"There is a mountain of information out there about health and fitness, but most of it is just not working for people. I wrote this book to help you understand the science-based reasons why it’s not your fault that you’ve failed to stick with exercise and other health-related behaviors, as well as to give you a new, simple framework for sustainable success.
Opportunities to move and enjoy physical movement are, quite literally, everywhere. I hope that the information and practical approaches in this book will enable you to find them, choose them, enjoy them, and use then to energize your life for a lifetime." - Michelle Segar, Ph.D.
One key that distinguishes Renewed Man from other recovery programs is that we emphasize a holistic approach ... and we list PHYSICAL health as a key ingredient in this work.
Here's why: we are multifaceted creatures ... and LASTING recovery requires
us to grow in our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. As the saying goes, "It's hard to stay sober if your life sucks."
Too many "purity groups" and "men's ministries" focus on getting people to stop certain problematic behaviors ... but do little to address the underlying issues that
brought people to these addictive behaviors to begin with.
If we don't find ways to make our life work ... then we will inevitably find our way back to addiction.
For this reason, any effort to deal with recovery from any addiction MUST address our physical health -- our nutrition, and our habits of exercise / movement. WHY? Because our physical health deeply impacts our emotional health. MUCH research has been done over the years to demonstrate how integrally tied our physical health is to other dimensions of our lives (mental health, relationships, work, even our
spiritual lives).
The goal we advocate is not that we need to get jacked ... just get healthy. We're not trying to become athletes or physical specimens (although if you want to go for that, more power to you). We're trying to develop habits that build happiness and calm into our lives. Just doing
that will be game-changing for most guys today.
Today I'm offering some ideas from a great book about physical movement by Michelle Segar. The book is called "No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness."
As the quote above suggests, the bottom line in this book is that we need to think differently about
movement … and find ways to make it happen in our lives. The sedentary nature of modern life is killing us! It's damaging us physically and shortening our lives. But it's also negatively impacting our energy levels and mental health.
I'm going to offer three KEY INSIGHTS from this
book for you to consider.
1. WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR MINDSET ABOUT MOVEMENT / EXERCISE
One of the
points Segar makes in the book is that we need to change our mindset about movement -- forget the dreaded term "exercise." Our bodies were made to move. We are much more healthy and happy if we find some way to incorporate physical movement into our lives. Ideally something every day. Here's how she puts it:
“You may think I’m crazy. Here I am, a professional in the health field, and I’m asking you for now to forget about health factors as your motivator. But I don’t ask lightly. I ask because I don’t want you to fail now, or fail again. If you fail, it doesn’t matter how good your intentions were when you started. Right now, let’s really pin down your Personal Meaning for exercise: When you think about exercise, does it feel like a chore you have to do?
Or like a gift you can’t wait to open? …
On a scale of 1 to 5—with 1 being ‘a chore to accomplish’ and 5 being ‘a gift to give yourself’—circle the number that best describes how you feel about exercise:
1 2 3 4 5
Chore Gift
2. DECIDE ON YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLE SELF-CARE HABIT
What’s your #1 nonnegotiable self-care habit that keeps you plugged in? As Dr. Segar says, “Without this, my day is not likely to go well.”
Segar’s #1 is sleep, followed by nutrition, followed by exercise, followed by meditation. Her husband’s is exercise, followed by sleep, followed by nutrition, followed by ESPN. Mine is nutrition, followed by sleep, followed by exercise, followed by prayer and meditation.
What about YOU?! What’s THE #1 thing you do that keeps you plugged in? The thing that, when you don’t do it, you’re likely to have a less-than-awesome day?
3. THINK SMALL. THINK LONG TERM.
"Consider that your goal is the ongoing pursuit of a lifetime of consistent physical movement and self-care... Your goal is lifelong behavior change, and that’s what we want to keep in mind—always.
“If you are going to learn how to balance physical activity within your life, the most strategic thing you can do is create small, realistic plans that you can more easily learn how to navigate. For example, mindfully choosing to add even an additional five minutes of physical activity into every day, if that’s all you
feel you have time for, will slowly build the realization that you can fit it in. And when you understand how to do that small amount consistently, you can think about ways to fit in a little bit more.
"Creating lifelong behavior is your goal, so your focus needs to be on learning how physical activity can
fit and stay in your busy life. And that’s not an easy task. People who join a gym and start out with modest plans to attend just a couple days a week are more likely to keep coming and stay members than those who begin with grandiose plans to come every day during the first couple weeks. If you are seeking a lifetime of fitness, it’s important to start smart.”
