Goals are a double edge sword. On the one hand, they can help you build momentum, guide your focus, and give you a sense of direction. On the other hand, they can kill creativity, give you a ceiling, create anxiety, and bias you towards short-term success over long-term progress. It’s not necessarily the goals themselves that determine whether they are productive or not, it’s how we use them and the meaning we attach to them. Most sports teams have the same goal: win a championship. So it’s obvious that goals don’t tell the whole story. It’s our daily habits and the mental and physical environment we create that separate the good from the great. Goals can be a great way to get the ball rolling but to keep the ball moving, our focus should be on building the daily habits necessary to live in line with who we genuinely want to be.

Movement 

Ways to Make Exercise More Enjoyable 

  • Get a workout partner 
  • Make it a competition 
  • Play a game or a sport
  • Try new things
  • Join a class or community  
  • Find a music playlist, podcast, or audiobook to listen to
  • Get outside   
  • Find a scenic spot or explore nature
  • Embrace movement of all kinds (dance, walks, climbing stairs, etc.)
  • Dress up in your favorite workout clothes (look good, feel good)

Nutrition

Most Common Nutritional Deficiencies 

  • Vitamins – Vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
  • Minerals – Iron, iodine, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc
  • Enzymes – Proteases, lipases, carbohydrases
  • Probiotics – Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium
  • Essential Fatty Acids – Omega-3 

Recovery 

Homeostasis vs. Allostasis

  • Homeostasis – a state of balance among all the body systems needed for the body to survive and function correctly (achieving an internal steady state or equilibrium)
  • Allostasis – the process by which the body responds to stressors in order to regain homeostasis (achieving stability through change or variation)
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Lifestyle 

Go further with a focus on… 

  • Habits over outcomes
  • Systems over goals
  • Process over specific results 
  • Discipline over the destination 
  • Progress over perfection

Book Recommendation

Good to Go by Christie Aschwanden 

Podcast Recommendation

FoundMyFitness by Rhonda Patrick

Things I’m Trying

Exercise Challenge – Over the last couple of weeks, I have been ending my workouts with an exercise challenge. I pick an exercise like a wall-sit or plank and challenge myself to reach a specific time or rep amount. A fun way to end my workouts and build my resilience and willpower. 

Kyle’s Quote Of The Week

“The best place to explore is yourself.”