Deal Breakers, What Not To Do, And How To Find Your Tiny Wins

read on: themovementmemo.com

read time: 6 minutes 

Welcome to The Movement Memo, a bi-weekly newsletter where I share actionable tips to help you live your best day ever, every day.

Today's Programming 

• Movement: 5 rounds for time

• Quote: Johnson on what not to do 

• Lesson: Deal Breakers, What Not To Do, And How To Find Your Tiny Wins 

• Optimization: The importance of nitric oxide and vasodilation

Today's Movement 

Complete 8 rounds for max reps:

On a 5-minute clock, complete:

• 750-meter row
• 10 burpees over rower

In the remaining time, perform:
• Max-reps alternating dumbbell snatches

Rest for 3 minutes between sets.

♀ 35 lb
♂ 50 lb

Today's Quote

Knowing what to avoid can be more crucial than knowing what to do.

In moments of crisis or high pressure, your inaction can speak louder than your actions.

When frustration peaks, restraint can be your greatest strength.

Embrace the power of holding back.

Today's Lesson Learned

I believe what you choose not to do is equally as important as what you choose to do. (And this is a lesson that I have had to learn time and time again).

During my early Ironman years, I did too much strength training to hit my long runs and build durability. My legs were too fatigued from CrossFit Metcons to hit my hard bike efforts. I was too heavy to go fast. But when I finally listened to my coach and backed off strength training, I began to excel in Ironman. 

Most recently, I struggled with the inverse of this problem.

For years I ran 20-40 miles per week, and I couldn’t gain strength. I chalked it up to, “I guess I will never be strong”.

But 4 years ago, during the winter months, I gave up running long enough to start seeing strength gains. And I realized my high volume of running had been negating what I could accomplish in the gym. Because I was doing too much Zone 2 cardio, I didn’t have the energy needed to perform heavy lifts and I couldn’t put on weight. But when I backed off from running my weight and energy increased because my nervous system was primed for heavier weights.  

To get ahead in life often means giving up something else. 

A Harsh Truth: Success is directly correlated to what you’re not doing. 

In our 20’s we often struggle to figure out what we want out of life.

As we get older we realize that no one has it all figured out. That our “heroes” struggle as much as we do. And our tastes, goals, motivations, and personalities will change countless times as we grow and gain new experiences.

In my 40’s I realized that I had no idea what I wanted in my 20s or the direction my life would take me.

But, I had a pretty good idea of what I didn’t want for my life. 

Most young, ambitious recent college graduates put all this pressure on themselves to figure out what they want to do. Most people in 30’s and 40’s still struggle with the same questions.

But in my experience, this pressure creates more struggle than benefit.

Don’t get me wrong, setting goals is important to achieve anything meaningful. And if you are one of those people who has a clear vision for what you want out of life, go for it.

But for most people, I think we have a more clear idea of what we don’t want out of life.

And by flipping this concept on its head we can gain clarity that helps us get started.

If you’re stuck, or struggling to figure out what you want to do in life, this is an extremely beneficial reframing exercise, that I wish someone told me to do when I was younger.

I can’t tell you how many times, I broke out a piece of paper and wrote these 3 questions:

1. What do I want my life to look like in 5 years?

2. What do I want my life to look like in 10 years? 

3. What do I want my life to look like in 15 years? 

And then would sit there staring at a blank page, stressed, confused, and lost.

Eventually, I added one word to these questions, that changed everything: NOT.

1. What do I NOT want my life to look like in 5 years?

2. What do I NOT want my life to look like in 10 years?

3. What do I NOT want my life to look like in 15 years?

It wasn’t until I reframed these questions that I was finally able to start making progress towards achieving my life by design.

I put my pen on paper, and I wrote out a list of “Deal Breakers”, activities or outcomes to avoid at all costs.

1. I don’t want to be inside a stuffy office all day.

2. I don’t want my work to dictate my life.

3. I didn’t want to be out of shape.

4. I don’t want to consume alcohol.

5. I don’t want to spend my weekends working.

6. I don’t want to compromise my values for money.

7. I don’t want to be surrounded by negativity.

8. I don’t want to engage in meaningless tasks.

9. I don’t want to work for a company I don’t believe in.

10. I don’t want to ignore my passions.

11. I don’t want to follow someone else's dreams.

12. I don’t want to feel unappreciated.

13. I don’t want to live paycheck to paycheck.

14. I don’t want to stay stagnant in my career.

15. I don’t want to settle for mediocrity.

Listing this out then helped me to say NO to projects/ideas/businesses that were going to lead me down a path that I didn’t want to follow.

Over time this led me to create my list of Tiny Wins: 

1. Sleep at least 7 hours.

2. Attempt to make the perfect espresso.

3. Get outside for at least 60 minutes, combined with exercise.

4. Lift something heavy, preferably with others who share the same passion.

5. Get my heart rate above 155 BPM.

6. Meet a new person.

7. Have several engaging conversations.

8. Introduce two people who will benefit from knowing each other.

9. Tell friends, family, and your pattern you love them.

10. Hug, kiss, and share your love with those closest to you.

11. Do something kind. Give without expectations. 

12. Create something.

13. Learn something. Read, listen to a podcast, learn from another human. 

14. Eat wholesome food with positive people. 

15. Participate in something community-oriented. 

16. Plan an adventure.

17. Sauna. Ice. Mediate. Or do Hot Yoga.

So, if you’re stuck, or struggling to figure out what you want to do in life, break out a pen and a piece of paper, and write down your least of “Deal Breakers”. 

Articulating what you don’t want your life to look like, can help you gain clarity on what you want to spend your time doing. 

Today's Optimization

As we age our cells age, but I believe we get to choose what 40-year-old, 50-year-old, and 60-year-old we want to be. I envision mountain biking into my 60's and surfing in my 70's. But here’s a fact, after 30, muscle mass decreases by approximately 3–8% per decade. I’m pretty fascinated with cellular health at the moment and recently I learned the primary cause for this decline is based on mitochondrial function, the “powerhouse” of our cells.

I started researching ways to limit this decline and have come to believe mitochondria are the bedrock of good health. Healthy cells rely on healthy mitochondria. Their optimal function leads to incredible health benefits and is particularly essential to heart, kidney, eye, brain, skin, and muscle function. As we age, mitochondrial function declines. Our mitochondria are constantly renewed to produce energy and fulfill the vast energy demands of muscle, skin, and other tissues, but as we get older, mitochondrial renewal declines and dysfunctional mitochondria accumulate in the cells, resulting in significant issues.

I recently started taking Timeline’s Mitopure (a clinically studied/proven supplement), which unlocks the power of Urolithin A, a molecule that stimulates this crucial recycling and cleansing process in our mitochondria - ultimately protecting cells from age-associated decline. Today Timeline is offering Movement Memo subscribers an exclusive deal: 10% off your first order using code “Hinman” at checkout.

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Publisher: Eric Hinman

Editor-in-chief: Bobby Ryan