Appearing Superhuman Volume 5
My weekly newsletter is a compilation of things I found interesting, challenges I’m taking on, and the automations, processes, and habits I’m using to ‘appear superhuman.’
Weekly Highlights:
Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? (4 minutes) – What’s the most you’ve ever wanted something? This quick tale of the 2000 Olympic British rowing team illustrates what life looks like when you pursue a goal with everything you’ve got.
Why Does a Hard Workout Make You Less Hungry? (5 minutes) – Some of the fittest people I know end their workouts by burning out their muscles with drop sets or by doing sprints. I always thought that extra bit of intensity added up, but it sounds like it also staves off hunger and makes us eat less. Here are some direct insights from the article:
“If we want to avoid bingeing after a workout, we may need to increase the intensity. Throw in some hills during your next walk or sprint to the far street corner. What the data says is that intensity matters for both exercise and appetite control, Dr. Long said.”
IF, Rudyard Kipling’s poem, recited by Sir Michael Caine (4-minute watch) – It’s an odd statement to say, “this is my favorite poem,” because I don’t know many other poems. I’ve read or heard this poem dozens of times, and each time I feel like there’s something I need to hear in it.
If you have a favorite poem or poet that you think I’d like, please respond to this email with your recommendations. I should probably broaden my horizon here a bit.
Quote I’m Revisiting:
“The hours don’t suddenly appear. You have to steal them from comfort. Whatever you were doing before was comfortable. This is not. This will be really uncomfortable. The few times in my life I’ve made a real change like this, it felt awful on the surface. I wasn’t shallow-happy about it. I wasn’t smiling. I was annoyed and fighting it inside, but on the outside I did the work. And in the end, got the deeper satisfaction of finishing.” — Derek Sivers
Song of the Week:
“Life of Sin” – Sturgill Simpson: Spotify YouTube – Sturgill Simpson breaks the mold of what I think ‘traditional’ country sounds like. His style is unique, but I think it’s his lyrics that help him truly stand apart. That and he does seemingly random stuff like putting out an anime visual album on Netflix that couldn’t be further from country. He’s quickly risen to be my second favorite country artist.
Picture of the Week:
Last week I skipped sending my weekly newsletter because we welcomed my son into the world. Words cannot describe how happy we’ve been this past week. Anything else in the world feels muted and insignificant now that he’s entered our lives.
Automation & Process of the Week:
After poking around on the internet, I’ve determined there’s no real magic number for how much water you should drink.
8 cups a day? It’s basically bullshit.
Same thing with a gallon of water. They’re all made up.
Yet, they’re not bad targets. Very few people would benefit from drinking less water. It’s better to err on the side of drinking more.
I won’t bore you with the benefits and studies that show how important water is for your metabolic health, your skin, your energy, blah blah blah. You know this stuff already.
We all need to drink more. But how much more? And how do you keep up with it?
The real answer to how much water you drink comes down to who you are, how active you are, where you live, and subsequently, what the temperature is today. Luckily for me, my wife got me a special water bottle right before my son was born. One that takes the guesswork out of this entire equation.
It’s the HidrateSpark PRO 32 oz smart water bottle.
Now, I have a dozen water bottles and Yeti cups collecting dust in my cupboard. You probably do too. What’s special about this one?
It tracks how much water you’re drinking (or not drinking) and connects to your iPhone and iWatch to help remind you to drink more.
It also has an LED smart sensor puck on the bottom that glows when you take a drink and when you’re behind on your hydration goals. I synced mine up with Apple Health, so it knows how active I’ve been and my location, so it adjusts my water goal based on the weather today and my body’s needs.
Oh yeah, and you get badges when you hit certain milestones like ‘24 pack plastic bottles saved’ and a streak counter to see how many days in a row you’ve hit your hydration goals. I’m a real sucker for gamification like that.
Even with the birth of my first child, I automated one of the most important factors to my health this week and haven’t missed my goal once. It’s a beautiful thing when you have one less thing to think about every day.
Your Turn:
Which horse do you need to get back on?
What’s stopping you?