Sam Sager

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

lots of people want to start exercising more in the new year

but it can be daunting on where to start and how to approach it so it sticks

my rec is to focus the first 30 days purely on enjoying it. here's why and how:

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@BarrettABrooks thanks for sharing! it's super helpful to hear from other parents. the lack of breaks is def the biggest shifts.

have started taking our little one for a daily walk in the woods and finding thats a nice way to recharge

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

We're just past two months with our second kid, so I wanted to reflect while the experience is fresh.

In many ways, the transition has been harder than going from 0 to 1. While that's a bigger change, the early days with two have been way more physically exhausting.

Supporting a toddler and infant at the same time is grueling. it's been harder to create space to recharge (especially for my wife). and more challenging to find a rhythm or routine.

our older daughter has adjusted well but it's still a huge change. the times that are hardest for her are when he needs attention, resulting in some moments of comical chaos

at the same time I've found it easier to enjoy some of the early milestones knowing how transient everything is.

and seeing the two of them interact just hits different. watching our toddler talking and laughing with her little brother is more magical than I imagined.

There's also this felt sense of our family becoming more of a squad... with more dynamics and more complexity but also more love

all in all the whole thing is both far more challenging and more beautiful than i expected

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@WaysYouCanStay appreciate it! a coffee or a walk in the woods sometime soon would be nice. will hit you up.

sunchokes are doing well! made a few mishaps in where I put them (forgot a few areas were mostly dormant vines) but thankfully you hooked me up with a ton

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@movebettersam mmm well said. this is one of those statements that i could spend a full hour asking you to elaborate on and we'd likely have just scratched the surface haha

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

one lesson i keep having to relearn with stretching and mobility is that it's often more effective to focus on extending the range that you can fully relax into versus just forcing your body to the end range of motion

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@DRHaswell im curious how much you think this is also connected to type of meditation

i struggled a lot with meditation at first but things shifted when i switched from concentration techniques to somatic and open-awareness practices

was also exploring parts so lots of confounds

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@PeoplesBread props are a great call. yoga blocks are so clutch. and recently got a yoga wheel which has been surprisingly useful

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@the_wilderless banger of a quote. always impressed me how much range Martha Beck has had in her writing/books

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@andrewglynch @p_millerd i loved conspiracy. trust me i'm lying was great too and 10 years ahead of its time.

i wonder if a lot of it is that he has systems that do a better job at continually promoting the stoicism books

i hope he writes more books like these that go deeper into other topics/styles

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@_StevenFan love it! are you going wood-fired or electric?

if you ever want to nerd out on sauna design and löyly, you gotta hit up @redefined_life

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@schlaf @Zoom every day im more and more committed to a barbell strategy around this

using zoom/tech to connect with great people around the world and prioritizing in-person experiences

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@cecile_mcm congrats Cecile! cool to see you distill all of your experiences and pull others together in one place

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@BarrettABrooks can see that since it's the one thing that's tough to fake

it's a shame most of the landscaping done in housing developments today just optimizes for immediate curb appeal. really makes you appreciate the people who planted those majestic trees 50+ years ago

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@rickfoe i bet seeing them interacting and playing only gets more fun

my wife and i joke that the 2nd one has felt like 5x easier than the first in terms of caring for them individually but that the combo feels at least 5x harder

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@heynibras don't think any of these are silver bullets but rather any simple routine that you. enjoy and find relaxing will help transition into a state that welcomes sleep

and finding enjoyment in these little things have made it easier for me to not want to use phone at night

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@heynibras can relate to the phone piece. a few other things that have helped me create conditions for sleep:

- warm shower
- myofascial release/self-massage
- light stretching
- reading fiction
- eating earlier in night
- supplements (mainly magnesium)
- candles/limiting lights

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@m_ashcroft it does make me wonder....

is our jaw tight because we've been gripping to life for 30+ years

or have we been gripping to life for 30+ years because our jaws are stuck in a gripping-to-life shape

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@m_ashcroft makes sense. imo it's a very somatic and imaginal type of bodywork

one session i had a vivid experience of reliving when i hit my head on the bottom of a pool as a little kid which i'd completely forgotten about

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@m_ashcroft said as a former person with the exact same situation.

ironically #1 seems to have helped me make a lot of progress on number #2 (still a work in progress)

so funny how the bodymind works

[Sam Sager @sc_sager]

@m_ashcroft two options (#1 is dramatically easier)

1) find a great craniosacral therapist to work on your face/neck to slowly release decades of stored tension

2) methodically identify and unwind all areas of your life (past, present, future) where you are controlling/gripping.