The Journal #14
Hormesis. Process. The Quo. Cedar.
01. HEALTH - Joe Gaunt
Understanding Hormesis - Part 2 of 6
Note *As always, please take professional advice on any of these steps before starting, with consideration to any pre-existing health conditions or concerns.
Fasting: Embracing the Power of Metabolic Reset
Intermittent fasting, a practice of cycling between periods of eating and fasting, has garnered significant attention for its potential health benefits. Evidence suggests that fasting activates cellular repair processes, improves insulin sensitivity, promotes autophagy (the body's natural process of cellular cleanup), and may even extend lifespan.
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can aid in weight loss, reduce inflammation, and lower the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Recommendations: Start with shorter fasting windows and gradually increase fasting duration as tolerated. Stay hydrated and focus on nutrient-dense foods during eating windows to ensure adequate nutrition whilst not jamming 3 meals into a 2 meal period.
Personally, I like to drink black coffee (stimulant and appetite suppressant) and take a range of supplements such as multi-vitamins, leucine (specifically supporting muscle growth in a fasted period of lower protein) and magnesium alongside a 16-18 hour fasted period.
As with all health insights and behaviour change, it's about what works for you and some elements of the above may not fit. Make sure you give yourself time for trial and error and don't be disheartened as you figure out what works for you.
02. TRAINING & NUTRITION - Jonny Grayshon
Process vs Outcome
If I was to separate everyone I’ve ever worked with in to 2 categories, I would have the people who get a great result and then the people who hardly make any progress at all.
The people who get a great result are almost always obsessed with the process whereas the people who hardly make any progress are always those obsessed with the outcome.
Outcome Focussed:
No patience / want it now
Pay no attention to technique
Look for short cuts
Don’t actually like hard work
Don’t follow the plan
Look for excuses
Process Driven:
Prioritise daily habits
Set non negotiable behaviours
Work on technique
Accurate with nutrition
Prioritise recovery
Align lifestyle with end goal
A great sports coach doesn’t stare at the scoreboard hoping it says 1-0 at the end of the match.
He focusses on the tactics, fitness levels, injuries, team moral and skills within his group in the week leading up to the game.
By taking care of the process, the outcome takes care of its self.
03. MINDSET - Mike Bates
The Quo
Before you get all excited I’m not about to write a potted history of the Francis Rossi / Rick Parfitt rock outfit who dominated the charts throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s (they’re still on tour in their mid-seventies…living their best NXT45!).
Today I want to talk briefly about change. Specifically challenging the status-quo and rowing against the tide.
The Latin translation of ‘Status Quo’ is ‘existing state’ or put simply, the way things currently are. The norm.
Society is a construct of ‘norms’. A set of standards and expectations of the things we ‘should’ be doing.
Chasing that promotion.
Buying that bigger house.
Looking like a cover model.
The list of who we should be and what we should be doing is long and always changing.
Unless we stop to consider the choices we have in life regularly we can quickly find ourselves swept away on a wave of societal expectation only to surface years later in a worse place than when we started.
Your life is a near-constant flow of choices and decisions.
The easy answer is almost always to follow the crowd and the flow, that’s why everyone does it.
But, what if there was another way?
A means of living a regret-free, authentic life that was perfect for you and not everyone else?
There is.
Choose different.
There is no best way to live, only the life you want to live yourself.
Personally I’m currently thinking about this a lot and considering some big life changes which could alter the course of our current focus and trajectory as a family.
It’s tough work but I don’t want any regrets, especially when it comes to those I love the most.
Choices concerning change are hard. Every sinew and fibre in your body is trying to pull you back on course as you wrestle with the decision of ripping up the rule book and charting a new course away from the crowd.
There are risks of not knowing the outcome of a decision but the safety of the status quo in my opinion is a greater risk to your long term happiness and fulfilment.
If you’re considering big change it’s a pretty good bet that something just isn’t right.
Listen to your gut, follow that thread and lean into the challenge of understanding your true self. Your priorities now, your aspirations for the future, the path you wish to take.
It’s your time.
Don’t waste our most precious commodity on blindly following the crowd.
Time will run out and when it does you don’t want any regrets.
Start a rock band and crowd-surf your way to a better life.
Challenge the Status Quo.
04. QUOTE
"I appear to have had more comebacks than Status Quo."
Angus Deayton
05. TIP
Have a pair of leather shoes or boots you love and want to last forever?
Do them a favour and prolong their life by investing in a pair of cedar shoe trees.
The primary use for investing in shoe trees is to maintain the shape of the shoe after wearing but there are many other benefits.
Cedar helps to neutralise bacteria which can cause smells and a good shoe tree helps to absorb moisture and minerals usually transferred into the leather after a night on the dance floor or busy day at the office.
Great handmade shoes are worth the investment and when caring for your daps prevention is always better than the cure.
Quick fact: Northampton is the U.K capital of shoe and boot makers - it’s the reason Northampton Town F.C are nicknamed ‘The Cobblers’.
The Journal by NXT45
