Sunday Story…The Epidemic of Easy

Or the Culture of Comfort. No matter what you want to call it we are in the middle of it. I see it all the time. Heck, I want easy too! Being uncomfortable is, well, uncomfortable. It is so much easier to do less, pay less attention, take the easy route, or just find the magic pill or easy button.

Our culture is constantly barraging you with those messages. Buy this food it’s easy and simple to prepare. Take this pill and you will lose weight without trying. Download this app and it will eliminate all those pesky subscriptions you didn’t cancel. All you need to do is do this easy exercise regimen in your bedroom every day for 15 minutes and voila! You too will have 6 pack abs, a beach-ready body, and a tan. What no one tells you is the true cost of these things. Notice I said cost…not price. The price of most of this stuff is not prohibitive. The cost, however, can be exorbitant.

That pill? The list of side effects may include death! That easy and simple food? This could be a contributing factor in your metabolic derangement. That exercise regimen overpromised and under-delivered.

There is no easy button folks. No magic pill that is going to bestow vibrant health and fitness into your 70s, 80s, and beyond. No perfect food, or exercise regimen. You are going to have to do work. You are going to have to track your results and stay mindful and intentional about what you are doing.

If you want to be in the centenarian Olympic games you need to start today and know that the winner of the game is the one who enjoys the process the most!

As I so often say…the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 Sunday Story…Living Longer Better (Recap!)

 

Over the last few weeks, we’ve covered the 9 things you must do to be part of the centenarian Olympics. Here they are:

Move

Long slow distance…70% of your max heart rate for 45 minutes a session. 2 or 3 days a week should work.

Pick up heavy things…mix up all the compound lifts at least twice weekly.

Sprint…go fast, go heavy, and go all out a couple times a month.

Eat

Eat Real Food…things you can identify their source and don’t need a label.

Don’t eat Sugar…it isn’t helping!

Eat to perform…In other words portion control. Not too much, not too little, just right

Attitude

Sleep Well…create good sleep habits, watch your screen consumption before bed, and prioritize it.

Cure your stress…meditate, walk, and play. Stop stressing out!

Say Thanks…gratitude is simple, and you have much to be grateful for if you allow yourself to feel and express it.

 

There are 9 things that are going to help you on your quest to be the best you can be as you venture deep into the unknown territory of aging. Are there more things? Sure but these 9 are well-researched and proven to ease your journey. And as I say so often…It is simple, it’s just not easy.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com    

775-338-2412

 

 

 

Sunday Story…The last 3 (gratitude!)

The last one of the 9 principles of living longer and better is simple…live with gratitude.

Gratitude is the antidote to depression, anxiety, and many other malaises of modern living. It is hard to stay in a funk when you speak your gratitude aloud. It is almost impossible not to have a positive impact on your mental health when you share your gratitude with the people close to you.

Let’s be perfectly frank…if you are reading this message you are part of the most fortunate 1% on the planet. At the very least you can have gratitude for that. So, say a little prayer of thanks for all the things you do have. They may not be everything you want or think you should have but it is waaaay more than so many others in the world.

If you want to level up your gratitude tell the people closest to you thanks and tell them what you are thanking them for. Doing this benefits both of you. It will imbue you with a deep sense of gratitude and the recipient will realize how they are impacting someone else’s life. That’s a win-win in my book!

There is no limit to your gratitude. As a matter of fact, the more gratitude you express the more gratitude you feel. It is a magical proposition. Your gratitude well will never run dry!

Gratitude…give some, get more back!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…The last 3 (#2 stress!)

 

Stress kills but stress also keeps you alive. Stress is necessary for growth but too much stress will stunt growth. Stress is what kept you from being devoured by a saber tooth tiger way back when, but stress is also what keeps you from sleeping well at night and performing your best in the gym. Stress is neither good nor bad…it is just a fact of life.

How you manage stress is what matters. If you manage stress by imbibing in alcohol or some other toxic substance or behavior you are not doing yourself any favors. As a matter of fact those sorts of things actually add to the stress your various body parts are under. Stress isn’t just a mental issue; it also manifests in your body. It is often why people get sick and stay sick.

So…what are you going to do? Stress is going to happen. What strategies can you employ that will lessen the impact? Here are some that come to mind:

Breathe.  Take a deep breath in through your nose and release it through your mouth, audibly. Repeat several times. Try “box” breathing…inhale for a 4 count, hold for four, release for 4, hold for 4. These are 2 very simple and accessible strategies.

Take a walk outside. No goal, no pace, no heart rate monitor, just walk and be in the great outdoors. Sunlight is good for you (vitamin D) and your mood.

Try meditation (sit and breathe!) or Tai Chi (move slowly and breathe) of Chi Gung (move differently and breathe).

Here’s the bottom line: if you don’t manage your stress your stress is going to mange you. And you probably won’t like the results!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…The last 3 (sleep!)

Okay, the last 3 things that complete our discussion of living longer better are about your mental health. It’s no good to be fit and eat right if we feel like something the cat brought in, our relationships are in the tank and we can’t sleep.

Let’s start with sleep. Many of us got the message that we didn’t need to sleep…4 hours is plenty! Less sleep results in more time for work, right? Wrong!!! Inadequate sleep is a death knell for a healthy fit lifestyle. When we sleep our body repairs itself. When we sleep our mind rejuvenates and finds new pathways of creativity. When we sleep, we allow our entire being to find a new set point.

So how do we sleep better? First, establish a bedtime “ritual”. Do the same things every night on your way to bed…take your vitamins, and brush your teeth. Then get in bed to sleep. Second, do this at the same time every night. Third, wake up at the same time every morning. Here are some more tips and tricks…Sleep in a completely dark room, try to sleep in a room about 68 degrees (if you are cold get a blanket), turn off all devices at least 30 minutes before bed, and limit alcohol consumption.

I highly recommend “Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival ” by T.S. Wiley. This book lays out the science of sleep. I found it fascinating.

Sleep well! Sleep more!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

 

 Sunday Story…More Food

 

This is our last Installment on food…First was Eat Real Food. The Second was Eat less (NO!) sugar. And the third…Eat to Perform. And what I mean by that is you need to eat in a way that fuels your activity. Overeating is an epidemic. Not only does the Standard American Diet (SAD) contain Calorie Rich And Pathetic (CRAP) food, but we also flat-out eat too much.

What do you do in the course of your day? Maybe you work out for an hour, do a little walking around (take the dog out) and then sit around for 10 or 12 hours. Depending on your energy expenditure in that workout hour your calorie burn for the day isn’t 5000. But if you eat 5000 calories and burn 2000 you have a caloric surplus. Unlike a bucket that is full and will overflow, your body keeps all those calories for a rainy day. Our modern life never gives us a rainy day. We live in a world of overabundance. No one reading this (I am guessing) is in danger of forced starvation. If you miss a meal, it’s usually by choice or happenstance. The problem is you, as a human, have been hard-wired by millennia of scarcity to overeat when food is abundant because it won’t always be that way. But now it is.

You need to eat the right amount of food to fuel your activity level. And you need to eat the right food for your activity level. For that information, I refer you to my first two articles on food. But here it is in a nutshell…eat protein, some fat, and a little carbohydrate…source the food from sources that don’t carry labels…eat only enough to keep moving.

I know there are forces at work that are making this very difficult…advertising, preconceived ideas, emotional connections around food, and many others, but in essence, it is simple. Just not easy.

Living longer better is not about deprivation or scarcity or lack. It is about playing the Long game. If you want to be healthy and vital as you age (and you are going to age anyway!) you will find the road much easier if you eat in a way that serves your long-term goal.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…More Food!

 The second of 3 pillars around food (#1 was Eat Real Food!) is Eat Like a Neanderthal! If we do the first thing (real food) there are still things we need to avoid on our path to a longer, better life. And I hate to tell you that you need to avoid sugar. And it isn’t going to be easy because sugar is everywhere and your brain and body are programmed to want it and love it.

 Way back in our ancestry someone got ahold of some honeycomb and found it delicious. Fortunately, there wasn’t honeycomb to be found on every corner. To get some was work and probably some pain (the bees aren’t giving it up without a fight!). But our brains and bodies knew this food source was rich in calories and a way to get needed energy in a small package.

Today the honeycomb is everywhere and in everything…spaghetti sauce in a jar? Added sugar. Some things are apparent…frosted doughnuts? Brownies? Full of sugar. But wait! It isn’t just the sugar…all those carbohydrates turn into sugar when your system gets through with breaking them down.

The answer to the problem is simple…eat meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and NO sugar. Keep intake to a level to support movement and exercise but not body fat. Now you are going to start…what about…(fill in the blank…pasta, cake, etc.) and I am going to point you to what I just wrote.

This is not rocket science. But it is a big departure from the way most people currently eat. It will take some planning and effort…just like everything else in life!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412