Five wellness things I liked lately - October
Here are 5 health & wellness things I’ve loved lately.
The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser. This book was recommended to me by Kim Scott and since I read it, I’ve been going back to my notes every couple of days. This is possibly the first book about mental performance that doesn’t just dwell on aphorisms and banalities. Rather, it describes a clear roadmap with practical tools and exercises for building confidence and achieving peak performance. One of the areas of mental health that I’ve been most fascinated by in the past few years is sports psychology. I think everyone - not just athletes or military - can benefit from learning how to modulate their mindset in order to overcome both internal and external challenges.
Journaling. I’ve been going through phases with journaling, but about 3 months ago I picked up the habit again and haven’t missed a day since. I like to stack my breathwork, meditation and journaling first thing in the morning, and these combined practices have single-handedly allowed me to not lose my sanity in what has been the most challenging period of my life. I mostly practice stream of consciousness writing and fill about 3 pages every morning. Some days I also use prompts starting with either my dreams, my state of mind in that very specific moment or things I would like to change. Stream of consciousness can feel forced in the beginning, so I would recommend just dumping your thoughts on paper, even if the first few times you fill pages with nothing but “this is stupid, I don’t know what to write about.”
Marc Andreessen’s Techno-Optimist Manifesto. You don’t need to agree with every point (although I do with all) in order to get a surge of hope about humanity. Some favorite highlights below:
Long walks. During transitional periods when the weather starts to get colder and days become shorter, the body has a natural tendency to slow down and you may feel less motivated to work out. However, what can help prevent depression and anxiety from creeping up is - you guessed it - regular movement. Even if you find it difficult to get in a strenuous workout, maintaining some level of consistency is much easier than having to start again from 0. Strength training is a non-negotiable for me, but cardio feels much harder this time of year. My strategy is to give myself a few weeks to adjust to the new temperature and lack of natural light by going on long walks. I’ll do anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours at least a few times a week. If you think you don’t have time for this, just shift your priorities. Less Netflix, less scrolling, invite a friend for a walk rather than a drink and so on.
This podcast episode featuring Andrew Herr of Fount. Andrew is a friend and the founder of one of the most innovative companies in the health space. Before starting Fount Andrew led human performance and biotech strategy efforts for the military and he is one of the smartest people I know. I love talking to him about anything from stress reduction techniques, to nutrition and psychedelics. One belief we both share and implement at Fount and kahla is that reaching peak health and performance is only possible through running n-1 experiments. “Evidence-based” does not mean much if not applied to the individual - even less so when it comes to women’s health where unfortunately we do not have enough quality data.