If you don’t get that discipline creates freedom, this post will make no sense to you. If so, probably best not to read it. Regular readers know I found value in taking cold showers. Maybe five years ago, after watching podcast guest Joel Runyon‘s TEDx talk on cold showers then reading his conversation with his readers on his Cold Shower Therapy Guide, which I recommend, I experimented taking a cold[…] Keep reading →

Longtime readers know I switched from running to plogging, which led to a bunch of media doing stories on me. I can’t help sharing the stories. The earliest I found was 2018: Then no posts on plogging for almost five years. I didn’t run for a while because somewhere around there I tore the meniscus in my left knee and the insurance company made me do a year of physical[…] Keep reading →

The other day I happened to watch a video on YouTube not in my usual way and saw an ad there in the video for the first time in five years or so. Besides using a browser plug-in that block ads, I use another that blocks suggested videos. When I go to watch a video, I usually just see that one, not others. Sure, others might be interesting, but there[…] Keep reading →

Living in New York City means eventually many people will pass through my neighborhood so I host people for visits in my home a fair amount. Though I spend most of my time here and visitors average maybe a few hours a week, I think they cause more pollution and depletion in my apartment than I do. One big reason is that they use hot water for everything and heating[…] Keep reading →

Almost a decade ago I wrote a post The bigger your achievement, the more it’s a beginning. The effect applies all over in life, but my usual way of describing it is with marathons. Today, I’m posting about completing Turkish Get-Ups, but I’ll give context with marathons. Context with marathons Before you finish a marathon, it seems like a superhuman feat, even knowing that millions of people have run them.[…] Keep reading →

Maybe it’s just me, but some extraneous words and phrases bother me like fingernails on chalkboards. I can’t think of all of them now, but I wanted to start since if I wait until I think of them all, I might never start. I’ll add more as they come to me. “Go ahead and…”: These words add no value. I think the person using them thinks they make them sound[…] Keep reading →

Regular readers know I pick up litter daily. I’ve gotten good at noticing things that people have left on the ground that aren’t litter. I don’t remember exactly when, but probably about two years ago, I saw a box just sitting on the sidewalk. It seemed connected to nothing and when I picked it up and looked around, nobody claimed it. Things like this box sitting there happen all the[…] Keep reading →

I write about sidchas and standard procedures a fair amount. I don’t remember how often I clarify the main reasons for doing them. You might think the point of fitness-related ones to be fitness. I’m proud of fitness results, but they’re more a side effect. One of the big benefits is mental freedom. I think many people consider diet and exercise sources of stress, never knowing if they’re doing enough[…] Keep reading →

I don’t pretend to be operating at the level of a top Olympic athlete in one of the most grueling sports (though my resting heart rate of 38 bpm probably indicates something) but the words of Jessie Diggins quoted below have resonated with me. Who is she? According to Wikipedia: She is the most accomplished cross-country skier from the United States in the sport’s history having won three World Cup[…] Keep reading →