< PreviousIn his New York Times best seller, Essentialism, au- thor Greg McKeown introduces his thesis of Es- sentialism, described as, “The disciplined pursuit of doing less.” Although the book doesn’t discuss exercise but instead, focuses on nearly every aspect of our profes- sional and family lives, McKeown’s mantra of, “Less but better, in every area of our lives” can serve as a framework to think about our exercise. In fact, “Less but better” would be a powerful step in the right direction for exercisers who have been bombarded with the message to exercise more (more often and for longer durations). An essentialist’s approach to exercise centers around smart strength training. Let’s address the “why” and “how” and in doing so, let’s escape the misconceptions and cliches that engulf the modern fitness landscape. In his late 1980’s classic, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey introduces his Seventh Habit, “Sharpen the Saw.” Covey implores us to take a step away from our work, not to rest, but to go to work on improving our own capacity. And the best place to start? Exercise. Interestingly, I rarely meet an exerciser that un- derstands the actual saw sharpening benefits of exercise. Make no mistake, I meet a lot of people who are com- mitted to exercise; but I meet very few people who know what the actual benefits of exercise are. More important than shedding five pounds, focused strength training mitigates cognitive decline, improves our decision mak- ing in the work place, increases our resting metabolic rate (the number of calories we burn at rest), reduces resting blood pressure, reverses mitochondrial aging, decreases our injury risk, and of course, increases our strength and muscle mass. Importantly, our muscle strength is inversely correlated with death from all causes. If someone asks you why you strength train, an evidence-based response could be, “As an attorney, I’m paid to put together complex ideas and make sense of them; strength training improves my cog- nitive function and allows me to stay sharp.” The surprising (and palatable) prescription? We really don’t need to strength train very of- ten to receive these saw-sharpening benefits. An essentialist would follow these evidence- based guidelines: • Strength train 1-2 times per week with 2-3 days of rest in between each workout. • Perform 8-12 exercises that cover all of the major mus- cle groups. These exercises can be performed with ma- chines, free-weights, body weight, or bands. It’s not the tool, but how you use it. • Focus on lifting and lowering the weight slowly so that momentum is minimized, thus making the exercise safer and far more productive. • Perform one set of each exercise (more than one set is superfluous). • Aim for about 8-12 reps per set but instead of obsess- ing over the specific number of reps, focus on perform- ing each set to the point of momentary muscle failure; the point in which you can’t perform another rep with perfect form. Sharpen the saw with an essentialist’s approach to exer- cise: Strength train hard. Strength train slowly. Strength train infrequently. LUKE CARLSON IS THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF DIS- COVER STRENGTH BASED IN MINNEAPOLIS, MIN- NESOTA, USA. DISCOVER STRENGTH’S FIVE PER- SONAL TRAINING STUDIOS ARE AMONG THE HIGH- EST VOLUME AND REVENUE TRAINING FACILITIES IN NORTH AMERICA. LUKE IS AN AMERICAN COL- LEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE CERTIFIED EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST AND HAS A BS AND MS IN KINESIOLOGY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND GRADUATED FROM THE EXECUTIVE LEAD- ERSHIP, STRATEGY AND INNOVATION PROGRAM AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY. HE RECEIVED AN HONORARY PHD FROM SOLENT UNIVERSITY IN SOUTHHAMPTON, ENGLAND. LUKE HAS PRE- SENTED TO AUDIENCES IN A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES ACROSS THE GLOBE. 651-646-5590 . 866-525-6466 . help@mnlcl.org 24-Hour Helpline: 888-243-5744 Challenging the Why and How of Strength Training for the Time-Strapped Attorney BY LUKE CARLSON ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · MINNESOTA · V OL. 9 NO. 8 20 DeWitt LLP announced the addition of attorney Minard “Mike” Halverson to the firm. Halverson joins the firm as a partner in its Minneapolis office. Halverson is a member of the firm’s litigation practice group and has extensive experience with litigation matters, case analysis, strategic planning, and negotiations. Traci (Theresa) Capistrant and Dan Van Loh announced the formation of their new firm, Capistrant Van Loh, P.A., practic- ing in the Minneapolis. This merger will com- bine Dan and Traci’s many years of dedication and experience in serving Family Law clients as legal advocates and Alternative Dispute Resolution professionals. Sara Wilson has joined Lommen Abdo in its Minneapolis office. Ms. Wilson has unique experience in be- ing fully capable of handling both transactional and litigation matters, with a special emphasis in agribusi- ness and agriculture. Bassford Remele announced that Leah Ceee O. Boomsma has joined the firm as a shareholder. Boomsma practices in complex commercial litigation, bringing more than 10 years of experience in appeals, dis- positive motions, and jury trials to her clients. Moss & Barnett an- nounced that April L. Will has joined the firm’s family law de- partment. Will assists clients in all family law related matters, in- cluding dissolution proceedings, pa- ternity, custody, parenting time, child support, spousal maintenance, orders for protection, and distribu- tion of marital assets and debts. Marc Johannsen has been re- elected to another two year term as President of Lommen Abdo. Cam- eron Kelly has been elected to a two- year term on the board and Kathleen Loucks and Mike Glover were re- elected to serve a second two-year term on the board. Jason Engkjer, Bryan Feldhaus and Brent Johnson continue their two-year terms. Meagher + Geer Partner Stacy Broman has been awarded the 2020 Diversity Award from the Federation of Defense & Corpo- rate Counsel (FDCC). The award celebrates efforts to foster diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Broman earned this award through her work on the Barb Currie Scholarship, the Diversity Committee, the Admissions and the Membership Committees. Bassford Remele Attorney Molly Hough has been elected to the Board of Directors of Minnesota Women Law- yers. Hough practices in commercial litiga- tion, general liability, employment litigation/advice, consumer law de- fense, and real estate litigation. AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENTS PRESS RELEASES EVENTS PROMOTIONS ACTIVITES HONORS RECOGNITIONS TALK TOWN of the VIEW View the latest news from lawyers, law firms and associations at attorneyatlawmagazine.com/ talk-of-the-town/ SUBSCRIBE Want to stay-up-to date? Subscribe to the weekly newsletter at attorneyatlawmagazine.com/ subscribe/ SUBMIT Want to share your news? Submit your press release at attorneyatlawmagazine.com/ submit-news/ Traci (Theresa) Capistrant and Dan Van Loh Leah Ceee O. Boomsma April L. Will Molly Hough Stacy Broman AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 21Top 10 - Forbes Best Banks Western Alliance Bank specializes in banking for law firms and settlement administrators. 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