Merry Christmas!

 #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 more than just fuel; it has historically been enjoyed as part of tradition and fellowship in addition to providing nourishment. Allow yourself some goodies guilt-free, just don't eat yourself sick. A few good meals and treats is not going to instantly change the scale. 

If possible, get some sunlight and fresh air. One thing we learned together in a previous newsletter was that sunlight is the greatest factor influencing the spread of influenza. For years, many assumed it was all the gathering indoors with family and friends that caused a big spread around this time of year, but studies have shown otherwise. It may seem difficult to get any kind of sunlight when it's freezing outside and cloudy, but it still counts if you are bundled up. It may just save you a week of misery.


Book Review: Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss

Salt, Sugar, Fat is an impressive work of journalism that exposes the food giants and how we have been led to eat in an unhealthy excess. The book contains conversations of many high level food company employees who admit how unhealthy their products are and how they managed to slip it past the public for years. One things that stood out in this book was how every big food executive avoided the very products they sold in their own diets. They knew better than to "get high on their own supply." The addictive properties of salt, sugar, and fat are clearly exploited in order to get us hooked on the product and eat as much of it as possible. Be aware of the marketing ploys; even foods that are made to seem like healthy alternatives often are not. 

Note In Closing

Plenty of memes and jokes get shared this time of year that make fun of the sudden business of gyms on January 2. Who cares. Be that guy or girl. Nobody is really mad at you for taking up space; most of the time people are silently cheering you on. 

Happy Holidays,


Brad


Durable Dad Training

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cereal is Dessert, Change My Mind

 #24 "What a blessing it is to be tired in the pursuit of a challenge of your own choosing" Fit Tip: There is No Specific Exercise You NEED Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned lifter, there is no one exercise that you MUST include. There are certainly exercises that are fantastic and may provide a lot more benefit than other moves. If these are intimidating and keeping you from lifting weights at all, then relax and forget about them. I also bring this up as a popular social media tactic is to post a short video with this kind of message: "The ONE exercise you need to be doing!" These kind of taglines can make you feel like you are far from optimal and maybe even wasting your time training. Remember, they are just fishing for clicks . If you simply have goals of getting stronger and healthier (aesthetics naturally follow) then no one specific exercise is going to keep you from that. Do what you are comfortable with for a while and progress to other moves as you...
Read more

Help Your Children Breathe Better

  Breathing Training for Children Prevent Your Child from Extra Illness and Future Dental and Airway Issues   Proper breathing and oral posture: All breathing, day and night, child or adult, should be done through the nose. Obviously we use our mouths to breathe often while speaking or singing, but even most mild to moderate exercise can performed while breathing through the nose. While the mouth is closed, the teeth should be in light contact and the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth. Normal breathing should not be seen or heard, and should involve a closed mouth. And the  Lord  God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his  nostrils  the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7   Corrective Exercises Meaningful Chewing: Reserve a few minutes at least one meal a day to focus on chewing. Chew a minimum of 15-20 chews or until food liquefies. Chew with lips together and close the jaw and pause 2 secon...
Read more

If You Build It...

  2/7/2025 Issue #6 If You Build It…             Fit Tip: How to Build a Great Home Gym .       If you are considering building or expanding your home gym, I am here to offer some advice. The first thing you are probably considering is what space in your home you will use; then how much money to spend and what equipment is worth it.  I will start by pointing out that your “home gym” might begin as nothing more than a few open square feet dedicated to establishing a workout routine. Establishing the routine is the most important part , because $1,000 worth of equipment does not guarantee you will actually use it. If you have a chunk of money that you are ready to blow on an epic gym, that’s awesome, but I am going to split this up as if you are beginning your workout journey and slowly building your gym.  Get a mat or some dense foam puzzle pieces to establish a workout area and give some ...
Read more