Our Top Takeaways From A Year Of Trying To Get Fit Sanely | Behind The Scenes with 10% Producer DJ Cashmere
This episode kicks off the "Get Fit Sanely" series, where managing producer DJ Cashmere discusses how he and Dan Harris manage their mindsets around fitness and health. They explore pursuing physical well-being without the "subtle aggression of self-improvement" and preview upcoming guests on topics like longevity, Ozempic, and the Buddhist case for laziness.
Deep Dive Analysis
17 Topic Outline
Introduction to Get Fit Sanely Series
Origin and Purpose of Get Fit Sanely
DJ Cashmere's Personal Journey and Relationship with Fitness
How DJ's Exercise Habits and Mindset Have Changed
The 8,000 Steps Goal and Its Origins
Importance of Holding Fitness Goals Lightly and Avoiding Orthorexia
Challenging Arbitrary Beauty Standards and The Cost of Being Lean
The Role of Self-Compassion in Self-Improvement
DJ's Evolving Perspective on Food and Intuitive Eating
Dan's Struggles with Mindful Eating and Satiety Cues
Joseph Goldstein's Gratification, Danger, and Escape Framework
Preview: Dan Buettner on Blue Zones and Longevity
Preview: T Morgan Dixon & Gary Bennett on Community and Behavior Change
Preview: Shannon Paulus on Diverse Exercise and Health Control
Preview: Johann Hari on Ozempic and New Weight Loss Drugs
Preview: Brother Fab Hu on The Buddhist Case for Laziness (Lazy Day)
Preview: Kara Lai on Healing Body Relationship and Learning Through Experience
7 Key Concepts
Subtle Aggression of Self-Improvement
This phrase describes the pursuit of health and fitness goals from a place of self-loathing, deep rigidity, or self-hatred, rather than genuine self-care. It often leads to burnout and an unhealthy relationship with the process of getting healthy.
Get Fit Sanely
An occasional podcast series that explores how to pursue physical health and fitness without succumbing to the 'subtle aggression of self-improvement.' It aims to help listeners sift through health information and develop a healthy mindset towards their bodies and well-being.
Orthorexia
An unhealthy obsession with getting healthy, characterized by extreme focus on eating 'right' or exercising 'perfectly.' This can lead to rigid rules, anxiety, and a negative relationship with food and movement.
Intuitive Eating
An approach to food that involves listening to your body's internal hunger and satiety cues, eating what you want, stopping when you're full, and letting go of the idea that certain foods are 'sinful.' It encourages a gentle awareness of basic nutritional facts without strict adherence.
Gratification, Danger, and Escape
A Buddhist framework for managing cravings and desires, articulated by Joseph Goldstein. It involves acknowledging the pleasure or 'gratification' of a craving, recognizing the potential 'danger' or negative consequences of overindulgence, and then using rational reflection to decide if the short-term pleasure is worth the long-term cost, allowing for an 'escape' from the craving if desired.
Blue Zones
Specific geographic areas identified by Dan Buettner where populations historically live longer than average, with an unusual number of centenarians. Research into these areas provides recommendations for holistic longevity, encompassing diet, exercise, community, and spirituality.
Lazy Day
A practice from Plum Village, the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, where one day a week on retreat has no schedule. It is considered a distinct practice alongside meditation, encouraging intentional rest and 'doing nothing' as a vital component of healing and well-being.
9 Questions Answered
It's an occasional series exploring how to pursue physical health and fitness without succumbing to the 'subtle aggression of self-improvement,' focusing on a healthy mindset towards the process and a healthy relationship with one's body.
He now incorporates more enjoyable activities like paddleboarding and rock climbing, follows Peter Attia's 4-1-4-1 rule for balanced workouts, and holds his fitness goals much more lightly, significantly reducing stress and negative self-talk.
While 10,000 steps originated as a marketing ploy for a pedometer, research suggests that around 8,000 steps a day has a significant positive impact on health, with more walking even prescribed as a first intervention for insomnia in the U.S. military.
Research, particularly by Dr. Serena Chen, indicates that self-compassion, rather than being self-indulgent, actually increases a person's desire for self-improvement, providing a more sustainable and 'cleaner burning fuel' than self-hatred or aggression.
Translating mindful eating from controlled environments (like a retreat) to daily life is challenging due to distractions like screens, social situations, and the difficulty of recognizing satiety cues when tired, bored, or simply not paying attention.
Joseph Goldstein describes a framework of 'gratification, danger, and escape,' where one acknowledges the pleasure of a craving, recognizes the potential negative consequences, and then uses rational reflection to decide if the short-term pleasure is worth the long-term cost, allowing for a conscious choice.
The Blue Zones emphasize a holistic approach to living longer, focusing not just on diet and exercise, but also on community, spirituality, purpose, and structuring daily life to naturally incorporate movement and healthy habits without explicit 'exercise'.
Behavior change around exercise is deeply linked to community, culture, history, and relationships. Friends and social connections can provide crucial motivation and support, especially when an individual is struggling to find their own momentum.
The 'Buddhist case for laziness,' exemplified by 'Lazy Day' in Plum Village, advocates for intentional rest and 'doing nothing' as a distinct and vital practice for healing and well-being, suggesting that sometimes the best way to heal is to simply 'be to heal' rather than actively 'running after healing'.
23 Actionable Insights
1. Cultivate Healthy Relationship with Health
Strive to take care of your body from a place of self-care, rather than self-loathing, self-hatred, or deep rigidity. This ensures a more sustainable and positive relationship with your health journey.
2. Embrace Self-Compassion for Growth
Practice self-compassion, as it acts as a cleaner, more sustainable fuel for self-improvement than self-hatred or subtle aggression. People with self-compassion are more likely to engage in positive behaviors like exercise without burning out.
3. Hold Fitness Goals Lightly
Set fitness goals but approach them with flexibility and self-kindness, avoiding stress and negative self-talk if you don’t always meet them. This fosters sustainability and consistency in your health journey.
4. Reject Arbitrary Beauty Standards
Recognize that many beauty standards are arbitrary and may not correlate with actual health, and avoid trying to force your body into a specific shape based on these standards. This can be hugely liberating and foster a healthier self-image.
5. Observe Body Judgments Mindfully
Pay attention to the judgments that arise when you encounter people with different body types, as this exercise reveals your conditioning. Over time, you can challenge these unfair assumptions, which not only benefit others but also improve your relationships.
6. Prioritize Enjoyable Exercise Activities
Seek out and engage in forms of exercise that you genuinely enjoy, such as paddleboarding or indoor climbing. This shifts motivation from obligation to desire, making workouts something you look forward to rather than a chore.
7. Practice Intuitive Eating
Listen to your body’s intuition, eat what you want, stop when full, and release the idea of ‘sinful’ foods, while gently holding basic nutritional facts. This approach offers a healthier and more sustainable path than restrictive dieting.
8. Regulate Eating by Desired Feeling
Before eating, ask yourself ‘How do I want to feel?’ and use the answer to guide your food choices, rather than rigid rules or guilt. This helps you avoid foods that might negatively impact your sleep or energy levels.
9. Apply 4-1-4-1 Exercise Protocol
Allocate your weekly exercise time by dividing it into tenths: four tenths for low-intensity cardio, one tenth for high-intensity cardio, four tenths for strength training, and one tenth for mobility. This balanced approach helps with overall fitness and healthy aging.
10. Target 8,000 Daily Steps
Try to achieve 8,000 steps per day, often by taking work calls or other activities on a walk, distinct from your structured exercise. This practice, rooted in research, can significantly impact overall health and even help with sleep.
11. Eat Mindfully to Recognize Satiety
Eat slowly and mindfully, potentially in silence or without screens, to become more aware of your body’s satiety cues and avoid overeating. This practice helps you take the right amount of food and finish your plate appropriately.
12. Use Gratification, Danger, Escape
When faced with a craving, consider the gratification, the potential danger of overindulgence (e.g., feeling bad later), and then rationally reflect if you’re willing to pay the price for immediate pleasure. This Buddhist-derived exercise helps manage impulses and make conscious choices.
13. Practice Intentional ‘Lazy Days’
Dedicate specific days to intentional rest and ‘doing nothing,’ similar to the ‘Lazy Day’ practice in Plum Village. This allows your body and mind to heal and recover, rather than constantly striving for improvement.
14. Mindfully Experiment with Forbidden Habits
Consciously try behaviors or foods you perceive as ‘forbidden,’ like eating a whole bag of chips or running excessively, while being fully present and honest about your experience. This allows you to learn through direct experience what truly feels good or bad for you.
15. Harness Community for Behavior Change
Recognize that behavior change, especially around exercise, is linked to community and relationships; if you’re struggling, lean on friends who have momentum, and if you have momentum, help pull others along.
16. Integrate Natural Daily Movement
Instead of formal exercise, live in a way that naturally occasions movement, such as walking to work or friends’ houses, accumulating around 8,000 steps daily without conscious effort. This is observed in Blue Zones for longevity.
17. Combine Walks with Nature Exposure
Whenever possible, take your walks outdoors to simultaneously gain exposure to nature and sunlight. This practice offers huge benefits for happiness and overall well-being.
18. Walk More for Better Sleep
If experiencing insomnia, increase your daily walking, as it is prescribed as a first intervention in the U.S. military to help improve sleep.
19. Modify Environment to Prevent Snacking
Identify situations where you habitually eat without true hunger, such as prepping food late at night, and modify your environment or delegate the task to avoid putting yourself in that position. This helps prevent eating when you’re not actually hungry and improves sleep.
20. Ignore Fleeting Food Trends
Develop the ability to tune out the latest food trends and dietary noise, reducing pressure on yourself to eat ’exactly right.’ This helps maintain a more stable and less anxious relationship with food.
21. Select Life-Enhancing Exercise
Opt for exercise activities that genuinely enhance your daily life and mood, rather than rigidly adhering to specific routines or chasing an ‘optimal’ spread. There are many ways to achieve health and mood benefits from movement.
22. Avoid Obsessive Health Tracking
Be mindful not to fall into orthorexia, an unhealthy obsession with getting healthy, or engage in insane, obsessive tracking of health metrics. This can be unhelpful and detract from a balanced approach to well-being.
23. Utilize Meditation App for Well-being
Download the 10% with Dan Harris app to access guided meditations for stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, and self-compassion, and participate in weekly live Zoom community sessions for meditation and Q&A. This helps with various aspects of mental and emotional health.
8 Key Quotes
How can we take care of our bodies and have a healthy relationship to the process of taking care of our bodies?
DJ Cashmere
I just hold all of it way more lightly than I used to.
DJ Cashmere
Self-knowledge is always bad news.
Joseph Goldstein (quoted by Dan Harris)
You can't stop judging other people if you can't stop judging yourself.
Dan Harris
In Blue Zones, nobody exercises. There's no CrossFit. There's no yoga class, no Pilates class. Nobody's running. There's no Blue Zone marathon. But they live in communities where every time they go to work, a friend's house, or out to eat, it occasions a walk. They're taking about 8,000 steps a day without even thinking about it.
Dan Buettner
You don't have as much control over your health as you think you do. So doing what is going to enhance your life on a day-to-day basis is as good a way to figure out what exercise you should be doing versus really trying to lock in on the optimal spread of stuff.
Shannon Paulus
Why don't you not try to run after healing, but why don't you just be to heal?
Brother Fab Hu
I am a huge proponent of trying the things that you're not supposed to do until you really find out why you're not supposed to do them.
Kara Lai
2 Protocols
Peter Attia's 4-1-4-1 Exercise Division
DJ Cashmere (attributing Peter Attia)- Take the total amount of time available for exercise in a week.
- Spend four-tenths of that time on low-intensity cardio.
- Spend one-tenth of that time on high-intensity cardio.
- Spend four-tenths of that time on strength training.
- Spend one-tenth of that time on mobility.
Joseph Goldstein's Gratification, Danger, and Escape Framework
Dan Harris (attributing Joseph Goldstein)- Acknowledge the gratification (pleasure) of a craving or desire.
- Recognize the potential danger or negative consequences of overindulging in that craving.
- Engage in rational reflection to decide if the short-term pleasure is worth the long-term cost, allowing for an 'escape' from the craving if desired.