Author: armstrong.wou@gmail.com

Be your best today; be better tomorrow. This is one of my daily mantas. I can be neither my best today nor better tomorrow. Without adequate sleep.

Sleep is more than 7-8 hours in bed. The phrase “sleep hygiene” (i.e., good sleep hygiene) entails the habits surrounding quality sleep. Research has shown that regular sleep habits—a regular sleep and awake time is as important (if not more important) than the hours of sleep.

Here are some effective habits for good sleep hygiene:

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Consistency helps regulate your body’s internal clock.

Ensure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool. Consider using earplugs, an eye mask, or a white noise machine, if needed.

Use a comfortable mattress and pillows. Bedding should be cozy and supportive to promote good sleep posture.

Reduce exposure to bright light in the evenings and increase exposure to sunlight during the day. Consider using blackout curtains to block out light.

Limit screen time (e.g., phones, tablets, computers, TV, etc.) at least an hour before bed. The blue light from these devices can interfere with the production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone.

Eating heavy or rich foods within a couple of hours of bedtime can cause discomfort and indigestion. Limit fluids to prevent frequent bathroom trips during the night.

Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can interfere with sleep. Avoid them (don’t smoke period), especially in the late afternoon and evening.

Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night. Try to exercise at regular times during the day and avoid vigorous exercise close to bedtime.

Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga to manage stress. A calm mind can help you sleep better.

Engage in relaxing activities an hour or so before bed, such as journaling, reading a book, taking a warm bath, or listening to soothing music. Avoid watching the news or reading materials that can excite the brain.

Limit yourself to short, 20-30 minutes naps, if you nap, and avoid napping late in the afternoon.

Strengthen the association between bed and sleep by avoiding the use of your bed for activities like working, eating, or watching television.

Avoid alcohol before bed. Alcohol might help you fall asleep, but it can disrupt your sleep cycle and lead to poor-quality sleep.

Spend time outside during the day. This helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exposure to natural light.

Consider sleep aids carefully. I learned recently that melatonin has a half-life of about two hours. This means that, though it can help you fall asleep, it won’t help you stay asleep. Consider a supplement that is time-released (e.g., Sleep Relief™ from Nutritional Biochemistry, Inc., https://www.nbihealth.com/sleep-support/).

Sleep is one of the most important activities we can do to support physical and brain health. Consider your sleep habits—sleep hygiene—and….

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Success is individual. Unfortunately, we often measure our success against the (perceived) success of others. The intent of this book is not to define success for anyone. Success is for the reader to define. Frankly, I find the concept of success is a bit nebulous. So, where does one draw the line? Is success a dollar amount in the bank? Is it a specific occupational title? Is it celebrity? Is it professional respect? If it is respect, then, from whom? What, precisely is success? Most importantly, what comes after success?

There is no doubt that we should all set out to accomplish “great things” in our lives. We should dream big. We should be (extra)ordinary. But….

Andrew Carnegie once said: “There is little success where there is little laughter.”  Success, however, as it is defined, is worthless if it comes at the cost of happiness. All opportunity comes at a cost. Doing great things requires effort, and effort comes at the expense of other aspects of one’s life. Education, building a successful business, training to become an elite athlete, etc. will have to draw energy away from something. These cost time with family, time spent on personal health/well-being, and so on. Of what value is success in one area of life if it leads to failure in other areas? True success adds value to others and to the other areas of one’s life.

Occasionally, I have days when I wake up feeling a bit tired of being on the successful side of mediocre. I suspect we all have days like this. These are days when we feel like we just haven’t accomplished as much as we are meant to accomplish in our life.

There are several ways to approach this feeling. One would be to get down on oneself and feel unaccomplished. Another would be to say: “Meh. I am doing okay.” and keep chugging along, staying the course. The best approach, however, is to make new efforts in the direction of (extra)ordinary.

I don’t like being on the successful side of mediocre. I trust you don’t either. The successful side of mediocre is just north of average and not far from the unsuccessful side of mediocre. I feel it is true that, overall, I can say I am successful—by the standards of most, quite successful, but to be just this side of mediocre is a statement that “I have worked just hard enough and took advantage of just enough opportunity to stay ahead of the next guy.” I don’t find this is to be acceptable. We all want to make our mark on the world and add significant value to the lives we touch—shouldn’t we, of course?

We should always strive to be better. We need to set goals, and we need to expect increasingly more of ourselves. The challenge, however, is to not beat ourselves up and feel as though we are failures because we are not living lives of wealth and fame. The world doesn’t need more billionaires and celebrities as much as it needs parents, teachers, coaches, and ordinary people who have (extra)ordinary impact on the people around them.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we’re all teachers – if we’re willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door.”—Marla Gibbs

“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.”—Og Mandino

“My purpose in performing is to communicate the joy I experience in living.”—John Denver

“To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.”—James Allen

“Purpose is what gives life a meaning.”—Charles Henry Parkhurst

“The purpose creates the machine.”—Arthur Young

“Your purpose is not what you are doing right now…. But what you do is connect with an innate sense of how you give and get meaning every day and channel that innate purpose that’s internal to your external life.”—Anna Hall

“Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from.”—Jodie Foster

The more I teach courses like “Exercise Testing and Prescription” the more I am bothered by normative data—especially as it relates to age. Accordingly, I am expected to see declines in strength and performance and increases in body fat. I am expected age like everyone else. That is normal.

Normal is what everyone else does—for better or for worse. It is not necessarily what I should be doing. It is not what you should be doing.

Normal is not a “growth mindset.” Growth is a herd mindset.

“No! Don’t think outside of the box! Once you say that, you’ve established that there is a box.”—Walt Disney

Coyte Cooper (Make Your Mark and Flip the Script) taught me not to set “reasonable” goals like we are taught with the SMART goal-setting approach (i.e., specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, and time). Instead, our goals should be unreasonable by ordinary standards. In other words, strive to be beyond “normal”—beyond the expectations of others.

Be (extra)ordinary! “Normal”—ever the higher percentiles for your age, gender, etc.—is what is expected. Normal is not potential. Normal is, by definition, “ordinary.”

People have expectations based on how others perform. We were not created to be normal. We were created to be (extra)ordinary.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?”—James Allen

Those who will never find success are likely to ask only one question: Why me? Note that I did not write “failures.” True success will have many failures along the path. This is inevitable if we have a growth mindset and are focused on the “why not?” questions.

The first question of true success is often the easiest. After all, whoever says to themselves: “I want to be a failure because…”? We know our “why.” We often get stuck in the “why not.” The “Why not?” question too often opens the door to excuses. We make it a bit farther along the path than the person who locks on their excuses (i.e., the “Why me?” person) before discovering their “why.”

Asking the question: “Why not me?” takes ownership of the opportunity. It addresses the obstacles and the perceived limitations.

Asking ourselves: “Why not now?” gives us the sense of immediacy. It denies power to any excuse. It empowers us with the sense of urgency. It demands a plan of action (thus disallowing any excuse for inaction).

Want something? Go for it! Ask yourself: “Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?”

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“It is the hopeful, buoyant, cheerful attitude of mind that wins. Optimism is a success builder; pessimism an achievement killer.”—Orison Swett Marden

Easter Sunday. The last day of Spring Break (for me, at least) and the day before the start of a new term. The last day of March. The first day of a new week. It is cause for hopefulness. It is cause for optimism. It is not cause for dread or pessimism. It (as is every day, week, year, … moment) an opportunity.

Let today—every day—be a source of hope and grattitude (gratitude + attitude).

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

Following an interview for the Aging Well Podcast, my guest, Kim Rahir, emailed to thank me and commented that she wants her “business to be part of a bigger purpose.” (The episode will air on April 7– https://www.buzzsprout.com/1907855/14702016.) It has me thinking about global purpose—specifically, my global Purpose. What am I doing to have a “global impact”?

Part of my mission statement (which I try to reflect on daily) is to “have a positive impact on the lives of others.” I try to do so, albeit on a small scale, through my teaching, this blog, the Podcast, and the small interactions with others. My message (the message that I hope is getting through) is one of growth and change for a greater Purpose. There are times, teaching exercise science courses, that I feel like I am on my soapbox and speaking more philosophically than physiologically. My class sizes are relatively small, and the students overlap courses. I am affecting fewer than perhaps 75 students a year. The Podcast is in its third season. Our numbers are still small but growing steadily. We are reaching six continents. I know a few people read this blog—certainly not in the thousands.

My reach is small. For nearly all of us, our reach is small. This does not mean we don’t (or can’t) have a global impact. “Six degrees of separation” is a very real thing.  We may never realize who we are affecting daily. It may seem like “no one” but that insignificant interaction with another driver or the cashier at the store has a ripple effect. With social media, our opportunity to have a global impact is now even more of a possibility (for better or for worse).

Don’t underestimate your influence. Seek to have a global impact. Choose to….

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.”—Barbara Johnson

Last night was to be my son’s debut fight in MMA. His fight was cancelled. His opportunity is delayed another five weeks. I think he took it better than me. We attended the event and watched the rest of the card. I was disappointed. He took in the lessons he could learn to prepare for when his opportunity would come.

Our need to be patient appears in many forms. It almost always focuses our attention on the present—what we need to be learning to get to where we are supposed to go. Patience opens our eyes to our weaknesses and allows us time to prepare.

I have no doubt that my son was prepared for the fight that didn’t happen, but that is not as important as what lies ahead for him. He has more than a month to prepare for what will be his first appearance in the octagon. I believe there is a Purpose to the delay—which might never be fully understood. He continues to train and master his techniques (as well as learn new techniques) and strategies. He has the patience to wait for his opportunity.

We want what we want, and we want it yesterday. What we want and what we need are not always congruent. When we want what we want and when we get what we need rarely occur simultaneously. Indeed, we might never see the former.

Patience is weird. We want it. We want it now. However, we need patience to get patience.

Patience is labeled in the bible among the fruit of the Holy Spirit. These fruits can be seen both a gift and as the product of our effort—of cultivation. We cannot have patience without the opportunity to be patient. In such moments, we can idle our motor, or we can strip our gears. The choice is ours. As we wait….

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

In a recent conversation about the movie, What About Bob?, a student pointed to the fact that Bob Wiley continued to live in New York City despite his plethora of phobia—germs, crowded spaces, people, etc. Why didn’t Bob just move? His “vacation” in New Hampshire proved to be healing. Nevertheless, Bob remained where he was not comfortable.

How much of our lack of success can be attributed to simply not being willing to move? 

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.”—Wilma Rudolph

I am blessed to be a part of our local (West Linn, OR) high school wrestling team as a strength and conditioning coach. Yesterday was the Oregon State Tournament. We had sixteen boys and one girl qualify. We ended with four champions (three repeat champions). The team fell shy of the goal of winning the team title for the second year. Four kids (more counting all the state champions) went home happy. The rest went home with varying levels of disappointment.

We should not envy the champions. Some will be returning next year with a target on their backs and a pressure to repeat. Envy those who worked hard and stood on the podium alongside of the champions. They accomplished something and will return with greater desire. Envy those who competed and lost. They have done more than the average teenager. Hope that those who fell short of the gold recognize that they are not “losers”—they are learners. (There are no losers in wrestling—only winners and learners.) Envy the kid who wants to be back next year—better trained, better conditioned, better focused, and… hungry. Be envious of the kid who will pick up after the crushing defeat with the will to win. That kid will be next year’s champion.

As adults, we can’t forget the lessons being taught here. We may not be wrestlers or athletes (ever or anymore), but we can be champions at our Purpose. Me? I have two weeks off, and then I get to take what I have learned from this season and start working to make next year’s team stronger and better prepared to win.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!