Six days a week, I do the following exercises: Half Burpee, Knee-to-Elbow Crunch, Mountain Climb, and Jack Knife—each one for thirty seconds. The four exercises equal one set. I do four sets. No rest in between. Next, I do one hundred eleven kettlebell swings with a forty-five pound dumbell, and five to ten Jefferson curls with a sixty pound barbell. My entire workout is quick, efficient, effective, and grueling. I prefer my routine because it requires very little gym equipment. At my gym, I have been stuck waiting for a machine while the person using it takes a call, a selfie, or a nap.
I don't enjoy working out, but I make the sacrifice because I feel great once I finish. I get my ass up, meditate, write, and hit the gym within in the first ninety minutes everyday except Sunday. Working out keeps my weight and blood pressure down, and it helps me manage depression and anxiety. No anxiety or hypertension meds for me.
Working out teaches me to lean into the challenges I face, and the benefit of that transfers to all areas of my life. Learning to tolerate discomfort expands my emotional capacity. Establishing a routine teaches me how to get things done, and building endurance improves my behavior under stress. Strenuous exercise primes me for many tasks I don't like doing. There is something to be said about developing mental toughness.
My partner reports noticing improvement in my posture, and my waistline is shrinking. My clothes feel like they hang on me now, rather than stick to me like Velcro.
The first ninety minutes of the day are so important. Lose there and I feel like I have lost the entire day. I don't know how you start your day, but according to Tim Ferriss in his book, “Tools of the Titans,” eighty percent of titans have a morning ritual that includes meditation and exercise like mine. That's not to say I'm a titan, but I do get a lot done and feel great doing it. So, let me know how you spend the first ninety minutes of your day.