Fit Rich Life

Newsletter #43

Weekly Tips, Tools & Strategies to Alchemize your Fitness, Money & Life
Newsletter Archive

“ The unexamined life is not worth living.”
— Socrates, Greek Philosopher

Greetings Fit Rich Fam!

>>read this on my website to bookmark it for later or to view the archive for older editions<<

At the end of every year, I like to start an annual review.

In this edition of the Fit Rich Life Newsletter, I share one of my strategies for reflecting upon the year (see below).

Without further ado, let's proactively build your Fit Rich Life.

This is your weekly dose of actionable tips, tools & strategies to take your Fitness, Money, and Life to the Next Level.


FITNESS: The time it takes to lose your muscle after you stop working out.

According to the latest research, if you are under 40 years old, it is 4-weeks after you stop working out that you will start losing your muscle mass.

If you are over 40 years old, it’s only 2-weeks.

I’ll happily admit that I’m both surprised and delighted by this research.

I’m surprised because I didn’t realize that there is a fairly long period that must pass before you actually start to lose your muscle mass.

Truthfully, up until learning this, I used to mentally freak out if I took off more than one day in a row from working out because I didn’t want to lose my muscles.

I’m delighted because in the last 20 years, the longest I’ve gone without working out is 8 days in a row (the first time I got COVID in 2020).

This is why year over year I’ve gotten more muscular for the last two decades.

As a natural bodybuilder & multi-sport athlete I’m not adding significantly large amounts of muscle in any given year, but my training consistency continues to pay dividends.

I hope this scientific research gives you more confidence & insight into your own muscle-building endeavors.


MONEY: Consider front-loading your 401K next year.

If your company allows you to front-load your 401K it’s a good idea to take advantage of it as the longer your money is in the market the more it will be able to take advantage of compounding growth.

Front-loading my 401K is something I’ve been doing for the last several years.

I will just max out whatever my 401K will allow me to contribute (usually 90% of my paycheck) until I’ve hit the annual limit.

In 2024 it’s $23,000 for employee contributions and $69,000 for combined employee and employer contributions if your company matches.

I always keep a healthy amount of cash in a high-yield savings account that I can live off during the time I’m putting 90% of my paycheck towards my 401K plus I generate more than enough to live off of from my Coaching & Podcast income.

Just something for my savvy readers to consider as you start mapping out your money & investment goals for the new year.

 

LIFE: Reflect on your personal highlights from the past year.
This is part of my annual review that I started doing a few years ago.

By reviewing the things that stand out for me as I reflect upon the last year, I can strategically plan to do more of them in the coming year.

Here is a list of the top things I did in 2023 that brought deep richness to my life:

- Relaunching my newsletter (the one you're reading now) and getting focused on providing a ton of actionable insight around the three key areas I’m most passionate about (Fitness, Money and Life). Doing this each week gives me a frame through which to think through what I've learned, teach it to others, refine my learning by teaching it to others & provide free empowering content that helps others.

- Reaching one year of podcasting. Having my own Podcast was a 10-year dream that I finally brought alive and the fact I've been podcasting weekly for an entire year brings me immense satisfaction in the form of progress. As I've said before in this Newsletter, progress is one of the few things that authentically generates deep lasting happiness.

- My vacation trip to Hawaii (for a Chinese New Year Celebration with my Wife's Family), my vacation trip to San Louis Obispo with my wife to celebrate 2-years of Marriage and renew our vows, along with my Washington trip to catch up with my side of the family. I’d also include the train track peddle cart adventure and aquarium excursion we did in Monterey which was just a short day trip away. Investing in travel experiences always brings me long-lasting happiness-dividends & it’s a good reminder (for you & me) that taking at least one week off every quarter to travel is a great way to stay inspired with one’s life & properly rejuvenate from our regular work-life.

- The various photoshoots I did with my wife in Hawaii, San Louis Obispo, Moss Landing, Port Angeles along with the ones we’ve done in and around our home. As someone who loves many aspects of beauty & creativity, photoshoots are always deeply meaningful & memorable. I’m grateful that my wife has become an expert photographer whose editing skills are up there with professional full-time photographers.

- Investing in having three gym memberships gave me the ability to visit numerous gyms in my hometown (Santa Cruz) as well as while I was traveling. Gyms are adult playgrounds to me and visiting lots of different playgrounds throughout the year is another simple sure-fire way to bring adventure into my life.

- Walking the beach alone and with my wife. At this stage in my life, walking the beach is one of my favorite things to do. 

- Meeting up with my Rollerblading Crew to go on epic adventures. Rollerblading feels like dancing in space to me and crushing 10-15+ miles with friends on the blades is a powerful way to nourish my inner child and invigorate my Spirit.

- Living in Santa Cruz County for a whole year. Moving here has been one of the biggest upgrades to my Fit Rich Life. Being 5-minutes from the beach & being able to go to the beach 3-5 times a week instead of 3-5  per year is incredible. All props go to my wife for leading this lifestyle upgrade.

- Growing my Fitness, Money & Life Coaching Program and having a deep & personal positive impact in the lives of others. Becoming a Coach was a secret dream I've had since around age 15 when I first read "Awaken The Giant Within" by Tony Robbins. I didn’t start doing this until age 40, which gives me great confidence to know that it’s never too late to bring a childhood dream alive.

- Becoming a Plant Daddy, or in other words, turning the inside of our house into a jungle. Plants are truly magical and having a ton of them inside the house makes my life feel magical. If you haven’t gotten on the house-plant game you are missing out.

I hope this annual review gives you an easy-to-follow process by which you can do your own reflection upon the things that brought you the most joy so that you can consciously & strategically plan more of them into your life for the next year.


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I am sending you all lots of Energy & plenty of Dragon Magic!

Your Fitness, Money & Life Coach,

Justin David Carl

Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. I run a custom-tailored 1-1 & group mastermind coaching program that will empower you to achieve your dream body, master your money & live your best life. Yup, it's a proven Fitness, Money and Life Coaching Program unlike anything else out there. You can book a free consultation with me here or just drop me a note on Instagram to find a time to connect.

2. If you work in an office introduce me to whoever handles your office snacks, catering & employee experience to take your work wellbeing to the next level. I'm a founding member of Garten, a tech-empowered employee experience & wellbeing platform that top companies utilize to power their most important asset (their people). Email me at >>justin@garten.co<< to set up a meeting.