Get motivated:
Amelia Boone is a Spartan warrior. In obstacle course racing, she has more than than 30 victories. In the 2012 World’s Toughest Mudder, a 24 hour continuous race, she finished 2nd overall (8 minutes behind the winner), beating all of the women and all but one of the men. Before you say “well its her job to do all that stuff,” realize that she is a practicing attorney for Apple. Check out the Tim Ferriss podcast interview. She has some interesting recovery techniques. Kind of unfair because she is superhuman.
Movement:
Shatapawali. This is an Indian term for the practice of walking after a meal, loosely translated to 100 steps. This advice shows up in many cultures, and as with many ancient practices, science is now catching up. The NYTimes covered one such article. Researchers are finding beneficial effects on digestion and blood glucose excursions (and subsequent insulin release) in subjects who take a walk after eating. Try to incorporate this practice after meals. The vertical position alone helps overcome the fullness after a big feast.
Economics:
Prospects are looking bad for processed food. Check out the stock market decline in this index mostly comprised of grains and sugar. I think coffee is the only commodity holding this group up.
Nutrition:
Want to consume more omega 3’s but unsure how? Very smart people argue that eating fish is far superior to taking pills. Nature figured out the packaging of micronutrients over millions of years.
But if you are not interested in pounding sardines every day, you can trust fish oil in a bottle over the rancid oil in capsules. This is my favorite source: high quality, minimal fishy taste, and reasonably priced.
Book to check out:
All Things Shining. Two philosophers argue for a renewed sense of wonder in the old spirit of Homer’s Olympian gods. Because Nietzsche articulated contemporary nihilism and proclaimed the death of God, today we suffer from an existential “lostness.” With the enlightenment, we gained autonomy but lost our souls.
To distill this complex book into a few sentences is difficult. But the take-home point is to recognize the sacred in everyday events, and have gratitude for when fate goes in your favor. The authors won’t go as far as “believing” in a supernatural, transcendent truth. Nor do they mention the humility one gains by following their prescription of Homeric gratitude. A deep book with many layers of symbolism.
Quote:
“I saw this globe so lost in space that i had to smile at such a sorry show.”
-Dante, Paradiso, early 14th Century
Some perspective on the small fleeting problems in life
