Advice to My Son: How to Stay in Shape Without Counting Macros
There’s a lot of noise around fitness today—apps, trackers, macros, trends. Most of it makes staying in shape feel more complicated than it needs to be.
This is the advice I’d give my son, and honestly, it’s the same advice I try to live by myself. You don’t need perfection. You need consistency, effort, and simple rules you can follow for decades.
Nutrition: Keep It Simple and Boring (That’s a Good Thing)
You don’t need to count macros to stay in shape. You need to eat like someone who respects their body.
Base Your Diet on Real Food
If most of what you eat comes from:
Vegetables
Oatmeal
Fruit
Protein (meat, eggs, protein powder)
You’re already ahead of most people.
These foods give you:
Energy
Recovery
Muscle-building nutrients
Long-term health
You don’t need fancy labels. You need food your grandparents would recognize.
Always Have Easy Energy Available
Keep nuts around. Almonds, peanuts, mixed nuts—whatever you like.
They’re:
Easy calories
Portable
Good for quick energy boosts
Better than grabbing junk when you’re hungry
Hunger leads to bad decisions. Planning prevents that.
Drink Water First
Drink water. A lot of it.
Most people feel tired when they’re actually dehydrated.
That said—life is meant to be lived:
An occasional soda is fine
An occasional beer is fine
The problem isn’t the drink. It’s when “occasional” becomes daily.
Supplements: Keep It Minimal
You don’t need much.
Creatine
Creatine is one of the few supplements that actually works.
It’s naturally occurring in your body
It helps with strength and performance
To my knowledge, there’s no real downside when used responsibly
You don’t need pre-workout cocktails or miracle powders. Creatine and protein cover most bases.
Fitness: You Need to Run
I don’t care what your goals are—you need to run.
Not just one type of running:
Run long distances
Sprint
Change speeds
Change terrain
Running builds:
Cardiovascular endurance
Mental toughness
Joint resilience
Work capacity
You don’t get that from machines.
Bodyweight Work Is Non-Negotiable
You should always be able to move your own body.
That means:
Pushups
Pullups
Squats
Planks
Lunges
Do them often. Do them tired. Do them when you don’t feel like it.
You don’t need a gym full of machines to stay strong.
The Only Equipment You Really Need
If I had to strip it down to the basics:
Pull-up bar
Squat rack
Barbell
That’s it.
With those, plus bodyweight movements, you can build strength that actually transfers to real life.
Pushups and pullups all day long still work. They always have.
Growth Comes Near Failure
You don’t really grow from the easy reps.
The reps that matter are:
The last few
The ones that burn
The ones where you want to quit
What you can endure is what you will have.
That applies to:
Muscle
Conditioning
Mental resilience
Build a Strong Core or Pay for It Later
A strong core isn’t optional if you want to stay “battle ready.”
Your core:
Protects your spine
Transfers power
Supports every lift
Keeps you athletic as you age
Train it directly and often:
Planks
Carries
Hanging leg raises
Rotational work
A weak core limits everything else.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to be perfect. You need to show up.
Eat mostly real food.
Drink water.
Run.
Lift.
Move your body.
Push yourself close to failure.
Build a strong core.
Do that long enough, and you won’t need to track macros or chase trends. You’ll just be in shape.
That’s the goal.
