My view on fitness and health:
I want to take the complex picture of health, and make it simple and achievable for everyone. Fitness and health have been overcomplicated in order to create a market of things we don't need. Supplements. Diet programs. Diet pills. Diet food. Multiple gym memberships. Specific clothes and sneakers. None of these are required to achieve a healthy goal. The one thing that is actually required, is consistency. And being consistent requires a strong mind, which develops at the convergence of a handful of practices:
• Exercise - The quintessential piece of any routine. It’s accessible. Within your control. The benefits of exercise stretch far beyond your body and into your brain. Movement should be part of everyones day.
• Cooking - A clean, whole foods diet is important, but it starts with an appreciation for the food you’re eating. And simply put, you appreciate food more when you cook it. The art of cooking is also a creative outlet. Opening your mind and giving you pleasure from seeing your creation.
• Reading - Long dense books. Short stories. A news article. A food label. You’re writing. There are endless benefits to reading that stretch far beyond the pages. Reading today, when technology is king, is of particular importance. Read before listening. Listen before watching.
• Writing - Putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, is a relief valve for you thoughts. Putting thought to paper makes room for new thoughts and to solve old ones. Writing is also a creative expression.
• Mindfulness - Sometimes included in one of the above, sometimes a separate practice. Meditation comes to mind. Mindfulness is anything that allows your mind to disconnect from your thoughts. Reading. Writing. Drawing. Surfing. Walking. Anything.
It’s my believe that if instead of focusing on the minutia, we set aside each day to work on the points above, we’ll make more progress more quickly than ever before, and the details will take care of theirselves. I want to help you make the time, by making it easy.
A little bit about me:
The first time I ever stepped into a weight room I was in elementary school. I got my first gym membership when I was 15. At age 17 I could bench press 325 lbs. When I was 24 I competed in my first triathlon (sprint distance), and by 32 I had competed in full distance triathlons (Ironman) in back to back years. And one year later I climbed my first mountain (Mt. Rainier).
Throughout my life exercise has always been a constant. The dedication to my practice is what has allowed me to repeatedly and successfully take on new physical challenges. But it’s also given me far more than just physical accolades. The mental benefits I’ve been afforded are harder to quantify, but are arguably far greater than anything physical I ever imagined.
This practice gave me the confidence and work ethic to excel at my job. It’s provided mental clarity when I had none. It’s given me a lifelong project (my body) to focus my mind on, and acted as a tool to sharpen my discipline. And most beneficial of all, my physical accomplishments have provided proof that I can take on difficult challenges, regardless of the arena, and succeed. The benefits of having this practice in my life are endless. And they are benefits that everyone has access to.
I started this website and newsletter to inspire others to start their practice. So that anyone can experience the life changing affects I have. On this site you’ll find resources, information, insights, workouts, meal ideas, as well as articles, books and podcasts that help me today and have helped me over the last two decades (and continue to help me to this day). Everything that’s here has been used or vetted by me, so you don’t have to go through the same level of trial and error I did (hopefully providing you with a kickstart).
I hope you enjoy the content and find it useful.
Cheers to your practice!
James.
