Tag: Exercise

Day 20: Why DDP Yoga (And Why This Time Is Different)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Twenty days into the 7-40 Challenge, and I’m realizing something: I’ve been doing DDP Yoga on and off for years. But I’ve never done it like this.

Let me explain.

Why DDP Yoga?

When I started looking for a yoga program that fit my life, I had a few non-negotiables.

First, I needed something approachable. Yoga is incredibly good for your health, but I’m a 47-year-old married man. I don’t need to do yoga with young women in spandex. I need to hang out with a guy in his 60s in gym shorts, focusing on nothing but the physical benefits. That’s exactly what DDP Yoga gave me.

Second, I remembered Diamond Dallas Page from his WCW wrestling days in the ’90s. I was a bit of a fan back then. But what really caught my attention was when he went on Shark Tank to get funding for his business.

That’s where I saw Arthur’s story.

The Arthur Story That Changed Everything

Arthur was a veteran who used to jump out of airplanes. He did a lot of damage to his body through his service to the country. By the time DDP met him, Arthur was using arm canes just to move around. He was much larger than was healthy. Doctors didn’t know if he’d ever walk normally again.

But on Shark Tank, Arthur stood next to DDP—a fit, trim man full of vitality. There was a video of him running. Full speed.

It’s hard to argue with those results.

Why That Story Mattered to Me

Around the time I picked up the DDP Yoga app in 2019—after spending the back half of 2018 healing up from surgery—I felt extremely broken.

During my cancer surgery and recovery, I lost 50 pounds. Then I had all the lymph nodes surgically removed from my abdomen—a massive abdominal surgery with a huge midline scar running down my stomach.

I didn’t know if I’d regain my core strength. I didn’t know if I’d ever feel normal again.

Through DDP Yoga, I’ve been able to regain a lot of my core strength and flexibility. And I did it in a way that’s uplifting and positive—because that’s who DDP is. The program is low-impact. It doesn’t overtax my muscles, but it definitely works them out. I get my heart rate up without hurting myself.

There are different workout programs on the app for people at every fitness level. I’ve gotten much more flexible and stronger over time.

But here’s the confession: I’ve never actually finished a full 13-week cycle.

Why This Time Is Different

I made it through one 13-week cycle once, but I didn’t do all the prescribed workouts. I’d push things off. Rearrange the schedule. Skip one here and there. Just mess around.

This time, I have my workout plan already established. I know exactly what days I’m doing things on. I look at my phone, see what’s up for that day, and that’s the workout I do.

Part of the beauty of DDP’s app is you can set the workout schedule to be what you want it to be on the days you want. It was very easy to take the 3-4 yoga sessions I wanted per week and arrange them around my lifting days.

So I’m lifting, doing yoga, and walking—without overburdening myself on any specific day. It’s balanced. It’s sustainable.

But here’s the real difference:

I’ve decided to be completely transparent with myself and the world.

I need transformation. I do not want to wait any longer to step into this.

The best time to start is now. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Arthur went from arm canes to running. I went from post-cancer brokenness to regaining my core strength. But both of us had to actually show up and do the work.

Day 20. DDP Yoga Energy 2.0 is up next. I’m not skipping it. I’m not rearranging it. I’m doing it.

Because this time, I’m not just trying to finish a cycle. I’m building a foundation that lasts 280 days—and beyond.

Day 20 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Walking) ✅ Reading ✅ Calories ✅ Water ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour ✅ DDP Yoga Energy 2.0

Twenty consecutive perfect days. No skipping. No rearranging. Just showing up.

The best time to start is now.

See you tomorrow for Day 21.

Day 16: Truth vs. Projection (Why Transformation Fails Without Honest Data)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

When we’re trying to make transformative progress in our lives and we don’t live in truthful capture of what we do daily, we set ourselves up for frustration, failure, and disillusionment.

The transformation either takes longer than we expect or doesn’t happen at all. And we start believing—falsely—that transformation isn’t possible.

But here’s the truth: the issue isn’t that transformation doesn’t work. The issue is we’re projecting instead of capturing reality.

My Weight Struggle: A Case Study

Weight has been a struggle most of my adult life. It’s not that I haven’t known how to lose weight. The formula is simple: take in fewer calories than you burn. Basal metabolic rate plus exercise minus food intake equals weight change.

I’ve known this for decades.

But knowing and doing are different things.

I wasn’t doing the actual math. I wasn’t tracking my basal metabolic rate. I wasn’t calculating calories burned through workouts. I wasn’t logging every bite that went into my mouth.

I was projecting what I thought I was eating. “I’m being pretty good today.” “I didn’t eat that much.” “This is probably fine.”

And the scale didn’t move. Or it moved the wrong direction.

So I’d get frustrated. I’d feel like transformation was impossible. Like my body just didn’t work the same as other people’s.

The brutal truth? I was lying to myself.

What Changed on Day 1

When I started the 7-40 Challenge, I committed to tracking every calorie in MyFitnessPal. Every single one. No guessing. No “close enough.” No projection.

Capture. Truthful, unvarnished data.

By sticking to a calorie threshold every day and logging my daily exercise, I’m being much more honest in this challenge than I would have been otherwise. Because I know I have to watch what I put in my mouth much more rigorously.

If I don’t, I’m just lying to myself—and to anyone else I tell this story to.

The Truth Creates Clarity

I got into a conversation the other day about truth—in regards to current events and politics. My response to the person I was talking to: there’s the truth, and then there is what both sides want to call the truth.

Many times, neither side is actually reporting what actually happened—just their version.

Sherlock Holmes had it right: “It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data.”

Give me the data. Give me the facts and patterns. Let the truth emerge from that—not from what I want the truth to be.

The Mirror Moment

So here’s the question I’m asking myself on Day 16—and the question I’m asking you:

Are you being truthful about the things that matter to you?

If you’re not seeing the change you want, are you projecting instead of capturing factually?

What will you do to change that today?

For me, it’s MyFitnessPal. It’s the scale on Friday mornings. It’s the daily blog post that holds me accountable. It’s the unvarnished truth that I’m 16 days in, 90 chapters revised, and the weight hasn’t moved as much as I’d like.

That’s not failure. That’s data. And data tells me what to adjust.

Day 16 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout B + Walking) ✅ Reading ✅ Calories ✅ Water ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour

Sixteen consecutive perfect days. Projection eliminated. Truth captured.

The best time to start being honest with yourself? Now.

See you tomorrow for Day 17.

Day 12: More Than Just Checking Boxes (Why This Challenge Is Emotional)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

I’m in the Emotional chapter of “Made to Stick” this morning, and something caught my attention.

The Heath brothers tell a story about a soldier cook. He had retired, but when offered an opportunity to cook for soldiers in Iraq, he jumped at the post. When asked about his job, he didn’t say “I prepare food.” He said: “My job is morale.”

He understood something deeper than the task list. Yes, he cooked meals. But his real job was building the strength soldiers needed to keep fighting, to survive, to stay mentally sharp in war.

That hit me hard. Because the 7-40 Challenge can’t just be about checking boxes.

The Real Job

Bible study. Exercise. Reading. Water. Calories. Gratitude. Creative work.

Seven habits. Forty days. Repeated seven times.

On the surface, that’s what I’m doing. But here’s the truth: my job is to be living proof that change is possible.

I was made to help people. To make their lives better, easier, more purposeful. I feel that call deep inside me—the need to take care of people, to build them up, to show them what’s possible.

But I can’t do that and ignore myself.

I have to fill my cup so I can fill others.

Why This Is Emotional for Me

This isn’t self-improvement for self-improvement’s sake. If the goal were just about me, it would be much too small.

I’m doing this because:

My family needs me healthy and strong. Fewer illnesses means less stress on my wife. More energy means I can be active, do the home improvement projects we love, spend time doing whatever activities we choose. Better mood means better interactions with everyone around me.

My son needs to see this. Not hear about transformation someday—watch it happen in real time. So when life gets hard for him, he knows it’s possible to choose differently.

The 1,000 people I want to impact need proof. By clearly defining the transformation I’m undergoing and letting people watch it play out in real time, I’m demonstrating the courage they need to name their own transformation—which may be completely different than mine. But watching mine unfold might inspire them to face theirs.

The Ripple Effect

When I’m healthy, strong, and energized, my world improves. And everything my world touches improves.

My marriage gets stronger. My parenting gets more present. My work gets sharper. My ability to help others grows exponentially.

That’s not narcissism. That’s stewardship.

I can’t pour from an empty cup. And at times over the past twenty+ years, I’ve run on fumes, talking about “someday” while my cup stayed empty.

Not anymore.

Motivation and Movement

The soldier cook understood: his real job was giving soldiers the strength to keep fighting.

My real job? Giving people stuck in “someday” mode the courage to actually move. To break from routine’s gravity. To start now instead of waiting for perfect.

And I can only do that if I’m doing it myself.

Day 12. Twelve perfect days behind me. Not because I’m special, but because the mission is bigger than me.

Day 12 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout B – back, biceps, legs) ✅ Reading (Made to Stick – Emotional chapter) ✅ Water ✅ Calories ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour

The best time to fill your cup? Now. Not for yourself alone. For everyone who needs you at your best.

My job isn’t just the habits.

It’s to be living proof that change is possible.

See you tomorrow for Day 13.

Day 8: Why I’m Still Walking (And Why You Should Too)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Seven days down. One week of perfect execution.

This morning I laced up for my walk thinking about something unexpected: I never saw this coming.

When I was younger, walking was what old people did. Real exercise meant running, lifting, sweating buckets. Walking? That was just… transportation.

At 47, walking is one of my favorite parts of the day.

Not the lifting (though Workout B yesterday destroyed me in the best way). Not the yoga. The walk.

Here’s why that matters for the 7-40 Challenge: Simple works. Sustainable beats intense.

Hippocrates said it 2,000 years ago: “Walking is man’s best medicine.” He was right then. He’s right now.

Three reasons walking wins:

Fresh air. Whether it’s scorching summer or crisp winter, stepping outside and filling my lungs pulls me away from screens and routines. It resets my energy in a way indoor workouts can’t match.

Audiobook time. I’m working through “Made to Stick” while walking. Physical movement + mental input = how I learn best. Double productivity.

My brain needs motion. I’m still that energetic kid who thinks better while moving. At 47, I feel it every time—blood pumping wakes up my brain. Nietzsche nailed it: “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”

The practical magic: Walking is low-impact. Easy on joints. No jarring bounces or overuse injuries. It strengthens your heart, aids weight management, releases endorphins that lift your mood. And it’s accessible—no gym required, no equipment needed.

Just shoes and intention.

I never thought I’d be the guy who loves his daily walk. But here I am, Day 8, proving that the best habits are often the simplest ones.

The best time to start walking? Now. Not when you’re “in better shape.” Not when the weather’s perfect. Now.

Lace up. One mile. See how you feel.

Day 8 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (walk + more today) ✅ Reading ✅ Water, calories, gratitude ✅ Creative hour

Eight consecutive perfect days. The simple habits stack.

What’s your go-to movement? Drop a comment—let’s build a community of people actually doing the work.

See you tomorrow for Day 9.

Day 5: Why I Got Up at 5:00 AM

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

My alarm went off at 5:00 this morning. Not because I’m a morning person—I’m not. But because I made myself a promise: all workouts done by noon during these first rounds of the 7-40 Challenge.

An hour of exercise doesn’t happen by accident.

Eight years ago, I was in a hospital bed with a 13 cm tumor. Chemo. Surgery. Radiation. By God’s grace, I’m cancer-free. But that door? I don’t ever want it to open again.

So I get up. I move. I lift.

Today was my first free weight workout of the year—incline press, standing press, triceps work. My shoulders are already telling me tomorrow’s going to hurt. Good. That means it’s working.

Here’s what daily exercise gives me:

Mobility I can’t take for granted. At 47, I notice how quickly things tighten up. Daily movement keeps me loose and energized.

Strength for real life. Not just gym strength—the kind that lets me help around the house, take long walks, tackle whatever comes without hesitation.

A fighting chance. Exercise strengthens my body and acts as a defense against the illness I’ve already beaten. It’s a tool to help me fulfill my purpose: caring for my family and making a difference in the world.

Thomas Jefferson wrote to his nephew: “Give about two hours every day to exercise; for health must not be sacrificed to learning. A strong body makes the mind strong.”

I’ll be honest—I’m carrying more weight than I should be…over 40 pounds more. That’s exactly why I’m committing to an hour daily right now. Once I’ve made progress, I’ll ease back to 30 minutes for maintenance.

For some, exercise is already solid and other areas need work. For me, this is a focal point.

The best time to start? Not Monday. Not next month. Today. The best time to start is NOW.

What’s your focal point in your own challenge? Drop a comment—let’s keep each other moving.

See you tomorrow for Day 6.