Last week I turned 30 and I took some time to reflect upon my life. I sat down and decided to write out some rules to live by for a better life. In the past 6 months I've gone through some major changes. I lost my father, my full-time job and started my online coaching business. Life has been hectic but I'm happy to say that it is getting better, especially by implementing the rules that I have laid out.
In honor of my 30th birthday, here are 30 rules I'd love to share with you. I broke it down into several categories: fitness, life and relationships. Now bear in mind that these are rules for my life, so some of these may not apply to you. Without further ado...
1. Don't take your body for granted, especially if you're in your 20s. Take the time to invest into your health. Go out there and start exercising (I don't care what you do) and eating right. I have clients in their 30s and 40s saying that they wish they started earlier because they feel like they are playing catch up.
2. Foam roll and stretch out your hips and shoulders regularly, your neck and back will thank you in the long run.
3. Learn how to deadlift.
4. Do more pulling than pushing in your workouts, We spend most of our days hunched forward, so to counteract that do two pulls for every push you do. For example, for every set of bench press that you do, perform two sets of rows.
5. Nutrition is simple, but not easy. Eat a source of lean protein and veggies with each meal and drink plenty of water. Boom. Our industry loves to promote fad diets or complicated rules for eating, ignore them.
6. Sleep is an overlooked aspect in terms of getting lean and being healthy. Get at least 6 hours every night.
7. Fad diets and workouts will come and go but the basics will always remain. Focus on improving your workouts every week. Some different ways are to use more weight, do more reps/sets, rest less...or all of the above.
8. Learn to cook. It blows my mind how many people I've met that are my age and older who don't know how to. Take the time to learn this basic life skill.
9. Dedicate at least one day to meal prep for the week. For those of you who are trying to get lean and eat healthy, this is the best way to do it. Set aside a few hours on Sunday and get it done.
10. If all you do is lift weights, get some conditioning/cardio work in. It won't kill you or take away your gains.
11. Your mind will always talk yourself out of doing something new because it wants you to be comfortable. Fight against it and you'll grow.
12. If you have tell yourself that should do something, aka "I should probably work out more" or "I should probably eat healthier"...chances are you won't. Ask yourself if it is important to you enough or not. If so, change your mindset and reframe it to an easy action you can take.
13. Time is truly your most valuable asset. People will say that they don't have time to do x,y, z but if you look at their calendar and ask them how they spend their day, they definitely do. If something that you want to do is important to you, make time.
14. If someone doesn't benefit your life in a positive way, cut off ties with them.
15. Friends and family always have the best intentions for you, but they want to fit you into what they see you as, not what is best. Listen to their advice but take it with a grain of salt.
16. Always wanted to pick up a hobby? Don't wait forever, just do it. I always wanted to learn how to sing and decided to take lessons years ago. I hired a voice teacher and we ended up doing a song, here it is:
17. If a friend of yours has a big event or performance, do your best to show up. It will mean the world to them.
18. At events and functions, be the best dressed person in the room.
19. Multitasking doesn't work, it's better to focus on one thing at a time before moving onto the next. There's a lot of research backing this up.
20. They always say that your network is your net worth and it's so damn true. Surround yourself with people who can help you rise up to the level you want to be at.
21. Sometimes you can't do it all on your own and you have to hire a coach to help guide you to where you want to be. Even the world's best athletes and coaches have coaches themselves. I've hired one and she's been a tremendous help so far.
22. Fit is key, fit is king. Get your clothes tailored, especially if you've been losing fat/weight.
23. Whoever does the asking out on a date pays the bill. However, if your date doesn't offer to split the bill, that might be a red flag.
24. After experiencing a major death, take the time to grieve. Don't rush back into normal life right away. Allow yourself to go through whatever emotions you're experiencing.
25. If you're going to say that you're going to do something like write a book, complete a personal project or any other activity, get it done. I told myself for over a year that I'd write a fitness ebook. I finally buckled down and did it.
26. Wear sunscreen, your skin is gonna thank you for it.
27. A man is a protector, provider and presider. Be responsible for yourself, your loved ones and those who you have an obligation for. Thank you Ryan Michler from Order of Man for that nugget.
28. Floss everyday.
29. Read at least two new books per month.
30. The world doesn't owe you a damn thing, so get out there and take it.
Thanks for making it through my list. My advice to you all is to take the time to do some self-reflection. Figure out your values, what truly is important to you and write them down. So...what are some of the rules that you live by?
-Tim