Dry August

Q: How do you know if someone’s doing Dry January?

A: They tell you.

(Replace Dry January with keto, CrossFit or ZOE and the joke still works)

I’m not a huge drinker. I’ve likely done Dry January in previous years without realising it. But after an Autumn of Excess (great band name), we’re now giving a concerted effort to cutting back on alcohol for a while.

It’s been easy so far. I wouldn’t have been drinking anyway. And for that reason, I’ve always thought Dry January is a bit of a cop-out.

Dry August and Dry December are the true tests!

One thing Lucy and I have talked about is doing an alcohol-free holiday this year. I end up drinking on holiday (or in December!) because I feel obliged to, not because I want to. Relentless drinking makes me feel tired, demotivated and anxious. And that’s why I’m exploring my relationship with alcohol more closely right now.

I’m not here to demonise drinking. Many people can successfully keep a lid on it, enjoy a drink now and then, and leave it at that. But I’ve met way more people with no “off” switch, and I’m all for reflecting on whether alcohol has a net positive or negative impact on your life.

It’s a hot topic in The Mind & Matter Method community, and we’ve set up a dedicated group to support each other with it.

It’s amazing to have a safe, supportive and non-judgemental space where guys can discuss their insecurities and emotions around the stuff they’re dealing with. 

And it’s always reassuring to hear others are going through similar challenges as me.

I’m considering extending January abstinence into Feb and beyond…let’s see how it goes. It’s easy until there’s a time I’d usually drink (seeing friends, live music, etc)!

What about you? Is alcohol one of the things you’re being more mindful of this year? Is this a demon you’ve already conquered? Or is it something you’re fine with?

Hit reply and let me know. I’ll share any cool insights in future newsletters to inspire others.

~ Toby 

🧠 Mind

Easy choices / Hard life, Hard choices / Easy life

A quote shared by Jon recently:

“Fitness isn't everything. But everything is harder if you aren't fit. There is more to life than fitness. However, there is more to life with fitness.”

Preach! 🙌

“Mind & Matter” is more than a name. It represents one of my core beliefs: that being fit and healthy are the vehicle for achieving excellence in the rest of your life.

The discipline, persistence, determination, strength, confidence, energy and resilience that come from consistent hard training can’t be bought. They can’t be faked. They can’t be cloned.

The only way to get them is by doing hard things.

And anyone has the power to build this strength of character for themselves. Put the work in, and you can have it too.

What are you waiting for?

(read the rest of the newsletter first, then get going)

💪 Matter

A Warped Sense of Reality

Interesting article in the Guardian about the increasing popularity of anabolic steroids amongst young men in Australia.

I’m not surprised.

If your social media feeds are anything like mine, they’ll be swamped by images of hyper-muscular dudes and lithe, toned women. And the carefully-curated, edited and polished world of Instagram has warped our sense of reality. 

Go on any natural male bodybuilder’s profile, and you’ll see comments from trolls telling him he’s small and not at all muscular. It’s as if the only look that’s “acceptably muscular” now is to look like cbum.

The Liver King fucked all of our perceptions with his insistence that he was natural, only to then be exposed as a steroid-using sham.

And in this environment, it’s no surprise that male body image issues are in the media.

I’ve experienced this myself when running adverts…

“You’ve never been to a gym”

“You look like a crackhead”

“You are skinny”

I can laugh this off. Others might not be so thick-skinned…and that’s the slippery slope to steroid use.

A reminder…

Massively muscular does not equal healthy. Steroid use will screw with your hormones and shorten your life expectancy. I’m not judging anyone for using them - people can do what they want, as long as they’re not harming others. But they are not the path to the future you want for yourself.

You’re running your own race. Don’t compare your progress to anyone else. Are you better than YOU - last week, month, or year? If “yes”, you’re doing great. Keep going.

“Health” has many forms. To many people, I’m skinny.. I’m okay with that. I’m lean, fit, and decently strong. I do want more muscle, and I’ll get there…but I’m not crying over it. There are more important health markers to care about.

By the way - I’m talking here about the use of anabolic steroids, and NOT Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). Low T is a serious issue, and getting to a normal baseline level with TRT is a good thing. I’ll be interviewing one of my clients about his experience on TRT on the podcast very soon 🙂


Yours in health

Toby

PS. you’ll notice there are lots of links in the newsletter nowadays. This is so you can follow your curiosity and see where it takes you. I don’t expect you to click on everything, but if something piques your interest, listen to it! If I’ve included it, it’s because I think it’s useful in some way to you.

Here’s some other things that can help you:

The Mind & Matter Method podcast - new episodes weeklyish

The Mind & Matter Method coaching programme - stronger, leaner and healthier within 6 weeks

The Anti-Diet Method nutrition course - the complete process to dieting for fat loss and muscle gain

Ditch the Doomscroll - free yourself from your phone and save at LEAST 3 hours a week

Free 14-day course ‘Training with Confidence’ course - get clarity on how to train, eat and win

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