Allright guys,

As some of you know, I recently picked up boxing. What the? Why the? I’m not much of a fighter. Never have been. My first and last real fight was in the 6th grade with Corey Miller. My friends told me that it was a tie, which I think meant that I lost. Doah!

However, as a man I want to be able to protect my family. With what? My fists. But more importantly, and realistically, I took up boxing is to get fit.

For the past year or so I’ve been slacking in terms of my own fitness. I get injured a lot so I can come up with clever reasons for not staying with a regular  exercise program.

Those days are over for me. Taking care of my body and health is a top priority now. Boxing has been amazing for my level of fitness. I haven’t been this fit since high school when I was on a ski team and we did hours and hours of dryland training drills to prepare for the racing season.

My question to you is, why are you not pushing yourself in every area of your life? It doesn’t have to be fitness, but pick one area where you are holding back and do something about it.

I’d love to hear about your commitments and wins! In the meantime, check out this short video we made at the boxing gym.

Years ago I was a bit of an extreme athlete.  My body was pretty ripped and I pushed the limits, hard. I ran up and down mountains, climbed tall overhanging cliffs and mountain biked by moonlight. I made a ski movie and jumped off 60 foot cliffs often after my morning coffee.

On the outside I was a pretty in-shape dude. I got lots of praise for being so “fit.” But inside I was a bit of a mess. Every time I found myself in an intimate relationship I would bail out for a variety of superficial, lame reasons. Moreover, the harder I pushed myself, the less fulfilled I was. And the joy I felt never lasted.

What was missing? I was fit externally, but unfit internally. My “inner world” was foreign territory.

The future of men’s health is psychological health–”inner world” fitness.

Most men think being healthy means having a 6 pack or “eating right.” Most men also think that if a guy wins triathlons, he is a really healthy guy. But why is it that some triathletes are zombies emotionally. These guys could be just as pissed off or shut down as the guy who never exercises. I have worked with many uber athletes who are completely incompetent when it comes to relationship, just like I was.

This “common guy” approach to fitness is fine, but ultimately it’s pretty limited. If you want to be healthy and feel at peace overall, and you really want happiness and fulfillment, you MUST work out your inner psychology.

Men who’s inner world is foreign territory will always think that happiness and joy comes from the outside and will therefore always be looking for it in all the wrong places.  Dudes that are cut-off from their inner world are a bomb waiting to explode.

So, what are some signs of being psychologically out of shape? Here are four:

1. you are not that open to feedback from others

2. you are easily defensive or resentful

3. you are pretending to be happy

4. when someone asks you how you feel, your standard answer is “Fine”

5. you place all of your value on external wins and appearances

If you can relate to any of these, you’re out of shape psychologically.

So, what should you do?

• First, ask yourself if you have any interest in getting your inner world in shape. Is that of any interest to you?
• Next, ask yourself what is the impact of me being out of shape psychologically? For example, if you are indeed out of  shape internally, maybe that has an impact on your co-workers or partner. Moreover, it is likely that you surround yourself with people who support your psychological “out-of-shapeness.”

If you want to have a bigger impact and be a game-changing Man, consider working your most out-of-shape muscle of all–your inner being, otherwise known as your heart.

More tips to come in the following days…