Behaviors

Spend about 10 minutes the night before reducing morning friction: take your shower, lay out clothes in the order you'll put them on, fill your water bottle, set out pills and toothbrush, and have keys, wallet, and bag ready.

Execute morning tasks in a specific sequence to maintain control, reduce stress, and avoid feeling rushed or frantic.

At the end of the workday, park the car, check urgent messages and social, then put the phone on do not disturb before going into the house.

Use calming music during the drive home to shift state and prepare to be present with family.

Take a 20-minute walk every night after dinner with your spouse; framed as helping circadian rhythm, digestion, and mental clarity.

During the nightly walk, stay off the phone and avoid other stimulus.

Do not take Zoom calls or phone calls before 10 a.m.; preserve the morning block for training and preparation.

Reserve the early morning for fitness before starting the rest of the day; example given was training from 7 to 9 a.m. within a 7 to 10 a.m. morning block.

Take a shower after the morning workout block before starting work.

Make morning movement non-negotiable and do fitness first thing in the day; framed as standard in military and special operations settings.

Do 30 minutes of training in the garage daily; example given was using kettlebells.

Avoid participating in conference or work happy-hour drinking culture; example given was eventually stopping drinking entirely.

Train consistently enough to become highly attuned to your body so you can identify problems early and distinguish pain from injury.

Use trap bar deadlifts on pull day from the floor; preferred over straight bar deadlifts because of injuries and torso length, allowing safer positioning.

Include grip work regularly on pull day and in rehab when needed.

Include core stability work regularly across training days, including pull day and disassociation work.

Use incline press on heavy upper-body press day.

Use training that moves the upper body in one direction and the lower body in another, with core stability demands.

Use banded work for cross-body pulls and disassociation training, including kneeling positions.

Use heavy lunges as part of leg training; example given was 70 pounds in each hand. Also used during rehab when options were limited.

Use hamstring curls on some feel-good days to pump blood flow.

Use belt squats on some feel-good days and during rehab when upper-body limitations restrict other movements.

Use leg extensions on some feel-good days to pump blood flow.

Use pulsing lunges on some feel-good days to pump blood flow.

Use Friday as a feel-good arm day.

Include shoulder and accessory work on Friday feel-good day.

Use art therapy during recovery.

Use dog therapy during recovery.

Use walking during rehab when other options are limited.

Use a structured morning routine to put yourself in an optimal mental state before stressors arrive, supporting upright mental posture under pressure.