Lately, I have been working with Aaron Hague and Chris DuBois of Performance Training. When I showed up the first time at the South Club, Aaron took me through a standard Functional Movement Screening in order to find out if/where my body was out of balance and what needed strengthening and what needed lengthening.

After the screening, Aaron taught me how to breath. I put my head and belly on the floor and was told to breathe slow through my nose and fill my gut with the air. It took everything in me to release the stress from my shoulders and chest and upper back and just relax and breathe. I was told to keep practicing this breathing along with my other stretching and exercises.

I think I enjoy working around fitness for the same reasons that scientists and philosophers love science and philosophy. The more you find out, the less you really know and the more there is to find out. The deeper you go, the more you can discover. The more you can do, the more you want to do. One goal reached leads to five more imagined.

Drew Miller (of Courthouse Nutrition) likes the old saying, “Every thousand-mile journey begins with a single step.” But, he likes to add, “And continues with a second step and a third and fourth and fifth and a sixth.” In other words, every step counts as much as the first and as much as the last .

Large, arduous, nearly-ridiculous goals are great to have. It is also great to have smaller goals, little tasks that lead to greater fitness. Yes, run for miles, push yourself to do more, add weight, add a step, change your life, imagine something that seems almost crazy.

But while you do that, be sure give yourself a chance to lay on the floor and learn how to breath.