Happy Monday,
The other day I was wearing a Gold’s gym sweatshirt while walking my dog, and a guy waved at me from across the street with a big smile on his face.
He said he and his wife have been going to Gold’s gym, the iconic gym in Venice Beach where Arnold Schwarzenegger has been known to train, for 47 years.
47 YEARS!!!
Now that’s dedication.
It’s also a good reminder for all of us that fitness shouldn’t be just about looking good for beach season or temporarily getting six-pack abs.
(In fact, research shows that appearance goals are the least motivating long-term. This is why I always encourage people to have some non-appearance-related goals, whether strength, skill or adventure-related.)
Instead, fitness can and should be a source of joy in your life. The daily grind at the gym can build confidence, self-discipline, and mental toughness like nothing else can. And as my neighbor clearly showed, it can be a source of pride and community.
You can bet that I’ll still be training 47 years from now.
Something cool to announce—
We just added two new workout packs to the 12 Minute Athlete app:
Jump Rope Workouts and Cross-Training Workouts 💪🎉
Both are just $0.99 USD or free with a Super Athlete Subscription ($9.99 USD / month) and include 15 time efficient, butt-kicking workouts each.
What I’m reading —
The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel
A little different than my normal reading material, but I’ve found this book fascinating and many of its lessons relatable to other areas of life. For example, Housel talks about the end of history illusion, a psychological concept where we think we’re going to be who we are today for the rest of our lives and fail to consider our future selves. This is why so many people have trouble saving for the future or making good financial decisions now. Interesting stuff.
(If you’re interested in this concept of the future self, check out this TED talk by Dan Gilbert on the subject.)
What I’m listening to —
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgenceby Dr. Anna Lembke
This book just came out and I can’t wait to start it. Dr. Lembke was recently on the Huberman Lab podcast talking about addiction, dopamine, finding the balance between pleasure and pain, and so much more. Fascinating stuff.
A quote that inspires me —
“All skills are perfected through the process of failure. Embrace loss as a necessary part of improvement.” — Jerry Lynch
What I’m training —
Karate katas.
Katas are forms in karate demonstrating proper technique, usually done solo. You can think of them a little like shadow boxing where you have an imaginary opponent in front of you, but since it’s karate you’re punching, kicking, and blocking. I just started learning the first basic kata. I feel like a kid, and it’s awesome.
Three new workouts —
12 Minute Conditioning Plyo Workout (12 minute, plyo box)
180 Rep Superstar Challenge Workout (Challenge, pull up bar, kettlebell)
12-Minute Medicine Ball AMRAP Workout (AMRAP, medicine ball)
And here’s a beginner handstand workout I posted on Instagram.
Remember, you can get these and all future workouts right in the 12 Minute Athlete app when you subscribe as a Super Athlete (this is WAY cheaper than joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer! In addition, you’ll be helping to support the site and making future features to the app possible.).
As always, I value your feedback, so 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!
Here’s to 47 more years of training,
– Krista
PS. Are there new features you’d like to see in the 12 Minute Athlete app? We’re currently in development mode hard at work with a goal of refreshing and updating the app and would love your feedback. You can reply to this email with any feature requests or suggestions.