As Thanksgiving weekend wraps up and slides seamlessly into the Holiday Season, I wanted to take a somewhat belated moment to express my thanks to you, my readers.
In an “attention economy” such as ours, where every online retailer, entertainer, influencer is “fracking for eyeballs” (eew), you, my friends, have chosen to spend a bit of your time reading my words. It’s a kindness I don’t take lightly. I am immensely grateful for your time, your comments, your engagement with the ideas in this newsletter. It is you who allow me to continue this process of creativity that is so fulfilling to my spirit.
“But,” in the words of Don Corleone, “I have selfish reasons,” as well. It turns out that the practice of gratitude is one of the most health-promoting activities around. Ben Azadi, podcaster and founder of Keto Kamp, put it this way on a recent interview on my friend Anna Vocino’s Substack: “There’s a supplement that’s… more powerful than any supplement you’ll find at GNC or Amazon. This supplement has been proven to put you in an anti-inflammatory state. It’s proven to produce endorphins like oxytocin, GABA and serotonin… all these incredible chemicals that make you feel great. It’s Vitamin G, the practice of gratitude.”
Azadi advises listeners to get a “daily dose” of gratitude, “as much as possible, because you can’t overdose on it.”
giving thanks…
Judy and I joined some of her family for Thanksgiving this year, and I must say, my favorite tradition is when, just before dinner, we go through the room and everyone expresses something they’re thankful for. By the time we chow down, the room is glowing with positive energy.
It’s great that we have an entire holiday devoted to the practice of gratitude. But what about the rest of the year? How best to implement this in our hectic, stressful daily lives?
…and going without
Last week, Michael Easter wrote an excellent Substack post called “The True Science of Gratitude.” In it, he drills a bit deeper into the research on gratitude, explaining that it can be difficult for us humans to experience, since it’s not our “default setting.” He pokes holes in some of the usual advice — like gratitude journaling and sending gratitude emails to acquaintances — and offers research-backed techniques instead.
He says the best way to truly experience gratitude is actually to experience deprivation:
The best path to gratitude, modern research and ancient wisdom suggests, is to occasionally force yourself into scarcity. This is why religions have practices like Lent and Ramadan.
Only when you go without can you realize how great it is to have and just how much of the modern world is undeniably amazing.
That might be time in the wilderness, totally removed from modern comforts. Or it could be picking a comfort or two and going without for awhile.
When we get those things back, we can truly experience how wonderful they are.
It’s a bit counter-intutive, isn’t it? We celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast, not a fast. And today I’ll no doubt spend a significant amount of my Cyber-Monday dollars on an abundance of stuff I may or may not need. It certainly gives me pause, as we go into the shopping season. For more, I recommend you check out the full post here.
now about that cyber monday…
Last night, I managed to shake off the Turkey Day torpor just long enough to get in a quick home-gym workout. At which point I realized that several of my rubber bands are getting frayed to the point of snappability. So one thing I’m buying today is a new set of bands.
In case you care, here are some links to ones I have used. Note that these are affiliate links, so if you click through before you do your cyber-buying, you’re also supporting this newsletter, at no cost to you!
I started my Dr. Ben Bocchicchio SMART workout journey right when my gym shut down in 2020, with a basic set of resistance bands like this:
There are many on there, so I picked the cheapest one I could find. (These are on sale for fifteen bucks at the time of this writing. I think I spent about $25 on mine.) I also spot a set like this at TJ Maxx from time to time, which can be an even better deal, so keep an eye out.
A year or so ago, I upgraded to the pull-up-assist style bands. I find that these give more resistance overall, and a wider range of possibilities. They’re also quite durable. I still don’t look like this guy, though:
To those, I added a set of sturdy handles, like these. This saved my hands from being pinched by the bands on things like squats and rows. An optional upgrade, but one that I enjoy.
I like these handles, but searching just now, I found this different style pair that is probably just as good, for a better price. I know some people just wear a pair of workgloves instead of worrying about handles. Whatever works for you!
Even with the various (possibly obsessive) changes and upgrades over the years, my entire “home gym” has cost me less than one month’s membership at the local Y, and it fits in a coth bag in the corner of my closet, or of my suitcase — about the size of a pair of sneakers, in all. For such a small investment, my rubber bands never fail to get my sweat drippin’, my heart pumpin’ and give me a great workout in no time at all. See?
So that’s it from here. I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving. I appreciate you, my friends, and this community we have created here. If you’d like your own dose of Vitamin G, drop a comment below and let us know what you’re grateful for. See you next time!
Great reminder about Vitamin G, The Atlantic also had a piece on it, including steps to take to get there. The workout straps, I realized I have at least (because they multiply) 3 sets (including the cool handles) in three separate areas of the globe, which I've used, as you point out, in lieu of a gym.