Issue #24

Say goodbye to lower back pain, your weight is not the problem, turn on the autopilot, and our first challenge week!

Read time: 3.4 minutes

Hey Warriors,

This week is going to be about core work.

And I mean 2 things by that.

1) We’re going to work on your core strength by doing a life-saving exercise you probably never tried before.

2) We will talk about the essence of fitness, by focusing on physical improvement and mental strength.

For the latter, you will find a challenge at the end of this issue.
In fact, this whole week is going to be a challenge!

I’ll be really happy to hear your feedback about this mission, should you choose to accept it. 😉

If you need any help with your training, please let me know by replying to this email and I’ll share my answer with everyone.

Now let’s start! 💪

1. Watch your back.

If you think your core is just your abs, you’re in danger.

Your core strength is what keeps your upper and lower body together, and allows you to remain stable, powerful, and efficient.

Training only your abs would be like riding a Kawasaki with only the face shield of your helmet.

You have muscles all around your waist and you must train them.

Because if you’re like most people, you’re already paying the price of not doing it.

I’m referring to your lower back pain.

Do you want it to disappear?

Here is a great exercise for you.
Make sure you start slow, and add more reps as you’re getting comfortable with the movement.
Soon enough you’ll build a lower back of steel and will do it with ankle weights!

Click this link for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. Stop trying to treat the symptom, and address the real problem.

If you want to look fit, you should stop seeing your weight as the problem.

Even if your main goal is to slim down and fit in your old clothes again.

Your weight is not the problem.
It’s one symptom of the problem.

All your concerns and efforts should be directed to your fitness, strictly speaking.
Because it is causing a lot of other and more serious issues.

Take care of your health as a whole, tackle the problem at the core.

Train to be fit and you will look fit.

It’s a simple shift of mindset, but that will cause you to employ a whole different set of tactics.

Once you choose to fight the real issue, your methods will be more sustainable, you’ll have more patience, and you’ll improve many aspects of your life at once, including your mental health.

And you will finally reach and keep your ideal weight.

3. Autopilot mode: ON.

Automate as much as you can.
It’s much easier to stay consistent when things are simple.
It’s much easier to stick to the plan when you don’t think.

Of course you can’t automate your workout, but you can have a program and the same fixed training schedule every week.
You can automate your nutrition by eating more or less the same thing all the time and cooking in batch.

Create a morning routine, as well as an evening routine.
And make sure there is no space for thought or self-negotiation.

Schedule your leisure time too.
You need a wind down routine and it needs to be planned just as well.

The goal is to never let yourself feel like you have a choice.
Because the truth is if you really want to reach your goals, you don’t.

The sooner you remove options, the sooner you’ll become consistent.

4. It’s Challenge Week!

To build discipline requires a balance of making action smooth and easy, and training the mind for resilience.

This week we are going to increase our resilience and build a mind ready for war.

Every day we will add a challenge to a list so that on Monday we have 1 challenge, on Wednesday we have 3, and on Sunday we have 7.

None of them will feel good, and that’s the whole point.
This is a workout for your mind which you are free to continue after this week.
I do recommend you repeat it a few times a year, or maybe once a month.

Monday: take a cold shower.
Tuesday: walk when you usually take your car.
Wednesday: no phone after dinner.
Thursday: quit one bad daily habit.
Friday: do your max push-ups or leg raises.
Saturday: be the one who does everything in the house.
Sunday: add your own personal challenge to the list.

As the list of challenges increases, you should get both a feeling of hardship and a sense of accomplishment.

By the end of the week, you’ll be better armed to go after your goals.

I hope you found some useful tips and motivation in today's edition.

Please share your feedback and help me improve my content for everyone!

A great way to do this is by replying to this email with a personal question you have about fitness.

Thanks for reading and see you next week!

- Nico

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