Issue #001 - Just Get Started
Read on kevferrell.com
Welcome to the first issue of Rewire | Reboot, a weekly newsletter where I share reflections from my ongoing personal growth journey and provide tested ideas, frameworks, tools and practices to help you create the life you want.
If you'd like to continue receiving this newsletter you can manage your preferences here and add me to your safe senders list. And please forward to anyone you feel would enjoy it.
If you were forwarded this email you can sign up for the free weekly newsletter here.
If you don't want to hear from me please unsubscribe - no hard feelings.
Mindset - Idea I'm Exploring
Getting Started
Most of us have something we're delaying starting. It could be a project, a creative pursuit, looking for a new job or starting an exercise routine. The larger the thing, the harder it is to get started. We come up with reasons why today isn't the day: “I don’t have the time”, “I’ll do it after I get through [fill in the blank]”, and around this time of year, “I’ll start in the New Year”. Every reason you can come up with for waiting to start is just an excuse. There will never be a better time than right now. And you never know when your time will run out.
The antidote is simple: If you don't know where to start, break it down into the smallest action you can take that doesn't feel hard.
Getting off the starting line, no matter how tiny the step, will feel like progress and generate forward momentum. It converts intention into action.
If it’s a longer term goal or project, try committing to spending just five or ten minutes a day taking a small action towards your goal. Track it, note your progress and check it off daily on whatever form of to-do list you keep (I’ll explore that in a future issue). Even ten minutes per day adds up to 5 hours in a month. Chances are you’ll often spend more than ten minutes once you get rolling.
A few more quick pointers:
- Don’t let perfectionism get in the way of execution. Give yourself permission to start imperfectly. There is no such thing as perfection. Be okay with good enough. Wherever you start will be a work in progress that inevitably evolves. This first newsletter issue is far from perfect, but I will keep working to make it better over time.
- Count on things not going exactly according to plan. You can spend all the time in the world trying to create the perfect plan, but I'm willing to bet it won’t be accurate. Prepare for obstacles and be adaptable.
- Don’t fall prey to analysis paralysis. Overthinking keeps you stuck.
- Stage and phase your efforts. Just like breaking a task down into the smallest action to get started, breaking down the larger goal into smaller tasks and chunks creates a series of more manageable, achievable steps. It turns “How will I ever do all of this?” into “What’s the next step right now?”
- Be realistic. Set realistic expectations in the nearer term so that you don't set yourself up for perceived failure by not achieving unrealistic goals.
Finally, let go of the fear of looking foolish. Whether it's entering a gym for the first time and feeling out of place or putting an idea out there that you fear others may laugh at - toss it away. What others do or say is out of your control. Being successful often requires you to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
I’m doing it right now. As a private person who has intentionally stayed away from social media, putting myself out there publicly with this newsletter and social media accounts with exactly zero posts or followers is scary. I may look silly and I expect there will be people who laugh at or criticize me, but I'm getting started anyway.
Now it’s your turn. Just get started. The rest becomes possible only after that first small step.
Body - Health & Longevity
Get Moving
In my view, the single most powerful tool in the entire health and wellness toolkit that delivers the greatest return for improving both physical and mental health and longevity is exercise. Hands down. Nothing else comes close. We're talking improvements in metabolic function, cardiovascular health, mental performance, preservation of brain health, disease reduction and prevention, healthspan and lifespan. No supplement, no medication, no protocol has the broad, powerful, systemic impact that consistent movement and especially resistance training provide.
The data is overwhelming. Here is just one recent study on the benefits of weight training in reducing risk of all-cause mortality among older adults including from the two big killers, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
And it takes far less than most people think to make an impact. I’ll dive deeper into different types of exercise and how much (or little) you actually need to make a difference another day. The theme of today’s newsletter is just get started.
You don’t need an elaborate routine, a gym membership, or a 90-minute block carved out each day. You just need a starting point.
Don’t wait for the perfect moment, a new program or the New Year’s resolution you might start and abandon. Start now, in whatever small way you can.
The easiest way to begin is to find something you actually enjoy - or at least don’t dread. Then commit to a tiny step you can do daily for the next week. Set a floor, a minimum effort you can achieve, not an unrealistic goal. Often people will start by going to the gym and overdoing it out of the gate. Or worse, by hiring a trainer who puts them through an advanced workout on day one leaving them so sore that they don't want to continue. A starting point could be as little as a 5-10 minute brisk walk every day. The tiny efforts compound.
I train everyday with no scheduled off days, but sometimes life requires missing a training session. So my minimum or 'floor' is 10 squats, 10 pushups, 10 sit-ups, and when possible, 10 inverted rows plus a few mobility stretches or exercises. Chances are I will do more than 10 of each, but that’s the low bar. It’s a simple, full-body, bodyweight routine that can be done anywhere and takes only a few minutes. There’s no excuse for not finding those minutes. It can be done before jumping in the shower, between meetings as a midday reset or as part of an evening wind-down. On training days, I include these in my warmup so that I'm doing them every day. At a minimum of 10 per day that compounds into at least 3,650 per year.
"It’s never too late to start.
No starting point is too small."
Toolkit - Something I'm Doing
Starting the Day Off Right
When we wake up in the morning, we’re almost always in a state of dehydration. After 7-9 hours without fluid intake our bodies naturally lose water through respiration (exhaling water vapor with every breath) and perspiration (even if we don’t feel ourselves sweating the body continually releases moisture during sleep). Overnight, our kidneys continue to work, pulling additional water from our bodies. We also lose electrolytes through these processes.
All of this means we’re starting the day in a deficit. That’s why rehydrating first thing in the morning - before your morning coffee - is important. A proper hydration ritual first thing in the morning replenishes fluids, balances electrolytes and helps kickstart digestion and energy levels for the day.
It could be as simple as downing an eight- ounce glass of water as soon as you wake up.
This is my morning hydration cocktail:
- 5 grams L-Glutamine (I'm using Naked Glutamine - I like the name)
- 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (I free pour)
- ½ squeezed lemon
- Large pinch of mineral sea salt (I'm using Baja Gold)
- Mixed in 8-12 ounces of room temperature water
Key notes: Use room temperature (not cold) water. It's gentler on the system and is absorbed more easily whereas cold water is a shock. And stir the mixture until the salt is fully dissolved in the water so it can be properly absorbed.
I chug this down with 2,000 IU of vitamin D, 1,000mg of vitamin C and 200mg of magnesium bisglycinate to prime the body for the day.
The 'why' behind each ingredient:
1. L-Glutamine
- The most abundant amino acid in the body
- Supports gut health and aids digestion and nutrient absorption
- Supports immune function
- May support muscle recovery
2. Apple cider vinegar
- Promotes healthy digestion by stimulating stomach acid production
- May help stabilize blood sugar when taken before meals
- Contains acetic acid, which supports metabolic function
3. Lemon juice
- Mimics the natural acidity of the stomach and aids digestion by stimulating gastric juices and bile production
- Supports liver detoxification pathways
- Enhances hydration by improving water absorption
4. Mineral sea salt
- Replenishes electrolytes and trace minerals
- Improves cellular hydration by helping water move into cells
- Can support adrenal function and morning energy
5. Room-temperature water
- Easier for the body to absorb than cold water
- Gentle on digestion, especially first thing in the morning
- Helps kickstart metabolism and rehydrate tissues immediately
Try it and see if you feel the difference.
Recommended - Must Read
Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits, by James Clear is one of the most practical and impactful books on behavior change and one of the most successful books ever written with over 25 million copies sold. It’s one of my favorite books to gift.
James Clear breaks down how small, consistent actions - tiny habits - compound into remarkable results over time. Instead of relying only on willpower or motivation, he teaches you how to design your environment, shift your identity, and build systems that make good habits inevitable and bad habits harder to fall into. With clear frameworks, memorable stories and actionable strategies this book shows how to make lasting improvements in health, work, relationships and life. If you want a simple, science-backed approach to becoming 1% better every day this is one of the best places to start.
Inspiration - Quote I Love
“Many people wish they started sooner; almost nobody wishes they started later.”
- James Clear
Weekly Challenge
Start Now
Pick something to start over the next week. Find your starting point for that passion project, the exercise floor you can commit to, or give morning hydration a try.
Let me know how it goes - reply to this email.
Reader's Corner
Ask Me Anything
Have a question about something in this issue? An experience you'd like to share? A topic you'd like me to cover or dive deeper into in a future newsletter or article? Reply to this email and let me know.
Until next time,
Kevin
Learn more about me
Follow me
