Issue #55: What Happened to Fun?
Good morning. It’s Monday, October 31st. Happy Halloween!! There's as many origins of the holiday as there are costumes you can make "sexy."
Traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain 2000+ years ago, the day marked the end of summer (harvest, prosperity) and start of winter (dark, cold, death). The night was seen as a transition between the living and the dead. Then the Romans got involved (bringing in the apple), a Pope declared All Saints Day November 1st (giving us the name - All-Hallows (Saints) Eve -> Halloween), Protestants brought it across the Atlantic, and the Irish people fleeing the potato famine popularized it. And now we dress up and get high on candy - enjoy Trick-or-Treating tonight!
Miss any of our issues on GROWTH last week? Catch up on Issues #50 - #54 here.
This week we're switching gears and talking about FUN.
“I’m going to keep having fun every day I have left, because there’s no other way to play it.”
From the Lab: What Happened to Fun?
Take Action: Give Yourself a Permission Slip
Speed Read: Apple's Greatest Contribution to Mankind
Monday Metabolic: Shuffle, Climb, and Jacks
Monday Q: Last Time You Had Fun
The amount of money Dustin Johnson made having fun for 8 weekends of golf in the inaugural LIV Golf series. To put that in context, DJ won $75M across 307 events on the PGA Tour. Backed by Saudi's Public Investment Fund, 48 players have been paid huge bonuses to join the series and effectively splinter golf (for the time being). Want to read a lot more about this split in golf - check out this in-depth (43-min read) article in the New Yorker.
From the Lab:
So you follow the best morning routine on LinkedIn, you eliminate processed food from your diet, you workout with your partner and keep moving everyday after a night of deep sleep, you enjoy work colleagues, and you keep learning all the time - seems like the road to health & longevity.
Yet, there’s still something missing…having fun!
Not like - watching that movie was fun or getting out on my bike today was fun. Like tears coming out of your eyes from laughing so hard fun. Or like when an hour feels like a minute because you truly lost track of time.
How did we lose our way with fun?
Time has value - that’s why we say “pay attention” or “spend time." Unlike money, we can’t earn it back after it’s gone.
Throughout history humans worked towards a specific accomplishment (hunting or harvesting dinner). But since the industrial revolution, we get paid for our time - because there’s always more we can accomplish.
So now we’re indoctrinated to think that every waking moment should be used for a purpose (mostly money) and that we don’t have time for fun.
Think about it - if you take a long lunch with friends or randomly call someone at 2pm on Tuesday just to catch up, you kinda feel like you’re playing hooky (or at a minimum work is swirling somewhere in your brain).
There's no doubt that fun is good for our health. It also boosts our creativity, productivity, resiliency, and empathy.
The Blue Zone of Okinawa exemplifies the Japanese concept of ikigai - reason for being. One of their secrets to living long, flourishing lives?
“Spending time together and having fun is the only thing that matters.”
We could go on, but look fun is all about, well, fun…who doesn’t want more of that?
Take Action
*Much more to come this week on True Fun and how to really make it happen.
Thrive25 Partner Spotlight
TMAC has countless examples of changing people's lives.
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TMAC 20: 20-minute home workout. No equipment. No excuses. + Each workout ends with a meditation.
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
“Greatest Contribution to Mankind”: That will be Health, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Apple is planning to go beyond the Apple Watch and Health and Fitness+ apps and will enter the health insurance market in 2024. Big Tech has struggled to disrupt healthcare - but maybe this time will be different. Read Full Story - Forbes.
Take a Walk: Researchers have found that walking - even in a windowless room, can spark creativity. And the creativity flow state isn’t just immediate - it can last beyond the walk. (Check out the TED Talk)
Road Less Traveled: With travel back in full force some of our favorite spots are being overwhelmed with tourists (Tulum, Mykonos, etc.). Here's a list of 6 less crowded alternatives that are sure to boost your fun. Full List - Well + Good.
Monday Metabolic
5 minutes will fly by with this workout. Do it in costume to add a little fun. 😂
Click HERE to view the workout on our YouTube channel.
Workout and video courtesy of Connor J. Obrochta. Check out all of Connor's workouts on Playbook!
Monday Q
When was the last time you had fun? Like real fun - exhilarated and light-hearted? Didn’t feel judged by yourself or other people? Present, free, and alive?
Thanks for joining us today! Bonus prize day - anyone that shares a costume pic gets the Thrive25 Fitness Playbook & Tracker. Happy Halloween!
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
Got feedback? Tell us what you think at team@thrive25.com
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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 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.