Pursue Joy

Life is unmanageable without joy. Joy illuminates the desires of our hearts and provides the fuel to pursue them. When we engage challenges with gratitude, kindness, and humor we take ourselves less seriously and create room for growth.

Befriend discomfort

Discomfort is the stimulus for growth; we can’t grow without it! Intentionally seeking small discomforts builds the strength to face greater discomforts — and even suffering.

Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life like a champion.

— Muhammad Ali.

Celebrate habits

Virtuous habits are their own reward. Deep satisfaction is found in the humbling work of changing our behavior, experiencing and extending grace in the journey, and learning to value who we are versus what we achieve.

Keep moving

Change (and life) is hard! Movement, no matter how small or subtle, generates energy, promotes hope and moves us towards our goals. The next small step is the only step. Just keep moving!

General physical preparedness (GPP)

General physical preparedness (GPP) is the best fitness goal for most people. An individual who develops a broad base of fitness across the skills of endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, and balance, can meet the physical demands of their life with confidence and joy. Prioritizing a single skill at the expense of others is often useful for elite athletes, but counterproductive for everyday people.

Strength

Strength is foundational to life. Strength creates possibilities, makes life easier, and increases resilience to injury and aging. 

Efficiency & Consistency

Minimum effective dose (MED) is a concept originating in pharmacology and is the smallest amount of input required for a desired effect. MED for GPP is smaller than you think! Short exercise sessions performed with intention and consistency develop tremendous fitness capacity.

Hierarchy of Results

Exercise makes us feel better, function better, and changes how we look. Society prioritizes our appearance (fashion) and acknowledges function and feelings. For lifetime fitness however, this hierarchy must be inverted. Feelings > Function > Fashion.