Stepping Up | Issue 12 | January, 2020
Stepping Up | Issue 12 | January, 2020
A newsletter, written with joy, for the curious, adventurous, and modern-day action-takers of the world
Happy New Year! I hope the year has gotten off to a strong start for you and your family! For regular readers... There are 3 parts to this newsletter… wanted to give you a heads up in case you were not seeing something you expected to right off the bat.
PART 1: The Whole Life Challenge
- THE WLC STARTS SATURDAY, Jan 18
I’m captaining a team called Andy’s Tribe - and because you’re part of my inner circle, you’re invited to join and play along with me!
If you've never checked it out before, the WLC is about establishing 7 Daily Habits over the course of 6 weeks - nutrition, exercise, mobility, sleep, hydration, well-being, and reflection. The idea is to take small steps toward improved health and well-being. You earn points for each habit… it’s a game… and the challenge is to stay in it… to just keep showing up and participating for the full 6 weeks. Learn more here - or message me back if you have any questions.
By the way, I also have a small coaching group (called Lifeline) that I meet weekly in an online meeting throughout the year. The purpose is to give people a regular and consistent time and place to learn, grow, be accountable, "bring" their whole life, and get coached - among other people that they know and trust.
I am also doing quite a bit of one-on-one, life, health, and performance coaching these days.
If you're interested in either, email me back so that we can set up a time to talk.
Part 2: New Years Resolutions
With the start of the New Year, everyone and their grandmother are talking about their resolutions. Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of them, as one day is as just as good as any other to get started on a new habit, practice, or effort.
But I also know that there is tremendous power in starting something new with millions and billions of people all over the planet - all at the same time. It’s like in running - you can go out and run 26.2 miles any time you want on your own, but there is something different about doing it with tens of thousands of other people in the NYC marathon.
That being said, there are a few things that I’m considering at the start of this year.
Redoubling my effort to be a great husband and great friend. In spite of knowing how important the relationships with my wife, family, and close friends are, I still have a natural, inherent tendency to hide behind life, to pretend that I’m good on my own and don’t really need anyone else. I isolate, and I naturally resist reaching out.
But here’s the thing… each time that I push past this resistance, I’m really glad that I did. And after the personal challenges that I experienced last year (that I wrote about in my ), I appreciate more than ever the importance of nurturing relationships, and honoring, respecting, and supporting those that mean the most to me.
So for me, in terms of a regular, daily practice, this looks like 1. reaching out daily to my wife with a note of appreciation, love, respect, or honor. And 2. reaching out regularly and consistently to friends and family members, if nothing else than just to tell them I love and appreciate them.Disconnecting from tech (and especially my phone) more often, and more completely. I’ve realized recently how unbelievably tethered I am to my phone. There is almost nothing that I don’t use it for. And while there are many benefits that it brings to my life, it’s got one big downside... it interferes with my ability to be fully present in my real life - the one happening right in front of my face. I’m constantly distracted, and this affects my relationship with myself and with others. I’m not exactly sure what action I’m going to take around this or what it might look like yet, but it will involve setting some sort of regular limit, boundary, or having a regular detox day where phone use is simply off-limits.
If you have any thoughts on this, please email me back... I'd love to hear your suggestions!Greeting people in 3-dimensions. I was listening to a podcast interview with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee during which he described the typical greeting that distracted, tech-a-haulic people (like me) give others. Picture this… you’re working away, focused, typing at the keyboard, when someone you know or care about walks in (spouse). You pause for a second, look in their direction, give some sort of short vocal greeting, and in less than 2 seconds, you're right back to typing or working on what you were doing without ever taking your hands off your keyboard or phone. I don’t know about you, but I can very much relate to that.
That is going to end for me this year. I have been on both the giving and receiving end of greetings like that and know first hand how crappy it feels. Each time I do it, regardless of the state of the other person, it’s something I’m not happy with... something I'm not happy with about me, that is. So from now on, I’m going to be employing a new strategy that Dr. Chatterjee talks about in his new book “The Stress Solution”.
It’s called a 3-dimensional greeting … using sight, touch (not in a creepy way), and voice. This means stopping what I’m doing, getting up, and honoring that person… by looking them in the eyes, extending my hand (handshake) or body (hug), and greeting them with my voice.
Honestly, if I can make someone else feel as good as I do when I walk into my house and my dogs greet me using this same technique (barks, looking at me in the eyes, and paws and licks in the face), well, lets just say that I can think of no better gift.
Part 3: A few products to check out
I like to share with you things that I've been learning, reading, watching, or trying out... to keep you up to speed on the latest and greatest. This month, they happen to be products.
Compression socks - I don’t know why I just discovered them, as they’ve been around for ages as a way to help blood return to your heart from your lower extremities, but I’ve been wearing them daily now for weeks for pretty much everything (daily wear - seriously, all the time; workouts, cycling, Peloton, etc), and my legs have never felt better.
Want to make sure you get all your water in for a day? Get a water bottle that holds the amount you need for the day, fill it in the morning, and finish it by bedtime. This awesome water bottle has printed motivational markings on the outside to tell you whether or not you're on track based on the time of day. It comes in 42, 75, or 128 oz sizes.
Get in your electrolytes without the crap or sugar. Electrolytes are essential for the proper efficient functioning of your body and muscles. Ever suffer through cramps? They are NO fun... whether you wake up in the middle of the night with your calf seizing up, or you get one during a run or bike ride that just won't let up... cramps are usually a sign that your body is in need of electrolytes (not just water).
Another great thing about supplementing with electrolytes if you are contemplating going keto... they help you avoid symptoms of the "keto flu," a no-fun side effect of transitioning your body into ketosis, at the beginning of a keto diet.
And as you might already know, just about the worst place to get electrolytes is from energy drinks like Gatoraid - as they are LOADED with sugar.
LMNT is an electrolyte only (sodium, magnesium, and potassium) supplement with none of the extra crap or sugar that other electrolyte powders have. It comes in super convenient powder packets that you can quickly and easily add to a water bottle or glass of water. It was developed by my friend, Robb Wolf, a biochemist, nutrition and fitness coach, leader in the paleo and ketogenic movements and NY Times bestselling author.
I've been using LMNT now for a few months and love it.
Lastly, thank you all for your heartfelt communications, messages, texts, and emails after the newsletter I sent last month. I really wasn't sure of the reception it would get, and it was super reassuring to know that you are there, behind me, supporting me, especially when I need it most.
By the way - if I haven't responded to your reply, there is a chance that I never received your reply and that it disappeared from my inbox. I've spoken to several of you who found your reply in your sent emails, but when I searched in my inbox, were nowhere to be found. I don't know why... but If that sounds like it might have been yours, first of all, I'm sorry, and secondly, I'd greatly appreciate your resending - and changing the subject line. Thanks!!
I hope you have a fantastic first month of 2020! My plan is to keep this communication coming on a more consistent basis this year - and so in that spirit, talk to you again next month!
Andy