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 I had 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

P.S. Shout out to C.S. Lewis… who shouts out Dr. Samuel Johnson on this quote

#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 somewhere 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.

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