I’ve kept my twice-daily calisthenics routines nearly the same for a few years. Now you can see them. I settled onto through trial and error and some research, not through a trainer, so I welcome comments and suggestions. My morning routine 27 burpees (last 3 with with diamond push-ups) Hamstring stretch for 60 breaths Pike for 10 breaths 10 lying hip raises 10 45-pound weighted crunches with legs up 10[…] Keep reading →

When I talk about my daily habits, people call me disciplined and act as if I have ability they don’t. Nobody looks at a bodybuilder and believes he or she was born that way. Nobody hears a musician playing and thinks he or she was born playing. They developed their skills by practicing. I practice too. Sometimes the practice involves hard things and things you don’t feel like doing but[…] Keep reading →

How Arianna Huffington, Ryan Holiday, Marie Kondo, and Successful Leaders’ Start Their Days Successful people start their mornings with routines. Routines make difficult habits doable. You don’t have yours? Time to start. Need help? I loved finding MyMorningRoutine.com, which posts a new successful person’s morning routine each week, including mine. You can also find Arianna’s and Ryan’s (though mine is best. . . for me, that is. It’s surprising how[…] Keep reading →

My post yesterday about my heart rate of 49 beats per minute and how people choose to spend their leisure time got me thinking about living by your values–what leaders do. When they hear I exercise daily, people suggest I have some special discipline, dedication, or other skill. I wish! On the contrary, the average American’s dedication and discipline for their values dwarf mine. I have to craft my life to make exercising[…] Keep reading →

I just watched a bunch of motivational videos. Here’s one, for example of LeBron James. People keep remarking at my burpees or picking up trash or generating less trash than most Americans as impressive. I watch LeBron and I’m not in the same league. What I do is ordinary in comparison. It’s not just that I haven’t achieved what he has. I don’t see how, knowing what Michael Jordan did,[…] Keep reading →

I Haven’t Eaten for 3 Days and It’s Amazing It’s Sunday and the last food I ate was lunch Thursday. I’ve ingested only water for 72 hours and the experience is life-changing. I love food, but I have eaten nothing and drank only water for the past 72 hours. Why? Partly because I kept hearing from friends and the media that they enjoyed fasting. Since swimming across the Hudson River,[…] Keep reading →

For those who don’t know, I do my kettle bell workout every fourth day, starting with the 2nd of the month, then the 6th, 10th, and so on of each month. Today is the 17th, so tomorrow I do it. (Incidentally, on alternate even-numbered days—the 4th, 8th, 12th, etc—I row indoors or run, depending on the weather). What does lifting have to do with getting on my knees? I don’t[…] Keep reading →

Cold Showers Aren’t Hard Showers. They’re Easy Workouts. Confusion about their purpose scare people from realizing their value as one of the easiest, cheapest, and effective improvement practices. I’ve written here many times on the benefits of cold showers. I’ve blogged more about them. You wouldn’t have clicked on the headline if you weren’t curious about them or already doing them. Inc. is a community of achievers and has covered[…] Keep reading →

When I was a kid, my mom and stepfather switched from salted butter to unsalted. I remember the unsalted tasted bland, like nothing. I couldn’t stand it. Some time later—maybe weeks or months, I don’t remember—I tasted salted butter again for the first time. It tasted terrible! It was way too salty. Of course, the amount of salt in the butter didn’t change. I did. My taste buds had adjusted[…] Keep reading →