In fitness there are two columns: the do column — sleep, regular workouts, an eating plan that works for you — and the don't column — the habits you eliminate, like staying up late, junk food, sugar, and too much drinking. I get a lot of questions about people's path to health and fitness, and while I am not a doctor, what I am good at is staying on the path. In this Physical Friday I explain why the don't column can be equally as important as the do column, maybe even more, and how to figure out your own balance.
Watch now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Both columns matter, and the balance is personal, but the don't column can be equally as important as the do column — sometimes even more. Not staying up late and not drinking heavily might move the needle more than hitting every single workout you planned for the week. The point is that there are two columns, and most people only think about one. You have to figure out which items matter most for you, ideally with your doctor, then get rid of what does not work and double down on what does.
The do column is the list of things you actively do to be in good shape: getting plenty of sleep, working out regularly, and finding an eating plan that works for you. The workout itself can be anything — walking, running, CrossFit, lifting weights, hiking, swimming. Not one is better than another. The best thing is whatever you can do and stick with, because consistency is what produces results over time.
The don't column is everything you eliminate: staying up late, missing workouts, deviating from your eating plan, too much drinking, drugs, fast food, and sugar. These are the habits that quietly undo the work you put in on the do side. Deciding which ones to cut is personal, but writing the list out makes it real and gives you something concrete to act on.
The best workout is the one you can do and stick with. Walking, running, CrossFit, lifting weights, hiking, swimming — it is all good, and not one is better than the other. What matters is that the activity fits your life well enough that you keep showing up, because the path to fitness is built on consistency, not on picking the perfect program.
You figure out the ones that work for you and the ones that don't — and that is for you to determine, certainly with your doctor, not for anyone else to dictate. I can figure out what works for me, but your journey is your own. You get rid of the things that don't work, you double down on the things that do, and in my opinion that is the path to fitness and happiness.
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series where I talk about training, nutrition, and mindset so that fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen can keep doing the things they love — fish, hunt, hike, climb, be outside, and do things with their kids — for life.
Here is the exercise I walk through in this episode. It takes a piece of paper and a few honest minutes.
I talk through each of these, with my own examples from both columns, in the episode above.
I am not an expert in nutrition and I am not a doctor, and I don't necessarily recommend anybody do exactly what I do. What I am good at is staying on the path — discipline, and making sure I get in what I need so I can keep fishing, hunting, hiking, climbing, and doing things with my kids. That distinction matters, and I explain why in the episode, so press play above.
Here is the question I pose in this one: could it be more important to not stay up late and not drink heavily than to hit every workout you planned during the week? I don't answer it for you, because that is for you to decide. What I do is lay out how to think about the trade, and I get into it in the episode above.
Some people need more structure in the do column. Others sabotage everything with a few items in the don't column. We all have to find the balance between the two, and your version will not look like mine. I share how I found mine, and what I would look at first, in the episode — press play above.
Listen or watch: the full breakdown, with every detail, is in the episode above.
This one is short, simple, and worth sitting with. We obsess over workouts and programs, yet the habits we never question are often the ones holding us back. Two columns on a piece of paper can show you more about your fitness than a month of training logs.
If you want to tell me what landed in your don't column, text me at (305) 930-7346 or email podcast@saltwaterexperience.com. I read every one.
do column and don't column · sleep · CrossFit · walking · running · hiking · swimming · eating plans · sugar and fast food · podcast text line (305) 930-7346 · Physical Friday · Saltwater Experience
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's Physical Friday series I share the training formats, nutrition habits, and mindset tools I use to stay strong enough to fish, hunt, hike, and keep up with my kids — short, practical episodes built for guides, anglers, and outdoorsmen who want to stay in the game for life.
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