Let’s Get Vigorous

Greeting from Cabo San Lucas!

I’m here speaking at a conference (and then celebrating my birthday). Convenient, right?

No tequila-fueled craziness though. I just started working out again after a 2021 backslide (sigh), so I need to make time to move (and make sure I feel up to it).

We talk a lot about the virtues of walking at Further. And I’m a more committed walker than ever. But should we really count it as exercise?

If you’re doing absolutely nothing and have been sedentary for an extended period of time, walking will do you wonders. And it’s the perfect way to ease into more vigorous forms of exercise.

Even then, consider making walking a part of your life. And it helps if you think of it as something other than exercise. It’s just something you do that has other its own amazing benefits.

• Walk to get where you’re going and to sleep better.
• Walk to boost your creativity and solve work problems.
• Walk to experience the wonder of the outdoors (aka lindy walking)

Becoming a walker can change your life for the better. And then you can start thinking about becoming someone who exercises (for real).

Matthew Nayor and his team at Boston University School of Medicine performed the largest study to date aimed at understanding the relationship between regular physical activity and a person’s physical fitness.

In short, the harder you go the better your results:

They found that bouts of moderate to vigorous exercise — working out with more intensity than, say, walking 10,000 steps over the course of a day — drastically improved a person’s fitness, compared to milder forms of exercise.

Again, don’t make the mistake of throwing yourself into the hard stuff on day one. That’s how you get injured and discouraged. Get walking and keep going … and then get vigorous for true fitness.

Walking Is Good. But Moderate-Vigorous Exercise Boosts Fitness Three Times More

Keep going-

Brian Clark

P.S. If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s a fascinating read: “I sensed that he was one of those rock musicians who dies young.” My Time with Kurt Cobain.

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Healthy and Happy

New research led by the University of Kent and University of Reading has found that fruit and vegetable consumption and exercise can increase levels of happiness. Works for me.

Consuming Fruit and Vegetables and Exercising Can Make You Happier

Exercise Your Right to Sleep

Studies have shown that exercise can reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. Here’s a short routine for right before bedtime.

4 Light Exercises to Help You Sleep

Generation Drunk?

This article comes from across the pond, and if the British think we drink too much … be scared. Seriously though, if we’re going to be the first generation to live much longer, we’ve got to drink much less.

Generation X are Heavy, Risky Drinkers. Will Anything Ever Persuade Us to Stop?

Stay Safe

Would it surprise you to learn that not one of the world’s top ten safest cities are in the U.S.? Probably not. Those who don’t travel because it’s “scary over there” are seriously deluded — but that’s okay, let them stay at home.

The World’s Safest Cities Have Been Revealed

The Lazy Path to a Happier, More Productive You

By Trudi Roth

How do you know you’re burned out?

Maybe you click to read about children who mysteriously fall into an impenetrable sleep — not because it sounds like a terrible affliction, but because you think a mild case wouldn’t be so bad. Or, you might be a bit envious of Chinese workers’ “lying flat” trend. Perhaps it’s a more traditional cue, like crushing anxiety.

Dealing with the stressors causing your overwhelm may only amplify them. Instead, consider giving yourself a break: idle a bit or try a “minimum viable day.”

Lazy Jones

We Americans tend to believe there’s something wrong with you if you feel unmotivated and unproductive. The message you hear is push harder, and you’ll be fine.

Of course, countless studies disprove this theory. Stress negatively impacts every system in your body and increases mental overload, decreasing productivity, focus, and effectiveness. This leads to a logical conclusion:

You can’t fix the problem of being overworked by working more when what you actually need is to set boundaries and take the time to rest.

As a meditation teacher, I tell this to my students all the time. The mantra-based technique I practice prioritizes effortlessness and provides deep rest. This supports living consciously and allows people to show up more vital, engaged, and creative than ever before.

Still, while deeper self-care like a regular meditation practice or taking an actual vacation is crucial to beat burnout, sometimes all we need is a quick pick-up. Enter the Minimum Viable Day (MVD).

The Five Ps of an MVD

You might know the concept of a Minimum Viable Product (Eric Ries) or Minimum Viable Audience (Brian Clark), both of which embrace a relatively low threshold to quickly and easily get out the gates.

An MVD is what it sounds like: a day where you do the minimal amount of work to get by (i.e., answer urgent emails). Then, use the rest of the time to do absolutely nothing.

This concept was created by fintech product manager, Rachel Pendleton. She advises to mind your “Ps” when you need some Q(uiet):

1. Purpose: Stay focused on your mission to reclaim your brain (and your sanity).
2. Prioritize: Self-care comes first, so do only what you absolutely can’t do tomorrow.
3. Postpone: Put off what you can, and, while you’re at it, see what can be delegated or deleted from your to-do’s.
4. Performance: How little you do is the measure of success.
5. Ponder: Reflect on why you needed an MVD in the first place, so you can make some changes to lead a happier, less anxious life.

Check all of those boxes, and congratulations — you’ve achieved absolutely nothing. Now that’s a win we all deserve every once in a while.

One unlikely culprit to burnout? Your lack of laziness (Fast Company)

Feeling Overwhelmed? You Need an MVD—That’s Minimum Viable Day (Medium)