Behaviors

Do not use substances as a primary emotion-regulation tool; they can powerfully modulate emotions but have negative consequences.

Interpret anxiety-related bodily sensations as your body preparing you to respond adaptively to uncertainty.

For work-related reading or listening, use audiobooks or audio at up to 2x or as fast as manageable to increase engagement and retention, while attending carefully.

After a high-velocity day, use low-demand viewing such as cooking shows or selected reels for about an hour to shift into a more serene state before bed, while avoiding emotionally activating media that pushes emotions contrary to your goals.

Use the WHOOP framework to translate goals into action: define a specific wish, identify the desired outcome, identify internal obstacles, create specific if-then plans, and rehearse them so responses become automatic. Example responses include reframing temptations around higher-value goals or politely declining calls during family time.

Escalate from distance self-talk and temporal distancing to walking in nature and contacting trusted advisors if chatter remains overwhelming.

Adaptively cope by focusing on the problem, then deploying attention elsewhere for a break, then returning later if needed. Use positive, healthy distraction rather than harmful or chronic avoidance; flexibility in attention deployment is key.

Extra caution around cancer risk if you carry BRCA mutations.

Post to social media and then put the phone away immediately to avoid getting pulled into compulsive scrolling.

In the evening, sit on the ground for 20 to 30 minutes using varied positions such as cross-legged, squatting, long sit, side saddle, and 90/90; fidget and change positions whenever needed.

Everyone regardless of age should get down on the ground once a day and get back up; use assistance if needed.

Cross the feet, slowly lower yourself to the ground into a seated position, then stand back up without using your hands or knees; ideally be able to do it with either foot over the other.

Use a stool without back support to vary posture during work.

Pepper the environment with movement options and inputs throughout the day rather than staying in a tiny movement language.

Use play in warm-ups rather than rote drills; include exploration, speed, and enjoyable movement.

Alternate which side of the body you use to pick up and re-rack weights to reduce asymmetry.

Potentially emphasize the weaker or less efficient side to address asymmetry.

Use the non-dominant side for everyday tasks like opening doors to increase variability.

Use close-grip hanging to expose the shoulders to fuller overhead range if that range is lacking.

Use seesaw press as an overhead pressing pattern to improve shoulder range and as one of the pressing patterns Kelly considers non-negotiable.

Use dumbbells or kettlebells overhead to improve overhead shoulder expression.

When time is limited, do 10 air squats, 10 kettlebell swings, and 10 pull-ups at 10 p.m. for 10 minutes.

Insert brief sets of exercise between daily tasks such as making dinner.

Do four kettlebell swings every minute for 20 minutes as a simple exposure and loading protocol.

Use rope flow as a playful warm-up to integrate upper and lower body, speed, stance, and varied positions; even five minutes of messing around can help you feel better.

Do a shoulder spin-up daily as homework if you have shoulder or neck pain; it is also one of the recommended morning 8 to 10 minute spin-up options.

Pick up a barbell and do a complex as part of a dynamic warm-up.

Include breath hold work in warm-ups to challenge respiration and prepare for high CO2 levels; examples given include dynamic apnea, about seven hypoxic events, and a five-minute bike protocol with a 10-second inhale, maximal hold, and nose-only recovery each minute.

Avoid lying on the ground and foam rolling as your pre-fight or pre-training warm-up strategy.

Use soft tissue work strategically: do 2–3 minutes before exercise if in pain to desensitize tissues, a little in the evening or within 10 minutes before bed to reduce soreness and improve adherence, and generally limit work on one tissue to about five minutes. During mobilization, keep breathing and use volitional contraction; if pressure is too much, back off, and at a stiff or uncomfortable spot, stop, contract the muscle for about four seconds, breathe in position, slowly relax with a long exhale, and repeat the contract-relax cycle two or three times.