The Truly Hard Stuff

Humans have no real defense for a great story. So, when we begin to explore exercise in any serious way, we have to tread carefully. The allure of fitness marketing is strong. It can be tricky to untangle it from the realities of a sustainable exercise practice. Hard is a compelling story. It’s appealing. It sells. Yet it often falls apart under pressure. That can’t be right. The real hard stuff is more like iron wrapped in cotton; you can’t evaluate its substance just from looking at it. You have to find it—and then feel it. The problem is that this kind of hard tends to live off-camera and in the grace notes. It’s tough to locate but important to find.

Some thoughts:

What Looks Hard

Pushing the majority of your sets beyond smooth execution and into jagged movement. Getting it done no matter what
Completely overhauling your nutrition or lifestyle via rigid rules
Relentless focus on a single metric, like caloric intake or weight on the bar
Tough self-talk. Being highly critical of yourself
All or nothing. Go hard or go home
Using all of your available bandwidth and energy
Rugged individualism
Comparison—with others or past/future versions of yourself
Being unwaveringly tough

What Is Hard

Maintaining a high standard for execution—even when it requires changing the plan
Continuously running small experiments, finding what reliably works, and keeping previous practices in a holding pattern—when not refining them
Looking at health through a systems lens. Zooming out when stuck
Compassionate self-talk. Being positive, and solutions-focused with yourself
All or something; find a way to maintain an integrity of practice—even if incredibly humble
Maintaining an energy reserve as a default setting
Community, collaboration, asking for support when needed
Presence
Being unwaveringly kind

The Truly Hard Stuff

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