Dear Dad,
Last weekend I raced in a sprint triathlon. Over the last two years I’ve discovered a joy in training for endurance events and have planned longer distance races this summer. Understanding, this probably makes me weird compared to a large majority of people I took some time to reflect on why.
Lessons learned through sports are numerous and don’t stop after adolescence. Competing in sports teaches you valuable lifelong principles and here are a few, broadly health related, that I’ve gleaned from training for triathlons.
Is the juice worth the squeeze?
Making a homemade fresh squeezed glass of orange juice takes effort, namely squeezing an orange and collecting it’s sweet nectar. Is that delicious glass or orange juice worth the effort of manually pulping the orange? Some days, definitely. Other days, maybe not. Is the juice worth the squeeze? This is a question that I ask myself countless times a day in many contexts, but constantly while racing longer distances.
To avoid destructing in a long race you must constantly calibrate whether the effort exerted is worth the output you gain. Is the juice worth the squeeze? For example, is the effort required to crank the bike pedal in this gear worth the speed that I am propelling forward. If not, pull back and find a more efficient pedal stroke.
This short hand question can be applied in almost any situation to help you quickly analyze trade offs that you face. Should I work late tonight? (Is the juice worth the squeeze?—will the work I get done offset the time commitment, changed routine, and next day fatigue?) Should I eat dessert? (Is the juice worth the squeeze—will the satisfaction of having a tasty treat be greater than the satisfaction of self-restraint). Boiling down complex variables into a simple framework helps making the right decision easy.
Pain of discipline or pain of regret?
Any worthwhile achievement takes discipline. Whether it’s my goal to finish a longer triathlon, or it’s your goal to run a 5k, walk a mile daily, or strength train 3x week; it all takes discipline.
When I studied for the NY state bar exam I had a posted note on my desk with a quote written on it, “We all must suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” I knew more than anything that the bar exam was a test of my discipline—could I study law like it was a 9-5 job for the next two months in order to pass a test? So I sat, I studied, and I passed. Similarly, achieving any physical goal requires going to the same well. It takes dedicated hours of exercise to have a prayer of performing competently the day of an event; otherwise, suffer the pain of regret.
The discipline or regret attached to healthy eating is very profound when you have the correct focal length. When it comes to eating decisions and their long term consequences we all must suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The pain of regret is obvious. Undisciplined eating habits will mar you with unrelenting health ailments. Maybe not today but no one can out run a bad a diet. So, which pain is worse? Not fully participating in your sunset years or learning to eat nourishing food now.
“Pain” related to disciplined eating is nuanced and I’ve dedicated many previous writings to advocating that healthy eating is easy, simple, and delicious; therefore, not requiring much discipline. However, it would be naïve to claim that it starts this way. Truly, it requires 0 discipline for me to choose healthy foods to eat today, but that couldn’t be further from how it started. You were there! The start of my health journey required a lot of discipline. Putting down the soda, ice cream, and cheeseburgers was really hard. It’s not anymore, however, because the potential pain of regret towers over any discipline required to eat healthy.
Challenges make you feel alive!
I believe to feel the most alive all people should always be pursuing a challenge in three areas of their lives: academics (what are you learning—don’t let a graduation ceremony fool you into thinking this ever stops); spiritual (what do you believe, why, and are you sure); and physical (what can your body do). I could devote strings of letters to teasing out those different types of challenges but let’s wrestle with the physical.
You learn a lot about yourself on a hot summer day, on your bike, 25-miles away from your car, when you just feel like quitting. And one thing I’ve learned in that exact situation is that comfort is the enemy of progress. We all spend so much time seeking comfort that we lose out on many opportunities to advance. One of the first things I like to do after completing a race is start planning out the next one—what will be my next physical challenge?
Many good things start with a challenge. My first nutrition related challenge was in 8th grade when I stopped snacking in-between meals. Once that became habitual I got a little more aggressive, and cold turkey stopped drinking soda for one-year (which basically turned into the rest of my life). Meeting a challenge, celebrating, then raising the bar is a sure way to living fulfilled.
Embrace the challenges. It will be worth it.
With Love,
JSR
