Hey there,
I’m an athlete and a writer. More than anything else, those two words make up the core of who I am.
I wasn’t always an athlete. As a late bloomer, I didn’t discover fitness until my early twenties, and it was years after that before it became part of my identity. These days, I divide my training between two main sports: boxing and hand balancing (the circus performer term for people who train handstands).
Unlike fitness, writing has long been a part of who I am. As a kid, you could find me with either my nose in a book or a pen and paper in my hand. I lived mainly in a fantasy world created by my imagination.
While I’ve always loved to write, it’s a skill I also took for granted. I never actively tried to get better at it. That is, until a few years ago, when I became determined to improve as a writer. At first, I was overwhelmed by the road ahead of me. How could I build a consistent writing habit? How could I figure out something worthwhile to say? And how could I get better as a writer?
It didn’t take long before I realized I could apply all the same tactics I’d built as an athlete to my writing. Writing and fitness have a lot in common.
Click here to read my article on how to train your writing (or any creative pursuit) like an athlete.
What I’m reading —
The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness / Epictetus
There’s so much wisdom in this little book. I typically read a few pages a night and journal about what I read. Note that this is the author’s interpretation of Epictetus’s writings. Still, it’s worth a read (or several).
What I’m listening to (audiobook) —
Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World byOlga Khazan
I’ve followed Khazan on Twitter for years and her dry sense of humor never fails to make me laugh. Weird, equally funny,is a mix of personal antidote and psychological research about what it means to be an outsider. The conclusion: being weird is awesome.
A quote that inspires me —
“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” ― Epictetus
What I’m training —
Here’s a fun bodyweight circuit workout I posted on Instagram this week. Try it and let me know how it goes!
Three new workouts —
Burpees + Plyos HIIT Workout (12 minute, plyo box or equivalent)
Full Body Dip Bar Workout (12 minute, dip bar or equivalent)
280 Rep Apartment-Friendly Challenge Workout (Time challenge, 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!
– Krista