Why it’s important to have food ready to go

I got back from a bike ride at 11:05 am. I saw I had an email from a Craigslist seller I was trying to buy dumbbells from. He said he’d be available until noon.

His house was 35 mins away, and I still needed to stop for cash. But I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten yet, and I had just finished my longest bike ride in months.

So I opened the fridge and through this tupperware together.

Ground beef burger. Roasted pepper. Chopped asparagus. Sliced tomatoes. Olives. Olive oil, salt, red wine vinegar, and apple cider vinegar.

It’s moments like these that show why preparing food ahead of time, having leftovers, is so important. If I didn’t have anything to eat I’d either skipped the meal, or grabbed something like a bar. Both not great choices when you’re hungry after a workout.

How many email newsletters do you get per week?

When I’m out I have a bad habit of looking over people’s shoulders to see what they’re doing on their phones. There are the obvious and common things, like scrolling through social media. There are maybe the not so obvious things, like frantically switching between apps looking for a way to distract themselves. But the thing that I notice most often, and the thing that surprises me the most, is how many unnecessary emails fill up peoples inboxes.

I’ve seen it over and over again, people scrolling through their personal email, deleting 10, 30, 40, 50 unread emails. Psychologically and physiologically I assume receiving an email is akin to the feeling you get when someone likes your post, or follows you, or comments something nice on your picture. But, like social media, it is such a waste of time. It’s noise to your brain.

The number of emails you get, like the amount of sleep you don’t get, has become a badge of honor. I have so many friends and family members say, “I didn’t see that email. I’ve just got too many to sort through.”

When I started working in 2009 as a financial analyst, the only work I had came from my boss, our CFO. If he was busy, or out, and I finished my project, I would sit and wish I had something to do. I would wish to have an inbox full of emails from people requesting information. I wished that for a long time until I finally got it. Towards the end of my career I would receive 100 - 200 emails per day. There was just no way to keep up. Being unable to answer everyone instilled a feeling of chaos, inadequacy, and failure into my days, and I grew to hate it.

Now that I don’t have a 9 - 5 job, and my personal email is all I have to manage, I do my best to keep my inbox clean. I always keep my inbox below 10 emails, ideally less than 5. After 3 - 5 days of an email sitting in my inbox there are only three options:

• Respond

• File it

• Delete it

When it comes to newsletters, promotional emails, and other “email subscriptions,” I make it a regular habit to unsubscribe right away to anything I know is not going to be of any value to me. I’m not using the promotions, so why am I giving these companies access to my conscious? I no longer enjoy that newsletter, so why am I allowing it to continue to hit my inbox?

Once I realize that the email has no utility in my life, I remove it.

Time is our most precious commodity. And our time is becoming more and more hijacked the further technology advances. Cleaning out your inbox is a simple and effective way to take time back, and de-clutter your brain.

Quick Survey - Please post responses in the comments:

How many email newsletters do you get per week?

0 - 5?

6 - 10?

10 - 15?

15 - 20?

>20?

How many do you read, in full, before deleting?

0 - 5?

6 - 10?

10 - 15?

15 - 20?

>20?

How many promotional emails do you get per week?

0 - 5?

6 - 10?

10 - 15?

15 - 20?

>20?

How many promotions have you take advantage of in the past month?

0 - 5?

6 - 10?

10 - 15?

15 - 20?

>20?

How many promotions have you take advantage of in the past year?

0 - 5?

6 - 10?

10 - 15?

15 - 20?

>20?

How many emails do you get to your personal email each day?

0 - 10?

11 - 20?

21 - 50?

51 - 100?

>100?

What’s the one thing you’re ignoring that you know you need to do?

And what are you doing to change that?

What is the one thing that you have been putting off doing for a long time? Say, greater than or equal to 3 months. What is that one thing on your mind that you keep brushing off as unnecessary, but always comes back? It doesn’t matter why you’re not doing it. It could be because you’re afraid. Because it might be expensive. Because you’re scared of the outcome. It could be you don’t know how to do it. No one ever showed you how. You don’t know what the first step looks like. It could be something that puts you out of your way. Or conjures up feelings of anxiety. Or you think is going to be a hassle to do. It doesn’t matter how big or small, and it doesn’t matter what’s stopping you. What is that one thing? And what are you doing to change that?

Something small: We’ve been talking about buying a freezer for the basement since we moved into our house in June. Jen and I both want more room to store stuff throughout the winter. I also would like to buy certain foods, like meat and frozen fruit, in bulk to save money. But, I’ve been procrastinating for a few reasons. First, since moving our monthly expenses have doubled as we buy stuff we need to get settled. And I thought this was an expense we could at least push off, and help spread out our spend. Second, I’m not sure which size to get, where I want to buy it, or what brand. Should I buy it new, or find a used one on a marketplace like Craigslist, and save some money? More of an excuse that could be decided with a little research. But, I’ve nevertheless just been stalling.

Something big: In 2020 while sitting home like everyone else I got my personal training certification. Fitness is the thing I know and love, so it made sense to pursue some type of career in this industry. Becoming a personal trainer also made sense because there are such low barriers to entry. And as I approach year 6 of being “unemployed” it’s felt like a good entry point. But it is now 2024, and I have yet to train one person. I go back and forth in my head of whether or not I actually want to train people one on one. On the one hand, I envision this great little business where I have a bunch of awesome clients who I get to help and share all of my knowledge of health and fitness with. And they in turn share their experiences with me and help me grow. On the other hand, I envision being drained of my energy by needy clients who don’t follow what I tell them to do. Feeling like a constant nag. In one vision I love it, and in the other I hate it. And the result is zero progress.

I’ve made two small commitments to try and turn inaction into action.

The freezer: Two weeks ago I took a drive to a small town in the mountains near our home. I didn’t have anything to do and there was a small food coop, so I popped in to see what they have (I can’t resist a good hippie owned food store). They had these frozen sockeye salmon filets that were the most beautiful things I’d seen when it comes to frozen fish. I bought one and cooked it for the first time the other day, and I immediately knew I wanted to have these all the time. So, I went onto the distributors website and found that the only option was a 25 lb case of frozen fillets. I ordered them. I now NEED a freezer before they arrive.

Personal training: A couple of months ago Jen and I got the idea that we should start a small gardening company. So, I immediately when onto Canva to design and order business cards. They arrived quickly and Jen posted a handful on the bulletin board at the garden center where she works. Two weeks ago we got our first job, and subsequently handed out more cards. I realized that without something tangible, this was just an idea. But once we got the business cards it felt real and like we were committed to making it happen. So, last week I went back onto Canva to design and order business cards for my personal training practice. They arrived two days ago. Now it feels real. Now it feels like I’m committed. If I don’t follow through and hand them out, it will only be because I’m afraid to. And I have a rule in life. When something feels scary, it’s usually the thing I should be doing.

I have this theory that I feel like cant just be a theory. It’s that most of us have one or two things on our mind that we need to do and we’re not doing. One or two things that are in our way, and preventing us from reaching our full potential. They could be really small, like say going to the DMV to get your license or car registration renewed. Or they could be really big, like staying at your job that you hate. But, I want to focus on the small stuff because I think that’s the stuff that clogs up our lives the most.

There’s two things that I always think about. First, until I do that “thing” (i.e. go to the DMV), I won’t have room for the next thing to enter my conscious. So, I’ll be stuck on “DMV.” The second is more conscious. If you can’t take yourself to get to the DMV, then what are the chances you’re going to leave your job. On a sub-conscious level, if you can’t do the small thing, there’s no way you’ll have the confidence to do the big one.

I believe that within all of us a path has been laid that will lead us to our greatest potential. And I think it’s guided by our intuition. There’s a quote I heard for the first time recently, but now keeps showing up in my life.

“What you seek is seeking you” - Rumi. I believe that to be true.

Our intuition is that nagging voice that keeps reminding us of the things we need to do. Our resistance is the second voice we hear, filling our head with excuses and reasons not to listen to our intuition. And every time we get hung up on a task, it prevents us from moving forward on our path.

Our intuition isn’t always right. The path isn’t straight. But it’s the best guide we have to living our best life and reaching our full potential.

Building a Sustainable Workout Routine - 30 Day Challenge

On August 8, 2024 I kicked off a self-imposed challenge, to wake up and perform as many push ups as I could - 1, for 30 straight days. I had a few reasons for doing this.

1. Not long before this day I started to get serious about trying to grow my YouTube page, and I wanted something I could share daily.

2. I wanted an easy way to show people, specifically anyone who is just starting out or struggling to get motivated, the dramatic progress you can realize with just a small amount of consistent exercise.

3. Piggybacking on #2, I wanted a way to engage people in the process, and I thought what better way than to challenge them to a challenge.

4. I hate talking into the camera. I feel like I always fumble and mumble my words, lose my train of thought, and freeze. I knew the only way to get better at it and become comfortable doing it was if, like exercise, I did it every day. The challenge gave me something to talk about, and a commitment I couldn’t back out of.

Fast forward to 47 days later and I’m still waking up and doing my push ups, and I’ve started a new 30 day challenge. The Campfire Squat Test.

I realized after I finished my first 30 days of push ups that this might actually be, working in 30 days intervals, a brilliant way for someone who’s never exercised before in their life, to build a workout routine that works for them. As I’ve thought more and more about this, I’ve begun to play with the parameters of what this might look like, played out over a 6-month period.

The structure presented below, is a preliminary thought on how this could work, and is subject to change. As the months lead on, as I close out the Campfire Squat Test in 13 days, this could change, but for now I believe this structure will make it possible for anyone to start from nothing and build something real for themselves.

Month 1: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. I chose push ups for my first exercise because I thought push ups were pretty universal, most people could join in with me, and because you don’t need much space or any equipment to perform them. Everyday for the first 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day.

Month 2: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. I chose squats because I wanted to have a lower body exercise for my next 30 days. I specifically chose campfire squats because I knew I couldn’t perform even one correctly, and I wanted to see how much progress my form could make over 30 days. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your first exercise. By way of example, over the last 7 days of my push ups, I average 52 per day. Therefore, I’ve been doing 26 push ups every morning after my campfire squats.

Month 3: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Cut your first month number in half again. For me that would be 13 push ups. This is the final number for your first exercise. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your second exercise. For me, I’d calculate the average of my last 7 days of campfire squats.

Month 4: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Perform the final number of your first exercise. For me, 13 push ups. Plus;

Cut your second month number in half again. This is the final number of your second exercise. For me, campfire squats. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your third exercise.

Month 5: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Perform the final number of your first exercise. For me, 13 push ups. Plus;

Perform the final number of your second exercise. For me, campfire squats. Plus;

Cut your third month number in half again. This is the final number of your third exercise. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your fourth exercise.

Month 6: Pick an exercise, any exercise that you’re capable of doing. Everyday for 30 days, wake up and do 1 repetition short of failure of your chosen exercise. Record the number performed each day. Plus;

Perform the final number of your first exercise. For me, 13 push ups. Plus;

Perform the final number of your second exercise. For me, campfire squats. Plus;

Perform the final number of your third exercise. Plus;

Cut your fourth month number in half again. This is the final number of your fourth exercise. Plus;

Perform 50 percent of your trailing 7 day average of your fifth exercise.

Months 7 and beyond: Calculate the 7 day trailing average of your sixth exercise (month six). Multiply it by 25%, and add it to your circuit. Cut your fifth exercise in half again, and add it to your circuit.

So, what could this actually look like?

*Not real figures, for example only

By the end of the 6 months, I would have developed the following morning routine:

• 13 push ups

• 5 campfire squats

• 8 sit ups

• 5 pull ups

• 8 lunges

• 5 hanging knee raises

A very sustainable morning routine, born out of 6 months of commitment. A morning routine that if you did nothing else the rest of the day, would at least get you off on the right foot. As I said, I’m only into day 47, of building this out, and so I expect more changes as time goes on. But, I think this is a very easy and doable way to get started.

I’m here to help if you have any questions about the structure, which exercises to choose, or anything else.

Here is a sample excel workbook you can copy and use to record your daily exercises.

Mt. Neva Loop Via 4th of July Trail

I finally got out for a nice hike the other day. Mt. Neva Loop via 4th of July Trail.

It had been over a year, probably since Switzerland in September 2023, since I’d really hiked. Last winter I skied, and this summer all I did was trail run. We moved into our house June 1, and with so much work to do, I didn’t feel like I had the time to spend out on long hikes. Trail running by contrast was a way to get outdoors and get a workout.

But last week my girlfriend gave me the all clear that it’s time to get out and explore.

Saturday she spent the night camped out in her truck at a dirk bike park 90 minutes from our house. She was volunteering to help man a checkpoint for a race on Sunday, and all 40+ volunteers got together the night before, to get to know each other over a pasta dinner and a fire. She left work early Saturday and spent all day Sunday working at the park. Seeing her do that was the sign I needed to make some time for myself in the mountains.

This trail was recommended to me by my physical therapist. He used this trail to get to Lake Caribou, where he spent a couple of nights camped out with friends.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to camp, or even make it up to Mt. Neva and finish the loop. By the time I got to the scramble to Mt. Neva, the weather had taken a turn. Huge gusts of wind and sleet started falling, so I made the decision to turn back. I didn’t have the gear or food to take a chance on a route I was unfamiliar with. And I was worried that if I got lost (like I already had 2x before that day), I’d run out of daylight. So, I did the smart thing and turned back.

I told my girlfriend I stopped and asked myself, “did I get what I needed out this hike?” The answer was yes, and so I turned around to head home.

But I enjoyed every minute of the 4+ hours I spent out here. Everywhere I turned were beautiful views. Mountains, forests, valleys, and peaks were all around. And the leaves had already started to turn. On the way back I ran into a group of four moose. It was raining heavy by this point and we stood and stared at each other for a while. The trail felt magical, and I can’t wait to be out there again.

Here are some pictures (in chronological order) so you can see what to expect.

Hiking and Climbing Tip and Tricks

These are the real basic things to know to keep your experience enjoyable. Like my diet tips and tricks, this is also a living document that will be updated from time to time.

My first ever real backpacking type trip was in Patagonia. A 7-day trek around Torres del Paine National Park. We had two amazing guides, as well as a handful of porters (yes this was a very bougie experience) who taught us so much. I’m remain so grateful to this day that we ended up in their care.

That one trip set me on a path to exploring the outdoors, and since 2019 I’ve been to over 20 national parks in the U.S., as well as a number of other parks and mountains around the world. Every time I’ve gone out into the wilderness I’ve learned something new. That is particularly true of experiences with guides. They are guides for a reason and they know how to make your time outside as enjoyable as possible.

These are the tips and tricks that I’ve picked up, and have stuck with me. Many time I run through this checklist in my head before, and during any hikes, trail runs, climbs, or camping trips. For sure there are more complicated things to know depending on what you’re doing. But these basic guidelines to follow will help make your time a little bit better.

1. When you begin your hike, always start out a little cold. Once you start moving you’ll be surprised how fast you warm up. Especially if you’re starting with elevation gain. Start cool. Put your hands in your pockets. You can stop do add a layer if you need it. 

2. When you get to the summit, a peak, or a nice place for a snack, zipper up and/or layer up before doing anything else. Peeing, eating, drinking, should all come second. You’ll be surprised how fast your body cools. 

3. Don’t fall. The first thing we learned during our crampon training before climbing Mt. Rainier was “don’t fall.” So simple and stupid but so effective. During the whole descent of that mountain (which was around 6-7 hours if I recall), when my legs were jello and my feet were throbbing with blisters, all I repeated over and over to myself was “don’t fall.” And somehow that little phrase carried me all the way down that mountain. And I shit you not, on the few instances when I lost focus of my phrase, and engaged in conversation, or allowed my gaze to wander, were all the times I almost fell. Don’t. Fall. 

4. You can radically change temperature by zipping up or down your clothes. Before taking a layer off, or putting a layer on, adjust the zipper on your jacket or quarter zip. Open or close the zippers in rain jacket arm pits. Take your hat off. Sometimes a simple change like that is all you need, and you’ll save yourself from having to make another stop. 

5. Carry nutrient dense food, and food you like. Sweet and savory trail mix is a favorite for obvious reasons. For one two night trip we packed pizza for the first night. It was fantastic. The longer the trip, the more variation you’re going to want. Try to balance flavor and texture, with being practical (you can’t pack the whole kitchen).

6. There is no such thing as bad weather. Only wrong gear. 

7. Which leads to 7. Have the right gear. My standard hiking gear is as follows:

   1. Sturdy footwear

   2. Quick dry socks

   3. Quick dry t-shirt

   4. Quick dry baselayer

   5. A hat (baseball or winter hat)

   6. Down vest (depending on temperature I’ll either start with this on, or stuff it in my pack)

   7. Down jacket (in my pack weather permitting)

   8. Rain jacket (in my pack weather permitting)

   9. Gloves (light or heavy depending on weather, in my back)

Warming up can be anything

I know how important a good warm up is, but the problem is that warming up invokes a feeling of boredom, and, when I’m crunched for time, and just trying to squeeze in a workout between everything else going on in my day, I end up skipping it, and jumping right into my workout.

I can get away with it for a few days, but I ultimately pay the price in the form of decreased range of motion and sometimes pain from a gunked up fascia. But, I still skip it more than I should. I have however found work around that enables me to get some chores done, and get my body warm for a workout.

If you’re working out at home, a warm up can be anything. Sweep out the garage for 5 minutes. Go walk around and water the plants. Organize that room, closet, or patio space you’ve been ignoring. Vacuum the house. Do a big load of dishes. I don’t know if many prominent fitness people would agree with me or not, but I think that if the choice is nothing, or 10 - 20 minutes of house chores, that’s better than nothing.

A few recent examples:

Swept and swifered the mat in my garage. Plus a little more. Total time: 12 minutes.

Mowed and edged the lawn. Total time: 30 - 40 minutes.

Dug three holes to plant a shrub, a rose bush, and a plant. Total time: 20 - 30 minutes.

Not conventional, but better than nothing.

Spruce up your left overs

My girlfriend never finished her salad from CAVA the other day. It was getting to its last legs today so, I had it for lunch. But I didn’t eat it as is. An old wilted salad. I brought it back to life with fresh ingredients. 

Sliced apple. Raw red onion. Italian thin skin pepper. Slow cooked beets. Avocado. Cashews and walnuts. A side of chicken breast from the slow cooker. And finished it with a new dressing of salt, olive oil, and two types of balsamic vinegar. 

The result is this beautiful dish.

A few weeks ago we had left over pad Thai noodles. So I boiled broccoli. Cooked a piece of salmon. And added other fresh ingredients to use the noodles as part of my dish. 

Think about ways to transform leftovers before they hit the garbage. 

What are some ways you transform leftovers?

How often do we try to avoid the thing we need?

I wanted to go for a walk during a break at my conference, and put a granny smith apple in my car for the drive home. One path, a direct line to my car, was where the videographer was interviewing people on camera. I could’ve avoided being in the picture and went straight for my car, but I remembered from the day before that he had asked people to stay away. So, I obliged. 

The other path to my car was lined with a group of women from the conference. They were sitting in a circle under a tree, chatting it up. I didn’t have it in me to pass by them and possibly get roped into a conversation (two days of a conference will make you want some time alone), so at first I hesitated, and then I decided to go anyway. 

At the same time a good looking middle aged guy with long blonde hair, looking like real salt of the earth, walked over to them and offered them something. Not wanting to be solicited, and again wanting to be alone, I thought about changing course. 

But, I fought the urge, and I decided, better to just go and see what happens. There was no other way to my car without making it very obvious I was trying to avoid everyone.

I ended up meeting Josh. An amazing human being exuding tons of positive energy. The granny smith apple in my hand caught his attention because he had picked them the day before with a friend, along with two baskets of plums that were made available to everyone at the conference.

He immediately asked “and what’s your name?” and we struck up a conversation.

He started reading the tattoo on my right forearm that is written in classical Tibetan. A language that I would assume less than 1% of the population could read, let alone identify. It turns out Josh learned San Script and Tibetan during his time in Nepal with the Peace Corps.

Back from helping humans in foreign countries, he’s an arborist “healing trees from human problems.”

When he asked me what I did, and I didn’t have a direct answer for him (see Mismanaged Moments, lying about my job), he interpreted what I was trying to say. “You’re trying to figure out how to speak your truth.”

Our encounter only lasted a few moments, but in those few moments I felt this renewed sense of energy and confidence, because this man who I had never met before managed to make me feel loved, accepted, and put a smile on my face. 

My intuition, my energy, was pulling me down the path towards Josh. My resistance was saying “don’t go that way! You want to be alone right now.” That’s the tricky thing about the resistance. Most of the times the resistance sounds logical, and more than not it will tell you the thing you want to hear. The thing that will make your life feel easier.

Discerning between intuition and resistance I think is the battle we all face every day. I’m glad I got this one right, and I got to meet Josh.

Homemade Stock and Soup

Homemade veggie stock from frozen vegetable scraps

Veggie soup: onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomato, Bobs Red Mill Soup Mix (lentils, red lentils, barley, pasta), broccoli, kidney beans, tomato paste

Added 1 chicken thigh for added protein

Man vs Nature, So many lessons from the garden

It’s been amazing to see how fast our garden can get decimated. It just happens so quick. 

I go to bed and everything is fine. I wake up and half the broccoli flower is gone. Or I’m missing 6 out of the 8 apples on my tree. Or how this bull horn worm completely infested our tomato plant and ate half the plant in what seems like a few hours. 

As my girlfriend put it, “where do they come from?!”

The bites in the tomatoes were so big and deep that I actually thought the squirrels were eating them. Since they were the ones who got my apples (I saw them do it).

Only to find out that there’s about 10 worms on my plant eating through it. 50 percent of our tomato plants gone in the blink of an eye.

Nature happens so fast and we’re constantly battling it. What feels like hours of work for us in the garden, happens effortlessly in nature. She’s always a step ahead. 

The thing is that in nature, everything operates in scarcity mode. Always having just enough to survive. Or not. So when nature sees abundance, like in my garden, she’s always planning an attack to get what she needs. And by the time we notice it, nature has taken over.

But I had this crazy thought when thinking about this Nature vs Man idea. What if, like the people on Alone, I started capturing the squirrels that are eating my apples and ate them? 

They’re encroaching on my food source so, like the people on Alone, I think I have every right to take them out. My girlfriend and I have been watching Alone for the last couple of weeks and these are the things we think about now. 

She was at a dirt bike event last week, and she camped the night before with a big group of volunteers and riders. At one point I asked her how she was doing. She responded “I’m survive on reindeer moss and building a cabin for the winter. I feel good.”

Which completely caught me off guard and made me laugh. 

But this is the battle. Humans versus nature, and humans have too much abundance. The battle rages on.

Personal tips & tricks to stay on track with food

Let’s face it. The environment we live in makes it as close to impossible as possible to maintain a healthy and clean diet. We live in an environment filled with cheap and accessible food that’s available in abundance. So, unless you live on a homestead somewhere, you are going to be tempted at every turn of your life.

Super market. Work. Home. Parties. Friend’s houses. Everywhere you go will be the opportunity to make poor food choices. And while I don’t want to say it’s not our fault… it’s kind of not our fault.

Unfortunately to combat it, we need to always be on the offensive. We need to always be battling back the urge to eat to excess. To eat food we know is not good for us. We need to also be taking initiative to eat more of the stuff we know is good for us.

I struggle with this battle just like everyone else. Turning down more food is a daily struggle. To deal with this, I’ve unknowingly developed little habits, trick, routines, and tales I tell myself, to help me win the battle.

Since they really are things that happen almost at a subconscious level, meaning I don’t actually maintain a list of these, I’m going to begin recording them as they come to me and put them down onto this list. So, this will act as a living document to continuously be updated.

1. Let your favorite food, snack, or beverage run out before replenishing it. Watch what happens. Once it’s out of your house, you won’t miss it. Give it a day or two, or more, before replenishing.

2. If you listen to your body, it will tell you what you need. But be careful, because it can be difficult to discern between need and want. All day you tell yourself you need a nice healthy dinner. But on the way home you pass by your favorite takeout restaurant and now you need Chinese food, Taco Bell, a pub burger. The second one is actually want. Ignore it. This actually applies to anything you might be addicted to. Tobacco. Alcohol. Sugar. Caffeine. It does for me.

3. Don’t say you don’t care when you do. This one applies a lot to eating before bed. Most nights I want to grab a little bite, a little snack before bed. I know I shouldn’t and I don’t need it, and that more often than not it negatively impacts my sleep, but I tell myself “I don’t care.” Saying “I don’t care” is a trigger for me that lets me know, I do care. I’m just trying to convince myself it’s ok, when it’s not what I need. Don’t have it. It can also apply during the day. Like after a big breakfast or lunch and I want to reach for that extra bite, or something sweet. I do care. And I’ll care later when I feel it’s effects. Don’t do it.

4. Space out eating. I often think about what I’m going to eat before I even finish the meal in front of me. Maybe I’ll have a piece of fruit. Maybe a piece of dark chocolate. Maybe a whole additional meal because I’m hungry (as I stare at half a plate of food). Instead, I try to space my meals out with some distractions. Clean all the dishes first. Take out the garbage. Check on the garden. Take the dog for a walk. Anything that gets me away from the kitchen. I’d say 50% of the time I end up not eating anything additional. 40% of the time I eat something but way smaller than I initially thought. And 10% of the time I go for what I was thinking about. But 100% of the time it’s effective in slowing me down and spreading things out. 

5. Get your spouse to change their habits. It’s amazing to me how I can be perfectly content after dinner, then my girlfriend plops down on the couch with a snack, and all of a sudden I feel like I need to eat. It’s almost like a survival instinct that kicks in. She’s eating, I should be eating. Conversely when she doesn’t snack, I feel a lot less temptation to dig in. In part because I feel glutenous if I’m the only one stuffing myself. 

6. I can always go back for more. The downside of living in an environment of food abundance is that stopping yourself from eating more is very, very difficult. The upside is that you can always go back for more. Two things to avoid. 1) Don’t overload your plate. Chances are whatever you put on your plate you’re going to finish. Start with less than you want, then, embracing tip #4 above, wait a little, then go back for seconds. Give yourself the opportunity to stop before indulging. 2) Don’t re-fill your plate before you’re done eating. I’ve done this so many times. I tell myself I’m going to want more chicken, more veggie, more rice, before I’ve even finished what’s in front of me. So, I go get more while there is still food on my plate. Finish it all, because it’s now on my plate, and I never leave food behind. And wish I didn’t. Clear what you have first. Then go back.

7. Eating whole foods is the best way to combat over-eating. I don’t struggle with making poor food choices, meaning, I don’t eat fried foods, processed foods, foods laden with sugar or a bunch of unhealthy ingredients. 99% of what I eat is whole food ingredients. I struggle with eating too much. I love to eat. But the best way to off-set the effects of over-eating are to eat foods that are healthy for you. It’s hard to get into too much trouble chomping down on watermelon. Or overindulging in chicken breast. Or even a homemade burger from locally sourced regeneratively raised ground meat. Or potatoes. Or quinoa. Or almonds, walnuts, or pecans. Yes, if you overeat calories, you will put on weight. But it not all weight is created equal. If you stick to whole foods, the effects of overeating will be far less, and it will be easier to change your habits. Processed food is addicting and leads to unconscious overconsumption. Real food does not.

A Pep Talk on Confidence

A lot of what’s stopping you from accomplishing what you want is confidence. When I think about the reason I need to get a job and start making money, it’s a fear that I’ll run out of money. Even though, luckily, barring a disaster, that day is a long way off.

What I really fear is, that if/when I run out of money, I won’t be able to make any more. Despite all of the things that I’ve accomplished in the past 6 years, none of them made me any money. So, in my mind, I’m afraid I won’t be able to. I lack confidence that I’ll be able to do it, and therefore, I’m afraid. And my fear pushes me to look for money. Despite not wanting or needing any right now.

So, there’s two possible truths. Either, I don’t know how to make money. Or, I haven’t been trying to. All the things I’ve accomplished and I continue to accomplish, are not being driven by money. They were all driven by an interest in exploring, and a passion to push myself.

So, which one is it? Can I turn my interests and passion into a money making endeavor when I need to? Can I focus my energy on earning a living if I need to?

That’s where confidence comes in.

I have to be confident that if I just keep following my interests and passions, that one day when I need it, the money will flow. That I have the talent and ambition to make that happen. Otherwise, what’s the point? What am I doing? What have I been doing for the past five years? Why have interests and passions if I’m not going to pursue them? Put them at the center of my life, and make money doing them.

So, when my doubt start to creep in, I repeat a shortened version of this to myself, and nine times out of ten, it breaks down the negative thought, and stopping it from ever entering my brain.

Go sell crazy somewhere else, were all stocked up here.

Spoken & Unspoken Lessons in My Rehab

You know the most important thing in my rehab journey has been something that my therapist said to me, rather than something he did to me or for me. On one of my very first visits he told me, “I don’t want you to be a repeat customer. I don’t want you coming back to me in 6 months, a year. You have to do the work in between sessions to get better.”

It was a pretty obvious thing to understand once he said it, but shamefully not something that I really thought about before that.

Even after my injury I continued to exercise regularly, and I figured that at some point I would be able to work through the injury, fix it, and get rid of the pain. So, that’s what I did. But, it didn’t work.

During that time I went to a handful of different doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and more, looking for the answer. Each in their own way pushed me along on my journey. Some were really good and guided me towards thing I should be doing. Other were not so good and I took their advice as things to avoid.

But throughout all of those visits, I really thought one of them was going to have the magic bullet. That at the first, second, or third visit they’d be able to pop something back in place, release a tense muscle, or do something else that was going to get me back to 100 percent in an instant.

In a way it’s made me understand how people look for the magic pill in fitness. In their health. When it comes to exercise and diet. There just feels like there has to be something that will make everything the way I want it. Now.

But injuries and fitness have that in common. The only thing that works in the long term is consistency. And that’s what my therapist highlighted for me, and that’s what I’ve been practicing ever since. And while I’m still not 100 percent, I am firmly in grasp of healing.

Another thing my therapist gave me was permission. Permission to dig deep into my muscle and tendons even if it was uncomfortable. Permission to contort my body into odd ways to alleviate my pain and improve my range of motion.

Before he unknowingly gave me this permission I would often stop just short of getting into a position that would’ve been beneficial to my rehab for fear of re-injuring myself. But the exercises he gave me to do pushed those limits, and when I did them and realized they were helping, and not hurting, it allowed me to push a little further.

The last thing I would say is that it is also important to be doing the right exercises. When you’re talking about being consistent, one of the key elements that almost ensures consistency, is progress. If you’re seeing progress, you are much more likely to continue. And of course the opposite is true. If you’re not seeing progress, then you’re unlikely to continue.

The exercises he gave me helped. I felt physically better, and that feeling encouraged me to continue.

Some lessons are taught. Some are spoken. Some were not even meant to be lessons. You have to be on the lookout for all of them.

Workout Journal

I’m away at a conference for two days. I’m actually only 20 miles from where I live. But since Jen and I haven’t gotten away recently, and we needed to have a dog sitter anyway, we decided to use it as an excuse to get away. So, we’re spending two nights in a cozy hotel, in a cute little town.

All I brought with me to exercise is two resistance bands. A 15 - 35 lb, and a 25 - 65 lb.

Today was day 1 of the conference, and I thought if I got up at 6 am it would leave me enough time to get through my morning routine (including my daily Campfire Squat Test), as well as my workout. Turns out, not so much. I barely had time to drink a coffee (the result of a broken machine in the lobby).

All I had it turns out was 12 minutes extra before we had to go. I know this because that is how long I exercised for this morning. I got through 3 rounds of my first superset, and that was it. We were out the door.

In a past life that would have frustrated me the whole day. I would’ve been pissed that “I didn’t get my workout in.” But at present I just accepted it, and decided when I got back to the hotel after the conference I would finish my workout. And that’s what I did.

Most of us have this idea in our head that our workouts have to be long, hard, and continuous. And that message couldn’t be further from the truth. The only thing that matters in the long run is consistency. Something I’m trying to show to people through my 30 days challenges. First, the push up challenge in which I went from 31 push ups on day 1, to averaging over 50 in the last 7 days. And the second one where I’m working on nailing at least one Campfire Squat (feet and knees together, ass to the ground). I’m currently able to do 0, and it’s been 5 days (but I’m getting closer).

The point is, feel free to break out of whatever mold you’ve been led to believe is true when it comes to exercise. If you can only fit 1 push up in the morning into your routine. Do 1 push up. If you only have 12 minutes. Do 12 minutes. If you find time later in the day, pick up the rest.

It feels good to be on the other side of a manic mentality when it comes to fitness. There’s so much more to fitness than killing yourself with a workout and torturing yourself with a diet. Take whatever size steps you can towards a healthier you.

Mismanaged Moments

I think it’s important to realize that we have more time than we think. Not in life, but in moments throughout our life. We’re always rushing between tasks, afraid that if we take that extra second, everything will go to shit. But when you don’t take that extra second to tell your girlfriend she’s beautiful, or you rush through a meal, is precisely when shit starts to fall a part. Our lives are filled with mismanaged moments that we have the time for.

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The thing I lie the most about is my job. What I do for work, which is another way of asking “how do you make money?” I hate being asked this question, because I don’t have a formal source of income, and I hate telling people that.

To me, when someone hears that I’m not working, haven’t worked in 6 years, and I’m under 40, they either think I’m rich, or that I live on a trust fund or some form of inheritance. No one has ever said that, but that’s my suspicion. Something on their face gives me that feeling.

So, more often than not, I lie. And, depending on who it is, depends on the lie.

If it’s a service man, like an electrician, the internet guy, or a furniture delivery, I usually say I’m a healthcare consultant. Which to me, isn’t totally a lie. In my head its true. Even though I don’t actually do consulting work in healthcare, I could. I have the experience.

But, if I’m talking to a more fitness or outdoor focused person, say someone I met on a hike, I usually say I work in fitness, without much description. To which most people just assume I mean personal trainer. Which, again, I could be. I have the certification, and I definitely have the experience. But, I’m not a personal trainer.

But in situations when there’s a good chance I’m going to see the person again, I tell them at least part of the truth. “I’m not working right now,” is a response I like to give. Which, prompts two responses. Person A assumes I got laid off, and gives me an empathic “sorry” look. Person B thinks I’m just starting a sabbatical, puts on a big smile, and says “thats awesome, good for you.”

Rarely ever do I tell anyone that it’s been 6 years since I held a formal full-time job. People’s heads explode. They’re not sure how to process someone not working that’s under the age of 40. Some people throw a look of “lazy generation.” Others, genuine disappointment. But some people are genuinely excited for you.

And to those people, I’ll tell the whole truth

It’s harder than you might think to not work for 6 years in your 30s. To not get sucked back up into the beast to chase money and promotions. But what’s harder is the feeling of being judged for it. No one could understand my reasons. I barely can. So, I’d rather keep them to myself.

But just today I realized at least in part why I never worked while I was living in Los Angeles. Because although I thought that’s why I was going there, what I realize now is that working was not the reason. The reason I went to Los Angeles was to find myself. To explore unhindered by responsibility, accountable to no one by myself, and see what happens. See if out alone in the world I sank, or swam, and the type of person I became. That was my job during those three years.

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There is no good or bad advice. But the problem with advice is that it’s usually something that worked for that person. And since it worked for them, we assume it’ll work for us. And when it doesn’t, we mark it as a failure, and assume again, but this time that we are not capable.

Not realizing that there is a path out there for us, and we have to keep searching. Even if its not their path, you have one. And in the search for your path, you learn things.

You learn what you like, and what you don’t. What you’re good ati, and what you’re not. What frustrates you, or makes you feel angry, and about makes you hpayy and feel joyous.

And you go through your day getting rid of the bad, to make more room for the good. And thats your path to glide towards on you’re way to everything you ever wanted.

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I think the thing that’s been interesting me the most recently is this behavior we all have where we shut down our thoughts. We say we want to do something, and then right behind it we blurt out an excuse not to. “I’m just going to get a canned response anyway. Better not to send my feedback.”

We all do it all the time. I’ve been doing it for awhile, and I still do it a lot. But accepting my first voice, is a practice that I continue to work on.

Listen to the people around you. Listen to them tell you about something you want, and then just as quickly shut it down. Then listen to yourself the next time you tell yourself you want something. And pay attention to the thought right after it. A reason not to.

It’s been fascinating to me because I’ve learned that when I’m listening to that first voice. That first gut reaction. My instinct. I flow from one thing to the next without hesitation. But the second I interrupt it, its like a train wreck with a 200 car pileup. Everything after it becomes seemingly more difficult.

I used to think that once that train rolled off the tracks that that was it. That was my fate for the rest of the day. The week. Sometimes the month, as one challenging thing after the next would pop up. But I’ve also learned that it’s possible to put the train back on the tracks.

And all it takes is putting a stake in the ground, and declaring that from this moment forward, you’re going to follow that voice. And it all falls back in line.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, just observe the people around you. Observe your own thoughts. See if you can notice some sort of self-limiting talk keeping people from pursuing what they want.

But that’s why everyone needs at least one person in their life who tells them to go for it. And not in the way that your mom might say, “yea, you should do it.” But in a way that makes you believe it’s possible. Maybe it’s a close friend. A business partner. Your significant other. Everyone needs an advocate. A supporter, that tells them why they HAVE to do it, and WHY they CAN.

But I’ve realized with myself that the reason I often dismiss that first voice is because of fear. I don’t trust myself. I don’t trust that the advice I’m giving me is the right thing for me. That there is probably something I should be doing (that “should” word again. A bad word in my vocabulary). So, I push that voice aside and think about what I should be doing, which never works out well.

If I instead tell myself to have confidence. To believe in myself that I do know what’s best for me. That I can make it happen, and that the path being laid out by my intuition is the right one, then more often than not I find success, OR I can pivot quickly towards success.

Because let’s face it. Intuition isn’t 100% correct. Nothing is 100% correct in life. But it’s right more often than it’s not, and when you’re dialed into it, even if it leads you down the wrong path, you’re able tap into it fast and say “how do we get out of here.”

Post Run Lunch Meal

I went for a long run this morning, at least compared to the amount I’d been running in the past year. I snacked on some nuts on the way home and prepared this “salad” when I got home. I wanted something meaty and tasty, and I got it.

I’m sure this will be just one of many meals I eat today #hungry.

Red leaf lettuce. Chicken thigh. Bacon jowl. Celery. Red onion. Spicy olives. Avocado.

Dressing: Olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sriracha, salt.

Not everything you learn will be life changing, but everything you learn will change your life.

A new perspective. A new technique. A new appreciation. A new approach.

We finished our first gardening job today. Gardening has been so beneficial for me. Mainly learning how important it is to not let the enormity of a project overwhelm me. It’s been a good teacher in emphasizing the need to focus on what’s in front of me, instead the totality of the work.

Weeding is perhaps the best teacher. When I look at our backyard, and see weeds everywhere, my initial reaction is always, “I don’t have time for this, this is going to take forever.” Which usually leads to a day or two of procrastination.

But, if I simply focus on just getting one weed at a time. The weed right in front of me, and ignoring the hundreds of others that have popped their head up, all of a sudden the task seems manageable, and the time flies.

Sometimes while I’m weeding my mind will actually wonder into the future, to two weeks from now when all of the weeds will have grown back. And just that thought always makes me pause. But I bring myself back by pulling just the one weed in front of me.

Stump removal is similar. I encountered a huge stump in my backyard where I was trying to level land for our greenhouse frame. The first day that I attacked it I spent hours trying to rip it out. Breaking two shovels in the process. I was just whacking at it, trying to pry it from the ground. I thought I was going to remove the whole thing in one powerful move. But stumps don’t work that way, hence the broken shovels.

It was only after I took a step back, and started to cut away at it tentacle by tentacle, that I was able to make any progress. And it was only after I bought a pick axe that I was able to remove it.

I had a similar experience over 2 days trying to remove a stump at our client’s house. On day 1, forgetting the lessons of the stump removal of my house, I was comitted to removing it in one shot. But the stump, which was packed into a slope of hard rock and clay, wouldn’t budge. Luckily, no shovels were broken.

On day 2 I came back with a shovel, loppers, and the pick axe. Over the course of 2 hours I methodically clipped, smashed, and dug the stump out. Yes, it took 2 hours, but it was an enjoyable 2 hours. The puzzle created by the stump kept me engaged and present the whole time.

In the end, I won, and I also came away with a great workout, and a great lesson.

Gardening has also driven home the importance of using the right tools for the job. The reason I broke 2 shovels trying to remove that first stump is because it wasn’t the right tool, on it’s own, for the job. The pick axe was.

The same was true of the stump at our client’s house. The shrub being removed was half dead, half alive, with wild shoots and branches popping out all over it, that were preventing me from seeing the best way to approach the base. But on day 2, I used the loppers to trim it all the way down to the base, which allowed me to better plan my attack.

Whenever I learn these lessons in my everyday life, I think about where else in my life I might be banging a shovel when I really need a pick axe. Or where else I’m procrastinating a project because I can’t find the first weed to pull. Most times it’s not that clear, but I know a moment in the future will come when I will refer back to these lessons, and they’ll help guide me towards better outcomes.

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That lesson came to me while I was opening the box that our new floor mop came in. Jen was trying to open it from the top, using pure strength to get it open. But it wouldn’t budge. So, she turned to me as she was about to run into the shower and said “can you open it?”

When I got around to it later in the evening, I instinctively went for the top because that’s what I watched Jen do. But after a few moments of struggling to get it open, I stopped and asked myself, “there must be an easier way.” I flipped it all around and found the right side with the tucked in flaps. I pulled them out and the boxed opened.

So many times in our lives we keep trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome. We’ve all heard the saying, “the definition of insanity…” But, I always thought they just meant really big and important things. I never thought that it could also apply to opening a box. In a past life, I would’ve ripped the box open. I never would’ve looked for another way.

I’ve realized lately that the biggest, most important, changes you make in how you live your life will go mostly unnoticed by those around you. People might notice the outcome. You lost some weight. You have more free time. You’re making more money. You’re happier. But they won’t understand how you did it. How you made a lot of small and unrecognizable changes, that changed your whole life.

Don’t get sucked up in making “big changes.” Big changes are the result of the accumulation of small changes over time.

Don’t Get Discouraged

All week my workouts have felt flat. Which has been particularly discouraging because my last four week block was one of my favorites in recent memory. It’s also discouraging because for the first time in a long time I took a full week off of programmed training last week, thinking I would fly into this new block with massive amounts of energy and enthusiasm to put a new 4 week program together. But, it just hasn’t been the case.

In truth, out of 4 strength sessions this week, I’ve been motivated to do 0 of them. Yes, none of them. But, regardless of that feeling, I’ve pushed through each one of them (albeit lethargically).

At the end of each one I’ve been so happy to be done and move on with my day. But in 0 out of 4 workouts did I regret doing them. I’m hoping next week will be better, but if it’s not, I’ll just limp through like I did this week.

What’s the point?

I know that the only thing that matters is staying consistent. That the intensity or duration of my workout doesn’t matter nearly as much as just showing up every day and putting in some effort. I know that even if I choose lighter weights this week, I can always choose heavier ones next week. But that by at least picking up lighter weights, I’ll be setting myself for heavier ones later.

The point is that you don’t have to like and be into every workout you do. You don’t have to wake up every day looking forward to exercising. I’m someone who has been exercising consistently for over 20 years. When I’m fully rested and fully of energy I LOVE TO EXERCISE. But, I can count many more days of not wanting to train, then I can count the number of days I have wanted to train.

But that’s the game. You don’t have to like it, but you have to do it, because doing it will reward you.

The point is, don’t be discouraged if you don’t want to workout today, or you had a shitty workout today. Just know that there are millions of other people out there, including myself, going through the same daily struggle. But we all have to put in the work.

The thing you don’t want to do is the thing you need

Part of my lack of motivation this week has been fatigue. I knew it was but I was unwilling to address it. Instead I chose again and again to just work through it. Creating more fatigue.

The thing I knew I needed was a float. For the last few months I’ve been getting into the float tank (also called a sensory deprivation tank) once per month. I even bought a membership that paid for the monthly session to ensure I went.

But this month it felt like one thing after the other, and I kept procrastinating making an appointment. I finally made one but a dog emergency (he’s okay) forced me to cancel it (or did I use the dog emergency as an excuse to procrastinate again?).

Today I finally went and did a 60 minute float. It was at a different place 20 minutes closer to my house (the 30 minute drive to the place where I hold my membership is one of the reasons for my procrastination). And all I could think during my float was “god I needed this.”

I don’t create time in my life to rest. And I’m sure you don’t either. Even what we consider “rest” is often anything but. Watching TV is not rest. Scrolling your phone (even if alone) is not rest. Even reading is not rest. Sleeping is rest, but how often do you get the quality and quantity of sleep you need? Probably not often.

The sensory deprivation tank is my once monthly forced rest. No lights. No sounds. No phones. No distractions. Zero gravity so my body gets to unwind as much as my mind.

I knew I needed it, but I kept putting it off. Every time I’d hit my workout and drag my ass through it this week I’d say to myself “you need a reset.” But I continued to fight it, convinced I’d be able to overcome it.

I don’t know what it is about humans that causes us to dismiss the things our mind and body tells us we need. In the War of Art, Steven Pressfield calls it The Resistance. That feeling of doubt, the internal naysayer, that dismissive voice that convinces you not to do what you want.

It happens in creative endeavors. It’s happens when thinking about leaving your job for a better opportunity. Or starting a business. Or taking some time to rest. We convince ourselves we don’t need it. When in fact it’s the exact thing we need.

That’s why I’ve created a saying for myself. “Sometimes the thing you don’t want to do is the thing you need.”

It doesn’t always work right away (as evidenced by my 3 week delay getting to a float), but the more I repeat it, the more likely I am to get what I need.

Meaty Dinner

Homemade bunless burger patty, topped with red onion

Sautéed mushrooms (shiitake, white, baby bella)

Shredded and sautéed brussels sprouts

Cheesy potatoes