New dad. Zero routine. Still training. Here's why #686

Life as a new dad has flipped everything. But some things are non-negotiable. In this video I break down why I'm still prioritising training, sleep, and mobility even through the chaos of fatherhood, and why these three things have nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with who I want to be. If you're going through a big life season and feeling the pull to let your health slide, this one's for you. 

Transcript

New Baby And Chaos Hits

Lachlan Stuart 0:00

My life has changed more in the last few months than it probably has in the last bloody decade. New baby, zero sleep. Well, I'm getting a little bit of sleep, but the routine is out the window as well. And the first thing everyone told me that I'd have to sacrifice is my training. They were so bloody wrong. I'm still prioritizing my health, my sleep, and my ability. And today I'm going to tell you exactly why because the reason might not be what you think. My name's Lincoln, and if you're tuning in for the first time, make sure you hit the subscribe button, but only if you enjoy this episode. Over the last decade, I've worked with over 1,200 men from workshops to one-on-one, and it's been one of the greatest privileges. I got into the space of coaching, trying to sort my own challenges out and wanting to build a better future for myself and now my family. And along the way, I've had the privilege to learn from great coaches and mentors and facilitate great events and do the exact same thing for so many blokes. And if you want to see some of the things that we're running, head head over to my website, lachlandstewart.com.au, and you can find out more. But let's get into the episode. So here's what most people get wrong about staying healthy when life gets chaotic. They think it's about the discipline. Have you ever said that? It's like I just want to be more disciplined with my training. I would love to be more disciplined with my getting up when the alarm goes. I would love to be more disciplined with my nutrition. And to me, discipline means it's another task that you need to tick off, something that you're trying to fit into your day. And this is where I differentiate the way of doing versus being and looking at it as a part of identity. Because for me, it's not about finding more discipline to do those things, to train more, to look after my mobility and to prioritize my sleep. It's part of who I am as a person. There are a few people who've been around me long enough to know what I truly believe in, how I live, breathe, and operate. And then there are people like yourself who maybe just listen to me on the podcast or on YouTube, and you go, is this guy really do what he speaks about? And unfortunately, I can sit here and say, Yeah, I do. Unfortunately, not fortunately, but I wish I could show that to you, but I'm just going to sit here week in, week out, talking about the same stuff I've been talking about for almost the last decade on the podcast. But to me, it is honestly part of who I am. So I want to share with you, you know, why I train, I protect my sleep, and I work on my mobility because these are the things, not things that I do, but they're part of who I am. And when life gets harder, the last thing that I'm going to abandon are those things because they're the things that really keep me sane and allow me to work harder and build out of those tough situations and periods. I find it very interesting that people sacrifice the things that work well for them and go to vices that don't during the challenging times. And that for me just means you don't have the capacity to deal with, I guess, the level of the game that you're playing. Many of us want success. I'm sure you want success in your own way, shape, or form, as do I. And it's why I created my coaching program, it's called Full Capacity for the One-on-One, and it's called Alivening Control for the Group Programs. But full capacity to me means you're going to continue to grow in which uh to the level that allows you to level up. So it's not just going, hey, I'm super strong, I'm ready to go to level three. Because why would you want to go to level three and deal with the challenges that are in level three if your capacity to expand your relationships and improve your marriage or your family is only at a level one, and your ability to generate revenue and I guess create a life on your terms is only at level one. Because when you go to level three, it becomes a lot harder to bridge that gap because there's a lot more pressure. Does that make sense? So that's why I'm talking about full capacity. So for me, when it gets harder, I know that training, I know that sleep and mobility is only a new one for me, but I'll share why it's important. But training for me means I'm continuing to prioritize my health and myself. And it's not just about how you look in the mirror. That's the last reason why I do it. But for me, I know that when I'm training well, I have this belief, I have this confidence that I'm only a few weeks away from being able to prepare for anything. I got invited to do high rocks last week, I think it was, off a few weeks' notice, and I was like, yeah, I didn't even have to question whether I was fit enough to do it. I was able to do it. I'm now a hybrid rock star. And then now I'm doing another one in a month's time called Chase the Sun or Race the Sun with Red Bull. And it's a 355-kilometer run in a team of six, starting at 6.30 in the morning and running to 6.30 the next morning. Once again, I didn't have to think about whether I was fit enough in order to do that. I was like, yeah, I can do that. I'm capable of doing that. And there's a sense, I guess, of certainty and confidence that not only is beneficial in moments like that, but just in everyday life. How I carry myself because of looking after my fitness and feeling like I'm capable, I'm more energized as a result. I'm proud of how I looked. I am proud of the discipline that I have in that, and I just consider myself an athlete. And there's a different way of thinking about that. You've probably heard like this whole athlete's mindset, and athletes' mindsets can work harder, can deal with adversity and challenges, and they have the problem solvers mindset. And so that's why training to me is such an important thing. And I would highly encourage you to think about where you're at with your training and what it means to you. Are you someone who skips it or do you prioritize it regardless of what's going on? And I'll be honest, as I said, my routines getting thrown out the window. I used to train, I you know, pre-baby, I was doing sort of nine or ten in the morning. That was a way to break up my day. Before that, much before that, before I lived in the US, I was doing first thing in the morning because I had to do that, and that's where I would like to love to train now. At the moment, I'm getting up first thing looking after my son, and then I'll, you know, I'm just finding pockets of time to train, but I'm still getting it done, still prioritizing it. The second thing is sleep, and to be honest, this is probably more important to me than training. But new dads and sleep don't exactly go together. And if you're dad, you you know that. But I am deliberate about protecting whatever sleep I can get. So it's currently 9:37. My wife's at an awards night. I'm looking after the young fella. I've literally got him on the monitor here, and I needed to get this done because this is important to me too. But sleep is important, and Amy and I have a routine on who gets up between what windows of time and when we get to make up that sleep. And I know that based on my training load and the workload, how much I need to get to perform optimally. Because when I sleep well, I know that I make better decisions. Like when I'm underslept, my mind feels foggy, and I make poor decisions because I'm not as switched on. And you maybe have experienced that as well. The other thing for me is my mood. I'm not in control of my mood when I'm tired. Right? I'm grumpy, I'm grouchy, I snap a lot faster. So I prioritize my sleep because I want to have a mood that people enjoy being around and a mood that I'm comfortable being around, you know, because I just used to be this sad, grumpy bastard. And like I just remember my wife saying to me once, it's like, I just don't even think you want to be with me. And I'm like, no, I do, but I just can't control my mood. And I realized that was an excuse. That was me outsourcing all the things that impacted me to have me having a variable mood, and you know, other things that impacted that was alcohol, but that's a different, different video in and of itself. And the final one is mobility. Now, this one surprised me a bit, honestly, because my body took a hammering during the 58 marathons, right? Like my hamstrings, it's been the first time in my life I haven't been able to touch my toes or sit in a deep squat. And so, because of that, I have really been wanting to prioritize that. It's harder for me to do it because I don't have as much time to train and I'm moving between meeting and I'm sitting in this bloody chair a lot. So my hamstrings and my back are starting to ache a lot more. So it's something that I'm prioritizing. I'm just doing five minutes a day. Literally, that's not a very big commitment. I'm doing five minutes. I used to roll my feet when the kettle was on. Now I don't roll my feet, and I just get down into a stretch routine, boil the kettle, do my five minutes, and then I'll go have my coffee. And it works really well for me, right? But my mobility is not fucking glamorous. It is to me, it is just the most mind-numbing, boring thing. But I can tell you, I feel so phenomenal when I've stretched and opened my hips. Like I literally just feel so much better. And I think about that, if I can feel better throughout the day, I'm gonna treat people better, I'm gonna talk to myself more kindly, I'm gonna be a better husband, a better father, a better business owner, a better coach, a better podcaster. All of those things. And so for me, as much as it's not glamorous, as much as it's boring as batshit, I do believe at this point in my life it's adding a lot of value to my life, and I don't want to be one of those old people who can barely move because they haven't used their body well. So that's why that's going to be a priority for me. And so there are three things that I guess I'm prioritizing, especially when people said it would be hard for me not to. I just want to prove to you and share that with you if you're a dad or if you're about to become a dad, or if you're just someone who's extremely busy and you notice that you're sacrificing yourself and or self-care, get back in it, get back amongst it, and just find something that is manageable for you because this ties back into pillar number one of the core four, which is a strong body. And once again, your body is the vehicle. If you want to have a clear and calm mind, you have to make sure that you're getting um taking care of that vehicle. So, my name's Laughlin Stewart. If you haven't taken a life performance scorecard, it's in the link below. It'll show you where you're winning and where you're falling behind. So essentially, it's going to give you that gap that you can then start improving on to make your life that much better. Thank you guys for being here. We'll see you in the next one.