life. Find ways to improve your recovery. Prioritise sleep. Call in some favours. Make your life feel less hectic.

And use that extra recovery to create a solid foundation for where to build your workouts and all the other stuff.

-J

When you’re going through a significant life event, a hectic period with your business, or just struggling with sleep for whatever reason, it all affects your nervous system. And the more sensitive your psychological makeup is to stress, the more you’ll feel these stressors in your body.

Knowing this might help you reframe your pain. To something that is caused by the sensitised nervous system. And not an actual physical issue of some sort.

You can also use this pain as a signal to focus on physical and non-physical activities and treatments that help you reduce stress and feel more relaxed.

And if possible, you could use these pain signals as a sign to make some fundamental changes in your life to reduce the sources of stress. Or, if that’s impossible right now, to try to find ways to reduce your stress response.

I am not saying that any of this is easy. Or that pain of any sort doesn’t suck (because it does!). Or that the pain is not real because it’s in your head. Because it is very much real when you feel it.

But sometimes, a small reframe makes the pain easier to deal with.

-J

ps. Obviously, prolonged pain is worth getting investigated by an appropriate professional with mad clinical skills and a deep understanding of pain science. If you ever struggle finding such a person, please let me know, and we can try to find someone to help you where you’re at.

You, better than anyone else, understand who you are and what makes you, well, you.

Knowing what you know about yourself, what is the path of least resistance to get you to your health and fitness goals?

Align your actions to go with the grain. Not against it.

-J

If you haven’t done it in the past six months, now is a good time.

It’s surprising how many non-essential activities and distractions creep into our daily lives without us noticing it.

Log everything you do for three days (or a week) to find the time leaks. Activities that don’t align with what you value in life.

You might notice that maybe getting in that extra hour of exercise each week isn’t as impossible as it seems.

-J

Someone posted this question in a forum, and it made me feel all kinds of feelings. And since it’s Monday, it’s nice to do some glass-is-half-full kind of stuff to get the week going. So…

What do you consider beautiful in your field of work or passion?

Let me know. I’d like to share some responses with other readers. With your permission, of course. Because anything else would be a proper dick move.

-J

You’re good when you do your workout, cook a healthy meal for the family and get outside for a long walk.

You’re just as good when you skip a workout, order fish and chips for dinner and binge Netflix. Because life and you just can’t the bothered today.

You’re good, just as you are. And not only when you’re “on it”.

-J

ps. Last day of new client callout. If you’re feeling tired and want to reclaim your energy and strength, but struggle to make exercise a habit because of your work and family commitments, hit reply. Let’s chat to see if my coaching would be a good fit. It’s not for everyone. But it might just be for you.

Rigid meal plans and training programs are appealing because they promise a clear path from A to B. And yes, if you have the willpower on a full-speed arrow and a mind that loves authority, you’re in for a win.

But, if your goal is to keep your results for life without always relying on someone else, obeying rules and mastering compliance won’t teach you the skills to take ownership of your health and fitness.

Instead, it’s the lessons you learn from failures and struggles that make a change possible.

-J

Being outdoors doesn’t have to be about exercise, fitness, or competition.

But simply about experiencing the outdoors. To connect with yourself and your kids. To feel energized. To participate and to complete.

Fitness just happens to be a by-product of it all.

It’s a small shift in thinking. But it might just be enough to turn an effort into an enjoyment.

Making it more likely to stick.

-J