Can getting healthy be fun?

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Good morning, 66.1ers.

I’m coming off the most fun work month I’ve had in a while. And I think there are a few lessons from the last month that might be helpful to share with you all. Lessons that can help us from “losing the forest for the trees”, as my Organic Chemistry professor used to say.

We can spend all day and all night trying to build a healthier body. Most of what I write here at 66.1 will be focused on that. But this week, we’re going to zoom out. Because we wouldn’t want to build our health and look back, only to realize that we’d missed out on life, would we?

I spent a week in Colorado in mid-June. Selling Freedom Fats beef tallow with my business partner, Rob. It went well. A lot of fun. Main takeaway? People are appropriately paranoid about the cooking fats they use at home. The younger generations (Gen Z, especially) are particularly paranoid, well-informed, and open to cooking with animal fats. They don’t want to end up like their parents and grandparents, tripping over their chronic disease by the time they hit age 66.1. Older generations are still falling victim to the “animal fats are bad” propaganda that led us to cook with the lab-concocted gunk that’s the root of 60% of American adults living with chronic disease. 

Maybe you’ve seen the below graphic from Jeff Nobs?

We’ve also been to two live music shows in the past week. Charley Crockett at Pine Creek Lodge last week. Hozier + Amble in Billings on Wednesday. Charley Crockett is a rogue cowboy. Hozier is Hozier. He sounds as good in person as he does on Spotify. Amble is up-and-coming. 6 Irish guys who recently quit their jobs to play music for a living. All three offer refreshing takes on a world that’s increasingly homogenized. We drank mezcal. Didn’t sleep enough. Took long naps the day after the show. It’s part of why this newsletter is coming to you later than I like.

And then I’ve been working with a coach for the past month. Rick Roberge is his name. He calls himself a sales coach. But he’s more of a brain architect. Teaches you how to talk to people. Knows why people do what they do. How to help. He’s probably not been told he’s a ”nice guy” too often. But he’s honest. And isn’t that always going to be more helpful, valuable, and kind than being “nice”? If it sounds like I’m taking notes, I am. 

So, where is Marcus going with all this? 

Well, this is for all of you out there worried about getting to exactly 10k steps today. Or making sure you follow an exact diet protocol. Counting calories. Tracking every workout on Strava. Or, or, or. The health and fitness world has enough focus on optimization. If you want to lose 32 lbs in the next 6 months, we can do that. Certainly. But exactly how you get there? That’s unique to the individual. And weight loss can’t come at the cost of living your life. 

Maybe there’s something useful to you in the following habits?

3 habits to make the most of your life: 

1. Find the missing piece

   There will always be one. But what’s your biggest problem right now? Is it your finances? Your relationships? Your fitness? Find a mentor, an example to follow. You might pay them. You’ll be more invested if you do. Before you pay them, though, make sure they’re someone you’d enjoy hanging out with even if there was no business arrangement in place. If it sounds like “missing piece” is code for “missing person”, you’re right. Who Not How. Your progress will be linear at best if you try to operate as a lone wolf. Want to unlock exponential progress? It’s time to build your support team.
   

2. Map it backwards

   Where do you want to be in a year? 5? 10?

   If you want to be running in a marathon on July 5, 2025, what do you need to do to get there? Want to be a fun, cool grandparent when your own kids have kids 10 years from now? What habits need to be formed? Fixed? How soon?
   

3. Make it fun

   Set your goals and pursue them with all you’ve got. Of course. But you’ve got to enjoy the ride. Hit your health goal? Congratulations. What’s your reward? What experience do you want to have with friends, family, loved ones that’s enriched by your new level of fitness? A hiking trip to the Grand Canyon? A ski trip to Colorado? 

   Get really clear about what your goal is and what the reward is. “I’m going to lose 30 lbs in the next 6 months and when I do, I’m going to take my family on a ski trip to Vail” is 100x more compelling than, “I’m going to lose 30 lbs in 6 months”. 

Want to set your own health goal and knock it out of the park? 

Ask me anything.