Shame, Shame, I Know Your Name

 

#44  10/31/2025


The attempt to develop a sense of humor and to see things in a humorous light is some kind of trick learned while mastering the art of living. Victor Frankyl


Reminder: Muscle is not just for the athlete or bodybuilder. You need it. If you just made gaining some muscle your health goal instead of losing fat, you would probably be much more successful in your health journey. 

Fit Tip: Stop Shaming Yourself

Shame is a short term motivator and a long-term failing strategy. Acknowledge that you messed up and give yourself grace. "Wow, this is hard" is a fair thought that will go through our minds. "I suck" or "why can they do this and I can't?" are the type of thoughts that are not helpful. Giving yourself some grace is crucial to not giving up on the entire process. Instead of shaming yourself after a mistake, use the following 24 hours to reset. Do something healthy for yourself. Not an overcompensation like beating yourself up in the gym or over-restricting calories because you messed up today; just something small that gets you back in the right direction. Choose one thing that you 'must do' tomorrow, a small but challenging little goal to nail the next day. Finally, confide in a friend or group. Let someone close to you know your goals so you have some accountability. Look for a cheerleader type rather than a corrections officer. A habit built alongside a friend sticks more solidly.


Book Review: Forever Strong 

Forever Strong by Gabrielle Lyon is another one of those health books that can be boiled down to a few key takeaways, so let me do that for you. The author/doctor talks about her life as a clinician seeing a largely younger to middle-aged population that were all struggling with different ailments but shared one characteristic: a lack of muscle mass. Lyon's book and most of her work is based on her idea of muscle-centric care. She believes having healthy muscle mass is the key to aging well. I agree with this main tenet, especially as it pertains to those in their 30s and beyond. It is why I believe strength training in today's world is a non-negotiable for health and quality of life as you age. 

Lyon also spends a large part of the book discussing nutrition. Protein is her favorite macronutrient, as you could have guessed. She educates the reader on some food culture of the past that made great protein-filled foods unpopular and led some to fall prey to a vegetarian diet. She would be the type of gal to excite a pre-diabetic patient by letting them know they can and should eat a big salty steak with a side of weight training. 

Overall it was a good read if you: 1) are middle-aged and still unconvinced of the importance of resistance training 2) need a place to get started with working out or some motivation

Eat protein. Lift weights. Get jacked. This is how you age well. 


October Challenge: Get Off Your Phone

Decide which of the previous phone restricting habits you are most likely to stick with forever and start doing that. If you turned off all your notifications, you may have realized how refreshing and relaxing that is; don't change them back. Maybe you deleted a timewaster or decided to get off social media altogether; you won't miss it. There are even products out there designed to keep you from wasting time on your phone. Some of these products allow you to compete with a friend or spouse to accumulate less screen time which makes for some great accountability. 


Win the weekend!


Brad


Durable Dad Training

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