Issue #65: The Real Reason to Meditate
Good morning. It’s Monday, November 14th. Quite a day to start a new adventure: Nellie Bly starts her around-the-world race - completed in 72 days (1889), and Apollo 12 launched - landing on the moon 5 days later (1969).
Did you miss any of our issues on MOVEMENT last week? Catch up on Issues #60 - #64 here.
This week we're switching gears and talking about MINDSET, specifically meditation.
“The “point” of meditation is not to clear the mind. The point of meditation is to get good at life.”
From the Lab: Meditation to Control Our Life
Take Action: Personal Reason to Meditate
Speed Read: See the World With a New Perspective
Monday Metabolic: The Fast 15
Monday Q: Sources of Stress
The number of US adults (14%) that have tried meditating at least once. Women are 2x more likely to mediate compared to men. (Source)
From the Lab
Mediation is the fastest growing health trend in the U.S.
The scientific benefits are overwhelming. What else has the power to change your brain chemistry in just 8 weeks? Researchers show that meditation decreases the role of the amygdala, our emotional hub, (Issue #17) and increases the size of the corpus callosum, which connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Plus, every week there’s another business leader (e.g., Ray Dalio) or celebrity suggesting meditation has made the difference in their life.
Yet most of us that have tried to meditate can’t stick with it. Maybe we do it for a few weeks, maybe even a couple months, but it doesn’t make it into our daily routine.*
Articles on the web suggest people quit mostly because it’s too hard ("I can’t control my thoughts") or we don’t have enough time ("Where can I find another 30 min every day?").
What is this really saying?
We become fixated on how well we meditate and not how it affects our actual life 💯
We can't fully grasp the benefits to justify putting the time on the calendar 💯
Most of us aren't going to win the Boston Marathon or CrossFit Games, but we still run or hit the gym because we can picture our future self - we see our leaner body, our improved energy, and ability to do more in life.
What's the equivalent transformation from meditation?
Sure, change in brain chemistry sounds good and I want to “reduce stress” and “improve focus," but what will this really feel like? Is it like taking the Limitless pill?
It can be hard to quantify, but...
Meditation unlocks our ability to control life instead of our life controlling us.
Stay tuned this week as we dive into what this means and how it affects our life...
*If you have stuck with it - huge congrats! Would love to hear what has made it stick (team@thrive25.com).
Take Action
Thrive25 Partner Spotlight
Eating REAL FOOD on the go is hard. Most packaged food is full of added sugar, fake sugar, weird flavors and a host of ingredients most of us can't even pronounce. SANS Meal Bar is a meal replacement bar made from only REAL FOOD ingredients.
SANS believes everyone should #eatwithout by:
Reading the ingredients
If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it
Eat what makes you feel good
SANS is offering Thrive25 readers 50% off their first 12 pack of meal bars AND free shipping. Click HERE and use code THRIVE at checkout!*
Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Shifting Our Frame of Thinking: Our perception is our reality, so to truly see the world, we need new perspectives. Ed Yong’s book An Immense World, takes this to another level. Yong escapes our sensory bubble and introduces us to the sensory views of dolphins, tree frog embryos, sea turtles, and many more. This book is definitely top on my list given Yong's amazing writing and ability to help us expand our perspective. (NYTimes Review)
Big Food Isn’t Getting Any Healthier: In 2019, a leaked internal presentation from Nestlé revealed the company knew over 60% of its products were unhealthy. The US Access to Nutrition Index found that the combined portfolio of the 11 largest US food manufacturers - comprising 30% of all food and beverage sales - have not become healthier. (Fitt Insider)
How to Survive Time Off: With the end of year comes a lot of time away - it’s important to take advantage of it to feel refreshed. Try unplugging, prioritize movement, get outdoors (bundle up!), and don’t shift your diet too much. (Read more from Levels Blog)
Monday Metabolic
Kicking it into high gear this week - 6 movements for just 15 seconds each. After 3 rounds you'll feel like that was one of the best 5 min workouts ever!
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
What are your sources of stress today? Can you picture your life - work, relationships, health, fun - without this stress?
Thanks for joining us today!
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
Got feedback? Tell us what you think at team@thrive25.com
Want this direct to your inbox? Sign up here
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!
Sign up for free:
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.