Fitness

I’ve mentioned the fact that I love to do 100+ burpees every day but I realized I haven’t formally introduced you to Mr. Royal H. Burpee. (My apologies!)

We’ve talked about how exercise is kinda like taking a little bit of Ritalin and a little bit of Prozac, but somehow we’ve gotten this far into our +1 series without talking about the fact that exercise is as effective as Zoloft in reducing depression.

On June 8th, 2001, I was on the back patio of my apartment a block from the beach in La Jolla, California reading Michael Gelb’s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci.

I can’t resist. One more +1 on Aristotle.

Today we’re going to talk about walking.

In our last +1, I introduced you to my new watch, Mr. Suunto, who asks me every day, “What direction are you headed today, sir?” To which I reply, “To the BEST version of myself, sir!” (We have a very nice rapport. lol)

We’ve been talking a lot about “athletes” lately—from traditional athletes going for the gold to cognitive athletes kicking their digital puffing addiction.

Jerry Rice was one of the greatest (American) football players ever. He was a wide receiver known for his astonishing work ethic and commitment to (and demonstration of) excellence.

In our last couple +1s, we talked about the lead-up to a recent keynote talk I gave and some wisdom gleaned in the process—including practicing the “Bring it on!” and “I’m excited!” tools THE MOMENT I experienced doubt/fear/etc. and… Hanging towels over mirrors to reduce the ol’ self-consciousness.

In our last +1, we talked about The Mystery of the Hairy Fingers and how to alchemize suffering into laughter like a five-year-old. 😜

In our last +1, we met Spartan Race Founder/CEO Joe De Sena’s son Jack. As you may recall, at six years old he had the willpower of an ancient Spartan warrior!

In our last few +1s, we’ve been having fun hanging out with Spartan Race Founder/CEO Joe De Sena, his son Jack and his cast-iron friend Leo. We also met my new sweatband Leonidas.

In our last +1, we talked about taking a 1,000-mile swim with Maslow.

If there’s one thing I’ve missed most since losing the use of my left hand, I think it’s my burpees. (I know, I’m weird. That’s by design. #thatslikeme! lol)

A couple years ago, we chatted about Aristotle’s Virtuous Mean. Then, a year ago, we dusted off that wisdom and approached it from a slightly different angle in a +1 called Aristotle’s Doctrine of the (Virtuous) Mean.

In our last +1, we talked about Aristotle’s virtuous mean (again!) and reminded ourselves (yet again!) that “both excessive and insufficient exercise destroy one’s strength, and both eating and drinking too much or too little destroy health, whereas the right quantity produces, increases and preserves it. So it is the same with temperance, courage and the other virtues.”

A couple +1s ago, we hung out with Christopher McDougall and his Natural Born Heroes.

In our last couple +1s, we talked about a key (arguably the #1 key) predictor of our long-term health/morbidity: our visceral fat.

Did you know that scientists have identified a threshold for your step count under which you make yourself more vulnerable for anxiety and depression?

In our last +1 we talked about the fact that exercise is a great way to reduce chronic stress.

Tony Horton created P90X. If you’ve ever done P90X you’ll never forget his high-energy approach to getting your workout on. In addition to helping shape the fitness industry, Tony wrote a fun little book called The Big Picture where he shares “11 Laws That Will Change Your Life.”