I had double hip surgery... here's what you can learn from it.

Hey Explorer,

Last week I delivered a new newsletter format & got great feedback from you.

As a reminder, I’ll deliver 1 lesson with 1 actionable step every Saturday.

Lessons will be sourced from your requests & questions I receive on my YouTube channel.

Newsletter structure:

• Subscriber request

• My thoughts (a short lesson)

• Actionable step (how to implement)

• Watch more (a relevant YouTube video)

My mission is to help men transform by exploring the world & sharing my best lessons. You can follow my new Instagram here.

Reading time: ~5 minutes

Subscriber Request

Last week Kieran messaged me and suggested I write about:

Kieran is a real-life friend of mine and knows more about my story than most.

His suggestion was a great reminder of adversity I’d gone through, but honestly mostly forgotten about. I promise there are issues you’ve gone through in your life that can help others, you just don’t realise it.

Let me tell you a brief story ↓

My Thoughts (a short lesson)

I’ve always been active. For as long as I remember, I played sports.

In the winter I played soccer (football):

In the summer I did athletics (track & field):

And I was competitive.

I only competed to WIN.

Losing sucks.

As I entered my teens I started to get injuries.

A sore ankle. A throbbing knee.

When you can’t perform at your best, how do you feel?

Terrible. You want to give up. But you keep going because it’s your identity.

Then I got debilitating shin splints.

Basically, micro-tears form between your calf muscle and your tibia (shin bone).

You can’t run fast or for more than a few minutes.

I remember the doctor telling me I should quit running altogether and do a ‘low-impact activity’ instead.

Forever.

I remember crying.

That got me started in the gym.

Little did I know going heavy on squats at 16 years old would aggravate another issue that would come back to bite me later…

That’s me at 23.

I’d just undergone my first hip operation.

I will explain the cause in a future video, but what happened wasn’t my fault.

My hips started aching day and night, and my movement became more and more restricted.

I had a genetic condition called a bone spur that tore away the labrum in my hip joint.

It’s genetic and usually only causes an issue later in life.

My mum had the same issue (at 53) that initially physios and doctors didn’t connect her diagnosis with my pain.

When they did, it was clear that training hard in the gym and through sports aggravated it much earlier than most people with the condition.

A few months later, I underwent a second operation.

I have ceramic pins holding back the damaged labrum in both my hip joints & may need a hip replacement in my 40s.

I’m aware this doesn’t sound good… and if you were going through something similar, you probably wouldn’t have a positive mindset.

But for the lesson, I want to bring you back to the beginning of this newsletter…

Time heals all things.

I adapted around the hip issue to the point I no longer think about it.

I can train hard and make progress.

I figured out what movements to avoid years ago, and accepted I need to find alternatives.

My current training focus is injury prevention, but right now my biggest concern is my shoulder, not my hips.

You can do the same with whatever adversity you’re going through in life.

Accept it. Find alternatives. Commit to them fully.

Let time do its job as you pursue what is in your control.

If you want to know more about this, drop me a reply and I’ll include it in the YouTube video I film on the same topic.

Actionable Step 

Write down what adversity you’re going through today.

Was it a problem 5 years ago? Probably not.

Will it be a problem in 5 years? Probably not.

Acknowledge what is NOT in your control and establish what is.

My hip condition was NOT in my control but undergoing the operation was.

Lamenting the past does nothing, but taking real action for a better future does everything.

Write down what action you can take, and make a plan to do it.

If you change nothing in your life, nothing will change.

If you need help with this, book a call with me. Let’s talk through it.

Watch More (relevant YouTube lesson)

This video has some crossover with my thoughts above, here’s the synopsis:

Getting fit, working out and moving your body is a critical step in building a better life. If you feel lost in life, overwhelmed, out of control or struggling to get to where you want to be, the solution is fitness.

It's not everything, but it's the best way to get started because it's all in your control. There are no excuses to put in the effort, build discipline and other skills that carry over to the rest of your life, personal development and self-improvement. You'll earn more money, gain respect and attract higher-quality women.

Want More?

• Read all of my past emails here.

• Get 1 on 1 guidance from me here.

• Follow me on my new Instagram here.

Submit your request for an upcoming topic by replying to this email. I’d love to hear from you.

Next week, I’ll talk about compound growth and how tiny improvements over time can literally change your entire life paradigm.

Thanks subscriber Chloe for the suggestion ^

Signing off on this one,

Jack Alderton

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