Issue #326: A New Way to Meditate?
Good morning. It’s Saturday, April 6th.
Stat of the Day
The number of miles from the most northern tip to most southern tip of Africa (this will make sense when you read Inspire below). (source)
Revisit
This week we explored how to navigate the U.S. healthcare system to take control of your Health & Longevity journey.
Issue #324 - learn the tenets for Medicine 3.0 and how to be empowered to make the healthcare system work for you
Issue #325 - find the right doctor - ask these 5 simple questions to select your PCP
Click HERE to check out the entire Thrive25 archive.
Focus
Look for Birds
Life hectic right now?
That’s how it feels for us right now - no shortage of things to do with not enough hours in the day.
I’ve been trying to implement our own protocols - doing breathwork, meditation, and identifying the triggers that start pumping cortisol. But I’ll be the first to admit - sometimes these are hard to stick with and sometimes you just need something new to get out of your own head.
I recently came across an article by the great author Ed Yong - he was talking about bird watching, or birding.
Never crossed my mind to do this - that’s what you do when you retire right?
But here’s what Ed writes - since he started birding…
His time outdoors has tripled
He’s got a deeper connection to the natural world (being a part of it)
It’s been more meditative than meditation
I was suspect.
But he also said you don’t need a notebook, field guide, and binoculars - anyone who looks at birds is a birder.
So when the house felt a little crazy this week - I went into the backyard, sat on the grass and actively looked and listened for birds.
Now I don’t know much beyond a blue jay, cardinal and crow - but it was pretty crazy. In just about five minutes I saw at least 8-10 different kinds of birds and actually “heard” so many different bird calls.
I forgot about what was happening in the house for those five minutes. I honestly think it worked.
“While birding, I seem impervious to heat, cold, hunger and thirst. My senses focus resolutely on the present, and the usual hubbub in my head becomes quiet. When I spot a species for the first time — a lifer — I course with adrenaline while being utterly serene”
You can take this to the next level - maybe even trying to have A Big Year and identify hundreds of species.
But in the meantime - just being more present seems like a big win for us amateurs.
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Inspire
Running Across America
No one has ever run across the entire continent of Africa.
Until now.
Russ Cook has traversed deserts, military zones, and rain forests - here he chronicles the crazy experience of his journey on his YouTube channel.
You might ask why (he’s raising money for Project Africa) - but I’m constantly amazed by what humans can do.
Here’s his teaser video, he ended up doing the route in reverse, why not!
Laugh
Old Man and the… Pool
Mike Birbiglia is pretty funny - Deadline calls him “Broadway’s greatest comic storyteller.” We’re not that hip, probably why we just noticed this special that dropped 5 months ago. He grapples with a family history of heart disease…and swimming.
Have a laugh!
Brain Games
Kyodoku
This was a hit two weeks ago (Issue #320), so it’s back - Kyodoku.
In this 6x6 grid, you need to use logic to find the nine unique numbers (1 to 9) so that each row and column has a sum of 9 or less. It’s kinda like sudoku, but with more distractions. The 5 highlighted in yellow is given.
Since it’s only our second time and we’re ramping up the difficulty, here’s a little help. Because we know 5 is given, we can’t use 5 again (gray box) and we can also eliminate any numbers that would make the sum of the row or column with the given 5 more than 9 (blue boxes). Have fun and use that brain!
Credit / Inspiration: TBD
**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 **
Here’s the answer. In this grid, there were so few multiples of a couple numbers, that we targeted them first, then went after the higher numbers in the grid. How did you solve it?
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.
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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.