Reasoned Hacking

 

Circumstantial Enhancements

 

Towards the end of last year I was fortunate enough to do an in-depth blog interview with a former-professional athlete. Whilst the central theme involved retirement from elite sport, the tail end of the Q&A focused on the term "hack", an increasing buzz word in the fitness industry.

"I despise the term “hacking” because it connotes “shortcut”", retorted the interviewee upon my inquiring of some basic lifestyle advice for amateur athletes in pursuit of peak performance. He went onto dismiss various myths in favor of slowing down and mellowing out in pursuit of balance. I have to admit that I was rather relieved to hear of his argument, especially given the countless instances of people looking for the next great "secret" to improved athletic performance. 

 

Over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in various lifestyle adjustments and routines (in the best sense of the term) to enhance my own athletic performance, all the while retaining a semblance of balance. Other peoples approaches always seem to pique my interest, although I'm not necessarily inclined to copy for the sake of it. What I have noticed is a marked simplification of my own athletic approach, especially in the past year or so. It's not rocket science, I always say and "it" really isn't.

Perhaps the best "tools" that I've come to embrace are those that I stumbled upon by accident, or even circumstance.

Case in point over two years ago and our company's move to business premises on a local farm. Having come to embrace running to (and sometimes from) the office, this new location afforded this regimen on a daily basis. The caveat was where to shower and, given our sharing the premises with the resident caretakers, I soon found a solution, albeit with a twist: a shower in the adjacent garage with no hot water.

While it was the heat of summer at the time, the onset of winter posed a potential problem. Give up morning commuting because of lack of hot water? Not a chance, and I gradually grew immune to the unpleasantness and starkness of cold showers during the winter months, amid much head-shaking from those who found out about my alleged lunacy.

The benefits of cooling the body are well known and include the likes of reduced inflammation, increased immune resistance, improved mood and recovery and so on. Sure, I already knew all that but I'm not sure taking frigid showers purely for these reasons would be of benefit just for the sake of it. Often the best lifestyle "hacks" come by chance, such is another increasing athletic passion of mine: barefoot beach running.

I've become a student and avid observer of the local tides and at least one weekend jaunt is scheduled when the sea is out. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as the simplicity of this activity, not to mention the obvious physical benefits. While the whole minimalist craze has perhaps come and gone, it still resonated with me and I reasoned that it's truest form meant no shoes. Solution: the local beach, which goes on for miles. Initial forays were tentative but I quickly realized that I had found something that would indeed become a deep passion. That said, barefoot running might not be for everyone but it sure can benefit those who are keen to try.

 

Over the past year, a friend of mine has come to embrace beach running. Prone to injury and leading a busy lifestyle, the guy was getting increasingly frustrated by recurring ailments when attempting consistent running. My constant haggling and extolling the noticeable restorative benefits of my own beach running passion eventually wore him down to give it a try. Needless to say he is hooked, yet for the right reasons of course.

Cold showers and barefoot beach running, two activities that have become de rigueur in my own approach if only for out of circumstance. Ironically, I've been enjoying the blog and podcasts lately of a man who, at face value, seems to embrace the shortcut as opposed to the long haul, but who is in fact a proponent of in-depth and long form writing.

Tim Ferris might have written the Four Hour Work Week, but closer inspection reveals far more than cutting corners and fast-tracking.

It is all about morning rituals and journals; prioritizing and de-cluttering.

Who would have thought?