About a month ago, I shared about my journey to be “Better at 30.” I turn 30 in August of this year, and it was freaking me out a bit. So, I figured if I could be in the best shape of my life – spiritually, physically, relationally, etc. – I would feel better about the whole deal. I was overwhelmed by the positive response. It was encouraging that so many of you shared that you turned 30 recently, and it wasn’t so bad! I even think I have a lot to look forward to! Still, I decided to press on with my goals. As promised, I wanted to take you on this journey with me. So here is a little Better at 30 – March Update!
Exercise
I have probably worked out more this year than ever before in my life. We started the year doing 75 hard, so it was a daily grind. Other than yoga on Sundays for a rest day, I have worked out 6 days a week in some capacity – Crossfit, Bodybuilding style lifting, or running. We also have done an afternoon walk almost every day. We ended up failing 75 hard on day 57 because we went on a family trip, but I actually kept the exercise streak going. I even hit the gym at 5AM before full days at Disneyland!
I have two big takeaways from the exercise streak. First, I have to do something in the morning. I don’t think I realized how big it was for my mental health. The days I have waited until the afternoon, I’ve been in mental shambles by about 11AM. Movement is so good for your body and mind! I recently heard someone share that an inactive body leads to an overactive mind, and that is so true for me!
Because I’ve been in a caloric deficit (more on that later!), I haven’t seen any huge strength gains in the gym. But, I have been pleased with my performance all things considered. Especially considering the amount of running I am doing, my lifts have been steady and I haven’t noticed any decline in my Crossfit Performance!
Running is where I have seen huge gains, despite calorie consumption. At the beginning of the year, I had never run more than a 5k. Last weekend, we ran a rain-soaked 7.4 miles, and this week we have 8.5! I truly never thought I would run that far in my life, but the Runna App has been such an awesome and linear process to follow. I’ve also seen huge improvements in my heart rate control during runs. My cadence has been increasing as well, so I’m hoping my body is moving safely and efficiently during runs.
Faith
I had a fairly simple goal in this category this year: read my Bible every day. I unfortunately failed to do so on vacation. Going out of town and getting out of my routines has always been my Achilles heel! But, I’ve only missed 5 total days this year – which, as of today, is a 94% clip, so I’ll take it! I have also been reading The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, which has been a really thought-provoking read. In January and February, I read Praying the Scriptures for Your Marriage, which I really enjoyed. Prayer is an area I think I have a lot of room to improve my walk with God, so intentional books like that are super helpful.
Relationships
Speaking of marriage, I’m a bit behind on my date night goals. We only got 3 out of my 4 desired date nights this month. Part of that was losing a week to vacation as well. Part of it is trying to stick to our budget to hit financial goals. Regardless, it’s something I clearly need to refocus on as a priority in April. But, thanks to daily walks, more time spent eating at our kitchen table, and the kindness of my wife, I still feel like our relationship is in a great spot!
As far as other relationships go, things are going well! I have loved getting together with 3 of my friends who are running the half marathon with me every Saturday morning. Shared suffering is such a cool way to develop a bond. And, having accountability has gone such a long way to achieving running goals. We also meet every Monday night with our church community group. We hold each other accountable, talk about marriage, our relationships with God, and more. It is such a life-giving time!
I would, however, like to spend more time doing fun things with friends. Again, thanks to sticking to the budget, we haven’t probably done as much of that as we should. Something to focus on for April!
Diet
We came home from Europe in December and went straight into the holidays. I woke up on January 2nd and was not in the physical condition I desired to be in! Heading into 75 hard, I knew being in a calorie deficit was something I wanted to do. It was a bit early in the year to shred for that “Summer Bod,” but I was ready to start feeling better.
I have tracked my macros (carbs, proteins, and fats) since 2018 or so. I feel like I have pretty good control over my body composition when I want to. It truly just comes down to discipline. Thanks again to my lovely wife who was my accountability buddy, we have both crushed the first 3 months of the year. I started the year at 190.1 lbs. One of my arbitrary goals for the year is to get back into the 170s, which I haven’t done since 2020. I honestly don’t even know if it’s a good goal, or where I am physically at my best.
This 3-month cut finished at about 180.5, never quite dipping below 180. I am pleased with my body composition right now. I’m also honestly really hungry! So I decided to stop for now. Especially with our increased running mileage over the next few weeks, I don’t think it would be wise to cut calories even lower and risk injury.
I finished my cut at 2300 calories per day (255C, 62F, 183P). I’m going to increase to maintenance calories starting today (at about 2900 Calories – 320C, 96F, 183P). We will see how it affects weight and body composition. I have always struggled while eating at maintenance calories to stay disciplined, so that is one of my goals for next month. I am shooting to hit my macros 25 days, with 5 days of wiggle room.
If you want more information on diet, food, supplements or anything like that, let me know! It’s a huge passion of mine and something I could talk about for days on end!
Reading
Somehow in the first 3 months of 2024, I have read or listened to 18 books. That is honestly more than I read last year as a whole, but I am loving it. A few of those are carryovers from last year that I finished up this year, so let’s say 14. But still, I’m thrilled! It has been a great morning habit and a way to wind down from the day in bed. I shoot for personal development nonfiction in the morning and something more lighthearted in the evening, like fiction or a biography.
Standouts so far this year are Same as Ever by Morgan Housel, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, and Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.
I always want to make sure I’m digesting the information and not just consuming it. So, I’ve started annotating the highlights in my Kindle into Word documents on my computer. Then, I can read the summary of quotes I have created on a semi-regular basis for a refresh. It’s been a good system so far!
Let me know what books I should add to my reading list!
I think that’s most of an update! I will shoot to do one of these at the end of every month.
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