I hate leg day.  It’s my least favorite workout of the week.  Squats suck, lunges suck, any workout with an eastern european country’s name attached to it, (I’m looking at you Bulgaria) suck.  

All of that said, no other day promotes body symmetry, fat loss, functional movement, joint health, body composition and muscle conditioning better than leg day.  Skipping leg day means you are going to miss all of these benefits.  If you are going to work out and take care of your body, why would you half ass it?  It makes no sense, you can’t skip leg day!

I like to think of things that are easily avoidable, but detrimental if avoided, as leg day items.  What am I skipping or not doing or doing that is an act of avoidance that I should be doing and confronting head on?

What are a few tough things in life that are like leg day?  What are the necessary tasks that must be done to help you make the most out of your life?  What are often the hard things to do that if not done, will create imbalance, mental and physical deterioration and  lead to a life lived without meaning?  I’ve listed 12 below and have added the why in a list below this list (I know, totally Meta!)

1. End toxic relationships (this could be a friend, a significant other, a job or a supervisor)
2. Learn a new skill
3. Question the assumptions (especially your own and those within your own echochamber)
4. Saving instead of Spending and investing those savings for gratification delayed
5. Watching what you eat and not regularly overindulging 
6. Reading (or listening if that’s your jam)
7. Learning how to communicate to other individuals, groups and crowds
8. Making new friends as an adult
9. Meditating and being present
10. Volunteering, Serving or Contributing to a cause
11. Creating something new and publish, launch or display it for the world to see
12. Be Constantly honest, to yourself and others

What are you going to get out of doing all of the things above?  Let’s take a look and see.

1. End toxic relationships (this could be a friend, a significant other, a job or a supervisor)
   • Toxic relationships are relationships that have more negative benefits than positive benefits.  They’re the relationships that if you were to look in from the outside, you’d ask, why is that person in this relationship?  
   • If you are a nice person, these can be especially hard to get out of because you don’t want to offend.  WHO CARES!  GET OUT!
   • Stop calling this person, stop answering this person’s calls or texts and get out.  If this is going to affect other relationships, get out of them as well.  We have 80 – 100 years on this planet and there are BILLIONS of people you can associate with.  Get out of your fear bubble and find people who will bring you up, not down.  They’re out there.
2. Learning New Skills
   • First, there is scientific evidence that learning new skills consistently throughout your life decreases your risk of dementia later in life.  
   • The more skills you have, the more people are going to want to be around you because you’re an interesting person who knows how to do shit.
   • The more skills you have, the more opportunities you will be presented in life
3. Questioning Assumptions (Especially your own)
   • Here are examples of common assumptions folks once believed
     1. The Earth is flat
     2. The Earth is the center of the universe
     3. Humans will never figure out flight
     4. Humans catch warts from licking toads
     5. Thomas Crapper invented the toilet (I was bummed this wasn’t true)
4. Saving instead of Spending and investing the savings
   • You will never get rich by earning and spending, you need to create your own avenue to compound your dollars
     1. Buy stocks that pay dividends
     2. Buy businesses that produce cash flow
     3. Buy homes and rent them out
5. Watching what you eat and not overindulging
   • If you don’t want diabetes, congestive heart failure or other diseases that are caused by being overweight, don’t overindulge.  Abs are made in the kitchen, brah!
6. Reading
   • It’s been said that the average CEO reads upwards of 60 books a year and the average worker reads one.  
     1. I don’t know if the above statement is true, but I’ll stand by the fact that reading and constantly inputting information in your mind that is designed to educate will get your further
7. Learning how to communicate
   • Unless you are an individually brilliant performer that is once in a generation at whatever skill you do, you are going to need to communicate at some point!  Warren Buffet once said the greatest investment he ever made was in a Dale Carnegie public speaking course.  
   • To get what you want in this life, you are going to have to communicate well with others.  If you don’t do this naturally, it’s a skill that can be learned, no matter how painfully shy you may be.
8. Making new friends as an adult
   • Your network is your net worth.  Don’t be stuck.  Making friends as an adult can be hard.  It’s easier to stay in your shell.  It’s easier not to risk rejection. It’s also incredibly rewarding to surround yourself with people who help you become the best version of you, always!  
   • Talk to people, invite folks into your life that you admire and take the risk.  Personally, all of my best friends have been made as an adult!
9. Meditating and being present
   • Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center claim meditating can change the structure and function of the brain through relaxation, which can: Reduce stress, anxiety, depression, increase focus, learning concentration, improve memory and attention span.
10. Volunteer, Serve or Contributing to a cause
    • There are myriad benefits to paying it forward in life.  However, none more so than the sense of self that is built from it.  When you live life to serve a purpose greater than yourself, it brings the rest of your being up with it.  
    • Studies have also stated that service can help increase self-confidence and life satisfaction, combats depression and even helps you stay physically healthy.
11. Create
    • Creativity has a compounding effect.  When you create once, you’ll create again and again.  You’ll find that if you create in your spare time, you’ll be more creative in your work, with your family and you’ll get bored less often!  
    • You can also parlay your creativity into additional income streams.  You could create a business, publish a story or find new friends through new interests.
12. Be Constantly honest, to yourself and others
    • There are few benefits to lying.  In fact, it’s advice that goes as far back as the 10 commandments, rules followed by the 3 Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  
    • Many of the most successful investors and business people today practice “radical transparency” which is extreme honesty.  It’s a practice that continues to create successful people and is still to this day, is hard to follow!

Now go do some hard shit and remember, don’t skip leg day!