Bowl of yogurt
Perfect way to start the day
Strauss European Style yogurt is my favorite. My mom and I discovered it on a trip in Wyoming at a cool little breakfast spot. Luckily my local grocer, Natural Grocers, sells it.
6 spoonfuls of yogurt
Almonds, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts
1 date, 2 prunes
1/2 tangerine
Sprinkle of chia seeds
Splash of homemade almond milk
Perfect way, to start the day.
The Behavior of Change
My views based on my experiences.
Thoughts and download from the week.
“Most frustration comes from not having a plan, or from not being open to changing when the plan you have fails.”
Eating Late
Every night it’s a struggle to not eat a snack after dinner and before bed. I know how much better I sleep, and therefore how much better I feel the next day when I don’t have a late night treat, and yet I fight myself on it every night.
Food is so good, it makes it so hard. It feels so right at the time, but I immediately regret it because I know I’m not going to sleep as well as I could have if I just listened to that voice saying “don’t do it,” “you don’t need it.” Instead of listening to the voice that says, “who cares,” “you deserve it.”
I used to think that if I just had something healthy and light, like a bowl of fruit, or something satiating, like protein powder mixed with soy milk, that it would be okay. But it’s not. It’s better than cake, or cookies, or ice cream, but it’s still not good.
Often times I rationalize eating something by convincing myself that I didn’t have enough calories that day, or enough of a certain macro, usually protein, to cover me for my workout. But it’s really just that, a rationalization to eat when I don’t need or want to.
If you’re reading this and thinking “wow this guy is tormented by food.” You’d be right. It wasn’t always like this for me. It started when I started training for triathlons a few years ago. Back then I always felt like I couldn’t consume enough calories to keep up with the long and hard days of training. There was no way, without a proper nutrition plan, which I didn’t have, to stay on top of the calories and macros I needed. As a result I always felt hungry and depleted. So I began over analyzing my food, and questioning what I was consuming with every bite. Even though I’ve been removed from that training style for a couple of years now, it’s taken time to undo that programming.
Tracking my food for 6 months helped. I learned that I was over-consuming fats, and under-consuming proteins (the latter of which I think was contributing to the feeling of being depleted). Balancing my diet, getting closer to the right amount of macros, has helped repair my relationship with food, but I know there is still more work to do.
But, no matter how much my that relationship improves, I doubt it will ever be easy. Because really, aren’t we all tormented by food in this country? Isn’t that why 70 percent of the population is either overweight or obese? And why everyone is always trying to lose weight and failing? I don’t think you can live in this country and not be tormented by food. Food in this country is available in endless abundance, it’s accessible everywhere you turn, and it’s extremely affordable. There is always an opportunity to shove something delicious in your mouth. Not something nutritious, but something delicious. Something ultra-processed, loaded with sugar, and of low quality, actually stripped of its nutrition. Something that tastes good, feels good, and hits all those sensory pleasure zones in your brain. No, we all struggle with it.
A rancher at a regenerative agriculture conference I went to said it best, “our addiction to convenience is killing us.”
So I wage the daily battle against food. Some days I win, some days I lose. I just try to string together more winning days than losing ones. Staying away from ultra processed foods, foods loaded with added sugar, fat, and sodium.
If there’s one thing that The Comfort Crisis brought to light for me, it’s that in this modern world you need to be actively fighting back the comforts that are all around us and making us sick. You can’t take a day off.
It’s an unfortunate thing, but if we want to achieve and maintain our health, it is going to require work, because the environment in this country doesn’t support a healthy lifestyle. It’s on you to create one for yourself.
10,000 Steps
I think 10,000 steps, when combined with a diet rich in whole foods and devoid of processed foods and added sugar, is actually a good number to strive for that can make you healthy and keep you there. The problem I see is that getting to 10,000 steps in a given day is really hard. I like to think that I’m very active. I workout for a minimum of one hour per day. I don’t have a desk job that keeps me tied to a chair for 8 hours or more. I spend 3 - 5 hours per days standing in my kitchen cooking meals and cleaning up after them. I walk my dog 2 - 3 times per day. On most days I do some type of yard work, that might include mowing the lawn, watering our flower and vegetable beds, or weeding. And still, most days, I don’t even come close to 10,000 steps. In fact, the Garmin watch I recently bought came set with a daily step goal of 7,222 (no idea where that number comes from), and I rarely even hit that number. The only time I hit this number is if I go for a run or a hike.
But I do recognize that on days when I hit that 7,000 number, or even better yet, I get up and over that 10,000 step number, I feel better. The difference is noticeable. My energy levels are better. My mood is better. I eat better. I sleep better. Everything is better. I’m just not convinced that 10,000 steps is a realistic figure for 99 percent of the population. For most of us, getting enough steps in would require a gargantuan effort. But I’m also not sure what is, or what other metric might be that could have the same benefits as 10,000 steps, but also be achievable.
No One Size… Many Sizes
We say there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to diet and exercise. That each of us are unique, and what works for you might not work for me. And what works for me, might not work for you. And that’s true, but we need to go one level deeper. Because, unfortunately, it’s even more complex than that.
What works for you is going to change throughout various times in your life. What works when stress is low, probably won’t work when stress is high. What worked when you were 25, doesn’t work when you’re 30, 35, or 40. What works when you’re catching a full night of Zzzzs, doesn’t work when your baby is waking you up multiple times per night. What works when you’re home, might be hard to replicate on the road.
That’s why, beyond any diet or exercise advice, you need to be vigilant about which situation you find yourself in, and adapt to meet it. You need to dial into the signals that your body is sending you.
Someone changes their life by going on the ketogenic diet, but after 6 months, they suddenly aren’t feeling well. It’s not working, and they’re constantly craving something sweet. Maybe it’s time to start incorporating some fruit. Or they’ve become tired of eating so much meat. Maybe it’s time to start eating more fish.
Or they always worked out in the morning, but now they start work earlier, and they have a longer commute, both of which are cutting into their morning workout. Can they wake up a little bit earlier to get in a workout? Is there time during lunch? At the end of the day? Instead of exercising 5x per week, can they squeeze in 3? Something, anything, just to keep the momentum and build on the habit.
There are so many examples, so many ways life is going to interrupt your plan, and I think that’s the problem that a lot of people face. They are unable to recognize why their routine is no longer effective, and rather than investigate why and make some changes, they throw the whole plan away and regress back to baseline, or worse, below it.
I think it’s very important to realize first that what’s going to work for you is specific to you. But second that you’re going to need to stay on top of it and manage it throughout different times in your life. The way I like to think about it is using a golf analogy (I don’t golf, but it works). I like to always stay as close to the pin as possible, so it’s never too hard to make my putt. What do I mean?
Let’s say I go on vacation where I’m sure to indulge in food I wouldn’t normally eat. Well I’ll try and keep at least one meal per day, but usually two, close to my normal diet when I’m home. This way, when I do get home, my routine hasn’t drifted too far off, and it makes it easier to ease back into my normal diet.
Let’s say that I have family visiting, and working out for 60 - 90 minutes isn’t possible without looking like I’m offending my guests. Rather than completely skipping my workout, I might just put together a 30 minute workout that keeps the routine and momentum alive for when my family leaves and I have my time back.
I’m constantly thinking about how I need to adapt my plan to fit the current situations in my life, always keeping the focus on staying as close to the pin as possible. Consistency is the key. Consistency is where progress is built. Figure out what you need to do to stay and consistent and not let life interrupt your plan.
Senate Testimony on the Health Crisis in this Country
I listened to Brigham Buehler, Casey Means, and Calley Means all on Joe Rogan talking about the testimony they gave in front of the Senate discussing the growing health crisis in this country. All three of these guests expressed some level of gratitude that they were able to present their case and lay out the facts about why and how we’ve gotten into such a mess. But the one thing I didn’t hear from any of them was anger or disdain for the fact that we even had to have a testimony to begin with. That no one that sits in the Senate has any idea about what’s going on in this country. That they are so unaware, or at least claim to be, of the fact that toxic food, plastics, and prescription drugs are murdering people in this country. They needed to hear it from a panel of experts.
Perhaps my view is biased because health, diet, food, exercise, longevity, and health span, are all things that I think about and read about on a daily basis. But holy shit, the health crisis in this country is the biggest issue we face as a nation, with ripple effects throughout every aspect of our lives. And the members of the senate don’t have a clue as to what’s going on, and yet they are the ones voting on bills, policies, and funding that directly impact the trajectory of this epidemic.
Maybe I don’t know how government and politics works, but my assumption would be that the people leading the country should know a little bit about what’s going on in the country before they get to lead it. I question how much these members actually pay attention. How many of them actually read. How they spend their free time, or any of their time, because time and time again, they are fucking clueless.
Perhaps it’s a product of the fact that some politicians have been politicians for decades. Decades! Spending their time campaigning, going to parties, and kissing the assess of the people that give them money. It’s outrageous and it’s becoming harder and harder to accept the extreme level of incompetence that exists in our government.
Three good podcast episodes
Joe Rogan and Diane Boyd - Diane K. Boyd is a wildlife biologist who has devoted decades to studying wolves. She is the author of "A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery."
Joe Rogan and Israel Adesanya - Joe sits down with Israel Adesanya, a mixed martial artist competing in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He is the subject of the documentary "Stylebender," available now.
Peter Attia and Anne Lembke - #321 – Dopamine and addiction: navigating pleasure, pain, and the path to recovery | Anna Lembke, M.D.
Establishing a new political party
With one focus. Health.
The Health Party
I want to start a new political party called The Health Party, whose whole mission will be to discuss current events and policy decisions purely from the lens of personal and public health.
I think everyone would agree that their health, and the health of their loved ones, is their number one priority above everything else. That everything we do, is done with the survival of ourselves and those we love in mind. So, with that in mind, the idea is to analyze current events and policy decisions to determine how they are impacting our health, and choose where we want to throw the weight of our support, based on this idea.
For instance. There’s a new Farm Bill [link] that’s going to get passed this year. In that bill will be billions of dollars that the government is going to pay farmers. Currently, all of the money will go to subsidizing conventional farming. Farms that grow rows and rows, acres and acres, of commodity crops like wheat, seed, grain, corn, and potatoes. These farmers all spray the food they grow with endless amounts of insecticides, fungicide, herbicide, and any other type of “side” you can imagine, as they prep their fields for planting, during the growing season, and while harvesting. Not only does the food get it, but because of their proximity to these chemicals, the farmers and farmhands are also exposed.
So, when considering our health and the health of those around us, should we continue to subsidize these farms? The answer is obviously no. No, we do not want to continue to subsidize growing methods that produce food that is killing us. No, we don’t want to continue to subsidize food that is used to make sugars, like high fructose corn syrup, ultra-processed foods, and to feed animals raised on feed lots (CAFOs [link]). No, that is not where we want to spend our money. Our tax payer money.
But, we should do something with the money. So, should we use it to incentivize those farmers to begin transitioning to healthier farming methods, like regenerative agriculture? A method of farming that has been proven to grow healthier and more humanely raised foods, that can heal the land and heal the population. Yes. We know the harm that pesticides and conventional farming practices have on the land and our health, so we should use that money to begin to transition away from them.
I think it can be that simple.
I read an article the other day that said the estimated cost to transition from conventional farming to regenerative farming globally is between $200 - $450 billion. But that same article also stated that it will be hard to make that transition because farmers have not been able to secure the funds they need to transition, which is one of the main struggles that farmers face. Obtaining required capital from banks and other financial institutions. So they’re stuck, unable to change.
If we move that $70 billion in the farm bill that is currently ear marked to subsidize conventional growers, and give it to farmers that are trying to improve, then we’ll already be 15 - 35 percent of the way there (depending on what end of the estimate you believe).
I think when policy, bills, and current events are analyzed purely from a personal health perspective that almost all of them will be that easy.
I hope you join.
Sincerely,
The Health Party.
Fruit and Veggie Pulp Chips
A better option than store bought, plastic packaged, veggie chips
My girlfriend has been juicing a lot recently, which extracts a lot of the fruit or veggies nutrients and leaves behind excess pulp (fiber) that usually goes to waste.
We’re always looking for ways to reduce waste, so this week she used the pulp and made these veggie chips.
She added spices, soy sauce, and ground flax seed to the pulp, and then formed it in to chip shapes, and placed them in the dehydrator for 12 hours.
We woke up to these healthy, tasty, and crispy chips.
The Behavior of Change
Random thoughts, perspectives, insights, and experiences I’ve had during the week that have shifted my view or focus.
Thoughts and download from the week.
To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive - Robert Louis Stevenson
Doing what’s easy and rationalizing
Never mind the fact that it’s taking me away from the thing I actually want to do, which is read my book. Never mind the fact that I never feel nearly as good after 30 minutes on my phone as I do after 30 minutes of reading. My ability to rationalize, and my desire to do what’s easy, keeps me from reading, and encourages me to pick up my phone instead.
Reading, my brain tells me, is unproductive. Reading, will not lead to any tangible success or achievement. My phone, by contrast, holds all the tools I need to be productive. I can research an idea. Search for a hike. Write down notes. Edit videos. Get caught up on email. Check in on the market. My phone, my brain tells me, will help me achieve my goals, while reading is just procrastination.
This is an example of the back talk that goes on in my head when that little voice, my intuition, tells me what I need, and my programming tells me what I “should” (that bad word) do instead.
It doesn’t happen with just reading. It happens when that little voice starts yapping “go workout, you’ll feel better,” and my brain says, “nah, let’s eat.” It happens with writing. “Write it down later, you’ll remember.” With watering and cleaning up the garden. With stopping for gas. Or going to the store. “Let’s do ______ (anything else) instead.”
I started reading a new book this week. The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. She calls this internal dialogue your censor. In the War of Art, Steven Pressfield calls it The Resistance. I call it rationalization and doing what feels easy. I’ve determined that a succesful and happy life lies in the ability to recognize when rationalizing versus acting. It lies in the ability to listen to my intuition, that first voice, and ignore the resistance, that second voice. And that’s what I’ve been working on doing.
But it’s not easy, and it doesn’t always work.
For weeks my intuition had been telling me to go do a float. And for weeks I’d been telling it no, we don’t need it, we’re fine how we are. I’ve notice it’s usually the thing I’m resisting the most that I need the worst, and success relies on identifying resisting what I need. That turned out to be the case with my float, but unfortunately I let it get to critical levels, brain fog that impacted my productivity and mood, before finally making an appointment.
Sure as shit, the float was exactly what was needed, and I came out of it feeling mentally clear and physically rejuvenated. Why had I resisted going for so long and ignore that nagging voice? Why do I continue to lack the confidence to immediately act on what my mind and body’ are telling me to do? Why do we as humans go against the things that we know to be true? It’s such an odd thing to me. We know, and ignore.
We know what’s good for us when it comes to diet, drugs, drinking, exercise, relationships, work, stress, and yet more often than not, we ignore it, and do the opposite. We know how much better we will feel if we do these things, but we don’t. We remember the last time we did this things how good it felt, but we still don’t. We know, then we rationalize, then we ignore, and do what’s easy instead.
A reminder about other peoples expectations
When I’m stressing about situations that involve other people and their expectations of me, I try to relax my nerves by thinking about how I would feel if the roles were reversed.
A recent example included a fellow classmate in a kettlebell class I’m taking. During class everyone was given a partner. We were assigned to watch our partner (this was via zoom) do a Turkish get up, and make mental notes of what they did well, and where there were opportunities for improvement. After class we were tasked with sharing these observations with one another via our group text.
Immediately after class the group chat blew up with everyone sharing their feedback. A ping of anxiety rushed through me. Fuck, I forgot what I wanted to tell him. I remembered thinking that a few moves on his way up could’ve been tighter, and that the way down looked good. But I couldn’t remember in enough detail to actually be helpful, and it started to freak me out. I was new to this group, I didn’t want to be a bad partner and appear as though I hadn’t been paying attention.
I couldn’t remember what I wanted to tell my partner, and it was eating away at me.
After an hour or so of letting it consuming me, I decided to turn the tables. I asked myself, how would I feel if I didn’t get any feedback? Would I feel let down and like my partner didn’t care? Would I be mad, angry, or want my partner to be upset about it? Or, would I assume that, like me, he’s just bad at taking mental notes, or didn’t get a great look at the screen, or some other reason why he had nothing to share, and it wouldn’t bother me? I realized it was the latter, and that I needed to stop worrying.
About a year ago my brother rented a house in upstate New York. He was there with his family, wife and three kids. The house was on a lake, and while everyone around them was out enjoying the water on canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards, the house he rented had nothing. But he saw that his neighbor did. So, one day he went over, knocked on the door with his three kids and asked if he could borrow a kayak and a couple of paddle boards. To his surprise the gentleman that answered the door, an older man, said “Absolutely. We bought these for our grandkids but they never come over. Use them for as long as you want. Make yourself at home.” So they did.
For the week they were there they used his water crafts.
After he returned home he wanted to do something nice for the neighbor, but he didn’t know what. He decided to send them a hand written thank you note, along with a picture of his kids on the lake using their watercrafts. We were talking one night and he asked me, “do you think that’s enough?”
I thought for a minute and then I said, “Well, put yourself in his shoes. How would you feel if you got a card and a couple of cute pictures? Would that be enough for you?”
“I never thought about it that way,” he said, “It would.” I could even sense a smile come through the phone as he reversed roles and thought about himself in this guys shoes.
As humans we have a tendency to overthink how other people are going to react. We tend to think that everything is a bigger deal than it really is, and that we’re not doing enough. I know I do.
The next time you feel this way, swap places with the person you’re worried about and ask, “how would I feel?” The answer should be enough to allow yourself to move on.
That’s not to say you won’t encounter people who do not feel the way you do, or people who do make a bigger deal and expect more. But, use yourself as the yard stick to judge the situation by. You’re a reasonable person, as most people are, so your response is the best judge you have.
Side note, as of this writing, I haven’t received feedback from my partner either, and I haven’t thought twice about it.
Healing in an unstable environment
The argument I’d make is that you can’t heal in an unstable environment. I’d argue that you can only heal when you’re in an environment that offers unconditional love, support, and security. If your stability is under constant threat, then its hard to make room to heal.
I’ve now been in a stable environment for three years, and during that time I’ve begun to heal.
That environment for me is the one my girlfriend and I have created. There have been challenges, scares, and mis-understandings, but it’s always been stable because of our love for each other. The love we have, the support we show each other, creates a stable environment, regardless of what’s going on around us.
It’s something I’ve really been able to notice since we moved and begun to settle down. Prior to meeting Jen I had felt like I was all over the place. I moved to Los Angeles by myself in 2019, and despite living there for 3 years, I never really felt settled. I was alone, and I knew Los Angeles was not where I wanted to put down roots. And I wasn’t even sure I wanted to put down roots anywhere. Even though it caused me some feelings of anxiety, I always thought I would just live a semi-nomadic life, moving around every few years.
But now we’ve started to create a home, and I’ve noticed that no longer feeling like a nomad has put me at ease and it’s allowed me to heal physically and emotionally.
Being in one place, it’s been very clear to me how much I’m benefiting from it. My mood is generally better and my emotions are more balanced. My perception of things, and my role is much clearer. My ability to change has been one of the most apparent things to me. I always believed in the ability to change who you are through manipulation of the mind, but to see it play out in real time is something I’d never experienced in my life. I’ve been able to decide to change, and make it happen.
I’ve also seen profound changes in my writing, which I attribute to having a clearer mind. And I’ve also noticed an improved overall sense of control in my energy and effort, and specifically in my ability to pull back on the reins before I go over a cliff.
But the most profound thing, perhaps because it is so tangible, has been the daily chipping away at my chronic injury that has nagged me since 2020. I always held out hope that I’d one day be able to begin to heal, which is the reason I never stopped trying, but in the back of my mind I had begun to accept that this was just how I was going to have to live. Chronically injured, in pain, and never returning to my full form.
But in the last three months I’ve seen and felt dramatic improvements that I attribute to feeling stable. This new environment we’ve created has allowed me to be consistent, and know that I can be consistent into the future. The fear that I need to fix it today, because I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, is gone. And so I’ve been able to take my time and focus on small improvements.
Jen and I have always believed that my injury was part energetic and part physical. Energetically I’m getting to express myself and “release” what’s been building up inside of me through consistent writing, and things like the wake up workout challenge. Physically, I’m learning new modalities through reading and taking classed I’d been waiting to take until the time was right.
That’s all to say, which is probably not what you would have expected to hear, that my personal experience has taught me that we cannot expect people living in unstable environments to be healthy, heal, and prosper. The expectation for people who are struggling to keep a roof over their head, put food on the table, working multiple jobs, and in poor health, to recover, be better, and improve, is unrealistic. The environment in this country for millions of people is unstable at best, dire at worst, and until we improve upon those conditions for these people, we can’t expect anything to change.
A light healthy snack: Apple, Nuts, Nut Butter Drizzle
Balanced and nutritious snack for any time of day
Long day today after a long week. I didn’t get to workout until 5 pm. I finished at 6, did some other chores, and before I knew it it was 6:45.
I wanted a snack before a late dinner, so this is what I had.
3/4 sliced apple. Pecans, almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts. Drizzle of Nutzo Keto Nut Butter.
Glass of soy milk.
I love nut butter, and I’ve been eating a ton of it recently, but in reality is is a processed food. In this case that means, to me at least, that I’m not getting the digestive benefits of having to chew and digest a nut. So, I cut back the nut butter and added more nuts.
I have no idea how much of a difference it makes, if any, but I think there has to be some logic to it.
Anyway, this is a nice healthy snack that’s okay to indulge in.
Cheers
Big Boy Breakfast Because It’s Almost Lunch
With rare exception most of us should be eating normal sized meals. Breakfast included.
I went to bed hungry, which means I woke up hungry. I woke up at 6 am. Worked out from 9 - 10:30 am. I finally sat down to eat at 11 am. I was hungry, so I started with this.
Crock pot chicken, crock pot beets, sautéed mushrooms, avocado, boiled broccoli, chopped red onion, and chopped red cabbage. I put on a dressing made of olive oil, fig balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, sriracha, dijon mustard, pickle juice, and salt.
But after finishing it I was still hungry and I knew I had a long day of packing ahead of me, so I had this.
Overnight chia (2 tbsp of whole milk yogurt, 2 tbsp of chia, 1/2 cup soy milk), coconut flakes, ground flaxseed, frozen blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans.
I’ve recently been thinking about the advice of “eat a big breakfast, and taper the rest of your meals throughout the day.” I think this is bad advice for the majority of people. Most people nowadays sit behind a desk for their work. And, most people fail to get the daily recommended amount of exercise each day (which still wouldn’t be enough to justify a big breakfast). Between those two factors, desk jobs and not exercising, I think it’s foolish for most people to eat a big breakfast.
Big breakfasts are reserved for people who perform manual labor, or who are professional athletes. In other words, people who need and are going to use the fuel. For the rest of us, eat a normal sized breakfast. Today was an exception for me, but on most days I go for 3 equal sized meals, and minimal snacking on fruit and nuts.
Cheers to your practice.
The Behavior of Change
Random thoughts, perspectives, insights, and experiences I’ve had during the week that have shifted my view or focus.
Thoughts and download from the week.
Fearfulness is the most common state in a life that asks for no real change.
I’m going to try something new, and see if it works.
I’ve been thinking about something I heard on the podcast episode I shared last week. That is the idea that you can be happy, love yourself, and also be ruthlessly ambitious enough to accomplish your goals.
Elizabeth Gilbert tells a quick story about a guy who didn’t want to try her letters of love exercise because he thought it would make him weak. He thought that by showing himself love and compassion he would lose his drive, that chip on his shoulder, that he believed was the driving force behind his success.
I’ve feel that way too. Not necessarily in loving myself, although I could definitely benefit from more of that. But in my inability to take my foot off the gas. I hold this belief that if I slow down in any part of my life, that it’s going to create a ripple effect throughout every part of my life and ultimately lead to my demise.
If I watch too much TV, or eat something I shouldn’t, skip a day of exercise, or don’t have a book I’m actively reading, that it’s going to be the beginning of the end of my dreams. That I’m going to slowly descend into some useless human being, incapable of anything.
But in reality the opposite is actually true. It’s the times when I’ve taken my foot off the gas that I’ve felt the best. It’s when my mind is clearest and my body feels most aligned, fit, and capable. And by contrast, when I’ve continued to push it, despite all of the signs from my mind, brain fog and agitation, and body, fatigue and pain, is when I accomplish the least, regardless of the fact that I’m doing the most.
So, to hear her tell this story really resonated with me, and I think it also ties well into a recent insight I had while my buddy was visiting me.
Almost a year ago my buddy got laid off. It was completely unexpected. When he called me to tell me I was in shock, and at a loss for words. He had worked for this company for at least as long as I’ve know him, going on six years, and he’s one of the smartest, most ambitious, experienced, and well educated friends I have. He is also, not surprisingly, Type A.
So in the year since his layoff he’s been busy trying to find a new job. But, through no fault of his own, he’s been unable to land one. So during his visit I asked him, “in retrospect, knowing now that you’d be 12 months out of having a job, and still looking, would you have spent the last 12 months doing anything differently? Would you have given yourself a break, eased off the pressure you’ve been putting on yourself, and enjoyed your time more, rather than staying busy?”
I asked him this question because it’s a question that I have wrestled with many times since leaving my well paying and rewarding, albeit stressful, job 6 years ago. And I still wrestle with it today. But hearing about his situation made me once again reassess my own.
I could tell he didn’t like the question, and it made him uncomfortable because it forced him to question how he has been spending my time. Something I always question when it comes to my own life. But it’s an important question because it highlights the stress we put on ourselves as humans to be successful, even when nothing is wrong. It very much echoes the message that Robert M. Sapolsky tries to convey in Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, and the message Boyd Varty shares in The Lion Trackers Guide to Life when he says, “no wild animal has ever taken part in a should.”
My friend and I are in the same situation in some respects, at least a it relates to the quality of our lives. Other than not having a job, and a steady income, not much has changed. We still eat the food we want to eat, live where we want, travel, have a roof over our head, a car to drive. For all intents and purposes, life is good. Yet we’re applying this relentless pressure to figure it out, not now, but yesterday.
The question of fulfillment and purpose always seems to come up, and with good reason. Figuring out how to spend your days when you have no “work” to go to can be difficult. It took me about two years to feel comfortable with it. But I’ve learned how to enjoy my days without work. I’ve settled into a good rhythm of activities that include exercise, reading, writing, volunteering, cooking, and now gardening, that I enjoy and keep me happy. I love my days.
But, despite that, the pressure is still on. I continue to pressure myself every day to figure it out, and work really hard to do so. That’s been my mentality for 6 years, and still, I haven’t figured it out. So maybe it’s time for a new approach. Back to Elizabeth Gilbert’s story.
What if instead of forcing myself to work and figure it out, I took the opposite approach. What if I fucked off when I wanted to fuck off. Watched TV during the day. Smoked weed when I wanted to smoke. Skipped workouts, and indulged in desserts when they called to me. What if I stayed up late, and slept in past the sunrise. Perhaps that’s been the problem. Perhaps that’s the love she speaks about that I’ve been denying myself, and it’s the reason I haven’t figured it out yet. Perhaps allowing myself that love, or level of comfort, rather than hindering my performance, like I believe it would, could be the catalyst to drive success.
In Tools of Titans Tim Ferriss talks about trying something new for 48 hours. He says, try it, and if it doesn’t work, you can always go back to your old ways. That same principle is something I’d been using even before reading his book. But hearing it from him has reinforced its practicality. So, that’s what I’m going to do.
Beth Lewis said in our class recently, “you can’t crush the gym, and life.” It’s true, and I’ve been trying to crush everything in my path. For once I’m going to take the opposite approach, and see where it takes me. Here’s to a new more lethargic way of being.
Informative podcast on chronic health in America, and the issues we face to fix it.
Joe Rogan #2210 - with Calley Means and Casey Means, MD - I don’t like listening to Calley Means. He’s a former political strategist and lobbyist for companies such as coco-cola. So I’ve ignored listening to anything he’s a part of, and it’s the reason I haven’t reads the book he co-wrote with his sister, Casey Means, MD, despite being very interested in what she has to say. I like Casey. She is one of the founders of Levels, the company I purchased my glucose monitor from earlier this year to experiment with. She’s a physician, a head and neck surgeon that left conventional healthcare to start her company and address the growing issue of metabolic health in this country, the root cause of most chronic disease. Metabolic disease is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, and it’s believed that ultra-processed food, pesticides, plastics, and other toxins in our environment, in addition to the sedentary lifestyle most people live, is the cause of it. Levels, her company, is trying to change that. And after spending time on the dark side her brother is too.
Recently Casey and Calley were part of a panel of experts that included people like Jillian Michaels (her testimony is much see stuff), Max Lugavere, and Brigham Buehler, who testified in front of congress to sound the alarm about the growing health epidemic in this country and, more importantly, the cause of it.
I’m glad I put my dislike for Calley aside and listened to this one, because I learned a lot, and, the reality is, good on him for trying change the system.
I found this quote from Casey Means to be the most notable:
“Ultra-processed food is dead food” - Casey Means
Ultra-processed food, food that is stripped of all it’s nutrients and filled with harmful ingredients, now make up 70 percent of the calories consumed in this country. Casey nailed it with that quote. Far too many people are eating nutrition less food, and it’s a big part of the problem.
Book I’m Reading - Wildlife Wars
I picked this book up from one of the “free libraries” you see on the street. That was probably over a year ago but I just started reading it recently. I’m more than a third of the way through now, but these lines from the introduction had me reeled in from the jump. I would listen to anyone’s story who has the type of mind that sees the world in this way. It’s a great book, and Richard Leakey provides a great example of what being a leader should look like. One in which integrity and morals are not compromised.
From the introduction:
“Conservation of biodiversity may be a global imperative, but eating one cooked meal a day and drinking clean water are more basic to the survival of most of the world's population. Protecting elephants and conserving natural ecosystems remain my personal priorities. But I am not so sure this would be so were I ill, hungry, and living in despair. I enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and crisp starlit nights. I do so, however, knowing full well that when I need it I can find shelter. We must somehow find a way to provide for our own species if we are also to preserve others.”
“Clean air, clean water, plentiful forests, and a human population that is well fed, educated, and reasonably affluent is our goal in Kenya. Saving the elephants is symbolic—a means to achieve these greater objectives.”
This Weeks Harvest
Growing season is coming to an end but that doesn’t mean there isn’t abundance in our garden. In fact, a lot of our vegetable plants, especially our tomatoes, are thriving right now in the cooler Colorado temperatures. This week I spent a couple of days harvesting some vegetables, cleaning, and cooking them. Here are a few pictures of the haul.
Quarter Share Cow
Shout out to Lazy Acres Ranch and Butcher. This past week I picked up my quarter share of cow from them, and I got to it right away cooking up some of the goodness they supplied me with. The ribeye pictured below was particularly tasty, but the beef short ribs were out of this world. They were so good my girlfriend who is a reformed vegan that still struggles with eating meat ate two with her dinner. Here’s the recipe I used. Super basic and super tasty. I didn’t have fresh rosemary so I used some other dried herbs in my cabinet, and I used chopped white onion in place of onion powder. The ribs were melt in your mouth delicious.
$1,250 for 100 lbs of pastured raised beef that comes from a ranch 2 hours away. I bought a freezer for just this purpose, and now I get to walk into my garage and pick out whatever cuts I want. It’s a beautiful thing.
Trail Run
Parmalee, Devil's Elbow and Castle Trail
Miles - 5.2
Elevation gain - 889 ft
This was my favorite trail run since moving to Colorado. Mostly single track, with plenty of tree coverage, and challenging elevation at points. The parking was easy and the trail wasn’t overly crowded at 10 am on a Wednesday. I also enjoyed not seeing one cyclist. Of all the trails I’ve run so far, this is one that I could see myself repeating again and again.
Side Dish: Sautéed Mushrooms
Yummy mushroom recipe
One package of organic white mushrooms and one package of organic baby bellas. Cut the mushrooms In half and put them in a bowl.
Chop two slices of red onion and chop two cloves of garlic. Add them to the bowl.
Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a separate bowl and add 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of chili powder. Mix it all together.
Add the butter, oil, and slices to the mushrooms, garlic and onion, and toss until coated.
Bring a pan to medium heat. Add the mushroom mixture, 2 tbsp of water, and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.
Uncover and toss. Let cook for another 4 minutes uncovered.
The Behavior of Change
Every Sunday I like to share random thoughts, perspectives, insights, and experiences I’ve had during the week that have shifted my view or focus.
Sunday Scaries. Thoughts and download from the week.
Grasshoppers
I learned that grasshoppers have a gear like mechanism in their legs that enables them to jump. Facts like these remind me why it’s important to question everything. In all my years of life, I never considered that the use of gears was not unique to humans. For 37 years I’ve been walking around misinformed. What other information am I taking at face value in my life? Where else am I holding onto a belief based on wrong information or information I have yet to learn? These are the types of questions I like to ask myself, and every time I learn something new, like this, it reminds me that there is still so much I don’t know, and everything should be questioned.
Enjoy your health
I was listening to a podcast recently with two nutritionists discussing diet, exercise, and health. I’m a big fan of the guest, the reason I tuned in, but the host I’d never heard of. I’ll call her Mary.
Mary said a lot of things that I didn’t agree with. I didn’t like her choice of words, or the message she was conveying. Fortunately she was sharing the stage with someone who knew what they were talking about so she was able to correct her.
But the thing that really bothered me was her insinuation that eating “healthy,” akakthe real way to eat, was boring. My god, if this lady is your nutritionist, then I feel really bad for you.
The way she said it, insinuated that things like fast food, take out, or frozen meals, were exciting. There is nothing exciting about any of those. Particularly when they make up the majority of your diet. They are poison, and are only appealing because they are cheap, accessible, and convenient.
A rancher at a conference a few weeks ago said, “our addiction to convenience is killing us.” He’s right.
If this lady knew anything about food, nutrition, or cooking, then she would know that there is nothing more exciting then stepping into your kitchen, opening the refrigerator, looking in the pantry, peaking around in the spice cabinet, and figuring out what ingredients you have and what you can make from them. Deciding what to eat based on how you’re feeling that day, or what your activity level was, and then catering a meal to those needs.
That’s fun, and exciting.
If you don’t have time to cook, let’s work on finding the time. If you can’t afford to grocery shop and cook healthy foods, let’s figure out ways to make cooking affordable and accessible.
But please, for the love of god, don’t fucking tell me that eating healthy is boring. Yes, I crave foods from time to time that are outside of my repertoire of cooking skills and ingredient list, but those instance are few and far between. I prepare very close to every meal I eat during the week, and I enjoy the hell out of 99 percent of them.
After you’ve eaten this way for long enough, you learn what you like, what you don’t, what tastes good, and what doesn’t, and you learn how to make what you want and need. I’ve gotten to the point where eating out has become the disappointing thing to do. I typically leave a meal out thinking, “I should’ve just eaten at home.”
Eating healthy is only boring when you don’t know what you’re doing. And clearly Mary doesn’t have a clue.
Lawn
I never mow the lawn in the same pattern. I mowed the lawn today, differently from two weeks ago, which was different from the two weeks before that.
Today I split the front lawn down the middle length wise, and then attacked each half individually. Usually I start on the perimeter, ride the edge, and then form a pattern from there. Sometimes going in a circle. Sometimes focusing on each quadrant individually. Other times just completely making it up as I go, probably looking like a mad man, or someone who has never mowed the lawn before (both could be true).
In the back I started with what I’d describe as a candy cane shape. I took the long far side first, which is in the shape of a candy cane, and followed that to the end. I kept that pattern going back and forth. It was fun to be mowing in that shape, and it actually turned out to be pretty efficient. It was probably the fastest I’ve got done mowing since we moved in.
But the thing is, when I look at my neighbors lawns, all I see is straight rows. They look like they’re so methodical about it. They have a set pattern. They know the most efficient way, and they know what they want their lawn to look like, and so they’ve adopted the same pattern over and over.
When their lawn is mowed, it looks orderly and clean. The way my rug looks after I’ve vacuumed it. Whereas mine kind of looks like my hair after I’ve just given myself a haircut.
But, the more fascinating thing I’ve realized lately, is that I’ve been using the weed whacker incorrectly for the last 3.5 months. Since June I’ve struggled trying to figure out the best angle, and height, to keep the thread at so that it edges properly. But I couldn’t figure it out. Last time I edged the lawn I switched hand positions [read: non-dominant dominant]. I put the handle of the edger in my right hand, and used my left as the guide. Switching hands turned me in the opposite direction. Come to find out, that’s the direction the edger is supposed to face. Nothing wrong with my technique, per se, just holding the tool backwards. Even edger’s are apparently made for righties.
Where else in my life am I struggling because I’m holding the tool backwards?
My role
Recently I’ve been thinking about the role I play in a given situation. In particular unsuccessful ones. The easiest example is like when an unintended emotional trigger gets pulled in either my girlfriend or I, and we delve into an argument. In those situations, even if she’s wrong [;)], once things have cooled off I like to ask myself “What role did I play in the descent into chaos? How could a different action, word, facial expression, or body position, have changed the outcome of that conversation?” And then I try to remember that for the next time.
Which means, in order to be effective, I also have to figure out the signs that things are about to get hairy. Is there a certain feeling I can identify that gets triggered before an argument happens? Is there certain body language or words that she starts to use that I could look out for that’ll signal what’s to come, and trigger me to change my approach? What are those signs, and can I remember to change my actions and reactions in time to save the conversation, and ultimately our day.
What role can I play to improve outcomes, even if it means sacrificing how I “feel?”
Something to listen to
Elizabeth Gilbert — How to Set Strong Boundaries, Overcome Purpose Anxiety, and Find Your Deep Inner Voice (#770) - If you’re a male listening to this, and it feels to feminishy, just give it a chance. Actually, if you feel that way, it’s probably a sign you should keep listening. For awhile I’ve believed that to be your best self you need to be your unapologetically real self, and that’s what she talks about. At least that’s my interpretation. And while I haven’t achieved that yet, it’s a great conversation that gives you permission to pursue it.
The Joe Rogan Experience - #2207 Shawn Ryan - I just enjoyed this conversation because Shawn Ryan really seems like a down to earth guy whos curious about life and what’s going on. There is no agenda. Much like Rogan. Their conversation spans across multiple topics and I thought Shawn brought a really good perspective to just about everything discussed.
Runs and Hikes
Eldorado Canyon State Park - Continental Divide Overlook via Fowler to Rattlesnake Gulch Loop - This was harder than I anticipated when I set out for my run. I don’t know if it was just the heat, or what, but it wrecked me. It’s a steady gain all the way to the top, which makes for a pleasant descent. I liked how accessible the trail is, and the views are beautiful. I ran it during the week and there was very little traffic on the trail. Parking was also a breeze.
Rocky Mountain National Park - Sky Pond, The Loch, and Timberline Falls, via Glacier Gorge Loop - This was my first trip back to Rocky Mountain NP in over 5 years, and a lot has changed. In 2019 I hiked to Sky Pond. I was able to easily park at the Bear Lake Trail. On this trip we needed a time entry permit, and when we got to the Bear Lake Trail lot we were turned around by park rangers because the lot was full. We parked about a mile from the trail head, turning our 10 mile hike into 12 miles. Sky Pond is beautiful, but the park and route felt like an amusement park, with scores of people everywhere. If you’re looking for a more wild experience, I’d recommend heading somewhere else.
Golden Gate Canyon State Park - Panorama Point via Mule Deer and Raccoon Trail - Golden Gate Canyon has become one of my favorite places to hike and run. It’s accessible, beautiful, and not overly crowded. Most trails also have a lot of coverage from the sun, like this one. Views are beautiful and the trails are well maintained. I highly recommend this park.
Things that stuck with me
“We always talk about learning disabilities, but we never talk about teaching disabilities”
Italy - Florence to Venice
In 2022 my girlfriend and I traveled to Italy to watch the MotoGP San Marino race. We planned a two week vacation around that event that started in Florence and ended in Venice. In between we stopped in San Marino, Rimini, Medona, and Ortisei in the Dolomites.
Below is part of an email I shared with my brother-in-law about our trip.
Here's some things we did, where we stayed, and ate.
Hotel Genziana in Ortisei - It's honestly one of my favorite hotels I've ever stayed at. The room was exceptional, as was the huge breakfast buffet, and 4 - 5 course dinner tasting menu each night. You might have to elect to include the meals but they are definitely worth it. There's also a spa in the basement with steam, sauna, pool, and hot tubs. They also have underground parking if you have a car.
I don't know what your itinerary looks like but in the event your driving from Florence like we did then here are three great restaurants to stop at on the way.
Florence heading towards San Marino: Il Capanno - we randomly stumbled upon this place and it was one of our favorite meals of the whole trip. It was absolutely, positively, 100% authentic Italian in the middle of nowhere. The place was packed with locals, everyone knew each other, and then there was Jen and I. An awesome experience.
Leaving San Marino heading north: Ristorante Cavallino - former Ferrari employee cafeteria turned fine dining restaurant, managed by Massimo Bottura, owner of Osteria Francescana (one of the best restaurants in the world, located nearby in Modena). We had a fine dining tasting menu lunch here. The restaurant is filled with Ferrari memorabilia and the Ferrari museum is the next building over. A fun stop on the way north.
Entering the Dolomites in a town called Trento: Al Gusto la cucina di Corrado - I said that Il Capanno was one of our favorite meals, well we had many favorites, and this was right up there. Another place we randomly stumbled upon as it was getting late and we needed dinner. A small restaurant with maybe 8 - 10 tables. Corrado is the owner/chef who you'll watch whipping up all the dishes, and when we were there his daughter was the only waitress. It's about as close as you can come to sitting down in a locals house for dinner. It was excellent.
More food, but in the Dolomites -
Pfoshof - A family owned and operated farm for close to 200 years (if my memory is correct). They recently opened a restaurant on the property where they only serve the food they grow and raise. We had insane homemade salami, jam, and bread, as well as awesome pasta dishes. It's also a beautiful setting looking out over the mountains. Here too it was mom, dad, daughters doing everything. Highly recommend it.
Ristorante Laurinhütte - If you stay at Hotel Genziana then you can walk to the cable car that will take you up to Alpe di Siusi, which is this amazing high altitude plateau and alpine meadow where you can hike in the warm months (like we did) or ski in the cold months. There are a number of hikes and beautiful paths to get lost on. While you're walking you're just surrounded by the most insane beauty and the sound of dairy cow bells. We did a hike that took us to Ristortante Laurinhütte for lunch. The food was homemade and exceptional and the views were even better. Such an ideal and picturesque way to have a meal.
I know I just mentioned Alpe di Siusi but I just wanted to emphasize that it's not something to be missed. It was a major highlight in an amazing trip.
Pisciadù Hütte - We did a via ferrata that took us to this refugio for lunch before descending the opposite side of the mountain on foot. Again, homemade delicious food in the most beautiful setting on top of a mountain. The via ferrata was called Furcela de Saslonch and we did the Tridentia route (a longer one), but for some reason I can't find it on Google map. Ferrata Pisciadu Klettersteig is what comes up when I search. But you can email info@catores.com to find out more. Our guide, Enrico, was superb, and their office is a 5 minute walk from Hotel Genziana in Ortisei. He picked us up and drove us to and from. Jen's favorite day of the trip.
Sightseeing -
Lago di Carezza Karersee - A really beautiful lake that requires a beautiful drive through the winding roads of the mountains to get to. If you're in the area or want to go for a nice drive, this is a nice spot to stop at and walk around. Gorgeous.
I think that's all of the highlights I can remember and have saved. I have other places saved in my maps that looked cool but that we just didn't have time to do. Whatever you choose you won't go wrong. It was an exceptional 4 days in the mountains.
Let me know if you have any questions.
30 Day Challenge - Wake Up Push Up - Takeaways and What I Learned
Challenge yourself every morning and build real gains
On August 8th I began a self-imposed challenge, to record myself doing many push ups as possible - 1, immediately upon waking up for 30 straight days. To clarify, after peeing and brushing my teeth.
The reason for the challenge was multi-faceted, but the main two points were.
I wanted to use the challenge as a way to engage people. Everyone loves a challenge and I thought this would be an easy way to get people involved and moving.
I needed a way to force myself to be on camera. If I was going to start a YouTube channel, and take it seriously, then I needed to get over my fear of being on camera, and I needed a way to make myself commit to it.
Looking back on the 30 days and I’ve realized that a lot more happened than I could’ve ever predicted. While the first reason, to engage people and bring them to my channel, didn’t really pan out (all 30 videos received a total of 151 views, average 5 per video), the 30 day commitment raised some other unintended benefits.
I accomplished my goal of recording + posting for 30 straight days. Doing something that made me uncomfortable.
I got more comfortable being on camera.
I got better and faster at editing videos.
I equipped my gym better for working out and recording.
I did 1,426 push ups. Additional rep, on top of my normal workout routine, that resulted in increased strength, endurance, and shoulder stability.
But perhaps the coolest, at least to me, is that it made me think of a new way to get people moving, but starting with just 1 set of 1 exercise per day.
Building a Sustainable Workout Routine One Day at a Time - 30 Day Challenge
In my life I’ve always pursued goals with some desired outcome in mind. For this one, to grow and engage an audience. Not once did I think about any of the other achievements that would happen as a result.
We hear the advice often to just do it, just get started. People who have already achieved success will often say this, because they understand what it means. You don’t know where you’re going to end up, what your idea is going to look like, or what’s going to work or not, until you start. And that’s been the biggest lesson I’ve learned from this 30 day challenge.
We want to know what the end result is going to look like. When we get that idea in our head to do something, it’s seems so clear. But we really can’t know, because so much can happen on the journey.
After completing the 30 days of push ups I picked up campfire squats to add to my morning routine. The reason I chose campfire squats was because I couldn’t perform 1 clean rep. It seemed like a good challenge, but physically and mentally. I’m 25 days in, and like the push up challenge, I’ve already seen benefits I never anticipated. In a few more days I’ll share those as well.
Dinner: Empty the refrigerator
That time of the week when the refrigerator needed to be emptied
Left, going clockwise:
Mix of leftover vegetables: roasted pepper, boiled broccoli, roasted potatoes with cheese and bacon jowl, roasted chickpeas.
Wild cod marinated in olive oil, butter, salt, chili pepper, chipotle pepper, coated with coconut flour, and pan fried. Topped with homemade tomato sauce: chopped red and white onion that we’re going bad, chopped garlic, leftover tomato paste from soup, chopped fresh tomato, olive oil, salt, parsley, water.
Spinach and arugula salad with olive oil, salt, fig balsamic vinegar, lemon squeeze.
The Behavior of Change
Every Sunday I like to share random thoughts, perspectives, insights, and experiences I’ve had during the week that have shifted my view or focus.
Things I’m thinking about
On being happy
I think part of being happy is realizing that you can be happy even if you don’t have everything you want yet. I thought that once I did X, that would make me happy, and I could relax, and stop looking so far forward. But I realized tonight, that for the first time in my life, I’m happy, and there’s so many things I want, and rather than cause anxiety, it excites me.
Coincidentally or not, I read this quote this morning which nails it:
“Desire is the contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.” - Naval Ravikant
For some reason, I no longer feel the pressure of making sure X will happen. Instead I know it will happen. It might not happen how I thought it would. It might end up looking different than what I envisioned. But I have finally realized that, regardless of when, how, what, I can still enjoy the present moment.
I read this quote as well which also came at an opportune moment:
“‘Success’ sells this kind of ultimate destination when - even though I’ve accomplished something, and you [Tim] have accomplished something - I told you I was crying last night. It’s not like, ‘I’m done, I’ve arrived’ or anything like that.” — Sophia Amoruso as told to Tim Ferriss, Tools of Titans
Riding my bike the other day I realized that this whole time I’ve been afraid to start on my path because I was expecting some finished version of myself, and that once I reached that point, I would be ready to begin the work. But it struck me riding around the lake outside my house, that that will never be the case. Who I am, what my beliefs, routines, habits, likes and dislikes, are today, are not the same as yesterday, and will not be the same as tomorrow. As long as I’m continuing to learn, seek knowledge, grow, and evolve, I’m never going to have a “finished product” to present to anyone, so the work needs to start now. And the work is the journey.
It was a powerful realization for me, to know that I can be happy now, and beginning working now, knowing that there more to come.
Opportunities
There is no such thing as a missed opportunity. There are only false starts, delays, and detours.
I’ve really been thinking deeper about this idea that everyone has a path laid out for them, buried within their intuition, and the key to reaching your full potential and achieving happiness lies in your ability to dial into it.
When I think about this theory, it makes me realize that there are no such things as missed opportunities. Your path is your path and nothing will change that. Every “missed” chance presents an equal opportunity to make it right somewhere else down the line. You just need to be open to seeing it, and willing to act when the time is right. I’ve noticed it countless times in my own life, where it’s felt like an opportunity to feel better, to make up with someone, to invest, to learn something new, has passed by, only to see each one of those things resolve themselves in some other, sometimes unexpected, manner.
The point is, don’t regret or stress missed opportunities. Instead, seek the next opportunity you see.
Shifting views
If you believe that the way you were raised has had an impact on your view of the world, then you must also believe that it is possible to change your view of the world. If, you grew up in a balanced home, then you would likely approach situations from a balanced perspective. If, you grew up in a home that valued fruits and vegetables, then you would likely enjoy eating fruits and vegetables. And if you grew up in a house full of books, then you would likely love to read.
Our view is what shapes our world, and it is possible to change our view with just a little work. First, understand that you can. Second, understand that you will. Maybe not today, tomorrow, the next day, or the day after that. But if you keep at it, then at some point, it will change. And if you pay close enough attention, you’ll find that small things around you will begin to change before anyone else even notices it.
Accounting for phone usage
It’s really not possible to spend less time on your phone than you currently are right now. The problem is what you’re doing during that time. If you have social media, an inbox full of newsletters and promotional emails, notifications for “breaking news,” then, to be blunt, you’re really just wasting your time.
There is so much you can do with a phone, and we only use 10% of its capabilities (I made that stat up but I bet it’s close). It’s much like our brains. We only use a small portion, the rest is left untapped (although I read somewhere recently that that’s being challenged). What could you be doing with your time?
Researching that idea you had. Starting an online blog. Using your notes for journaling. Looking up a fun workout, or recipe.
There are so many other things you could be doing. But you’re not, so none of what you want is happening.
A few months ago I made a decision to exit the world of click-bait news, and social media, which marked a turning point in my life.
I was inspired by a quote I heard on an episode of the Tim Ferriss Show. It was something like, “I decided I wanted to stop being on top of things, and start getting to the bottom of things.” In that moment something clicked, and my whole approach to news and social media was flipped.
I thought that by reading news articles I was being smart, and I was figuring things out. But all I ever felt after reading articles was angry and frustrated. Angry that the “journalists” did a bullshit job of reporting, and frustrated that what they were “reporting” on was never going to be resolved. And the information I was learning, wasn’t new, and it was of little value. I learned talking points, instead of the truth.
Social media on the other hand, was a no-brainer for me. I’m fortunate to be blessed with an allergy to social media. The mere sight of it, or mention of it, gives me anxiety. It’s always felt dirty to me and so by this point social media and I were already on the outs. I had deleted it all once before, and it lured me back. But I knew it was time to break free for good.
Now when I’m on my phone I’m spending the time on myself. I’m researching an idea. Writing down a thought. Looking up a good restaurant. Planning for an upcoming trip. Recording videos for my YouTube Channel. Texting my friends and loved ones.
Very often I’ll still pick up my phone just looking for something to distract, but there’s nothing there. No social media to open. No news to read. No inbox full of emails to scroll through and delete. So I’ll sit staring at my phone forcing myself to remember what I wanted to work on. “ahhh, I wanted to look up that hike my dentist told me about. Let me do that now.”
Worst Case Scenario
In any situation I try to imagine the worst case scenario, and then decide if I can live with it, and/or how to mitigate the chances of it happening.
Two recent examples.
We bought a plastic skeleton to sit on the basketball hoop above our driveway. I don’t have a ladder tall enough to reach it. So, my thought was to back in my girlfriend’s pickup, and put the ladder I do have, in the bed of the truck to reach it.
Immediately it sounded dangerous, and I thought, what’s the worst that could happen? I could fall and get seriously injured. Can I live with that? I could, but I’d prefer not to. So, how to mitigate it?
Take my time. Don’t rush. Don’t get frustrated. Ask my girlfriend to stand in the truck with me and hold the ladder. ✅
A friend of mine is buying a building and he reached out asking if I was interested in investing. I’ve invested in properties with him a number of times in the past with good returns.
He offered three options. Straight equity, equity plus preferred interest, and straight interest. I decided to go with straight equity. I thought it’d be nice to have a long term investment in my portfolio.
But the amount I was committing to was less than he wanted for an equity partner, and he asked if I’d be okay with doubling it.
I immediately thought what’s the worst case scenario. I’m not concerned with losing the investment, although that is always a possibility, even if a far out one. My concern in this case, the worst case scenario, is not having the funds when I go to buy my own property. So, I started thinking about what I could do to mitigate that happening.
I could opt instead for straight interest with the initial amount I offered, which wouldn’t be as exciting, but would still be double the interest earned in a high yield savings account. I could sell some stocks if I needed to buy my own property, which I’d likely have to do anyway. I could start earning income in the next 6-12 months, around the timeline for buying a property. ✅
I always find that thinking “worst case scenario” is a good mental exercise. I think by picturing the worst possible outcome we can mitigate risk, help set expectations, and hopefully come out better on the other side.
Principles for life
I think there are four keys to life that we’re not really ever made aware of. I think these four keys are paramount to experiencing success in your life, however you choose to define it. I think these four principles are necessary to achieving your goals and making dreams a reality.
Permission to do it - I’ve been suffering from a nagging injury for 5 years. I went to a new physical therapist/masseuse when I got to Colorado. He told me not to become a recurring client. He told me I need to do the work every day. He gave me permission to heal myself, instead of relying on someone like him to do it for me.
Understanding of how to do it - He, along with another therapist, gave me a lot of exercises that helped me get better. The exercises they gave me led to an understanding of how the body moves, which I was able to use to continue finding new exercises to help me heal.
Knowledge that it’s possible - I’ve watched countless professional athletes get over terrible injuries. My injury was not a career ending one, but it was an acute injury turned chronic. I knew that with enough time, I would heal. I knew it was possible if I could just figure out the puzzle.
Confidence to do it - Confidence or determination, I’m not sure which one. Perhaps both. But over the last 5 years never once did I believe I couldn’t figure out the missing link that would get me back to 100 percent. I’d say I’m at about 80 percent, and closing in quick.
Five things you can do right now to immediately gain an edge over 99% of the population, and join the new 1%:
Giver yourself space to think. Delete all of your social media, including LinkedIn.
Find time to exercise. Do push ups immediately upon waking up every morning. Do 1 repetition short of failure.
Clear your bed by writing. Something, anything, into a notebook or journal before going to bed. “I don’t know what to write so I’m just writing I don’t know what to write,” counts.
Fix your diet, feed your cells. Eliminate all added sugar from your life. All added sugar. Eat as much fruit as you want.
Exercise your brain by reading. Commit to one page per day.
On the benefits of being selfish
Most of what I do is for selfish reasons. I try to get as much done as possible in the house before my girlfriend comes homes from work, so this way she has nothing to do when she gets home.
I don’t do it for her though. I mean I do, but the real reason I do it is because when she gets home all I want to do is spend time with her and unwind. And if she has to run around getting things done, then we never get to really connect. By the time we’re both decompressed, it’s bed time.
So, I do my best to make sure everything is in order. Plants watered ✅. Kitchen clean ✅. Trash and recycling ✅. Dog walked ✅. Dinner ready ✅. And now we get to spend time together.
Most of what I do is for reasons such as this. Self-ish ones that really have my interests at heart but look outwardly real, nice, and genuine.
My intentions are good. But they’re just intended for me.
Which maybe says something about where I’m at in my life right now. Where my self-ish reasons seem to align with everything that’s good, fun, and enjoyable in my life. And even if not for the same reasons as one might assume, good stuff is getting done.
Financial Advice: Step 1
A friend of mine reached out to me recently. They received an inheritance from a family member, and didn’t know what to do with the money, and asked me for advice.
Right away my brain went to “well you have to diversify,” “you should look into ETFs,” “if the market returns 8% on average per year then, over the course of 10 years, you’ll have X more dollars,” and lastly, “well, we don’t know what the fed is going to do, but if they start cutting interest rates this year…blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”
But I stopped myself, because I realized for the first time in my adult life that information wasn’t going to be helpful in getting him to act. It was only going to fill his brain with information he didn’t know what to do with (for now), and likely cause paralysis by analysis.
So, instead I asked, “Where is your money right now, and do you know what percent interest you’re receiving? Is it close to 5%?”
He replied, “more like less than 1%.”
So, I told him to open a Wealthfront account, which is where I keep a rainy day fund, and that he’d get 5.5% interest for 3 months (promotional boost), and then 5% after that, as long as interest rates hold. I said transfer your money there, and once that’s done, let me know and we’ll talk about other ideas.
With his account open I suggested the following steps:
As long as you’re getting 4-5% in the Wealthfront high yield savings account, keep as much money there as you want. Free interest money.
Open a Fidelity account, so when you’re ready to start investing in the stock market, you can easily do it. Link your Wealthfront account to your Fidelity account so you can easily transfer money.
Open a Fundrise account. Fundrise is a crowd sourced real estate investment platform. You can pick a real estate portfolio that spreads your money out across a wide range of properties to spread your exposure and reduce your risk. It’s one way to diverse into real estate. Open an account here and link it to your Wealthfront and your Fidelity account so you can easily move money between all of them.
After that, it gets a little personal.
It was kind of an eye opening experience for me. Because in that moment I realized the way I usually give advice is not helpful. It doesn’t help facilitate action. It’s really just the passing of information, which, for a first timer of any discipline, is overwhelming.
It’s reminiscent of two things that have recently popped up in my life.
At a recent Advancing Food is Medicine event, hosted by ThinkRegeneration, Dr. Nasha Winters had just finished presenting and was taking questions. She was asked, “how do you get patients who don’t like to eat whole foods to start to change their habits?”
Her reply to those patients is, “Let’s talk about what you do eat, not what you don’t, and build on that.”
In The Lion Trackers Guide to Life, by Boyd Varty says, “In the hour and a half it took us to find the lion, I couldn’t make out one clear track. Where else in my life was there a path that I was missing? The implications felt profound.”
This experience made me question where else in my life I might be missing the real question, the right answer, and therefore, failing to help people.
The Cost of Food
My neighbor just told me the supermarket is selling pork shoulders for $.99 per pound. He was, understandably, excited about this.
I checked the prices for pork shoulder at some of the regenerative and pastured farms I could recall off the top of my head.
Sisu Farms - $11.00 per lb (where I order most of my meat and chicken from)
White Oak Pastures - $10.00 per lb (the farm of Will Harris)
Acabaonc Farms - >$10.00 per lb (a local farm on Long Island, NY where I’ve ordered meat for my family)
That’s what we’re up against. The cost to raise pigs the right way, is at least 10x more expensive than raising pigs conventionally (based on selling price).
The reason regeneratively raised animals are more expensive isn’t just because they are receiving higher quality food, and have access to land to roam, while conventionally raised animals are stuck in small pens, cages, or overcrowded chicken coops, where they are fed a low quality diet of grains and corn.
It’s because, on top of that difference in the way they are raised, the grain and corn they are fed is highly subsidized by the U.S. government with your tax dollars.
So, it’s not that pastured animals and regenerative farms are more expensive. Their price, is the right price. The problem is that conventionally raised animals, most of what you see on sale in the grocery store, has been made artificially cheap. At least, that’s how it appears.
Coincidentally, or not, the owner of Sisu Farms (mentioned above) sent out a newsletter this week talking about just that and more. She said that during a long drive to Kansa (700 miles) to have her turkeys processed at the closest USDA approved processing center, she listened to the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (I haven’t read it but it’s on my list now).
Here are some of the stats she rattled off from the book:
Direct Farm Bill subsidies for corn and wheat - $3 billion
Tax funded agriculture fuel - $22 billion
Treatment of food related illnesses - $10 billion
Collateral cost of pesticide use - $8 billion
Cost of nutrients lost to erosion $20 billion
Even though we know that feeding pigs, chickens, and cows, grains and corn isn’t what’s best for the animals or the humans that eat those animals, that’s what the government continues to subsidize. They subsidize it on the front end, and we all pay for it on the back end with all of the expenses listed above, and a $3 trillion healthcare spend.
In her email she also provided a link to reserve one of her turkeys for the holidays, which prompted me to look and compare the cost across three farming practices.
Sisu Farms Pasture Raised Turkeys - $11 - $13 per lb
Bowman Landes Free Range Turkeys - $4.59 per lb
Kroger Conventional Turkey - $1.89 per lb
I was at an Advancing Food is Medicine conference two weeks ago. The goal of the food is medicine movement is to promote regenerative agriculture and increase the availability and accessibility of food to treat diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, fatty liver disease, and more.
A number of regenerative farmers and ranchers who used to farm conventionally spoke. They said one of the biggest obstacle they face is financial support. Both in the ability to secure loans that grant them the capital they need to transition from conventional to regenerative practices. And crop insurance, protection against lost of crops due to disease, weather, etc., which requires that they practice conventionally (i.e. using pesticides, herbicides, using feedlots, grain, corn) to maintain coverage.
Financial support and investment seems like the easiest and lowest hanging fruit we could solve for. Shift the dollars that are subsidizing grain and corn, and use it to support the transition away from conventional agriculture. Give farmers a 3 - 5 year runway to make the move. Then take the savings realized from reducing fuel costs, food related illnesses, pesticide use, nutrient erosion, and healthcare costs (every 1% reducing in a diabetic patients A1C results in annual savings of $1,000) and invest it back into the food system.
Now that I’ve been in the room with these farmers and ranchers I can tell you my suspicions about the work ethic and character of these individuals has been confirmed.
Give them a fighting chance, and they won’t disappoint. Right now they are receiving very minimal support, and they are still making enormous progress. Imagine the possibilities if we invested in them, which would be an investment in our food, an investment in our planet, and an investment in our health.
One of the speakers at the conference, a representative of the Savory Institute said it best, “Personal health is planetary health.”
Beets, it’s what’s for dinner.
There aren't many, if any, vegetables that can compare to the taste, texture, nutrient density, and ease of cooking, as a beet. It's whats for dinner!
My girlfriend has been maintaining an abundant garden. We’re growing tomatoes, basil (purple and green), arugula, kale, mixed lettuces, carrots, squash, and I’m sure there is something I’m missing. But the thing I’ve been waiting all summer for is the beets. Yesterday we began harvesting some, and today I got to cook them in the slower cooker.
I started out with 4 beets, and cut the tops and bottoms off, and then peeled the skin. The scraps from this step got put in a gallon freezer bag, where all our veggie cooking scraps go. Once the bags is full, I like to make a nice vegetable broth. If I have a chicken carcass on hand, I’ll add it to the broth for a bone veggie broth. God it’s good.
Once peeled, I cut each one into quarters and then added them to the crock pot, with 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 tsp of kosher sea salt, 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, and a few chopped sprigs of parsley (another thing we’re growing that I forgot about).
I tossed it all with a spoon, and then covered and sealed it. 3 hours on low, and I ended up with some of the most tender and tasty beets around.
Give it a try.
One thing I forgot to mention. A few years ago, when my grandfather was alive, he caught me throwing out some beet leaves. This was around 2019, before I had ever considered food waste, agriculture, or even food insecurity.
He stopped me and said, “that’s where all the power is.” From that moment on, whenever I have beet leaves, they go right into my smoothie. They are such a delicious and nutritious addition.
Workout Journal: I don’t want to workout.
Choosing to exercise is always beneficial despite never wanting to
I never really want to workout. Which is probably surprising to most people. Even when I say it to myself I sometimes don’t believe it, but it’s true.
I DO always want the feeling and the results, but I don’t want to do it. And after over 20 years of chasing results and the high exercise can bring, I’m fortunate in some ways to know when it’s lacking. So, I’m able to push through on a daily basis despite being fatigued, or in pain, or lacking time. After all these years I can’t survive without physical movement.
But most times, once the workout has started, I’m just ticking down the time until I can be done. Usually, especially lately, there’s about a 10-15 minute long window during my workout in which I feel really good and I push it. The rest of it is really just warm up and cool down. Going through the motions, knowing it’ll be over soon and I can get on with my day.
But I do it because I know it’s good for me, and I know it’s the only way to get that feeling and see results I’m after. In all my years of training, there remains only one way to achieve results. And that’s putting in the work every day.
And so I remind myself that sacrificing my comfort in the short term will pays for itself in the benefits I receive long term. Checking out from whatever else it is that I think I’d rather be doing for that hour, is worth it. It’s always worth it. Never isn’t.
In over 20 years of fighting the battle to workout or not, choosing to work out has never disappointed. Likewise, not working out, skipping a workout, ignoring that internal push to workout, always results in negative physical, mental, and emotional consequences. It never pays.
I did a shift in the kitchen at my local food bank.
Here’s what I learned in 3 hours.
I was lucky enough to have the executive chef, Jon, orient me and bring me back to the kitchen. Along the way, and during my 3 hour session, he gave me a lot of really interesting information, and taught me a couple of cooking tips.
Food Bank of the Rockies -
The Food Bank of the Rockies is the largest food bank in the country. It serves most of Colorado, including the Denver Metropolitan area and surrounding counties, as well as the Western Slope, and all of Wyoming.
For every $1 they spend, they are able to provide 3 meals or 4 lbs of food.
They are the only food bank with a food dehydrator, located in their Western Slop warehouse. They’re able to secure food from farms in the area, dehydrate it, and store it to serve later.
Their after-school food program, the one I was volunteering to work on, feeds 2,700 children per day through a partnership with Denver Public Schools.
In 2023 Food Bank of the Rockies partnered with local primary cary offices, as well as Project Angel Heart, to provide meals at no cost to 300 patients. In 2024 they have increased to 1,000 patients.
They’re able to provide one box of food per person, per week, delivered to their door via Doordash, for $28, at no cost to the patient. I’m excited to be volunteering with Project Angel Heart soon.
Cooking tip -
To ferment anything, add fruit or vegetable to a container. Add enough water to cover the produce. And add 2% by weight of salt.
i.e. - If you’re fermenting 2 lbs of cabbage, add .04 lbs, or 18 grams, of salt. Keep the cabbage submerged for 6 - 7 days.
Dominant and Non-Dominant Movement
Create new pathways by stimulating both sides
Do you ever use your non-dominant hand for a regular activity? I once heard that some insanely high percentage of the population (90%?) only use one hand to brush their teeth.
When I heard that I immediately saw an opportunity to gain an edge. If most of the population is only brushing their teeth with one hand, then if I can use both, I’ve got an edge.
Soon after applying this idea to brushing, I started applying it to all aspects of my life. Whenever I’m involved in a dominant side activity, like, say, shoveling dirt, which has become a regular activity in my life recently, I try to use both hands. I switch sides enough to give each a 50 percent share. I don’t know how many other people think about this or do this, but I think it makes sense.
I do it while brushing my teeth, gardening, walking up steps, or picking something off the ground. I’ll catch myself reaching with my right (dominant hand), and I’ll immediately pull it back and go for my left. Got to keep it balanced.
But more balance and an edge, what I’ve noticed is that every time I assign a difficult task to my non-dominant side, I end up learning something new about the technique that improves my movement. It’s like, my dominant side has become so strong, that it’s able to cover up little deficiencies in my form by use of pure strength. The muscle memory and movement pattern on my dominant side is etched in stone, making it difficult to notice inefficiencies or to correct for incorrect movement.
But when I use my non-dominant side, I’m forced to take it slower, and in moving slower I notice things. Like how I need to grip the bucket handle tighter. Or an easier way to dig a hole. My non-dominant side doesn’t have the strength to just power through, so instead it relies on proper technique. Forcing slower (and awkward) movements, to make sure that there are no breaks in the chain. Otherwise my work will be ineffective and I could get hurt.
The movement pattern on my non-dominant side is also in it’s infancy, so it’s more malleable. I’m able to make changes on the fly without resistance. I’m then able to mimic those movements with my dominant side, and add technique to strength.
If you don’t ever switch sides, I encourage you to do it. Start with brushing your teeth, and see where else in your life it starts to pop up. I know it might seem silly, but progress in life is made up of small changes that most people would never notice.