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#31 - The Farm, The Trail, and the Fight to Stay Centered
38 Plays2 months ago
This isn’t just about coffee, donkeys, or trail running. This is about healing. In this episode, I take you inside the rhythm that’s rebuilt my life — one quiet act at a time. Every Saturday, I show up to the same farm I found during the darkest season of my life. I feed the same animals, walk the same dirt paths, and reconnect with the part of me that never gave up. Every Sunday, I run alone through 100 acres of wild terrain — no headphones, no noise — just breath, movement, and the raw power of nature. This is what saved me. And if you’ve lost yourself in the chaos of life, this might just help you find your way back.
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Transcript
Introduction and New Episode Style
00:00:22
Speaker
Welcome back, everybody. Mindset Mutant, you're about to get it done. So click subscribe, please. I know I've told you before, if you don't click that fucking subscribe button, I'm going to find you.
00:00:39
Speaker
Hey, listen, man, any bit is appreciated. Share the podcast with people that need to hear it. But in the meantime, I'm going to do a new style episode today. ah Kind of like the one we did previously behind the mutiny.
00:00:51
Speaker
I think it's important that people kind of get to know me and who I am instead of the guy screaming in the microphone, demanding that you do better, demanding that you raise your
Friday Night Jiu Jitsu Routine
00:01:00
Speaker
level. um I'm going to tell you a little bit about kind of how I do my Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and I start kind of my Monday or how I finish my Monday.
00:01:11
Speaker
So Friday nights, you know, is a night where most people are going to head straight home from work.
00:01:19
Speaker
at full speed, right? Can't wait for work to be done. they fucking bomb home, start their weekend, whatever that looks like. Kick the shoes off, crack a beer, smoke some weed, fucking sit around.
00:01:30
Speaker
Who knows? Scroll on your phone until 10 o'clock at night. Whatever you do, you do. Obviously, that needs to change, but I'm telling you about what I do. So I leave the office.
00:01:43
Speaker
And I had to jujitsu. That's my Friday night. I have to fight to start my weekend. And, um you know, there's plenty of days that I don't want to do that. And I want to drive home and do whatever everybody else wants to do.
00:01:56
Speaker
But this is something that I've implemented into my routine. And that's how I start my weekend. I head to North Andover, Jiu Jitsu, and I get some. And I've been doing that since January.
00:02:10
Speaker
And it's really, really, really helped my life. um And it's also just another thing that I stack on my head as to something that's non-negotiable that I'm going to do. After I get done with jiu-jitsu, it's usually I'm sitting there completely smoked and exhausted, and I'm like, man, this is the best way to ever fucking start a Friday night.
00:02:31
Speaker
um you know It just tells you how times have changed and priorities have switched and what you find a value in you know and how that's different than what it used to be.
Saturday Morning Rituals
00:02:40
Speaker
so Yeah, man, Friday night is the best night for me because it starts my weekend, but I got to fight for it.
00:02:48
Speaker
So Friday night, finish up jiu-jitsu. I head to the grocery store and I do my shopping. So, you know, probably around like seven o'clock, I'm at the grocery store. The place is empty. And, you know, I'm prepping for the week ahead, right?
00:03:01
Speaker
And remember, it's only the four four outside walls of the grocery store. Don't enter those middle aisles. That's where all that shit starts to go wrong. So I do my shopping. I head home. I greet my wife and and we hang out a little bit and then I get to bed.
00:03:15
Speaker
So Saturday morning, is key for me. um I wake up you know somewhat early. you know i like to kind of wake up without an alarm clock on Saturdays. I think it's important for the body to get all the sleep that it needs.
00:03:30
Speaker
So I wake up naturally on on friday on Saturdays, which is, I think, typically usually around 8.30, 9 o'clock. um But whenever you want to wake up,
Coffee Adventures at Little Wolf
00:03:40
Speaker
fine with you. i just I like to naturally sleep without an alarm on that day. That's the only real day.
00:03:47
Speaker
So when I wake up, kind of just go get my water, drink about 32 ounces of water when I wake up with electrolytes. I use BPN electrolytes, which if anybody's looking for a good electrolyte, i I tend to like that one. I've switched up some over the years, and that one kind really sticks. And again, who doesn't like Nick Baer?
00:04:05
Speaker
you know So I want to support support that brand. So that's a choice that I make there. um Get my electrolytes get some clothes on, throw my shoes on, and I head out the door. Now, Saturday is a day where I like to try to rest.
00:04:19
Speaker
All right. Try not to do any real exercise on Saturday. Try not to do any real mental work on Saturday. It's a day that I really used to recover. And used to not always be that way. Now, I used to just wake up and continue to punish myself. But, you know, there is a little recovery involved in jujitsu.
00:04:35
Speaker
um So I tend to find that Saturday's really helped me out um because I am going to be, you know, hitting jujitsu again on Monday. So I need this little kind of break to help the body recover.
00:04:46
Speaker
um So anyway, head out the door and I take like a 10 minute ride up the street to this little place called Little Wolf. It's a great coffee shop in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
00:05:02
Speaker
And I get myself a Cortado. to go. All right. Cause I got to get somewhere after this, love to sit around and drink the coffee in the coffee shop. And I do that once in a while with my wife, if we have some time, which is really, really enjoyable.
00:05:16
Speaker
Um, but I was away from coffee for
Joyful Farm Visits
00:05:19
Speaker
gotta be four or five years. Um, and it, and it helped me because I was having some real problems with anxiety and, uh, you know, the, the high level of caffeine, you know, at the time I was drinking a cold brew with an espresso shot, which,
00:05:32
Speaker
I'll probably never go back to that level of caffeine, but, um, you know, I missed it. Right. So I've really missed caffeine over the years. I've missed coffee more importantly. And that's the only caffeine that I really consume or did consume right at that time. And my wife and I've always kind of traveled, uh, over the years to different places and like we would enjoy finding different coffee and,
00:05:51
Speaker
you know, really kind of pursuing that. And it's, and when I talk about coffee, it's gotta be like almost like a designer coffee brand, right? I'm not talking fucking Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks. I'm not drinking that trash. It's gotta to be, you know, pretty much roasted on site.
00:06:04
Speaker
um and it's And, you know, it's gotta be a certain vibe. So Little Wolf is, you can Google it, super cool place. If you're in the area, recommend you hit it up. So stop in a Little Wolf, have a couple of quick conversations with some of the people that I've gotten to know there over the small amount of time I've been going.
00:06:19
Speaker
and And then the fun part comes. I drive just a little ways up the street to a little farm um that I've been going to since 2020.
00:06:30
Speaker
And if you know a little bit about my journey, you know, 2019 was a real hard spot for me mentally. Ran into some real issues. And, you know, shortly after that is when I kind of found this farm.
00:06:43
Speaker
And it started with just petting and feeding the two donkeys there. You know, that was in 2020 and you know, here we are in 2025 and I still know those guys and I still feed them. So, um,
00:06:59
Speaker
not to get too far ahead, but you pull into this little farm. There's a real small little parking area and it's all kind of dirt and kind of ground up bark mulch.
00:07:10
Speaker
And, um, there's like this little, little tiny farm store. Um, don't know, like the typical size of any room and it's well decorated. It's really pretty. Uh, it's always seasonal and it's just kind of nestled right on this little farm.
00:07:24
Speaker
Um, So I typically roll in there, i head into the store first. And like, as you're walking up to the store, there's, you know, the ducks are all walking around, you know, sometimes these, there's this crew of three geese and not your traditional like Canadian geese. It's, it's like a real, like, you know this one big white goose.
00:07:42
Speaker
And if you follow me on Instagram, you know, always post these guys because they're complete fucking troublemakers. So sometimes they're out in the parking lot and they come charging at me and it's just the white one that likes to hiss at me. And I'll just stand my ground and smile at him and he'll kind of walk up to me and start pecking at my shoes. And he's got two little lackeys, these gray, these other gray geese that kind of follow him around and they kind of talk some shit as well.
00:08:05
Speaker
Uh, love those guys. I tell you, if I was a little kid and this goose was coming at me, I'd probably shit my pants. Um, but now, you know, Hey, what's ah what's a goose going to do, right? I might have to put in a chokehold or something, but, um, so I love it. So I show up there, you know, the, the animals are all free roaming around the place. And there's actually a kind of a funny story about those two geese, the three geese, sorry.
00:08:29
Speaker
So it's right near this place called the Clam Box, right? And if anybody knows Ipswich, they're famous for their clams. So there's this place right at close to the farm that serves fried clams. And it's like it's actually across the road on a busy street.
00:08:42
Speaker
And um these three particular geese, will walk over, they'll cross the street and they'll go hang out at the clam box for a better part of the day. So the owner was telling me this story, how he'll get a phone call from the lady who owns the place so and she'll be like, Hey, listen, thanks for sending your, you know, your geese over.
00:09:00
Speaker
i sell the most French fries and onion rings on days that they come over. And I was just laughing, you know, when he's telling me this story, because these three geese have such personality and they're such fucking troublemakers.
00:09:13
Speaker
And I can just picture him crossing this main road, almost causing an accident so that they can get over there, get their, know, get their French fries and onion rings and then, you know, come back across the street to the to the farm. So I think it's absolutely hilarious. And every time I see them, I think about that.
00:09:27
Speaker
And most the time when I show up there, you know, they're out free roaming, but there's been a couple of times where the weather's been pretty bad. And, um you know, i still show up anyway, right? It's raining over there. I'm still going.
00:09:38
Speaker
There's days I don't want to go and I still go too, because there is some value here and I'll explain why. But yeah, well, i remember one day they were kind of locked up in their in their little house and they were so fucking pissed off.
00:09:49
Speaker
They saw me, you know, and I know they love giving me a good hiss and chasing after me. So, um So i got a good little chuckle. I waved to them through the glass enclosure that they had there. and And then I went about the rest of my visit.
00:10:01
Speaker
So anyway, you walk up to this farm store and you enter and it's ah it's cool in there, man. There's all sorts of stuff hanging from the ceiling. it's ah The shelves are all kind of like wooden boxes that have been built over the years.
00:10:14
Speaker
And a lot of the products there have been kind of like brought in based on what the local customers are looking for. And everything is also there's a lot of vegetables and things and honey and stuff that's grown right there. And the honey is obviously harvested right there.
00:10:28
Speaker
So I'll kind of walk through and if I need anything for myself, that's where I kind of do some of my shop. And so they've got, you know, farm fresh eggs there. They've got some knotweed honey, which is all from right on the farm.
00:10:40
Speaker
And you can, you know, you can see the beehives and they're swarming with bees, which is really cool. So I'll get my honey, and my honeycomb. I started doing honeycomb as well, um which is really, really good. I kind of enjoy that texture.
00:10:52
Speaker
so I've been implementing some honeycomb. So get my eggs, my honey, the honeycomb. If there's some pickled beets there. So there's a, there's an Amish family that makes all sorts of pickled products that are there.
00:11:04
Speaker
So I'll get that. And then depending if they have some apple cider vinegar there, there's a really good one. Super, super smooth, much better than what's in the store. And I'll grab that at times. um And then if I'm lucky enough, when I'm walking around, I'll come across Seamus, which is the look like kind of the bunny that they have. It's like a big bunny with big floppy ears.
00:11:25
Speaker
um He kind of hangs out inside the store. and And sometimes when I'm in there, it wouldn't be odd for me to be walking around, you know, shopping there. And all of a sudden, like the black rooster come walking through.
00:11:36
Speaker
So there's this big black rooster there just kind of comes walking through the farm store. just doing its thing and then kind of walks out like depending on who opens the door or whatnot. So I thought that's kind of cool. It's like a really good vibe.
00:11:49
Speaker
um I post about it all the time because it makes me really, really happy. And that's part of the reason why I go there. So I'll do all my own shopping there as much as I can get. I'll get there. there have some cool stuff and some cool mushrooms and some really cool like goose eggs and things of that nature, which I'll also grab, which is a little bit of a change of pace.
00:12:08
Speaker
Um, And then it's all seasonal stuff. So like in the summertime, they'll have corn or whatnot. And and that all kind of depends. It's a rotating selection of like kind of produce. And once I get my stuff settled, I'll start picking out what I'm getting for the animals. Right. So I like to get apples for the pigs.
00:12:25
Speaker
You know, the pigs are really like the apples and the carrots are great for donkeys. And and one of the one of the goats there likes carrots, the other one doesn't. So I'll have to like grab some grain. So the farmer there has given me special access to the grain that he keeps around the back, which I feel honored. And I also wonder if he's like trying to figure out why this grown man shows up every Saturday to pet his animals and and feed them and why he's so ah absolutely fucking jacked up to be there.
00:12:53
Speaker
Um, you know, honestly, it's probably one of the best parts of my week. Um, and there's, and there's a reason why I explain it more a little bit from now, but, um, anyway, I'm having fun doing this podcast right now. So let's just, let's, let's keep it going. Um,
00:13:11
Speaker
So I'll kind of get some lettuce if they have lettuce. That's like all the like little ducks that are walking around. So there's like probably 60 different ducks of all different
Therapeutic Effects of Farm Visits
00:13:20
Speaker
species, ducks, chickens, and some types of birds I've never seen before. And i don't really know what they are. i should probably look them up.
00:13:26
Speaker
Um, so I'll get the lettuce for them. So I'll get that lettuce. I'll get the apples. I get the carrots. If there's corn, corn's a big seller. You know, the donkeys love the fucking corn. They'll eat the whole thing. Uh, husk and all, uh, that's like a nice little treat for them, but you can't get that all the time. So, so yeah, carrots are pretty much a staple, big go-to there for those guys. so Uh, so I'll get all that up. I'll shoot the shit with the farmer for a while. We'll talk about kind of the local, uh, Ipswich politics and whatnot. Uh, it's a really small town.
00:13:55
Speaker
Um, So anyway, you know, ala I'll head outside. He's like, hey, have fun. you know, everybody's out, you know, go enjoy yourself, whatever. So I'll throw all my stuff in the car, anything I got for myself. And then I'll fill my pockets with carrots. And I've got like a little bag that I'll put the lettuce in and whatnot. And I'll kind of walk through this garden area.
00:14:15
Speaker
And the flowers there are absolutely stunning. So at certain seasons, you can show up there, cut your own flowers, make a beautiful bouquet. So I walk by the beehives, you know, see the bees flying around. It's cool to know that those bees are the exact bees, you know, that are making the honey that I just bought.
00:14:30
Speaker
Um, and then I've been, you know, consuming for years, right. It's kind of a good feeling. I've got to keep it local. Right. Uh, and then as I'm kind of making my way through that garden, um, you know, there's like a small little hut where the two goats and the two pigs, they live. Right.
00:14:48
Speaker
And, uh, Sometimes if it's raining, they're kind of hiding in there. And if it's nice out, you know, they're kind of like kind of roaming around. But when they see me, um everything stops. They come line up at the fence.
00:15:00
Speaker
You know, they're kind of perked up. The two goats are kind of climbed up over the top of the fence sticking there. You know, they got their heads out ready to greet me. So I'm pretty much looking eye to eye with these guys. um And one's a little more particular than the other, which is funny because the donkey's there too. And I'll describe that later. They're they both have their own personalities, um which is kind of cool.
00:15:19
Speaker
And you notice that over time. And the same with the pigs. One's a little more pushy than the other, but you got to make sure you feed them accordingly, right? You got to look out for the timid one and make sure they get fed. So I try to feed the timid ones first. So I got the two goats. I'll show up with the grain or the carrot, depending on which, you know, one of them hates carrots. The other one eats carrots. But if you have the grain, either one wants a carrot, right? So I'll bring the grain over. I'll hit up the, you know, the two goats with some grains and then um I'll grab a couple apples.
00:15:46
Speaker
And I kind of got to bend down because the pigs are obviously not ah not standing at the same height that the goats are. So I'll feed a couple apples to the pigs. And they absolutely love them. Like absolutely devour the pickles. And, you know, I don't know.
00:16:00
Speaker
They're kind of cute. And I know most people think like a pig's not very cute. But for some reason, I just love the way they kind of waddle around and they kind of show up at the at the fence. Like, you know, just, I don't know, no judgment. Right. I think that's what I kind of like about the animals to begin with is You know, goats are, I read something somewhere that goats are really good judges of like a, of a person because, you know, they don't have any real like defense system.
00:16:26
Speaker
So they, you know, need to kind of judge the energy of a person. And I think that I know that, and I need to force myself to show up as calm as possible and to be in the moment, to be able to,
00:16:37
Speaker
you know, to care for for them, you know, as I'm feeding them and whatnot. ah So that forces me to relax and it forces me to kind of to be present. Right. And that's the whole part of this exercise. Right. This is how I use this farm to help recover from the week and then to prepare for the week ahead.
00:16:53
Speaker
You know, people say, hey, Mike, how do you you know squeeze all this stuff into your life that you're doing? so, well, you know, I go to the farm and I feed the animals. That's how it mentally prepares me for everything to come. Right. So it's like my mental reset.
00:17:07
Speaker
which is very important. And it's something that, you know, I've been doing as a kid and we'll get back to that. So I feed the, yeah, we need to get back to that because that's really an important takeaway that I want you guys to get out of this entire podcast.
00:17:22
Speaker
um Anyway, so I'll finish up with those fellas. I'll say bye, you know, as I'm usually, as I'm like bending over to feed the ah pigs The the goats are kind of leaning over the top of the fence trying to like take my hat off or or breathing on me or just like, know, biting my clothes or whatever. And I love that shit about them for some reason. They're just wild, man. Goats are ghost are rambunctious. They're troublemakers. You know, I kind of like that.
00:17:47
Speaker
There was a time when I was there, actually, ah which is really cool. They ended up getting themselves out of the pen. And i had been I had walked away to go over to another section of the farm. And I turn around. And there's two of these goats and two of these pigs just standing in like the middle of the parking lot, just staring at me.
00:18:04
Speaker
And I didn't realize it at first. The farmer's like, hey, look at Check it out. And these fucking guys are all like lined up in the parking lot just staring at us. So ended up helping them get them back into the corral and getting them back inside the gate. So what happens is the pig will find a way to push this gate off its hinge and then they'll bust out of there.
00:18:23
Speaker
You know, just a little bit of chaos at the farm. Right. But yeah those types of days fucking make me so happy. So that's why I keep going back, you know. So anyway, after I'm done feeding those guys, I'll walk back through kind of the the flower area and head over to like where there's some little enclosures for.
00:18:41
Speaker
like these baby ducks that were just born. So there's these tiny, tiny, tiny little baby ducks and they're in this little enclosure kind of bopping around squawking and looking really cute. So I kind of look at them few little bunnies. i kind of feed, you know, whatever. If I have a small carrot, we'll, we'll do that. And then as I make my way past them,
00:18:59
Speaker
We'll head over to like, there's a bunch of chickens running around and a bunch of different, different ducks, right? So what's cool about the farm is a lot of these animals were adopted. So, you know, they are enjoying an amazing life there because they didn't have one to begin with, right? So there's a lot of variety and there's some one-offs and things like that. So some ducks I've never seen before.
00:19:18
Speaker
um But they're all super friendly and they all like, you know, if I have some lettuce there, you know, I'll end up like looking down and there'll be, you know, 20 ducks at my feet and I'm feeding them and the chickens will kind of come rushing in and kind of grab the scraps. But I kind of feel like the lady from home alone who used to feed the pigeons, you know, like just standing there with all these, all these ducks around me. So anyway, it's really, it really, really makes me happy. And just talking about it now makes me happy. So I hope that, you know,
00:19:45
Speaker
that there's something in your life that does this for you too. Um, and I know it's kind of funny, like I said a little bit earlier you know, there's this grown man, 38 years old, whose best part of his week is going to the farm to feed animals. But, you know, i have a dream that, uh, I will move to Vermont,
Sunday Running and Meal Prep
00:20:00
Speaker
uh, at some point, uh, and have a property where I can have all these little animals, um, running around and that will be, you know, a real happy place for me.
00:20:09
Speaker
And, um, Yeah, so that's just something I'm looking forward to. So anyway, I go to this farm and after I'm done with all the chickens and the ducks, I make it over to the donkeys. The guys that have been there for me since 2020, all right, which I think is really cool to mention.
00:20:24
Speaker
Before I even come around the corner, um I can hear them. Like they kind of know it's me for some reason. And again, it's not odd, right? Because animals have a certain sense and maybe they can tell how I walk or they can feel a certain energy when I'm, you know, as I'm moving near them.
00:20:39
Speaker
um So I'll come around the corner and they're both kind of sprinting out of their little enclosure and we kind of meet up right at the at the fence there and and I'll feed them whatever I got. You know, if there's some leftover grain, I'll give it to them. But more importantly, each one gets their own carrot, right? Because one of them will tend to be a little bit of a hog, kind of kicks the other when he gets a little frustrated that he can't hog all the food.
00:21:03
Speaker
So I have to be very conscious that each person, right? I guess it's like having little kids gets their own amount, right? Gets their own serving. And then obviously I hang out over there for a little while. Sometimes the ducks will be kind of chilling around me, picking up whatever's fallen.
00:21:16
Speaker
um But the donkeys, you know, have been there for me for a long time. And it's funny because I have pictures over the years of me feeding them in all different seasons. You know, my wife has always kind of gone with me and it's,
00:21:31
Speaker
She knows how happy they make me and, um you know, kind of what they've done for my mental health over the years. And, you know, she she supports that and it's kind of it's kind of cool So have this kind of this smorgasbord of pictures of me feeding these guys over the years. And I probably will post it sometime because it's cool to see.
00:21:51
Speaker
But anyway, so i'll feed I'll feed them. We'll hang out for a little while. um And, you know, what what's so great about this whole thing is i always tell people to go back to do things that you like to do as a kid that made you happy. And that's an important thing to state because, know,
00:22:08
Speaker
We do so much and we rush around so often that, you know, we lose sight of like, you know, things that actually bring us true pleasure. Right. So when I was going to feed these guys back when i was having a hard time mentally, i would be there and it would force me to be present and they would see me and they would love me how I am. Right.
00:22:24
Speaker
um And I'd be able to be there with them, feeding them, which would make me happy because I'm helping somebody. Right. It's like the very basic rudimentary feeling of taking care of something, somebody. Right. Or something or an animal, whatever.
00:22:35
Speaker
um So I'd have this sort of emotional connection with these guys. um And I look forward to it. So I still look forward to it. I drive by, you know, like days I'm not going there. I drive by the farm and I like, you know, I'm like saying hi to these guys. I drive by i'm like, hey guys, you know, like in the car by myself.
00:22:50
Speaker
um So I get excited about it. And as you can tell, I am, I am still excited about it. And after this, I'll probably drive by there and stop. So There is power there.
00:23:02
Speaker
OK, it is ah healing. And that's what I really am driving towards here is that it heals my mind, body and my spirit. Seeing these guys, feeding them, making it part of my routine.
00:23:12
Speaker
And that's why I continue to do it. But what's really wild and why I talk about doing things that you should have done, like doing things that you love when you were a kid, doing them as an adult, that it being a very healing experience for you.
00:23:23
Speaker
um I have pictures from when my dad and my mom used to bring me to all these different wild animal farms across, you know, New England. though So they had Catskill Game Farm, which was a big one. It was this giant, giant amount of acreage in this enclosed pen with like all these deer and goats and everything running around. And, you know, I was in diapers and all the way up until I probably, I mean, hate to say this. i was probably,
00:23:45
Speaker
I was probably there with my parents when I had a driver's license to, you know, feed these animals. I've just fucking loved this shit my whole life. um So now to be able to get back to it because there was a long gap where i stopped doing that type of stuff and then to get back to it is really kind of awesome.
00:24:01
Speaker
And I want to share that with you because it's important that you need to find something like that in your life to be able to feed you emotionally. So, yeah, so I feed all these animals. That's my Saturday. head home, obviously, you know, hang out with my wife, try to spend some time there because I don't spend a lot of time with her during the week. And that's something that I need to work on. And that's been a pursuit of mine for a long time.
00:24:22
Speaker
A very supportive partner who believes in my mission, believes where I'm going and and really sacrifices our time together for for that mission of helping other people so um couldn't do it without my wife a very special person but that's my farm routine uh and it's it's really special and i hope that you find a farm routine um doesn't have to be a farm but something like that that brings you absolute pleasure makes you light up um so i leave that place with like limitless energy uh and just feel great about being me which is powerful so
00:24:58
Speaker
Like I said, find something that does that for you. Could be anything. Only you know what it is, but you have to focus on finding it. The farm is mine. You can't steal it from me. And there's a reason why I didn't tell you what farm it is.
00:25:13
Speaker
All right. Because that's special to me and it will remain special to me. And then maybe one day I'll have my own and I can invite you. Right. So anyway, moving on to Sunday. And this is ah this one is less fun, um but it's fun when it's done.
00:25:30
Speaker
I wake up around about eight o'clock.
00:25:35
Speaker
head out, you know, after obviously having some water, electrolytes and and all those things that we do before we leave the house, right? don't need to get into details about that. all know what it is before you can leave the house.
00:25:45
Speaker
So I get my running gear on get my shoes on and I head out the door. And let me tell you, some days it's harder to put the shoes on than other days. I'll tell you that much. Some days,
00:25:57
Speaker
You just hope that um
00:26:02
Speaker
you hope that once you start running, it gets a little bit easier. But to anybody out there, the trick is to put your fucking shoes on. All right. That's it. That's the trick. Put your shoes on and get out the fucking door. Shut the mind off.
00:26:13
Speaker
Don't think, just do. Right. We all have that doubt. I'd love to lay in bed. It's warm, cozy, especially on the days that are cold out. You know, my wife's there. Everything I need is right there. But again, like I told you, you got to choose stuff that's uncomfortable.
00:26:26
Speaker
So I go out for a run. But I go out for a run at a very specific place. It happens to be another farm. There's 100 acres where I run. So I head over there. I park my car, do a quick little stretch.
Weekend Routine Impact
00:26:41
Speaker
And then I head out. And what's cool about this farm run is you could run, mean, you could run 20 miles out there if you wanted. I typically do five to six, um but it's all different terrain, which is really cool. So sometimes you're running through the plains some days, sometimes you're running through the woods, um you're running down, you know, paths that tractors go down.
00:27:00
Speaker
um You're running through cow pasture, you're running up through trails that are kind of overgrown with grass and it's really kind of uncertain footing. You're running by water features, crops, cows, um these cool like old markers, like old rock markers that were built, look like they were carved from stone by hand.
00:27:21
Speaker
um And those are all scattered across the property. But it's just something that I really love doing. So I'll kind of set out and I'll just enjoy where I'm at. I'll be looking around. So no matter where you look, like you can look up in the sky, you'll see, you know, different birds. There's a hawk there that typically I will cross on my runs every time I'm there.
00:27:39
Speaker
he kind of flies over and kind of checks on me. And I don't know what it is, but it's it's a little spiritual, right? Where I know I'm going to go run here and I'm going to go see this hawk. He's going to be flying over. Other times I'll be running past kind of like where the crops are and he'll just be posted up on the pole. And I'll just notice him sitting right there at about eye level, which is pretty badass when you're looking eye eye with a big hawk.
00:28:03
Speaker
Um, there's such calm animals and, uh, so beautiful. Um, so that really kind of lights me up when I see that, cause I'm out there kind of looking for wildlife when I'm running. Uh, but I also make sure to stop and take pictures. You know, I'll see horses, which I love horses so much.
00:28:17
Speaker
And there's a lot of horse farms that surround this, you know, this area, uh, this farm that I run at. So I'll stop and take pictures of the horses, kind of say hi to them, you know, chat a little bit real quick and hit and keep on with my run.
00:28:30
Speaker
And it's not unlikely for me to come across like a horse and buggy. You know, they do like um these people are out there kind of doing horse and buggy um on some of the paths and you'll see some horse, you know, people, you know, riding horses as well.
00:28:42
Speaker
I kind of stop obviously and let them go by, just say hi and kind of have a little small talk and then continue with my run. um But, you know, trail running has been really therapeutic for me, much more than running on the street.
00:28:53
Speaker
I can also relax more because you're not worried about getting hit by a fucking car. That's kind of like one of the big things running on the street is you got to be super aware. And I never wear headphones when I run. You know, my uncle's a big ultra runner and he and he found out I was running with headphones on and, you know, he kind of made the...
00:29:10
Speaker
kind of made the suggestion if I want to remain an amateur, I'll continue to run with headphones. So the next day, i fucking quit running with headphones. And it's been actually really great. I will i'll never want to run with headphones ever again.
00:29:23
Speaker
um um much more prefer the noise of the wind. I can hear the birds chirping, I can hear the bugs kind of making noise. That is much better for me and much more healing to my soul.
00:29:37
Speaker
So yeah, I'll just run all over creation. I'll bring a couple calories with me, a couple of go gels, you know some BPN go gels, which I'll consume when I'm running. If I'm doing five miles, I'll probably have a couple hundred calories just to keep me feeling good, you know but I'll be running fasted, right? So i don't really eat breakfast in the morning before I head out. Sometimes I'll have a banana Maybe sometimes I won't, depend on how my stomach feels when i wake up.
00:29:58
Speaker
You know, don't need to be eating a full meal before I go out for, you know, for a slugfest. But my favorite times there are inclement weather. You know, so I've run there in the middle of a blizzard.
00:30:09
Speaker
I've run there when the sun is unbearable. I've run there when it's raining and cold and dreary. And personally, I prefer to run when it's dreary and rainy.
00:30:21
Speaker
um because there's less people that you'll ever come across, right? and You're also out there when nobody else is. And I think that's empowering for me. I think that's how I find a lot of my peace too, is when I'm out somewhere and there's nobody else out there, but but I am, that lets me know I'm in the right place, right? If you're somewhere where there's a million people, you're in the wrong place.
00:30:40
Speaker
That's kind of how i look at it. So I'm out there running in the quiet of the morning before, you know, the sun's in full, right? And, you know, just kind of healing. putting up a great effort, you know, of course, but spiritually healing. And the reason I say that is um as a kid again, and this comes up again as a kid, right? And I need you to pay attention to that.
00:31:02
Speaker
As a kid, my parents raised us in the woods. You know, every weekend we'd go up to the White Mountains and we would camp and we pursued hiking for a long time. And we did all the 48, 4,000 footers in New Hampshire as a family.
00:31:18
Speaker
um which, you know, i I don't really look at that as much of an accomplishment, but it fucking is. If you Google, you know, like the 4,000 foot club in New Hampshire, like it's a big deal.
00:31:29
Speaker
And I did all that shit before like my 14th or 15th birthday. And we did it all as a family, which is, which is great. And I think that's a lot of the places I learned like that, um you know, what physical movement would do for my, my mental being, you know, as a kid that was always really engaging for me.
00:31:46
Speaker
And I really loved it. And, um you know, there's a lot of happy moments out there and there's a lot of moments of, you know, crying. I remember and maybe this is a story for another day, but yeah, it's a story for another day.
00:31:59
Speaker
was a real defining moment for me when I learned how hard I could really push. And I was very young when it happened. And um my father uncovered that for me and it defined the rest of my life.
00:32:11
Speaker
And it's something that I still think about today. So we got to get that story some point in time. Not today, but it is very special. So anyway, yeah, I grew up in the woods, man. And I think it's part of me because as I'm running through the woods nowadays, I can just feel it's such peace. It's like, I feel the best I've ever felt. There's nothing bothering me. The mind is quiet.
00:32:33
Speaker
I'm just out there with the biggest fucking smile on my face. Like if you could see me when I'm out there by myself, like I'm the fucking happiest guy on the planet. you know, surrounded by nature.
00:32:44
Speaker
You know, I hear the wind kind of blowing through the trees. I'm watching the water, you know, kind of watching the raindrops fall in the water. um I see the birds flying around and I just feel good.
00:32:55
Speaker
My body feels good. My soul feels good. and That's where I belong. So again, we talk about feeding the animals and how I did that as a kid. And now I love it. And it calms me and heals me now as an adult. We talk about running in the woods and being in nature, right?
00:33:09
Speaker
And that calms me because that's something I did as a kid that that had a lot of great memories. and um you know and And I loved, and and I'm bringing that back to my life. So that's something I want you to take away from this.
00:33:22
Speaker
Very, very important to kind of consider. So you know I go for my run, I come home. come back to the car. Sorry. And then, um, I will head out to the butcher shop and I will get all my meat for the week. and then I will head home and I will start to cook.
00:33:42
Speaker
And it's nice cause I'm kind of tired from the run. So I don't have like a lot of energy to bounce off the walls, which I know my wife appreciates because I think that, uh, when I come home, uh,
00:33:54
Speaker
full of energy. I think it's a lot to take for somebody, you know, especially somebody that's been around me for 19 years. um You know, you guys just listen to the podcast for half an hour a week. Could you imagine if this shit was in your face for 19 years?
00:34:08
Speaker
That would be, that would be a lot. um So yeah, my wife's the same. But anyway, I'll cook my food up, which is normally, lately I've been doing just ground beef. And the reason I say normally is because i think consistency is the only thing that matters and then i don't really want to sound too crazy but i'm pretty sure for the last five months all i've eaten is ground beef uh for protein um you know and some sardines i work in at times uh and you got to get the patagonia sardines those are the best ones they have um they don't have any bones in them and uh i just that's the easiest one to eat right because sometimes depending on the mood you're in
00:34:48
Speaker
You know, eating a sardine isn't really what you want to fucking do, but they make you feel amazing. So anyway, I get my beef. at the butcher switch butcher shop, Ipswich Butcher Bros in Ipswich. And they're great.
00:35:01
Speaker
Jay and Kelly over there are great people. So I like to head over there, have a little chat. And usually I'm just coming off my run. So i'm on a bit of a high. And sometimes maybe I grab a coffee after my run. you know Depends. ah So I'm kind of energized when I hit the butcher shop.
00:35:14
Speaker
We get in there, talk a little bit, you know kind of exchange some good energy. And I tend to usually get about, say about 15,
00:35:25
Speaker
to 18 burgers. And the reason I get burgers is they're already kind of made up So I don't have to like, it's just a pain in the ass when you're eating that all the time to like have to go home with ground beef and then make it into burgers and then cook it on the Blackstone. So they're already making them for me. Yeah, it's a dollar more a pound, but like i don't have to fucking deal with it.
00:35:45
Speaker
So I get home, I uncover the grill, I turn that thing on, which it's it's a it's a Blackstone and I get the i got the brown one with the orange handle on it. It's pretty fucking badass.
00:35:56
Speaker
And I tell you, I haven't cooked protein in the oven or on the stove since I got this grill, which was back in January.
00:36:08
Speaker
ah So, you know, we're in what, May or April, May? Yeah, we're in May. And i haven't cooked any meals inside ah that are protein related. so I recommend a Blackstone, man. Best thing I've ever ah purchased. I got it on sale. I think it was like $250.
00:36:27
Speaker
So I got the adapter to run the big bottle. Absolutely dope grill. Probably one of the best things I've ever spent money on. So anyway, I go out there and I'll usually throw a red onion on the on the grill too.
00:36:39
Speaker
For some reason, I've been enjoying eating some onions. It's good for, you know, um testosterone support. You know, if you do a little research there, I've only been really eating a list of foods that optimize testosterone. You know, as I'm getting older, I want to make sure that those numbers are are there because i'm doing a lot of physical activity.
00:36:57
Speaker
And I think number one thing that raises testosterone is jujitsu. don't know if there's any science behind it, but when you're fighting for your fucking life and you're scared of getting tapped the fuck out, I'm pretty sure i'm pretty sure the body's ramping that up. But anyway, you got to eat a support a diet that supports that.
00:37:11
Speaker
So I'm doing my best to do that. So anyway, I'll cook all that up and I like to throw some blue cheese. I go to this real, real nice spot ah called Vin Formage over in Wenham and pick out some artisan blue cheese. You know, the guy over there, we've got to know each other. We've got to know each other over my passion for blue cheese.
00:37:29
Speaker
So, you know, he always has a great few options for me. And I'll throw that on those burgers to keep those healthy fats up, you know, with some beets, some sauerkraut, different things like that. So, yeah, that's kind of my Sunday where I used to get the Sunday scaries before I implemented a routine like that.
00:37:47
Speaker
um But that doesn't happen to me anymore. And now I'm really proud of that. So. That type of routine is what helps me keep the Sunday scaries away. And then as we move into Monday, which everybody fucking hates Monday, I'm finishing Monday up with jujitsu.
00:38:01
Speaker
So, you know, Monday, day the worst day of the week, I'm ending it with jujitsu and Friday, I'm beginning the weekend with jujitsu. So it's kind of that opener and closer is kind of the happiest moments of my days are kind of opened with jujitsu and closed with jujitsu, which has been great.
00:38:17
Speaker
as it's been a new addition to my life. And I recommend it for everybody, ah male or female. I think it's a great thing to be a part of. And I will elaborate that on our next episode and talk a little bit about my jujitsu journey, why, how, what it means, and so on. But in the meantime, what I need you to do is I need you to remember to think about what you did as a kid that brought you a lot of pleasure.
00:38:45
Speaker
And I need you to think about getting back to that. That's important. It really is. And I've experienced it. So these two things I do on the weekend, all right, amongst a lot of other small stuff that I'm not including because it's monotonous and you don't need to really hear about it.
00:39:01
Speaker
um That's really helped me maintain momentum. That's really helped me be able to stack the weight. All right. I'm on me because I know I can handle it and i know I won't break this. This is how I find calm in the storm.
00:39:14
Speaker
So find your calm in the storm. And I think you'll be able to do wonders with your life.