Operation instructions of an achiever (physical, mental, spiritual and everything else)

[Mr. Tusk]

Dear fellows. I have another thread about my journey from slowlane to fastlane and I posted some advices on mindset and well-being. I am starting a separate thread due to feedback and encouragement. Please see my progress thread HERE. Let me now start this thread by sharing a very good tool and approach that you can use to do a reality check of your life and surroundings.

OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS OF AN ACHIEVER - PART #1 - AN ASSESSMENT TOOL

First, your mental health is crucial to your life. It surpasses all “whys”, values, and you name it. Your mental health is even more important than your physical health since you can’t enjoy a good physique if you are f*cked up in your head. So, if you feel that your activities, habits, etc., are diminishing your mental well-being, change them asap.

Next comes your purpose (of "why"). Perhaps you want to save the world, save oceans, or cure cancer. My purpose is that I want to leave a legacy to my daughter and the rest of my family line of a person who lived true to his abilities and was able to grow throughout his life, and helped my daughter and family to do the same. As you might see, I don't have that strong "why" so I made up one from things that are important to me. Works for me.

Next comes your identity. This refers to a person's sense of self and their role in the world. You need to decide what your identity is to act according to it. My identity is “Resourceful business athlete philosopher doer.” You can’t just be a hobbyist on something, or you can, but then your identity is a hobbyist, and you never put your full effort into it. As an example, let me explain my identity:

Resourceful = I am resourceful since I am smart, figure out solutions to problems, can build things with my hands, write books, you name it
Business = I am all business, like business, like to make money, like to understand how business and economy works
Athlete = there is no either or. If you want to be in shape until your 100s then you need to be an athlete, eat good food, sleep enough, don’t drink too much. A necessity.
Philosopher = I am a very practical stoic philosopher. It is my way of keeping true to myself and not having outside influences determine my reaction to things. This is so important in the current social media saturated world. I must remember that I can only control my mind and actions, nothing outside.
Doer = This is vital. Nothing happens without doing. An idea is worthless without execution. I can’t emphasize enough the virtue of being an action-oriented doer and accomplishing things through your actions.

Next comes values/beliefs. This refers to the fundamental principles and beliefs that guide a person's thoughts, feelings, and behavior. These determine what’s right or wrong for me and are the basis of my actions. E.g., I believe that I can improve my circumstances with my own actions and the well-being of my family is one of my key values. I believe that with perfect practice you can learn any skill (more of that below).

Next comes capabilities. This refers to a person's skills, knowledge, and competencies, as well as their physical and mental abilities. What are my skills and competencies? The good thing is that I can learn needed new skills quickly and efficiently as I have learned a skill of learning quickly (you can read that again).

Then comes behavior. This refers to the actions and behaviors that a person engages in, including their body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Am I behaving according to my identity and values? Is some of my behavior not beneficial to myself, my health, and others? If not, that’s easy to change: I start to behave differently.

Last comes the environment. This refers to the external factors that influence a person, including their physical surroundings, the people they interact with, and the culture and society in which they live. All of the above are internal, and this is external. How are my surroundings in my home, in my workplace? Are the people I hang out with aligned with the above?

Some of you might notice that I am almost citing Logical Levels. That’s true, and you can use this approach to check is there something that you should change, do less, or do more. E.g throughout the years, I have changed my behavior, learned a ton of new skills, pushed myself to new environments, learned to keep my environment tidy and serene, changed from reactive to predictive, and even changed half of my identity and more than half of my values. I actually grew up in the rural countryside and I learned a lot from books, not doing stuff with people. So, needed to learn a lot about social game etc. when I moved to bigger cities and abroad in my mid 20s.

When doing the check, you will know that when something is not fitting, you feel it. Then you can change it. I am just in the process of letting some of my old friends go. Unfortunately, their behavior and beliefs don't fit my current personality and values, and being with them causes uneasiness. I notice the same from their side, so better to take some distance.

In summary, the above is a great tool to do a reality check from time to time on yourself, your behavior, and your surroundings.

Thanks for reading, and I will dive into the most efficient morning and evening routines next.

 

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[Mr. Tusk]

Ok, time for the next instruction. But before that some fundamentals and my own observations when you start this journey:

• Do more what works and less of what doesn’t work
• Everybody knows what to do, just DO IT – but hey => you do need more knowledge and some self-reflection since these things take time to show effects.
• Mind and body are one; everything affects everything
• It’s long-game, but you can create a significant change in less than two weeks
• Getting started has friction as you can only pile up so many things before they turn into habits. Be easy on yourself, follow-up and adjust, use the feedback loop
• “It takes half of life to discover that life is a do-it-yourself project” – Napoleon Hill

By the way, everything that follows is researched, based on human physiology, psychology, NLP and tested with myself and several others in our own "human experiment".

OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS OF AN ACHIEVER - PART #2 - THE MORNING ROUTINE

The purpose of the routine is to prepare you for the day. When the routine is done, you are already getting after it

1. Open your eyes. Say to yourself out loud “look there is no dirt, it’s going to be a good day”. You should have an alarm clock that mimics a sunrise and wakes you up with birds singing or similar.
2. Indulge for a few minutes in positive feelings: gratefulness, love, and self-esteem. You don’t need to invoke the feelings from past memories – just spin the feelings faster and wash and rinse yourself with the feelings – you know how they feel already – supercharge the emotion 10 times 10!
3. Do a short energy meditation that gathers up good white light energy in your body, heart, and mind. This will make you F*cking glow, literally.
4. Ask yourself a question: did something pop up or re-arrange during the night? You can write answers down in your journal.
5. Direct your focus => "this is going to be THAT day when I do X and create Y. Remind yourself that this can also be the last day and thus there is no point in holding yourself back on anything (some Memento Mori always spices it up).
6. Automatic gratitude when your feet hit the floor. Breathe in, smile, and say “it’s a good day”. (yes, it's an anchor or a trigger)
7. Hydrate the body (have 0.5l (two cups) of water by your bed ready), move the body with 5min morning yoga practice while the coffee is brewing, feed the body (also supplements: D3, Omega3), wash the body with a cold shower
8. Do the things that create what you want to create that day. Start by making your bed to get that first achievement in. Folding your clothes, making your bed, tidying up etc. are good ways to start your day as get you in the mood for doing things and feeling good after you have done them. This will kick-start your flow and you just build on that for the rest of the day. Remember that motivation comes from doing things not waiting for motivation to show up and then doing things.

Notes:

• I forgot one – delaying and procrastination. I always forget that one. Even if I remember it, I delay and procrastinate on it.
• The first six bullet points take only a few min, but they prime the day perfectly. When you do this consciously for a few weeks, it will turn into a habit, and you will do it automatically
• Avoid screens until step 8.
• If you move the body by going to the gym or a run before breakfast: just hydrate, drink coffee, and drink something for energy e.g. BCAA and some good carbohydrates – only enough to fuel you during the training. Do the morning yoga in any case in the morning before going to the gym.
• As a morning yoga I prefer THIS It's a short drill from Mark Divine, under 5min. You have no excuses for not having 5min to do this in the morning.

Thanks for reading. Go ahead and test it out and tell me how it's working.

 

[Mr. Tusk]

I did the morning routine today as accurately as possible. Result: before 8.30 at the customer's office, workout done, yoga done, 2 liters of water in the system, sharp as a tack and fit for a fight. I was conscious about it today, but the end goal is to turn it into a habit. But now let's dive into the topic of today:

OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS OF AN ACHIEVER - PART #3 - THE EVENING ROUTINE

The purpose of the routine is to close the day and wind you down for the night. When the routine is done, you are fast asleep.

• Even before the evening routine, close the workday before closing the computer – update to-do lists, calendar future events, plan the next day, plan sequence of events, etc. Make notes about where to start tomorrow morning. This helps you to clear your mind from work.
• You might do a practice of the day, e.g., read a book, meditate, or do a breathing exercise to break your work state and transition to your outside work chores.
• During the evening - winding down and priming for the night
  • (optional: stretching or yoga. Make them slow paced e.g. yin yoga)
  • Avoid screens for 1hr before going to bed
  • Take evening supplements: magnesium, ashwagandha, B12, night-time protein
  • Get everything ready for the morning. Gym clothes, work clothes, water by the bed. This will enable you to just start in the morning)
  • Do a closing review of the day ritual (you can also write these down in your journal)
    • What was positive about your day – associate in your mind (see through your own eyes)
    • What was negative or unpleasant about your day? Disassociate (see yourself from the outside), reframe as learnings
    • Do this also with family members. The closing of the day talk with kids is very beneficial as they will form a habit of reframing bad things into learning and focusing on the positive side.
  • Brush your teeth and do other necessary things, and if you take a shower – take a warm shower to wind down and get sleepy. Save cold showers for mornings.
  • Wind down and (in bed) read something to put in your mind for the night (use orange light or orange sunglasses to block the blue light).
  • Turn off the lights
  • Optional: listen to a story, hypnosis, etc. (Doze app, Oura stories, Paul McKenna, Synctuition, etc.)
  • Sleep happy as a clam
• (Avoid: nightcap. Alcohol will ruin your sleep)

Doing your evening routine (or ritual) as above helps you to wind down from your active day. The evening routine only takes the same time you usually use during evenings. Except for this time, you will do it with a gist.

You can test out the routine and tell me how it works. Please remember there is a lot of research (not just stuff from fad books or online) behind all the steps, but it would take me a book to write everything. Before that, let’s go with bullet points .

We will get back later about how to change the habits in practice, and I will still entertain you with new operation instructions this week. Follow these, and you will WIN BIG in 2023!

 

[Mr. Tusk]

Alright, now we have our morning and evening routines in place. In order to create a solid foundation for you to deliver exceptional results for decades, we need to get you fit for the fight. Let's dive into the best practice of exercising.

OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS OF AN ACHIEVER - PART #4 - THE EXERCISE

Being fit is a secret sauce of being an achiever. You can go on without taking care of yourself until your mid-30s, but then you will hit a wall. The earlier we fix this, the better; the best time to start was long ago, and the second best is right now. People move too little, overeat, and have bad nutrition, causing them to almost check out in their 60s. So, let’s change that and create a structure that gives you a clear mind and a strong body straight to 100s.

There is a lot of research on exercising, and some of the fundaments are: resistance training three times per week, cardio to keep you lean and your heart and body healthy, and stretching to keep you flexible. Top that with good nutrition and enough rest; you are a WINNER!

Based on the above, let’s create a training program:

• Strength training – basic movements as a basis: Mon - benchpress, Wed - squats, Fri - deadlift
• Basic aerobic conditioning (heart rate zone 2) – running, cycling 45min Tue and Thu. Top up with 10min of pushups, squats, calf raises, and crunches to keep your muscles active.
• Flexibility training – everyday morning yoga 5min.
• Day off – Saturday (remember the morning yoga)
• Longer zone 2 aerobic training on Sunday – 1 to 1.5hrs

This training regime will take you less than 1hr per day, and I do it in the mornings. Like one of the masters said: if you train in the mornings, you create an extra workday worth of energy and achievement to your day.

You might want to take an easier week every three weeks. Listen to your body. Please remember that we are creating an active lifestyle that will be a habit for the rest of your life. To create an active lifestyle, let's add some movement to your day and life in general:

• Be active during the day: stand up by your desk, have a walking meeting, squat to chairs, have dumbbells by your desk, walk the stairs, etc.
• Earn your food: 10 pushups, 10 squats, 10 crunches, and 10 calf raises before every meal.
• Have an active hobby: golf, swimming, hunting, hiking
• Have active holidays: a yoga camp in India, freestyle skiing training in Switzerland, and a city holiday with a lot of walking.
• Create a once-per-year challenge. This is where you push yourself: climb a mountain, run a marathon, or hike for 200km with a backpack.

To support your training regime, you need 1) good nutrition (we get back to this) and 2) rest/recovery/prehab.

Rest/recovery means that your body needs time to recover. That’s why you have one day off from all training (except the morning yoga). You also take easier weeks if needed, e.g. every three weeks. You also need to sleep enough to recover: 6 to 8hrs per night.

Prehab means preventing injuries beforehand (you don’t need rehab). Have a massage, or visit an osteopath or chiropractor once per month. I have visited an osteopath once per month for the past 15 years.

Some fundaments to add:

• Train right. If you haven’t lifted weights, use a PT to get started. I have had a few PTs along the way, and I prefer one who is also a physiotherapist. They can help you with correct movement, muscle balance, ranges of motion, etc. a lot more than your regular PT.
• Be easy on yourself. We are building an exercise habit to last a lifetime. If you miss a workout or two and life gets you – no probs. If you get 80% done, you are all good. Also, start easy and give your body some time to adjust. You can start with walking the morning runs and lifting very light weights at the gym. The most important thing is to get you moving – now!

Let’s end with a disclaimer. I am not a healthcare professional, but all of the above is based on scientific studies with the angle of energy management and longevity, common sense, and results from my own human lab. Please find a picture of my typical week below. You can see it’s the same training program I described above.

Let’s have an active day!

 

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[Mr. Tusk]

Alright, alright, alright, now that we have set you up for a more active lifestyle, let's check how we can get you running 2-3 times per week. You will be surprised how easy it will be after you read the instructions below.

OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS OF AN ACHIEVER - PART #5 - HOW TO START RUNNING REGULARLY (BY NOT FOCUSING ON RUNNING) AND THE SECRET OF ZONE 2

One of the most asked questions is about how to start running. Usually, people are very much focused on how long they can run and why can’t take run longer etc. We are making running easy by taking the running away from running and only focusing on your heart rate and for how long your heart rate stays moderately elevated. Sounds easy!

If you want to start your running habit, please follow the instructions below and remember to be consistent and keep a slow enough pace. The results will be cumulative in a few months when you keep getting after it each week.

Training slowly enough pace means running (or walking in the beginning) in heart rate zone 2. This is the basic conditioning zone, and our purpose is to build your basic conditioning.

This is the secret source - make a note! E.g. Nordic cross-country skiers train 85% in zone 2, and it creates a foundation (together with weight training) onto which all of your other training is built. As building the basics is our focus, you can continue with your basic conditioning runs until further notice.

When you have been doing 2-3 Zone 2 runs per week for six months, you can vary your training if you are planning e.g. to run a half-marathon. Otherwise, you just keep doing this. Once 70-year gentleman, who was only training a max 120 bpm several hours at a time, handed me my a$$ very nicely on a 55km hike in rough terrain with heavy rucks. There is a secret in Zone 2 and we are on a mission now to find it.

How to get started then? Personally, I have always hated running. I have found it boring and monotonous. Also, I haven’t been a good runner. So, after I turned 40, I thought I would get the most results by going after the things I didn’t like. So, I started running.

In self-development folklore and literature, people walk first around the block, then run 20 meters, then walk two times around the block, and so it goes until they are running marathons. Here again, the focus is on running, and as we learned, you start running by not focusing on running.

My best practice to start a running habit is as follows:

• First, you allocate a minimum of two times 45min time for running/jogging/walking.
• Then you figure out a standard route.
• For the first week, you just have two brisk walks. You can surely walk for 45min.
• For the second week, you get a heart rate chest belt and a training watch like Suunto or Garmin; calculate your Zone 2 and program it to the watch. Also, buy good running shoes with soft enough soles to run on asphalt. Note that there are many ways to calculate Zone2. My way of calculating is a bit lower than typical in the US and at 46yrs my zone 2 is 111-139bpm. Google is your friend.
• From the second week, you will do your 45min jogs and outsource your pace to your watch. A sports watch will monitor your heart rate and tell (beep-beep) you when you should run faster or slower (read: walk or run).
• Now you have committed to moving yourself in Zone 2, and whether you are walking or running, that’s up to your current conditioning. Trust me; you will do much more walking than you initially thought. You don’t need to worry about the distance either. You just go on for 45min and outsource your pace to your sports watch.
• One month in, you will add a third jog to your weekend for 1-1.5 hours. This can be even lower paced e.g. Nordic walking (with sticks) or then just regular jogging in Zone 2.

A couple of notes:

• There are various Zone 2 calculators online. The ground rule is that you should be able to talk when running on Zone 2 (e.g. check David Goggins' instagram). If you are out of breath while running, lower the upper limit. After you get into the habit, you can actually test the limits with a blood test while you are cycling an exercise bike. I haven't done this myself but I will at some stage.
• Don’t trust the wrist heart rate monitor but buy the chest belt. The wrist monitoring usually reacts slowly, is inaccurate, and doesn’t work well if you have tattoos or thicker hair on your wrists.
• Be patient; your pace will increase while the heart rate will stay in zone 2. In a few months, you will be running for the whole 45min.
• After six months of running, you can ask for advice from a running coach when your basic conditioning is better. Before that, you just focus on moving your body and making this a habit. You have your slot allocated to your calendar, and your sports watch tells you the speed. It's easy: just get your sneakers on and your feet on your route.
• Buy good quality running shoes. I like Altra since they have a wider toe box, which mimics barefoot running and zero rise on the heel.
• For extra motivation, imagine how much fat your weekly jogs will burn. Bye-bye, love handles.
• Finally: learn from my mistake. I started as a variation of self-development folklore. I picked a 6 km standard route. The first week I ran 500m and walked 500m. In the second week, I ran 750m and walked 500m, and then I progressively shortened my walking distances and prolonged the running distances each week until I ran the whole 6km (the first and last 500m were walking for warming up and cooling down). I was running it at around 45min, wondering why my heart rate didn’t drop. The short answer is that I was running too fast and didn’t build the basic conditioning in the beginning. Hence, please follow the process above.

I hope you liked this approach. I challenge everybody to test it out in their own human laboratory (read: with yourself). I will add a few more habits, before attacking the big one: how to program these habits into your own operating system for good. Until that: let’s be active!

 

[Mr. Tusk]

OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS OF AN ACHIEVER - PART #6 - HOW TO DRINK ENOUGH WATER

We all know that we should drink a lot of water. Probably more than we are drinking right now. Let's dive into how we achieve this easily.

But first why drinking water is essential:

• The human body is 60% of water. You want to keep that percentage.
• It keeps your mind clear. 75% of the brain is water, and even 2% dehydration can have an effect.
• Avoids headaches.
• Flushes your system.
• Makes muscles grow.
• Keeps joints lubricated.
• Keeps you lean (when you drink water, you don’t drink soda or beer).

How much to drink?

This varies per person. My daily water intake is around 3 – 3,5 liters (3/4 of a gallon). Some of my friends drink a gallon, but I find that too much for me. I might get up to a gallon during more intense training and/or during summer. Depending on your size, you probably find a correct intake between 2 and 5 liters.

Ok, we all know that we should be drinking water, but how to turn it into a habit?
There are a few best practices, and I would pick:

1. integrate drinking water into your other routines
2. use bottles and glasses that make you feel good
3. flavoring your water

How to drink daily:

• Have a large glass (a pint) and a 1-liter drinking bottle.
• Put your glass beside your bed in the evening (as a part of your evening routine), and when you wake up, hydrate with 0.5 liters (as a part of your morning routine). Then, when making breakfast, fill the glass and drink another 0.5 liters. That’s a liter down when you are finished with your breakfast.
• When training, have your trusty 1-liter bottle with you and finish that. After a workout, mix your protein powder to 0.5 liters. Now you have already drank 2.5 liters.
• Drink the rest during your meals and while working.
• When sitting by your desk, keep your large glass next to you. Then, when you have a break, fill your glass.
• When on the move, have your trusty drinking bottle with you.
• Cut down on the water when getting closer to bedtime for obvious reasons.

It takes a while to program this as a habit, so be mindful about your water intake for the first week or two, and then it will become automated.

How to pick bottles and glasses that make you feel good?

All the drinking vessels have a different feel to them. Some bottles are pleasant to drink but not easy to clean, and some are vice versa. You want something you like to keep in your hand and touch your lips tens of times per day for years – please use some time to select the correct ones. I use a specially designed beer glass from a famous designer and Nalgene wide-mouth bottle. I also don’t have a different shaker for protein drinks. I shake them in Nalgene with some ice and then wash the bottle for the following water round. I like to keep it simple: just one glass and one water bottle.

How to flavor your water for added taste?

You can also flavor your water just a bit but don’t use anything sweet or buy the vitamin waters (they have a lot of sugar and are just dyed water). Instead, I use fresh lime vinegar for the water (vinegar is also supposed to burn fat), or I throw in fresh frozen berries from the freezer, just for the taste. Of course, you can drink bottled water, but tap water is purer than bottled water in our country. Also, keep things simple; drink plain water. You can save the carbonated water as an extra treat for a special dinner.

These were my current best practices for hydration. Do you have your own to share so we can finetune the process? Like always, please test these practices in your human laboratory (read: yourself).

Let’s stay hydrated!

Added disclaimer: please read the next post. I should have added more info regarding a) hydration in relation to sports b) not being stupid and drinking too much water. So, be smart and listen to your body.

 

[heavy_industry]

Thanks for the update @Mr. Tusk

This idea that you need to drink large amounts of water every day has been very popular for decades. It is very controversial and may not be optimal for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, our body has natural signaling mechanism to make us do or stop doing something to prevent harm. If we try to override this safety mechanism and drink more water than we feel we need, we may or may not run into problems, depending on a number of factors.

For example, there were a number of athletes that have dropped dead because they drank too much water during marathons because they were following a similar hydration theory.

Another example would be a woman that has died during a "water drinking contest".

There is a thing called "osmotic pressure" that happens at the cellular level, which is kept in balance by minerals called "electrolytes". Disrupting this pressure can be life threatening.

Drinking more water than necessary will cause the body to flush out electrolytes, and actually make us dehydrated!

I do not have in depth knowledge on this subject, but I will study this issue later. A great resource is the book "Waterlogged" by Tim Noakes.

All I know is that the body is very smart and listening to its signals is usually a good idea. Drinking when thirsty might be a safer strategy for most people.


Thanks again for the update!
Looking forward to seeing the rest of your high-achieving protocol!

 

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[Mr. Tusk]

Thanks @heavy_industry - a very good point! And I appreciate it when you call it a "protocol."

If you look at @heavy_industry links, the lady killed herself by drinking too much in a foolish water-drinking competition. There is a condition called "water poisoning," and it looks like she got it. Perhaps she would not have participated if she had known that people had killed themselves in jail by drinking excess water.

In the other link, there is a case when a person dies during a marathon run in the heat (but not extreme). With a quick read, he was drinking the bottled water arranged by the organizers. I know this condition, and people do pass out in extreme heat when flushing the system too much for the lack of electrolytes. In the case of the person in our link, he was also doing intense physical activity - running a marathon. It also shows a lack of preparation. Some of my friends are running marathons and have a hydration and energy plan with all kinds of sports drinks, energy gels, and you name it.

As said, I know this phenomenon and remember some cases from the "sandbox" when soldiers were not acclimatized and just tried to compensate by drinking water and ended up passing out and getting electrolytes back with IV. We are talking here drinking around 8 to 10 liters of water.

I had it happen to me once after a full day of soldiering in direct sunlight +30Centigrade (90 Fahrenheit) heat with heavy gear and no food, only plain water. I didn't pass out but got a condition where I was dizzy, throwing up, etc., and it wasn't enjoyable. As there was no medic, I visited a local pizza place and had a small glass of water with lots of salt and sugar and topped that with pizza. It took around an hour to be back to normal. The lack of food and low blood sugar surely were contributing factors.

Nowadays, I know better, and when hiking in extreme heat conditions, I add "hydro tablets" to my drinking water. They supply the body with electrolytes and keep the fluid balance in the body (not just letting the water pass through).

As a disclaimer to the previous post - please don't be stupid. Anything can be poisonous if done in excess. For me, around 3 liters of water is good on a typical day with a normal portion of food, nutrients, and training. If I go for a long hike in heat, then I use hydro tablets. If I run a marathon, I make a totally different drinking plan. Be smart about it.

Remember that achievers are smart and resourceful. Please be one.

Ok, now when we opened Pandora's box about water - should we get ready for the big one - food, nutrition and diet