Above the Plain with Jake Lawrence: Recent Episodes
Jake Lawrence
Thoughts on lifestyle: movement, nutrition, longevity, and performance. — Get fit. Be healthy. Stay confident. — XclusiveFitness.com XclusiveFitness.com — Life enhancement specialist since 2005.
Whether exercising to be a better ____, or training for an objective/event/outcome. It is a daily process of being the best version of yourself.
It is only after you’ve gone deep enough, hard enough, and long enough, that you will experience the elixir of physical effort.
Unless you give complete and utter devotion to the endeavor you are wasting your time. Life is presented, and thus lived in separateness. Outcomes are offered in exchange for time, and resources. Prescriptions are employed. Yet, unless what is prescribed is passive (financial investment, maintenance activities, etc.), what is obtained from the action is at best average. One must ask himself if average (in anything) is ever worth it. This honest reflection highlights the brevity of existence. Society propagates the conversation of should and should not, right and wrong, avoidance of risk and acceptance of fear, as reason to turtle up and hide. The more you listen the deeper you are conditioned until finally your existence fits neatly in a box of entertainment (TV, internet, stimulants, depressants, etc.). Avoidance of risk and acceptance of fear. The way out begins with awareness. Your views on existence and its potential can be traced to specific societal origins: parents, school, entertainment, relatives, religion, etc. Perception is learned and lived for so long that aberrations (in behavior) are self-judged as shameful. This ownership of an external ideal is toxic, and unnecessary. Be aware of what you claim to be, what group you identify with, what opinions you accept as truth, what beliefs you stand by, and confront them head on. It is not so hard to do. To live as an individual requires risk. It requires surpassing the suffocating stagnation of fear. To live as an individual requires trust. Trust that life exists in symbiosis. Life takes life, life creates life, life sustains life. Safety is an illusion. By embracing difficulty you callous your mind and body in preparation for future challenges. Frequency is dependent on your level of devotion to the endeavor. Devotion is paramount. Repetition is the mother of all things, good and bad. Repetition fosters consistency, good and bad. The things we repeat consistently, without resistance or significant hesitation deserve our attention. It is here that clarity is found. If it doesn’t happen in the very instant you entertain the idea it will not happen. The problem-solution for tomorrow remains a problem for the present.Seriousness is for the rare human being. It requires a high degree of individuation, and right-participation in society. Understanding your past to correct your present. Participating in society as an individual, while embracing life with an expectation of excellence. As an individual you are given the opportunity to perform at the highest possible attainable level in this lifetime. This is only accessible above and beyond the plane of competition. If you can begin to understand what that means your life will begin to move in an entirely different trajectory. The unknown awaits your devotion.
Do it anyway. Life is and always will be in the way. Life begins and ends with Nutrition. Prepare. Breakdown. Build. Perfect Amino: bodyhealth.com
The disciplined way of doing something is itself the enlightenment. If the reward is not immediate, the action is not worth it! If you are going to do it now, then you must be rewarded now!
Movement is energy. Energy is life. Stay basic. Keep consistent. Place the bar a little further each week to continue to build.
Investment in self is maximum utilization of time and resources. Cultivating your ideal image results from a succession of right choices. Cut the contemplation and maximize who you are in every facet of your existence. How you do anything is how you do everything.
“… look within. All you need you have. Use it. Behave as best you know, do what you think you should. Don’t be afraid of mistakes; you can always correct them, only intentions matter. The shape things take is not within your power; the motives of your actions are.” —Nisargadatta Maharaj
Life is energy. Position yourself with those that build you up, especially in areas of your life you are actively seeking improvement. I want interested humans in my life to keep things interesting! Do you want to feast or are you ok with famine? Let’s get after it!
Life is mental. Pain is a great teacher. Learn to control your emotions and feelings to overcome the barriers to change and progress that arise from pain.
Life is lived in a single day. Every single day you live your life. Some days have more free space, some less. Whatever space you have to personalize your existence must be utilized. What interests you sans social media, public opinion, outsiders perspectives, etc.? Who are you and what do you want to make of your existence? Make the space for your personal freedom to flow… and grow.
You are closer than you may think you are to the person you desire to be. Your intentions are valid, but easy to forget. Commitments to others… jobs, family, community often take precedent over yourself. We are taught this from a very early age. Society needs you to feel an overarching obligation to it. You must train yourself to be your best advocate. Make time for to improve yourself. Make room for growth. Start with a minimum amount and watch it grow over time. Improvement is powerful.
Momentum. The product of doing the thing that must be done on a consistent basis. The result of consistent effort/focus can be massive if paired with persistence.
Are you ever “ready?” Preparation builds the body and mind for a specific demand. You stress it to stress it. If the training is minimal the demand you can place on it should be moderated. This is the key to continuing to have experiences, being receptive to the moment, and embracing the unknown. We have the ability to adapt, pivot, and endure. This ability begs for us to utilize it. In this brief episode I touch on the conversations that arise during an event/test and how to manage them from a solution centered mindset. Onward and upward.
High intensity training. How much effort and concentration can you put into each set of each exercise? How skilled are you at the application of that exercise? HIT prioritizes the optimal minimal, with the goal of building muscle (size and strength), not endurance, or aerobic efficiency. Know what your goals are and seek the path that makes the most sense for you to achieve your goals.
Time is repetition. It could be a month, a year, a decade. What is required is persistence in obtaining skill in an area of genuine interest. It is clear that results come from our ability to adapt to an applied stress. The intention and focus we give, our ability to go further, deeper, harder, is dependent on our skill (of movement) and honesty of can’t/won’t when we cease the set/effort. Remember, your desire, paired with your lack, becomes a target for marketers, sales people, influencers, etc.
Brief discussion on resources (energy, time, etc.) and their function in regards to High Intensity Training and Aerobic Efficiency training. Both require you to “feel good” during your training sessions to make improvements, endure challenges, and achieve your goals. Work + Rest = Training
You can enter into any state you wish. Preparation is paramount to seriousness. Seriousness is paramount to success/achievement. You place the value on the things you do in this life. You. Consumption has fooled society into thinking they are involved in a successful process. They are not.
Simple isn’t easy. Simple is essential. Persistence in the simple, affords complexity in conclusion. Build a broad, solid foundation of which to carry a lifetime.
We repeat. Sometimes aware, intentional, or forced. Most of the time out of habit or craving. Repetition producers behavior. Behavior defines your present. What will you do today (intentionally) to influence tomorrow?
In training and in life you have to stay on top of your nutrition and hydration. The importance cannot be overstated. Associate how you feel with what you’ve consumed. Reflect, journal, assess your behaviors on a consistent basis.
Modern life affords us many possibilities. One can focus on a specific area/aspect and go “all in” on maximizing that experience. While this has an appeal, and a genuine attraction (for social media), it creates an extremely polarized, unbalanced existence. How do I know? I’ve lived the “all in” in existence, doubled down on what I’m perceived to excel in, and ended up completely unbalanced. Equilibrium is what life requires of us. To be able to live in the mundane valley, as well as at the peak, is a skill is worth mastering. How can you exercise presence in each of your daily tasks? What happens when you look ahead? Can you slow down and take the time to prepare a meal? Can you take multiple small breaks during the day to move your body? Can you challenge yourself to persist when discomfort, distraction, and dis-ease settle in? Each day composes the totality of your life. You are defined by what you neglect as much as by what you do. From presence comes accurate analysis of behavior as well as pattern awareness. Micro improvements exist at every moment. Have the thoughts that direct you to take the action(s) that cause the effects you desire to have.
How you confront the time you are given. Your effort. Your desire. Is a momentary choice in time. The time is always now.
In these times of limitless distraction and endless possibility you must control the inputs and direct your outputs. Focus and intention are the only way through this maze. Clarity is not cheap or easy. Get after it.
Whether fitness, nutrition, mindset, or any chosen arena of participation it is essential you find your niche and exploit the enjoyment/interest you find. Optimization and longevity will surely follow. Onward and upward.
Energy is life’s fuel. Contribute, uplift, motivate, inspire, improve, etc. everything you participate in. The student can make the coach better. The coach can make the team better. We are movement. Onward and upward.
Quality vs. Quantity? What will come from longevity if one only lives passively? What will you persist in?
Success is a product of repetition. How we use our time either limits or enhances our opportunities. Recognizing that we are always performing is the first step in getting on a path worth living for. Get fit. Be healthy. Stay confident.
Your workout should be an experience you enter into on a daily basis. Make it accessible and you create the potential for longevity and performance.
Longevity is a product of lifestyle. The most effective action you can take right now is to improve your cardiovascular fitness. Improve your base aerobic capacity and strengthen your top-end output. MAF HR = 180 – Your Age. Get fit. Be healthy. Stay confident.
What comes first? What comes later? Focus on the cause. Learn about the cause. Small consistent actions create massive change. FIT. HEALTHY. CONFIDENT.
How you live each moment is important. Understanding consequence is not a choice, but a requirement. Get fit. Be healthy. Stay confident.
What drives you? What inspires you? What fills your space and time? Do you own it? Do you control its starting and stopping? When will you recognize and give more to this thing of importance?
Go deep, yet understand that all action (and inaction) has consequences. Get fit. Be healthy. Stay confident. Direct, simple solutions to live your optimal existence. Move. Eat. Supplement. Perform. Live.
Avoid decision fatigue by eliminating options. Do it because you love it not because of an intended outcome. Lifestyle is a product of choosing and persisting. You can’t choose and persist in multiple directions.
As the seasons change so too may your energy, outlook, and desires. Be open to modifying your workout. Variety is your friend. Just as the long summer days shorten with the arrival of the beauty of fall, so may your workout shorten and sharpen into a tranquil period of growth.
It is your fault. It is my fault. We are all responsible. Accept and move forward. Life is happening. Experience is the present.
Endurance. To live is to endure. Choose. Everything is a choice. Impossibility doesn’t exist. Give. Effort. Attitude. Possibility. Pt. 1 is an introduction. Onward.
Voluntary? Involuntarily? Dive deep. Explore. Grow. Be the example you would have liked to have had in your life.
We are all given the opportunity to partake in challenges. These may arrive at unexpected times, when we are least prepared. It is here we must accept the challenge presented and move forward with confidence and enthusiasm. Get it. Be healthy. Stay confident.
Understanding the difference between balance and performance. What is visually appealing is often not successful living. The law of polarity is real. Decrease your swing (high to low) and you remain balanced. Increase your swing (way high to way low) and you’ll struggle. Be healthy.
To become “less” we must consume “less” ... analyze, debrief, and plot the course of your new reality.
Winter movement focus. Use this time to become an enlightened physical being. Move well. Move with intention. Feel each extension, flexion, propulsion, etc. From the mind, form the physical body.
Live from the “I Am”... the world wants us to express the art which lies within. Give it life. Give it importance. Confidence is never given from without (outer world) rather it is manifest from within.
What does being healthy look like? What must I include? What must I add? How can I address my dietary and nutritional needs? What really matters? Get fit. Be healthy. Stay confident.
A reading from the art of living. Consider what comes first, then what follows, and then act.
Get fit. Be healthy. Stay confident. Success strategies to achieve your desired outcome.
Be healthy. Change your state. Just breathe. Hyper hydrate. Change yourself, change your world. Onward.
It’s rarely, if ever, the perfect time. Removing non-essential barriers to movement is paramount to your Heath and wellness lifestyle. If the goal is to enhance the quality of your life, the solution is to improve your health and vitality. Movement accelerates. Movement facilitates. Just do it.
Listen to discomfort. Choose to not identify in the moment. Here you are open to experience, not a slave to habit (thought, expectation, fear, anticipation).
Overcome the mental barriers to progress. Bodyweight exercise, calisthenics, are simple avenues to achieve small wins and build avenues of success into your weeks.
These readings are from my personal journals. Upon reflection, writing follows, and the experience is lived twice. Enjoy.
These readings are from my personal journals. Upon reflection, writing follows, and the experience is lived twice. Enjoy.
What we feed grows. Choose to align your passion with your purpose... an outcome you can live with will follow.
The simple solution is always the best option. The insanity is that most practitioners choose complexity to keep the client beholden to their teaching. Here, above the plain, we only care about RESULTS. Onward
All is perspective. You are “I AM” not the perspective. Change your perspective. Change your life.
Brief history of my experience with and without the gym on this fitness lifestyle journey.
Life is process. In order to understand your participation, indoctrination, and relinquishing of control we must study these three words.
With a sharp mind and a lean body you approach all desires from a better place. Your readiness is high. Confidence is high. Now, execute. From process comes outcome.
Today ushers in a pivot point. A time to reflect, refocus, and direct ourselves with passion and purpose. Let us explore the possibility, uncover our story and live passionately for the time is always now.
The role of personal coaching and mentorship in our lives. Reflect on how coaches, friends, and mentors may have played pivotal roles at key moments in your life. There is no reason for that to stop.
The power of choice is immense. Rewiring your response to behavioral cues is essential to create lasting change. Get after it!
The mindset of completion. Finishing what you start day in and day out is a powerful discipline for success in life. Visit jakelawrencefitness.com for more information.