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!
ONE WEEK LEFT…
Reminder that I’m running a giveaway for Barbell Apparel! If you purchase ANYTHING from the Barbell Apparel website by March 1st through my link, you will be placed in a raffle to win a $50 gift card to the site. Please send me a receipt of purchase to enter!
Aside from giving yourself the chance to win a gift card, it would greatly support me and my endeavors with HIB!
Reach out if you have any questions on their gear or sizing – I’m happy to help!
Mindset Shift: Action Items
I had the fortunate opportunity to travel to Boston last week for a 3-day physical therapy convention where I attended a talk hosted by world-renowned physical therapist and author, Dr. Kelly Starrett. Although I left with a laundry list of takeaways, one I specifically want to share is what I’ll call “Action Items”.
At the end of his invigorating discourse on moving the field of physical therapy forward, Kelly challenged the audience.
He extended his sincere appreciation to all that made an appearance, but then asked, “now what?”.
Sure, we attended, heard everything Kelly said, and were in awe by his sheer presence (quite jacked and all)... but what’s the next step?
He offered up two options.
Go home and continue doing the exact same things as before or make a change and move ourselves (and thus those around us) in a better direction.
I love this because it relates to so much of what we do in life.
For instance, I’m a huge fan of non-fiction fitness and psychology books.
However, there was a time in my life when I would read these merely to say I did and then move on to the next without taking action.
Which is too often the case for many of us.
It’s easy to take in information, but much harder to put it into practice.
This can be related to a variety of situations and events.
Public speaking event went poorly —> More time preparing the next time.
Read about the benefits of gratitude —> Begin a daily 5-minute practice.
Learned about the harms of plastic —> Remove plasticware from your kitchen.
Knowing is the first step, taking action is the next and most important.
Even with fiction books, movies, and brief conversations throughout the day, there’s likely something to absorb and apply to your life.
I’m not saying that everything you do should be geared towards self-growth as there are times where sheer entertainment and unwinding is absolutely necessary.
However, I believe that while many of us intend to prioritize self-growth through podcasts, books, etc., we often neglect the behavior change that should coincide.
A simple strategy that I’m employing to make this a daily habit is starting a Notes folder on my iPhone titled “Action Items” and pinning it to the top. Whenever something comes up that moves me, I jot down an actionable step that I can take to make use of the insight.
Give this a try!
Cheap & Useful Travel Items:
With traveling comes long flights, altered sleep schedules, and sleeping with five people in a hotel room meant for four.
Alright, not everyone can relate to the last point but the broke graduate students out there can attest.
Anyway, on my trip to Boston, I discovered two incredibly cheap and simple items that can lead to a much better traveling experience.
A sleep mask and ear plugs.
The benefit-cost ratio of having these on hand is unmatched.
Whether it’s blocking out light on your fight with the eye cover or throwing in the ear plugs because you’re trying to sleep when others are still awake (or snoring), they are essential.
Both can also be used for the same purposes at home and won’t even come close to breaking the bank… unless you just spent a few days in Boston without an income. Not going to point any fingers here.
The eye cover I recommend is the WAOW sleep mask which can be found on Amazon for less than $20.
For ear plugs, you really can’t go wrong – find what works for you.
Bonus: Take a refillable water bottle when you travel to fill up in airports and at your destination. Spending money on bottled water is foolish!
This Week’s Convenient Snack:
High-protein snacks are hard to come by.
Yes, there are plenty of protein bar and shake options on the market (and I enjoy them quite often), however, it’s better to incorporate whole foods when possible.
Enter boiled eggs.
Boiled eggs are incredibly cost-efficient and convenient to have on hand. Make a load on Sunday and you’ll have protein snacks lined up for the week.
Eggs, often coined “nature’s superfood”, consist of many beneficial nutrients and roughly six grams of protein each. I wrote an entire post on their benefits that can be found here.
Rather than a protein shake alone, pair it with a couple of boiled eggs and you’re in business!
I actually prefer soft-boiled eggs and use this guide to help ensure they end up that way.
To make the dreaded peeling process easier, throw the cooked eggs directly in ice water for a couple of minutes. Then peel them under running water!
P.S.
I’m opening a completely anonymous Q & A link with the hope of doing a mailbag style post in the near future to answer any and all questions you may have. Topics including but not limited to health, fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle are on the table! Visit the link here to pose your questions! Enter 18455 as the code to get to my page!
What else?
How about that weather this week? Get out and take a walk this weekend…. there’s no better way to clear your mind, spend time with others, and enjoy whatever town/city you reside in!
I’ll soon be releasing a post on electrolytes… find out whether the hype over supplementing with them lives up to it!
Learning is nothing without action. What do you need to act on this week?
Buy some Barbell Apparel fitness clothing through my link here!
If you enjoy this weekly bite of information, please share it with a coworker, friend, and/or family member!
DISCLAIMER
- This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.