Hungry or Bored?

The chicken and broccoli test

Reflecting

In my last post, I asked for any questions that I could address in this one.  Here are a few:

Q: What can be done for joint protection, recovery and longevity?  A lot of the assumptions we make about LT physical activity assume / require reasonable joint health. Right now I’m feeling my right knee, and will try the usual cocktail of backing off at jiujitsu, mobility etc.  I’ve been experimenting with the ATG protocol too, but wonder if that is helping or hurting.   Anyway, seeing my father in law not able to walk due to severe knee issues has me thinking about what to do and not do for the long term.  Same goes for shoulders, hips etc.

A: Here's what’s working for me so far.  The best thing for joints is to keep body fat relatively low so that they aren’t stressed with extra weight.  Secondly, brace before lifting so that you never jerk your knees or elbows.  Third, I don’t run on asphalt and definitely don’t run on concrete.  Trail running is better (and I could just finish the sentence there) both in terms of running on softer surfaces and also in terms of using slightly different muscles each step.  Last and least, both prescription peptides and LDN have reduced chronic joint pain. 

Q: Energy drinks / Jocko Go.  Do you think there is any kind of analgesic effect from these whereby you can go harder than you’d otherwise?  I ask because whenever I try them, I feel awesome rolling but inevitably much sorer than baseline.  I guess the answer for me is pass on the energy drinks, but it left me curious about the biochemistry.  Perhaps it’s not the caffeine that might be doing it.

A: I love energy drinks but only drink them with a specific activity that I use them for.  I never use caffeine to mask insufficient sleep.  It is important to remember that caffeine isn’t energy; it is just a way to trick your brain to not realize that it is tired.  I’m able to run further, lift heavier, and roll better with it.  The only activity that it doesn’t help is shooting, where I need less jitters.  For me, the relevant ingredients are probably the caffeine and the beta-alanine.  Additionally, the flavor is something I have only right before a workout so it is a trigger to tell myself that it is time to work. 

Training

I either spend energy questioning myself or spend it working/working out. My solution is a simple mantra:

I don't skip workouts.

If I lose a leg, I'll hop. If it is a shitty workout, it is a shitty workout. I'm lazier than I want to be and not really a self-starter. So I have to commit or I will just slide deeper and deeper into my comfort zone. I need a simple solution and that is mine: to let my commitments dictate 100%. I could wrestle with my -- sometimes legit and sometimes not -- excuses or ignore them. Ignoring them is easier.

This morning’s whiteboard:

As many rounds as possible for 18 minutes:

• 10 Russian Swings 70 lbs.

• 5 Strict Pull-ups

• 10 Shuttle Runs (25ft)

Next run:

Fueling

Nothing tastes as good as snacks when you’re in a true caloric deficit.  30-40 miles into a hard trail run even the simplest treat tastes glorious.  I crave fuel because my body knows that it needs it.  But after a few hours of concentrated focus on dense work material I have superficially similar cravings.  I just crave a break and tend to wonder down to the fridge.  This is when I use the chicken and broccoli test.  It answers the question:

Are you hungry or bored?

I love steak.  I love salmon.  I tolerate chicken.  So before I snack, I ask myself it I’d eat plain chicken and broccoli or if I’d not bother.  If my body craves chicken and broccoli then I know that I’m actually in need of fuel.  If I just want to pick up a leftover venison rib chop by the bone and gnaw on it, it might be that I’m bored and venison is delicious.  That’s when it is time to get out of the kitchen.  Instead, every hour or two take non-food “snack” breaks – take the same few minutes and get a dopamine hit without food.  Take a break with a snack-sized walk, get a bit of sunlight, or find a quick bit of romance.  Get the same rush, burn a few calories, then get back to work without throwing off your macros when you don’t need a snack, you just need a break. 

Supplementing

I hope you liked my half dozen guest posts from various friends I admire.

• Overcoming It All

• Making Life Better

• BJJ Blackbelt

• Stonelifter

• Fit To Teach

• Not Weak or Weary

One takeaway is that they all train hard and are intentional about both nutrition and recovery but no one is overly fixated on supplements.  Maybe this or that helps on the margin.  Perhaps you can boost your performance 5% but you’re only boosting the work you’re putting in. 

Measuring

If you need to lose 25-50 pounds or more, any scale will do.  Losing pounds is unambiguously something to celebrate.  But if you need to lose 5-10 pounds, then get yourself a smart scale.  You need to track percent body fat because the weight number will be confusing as you might be gaining or losing muscle or fat.  Without a way to track PBF, there’s no way to know what is going on. 

Recovering

I fire myself at 6:30 PM each evening.  No more important decisions.  No more important communication.  As I get ready to rest and recover for the next day, I turn my thoughts away from the stuff I care about most – my wife and kids, my business and investments, my expeditions and races.  The people I love, the money I could make or lose, and the ways I could triumph or die in the mountains are too important and exciting for me to fall asleep to.  Those are thoughts for the day. 

In the evening, I turn my attention to secondary interests – stuff I like but don’t love and especially the things where my thoughts could cause little consequence.  Historical battle strategy is one that works well for me; I know enough to go though scenarios that interest me but where I don’t spin.  I could screw up my marriage or my kids, I could cause my businesses and investments to fail, and I could kill myself or others in the mountains.  I could stay awake all night rerunning ways to manage those risks.  But I’m just not going to be the one that screws up the War of 1812.  I have my ideas and I think that they add value but at this point I know that I can drift off within a few minutes comforted by the fact that any oversights will cost no lives nor treasure. 

Closing

Thanks for sticking around for a year.  Here’s to year 2!  Strength and honor.