EP58 Kari and Paul - 24hrs of Paul

This is episode 58 of the Empowered Athlete podcast. Are you 6, 5, 2, 25 and male, or maybe 5, 4, 1, 10 and female? Are you a swimmer, runner, gymnast, or hockey player? Have you had three knee surgeries like me or a shoulder that tends to get sore? We all have different bodies and it makes sense that we require specific training and adjustment for best results. Are you self motivated, ready for consistency, and want to follow a training plan customized for your needs? Maybe you are ready to be coached.

Being trained typically means you rely on someone to take you through each workout. Being coached means you are ready to do it on your own, but want the guidance from an expert to efficiently get to your best results while still accountable. If you're ready to be coached, then contact us for an assessment in person or online and we will make a customized training program for you to get to your goals. Welcome to the Empowered Athlete Podcast, created to support athletes in their pursuit of excellence and inspire others toward their best lives. Hosted by car. Kari Schneider, coach to top performers in sport and life, and Paul Durden, former national and professional volleyball player.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to November. Welcome to the Empowered Athlete podcast. Kari, are you ready to go?

I think so.

All right, well, today we are flipping the tables from last month where I interviewed you. I'm on the hot seat and you're going to be firing the questions my way. But before we get to it, the 12:30 challenge continues. We have two months to go on this challenge. It's been an entire year of 30 day challenges. Last month was the great outdoors. What do we have in store this month?

I can't believe it's the last two months of 30 day challenges. It's been crazy. Okay, so November, There's Remembrance Day in November. We're approaching Christmas and to we picked this challenge to really become intentional about gratitude, love, and acknowledgement towards others. So. So the challenge this month is every day in person or via phone. No emailing, no texting, no messaging, anything like that, but in person or via phone, reaching out to someone and telling them how much you care or that you love them or you want to acknowledge them, whatever it is. I mean, of course we think of our most close loved ones, but there's 30 days in this challenge, so it's going to probably stretch you a little, branch you out from just your close circle of friends and family. It might mean that, you know, you see the same mail carrier every day and you stop them and say, hey, you know, I see you doing this rain and shine, and I want to acknowledge you for Doing this. Thank you so much for doing what you do. It makes a difference in my life, and I just don't always acknowledge that. So I am today. And thank you for the job that you do. It might be something as little as that, because 30 days is probably going to bring you beyond your close circle of friends and family. But the point is, is every day, at least one. It can be more than one, though. At least one person that you are personally reaching out to to tell them how much you care, you love them, or acknowledge their presence or service in your life.

Yeah, I just. You describing your example there with the male Carrie. It's. This is a. This is going to be an awesome month. I mean, it's going to feel really good to do that. I think I don't do it enough.

No, we. We don't.

And, you know, not to be drama here, but you never know what's going to happen tomorrow, what may happen to a friend. So to have missed a chance to tell the people around you how you feel about them and have them really know what you mean to them is something really special. And I take that for granted. For sure. For sure. So I am really excited about this.

Challenge, and I think for us as the people who are doing it, I think it will really elevate a feeling of completeness in our relationships with the people around us. It doesn't mean we never have to do it again. But if we make this a habit by doing something like this every day, it becomes so much easier to really show gratitude and love and acknowledgement in the. For the people in our lives, doesn't matter who they are.

Well, this is awesome. This is going to strengthen relationships. It's going to. I think it'll make me more approachable.

Feel good.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. When you're coming from a place of love versus judgment or any of that, it's. It's a great place to be and a great time of year to do it, and I think it just will prime us to be able to do it on the regular instead of just a. The times of year that is Christmas or, you know, family time. So it'll prime us. I think it'll be great. So super cool day. We are talking about the topic of habits and routines, and you are definitely one who has your habits. You've got your routines. And I think that interviewing you on this will be really interesting for a lot of listeners because, you know, I'm sure people wonder, you know, what does he do every day? And what. What is that like for him or what? I don't know. There's probably a few question marks that are there for people. But at the same time, I want to point out before we even start this, that habits and routines are those things that once they're a system for us, then we have so much less thinking to do about something. And it really lessens the decisions that need to be made and thereby for people who are really busy or they've got families or they're working a lot, it really lessens the decision fatigue, that feeling of I just can't take on another thing, I can't do one other thing. So by having habits and routines, it just becomes the autopilot. And it's so much easier to just go through what needs to be done and be able to put your energy, your mental energy into the things you want for production or performance or being your best self for your family. And then you're not just decision fatiguing all over the place.

Yeah, you get these great things on autopilot and good things happen and you can focus on the varying things of the day, the challenges that come up.

Or the bigger picture where you really want to go, what's really driving you to your next big thing in life. So yeah, then you're not, you know, busy thinking about the little, little things that are coming up every day because they're just part of a, part of a well oiled machine. And that's what you are, you are a well oiled machine if people, people didn't ever get to see you play or function as an athlete or work with you. I just want to give a little backstory here. Not a backstory, but really some insight, I would say, to how you've operated as a high performance athlete. You are the guy who would do the extra things that sometimes it would be so hard as coaches to get the athletes to do the things like setting your travel stuff out ahead of time, getting your gear ready ahead of time, doing the, doing the extra stretching after training or after matches, doing the extra rehab work like the Epsom salt bath or, or the treatments or the food prep or the protein shakes or, you know, there's so many extra little things that you made routine as a high performance athlete that other people just did not step into. And it's what made you one of the best in the world. And it's one of, it's not the thing, but it's one of, it's the little things like that that had a great payoff that helped you or one of the Many things that helped you become one of the best athletes in the world. So now you are living the corporate life, you have family, you've got day to day demands. And from a more home life standpoint, I'm going to dive into some of those things one way or another just to kind of see what's there for you. And then you can also give us insight from a performance standpoint as well. From the things I didn't mention.

All right, I'll try, but I want.

To kind of give like a day to day picture for people. When you get up in the morning, what's the first thing you do?

Can I go back and answer? Starting the night before, Because I think it'll actually help.

When you go to bed at night, what are the things you do before you go to bed?

Yeah, so I'm. And the reason I had you rephrase it is because, well, this will make sense. So I'm not a morning person. I struggle to get back and so I know that I need to have certain things in place to make them happen. So before going to bed, kids, lunches are made and they've, if they're around, they've helped me or I've, I've done it. I have placed the appropriate workout clothes based on the weather on the floor beside the bed. You've got the alarm set. That's taken care of. You know, know what I'm gonna be having for breakfast. I've already made my protein shake, et cetera, et cetera. So those steps are already happening to get that morning to happen. And so when I wake up, the alarm goes off. I'll mutter under my breath, I'll swear, whatever it is, I'll put the pillow on my head and try to lay there for a few extra minutes, but it's fine.

Meanwhile, I'm pumping my arms in the air and writing in a journal, priming of FL some sort of sort or another.

And somehow we're a couple and so it's, you know, get up, clothes, go on immediately walking the dogs. And the dogs are fantastic because they have to be walked. And so I can't avoid them if I don't to be an accident. They're going to be cleaning up, right?

They don't have to be walked. We could let them out in the backyard, but we've raised our standards in that we decided a few years ago that we are not going to just have them pooping in the backyard every day. We're going to have them walked and go through the neighborhood. It's good for them, it's good for us and we like our backyard better and we can enjoy it better without trying to dodge landmines.

Absolutely.

So that was like a conscious decision made. But they do they help you get going because you got to do it for them.

Yeah. So it's up with the dogs, get them around the block, then let's go for the run or get a workout in and then it's the breakfast and kind of out the door to work or depending on the day, I'm staying with Maeve and you're out the door to work to train clients or athletes or have a meeting and get her on the bus and then. But regardless of the day, at least by, you know, at 9 o' clock.

Into work and going, okay, so, so let's, let's back up just a little bit here. You did a whole bunch of prep in order to feel like you could get out of bed with the most likelihood of success, Correct?

Yes. Eliminating the barriers.

So you, another thing you do, I think that you didn't mention is, is. Well, you kind of did. You said you put your clothes out based on the weather. So you've also checked the weather the night before. So that's part of the plan. So if you even look at the list of things you did sometime in the evening prior, you've really set yourself up for success. You've done some meal prep for the kids and for yourself and for me, you've made your shake. You've got the clothes ready, you've checked the weather. You've you intentionally know based on. We, we tend to do similar things on the day to day, meaning if it's a Monday, you're probably lifting. If it's a Tuesday, you're probably running or doing some sort of cardio. So you know, based on whatever the day is, you've checked the weather. Now say you have done a run depending on what time of year it is, whether you're training for something, whatever it is, what do you do right after the run is done? Because these are the little things that people like you kind of go through. Oh, well, next I do this and this and this. But what people don't realize are the details. Because they're so normal for you.

Yeah.

That they don't realize how many little details happen. And they happen so automatically for you that when you say the word run, it means that you have, you know, depending on the, say if it was a certain type of run, like a real hard 200 meter efforts, well then you did a you did a 1km and then you did a dynamic and then you did those 200 meter efforts. Or maybe you were just going for a long tempo. You just went for the tempo. But say you did that run. So when you say run, it means all of that encompass. But say you finished a run and you get back, then what do you do exactly?

When I'm back, then I'm gonna stretch. So after I've done the run, I want to get a bit of a stretch in. Uh, it's never long enough. I do shortchange myself a little bit in the morning based on the time or what the run was, but absolutely stretch kind of key areas I know that need continual work, you know, like getting my hip flexors or I gotta really watch things on my calves and my feet. They seem to be a weak link in the chain. Yeah. So, so tackle the stretching and then I'll come in and I'll start breakfast, you know, get eggs going or, or whatever it is, and then kind of continue to stretch and start drinking water at that point. And yeah, so I mean those seem, yeah, they seem like absolutely normal things.

But do you drink any water before you leave?

A little bit. Right when I get up, I have a drink.

And when you get back, you're drinking more. Probably. About how much would you say?

Uh, depends on the weather somewhat. I. Yeah, in the summer it's probably like how big is that big jar? I have a liter, 750 milliliters, something like that.

It's close.

Yeah, yeah, I drink that easily in the summer, but on colder days, a third of that. Yeah, so that just was more sipping at work. But yeah, go through that and then.

And even like just to give listeners a visual, when you come back from an outdoor run, there's this tiny little. It's probably like a 3 inch elevation of a step when we go into our back, back door and you are stretching your calves out right away before you even get back into the porch. Yeah, that's actually pouring rain or something.

One really important one that I do almost every time. And so like you said, there is the steps up into our back porch and the first one is sunk a bit over the years. So yeah, it's about 3 inches off the ground. So I'm doing on that almost every time is toes up on there, standing straight and tall and then trying to roll vertebrae by vertebrae. You know, it's chin to chest and then slowly rolling down thoracic spine, lumbar spine, all the way down into a just kind of hanging hamstring. Stretch. I'm also feeling through my feet because they're elevated.

And you're getting fascia as well.

And just kind of a little bit of a hang there. Because in the morning, I always feel that fascia is really sharp and sensitive.

Stiff back and. Yeah.

But after the run, everything's warm and my neck feels good. And so it's just the time to really get into those stretches that normally feel yucky. And so that's absolutely one that's there. It's just one my body needs that I feel, I respond to and really like to do. So. Yeah, that's. I'm glad you pointed that one out. Cause that is just something I'm doing automatically. I don't think about.

And. And to give a little intel, too, just in terms of how committed you are to at least getting as much as you can. There's so many times that. That if you're tight on time, you will. If you didn't have time to stay in the porch or wherever and stretch, you'll be putting eggs on the stove and stretching in the kitchen at the same time as cooking and getting like. So just. I want people to understand that, like, if you slept in five minutes too late, and that five minutes is like, we're pretty structured in the morning, but that five minutes would have cut into your stretching time. Then you're putting the breakfast on and stretching at the same time with your leg rotated on the counter or your. You know, like, that's. That's what it looks like. Okay. So.

So I think another big one in the morning. The next one definitely worth mentioning. And this is a more recent habit that I've been. That I've made a daily habit, and this is one that I know you aren't cool with. No pun intended. But after breakfast is up, and I have a cold shower, so it's a met. It's a real. It's awesome because you have to psych yourself. You know, I could turn the handle a little further and get a little warmth in there, but I just crack it on. So it's just pure cold. And then without. I've shaved my head right now, so don't have a lot of hair for insulation. And so I'm just. Water's on cold step. Right. In the summer. It's awesome. Absolutely. You know, when it's humid, muggy summer morning, it's already, you know, 20 degrees out Celsius, but with the humidity, it's well above that, and it feels good. But now that the temperature we're in single digits, stepping in there, there's a little bit of. There's that. That second where you just gotta go. You can't wait. And it sucks. But then once you're in there, it's like I come out of there and I feel jacked for the day and ready. Yeah, it's awesome. It's awesome.

Yeah, it's the kind of like, it's the thing you don't want to do. You dread. But at the same time, it has such. It's so worth it. And I do not do it because I'm cold most of the time. Like, I run cold. So.

Yeah.

But there's so many health benefits associated with that, and not only for mental health, including depression, but also just overall physiological health. And when we expose ourselves to extreme cold and extreme heat, infrared saunas are another option too. Those things really make a huge difference from a cellular standpoint on so many levels in so many areas. So those cold showers are totally worth it. And that's something that. Yeah, you weren't doing that a couple of years ago, but I think. I don't know when that did. That started with one of the truth bombs that I put info on it. Or was it. What was the.

I don't know. It was. It was a few.

It kept coming up.

Well, I'd done it as an athlete. Loved the cold tubs, too. And after like a really hard training day of the national team where you've had a two a day or something and getting in there. And I love that because it's. I love the extreme. You know, it's. It's kind of just cool to say you even did it. And so lots of times throughout my career, I would use cold showers, but purely from recovery standpoint and.

Yeah.

How it felt physically, but it was learning, you know, through you or something. Tony Robbins is talking the mental side.

Yeah.

Of how it affects your mentality and.

Wakes up your ward off depression.

And just, you know, that's where I was like, okay, I need to do this mentally purely from a mental standpoint. Yeah, the physical benefits are awesome, but I'm doing it to be mentally on my game and feel better. So that's where it was. That's where the commitment came to make it part of the routine on a daily basis.

It's interesting because it's like you've had different practices that have helped you for your mental game. So having your best emotional health, whether it's been journaling or meditating, but the cold showers are the one that sticks throughout. Like you Might fall off of meditating, you might fall off of journaling, but the cold shower sticks. I would bet that that's because it's more. You have a memory, almost like a muscle memory, but you have a. A practiced past with doing this cold shower that also has positive association with it. So it's almost easier. Easier to stay consistent with it. It's more of a normal for you than something that's newer and not as practiced and not as refined or smooth for you. Which might be the meditating or the journaling for the mental health side of things.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Okay, so you have, you've done a lot just to get into work. Chances are I'm putting the youngest on the bus. And you have jetted off to work. What are some habits that you have in the morning span of time, maybe from 9 till noon when you're at work. And this is primarily a desk job job. But what are some habits that you have that revolve around your best health? Could be mindset, could be physical, could be whatever nutritional. But what are you doing in that 9 to 12 span? Maybe just a few things that contribute.

Yeah, I. I guess I'll answer. I'll go physical and then maybe habits for work, mental side of things. Physically at work, I am working on a desk. I'm leading the sales team at a software company. And so a lot of time on the computer, but I'm up and down at least every hour to go fill my water to I'm drinking my protein shake, I'm going and cleaning the protein cup, I'm filling water, I have to go to the bathroom, some drinking water all day. Um, so up and down fairly frequently throughout the day. And then I've got a great chair to sit on that I can adjust in every way possible. And I'm swapping between that and exercise ball. So I'm bouncing back and forth between those two throughout the day. I'll also actually kneel on one knee at my desk. Would you consider just to get into kind of a little bit of a hip flexor stretch and kind of in a lunge position? So I'll do that maybe around midday just because it feels good. And lately been really trying to focus on my posture because as you pointed out, you've noticed changes as I've had this job now for four years, that I've got a get ahead of it and continually make sure I'm getting shoulders back and sitting as tall as possible and, you know, not letting that slouch position be my go to.

So yeah, we can't let computers blame the way our posture is. Our posture is the way it is because we hold certain positions for a long time and that's our choice. So we can still work at computers and do different things. Have you, have you? Do. Do you think you'll ever integrate a standing workstation? A lot of people I know, a lot of clients I have do that as well.

And a lot of our development staff guys doing the coding have stand up desk that they can just crank up or down. But in the office that I'm in, people don't have them. But I do really want to get one or be able to shift my laptop to. I have a higher point that I can set up on as well. So yeah, I just, I, I think I probably would look really fidgety to people because I don't stay in one position long and I am up and down. So yeah, that, that's kind of what I'm doing physically at work. But on the, on the mental side and prep side, when I'm getting in, I think just again through habit I'm just doing certain things of. I'm always. When I'm finishing my workday, I'm leaving a checklist of the priority items that I need to tackle the next morning and I've also scheduled time for them into my calendar.

Yes.

Which is been the biggest game changer. So yeah, always done the list thing. Always kind of had that running list of things to do, but have been more and more in my role, managing other guys on the team and having to deal with things that pop up and answering questions. I have less extended periods of focus time. So I love getting in early because that's where I get a ton of work done because there's less distraction.

And.

So what really is happening now is that outside of the checklist, I'm also scheduling in blocks of time in my calendar to tackle things and estimating the time to complete them. Overestimating consistently.

I was just saying that is a.

Huge thing because I no longer feel that nagging feel of things not getting done by giving myself that buffer. I always use it either because somebody's gonna be interrupting me and you chat about something for five minutes or decision on a proposal that we're sending out for pricing or whatever it is. So it gives me that buffer to make sure those things actually get to done in that time that I've allocated. Otherwise it, it's, you know, back of your mind. You always say that you have all these things on your plate and you want to get them off your plate. So I found that overestimating those time blocks has been really effective in ensuring that those things are completed. And that's something that's been big.

That's, that's such a practice that is so critical that both of us used to be, because we're both very quick to do things, tasks especially very well, both of us would underestimate how long it would take to do some things and then be left with this awful feeling of either incompletion or a feeling of not getting what needed to get done or overwhelmed because there's so much to do. But it's simply coming down to how, what the structure is on what the scheduling is and actually scheduling it. That's been a game changer for me as well. That's huge. That's fantastic. So you, you've done that. What, what, tell us about. You've, you've gotten into lunch by this point. You've moved around a lot, you've drinking a lot, you've mentally kind of, you've, you've prepared the day before with your checklist and also scheduled it into your calendar and now you approach lunch. What does that look like for you?

Well, lunch and this is funny, I guess I have to think about this but just knowing how my co workers operate. I have lunch ready to go every day. It's pre made premeditated and it's, it's healthy because I've, I'm not stuck, I'm not scrambling and there's a plan here. So I've, I've brought fruit to snack on. I've got lunch, I've got the protein shake to have in the morning, always have that around mid morning. And so yeah, lunch is. Pull out the lunch I've made, eat it, do some studying on flight training or something like that. Just complete distraction from work, my mind off of work and text your wife. Yeah, text my wife and you know, connect with a co worker or two over lunch and then it's done and back at it. But it's amazing to see the diversity of what people are eating and the level of planning. You see it all in an office environment. There's some people like me who bring their lunch most days. There's people who never bring a lunch and are buying it every single day and everything in between. So it's, I think it really gets down to the planning and if you're committed to eating well, it's not going to happen on the fly or it's going to be a lot Harder to execute on unless you're next to a freshie or have, you know, at least a few healthy options if you're, you know, air quote, fast fooding it.

So, but even that it's never going to be as good as what you can actually.

Yeah. Or it's going to cost more. So. Yeah, it's, it's just that it's, it's the planning and that comes into play. I've already mentioned, you know, at the top here that it's the night before so that lunch falls into that category and it just happens.

And yeah.

Really that you know, thinking about it, the way we plan our eating is the difference because huge people think, oh, you must work out like a maniac. You know, I don't anymore. No, I mean I'm inconsistent. I, I mean relative to, relative to me.

Yeah.

Like the way I used to train and eat. Yeah. So, but, but when people don't understand four or five good sessions a week. But the real difference is the way we eat and the real difference there is the planning.

Because you forget though that most people don't train like, I mean I'm you unless I'm traveling, I'm working out six days a week and walking on the seventh. And, and most people do not get like you're saying four or five workouts a week, which you do week in and week out. And on top of that you're walking and you're doing other outdoors things and all of that. So there's, there's other.

Yeah, it's the whole.

And, and so you are still. And how much you move around at work and, and aim to, you know, take stairs or do that, things like that, you're still far, far more active than even the above average people on the day to day. And I know you, you minimize the, your workouts because there's so much less than the, in the insane intensity that comes with top level sport. So to you it feels like nothing. But to even the above average person, you are walking, you are riding a bike, you are working out almost every day of the week, you know, so there's so much still going on there. But, but yeah, like you're, but to your point, the food planning, you feel like that is, is so key. Yeah.

And for all the athletes listening, I mean if we're speaking purely to professionals right now, people who are in the work world 9 to 5, then yes, from a workout standpoint, I'm doing more than average for sure. But for the athletes that are listening, you know, and you're You've got your three practices a week and you're working.

Out and you're on top of it.

Yeah, yeah. This is where the food planning has way more weight in terms of overall habits. So yeah, what I think it's so.

Much with athletes is that they feel like they can eat whatever they want because they are so hungry or they're working out so much. And planning good food makes. Makes a huge difference in how they feel and how they're going to perform.

And I really feel that there's been a lot of weeks where the workouts they've had have been minimal or non existent and the food stays consistent and.

That'S saved you from having a real downfall.

That's the big difference maker is that if I've been injured or traveling, work is something good or been traveling. Having great food habits has been the real differentiator.

And you're. You're more disciplined in that than I see. Very. Like there's so few people who are as disciplined with that as you. But it's not necessarily that you were born with more discipline than anybody else. It's that you just practiced it and it became habit.

Exactly. And the point of this episode is to hope for people to see that my discipline, I don't even need discipline because when it's lunchtime, whether I'm disciplined or not, I've already made that decision the night before when, you know, I'm not dealing with cravings or something at that point. So I'm in this just neutral stage. It's like, how do I want to eat? Here's something good, pack it. And then I don't have to worry about how I'm feeling or cravings or anything like that. It's done and it's ready to go. It eliminates.

You're creating environments that you don't need to be disciplined.

Yeah, I just eat what I'm given and I've made that decision at a good time.

So yeah, like it works. It works for both of us in that way. Because you're usually making my breakfast. Not all the time, but most often.

Yeah, I'm the breakfast lunch guy. You're the dinner.

Yeah. And when I'm doing dinner, I'm trying to make extra. So you've got extra materials to work with for lunches.

Right.

And. And so like there's this. We kind of have this split that there's a lot of stuff that's being done behind the scenes that causes the other person not to have. I don't have to think about Breakfast and oh, do I want a donut or do I want to know? I just basically show up, sit down, eat my eggs and fruit and you know, sometimes I'll switch it up to something else or whatever. But. And same thing. Like I. Same thing for my lunch. My salad is done. You've made it when you show up at home. Well, we'll get to that. But. But there's typically a healthy dinner made and you're not thinking about what it is like is there's so much drama, emotion, buffering. Any of that stuff is taken out of the eating because we've pre planned it. Yeah. Okay. So you're heading into your afternoon.

Yes, I guess one thing I want to mention that our current CEO kind of presented to our company on. Two years ago, he presented on a book called Meetings Suck. It's fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone listening. But to quickly summarize why it's so important and plays into habit and routine is that in our company at least, there's a lot of running meetings throughout the week that need to happen to, you know, assess what direction we're going when building the software, looking at client feedback, managing clients, things like that. There's a lot of standing meetings. But there's some rules that we have, you know, based on this book that allows anyone to opt out of a meeting if you need. If something else you know, is more important to you is take more priority, that all meetings have an agenda, that all meetings attempt to end early, spend a couple of minutes at the beginning of meetings connecting with people, you know, just so that we feel together and, you know, somebody shares a little bit of a story or something. Then we're not just all business, we're, you know, a team. And you feel more like a family and less like just, all right, let's get in this meeting and get started and just connect the group a bit. So there's these rules that are in place that allow me to again, optimize my time where I there be a standing meeting coming up and I can look at the agenda and think, well, I'm not really gonna have much to contribute on that one because it's a portion of our product that I don't deal with. I'm gonna opt out and I'm free to do that. Whereas a lot of companies and a lot of business have meetings where everyone has to show up and it's really three people talking and seven people are wondering why they're there. And so that simple, kind of, I guess, not so simple, but it's a strategy that we've been allowed to employ has been really effective and helpful for me in terms of getting more productive. So not really a habit, but it's definitely part of the routine of looking at meetings if I'm scheduling a meeting, having that flexibility around them. So that helps with the efficiency side of things on the work side of my daily routine and to get to an afternoon. Afternoons are more. I find it more reactive to things that have come up in the day, in the afternoon. So I've mentioned earlier scheduling my time to complete tasks. Typically by early afternoon those are done and the back part of the afternoon is dealing with things that have come up or future planning and setting up kind of for the next day or the next week or tackling kind of longer term projects and chipping away at those.

And then you leave work.

Yeah, so I'm leaving work sometimes in.

The summer you're commuting by a via bike.

That's right. Yeah. I'll bike to work if I can and then bike home, which is awesome. And the ride home, like to listen to the news actually. It's my chance to catch up on what's happening in the world quick. So get the news radio going and yeah, getting home excited to see you and the family and see what's up for dinner. I'm always hungry by that point, that's for sure.

And so then there's likely a healthy dinner there. But after dinner we typically. You've got more activity a little bit anyway.

Yeah.

So it's could be kids, sports, things like that. But we're always. Almost always.

Yeah, depending on the day. But there's always again dogs are going out so you've normally walked them around 4. They've been let out at the afternoon too, so they've had their morning walk. You've let them out around lunch. They get walked by you again normally around 4 and fed. And then after dinner and things are cleaned up, we're out as a family walking the dogs again, going around the neighborhood and then really dependent on the day, you know, diving into what's going on with the kids, getting somebody to a hockey rink or a practice or gymnastics. And mixed in there, as you already know now is the meal prep for the next day or the next few days. Always nice to get ahead a couple meals in that regard and yeah. Then trying to find 30 minutes for you and I to connect on the couch and catch up.

Debrief. Yeah, there's very little TV watching at this point because there are some other big priorities in our lives at this point. But if you feel like you need to stretch or you didn't get enough in the morning, you have this habit from when you were a professional athlete that you. There's a lot of times where you are still stretching on the living room floor, rolling out. You're rolling, you're stretching. You also would be stretching your hip rotators on the bed when you're brushing your teeth at night.

Yeah, yeah, you've mentioned that before. So yeah, I didn't even think of those things. But again, those are just the autopilot things that are so autopilot I don't think of. But you're right, it's. Yeah, the evening. I guess you could say that I'm always aware of myself physically. I think just from the years of. Yeah, the years of competing and playing, I needed to know what my body was telling me and so I listened to it. So I almost absentmindedly will just stretch whatever I'm feeling at a given moment or be doing something like that.

And what you just described, that awareness of your body on the day to day and listening to your body and really being in touch with your body, that is such an amazing habit to have. And on the same time, at the same time for people really to have their best health and their best lives, that also that practice from a mental standpoint, listening to what's floating through your head and deciding what to accept. Because with your body, you're deciding what to pay attention to and what not to pay attention to on the regular. And it's the same thing from a mental standpoint or an emotional standpoint, deciding what to pay attention to and what not to. And all of that can become habit or routine. Just like you described some of the things that you've described. If it wasn't me interviewing you, you wouldn't have even said, because it's such a habit for you, you don't even see it. It's not even on your radar. It's become just a complete part of your subconscious, your autopilot, that you're not even a of part aware that you're doing the calf stretch or the hip rotator stretch or, you know, there's so many little things that you just add into your own. Your own physical health routine. And as soon as any of us, I guess, come to a place of awareness that, okay, I need to up my standard or my level in my mental health routine or my physical routine, then it's just a matter of implementing and practicing it. And because the things that you do now that you don't even think about anymore. It's simply because you've practiced it for such a long period of time.

It's good you're here to point them out. And you've reminded me in saying that there's one other thing I'm doing in the evenings that's I think, really different from the norm. And this one's going to apply to all the parents out there who are listening. If you are listening. And this is what I don't know, I guess the parents of the boys hockey teams have seen or the soccer parents.

Oh my gosh.

But if I'm going to take one of the boys to Kitchener for a hockey game in the evening, I do want them to feel supported. And I'm going to watch once in a while, but I'm not going to watch a practice. I'm going to use that time to get in an extra run or go for a bike. And I can tell you that I've had some of the best workouts, you know, during a year at those times because I'm in a new place, can go for a run and it's, you know, that mental hurdle of the grind is much less because you're a new place, you're exploring, you're checking it out, you're running through a new neighborhood, there's new things to look at and distract, distract yourself. You can go harder. I've had some incredible bike rides out, you know, just all over kind of these different towns in Ontario exploring while kids are at a practice or game and using that time for me and not kind of falling into the Grab a Timmy's hangout and it's cool to chat with the other parents, but you know, to spend all of your time all winter long and the number of hours that the kids are at these events that, you know, I've learned to prepare for and be taking my study stuff. So I'm working on my flight knowledge or working out or doing those different things or editing a podcast or maybe getting ahead on something at work. Just the habit of using that time constructively is just freed up so much more time to get ahead on things. It's no longer this time sink of just feeling like I'm the bus driver taking the kids from stop to stop and that that's controlling my life and my experience in the evening.

Yeah. And there's still even within that don't let people, don't let yourself get fooled into believing that then you don't connect with the kids or then you don't connect with the other parents because you still do. There's all that driving time that you can have these really great conversations with the kids. There's all that, oh yeah, that show up time or the leaving time where you can touch base with a few different parents and have something. That's when you're more intentional. Intentional about something, then it's a greater quality versus you know, just the kind of long drawn out shooting the shit about who knows what, but versus intentionally checking in with someone to really see how they're doing and that kind of thing. So the social aspect and the connection aspect from the family and the community is still present. It just, it's just more intentional and higher quality than if it's just standing around and, you know, drinking coffee.

Yeah. And it's giving, giving myself permission to do that to, you know, place importance on my time.

Yeah.

You know, and not equating being a good dad to standing there and watching an entire practice.

You're a better dad when you're well taken care of.

Exactly. So it's.

You're healthier, you're happier.

But I feel like I'm against the norm and you know, when I first started doing these things, I thought, did the other parents think I don't care and having these thoughts that just don't matter? Right. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So. So it's just, it's getting past all that crap and just realizing, like you just said, this is going to make me a better dad. These are the things that allow me to be better at work, to be healthier. I'm going to be able to play with my kids a lot longer. You know, just all those things. It's so, it's. That was, I think that's the last one I want to share. Looking at all the way through the day, in the evening, that's the last big habit I think that I have. That's definitely worth sharing.

Nice. Okay, well, hopefully that gives some insight to people as to the little things, the little things that pay huge dividends. The little things that become so habitual, so routine that you don't even have to think about them and they're happening, that you don't even realize they're happening. And you can make those little things be things that work for your health, for your performance or against it. So here are some. Those are some of the things that you do that are just really amazing and thank you for sharing those and amazing job at creating that because it really works for you. That's really amazing.

So I have Obviously have to mention that being with you, you're someone who. Who thinks this away as well. So I'm in the ideal. I'm in the perfect storm here of having a lot of these traits from my competitive career, but obviously being married to you and co parenting with you and doing all these different things, we. We need these systems to survive and excel. And. And so I've got a great teammate who motivates me to help make these little things happen. So thank you for that.

Well, thank you counting as your acknowledgement for the.

Yeah, there you go. That counts.

Yeah, I think I need another one. Let's not. Let's not have that one count. Later. Later.

Before we sign off here, I have to ask you a question from the book of questions written by Gregory. Stop. PhD. So, Kari, I need a number.

All right, the number is going to be 83.

83.

Unless I have questions.

I know. I should almost be marking these.

I know. I don't want to mark the buck, though. I'm gonna put a little.

Okay. No, this one's new for sure.

Oh.

If you were helping to raise money for a charity and someone agreed to make a large contribution, if you would perform at the upcoming fundraising show, would you. If. So, what would you like to perform and assume that the show would have an audience of a thousand people or more.

Wow. Well, first of all, would you.

First of all, would you.

I absolutely would. For a large sum, for a charitable cause that I really believed in? I absolutely would.

Good.

You're, like. You're like, almost relief from being embarrassed by me, ideally. Okay. I absolutely would. But you. You know that when it comes to. That's not where my talent lies. My talent does not lie in singing or musical performances. Like, I maybe could drum a little bit, but that just wouldn't work.

So what would your show be? What's. What's your act?

I don't. I don't think I'd have an act. Like, I could. I could present something or coach or.

No, no, answer the question.

That is, like, that would be my thing. That's my jam. If somebody wanted something that was remotely worthwhile, but otherwise, like, I mean, Kari, I could make fun of you.

Says the word perform.

Okay. But it would be like a 30 second performance. I can make some funny faces and try and juggle at the same time. I have my little eyebrow routine. Like, I mean, that's about. Oh, God, I don't have, like a. Maybe I could learn a dance routine. I could learn a dance performance or something like that. As long as.

There we go. Okay.

Yeah, I could. I could try and figure something out.

All right.

Yeah, well, I would do it, but I would totally do it. Yeah.

Okay.

If those people on Dancing with the Stars or Battle of the Blades, if they can learn something, then. And you know, I. I can absolutely do. I could do something. I could figure it out, but everything's figureoutable as Marie Kondo. No. Who is that? It's Marie Forleo says everything's figured out.

Jimmy. Marie's.

Yeah, exactly.

Condo's folding clothes.

It's not sparking, Joe. It's figuring out things. No, I absolutely would. I'd find a way.

Wonderful. Well, with that, we were going to wrap this up again, as always, thank you, everyone, for listening to the show. We want your feedback. Hit us on social media, Empower Conditioning, or Paul Durden on Instagram. Email me at pdmpowerconditioning.com Share this episode with your friends. Share it with everyone and give us your feedback. We'd love to hear from you, and good luck in your.

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