Sunday Story…More LSD!

Life isn’t about how long you live, it’s how much life you live in that length. The last thing I want is to spend the last few years of my life immobile and disconnected from this grand experience that is life. How am I going to do that?

First - start now. This is the now that is right now not the now that is next week or next year. Start right now.

Second - get to work on your aerobic/cardio fitness. This is the LSD training. This is getting your heart conditioned to work at its optimum levels. Look at this as a job. Your job performance is going to be measured 5-10-20 years from now. And that measurement will be how will you move and perform everyday tasks.

Third - lift weight. Pick up heavy stuff regularly. Pick it up correctly. Pick it up often in different modalities and implements. Your health and fitness are directly related to maintaining muscle mass and the only way to do that is to lift weight.

Fourth – Every once in while go really fast. You need to challenge your heart and muscles to work in a maximal area occasionally.

 

We are going to do another heart rate challenge starting on 7/10/22. Here is the link to get registered:

www.buildingthebaseheat22022.wodifyrise.com

Sign up and get started living longer and most of all living better!

See you at the Centenarian Olympics!

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Beep, Beep

I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons. Every Saturday we sat down and binged on cartoons until something boring came on the tube. Like something not animated and fun. My favorite was and still is The Roadrunner cartoon. Something about watching the coyote trying and failing time after time after time in the most fantastical fashion fascinated me.

 

Now all these years later I realize what the metaphor of the coyote’s efforts was. He’s always looking for the hack, the easy way, the one magic pill or magic toy or tool that will have him achieve his goal and finally catch the rascally roadrunner.

 

Each time is a new plan, a new thing that will finally ease his frustration of failure. And each time results in pain and suffering. He doesn’t make a plan that will progress over time, and he doesn’t do any introspection to decide if this is really what he wants. I mean what will he do if he catches the roadrunner and what comes next?

 

On the other hand, his single-minded pursuit of a seemingly impossible goal is admirable. It’s his strategy and tactics that are questionable. Perhaps the goal isn’t impossible, but the methods of achieving the goal are doomed to fail.

 

How about it? Are you looking through the Acme company catalog trying to find the magic pill to get to your goal? How’s that working for you? Looking for the next hack may not be the best use of your time. Maybe you should look elsewhere.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 Sunday Story…The Long Tail

 

Most of us are good with short-term rewards. We love instant gratification. That’s why your phone is such an insidious device…everything is right here and right now. No going to the library to find a book to get the information, just ask Google or Siri. Bang! Instant answer, no waiting!

 

On the other hand, however, we are not good with the long-tailed rewards (or punishments). If you knew the payoff for what you are doing today was 10 years in the future, how excited are you going to be about it? Think about this: if you got a hacking cough and a chronic life-threatening disease after your first cigarette how many people would smoke? Put that punishment out 30 or 40 years and we have an epidemic of people smoking.

 

Would you start that business if you knew you were going to be successful the day you opened the door? What if it took 5 years? How long did Amazon operate in the red? And now? How fit will you be in 10 years if you start now? How much longer will you live if you start working on your longevity now? As opposed to waiting until you are 75?

 

It’s easy to see and respond to a short feedback loop. It is much more difficult to recognize those long tails. However, the long tails are where the real reward lies. Get better at seeing those!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…I can be right

 

Or I can be connected. It is difficult to be both.

 

In the world we find ourselves in today it seems as if people just want to be right. They rant and rave from behind their keyboards mistaking volume (loudness) and volume (number of words) for persuasion. The internet is the master class on using innuendo, sharp words, and anger in our writing. The comment sections of almost every place (Next Door, Facebook, Washington post) are filled with this kind of communication. It often seems that the point isn’t to persuade but to bully, tear down, or just pour my vitriol all over whoever is reading.

 

But what is the point? If you are trying to persuade yelling your opinion at someone won’t do it. If you want to let everyone know you are angry, why not just say that instead of tearing someone else down?

 

It seems to me that the point of communication is to tell others our point of view, to connect, and to persuade. Yelling, calling people names, villainizing, and using cutting invective will almost never do any of those things. As a matter of fact, it will guarantee the exact opposite in most cases. And the worst case it will harden my position into an intractable point of view. At that point, we are not connected but we are both right (in our opinions).

 

The way to connect is to listen, seek to understand, and then to communicate in a way the other person can hear. None of us like to be yelled at…in person or on paper.

 

We can all do better. And if we all do better, we can stay connected. And when we are connected, we can get things done.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Adapt

Or die. It’s simple, really. The organisms that are still here on earth and thriving are not necessarily the smartest, biggest, fastest, or meanest although sometimes they are. They are the best at adapting.

 

Adapting to changes in climate, diet, danger, or activity is what survival of the fittest is all about. If you don’t adapt you will die. If an entire species doesn’t adapt it goes extinct.

 

We are in a period where change is happening rapidly. We all need to learn new skills to survive in the changing environment. The faster we learn them the easier life will be…until the next change sneaks up on us.

 

The wonderful thing about being born human is our innate ability to adapt. We are not ruled by instinct alone. We are not ruled by habit alone. Do those things exist, and do we use them? Of course we do. But we can change, shift, and transform.

 

There is a danger in believing there is only one right true way to do things. That rigidity does not allow for adaptability or finding new and creative solutions to getting things done.

 

Many of us have thought for years that going full out was the one true path to good health and fitness. Now we are going to go slower to go faster and to go longer. It won’t be easy. It will be worth it.

 

Adaptation is a powerful tool. Put it to work!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com    

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…LSD Data

To get on the LSD train, you need a heart monitor. There are lots of them out there and we have been doing some experimentation to see which one might be best.

 

The three we have been using are:

Whoop is the best in terms of overall data. The monitor is worn on your wrist, but they do have other options available. Whoop gives you a ton of data over and above your workout.

MAF Earbuds are the most convenient in terms of relaying the data to you since the earbuds talk to you and tell you your heart rate as often as you like (within reason).

Polar Chest strap. The most accurate in my opinion. Simple and easy to use, the app is free but looking at your phone can be a pain in the rear.

 

In terms of accuracy, we think Polar is best. But objective accuracy may be less important than paying attention to the trend line (Can you do more work at a lower heart rate?).

 

I am happy to share the raw data with any of you that want to geek out on it!

 

If you already own one of these (or another) it will be fine. If you don’t, I recommend keeping it simple and getting a polar (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08411DQ96/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1).

If you want to get out on the forefront of technology, go for the earbuds (https://philmaffetone.com/earbuds/).

If you want more data get a whoop (https://www.whoop.com/). But if you go with a whoop let me know and I may be able to hook you up with some discounts.

 

***Also due to some personal emergencies we may need to move the start date back 1 week.*** We will keep you posted.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…LSD (IV)

Starting on May 15 and ending on July 23 (10 weeks) we are going to start a new program designed around heart rate training.

 

Here’s what this is going to take:

Commit to 6 workouts a week. You can do one a day and two on any given day. There will be 3 CrossFit workouts and 3 sessions of heart rate trainings varying in time from 20 minutes to 120 minutes.

You will need a heart rate monitor. Whoop, Apple Watch, Garmin, MAF earbuds, any of them will work BUT a chest monitor is the most accurate. I just ordered a basic Polar heart rate chest monitor for $60.00 from Amazon. They have a free app that should suffice.

You can use any pieces of equipment you want…from nothing (run/walk), concept 2 rower/ski erg/bike, Echo bike, assault bike, road bike, mountain bike, treadmill, stair stepper, elliptical. Anything that will get your heart rate up and that you can do for the prescribed length of time.

You can do it here at Odyssey or anywhere including your home. We will have a logging system to help keep track of your progress.

So, I will program 3 sessions a week and we will help you track your progress. I would also like you to get on the In-body machine to get a baseline body composition and take some before and after pics as well.

Price TBD.

 

Get ready to get more fit, live longer, better, and maybe even crush some wods while you are at it!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412