The "One Daily Habit" That Keeps Men Disciplined for Life

But I promise you, if every single person ever watches this, you wake up and do a 20-minute walk in the morning and one after dinner and you do it for 7 days on the eighth day, the world doesn't fall apart. It only gets better the more you do it. Taking oneself seriously as a form of selfrespect and building up one's ability to support others and to do important things for other people in our life, our family, and for the world is so key. And I feel like taking oneself seriously is the cornerstone. There's a a clock on it. If you set it, it'll go off. When it goes off, get out of bed. Like, I've been doing it my whole life. I don't understand it. They just don't want to. They've never felt the power of being in control of the small things. Physical readiness. It can't be ignored. That is the one thing that everyone should be able to count on. And they should look at you. Well, I know John cares. Look at him like he didn't wake up like that. That dude is in the gym 5 days a week because he wants to be the best fireman he can possibly be. I called back to the command to our strength conditioning coaches and I pulled out all my scores from a test that's very very similar. Bodyweight bench, max pull-ups, did the whole thing. My numbers now 15 years later, some are better than they were when I was in my 20s. >> Awesome. >> And it's like I'm not training for that. This is just the program. It keeps me at a super high level. We had um we had a doctor from Duke University come down and do uh some CQB testing on me and we had to test V2 max. I haven't trained for V2 max in 20 years and my V2 max is still on the top 0001% of the earth. All elite athletes. I don't train V2 max. And I my breathing is so inefficient. And that's what he laughed about. You're ultrasounding my diaphragm. He's like, "Your breathing's terrible, but it translate to where your V2 max is awesome." He's like, "You can live forever. That's [music] that's how we determine how long you're going to live for is V2 max, and your V2 max is through the roof. I don't train it. If you just do the program, maintain it consistently, it'll give you such a well-rounded approach to everything. [music] And you know, that's the big thing is I don't want to have to say no. Hey, can you pick that up? Yeah. Can you jump over that? Yeah. Can you move that out of the way? Yep. Can you move him through time and space? Yep. >> Also helps cuz you have kids and they, you know, >> Yeah. >> swimming, playing, running around, and also setting a high standard within family. >> Yeah. You know, I think um there are always two sides to the fitness nutrition conversation. One is I'll just say it, you know, I feel like the standards in the United States have drifted so far in terms of what we consider healthy, um what we're willing to accept. Um my dad, who is not, you know, he's a first generation immigrant here, I'll never forget in the I think it was like in the mid '9s or something, he said to me, he said, you know, today I went, he was talking about himself. He he said, "I went to the movies and I uh and I saw people in pajamas." I was like, "What do you mean?" He's like, "People go to the movies now like as if they just woke up in their slippers and pajamas." And I said, "Oh, yeah." [clears throat] And he said, "Um, this is the beginning of the end." [music] He said, "Because when that slips, then pretty soon it's like, are you willing to tolerate things on the street? you know, then people aren't weeding their lawns and then pretty soon, you know, it just breeds this this general um disinterest in taking care of of things. And then, you know, I can't link it directly to people going to the movies in their pajamas, but and everyone likes to be comfortable. So, I don't think he was saying everyone should avoid wearing sweatpants, but I think what he was saying is, you know, etiquette and self-care and self-respect is projected outward. So, that's one side of it, right? um we [music] have a 30 35% of the United States is obese, not just overweight, but obese. On the other side is the opportunity, right? So, it's always good to think about the opportunity and um the program that you're offering, it clearly is great for first responders and people with high intensity, high demand um work. But the reason I'm interested in it is because I want to be fit for the next 50 years. And so I'm going to try it because um I want to train to be able to do these things when I'm 70 or 80 or 90. I figure if I get out that far, it's kind of like how could I possibly do it then? Well, by doing it every day until then. >> I steal a bunch of stuff from you like can of sunglasses. Let's get some vitamin D straighten my eyes first thing in the morning, set circadian rhythm. I do the same thing at night. It's like [music] they've all been saying the same thing, man. Like if you just make it part of your routine, and Schwarzenegger says it too. Like, hey, did you work out yesterday? Uh-huh. I'm going to work out tomorrow and the next day. I brush my teeth twice a day, too. I'm going to continue doing it. It's part of my routine and I'm not going to miss it. I've been doing this and I haven't missed session for six years and I am not going to miss one tomorrow. [music] Why would I? You're seeing what it's doing for me. I mean, I've got a laundry list of injuries and I'm still to perform at a super high level cuz I'm not taking my foot off the gas. There's nothing magical about me. I'm a I'm the most normal dude you'll ever meet. But, I mean, we have 65, 70year-olds on that program. I mean standards are what we all need for ourselves and standards are what honestly I think this country needs and and it's tricky because within this new administration you know the the whole notion of maja quickly got um kind of stained by the by the politicizing of like the motives and all that like it in the end people need to eat better train better and there are real medical issues out there people are are contending with but just imagine if people actually started to take their physical body seriously. You know, this [music] is something I I really want to I'm going to say it again later, but I want to say it now very clearly. One thing that I think is so absolutely clear from everything you've said about your backstory, where you're at now, the Ibegan work, your care for first responders, your care for your teammates, your family, is that you take yourself seriously. Yeah. So for you it's a yeah I think most people take their feelings seriously. They take their responses to what's going on in their life seriously. You know that at the center of our consciousness. A previous guest said you know is our ego. The the us the me that we're all like that to some extent. But taking oneself seriously as a form of selfrespect and building up one's ability to support others and to do important things for other people in our life, our family and for the world is so key. And I feel like taking oneself seriously is the cornerstone of everything I've heard you say today and everything you're doing that it it's not taking a feeling in a moment seriously. In fact, sometimes it's about doing that and sometimes it's about going, "No, I'm going to push that aside and I'm going to brush my teeth. I'm going to lean into that. I'm going to not do what I prefer to do in the moment so that I can really show up." But that we need to take ourselves seriously. >> You do. You have to. And I have this big thing. I do I've been asked to do a lot of motivational speaking lately and a lot of that. And I tell this story about a a kid that grows up to want to be a fireman and how he got inspired by a fireman because that guy was a physical representation of what that kid thought a fireman would be. Looked aart, act apart. He's heroic as you might as well put a red cape on this kid and send him through the door. I mean, that's what [music] it is. But that's you representing everything you think a fireman should be. Not just what you say, what you wear, how you speak, do everything. So for me, anybody who I meet, I'm giving you both barrels right now because I am trying to live the actual life that I think I should be living that translates all the positive stuff I'm trying to put out. If you saw me and I was 50 lbs overweight at a bar drinking my 12th beer, talking about mental health, you wouldn't take me serious. >> Talking about how you were a Navy Seal back when. >> That does nothing for them. >> Yeah. >> It's like that's not how I identify. Yeah, I did that job and yeah, you think that gives me credibility. I don't care about that a bit. That doesn't give me credibility. The way I live my life now, my daily routine gives me the credibility because no matter who you are, you can adopt that same lifestyle, that same routine, you can grab it as a housewife. You can wake up early and go out and do a 20-minute walk every single morning before your kids wake up. You're just refusing to do it. I don't know why, [music] but I promise you if every single person ever watches this, you wake up and do a 20-minute walk in the morning and one after dinner and [music] you do it for seven days on the eighth day, the world doesn't fall apart. It only gets better the more you do it. It just won't. People just don't want to put in the work. They want this quick fix. They want Ozimpic. They want this. or they're saying, and I hear this and uh it's trickier for me because I'm late to the game on kids uh and family, but um mark my words, but in your case, you've already [laughter] had kids. [music] You got a a wife, you have a functioning family and a very busy, demanding career and a previous career that carries with it incredible experiences, but also challenges and that you're resolving now and you've resolved and you have a mission in the world. And so a lot of times I'll hear people say, "Well, that's easy for you to say cuz you don't have kids." And and I'm kind of muted at that moment. And I want to respond and say, "Listen, when I was a graduate student, I worked 100 hours a week, but I was in my 20s and I didn't have kids." So I I have very little ammunition there. In your case, however, uh you have kids and you're getting up and you're doing two 20-minute walks and you're including your family in these practices, too. [music] You said your evening walks with your wife are a crucial part of your connection. >> If anyone is struggling with building that bridge, especially guys transition out of the military or career, you watch it with Tom Brady and everybody else when they leave the thing they were put on this earth to do, there is a fall from grace. It can't be ignored. [music] And most of the time that splits with the wife, right? Like the person you are now, she's not used to being home and now you don't have anything. If you are struggling to rebuild that connection with your wife, with your partner, that 20-minute walk has saved my marriage. I have given it to thousands of people. That right there, if I could give everybody a gift, the power of that 20-minute walk, it's changed my whole life, man. That is the one constant thing I don't compromise on. I mean, even to the point where, as dumb as it may be, when I'm walking through the Atlanta airport, I don't get on the little conveyor belt. I'm not doing that. I'll walk from terminal E all the way to terminal A because it's a 20-minute power push. I do it and I film it on social media. I'm getting my steps in no matter what. I'm not on my phone. I'm showing you you can find the time. Instead of sitting there at Starbucks for 45 minutes, wait on my flight, I'll just walk back and forth. I just got a 40-minute walk in straight. I'm [music] good. So, when I get back home, it's 2:30 in the morning. I don't feel guilty. I haven't done anything physical today. I wake up in the morning, 5:00 a.m., and I gear it up and I spin it again. You can find the time. Rarely. You have to make the time. >> If you're waiting for it just to pop up like, "Oh, here's a free 20-minute block." You're not going to have it. And people just That's the thing I can't get past. It's like, oh, you know, I can't wake up that early. [music] You have a $1,000 smartphone that does anything. There's not a question you can ask it. It doesn't have the answer to, and there's a a clock on it. If you [music] set it, it'll go off. When it goes off, get out of bed. Like, I've been doing it my whole life. I don't understand it. They just don't want to. [music] They've never felt the power of being in control of the small things. Why stacking up the microw lay out your clothes the night before? I mean, how many people wake up, you know, 20 minutes before they're supposed to leave the door and they're just frantic like, "Where's my black shirt? Where's my black shirt? Who are my shoes? Where are my car keys?" Like, that's a terrible way to start the day. But you're the one who's doing that. >> If you just spend 10 minutes the night before, take your shower, lay out the clothes, put them in the logical order you're about to get them dressed in next morning and go, [music] you'd be surprised how fast you're actually making a cup of coffee. Like, man, I did my entire morning routine in less than 5 minutes. Mhm. What would I do with my next 40? [music] Whatever you want. Do 10 minutes of meditation. Sit there in a dark room and just tell yourself 10 things you're truly grateful for. Like, I am so glad I have my wife. I'm so glad I have two healthy kids. I'm so glad I have a company. I'm so glad I have two arms and two legs. I'm so glad I'm still alive. Cool. What are you going to do? I'm going to make the most out of it. Go to work and do that. People just don't want to make the time cuz they've never seen the example. So, a lot of stuff we try to put out is I'm trying to be a physical representation of what I'm trying to massproduce. [music] Physically strong, mentally resilient, capable, patriotic Americans. That's what I'm trying to do. I just want you to have accountability. I've accounted for all my failures, all my successes, and everything else in between. And I'll show them exactly what happens when you do it wrong. And I think that's what a lot of people like the most about it is I will tell you all my deepest, darkest secrets because you're going to learn a lot more from those than you are about climbing Everest. Right? Like everybody wants to see the picture at the top of the mountain. They don't want to hear about, you know, how many sherpas you lost on the way to the top. They don't want to hear about that. I do. I want to hear about the real struggle. Like how hard is it to be you? Talk me through it. I can learn so much from the hardships of people. Just unfortunately, we're in a a place now where not too many people are willing to share

There’s one habit that changes everything not overnight, not through motivation, but through consistency. A 20-minute walk in the morning, and another after dinner. That’s it. It’s not about steps, calories, or fitness tracking. It’s about taking control of the smallest part of your day and realizing how much power is hidden in that. When you move your body with intention, you quiet the noise. You remind yourself that discipline isn’t about punishment, it’s about self-respect. Men lose themselves when they stop having structure. You see it everywhere good men, smart men, drifting because they’ve forgotten the power of routine. But when you decide that your health, your strength, your clarity, and your relationships matter, you walk differently. You lead differently. The truth is, most men over 40 don’t need a new hack, diet, or supplement. They need a standard. Something small they can do every day that reminds them they’re in control. This 20-minute rule is that standard. It rebuilds discipline, reconnects you to your body, and gives you the mental space to think clearly again. Because in the end, it’s not about how far you walk, it’s about what walking represents: movement, order, self-respect, and direction. Once you start, you’ll never stop. Join #1 men’s community for strength, fitness & longevity. Ask questions, share knowledge, and get support to stay strong for life https://www.skool.com/theory-of-man-5968 Subscribe for more practical, science-backed tips to improve your health and well-being: https://www.youtube.com/@UCgT9oGaVMnQovXUCLPMJu_A Podcast Host: Andrew Huberman YouTube: @HubermanLab #mindset #discipline #menshealth #longevity