The start-stop cycle of getting on the horse and off the horse is exhausting. So, why not just make movement a fixture of your life, so you can get on with it and free up that mental energy for other things?
If you've struggled at all to make fitness an embedded part of your life, I get it. But you don't have to live that way anymore.
There are a few patterns I've noticed in myself and working with clients over the years when it comes to consistency. I'm going to share them with you in this short video, and hopefully, it helps you finally make regular movement a way of life.
Here are the top three reasons you probably haven't made fitness a habit yet, and how to fix them:
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Preparation is hugely overrated.
Many of us spend our lives preparing, training and "getting ready" only to wake up one day wondering when the hell we're ever going to arrive.
Preparing to be generous
Maybe you're working on your finances and really want to get to a place of stability and independence before you focus on giving and generosity. Logically this makes perfect sense, you want to take care of yourself before you give to others.
But what if the path to more stability and abundance was actually found through giving more before you're "ready"?
The old world of fitness is dying like a slowly falling giant.
And as each person abandons the old fitness regime, the giant loses power and slowly begins to crumble.
The irony is that this "old" way is actually very new. For the vast majority of our time as humans we've been moving with meaning, strength and very little pain.
If you've been following me for any length of time, you probably know that I believe our current model of fitness is backwards and fragmented. It's designed to put working out into a box that leads to a lack of meaning, and a very unrewarding journey ending mostly in injury, boredom and frustration.
"The aim is not to quench your thirst. The aim is to develop the perfect thirst, so that you never stop drinking." —Sufi Teaching
You probably don't believe me when I say this, but I'll tell you anyway:
Somewhere inside you is a vision for your life that has the fuel of a thousand suns.
Once fueled, the fire is so much that it burns a hole in your belly if you don't surrender to its will.
Right now it might be nothing more than a dim ember, a barely visible spark. If you've neglected tending the fire there's a great chance you might not even recognize its presence.
We are all busy people. We all have a lot going on.
The demands are not decreasing. Life is not getting any easier or any less challenging.
Yet, every day we wake up and make a choice. We get to decide whether today we will live deliberately, consciously, on our terms. We get to choose to show up and give fully, or hide and collapse.
I believe that successful people do what they have to do, even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard.
The question is not "Do I feel like doing this?"
That is not something you can reliably count on. The way you feel is like the weather, subject to change at any moment.
The real question is "Will I be proud of this when I'm done?"
Now, let me be clear.
I am not advocating a mindless, grinding, just suck it up and take the pain approach.
What I am advocating for is listening to your deepest impulses, following your heart and what you know you are truly capable of.
The small part of you wants to take the easy path of short term gains and quick, sugary dopamine hits of Facebook notifications and endless distractions.
In the moment, these things feel... easier.
But easy is not what you or I came here for.
Dying knowing that we fully explored what we are really capable of is what we came here to do.
That is what I came here to do.
That is why I show up, whether I feel like it or not.
I hope you'll join me. It gets lonely at the top.
It took a long time for me to call myself a movement artist.
To fully accept that title, I felt like I needed to be really committed. All in, you know?
It was similar to calling myself a writer or a martial artist. I didn't claim those badges until at least a year into working daily on the craft. Even then I felt butterflies in my stomach.
Movement has been different for me though, a more serious love. I feel more drawn to taking my time with the relationship, and not rushing all in. I know this is a lifelong affair, not simply a weekend fling at a random workshop.
No. This is a slow kind of burn.
Don't misunderstand me, it has feverish uproars -- fits of obsession with reaching a milestone in a handstand or excitement over a new flavor of movement. There are lulls as well: patterns and routine set in, or frustration builds, and I question what the hell I'm doing this for.
But beneath these waves is an ocean of depth. The exploration of it will not end before I die.
This is why I choose movement as my art.
I love movement because...
- It brings me closer to other human beings.
- Nothing compares to the feeling I get when I reach a breakthrough or unlock a new skill.
- Every day is a new journey with new lessons to teach, and many old ones to relearn again.
- My relationship to movement and my practice is an incredible vehicle for personal development and constant growth.
- There is always room for new exploration, new ranges of motion, new patterns and new ways to express yourself.
- Movement allows you to try on different emotions, textures and qualities -- how does courage move? or radiance? or wildness?
- Movement is medicine -- the right kind of movement can mobilize trapped energy or heal old wounds. It also gets you out of your head and into your body.
- It forces me to interact with the world and my environment. The more I move with nature, the more I learn about myself and my history as a human.
- It just feels fucking good to move.
Movement, I confess: You had me at hello. Thank you for finding me.
—Jonathan
PS: To my beautiful wife, I hope you understand.
One of the experiments I'm going to start doing with Move Heroically is sharing with your my progress on key markers each months. Some months will vary in their goals.
In January, for instance, one of my main goals was the Dragon Squat (behind the leg pistol squat), which I accomplished. Since I checked that off the list, I won't be measuring that for February.
My major goals in January were:
- Handstand pushup (to yoga block with wall)
- One arm chinup (w/ assistance)
- Front Lever (adv tuck)
- Back Lever (adv tuck)
- Side splits
- Front splits
- Dragon Squat
Initial testing January 5th, 2015:
A1. HSPU to 3.5 inch block – 5 reps
A2. One arm chin-up progression
– R = 4 reps
– L = 4 reps
B1. Front lever (adv. tuck) = 13.63s
B2. Back lever(adv. Tuck) = 13.89s
C1. Middle split = 14.5 inches
C2 Front split
– L forward = 80.75 inches
– R forward = 81.50 inches
D1. Dragon Squat - supporting leg at 90 degrees
Retesting February 2nd, 2015 (28 days later)
A1. HSPU to 3.5 inch block – 11 reps (120% improvement)
A2. One arm chin-up progression
– R = 7 reps (75% improvement)
– L = 6 reps (50% improvement)
B1. Front lever (adv. tuck) = 23.51s (72.5% improvement)
B2. Back lever(adv. tuck) = 26.96s (94.1% improvement)
C1. Middle split = 10.5 inches (38% improvement)
C2 Front split
– L forward = 82.50 inches
– R forward = 83.00 inches
D1. Dragon Squat - full range of motion on left leg, right leg 90% there!
Here's a video of some experimentation I did with single leg squatting patterns:
In the future I hope to do more before and after pictures, as well as more videos of movements the new range of motion and strength allowed me to explore.
Credit goes to my coach Justin Goodhart for his awesome programming and guidance helping me along my journey.
For February I'll be focusing on much of the same strength and mobility goals, but adding more movement flow work into my practice. I'm focusing on these five moves:
- Croc (single arm lever)
- Lizard crawl
- Handstand pushup
- Butterfly kick
- Rotation into low bridge
What movement goals are you working on? What are you doing to track your progress?
Leave a comment below.