👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #162 of The Everyday Athlete Newsletter.
Here are my 3 favourite ideas, learns and resources to help you improve your performance this week (4 min read):
🏆 How I make chasing hard goals feel easier
If you wanna achieve any worthwhile health and fitness goal, you have to become process-driven.
And I'm gonna share one way I know how to help do that..
Because while outcome-focused people ride the rollercoaster of motivation, process-driven people keep rising because they measure success by showing up. Their progress doesn’t depend on feelings, just actions.
This is a lesson I learned from chasing the 2020 Olympics.
I was obsessed with the outcome. Getting on the plane to Tokyo, winning a gold medal.
I lost sight of why I played. I lost my love of the game.
And my wellbeing was pegged to my performance on the field.
Which led to highly inconsistent states I’d show up to training and games with.
Which (surprise) led to highly inconsistent performances.
And in the end, my olympic dream never happened.
But maybe a blessing in disguise. Because it taught me how to become more process-focused (in whatever I was chasing - footy, health, fitness, business..).
And one way I learned to do that:
Optimism.
See, if we can take the frame that we will eventually get where we wanna go, that it’ll all work out..
We can learn to enjoy the process more. Even when it feels like we’re wading through a pile of sh*t.
Because we know it’s the price of getting where we want to go.
We believe if we stick at it, we’ll get there eventually.
So we can soak up the process a bit more.
Enjoy it.
So if you think about something you’re chasing at the moment.
Maybe a marathon time, a weight loss goal, even just a consistent healthy habit...
Accept there’s gonna be some piles of sh*t to wade through on the way.
But believe there’s an end to it with a pot of gold.
And that pile of sh*t won't smell as bad all of a sudden.
💊 Trump, panadol & autism: the scientific breakdown
Last week, Trump claimed pregnant women taking Panadol (Tylenol/acetaminophen) increases risk of autism in their child.
Louisa Nicola (neurophysiologist + bit of a wizard) did the digging.
And debunked the sh*t out of the study it was based on.
The short version:
- 🗑️ The “evidence” is statistical junk
- 😰 The benefits of panadol/tylenol for things like fever during pregnancy are real
- ❌ The supposed “harms” are weak as piss
- 🎭 This whole saga is what happens when political theatre meets poor science literacy
Her conclusion sums it up:
“If you're pregnant and you need Tylenol for fever or pain, take the damn Tylenol. The evidence for harm is weaker than gas station coffee, and the evidence for benefit - like not having a high fever while pregnant - is actually real.”
Read her full breakdown here: The FDA Has Lost Its Mind
🍸 The case for cookies and cocktails
Interesting take in this video from Professor Scott Galloway: while only 6% of young people are addicted to alcohol, 24% are addicted to social media.
He reckons that maybe we need a bit more balance. Bit more real life.
And if that means a spicy marg or 5 once in a while, maybe that's a good thing (he didn't say 5, I may have added that).
Of course, physiologically, alcohol isn't good for us. But socially, emotionally, sometimes it’s what we need.
Same with anything. A tower of toffee fudge brownie cookies aren't good for us on paper. But having them occasionally can be the very thing that makes eating well most of the time sustainable.
It's about balance. And what we do most of the time.
That's it!
Have a great weekend 🤙
Matt
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The Everyday Athlete Newsletter is not a licensed health service nor a substitute for professional health advice, treatment or assessment. The information shared in this email is general and written for a specific audience. If you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional.
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