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THE GOLD RING
Believe Your Body Is Worth Protecting
Why conviction outlasts willpower — and what to do if you haven’t found yours yet.
Almost everyone knows that gym memberships surge after New Year’s — and that 80% to 90% of those new members stop attending or cancel within the first two to three months.1 Why? Why do so many not stay on the path? There are always the standard excuses: not enough time, family demands, or simply not enjoying it. On the other side, there are people who hate missing a single day. Before I put a home gym in my basement, I used to go to a gym and see the same faces every time — people who missed a day only under protest.
What is the difference between these two groups? The Spiritual Leg. One group sees working out as a task — something that “has to be done” but that they simply do not love. The other group shows up consistently because deep down, they know it is the right thing for their body. They understand the sheer complexity of the human body and what it takes to protect it. Solid muscle is your body armor.2 It protects joints and ligaments, improves balance and strength, and reduces the risk of injuries and falls. We all know that once the first serious fall happens, it can be “the beginning of the end.” That is why I always say: Double-Up Leg Day! Do whatever it takes to stay mobile, agile, and lean. Make the investment in your body now — not tomorrow.
“A strong Spiritual Leg means you believe your body is a gift — and that it is your responsibility to protect it with everything you have.”
I did not always have a strong Spiritual Leg. I wanted to be fit, but I did not appreciate my body enough to be consistent. That changed when my parents lost their battle with dementia. I went down many rabbit holes trying to understand why some people develop it and others do not. What I found fell into two broad categories: deterioration of the physical body and mind (Physical Leg), and the loss of human connection (Mental Leg). What I almost never saw discussed was a deep appreciation for how the human body develops over time — and what a true gift it is.
A strong Spiritual Leg means you carry that appreciation. You believe the body is a gift — from God, or whatever you believe is the source of life — and that it is your responsibility to protect it with everything you have. That conviction is what gets you out of bed at 5am. It is what makes you say no to the sugar at breakfast or after dinner. It is what makes you step outside and value what sunlight does for your health.
How to Build It
So how do you build or strengthen your Spiritual Leg? It starts with knowledge — and building that knowledge is exactly what this site is here for. Knowledge about how the body works: how we digest what we put into it, how the immune system attacks sickness and heals us, how the nervous system operates, how deeply the brain and body are connected, and above all, how the body functions as one single beautiful machine — not a collection of independent parts.
Once that knowledge builds, Appreciation follows. An appreciation for the marvel of what we are and what a genuine miracle the human body is. The deeper that appreciation grows, the stronger the belief that we are more than random accidents — and the more we want to protect the bodies we are temporarily occupying.
Use this site and the community we are building to find that knowledge. The appreciation will naturally follow, and your Spiritual Leg will begin to grow.
1 6 New Year’s Resolution Gym Statistics You Need to Know — Glofox
2 Muscle as Medicine — Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, Time Magazine
— Steve Barthelmes, Founder, Live Prescription Free