strong wise tough: Roots 30
1. Movement (30 minutes/day)
Move your body for 30 minutes every day.
This can be strength training, running, walking, rucking/hiking, martial arts — anything that makes you breathe deeper and circulate blood.
Mandatory Recovery Day:
One day per week is your “active rest” day:
• 30 minutes of mobility work, yin yoga, stretching, calm walking, or gentle somatic movement.
(Paid version includes multiple options for a 30-day training plan with 1 “active rest” mobility day per week.)
2. Nutrition
Protein + Fiber Targets (based on bodyweight):
Under 120 lbs:
• 3 × 30g servings or 3 meals of ~35–40g each
120–180 lbs:
• 4 × 30g servings or 3 meals of ~40–45g each
Over 180 lbs:
• 5 × 30g servings or 3 meals of ~50–55g each
Each intake must be spaced at least 30 minutes apart. You can use any combination of protein and fiber to hit the targets, but it is strongly advised that your ratio for protein/fiber be somewhere in the 80/20-90/10 range. The fiber option is there to encourage the consumption of more whole foods and make it more feasible to achieve the targets for plant-based people.
Optional fat-loss variant:
• Eat one 30g protein+fiber serving within 30 minutes of waking. Early morning protein and fiber intake have strong evidence of reducing blood sugar and insulin spikes throughout the day as well as reducing cravings for sugar and overeating. The quality of your first meal sets the tone and rhythm for the rest of your day.
3. Hydration
• Drink 16oz water within 30 minutes of waking.
• No caffeine before your 16oz of H2O.
• You may mix your water with sugar-free, non-caloric electrolytes such as (but limited to) LMNT, 40,000 volts, or pink himalayan sea salt. This is a recommended, but optional addition. Squeezing a bit of fresh lemon or lime juice into the water is also fine if you prefer the taste.
• Room temperature water (slightly warm) is ideal. Cool water is ok. Avoid ice water unless it is extremely hot where you live.
4. Morning Rooting Practice
Every morning, perform zhan zhuang (standing meditation) for at least 3 minutes. Before or after your standing practice, repeat your three chosen mantras/affirmations 3 times each (9 total repetitions).
Select 3 personal mantras/affirmations that align with your goals and values. Examples:
"I am becoming stronger every day"
"I choose discipline over comfort"
"My actions reflect my highest self”
I will have a Zhan Zhuang 101 video as well as a choosing effective affirmations lesson and meditation in the course.
5. Daily Deep Focus Practice
Choose ONE of the following practices to complete daily for 30 minutes (or more):
Option A: Mental Stillness
Seated meditation
Extended zhan zhuang
Qi gong practice
Yin yoga
Slow hatha yoga
Option B: Morning Pages
Stream-of-consciousness journaling
No editing, no judgment, pure brain dump. Keep the keyboard or pen moving for 30 minutes
Option C: Study/Reading
Non-fiction reading focused on personal development
Course work or skill development
Deep learning in your field
No blue-light devices - read from a physical book or a kindle paperwhite
You may rotate which practice you choose, but you must complete 30 minutes of one of these three daily.
6. Protect Your Serenity (Phone Boundaries)
No phone/screens within 30 minutes of waking.
• No phone/screens within 30 minutes before bed.
• You get 3 emergency checks across the entire 30-day challenge.
• Unlocking phone = 1 strike. 3 strikes = return to day 1.
• If using your phone as a morning alarm, keep lock-screen notifications OFF.
(Highly recommended: analog alarm clock.)
7. Circadian Alignment (Sleep + Wake Cycle)
Wake up no later than 30 minutes after sunrise, every day.
• Maintain an 8-hour minimum sleep window (no sleep pressure, simply remain 8 hours in bed with lights off, no screens and let your body take what it needs from that time).
This requires backwards planning — treat the sleep window like a sacred appointment. Figure out what time the sun rises and plan to be in bed with the lights off at least 8 hour prior to that. Plan to wind down for bed with all screens turned off or out of sight at least 30 minutes (but ideally an hour+) prior to lights out. This is your new daily sleep schedule.
8. Dopamine Detox (Choose 1 or more to abstain from)
Pick one (or more) of the following “cheap dopamine” sources and eliminate it entirely for 30 days:
• Porn
• Netflix/streaming
• Gaming
• Social media/doom-scrolling
• Junk food
• Weed
• Alcohol
• Nicotine
• other drugs
• Insert your personal weakness here
Zero tolerance: Complete abstinence from your chosen vice, or back to day 1. Make sure you specifically define and set parameters for your dopamine detox before beginning. The more you can give up, the better, but don’t overdo it. Successfully abstaining from one vice for 30-days is better than trying and failing to abstain from two.
9. Accountability Check-Ins (Every 3 Days — 10 Total)
Every three days you’ll complete a short public check-in consisting of:
Your biggest win
Your biggest challenge
Your answer to the current self-development prompt
(One of 10 rotating questions included in the program)
The entire check-in process should take less than 30 minutes.
Post your reflection on any social platform and tag:
#strongwisetough
#foundations30
Bonus: Life Enrichment
Engage your mind deliberately outside of work:
Meaningful social interactions and activities
Creative projects
Strategic thinking or planning
Problem-solving activities
Learning new skills
This doesn't require dedicated time blocks or tracking—integrate it throughout your day as you are able to. You’ll find that as your consistency grows with the daily disciplines, finding time, focus, and motivation for life-enriching activities becomes easier to do.
Overall you should plan at least 60-90 minutes per day to complete all of your daily practices. This can be done in one clean morning routine or spaced through the day.