Hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband edition.

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1. Rhythm is everything.

The more daily rituals you have in your day, the easier it is to relax and execute at a high level.

Examples might be:

  • Sleep/wake times
  • Morning dog walk
  • Cooking same breakfast
  • Same workout time, even pre-workout coffee
  • Reading with the kid.

It’s not really what you do that matters — it’s having set tasks that establish the rhythm.

Cool thing is, over time you’ll find you have more energy at the same time every day (when you need it, like the workout period), and naturally wind down when you don’t (before bed).

The key is to establish this rhythm during “normalcy” (November?) so you can still reap the benefits during chaos (Christmas, traveling).

And if you work shifts and can’t do stuff at the same time? Then just focus on the tasks.

If the first thing you do upon waking is drink 2 cups of water and a fiber supplement, then just do that. Whatever time that happens to be.

It will still work.

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2. Observation.

I do few mobility drills now and while my shoulder mobility isn’t great, for an old guy with a LOT of miles I’ve never felt better.

What changed?

– I train very frequently (6 days a week)
– do extra warmup sets,
– never sacrifice form to get an extra rep in big lifts.

Smaller or safer lifts lifts I might push.

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3. Weak-Ass Logic.

“Because (public figure) did (indecent act), I gotta explain to my kid what (indecent act) is.”

Yeah. It’s called parenting. Sucks I know.

So who would you prefer assumed that responsibility?

A kid at the playground?
A teacher?
The government?
TV?
Siri?

Some people are just better off being the weird old uncle who never got married or had kids and tells war stories at Thanksgiving dinner despite never having served in the military.

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4. 30 Days of Calf Raises

For the next 30 days, instead of just sitting around while resting between sets, bang out calf raises. Use a variety of movements and a full range of motion. Hit 100 reps total every day.

That include off days. Do bodyweight reps standing on the stairs. Wear a weighted backpack or even just hold your fat kid for added resistance.

Yes its a lot of volume. No, you won’t die.

Besides, big calves are worth the risk.

And in the spirit of stuff to do for the next 30 days.

– 100 push ups/day
– 100 band over & backs/day
– 7000 steps/day
– 8 hrs sleep/night

There are MANY others but these all “play nice” together.

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5. Don’t be a punchline.

Lets say you’re a dietitian or a physical therapist or even just a coach, and you head off to a nutrition conference…

And then over lunch break, you tweet photos of any sugary or fatty snacks the organizers had the audacity to serve, including condescending hashtags and faux outrage…

… and then the next day, resume your usual “no bad foods in a healthy balanced lifestyle” social media Yoda schtick.

Stop. You’ve become a punch line.

And this type of thing happens A LOT.

It’s like people get so focused on pumping up their pet narrative or just drunk on social media ego juice that they forget how to be be a thoughtful, empathetic human being.

The world is messy. Life is full of ambiguity. Real people are complicated.

And likes aren’t worth shit — at least not to the folks they claim to want to help.