Sunday Story…Gratitude

Is a skill and a feeling to be cultivated. The very act of feeling and expressing gratitude moves us up the human chain. We just finished celebrating, in this country, Thanksgiving. But the fact is you could celebrate Thanksgiving again today or any day.

I am not talking about the celebration of myth and lore of poor pilgrims and settlers having a feast of a bountiful harvest. That is a celebration of scarcity averted. No, let’s celebrate a couple different things:

The people in our lives who give us the support and love we need to make a difference, and…

The opportunity to build something bigger than ourselves, something worth contributing to. The ability to make connections, lend a hand, invent and create.

There are more of both of those now, more than ever before. For all of us.

I thank you for all you do, and for the difference you make to your family, the people around you, and the world we live in.

Thank you.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

With much thanks to Seth Godin for this! https://seths.blog/

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…E-ride tickets

We often say that youth is wasted on the young. The perspective we gain from every year of life is irreplaceable. Way back in the day when you went to an amusement park you had to have a ticket to get on a ride. Then certain rides took more tickets, or you had to have a special pass to get the privilege of certain classes of rides. Then came the unlimited ride ticket. You can ride anything you want.

When we are young life looks like that…an amusement park with unlimited rides. The problem with unlimited rides is that we lose appreciation and enjoyment of the individual ride. I mean the mad hatter’s teacups versus the Matterhorn? Both are good rides but one is a bit more exciting than the other.

On the other hand, if I had to use a certain number of tickets to ride the ride, I may have a greater appreciation for the ride. And if you have a limited number of tickets, you will be more mindful of how you spend them.

Life is not an unlimited-ride amusement park. You have a limited amount of time, opportunity, money, or other resources. How are you going to spend them? When I was young it felt like I had all the tickets I would ever need. Now, given the fact that I can see the finite number of tickets left, I appreciate the value of every ticket.

What ride are you spending your tickets on today?

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…WWJD

What would John do?

 

Just a quick return to training for a moment. One of the most important shifts has been in mindset. It used to be that I never ever missed a workout or made any changes to doing the work listed…no matter what! I would keep working in the face of almost any obstacle. And if I didn’t or couldn’t, I would be upset and try to make it up if it was at all possible. Now I have given myself permission to miss a workout or adjust the work as I see fit. Now, I have been at this game for quite some time, and I know my body well. If something comes up occasionally and I miss a day, no big deal. I just move on. No guilt, no recriminations just smile and move on.

 

Now as far as supplementation…I believe every adult over the age of 25 should take 2000mg of glucosamine sulfate every day. It works and will help keep your connective tissue healthy. As a bonus, your hair and nails will grow faster. Also 1800 mg of turmeric every day for inflammation. Inflammation is the killer and when we train hard, we are inducing inflammation. Our body’s healthy reaction to inflammation is to create adaptations…build muscle, get stronger, faster, and fitter but as we age, we need help to manage the process. I take a multivitamin and a probiotic as well every day. I do take a healthy sleep supplement that has 1 gram of melatonin in as well as some other things. There are a ton of supplements out there and they may or may not work for you. Most have spurious studies if any at all. So, if you are going to take something try to figure out how you will know it is working. And try to make sure you can measure those results, not be based on feeling alone!

  

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 Sunday Story…WWJD

What would John do?

Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what I am doing…training-wise, nutrition, supplementation, and things like that. So, here’s a rundown of the training and nutrition end of things and we’ll cover supplementation next week…

Training…I try to get at least 2 LSD sessions a week and most weeks it is 3. I also try to get these in first thing in the morning before I eat anything (a “fasted” state). This helps with kick-starting my metabolism (think fat burning!) and the rest of my day goes smoother. I also try to get at least one pure strength day. That is a day dedicated to moving weight and doing more “body-building” type work. For example, after back squatting the other day, I did a session of 100 each strict pull-ups, pushups, and dips. I will also take another day with a met-con in it and slow it down, using heavier weights but less speed. And finally, I rest at least 2 but often 3 days a week. Now rest is relative…working outside in my yard all day may not be restful for some but for me it is.

Nutrition…The key remains to get enough protein to support my training. I eat whatever I want, in general. I am fortunate in this regard…I don’t want to eat CRAP (Calorie Rich and Pathetic) food. I enjoy well-made food made from fresh ingredients and prepared with love. My breakfast is the same every morning (cream of buckwheat, nuts raisins, and 3 eggs), but the rest of the day consists of food I enjoy eating. I rarely indulge in alcohol but if I do I keep it to 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks a week.

 

More next week!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.coom

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…Making Meaning

As humans, we are meaning-making machines. We want the events and the occurrences in our lives to have meaning. Yet over the course of our lives what had meaning when I was 25 may have no meaning whatsoever at 50. And at 70 I may not even remember what happened that seemed so important then.

 

We are all writing our autobiographies every day. What we choose to focus on, the things we replay in our minds, and the stuff we worry about are all things that make up our story. These are the chapters of our book.

 

The story I tell myself shapes who I am and who I will be. What I make the things in my life mean has me living my life in particular ways. Some of these stories are deeply ingrained in us. So deep that we often forget the actual happening and are only left with the pattern of behavior and reactions that I do and have. Unfortunately, our lives can be ruled by decisions we made when we were 11 or 17, or 23. Decisions that may no longer serve who you want to be today.

 

It may be time to edit your autobiography. It’s your story, you get to decide what it says about you and your life. If you step back and look objectively are your decisions today being made by the you that has culminated years of wisdom and experience or are they being made by a version of you that no longer exists.

 

Your story is yours. Tell the one you want the rest of us to hear.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com 

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…Beyond Fitness

What do you want to be able to do when you are 60-70-80-90-100 and beyond? We could set up objective measurements…a bodyweight bench press or a double bodyweight deadlift, for instance. But really, do those even matter other than a way to measure over a larger population. How about the ability to pick up a 5-gallon bucket of water and carry it 50 feet, pick it up to your chest and dump it into a waiting receptacle? Or move a wheelbarrow with 100# of dirt in it? How about getting down on the floor and crawling under the bed to get a lost item?

 

Lifting weights in the gym is great but what is great is what lifting those weights allows you to do with the strength you have. Need to clean your aquarium? Carrying water might be important. Working in your yard? Moving dirt and supplies would be necessary. Cleaning your house may require both mobility and strength.

 

What are you doing right now, today, this week, this month, this year to be able to do those things you may want to do down the road? The time to prepare to do those things is now. If you think it’s hard to do them now imagine how hard they may be in 10 years…IF you continue doing what you are doing now.

 

The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The second-best time is right now. Take care of your fitness now so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor later.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…Rest

Not Rust

While at the 2022 CrossFit Games a few short weeks ago I had a conversation with one of my fellow athletes, Will Powell. Will is a year or two younger than I am and a very accomplished athlete among other things. The topic of discussion was retirement. Now understand that we are standing around getting ready to compete surrounded by 30 or 40 of the fittest people on the planet in their respective age groups. Some of them are no longer working for a living, and some are still hard at it. Both Will and I are still hard at it…except we aren’t. We are both doing what we love and not doing it feels like a missing in our lives.

Neither of us wants to stop helping people be more fit, realize their health dreams, and create a world where people move and enjoy life the way nature intended us to. Yet we both see the need to rest. Rest does not mean stopping. It may mean slowing down a bit. It may mean taking a break in order to refresh and rejuvenate. But it does not mean quitting. It is not a decision to put down the gauntlet of transformation and focus. It is not the beginning of the slide into the grave.

 It is a chance to take a breath and enjoy the present moment. It is a moment to savor the accomplishments and a chance to sight in on new goals. It is a time to grow. Taking time to rest is taking time to become more.

 Resting is not rusting.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412