Four Days

I've wanted to avoid writing about fitness, especially my ever-evolving routines and self-improvement challenges. But I want to capture how I've been spending the last week or so, hoping it may help me stick to it for the foreseeable future.

For some background, I'm sort of obsessive about challenges. I take them on simply because I'm unsure I can, or more often because I'm confident others can't. Read: Ego.

But this last week, which is too soon to profess how successful a routine is, has been so refreshing and familiar that I wanted to document it.

The Routine

I make sure screens are off around 10 p.m. I take 10mg of Melatonin at 10:30 p.m. and try to fall asleep by 11 p.m. My alarm is set for 7 a.m., but I often wake up naturally around 6 a.m.

I have a protein shake during my morning activity which lasts anywhere from 30min to 4hours.

Then there's breakfast. This week, a hefty serving of oatmeal with whole milk and a black coffee protein shake.

This part is very new. I take my time grooming and self-care. It's hard not to be transactional here, but I try to take my time and follow an ever-growing skincare and grooming process before getting dressed far too well to work from home in my garage office. I'd love to monologue this routine like Patrick Bateman one day.

I'm pouring into my work and family the rest of the day. I have a short lunch break, during which I aim to eat just enough to hold me over until dinner. This week, it's been vanilla Greek yogurt with peach slices and granola. When I'm still peckish, I reach for some chips, carrots, and ranch dip.

Throughout the day, I do a series of stretches to offset my sedentary profession and a strict pull-up before I leave the office to do anything—bathroom, eat, socialize, whatever. If I'm leaving the room, pull up.

Dinner is equally uninspired. It's been Momofuku soy and scallion noodles, bok choy, cabbage, and chicken thighs this week.

I don't measure or track my water intake, but I'd like to drink at least 80oz daily. I also avoid alcohol, bread, and added sugars.

Daily Routines

This part is philosophical. For a long time, fitness itself was my main hobby. I'd spend 2 hours a day in the gym and be a zealot about my nutrition. These days, fitness is in service of how I want to spend most days. To put it simply, I want to move throughout the world freely. Doing whatever I want, whenever I want. So, I'm following my wife's lead and not calling these exercises "workouts" but rather "activities." Sometimes, it's training; sometimes, it's recovery; and sometimes, it's just living actively.

These activities follow a four-day cycle and can be shifted to accommodate schedule and weather as needed. Each day starts with a 10-ish-minute physical therapy/prep session and ends with 10 to 20 minutes of Yin yoga. The therapy sessions are from Hinge Health, an employee benefit I would not otherwise pay for. It's not a knock on them; I'm just team-free above all else.

Day One: CrossFit

I built OpenBar as an alternative to BTWB and Wodify. In support of that, my CrossFit activities and the tools to support it should be free.

Health is wealth. Exercise is free, and so are we.
- GetOpenBar.com

In support of that, my CrossFit activities are either self-programmed or via the main site's free daily WOD.

Day Two: Training

Golf has become my central "hobby." The success of this session is primarily based on how well it supports that hobby. I do a 30 to 60-minute training session that is programmed specifically to support better golfing, emphasizing mobility, rotational strength, and balance. I get my programming from Volt Athletics which I admit, I only use because it's included as a health benefit through insurance.

Day Three: Golf

If I can't make it out to walk eighteen holes, I'll run a mile in its place. Fun fact: per Athlytic, walking eighteen holes often requires as much strain on my body as jogging a 5k. Appreciate the value of low-intensity effort over a long period of time. If I walk nine holes, it can take anywhere between 1 and 2 hours. And walking eighteen, somewhere around 4 hours. Because of the time commitment, I'll do this as early as possible in the morning to avoid stealing time from other commitments.

Yes, sometimes you can find me golfing with the retired crowd at 6 a.m.

Athlytic is an app I happily pay for because $30 for the year beats the $30 a month I'd pay with its nearest competitor.

Day Four: Rest

On my rest days, I still do physical therapy and squeeze in a short 10-minute core session. However, my heart rate never gets very high.

Why So Familiar

This nutrition regimen is high on rest, light on animal protein, light on sugar, and alcohol-free. I've made some variations of these lifestyle changes in the past, and each resulted in a measurable improvement in my quality of life. But they didn't last because then my approach was all or nothing.

When I was practicing sobriety I avoiding any drink, because partaking would be my justification to go back to drinking daily.

When I was a pescatarian, I suppressed my cravings until I couldn't any longer. I caved and hobbled defeatedly back to the table of land carnivores.

During the pandemic, I found a great balance of rest and activity. I read before bed, left my phone out of reach, had infused teas or cocktails to wind down my mind, and so on in support of a full night's rest. I let fear of missing out on shows and movies and being able to contribute to water cooler talk creep into my routine. I let jetlag and no workouts the following day be my excuse to sleep in.

This time, I'm approaching none of these changes from an all-or-nothing perspective. I'm not drinking until I do, or don't, for that matter. I'm eating less animal protein, except for when I eat more. I'm getting 8 hours of sleep most of the time. My nightly routine is minimal, so much so that there's little I can trim because I'm "too tired." If something doesn't work today, I'll do it tomorrow.

What Does Success Look Like?

Choose your benchmark. Success looks different every day. Sometimes, my clothes feel like they are fitting looser. Some days, the scale will move. Maybe I'll have an excellent round of golf. Maybe hit the Billy Goat Trail and not break a sweat. My doctor may say, "Whatever you've been doing, keep doing it." Maybe I'll look in the mirror one day and say, "Damn son. Your skin is glowing!"