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Athletes, especially those who engage in endurance activities are typically familiar with VO2max because it’s a useful predictor of their performance in races. As we age, VO2max is also a good predictor of what physical activities we will be able to engage in, so I think it’s useful for everyone to be aware of. What…
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When I first started to learn about nutrition, I found a lot of conflicting information about protein. The USFDA recommendations were low. Advice to body builders was high. There seemed to be differing views about optimal timing, the minimum effective dose, maximum effective dose, etc. Yesterday I listed to podcast #224 ‒ Dietary protein: amount…
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TL;DR I have seen excessive media consumption have a profoundly negative impact on friends. One had the news on in the background whenever she was home. It led to her being anxious and worried all the time. She recognized this and started to limit how much time she listened to the news. Within a few…
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Retirement: A stage of life when you are able to invest time without being constrained by the need to earn a salary. It becomes easier to pursue things that you think are truly worthwhile without having to make compromises. It’s possible to be “retired” and be working a job that pays you a salary if…
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Trekking packs are similar to travel packs, but put more of an emphasis on carry comfort and typically optimizes the volume to weight ratio. Trekking packs are often a bit narrower than typical carry-on sized travel packs and taller than typical personal sized daypacks. Travel packs typically have an “urban vibe”, prioritizing organizational features, ease…
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The Camino de Santiago is an amazing experience for nearly everyone. For some, it’s a once in a life time experience. For others, it is repeated regularly, it’s part of their life’s rhythm. Almost all are touched by what is called the Camino spirit. This is the combination of kindness, curiosity, and openness without judgement…
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I am a fan of Dr. Peter Attia who is a physician focused on the science of longevity. He strives to help his patients simultaneously improving lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease) and healthspan (quality of life). In 2023 he released the book Outlive where he systematically explains his approach to healthcare which is focused on prevention…
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Nearly fifty years ago I was looking through a book of early Peanuts cartoons while I waited for my violin lesson. One of the comics showed the simple pleasure of a cool breeze on a hot day. Since that day whenever I feel a cool breeze I will pause for a few seconds and relish…
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TL;DR My three rethinking posts (part 1, part 2, and this one) were written at the end of December 2021, but I delayed posting until plans for my retirement had been settled. I think anyone reading this would realize I was transitioning and didn’t want to send that signal before my boss and company were…
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In part I shared several of the changes that had a high impact on my mid-life reset in 2011 after my wife passed. Ten years later I am even more confident that those were were worthwhile. In this post I am going to reflect on several decisions I made ten years ago. This is a…
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I am troubled by the increasingly polarized “discussions” I hear on many podcasts, in social media, and in person. I am not just talking about politics. I see the same sort of thing when people are discussing diets, system architectures, training programs, or child raising. Often I see people making bold, absolute claims. They will…
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I recently talked with a student I mentored years ago about some mid-life course corrections he was considering. This prompted me to think about my mid-life transition in 2011-2012 as I grappled with losing Libby to cancer. The follow is a remembrance of what changed then, and how I think about these issues ten years…
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TL;DR Treating others as valuable by taking the time to really listen and to be present in the moment is one of the most impactful practices anyone can engage in. Not thinking about what’s next. Not thinking about how to respond, but giving people our whole attention. A friend was telling me about how he had been learning to…
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I use feedly to subscribe to around 100 RSS feeds which generates around 400 messages a day. I scan the subject lines, open those that look interesting, and save in Evernote Bear those that I might want to reference at a later time. In the past I also use Flipboard which allowed me to combine…
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These days most western churches record their sermons and put them online. I expect that if a person dedicated all their waking time to listen to all the sermons preached on just one Sunday, they would died long before they listened to even half the recordings. The quality of these sermons is highly variable. Life…
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Top The following are set to automatically get downloaded and put at the beginning of my listening queue: Recommended The following are podcasts that I am current enjoying. I automatically download them my phone to the end of my queue. Past Recommendations The following are podcast that I used to listen to every episode, but…
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TL;DR I became intrigued by the digital nomad lifestyle in the 1980s. I got to know a number of the early digital nomads, and followed many more via blogs / websites. My minor claim to fame was that Rolf Potts noted in his book Vagabonding that my travel light page provided useful information. The majority…
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Several items on my personal gear list were used by the whole family, and thus, this page was born. I have excluded our furniture. We keep only those items that are useful and/or are enjoyed which allows our family to focus on doing things that we find rewarding rather than devoting ourselves to managing stuff.…
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I have an updated list which captures what I am using now. Minimalism led me to simplify my possessions. Each year I review what I used the previous year to determine what changes I want to make. I strive to use items that enable me to have an a healthy, impactful life, while minimizing friction.…
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If you listen to popular culture and the ads which “inform” us about acceptable conduction you would be inclined to believe that there are numerous specialized products and activities that we must engaged in for the sake of properness. I ran a series of experiments in the last fifteen years to see if these were…