Oftentimes, life feels overwhelming—job, wife, kids, a nagging boss, and always too much to do with too little time. Most people can’t think beyond the next year, let alone the next decade. And where does the gym or physical fitness fit into all of this? It usually doesn’t.
Where would you even start? It often seems so daunting, and when we feel like we’re already too far behind, what’s the point? I’d encourage you to start by gaining control over the domains you’re responsible for. Are you in debt? Do you struggle with porn? (I know, a heavy hitter) Are you stagnant at work? I’ll cover these topics in future blogs, but a simple area to begin reclaiming control is your body. Like JFK once said, “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”
Before you start, though, you’ll need to find your “why.” It’s different for everyone, but it must go beyond motivation—it must be a resolution. You need to want this so badly that you resolve to make it happen. Sure, you might want to look great at the beach or lower your blood pressure—those are fine goals, and your doctor would love to see you pursue the latter. But they might not truly drive you. What about being able to play with your grandkids one day?
Think about it: how many older people struggle to move (much less play with their grandkids) because of an injury they sustained years ago? Yes, some injuries are genuinely disabling, but I can’t count how many times I’ve heard someone say they “threw their back out,” and now the pain is unbearable a decade later. Often, it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what pain is that keeps them down for the rest of their lives. (For more on this, check out this video.) But they feel the pain nonetheless and it is debilitating. Many avoid deadlifts because they think it will worsen their back issues, especially when their doctor advises against anything that hurts. But avoiding movement altogether can be worse—it’s counterproductive.
What I’m saying is this: we train to build bodies that are harder to injure. Deadlifting for example, when done with proper form, teaches your body how to lift something off the ground safely. The same applies to other functional movements like squatting, hinging, or pushing overhead.
So, start with your “why.” This will look different for everyone. But if you’re a Christian, remember: God gave you your body as a resource to manage well and to honor Him (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Romans 12:1, Mark 12:30, 1 Timothy 4:8). How can we manage our bodies well if we’re overweight, fueling them inefficiently, and unable to perform basic, God-designed functions like picking up heavy things when needed?
I get it—there’s an overwhelming amount of information and marketing out there about fitness, and it can be intimidating. When I worked with clients who were starting out, I always encouraged them to begin with 1–2 days of resistance training per week and 1–2 days of cardio. That’s it. The goal was to help them establish a habit they could maintain for the rest of their life.
The problem is that many people get motivated to hit the gym hard for a couple of months, but then they fizzle out. They feel ashamed for quitting, and that psychological toll keeps them from trying again. Too often, they start with the idea that they’ll go from zero to five days a week. That almost never works.
Instead, I recommend starting with 1–2 days a week. Do an upper-body day and a lower-body day, and add some cardio on your favorite endurance training machine (ETM). You don’t have to run unless you love it—just pick something that gets your heart rate into the 120–150 range for about 20 minutes.
It doesn’t have to take long. You can get a solid session in 40 minutes or less. Don’t like the gym? Train at home. Grab a backpack, load it with books, and squat or deadlift that thing.
Here’s my encouragement: start with just one day a week and one activity. Do that for a month and see how it goes. Give up just one hour out of the 168 hours in your week to train your body.
“Fight til the End – in Every Area of Life”
-EM
Suggestions? Questions? Email: endurancemandate@gmail.com
The Endurance Mandate 
Leave a comment