Grow the Good

Today's topic is an interesting one and I want to talk about it just to inspire some thought around how we talk about hard work.   It's more just a phrase or topic of conversation that is thrown around, but I don't think many people even realize they are saying it.

This phrase is haphazardly thrown around in our regular conversations, so much so that I'm not even sure we realize we are doing it.  The fact is that saying something is a lot of work is often used as a negative caveat. If you're talking about a good experience to someone and then throw in, "but it's a lot of work," the person you're talking to might feel discouraged or might not even want to try what you are doing.  "It's a lot of work" is also an excuse people use to create a barrier to getting started.

Here are some examples I've heard recently about the phrase "it's a lot of work" either being used as an excuse or just in regular conversation that can inadvertently come across as negative.

"Cooking a plant-based meal? Or even cooking a meal at home?  It's a lot of work."

"I'd love to get a dog, but they are a lot of work."

"Babies are a lot of work, but they are fun too."

"Training for a mountain bike race sounds like too much work."

"Starting a side project would be cool, but it would also be a lot of work."

and here's one I'm guilty of saying we people ask me about podcasting

"I love podcasting, but it's a lot more work than you'd think!"

I'm not saying it's bad to tell someone that a task is a lot of work, but I think it's important to be aware the context.  Also, why do we feel the need to emphasize that something is a lot work?  Most of the time, we have the best intentions. We want someone to know that if they want to take on a new commitment, we want to prepare them by letting them know there will be some time and effort involved.  Most of the time, we are not trying to discourage someone but it can inadvertently come off that way- or worse, you can sound like you are complaining.  Saying something is great but then adding "but it's a lot of work" can take away from how great it sounds.

And when we use "it's a lot of work" as an excuse to avoid getting started- well that's a whole other story.

I've broken it down into a few sections.  The first is one I'll lightly touch on, but won't go in-depth because the topic is very broad and is even something we've spent hours talking about on the show with guests: topics like the brain's quest for dopamine, building good habits, setting goals, sticking to commitments. There are tons of articles on why we are lazy, how not to be lazy, etc.  I'm not going to go into laziness.

Matt and I were talking about this topic as I was writing this post. I was telling him that I actually enjoy working hard. I don't mind investing my time and energy into things. An example: when we decided to get a puppy last year, everyone told us that getting a dog was going to be a ton of work.  It doesn't feel like work to me, it just feels like a fun addition to my life that takes attention I want to give. When I start and commit to projects or to races, I know I'll have to put in a lot of work and effort, but that excites me.

My question is what else would you rather be doing with your time rather than committing it to "working hard" for something you care about?  The idea of endlessly relaxing may sound good, but in truth, I would find that horribly boring and unsatisfying. I want to spend my time doing things that make me think, take my attention, and really challenge me.  Something being a lot of work is

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Molly Hurford has built her career with several aims in mind: Write constantly, race often, travel frequently and live on her own terms, mostly outside. While she runs her own brands, including The Outdoor Edit, The Consummate Athlete Podcast and Shred Girls, she also works as a freelance writer for many major outdoor publications.  She’s also the author of multiple books on cycling and nutrition. Her most recent project, Shred Girls, is a young adult fiction series focused on getting girls excited about bikes. It’s also a website that features interviews, advice and inspiration for young female cyclists at Shred-Girls.com.  Molly was a guest on this podcast last year where we went in depth into Shred Girls. Listen to that episode.

In her spare time, Molly has raced almost every type of bike, from cyclocross to road to mountain at an elite level; competed in triathlons from sprint to Ironman; and currently spends most of her time competing in ultra-running races, where she often finds her way onto podiums.  She was also the team manager of the former CX team: Aspire Racing that was the most professional CX program in the USA. 

• Molly's experience as team manager for former team Aspire Racing
• Best practices of pros like Jeremy Powers and Mag Rochette
• How to do a DIY photoshoot
• social media practices
• Blueprint: where to start
• how to budget, acting locally but thinking globally
• types of sponsorships and how to ask for money
• what to include in a proposal
• where to find the right contact at a brand
• how to build a relationship with media/journalists

• Get the Athlete Sponsorship Guide
• Get Shred-Girls
• Check out Outdoor Edit (Molly's website)
• Listen to the Consummate Athlete
• Follow Molly on Instagram

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Someone recently asked me what my goals are at the moment.  While I have a lot of different projects, ideas, and races I'm excited about on the horizon (and oh, a BABY)... it all boils down to one thing.  You can call it my mantra of the year, and it's simple.

Show up.  Sounds simple, but some days it's not so easy. I've experienced pretty extreme fatigue since I got pregnant.  Showing up to pedal has surpassed any training goal because there are a lot of days I don't want to show up.  I've talked about how showing up and how getting started is the best way to be consistent and to overcome excuses - overcoming the activation energy of getting started.  Just setting your commitment level to showing up is powerful and it also takes the pressure off of expectations you may have of yourself.  "Show up" will be a mantra I'll use with a newborn, when I'm scared to show up to races because I won't have the high end fitness for the first part of the season, and it's something I'm even using in my relationships.

Yes, showing up for your relationships is important too. That can mean being present without a phone or device in front of you and giving someone your full attention. That's the best gift you can give someone. Showing up for a relationship can mean simply being reliable and doing what you said you would. It can mean just calling or texting a friend to say hello.

Maybe you want to show up for meditation or show up for yoga, or show up to something that scares you.  Show up.  It's simple. It's the only thing you need to do.

Sometimes showing up in business is scary. Showing up to a meeting, or following up when you know you aren't going to get the outcome you were hoping for.  And continuing to show up trying to build new business relationships, even when your confidence has been shaken and you feel like others don't believe in you.  Just keep showing up and good things will happen.

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Ayesha McGowan is the first African American female Professional Cyclist, riding for Liv Cycling. She's on a mission to advocate for representation and is an inspiration for the next generation of African American female cyclists.  Her bicycle has been a tool to not only help her accomplish her dreams, but as a vehicle for storytelling and social change.  Ayesha noticed that our sport of competitive cycling was being represented in the media by white men and she took action. Her tagline is "Representation Matters."  She's been on the cover of Outside Magazine, partnered with Nike's Dream Bigger video series, and has spoken on stages, podcasts, and articles on why it's important to have representation in sport, in the media, and in the industry.

She is also a podcaster herself, has her own YouTube Channel, a full racing schedule, and also the creator of DoBetterRide Virtual Ride series.

• how Ayesha found bike racing and mentors
• journey into road racing/how road racing works
• women's racing inspiration
• representation vs tokenism
• equality vs equity
• why you shouldn't say "I don't see color" & implicit biases
• sea otter comments
• brand support
• Do Better Together

• Ayesha McGowan's Website: A Quick Brown Fox
• Join the Challenge: DoBetterRide.com
• Half the Road documentary
• Sea Otter Article she wrote
• Follow Ayesha on Instagram
• Her Nike Project: Dream Crazier

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

"It is not death a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." Marcus Aurelius

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." ~Abraham Lincoln

Time is not a renewable resource.  Many people don't want to think about death because it's uncomfortable. Denying the idea of death or realizing that we don't have unlimited time might change the way we make decisions. Last year, I decided to read some books with accounts of people who were terminally ill. Most notable Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Another highly recommended book I haven't read yet is Bright Hour by Nina Riggs.

Contemplating mortality is something I've heard people doing a lot lately since Kobe Bryant's tragic death.  It was a wake-up call for some, realizing that it could be lights out at any moment.  That wake-up call has spurred conversations about the timeliness of living life on purpose- the life you want to live starting now.  A friend of mine was saying she realized all she does is work and she was going to start spending more time on relationships.  I like that and it's a reminder I need as well because at the end of the day, we won't wish we worked more hours.  A lot of us procrastinate all kinds of things, including big things like changing our life path because change and the unknown is scary and uncomfortable. We say things like, "I'll wait until the kids are graduated. I'll wait until I've saved enough money.  I'll wait until I have a perfect plan. I'll wait until I have more education" and then we realize decades have passed and we are still saying "I'll wait until..."

Here is a quick exercise you can do. If you knew you would die tomorrow, what would you regret?  If you knew you had a year to live and you would suddenly be changing a ton of things in your life, that's a problem!

Also, contemplating the mortality of a loved one is something that makes me uncomfortable but I do it often. It helps me avoid taking them for granted.  If someone you love died today, what would you wish you would have said to them? We ALL put things off- like calling our parents or friends.  Leaving an argument unresolved.  Do it now. Call that friend or family member to say hello because you may never get another chance.

“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake...”

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Dr. Bruce Monger is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University. His research involves the use of satellite remote sensing methods to study environmental controls of ocean primary production at global scales.  He currently serves as a member of NASA’s Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Science Team.  I discovered him while I was doing my Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University.  While I've been eating plant-based for nearly 7 years, I was amazed with what I learned from his lectures and I immediately asked him to come on the show. Global climate change is a huge issue.  If you've been watching the news lately, the financial markets and large companies and taking steps to offset their carbon emissions. While I think this is great, a lot of our daily choices and what we consume as individuals make a huge difference.  I don't think it's a problem we can buy our way out of and the first step comes with education of how dire this situation actually is.  Dr. Monger says that we are either going to be the generation that essentially is responsible for turning ou r back on the planet and how future generations will be forced to live, or we can be the generation that created a paradigm shift and saved the planet for future beings.  There is a finite amount of CO2 that can be released into the air before Earth's temperature increases to a point where things like fresh water, the ability to even grow food, and extreme weather incidents will occur.  Our choices in the next decade or two will forever impact the planet and how all beings exist moving forward.

• career as an oceanographer
• key elements of climate change and what you can do
• consequences of global warming
• what happens if Earth's temperature increases by 2 Degrees Celsius
• Definition of net-zero carbon emissions
• nutrient pollution & Nitrogen fertilizer
• government policy, industrialized farming
• why one person can make a difference
• fish consumptions and better choices
• the health of ocean linked to climate change & freshwater consumption

• Cornell's Plant-Based Nutrition Studies Course
• Dr. Monger at Cornell 
• Mentioned: Robert Howarth's work
• King Corn documentary
• Seafood Watch app to choose what fish to eat if any
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Being brave is not about the absence of fear, it's about having the courage to be vulnerable - to press on in spite of fear. The first memories I have of someone using the word brave is when I was a little kid.  For most, it usually has something to do with having to get a shot at the doctor or getting an injury of some kind and then an adult telling us to be brave.  In cartoons, the hero or heroine is often characterized as someone who is brave- someone who will go into battle knowing that the consequences could be dire.  But I've seen portraits of bravery show up as someone who appears stoic and doesn't show vulnerability or cry.  This is where I think the definition of bravery starts to diverge from what it actually means.

One of my favorite taglines I made up for my own life is "Be Brave. Do Epic Shit."  I have put a lot of thought into what it means to me to be brave.  To be honest, trying to avoid feeling and showing difficult emotions has been one of the harder parts of bravery for me.  Bravery means actually letting yourself feel those emotions without letting them defeat you or change your path.  This discussion could get complicated really quickly if we bring in things like masculinity.  Men, especially the older generation feel pressure not to show or feel vulnerable emotions. Perhaps my view of bravery initially came from men.  I remember even from a young age wanting to be viewed as masculine instead of feminine because I used to think masculinity was akin to strength and bravery.  Oh how wrong I was about that! It's a complex topic for another Crush It Monday.  Continuing with my digression for another moment, I still hate comments about women being emotional, or "crying like a woman."  I AM a woman and I struggle with some of my emotions. I can only imagine what it must feel like for some men.  I think this is an important discussion, but I need to move on to what I think it means to be brave.

First, try to think of the first time in your life when either someone told you to be brave or you realized you did something that made you brave.  This is what Matt's story was: he was in grade 9 wanting to take Japanese, but Japanese was with all the upperclassmen that he looked up to. He had to get up in front of the class and say something in Japanese and was afraid he would look stupid, but he realized he had a choice and did it anyway.  Matt felt uncomfortable and did it anyway.

If you go to the dictionary, bravery and courage go hand in hand.  Being brave is "to have courage" and courage is "the ability to do something that frightens one" or "strength in the face of pain or grief."

It's feeling the fear and doing it anyway.  It's doing it in spite of the fear. Now this doesn't mean doing something irrational like saying "I'm brave" and then walking out into traffic.  It's not saying "I'm brave" and putting yourself needlessly into a dangerous situation.  A whole other topic of discussion would be where is the line between bravery and dangerous risk?  How can you be more brave and do something you're afraid of?  Personally, it's been considering my outcomes and asking myself what the worst-case scenario would be.  Minor injury?  Embarrassment or shame if I fail? Wasted time? Simply not being able to do it?" Often the fear of the thing preventing us from being brave is way worse than if it actually were to happen in real life. Simply considering what the worst case will be might help you overcome your fear.  Another thing is that when you feel some fear

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

If you love gravity and extreme mountain biking, you’ve probably heard of the Frenchman, Remy Metailler.  He has been a top rider at Red Bull Rampage for many years, has solid performances at urban downhill racing around the world, and he’s the incredible mountain biker you imagine as a Whistler Bike Park legend. He is also passionate about teaching others about anything related to mountain biking through his YouTube Channel. He talks about all the nuances of bike, tire, and suspension set-up so you’re dialed for your ride, trail previews of popular trails, especially the lines you’d never consider riding, and more pro tips.  Plus, he can pretty much ride the impossible.

Remy also loves the business of being a pro mountain biker and has built his career with his own team of partners, is a well-known product tester for many brands he works with (and he does push his bike to the limit with the type of riding he does).  He also loves trail riding.  I loved talking to Remy because he reminds us how important it is to focus on the development of skills, truly understanding how all of your equipment works, how to analyze what happened if something goes wrong on a trail, and how important progression and safety are when it comes to riding technical terrain.  He is also passionate about the environment and we got into what he does to make a positive impact near the end of the show and of course- the questions you guys submitted!  I think you'll enjoy this episode because not only is Remy extremely knowledgeable, but he is articulate, very honest, and humble. 

• What is Red Bull Rampage and how does it work?
• Urban Downhill racing
• dealing with pressure, riding slow
• Crashing, Confidence, Trying it Again
• Learning to be analytical about your skills and riding
• improving on fundamentals
• weight lifting and key exercises Remy does in the gym
• Risk and Safety (VIDEO)
• The business side of Remy's career: sponsors & content
• How to deal with the comparison game
• Listener questions:
  • Favorite place to ride
  • Comparison game in YouTube and social media
  • Why did he move to canada from france
  • His views on racing and why he doesn't race 
  • lifestyle changes as a climate activist?
  • favorite lunch
  • Supplements?
  • How old was he when he started riding and when you started to seriously shred
  • People often say Rampage riders are “crazy” or “insane”. How does he respond to those kinds of comments?
  • Suggestions to help riders get out of their heads, such as those that are afraid of crashing, falling off obstacles, missing a jump, etc

• Follow Remy on Instagram
• Subscribe to Remy's YouTube Channel
• Safety and Risk Taking Video on Remy's YouTube

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

We all have the greatest of intentions when we make plans, but then something happens.  Our problem isn't motivation, our problem is following through on our motivation.  It could be as small as saying "Today I'm going to break down those boxes for the recycling" to as complex as a large goal you set for yourself. For some, the act of getting started is the hardest part.  This problem is a relatively simple one to fix.  Break it down into a task so small that it's really easy to get started.  I've talked about this before, but if you can't seem to get on your bike, commit to riding for 5 minutes and if you don't want to anymore, you can stop.  For cleaning, put 2 dishes in the sink, take one thing and put it back in place.  If your inbox is a disaster, try to answer just 1 email that is nagging you.  

Sometimes the issue with follow-through is much bigger than the act of getting started.  Here are some ways to help.

• Learn to Say No
  
  • Sometimes we make commitments that we didn't want to do in the first place. We felt like we couldn't say no in the moment. Time is our most precious asset and it's not a renewable resource.  Learn to say no to things that you really don't want to do. You might feel bad about it in the moment, but if you told someone yes and then don't follow through, they'll feel even worse and you'll have also wasted their time. 
• Consider your Future-Self. i.e. Delay Gratification 
  • When the time comes to get started or even to keep going (like following through with this article instead of stopping in the middle), think of what your future-self would want.  Sure, I could stop right now and go do something else that would gratify my present-self.  But I know from experience that my Sunday night future self will not be happy if I have to work on this last minute to get it done.  This example can be made even as simple as making your bed. Your present self might just want to walk on by and say "I'll do it later" but think of how your Future-Self would feel- even 1 minute into the future the next time you walk by the bed and feel better because it's done? 
• Strengthen Your Get It Done Muscle (how it feels)
  • The Future-Self examples is a great lead-in to this point.  I just said "think of how it will feel for your future self."   Follow-Through is a muscle.  It feels good to identify aa someone who honors their commitments. How does it feel in your body when you actually did the thing you said you would?  How does it feel in your body to procrastinate?  If it's hard to pinpoint how it feels, ask yourself if it makes it a little easier to breathe or a little harder to breathe. If you can bring executing on your intentions to the physical realm of your body, it might be easier to delay gratification and do the thing right now.
• Use Mindfulness to Stop Excuses
  • The alarm clock goes off at 6 AM because you said you were going to get up to exercise. Your first thought is "I'll hit snooze once" or maybe it's "I'll start tomorrow." Meditation and mindfulness practices take you off autopilot and help you be more aware when thoughts pop in your mind.  If you can stop the excuse train in its tracks- with the first excuse you made, it'll prevent them from multiplying.  Stop the excuse and get moving.  Take one small step to stop that excuse.  If you think your excuse may be valid, go back to the commit to getting started model.  For exercise, if your excuse is "I'm too tired to ride my bike"

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

James Wilks is a combatives instructor for the US Military, retired MMA Fighter,  2009 UFC champion, and main star in Gamechangers Documentary which you can now watch on Netflix.  Gamechangers was executively produced by Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, also known for directing Terminator and Titanic to name a couple of other films!  Gamechangers explores whether a plant-based diet is an optimal diet for athletes across all disciplines including strength, endurance sports, team sports, and more.  There are some big name athletes appearing in the film such as World Record Holding Strongman Patrik Baboumian well-known ultrarunner Scott Jurek, Olympian cyclist Dotsie Bausch, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Derrick Morgan of the NFL' Titans, and so many more.  The movie is about James Wilks quest to search for the optimal diet to help him recover from a terrible injury.  His research set him on a trajectory to learn more about plant-based nutrition, ultimately discovering that many athletes are competing at the top level with no animal products. The film also goes into why a plant-based diet helps athletes perform and recover at their best.

• Acclaim for the film including the Defense Health Agency
• how the idea of Gamechangers came about
• James' previous diets and notions on vegans
• is grassfed beef healthy?
• best foods to eat to recover faster from injury
• fatigue, carbohydrates, heme iron, supplements for performance
• how to decipher if scientific studies are legitimate 
• how they picked athletes to be in the movie
• a short bit about fighting MMA/ taking punches & managing aggression and anger

33:50

It's really centered around inflammation. The blood flow is centered around inflammation as well- inflammation of the arteries. But then if there is inflammation just recovering from a workout session or you got injured and you're recovering, you need inflammation to build muscle and to recover, but you want to get through that inflammation quickly so that you can work out again more effectively. You can always work out again the next day, but it's how effective and how optimal is that workout?   I think inflammation is really the key here -that animal foods tend to be inflammatory, plant foods tend to be anti-inflammatory.  And so reducing that can not only help blood flow, but also muscle repair, being faster, and also injury repair as well.

• Go to the Gamechangers website
• Watch the Gamechangers Documentary on Netflix or find it elsewhere
• Follow James Wilks on Instagram
• Listen to my episode with Dr. Esselstyn regarding endothelium/heart disease
• Listen to my episode with T Colin Campbell about cancer and animal protein
• Download Dr. Michael Greger's Daily Dozen App
• Visit NutritionFacts.org
• Joe Rogan episode with James Wilks 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------
The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.