At what time during the day or evening do you work out?

I’m all over the map! My wife and I have busy work schedules and three elementary-age kiddos who have endless after-school and weekend activities, which means I have to get my workout in where it fits in. Depending on the day, I may work out in the morning before everyone wakes up, around lunchtime or late in the evening after the kids are settled down.

What’s your go-to routine?

I lift weights for strength training and play basketball as much as possible for cardio. I vary my weight training fairly regularly, but generally focus on specific muscle groups during a given workout (e.g., legs, chest/shoulders, etc.) with some type of core-strengthening exercise in every workout. I have had a love affair with basketball for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been blessed to form a network of like-minded individuals in Dallas who I play pickup hoops with twice a week. The group is filled with professionals from all walks of business, so we start our game bright and early—before 6 a.m.—because that is the only time during the week when we are all available. To say we’re a competitive bunch would be an understatement: we keep a running spreadsheet to track wins, losses and winning percentage and carry on a group chat full of trash talk throughout the week!

Around the time I began my legal career at Bell Nunnally, a former partner of the firm started a weekly pickup basketball game at a church near downtown Dallas during the lunch hour on Fridays. The Friday game is open to lawyers, staff and clients of the firm, and it has done wonders for the firm’s camaraderie and culture. Excluding a hiatus while the firm and church took precautions for COVID-19, the Friday game has been a part my routine and the culture at Bell Nunnally for over 10 years.

How do you get convince yourself to work out when you don’t want to?

A quote I love is, “Everything you want in life is on the other side of hard.” I try to keep that kind of mindset. Plus, my kids love sports, and I want to be a good example for them in terms of working hard and staying fit. When those things don’t work, you just have to fake it ’till you make it and try to remember that it always feels great after knocking out a workout. Podcasts and audio books are also a great way to feed your mind while breaking up the monotony of exercising.