😵 Everything Hurts and I Still Did It
Last night my legs screamed at me to sit the hell down.
My body had one message: “Bro. Stop. Please.”
But I went for a walk anyway.
Old Drew would’ve taken that soreness as a sign from the universe to “rest.”
You know, “listen to your body,” like every soft fitness influencer preaches.
Translation: “Quit while calling it self-care.”
But that’s the Drew that got me into this mess.
That’s the Drew who made sure I needed a CPAP just to sleep, hid from mirrors, and dodged cameras like they were firing squads.
That Drew is out. Excommunicated.
👨👩👧👦 Walk With Family (Now Featuring Doom Headlines)
Audrey and the family joined me, which was actually great – minus the part where the conversation turned into a live reading of the world’s worst news headlines.
“Oh, did you hear about the thing?”
“Yeah, people are awful.”
Cool cool. Love that. Mental health: thriving.
Still, it was good. Shared pain is lighter, even if it’s in the form of mutual existential dread.
🧘♂️ “Did You Stretch?” – The Question That Ruined Me
About halfway through, Audrey asks:
“Did you stretch before we left?”
Me: “No. Stretching is for girls.”
Audrey: 😐
Then she hits me with a David Goggins anecdote like she’s throwing knives:
“Goggins didn’t stretch either. Said it was useless. Then after a few years, he could barely walk. Now he stretches for HOURS every day.”
Great. Awesome. Love that for me.
Now I’m rethinking my entire masculinity and wondering if I need to pencil in yoga between work and learning Japanese.
Spoiler: I probably do.
Even if stretching still feels like cheating.
🧠 Japanese Is Trying To Kill Me
Duolingo? Conquered. Barely.
But then I hit Lesson 8 of Pimsleur Japanese, and it went full Mortal Kombat on my brain.
They dumped vocabulary on me like I was preparing for the JLPT N1 instead of, you know, barely being able to say good morning without stuttering.
“Watashi wa kono densha de Tōkyō ni ikimasu. Wakarimasu ka?”
No. No “wakarimasin,” (I don’t understand) thank you very much.
I’ll be retaking that lesson while crying softly into a protein bar.
👻 The Silence Is Loud
Let’s talk about the part no one likes to admit.
I’m 9 days in.
I’m showing up. I’m posting. I’m walking. I’m learning.
I’m rebuilding my habits, my body, and my identity in public.
And what do I get back?
Silence.
Low engagement. Few comments. Minimal likes.
But I read something the other day that hit me like a truck:
“Never expect to get what you give.”
And holy sh*t, does that hit different when you’re pouring your guts into something like this.
But here’s what I do see:
The traffic.
The views.
The lurkers.
Lots of them!
People are watching.
Some are rooting for me, quietly.
Some are curious.
And some are just waiting for me to fail.
🔥 Some People Want You To Quit
Let’s be real:
Some people would feel better about themselves if I gave up.
Because if I don’t, it forces them to look in the mirror.
And maybe they’re not ready for that.
But I’m not here to protect egos.
I’m not here to blend in or coast quietly into another failed “transformation.”
This time is different.
Not because I’m perfect. Not because it’s easy.
But because I’m done lying to myself.
I’m not just trying to lose weight.
I’m trying to find the version of me I respect again.
The one who leads, not follows. Who moves, not hides.
Who takes photos without cringing at the man in the frame.
💪 I’m Not Going Anywhere
So to the silent crowd:
Keep watching. I’m not going anywhere.
To the ones hoping I cave in:
Enjoy the show. I’m just getting warmed up.
And to anyone out there who feels stuck:
You don’t need permission. You don’t need motivation.
You just need to start walking—even when it hurts.
📚 Relatable Read of the Day:
If you’re into honest, punchy, no-bullshit transformation stories, I highly recommend:
“Can’t Hurt Me” – wait no, just kidding.
That’s Goggins. We’ve all read that one. Let’s go deeper.
👉 “Built to Move” by Kelly & Juliet Starrett
It’s not your average “get shredded” fitness book.
It’s about how most of us are wrecked from years of bad movement, poor posture, sitting too much, and not knowing how to treat our body like it was built to last longer than an iPhone charging cable.
The best part?
It’s full of doable habits, checklists, and practices—even if you’re not gym-obsessed.
Stuff like mobility, pain management, stretching (Audrey will approve), and building a foundation so your future 70-year-old self doesn’t hate your current one.
Day 9.
Still walking.
Still fighting.
Still not a fatass.
Yet.
If this hits you—even a little—I want you in the Discord.
I’ve been getting DMs from people saying they went for a walk because of this. That I somehow inspired them. And honestly? I need more of that in my life.
I don’t care if it’s one person who’s all-in or a hundred people just dipping a toe in.
That’s success to me.
Either I deeply impact a few… or slightly impact a bunch.
So if you’re watching, lurking, waiting—stop waiting.
Join the community.
Take the leap.
Walk with me.
Drew Karriker is a self-proclaimed professional tinkerer, self-experimentation enthusiast, and lifelong learner with an inability to sit still. A former nuclear engineer turned DevOps architect, he’s built a career (and a life) out of breaking things, fixing them, and then making them better.
Despite wrestling with ADHD, anxiety, and an unrelenting need to optimize everything, he transformed his career and life in just a few years—not because he’s special, but because he figured out how to turn obsession into execution. Now, he’s doing it again—publicly—one 100-day challenge at a time.
His past projects? Some were successes. Some flopped spectacularly. Each one left him a little wiser (and probably a little more caffeinated). Now, he’s on a mission to document his transformation—mind, body, career, and everything in between—so that others might pick up a thing or two along the way. Or at the very least, be entertained by the chaos.
Follow along at RewiredWithDrew.com and get inspired, get motivated, or just grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride.