WELCOME to the Timestamp Newsletter! It’s primary mission is to deliver a handful of
recommendations that are worth the time!
Without further delay…
- Podcast – Peter Attia Drive – With guest Layne Norton. Peter & Layne discuss the many aspects of strength training, but most intriguing, is how at ANY age, strength training can assist the practitioner with daily living tasks – no matter the age that it’s undertaken. Yes.. Even as you age, you can get stronger. As we begin a New Year and the re-emergence of prioritizing “health”, it’s hard to think of anything better than strength training for that.
- Article – The Atlantic- Why The Last 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid – by Jonathan Haidt. Published back in Spring of ’22, the article describes the fracturing of the US, and how Social Media has spurred it along. The large scale cooperation of the US populace ( especially when warranted) seems a thing of the past & Haidt explains how we got there.
- Book – Speaking of Jonathan Haidt… He and Greg Lukianoff wrote a tremendous book called – “The Coddling of the American Mind.” The title really speaks well for itself.
- MUSIC – Goose – Dripfield. They’ve had a meteoric rise on the Jam Band scene. While I wouldn’t call them a traditional “Jam Band”, I can say their attention is well-deserved.
- Practical Advice For a New Year:
- I hate crowds. That’s no secret. The gym is going to be very crowded to start the year, and that is a GOOD thing. I can trade my personal annoyances about a crowded workout space with this: we ALL should be encouraging of anyone exercising ( regardless of where they’re starting from ). With the overweight & obesity numbers in the US at above 70%, and the number of diabetic & pre-diabetics in the US at over 1/3 of the population ( and almost certainly an UNDER-Estimate), there’s never been a more important time to promote a healthier lifestyle. The future of America’s security and finances depend on it. ( If you think I’m exaggerating or being alarmist, please research “lifestyle related health-care costs” & “Americans unfit to serve.”
- Be mindful of your use of the word “need” and attempt to ONLY use it appropriately in the New Year. This word is abused almost more than any in modern society as we’ve been told that we should take care of ourselves; primarily and always. Our modern culture of over-abundance has us believing that even our thinnest desires are “needs”… they are not. The sooner we recognize that, the sooner we work on the important things in life.
- Our human curiosity is preyed upon in modern society like it has for centuries amongst humans. That’s no different. What IS different, is it’s amplification via Social Media sites. This year, the algorithm will continue to have your curiosity piqued, so the next thing you know you’re clicking on links to “5 things you should always avoid”, “If you want to be successful, do these 4 things always”, “My top 10 Beauty hacks in 2023!” … just realize that these are shallow plays for your attention based on flashy visuals with zero substance. See these things and the masks they wear for what they really are. When all of us are using our time online, we should ask ourselves “is this serving me? Is this helping me in any way?”
- Above all… produce more than you consume, give more than you take, AND… you have TIME… use it wisely.
Until next time..
Andrew L Hamilton 