In a Hole in the Ground, there Lived a Habit

 #37 9/12/2025


Nothing will work unless you do. - Maya Angelou


Fit Tip: Habits First

In every fitness endeavor there is a starting point where the motivation is high. The large goals are set. Large goals that require doing twenty times the disciplined work one has historically done. Pause. One must first train away the old bad habits and develop good new habits. Small steps, repeated until they become just a part of everyday life. If you don't change the habits or attitudes that got you unhealthy in the first place, then you won't be able to keep it up in the long run.

Innumerable weight loss attempts display this need for habit development. One might have a sustained period of motivation. They restrict calories and starve themselves while motivation is high, but after a few months they settle back into their old ways. Many desperately undergo gastric bypass to lose the weight they never could. They have some help before and during, but they never mastered their habits in the process and when the same level of food drive returns they are back to where they started. Even the latest "miracle drugs" known as GLP-1s (think Ozempic meds) only accomplish fleeting weight loss. I am sure they can be used properly, as some sort of head start to show weight loss is possible by calorie restriction, but for sustainable health one must master their habits. 

To gain health and keep it, you first have to lose the habits and attitude that kept you unhealthy and build new ones that keep you healthy.



September Challenge: Bodyweight Exercise

Time to put the work in, no more excuses. This month we are picking a bodyweight exercise to perform daily. This is the most accessible way to get into strength training. Choose a reasonable number of reps to do each day; something that won't obliterate your muscles, but will still stimulate them a bit. 

This week let's try some pushups. If you are starting from ground zero, you can lean against a wall or countertop and push-up off from there. Next progression would be pushups on the floor with knees touching the ground, then pushups on the floor with a straight body on your hands and your toes.

Win the weekend!


Brad


Durable Dad Training

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