I see nothing wrong with someone being fat, despite popular conception. Take Mario Batali, for example. He knows a lot about food and I presume about nutrition and something about health. As best I can tell, he loves eating and consciously and deliberately lives a lifestyle that makes him fat. I don’t know him, but I presume he’s happy with his choices. If so, I respect him. Fat people with[…] Keep reading →

People are looking to pick up activities to improve their lives all the time. Nearly everyone recognizes they could do something to improve it. Maybe they want to get more fit, make more money, be more creative, have more fun, feel more excitement, or whatever. Some do. I’ve done a bunch and I’m glad I did. The more I do, the easier the next one becomes. But many don’t. I[…] Keep reading →

[This post is part of a series on Cold Showers. If you don’t see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view that series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.] I’ve been talking to people about SIDCHAs. I’ve found something surprising that I’d consider researching if I were still in school or had students working with me. Nearly everyone who does a SIDCHA[…] Keep reading →

The United States seems to have two overarching messages on indulging that combine to mess a lot of people up. The puritanical message says indulging is bad or sinful. The advertising message is that sinful or not, you live a tough life and you deserve it. Combining these messages leads people to feel entitled to indulge themselves when they want, but to keep it secret, so others don’t know they’re[…] Keep reading →

If you want to change something important in your life, you’d better understand the concept called “empathy gaps.” An example of an empathy gap is when you say in December you’ll go to the gym twice a week for the next year, that you have the fortitude to do it and will simply will yourself to do it no matter what, then find yourself in February saying you’re not in[…] Keep reading →

30,000 burpees! That’s a lot of burpees. I will hit that milestone tomorrow morning, or thereabouts, assuming forty burpees per day starting December 21, 2011. The first few months I ramped up from ten per day so I might have done fewer, but I’ve also done a bunch of extras to make up for eating or drinking too much unhealthy food or drink. I’ve influenced a few people to do[…] Keep reading →

A think a concept I wrote about the other day will become useful as a reference for the life you get if you value passive physical pleasure and comfort over emotional reward and development, which often come from actively challenging yourself and taking risks. How to create perfect comfortable life If you want to avoid physical or emotional pain, since the following things risk creating them, you’d better cut them[…] Keep reading →

[This post is part of a series on Cold Showers. If you don’t see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view that series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.] To people who haven’t tried and don’t get taking cold showers (or other punishing task like running a marathon you know you won’t win, climbing Mount Everest after others already have, meditating, or[…] Keep reading →

I’ve written, thought, and acted on distinguishing between pleasure, happiness, and emotional reward. I like them all, but sometimes life creates situations where sacrificing one will get more of another. Knowing their differences and similarities helps you figure out how to create the optimal balance of each in your life. For example, lately I’ve been experimenting with cold showers, although the following applies for any other SIDCHA or challenging activity.[…] Keep reading →