If someone shared this newsletter, click here to subscribe!
In This Issue:
The Cost of Comfort
No Pain, No Gain?
The Hidden Cost of Comfort
The Comfort Crisis is the title of a book written by a friend of mine, Michael Easter.
Michael and I crossed paths at Men’s Health before he headed west to teach, write books, and publish his popular Substack newsletter, 2%. The book grew out of an article he wrote exploring a simple but powerful idea: modern life has become so comfortable that it's silently making us weaker.
To explore that idea, Michael sought out people doing hard things. He spent a month hunting caribou in the Arctic, carrying everything he needed on his back and walking miles through harsh terrain.
He visited a monastery and learned from monks who embraced discipline and simplicity.
He spent time with a Buddhist teacher who regularly meditated on death as a way to gain perspective and live more intentionally.
The lesson wasn't that we all need to move to the wilderness or become monks. It was that challenge, discomfort, and effort are essential ingredients for a meaningful life.
I think most of us know this intuitively.
When I look back on the things I'm most proud of, they're rarely the easy moments. They're the early mornings, late nights, difficult conversations, long workdays, setbacks, and periods of uncertainty. They're the times when I wasn't sure I could keep going but did anyway.
Research supports this idea. Psychologists call it "earned confidence." Confidence doesn't come from positive thinking. It comes from keeping promises to yourself and proving you can handle difficult things. The same is true physically. Our bodies adapt and become stronger only when we face stress and challenge.
That's one reason I love working with entrepreneurs and founders. They're builders. They don't wait for guarantees. They understand that growth requires risk, effort, and persistence. They trust their skills, learn as they go, and keep moving forward.
At Formula 4, we don't spend much time on hype or motivation. Most of our clients already have a reason they're here. But I do worry that many people spend so much time protecting themselves — from discomfort, failure, embarrassment, or uncertainty — that they never fully commit to what they want.
Instead, they seek comfort. More convenience. More entertainment. More shortcuts.
Meanwhile, the things that truly move our lives forward often remain undone.
As I've gotten older, I've watched many people my age gradually lower the bar. Personally, I've changed how I train, but my goals aren't any less ambitious. If anything, they're more intentional.
Summer is here, and living may be easy, as the old song says. But I hope you're chasing something that excites you. Something challenging. Something that demands your effort and attention.
Because in the end, doing hard things doesn't drain us.
It energizes us.
If you want a customized training plan that can help you tackle a new challenge, simply reply to this email or click here to book your FREE consultation today.
See you at Formula 4!
Bill Stump
P.S. If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to a friend or family member. Thank you!
Life Principles
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure ... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
— Teddy Roosevelt
Give yourself the gift of taking on a new challenge!
Speaking of Hard Things...
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to work with Joe De Sena and the Spartan Race team. What I've always admired about Joe is that he understands something most people try to avoid:
Hard things change people.
Spartan has grown into a global movement not because the obstacle course races are easy, but because they're difficult. People don't sign up because they're guaranteed success. They sign up because they're looking for a challenge.
Over the years, I've met incredible people at Spartan events. An 80-year-old Vietnam veteran grinding through the Florida heat. A mother of four determined to prove to herself she could come back stronger after years of putting everyone else first. People overcoming cancer, addiction, injury, divorce, and personal setbacks.
None of them transformed by taking the easy road.
They transformed because they chose something difficult and committed to seeing it through.
That's the real lesson.
You don't have to climb a mountain, run an Ultra, or crawl under barbed wire to benefit from doing hard things. But sometimes putting a challenge on the calendar gives you a reason to train, a reason to focus, and a reason to become a stronger version of yourself.
If you've been looking for a goal to pursue this fall or next year, consider this your sign.
Formula 4 Spartan Team Discount
Use code FORMULA4FIT at checkout to receive 30% off any Spartan Sprint, Stadion, Super, Beast, Ultra, Kids, Trail, Tough Mudder 5K, or Tough Mudder 15K event in the United States during 2026.
Valid through December 31, 2026.
Two Free Race Entries
We're also giving away two free registrations for any Spartan Sprint, Stadion, Super, or Tough Mudder 5K/15K event in the U.S. during 2026.
Code #1: TMSR-6951630
Code #2: TMSR-9649415
The finish line is rewarding. But the person you become getting there is the real prize.
Ask Formula 4
Q: What's the right amount of discomfort in training?
A: Enough to create adaptation, not injury.
When we're younger, "hard" often means heavier weights, faster times, longer races, and personal records.
As we age, hard becomes more nuanced. It means staying consistent when life gets busy. It means maintaining strength and mobility when many of our peers are slowing down. It means recovering well, managing aches and pains, and continuing to challenge ourselves instead of accepting decline as inevitable.
The research is clear: people who continue strength training, moving, learning new skills, and pursuing meaningful goals maintain higher levels of physical function, cognitive health, and independence as they age.
The mistake many people make is assuming that because they can't do what they did at 25, they shouldn't challenge themselves at all.
That's backwards.
You may not need to run an marathon. But you should have a goal that requires effort. Maybe it's your first Spartan Race. Maybe it's deadlifting your bodyweight. Maybe it's hiking with your grandchildren, lowering your golf handicap, or simply getting off the floor without assistance 20 years from now.
The objective isn't punishment.
The objective is adaptation.
Your body responds to the demands you place on it. If you stop demanding anything, it begins to give less in return.
If you want to start or restart your health journey, click here a free consultation, we have packages and programs for everybody.
You can do it, we can help!
📧 [email protected]
📞 (855) 897-6683
