

Discover more from Adam Ming
☕️ Happy New Year Friends! If this newsletter is NOT working for you this is a great time for us to part ways, clear up space in your inbox and you life and I wish you an amazing 2023. It this thing is working for you, can i ask you to lean in? Leave comments share your thoughts, talk to the others and maybe even support the work by getting a subscription. Whatever you decide to do, Thank You. I’m going to kick of the year by starting about exercise but really i’m talking about something else… Still here? Let’s Dig in!
There are many ways to exercise. Here are some and how I’ve failed at them. And what it has to do with being a professional illustrator.
Running.
I love to run, I can comfortably run 4 miles (slowly) with little prep, just put on my shoes and go.
Here’s some ways I end up not running:
I wake up too late
I wake up too early
It’s too hot
Or two cold.
My baby thinks we’re going out
My baby thinks I’m home to play with her
My running app needs an update on the phone
My running app needs an update on the watch
My phone OS needs an update
It rains
It’s easy to fail at running.
Muay Thai
I did Muay Thai for a couple of years. I have a natural aptitude for it, i.e I like hitting things hard over and over again in a variety of ways. I think I either came that way, or became that way in childhood.
Here’s some ways I end up not doing Muay Thai
I can’t find a time slot for a class that suits me
The personal trainer wakes up late
The gym is closed because of one of 55 public holidays we have in our country
The gym closed down. Covid
Working out in the Gym
I’ve never been able to go to the gym regularly it seem like there’s just so much friction.
I have no idea what I’m doing
I know what I’m doing, but it takes so much work to plan and track workouts and meals around the workouts
So many of the failure points of running and Muay Thai also apply.
And so…
I could also write about proper football, futsal, Pilates, and hikes, but I think you get the idea. Most types of exercise require an enormous amount of prep and coordination that only serial junkies could do it. (And I’m full of excuses)
There is however a 7-Minute workout that I found on youtube.
It’s 45 seconds of Push-ups to half burpees. Rest 15 Seconds.
45 Seconds of alternating toe taps. Rest 15 Seconds.
45 Seconds of side planks. Rest 15 Seconds.
45 Seconds of high to low planks. Rest 15 Seconds.
45 Seconds of butt kicks. Rest 15 Seconds.
45 Seconds of Knee Taps. Rest 15 Seconds
45 Seconds of Jumping Squats. Done.
It takes 7 minute and it’s really hard to find reasons not to do it, especially since I do it in my studio
This year when I think of exercise I’m only going to think of my 7 minute routine. No other exercise routine exists in my mind. I might do something else, but that might be as a form of leisure or a social activity. But as far as maintaining my physical health. I’m offering myself one option.
I can do it once, twice or 3 times a day.
I can do them concurrently, or whenever I feel I’ve been sitting too much.
I’m not in a profession that requires me to maintain a physique that you might see in a magazine. So just like I’ve simplified how I eat my meals. I’m simplifying how I do my exercise.
Of course there are a million ways to exercise that have all kinds of benefits. But real benefits come from ‘just doing it.’ So I’ve picked my exercise and freed up a ton of mental space just by elimination all manner of options.
Mental space that I will use to develop me illustration practice and other areas of my life.
Narrowing the Gap
Are there areas in your life that will be better served if you stopped dabbling and just picked one simple routine and just did it consistently?
044: One Simple Routine
LOL, Adam, this really resonates with me! Over lockdown I got SO fit doing YouTube videos every morning, plus a FaceTime exercise video twice a week both with my mum and my MIL.... aaaaaand for a long time now, I've................ stopped! I'm absolutely NOT one for NY resolutions, but your lists of reasons to NOT do exercise have really made me laugh as well as to examine myself more closely, and in the interests of futureproofing (a buzzword of mine - heck, I'm 48 with elderly relations, and it's terrifying! - I'm going to GET BACK ON THAT WAGON! Look out YouTube!
Great post - thank you! Happy, happy, happy new year to you and your beautiful family!
Happy New Year Adam. The answer is yes. Many things in my life. I used to think that creating variety and having loads of different to do was energising, but now, not! It feels crazy and chaotic and unhelpful. A clear routine frees the mind to concentrate on what really matters.