Green Pill 013: A recruiter & a brain tumor | HRV & Behavioral Change | Consistency

"If You’re Not Taking Care Of Your Sleep, Exercise And Nutrition, You’re Not Giving Yourself A Fighting Chance Against Depression And Anxiety."

Author

Alex Shinkarovsky
April 22, 2023

Happy Monday, fitfam,

This week's resources to improve your life, and get you where you want to be.

  1. Green Pill Story: A recruiter and a brain tumor

  2. Weekly Quick Recs: (Meme, Consistency, Quote)

  3. Deep Dive:   HRV & behavioral change, continued

Quick ask: want to live in NYC for June. Anyone subletting studio or 1BR in Manhattan or Wburg? Budget $3k.

Green Pill Stories

I had a call with a recruiter this week, who told me that, while I was not at all a fit for his firm, he would coach me on my resume and background.

This, of course, pertained to my sales job and not so much my health work.

Well, guess what?

We did not just touch on resumes, really…

He had a 7 year gap in his resume from the 90s.

Turns out, he coached high school baseball for 7 years, taught special ed and took care of his wife, who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

First, wow, what a gap and what a touching story. Second, if you think you’re lost, this guy took 7 years away from the professional world, and now is a top recruiter at a firm similar to Oracle/Microsoft.

Of course…by the end of the conversation, we talked about how he had stopped working out.

He was a competitive runner, and, as mentioned, really into sports.

But he doesn’t like just working out to work out - wants a goal.

I’ve heard that a lot in my 10 years training folks.

But it’s kinda bullshit. You need to trick your psychology in order to do things which are good for you.

Well, I asked for his mailing address, told him I’d buy him a beer one day, and sent him a book by David Goggins as a thank you.

He even followed up with me and did resume edits via email following our call.*

*As an aside, if you feel stuck, reach out to friends/strangers, and ask them to introduce you to strangers for informational/advice conversations. People are SOO willing to help, and so sweet.

Highlights of the Week

Meme of the Week:

more below…

Health Hacks I’m Testing: Stay Consistent

Well, I always do! That’s really the key, folks. Do (a bit) every day, and then start doing a (bit + X) the next week. If you feel like shit, do (a bit - X) that day, but don’t do nothing.

What I’m Listening To: Rakim

Rakim

open.spotify.com/artist/3PyWEKLWI0vHPmoNrIX0QE?si=CtjIk1gbT-GY7PaDa1q07w

tuck on IG? One.sec app cut my use from 45min→15min day. (no affiliate)

Dawkins, really my favorite football player ever, is one of the best NFL safeties of all time. This is his auto-biography - very honest about his struggles and insight into his innermost thoughts. Really cool as he came from a tough area.

He is a dream guest on my podcast, which I keep teasing but will properly announce soon.

Oh yeah,I emailed his assistant, don’t worry.

Quote(s) I’m Loving:

“I want to remind white folks that y’all were running from us. And you’re still running.”

Michelle Obama, on white flight

Sponsored by…me! 

Feel like you know exactly what to do to be “on it” - and feel your best - but need accountability?  
That’s where I come in.  My clients already know what to do, typically, but appreciate having someone checking on them, tracking them and giving them encouragement and suggestions.

Deep Dive - HRV Tracking (cont.)

As we mentioned last week…

Heart rate variability, or HRV for short, is a measure of your autonomic nervous system that is widely considered one of the best objective metrics for physical fitness and determining your body’s readiness to perform. [WHOOP]

I am testing the OwnIt app.

OwnIt uses a wearable device [e.g., Oura, WHOOP, soon Apple Watch] to track your HRV, sleep, heart rate, exercise, etc…

And, it tracks your Habits - in other words, what behaviors do you do daily?

  • Meditation

  • Phone usage

  • Morning sunlight

  • Sauna

  • Eating Meat

The last piece is a Coach (large via in-app text message).

…The combo of accountability, measurement and correlation is the key triad for making change, I believe.

OwnIt is not available to the public - largely sold to sports teams today for their athletes to manage their life off-the-field. Follow them on Twitter.

But, you can get a WHOOP, Cardiomood or Oura ring, and hire a coach like me, to do the same.

Or, do it yourself by tracking your habits and data in WHOOP’s journal, Heads Up Health, or just a spreadsheet (use mine).

P.S. Just referring you to these resources - no commission or anything like that.

Thanks for reading. Your feedback really helps! This takes me an hour to put together!

You may find out more about my lifestyle adjustment & coaching services at my site, or read a Case Study here.