02/04/2026
Sorry Socs. I'm Working On It.
About 2,400 years ago, a man who had no gym membership, no protein powder, no app, no influencer to follow, and no idea what a macronutrient was — figured it all out.
His name was Socrates.
And what he said about exercise was this:
"Exercise till the time the body feels delight in reposing from the fatigue."
For those who don't understand ancient Greek, he said — work hard enough that when you stop, the rest feels genuinely wonderful. Not collapsed on the floor wonderful. Just that deep, satisfied, earned exhaustion where everything feels right with the world.
Now, I agree wholeheartedly with Socs — I just haven't always been practicing what I preach.
For example, Socrates believed in healthy, natural tiredness from physical effort. Not destruction. Not crawling to the car. I walk out of the gym some days so wrecked I frighten small children. Socs would not approve - about being so wrecked. I think he would have been fine with frightening small children - on occasion.
He also believed in taking "as much hard exercise as is agreeable to the soul."
My soul has absolutely no say in what I do to it. None. I stopped consulting my soul somewhere around set three of heavy deadlifts. It gave up filing complaints years ago.
And health over athleticism — Socrates disapproved of over-eating followed by over-exertion. Guilty. Still working on that one Socs.
But here is where old Socs and I are in complete agreement. And funny enough — where all the reputable science lands too, some 2,400 years later:
"A bad condition of the body leads to loss of memory, depression and discontent — and drives knowledge out of the mind."
One hundred percent. Every single time. You stop moving, everything suffers. The body, the mind, the mood. I've seen it in clients. I've felt it myself.
Another good one from Socs:
"It is a disgrace to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which the body is capable."
At 69 — still in the gym, still pushing sleds, still lifting heavy, still finding out what this body can do. That one I've had covered for decades Socs.
And then there's what Socrates called Civic Duty - and this is the most important.
The belief that every person has a responsibility — a genuine obligation — to respect the one body and the one life they have been given. To be physically capable. To not waste what you were born with.
In a world drowning in Uber Eats, influencer nonsense, and people scrolling through their phones on the treadmill attempting to copy content you wouldn't give to a well trained monkey —
Socrates would be absolutely livid.
2,400 years ago this man nailed it. And we're still arguing about it!
Just a few minor tweaks Socs — and I reckon I'll get there. But all these years, through all of it —
I've had your back mate.
Funny how the oldest wisdom and the newest science keep ending up in exactly the same place.
MOVE YOUR BODY. USE IT PROPERLY. RESPECT IT. DON'T ABUSE IT.
That's it. That's always been it. The END!
The Mariolis Method: MOVE. THINK. EVOLVE.
Not Another App. Real Coaching. Real Change.
