3 Fitness Lessons from 2024

FTF #119

December 27, 2024

Hey there - it’s Don.

Happy Friday!

I hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas.

Enrollment for the next KB Strength System cohort is opening up soon. Learn more and get on the waitlist. There will only be 10 spots available.

Let’s jump into this week’s Fit Tip Friday!

🔎 In This Fit Tip Friday

Inside you’ll find:

  • 3 fitness lessons from 2024

  • Ozempic and gila monsters

  • Hand care 101 for kettlebell training, 14 most nutrient dense vegetables, and more.

First time reading? Sign-up here.

Tip: 3 Fitness Lessons from 2024

Click here to read this on the Layman’s Fitness website

With the sun setting on 2024, I’ve been reflecting a lot on this past year.

I thought I’d share 3 of the most impactful fitness lessons in 2024, so you can glean from some of the mistakes/lessons I learned.

#1 - The north star: fitness is stewardship 

When you boil fitness down to it’s most basic unit, it’s all about taking care of a body that doesn’t belong to me (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

God has given each of us a physical body. It was created by Him… created for Him… and sustained by Him (Colossians 1:16-17).

And following the north star of stewardship has turned learning about fitness into one exciting adventure.

#2 - I need to be reminded more than I need to be taught

When I encountered a problem with fitness this year, I thought more information would solve it.

But I was wrong. What ended up helping the most was reminding myself of the things I already knew to work.

And here are the 6 things I kept going back to:

  1. Train mostly with 3-5 compound movements

  2. Walk 9k+ steps

  3. Get 7-8+ hours of sleep

  4. Eat mostly foods with one ingredient

  5. Consume .7g - 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight

  6. Drink ½ my bodyweight in fluid ounces of water

#3 - Prioritize sleep

One of the worst health habits I had in 2023 was shortcutting sleep.

I didn’t track sleep regularly in 2023, but I bet it was between 6-7 hours a night.

I started working on it in June of this year, and for the last 6 months I’ve averaged 7 hours and 27 minutes a night.

Lots to improve on still, but not bad for a husband/dad with 3 young kids (6, 3, and 1).

Here are some of the things that helped:

  • Limit afternoon caffeine

  • Stop eating 3 hours before bed (around 6p/6:30p)

  • Kids in bed between 7:30p - 8:00pm.

  • No screens after 8pm

  • Start prepping for bed at 9pm

  • Use blackout curtains

  • Keep the bedroom cool (we run a ceiling fan)

  • Charge phones at night outside the bedroom

  • Go to bed by 9:30p

  • Wake up each day at 5a

He really does gives to His beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2). And it’s a gift.

🔎 Favorite Finds

Here’s a list of my favorite finds from this week.

Top find

Ozempic uses a synthetic protein first derived from a venomous lizard (more)

So.

The Gila monster is a venomous lizard native to southern U.S./northern Mexico. In the 90’s it was discovered this lizard has a hormone (exendin) that stimulates insulin secretion.

In 2005 the FDA approved a synthetic version of this protein. A decade+ later, exendin-4 is an active ingredient in Ozempic.

To be clear, actual lizard venom is not in Ozempic. But an FDA approved protein from its synthetic cousin (a few times removed) is.

Other finds

  • Hand care 101 for kettlebell training (more)

  • Intermittent fasting’s darkest secret… skip to the 7:15 mark for the best part (more)

  • Inner knee pain relief (more)

  • “Ozempic personality” (more)

  • 14 most nutrient dense vegetables (more)

From Layman’s Fitness

  • This 20 minute kettlebell workout (more)

👍 Thanks for reading!

I’ll see you next week.

Be strong,

Don

P.S. The KB Strength System will re-open in January.

Spots are limited, so if you’re interested in this for 2025 you can learn more and join the waitlist.

How did you like today's newsletter?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.