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Close your eyes and imagine,

Feel the magic, liftin’ and smashin’,

Seen through Yves St. Laurent glasses,

And I’ve realized that I’ve arrived, ‘cuz,

I’m liftin’ heavier weights than anyone in the gym does.

– Kanye (probably)

If you wish, you can grab the N.W.A. Newsletter Playlist on Spotify here, all of the songs that have been featured in the newsletter are on the playlist.

Happy Friday, Coach J here from Anyman Fitness – and welcome to the latest edition of The N.W.A. Newsletter.

Each week with the N.W.A. Newsletter, I give you the best Nutrition, Weightlifting, and/or Attitude advice for you to start to use in your life today.

Tens of thousands of people have used this exact newsletter to gain muscle, lose fat, and become a better version of themselves…

Without any further ado, let’s get started..

N.W.A. Tip Of The Week

Recently, I went on my annual ice fishing trip to northern Michigan.

I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In Cincy, we don’t ice fish; it doesn’t get cold enough for that.

When I first started my career as a teacher, a few of the guy teachers at my school were talking in the break room one day about how they go ice fishing every year.

They rented a cabin, fished all weekend, and got off the grid for a few days over a 3 day weekend.

I had never been, and it sounded interesting. They invited me on the trip, and I went for the first time back in 2007.

Ever since then, I’ve been a regular on the trip; we’ve been going for 17 years.

I’ve long since moved on with my career, but it’s awesome to continue to see the those guys.

Each year we reminisce, catch up with each other, bond, and of course, do our best to catch some fish.

This year’s trip was a bit different, though…

Usually the trip revolves around alcohol.

We often joked that “fishing is secondary” and “we might not catch fish, but we’ll sure catch a buzz”…

We would do shots, pound beers, sing loudly, and be pretty obnoxious until the wee hours of Friday night.

On Saturday, we’d wake up with a hangover, make a “hair of the dog drink” to keep the buzz going, and hit the ice all day long on Saturday.

And on Sunday, we’d slowly arise, groan due to our nasty headaches and lack of sleep, and make the sheepish drive back home.

But back then, we were in our 20’s.

As time has passed, we’ve grown older (perhaps wiser), we’ve had kids, and our kids have gotten older as well.

Everyone is in their 40’s now, and we can’t recover like we used to.

All of us have slowed down considerably.

The pounding of shots and beers has turned into leisurely sips, if anything.

3 of us, myself included, don’t drink at all any more.

This was my first ice fishing trip 100% sober.

I had a bit of apprehension before the trip.

I have always associated this trip with alcohol.

But this isn’t the first time in the last 11 months without booze that I’ve felt this way.

I’ve come to realize the anxiety I feel around feeling like I “need” to drink is all in my head.

Nobody cares. And it’s really not the big deal you think it is.

On Saturday, I was sitting on the ice, jigging for perch, and one of the guys on the trip came over to my hole.

He said, “Hey, Jason, are you having a good time this weekend?”

I confirmed to him I was.

And I really was – I was having a blast, catching up with old friends, telling stories, bonding with my buddies, and fishing.

All with some non-alcoholic beers.

He replied, “Great, man, I’m glad to hear that. You’re just a bit chill today, so I didn’t know if you were actually enjoying yourself. Is it weird to not drink on this trip?”

I responded to him:

“Well, it works like this…

Let’s say how you feel, and your general sense of well being is on a scale of 1 to 100, with 1 being the worst day of your life, and 100 being the best.

And 50 is your ‘baseline’. A normal day. Not up, not down, just a normal, average day.

Today, I’d say I’m at a 70. I’m having a great time. I’m outside in nature with the elements with good friends. I feel great. I’m having fun fishing and enjoying catching up with everyone.

I’m genuinely enjoying myself.

But I’m not drinking.

If I was drinking, that 70 would be cranked up to an 80 or a 90.

I’d be doing shots, chugging beers, getting buzzed up, singing loudly, and all of that.

But on Sunday, after the trip, that 70 would drop to a 30.

I’d be dehydrated and hungover.

I’d be exhausted from a lack of sleep.

I’d feel anxiety from sky high cortisol levels.

I’d feel pretty awful, all things considered.

And then on Monday, I’d be at a 40.

On Tuesday, I’d be at a 45.

And on Wednesday, I’d be back to my baseline at 50.

But on this trip, since I’m not drinking, on Sunday, I’ll be at a 60.

I’ll be proud of myself for staying sober.

I’ll be thinking back about the great time I had and how much I value keeping in touch with everyone.

I’ll be rejuvenated after a few days off the grid, and energized to begin the work week.

And on Monday, I’ll be ready to crush the week, back to my baseline at 50.

So, sure, I’ll be missing some of the upside that drinking brings me in the moment.

But I’ll also be able to skip the 3-4 days of downside that follows.

That’s a pretty good tradeoff if you ask me.”

—-

Check out Kristin’s results from just one month in our group coaching program. You can learn more and join about our most popular – and affordable coaching offer here.

February-16-2024

N.W.A. Tip Of The Week

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