Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Life Dojo
I am a sucker for training sequences in movies.
Growing up I would re-watch movies simply for those 5 minutes in the second half of the film where the hero would get down to business and train for victory. Thinking about it brings back memories of "No Retreat, No Surrender" and "Kickboxer". Somehow those Jean-Claude Van Damme fuelled stories had a special allure to me.
Although I am not planning on making my kids kick over a palm tree just with their shins, I would like to act out the role of the wise old guru for a bit.
Below is a list of practical life advice that has come out of many self-experiments.
Everybody has their own path in life. We all choose to pursue different goals, at different speeds and at different times in our lives. However, there are certain basic skills that I have found to be wise to adhere to, and this essay is my own reminder.
I firmly believe that part of everybody's life mission is understanding that it is about our legacy and not us. But we do have to put on our own oxygen mask first before we can help the people around us.
Being Fit - There Is No Alternative
"Be general in your foundation so you can be specific in your goals." Ross Edgley
My experience has been that being physically ready allows me to embrace new activities without a second thought. And that to me is one element of living life to its fullest.
Being physically fit to me means having a body that works as its maker intended. To keep it that way I spend 9 out of 10 mornings working out. That tenth is the odd rest day. What do I do during these workouts?
The focus generally is on functional movements.
So I run and bike, short and long distance, squat, press, pull using just bodyweight, barbells, kettlebells, etc. Also, it is constantly varied. That means that I avoid overtraining certain muscles, I am able to workout intuitively and training remains interesting and novel.
Why is this so important? Because being strong is always good.
This does not mean aiming to look like Arnold in the 70s, but being able to pull yourself up, pick up your children and lend a hand when a friend is moving house is a baseline that I never want to lose.
Fitness has always had a major role in my life and although the emphasis might change over time to an approach focused on longevity and injury-prevention, I always want to push myself. But being fit is not confined to just the physical realm, as we need to be fit mentally, emotionally and spiritually (whatever that means to you).
Each of these practical pieces of advice connects back to my 5 guiding principles of: Interconnectedness, Balance, Growth, Now and Legacy.
For example, being fit is based on the connection of movement, food and rest. To be functional, we need to have a balanced training plan that focuses on growing our muscles, endurance and flexibility. When we train we need to be present and listen to our body and why do I train? To be strong and of use to my family and leave an understanding of the importance of fitness in everybody’s life.
Let Food Be Thy Medicine
You cannot out-exercise a bad diet.
Irrespective what your goals are physically, start seeing food as the fuel you use to get there. It does not matter whether you are pursuing a fitness goal, trying to improve your overall health, or aiming to live a long life. Your diet is arguably the single biggest component to ensuring success with that goal. The other components being sleep, exercise, and stress management.
I have tried many types of eating patterns, as well as nutritional guidelines. Ranging from a traditional European grain based diet, to Paleo to vegan and sprinkled in various fasting regimens.
If you could distill all that experimenting into one piece of advice it would be to: focus on eating foods that have just one ingredient.
Generally, I have found that my body performs best on a Paleo-style diet which includes a restricted eating window, i.e. skipping breakfast on most day. Sticking to it for the majority of days does allow you the freedom to indulge in the odd blow out with friends without falling off the bandwagon altogether.
Connecting to the Now
I used to think that meditation was just for hippies and monks.
Then I was introduced to a breathing technique used by athletes and other high performers. I gave it a shot during my preparation for the SealFit Kokoro camp and was blown away by the results. I have since then tried out other types of meditation and now I understand the value of stilling your mind on a regular basis.
That first type of meditation I tried out - cleverly disguised as just a breathing technique for the skeptics like myself - is called "Box Breathing".
The method is very simple.
Picture a square.
Each side represents a specific number of seconds for which you control your breath.
Left side: breath in
Top: hold your breath
right side: breath out
bottom: hold your breath
Try it with a 5-5-5-5 second pattern for 10 cycles total and note how you feel afterwards.
What box breathing has done for me is it allows me to tap into a meditative state without closing my eyes.
I vividly recall standing in a hotel room before a presentation and literally dripping sweat all over the floor. What helped me keep my sanity? You guessed it.
I have also box breathed before during a heated business debate as well as when homeschooling just got that bit too intense. It always helps me to connect to the present moment, calm my nerves and lower my heart rate.
Goal-Setting
Big goals are important. Connecting those goals to your Why supercharges them. But often life will throw a curveball or ten when we are pursuing our dreams.
Recently my workout plan called for 60 mins of burpees.
I had done 1,000 burpees for time a few years ago and I remember the worst part was missing my pre-set goals. Before any big task we usually have a goal in mind, a time we will get something done by or the amount of effort required to get it done. When we miss that mark, we often feel deflated.
So what did I do differently today about my burpee hour?
I used a technique called EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute). You set a number of reps and then go hit that number every minute, with a short rest period booked in before the next minute. Why is this technique so useful?
Because you have micro goals that you are focusing on. Just ten reps. Just be present this minute. And then the next. Our monkey minds will always try and trick us: “you are only on minute 13, that means 47 left to go. Sure you can do this?” Or “maybe ten reps are too many, just do five”.
These thoughts all came into my head today, but I have learned to acknowledge them and then move on. I did not give in.
Big goals are important. The smoothest way to get there is through micro-goals. Just focus on that next action. Take that next decision. And do it quickly.
Over time, it will look like you are able to move mountains, which you are. But you are not moving the mountain in one heavy lift.
Making small decisions allows you to move ahead, gain new knowledge, re-assess and then make another small decision based on your new position. It also allows you to back-track without losing too much momentum.
First Discover How You Learn Best
Learn how to learn.
When you are stuck in the middle of an exam revision you often end up cursing the teacher for making you memorise random facts. But what is more important is actually finding out how you learn best.
It might be through reading a text, re-writing facts, making your own flash cards, visualising facts through graphs or maps, etc. Key is that the ability to learn effectively is an incredible mental super-power.
When I started attending University I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to study different subjects.
No matter the subject, I realised that I thrived on visualised data, e.g. graphs. Textbooks would introduce us to equations or explain concepts through lengthy texts, but if I found a way to ‘see’ what was going on, I knew I would remember. I even employed that strategy when revising for a law exam (flashcards and loads of mind maps were my saving grace).
Take your time and try out different ways to study. Discovering how you acquire new knowledge and skills best will supercharge your learning experience in any field.
Find your Anchor
My strategy to cope with and even thrive on life's unplanned situations is to find your anchor and make sure you cast it every single day.
My anchor is my morning routine.
I start each day with:
checking in with my life's mission
visualise my 'future me' that embodies the traits that I need to work on to become the best version of myself
connect with the presence through box breathing
and most importantly to me: my morning workout.
Come what may during the day, I know I got that 30-60 min session in the morning. This helps me handle the day’s emergencies with greater ease. During my workout, I will soak in some fresh air, go for a run, lift weights and/or find another way to collapse in a sweaty puddle at the end of it. Most days I will also listen to a book or podcast that helps me progress mentally.
If I then end up in a meeting that lasts 3 hours instead of 1, or having to go to the hospital with one of the kids or just needing to hammer through a massive to-do list, my anchor keeps me in place. Even Jean-Claude Van Damme's kicks cannot dislodge me anymore.
