Dr. Matt’s Top 10 Lessons from 20 Years of Fitness

Exercise. We all know we're supposed to do it, but making it a lifelong habit can be tougher than a hard leg day after a weekend bender.

After nearly 20 years steeped in the world of health and fitness, I've learned a few key lessons that have stuck with me through the ups, downs, gains, and occasional ice cream binges. These principles have become my foundation for getting fit as a fiddle, mentally and physically.

In this article, I'll dish out my 10 favorite empowering insights from my own journey to help you build exercise habits that last, conquer excuses, and reach your true potential. With some open-mindedness and grit, these lessons can reshape your mindset and transform your bod.

Let's dig in!

1. Voluntarily Doing Hard Stuff is Super Empowering. 😤

Getting comfortable doing things that are uncomfortable has become almost a cliche by now. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is a skill that transfers big time. The gym is the perfect place to practice voluntarily doing activities that push you. There are so many ways that the resilience you build in the gym, physically and mentally, benefits you outside of the gym.

Especially, when life tries to kick you in the dumbbells. 

2. “Selfish” Ambition. 😎

You should never feel ashamed of putting yourself first. Everyone around you benefits from you raising your vibration, energy, health, and fitness. When people hate, it's usually because you're reflecting their own laziness or insecurities back at them. These people can kick rocks. Keep doing your thing and remember that you'll hardly ever hear these kinds of things from people doing better than you.

2.5. "You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe"

This saying conveys the importance of building a strong core, both physically and mentally. Being selfless is noble, and admirable, but if it's repeatedly at your own expense, the longevity of your selflessness is limited. Take care of yourself, so you can better take care of yours.

Remember, put your own oxygen mask on first, then assist others.

3. Comparison is instinctual, but it's pointless. 😏

I love the quote "Everyone is fighting a battle that you know nothing about", and vice versa. Most people don't know your story, and you don't know theirs.

Your inner critic comes from your ego that just wants you emotionally safe.

Real talk: comparing yourself to others helps nada. Instead, focus on what you can control, your own growth, and not comparing yourself to anyone but your former self.

Another great quote:

"Don't compare your chapters 1-2-3.. to someone's chapters 10-20-30"

It's fine to aspire to look more like someone, or have certain qualities someone has, but you really have no idea what it took to obtain those qualities.. until you do. Keep going.

3.5. Gym Intimidation 😑

If the gym is intimidating it’s usually that ego of yours, again, trying to keep you safe. Your physical safety usually isn’t half the priority that your emotional safety is in this situation.

Someone once told me:

• At 20 years old you’re concerned with what EVERYONE thinks about you.

• At 40 you’ve lived enough to not care what ANYONE thinks about you anymore.

• At 60 you realize NOBODY was thinking about you to begin with.

Trust me, a vast majority of the people you think are thinking about you, judging you, maybe even laughing at you… simply aren’t. It's much more likely that they're caught up in their own stuff and you've misinterpreted their unintentional "looks". Keep that in mind.

4. Who’s In Control? 🧠

The gym teaches you, that you have more power over your capabilities than you think. You don't have to run and hide at the first sign of pain or adversity. For example, take common little gym injuries.. Most people think they better pack up and go home, immediately, out of the irrational pre-programmed fear that they will certainly make some little "strain", "nick" or "tweak" way worse. This simply isn't true, and too often it's just used as an excuse to be lazy. I've recovered from probably 10+ nearly inevitable little gym injuries (back tweaks, tendonitis here, strain there) by doing nothing other than modifying movements and training around the pain. Movement is medicine.

Also, seeing small changes in the gym (or even seemingly miraculous, spontaneous recovery from silly little aches and pains) week in and week out grooves something I’ve come to know is a “Growth Mindset”, which in essence is a mindset where you understand you’re not a fixed system. You understand that you’re in control, and with consistent focused effort, you can make positive changes toward any desired outcome, and small setbacks are just little speedbumps necessary for your maturation.

4.5. Progress is Addicting. 💪

When you do start to see changes, pat yourself on the back. Acknowledge and celebrate the small wins (preferably not with something that will destroy the progress). This can become a healthy addiction, that often spills over into other areas of your life. Reinforcing that “growth mindset” we just mentioned.

5. Delayed gratification. 🙂

This may be my favorite lesson that has just become engrained in me. Everybody wants everything in an instant these days. Unfortunately, that’s just not how human physiology works. Sometimes you have to put an immense amount of work into something without seeing the end result or maybe barely seeing changes at all. Condition your mind for delayed gains and you can achieve anything. You'll soon realize that consistent work and adherence to your plan/goal/direction is the only way to make progress, with anything.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" - Seneca

6. Confidence = Promises Kept. 🙏

Keeping promises you make to yourself, builds self-trust… which is confidence. Unfortunately, it also works in reverse, so when you break promises you’ve made to yourself, say hello to comparison, jealousy, insecurity, and lack of belief in yourself. That's all.

7. Creatures of Habit. 🔁

We are definitely creatures of habit. So, you might as well program productive ones and make them realistic. Give yourself non-negotiable triggers (i.e. I drink pre-workout, now there is no way I’m not working out).

I've read somewhere that the average human eats a majority of the same foods every single week. I believe it because I've seen it with myself and with clients. We like what we like.

We also do the same things and mostly stay in our comfort zones. Groove the idea that the gym is home, and it’s where you’re comfortable. Do your best to consciously design your comfort zone around programmed positive habits.

Also, habits stack up. In my experience, one positive habit leads to the next to the next. Small improvements turn into big ones, most of the time. But be realistic, radical changes rarely last, and sustainability is what makes a habit, and also what makes it effective.

8. Exercise is an Antidepressant. 💊

Working on your physical health and mental health happens at the same time. There is tons of literature on this now, but until you feel it, you don’t really care.

Try making the gym your happy place, and a place where you can let go of the outside anxieties, stressors, and worries. This mindset will help engrain the rock-solid habit of never wanting to miss a workout, but there's also a good chance that the exercise itself will help you through the stress and mental difficulties.

Exercise should be a pre-requisite for ANY antidepressant medication, change my mind.

9. The Concept of Time. ⏰

Spending hours in the gym is not wasting time or being selfish. I actually see it as preserving time and actually self-less. Who knows what kind of quantity and quality you could be adding to your life by staying physically active, strong, and mobile? Also, think about the burden you may be actually DECREASING, on your family and loved ones by being so self-sufficient and resilient. Training has a massive ROI, even if you can’t see it or feel it immediately. Keep this in mind the next time you think you don’t have time, or judge someone for dedicating so much time to their fitness goals.

9.5 Nothin’ But A Number 🔢

It seems like I hear "Don't get old, Dr. Matt" about 15 times on an average Monday. People use their age as an excuse too often… I believe aging is kind of optional, for a while, if you know how to leverage exercise in your favor. I see spry seniors schooling young bucks at the gym, regularly. Move it or lose it. Keep exercising and you can be fit at any age.

P.S. Resisting gravity is life, and not proactively becoming more efficient at that task, is kind of just giving up on your orthopedic health.

10. You Are The Captain Now. 👀

The brilliant dude I did my functional medicine training under had a quote "Most health-care is self-care". I couldn't agree more. You're the captain of your own ship when it comes to health and longevity - so fuel well, move often, think positively, and recover fully.

There you have it - 10 transformational lessons from my fitness journey. While some require breaking old patterns, implementing even a few can get you on the path towards better health.

Hard work and dedication to your health are contagious, and attractive.. like literally, attractive.. of people, energy, money, abundance, and opportunity. Most gyms are chock full of ambition, and only a small fraction of it is just focused on building big biceps or backsides. Over time, it can't help but rub off on you. It's about so much more than just the muscles.

If you need a program, guidance, and/or accountability, I now offer online personal training to help clients achieve their goals. Let's chat to see if we're a good fit!

Just click below, do the quick application, and I will hit ya back as soon as I see it!

Dr. Matt's Online Training App

If not, I hope you've at least realized some important truths about fitness that you may not have thought about.

Keep Grinding,