Take Charge with Luke Jones
Oct 24, 2019
Welcome to Take Charge!, a series of interviews with some of our favorite health and wellness thought leaders. Each post features advice on topics like longevity, nutrition, exercise, and physical optimization. You'll also receive guidance on how to follow through with your goals and work through feelings of fear and doubt. Plus, we compiled the best tips in this free ebook - click here to download it.
Today we're featuring Luke Jones, a movement coach, wellness enthusiast, content creator, and founder of HERO Movement. Through articles, videos, courses, and online coaching, his big goal is to help people discover freedom of movement and create lives filled with well-being and adventure.
We met Luke virtually through Matt Frazier's annual No Meat Athlete bundle sale and his awesome YouTube channel. His positive energy and uplifting spirit are really inspiring and we immediately felt a strong connection with his message. This interview series felt like the perfect time opportunity to get to know him better and hear his perspective on topics like handling stress, prioritizing exercise, reaching goals, creating positive habits and monetizing with integrity. We gave him a few prompts and he had some phenomenal responses that we're honored to share with you.
Luke's Tips on How To Take Charge Of Your Life:
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Some of the most helpful lifestyle choices for Luke are slowing down, taking a breath, and focusing on quality over quantity. This applies to fitness training, food, relationships and beyond. "It's so easy to get caught up in information overload. When we try to be perfect and juggle so many stimuli at one time, the result is stress, anxiety, and lack of progress. So take a step back. Pause and give yourself permission to take things slowly. Focus on how well you move, and less on how much you can lift or how fast you can go. Think more about the quality of your food and how you eat it, and less about the exact macronutrient ratio. Make more time for nourishing real-life relationships, as opposed to maintaining 8 different social media accounts. In most cases, when we slow down and pay more attention to the process, we feel less stressed, more creative, and end up reaping greater rewards.
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"Setting up systems for changing habits and forming new behaviors is definitely important. But if we build those systems upon a faulty foundation, we're fighting an uphill battle." One of the big foundational pieces for Luke is looking at the reason why, and revisiting it often. "There's a Japanese concept called 'Ikigai', which roughly translates as your 'reason for being'. If I think back to changes I've struggled with in the past, it came down to the fact that I hadn't thought about why I wanted to make that change (or the underlying reason didn't match up with my actual values). On the flip side, if you know your values and understand what really matters to you, you can use this as a guiding force to create change. And when you face those inevitable obstacles, you'll have the drive to find solutions and keep moving."
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Luke believes that we all deal with the voices of fear and doubt in our head to some degree. You know, the one that tells us we're not good enough, or catastrophizes in the face of potential stress. He says, "I don't have the answer for everyone, unfortunately, but one thing that's helped me considerably is the idea that you are not your thoughts. As Eckhart Tolle talks about, you begin to watch the thinker. Finding periods of stillness throughout the day - whether that's meditation, breathwork, walking in nature, or just sitting in silence - is ideal for practicing. Over time, you get a little better at noticing those thoughts pop up. And now and then you find you're able to pause before reacting unconsciously. I'm by no means a master at this, and my stream of thoughts still takes over on a regular basis. But when I do catch myself, it's one of the best ways of interrupting that negative stress cycle before it carries you away."
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Luke admits that he could waffle on about developing a well-rounded movement practice like prioritizing joint mechanics, posture and functional strength, as well as building an aerobic base with zone 2 training and breathwork. If you're looking to thrive, he believes these are all worth mentioning. But he also states that "ultimately, the best first step for someone looking to find their peak physical condition and maybe lose a few pounds would be to find activities they enjoy. Perhaps the most important component of any physical practice is consistency. And you're more likely to be consistent with something if you love showing up. There's something to be said for embarking on challenges, but the average person needs fewer barriers to participation, not more obstacles. So whether it's running, martial arts, or Zumba - find things you enjoy, and do them regularly. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that if you don't want it to."
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When we asked Luke about monetization he responded: "This is tricky, as the approach that resonates with me isn't necessarily the most effective when it comes to making the most money!" But for him, it comes down authenticity and being open-minded, which is an approach we deeply agree with. "In the fitness space, being a polarizing figure or acting a certain way (even if that's not who you truly are) often garners attention. Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of in-fighting between authoritative figures and their camps. People forget why we're in this in the first place - to help people live healthier lives! So this is something I've tried my best to detach myself from. There's a fine between 'this is A way to do something' and 'this is THE way to do it'. I think anytime you get caught up with an ideology or an identity, you become limited. I try my best to keep a beginner's mind, stay authentic, and be okay with not having all the answers right away."
Want more tips to help you take charge of your life?
Click here to receive a free ebook with advice from health and wellness thought leaders who want to help you thrive. Uplevel and get more consistent with a balanced diet, impactful fitness routine, and positive mental health practices. Find the motivation to achieve your goals and release feelings of doubt, fear, stress, and anxiety. Gain clarity, a sense of purpose and the drive to follow through so you can take charge of your life like never before!
Get more from Luke on his website, Instagram, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.