What is your definition of easy?

Rooney Rule: What is easy to do is also easy not to do. Your personal definition of “easy” will determine the height you reach in life.

Hello Warriors,One of the Principles of TFW is that your body is an incredible informant that is always trying to tell you something. Most of us, unfortunately, have either forgotten how or choose not to listen to what our body is saying to us. If you don’t agree or completely understand, here are a few common examples of how people regularly ignore what our amazing body is attempting to tell us:

• Many people eat food that makes them feel sluggish or tired, yet they continue to make the same food choices.
• Many people’s bodies pack on fat, develop high blood pressure, diabetes, and a whole host of other diet related disorders, yet they continue to eat incorrectly.
• People develop overuse injuries and continue to batter the same areas instead of giving that area the rest for which the body is screaming.
• People awaken tired from too little sleep, but continue to deprive the body of that all important recovery mechanism on following nights.
• People’s bodies “know” that daily exercise is healthy, but they continue to lead sedentary lifestyles.
• People make themselves sick from toxic behaviors like drinking and smoking, yet continue to indulge in these damaging acts.

We all take on physical challenges every day. Whether it is beginning a sport, landscaping the yard, moving some furniture or chasing the kids, we often experience soreness or fatigue in certain areas as a result. I have concluded that there are a few possibilities causing the issue:

• These are areas that you may not have used in some time.
• These are areas that you have not used in that particular way before.
• These are areas that are require the development more strength, flexibility and endurance.

I believe you might think the list above is “common sense.” The problem, however, is that it is not common for people to take action on what number three is trying to tell them. This leads me to another Principle of TFW: knowledge is rarely important without action. Once you recognize what your body is telling you (whether it is to eat right, lose weight, train smarter or recover more), you need to actually carry out that request! As I have learned, our society’s greatest mistake is to make the same mistake. Not listening to your body long enough is exactly where most of the world’s health problems come from in the first place.

This email should be a harsh reminder that we were given two ears and one mouth because we should listen twice as much as we talk (and, for many of us, eat!). Although the media would love to attempt to paralyze you with the belief that concepts like training and nutrition are very complex, if you pay close attention, they are actually quite simple:

You know what to eat because your body tells you what you need and when it is hungry. Eat It.

You know when you need rest because your body tells you when it is tired or sore. Take It.

You know the area to train because your body tells you when and where it is weak or improperly prepared. Train It.

Proper recovery, training and nutrition. With the correct mixture of these three variables, you and your body can do anything. The body knows it can be done. Now it is just your mind’s turn to listen…and then take action.

Yours in Strength,

Martin Rooney