DURABLE DAD

 #52  12/25/2025 Contentment is a wonderful cure for insomnia. David Murray Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We did it! One full year of weekly newsletters. I hope the fit tips, small challenges, and other information were helpful to many. I loved the feedback I received this past year whether it was topic suggestions or just a quick thanks for the info. I truly enjoy writing them and want to be as helpful as I can. I have personally enjoyed fitness and the benefits it brings for many years and I wish to share that with whoever is interested; it truly makes you more durable in all aspects of life. Please share with others and give me feedback anytime. I will likely continue the Durable Newsletter in 2026 with a less frequent schedule. I can guarantee you if I get topic suggestions or questions sent to me, they will get some attention. Thanks everyone, and let us keep improving ourselves this coming year.  Fit Tip: All Things in Moderation Enjoy the holidays. Food is mo...

 #51  12/19/2025 The best way to predict your future is to create it. Abraham Lincoln Fit Tip: Forget the Aesthetic Many, if not most, get into fitness in an effort to change their appearance . I do not think there is anything wrong with that as there are benefits such as increasing one's confidence. However, chasing the aesthetic should not be the only goal or the main objective. There are bigger and better reasons for working out and eating healthy. You have a responsibility to take care of the body you are given. You may also have kids or grandkids to chase around. Do you want to be the parent who plays soccer with your child or who pays to watch someone else practice with them? Do you want to finally travel to a sandy beach just to plop down and read a book, or are you gonna run in and swim in the ocean?  You might not be as interested in doing active things, but I assure you, you will be interested in getting up a flight of stairs by yourself as you age. Finding purp...

 #50  12/12/2025 When you complain, you make yourself a victim. Leave the situation, change the situation, or accept it. All else is madness. Eckhart Tolle Fit Tip: Read and Discern Food Labels  This fit tip was inspired by a bag of sugar that sat on my counter. In a big, pretty circle this literal sugar bag boasted "only 15 calories per serving." It's sugar! Yet, they know putting something like that in bold letters on the front makes it seem more innocent. Turn it around and you see it is indeed 15 calories per serving: serving size of one teaspoon. A single can of Mountain Dew contains over 11 teaspoons of sugar. A batch of holiday cookies (unfrosted) requires 72 teaspoons of sugar. It is ridiculous to think anyone is using only one teaspoon of sugar at a time, even if its just to sweeten their coffee.  I am not one who feels you need to understand every ingredient within every product in order to stay safe. The " if you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't e...

 12/5/2025  #49 More is lost by indecision than wrong decision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity. It will steal you blind. Marcus Tullius Cicero Fit Tip: Range of Motion When it comes to weight lifting I have changed my mind on the importance of form over the years. I have corrected my own form on many exercises and restarted and dropped weight just to get it "perfect". While proper form during exercise is important, don't put so much emphasis on it that you are scared to try anything new. Some imperfect squats and lunges are better than none at all. Doing zero squats and lunges will definitely hurt you , doing some less than ideal versions regularly will most likely just make you stronger and you will learn better form along the way. Learn by doing . One aspect of good form we should all agree on is using full range of motion . For example: when doing a pushup, you descend until your chest or belly taps the ground then push upward until your arms are fully straight...

 #48  11/28/25 Stop outsourcing your imagination to a screen. Ken Robinson Fit Tip: Schedule Your Workouts Schedule your workouts like you schedule everything else. Put it on the calendar or it will become the first thing to go as soon as anything comes up. Rarely do you skip dinner, brushing your teeth, or showering for days at a time, yet many will easily neglect their just as necessary workout. Make a backup plan in the event that you miss or skip a workout. If x happens I will do y.  If you are attempting the early morning workouts as I highly recommend, lay out your clothes ahead of time. This simple tip makes it so much easier to follow through with the plan. The same concept can be used for a workout at any time of day; basically you are attempting to eliminate any barriers to getting your planned exercise in. Whatever extra steps you can do ahead of time will not only save you the time and excuses later, it also prepares you mentally for the active work. That co...