July Thoughts - 2025
Fitness and health can seem nebulous and ethereal – as if they require a secret energy that only those blessed from birth can utilize to achieve six pack abs, long handstands, splits, or fast mile times. In reality, fitness is simply the result of accumulated actions, or data points, that add up to the summation of ‘fitness and health.’
From this perspective, we understand that fitness is something we do, not something we have. So, what actions move the needle in the right direction?
Going to bed on time, drinking water, eating enough protein, and practicing your chosen fitness modality with a structured training plan, for starters.
Here’s a simple list you can use to track your behavior:
Hours of sleep (shoot for 7+)
Bonus – track time to bed and make it consistent day to day
Water (drink half your bodyweight (pounds) in ounces daily
If you sweat a lot, you need more and electrolytes too, but keep it simple for the basics and just count water to start
For example, if you weigh 100 pounds, you would drink 50 ounces of water as your baseline daily.
Protein (1g per pound of bodyweight)
If you’re not used to eating protein, you can start with 70% of your bodyweight and build up gradually. Protein requires more enzymes for digestion, and if you go from 30g daily to 150g daily, you might have some digestive troubles at first. Avoid this by gradually building up over 2-3 weeks to match your bodyweight.
For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, eat 150g of protein per day.
Training Program (yes/no)
Did you follow your program?
In my experience, for myself and my motivated clients, the trouble is often working out too much. Following the program not only means getting the work done, but also doing exactly what you should be doing according to plan and getting enough recovery.
You can get more specific on details, but these are the basics for creating a solid foundation for a fit and healthy body. Get decent consistent sleep, stay hydrated, fuel your system, and train smart. Do this consistently for years and you’ll live a healthy life. It’s that simple.
My recommendation is to put these into a spreadsheet and manually enter your results daily for 30 days. Rather than allowing your watch to track these numbers and never actually paying attention to them, I think the old fashioned way of writing this down manually can be a much more effective catalyst for a change in behavior that makes a lasting impact on your health.
Take the time to make a spreadsheet (or download mine here) and track your results for 30 days. It just might be enough to kickstart some good habits you can carry for the rest of your life.
Note: if you use my spreadsheet, make sure to “make a copy” so that have your own file to edit and update regularly.
