It's What You Do in the Dash...

“Life is not about where you start or where you end. It's the distance you travel in your life.” — Greg Plitt

One reason we love Rocky is because of the distance he traveled on his journey. He went from unknown bum to going the distance with Apollo Creed, Heavyweight Champion of the World. Your classic underdog story.

The clip above shows Rocky’s progress from his first day of training to his last run before the fight.

The Dash is a poem by Linda Ellis…

While “the dash” refers to the time between your birth and your death, use the metaphor as a helpful tool for any period of time.

Don’t feel like working out? (me neither)

Walking into the gym — Walking out of the gym

How will you spend that dash?

Going home for the holidays to see your loved ones?

Getting picked up at the airport — Getting dropped off at the airport

How will you spend that dash?

Accepting a fight with the Heavyweight Champion of the World?

First day or training — Last day of training

We know how Rocky spent that dash.

Feel Great

Stay woke.

Rock a Nice Little Bod

If you’re struggling to take your first step towards greatness, remember Rocky’s first day of training… stitch in his side, gasping for air, barely making it up the steps… but he kept going. He showed up every day and took the next step forward. One step at a time.

Enjoy Life

“It’s all about what you do in that dash of life.” — Greg Plitt

Are you making the most of your dash?

Nice Little Body of the Week

Zac Efron. Zac in Baywatch & Zac’s “Dad Bod” *rolls eyes* in Down to Earth.

“In July 2020, as Netflix viewers began watching Down to Earth, some commented on his “dad bod”—which, to be clear, was a dad bod only relative to his lifeguard bod. The New York Post called it “a far cry from his ripped physique in Baywatch.” [source: Men’s Health]

“Speaking to Men’s Health for his October [2022] cover story, Efron opened up about that ripped physique—mostly, how destructive it was, both for Efron’s mental wellbeing and also his physical health.

“That Baywatch look, I don’t know if that’s really attainable,” he says. “There’s just too little water in the skin. Like, it’s fake; it looks CGI’d,” he says. “And that required Lasix, powerful diuretics, to achieve. So I don’t need to do that. I much prefer to have an extra, you know, 2 to 3% body fat.”

Aside from the diuretics—which explains the lack of water in the skin—Efron also stuck to a diet consisting of “organic protein and leafy greens.” And lots of workouts. Like: months and months and months of intense workouts. He now says he was probably overtraining—and losing sleep because of it; workouts started at 4 a.m. some days.

Efron’s comments are not without a strong self-awareness. He understands having such a body is not one of the worst problems. Still, Efron also recognizes the gravitational force of that body, how many, just like with Brad Pitt’s fight club physique, want it. And this, Efron contends, is probably not a great idea.

“I started to develop insomnia, and I fell into a pretty bad depression, for a long time. Something about that experience burned me out. I had a really hard time recentering.”

During the pandemic, Efron says he took a break—focusing more on stretching and yoga alongside his strength training—which led to a more mindful approach to workouts. "This new approach, which banishes the extreme asceticism needed for another Baywatch body, Efron finds healthier and more sustainable.” [source: Men’s Health]

Zac, we love you for you— not for your bod.

Eargasm of the Week

Thank you for reading.

Feel great. Rock a nice little bod. Enjoy life.

Steve