Tag: Fitness

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.

Gratitude Sunday: My Mom and George Bailey

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

One of my favorite Christmas movies is It’s a Wonderful Life.

When I was younger, I liked it because an angel comes down and helps a guy get through a hard time. You get to see his whole story unfold and figure out who he really is. I didn’t see the deep significance as a young person watching this movie for the first time.

As I’ve gotten older, George Bailey’s story has become far too familiar.

I see it in life all around me. People—many wonderful people—don’t realize the good they do. They don’t understand how their influence has shaped the world around them far more than they know.

One person I can see this to be true about is my mother.

A Life of Selfless Love

My mother is one of the most selfless, wonderful people I have ever met or had the pleasure to know. She is kind and caring and deeply concerned with the well-being of others.

This flows from her relationship with God, which has been solid for as long as I can remember. She loves Jesus dearly. And because of that, she has consistently, over the years, shown people God’s love in countless ways.

I’ve seen her stop in the grocery store and share God with people or stop and pray with them just because she knew they needed it. I’ve seen her give of herself and run herself ragged to make sure that the people she served and the people she loved were taken care of.

But I’m going to tell this story from my perspective, from what I’ve seen in my own life.

Songs and Stories in the Early ’80s

My mother, in the early ’80s, started telling me stories about Jesus. She would sing songs and read the Bible with me. She was very involved in making sure that I knew that Jesus loved me—and also building me up to be a confident and strong young man.

She was consistent in her love.

I reminded her the other day that she’s the reason I know Jesus, just as she’s the reason many other people in this world know Jesus as well. She’s the reason people have found hope when they didn’t have any. She’s the reason people have found kindness when they most needed it.

She has been God’s love to people repeatedly throughout her life.

And just like George Bailey, I don’t think she understands just how far her influence has gone.

The Billy Graham Question

It makes me think.

If I asked you, “Do you know who Billy Graham is?” most of us—whether we are Christians or not—have heard the name. We know he was a very famous minister. We know that he touched countless lives with the love of God and with the message of God’s salvation.

But if I asked you, “What was the name of the man who introduced Billy Graham to Jesus?” I don’t think many of us would know who that is.

You never know the effect you have on someone’s life. You never know the influence. You never know the good that you do. You’ll never see the full picture.

But that shouldn’t stop you from doing good.

My Gratitude

So to say the least, I’m grateful for my mother.

I’m grateful for the way she’s loved me and taken care of me. Even though it’s been many, many years since I’ve lived in their home, she still loves me and prays for me to this day like I’m her baby boy.

Her influence on me has been outstanding.

And I can only imagine the influence she’s had on others—the people whose names I’ll never know, whose stories I’ll never hear, whose lives were changed because she stopped in a grocery store or prayed with someone who was hurting or sang songs about Jesus to a little boy in the early ’80s.

She’ll never know how far her influence has gone.

But I do know this: I wouldn’t be here without her. I wouldn’t know Jesus without her. I wouldn’t be attempting this 7-40 Challenge without the foundation she helped build in my life.

So thank you, Mom.

For being God’s love when I needed it most.

For never giving up on me.

For showing me what it looks like to live a life of purpose.

You’re far more influential than you know.

And I’m forever grateful.

#ThankYouCampaign #GratitudeSunday #ItsAWonderfulLife #GeorgeBailey #MothersLove #Faith #Jesus #Grateful #FamilyLegacy #Influence #740Challenge #Purpose #ChristianLife #Thankful

Day 10: Data First, Theory Second (Why Sherlock Holmes Got It Right)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

I listened to “Made to Stick” this morning during my walk, and I hit the chapter on credibility. The Heath brothers made a point that stopped me cold:

Don’t make up your mind and then go looking for data to prove you’re right. Look for the data to help you make up your mind.

It reminded me of Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in “A Study in Scarlet”: “It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

Two different sources, separated by over a century. Same truth.

The Temptation

It would be very easy to say: “By March 15th, I’ll weigh 245 pounds. By April 1st, I’ll have my novel published. By June, I’ll have 10,000 social media followers.”

Make up the goal. Hunt for the data to prove it’s possible. Force yourself into unsustainable practices to hit the deadline.

I’ve done this before. Multiple times in my life, actually. And here’s what happens: I hit the deadline (maybe), but the transformation doesn’t stick. The moment the deadline passes, I’m back where I started. Downward spiral. Rinse, repeat.

Why the 7-40 Challenge Is Different

The physiology of weight loss doesn’t work on my timeline. Exercise recovery doesn’t care about my deadline. Sustainable habits don’t emerge from forcing performance.

So instead of demanding that the data conform to my goal, I’m letting the goal emerge from the data.

Seven daily habits. That’s my theory.

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

I’m not promising you specific results by specific dates. I’m collecting data through daily practice. And I’m letting that data tell me where I’m headed.

Weight loss? It’s happening (3.7 pounds in 9 days), but I’m not demanding it hit a certain number by a certain date. The data will tell the story.

Novel revision? I’m at 50 chapters. Not because I promised myself 50 by Day 10, but because the daily habit of creative hour produces consistent output. The data shows up.

Social media strategy? Still figuring it out. No false promises. Just daily attempts and learning.

The Sustainable Difference

By committing to the practices instead of the deadlines, I’m building something that becomes part of who I am. Not a sprint to a finish line. A permanent shift in daily behavior.

Sherlock Holmes didn’t demand the facts bend to his theory. He collected evidence and followed where it led. That’s credibility. That’s how you build real transformation instead of false performance.

I don’t want to hit a goal and bounce back. I want sustainable change that sticks because it’s now my daily rhythm, not an unsustainable forced performance.

Day 10 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise ✅ Reading ✅ Gratitude ✅ Water, calories, creative hour

Ten consecutive perfect days. Data collecting. Theory emerging.

The best time to stop making up your mind and start collecting data? Now.

See you tomorrow for Day 11.