This post is my personal guide to physical fitness and health. I'm not an expert by any means, but I have spent hundreds of hours researching, experimenting, and applying information that I've learned online and from experts that I know personally.

I find myself sharing this information with a lot of people in my life, so I figured I would collect it all in one place so that I could share it more easily.

This article is for you if:

• You just want to feel better with some simple tips and changes.
• You want to improve your physical health.
• You want to build muscle and strength.
• You want to improve your flexibility.
• You have struggled with exercising consistently.
• You struggle to gain, lose, or maintain your weight.

I think of physical health as being one of the biggest influences on mental health. If you're looking for a way to improve your mental health as well, starting with your physical health is a great first step.

I've been exercising rigorously and consistently for the past seven years. Some basics about me:

• I'm 28 years old.
• I started exercising seriously in 2017.
• I tore my ACL in 2020 and had it repaired in 2022.

I'm structuring this article as a set of pillars that build on top of each other, one onto the next and onto the next. I'll revisit this article throughout my life and expand upon ideas that I decide to change or new ideas that I want to introduce or perhaps old ideas that I decide to remove.

Lets jump right in.

Pillar 1: Sleep

Sleep is the most important thing you can do for your physical health.

Simple tips:

• Go to bed at the same time every night.
• Wake up at the same time every morning (even on the weekends, no exceptions).
• Avoid screens for at least an hour before bed.
• Avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours before bed.
• Get a sleep mask -- its cheaper than blackout curtains and it works just as well.
• Sleep in the cold, ideally 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Get a pillow that you love.
• Use a weighted blanket (I love mine and have been using one for almost 8 years now).

If you're someone with an inconsistent sleep schedule, you will have a really tough life. Not only are you putting your body through a lot of stress, but you're also putting your mind through a lot of stress. And your brain will experience extreme degradation as you age.

There's a ton of research coming out correlating brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's with sleep deprivation.

There's nothing more important than sleep. If you respect yourself and care about your future, you will make sleep a priority. Do not be late, its the most important meeting on your calendar.

Pillar 2: Drinking Water

Out of all of the things in this article, nothing will have a bigger impact on your physical health than drinking water.

I aim to drink about 1 gallon (128 ounces) of water every day.

That's a lot of water. I know, I know.

But it's more important than you think. Your body is 60% water. Your joints are 70-80% water. Your brain is 75% water.

Water is the lubricant for your body. It's the fuel for your body. It's the way your body detoxifies itself. I think of water as a cleanser, cleaning and filtering as it passes through my body.

If you try to exercise without drinking water, you're going to feel like crap.

You might be thinking:

• "I don't want to have to pee so much."
• "I don't want to have to carry a water bottle everywhere I go."
• "I already drink enough water."
• "I don't like the taste of water."

You'll adapt, and it'll be worth it. It'll become like second nature and you'll wonder how you ever lived drinking less water. You'll start to actually feel the effects of dehydration. Your bladder will also expand and adapt, and you'll be able to hold more water.

Some of my hacks:

• Drink a glass of water when you wake up, right away. This will prime your body in incredible ways that if you haven't done before will shock you as you build the habit.
• Drink water constantly throughout the day, rather than waiting until you're thirsty. (by that point you're already a bit dehydrated)
• Getting a water bottle that you love and carrying it everywhere you go. I love my water bottle and I literally carry it everywhere I go (yes, even on dates sometimes 😆).
• Figure out what temperature of what water you like. I like mine cold, but some people like it warm. My water bottle is insulated and I can keep my water cold for hours.

Pillar 3: Mindset

When I first got into exercise, my mindset was completely flawed. It was based on the idea of delayed gratification.

I thought of exercise as something that I would only see the benefits of in three, four, or five years. Because I was extremely skinny and very far from the ideal body that I wanted. I was about 125 pounds. I didn't feel attractive and I had very low confidence.

What I would say to myself:

"I won't enjoy this process in the short term, but in a few years it'll pay off. I'll be in the best shape of my life, I just need to suffer through this workout today and sacrifice a few hours of my day. It'll pay off, I hope."

This thinking is completely flawed and unsustainable. This mindset develops whats called an outcome-based habit. I am committing to the habit of exercise because I want to look a certain way in the future. I won't actually benefit from this until a few years from now. This habit is very hard to sustain.

Instead, I began to force myself to think differently, and started saying:

"I'm someone who values their health. I'm someone who is committed to their health. I'm someone who is committed to their fitness. I will show up everyday because that's who I am, and I will prove to myself that I am someone who is committed to their health every time I go to the gym or do a workout."

This thinking gives me immediate gratification. I'm not waiting for a few years from now to see the benefits of my hard work. I'm seeing the benefits of my hard work right now. Every time I go to the gym, I'm proving to myself that I am someone who is committed to their health. I have something to be proud of right now. This is known as an identity-based habit.

It took me a few years for this mindset to be unbreakable, but once it was, I was able to exercise consistently for the past seven years. I absolutely love being healthy. Its the greatest asset one can have. My dad always said "your health is your wealth" and he's absolutely right. There's nothing more important than your health. Everything is downstream of that, so start identifying with the person you want to be today.

I used to have a voice in my head that would say "you can skip the gym today, its ok, you'll be fine." But that voice is gone now. Skipping the gym actually triggers a whole new voice in my head "you're going to feel like crap if you don't go to the gym today" and its true.

Even if your goal isn't go to the gym and exercise, this mindset will help you with stuff like:

• Eating cleaner and healthier.
• Being more consistent with your sleep schedule.
• Saying no to things that you know are bad for your health (like smoking, drinking, etc.)

"I am someone who is committed to my health." Say it over and over and over again.

Pillar 4: Avoiding Injury

I can't stress this enough, avoiding injury is the most important thing you can do for your physical health.

I tore my ACL in 2020 and had it repaired in 2022. I've had a few other injuries since then, but I've been able to recover from them quickly and get back to the gym. I tore my ACL because I was not investing in my core and leg strength enough, and I was not taking the best care of my body. I was overinvesting in upper body strength and not enough in lower body strength.

I've learned a lot about how to avoid injury and I've learned a lot about how to recover from injury.

Most importantly, I've learned that the best ability is availability.

"the best ability is availability"

Ditch The Pride

Exercising is not about showing off. It's about getting stronger and healthier.

Leave your pride at the door when you exercise. The journey is you against you.

Stretch

Stretching is a great way to avoid injury. It's a great way to warm up your muscles and get them ready for the workout. Go on Youtube and search for simple stretches like "5 minute stretches" or "10 minute stretches". Do them before your exercises, and when you wake up in the morning.

Activate Your Core (squeeze)

Nearly every movement you make uses your core (abs, short for abdominal muscles). Squeeze it when you walk up stairs, when you sit down or stand up, when you walk or run or exercise. The core is the foundation of your stability and strength.

Breathe

Breathing is incredibly important for your physical health. It's the fuel for your body. It's the way your body detoxifies itself. I think of water as a cleanser, cleaning and filtering as it passes through my body. When exercising, breathing is important to keep your muscles oxygenated and to keep your heart rate up.

Slow Down

Its not a race. If you find yourself throwing weights around super fast, you're probably using too much weight and you're overcompensating for it with momentum.

Listen to Your Body

If you're feeling pain, stop. It is almost never a good idea to workout through pain. You're probably injured in some way and should look into it.

Pain from soreness that you get after exercise is the one exception to this rule. It's a good sign that you're pushing yourself and that you're getting stronger. There is such a thing as being too sore and you should avoid that because it'll reduce your ability to exercise. You want to be just sore enough to feel like you're getting stronger, but not so sore that you can't move for several days.

More Resources

One of my favorite books about injury prevention is called Play Forever by Dr. Kevin Stone. (disclaimer, Dr. Stone is the surgeon that repaired my ACL, I'm a big fan of him).

Take Care of Your Heart

The leading cause of death in the world is heart disease. Your heart is 95% muscle tissue. It can be exercised, just like your arms and legs!

Cardio is a great way to take care of your heart. It's a great way to get your heart rate up and to get your heart pumping.

I think of my heart like a car, it'll incur some mileage throughout my life, and eventually it'll break down and once it does, my time is up. Therefore, its one of the most important investments you can make in your life.

Imagine if I live to 60, and my heart is beating on average 90 times per minute throughout the day.

That's roughly:

90 (beats) * 60 (minutes) * 24 (hours) * 365 (days)

That's about 47,304,000 (yes, 47 million) beats per year, and roughly 2,838,240,000 beats per lifetime (that's two billion with a b).

I'd be lucky if my car gets to 300,000 miles. How do I get it there? Simple stuff: change the oil, let it warm up before driving, making sure it gets the maintenance it needs. Caring for it!!

Care for your heart. You might be thinking "I never liked cardio, I'm just not a fan of it." Try to shift your mindset and think "if I take care of my heart, it'll take care of me for the rest of my life."

You only have one heart. It can be easy, going on speed walks, running, biking, or even just walking. The key is consistency. Whatever your preferred form of cardio is, just do it consistently as often as you possibly can.

Pillar 5: Doing the work

Now that you have the mindset and packed your gym bag and made your way over to the gym, what do you actually do?

I have some simple tips on how to do the work, what I find important, and how I approach being active.

Track Your Progress

No matter what you end up doing (weightlifting, pilates, yoga, cardio, etc.) you should track your progress.

If you're at the fitness level that you're happy with, you just need to sustain your load. But if you're not (which most people aren't), you want to make sure you're progressively overloading your body.

Your body will adapt to the load you put on it. If you're not progressing, you're not getting stronger.

Weightlifting

I love weightlifting. I've been lifting weights for the past seven years and I've seen incredible results. I have a lot more strength and my body is in great shape.

Weightlifting can be pretty boring, its true. But I've found that if you're doing the right things, you can make it fun. I like to mix up my exercises, and with tools like ChatGPT its super easy to craft new fun workouts.

Some advice that completely changed my progress with weightlifting:

• Ditch the pride, pick a weight you can control.
• Build a mind-muscle connection. Focus on your form and the movement, look in the mirror to see your form.
• Go slow -- focus on doing the movement correctly.
• Respect the time between sets. If you have 30 seconds of rest, do not spend 5 minutes on your phone and then start the next set. No dilly dallying.
• Activate your core. No matter the routine, it'll make a difference.
• Slowly increase load. In some workouts I won't see a change in weight for weeks, and that's ok.
• If you're lifting heavy, get someone to spot you. Better to be safe than sorry.
• Avoid PRs unless you're lifting for a competition. PRs are great, but they're not the only way to progress. Progressive overload is the key.

Cardio

I love to:

• Run
• Bike
• Walk

Some underrated cardio machines:

• Elliptical: Almost zero joint impact, and a great way to get your heart rate up.
• Stair climber: A great way to get your heart rate up and to work your legs. This thing kicks my ass every time and I love it.
• Rowing machine: A great way to get your heart rate up and to work your back and arms. Again, nearly zero joint impact.

Fun Sports

Sports with others is by far the funnest and easiest form of work that will be super easy to make consistent. I love playing basketball, albeit my body is starting to struggle to keep up with the intensity of the game. I still absolutely love it. I feel compelled to play, and the hard part is stopping because I have so much damn fun haha.

Find a group of folks who love to play a sport and make it a regular thing. You'll hit two birds with one stone: hanging out with friends and getting in some exercise.

Pillar 6: Nutrition

One of things I've learned about nutrition is that what works for one person doesn't work for everyone.

I used to think the word "diet" meant "not eating stuff I enjoy." I've come up with a new definition for diet after actually learning about nutrition. Diet is:

• When you eat
• How much you eat
• What you eat
• When you don't eat

Macros

You should know the basics of macros. All food is made up of three macro-nutrients:

• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fat

Simple and useful information to know about macros:

• Protein and carbs have the same number of calories per gram (4 calories per gram).
• Fat has 9 calories per gram.
• Fat and protein are harder to digest than carbohydrates, so they take longer to digest and keep you full for longer.
• Carbs are not bad on their own. They're not the enemy. They're the body's preferred fuel source. Your brain only runs on glucose, which is what carbs are converted into when they're digested.
• Fat and protein can both be converted into glucose (which is why people on keto diets still have brains that work haha).

As a learning exercise, I encourage you to count your calories for a few days. You'll be shocked at how much you're actually eating. Before you start, write down your guess for how many calories you think you're eating each day. Then, count your calories for a few days. You should aim to build an intuition of how many calories foods have, its a great way to understand how much you're actually eating.

Every single person consumes some amount of calories each day just by being alive. For me, that's around 1,800 calories per day. I also burn around 700 calories per day from my exercise, so I burn roughly 2,500 calories each day.

If I want to lose weight, all I need to do is eat less than 2,500 calories per day.

If I want to gain weight, all I need to do is eat more than 2,500 calories per day. Another trick for me that has helped me gain weight (as someone who was way too skinny for most of their life) is to eat 5-6 mid-sized meals a day, rather than 3 large meals (my post-workout meal is the largest meal of the day, at around 900 calories, its a smoothie).

If I want to maintain my weight, all I need to do is eat 2,500 calories per day.

If you're raising children, please for the love of all that is holy feed them protein.

Timing

I like to workout in the morning, so I always eat a mid-sized breakfast.

The most important meal of your day is the meal you eat immediately after a workout. The 30-90 minutes after a workout is known as the anabolic window. Try to eat a nice meal with lots of protein and carbs.

The only time you should try and avoid eating is right before bed. Its disruptive to your sleep and as you saw in pillar 1, sleep is the most important thing for your physical health.

Ditch the Soda

Soda is pure sugar. If you're someone who drinks soda, cutting it from your diet will have a huge impact on your physical health. You stand to gain a lot and you'll feel the impact pretty fast. Again, for children, please don't give them soda.

More Resources

• Here's one of my favorite TedEd videos about the digestive system.

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Alright, that's it for now. I'll be updating this article as I learn more about physical health and fitness. Feel free to bookmark this page and check back periodically for updates.