Fit Rich Life

Newsletter #19

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

"What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
— Mary Oliver, American Poet

Greetings my fellow Life Alchemists!

Since moving to Santa Cruz County I've pretty much converted to being barefoot or wearing barefoot sandals 95% of the time. I strength train completely barefoot as all three of my local gyms don't mind me being barefoot (don't worry, I wear sandals when I use the restroom). I walk the beach barefoot, walk concrete pavement in barefoot sandals, do the Stairmaster & treadmill in barefoot sandals, hike & even do some trail running in barefoot sandals. And my feet have never been happier, healthier, or stronger.

You could say I'm a little obsessed with the barefoot lifestyle and you'd be right. In Episode 49 of the Fit Rich Life Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Emily Splichal, a leading medical expert in movement science, to talk about transitioning into a barefoot lifestyle in addition to covering her medical entrepreneurial journey from dropping out of medical residency to going onto becoming the co-founder & CEO of Naboso, a sensory technology company.

The episode is definitely worth a listen if you're wondering how to convert a medical career into something more entrepreneurial and if you're interested in building fit feet for life.

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: Train up your feet.
Y'all knew this one was coming. Your feet are your foundation. They are your predominant connection to the ground. Strong feet equal a strong base. A strong base equals a strong foundation from which to perform a majority of all your physical movements including walking, running, jumping & even lifting weights. The key to training up your feet is going very slow. In the past, I tried to convert to barefoot training way too fast & way too hard. This caused me a lot of pain & injury. This time around I've gone much slower. Like any muscle group, I give my feet muscles a rest when they need it versus pushing through the pain until an injury forces me to take a break. This means putting on shoes that have a thick sole for a day or 3 until they have had a chance to recover. My favorite barefoot sandals are made by Xero & my favorite barefoot shoes are made by Vivo Barefeet & Vibram (the five fingers). Start with a pair of Vivo or Vibram Fivefingers then work your way up to the Xero Sandals. Try doing parts of your workout barefoot or even going for short walks outside with no shoes. In time the muscles of your feet will grow stronger & the skin toughness of the bottom of your feet will increase. But remember, go slow & take time to recover when needed.

MONEY: Avoid being scammed out of money. Forgive & learn if you have been scammed.
There are a lot of shady money scams out there right now. I once got scammed out of $10,000 from someone who was supposedly looping me in on a great real estate deal. I didn't do my due diligence & that money (and the person) are gone with the wind. Now with the internet & social media, there is a whole new slew of life insurance & crypto scammers on Instagram & TikTok to people emailing or calling about your accounts who are supposedly from the IRS, your Bank, or your School Loan Lender. The IRS, Bank, or your Lender will never email or call you about sensitive stuff about your account. They will send an official letter in the mail. And even some of those mailers might be a scam. If something feels off, slow down & start doing your due diligence. Talk to someone you trust like your spouse and look up the official contact phone number of the organization that is contacting you and then directly reach out to them to find out if the call, email, or physical piece of mail you got is legit. If you are feeling pressure to "act quick" or if the deal seems too good to be true then it is most likely a scam. The point isn't to be paranoid. The point is to learn to slow down & go through the steps to keep yourself & your money protected at all times. And if you've been scammed, forgive yourself, & share with someone you trust because shame loves secrets. The shame dissolves when you share it. That $10K I got scammed out of was an expensive lesson that I used to be so ashamed and embarrassed about that I didn't tell anyone about it for years. Then I finally started sharing it with others and forgave myself & now it's a fundamental part of my journey to Money Mastery.

LIFE: Utilize the deathbed & plan b tests for major life decisions. 
When faced with a major life decision like pursuing an entrepreneurial endeavor, switching careers, or moving to a new city ask yourself “If I was on my deathbed which thing would I have regretted it doing the most?” in addition to “If this doesn’t work out what is my plan B?” This will help you get clarity about which option is going to create the most fulfilling life and what you will do if it doesn’t work out. Personally, I’m not a fan of “burning the bridges” or “burning the boats” as I think there is a large degree of “survivorship bias” — meaning the people who promote having no plan b are the people who made it. We rarely if ever hear from the people who tried something that didn’t work out. Nonetheless, I still think we should all be pursuing our highest excitement whenever possible when it comes to things like work & where we live. With a little bit of planning, we can recover even if it doesn’t work out and the life experience we gain through the pursuit will shape us in empowering ways.

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

Your Fitness, Money & Life Coach,

Justin "Dragon" Carl