One Skill To Boost Happiness Right Now (Plus Other Magic Tricks)
Article Round-Up: 5.5.24
Enjoy this week’s curated list of articles, podcasts, and more from the web to help you live a healthier, happier life.
Featured Thoughts: One Skill To Boost Happiness Right Now
Takeaway: Rude people can ruin your day, but they don’t have to.
Learn this trick and you’ll become impermeable to others pulling you into their negativity.
Seriously, try it.
Published This Week:
Zone 2 Cardio: Worth The Effort or Fitness Fad?
Takeaway: Zone 2 cardio involves performing cardio exercise like jogging, biking, swimming, hiking, etc, at an intensity that’s roughly 60-70% of your maximum heart rate.
The most common way to measure whether you’re in zone 2 is the “talk test.” Can you carry on a conversation without becoming short of breath?
Zone 2 cardio is popular because it’s less intense, easier for beginners, and can help with recovery instead of adding additional fatigue.
You can get creative for how you complete zone 2 cardio. Personally, my social dancing accomplishes this quite nicely, and doesn’t impact any of my other workouts.
In the past two weeks, I’ve completed a total of 9 hours of dancing at an average heart rate of 123 bpm (~65% HRmax for my age).
It certainly has its place, but shouldn’t be blown up as any sort of magic pill for health improvement. However, it could be worth considering as a smaller piece of the whole health pie.
5 Ways Being In Shape Can Earn You More Money
Takeaway: Regular fitness can contribute to financial success by fostering traits like discipline, long-term thinking, and impulse control, which are valuable in managing finances effectively. Additionally, being physically fit can enhance confidence, resilience, and the ability to seek better job opportunities, ultimately leading to higher earning potential.
Takeaway: Combine with the above trick to avoid negativity from others, and you’ve got a winning formula to wake up with more gratitude and contentment.
My favorite bits of advice from this article: Look for the small novelties and remember that everything is a choice.
Reader Question:
What are the best fitness and nutrition strategies for someone who is always on the go with more than one job?
Time management will be the biggest drawback when it comes to juggling your health and multiple jobs.
I have to be honest with you, it’s going to be hard. Harder than it is for someone with only one job to worry about.
But hard doesn’t mean impossible.
And you can do hard things.
Here’s my best advice for staying consistent and seeing results with a strapped work schedule:
Start with a plan:
“Winging it” is a luxury afforded to those who have time to waste. You don’t.
Block what free time you have in your calendar for workouts and meal planning/preparation. Know where your go-to takeout spots are that help you stay on track with nutrition goals.
Embrace the gaps:
Those short five, ten, or even fifteen minute breaks between activities. We often take this time for granted, scrolling social media for the Nth time.
Instead, you’re going to leverage this time to your advantage.
Six, ten-minute mini workouts is as effective as one hour-long workout.
Utilize home workouts:
Unless the gym is literally attached to your office, save the extra commute time and workout at home. You can get a great workout in with limited equipment.
Still be sure to block out this time in your calendar to prevent other distractions (like unfinished chores).
Stick to meals with minimal involvement:
No meal should require more than ten minutes of active involvement from you.
Sandwiches and salads are great. Even cereal paired with a protein shake can be a solid meal.
For something hot, pop chicken in the oven for thirty minutes and complete your workout while you wait. Two birds, one stone.
Be mindful of stress:
Staying aware of stress levels (and potential coping mechanism that could derail you) is going to be crucial to your success.
Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention.
Don’t use your schedule as an excuse to give up.
Get decent sleep most nights:
A friend who owns a farm once told me, “If you’re ever struggling to sleep, I can fix it in a day. Come to the farm and I’ll give you enough work you’ll fall asleep the moment your head touches the pillow, and it’ll be the best sleep of your life.”
If you’re working multiple jobs and productively using the gaps in between, you shouldn’t have any issue falling asleep.
Put the phone away.
You’ll need to be strategic to make everything fit. Follow these tips to give yourself the leg up.
P.S. Guessing with your nutrition is the biggest waste of your valuable time. Download this free guide to make sense of what matters most.