Everybody is An Athlete (+ a Bodyweight Stair Workout)

Happy Monday,

“If you have a body, you are an athlete.” — Bill Bowerman
I remember seeing this quote from the co-founder of Nike early on in my athletic journey and feeling it spark something in me. Could I really be an athlete? Up until that point, I’d never even considered it an option.
I grew up believing that I wasn’t athletic. I didn’t do my first push-up until I was twenty-one, and it took me years after that before ‘athlete’ became a core part of my identity.
What would happen if I actually tried to become stronger and fitter? I decided to give it my best shot. That one simple decision changed the trajectory of my life forever.
Over a decade later, it’s now one of my biggest goals in life to convince everyone of the truth of this simple statement. It doesn’t matter how un-athletic you might think you are, we humans are made to move.
If you’re not quite there yet, don’t get discouraged. Your activities of choice may be different than mine (not everyone will gravitate toward handstands and jiu-jitsu!), so keep experimenting. Try and find something that you’re naturally curious about and that feels more like play than a workout most of the time.
Start by believing you are an athlete — and then start taking small actions to act like one.

 

What I’m reading (book)

The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music by Victor Wooten

I loved this fun, quirky book full of wisdom about both music and life (and I’m not a musician!). It’s especially cool as an audiobook.

What I’m reading (article)

16 Life-Learnings From 16 Years of the Marginalian

This is one of my favorite newsletters and this list of lessons learned from writing it the last sixteen years is chock full of wisdom. Lesson #8: Seek out what magnifies your spirit.

Inspiration

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” — William James

What I’m training

Find some stairs and get to work! Give this bodyweight stair workout a try (and modify as necessary!).

Three new workouts

Athlete Speed HIIT Workout (12-minute, plyo box or equivalent)

Full Body Plyo HIIT Workout (12-minute,

12-Minute Bodyweight AMRAP Workout (AMRAP, equipment-free)

You can get these and all future workouts right in the 12 Minute Athlete app when you subscribe as a Super Athlete.

Questions? Feedback? Content requests?

Please feel free to reply directly to this email if you have any questions or comments (yes, I am a real human). I get a lot of emails and messages, so I can’t reply to all of them, but I do read everything you guys send me!

Dream bigger!

– Krista

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