Do You Need To Love It?
Someone asked me: “Why do you love yoga?”
I responded, “What makes you think I love yoga?”
They said: “Well, you go several times a week, you talk about it a lot, you’ve been going for years, you ask others to join you with your practice, you have a YouTube Channel where you teach it, don’t you love it?”
I said: “It’s complicated. Yes, I’m grateful for the practice that helped me restore my health, break free of the medical establishment that was pushing me toward surgery and endless pharmaceuticals. But “love?” I’m not sure.”
I’m dedicated and committed to the practice. Most weeks I attend three to five 60 minute yoga classes.
Of those, I enjoy one or two sessions.
The other two to three yoga classes, I manage to get through. But I don’t “enjoy” them.
I do enjoy the benefits of regular yoga classes. Regular yoga practice gives me improved flexibility & mobility, relaxation and stress regulation, improved circulation and breathing, optimal endocrine function and good balance. Benefits are myriad.
You may also know that I’ve been doing 100 Burpees per day for a while. (As I write this, it’s day 180 of doing 100 Burpees per day!)
Do I love Burpees?
Hell no.
But I appreciate the Burpee as an effective calisthenic.
A few months ago, I bought a GoRuck Backpack, and have incorporated weighted ruck walks & hikes into my regimen.
A couple weeks ago I took a 4 mile hike with my 45 pound ruck that climbed 1,000 feet of elevation. I was exhausted later that afternoon.
It’s fair to say I don’t love rucking.
But I do see the benefits of rucking, or walking with 40-50 pounds in my backpack. I like the challenge it adds to my hikes. Adding weight slows me down or “handicaps” me; which makes it more enjoyable for friends to hike with me. My friends no longer feel like they are slowing me down or holding me back.
I don’t love my ab wheel. I don’t love planking. I don’t love pull ups. I don’t love measuring my portions and recording my nutritional intake.
None of these statements of my lack of love for these things are complaints.
My point is that you don’t have to love an activity to get the benefits of it.
I don’t like sanding before painting or carefully masking an area but I love the end product when I put in the prep work.
So what do I love?
I love feeling healthy and fit. I love knowing I won’t need to rely on prescription drugs or spend much time visiting doctors. I love looking and feeling good in my clothes. I love knowing I’m in the top 5% (probably 1%) of health for my age. I love the feeling of having more energy and vitality than I did 15 years ago, at age 35.
I love knowing that I’ll be an active, healthy role model for my kids.
I love getting messages from men and women who are inspired by my writings, posts and tweets to take action for their own health. I love hearing how they’ve dropped 6-20 pounds in a few weeks, feel more confidence. How they can now see muscles where before there were none.
I don’t love brushing my teeth but I’ve forged the habit.
Living a healthy life isn’t about loving everything you do for your health and fitness. It is about building consistently good health practices over time. If you need some help in the form of accountability, consistency and maybe even a challenge, hit me up.
I’ve got three spots open to coach motivated individuals to their best health and fitness over the next few months.
Here’s a recap my best health habits:
- 100 burpees / day
- Daily walk 30-60 min, no technology
- Hug & Kiss (& more
) my wife - 3+ pull ups every time I pee between 6am-8pm
- 1 cup kimchi every day (fermented food)6. Gallon + water / day
- Yoga 4-5 x week
- tracking food to hit macros & calorie goals
- Pranayama (breath work) before meditation1
- Meditation in the morning before work
- Green veggie smoothie every day
- Meal prep to make sure it’s easy to stay on track
) my wifeI didn’t build this list of habits in a day. I started with yoga, added walking, and one here and one there over the course of a few years. Most of those habits I don’t “love,” but I do appreciate the benefits.
What are your best health habits? Need some help ? HMU in the comments or drop me a DM.