Anca

I own my own postings. I love sports, technologies, nature and wellbeing.

[Anca @ancam137]

✈️ Flew with #AirTransat — staff forced me to check my free carry‑on even though the plane wasn’t full and bins had space. Then threatened to charge me for it. Rude, dismissive, and completely unacceptable. Never again. #BadService #Travel @airtransat

[Anca @ancam137]

@airtransat @airtransat With the possibility of strike‑related cancellations, I was told only full refunds would be offered, not rebooking. At this time of year, when families have holiday plans, passengers expect rebooking options to ensure travel commitments are honoured.

[Anca @ancam137]

Great summary! 41 is my favorite!

[Kevin Dahlstrom @Camp4]

Today I turn 55.

I’m the fittest, sharpest, and happiest I’ve ever been.

If I’m an outlier, it’s not because I’m built different or discovered a secret formula. The truth is far less glamorous:

It’s a million tiny choices, compounded over decades.

Here are 55 of them:

1. Walk 15+ miles a week, even if you do other exercise. Humans are uniquely made to move slowly over long distances—it’s critical to longevity.

2. Develop a writing practice. It’s the single best way to sharpen your mind. And remember, you don’t have to be a good writer to write. Start with 10 minutes a day.

3. Swap out your toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, soap, shampoo, and other personal care products for natural versions. Here’s a rule of thumb: Don’t put anything on your skin that you couldn’t safely eat.

4. If you have a positive thought about someone, don’t keep it to yourself—share it immediately. Encouragement defies the laws of physics: When you give energy, you also receive it.

5. Wear shoes with a wide forefoot (I like Topo Athletic) and wear toe spreaders around the house (search “yoga toes” on Amazon). Spine health begins with the feet.

6. Get sunlight regularly. Moderate sun exposure (without sunscreen) is hugely important for overall health.

7. Do a 3-minute deep (“ass to grass”) squat every morning. Deep squats are often called the anti-aging exercise. It’s been said that, “It’s not that you can’t do deep squats because you’re old, it’s that you’re old because you can’t do deep squats.”

8. Explore minimalism (it’s not what you think it is).

9. Set boundaries on toxic relationships. We tend to cling to relationships past their expiration date, and it takes a bigger toll on our health than we recognize.

10. Eat real food. Not too much. Don’t eat garbage. Binge occasionally. Fast occasionally. That’s the diet.

11. Learn about FIRE. It’s a great framework for financial success.

12. Don’t take antibiotics except in emergency situations. They’re massively over-prescribed and aren’t needed in most cases. Antibiotics have done untold damage to our guts, which is where health begins. Great natural alternatives are out there.

13. Get 8 hours of quality sleep each night. To optimize sleep:
—Don’t eat after 6pm
—Get blackout shades and cover LEDs with black tape
—No screens 2 hours before bed
—Try ashwagandha (an herb) to calm the nervous system

14. Stop drinking, even in moderation. People find all sorts of ways to justify drinking, but there’s no escaping the simple fact that alcohol is a toxin and it limits your potential.

15. Travel as much as possible. Nothing expands the mind like seeing the world. And travel doesn’t have to be expensive—the best experiences happen outside of fancy resorts, when you live like a local.

16. Let go of resentment. When you forgive someone, you release the prisoner, and the prisoner isn’t them… it’s you.

17. Show up on time, every time. Poor time management limits success more than most people realize. If you struggle with punctuality, stop everything else and fix that first.

18. Spend lots of time in nature and touch the earth. Humans evolved over 300k years to live in harmony with nature, and only recently have we retreated indoors. If you don’t spend time outside, you’re fighting biology (hint: You won’t win.)

19. Stop doing dumb things. As Leo Tolstoy said, “People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing—refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.”

20. Find your happy place and (eventually) move there. Most people live where they live because... that's where they live. We are products of our environment—choose yours carefully.

21. Find a hobby and pursue mastery. You can’t have a happy life without a passionate pursuit that isn’t your vocation. Your work—even if you enjoy it—isn’t enough.

22. Avoid mainstream medicine except as a last resort. The results are in—our healthcare (or more appropriately, sick care) system is badly broken and only makes people sicker.

23. Have a mindset of abundance. There is no advantage to being a pessimist—even if you’re right, it’s a miserable way to live. In a very real way… whatever you believe, you’re right!

24. Do hard things. Choose courage over comfort. Everything you want is on the other side of fear and hard work. As Jerzy Gregorik said, “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”

25. Ignore haters. Hurt people hurt people. Negative/toxic people live in a prison of their own design. Don’t join them!

26. Say no. Protect your time and energy like it’s your most precious asset… because it is.

27. Become a water snob. As an alien said on Star Trek, humans are “ugly bags of mostly water.” You are what you drink—literally! We have Mountain Valley Spring water delivered in glass 5-gallon jugs and also have whole-house water filter (Aquasana Rhino).

28. Stop drinking sodas and sugary energy drinks. After a few weeks you won’t miss them, and a few months later they’ll seem disgusting. Refined sugar causes inflammation, which is the root of most disease.

29. If you’re over 35, find a good functional/longevity medicine doctor and start tracking your hormones. Modern life is hell on the endocrine system and restoring healthy hormone levels can change your life. As we get older, we either accept a slow decline in performance or we do something about it—choose the latter!

30. Develop a morning routine and follow it faithfully. Win the morning, win the day!

31. Invest in experiences, not things. People frequently regret buying things, but rarely regret investing in great experiences (especially when shared with loved ones). Remember, there’s nothing you can buy in a mall that you’ll remember in ten years.

32. Explore spirituality. It’s arrogant and small-minded to believe there’s nothing going on in our universe that is beyond our comprehension. We know less about our universe than an ant meandering on a sidewalk understands about this planet.

33. Have a strong bias toward action—doing rather than talking. If you ask a bunch of old people about their regrets, they’ll talk about the things they *didn't* do—the shots they didn’t take—more than the things they did do (even if it went wrong). As Wayne Gretzky famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Most people don’t take enough shots.

34. Stay lean. Men in particular are obsessed with muscle mass these days, but bulk doesn’t age well. The goal is to be strong but lean. The fittest guys in their 50s and beyond aren’t meatheads, they’re lean guys who are serious about a sport.

35. Curate your inner circle carefully. Surround yourself with people you admire and who challenge you to grow. Remember, we’re the average of our 5 closest relationships.

36. Be the fittest version of yourself. Your body is your only vessel for experiencing life—so treat it as such. Fitness isn’t working out a few times a week, it’s a lifestyle. The older you get, the more time you need to devote to your health.

37. Take the time to appreciate art and beauty in all its forms.

38. Think globally, but act locally. Too many people put their energy into far-away problems they don’t understand and can’t impact, while ignoring problems right under their nose. Want to change the world? Start at home.

39. Try psychedelics. It’s one of those things everyone should do at least once, and it might be the breakthrough you’ve been looking for.

40. Limit bad habits, including unhealthy thought patterns. We all have them—practice avoidance and find substitutes. Get professional help if needed.

41. Be a lifelong learner. Your brain is just like a muscle—if you don’t feed and flex it regularly, it will atrophy.

42. Find your purpose. People with a strong sense of purpose are happier and live longer. Lack of purpose sucks energy and magnifies depression.

43. Only take advice from people who embody the traits you want to have. Talk is cheap—emulate those who have DONE it.

44. The goal is not to retire and do nothing, it’s to build a great day-to-day life that you don’t need to escape. A life of leisure is a slow death. Happiness isn’t possible without a little struggle, uncertainty, and skin in the game.

45. Have fun! Do frivolous and silly things that make you smile. As George Bernard Shaw famously said, “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

46. Whatever you want to do or achieve in life, start NOW. Don’t fall victim to “someday thinking” because someday never comes.

47. Accumulate assets—things that grow in value over time. It’s the #1 habit of rich people, and it can be done in tiny chunks. Instead of spending $100 on an impulse purchase that has no lasting value, put that money into an index fund or Bitcoin. It becomes addictive (in a good way).

48. Don’t ignore the big 3 canaries in the coal mine for health:
—Low libido (and ED)
—Frequent sinus & respiratory issues
—Depression
These usually aren’t medical conditions in themselves, they’re symptoms of an underlying problem. Find a good doc (outside of the mainstream) and figure out the root cause.

49. Have a clear vision for your future. How can you decide which direction to go if you haven’t clearly defined the destination? It sounds obvious, but 95% of people haven’t defined their “Ideal End State” in detail and in writing. (Check out my thread on this topic.)

50. Make your own decisions. We live in an era where most of what society tells us is wrong. Don’t be afraid to break from societal norms—if people say you’re crazy, it’s a sign that you’re doing something right.

51. Get hardcore about mobility exercise. As you age, it’s usually the knees, hips, and lower back that limit physical performance. 30 min a couple times a week can spare you a lifetime of pain. YouTube is a great resource.

52. Go all in on family. Get married, stay married, have kids. Burn the boats. In the end, family is all that matters.

53. Be ruthless with your time. Money comes and goes. Time only goes. Audit your calendar ruthlessly—cut the trivial, double down on the meaningful, and spend your hours like your life depends on it. (Because it does.)

54. Have a strong bias toward action. Be curious, try things, meet people—it’s how you increase your surface area for serendipity, the most powerful unseen force in our lives.

55. Reinvent yourself every decade. Over time, we slowly drift off course from our priorities, values, and true identity. Take stock and don’t be afraid to hit the reset button. Bold, calculated moves made for the right reasons almost always pay off—usually even more than you can imagine.

🎁 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, would you give me a birthday gift? Repost or comment with the item number(s) you liked best?

[Brave Romania @brave_romania]

A picture that speaks for itself

#ChlorineDaddy

[World Aquatics @WorldAquatics]

David Popovici wins the Men's 100m Freestyle with a lightning fast time!

#AQUASingapore25 #Swimming

[Anca @ancam137]

David Popovici 🇷🇴

[World Aquatics @WorldAquatics]

David Popovici turns on the afterburners on the back half and secures his win on the 100m Freestyle! 👀

Two days after winning the 200m Freestyle💥🥇

#AQUASingapore25 #Swimming

[Anca @ancam137]

@sphere_stat31 @spectatorindex @grok @grok how tall are the waves?

[Anca @ancam137]

Incredibilă cursa! David Popovici!

[Claudiu Streza @CStreza]

Fara cuvinete
David Popovici 🇷🇴

[Claudiu Streza @CStreza]

Fara cuvinete
David Popovici 🇷🇴

[Anca @ancam137]

@TennisChannel @DjokerNole @GenesisrockAI is there any other player with more titles?

[Beniamin Mincu |🇺🇸/acc @beniaminmincu]

Today, I cast my vote in Romania’s presidential elections.

This time, something feels different. Remarkably different.

I’m choosing a candidate who’s not the typical politician. In fact, he’s the kind of person you’d expect to see leading a world-class research lab, not a country.

It almost feels like the plot of a great movie, I’m just getting ready to watch.

And some of this person’s skills and achievements make me feel something I’m rarely offered the chance to in politics: deep respect and genuine curiosity.

Here are three random facts that pierce through the noise, and make me look much closer:

1. Intriguing fact 1: It’s 1987, in the midst of full-blown, brain-rotting communism in Romania. Nicușor Dan is just 17. But never mind all that. Against all odds, he goes and wins a gold medal—with a perfect score—at the International Mathematical Olympiad, the most prestigious pre-university math competition in the world. Solving all the problems flawlessly.

2. Intriguing fact 2: It’s 1988. Still full-blown communism in Romania. Nicușor is now 18. He goes to the International Mathematical Olympiad, and wins the second gold medal. With a perfect score(again!). Every single problem solved, perfectly.

3. Intriguing fact 3: Most people in deep science and engineering know Terence Tao as one of the most brilliant mathematicians alive. A sort of “Mozart of Math”. He is a Fields Medal recipient in 2006, which is the equivalent of the Nobel in math. It turns out Tao competed at the same International Mathematical Olympiads as Nicușor Dan. In 1987, Tao—just 11 (almost 12)—wins silver. In 1988, he wins gold (along with Nicusor). A fun fact is that while Tao scored 40/42 in 1987, and 34/42 in 1988, Nicușor Dan scored 42/42 and 42/42, solving all problems perfectly in both years. Interesting world we live in.

To me, these achievements are deeply moving. They make me feel proud of what Nicușor Dan has accomplished, and tell me something about his potential future contributions.

Now, is he perfect? Does this guarantee anything?

These are the wrong, and irrelevant questions.

We all know things do not go smoothly in politics. They rarely do. Real world problems are often even harder than pure math. But for once, we have a chance to place someone capable, and (dare I say) brilliant at the helm. A mind that might just approach problems in a completely new way.

So all things being equal, even if he fails, I would give this person a chance, any day.

This is the kind of promising experiment a country should want to have tried in its lifetime.

Deep down, I feel something rare: sincere curiosity, cautious hope, and a quiet excitement about what the next few years might bring.

Whatever the outcome, this is a great day for Romania.

Godspeed, Nicușor Dan. 🇷🇴

[Anca @ancam137]

@AirCanada

[Anca @ancam137]

@AirCanada flight AC828 delayed? Minor mechanical problem…. What about those of us that have connections and the delay is disrupting the entire travel plan!

[Anca @ancam137]

So, 8:25 pm to midnight. A small piece has to be replaced and it takes time to get it here; it is a small issue to fix because if it would have been bigger a new plane would have been brought… omg!!!

[Tennis Channel @TennisChannel]

Simona Halep, former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, retires from tennis 🎾

Revisit her Hall of Fame worthy career ⬇️

[Philip T Boosey @PhilipTBoosey]

Iga's situation is eerily similar to what Simona went through, both took contaminated supplements. And yet Iga gets it all taken care of in a couple months, without anyone even knowing. And here the WTA even supports her. Where was this for Simona?????????

[Ghoogas @Ghoogas1]

@Taylor_Fritz97 Taylor, respectfully, I think you need to be more vocal about these issues. There is no “accidental” doping. Further, it’s the top players. It is no coincidence.

[Anca @ancam137]

This is so bad for this sport and sportsmanship!

[José Morgado @josemorgado]

This is one of the reasons cited by an official tournament account for Iga Swiatek's withdrawal.

Again, not much transparency in these situations.

Like in the Sinner's case, I hope we move on and they can play as tennis is MUCH BETTER with both of them, but all of this is a terrible look for the sport.

[Anca @ancam137]

@WTA Double standards @WTA !!!