Fellow Dads,
So you want to do something about your health?
A lot of men I talk to about their health and fitness begin by telling me about some sort of desire to be fit again.
It is followed closely by some sort of declaration of not having enough time.
I’ve been there, too.
Most days I actually still feel that way… but the difference is that now, I can remind myself and talk myself through what being too busy actually means.
Because the reality is that we make time for the highest priorities in our lives, whether intentionally or unintentionally, whether consciously or by mistake (subconsciously).
I can remember the first several days my routines and habits that kept me healthy as a young dude were interrupted after I got married.
It frustrated the heck out of me. I was so irritated that I had to choose between going to the gym so I could stay looking good for my wife and society and spending quality time with my wife (I almost always chose spending quality time with my new wife, hence my struggle and then decline from leading a healthy life).
At a certain point, though, we all know that the feelings of irritation and frustration go away. Slowly but surely, we give up the notion of possibility that we could be fit, healthy, and active, mostly because of our wife, but also because of the other responsibilities that seem to be piling on by the year.
We hide behind the guise of sacrificing our own health so that the ones around us receiving our service and sacrifice can thrive. It shrinks from being something we did because it was part of who we are (we value our health!) to being a painful and inconsistent experience (at best).
After one of the many workouts I decided to cancel (I was kept at work two hours later than anticipated and my wife expected me home by a certain time, which would have worked besides the fact that I spent my workout time working; as per usual, though…) I finally threw my proverbial hands up and decided that there had to be a better way.
Although I hadn’t left my commodities trading financial analyst job at this point, it began my journey towards the mecca of health simplicity:
I had to figure out how to maintain a healthy lifestyle by doing less, achieving more, and by doing it the right way.
To me, this meant no expensive pills/drugs, limited nutrition meal/protein powders, food services. It certainly meant I needed to figure out how to keep a lean figure with less working out, and it also meant that my ‘optimal’ nutrition had to fit inside both what my wife wanted to eat and also a crazy schedule of work and community involvement.
The very first thing (and most important) I figured out with regards to my health?
#1: Slow the hell down.
I had to take a hard look at ALL the different areas in my life and ask myself: is there a better way to do this? Could I be doing less (quality, quantity, frequency) but still get where I ultimately want to be?
The answer, fortunately, was yes.
Execution, though, as I have found, is a different matter. Us humans are so hardwired to want to live our lives through our emotions. An indicator of maturity is actually the increased ability over time to be able to reject the way we currently feel in order to do or say what we know is right.
One book I have found incredibly helpful in the past year is ‘The Power of Less,’ by Leo Babauta.
Today I wish to introduce to you the six principles of unleashing the power that can be ‘unlocked’ by doing less, but in a way that actually causes you to achieve more. The psychology here is powerful and I truly admire the work he’s done to succinctly explain and unpack the both the principles and its practical implications and applications for our lives.
I’m excited to walk through the pages over a series in which I ‘filter’ his work through the lenses of both being a dad, but also through a Christ-centered worldview. Oftentimes, us dads who love the Lord and His Son Jesus Christ can have difficult working through the personal development and ‘self-help’ literature largely because there is a fundamental difference in motivation and perspective at the core of the ideas.
Over the years of my obsession with development (podcasts, YouTube sermons, mentors, & books) I have begun to touch on what it means to view the entire world with my ‘rose-colored glasses’ of my faith in Jesus.
It’s certainly a perspective that hasn’t permeated the world of personal development.
For now, though, I will leave you with the six principles. Regardless of Babauta’s worldview, you will find them to be simple and yet satisfying:
- Set Limitations.
- Choose the Essential.
- Simplify.
- Focus.
- Create Habits.
- Start Small.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to walking through this with you.
Until next time,
Simple Health Dad