The 80-year-old who hunts elk in the Utah mountains, the dangers of comparison, a workout for your holiday travels

Issue #73: Your holiday travel workout, the 80-year old hunting elk in Utah, the dangers of comparison

Read Time: 4 minutes

Good morning, 66.1ers.

Welcome to the first Wednesday issue of 66.1.As mentioned in Saturday's issue, I'll be publishing this shorter, skimmable format on Wednesdays going forward.Saturdays will be reserved for a deep dive on one topic.

Eventually, Saturday issues will become paid.But I want you to have a taste of what you'd be paying for first.So they'll be free for the next few weeks.

Wednesdays, on the other hand, will always be free.

In this week's Wednesday issue of 66.1:

• The 80-year-old woman who archery hunts for elk in the mountains of Utah

• Is comparison moving you forward or backward?

• The airport workout you need this holiday season

In case you missed Saturday's issue:

​An analysis of Ozempic and related drugs for weight loss.

A quick refresher for anyone who's new to the newsletter: 66.1 is the average health span (years lived without a serious disease) in the US. We're here to extend that.

Spotlight on Longevity: Evie Johnson

​Evie Johnson is a bow hunter from Bemidji, MN. And in 2021, at age 80, she harvested a big bull elk in the mountains of Utah. This is an impressive feat for anyone at any age, but it's exceptional at age 80 because archery takes significant shoulder strength and stability. And hunting in the mountains requires strength, endurance, and an uncommon determination.

3 lessons for longevity from Evie:

1. Train, train, train​In the offseason, Evie keeps strong and maintains accuracy by competing in local archery competitions.​

2. Think in seasons​Evie knows there will come a day when she's no longer able to draw her bow back.At this time, she says, she'll hang it up and do "old people" activities like sewing (see quote below).If you've got a physically demanding hobby you love or trip you want to take, now is probably the best time to do it.​

3. Eat clean​Evie doesn't say it explicitly in the article, but we can deduce pretty quickly that she's fueled by wild game.With a mature elk yielding around 200 pounds of the leanest meat you'll find, she and her husband have plenty to get themselves through the winter.

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"I'll stop when I can't pull my bow back anymore...When other people are sewing or other stuff...I'll do that when I get old."

--Evie Johnson

Food for thought:

"Comparison is the thief of joy."--Theodore Roosevelt

We're all chasing something we wish we were further along at.Health and fitness goals.Career progression.Relationship goals.​The list is long.

And, often, we let these goals torment us.We compare our progress to the progress of our friends, colleagues, and peers.And then we get down on ourselves, bemoaning our slow progress.This only serves to sap us of joy and stall what momentum we did have going.

A healthier (and more productive) approach is to learn from others, but to measure your progress against your past self.As long as you're healthier, happier, and otherwise in a better place than you were previously, there's no reason to get frustrated.

The question for you this week:

Where in your life are you comparing yourself to others?Might you progress faster if you simply focused on the progress you've made and kept chipping away at your goals?

Workout of the week

A quick workout you can do anywhere.

This week's workout:

The Airport Circuit.​The airport is a great place to drink an expensive beer and scroll social media.It's also a great place to get some extra exercise. This is a compilation of my favorite exercises to do when I'm delayed, laid over, or otherwise waiting for a flight.

Here's the workout:

5 rounds:

DipsGo off in the corner and slide a couple chairs together.Do 10 dips between them (you'll probably have to bend at the knees to make this work).

Weighted stair climbYou're not allowed to leave your luggage laying around the airport anyway, so let's make use of this extra weight.Go up 2 flights of stairs with your hand luggage.

SquatsGo back to your dip corner and do 50 air squats.Bonus points if you put your luggage on your back for these.​

Level: Intermediate

Don't do it if:You've got injured shoulders--the dips might be troublesome.Try push-ups instead.

Adaptation:​If dips don't work for you, switch to push-ups.If carrying your hand luggage up a flight of stairs is too much, do stationary lunges.If 50 air squats is too many, do 25.There's something here for everyone.

​Tried the workout?​Reply here and let me know how it went!I'd love to hear more.

​That's all for this Wednesday.Have fun out there.​Marcus​

Before you go...​​If you enjoy 66.1, I'd be humbled if you shared it with a friend.Please forward this email to anyone you think would find it valuable.

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Why 66.1?​66.1 is the average health span (years lived without a serious disease) in the US, as of the start of this newsletter publication.​We're here to extend that.