January 24, 2025 • 33 mins
Are you tired of the same old resolutions that fizzle out by February? This year, let’s ditch the clichés and start the New Year in a radically different way. In today's episode, we are going to give you some unconventional approaches to self-improvement and goal-setting. Muge and I touch on health and wellness, exploration and creativity, and self discovery and growth. This episode has quite a few micro life hacks which may inspire you to try new things to boost your energy and gain new perspective.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to refirement life, the podcast for anyone navigating life transitions or planning to make life transitions to ensure your next years are your best years.
(00:11):
Listen in for insightful, generous and sometimes humorous conversation.
It's time to get fired up with Christine Zamuda and Muge Wood, your hosts for this latest episode of refirement life.
Hello, hello and welcome to episode 60. Today we're going to touch upon 10 radically different ways to start your new year.
(00:36):
We've had a new year theme before, but this is a little bit focused on micro hacks and things that you can do that don't require massive, massive transformation or even effort in some cases.
So welcome Muge. It's great to see you as always.
(00:57):
Thank you, Christine. Happy New Year to you and to all of our listeners. I think you had me at the hello type of moment with the opening you made.
Minimum to no effort transformation and micro hacks sound really good. So looking forward to diving right into it.
Awesome, awesome. Well, we're going to start with a first topic, which is health and wealth. Well, your health is your wealth.
(01:23):
So let's talk about health and well-being. There's a couple wellness habits that are easy to do and just add more to your life.
So the first one we're going to talk about is the opportunity to really improve balance coordination and even cognitive function with the reverse step challenge.
(01:48):
And the reverse step challenge is walking backwards for 100 steps daily. What do you think of that one?
Well, it's pretty good because first of all, I never walked reverse in that way, but I'm thinking not only cognitive balance, but it can also challenge our math abilities.
And I can see us doing a number of ways. You know, you can start from 200, start counting by down by fours.
(02:15):
I'm like I am thinking it would really challenge not only your physical capability, but especially the cognitive one. So it is definitely worth a try.
Now, what I love about this is you can do this anywhere. I mean, you need a little bit of space, but you can do this from anywhere.
No gym membership is required. So right in line with minimum effort.
(02:37):
I think space in a rear view mirror would be helpful, you know, to have something onto your hat so you can actually see where you're going. That would be my biggest worry.
Yeah, that's right. That's right. Maybe you need a you need a buddy for guidance that can serve as your rear view mirror.
Yeah, yeah. And I think you may have done this without knowing it.
(02:59):
If I think about the last time that I actually did reverse steps and it was two stepping in Texas. Right. Yep. That's right.
That would count. That would count even though it's not continuous. But that would that would count. Right. Right.
I remember doing that and realizing like you definitely use different muscles in your in your body.
(03:22):
I remember being sore in different places that I would expect.
Well, I think I think it's a great way to be in the present because you can't do this while you are someplace else.
Your mind, your body. So it's a great way to bring you to present. But yes, exercise in a safe place.
Yeah. Yeah. All right. The next one is the no hand sitting and standing challenge.
(03:47):
So this one tests lower body strength, balance and mobility. So, you know, what you're doing is basically sitting crisscross or close to crisscross on the floor.
And you get up without using your hands. So you're using your core to stand yourself up. Have you ever tried that?
I tried that with mixed success. Sometimes it's possible. Other times, not so much.
(04:13):
So I tried that. And I've also seen actually quite a few articles on this, how this can be an indicator of your longevity of your health.
So I tried it and it definitely, I think, pushes into your core and the core strength. And it's not an easy thing.
But, yeah, I tried it. And maybe it's something we keep trying till till we get better at it.
(04:38):
Totally, totally easy to do. And again, like you don't need any help, but you just do it on a soft place, right?
Maybe like a carpet the first time. So when when I first saw it in the outline, no hand sitting and standing challenge, I am like, can I do it while sitting in my chair or does it have to be crisscrossing on the floor?
(04:59):
I'm like, hmm, degree of difficulty has just increased. That's funny. Cold, cold shower challenge.
So, you know, there's a lot of hype about ice baths and what they can do.
And what I'm hearing is that the the research is still out on actually what the physicality and the improvements there are.
(05:27):
Some people just say, hey, I just feel great. So I continue to do it.
What I'm hearing is it's actually more of a mental resilience and it helps you know that you can get through this challenge.
If you get through this challenge and get through any challenge in life, kind of building that that resilience.
I have done the cold shower challenge. I usually do this in summer. I don't do it in winter. I don't like the cold shower challenge in winter.
(05:56):
Well, when I saw that, I literally shivered because we just are emerging from a snow event in Houston.
It snowed the most it ever has in the past 20 to 30 years. I've been here in Houston.
It was magical, beautiful winter wonderland, you know, sitting in your house where we did not lose power or Internet.
(06:22):
So that was nice. But then I saw cold shower. I'm like, no, I am shaking my head vigorously.
No. So that one is is a tough one. I never succeeded.
Thirty seconds of cold water. Now, I work with an amazing colleague at work and she does this apparently every January in Montreal.
(06:45):
Jump in the water with with her friends like I can't imagine.
But, you know, I hear great things about it. And actually, there are people who install tobs and plunge pools for this very purpose.
Totally. Yeah, I have a friend who's always sending us pictures of him in his his plunge pool with his thermometer showing just how cold it is.
(07:08):
You know, 57 degrees. What? That is cold. That is cold.
But in the spirit of trying, maybe maybe it's it's worth a try because people who do it, they just rave about it.
Right. I just hope that our hearts don't stop.
(07:30):
I think stick to the cold shower challenge and maybe you could do that for 10 seconds. Like, hey, that's right.
All right. That's a benefit. OK, maybe that's what it is. It's the incremental working yourself up to it.
I'm going to start with one second and then and then incrementally add to it and I'll get to 30 by month. And that's a good goal.
(07:51):
I love it. I love it. I can't wait to see you in your one second challenge.
One of them to know, Strive for the stars. Go big. The next one is the one legged tooth brushing challenge. And since putting this outline together, I have been doing this.
(08:13):
So I'll, you know, actually brush my teeth with my right hand standing on my left leg and then vice versa.
Like change midway through. It's interesting. I mean, you definitely need to work at it.
One side is is definitely has a little less strength and balance than the other.
(08:35):
And my husband, Paul, is like, see me do this. He's like, what the heck are you doing now?
While brushing my teeth. So how does it feel?
It feels actually well, I used to do Bikram yoga. So some of it is very familiar where you have to really pull in on your quad muscle to get that stability.
(09:00):
But one side is definitely not as balanced and you have to make sure that you're flat footed and, you know, you don't have a bath mat under like any anything could have you toppling for sure.
Right. Right. So do you use electric toothbrush?
No, no. OK, so I am wondering what it does to your tooth brushing time. Does it does it cut it or do you know it extends it? It extends it.
(09:28):
OK, yes, yes. I'm really thinking about like the one side. Then I'm, you know, me, I want to be balanced.
So I would do more on the other side just to catch up. Yeah. Yeah, I think I think it's been good. I think overall it's been good.
The last one under health is this mini plank challenge and the advice here is to hold a plank position for just 10 to 15 seconds, multiple times a day.
(09:55):
Obviously, this is a full body workout. Planking is one of the best exercises we can do for ourselves.
And the suggestion here is to combine it with routine activities.
So if you're waiting for your coffee, maybe waiting for your shower to warm up, this would be I can't wait for the shower to warm up.
I'm doing cold challenge. One second. One second. Yeah.
(10:20):
Well, you can start your daily mini plank challenge in one second, too, and see how that goes. Yeah, that's right. That's right.
No, I love it. So, as you as you know, I'm a big fan of Apple Fitness, the little on demand classes that you can do.
And they've got this five minute core challenge.
(10:42):
So, you know, you can do one exercise or a couple exercises for five minutes and do it once a day for 30 days.
And you will notice the improvement in your core, which I am yet to do. But I like the appeal of short duration.
Now, the key is the consistency. But yeah, that's that's pretty awesome. Yeah.
(11:04):
Five minutes adds up. I mean, think about it like five minutes once a day.
That's 35 minutes of exercise that you wouldn't have been doing otherwise. Right.
And then if you can hold a pose for a certain amount of time like that, yeah, it would make a difference. It would make a difference. Yeah.
OK, so those were some of the health and well-being benefits things to try.
(11:29):
Hopefully that gives our listeners something to think about. The next area is relationships and community.
This is something also that I have started and this is how it works.
So it's it's essentially a way to connect.
So in this outline, they call it a connection project.
(11:53):
And the goal is to invite people. And this could be just one time.
I actually put this on my calendar for every six weeks where we invite a bunch of couples to dinner and we invited like 10 couples or sorry, five.
Yeah, five couples. No, no, it was 10, 10 couples, 20 people, assuming that likely only four to six would always be able to make it.
(12:21):
Right. So you have the standing invite because things come up and then it's it's it's definitely like a low pressure invite.
You know that you've got this group of people that you can meet up with and spend some time with.
And it's always on the calendar.
And then what we're going to do is basically rotate the organization.
(12:43):
So the next person will pick a place and the place could be at your home. The idea is pick a restaurant that's like not super expensive, like really casual.
The whole goal is just to get together, calling it basically like the low stress dinner club.
So we're starting that in February.
(13:05):
OK, love it. Love it. So you say recurring standing.
Yes. OK. And whoever makes it makes it. I think I love it.
The key is having it on schedule and recurring because I have friends who live in the same city as me.
I haven't seen for years and we exchange Christmas cards. I mean, that's quite ridiculous, right?
(13:28):
You live in the same city. But unless you really schedule and make the time and protected just like anything else, it is very difficult to keep it.
It's it's wonderful. I love it. Yeah, yeah.
It started really one of our friends had us all over for a game night.
And usually this group, it's a lot of the women that go out and do things, whether it's tennis or sometimes we travel together and the guys are not always there.
(13:58):
Right. And we had a great time with everyone and their partners and said, let's put this on the calendar and see how it works.
So, yeah, so I'm looking forward to it. It should be fun.
The other thing to do is again, this is like another regular recurring series, but this is the theme of good people, no good people.
(14:25):
And having a core set of people who might meet up for lunch and then they can bring someone into the group that, hey, this would be a great person to meet and mix.
And, you know, keeping that open, open invitation so that everyone feels like, hey, this isn't just like the closed group.
(14:48):
But, you know, we can mix it up a bit and invite people who maybe would be new in the area or, you know, just someone who would benefit from connection.
That's really interesting idea. And I think it's a bit of a mixer.
A lot of times I find myself a bit compartmentalizing my friends, meaning here are my tennis friends.
(15:12):
Here are my work friends. Here are my volunteer community friends I hang out with to do projects.
But when you bring those people together, I think it can spark, you know, new connections, new conversations.
So that's pretty awesome. I don't know if you read this story, which was a little sad, but then it ended up being inspiring about this woman who moved to a new city.
(15:41):
And she's making friends and she's, you know, trying to form her community.
And for the new year, she gets a bunch of vision board supplies and gives an invitation to the people she met for a vision board party to kick off the year.
So she's all excited about it, beautifully set up table with the supplies.
(16:03):
And then people start canceling on her one at a time as the event approaches.
And eventually she says, surely one person should show up and nobody shows up for a variety of reasons.
So she's she's pretty, you know, disappointed. Then she puts it on TikTok and everyone looks at this beautiful table and it's like, OK, this is just not good.
(16:25):
We are going to be part of your project. So this she then connects with a whole lot of people online to do the vision board project.
And I know in person connections we are talking about, but I think another type of connection that was uplifting to her at the time and how people rallied around her, I thought was pretty awesome.
(16:47):
That is awesome. I love hearing stories like that where, hey, it's a good turnaround story.
I thought it was going to end one way, but there's more support. She gets what she she was looking for.
I actually saw in our you know, there's a app. I'm sure many people have this across the country, but called Nextdoor, where people will post things like a babysitter.
(17:11):
And it was similar to your story. Also uplifting. There was a gentleman who who posted something and said, I'm an immigrant.
I've been here for three years. My from China, my English is not very good, but I would love to meet some people.
And there was 30 responses under this saying, you know, we meet here for outdoor sports.
(17:37):
Here is an opportunity to practice your English like I couldn't believe this. You know, my local community had so much to offer this guy.
It just made me smile, too. So I I love I love the example and I love also just thinking about first, you know, help people when you can. And secondly, don't be afraid to ask for things when you're looking for connection.
(18:02):
Yeah, that's right. This is I think you have to be probably a little intentional about it.
It's not just going to happen organically. So and and when it does, in a way, if you are starting from scratch, you unless say you move to a new city or something happened in your life, it takes one connection to have more connections.
(18:27):
So so don't give up. And also, the other thing is, I love especially your mixer idea because meeting new people, I think that's also a little bit can be a challenge, meaning we may just say, you know, I have enough friends.
I don't need to, you know, go out of my way. And when we do, it just makes things richer. So so love that. Love that idea.
(18:51):
So I can't wait to hear your monthly connection points and especially the restaurants you choose to go to. I'm sure it will be great fun.
Yeah, looking forward to it. It should be. It should be a good time for sure.
The next area is just under creativity and exploration. And this is just like a hodgepodge of different ideas and more.
(19:12):
So I think on the exploration side, then creativity as I look through them, the first is picking a 30 day passion project like do something for 30 days.
That's a great way to start kicking off a habit. They say it takes actually 12 weeks to form a habit.
But in the spirit of like not having to totally transform and do things that are really hard, trying things on could be interesting.
(19:40):
You know, an example that a lot of people are familiar with is dry January and pick a month.
Like I can't do dry January because my birthday is there. I usually have like another travel day.
Yeah, that doesn't sound great. Where is the champagne in all of this? Right. Maybe dry February fits me better.
(20:01):
Other ideas were like doing something every day. Document 30 days and photos.
And that would be kind of cool. Like here's a photo of the day. I know you love the word of the day and things like that.
Write a poem or haiku every day, paint or draw something every day.
Those are all kind of, you know, interesting things to try.
(20:24):
And then they recommend that you have an accountability buddy that, oh, here's my 30 day project. What do you think?
Yeah, awesome. Love it. I think taking small steps and experiencing the joy in that is huge.
I was having this conversation with a friend yesterday and we are talking about what life could look like in retirement.
(20:50):
Once you decide to leave or circumstances are such that you left and we're like, OK, that's that feels like a precipice of something.
Like what is next? Right. And OK, I want to learn how to play keyboard. I want to, you know, do this, that.
I'm like, OK, great. How can we start doing some of that now in small steps just to experience what that would feel like?
(21:16):
And maybe you will like it. Maybe you won't. But the power of the small steps, I think, is huge.
The other thing I'll say is I think the importance of starting the day with some humor.
So I know word of today is a favorite for me.
The other thing that has become a favorite that puts a smile on our faces every morning is for my husband, we got this dad joke calendar.
(21:45):
That was like the best present and every day we look at this page. I mean, it's like a really kind of a dumb joke, but it is so dumb.
It makes you chuckle. And now it has become a favorite. And our kids are like, what is the joke of the day today? Tell us, tell us.
So I think starting with a bit of a positive mindset with some humor and doing something small is it can be invigorating.
(22:13):
Yeah, that's a great example. Right. I mean, who wouldn't want to start with a laugh instead of like dredging yourself to work?
Right. Right. That's right. That's right. Nice. Nice.
Here's another one. And this one, I personally don't need that much, but I think that maybe some people could.
(22:35):
It's either committing to a yes month where you say yes to opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone or a no month where you practice saying no on things that drain your energy.
I think for me personally, like the no, I mastered that like in my 40s pretty well.
(22:57):
And the yes, I try a lot of things.
I think the connection between the two as well, meaning what you say no to, how it frees up time and energy for what you want to say yes to.
Right. They are really connected. And I think I struggle with that in the past. I don't struggle with that as much anymore.
It could be a function of age and life experience, but you kind of feel bad.
(23:21):
You know, even if you say no, you feel bad. You feel guilty. So I think to let go of that, having the mindset.
OK, I have finite energy, finite time. And what does this allow me to do that is better for my health, for my community, for my family, whatever the case is.
(23:43):
So I think I think it's just amazing the connection between the two.
Totally. Yeah. Yeah. So figure out, you know, can you do a full month of yes, a full month of no.
But I still wouldn't want to say yes to anything that I didn't want to do. So right. Right. Right.
(24:04):
Yeah, I guess put it in its place. Figure out what maybe putting more parameters around it.
Like, I'm going to say yes to things that I haven't tried before. That would be good for me. Right.
That might be one way to do it. Like how I'm narrowing in the boundaries.
(24:26):
You are putting a lot of filters on it. So I think maybe another way to give ourselves permission to think about it this way, which I am still working on it.
We may say yes to something, but we should also feel free to say no. Once it stops serving us, maybe we we try the new experience.
Maybe we met somebody and, you know, but it didn't turn out to be a great friendship, whatever the case may be.
(24:51):
But knowing also to get out of it like yes is not yes in perpetuity. Yeah. Yeah.
Agree. All right. So listeners, give that a try. See how that works. The last area to talk about is self discovery and growth.
And the first recommendation is to take a life audit. And what is a life audit? There are some tools that you can use downloadable.
(25:19):
One is the Wheel of Life. And the Wheel of Life is, if you think almost of a trivia pursuit piece where you have all the different areas, they're all color coded.
And it'll be like life, work, community, health, wisdom, et cetera. And you will look at the Wheel of Life and then rate your level of fulfillment in those areas.
(25:49):
And this is this can be interesting to do throughout the year because things change. And it also just gives you a snapshot of like really where am I? What areas of my life should I be working more on?
And maybe what areas in my life am I investing too much of at the, you know, at the peril of other areas to have like a balanced life?
(26:15):
Yeah. Yeah. So that is asking the hard questions and being honest about it with yourself.
So when you say you want something, do you really want it and why? And honoring that. So I think a lot of times when people we talk about career plans or life plans, it's just having the distinction as much as you can.
(26:42):
Is this something you really want to do or do you feel you have to do? And having your actions and connecting back to yes, no as well. Right. That topic we talked about having that connect up with that because what is truly in line with our value system, with our passions, where we want to go.
It makes everything so much easier. Totally. Totally. The second suggestion under that, which I think could help once you understand which areas of your life you want to invest more in is this year in reverse exercise.
(27:18):
And the prompt is that you visualize the end of the year and work backwards to set goals. So what would make me proud in December around this area of my life? And that just helps you visualize first where you want to be and then likely work on the steps to get there.
(27:41):
Similar to a vision board, right? Like thinking about what you want to do, how you want to spend your time.
I think with ended mind and plotting the journey while thinking and recognizing subject to change, just flexibility. But I think that intention also matters because without that intention and direction, I think we can just let the time go by very quickly.
(28:12):
And then you're like, wait a minute, what happened a month past and what did I even do? So, yeah, totally. Totally.
The last thing I want to close on is it can be a little heavy, but I think it's also in a way magically uplifting. I came across this, it's a Buddhist reflection called the five remembrances. And I'm going to read them and then hopefully we can talk about them.
(28:43):
But, you know, just as a way to ground yourself in the everyday, there's five sentences. The first is, I am of nature to grow old, I cannot avoid aging.
Second, I am subject to illness and infirmity, I cannot avoid illness and infirmity.
Third, I am of nature to die, I cannot avoid death. Four, I will be parted from all that is dear and beloved to me. And five, I am the owner of my actions, my actions are my only true inheritance.
(29:18):
I think this just reminds us to really be in the moment. And when you are with the people that you hold dear to make the most of that time together, I think it also speaks to the changing nature of life.
You know, every day isn't the same, your health today might not be your health in the future. Taking advantage of all you have and making the best of what you have today is something that was my takeaway as I read a few of these sentences.
(29:57):
I think it is, it sounds morbid and somber. But I think in terms of grounding us to the reality of life, I think it's awesome.
You know, I'm a fan of this call map I use for sleep stories and some meditation and they have such segments in there, somewhat a variation of this that speak to impermanence of things.
(30:21):
So nothing is permanent. So you've got to recognize and come to terms with that to anchor ourselves in the present.
And I think especially what I find that to be helpful, which, you know, by no means I'm a master practitioner of any of this, is when you want to do something, I think the question is why not now?
(30:44):
You know, what are we waiting for? You can have the bucket list, you can have the deferral postponement for a better time, better circumstance, which may or may not come, given how everything is so variable in either direction, favorable or unfavorable.
Why not now? So I think it's a good grounding activity. I mean, I don't think we have to think about our tombstone every day, but just when you think about it that way, what matters? What is significant? What is not?
(31:15):
Should I really be upset about this situation or the person and what it means in terms of how I spend my time? I think it's awesome.
Yeah, yeah, I do too. It hit me. So I thought, you know, if you're thinking about the new year, thinking about all that you want, also think about where you are now.
(31:36):
Right. Yeah, yeah. So that's all I had. I think, hopefully, some of these little micro actions could be fun for our listeners to try.
I look forward to hearing about your one second cold shower challenge. I'll keep you updated on how many times I fall down standing on one leg, brushing my teeth.
(31:59):
And yeah, hopefully our listeners could even bring forward a few that they might enjoy so that we can bounce off of their ideas.
That sounds awesome. I am looking forward to trying a few of those, starting with especially the health and well-being ones. They appear very doable and also fun.
Fun is key, is my younger son likes to say, don't make things unfun. They have to be fun. So looking forward to giving that a try. Thank you, Christine. Awesome.
(32:30):
Yeah. So with that, we'll sign off until next time.
Until next time.
Thank you for listening. Our hope is to spark a little joy, inspire and educate our listeners in ways to live an even more meaningful life.
If you have reactions to share from what you've heard, please visit our website, refirement.life to leave a voice message.
(32:54):
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Always remember, you are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream. Thanks again for joining us on this episode. Until next time.
Welcome to refirement life, the podcast for anyone navigating life transitions or planning to make life transitions to ensure your next years are your best years.
(00:11):
Listen in for insightful, generous and sometimes humorous conversation.
It's time to get fired up with Christine Zamuda and Muge Wood, your hosts for this latest episode of refirement life.
Hello, hello and welcome to episode 60. Today we're going to touch upon 10 radically different ways to start your new year.
(00:36):
We've had a new year theme before, but this is a little bit focused on micro hacks and things that you can do that don't require massive, massive transformation or even effort in some cases.
So welcome Muge. It's great to see you as always.
(00:57):
Thank you, Christine. Happy New Year to you and to all of our listeners. I think you had me at the hello type of moment with the opening you made.
Minimum to no effort transformation and micro hacks sound really good. So looking forward to diving right into it.
Awesome, awesome. Well, we're going to start with a first topic, which is health and wealth. Well, your health is your wealth.
(01:23):
So let's talk about health and well-being. There's a couple wellness habits that are easy to do and just add more to your life.
So the first one we're going to talk about is the opportunity to really improve balance coordination and even cognitive function with the reverse step challenge.
(01:48):
And the reverse step challenge is walking backwards for 100 steps daily. What do you think of that one?
Well, it's pretty good because first of all, I never walked reverse in that way, but I'm thinking not only cognitive balance, but it can also challenge our math abilities.
And I can see us doing a number of ways. You know, you can start from 200, start counting by down by fours.
(02:15):
I'm like I am thinking it would really challenge not only your physical capability, but especially the cognitive one. So it is definitely worth a try.
Now, what I love about this is you can do this anywhere. I mean, you need a little bit of space, but you can do this from anywhere.
No gym membership is required. So right in line with minimum effort.
(02:37):
I think space in a rear view mirror would be helpful, you know, to have something onto your hat so you can actually see where you're going. That would be my biggest worry.
Yeah, that's right. That's right. Maybe you need a you need a buddy for guidance that can serve as your rear view mirror.
Yeah, yeah. And I think you may have done this without knowing it.
(02:59):
If I think about the last time that I actually did reverse steps and it was two stepping in Texas. Right. Yep. That's right.
That would count. That would count even though it's not continuous. But that would that would count. Right. Right.
I remember doing that and realizing like you definitely use different muscles in your in your body.
(03:22):
I remember being sore in different places that I would expect.
Well, I think I think it's a great way to be in the present because you can't do this while you are someplace else.
Your mind, your body. So it's a great way to bring you to present. But yes, exercise in a safe place.
Yeah. Yeah. All right. The next one is the no hand sitting and standing challenge.
(03:47):
So this one tests lower body strength, balance and mobility. So, you know, what you're doing is basically sitting crisscross or close to crisscross on the floor.
And you get up without using your hands. So you're using your core to stand yourself up. Have you ever tried that?
I tried that with mixed success. Sometimes it's possible. Other times, not so much.
(04:13):
So I tried that. And I've also seen actually quite a few articles on this, how this can be an indicator of your longevity of your health.
So I tried it and it definitely, I think, pushes into your core and the core strength. And it's not an easy thing.
But, yeah, I tried it. And maybe it's something we keep trying till till we get better at it.
(04:38):
Totally, totally easy to do. And again, like you don't need any help, but you just do it on a soft place, right?
Maybe like a carpet the first time. So when when I first saw it in the outline, no hand sitting and standing challenge, I am like, can I do it while sitting in my chair or does it have to be crisscrossing on the floor?
(04:59):
I'm like, hmm, degree of difficulty has just increased. That's funny. Cold, cold shower challenge.
So, you know, there's a lot of hype about ice baths and what they can do.
And what I'm hearing is that the the research is still out on actually what the physicality and the improvements there are.
(05:27):
Some people just say, hey, I just feel great. So I continue to do it.
What I'm hearing is it's actually more of a mental resilience and it helps you know that you can get through this challenge.
If you get through this challenge and get through any challenge in life, kind of building that that resilience.
I have done the cold shower challenge. I usually do this in summer. I don't do it in winter. I don't like the cold shower challenge in winter.
(05:56):
Well, when I saw that, I literally shivered because we just are emerging from a snow event in Houston.
It snowed the most it ever has in the past 20 to 30 years. I've been here in Houston.
It was magical, beautiful winter wonderland, you know, sitting in your house where we did not lose power or Internet.
(06:22):
So that was nice. But then I saw cold shower. I'm like, no, I am shaking my head vigorously.
No. So that one is is a tough one. I never succeeded.
Thirty seconds of cold water. Now, I work with an amazing colleague at work and she does this apparently every January in Montreal.
(06:45):
Jump in the water with with her friends like I can't imagine.
But, you know, I hear great things about it. And actually, there are people who install tobs and plunge pools for this very purpose.
Totally. Yeah, I have a friend who's always sending us pictures of him in his his plunge pool with his thermometer showing just how cold it is.
(07:08):
You know, 57 degrees. What? That is cold. That is cold.
But in the spirit of trying, maybe maybe it's it's worth a try because people who do it, they just rave about it.
Right. I just hope that our hearts don't stop.
(07:30):
I think stick to the cold shower challenge and maybe you could do that for 10 seconds. Like, hey, that's right.
All right. That's a benefit. OK, maybe that's what it is. It's the incremental working yourself up to it.
I'm going to start with one second and then and then incrementally add to it and I'll get to 30 by month. And that's a good goal.
(07:51):
I love it. I love it. I can't wait to see you in your one second challenge.
One of them to know, Strive for the stars. Go big. The next one is the one legged tooth brushing challenge. And since putting this outline together, I have been doing this.
(08:13):
So I'll, you know, actually brush my teeth with my right hand standing on my left leg and then vice versa.
Like change midway through. It's interesting. I mean, you definitely need to work at it.
One side is is definitely has a little less strength and balance than the other.
(08:35):
And my husband, Paul, is like, see me do this. He's like, what the heck are you doing now?
While brushing my teeth. So how does it feel?
It feels actually well, I used to do Bikram yoga. So some of it is very familiar where you have to really pull in on your quad muscle to get that stability.
(09:00):
But one side is definitely not as balanced and you have to make sure that you're flat footed and, you know, you don't have a bath mat under like any anything could have you toppling for sure.
Right. Right. So do you use electric toothbrush?
No, no. OK, so I am wondering what it does to your tooth brushing time. Does it does it cut it or do you know it extends it? It extends it.
(09:28):
OK, yes, yes. I'm really thinking about like the one side. Then I'm, you know, me, I want to be balanced.
So I would do more on the other side just to catch up. Yeah. Yeah, I think I think it's been good. I think overall it's been good.
The last one under health is this mini plank challenge and the advice here is to hold a plank position for just 10 to 15 seconds, multiple times a day.
(09:55):
Obviously, this is a full body workout. Planking is one of the best exercises we can do for ourselves.
And the suggestion here is to combine it with routine activities.
So if you're waiting for your coffee, maybe waiting for your shower to warm up, this would be I can't wait for the shower to warm up.
I'm doing cold challenge. One second. One second. Yeah.
(10:20):
Well, you can start your daily mini plank challenge in one second, too, and see how that goes. Yeah, that's right. That's right.
No, I love it. So, as you as you know, I'm a big fan of Apple Fitness, the little on demand classes that you can do.
And they've got this five minute core challenge.
(10:42):
So, you know, you can do one exercise or a couple exercises for five minutes and do it once a day for 30 days.
And you will notice the improvement in your core, which I am yet to do. But I like the appeal of short duration.
Now, the key is the consistency. But yeah, that's that's pretty awesome. Yeah.
(11:04):
Five minutes adds up. I mean, think about it like five minutes once a day.
That's 35 minutes of exercise that you wouldn't have been doing otherwise. Right.
And then if you can hold a pose for a certain amount of time like that, yeah, it would make a difference. It would make a difference. Yeah.
OK, so those were some of the health and well-being benefits things to try.
(11:29):
Hopefully that gives our listeners something to think about. The next area is relationships and community.
This is something also that I have started and this is how it works.
So it's it's essentially a way to connect.
So in this outline, they call it a connection project.
(11:53):
And the goal is to invite people. And this could be just one time.
I actually put this on my calendar for every six weeks where we invite a bunch of couples to dinner and we invited like 10 couples or sorry, five.
Yeah, five couples. No, no, it was 10, 10 couples, 20 people, assuming that likely only four to six would always be able to make it.
(12:21):
Right. So you have the standing invite because things come up and then it's it's it's definitely like a low pressure invite.
You know that you've got this group of people that you can meet up with and spend some time with.
And it's always on the calendar.
And then what we're going to do is basically rotate the organization.
(12:43):
So the next person will pick a place and the place could be at your home. The idea is pick a restaurant that's like not super expensive, like really casual.
The whole goal is just to get together, calling it basically like the low stress dinner club.
So we're starting that in February.
(13:05):
OK, love it. Love it. So you say recurring standing.
Yes. OK. And whoever makes it makes it. I think I love it.
The key is having it on schedule and recurring because I have friends who live in the same city as me.
I haven't seen for years and we exchange Christmas cards. I mean, that's quite ridiculous, right?
(13:28):
You live in the same city. But unless you really schedule and make the time and protected just like anything else, it is very difficult to keep it.
It's it's wonderful. I love it. Yeah, yeah.
It started really one of our friends had us all over for a game night.
And usually this group, it's a lot of the women that go out and do things, whether it's tennis or sometimes we travel together and the guys are not always there.
(13:58):
Right. And we had a great time with everyone and their partners and said, let's put this on the calendar and see how it works.
So, yeah, so I'm looking forward to it. It should be fun.
The other thing to do is again, this is like another regular recurring series, but this is the theme of good people, no good people.
(14:25):
And having a core set of people who might meet up for lunch and then they can bring someone into the group that, hey, this would be a great person to meet and mix.
And, you know, keeping that open, open invitation so that everyone feels like, hey, this isn't just like the closed group.
(14:48):
But, you know, we can mix it up a bit and invite people who maybe would be new in the area or, you know, just someone who would benefit from connection.
That's really interesting idea. And I think it's a bit of a mixer.
A lot of times I find myself a bit compartmentalizing my friends, meaning here are my tennis friends.
(15:12):
Here are my work friends. Here are my volunteer community friends I hang out with to do projects.
But when you bring those people together, I think it can spark, you know, new connections, new conversations.
So that's pretty awesome. I don't know if you read this story, which was a little sad, but then it ended up being inspiring about this woman who moved to a new city.
(15:41):
And she's making friends and she's, you know, trying to form her community.
And for the new year, she gets a bunch of vision board supplies and gives an invitation to the people she met for a vision board party to kick off the year.
So she's all excited about it, beautifully set up table with the supplies.
(16:03):
And then people start canceling on her one at a time as the event approaches.
And eventually she says, surely one person should show up and nobody shows up for a variety of reasons.
So she's she's pretty, you know, disappointed. Then she puts it on TikTok and everyone looks at this beautiful table and it's like, OK, this is just not good.
(16:25):
We are going to be part of your project. So this she then connects with a whole lot of people online to do the vision board project.
And I know in person connections we are talking about, but I think another type of connection that was uplifting to her at the time and how people rallied around her, I thought was pretty awesome.
(16:47):
That is awesome. I love hearing stories like that where, hey, it's a good turnaround story.
I thought it was going to end one way, but there's more support. She gets what she she was looking for.
I actually saw in our you know, there's a app. I'm sure many people have this across the country, but called Nextdoor, where people will post things like a babysitter.
(17:11):
And it was similar to your story. Also uplifting. There was a gentleman who who posted something and said, I'm an immigrant.
I've been here for three years. My from China, my English is not very good, but I would love to meet some people.
And there was 30 responses under this saying, you know, we meet here for outdoor sports.
(17:37):
Here is an opportunity to practice your English like I couldn't believe this. You know, my local community had so much to offer this guy.
It just made me smile, too. So I I love I love the example and I love also just thinking about first, you know, help people when you can. And secondly, don't be afraid to ask for things when you're looking for connection.
(18:02):
Yeah, that's right. This is I think you have to be probably a little intentional about it.
It's not just going to happen organically. So and and when it does, in a way, if you are starting from scratch, you unless say you move to a new city or something happened in your life, it takes one connection to have more connections.
(18:27):
So so don't give up. And also, the other thing is, I love especially your mixer idea because meeting new people, I think that's also a little bit can be a challenge, meaning we may just say, you know, I have enough friends.
I don't need to, you know, go out of my way. And when we do, it just makes things richer. So so love that. Love that idea.
(18:51):
So I can't wait to hear your monthly connection points and especially the restaurants you choose to go to. I'm sure it will be great fun.
Yeah, looking forward to it. It should be. It should be a good time for sure.
The next area is just under creativity and exploration. And this is just like a hodgepodge of different ideas and more.
(19:12):
So I think on the exploration side, then creativity as I look through them, the first is picking a 30 day passion project like do something for 30 days.
That's a great way to start kicking off a habit. They say it takes actually 12 weeks to form a habit.
But in the spirit of like not having to totally transform and do things that are really hard, trying things on could be interesting.
(19:40):
You know, an example that a lot of people are familiar with is dry January and pick a month.
Like I can't do dry January because my birthday is there. I usually have like another travel day.
Yeah, that doesn't sound great. Where is the champagne in all of this? Right. Maybe dry February fits me better.
(20:01):
Other ideas were like doing something every day. Document 30 days and photos.
And that would be kind of cool. Like here's a photo of the day. I know you love the word of the day and things like that.
Write a poem or haiku every day, paint or draw something every day.
Those are all kind of, you know, interesting things to try.
(20:24):
And then they recommend that you have an accountability buddy that, oh, here's my 30 day project. What do you think?
Yeah, awesome. Love it. I think taking small steps and experiencing the joy in that is huge.
I was having this conversation with a friend yesterday and we are talking about what life could look like in retirement.
(20:50):
Once you decide to leave or circumstances are such that you left and we're like, OK, that's that feels like a precipice of something.
Like what is next? Right. And OK, I want to learn how to play keyboard. I want to, you know, do this, that.
I'm like, OK, great. How can we start doing some of that now in small steps just to experience what that would feel like?
(21:16):
And maybe you will like it. Maybe you won't. But the power of the small steps, I think, is huge.
The other thing I'll say is I think the importance of starting the day with some humor.
So I know word of today is a favorite for me.
The other thing that has become a favorite that puts a smile on our faces every morning is for my husband, we got this dad joke calendar.
(21:45):
That was like the best present and every day we look at this page. I mean, it's like a really kind of a dumb joke, but it is so dumb.
It makes you chuckle. And now it has become a favorite. And our kids are like, what is the joke of the day today? Tell us, tell us.
So I think starting with a bit of a positive mindset with some humor and doing something small is it can be invigorating.
(22:13):
Yeah, that's a great example. Right. I mean, who wouldn't want to start with a laugh instead of like dredging yourself to work?
Right. Right. That's right. That's right. Nice. Nice.
Here's another one. And this one, I personally don't need that much, but I think that maybe some people could.
(22:35):
It's either committing to a yes month where you say yes to opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone or a no month where you practice saying no on things that drain your energy.
I think for me personally, like the no, I mastered that like in my 40s pretty well.
(22:57):
And the yes, I try a lot of things.
I think the connection between the two as well, meaning what you say no to, how it frees up time and energy for what you want to say yes to.
Right. They are really connected. And I think I struggle with that in the past. I don't struggle with that as much anymore.
It could be a function of age and life experience, but you kind of feel bad.
(23:21):
You know, even if you say no, you feel bad. You feel guilty. So I think to let go of that, having the mindset.
OK, I have finite energy, finite time. And what does this allow me to do that is better for my health, for my community, for my family, whatever the case is.
(23:43):
So I think I think it's just amazing the connection between the two.
Totally. Yeah. Yeah. So figure out, you know, can you do a full month of yes, a full month of no.
But I still wouldn't want to say yes to anything that I didn't want to do. So right. Right. Right.
(24:04):
Yeah, I guess put it in its place. Figure out what maybe putting more parameters around it.
Like, I'm going to say yes to things that I haven't tried before. That would be good for me. Right.
That might be one way to do it. Like how I'm narrowing in the boundaries.
(24:26):
You are putting a lot of filters on it. So I think maybe another way to give ourselves permission to think about it this way, which I am still working on it.
We may say yes to something, but we should also feel free to say no. Once it stops serving us, maybe we we try the new experience.
Maybe we met somebody and, you know, but it didn't turn out to be a great friendship, whatever the case may be.
(24:51):
But knowing also to get out of it like yes is not yes in perpetuity. Yeah. Yeah.
Agree. All right. So listeners, give that a try. See how that works. The last area to talk about is self discovery and growth.
And the first recommendation is to take a life audit. And what is a life audit? There are some tools that you can use downloadable.
(25:19):
One is the Wheel of Life. And the Wheel of Life is, if you think almost of a trivia pursuit piece where you have all the different areas, they're all color coded.
And it'll be like life, work, community, health, wisdom, et cetera. And you will look at the Wheel of Life and then rate your level of fulfillment in those areas.
(25:49):
And this is this can be interesting to do throughout the year because things change. And it also just gives you a snapshot of like really where am I? What areas of my life should I be working more on?
And maybe what areas in my life am I investing too much of at the, you know, at the peril of other areas to have like a balanced life?
(26:15):
Yeah. Yeah. So that is asking the hard questions and being honest about it with yourself.
So when you say you want something, do you really want it and why? And honoring that. So I think a lot of times when people we talk about career plans or life plans, it's just having the distinction as much as you can.
(26:42):
Is this something you really want to do or do you feel you have to do? And having your actions and connecting back to yes, no as well. Right. That topic we talked about having that connect up with that because what is truly in line with our value system, with our passions, where we want to go.
It makes everything so much easier. Totally. Totally. The second suggestion under that, which I think could help once you understand which areas of your life you want to invest more in is this year in reverse exercise.
(27:18):
And the prompt is that you visualize the end of the year and work backwards to set goals. So what would make me proud in December around this area of my life? And that just helps you visualize first where you want to be and then likely work on the steps to get there.
(27:41):
Similar to a vision board, right? Like thinking about what you want to do, how you want to spend your time.
I think with ended mind and plotting the journey while thinking and recognizing subject to change, just flexibility. But I think that intention also matters because without that intention and direction, I think we can just let the time go by very quickly.
(28:12):
And then you're like, wait a minute, what happened a month past and what did I even do? So, yeah, totally. Totally.
The last thing I want to close on is it can be a little heavy, but I think it's also in a way magically uplifting. I came across this, it's a Buddhist reflection called the five remembrances. And I'm going to read them and then hopefully we can talk about them.
(28:43):
But, you know, just as a way to ground yourself in the everyday, there's five sentences. The first is, I am of nature to grow old, I cannot avoid aging.
Second, I am subject to illness and infirmity, I cannot avoid illness and infirmity.
Third, I am of nature to die, I cannot avoid death. Four, I will be parted from all that is dear and beloved to me. And five, I am the owner of my actions, my actions are my only true inheritance.
(29:18):
I think this just reminds us to really be in the moment. And when you are with the people that you hold dear to make the most of that time together, I think it also speaks to the changing nature of life.
You know, every day isn't the same, your health today might not be your health in the future. Taking advantage of all you have and making the best of what you have today is something that was my takeaway as I read a few of these sentences.
(29:57):
I think it is, it sounds morbid and somber. But I think in terms of grounding us to the reality of life, I think it's awesome.
You know, I'm a fan of this call map I use for sleep stories and some meditation and they have such segments in there, somewhat a variation of this that speak to impermanence of things.
(30:21):
So nothing is permanent. So you've got to recognize and come to terms with that to anchor ourselves in the present.
And I think especially what I find that to be helpful, which, you know, by no means I'm a master practitioner of any of this, is when you want to do something, I think the question is why not now?
(30:44):
You know, what are we waiting for? You can have the bucket list, you can have the deferral postponement for a better time, better circumstance, which may or may not come, given how everything is so variable in either direction, favorable or unfavorable.
Why not now? So I think it's a good grounding activity. I mean, I don't think we have to think about our tombstone every day, but just when you think about it that way, what matters? What is significant? What is not?
(31:15):
Should I really be upset about this situation or the person and what it means in terms of how I spend my time? I think it's awesome.
Yeah, yeah, I do too. It hit me. So I thought, you know, if you're thinking about the new year, thinking about all that you want, also think about where you are now.
(31:36):
Right. Yeah, yeah. So that's all I had. I think, hopefully, some of these little micro actions could be fun for our listeners to try.
I look forward to hearing about your one second cold shower challenge. I'll keep you updated on how many times I fall down standing on one leg, brushing my teeth.
(31:59):
And yeah, hopefully our listeners could even bring forward a few that they might enjoy so that we can bounce off of their ideas.
That sounds awesome. I am looking forward to trying a few of those, starting with especially the health and well-being ones. They appear very doable and also fun.
Fun is key, is my younger son likes to say, don't make things unfun. They have to be fun. So looking forward to giving that a try. Thank you, Christine. Awesome.
(32:30):
Yeah. So with that, we'll sign off until next time.
Until next time.
Thank you for listening. Our hope is to spark a little joy, inspire and educate our listeners in ways to live an even more meaningful life.
If you have reactions to share from what you've heard, please visit our website, refirement.life to leave a voice message.
(32:54):
You may even be featured in a future episode. To keep in touch, subscribe to our podcast, refirement life, using the podcast player of your choice.
Always remember, you are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream. Thanks again for joining us on this episode. Until next time.
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