Consistency, Road Trip Snacks, Push-up Variations, & Selfishness and Fitness

Hey there - it’s Don.

Happy Friday!

If you are new to the newsletter, my name is Don and I own Layman’s Fitness, which is a business that helps Christian guys lose weight and build strength all at home.

My family and I just returned from a road trip to Colorado. We spent the weekend visiting friends, making new memories as a family, and enjoying God’s creation.

All that mountain weather makes me excited to get outside more as the temperatures cool in the fall.

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

🔎 In This Fit Tip Friday

Inside you’ll find:

• Consistency with weight loss

• The best road trip snack

• 5 push-up variations using one kettlebell

• 30 high protein snacks that are healthy and portable…. (and more finds)

• Why it’s not selfish for Christian dads to focus on fitness

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Tip #1: Consistency With Weight Loss

Weight loss is a journey, and at times it can feel like a long one.

One of the biggest discouragements for anyone on a weight loss journey are slow results. All kinds of changes are made… diet, exercise, sleep, steps, etc… but the pounds shed slowly.

Something that has helped me is a mindset shift on the time anticipated for change.

➡️ Act in terms of days, measure in terms of months.

Days are where decisions are made. But when days are used as a measuring stick, it can be really discouraging, since progress bounces up and down.

But when decisions are made in days and progress is measured in months, you’ll look back one day months into the future and be shocked at how far you’ve come.

Tip #2: The Best Road Trip Snack

We just came back from driving to Colorado from Texas, and when on the road healthy snacks seem pretty limited.

Gas stations or rest stops typically carry all kinds of ultra-processed junk, and unless you are packing your snacks, the healthy options seem minimal.

So here’s my go-to road trip snack.

Beef jerky. Here’s why.

• Pretty much every gas station/rest stop will carry some kind of beef jerky. It’s almost always available.

• It has a high protein/low calorie ratio. For instance, the Jack Links Original beef jerky has an 80 calorie/10g protein ratio per serving.

• It’s easy to eat in the car, tastes amazing, and our kids love it.

Tip #3: 5 Push-Up Variations Using One Kettlebell

Bored with push-ups?

One kettlebell can provide unlimited push-up variations. Here are 5 to get you started:

1. Put one hand on the ground, and put the other hand on the handle of the kettlebell, and drop into a push-up.

2. Put one hand on the ground, and put the other hand on the top of the kettlebell underneath the handle, and drop into a push-up.

3. Put one hand on the ground, and lay the kettlebell on its side and put your hand on top of it, and drop into a push-up.

4. Lay the kettlebell on its side and put both hands on top of it, and drop into a push-up.

5. Put the kettlebell to the side of you. Do a push-up, then drag the kettlebell underneath you to the other side. Do another push-up, then drag the kettlebell back to the starting side.

Creativity is the only limitation here.

🔎 Finds/Resources This Week

Here are some of my favorite finds/resources this week.

Nutrition/Sleep

• 30 high protein snacks that are healthy and portable (more)

• The negative impact of hitting the snooze button (more)

• 5 worst foods for memory (more)

• The 14 healthiest cereals you can eat (more)

• Injury recovery: why sleep is so important (more)

Training

• 5-week, whole body single kettlebell workout routine (more)

• Too much high intensity exercise may be bad for your health (more)

• The Navy Seals physical training guide (more)

What’s New from Layman’s Fitness

• How kettlebells brought excitement back to my workouts (more)

• Fast chocolate protein oatmeal (more)

❓Why It’s Not Selfish for Christian Dads to Focus on Fitness

Once I got married and started having kids, I began to wonder if I was being selfish by caring about my health.

This was a new sensation for me. I started to feel as though I was “stealing time” away from my family each time I worked out.

And I was so used to hearing vices like “vanity” and “conceit” being attached to exercise that I wondered if I was just doing it all for myself.

But now, almost 10 years into marriage and 3 kids later, I’m convinced that focusing on fitness is not selfish.

Fitness is a duty. Here’s why I believe this.

➡️ Fitness = stewardship

Here are some stewardship questions to consider.

• Is it selfish to focus on earning an income?

• Is it selfish to to focus on using time well?

• Is it selfish to focus on using skills and gifts?

• It it selfish to focus on caring for land?

• Is it selfish to focus on caring for animals?

The answers to these questions depends on the motivation.

If money, time, skills, land, animals, etc… are stewarded for God’s glory and for the benefit of others, then these things become a duty.

Fitness is a stewardship issue. Our bodies were created by God and are for God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

So if our bodies are stewarded for God’s glory and for the benefit of others, then it’s not a selfish pursuit… it’s a duty.

Fitness doesn’t mean hours in the gym every day… or hours every day planning out a meticulously perfect diet.

It means taking care of our bodies so that we can move and so that our strength can be used for the benefit of others for the glory of God.

And now, my favorite part of fitness is showing my kids how to steward their bodies.

They are watching.

👍 Thanks for reading!

I’ll see you next week.

Be strong,

Don

P.S… If you are a Christian guy who wants to lose weight and build strength without spending hours away from your family at a gym, check this out.