9 ways to finish the year happier & healthier
Prioritizing physical and mental health over the holiday season
Hello, my friend. It's November and judging by the (way too early?) Christmas lights I see in my neighborhood, the holiday season is already upon us. This time of year is full of opportunities to stress ourselves out, eat unhealthy food and roll into the new year feeling anything but refreshed and energized. How can we avoid all of that and give ourselves a fighting chance this holiday season? I've got 9 ideas for you.
Let’s do it!
1. Move your body.
There's nothing necessarily magical about getting 8k or 10k steps per day but there is something magical about moving your body. Every. Day. Running, walking, cycling, playing tennis... however you get, we all need it. And if you can do it outdoors, even better. I've become somewhat addicted to Zone 2 cardio this year. And it's having an impact. My cardio metrics have improved pretty much across the board this year. Fun to see at age 45. And I feel like I’m just getting started. Remember, the point of all this cardio isn't really weight loss - cardio is not the most effective means to achieve that - diet and weight-lifting are much better. Rather, it’s about improving your overall cardiovascular health and your mental health. In my personal opinion, movement is ESSENTIAL to combatting nasty things like anxiety, stress, even depression. MOVE every day. Ideally for 45 minutes or more. You will be happier and healthier.
2. Learn something.
When was the last time you learned something? If that's tough to answer, you may have a problem. If you're not learning, you're dying. Literally. Your brain atrophies - it grows less plastic and pliable over time if you are not constantly forging new neural pathways. We have to keep pushing ourselves if we want to slow the cognitive decline that comes with age. This year, I had a goal to learn pickleball. I was a little worried that I'd get embarrassed on the court. Did I? Kind of, but who cares? It was fun. And guess what? It was pretty damn easy and now it's one of my favorite ways to move my body (see above). I recently started Duolingo as well. I'd love to know Spanish and this was an easy and free way to start making that happen. Bonus: It's actually kind of fun. I do it for 3 minutes every night after I put the kids to bed. Even after a week, I could already feel all of my high school Spanish rushing back. Old neural pathways rekindled. New ones being forged. Learn new things. It’s more fun than you think.
3. Put pen to paper.
Do you know how Jeff Bezos built Amazon into the most powerful retail force the world has ever seen? By insisting that his people write. No long, boring meetings. No shiny Powerpoint presentations. Just writing. You have an idea? A solution? A proposal? Great, write it down. Explain it. Bezos realized something that many of us have come around to learning: Writing is thinking. If you don't write, you don't think clearly. Period. Is that extreme? Maybe. But I guarantee you that if something is on your mind: a problem, an idea, a worry... you will 100% think through it more clearly by writing about it. When I interviewed the author Kevin Kelly on my podcast, we both agreed: We don't know what we think until we write. Still, some people think "I need to figure out what I'm going to say before I write." No. You write to understand what you think. To formulate your thoughts. Have a business idea? Write. Worried sick about something that's giving you non-stop stress and anxiety? Write. The more I write, the more I understand myself. Try it.
4. Lift weights.
Here's an inconvenient fact: After age 30, we lose 3 to 8% of our muscle mass every decade. The rate of decline gets faster after age 60. This is a problem if we want to eventually to do things at 80 or 90 years old like: pick up a grandchild, lift a suitcase into an overhead compartment, or walk up a flight of stairs. If we cannot lift significant amounts of weight when we are in our 30s or 40s, our chances of doing the things I just mentioned at 80 or 90 are very, very low. "But I don't lift weights." you might think. Well, change that mindset. It's way, way outdated. I don't care if you're 25, 45, or 75, male, female, whatever… you should be lifting weights. That doesn't mean you need to be benching 350 in a neon unitard while letting out extreme grunts along the way. It means you need to be doing some basic pulling and pushing exercises regularly. Squats (even without weights), bench press - even with very light weights, deadlifts - even though they sound scary. If you are not doing ANY of this, you are sewing the seeds for problems ahead. I have two lifting workouts that I do on the regular (1 -2x / week each) and I use the Whoop Strength Trainer to track reps. I'm not trying to be The Rock over here. I'm trying to train myself so I can lift suitcases and kids and avoid falls for a long, long time to come. You should try it.
5. Make something.
When was the last time you made something? Something that wasn't a work email, a cup of coffee, or an Excel spreadsheet? One of the most rewarding and gratifying parts of being human is that we get to dream stuff up in our heads that doesn't exist and then make it. Can you think of an example of something you've made recently? I love making newsletters, books, podcasts. But that may not be you. How about a piece of art? How about a stonewall in your backyard? When you were in 3rd grade and came home with a piece of art to show your mom, you were beaming with pride and so satisfied with yourself. If you're like most people today, you spend 99% of your time using things other people made or consuming content other people wrote or recorded. You're missing out on the best part. The part with all the pride and self-satisfaction. Make something.
6. Get a physical.
What gets measured gets managed. This year, I got around to creating a simple spreadsheet where I'm tracking things like LDL cholesterol, apoB, and blood pressure. I also track my weight, my resting heart rate, my heart rate variability, and more. I'd call that stuff 101. Really important stuff that I can measure fairly regularly and try to improve through various methods. If you want the 201, go get a Dexa scan for an accurate measure of your body fat percentage or a proper VO2 max text. I'm getting both before year-end and am psyched to have baseline measures to try to improve upon in 2024. The other big thing here is screening. If you're over 40, get a colonoscopy now. Some say 45 or 50, but the reality is that colon cancer is becoming more prevalent for younger people. I know two people who've died in their 40s from it. That sucks so much. If you're over 40 and your doctor says "wait", tell him/her that you've got blood in your stool. They'll order it today. If you want to get more advanced and you're focused on cardio health, consider getting a coronary calcium scan, too. I had one this year. It was cheap and easy and gave me some peace of mind. For all of this stuff, you first need to understand where you are today, then you can start working to improve. Start with the basics and go from there.
7. Go easy on alcohol.
I gave up alcohol about 15 months ago now. I know... it's the trendy thing to to do. But I'm pleased with the decision so far. Obviously no hangovers. It's resulted in less stress and anxiety, more patience with my kids, less missed workouts and more. Quitting completely is a little extreme. I get it. I'm not even 100% sure I won't drink again. I keep saying I'd drink wine in Napa Valley or Guinness in Ireland. But one thing I've learned about myself is that my life is easier when I create clear rules or boundaries for myself. One decision to eliminate 1000 decisions. You make your own decision obviously but if alcohol is making you a worse version of yourself, it's worth at least asking the question: What would it look like if this wasn't in my life?
8. Quit the news.
Does watching or reading the news make you happier? If you're like most people, it probably makes you angry or upset. In my house, we quit local TV news probably 15 years ago. Cable news was not far behind that. It's all so shockingly biased and disturbing we realized long ago that it was a counterproductive force in our lives. The news is basically a reality show soap opera optimized to sell ads. A funny thing happens when you stop consuming it: You realize that the world is not so terrible and is not all going to hell in a handbasket. Are horrible things currently happening? Absolutely, they are. Two heart-breaking wars, most notably. But is it your responsibility to let your eyeballs be pummeled by every horrific image from every war, every shooting or every tragedy? I'd argue not. I'd even argue that it is counterproductive to consume something that makes you angry, worried, and pessimistic. But that’s irresponsible, even heartless! Is it? That doesn't mean you can't be a responsible citizen. If you feel passionate about helping victims of wars or marginalized populations, you should help them. Donate your time, your money. That's admirable and legitimately helpful. Being a full-time consumer of outrage porn is not. We're about to enter an election year in the U.S., I'm seriously asking myself: What would it look like if I consumed zero coverage of it? No debates. No podcasts. Nothing. I suspect most of the information I'd need to make an informed decision would still find me in some way. I'd probably be less angry or disgusted or mad at my neighbors who might prefer another candidate, too. Listen, it may be extreme to quit the news completely. It's probably not realistic. And let's be really honest, on some level, we'd miss the entertainment, the reality show that (especially our politics) has become. But I'd urge you to consider the idea that maybe it's an illusion that you need to be "smart" or even up-to-date on every political happening or violent tragedy. Maybe your life - and your ability to improve the lives of others - would improve if this time was spent elsewhere.
9. Help someone.
This all leads me to the final one: Help someone. When someone is depressed, psychologists will tell them to do something counterintuitive: Go help someone else. It's a wonderful way to get out of one's own head and to feel like you are truly useful. And we all want to feel that way. Despite all the bad things in this world, I think we all innately want to help others. It's when we get too focused on ourselves that we tend to lose our way. I had coffee with someone this week who wanted career advice. She was thinking of going down some of the paths I've been down. I laid it all out for her. The good, the bad and the ugly. Tried to save her from some mistakes I made along the way. I'm sure she got some value from the conversation. But I got more. I came away feeling like I mattered. Like I was able to contribute something positive. Like I truly helped someone. So if you're stuck or even if you're not, try it: Go help someone. I promise, it will make you happier.
There you have it... 9 ways to finish the year happier & healthier.
Which do you agree with and which do you think I'm wrong about?
I'd love to know.
Content Diet
Tim Ferriss x Jim Loehr - Mental Toughness, Energy Management & the Power of Journaling
I’ve been on a little bit of a Jim Loehr kick recently… reading a bunch of his books and listening to his podcasts. This conversation was a cool one. I like Loehr’s idea of energy management over time management. I’ve also found myself writing affirmations (in cursive no less!) since listening to this one. I am becoming Stuart Smalley. IYKYK
Sam Altman x Joe Rogan - All things Artificial Intelligence
I know, I know… people have all sorts of views on Rogan. Fair enough. But Altman is possibly one of the most powerful/important people of our time. Kind of important to know how this guy thinks because AI is about to become a massive part of all of our lives.
Titan - The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (Chernow)
Sometimes I wish Chernow could’ve left a bit more on the cutting room floor but I’m about 10% through this 832-pager at the moment and really enjoying it. Quite the portrait of late-1800’s/early-1900’s America and the man who would come to embody all things capitalism… the good, the bad, and the ugly.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading!
Greg
Great list, thanks for sharing!