Hey,
A lot of random things buzzing around in my head and I don’t think I am ready to talk about any of them here. So, let’s just skip ahead to what posts I have for this week.
30 minutes between you and change. Start small. Start today. Don't waste time figuring out the best method. Pick something. Do it daily for 30 minutes. Don't second guess yourself. Don't pick something that yells fad.
3 quotes, featuring Tony Robbins, Derek Sivers, and some chap called Bruce Lee.
an email a student of mine wrote to me, detailing his progress over the past few months. While studying 12+ hour days. In the midst of a pandemic that has affected a lot of us directly and indirectly. But that’s not the best part at all - it is how he has learned and applied, rather than just done things.
30 minutes between you and change
Getting strong(er) is possible. It is a simple process that requires hard work and consistency. Whatever genetics or baggage of poor health or past history of bad habits you might have, you can get stronger. Yes. You can.
Stamina is an even simpler problem than strength.
Flexibility, likewise. Doable. Simple.
Stamina and flexibility are simpler because the barrier for entry is lower than strength training. Spend 30 minutes a day and in 3 months, you will be a million miles ahead of where you are.
Start small. Start today. Don't waste time figuring out the best method. Pick something. Do it daily for 30 minutes. Don't second guess yourself.
Don't pick something that yells fad.
Walking or running works for building endurance. 30 minutes - how much distance can you cover? Now, every day, try and cover a bit more. When you are stuck, increase the time to 40 minutes. Repeat this until you are at 60 minutes and 3 months.
Yoga works for flexibility. You can find a 30-minute routine on YouTube. Or just the wonderful surya namaskaram is ample. Do it for 30 minutes. Daily. 3 months.
30 minutes/day for 3 months is what lies between the old you and not being the old you.
Find 30 minutes. Take control.
3 quotes for this week
If you don’t have 10 minutes, you don’t have a life.
– Tony Robbins
Over the past 12 months, I've added 3 10-minute activities to my plate - meditation, journal writing and breathing drills. The first 6 months featured many stop-starts, irregularity, not seeing the point, justifying how busy I am when I didn't do it.
When people tell me they don't have an hour in their day to spend on their body, to dedicate towards movement - I know it is simply about them not prioritising it. Well, turns out, my problem was the same. I needed to make time for it - it was not gonna magically happen. Nor was I going to gain rapid enlightenment that made doing these activities a no-brainer.
If information was the answer, then we'd all be billionaires with perfect abs.
– Derek Sivers
I love this guy!
The change is from inner to outer.
We start by dissolving our attitude not by altering outer conditions.
– Bruce Lee
We want others to change. We think changing our current setting - getting a new work desk or changing the orientation of our room will suddenly make us extra productive and all that. While a cluttered desk or a messy workspace can make it hard to be productive, the real change and maybe the only change possible is internal.
an email from a student on six months of progress
I am sharing this with you because I feel it epitomises what we do at The Quad - we want to educate, we want to show you why sustainable long-term thinking is the way to approach this. And most of all, the magic ingredient is YOU. You need to figure out the actual stuff for your context.
This wise young man, let's call him KN, does all that and more (and in the process makes me look like a genius - but it is all him!) And he's crazy polite and careful with his words. His email is produced below, with just a few abbreviations fixed for the ease of reading.
Hello Coach Arvind.
I hope you are doing well and everyone's safe from this oncoming second wave.
It has been exactly 6 months and 1 week since I started on working on my lifestyle more actively after seeking your advice. I began in October, weighing a very unhealthy 129 kg, not feeling fit, regularly tired both mentally and physically. However, I'm glad I took the decision to work on something that I had the time and ability to work on and approached you.
You taught me how to eat, instead directing me on what to eat. In the sense, you did suggest me things but you also allowed me to figure things and out and patiently gave me feedback. Well that's what [has] allowed me to now maintain a mostly consistent diet for half a year now. The funny thing is I did not realise half a year has passed by. Before, if someone asked me to maintain a consistent diet for six months, I'd have definitely thought it as a tedious task. However, now it's been almost casual, an integral part of my day to day life. I remember how you used to explain to us about 'good reps', how good reps eventually become rote memory and in turn ensure optimal training and insure against injury in the long run. I realise that every time I had a good day with respect to the food I ate, it was a good rep. My brain felt that whatever I ate was sufficient, was tasty and it didn't have FOMO. A good diet rep if I may.
As of today morning I weigh in at 110 kg, 19 kilos lighter than when I'd begun. And like you've always insisted, I've been measuring inch loss primarily (however checking the scales occasionally to see myself have lost of few kilos is great feeling), and I've almost lost 10+ cm on all measurements except my thigh ( which are now more visibly muscular but haven't changed much with respect to the circumference)
I just wanted to let you know that your advice helped me a lot to be where I am right now, and most definitely will continue to help me as I move forward. I know this email encompasses majorly about the diet part but I hope I can soon train under you again so I can write you a mail about that as well.
What I learned from KN
Good reps. A good diet rep, as KN calls it. Everything in life depends on good reps. The more good reps you do, of anything, the more your skill improves. The more the habit becomes a habit. The better the outcome. If we can learn to look at things not in an isolated fashion - "should I eat this chocolate" - but instead, how many good reps have we gotten this week/month/year, the larger picture allows us a lot more leeway and growth.
Figuring things out for yourself. There are a lot of right methods out there. Some might work for you, some might not. But those that don't work for you might work for your friend. It is NOT about the method but about the context translation that has happened. How a way of eating or how an exercise routine or a group class or training by yourself fits into your life is something only you can do. All successful people contextualise the method for themselves.
Patience. Believe in the process. Keep putting in good reps. Stay in the game.
Recognise you want to "not be here". KN had been training with us for a few months before this period of change. He didn't just show up and see these results. He had a stop-start period. He found it hard to wake up and come to class. He found it hard to have the motivation, while having to study 12+ hour days for his exams. Sitting too much meant back pain. These are all issues that KN had to overcome. But he was able to do that with intent only after he recognised that he did not want to be where he was.
Do the work. There's no way around this. Diligence. Perseverance. One step at a time. One day at a time. Not worrying about slip-ups.
I hope you are inspired. I certainly am! I've learned so much from this email exchange with KN and I think I can be a better teacher, as well as learn to apply things better in my life. I am also reminded to read what common themes run with my successful students.
Good "life" reps.
Thanks for reading/listening. I hope you found it useful.
