Christin's Behind-the-Scenes Sunday 🎥

Powerlifting, Journal+Meditate+Tea, Flow Club

Dear Ones,

This week I hit 2 new personal records in my powerlifting sessions--

fullgripbarbell

A post shared by Mark I. A. Moore (@fullgripbarbell)

It's my second time doing low-bar squatting, as I had always done a high-bar squat in support of my previous Olympic weightlifting endeavors. In both the low-bar squat and deadlift one-rep max attempts, I lifted 235 lb (106.6 kg) at my current weight of 145 lb.

This makes me...probably above average in the general population, but not quite good enough for a local competition (yet!)

Mini Glossary

• Olympic weightlifting = clean & jerk, snatch

• Powerlifting = squat (usually low-bar squat allows one to lift more), deadlift, bench press

My goal is to be the top powerlifter for my age group, in my state, in the year 2086. (Documented in my life in weeks chart.)

What a ridiculous goal right? I would be 100 then. (Realistically my life expectancy if NOTHING at all goes wrong is probably 88, so I will likely have to prepare two decades earlier.)

But why do I devote myself to such a sport, working out for 1-1.5 hours every weekday? Some friends think that I'm disciplined, but it's actually not that at all.

Working out is easy when there are...

1. Meaningful connections: My coach is someone that has been there for me even at my lowest lows, and our bond is familial. This is the hardest to explain to others because it is a privileged position--few have the opportunity to have someone who is this supportive. Underneath the gruff exterior is a man who gives unconditionally to those around him. (He's also a Lyme Disease patient and his health is uncertain, so every moment I get to spend with him is a precious gem.)

2. Mental health support: You'd think that physical health is the second reason, but most of us lift because it's a powerful antidote to darkness. There's something about setting and meeting goals, the sweat, and the camaraderie of teammates that alchemizes the lead in my brain into gold.

3. Physical health support: my wife Yuhong has this magical ability to make friends with folks who are decades older than us, and one thing they always tell us is: do the things we want to do NOW while we have the body to do it.

   But here's the catch...Yuhong's friends are often met amongst the granite of the Sierras, the flows of rivers known for their majestic fishery. They are already the healthiest older people we know, who have kept active their entire lives! They may suffer an injury or two, but always aim to bounce back as soon as possible. In comparison, I know people like my parents or my friends' parents who aren't active at all, and their health greatly suffers as a result. Yet I know it's not that they stopped being active when they were old..it's that they never were active when they were young either, or stopped being active as they had kids and more responsibilities.

   So what I know for certain is this: that the ability to keep active is something that can never stop, and we need encourage those around us to be active.

   Because old age is coming for all of us, but whether our body and mind's ages matches our chronological age is actually something we can control, and part of our responsibility.

   The secret to keeping active is to find something that brings one joy to do, ideally with meaningful connections and mental health components in addition to the physical ones. It doesn't have to be a discipline thing at all.

What's your goal for when you're 100?

Warm Wishes,

Christin

Where to find Christin this week

• Journal+Meditate+Tea: I’m still hosting Journal+Meditate+Tea every weekday at 3PM PT. Register using the link on the page.

• Flow Club: Have a task you’ve been procrastinating? I also host co-working sessions through Flow Club. Use my invite link to skip the waitlist and book a session. See you in the flow 🌊