said I’m not going to eat meat, so I
need to do it—and having a ritual
that keeps me in tune with my body.
Each time I make the choice not to eat
meat, it makes me more conscious of
how my body is moving and feeling.
It’s a reminder of my commitment to
treating it well.”
- DON’T LET URGENT THINGS GET IN
THE WAY OF IMPORTANT THINGS.
“At the end of the day, you just can’t
get everything done, and so we often
prioritize urgent things over important
things. Urgent things are e-mails or
texts that feel like they need a response
immediately—and sometimes they’re
actual emergencies. Important things
are the things that are less immediately
consequential. When they’re neglected
you lose something vital: calling your
parents, taking the time to read or
write down your thoughts, making
sure you know what you want from
life. Those are the first things that go
when you get busy. Sleep is one of these
things—it’s crucial. I try to get between
five and eight hours of sleep. And I
remember: It’s one of those important
things that will help me get the urgent
things done at a higher level.”
- MENTAL HEALTH IS HEALTH, TOO.
“I try to find a little time in the morn-
ing to literally just breathe. Deeply.
A lot of people pick up their phones first
thing, have co≠ee, so already they’re up-
regulated, and then it’s easy to fall into
a spin cycle of responding, responding,
responding. That shit is nerve-racking.
You’re constantly worried about the
next thing. I take a moment and focus
on breathing deeply, and I find that it
helps me avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Breathing can ground you in your
immediate activity. People often think
‘mindfulness’ is a practice, but it’s just
a way of living. It’s just being fully pres-
ent. Maybe that’s in conversation, or
maybe it’s just noticing condensation
on a glass.”
- FORGET DOING YOUR BEST—
ELEVATE YOUR WORST.
“You need to keep the base level of your
health high. I’m not in great shape all
the time. I’m never in bad or average
shape, though. I could get ready for
something—a race, a photo shoot—in
two to four weeks. But I’m not always
going to be killing myself. That’s not
a sustainable practice. Most people
only start putting in the e≠ort when
they want to make a huge transforma-
tion. Instead, I have consistent doses
here and there so that I never have to
have my back against the wall. That’s
the key for anything in life: Never
have your back against the wall.”- SUCCESS ISN’T ABOUT WILLPOWER.
“Achievement is about structure. Most
people think they can will their way to
good decisions. But you’re never goingto get anything done if you depend
exclusively on the power of sheer will.
It’s important to establish good hab-
its. For me, I always try to move in the
morning: Maybe it’s 40 to 100 push-
ups, a light stretch, and some sit-ups.
It’s just about getting my body used
to moving well, even when I’m tired.
If you can figure out how to use each
hour just a little bit more e≠ectively,
you’ve won. Only have 15 minutes free
for a workout? Great, knock out some
push-ups and do some stretching. Do
that three times in a week, and that’s
45 more minutes you banked. It’s find-
ing minimum e≠ective dosages for
maximum results.”Three days this
week, run for 30
minutes. Next
week, try 40.
Doesn’t seem
like much, but
that’s a 30
percent increase.54 GQ.COM AUGUST 2019
T h e
FixFitness