#041 - Time to be the adult in the room
Let’s be honest.
Getting in shape is not complicated.
It is not mysterious.
It is not hidden behind cutting-edge science or elite genetics.
Move more.
Eat better.
Lift something heavy.
Sleep like an adult.
That is it.
If this were a knowledge problem, it would have been solved decades ago. The reason most people are unfit, unhealthy, and exhausted has nothing to do with information and everything to do with avoidance.
The Truth We’d Rather Ignore
You already know what to do.
You know that sitting all day is killing you.
You know that ultra-processed food is a terrible trade-off.
You know that scrolling until midnight is a choice, not an accident.
Yet every day, you choose short-term comfort over long-term outcomes and then act surprised when nothing changes.
That is not bad luck.
That is not being “busy.”
That is a pattern of decisions.
And adults are responsible for their decisions.
The Parenting Double Standard
Here’s where it gets uncomfortable.
We constantly tell our kids:
Turn the TV off and go outside
Eat your vegetables
No, you’ve had enough sugar
Go burn some energy
We say these things because we understand discipline matters. We understand structure matters. We understand that if left unchecked, comfort wins every time.
Then we turn around and do the exact opposite.
We sit.
We snack.
We stay up too late.
We negotiate with ourselves like a tired child.
And somehow, we convince ourselves that this contradiction is normal.
It isn’t.
If your child copied your habits exactly, would you be proud of the result?
Being an Adult Means Doing the Boring Things Consistently
Being an adult is not about age. It is about behaviour.
Adults do not wait for motivation.
Adults do not need perfect conditions.
Adults do not pretend that “tomorrow” is a strategy.
Adults set standards and live by them.
You train because that is what responsible people do with their bodies.
You eat properly because you understand consequences.
You sleep because you value performance, health, and longevity more than another episode or another scroll.
This is not about being extreme. It is about being competent.
Your Example Is Loud — Whether You Like It or Not
You are always teaching something.
You are teaching your kids what normal looks like.
You are teaching your partner what standards you accept.
You are teaching yourself what you can get away with.
Every skipped workout, every drive-through meal, every “I’ll start Monday” reinforces the same message: comfort comes first.
And once comfort is in charge, progress is done.
2026 Is the Line in the Sand
Enough.
Make 2026 the year you stop lying to yourself about effort.
The year you stop pretending that basic discipline is optional.
The year you stop outsourcing responsibility to stress, work, or life.
Life will never slow down for you.
There will never be a perfect time.
No one is coming to save you from your habits.
So simplify it:
Take responsibility
Stop eating crap
Move your body
Not when you feel like it.
Not when it’s convenient.
Now.
Final Reality Check
Children need rules.
Teenagers need boundaries.
Adults need accountability.
If you want change, stop consuming motivation and start enforcing standards.
Be the adult in the room.
Act like it.
Make 2026 the year excuses finally lose.
Thanks
James Culmer-Shields