Reps and The Rest

Live longer.

Improve the quality of those years.

Compress the morbidity/disability decades to years. Maybe even months.

Nothing’s given. But the actions we take today increase the odds in our favour.

I can’t think of anything as effective as strength training for improving those odds.

Keep at it.

And if you haven’t started yet, today’s the day for it.

-J

Reaching big health and fitness goals takes a lot of discipline and focus.

But what we often forget is that our rest deserves just as much discipline and focus as our effort.

Especially as we get older.

-J

You'll fail.

We all do.

It’s an inevitable part of getting to your goals.

The key is not to let your failure-induced negative thoughts about yourself define who you are.

Ideally, you want to acknowledge what’s going on. And then move forward without dwelling on the negativity for longer than necessary.

In Good Inside, Dr Becky Kennedy has a mantra when parenting moments have us feeling disappointed or mad in our reactions:

“I am not my latest behaviour. I am not my latest behaviour.”

It’s a fitting mantra for when struggling with health and fitness-related behaviours too.

-J

ps. “failure” is probably a harsh word to use here. But it did make for a captivating headline.

You have 20 minutes.

Let’s play a game. You have to distil your daily health and fitness-related activities to just 20 minutes.

That covers any physical activity and meal planning, cooking and whatnot—all of it.

What would make the cut? What would you stop doing, delegate or streamline?

Placing yourself in such a situation forces you to think outside the box to adopt the first principle of thinking. Breaking down a problem into its basic elements and building a solution from scratch.

It’s about ruthless prioritisation. You’re making sure that the time you spend reclaiming your energy and strength really has an impact.

Leaving you more time for yourself and your family.

-J

Every Thursday, we do a Capsicum check-in with the online coaching clients. To see if the week's been green, yellow or red.

And I really appreciate the honesty and insight that these ladies are able to convey in so few words.

I was wrong about motivation.

More specifically, I’ve been saying that you don’t need motivation.

Or at least once you’ve found the initial motivation, you don’t need to rely on it.

And I was wrong. For two reasons (at least):

1. I’ve been using the word ‘motivation’ when speaking about ‘enthusiasm.’

2. Motivation can absolutely fade (and there’s usually a specific reason for it – more on that in a sec)

Even when you don’t feel enthusiastic about a task, you can still get it done. You can still get in your steps, do a workout and make healthier food choices.

Sometimes you don’t feel like doing things even though you’re motivated. Because life and the batsh*t complicated human psyche.

Let’s put it this way:

You can feel unenthusiastic while being motivated. But you can’t feel enthusiastic without being motivated. Am I making any sense here?

There are three specific ways your motivation might take a hit to stop you from reclaiming your energy and strength:

1. You don’t believe in your skills and knowledge to reach your goal

2. You don’t find the deeper meaning behind your goal

3. You're questioning whether the effort is worth the potential long-term gain

For now, though, I am sorry for my obnoxious past self for spinning bs about motivation.

-J

You’re ambitious and tend to set high standards, including your health goals. So you lock your forward-facing nostrils to a big dream and start with so much motivation you don’t know what to do with it.

But when the journey is long, and progress seems slow, it’s easy to question whether the effort is worth the potential long-term gain.

And so, you’ll find your motivation living in the dumpster of dumpsters.

Your brain is wired to seek immediate rewards. When the gratification is delayed, as it always is with health goals, it can feel like you’re putting in a lot of effort for a reward that seems far off and uncertain.

So, how do you dig the motivation out of the dumpster of dumpsters?

Break big goals into smaller, more manageable ones. Smaller goals are more immediate and less daunting. And as you achieve them, you’re more likely to scratch that instant gratification itch.

Achieving smaller, more frequent goals gives you a sense of progress and success, injecting you with motivation to keep going. Instead of trying to jump The Channel, you’re placing small pontoons along the way.

When your big goal is to reclaim your energy and strength, your smaller goals could be to do a 30-minute workout three times a week, get to bed 30 minutes earlier or eat a carrot every time you say “um”.

Pick one and start scratching.

-J

ps. "I love your emails. They're on point and strangely empowering". - email subscriber who wasn’t paid for this feedback

I write a daily 60-second email helping tired, 40+ mumpreneurs who give zero f*cks about rock-hard abs reclaim their energy and strength.

The link's in the bio. Or somewhere. You'll find it.

Your motivation can get all kinds of annoying dips when you feel you don’t have the right tools to reach your goals.

How to overcome this annoying motivation zapper.

It’s a cliche, but knowledge is power. Learn more about the topics you struggle with.

Start with the one that will be the biggest hurdle on your path. Read books, listen to podcasts, take courses or hire a coach. Get your friend, partner, or mother-in-law (maybe not) involved and do it together.

Once you’ve got your knowledge and skills to a level you feel confident about, move to the next hurdle.

Tick them off one by one to boost confidence in your skills and abilities. And by doing so, lift your motivation.

-J

ps. "Just wanted to say I love your emails. They're on point and strangely empowering". - 60 Beats email subscriber

I write a daily 60-second email helping tired, 40+ mumpreneurs who give zero f*cks about rock-hard abs reclaim their energy and strength.

The link's in the bio. Or somewhere. You'll find it.

When I first started blogging in 2015, I wrote a post about my morning routine (please don’t search for it).

Something about getting up at 5 am, meditating, reading, journaling, having a coffee and probably 16 other things before 6.30 am.

And then, I encouraged the readers to create their morning routine to really live their best life. And I was dead serious when I wrote it.

Then we had kids.

And I realised how ridiculous, unachievable and arrogant that previous blog (and most of my other blogs) were to people I wanted to help.

Most of us juggle a handful or two of roles daily. I don’t know about you, but a successful morning routine for me right now is eating my porridge with less than three interruptions.

And I am really living my best life if I remember to wear pants when walking out the front door.

-J

ps. I am taking on 5 new online coaching clients this week. Are you a tired mumpreneur over 40 who:

*Wants to reclaim your energy and strength

*Juggles business, parenthood and about a gazillion other roles and responsibilities

*Gives zero f*cks about having abs and doesn’t want to focus on weight loss

*Wants to feel strong and full of energy in the outdoor activities you love doing

*Is willing to carve out 60-90 minutes a week for the next 16 weeks to reach your goals

If reading that makes at least two of your neck vertebrae sore from vigorous nodding, DM me with “Let's talk”.

And we’ll schedule a call to see if my coaching program would be a good fit.

It’s normal to lock your focus and hopes on one thing as the culprit for your low energy.

The unbalanced gut microbiome, a specific nutrient missing in your diet, not taking the right supplement, not doing the right exercise, struggling with your chakra because the moon’s gravitational pull is seven degrees to the east, and the only way to rebalance your energy is to buy Gwyneth’s forehead oil.

Even the most rational of us are occasionally drawn to clear, false-god-like answers to our problems.

To save your money and sanity, focus on the basics. Rest, stress, food, exercise.

If you’re still struggling after all that, entertain the more complex answers.

-J

ps. I am taking on 5 new online coaching clients this week. Are you a tired mumpreneur over 40 who:

*Wants to reclaim your energy and strength

*Juggles business, parenthood and about a gazillion other roles and responsibilities

*Gives zero f*cks about having abs and doesn’t want to focus on weight loss

*Wants to feel strong and full of energy in the outdoor activities you love doing

*Is willing to carve out 60-90 minutes a week for the next 16 weeks to reach your goals

If reading that makes at least two of your neck vertebrae sore from vigorous nodding, DM me with “Let's talk”.

And we’ll schedule a call to see if my coaching program would be a good fit.