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!
Quote I’m Pondering:
“The man who loves walking will walk further than the man who loves the destination.”
I’ve been thinking about this one a good bit lately.
A lot of us struggle being grounded in the moment.
The actions we take, decisions we make, and daily habits we force ourselves to maintain are often centered around attaining some future thing or emotional state we currently don’t have or feel.
However, I’ve come to find over the years of listening to and reading about the most successful people out there, the magic is in the journey rather than the end point.
When studying these individuals, there’s a very common theme.
The most meaningful moments of their million-dollar careers, A-list accolades, or professional stardom didn’t come when they were handed the paycheck or trophy at the end of the red carpet.
Rather, it came in the hours of struggle when they were unknown, building relationships with those around them who were also going through the mud, and even the times when they didn’t know if they could shell out enough money to pay rent.
Yet, they relished these moments and embraced the process which ultimately allowed them to achieve great heights.
I’d argue that there were even more in the same situation who fizzled out because they endlessly looked forward to the destination. They couldn’t survive the day-to-day grind and embrace the delayed gratification it requires to have real success.
The same can be true for fitness and health goals.
The individual who finds purpose in moving their body daily and fueling it with the right sources will undoubtedly be healthier than the one who only strives for the beach body during the summer months.
Sustainability is found in the daily embrace of small habits.
When your spotlight of focus narrows from some future moment to where your feet are right now, a window of opportunity is opened.
In the end, 99.9% of our lives are spent on the journey… why not enjoy it?
Book I’m Reading:
Breath by James Nestor.
A 300-page book all about the importance of how we breathe? Sign me up.
With its 20K+ 5-star reviews on Amazon, apparently I’m not the only crazy one out there.
There’s one thing we do more than anything else. Breathe.
Which may make you assume that surely we have it figured out by now, but as Nestor points out, that is far from reality.
He delves into why our facial structures have changed over time due to evolution and how this has had a profound negative impact on our breathing abilities.
Most people are breathing at only a fraction of their full ability which can lead to a whole host of issues such as chronic fatigue, anxiety, and hypertension.
To discover firsthand the effects of mouth breathing, Nestor and a colleague set up an experiment that entailed using silicone and surgical tape to close off their nasal passageways for 10 days. They tracked countless measurements including heart rate, blood pressure, and a comprehensive sleep analysis.
After doing so, they compared the results to a nasal breathing protocol where they used strategies to strictly breathe through their nose – including during exercise.
Spoiler alert, the differences were striking.
Which leads me to…
What I’m Doubling Down On:
During my original series on sleep enhancement, I discussed the importance of breathing through your nose during sleep for the best night of rest.
And after reading Nestor’s book, I’ve become even more bullish on this.
Partially because I’ve recently discovered I tend to snore which often means mouth breathing which often means lack of quality sleep.
What’s an easy way to make sure you breathe through your nose? Sleeping with mouth tape on.
3M pain-free removal tape mouth tape works great, doesn’t leave any marks, and is incredibly cheap.
I put a small piece vertically over my lips and it stays on throughout the night.
It’s made a noticeable difference in my sleep quality.
Worth it.
What else?
Spend some time outside and get some sunlight on your skin… your Vitamin D levels, mood, and skin quality will thank you.
I’ll be releasing a new post next week about time spent in nature and what the science says about “grounding”. Stay tuned for actionable insights.
Embrace the process… when you do, the product will take care of itself.
Buy some Barbell Apparel fitness clothing through my link here!
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DISCLAIMER
- This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.