Why You Can't Rest (Even When You're Exhausted)

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]Most men don't burn out because they don't have time to rest.

[00:00:05]Rather, we burn out because our brain is over stimulated and our body is under loaded, therefore making us unable to rest even when we have the time and we desperately need to.

[00:00:18]>> [music] >> It all starts with a silent rebellion after 6:00 p.m. After having zero time for yourself during the day, your mind cons you into thinking that doom scrolling, snacking, watching porn, and overall staying up late doing pointless things will make up for it. So, despite feeling exhausted, you sacrifice the sleep that you so desperately need for cheap dopamine hits that might numb that feeling of an ease within, but end up depleting you even more in the long run.

[00:00:52]This is also called revenge bedtime procrastination and it's the hamster wheel so many men can't seem to get off.

[00:01:01]Despite it making you more and more hooked on caffeine, more stressed, more short-fused, less present, and therefore also poisoning your relationships with your friends, your significant other, and your kids. So, how do you break the cycle?

[00:01:18]There's a time of the day when I feel at my best. I have more energy, I feel strong, confident, and capable. My thoughts are more organized, my values, goals, and purpose are clearer. I feel less dumb and I guess more like myself, which also spreads into the rest of my day. This is when I take a break from the constant stream of information and forget about the life's constant piling of responsibilities.

[00:01:50]It almost brings me back to a simpler time before being an adult, before smart devices and the internet.

[00:01:58]This time is my morning workout routine and it's the best tool I found to manage stress, but also improve my sleep and overall stay sane during the rest of the week. Plus, for a 41-year-old dude, I don't look that bad. That said, although working out in the morning does initially bite into your sleeping time, the more you stick to it, the more you'll notice how it makes up for it.

[00:02:24]For starters, you're able to fall asleep earlier and easier at night or even if you get the same 6 and 1/2 hours of sleep because you'll be getting higher quality, deeper, and less interrupted sleep, you'll still wake up more rested.

[00:02:39]Slowly, you'll also find it easier to be more disciplined with other habits like eating healthier across the rest of the day or reading a book or going for a walk at 8:00 p.m. instead of doom scrolling on your phone. Another struggle a lot of men have with morning workouts is feeling too groggy and physically clunky. This is something though that your body adapts to if you give it a little bit over a month. Until then, a good way to work around this is pushing part of your pre-existing morning routine prior to your workout so you have some time to wake up. You can prep your clothes and stuff for work.

[00:03:15]You can have your breakfast ready, review your calendar, and make a list of today's tasks, whatever that is for you.

[00:03:23]I find that giving yourself at least 10 minutes on your feet when you wake up and then maybe sitting for another 10 minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee is key.

[00:03:32]Lastly, since morning workouts do require quite some self-discipline when you're getting started, there is one more thing I highly recommend. This is called habit coupling or habit stacking in psychology, which is basically building other habits that you want to incorporate in your life around and within your main habit, in this case your morning workout routine.

[00:03:56]For example, you can enjoy a quality cup of coffee in silence and journal or meditate for 10 minutes before getting started, which brings me to my next point. By the way, before I continue with the video, if you're new here and you'd like to know how to build that naturally rugged calisthenics physique using just a pair of gymnastic rings, which is how I got 80% of my best results, check out my free beginner's guide Bodyweight First link below.

[00:04:25]There are plenty of reasons why I train from home and in the outdoors and not just go to the gym.

[00:04:32]One of them is how much time and money you eventually save or the fact that if you don't want to look like a bodybuilder, I mean, who wants nowadays, and like me, you simply want that naturally jacked but also capable Jason Statham kind of rugged physique, you don't need a ton of equipment. Still, there's one benefit I haven't shared that much yet.

[00:04:58]Ora et labora is an ancient Latin motto meaning pray and work, which originated in monastic communities where the combination was considered synergistic.

[00:05:10]So, although this is not an original idea in any case, morning workouts done in solitude are definitely the best habit that I found to couple prayer and self-reflection.

[00:05:23]And if that first word is as off-putting for you as it was for me a few years ago, you can feel free to substitute it with self-reflection, focusing on things you want to better in your life, who you want to become, and dealing with any other problem you might want to solve.

[00:05:39]Whatever the case, when it comes to opening yourself to deep contemplation, I find that nothing compares with the mind-clearing effect of exercise when, again, done alone early in the day.

[00:05:53]Little side note here, I find that this works best when done in silence, but sometimes I will still use music, like for example, if I need to block the world around me. In that case, I'll use some lyric-free music or sometimes I might need a little bit of a boost of motivation to get started. So, you know, I might listen to a little bit of music in the beginning during my warm-up and after that, just cut it off.

[00:06:21]Whatever the case, it is highly important to protect this hour from most outside noise. Therefore, cutting any channel of communication to work like email, but also any other digital pollution like social media is key. This is why once I set up my phone so that only my parents and wife can get through, I throw it in my backpack and I get started. Another thing that I've done lately after getting tired of all the notifications, distractions, and having one more device to charge is getting rid of my smartwatch and going back to a classic manual Casio watch. My Casio tells me the time, it has an alarm clock, a stopwatch function, and a countdown timer. And after all, most of the most disciplined and fittest men in history trained without wearable technology, so I think I can do fine without one as well. Another thing I love about having a dumb watch, which is unrelated to today's video, but I thought of mentioning anyway, is how I don't get distracted by my phone every time I need to check the time during the rest of the day. That was all for today.

[00:07:34]If you're new here and you enjoyed this video, subscribe for more. For more info on my favorite home and outdoor workout equipment, check out the description and video in the top right corner. This is also where you'll find my free beginner's guide Bodyweight First and until next time, keep on training.