Issue #299: Don’t Just Think About It
Good morning. It’s Saturday, February 3rd.
In today’s email:
Focus: Mental Reps Gone Bad
Read: The Search for the Perfect Protein
Explore: Railing Across North America
Brain Games: Lost Ping-Pong Ball
Stat of the Day
The percentage of American workers that want to work remote at least some of the time. There’s still quite a gap between that number and the 28% that currently work a hybrid model. Expect a “steady-state” to be reached in the next couple of years - that is, of course, until the next pandemic. (Forbes)
Revisit
This week we covered two topics to help you be more educated, and selective, about your health in 2024.
Issue #297 - learn about two vital, yet often overlooked vitamins, Ergothioneine (ESH) and Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), and their crucial roles in maintaining health and slowing down aging
Issue #298 - top 2024 wellness trends with insights into longevity investments, consumer healthcare evolution, and the rise of personalized wellness and health technology
Click HERE to check out the entire Thrive25 archive.
Focus
Mental Reps Gone Bad
Max here - wanted to share something that’s been on my mind…
There it is - my medicine ball. Sitting there collecting dust in the corner of my office.
The med ball has had some friends the last few years - dumbbells, resistance bands, a foam roller, putting green...but it’s alone today. Staring. Wondering when I’m going to get out of my chair and do a quick 10-min workout. C’mon Max, isn’t that why I’m here?
Let’s go back 5 years…before working from home. I didn’t have a med ball at my desk while working at a client. Now anywhere between 25-50% of people work remote for part of the week.
I have the luxury of working from home, which is awesome - but that means the lines have blurred between work and life.
More and more people have something in their office to distract them.
Distractions can be a great thing - my kids’ drawings on the wall make me feel loved, the putting green reminds me I’m a golfer, and the med ball reminds me of my fitness goals. But what good is it if I’m only doing the workout in my head?
What are Mental Reps?
There’s no formal definition, so let’s just go with “the thought of, planning for, or visualization of performing a physical activity.”
No doubt you’ve been exposed to them - it’s a quarterback visualizing a wide receiver running a route, a golfer visualizing their shot shape into a green, or you planning the driving route to meet a friend for dinner. We discussed visualization recently - mental reps are extremely powerful. They build confidence and they actually can create muscle memory.
But can they have a negative effect?
The Best of Intentions
The purpose of having the med ball in the office is to steal a few minutes between meetings to get in some Russian twists. Instead, I find myself just thinking about doing those twists - not actually doing them. But when I get to the end of the day, I almost convince myself that I really did a quick workout.
Unfortunately, perception isn’t fully reality no matter how many mental reps I’ve done. There is a cap to the benefit of visualization - the 6-pack doesn’t magically appear (I still need to suck in my gut as I walk by a mirror).*
Then there’s the stress. With less use, the med ball can begin to serve as a constant reminder of what I should be doing. This could also lead to a negative association with exercise, making it feel more like an obligation than fun.
It’s best to separate work from working out - to establish the right space. Now I’ve set up a specific spot in my basement - far from the office - for all exercise. It’s stacked with all my gear (I’m looking at you med ball) and I know when I’m there that it’s with the intention of working out - not just thinking about it.
So if you’re like me, cleanse your office of distractions and make it all about work. Now where’s that medicine ball?
* But my form is impeccable when I actually do a Russian twist 🙂
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Read
The Search for the Perfect Protein
We’ve talked about Protein a lot (see previous issues). But it’s not an easy concept to fully understand. Protein as food has to be broken down into amino acids and then built back into new proteins to deliver all the benefits for optimal health. Plus, if our gut or metabolism isn’t working properly there’s the chance that protein can actually turn into glucose and act more like a carbohydrate.
Dr. David Minkoff has a good read that’s pretty quick - it’s focused on how to get protein to really work for us, instead of against us.
Explore
Railing Across North America
Did you know we have trains in the U.S.??
We get it, North America isn’t Europe - but Amtrak has invested $580 million in station upgrades and $28 million in making the overnight railcar experience a little better - more comfortable seats, improved lighting and the return of dining cars. It’s actually a great way to explore the vastness of North America and getting the U.S. on par with VIA Rail (Canada’s service).
The beauty of train travel is that it isn't just about reaching your destination; it's about the journey itself. Instead of dealing with the headache of airports or spending hours (days) behind the wheel - take in the views, read a book, or play cards with your kids. Train travel should be on your list to get better acquainted with the places you’ve never been.
The best part - you can customize your trip for pre-planned stops like most of the national parks or find hidden gems and small towns you never knew about.
Instead of feeling rushed for your entire vacation - consider slowing down a bit and enjoying the ride.
Check out Outside’s list of the 6 scenic routes to explore in N.A 🚂✨
Brain Games
Lost Ping-Pong Ball
You are in the middle of a heated ping-pong battle with your friend at your house. You just hit a winner to tie up the decisive game at 19. But the ball ended up in that pesky pipe (that leads nowhere!) in the floor in the corner of your basement.
The ball is about a foot down in a pipe barely large enough to fit the ball. How can you get the ping-pong ball out undamaged if all the tools you have are your ping-pong paddles, shoelaces and your plastic water bottle (which is wider than the pipe)?
Inspiration: Brainden
**For answer, scroll to the bottom of the post
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Thanks for another great week!
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** Brain Games Answer **
None of the tools will directly help. Just pour some water into the pipe so the ball comes up to the top. Hopefully, you have some water left in the water bottle. If not, I assume your house has running water and you can fill it up at a sink. Now go take the match!
Why Thrive25
We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at team@thrive25.com.
To health!
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.