Got a question or a problem with training, diet and nutrition, or the existential angst of your own existence? Drop it here and let's see if I can help.

Margaret Wheatley, who writes about systems thinking, says that communities need agreements about who we are and what matters. What are we doing here? When I started this place, I had ideas more than "here's your workout and diet, go do it" of the usual fitness chatter. The question on my mind: 👉 Why is it that you can give people a workout and diet and then they don't do it and say "lol sorry" when you follow up? - Why do people not do what they say they want to do? - Why don't people keep their promises? - Why do they sabotage their own progress by lying to themselves? The main reason? Their environment is rigged against them. When I started making my own changes 2 years ago, it was because my wife and I got on the same page and supported each other. You can't have your household and lifestyles out of sync and expect the waves to harmonize. And we're people with long histories of active living. Imagine how it is for somebody 35+ trying to make a total lifestyle overhaul from nothing, when everything from their home routine to their job to their social life pushes against the changes they see for themselves. There's a whole background of skills and experiences that fitpro gurus take for granted, which people who want and need to change do not have. This can be changed. But it has to begin with identity. 👉Who are you and what matters to you? 👉What do you agree is important and non-negotiable? If you can't keep agreements with yourself, you're done. It doesn't matter how great my workouts are if you won't do them. I have to clarify this because I'm still attracting a lot of "hOw Do I wOrKoUt" questions. If you want a workout, go back to your doomscrolling or ask ChatGPT. This isn't the place for it. We're rebuilding lives here, and that starts with changing your behaviors. Small steps done consistently = big changes. We aren't worker-outers. We're taking our best shot against age, entropy, and decay. Strength training, interval work, solid nutrition, and all the stress-beating energy-managing recovery secret-weapons I haven't even talked about are how we do it.

This week: - I did not derail my diet plans too badly over the holiday stretch from Christmas to NYD and my birthday - I recovered from my Christmas, New Year's, and birthday derailments without turning it into a full-on bender - Training's been as consistent as I can keep it. How about you? What did you get done that you're proud of this week? Over to you 👇

I'll be here at home with the wife and kids, drinking some bad drinks, eating some bad foods, and watching A Christmas Story. If it doesn't rain we might hit the pool at my brother-in-law's place. Christmas in summer is a mind-flip for me even after all these years. What do you have on?

Y'all know I've kept away from the online fitness world for a long time now. I don't know who is who or what is what anymore. This is good. It keeps me happy and level-headed. But I don't have my finger on the pulse the way I used to. Leave a comment and let me know who you're following, who's saying good things, or any lolcows causing good drama 👇