I have always found it a little egocentric when people build entire websites just to talk about their personal exercise routines, but here I am doing the same thing. Maybe it is not so bad after all. I try to stay transparent when I speak on this topic. I am not an expert on anyone else's body. I might be a bit of a maverick with my own, but even that understanding is still evolving, just in time, I guess, to be older and reflective enough to write about it.
I may not look like much now, but in my twenties I was an incredibly fast runner, agile, with endless cardio and stamina. I was also a skydiver, not exactly a physically demanding sport, but one that required mental toughness, fear management, and quick thinking under pressure. That kind of cool-headedness is something any athlete or soldier would recognize and value.
These days my practice is yoga. Not because it is trendy or spiritual, but because it is efficient. I do not need a gym to stay strong and flexible. Whether by the bedside, in a hot room, or on a marble bathroom floor, yoga gives me everything: calisthenics, mindfulness, and breath control. It keeps me present.
The Quick Routine: No Excuses
When I am pressed for time I rely on a simple routine, no mat, no video, no excuses. I start with 50 push-ups. If I am nursing shoulder weakness I do them on my knees. Half the resistance, but I still get the movement and the heart rate. From there I do forward thrusts, rocking from a bent knee position into plank and back again, sets of 20, aiming for five rounds, three if that is all I have that day.
Then a backward bend, wheel pose if space allows. One round of shadowboxing, the way we trained in Thai boxing. I competed for years and won most of my fights. What those years taught me was simple: drill until it is automatic. Build your cardio until you have no fear of running out of breath or burning out.
Everything ties back to the breath. Cardiovascular training is breath training. You are conditioning your lungs and your nervous system simultaneously. Sometimes you need a formal class. Other times the only space you have is a cramped bathroom. Either way, movement matters.
Movement and Stillness
Sometimes all you have is pogo jumps, just bouncing in place, landing softly on the balls of your feet, breath steady and focused. I recommend building a few go-to routines of ten and twenty minutes. Practice them until they are second nature. Perfect the form. You can shadowbox in a tiny space without roundhouse kicks. Use elbows, jabs, head movement, knees, whatever the space allows.
In the ring twenty years ago I jumped rope religiously. Now I jump in place. Still works.
I think of exercise in two broad categories.
Stillness: holding postures and breathing through muscle fatigue, the way yoga demands. This builds muscular endurance, flexibility, and strength that does not leave you when you get older.
Motion: dynamic movement, sports, cardio, arms and legs moving, heart rate elevated, breath pushed to its edges.
Neither is superior. They enhance each other. Strength built in motion supports stillness. Stability gained in stillness supports powerful movement. On days full of action, running, lifting, competing, you are training in one mode. Balance it with moments of stillness, a handful of postures held with deep breath and full awareness.
The Key
Respect both stillness and motion. They are partners in strength and longevity. On busy days find five minutes. On spacious days go deeper. And above all, stay connected to the breath. It is the foundation of everything else.