The Weekly Word

​Health Tip of the Week
I used to have this morning routine that involved waking up, consuming massive amounts of coffee and then get my morning reading in. After years of this I decided that having multiple cups of coffee before 7 am may not be serving my overall well-being. I would get tired midday, have feelings of anxiousness, and it started a cycle of drink coffee, feel alert, get tired, drink more coffee, and so on. With that being said, I decided to scrap coffee first thing in the morning and removed it from the house. Now, this doesn't mean I don't drink it over the course of the day but I typically wait a few hours before consuming caffeine and it has been a game changer. 

When you look into the why, Andrew Huberman is the man with the explanation (go figure). By delaying coffee consumption until roughly 90-120 minutes after waking, you allow your body to have more of a natural wake up, allowing hormones like cortisol and adenosine to do their job, and it'll help set your circadian clock in a way that'll promote better sleep. By following this 90-120 minute rule, I have felt more alert in the mornings, consumed less caffeine over the course of the day, and it has helped me cut back on afternoon coffee which negatively effects sleep. Wins all around!

What I've Been Thinking About...
The power of a good checklist. Here is a big shocker: I don't always follow my own advice! In the weightroom, I preach that slow and steady progress will eventually lead to monumental gains. I have no problem following this idea with training but do you think I carry that over into my personal life? No way jose. In business, farm work, or setting a little time aside each day to spend with Marisa, I struggle. 

I decided that something has got to give and like my boy Sam Cooke once said, "A Change is Gonna Come". I am on week two of using a checklist system that feels pretty darn good. It doesn't ask for too much, allows small wins in a variety of areas and the time commitment typically takes 75-90 minutes each day. When I can cross everything off in the morning, it frees up my mind to be more present, not think about the list or worry about "when am I going to do XYZ". 

What I've Been Watching...
Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal (trailer)

Growing up I was a huge pro-wrestling and occasionally find myself reading a headline, watching a highlight, or my personal favorite, watching documentaries featuring these performers. In recent years, there was a  character that intrigued me and he was known as Bray Wyatt. This guy is the son of a wrestler from the 90's and he had this creative gimmick that really caught fire with the fans. Tragically he died at the age of 36 and it left the wrestling asking a lot of what ifs.

In the sport of wrestling, there is an idea of "getting over" with the crowd. This is when a character can get the entire arena eating out of the palm of your hands. I realized the power of this idea at a concert a few years ago where the singer Hozier had the entire arena singing in unison, doing exactly what he asked, and as I sat there mimicking what he said I thought "this must be what mind control is like!" Wyatt had this amazing ability, so much so that it caught my attention even after not watching the sport for 20+ years. 

The Power of Story...
Before you ask, "Wait, you like pro wrestling?" let me tell you something. As I was watching the wrestling doc I was trying to figure out what the appeal of wrestling was for me and then I realized it is the storylines. When I was a kid, I got totally wrapped in whatever was on the screen. I didn't grow up watching movies about lost worlds, Star Wars, or Harry Potter but rather I was following the fictitious stories of these characters who spin a tale over the course of days, weeks, months, years and in some cases, generations as the children get involved decades down the road. 

As I grew older, I was still chasing a good story. I remember the first books I got obsessed with in High School were the Mario Puzo mafia books and a book about the boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. From there I found myself enjoying anything Dennis LeHane wrote (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, and more) and reading about the history of sport. Now, my obsessions move from the Founding Fathers, to George Orwell's books (all good by the way!) to the craziness of the 1960's, to the Civil War, the American Indian and more. 

Quote of the Week
"It is better to conquer grief than to deceive it" -- Seneca

I hope you all have an awesome week!Chris Fluck