Hello and welcome to 4-Minute Friday where I share, in four minutes or less, the latest things I’m doing to enhance my health, save money, and make day-to-day life easier and more enjoyable.
All comments and follow-up questions can be posted directly below, on my Facebook page or emailed to me at zach.griffith1@gmail.com!
High-protein meal I’ve been consuming:
It’s been well-established that most of us aren’t consuming enough protein on a day-to-day basis. Recommendations for protein intake to maximize muscle health and bodily repair currently lie around 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight – do the math and you’ll likely realize that you have room for an increase, too! After reading the research, I began to brainstorm ways in which I could increase my protein intake and I’ve recently found the perfect addition to my diet– a high-protein yogurt parfait… hear me out on this one.
I use Fairlife Ultra-Filtered Yogurt which provides 14g of protein per serving and also happens to be lactose-free which is ideal for someone who struggles digesting dairy like I do. I mix in a scoop of chocolate protein powder before topping with granola, blueberries, pumpkin seeds, nut butter, and finishing with a splash of kefir for the extra gut health benefits. All in all, this meal tallies out to be 50+ grams of protein and makes for a phenomenally tasty, nutritious, and quick breakfast/snack. Fairlife carries multiple flavors of their yogurt so experiment with those and the myriad of topping choices available – the world is your oyster!
New Habit… Body-Still Mind-Active:
As a Chicago resident who utilizes public transportation daily, I’ve had PLENTY of time to people-watch and make observations. On any given weekday morning at 7am, you’ll find a train-full of individuals from significantly varying backgrounds, day jobs, home lives, and the list of differences goes on but there is always one thing you can count on being the same… the phone in front of their face and/or the headphones in their ears. While I’m the last person to judge as I tend to slip into the same trap, seeing this every single day has made me reflect on just how much of our lives we spend held captive to our phone and ‘internal environment’ to the neglect of all that’s happening around us.
Not long after this observation, I attended a live talk hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman out of Stanford where he shared a habit that Rick Rubin, the most successful music record producer of all-time, practices. Daily without fail, Rick will sit in silence with his eyes open with absolutely no agenda other than to let his mind wander in a routine coined ‘body-still mind-active’. You may be thinking this is exactly what traditional ‘meditation’ is, but it’s actually quite different. Meditating entails sitting with your eyes closed with an intent focus on your breathing… rather than letting your mind go where it wants. Although there’s no hard evidence to back it (yet), Rick’s practice has contributed to him being one of the most creative minds of our time. He is the author of The Creative Act: A Way of Being — a book on harnessing your creativity.
Even if you aren’t an artist or music producer that financially depends on a creative mind to succeed, prioritizing being present in your environment has extensive benefits. For me, it isn’t so much needing to sit still and make this a structured experience but even the small change of walking to and from the train each day without headphones has made a difference. To further this experimentation, I’ve started incorporating ‘headphone-free’ workouts which has been a game-changer. As I’ve begun to practice this more regularly, I’ve noticed it’s easier to declutter whatever may be on my mind, think through various ideas (such as 4-Minute Friday topics), and problem-solve more easily. I plan on continuing to find new ways to prioritize presence … I challenge you to do the same.
Book I highly recommend:
Although I haven’t read the book mentioned in the previous section… one I recently finished that led to a perspective shift is Deep Work by Cal Newport. Newport’s choice for this book’s subtitle, Rules for focused success in a distracted world, is a perfect synopsis of what’s to come on the pages within. There are only a few books I can attest that promptly changed my behavior and this is absolutely one of them. Newport explains the difference between shallow work and deep work and why the latter has become increasingly rare in today’s age; spoiler alert, social media has played a huge role. After setting the scene, Newport provides a toolkit (so to speak) of ways you can enhance your productivity, master skills quicker, and stand out in an age where distraction dominates.
Here are three behaviors I’ve started since reading this book:
I set my phone timer for a certain amount of time to study/write/read, put it on ‘do not disturb’, and then haven’t allowed myself to touch it until it goes off.
I schedule 1-4 daily deep work sessions on my calendar ranging from 30-120 minutes which gives me no excuse to skip them.
I’ve reduced the amount of time spent engaging in mindless, unmeaningful tasks such as scrolling on social media and watching television shows and replaced these with more impactful actions like reading, writing, and engaging in social activities.
What else?
I’ll be releasing an HIB post next week on how fiber impacts gut health; it will include multiple practical tips to increase fiber intake.
Thanksgiving is around the corner! Enjoy your time with family and friends and maybe have a slice of pumpkin pie… or the whole thing. This is acceptable as long as you get right back to the grind on Friday!
Take the road less traveled this week.
Image via Psychology Today
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DISCLAIMER
- This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.
Thanks pal!
Great content, keep it up!