Why Not Start Now?

Now that we’re past Thanksgiving in the U.S., the holiday season is in full effect.

There will be eating, and drinking, and general merriment.

Why not indulge? Your fitness goals can wait until January — that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for, right?

Well, we all know by now how dismal the success rate is for those resolutions. And I think part of it is we try to hit it hard immediately after more than a month of indulgence.

I made some significant fitness gains in 2023. And it’s true I started strength training on January 1 of this year. But I actually started my fitness process the week of Thanksgiving, 2022.

• I started doing some light cardio.
• I started the process of modifying my diet.
• I started doing pushups and other body weight exercises in anticipation of lifting weights in January.

Studies show it’s much smarter to ease into new fitness routines and healthier eating instead of overdoing it immediately. But that’s not what we do after the bright line of passing into a new year. And then we mostly quit before the end of the month.

The other benefit is that you’ll ease up a bit on overeating and drinking during the holidays. It’s just the natural byproduct of being mindful of your health ahead of the new year. That means you’ll feel better and have less to overcome when you get serious.

Why not start now?

Keep going-

Brian Clark

P.S. New to Further? Join us here.

Food for Going Further

Switching from an unhealthy to a healthy diet in middle age can add almost a decade to a person’s life, a new study suggests. But the longer you wait, the fewer years gained.

Switching to a Healthy Diet Could Add 10 Years to Your Life. 3 Foods Seemed to Make the Biggest Difference in a Study. (Business Insider)

Weekend Workout Catchup

For many people, weekdays mean a lot of work and not a lot of time for working out. But according to recent research, you may not need to exercise during the week if you work out for at least 150 minutes over the weekend. It’s still better to move as much as you can during the week though, as constant sitting is a killer.

Skipping Weekday Workouts? Weekend-Only Exercise Offers Similar Benefits, Study Finds (CBS News)

Generation Career X-tended

The general idea we group up with is that you worked, you saved, you retired. Not so much anymore, as the retirement myth gives way to our reality.

Gen Xers Ask: ‘Can I Afford to Retire?’ (Kiplinger)

Winter Retreat

We had our first big snowstorm over Thanksgiving in Boulder, and I’m already counting the days until I’m in Costa Rica just before Christmas. Coincidently, Costa Rica tops this list of tropical adventure destinations, but take a look and choose the one that’s best for you.

The World’s Top 10 Tropical Adventures (Outside)

Little Ways to Enjoy a More Peaceful, Joyous Life

By Trudi Roth

Nowadays, the divides we as a society and individually face seem insurmountable. Sometimes it feels like the end of the world as we know it.

But then, you know the refrain — and I feel fine. How can that be possible in these troubled times?

You don’t have to be Archbishop Desmond Tutu or the Dalai Lama to find happiness in the face of adversity. Nor do you have to be a conflict resolution master to usher in peace like Nelson Mandela or Shirley Chisholm.

All it takes is micro shifts in your behavior and mindset to massively improve your well-being.

Spread a Little Happiness

You probably know there are profound health benefits to being kind, helpful, and grateful. But new research from the BIG JOY Project shows engaging in daily “micro-acts” of joy — like writing a gratitude list, doing a favor for a friend, or complimenting a stranger — can increase your emotional well-being by 25%.

According to BIG JOY project leader Emiliana Simon-Thomas:

There are statistically significant, measurable changes [including] greater well-being, better coping, less stress, more satisfaction with relationships.

Another BIG JOY researcher, Elissa Epel, notes that micro-acts give you a sense of agency in the face of suffering, helping alleviate anxiety.

After all, positivity doesn’t mean everything’s all good. It just means finding the good in everything.

Which brings us to…

What to Do When There’s a Little Fight Left in You

The secret sauce in micro-acts of joy is the intention — you methodically focus on connection, empathy, and compassion. Conflict resolution expert Tim Phillips advises being similarly intentional about bypassing your brain’s natural protective impulse to forge a conciliatory path.

Phillips says he’s seen people emotionally disarm the opposition in a disagreement simply by recognizing their humanity.

While Phillips gives sweeping examples like Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm praying at the bedside of her opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination, segregationist and Alabama Governor George Wallace, after he’d been shot (reportedly changing his stance on racial segregation), your pivot can be much simpler.

For example, in Embracing Bliss, meditation teacher Jeff Kober tells this relatable story:

Timothy F. was a man I knew who consistently made trouble for me, but we were in the same social circle and so had to deal with each other. The one unique thing I noticed about him was that he always matched his socks with his shirts. These many years later, that is what I remember about him. Not our troubles.

And if the conflict is too intense, you can always take a microbreak to decrease stress and regain mental clarity — even a few deep breaths can do the trick.

So, go ahead and sweat the small stuff. It’s a research-backed way to exponentially expand your sense of peace and joy.

Can little actions bring big joy? Researchers find ‘micro-acts’ can boost well-being (NPR)

Lessons from brain science — and history’s peacemakers — for resolving conflicts (NPR)