Sunday Story…It’s almost over

As I write this, it's mid-October 2026. The year is almost over. We have 2.5 months left. Halloween's right around the corner, followed quickly by Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then it's the new year. It'll be 2027. For me, at least, thinking about 2027, and a new decade right around the corner, feels a little jarring. The fact of the matter is that:

1. I've never been this old (neither have you!)
2. As we hit these years, every one of them seems to add more knowledge, more changes, more things of mystery and trepidation.

What do we do? How do we look at these next few years and decades? For many of you who are reading this, you're not 40 yet. You are more than likely to be alive in 2060, 2070. You'll be alive in the last part of this century. Think about that. If you were born in 1990 and lived 100 years, you'd be living in 2090. What's the likelihood you'll live to 100? It's much more likely you'll live to 100 than I am. My mom's 92. Not many people born 92 years ago are still around. My mom's in great health. She's got several years left. A proverb says, "Every day you live past your 70th birthday is a gift." Every day you get up and see the sun rise is a gift, every day, no matter how old you are. The older we get, the fewer sunrises we have to look forward to, so we need to approach each one with gratitude and an eye toward making it count in a way that creates a more harmonious, vibrant life.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story... Who do you know?

The rest of that question is: Who do you know who needs to be in here? We all have people in our lives that we care about. We all know people who could benefit from getting fitter. Maybe they've even asked what you're doing and why your fitness has suddenly improved so much. You've told them, "Oh, I go to CrossFit over at Odyssey.”

They might feel like they can't really participate for whatever reason. Ellie and I are here to tell you that, whatever the reason, it is simply not true. They can do this. Our oldest client is 87. We have clients that have had strokes, coming back to do things that they could do easily years ago and are now having trouble getting down on the ground and getting back up. We have people come to us recovering from cancer and other debilitating diseases and operations. Several of us here have had knees replaced, shoulders fixed, and hips replaced. No excuse keeps you from coming in here.

Who do you know who needs that gentle nudge to start their journey to extraordinary? Every journey starts with a single step, and that first step is the one that brings you through the door. If you've got somebody in your life who needs to be here, you might have to take them by the hand and bring them.

I know of at least one person who worked on somebody for a year before they graced our doors. Their fitness is improving. Their life is healthier than it was the day they first came here. If you know someone who needs to be here, ask us to reach out to them. You can bring them in, and we will sit down, talk with them, and show them what we do and how we do it. Whatever it takes to make that work for them, we'll do our best to get them on the journey to extraordinary.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Today's the day.

If you're reading this on Sunday, October 4th, today is my birthday, the official day. It's one of those bittersweet birthdays. Honestly, I never thought I'd see 70. It always seemed so far away. Even 5 years ago, 10 years ago, it felt so far away. My mom's 92, so when I look at that, I still have a long way to go. Maybe not as long as I had 20 years ago, but still a long way to go. For my birthday, and a challenge to all of you reading this, here is my 70th birthday workout of the day:

• 70 calories on the bike to cash in
• 70 pull-ups
• 70 push-ups
• 70 air squats
• 70 box jumps (that's a 24-inch box for the men, 20 for the ladies)
• 70 feet of handstand walks. If you want to do this but you can't handstand walk, you're going to do 3 wall walks and 10 shoulder taps for every 10 feet. That means you're going to do 21 wall walks and 70 shoulder taps.
• 70 GHD sit-ups
• 70 burpees
• 70-calorie row to buy out

There's a 70-minute time cap on this. The time to beat is 54 minutes and 24 seconds. That was my time on Friday afternoon. You can break up your sets any way you like, but you must finish each element before you start the next. In other words, you must finish all 70 pull-ups before you start your 70 push-ups, etc. Other than that, it's straightforward. It's a grind. There's a little bit of suffering involved. It's my favorite kind of workout. Have a great day. I know I did.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

Sunday Story: Update on some supplements.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about two supplements called NAC and Urolithin A. I'm not a real big pill pusher. I think you should take supplements once you've got your diet dialed in and are doing all the rest of the things that you should be doing.

Here's the deal with these two supplements. My doctor, Dr. Ravipati, at Southwest Mind and Body (https://southwestmindandbody.com/) suggested I start taking these. She's a longevity specialist. NAC stands for N-acetylcysteine, and the label says it supports liver detox and respiratory health. Urolithin A is listed for mitochondrial support. Your mitochondria are like the little engines in your cells that make everything work. As we get older, those cells don't rejuvenate and restore themselves quite as well as they did when we were 20 or 25.

The biggest change I've noticed is in my skin. Before I started taking these, it took almost nothing for me to get a big red bruise on my arm. My skin was thinner and seemed to bruise and bleed for no reason. The bruises lasted days, weeks, and even months. Once I started taking these two supplements, the bruising stopped within a month. Now, if I have a bruise, it goes away in a day or two, and my skin seems tougher or something because it doesn't cut and bleed as easily.

These two supplements, NAC and Urolithin A, are doing something very beneficial to my body. NAC is common; we offer the Thorne brand here, or you can visit here: https://www.thorne.com/products?affid=PR800589&utm_campaign=Affiliate+Programs&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=Custom+Link&utm_content=Supplements+%26+Tests. Urolithin A is less common, but here is their website: https://www.timeline.com/. Urolithin A tends to be pricey; it looks like about $100 a month, maybe a little less. NAC, on the other hand, is inexpensive.

The two of them have made a huge difference in my skin and, I think, my energy levels. I recover a little bit faster, so I highly recommend them.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…I don’t wanna!

Like most of you, I also have days and times when I struggle with consistency. When I really don't want to pick up the weight, when I really don't want to go out and do another pull-up or another push-up, it looks like just a task: tedious, tiring, boring.

This is part of the process, part of making progress: realizing that even when I don't want to do it, I'm going to do it anyway. I'm going to pick up that weight. I'm going to hop on the bar. I'm going to do what needs to be done.

The reason for this? I'm looking down the road 5 years, 10 years, 20 years from now, and in my case, 20 years, when I'm 90 years old. What do I want to be able to do? If I don't do what needs to be done today, then 20 years from now, I may struggle to get off the toilet. 20 years from now, I may not be able to walk around the block. 20 years from now, I might be unable to do any of the things I want to do. I would have nobody to hold responsible for that but myself, because today I didn't do what needed to be done.

So, when the alarm goes off, and you wake up, get out of bed, and you say, "Screw this! I don't feel like doing it. I want to sit around and drink coffee and sit on the porch and watch the world go by," realize that if that's your choice, that's also the choice you're making 20 years from today. Finish your coffee, get off the porch, and go to the gym. See you there.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…It's never too late to start.

That doesn't mean it will be easy. That doesn't mean it will be simple. The most important thing is to start, to take that first step.

The other day, a new client asked me, "What am I doing well, or what am I good at?" My first answer was, "You're showing up." It isn't easy to show up when everything's not going exactly your way. It is easy to show up when everything's perfect, all the stars are aligned, and it's simple. That's easy, but what about when it's hard to get out of bed? What about when it’s hard to walk through the door? When you are faced with the truth that you haven't done the things that you should have done, the things you know you should have done over the last few years or decades. You had other priorities. You had other things to do, but it's not too late to start now.

The key is you've got to walk through the door. If you want to learn a new language, you've got to start somewhere. If you want to have something different, you must do something different.

We can't solve problems with the same thought process that we used when we got the problem. We must change our thinking. We must get up, get out of bed, and walk through the door to make those changes. It's not too late to start, no matter what time it is. 5 minutes until midnight, it's still 5 minutes. You can do that: walk through the door.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…Labor Day.

The other day, we were talking about Labor Day, the whys and wherefores, and realized that most of us have no idea why Labor Day started, why we're doing a holiday for it. For most of us, it means a 3-day weekend, an extra day off, and a chance to rest and enjoy ourselves.

The reason Labor Day started all those years ago, and it was 1894 when it became a federal holiday, signed into law by President Grover Cleveland, was a way to celebrate workers' contributions and support the labor movement, which fought for fair wages, shorter workdays, and improved conditions during the Industrial Revolution. Before this, it was not unusual for people to work 7 days a week and 10-hour days. The labor movement helped the workers get better conditions, and that's why we celebrate Labor Day.

Here at CrossFit Odyssey, we'll have two classes, 8 and 10, so the coaches, Ellie and I, can have a little extra time off, and so you can come in, work hard, and then enjoy your leisure time. The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary, so we've got to do a little work first; then we can have success.

I hope you'll join us at either 8 or 10; bring your family and friends. We're going to do a hero workout. Ellie and I were talking about which one. It'll be a surprise when you get here, and we will have fun; we'll do some work, then enjoy ourselves. See you Monday morning.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412