Don’t Skip Leg Day
Written by Brian Carreira, September 2025
The other day, my 7 year-old daughter said to me, “Daddy, your legs aren’t that big.” Oof. I was just accused by my daughter of skipping leg day! People know the meme: a guy with a big chest and arms and chicken legs. For the record, I don’t skip leg day. But I don’t look forward to it.
Legs are hard and often unrewarding. You are moving lots of weight with the biggest muscles in your body. These are functional muscles and they move you and help you move stuff around. The legs just work and don’t make a big deal about it. Our chest or biceps show off when they work. Legs are that base of hard stuff. We can be proud of it, but no one else cares. And yet, working the legs, doing the hard stuff, is the difference between success and settling.
The Unseen Grind
Leg day demands sweat, strain, and the kind of effort that leaves you sore for days. And yet, it’s absolutely necessary. Strong legs provide the foundation for everything else. They anchor your strength, stabilize your movements, and ensure your body functions as a cohesive unit.
The same principle applies to life. The most crucial work is often the least glamorous. It’s easy to focus on the visible wins—the promotions, the accolades, the highlight reels. But real success is built on the efforts no one sees: the extra hours, the sacrifices, the moments of self-discipline when quitting would be easier. The same applies to mental health—maintaining a strong, healthy mindset requires consistent effort, even when no one else sees the struggle. Particularly, when no one even values that you are doing so.
The Value of Discomfort
Growth comes from discomfort. Your muscles tear and rebuild, stronger than before and leg day lifts teach you how to use these big muscles well. Your mind faces resistance and grows more flexible, is able to manage more frustration, and through these experiences becomes more effective solving problems. Avoiding the hard work might feel good in the moment, but it leaves you weaker in the long run.
Facing your struggles head-on, addressing anxieties, and pushing through tough times builds emotional resilience. Therapy, self-reflection, mindful habits, and consistently doing things that matter to you are the leg days of mental health—often painful, rarely glamorous, but absolutely essential for long-term well-being.
Think about the people you admire. Whether they’re athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, or leaders, they didn’t get there by skipping the hard parts. They embraced the struggle, knowing that true growth happens in the moments when you want to quit but choose to push through. The same holds true for mental toughness; those who build it do so by confronting their fears, acknowledging their emotions, and choosing to keep going despite setbacks.
The Compound Effect of Discipline
If you make a habit of avoiding the hard work, the consequences add up. Weak legs lead to imbalances, injuries, and limitations. The same goes for any area of life. If you avoid the difficult conversations, the extra effort, or the necessary sacrifices, you slowly undermine your potential.
Mental health works the same way. Ignoring stress, bottling up emotions, or avoiding difficult self-work can lead to deeper struggles over time. Just as a strong lower body supports overall strength, a strong mind supports all aspects of life. Prioritizing mental well-being through small, consistent efforts—journaling, mindfulness, talking to a trusted friend or professional—creates a foundation that can handle life’s challenges.
Discipline compounds over time. Every time you show up and do the work, you build momentum. Each rep, each late-night grind, each uncomfortable moment of growth strengthens your foundation. And the stronger your foundation, the more you can handle.
How to Embrace the Hard Work
So, how do you ensure you’re not skipping your own metaphorical leg day—both physically and mentally?
Commit to the Process – Understand that success isn’t about short-term gains but long-term consistency. Show up, even when you don’t feel like it.
Seek Discomfort – Train yourself to lean into the challenges rather than avoid them. If something feels hard, that’s probably a sign you should do it. This applies to facing fears, working through anxiety, and addressing mental health challenges.
Measure Growth, Not Just Results – Instead of focusing solely on the outcome, track your progress in the effort you put in. Did you give your best today? Did you push yourself further than yesterday? Did you take care of your mental well-being?
Build a Strong Foundation – Just like strong legs support your entire body, solid mental habits support success in all areas of life. Prioritize self-care, self-discipline, and emotional intelligence.
Surround Yourself with Accountability – Find people who won’t let you skip the hard stuff. Whether it’s a gym partner, a mentor, a friend, or a therapist, having someone who holds you to a higher standard makes all the difference.
The Payoff
Leg day may never be your favorite workout, and it might be that after years of squatting and deadlifting heavy weights, a 7 year old may quite innocently imply that the effort was for naught. But you know better and you’ll appreciate what the effort you put into your own version of leg day does for you. Strong legs mean better performance, greater endurance, and fewer injuries. Likewise, doing the hard work in life and in mental health pays off in ways you can’t always see immediately—greater resilience, deeper confidence, and a life built on a foundation of effort rather than shortcuts.
So, don’t skip leg day. Don’t skip the hard work. And don’t skip taking care of your mental health. Embrace it all, because that’s where real strength is built—not just in the gym, but in everything you do.
