Tim Ferriss - 5-Bullet Friday — July 17, 2020

5-Bullet Friday

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Bullet Friday,” a list of what I’m pondering and exploring.

What I’m loving for exercise —
GORUCK, specifically their ruck plates, sandbags, and “the Rucker.” I can run, but my knees don’t love it. In the past month, I’ve been “rucking” instead—hiking or walking with weight on my back—2–4x per week. I’m astonished by how much I love it. Huffing on trails while listening to a well-narrated audiobook (currently trying Island by Aldous Huxley) has proven hugely therapeutic, and it can turn an unpleasant day around. For the basics of training, check out this link. The gear isn’t cheap, but even if you only have a short circuit, this can change the game. At 165 pounds, I most often do 2.5-mile loops while carrying 30 pounds in the Rucker, and I’ll soon work up to 45–55 pounds. Given some past hip and back issues, I’m progressing slowly. Below is one guideline from their site:

“Our recommendation: start with 20 lbs, progress in increments of ~10 lbs., and ultimately max out at ⅓ of your bodyweight. It’s more important to keep proper form than to have more weight. If you’re looking for a greater challenge at any weight, ruck faster.”

What I’m eating when the snack monster visits —
Crackers from Hu Kitchen. Hu started as a Paleo-inspired restaurant in NYC and quickly developed a cult following for their unique creations, including award-winning Paleo/vegan dark chocolate. I’ve been eating their new crackers as a post-workout (or post-booze, if I’m being honest) treat. They are Paleo, plant based, gluten free, and have no added oils, sugars, or refined starches. Just as important to me, they taste amazing. A note of warning: it’s easy to polish off an entire box in one sitting, as I just did with the pizza flavor, which is my favorite. I liked Hu’s products so much that I became an advisor, something I very rarely do these days.

What I’m using after days of too much sitting —
Nayoya needle pad (acupressure mat). Perhaps five years ago, I injured my shoulder and lat in handstand training. This needle pad was recommended to me by Cirque du Soleil performer and freak of nature Andrii Bondarenko (here’s one example of his astonishing skill and strength) as one means to speed recovery. In the Ukraine, he used this type of mat daily after strenuous acrobatics practice, particularly for back pain. I’ve found 6–10 minutes per session, 1–2 times per day, to have a near-miraculous effect on mid-back issues (and thoracic mobility, oddly). It could be placebo, of course, but after five years of use, I’ve found it consistently helpful. Most recently, I’ve been using it after too much sitting and before exercise. Important caveat: start slow, my eager little friends. The “thorns” are sharp. There are also many different brands available, as this has become a commodity product.

New tool I am enjoying —
Pantam Stand from Aviot Woodcrafts Workshop. Short description: “The Pantam Stand is a revolutionary, lightweight, foldable playing stand designed especially for handpans and tongue drums. It allows playing the instrument while both standing up or sitting down and has a custom, easy-to-use, height-adjusting mechanism.”

This gadget will only apply to 0.01% of you, but you can all enjoy the virtuosity of great handpan music, like “Prelude No. 1” here.

Quote I’m pondering —
“Forgiveness is not forgetting. Forgiveness is freedom from hate.”
— Valarie Kaur

And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it.

Have a wonderful weekend, all.

Much love to you and yours,

Tim

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