Sep 30
Write “OYSTER” in the sand. Face the San Francisco Bay and bark like a seal. Do a handstand for five seconds. Hold the Golden Gate Bridge in your hands. Twerk. Scrounge for 99 cents even. Run 10 miles. Kayak through the bay. Do some trivia. “Chin” an orange. Slam a beer. Bike 20 miles. Tie shoelaces in an ice bath. Get fish from Point A to Point B. Bowl blindfolded. Scramble some words. Climb a few hundred stairs. Finish. Eat pizza. Sleep like a rock. Read more
I sat at a desk today for the whole afternoon. Barely got up. Read and typed and read and typed…things I love to do…but things I’m better doing with some interruption every 90 minutes, or at a standing desk. So between work and picking up the kids, I squeezed in a 45-minute workout. It meant picking up the kids a bit later and sweatier than usual, but it also meant that this happened. Endorphins are flat out magic.
What would you add to this list?
The south edge of the office was walled in glass, offering sweeping views of the downtown skyline. And on September 11, it opened a direct line of sight to the terror the nation was watching on TV. Suspended in disbelief, I remember being jolted by someone telling us all to call our families and let them know we were OK. “The phone lines are going to get busy…call right now,” she said. I returned from calling my family a few minutes before the second plane pierced through the second tower. Read more
A friend of mine who writes a great blog about leadership, management, people and other awesome things published a post this morning called “The Joy in Leading.” She profiles her sister, one of the co-founders of Joyride (a well-known cycling studio on the East Coast), who shares her wisdom about lots of things — the role of exercise in our lives, finding your passion, doing meaningful work, and leading people. I loved the interview so much that I asked Chantal if I could re-post it here. Enjoy…and if nothing else, take the Joyride slogan to heart today: “Life’s a Trip. Enjoy the Ride.” Read more
Fast Company recently reported on a new University of Washington study on exercise rates and obesity. The study showed that while the percentage of Americans doing “sufficient” levels of exercise rose between 2001-2011, obesity levels rose as well. Only nine counties included in the study showed a decrease in obesity levels — and overall, “a 1% increase in physical activity led to only 0.11% lower prevalence of obesity.” Read more
What’s not to love about the sharing economy? This planet has a lot of people on it…and more than enough stuff to go around. So why not share the love? If you’re into collaborative consumption, beyond finding a place to stay on Airbnb and renting a Zipcar and finding a new (used) tent on Yerdle, you can now simply lend your support at a new organization designed to “educate our peers and community leaders about the benefits of sharing” — www.peers.org. Read more
Earlier this week I tried an app called Zombies, Run! Don’t ask how I found it. It certainly didn’t involve neatly typing in zombies + running, but instead a meandering journey into the black hole we call the Internet (Yahoo! Mail –> click on newsletter –> view recipe for how to make your own power bars –> click on link at the end of the homemade power bar article –> find some random list of “cool fitness apps” –> get curious about zombies). Lured by the promise, “Get Fit. Escape Zombies. Be a Hero,” before I knew it, I had spent $3.99 in the app store to install Zombies, Run! on my phone. Read more
Three great learnings/reminders from tonight’s yoga class:
Jul 8
photo by fang guo, via flickr creative commons
It’s amazing how many people find this blog through searching “exercise + motivation.” Unfortunately www.exercisemotivation.com is $1,499, or I’d consider buying it and trying to do something there. Like sell treadmills and tickets to 20-year high school reunions.
Actually, building that site might be tougher that it sounds. The science of motivation is complicated, and there are tons of books out there that offer perspectives about it (Dan Pink’s Drive is one of my favorites; I covered it a few months ago). When it comes to exercise specifically, self-determination theory (SDT) is often referenced. The foundation of SDT is that human motivation lies along a continuum which includes intrinsic (self) and extrinsic (world around us) components. Runners who are intrinsically motivated might run because they love the thrill of racing around the track and the feeling of the wind in their hair, while runners who are extrinsically motivated might run because it will result in outcomes that matter to them, or to their loved one, doctor, etc. (i.e., lower blood pressure and body fat).
Every person is at a different place on this continuum — possibly even because we’re wired that way. The great news is that if “being an exerciser” is (or can become) part of your identity, you’re more likely to stay motivated (according to one study, at least). So how do we all deepen the exercise portion of our identities? A great place to start is signing up for a formal event (after all, events are for ATHLETES). Here are a few resources to help if you’re looking for one to put on your calendar:
Stand Up Paddle Events (after all, it’s SUMMERTIME)
Great Ways to Get Fit for a Cause
Fun Team-Oriented Events (firewalking, included)
I’m training for a half-Ironman in September right now. How about you? What’s on your calendar? Do you feel more like an athlete if you’re training for a formal event, or doesn’t it matter to you? Beyond events, what motivates you to get and stay fit?
view from twin peaks, san francisco
What an absolute gift it is to have a day off in the middle of the work week. Disrupting the usual cadence of work week/weekend, a mid-week day off feels a little bit like suspended reality (it’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to my dream of freezing time, ala Evie in that old show Out of This World). It’s a day set aside for one thing: leisure. And for my family today, that leisure was an urban hike.
Ever since living in New York City in my 20s, I’ve loved urban hiking, but look forward to it even more now that we’re not city dwellers. Good old off-the-beaten path hiking is great too (and if you’re into that, check out this list of 43 Hidden Hikes to Try This Summer), but urban hikes feel adventurous. Cool. Unexpected. Hip and fit at the same time. Navigating gritty sidewalks, people of all shapes and sizes, and pungent smells…delighting in delicious surprises and beautiful vistas en route…and seeing a familiar place with fresh eyes, urban hiking helps you feel like a tourist in your own backyard.
Today we hiked along the Bay in San Francisco, checking out the America’s Cup staging area, stopping to play in the sand at the beach, starting at our reflections near the Palace of Fine Arts, talking about the varied architecture, smelling the flowers, and stopping for ice cream along the way. San Francisco offers endless routes of challenging and easy hiking punctuated with hidden ge,s like the Seward Street Slides and Baker Beach and the wildness of Glen Park Canyon and the swings and staircases that appear out of nowhere.
San Francisco is urban hiking mecca (I read a great story about LA a few months ago too), but I’m sure there are beautiful options across the country. And here are a few simple reasons to give it a shot:
What do you like most about urban hiking? Do you have a favorite hike to share?
Learning from parenting and life, while trying to get dinner on the table
A quixotic quest for the bright side.
don't sweat the baby stuff
by SBK & Associates
hacking health, designing life
Rudey's Room
Posts with strategies and tactics on building great products and how to be a better leader
Tim Ferriss is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers and host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast.
hacking health, designing life
Marginalia on our search for meaning.
hacking health, designing life
wellfesto 