Fit Rich Life

Newsletter #18

Weekly Tips, Tools & Strategies to alchemize your Fitness, Money & Life

"Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone's task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it."
— Victor Frankl, Austrian Psychiatrist

Greetings my fellow Life Alchemists!

In episode 48 of the Fit Rich Life Podcast, I talk about my Money Backstory, being $80K in debt & 6 years behind on my taxes, my addiction to drugs & alcohol while working in the Hollywood Nightclub scene, my bout with suicidal depression & how I turned it all around.

I like to think that I'm a good example that no matter how far you've fallen or how late of a bloomer you are it's never too late to turn it all around in any area, but especially with one's money, fitness & living a life worth living. Give the episode a listen & share it with someone who could benefit from hearing it.

Without further ado, let's proactively build your Fit Rich Life—FRL! Your weekly dose of actionable tips, tools & strategies to alchemize your Fitness, Money & Life to the Next Level.

FITNESS: Develop your sleep skill for more fitness gains.
Whether you are trying to pack on muscle or drop body fat if you don't have your sleep in order you will be fighting an uphill battle. Lack of sleep will cause you to eat more, store body fat & reduce your body's ability to create & maintain muscle mass. My favorite book on sleep is "Sleep: The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps, and the New Plan to Recharge Your Body and Mind" by Nick Littlehales. He works with top athletes & sports teams across the globe & he lays out a much more flexible & strategic plan to get the sleep that you need versus just saying that you should get 8 hours of sleep a night. I don't know about you, but it's rare that I actually get 8 hours of sleep in a single night. That isn't how my body or schedule works 90% of the time. Littlehales makes the argument that it's much more important to focus on getting a certain number of 90-minute sleep cycles per week. Some nights you get more cycles, and some nights you get less. Then you grab some extra cycles via naps when you're falling under your target weekly average. He also argues that people's total target cycles are different & it's up to each individual to figure out what their optimal sleep cycle target is through personal testing. I'm a huge fan of this approach because to say that everyone needs to get 8 hours of sleep every night doesn't factor in the huge range in genetics, lifestyle, individual needs & how schedules & work/life demands change over time. True health/fitness is very individual & personal. Nonetheless, it is our individual responsibility to figure out what our optimal number of cycles is & ensure that we're getting it each week to optimize our physical, mental & emotional fitness. [BTW: if you have no problem sleeping 8 hours a night, by all means, keep doing that. This is for the people who find sleeping 8 hours in a row every night challenging.]

MONEY: How much money do you really need?
Most people think they need way more money than they really actually need to get to the point where they can retire, or to the point where all paid work becomes optional. The "4% Rule of Thumb" is a mathematical framework based on the "Trinity Study" that demonstrates that you can live off 4% of your assets invested in a mix of mostly index funds w/ potentially some bonds for at least 30 years. So if you want to figure out how much money you need to retire you can take your annual cost of living (monthly expenses x 12) & multiply that by 25. For example, let's say you spend $5K/month or $60K/year then you would need $1.5M (60K x 25) to become financially independent & retire or at least be at a point where all paid work becomes optional. Much more on this in FRL Podcast Episode 48 if you want to understand ways to speed up your process to reaching Financial Freedom.

LIFE: Are you chasing happiness or fulfillment?
Studies show that people who focus on pursuing happiness are actually less happy. This is because they are focused on the gap between their current level of happiness & their desired level of happiness. Oftentimes, the more you chase happiness the less happy you actually are as you are focused on what you don't have. If instead, you choose to pursue fulfillment then you will experience happiness as a natural byproduct. Fulfillment in one's work, relationships & life is often a much more challenging pursuit, but ultimately it is the better path. By working towards fulfillment you will be forced to be courageous, learn, heal, grow & transform. Reaching for fulfillment will force you to do the things that have true heart & meaning to you. And you will inspire those around you to do the same. Then at the end of a life of pursuing fulfillment, you will live on in the hearts & minds of those you have touched & inspired. 

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Sending you all lots of Energy & plenty of Dragon Magic!

Your Fitness, Money & Life Coach,

Justin "Dragon" Carl