The fitness industry hauls in hundreds of millions of dollars a year while our nation battles with Mexico for the title of the “world’s most obese nation.”  Though this oddity is one of the many ironies we live with on a daily basis, it is one that particularly interests me.  It interests me because i love to get to the bottom of things and secondly I want to help you.
 
The truth is, you need absolutely zero equipment to be fit. This is a troubling myth, the belief that we need money and fancy equipment to be fit, because it hurts the people who need to be fit without spending money and it acts an excuse for all the rest of us- “I can’t go to the gym so I can’t work out.” 
 
Those of means can afford to devise more and more entertaining and expensive ways to stay in shape. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, I like taking yoga classes sometimes, and paying for martial arts, and I’ve been a member at many gyms.   Plus, I know that I deliver a valuable service to many many people who can afford training and coaching.  But those without means, without extra time, and without options need to understand that fitness is democratic- everyone can participate equally.   No equipment is necessary.
 
Here are 10 Workouts you can do for free with no equipment:

1. Distance walk for an hour. If you can’t walk, then ride a bike.
   1. Pick a distance 2 or 3 miles from your home.
   2. Walk there and back
2. Muscle Endurance Workout- 20 reps each, 2-4 sets
   1. Push-Ups- do them at various angles or against the wall or on your knees if you need to
   2. Rows- prone, on the floor
   3. Squats- bad knees? Hold onto something
   4. Crunch
   5. Bridge
3. Sprints-10 Second Sprints. Can’t run? Bike
   1. Walk for 2 minutes
   2. Sprint 80% as fast as you can for 10 seconds
   3. Repeat 10 times with a 1 minute walk in between
   4. Walk 2 minutes to cool down
4. Isometric or Static Exercise- 20 seconds each, 3 sets
   1. Plank
   2. Wall Sit
   3. Side Plank
   4. Arm Curl Hold
   5. Push Up Hold
   6. Sit Up Hold
   7. Bridge Hold
   8. Downward Dog
5. Hill Intervals- 10
   1. Find a hill in your neighborhood
   2. Walk or jog up and down it 10 times
   3. Waive at your neighbors and ask them to join you
   4. Can’t walk or run? Bike
6. Supersets- alternate back and forth between these exercises, 1-3 sets of 10-20 each
   1. Squats / Push - Ups
   2. Prone Rows / Planks
   3. Bicycles / Bridges
   4. Push Up Twist / Chair Dips
   5. Mountain Climbers / Lunges
7. Jumping & Running
   1. Run or Jog in place 30 seconds
   2. Do 10 Jumping Jacks
   3. Walk in place 10 seconds to cool down
      
   4. Repeat 10 times
      
8. Manual Labor-
   1. 1 or 2 hours per week: Start a project in your yard, help an elderly neighbor, or volunteer
   2. Good for the soul!
9. Yoga
   1. Learn 6 poses
   2. Perform 5 breaths on each one
   3. Repeat 6 times each
      
   4. Can’t get in the floor? Do chair yoga?  You can find plenty of chair Yoga exercise on Youtube.
10. Stairs
    1. Walk to the top of the stairs
    2. Repeat 10 times

 Bonus: Learn to shadow box, or to do kickboxing.  Turn on some good tunes and get after it for 12 3- minute rounds.  This will flat our wear you out!

Have a great week!
 

What is stress? Technically stress can be good (eustress) or bad (distress), but for this essay, stress will refer to feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and unable to cope.  Acute (short-term) stress is good because it builds resilience and strength.  Acute stress would be things like exercise, or giving a speech, or competing in a sport.  Chronic stress is bad, because it creates a steady stream of cortisol, the stress hormone. 

Commuting long hours, living with huge debt, caring for a sick loved one, or doing a job you absolutely hate would be chronically stressful.  Cortisol makes it hard to sleep, hard to lose body fat, hard to preserve muscle, and ages us.

Stress in the modern world is largely mental in that we live relatively easy physical lives.  In that respect, strategies for dealing with mental stress will be directed towards coping strategies for the mind:

• Teach the Spirit to Direct the Mind

The mind has been compared to a wild horse that we must tame and teach.   If we don’t tame this wild horse it might bring us to places we don’t want to go, and we might get hurt.  I like this metaphor because we want to be in control of our mind, aka the horse, and not letting it control us.
Neuroticism is a largely modern affliction.  The pre-modern man didn’t have time to create stress-related sickness from neuroticism.    As little as a 100 years ago, man’s concern was for survival and the lifespan was about 45 years on average, versus 80 now.  Worry has been around forever but it is particularly devastating in our age because it is largely irrational.  One of the best and most powerful methods for dealing with stress then is to teach the spirit to direct the mind. 
​
What this basically means is to identify and live in harmony with your values, and then direct your mind to stay focused on these things.  The values of the spirit driving your thoughts and emotions will create a healthy and engaged mental world focused on the right things. Prayer and meditation are means of working in this respect, if done with sincerity. 

• Breathe

I’ve written about breathing before, because it is particularly powerful in relieving stress.  Breathing is both unconscious and conscious, which is one of the few things we do which is both.  We don’t have to think about breathing but we can if we consciously make ourselves breathe a certain way.   Controlling our breathing is analogous to controlling our mind, because we can control what we think about, just like we can control our breathing.  Deep breathing also releases nitric oxide, creating a euphoric feeling of happiness. 

• Say No

Sometimes we have a hard time prioritizing and saying no.  Get into the habit of only doing the things that matter to you, and say no when you need to.  This will free up time for focusing on other things, for getting organized, or to get out of debt.  Say No and try to live a peaceful and simple life, and you will feel much less stress.  Remember, you don’t have to. 

• Get Organized

Clutter can have a draining effect and make it hard to focus.  Clutter creates its own demands on your time and energy.    Every few months, get organized, throw stuff out or give it away.  Take a break from buying things.  One thing I started doing is every time I buy an article of clothing, I give something away. You can go overboard on this and get rid of too much of course, which would lead to an obsessive need for order and cleanliness.  Keep a healthy balance between the two.

• Get out of Debt

We take debt for granted, but for much of human history, debt with interest.  was seen as wrong in most cases.   Even Adam Smith, the intellectual father of Capitalism, had plenty of warning about the misuse of finance and banking.  Over-consumption is one of my favorite targets as a health writer because I have a strong sense of compassion for poor people, who get misled into a life of debt, which literally kills people.  Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard, the financial gurus, have done a good job of teaching people to live debt-free.  I understand business debt is different, and can be “spread around” among investors, but for most Americans, consumer debt it a terrible way of life.  Other than the very basic things, a house and a car, avoid debt at all costs. 

• Meditate

Meditating stimulates neurogenesis, the development and growth of new brain tissue, and creates new pathways for a stronger brain.  A stronger brain is a more resilient brain and one able to handle stress more effectively. 

• Have a Code of Honor

The classic code of Honor in Western society has been God, Family, Country in that order.  When you think of a Code of Honor you may think of George Washington, MLK, Gandhi, Helen Keller, or William Wallace, imperfect yet heroic men and women.  With the rise of the anti-hero it has become passé to think in these sincere terms, but I am attempting to give you an untypical and sincere orientation of mind with which you can look to imperfect, yet honorable heroes, to whom you can formulate your own way of being. 
Your code of honor might be different but it will involve rules of self-governance on how you do things.   Having pre-set rules of honor will save you and I a lot of stress and headaches because we will have standards set by which we know how to operate and think about things. 

• Journal

One of the best ways to process thoughts, emotions, and conflicts is to write them out in a journal.  Far from being some sort of overly emotional exercise of self-indulgence, journaling can create a more rational and grounded thinking response to challenges.  I keep a journal and use it from time to time and find it to be very helpful to relieve stress. 

• Prioritize Friendship

To me, this is one of the most powerful and important factors when it comes to managing stress.  Just like the other things listed here, this is not a technique, this is a way of life.  Life is made for friendship.
How strange and sad it is that so many people feel alone.  I am going to do more writing and research on this topic, but one of the most important things we can do is accomplish something with a friend.  Completing a task or project together, something you both feel strongly about, makes a different type of friendship, one forged by a common bond of deep meaning. 

Just ask someone on a sports team, political team, work team, or in the military or any other type of tight-knit group.  If you’ve been through hell together to succeed and accomplish the mission, the feeling is more like brotherhood than friendship for amusement.   This might take the form of a business project, a travel experience, or learning a skill or building something.  Particularly for men, the single most important factor in dealing with stress is to have friends and share a common goal.  This does not come easy, as subversive and politically correct society has purposefully shamed men for gathering together exclusively. 

• Seek Counseling

Sometimes life can be so daunting and stressful that we need someone to talk to.  Guilt, conflict, or confusion can be so overwhelming that we need to talk to an unbiased and caring person.  Talking with someone openly and honestly facilitates grieving, justice, clarity, and forgiveness.  This might take the form of a professional counselor, a minister, or a mentor. 

• Exercise

Like meditation, exercise stimulates neurogenesis and builds a more resilient brain.  Exercise releases endorphins and hormones which give us euphoric feelings and a sense of calm while at the same time providing a distraction of something else to “think” about while the brain’s unconscious processing can do its job.  Exercise also helps relieve physical symptoms of stress which act as a feedback loop creating mental anxiety in a back and forth motion, by breaking this chain reaction.  Exercise every day, even if it’s only a few minutes.  Jumping Jacks are fun and easy. 

• Always be Early

This is a work in progress for me and I’m trying to get better about it.  My problem is getting wrapped up in the moment and forgetting about the time.  But honestly, I think the “rush” of being late creates a drug-like effect which is why some of us do it.  Sometimes we’re late because we don’t realize it’s giving us this type of stressful high.  Or it could just be a touch of narcissism and immaturity.  Showing up late is stressful, not to mention disrespectful, so we need to train ourselves to be there early. 

• Get Outside

Get outside and get some fresh air and sunshine, which boosts Vitamin D and mental health, while giving us a chance to clear our heads.

• Take a Break from the Media and Technology

I’ve wasted too much time myself with media and these devices.  Not as much as some people, but what a stressful and wasteful way to spent time!  Most news has little effect on us, so why worry about it.  One of my favorite writers, Nasim Taleb, says it makes more sense to read the newspapers a year old, so that events can be properly interpreted based on the way events have played out in our own lives.  Technology devices are addictive and have a drug-like effect on the mind.  When you create an addiction, you create anxiety.  Avoid becoming addicted to devices by purposely turning them off for extended periods.

• Play

Is there anything more beautiful and fun and relaxing than being in a trout stream at around 7pm as the shining sun sets behind the trees, the warm winds blow, and the rhythms of nature flow by?  We need to make time to have fun and enjoy life, for no other reason than this: life is beautiful and to be enjoyed. 

• Think about Work as a series of Projects

You may have a salaried job, but if you think about it as a series of projects- finish this building, sell this business, write this book, etc.- it will take on a more meaningful and fulfilling context, particularly if you connect it to your core values. 

These are my favorite methods for dealing with stress.  Try them out and let me know what you think. 
Prepare and organize ahead of time and these things will all flow naturally for you.  This is the list once again:

• Teach the Spirit to Direct the Mind
• Breathe
• Say No
• Get Organized
• Get Out of Debt
• Meditate
• Have a Code of Honor
• Journal
• Prioritize Friendship
• Go to Counseling
• Exercise
• Always Be Early
• Get Outside
• Take a Break from Media and Technology
• Play
• Think About Work as a Series of Projects

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* This article about alcohol will appear in a nationally media publication soon.  Please pass it on to someone who may be of influence in this area or who is in high school or college. 

               Human beings are ritual creatures.  If we take away one ritual, we replace it with another.  Rituals can be meaningful, and rewarding, and they can shape us into better and happier people: more empathetic, educated, honorable, and fun to be around, among other good qualities.  Sometimes though, our habits and rituals form (or rather deform) our lives in destructive ways.  Our rituals shape what we love and what we love can kill us, both physically and spiritually.  On the other hand if done right, our habits and rituals can shape what we love and set us up for a lifetime of flourishing, joy, and fulfillment.  Whichever route we take, our rituals will shape our destiny.

                As a young boy I grew to love reading, politics, travel, art, history, God, exercise, the outdoors, and sports.  I never really enjoyed the classroom but I did have a voracious physical and intellectual appetite for stimulation, experience, and learning.   My rituals were reading on my own, exercise, sports, and the outdoors, and friendships.  When I went to college, like a lot of young people I added binge drinking and partying rituals and they took me somewhat away from my first loves.   A little partying is harmless but I’m afraid countless other young people have followed similar paths of self- destruction or at least potential self- destruction. 

              Even though I got a solid education at Auburn, what I did not realize at the time was how the social world of binge drinking was potentially dangerous.  Many “adults” never make it out of this lifestyle of using alcohol and drugs excessively or worse they end up using them to deal with life's ups and downs.  The results can be broken relationships, emotional immaturity, stunted intellectual and spiritual growth, and in some cases deaths and imprisonments.

                100s of 1000s of other young people have similarly gone down this path.  Some might say I’m being a “stick in the mud” but what can I say- I care.  Look, I know young people are going to drink. Admittedly, Alcohol can add quite a bit of fun into life.  It’s not the end of the world if young people drink, if it’s handled right, but I also know the culture of binge drinking can have devastating consequences.  Some young people will never grow out of these consequences and will be affected for the rest of their lives. 

                 Part of the problem is that young people, particularly young men, don’t have a cohesive life philosophy or narrative they are living out.  In place of any other life path, the high school / college partying path takes over.  Also, binge drinking can be a way for young men to show off, to show how much they can drink, like showing off a sports car, muscles, or anything else.  It’s an unconscious way to show sexual fitness for reproduction.  For women, it can be a way to escape reality or to go along socially.  Women tend to be more social and tend to go along with the crowd more.  If you don’t want to deal with reality, getting wasted is one of many bad options for putting off real problems or spiritual growth.  

                In place of any other form of meaning or spiritual depth, addictive alcohol consumption can become a “relationship” like a close friendship, or a spouse or significant other to provide meaning and intimacy.  Don’t believe me? Try mentioning to someone they might have a drinking problem and watch them get defensive.  You're threatening their "relationship" and ritual.  It's what they love.  We're not asking much out of our young people as far as contribution, or citizenship, other than for them to adopt a philosophy of utilitarian consumption and whimsical emotionalism, so why would it hurt for them to form themselves into nihilistic binge drinking "adults" and "citizens"?  After all, they would still be good consumers. 

                What good is thousands of dollars of tuition, and 2-6 years on campus if all we get is young people formed to drink and waste money?  To me, and I intuitively knew this deep down at the time I was in college, learning and becoming a productive and contributing citizen is about so much more.   How about getting involved in charity work, a club, a hobby, a big project, a debate team, politics, intramural sports, or a campus club?  How about starting a book club or learning a trade.   There are so many opportunities for young people now to dream big and think big, outside of this.  Even young people who do not go to college should be encouraged to live a well-rounded life.   Being a good citizen and person means contributing and being engaged. 

               I now drink in moderation a few days per week and I take periods of complete abstinence.  I enjoy it.  Some might say those who binge drink value alcohol too much, because they overindulge, but that’s not true.  For those who struggle to moderate and control alcohol, the real problem is not valuing alcohol enough and not giving it the respect it deserves.  Alcohol is addictive but alcohol is not the problem.  The same could be said about anger, food, work, social media, goofing off or any other type of ritual.  We can overdo it quite easily and allow these bad rituals to shape us.  All of these things give us endorphin highs and stimulate our brain.  But why bring ourselves more pain with bad rituals? Life is hard enough at times without adding to it.    Without balance and moderation, things that give us pleasure can also give us pain. 

                From the ancient monastic breweries of Austria and the vineyards of Sonoma, to the oak - aged bourbon barrels of Kentucky, and the craft brewery movement in the US, alcohol has long held an esteemed place in practically any rich culture.  One of my fondest travel memories is from a wine and steak dinner on a farm in rural Argentina- beautiful and I love a good cold beer on a hot summer day.  Alcohol will always be with us.  In the time before clean drinking water, alcohol was all there was to drink.  My challenge for you and I both is that we truly respect and enjoy our beer, our wine, and our spirits, and to not degrade these things or ourselves with them.

                Most importantly, keep in mind that our rituals shape our life and what we love.  There are millions of college and high school students who don't go down this path.  They have fun and drink responsibly in college and become a happy healthy adult.  How can we use rituals to be healthy, instead of unhealthy?  Respect yourself enough to find rituals which will shape life into something meaningful and worthwhile.   Of course, exercise makes for a great ritual and can help build mental strength and other healthy things.  There’s so much more to life than drinking.  We’ve all been around some people who shouldn’t drink at all.  Make sure  rituals build up a strong culture, not tear it down. 

               We all have to cope with stress, change, and uncertainty, particularly during the formative years. How will we learn to cope?  The only way to ever be truly free and healthy is to learn to set boundaries and limits.  Which rituals and habits will you choose to build your life around? The answer will determine how your life turns out.  
 
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Read Next: We Are Creatures of Habit

                I often hear people say they want to be fit and I often works with clients who say the exact same thing.  Being fit means different things to different people so the challenge is to decide what being fit means to you.  The American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Strength & Conditioning Associations, both good organizations which I’m involved with, have their textbook and quantitative definitions of what fitness is.  But these don’t work for every situation.  To say you want to be fit is a starting point.  It means you care enough to have some sort of drive or motivation. 

                At least if you want to be fit, you want something, you desire something.  The way I work and see things, being fit is not the end point and never will be, but as I’ve said before it can be a beginning towards something more meaningful.  My question for you is: Fit for what?  If you want to be the leader of a school, and teach your teachers and students well, and this is your primary goal, your parameters of fitness will be different from someone who wants to be a good soccer player, or weightlifter, or who wants to be a bikini model.     

                Maybe, like me, you want to be fit because you want to feel good.  This is my primary motivation.  I want to feel good, no matter what I’m doing.  I might do martial arts, run, give a talk, read a book, write an essay, get up at 5am 5 days straight, do yard work, run a few times, go swimming, and have 50-60 appointments all in a week’s time in addition to social engagements.  I want to feel good and have the energy to do this.  My main purpose in life is to become who I was created to be, and being fit is part of this, but being fit is not the main purpose of my life.   I want to be fit so I can enjoy life and feel good and live out the other, more important main purpose of giving of myself and my talents.  I want to be mentally sharp throughout my life so I want to challenge my brain and body to work together to stay fit. 

                What do you want to be fit for?  If you’ve read this far, the desire is there and you want to be fit for some reason.  That’s a good things because most people don’t even make it that far.  There’s more to life than work, and external goods, so I recommend hobbies, or practices.  Maybe you will decide to pick up a practice such as dance, or martial arts, or mountain biking, or swimming.  You want to improve at this and get better at it, so this is your motivation.  Hobbies are an appropriate way to develop commitment, passion, discipline, patience, and honesty.   Hobbies or practices are different from “play” in that they have a goal in mind, and are more than just acquiring a certain skill.   Football is a hobby, or practice, while throwing a pass is a skill. 

                You can participate in hobbies to make your fitness more fun and meaningful.  Practicing itself can be an internal good for you along the way, as you’re learning or practicing the hobby to prepare for a competition or demonstration.  When you reach a goal within the hobby this can be an internal and external good: you may win a trophy, or a t-shirt, or recognition but you may also win self-respect which only you will ever know or care about.  

                You’re doing the hobby with a goal in mind like finishing a race or winning a match, but, and this is important, you’re not doing the hobby just for the goal.   You’re practicing because you enjoy practice and practice is as good as achieving the end.   For example, if you asked me when I was writing a book if I “enjoyed” it, I’d say that I enjoyed it but not like I enjoy a BBQ sandwich or a conversation or a sunset.  Engaging in a meaningful practice is a different type of enjoyment, fuller and deeper than fleeting pleasure.  It is a “good” in a different way from the way a movie is good, or a piece of pie is good.  When you and a friend agree to play chess, you have to stick to the rules.  Within the context of the game, or hobby, or practice, you change and become better and you “enjoy” the process of playing, learning, and becoming better.  

                No one is going to force you to take on a practice of fitness but fitness is a worthy practice in its own right.  Fitness is something you will choose to do, or not, like any other hobby.  If you work outside all day, or do challenging physical work you may not have the energy to do “fitness” workouts and you might really need to rest at night.  Your job, say carpentry, or yoga teacher, may already make you physically fit.  You may prefer to learn to play the piano, or read a good book, or to learn to speak Arabic in the evenings.  For you, “fit for what?” takes on a different meaning.  You need to be fit to earn your income as a carpenter or yoga teacher, so fitness in the traditional sense or the way most people think of it, may not be appropriate for you.  

Again, to be fit, means to be “fit” for something and you get to decide what.   I have some questions and suggestions for you:

1) What do you want to be fit for?
2) What does it mean to be fit for you?
3) How will you know if you’re becoming “fit” or not?
4) Where and how will you learn to be “fit”?  Who or what will teach you? 
This requires humility, a rare commodity these days.  Remember, being “fit” can mean different things to different people.  But you still need to commit to a certain practice of some sort.

Here are some suggestions to get you thinking:

• What do you really want to become in life, inside and out? This will help you decide what to do with your “fitness” routine?
• Being fit could have high practical significance.  Here are some examples:
• Being able to walk all day, so you can go sightseeing on a trip.
• Being able to play baseball, basketball, or tennis, with your children.
• Being fit enough to surf or ski on vacation once a year.
• Being able to lead boy scouts on a trip.
• Being fit enough to do random physical activities reasonably well - hiking, canoeing, or fishing. 
• Being fit enough to defend yourself.
• Being fit to stay sexually active all of your life.
• Everyone needs at least one practice, or hobby.  It doesn’t have to be physically oriented, but if you can combine fitness and a hobby, even better.   I would suggest things like dance, martial arts, any type of sport, or biking or running, because they are inexpensive.   You could also participate in language acquisition, book clubs, writing, art, or other games- cards or chess.
• Fitness, or PE itself can be a practice.  For example, you could try to become fit at competing towards improving certain metrics: the number of push-ups, a timed mile run, sit - ups, or high jump.  There are 100s of fitness tests you can do. 
• You can compete against yourself in a hobby / practice, or against others, but I recommend both. 
• A very baseline idea of physical fitness would be as follows:
  • Mobility- Can I move?
  • Stability- Can I maintain posture?
  • Strength- Can I create force, or resist it?  
  • Power - Can I apply force quickly?
  • Endurance - Can I walk for an hour without stopping to rest? Can I jog 2 miles?

                To sum it up, a state of constant work, with no time to be truly “fit” is not a healthy way to live.  Everyone needs to take a break from work, from media, and from everything else and engage in a healthy hobby.  Everyone should answer the question- Fit for what?  Identifying what you want to be fit for, can help you get started towards a committed practice.   Don’t let anyone else fool you: You get to decide what being fit is for you and only you ultimately can decide if you’re getting fit or not.  But you have to be honest with yourself about how you’re doing on your fitness journey. 

                I could care less about running a marathon.  This is not my type of fitness, but its fine for some people.  If you pick a practice, stick with it and don’t change too often.  This is the “place” you will learn to be fit, and as a byproduct you’ll become a better person.  Focusing on 1 hobby at a time is something I do not do well at, but I’m trying to do better.  The problem is that I like to do too many different things!  Pick something, stick with it, and always remember what you’re becoming fit for.    Like I’ve said before- Fitness is not the point but it’s a starting point.  When you do start and you do achieve authentic fitness, you will have achieved fitness on both inside and out. 
 
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