Verbs > Nouns

What makes you happy?

Ospreys: Rangeley Lake’s apex predators

Reflecting

Ads work.  They can get inside your head and encourage you to buy all sorts of things.  But when you look back at credit card bills from prior years, you’ll see endless junk that you don’t need and no longer want. You hardly remember why you bought the stuff that clutters up your home. 

Adventures, on the other hand, are always worth it.  I’ve never gone abroad and regretted it.  Ever.  The triumphs are seared into my memory.  Even the disasters are a part of my story that I wouldn’t want to have left out.  Academic literature corroborates that people over spend on stuff and under spend on experiences.  I particularly like this chart breaking down some of the top purchases in terms of creating happiness between material, experiential, and mixed items:

You get as much happiness from hiking trails as from gold!

Training

This morning’s whiteboard —

10-8-6-4-2:

• Ring Muscle-ups

• Clean and Jerks 165 lbs.

• Run 200 m

Going the extra mile – after the workout of the day, I convinced a handful of friends to run another mile cash out.  Been impossible to get CrossFitters interested in trail running but at least this is a start. 

Black Hills 100 just sent out their course info:

… this course will almost certainly be harder than you think… our 100 mile course is closer to 105 miles…  Don’t think about it too hard; just run…

One prior runner volunteered that his GPS watched said 108.  They stick with “100” because it just sounds better.  Yikes.    

Fueling

My long-suffering wife made up an excellent monster mash of ground wild boar with onions and an assortment of mushrooms from Seacost Mushrooms.  10/10.

Supplementing

Been cloudy for days in New England.  No one is getting enough free vitamin D. We’ll all need to supplement.

Measuring

If you’re not confident in your home measurements, then get a Bod Pod analysis.  This test uses air displacement to measure body composition.  In my case, the expensive clinical lab tests corroborated the data I collect at home. 

Recovering

Getting 7-8 hours of consistent sleep each night requires getting the room right.  It is 100% worth the expense and bother.  This time of year, you have to make sure that the room is cool and dark enough when you go to bed.  It should be about 65 degrees.  The productivity gains from being rested are worth the A/C bill.  It should be pitch black either with blackout curtains or a sleep mask.  And rip out any distractions such as a TV. 

If you don’t already prioritize sleep, try 7-8 hours per night for a full month to see if it is worth it.  I can accomplish far more in 15 hours when I’m rested than I could in 18 hours tired so enough sleep is a way for me to be both happier and more productive. 

• Q: Within a reasonable range of 60-68, how do you decide on a temperature if there are conflicting preferences between you and your partner? 

• A: Easy – whoever wants it cooler wins.  One can always put on more clothes if you want it warmer. 

Closing

Vale Tudo doesn’t plan on making a presidential endorsement (my interest in politics have atrophied as my interest in fitness has increased) but Jacked-Americans are woefully under represented in politics.  Among the ladies, there’s Tulsi Gabbard but that’s about it.  Among the men… not many.  So nice to see a CrossFitter take a run at the White House:

His favorite exercise?

CrossFit. I like it because it has a little bit of everything. It has gymnastics, it has a Olympic lifting, and it has cardiovascular. It's a great sweat. It doesn't take too much time. And you don't have to think; you go to the class and the workouts are programed for you.

Retracting

Can you spot the lie in the last Vale Tudo?