Hello there,
Welcome to the first edition of 3 Things.
Every Tuesday, I release a 3 Things post that focuses on three areas: Body, Mind and Life. It shares realistic, practical ideas, workouts and takeaways that I use to support me in staying at my best and that I feel could help others who are also striving to be at their best.
Why? As I move through my mid-30s, I’ve been exploring what it means to be at my best and how to be at my best in an increasingly demanding world while making the most of the time I have here.
If just one person each week reads this and feels more focused, grounded, or inspired, then I’ll call that a success.
Thanks for being here,
Nick
- Workout
When I’m short on time, I do the below full body workout, it gets my blood pumping, boosts my mood and grounds me, all within 15 minutes. The great thing is that over time as you adapt, you can change it up by adjusting the reps/sets/exercise variation in order to continue challenging your body in order to keep making progress.
Combine the below exercises together:
- Press ups
- Squats
Do a pyramid of 20 reps of each, then 15, then 10, then 5 reps of each. That’s 50 reps, then repeat
Finally do a Plank for as long as possible.
2. Mind – Cold shower ‘resets’ after work.
Cold Water Immersion has been everywhere online recently, with a whole plethora of content praising the benefits of it.
Recently, after long work days and sweaty commutes (that’s Australia for you), I’ve been finishing my after-work showers with a blast of cold water and I have found it to be beneficial. I’m calmer, energised and less irritable afterwards.
Curious, I dug deeper into this and found a mixed bag — the scientific jury is still out.
A meta-analysis (link here) of cold-water immersion (CWI) on health and wellbeing concluded that further research is needed, as the effects of CWI on immunity, mood, and long-term health remain unclear. The analysis also noted that it’s difficult to compare existing studies because they used different methods and mostly focused on male athletes, making it hard to understand how the findings apply to the wider public.
The researchers did observe a short-term increase in inflammation after CWI, although it’s unknown whether this is beneficial, neutral, or negative. Promisingly, participants reported lower stress levels a few hours after exposure.
Other studies also show potential benefits. One found that (link here) participants who finished their showers with cold water reported 29% fewer sick days, and when combined with daily exercise, this became a 54% decrease. They also reported an energy boost comparable to caffeine — something I’ve noticed myself. While another study found (link here) that cold hydrotherapy may help relieve mild depressive symptoms.
It’s important to remember that the science behind this is still in its early stages. Many studies rely on self-reporting, which can be influenced by placebo effects and expectations. The research also varies too much to compare results directly, and few studies have examined long-term effects. Since most focus on male athletes, it’s still unclear what these findings mean for the rest of us.
Give me the quick version: Cold water immersion may offer short-term stress relief and a feeling of energy or reset — however the science is not yet strong enough to confirm lasting physical health benefits.
For me, placebo or not I have found it to be beneficial.
3. Life – Intuition and Serendipity
I listened to the Modern wisdom podcast yesterday (episode 990 – How to use your intuition as a superpower with Dr Tara Swart). The impression I took is that your intuition is really your mind and body using your lived experiences and knowledge to subconsciously guide you.
Later in the episode, Chris mentioned his mum being a Reiki healer. He was searching for a word beginning with “S”. I instinctively thought “Serendipity.” They never said it, and the conversation moved on.
Five minutes later, I walked into the office where we play a daily word game. The scrambled word on the board? “Serendipity.” My gut knew it instantly — immediately after listening to a podcast about intuition.
If there was ever a reminder in life about following your intuition this (serendipitous!) nudge, was it.
That’s what has got me started with 3 Things, my intuition tells me that there is something meaningful in this newsletter than I can use to help others find their way in life.
So what is your intuition telling you at the moment?
Thanks for reading, till next time.
Nick
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