Fitness to Practice Law :
How committing to daily movements can benefit attorneys through achievable and sustainable change
By Jonathan J . O ’ Konek
Recently , I started living a healthier lifestyle . In the span of 12 months , I lost weight , improved my cardiovascular fitness , and strengthened my mental health .
Then , something unexpected happened . People sought my advice on fitness and weight loss . I was taken aback by this abrupt turn of events because , for many years , I had not been a paradigm of health . I ate poorly , was sedentary , and drank copious amounts of diet soda ( Diet Pepsi , if you are wondering ). However , within a matter of months after losing weight , people began asking me what life changes they could implement to mirror my results . Suddenly , and remarkably , other people now saw me as an authority on fitness and weight loss even though I do not possess any real , objective qualifications .
To reconcile this phenomenon , I engaged in self-reflection and asked myself , “ How did I do it ?” The answer came with an unexpected feeling of gestalt . After looking at the entire process , I realized I only really did two things . First , I invested in making small , daily movements and , second , I committed to building upon these small , daily movements . Everything that happened thereafter was a direct result of these two actions .
The answer felt both simple and unsatisfying because there was not a specific formula , equation , or regimen that translated into the proverbial sine qua non . Instead , I simply adhered to performing daily movements and committed to adding upon these movements . While these two actions appear basic , and potentially unsatisfying , they warrant discussion since they are both simple to adopt and easy to achieve . More importantly , these actions enable lawyers to engage in self-improvement through realistic , simple changes rather than by focusing on unrealistic , radical changes . I realized my path toward positive change began by sticking my toe in the water and committing to inching progressively forward rather than jumping straight into the deep end . Ultimately , entering the water slowly provided me with the determination to remain in the water longer , and with greater purpose , than had I simply jumped in headfirst .
Embracing Small , Daily Movements . Most people , lawyers included , receive daily health and fitness advertisements , which often promise rapid bodily changes in a short period . However , these advertised fitness programs place an artificial time limit on how long a person must commit to achieve a desired result instead of focusing on permanent lifestyle changes . As a result , people often believe living healthier requires an extreme , yet unsustainable , commitment to fitness and nutrition . However , in my experience , becoming healthier starts with a completely different commitment : a pledge to small , daily movements . A commitment to taking small steps , not large leaps .
I began my journey with a variety of small steps . I started with 10 pushups here and 20 seconds of abdominal planks there . I began exercising on the elliptical for 15 minutes or walking for 10 minutes . I began logging what I ate and started counting my steps . I committed to simply starting and building upon this start . It was not always an easy process and not everything worked for me . However , I committed to keep going and to performing trial and error until I arrived at a regime that worked better . When counting calories became too time consuming and stressful , I focused on simply monitoring how much food I consumed . Likewise , when taking a minimum number of steps per day became an end rather than a means to an end , I stopped tracking my step count .
Jonathan J . O ’ Konek is an Assistant United States Attorney , United States Attorney ’ s Office , District of North Dakota , Bismarck , N . D . The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Justice , the United States Attorney ’ s Office for the District of North Dakota , or any agency of the United States government .
At base , I committed to performing some form of daily physical activity , however small , and eating healthier , even if it was a minor change . Over time , I became proficient at exercising and more adept at what nourishment my body required .
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