#22 Busy should just be a temporary state
Hello, my friend! 👋
This week, I just returned from a work trip in Australia and kicked off a new side project. It’s been such a whirlwind that I felt slightly overwhelmed at times (thankfully, I got to attend a concert on Tue, which helped me reset). Without further ado, let’s dive into the updates! :)
Here are a few things I’d like to share with you today 🙂
Tools to improve fitness - Huberman Lab
Night time, storytime
Apple’s Vision Pro VR Headset: Potential Use Cases for Driving
A Thought on Personal Efficiency
A few years ago, I took peace for granted
Have a great one and see you soon!
Tools to improve fitness - Huberman Lab
This episode of the Huberman Lab podcast is invaluable for adults looking to enhance their health through exercise. As I’ve previously shared, he recommends that people over 30 engage in at least 200 minutes of Zone 2 cardio exercise every week. This refers to exercises where you can breathe through your nose and maintain a conversation without becoming breathless, such as brisk walking or climbing stairs. His suggestion is to integrate this activity into daily life, without setting aside specific time. While 200 minutes might seem a lot, it helps maintain good health. In the long run, if you don’t want to spend time in hospitals or even the ICU as you age, 30 minutes daily doesn’t seem much. My advice is to walk for half an hour every day. Leave home a little earlier, reduce car usage, walk more, or even cycling can achieve this Zone 2 cardio goal. Personally, I take a walk every evening.
The second tip is that after the age of 40, muscle mass decreases by 1% annually (those good with compound interest can calculate how much muscle you’d lose by 60). Activities you easily did in your 20s or 30s might become increasingly challenging after 40. Many might find deep squats challenging now, unlike in their younger days. This indicates that everyone above 40 should enhance strength training. The good news is, through strength training, you can offset the 1% natural muscle decline and even gain more muscle if done right.
The third tip is for those who sit all day and lack exercise time. He introduces a concept called “exercise snacks,” much like our regular snacks. Incorporate activities that quickly elevate your heart rate to over 100 bpm into your routine. Engage in these swift exercises for no longer than a minute, a few times a day, maintaining a good balance. Especially when traveling or too busy for the gym, activities like doing 100 jumping jacks, push-ups till fatigue, or a 20-second run to your car are ideal. Just a couple of times daily will suffice.
The fourth tip suggests, when doing strength training at the gym, reduce the sets and increase the weight for each set. Conventional exercises might be six to eight sets, or eight to ten, with three to four rounds for each movement. He suggests trying to up the weight so you only manage three to five reps per set. Also, slightly extend rest periods between sets to enhance the strength training effect. I haven’t tried this yet, but plan to give it a shot.
Night time, story time
I spent the evening telling stories to my daughter. We went through two long books, but I found immense joy in the process. Two thoughts struck me. First, the moments where she patiently listens to my tales are becoming rarer. These moments might only last for the next two or three years. Even if I feel tired, I try to make the most of them. Second, I’ve begun to truly savor the joy of storytelling. When she was younger, our interactions were limited and the stories lacked complexity and imaginative scope, often revolving around basic children’s books with simple syllables. Now, I get to share beautifully crafted fairy tales that immerse both of us in the experience. It’s genuinely rewarding.
Apple’s Vision Pro VR Headset: Potential Use Cases for Driving
Apple’s Vision Pro, a VR headset, could be revolutionary for drivers, though it poses both user experience and safety challenges.
Imagine being stuck in traffic, unable to move. Instead of wasting time, the Vision Pro could read out your emails, display messages, or provide some light work and entertainment options—all without completely disconnecting you from the real-world environment. Advanced sensors and software could potentially provide real-time feedback based on external conditions. This could range from navigation assistance and music recommendations to acting as a virtual tour guide, enriching the experience of visiting unfamiliar destinations.
Moreover, the confined environment of a car can offer relative safety against theft or other security concerns. One of the main barriers to using such devices, battery life, can be addressed with convenient in-car charging solutions. If automobile manufacturers could produce compatible devices, it would elevate the usage scenarios immensely.
For beginner drivers, an augmented reality device could be like having an ever-present instructor right next to you, instilling confidence during every drive.
However, the key condition? The device doesn’t end up costing as much as the car itself!
Another direction would be even wilder: what if the whole car is a Vision Pro itself? You don’t need a goggle as you are already in that VR space.
A Thought on Personal Efficiency
I currently use Notion for my weekly personal task management, somewhat resembling an individual’s Sprint. Each week, I dedicate a page to list the tasks I need to complete and summarize my weekly activities.
The voice input feature has been exceptionally effective this week, prompting me to consider integrating it with ChatGPT’s voice input capability. I could establish a weekly dialogue solely for logging how I tackled the week’s tasks. Furthermore, at the week’s end, I can leverage ChatGPT to provide an intelligent summary and pose questions.
This method might be more convenient and quicker than manual input on my part. Moreover, I believe it would be more effective since ChatGPT can organize the information in a more systematic manner.
I’m planning to test this idea next week to gauge its effectiveness. If it turns out as productive as I envision, I’ll incorporate it into my daily workflow.
A few years ago, I took peace for granted
This afternoon in Ponsonby, I saw a young man marking the ground with chalk. Following the street, he drew a mark in front of every shop. Curiously, I asked him what these marks were for. He told me they were symbols of peace, a tradition that began during the anti-war movements of the 60s and 70s, reminiscent of the hippie era.
This can be seen as a form of guerrilla street art: leaving little marks on the city in one’s own way, making small changes.
A few years ago, I took peace for granted. Now, I truly value its preciousness.
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