Why sometimes average is better than optimal

10am - Saturday.14/18/2026.Toronto.

Spending the weekend in Toronto, and honestly these little mini getaways have become something we really look forward to. This one is a bit different though. First time in four years where it is just Nga and I. Thanks to Chi Ha and the fam for watch our precious kids during this time.

We kicked off Friday at Paul’s new Thai restaurant, Lamoon. Paul is the guy who helped us bring in some of the all-time muay thai greats like Saenchai, Stamp Fairtex, Nattawut, Superlek, Tawanchai and more. Him and his wife opened up this Thai spot downtown just 3 weeks ago.

Food was unreal. Super authentic. I went with the crispy pork and rice, Nga got the shrimp pad thai and mango sticky rice. Growing up it was hard to find real Thai food in Ontario. It was always those Vietnamese spots making pad thai with ketchup lol. It's nice to see more and more super real Thai places popping up all over. I heard in Barrie, near Fight Club, there are a couple good ones, although I haven't tried.

Paul ended up coming by our table near the end of our meal and we just sat there talking about everything. Life, business, family, the state of muay thai in Ontario and globally. He gave me the inside scoop on some drama involving Rodtang and ONE...interesting! Hope I don't get anyone in trouble by saying that haha.

The rest of the evening was speant low key walking around Toronto, and then re-watched The Avengers Endgame :).

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Like most of you know, I’ve been easing back into lifting weights and doing some extra conditioning earlier this year. It's not for competition or anything serious, just looking to get back in shape, stay healthy, and honestly for my mental health. General anxiety is something I have always and continue to deal with. When I was younger, even before I started combat sports, the weight room has always been an outlet and a way for me to relieve stress.

Once or twice a week, I’ll go for a run or lift outside of Legacy time. Nothing crazy structured or intense. That’s kind of the point. I’m not trying to optimize everything right now. I’m trying to enjoy it. The idea and realization that I had years ago was:

"The average and fun workout program that you continue is better than the most optimal program that you quit."

Because the second you get too deep into numbers and “perfect programming,” it starts feeling like a chore. You start to stress more about results and performance, and once it feels like a chore, you start skipping. And once you start skipping, it’s over.

At the same time, you don’t want to be completely stagnant. Progress matters. Whether it’s lifting a bit heavier, running a bit longer, losing some extra weight, or just feeling better overall, progress is a great motivator. But at the core, it be still FUN, is what really keeps you going in the very long term.

And fun looks different for everyone. For some it’s competing. For others it’s learning new skills. For some it might not have anything to do with the physical activity directly, it might just mean being around a good group of people while doing what you love.

For me right now, lifting and running is just my space to do whatever I feel like. No pressure and no strict plan. Some days I’ll run on the treadmill while watching a podcast. Other days I’ll head outside and take in the scenery. Some days it’s barbell work, other days it’s just bodyweight training.

I already spend a lot of time optimizing and studying for BJJ. I don’t need that same mental energy everywhere else.

This morning was a good example. Hit the hotel gym around 7:30am. Put Dancing in the Moonlight on repeat and ran for 15 minutes, then did some goblet squats, bench press, pushups, chin-ups. Finished with 5 minutes in the sauna.

Nothing crazy. But I was done by 8:30am, felt great, and now I’m sitting here with a coffee writing this.

That’s a win!

Keep things fun and simple. Go at your own pace. Challenge yourself at your own pace.

Some random tricks I use:

-Run while listening to a podcast. Now you’re getting a physical and mental workout at the same time.

-Wear a hoodie or sweater during warmups. You start sweating quicker and trick your body into feeling warmed up faster. Getting started is always the hardest part, this helps get you over that hump

-Cold showers after workouts. 3 to 4 minutes. It sucks at first but you feel amazing after. Big mental reset. If it’s too much, start warm and gradually turn it colder. Focus on your breathing. That shortness of breath and tingling feeling is normal, it eventually passes as your body adapts to the cold water. Progress it slowly. 2 minutes today, a bit longer tomorrow, progress is progress, 1 step at a time.

Anyways, have a great weekend people and see you in the next post.

-Bao

Me looking perplexed and cool with my new shades in front of Lamoon.

The menu. Plenty of thai dishes to chose from.

Nga ordered Shrimp Phad Thai ( I ate half of it).

Chrispy Pork on rice. The crispy garlic I really liked. Can't go wrong with crispy pork skin.