I used to be quite heavy set…
I was lean as a teenager, but at around 20-22yrs old, as a young parent, I let go…
Then, one day, I had enough. I realised my son (then 2yrs old), was always going to see me as Superman, so why not actually live up to that? I realised that I actually had full control over how he was going to remember me from his young years, so, I started putting the work in…
Today I want to talk about your physical health. This ties directly to a short video I posted the other day where I showed how much you can actually do for your body, in just a couple of minutes, and with nothing more than pushups and bodyweight squats spread across the day.
So why do I want to talk about it? Firsly, you’re an athlete, so start acting like it, but secondly, because, in my opinion, this is ground zero.
Out of everything we juggle in life, your health has to be priority number one. Not your chops, not your career, not your goals. Your health. Because, as the title suggests, the body is the filter to the mind.
What do I mean by that?
When you take care of your body, you don’t just feel better physically through the obvious things like endorphins and dopamine, you feel better mentally as well.
Your thinking becomes clearer, your mood stabilises, your energy lifts, and this starts to trickle down into every other area of your life.
You make better decisions, you show up with more intent, and without even realising it, you’re building daily habits that begin to shape everything else you do.
Most people massively over-complicate health. I’d say that social media is to blame here. There is so much bad (and overly complicated) info out there. It’s quite overwhelming. And because of that, you just end up doing nothing.
We often wait for ‘the perfect program’, the right block of time, the ‘correct’ gear, or the ideal set of circumstances that, honestly, never really show up. Sound familiar?
The reality is, you can actually cover a huge percentage of your physical basics in a matter of minutes throughout the day, if you focus on what actually moves the needle and remove the unnecessary friction.
One of the simplest things I’ve done for years, especially in busy periods, on tour, or even when energy is low, is drip-feed sets of 20 push-ups and bodyweight squats throughout the day.
It’s simple and very effective. No warm-ups required, no change of clothes, and best of all… no thinking required! You’re ticking the upper body, the lower body, joint health, range of motion, strength, and best of all, building a daily habit around your health.
*Pro tip: If I’m feeling really good, I’ll even throw in a set of bench dips somewhere too. Because, why not?
The next layer is my secret weapon for daily cardio. Instead of having to make time for it, build it into your daily life.
When we lived in Melbourne, I ran an espresso bar in the CBD. Because we lived about 6kms away, I started walking in and running home. Making my cardio part of my daily commute was an absolute game changer.
These days, I bike 16kms each way to my studio on my heavy-geared single speed. No extra time required, no decisions to make, it’s just how I get where I’m going. That alone takes care of heart health, lungs, recovery, mental clarity, and my daily movement, without ever needing to ask the question, “When am I going to get some cardio in?”
And if you want to take it a step further, this is where habit stacking becomes a super powerful tool. This is a James Clear term, but to be honest, I tapped into this a good 20years ago, in my own journey.
It’s simple – all that walking, running, and/or riding becomes learning time too. So audiobooks, podcasts, courses, ideas that sharpen the mind while the body is moving forward. That way you’re upgrading two areas at once, and without needing any more time than you already have.
When the body is moving well and you feel strong, everything else sharpens up – your focus, your patience, your ideas, and your playing.
You don’t need massive change to get results, and you don’t need to turn your life upside down to move forward here, either. You just need to take control of the basics and remove the narrative that it’s complicated. It’s not.
Start small, do it daily, and let it compound. Then, as you get more comfortable, adjust and then customise. This happens naturally. But at the very least, start with the basics and watch as EVERYTHING improves. Trust me.
Let’s leave it there. I’m about to get on the bike now!
Have a great week.
Stay hungry, (and healthy),
Stan
ps. Use the code ‘MASTERMIND’ for 20% off any course. Just click here
pps. I’ve just released my new ‘5-Lesson Coaching/mentor Bundle – save $200!
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