I don't train to stay in shape

I’ve trained consistently for over 20 years and during this period I’ve experimented with training at different times of the day.

When I worked as a PT in Melbourne I was coaching clients from 6am, so I’d train in the middle of the day. For a while I trained in the evenings. But the older I get, the more I’ve come to rely on training first thing in the morning.

I’ve actually asked my girlfriend to tell me when I stop doing it. Because when I do, things start to feel off.

Consistency is the first thing to slip. Then my mood.

The main thing morning exercise gives me is nervous system regulation. That’s why I train now. Looking good and feeling strong are a nice by-product. But training helps me feel settled.

There’s a reason I pay attention to this.

There’s a lot of mental illness on my mum’s side of the family. Schizophrenia and depression are rampant and I spent a lot of my childhood afraid of it.

It’s not something I worry about now, but I know I can dip into low mood more easily than others, so I’ve built my life in a way that keeps me on the right side of that.

I’m lucky that I make a living doing work I love, I live somewhere with 10 months of sunshine and I have a partner, family and friends who I can rely on. All of that helps.

And over the years I’ve tried plenty of other things to stay on top of it. Vipassana retreats. Hatha and ashtanga yoga. Psychedelics. Nutrition protocols. Dancing. Freediving. Breathwork.

Morning exercise gives me the highest return of any of them, and it’s the easiest one to maintain.

I got a reminder of that in Albania recently.

We travelled around a lot, and for most of the trip there was nowhere to train. I enjoyed the two weeks. But in the last couple of days it hit me how much I benefit from this. Right at the end we stayed in a hotel in Tirana with a gym, and the first session back, I felt the difference straight away.

I used to think the harder path was the more impressive one. Sitting with discomfort in meditation, fasting, trying to be fine emotionally with no inputs at all.

For me, exercise just works. It’s the tool that carries into everything else.

It also means I can show up for other people properly. The morning session fills my own cup, so there’s more of me left for everyone else during the day.

So here’s my question for you this week.

What’s your daily non-negotiable?

The one thing that, when you drop it, everything else starts to wobble.

Reply and let me know.

• Conor