Coach AA's Sunday Newsletter

What is the secret? It does not matter if you haven't exercised in decades. It doesn't matter if you are carrying a lot of weight. It doesn't matter if it seems impossible. It doesn't matter if everyone else is fitter than you . The only thing you need is intent. If you have the intent to do this , you will get there. It is that simple. When do you need it by? For you to have a deep intent, you ne...

Achieving long-term fitness goals is a challenge faced by many. There's a common tendency to start a workout routine with enthusiasm, only to lose momentum and stop altogether. This start-stop approach can hinder progress and make it difficult to achieve desired results. In this article, we explore the importance of year-round strength training and how you can develop a sustainable fitness regimen...

In your daily life, you often encounter situations where you witness people making poor decisions. Or engaging in actions that you find distasteful. It's natural to react with judgment or disapproval. But instead of reacting (or stopping there), you can use these experiences as opportunities for growth and self-improvement . By observing and analyzing the actions of others, you can learn valuable...

For a long time to come You are going to brush your teeth for a long time to come. You are going to shower for a long time to come. These are not surprising revelations, even though we cannot predict what the future holds in a decade or more. As you are also aware, your powers diminish with age. Your physical and cognitive powers decline. And yet, we are not approaching our health and fitness and...

Sneaky sneaky So, let's talk about addictions and distractions. And no, I'm not just talking about the obvious ones like cigarettes and junk food (although we all know those are bad for us). I'm talking about those sneaky little habits that we don't even realise we have. You know, the ones that seem harmless but somehow manage to suck away hours of our day. I recently made the switch to wearing my...

Coasting and doing With a lot going on, it is easy to get distracted by "doing". As a chronic overthinker, it is difficult to know if I am caught up in the midst of overthinking. Or if I am coasting. Spending time writing is an outlet for me to probe deeper. I use this medium, and my journals to write. And the warning signs are when I avoid doing things I'd like to be doing. If my daily journals s...

What matters is what you think Not other people's thoughts. Not their opinions. Not their methods. Not how "it is supposed to be done." Not other people's benchmarks. Not "This is how everyone does it." What matters is what makes you happy. Not other people's vacations. Not other people's toys. Not how they spend their time. But what brings you fulfilment. What matters is your purpose. If you want...

These are some guidelines I have for myself, learned from years of having a reading habit. Some of these, I wish I had learned 20 years ago. Some of these, I had to learn by losing my way. As attention spans reduce, reading books seems to be incongruent with the times. If you are a reader, you might know most of the guidelines below and I'd love to hear about any guidelines you might have. And my...

You have your camp. Your sports team. Your religious stance. Your political stance. Your opinion on many things. You state these opinions out loud because they are your opinions. During conversations with friends, you make your stance clear. Like everyone else. Nothing wrong with that. They reflect where you are today. Based on what you know and have experienced so far. But what happens for a lot...

Hey hey! In today’s post, I want to talk to you about how and why you should focus on general fitness. And you will learn why The Quad got its name ;) Ambidextrous Unless you are ambidextrous, one hand of yours is stronger than the other. Way stronger. It is capable of multiple tasks at a higher skill level. Putting food into your mouth, brushing your teeth, beating eggs for an omelette - there is...

Hey hey! In today’s article, I am taking the clickbait route. That doesn’t mean it is not true. Let’s focus on eating lesser by hacking mindful eating. Eat better. Duh. For long-term health and wellness, you cannot eat (a lot of) junk foods. You already know this. For long-term health and well-being, you need to eat vegetables and protein. You already know this as well. But diets fail. Because you...

Hey hey! We are celebrating Sports Day at The Quad today, after a long hiatus. A good portion of our community comes together to train and have fun. It is always a blast and a special day for all of us. I thought I’d discuss two reasons that often crop up on the topic of strength training. I certainly had the second one stall me for a few years. And the first time I got injured, I was s**t scared....

Hey hey! I had to miss last Sunday due to a personal emergency. Apologies that I could not give a heads up on time. For this week, I want to discuss self-kindness and energy levels. My personal journey has been around this in the recent past and I thought I’d share. On a side note, I had an interesting opportunity recently - to make a presentation in under 3 minutes. It was a fascinating experienc...

Hey hey! As my workload keeps piling up, my thoughts keep leading me to thoughts of too much intensity, of not saying no enough, of attempting to do too much. Before we begin, here are some articles you might enjoy. On totalitarianism — a form of government in which the state has no limits in authority and does whatever it wants. The Players Tribune is a place for some great, direct writing from a...

Hey hey! This week’s episode is about my learnings from listening to (and reading) Diana Chapman’s work. She’s an executive coach and advisor to leaders of large organisations. In addition to two of her interviews, a few other things that caught my eye, before we get into the main piece. * Diana’s conversation with Shane Parrish . Listening to this for the second time (and I will certainly give it...

Hey hey! Today’s post is about stress eating. Like most people, this is something that happens to me. Being aware of it has been a key first step. Acknowledging it has helped. And speaking about it has helped tremendously. So, let’s chat, shall we? Is stress eating real? You've heard and experienced the term "stress eating." But is it factual? Or an excuse was given to indulge in unplanned glutton...

Hey hey! I know you have bigger goals in mind and water might seem a trivial thing. But what I’ve realised is there are a lot of people who are not drinking enough water. And when that happens, bigger things will not take place. It seems obvious but if it is, why are so many of us not figuring it out? Because it is not about knowing something obvious as “drink more water”. It is about how do you m...

Hey hey! Happy 2023. Let’s kick off this year with a listicle - how can I enable you hitting your health and fitness goals? Well, here’s how. Let's kick of the new year with ten tips that will increase the probability of you achieving your fitness, health, and nutrition goals. * Set a goal . You cannot hit your goal if you do not have a goal . Sound silly but doesn't make it untrue. While it might...

Hey! Today’s post dives a bit more into my introspective self and my struggles with self-judgment. As always, I do go all over the place and I hope you stick with it and let your mind run around as well, and see if there’s anything useful for you. Listening better Being a better listener is a skill. It is one that I work on, especially as I have found myself disengaging from conversations. This da...

Hey hey! How’s your weekend going so far? This week, the topic of “too much” has been echoing in my head. I do better work, creative work, and actually finish things when I have lesser things to do. When there’s too much, I am often on autopilot. Entire weeks go by without anything substantial to show for it. This is expected in a lot of places of an entrepreneurial journey. But that doesn’t mean...

Hey hey! In today’s post, I present a mental model that will help you not get distracted by “this move is better” or “that diet is better”. How? By getting you to think about: * is it better for ME? * can I get all of the benefits i.e. am I ready for it? I am sure you are going to find this useful. So, let’s get to it. The latest and greatest You look around on social media or lame-ass "news" site...

Hey hey! Almost into the last month of the year. Time for wrapping up the end of the year and hopefully some time off as well. As January rolls around, weight loss is always on my mind. Even after 10+ years of conversing with students, I realise there’s a disconnect. Yes, I can learn more ways to communicate (which is kinda what this blog is about) and also learn to understand the complexities inv...

Hey hey! Today’s post is about the fixation of weight, the trepidation with which a weighing scale is approached, and how much we let it define our happiness for the day or week or month or year. I see this with a number of my students. While we have, over the past decade, worked out multiple methods of “Do this. Don’t do this.”, of bringing in community challenges, of gamification, of habit chang...

Hey hey! Today’s post is about asking and giving advice. Asking for advice from our friends and peers is normal and a great life hack. But it has its pitfalls. Here are my thoughts on how to navigate this, and how to make the most out of asking or giving advice. Let’s get to it. We reach out for advice You ask for advice from people, on things you are unsure of or don't know enough about. Or when...

Hey hey! Hope your Sunday is going well. Mine’s off to a slow start :) But sitting at it and writing about it helps me. And now, off to go to the gym and doing a light workout to iron out a few more creases. Brain fog Some days, the brain doesn't work. Some days, the weights feel darn heavy. Everything is moving at a slow pace and the fog does not lift. I am sure you've had days like this. I am ha...