Reading this made me reflect and realize how much my thoughts and time are directed toward fitness-related stuff, in the living and reading, etc. I don't use apps for any of that but it is a huge part of my waking day, I just don't talk about it at all. I had a solid nine months from 2022 into 2023 when I was hitting the gym 5 days/week on top of doing stuff outside and then the schedule changes related to my poet laureate stuff derailed me a bit, so I've reworked how I get my intensity in to be something, as I head toward spring and so much more activity, that I can do on the road.
Anyway, my current read related to this: The Comfort Crisis, by Michael Easter. Has it hit your radar? I'm enjoying it. There are parts where you can tell Easter used to be a Men's Health writer but even that isn't overly tedious. Also I should mention this dude is coming from a place of extreme privilege and it shows, but there are nuggets here.
After I finished writing those, I felt so naval gazey, especially since I've worked hard to disentangle myself from diet culture (and continue to do so). But the fact is that we're bodies first, and everything else in my life goes better when I'm out here moving and challenging mine. It's also frustrating because I know how much time that I have to give to it isn't available to most people.
I just finished listening to The Comfort Crisis and loved it too. I got annoyed with the privilege of it for sure (as I do with most white guy lifehacker bros, as I like to call them), but I thought he had some worthwhile wisdom nonetheless. And I think it has a ton of overlap with the idea of living seasonally too - if we lean into the offerings and opportunities for growth of each season, our ability to sit with discomfort grows.
Thanks for your two cents, as always, Chris! Excited to hear about your spring adventures to come...
This: "everything else in my life goes better when I'm out here moving and challenging mine" is the key for me. So much of what I do anymore is outside of what I'm comfortable with that when I don't get out and work myself over it has huge emotional ramifications for me. It's what really had me in a doom spiral with the job I left all those years ago. It's an abyss I really need to make an effort to not allow myself close enough to stare into, you know?
Reading this made me reflect and realize how much my thoughts and time are directed toward fitness-related stuff, in the living and reading, etc. I don't use apps for any of that but it is a huge part of my waking day, I just don't talk about it at all. I had a solid nine months from 2022 into 2023 when I was hitting the gym 5 days/week on top of doing stuff outside and then the schedule changes related to my poet laureate stuff derailed me a bit, so I've reworked how I get my intensity in to be something, as I head toward spring and so much more activity, that I can do on the road.
Anyway, my current read related to this: The Comfort Crisis, by Michael Easter. Has it hit your radar? I'm enjoying it. There are parts where you can tell Easter used to be a Men's Health writer but even that isn't overly tedious. Also I should mention this dude is coming from a place of extreme privilege and it shows, but there are nuggets here.
https://eastermichael.com/book/
After I finished writing those, I felt so naval gazey, especially since I've worked hard to disentangle myself from diet culture (and continue to do so). But the fact is that we're bodies first, and everything else in my life goes better when I'm out here moving and challenging mine. It's also frustrating because I know how much time that I have to give to it isn't available to most people.
I just finished listening to The Comfort Crisis and loved it too. I got annoyed with the privilege of it for sure (as I do with most white guy lifehacker bros, as I like to call them), but I thought he had some worthwhile wisdom nonetheless. And I think it has a ton of overlap with the idea of living seasonally too - if we lean into the offerings and opportunities for growth of each season, our ability to sit with discomfort grows.
Thanks for your two cents, as always, Chris! Excited to hear about your spring adventures to come...
This: "everything else in my life goes better when I'm out here moving and challenging mine" is the key for me. So much of what I do anymore is outside of what I'm comfortable with that when I don't get out and work myself over it has huge emotional ramifications for me. It's what really had me in a doom spiral with the job I left all those years ago. It's an abyss I really need to make an effort to not allow myself close enough to stare into, you know?
Oh yes, I know this exact predicament well. Thankful I'm not alone.
Love the wisdom here. I turn off all notifications, but I put in one for sunset. 🤗