Art of Manliness
Podcast Notes Key Takeaways * Soft Suburban Dad Syndrome is when men over 40, get stuck in a rut and lose their edge * The sedentary lifestyle turns into a vicious cycle * Get outside your comfort zone and try new things which turn up multiple benefits: + Better mobility + More movement + Less pain + It becomes easier to learn new things + Fewer limitations + You get better at living! + Challenge your balance by walking barefoot or on uneven terrain * Modern men tend to live very artificial lives in an artificial environment * Three advantages of training/exercising in Nature: + 1. There is less safety – everything outdoors challenges the mind and body and therefore forces both to assess the situation every few minutes + 2. It’s not easy + 3. The outdoors ramps up your sense of creativity – it makes you choose your own path * It’s important to let your brain wander * Be unconventional – pick up a log, climb a tree * “Keeping weight down is not only a matter of diet, it is more a matter of lifestyle” – Vic Verdier
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It's a common life trajectory for men: graduate college, get married, get a 9 to 5 job, have some kids, settle down in the suburbs. And somewhere along that way, they start to get a little soft and stagnant. They let themselves go, becoming less active, and more sedentary. They have more material possessions but fewer hobbies and interests. They lose their edge.
My guest has spent his life battling against this loss. In his more than five decades on earth, he's served in the French navy, trained soldiers in close quarter combat, skydiving, long-range weapon shooting, first aid, and explosives, set a deep water scuba diving record, and studied multiple martial arts, and he currently owns a gym, teaches as a MovNat Master Instructor, and coaches men over forty in how to live better, stronger, and more vibrant lives. His name is Vic Verdier and today on the show he shares his advice on how a man can stay fit and engaged with life as he gets older. We first discuss Vic's background before getting into why it's important for men to seek physical achievement and become physical polymaths, and the role strength training, cardio, and working on your balance plays in that pursuit. Vic then shares his advice on keeping the pounds down and your testosterone up as you age, and why he thinks training in combatives is important on both a practical and psychological level. We talk about the importance of maintaining a connection to nature and keeping your possessions minimal, before ending our conversation with why it's important to stay comfortable with being uncomfortable, and how men can continue to seek adventure and exploration, even when they live in the suburbs.
Get the show notes at aom.is/edge.
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