Imagine stepping into one of the biggest competitions of a lifetime. Upwards of 70,000 fans are screaming in the stands, over a hundred million watching at home. What would you do with a few minutes to mentally prepare before walking onto the field?
The Philadelphia Eagles are officially on their way to the Super Bowl. Their success this season has been in no small part to wide receiver AJ Brown, who was clutch for Philly’s aggressive offense. Brown has a history of standing out for the most wholesome reasons. He likes to wear neon pink cleats when playing so that his children can more easily recognize him on TV. He recently made humble hero headlines driving to a game in his Honda Accord. Toward the beginning of the post-season, in the Eagles’ wildcard game against Green Bay, Brown drew innocent attention again for what he did on the game’s sideline: read a book.
The book, specifically is “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind For Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life,” by Jim Murphy. Brown’s turn as a sideline page-turner launched the self-improvement book to #1 on the charts, as book-minded Eagles fans clamored to find what it is in this text had Brown pausing mid-game to reflect. Some fans speculated that Brown turned to the book in order to address frustrations he was feeling over not being passed the ball. Brown has told reporters it is simpler than that: “Reading just gives me a simple peace. That’s a book that I bring every single game.”
If Brown is looking to fine-tune his game by squeezing in a few pages, he may be onto something. Studies have shown that reading actually increases connectivity in the brain’s bilateral somatosensory cortex. This area is responsible for some very football-related processes, like touch and pain.
Whether a thoughtful approach to the mind/body connection is driving Eagles fan’s enthusiastic embrace of “Inner Excellence,” the (…good?) people of Broad Street made one thing clear after their team clinched the NFC championship on Sunday: Philly’s gonna Philly. Of all the things we’ve seen hanging to light poles after a big Birds win, a bunch of dudes huddled ‘round a book for story time is something we never expected.
Reading in public has a long history of being celebrated by the internet. (Recall the nascent days of Instagram accounts like @hotdudesreading.) We are honestly here for this timeless mental flex. Perhaps the key to inner excellence is letting everyone judge you by the cover of your book. Try to keep the cheesesteak grease off the pages.
The Highs and Lows of a Dirty Martini Mocktail
Aside from a lack of wiggle room for moderation, one of our gripes with Dry January and sober-curious culture is the dearth of savory mocktails. In our search for a non-alcoholic dirty martini mocktail, we stumbled on the hospital soup equivalent of booze replacements: Potato water.
The recipe for Vivacious Life’s non-alcoholic dirty martini is simple: 3 ounces of potato water, 1.5 ounces of olive juice, and ice shaken up like a typical martini. You have to boil potatoes and let the water cool first. The excuse to mash up some buttered taters afterward did not compensate for the undercurrent of sadness in such water.
Lemon water is cleansing. Cucumber water is a good source of potassium. Asparagus water was an effective way to see who was a rich sucker in 2015. But of all the drinkable waters out there, potato water may be the most depressing. Even though drinking the water of boiled potatoes might reduce inflammation and help with digestion, it just sounds like a bleak byproduct of the Irish Famine.
To be fair, sipping a dirty potato water martini was not bad despite our initial aversion to the concept. And it relieved bloating and indigestion from too much beer and pizza in our thirties more than a leaded martini. We’d recommend it for a lazy Sunday when you want a soothing mocktail to settle your stomach.
Research shows that potato juice might fight cancer cells in the GI tract. Perhaps our problem with potato water is that it’s not as potent. What we’re saying is that next time, we’re busting out the juicer and making the strong shit.
Leave Yourself Little Voice Notes
We all have that friend you send every passing thought via voice note like a chaotic podcast only someone who loves you could tolerate. (Sometimes, you even start a newsletter with them!) But what if you applied that same unhinged vulnerability inward by recording your thoughts for yourself? Mixed media artist and fellow Substacker Char Villena points out that there are a number of benefits to keeping an audio journal.
“I talk through the idea, imagining how it might flow, before I start writing or typing it down,” Villena explains in a recent post. “This has made my creative process much smoother.”
Whether you’re looking for a convenient way to unpack creative ideas, vent about a stressful day before talking to another person, or keep track of your goals and progress, audio journaling can benefit those struggling with consistency in other healthy habits. It’s incredibly easy to pick up your phone (you were probably holding it already) and open the recorder. If you have time to send your buddies little voice notes, you have time to give the same love to yourself.
High Functioning: The Best Weed for a Stoner Achiever Is THCv
Weed is like Simpsons’ quotes – there’s pretty much one for every occasion. Sometimes, you want to seize the day and seize the j. Luckily, there’s a cannabinoid that’s ideal for tackling projects, getting creative projects done, or just crushing that workout video: THCv. Like its more famous cousins, THC and CBD, THCv is one of the many compounds found in cannabis.
Sometimes referred to as “weederall,” THCv can have the effect of curbing appetite. It also has an energizing effect that is purported to help with focus.
Many of our favorite THCv products are edibles.
Lights On THCv Energy Those with a higher tolerance will likely find what they’re looking for in these gummies, which source the energetic sativa strain Green Crack. Pop one of these and prepare for take off.
◆ 20 mg THC/10mg THCv
Camino Sours Tropical Burst: The addition of ingredients like caffeine and vitamin b12, both of which are also commonly found in energy drinks, make these a great go-to errand running gummy.
🟦 10mg THC/5mg THCv
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