March Thoughts - 2026
Entropy is the natural state of the universe.
In terms of our body, this means we are constantly breaking down as each day passes. However, because we are alive, we have a regenerative capacity that differentiates us from a rock that gradually erodes away from wind and rain over time.
That being said, on the lifetime time scale, we break down just like everything else in nature. If we want to prevent this, we have to take initiative and stimulate our bodies’ various systems to grow by responding to thoughtfully imposed stresses - quality training - in order to maintain our bones, muscles, aerobic capacity, etc.
In the short term, it often feels much more exciting to chase high intensity, whether this intensity is high heart rates, heavy weights, excessively deep stretching, etc. In reality, we need to do what is actually healthy and useful for feeling good when we are 70 years old and beyond.
What is actually healthy is measured training that is consistent and stimulating - things that leave you a little out of breath and sore for a day or two afterwards. Once you start getting beyond this level (too often), you end up chasing performance more than health.
These performance metrics can mask true health and longevity consequences. Big muscles, impressive physical feats, and surface level fitness might simply be racing towards a cliff, rather than taking the high road to long term health and wellness.
Of course, I love challenging myself and striving for skills that I know will eventually become impossible. I’ve already lifted the heaviest weights I will ever lift. Those days are behind me, and though they may have left some permanent reminders in my body that will never fully fade, I do not regret them. It’s simply important to me to share from a place of personal experience what IS and what IS NOT actually healthy, so that we all may choose our destiny from a more educated and intentional perspective.
As I’ve gotten older, hand balancing and the associated flexibility, preparation, skill, coordination, and strength work have become much more of a sustainable way of centering myself in my physical body. The approach drives towards efficiency, moving comfortably, only addressing high strain and high effort in very specific instances for intentional potent effect, rather than being the sole focus of training.
You don’t have to train handstands to live a long and healthy life, but the principles involved in a proper training system should be the same. Always seek to move better, place intensity with intention, be sure you have the appropriate mobility to move comfortably through the positions you use regularly, and take deload periods.
Cultivate the characteristics you wish to maintain. Recognize the practical abilities that will actually make getting older a pleasant experience and look forward to knowing that every day your body is going to support you in all that you choose to do. And when you do find something worth pushing yourself through, drive into it knowing that you can happily accept the potential consequences with open eyes and peace in your heart when it is all said and done.