Expecting to be uncomfortable improves your results.

Going in one more round when you don’t think you can. That’s what makes all the difference in your li [View online]( [Coach Tony]( Coach Tony [@tonystubblebine]( Going in one more round when you don’t think you can. That’s what makes all the difference in your life. ~ Rocky Balboa This newsletter’s position on grit is that it’s a tool to have in your toolbox. If possible, outsmart your problems so that you don’t have to work very hard. But as a last resort, call on grit. - - - - - It helps to seek discomfort. Can discomfort motivate self-growth? A field experiment with an improvisation club (The Second City) suggests the answer to this question is yes. Seeking discomfort as a sign of progress increases engagement. Students taking improvisation classes to improve their confidence engaged more in the exercise when instructed to feel awkward and uncomfortable, compared with typical instructions or instructions to feel their skills develop. That quotes from this [study]( that’s then described in this [article](. But… does expecting to be uncomfortable increase your risk of procrastination? - - - - - In response to Elephant Mode: Slow Bear Mode. Lia P writes in: It’s for when I’ve crashed so badly I can’t even make the choice of what to do to relax. Rest is absolutely imperative at that point. I call it slow bear because of the negative connotations with the word “sloth.” - - - - - More love for owning a blood glucose monitor. Since giving up caffeine, I’ve been adjusting my morning routine and have now moved to a morning protein shake as the first food in my day. It’s nothing special: protein powder, Keifer, a small amount of fruit, greens. The first thing I want in a diet change is to feel good energy. So what I like to double-check is whether my blood glucose levels spike in the hour afterward. In my case, my BGL was back below 100 within an hour, so I feel confident that I’m not sabotaging my energy levels (perhaps by overdoing the “small amount” of fruit). I use a KetoMojo device that also does Ketone testing, but I think for most people this [$30 blood glucose monitor starter kit would suffice](. - - - - - I’ve bought a few things recently for self-experimentation. In the last week or so, I’ve bought a gut biome test (but had to ship it out of state because the one I wanted isn’t legal in NY), almonds for reasons of changing gut biome, Akkermansia probiotics, seat/bike-tube/aero-bars for rapid conversion of my main road bike (I don’t want a separate time-trial bike), smart color-changing light bulbs for my office, a mouse with programmable buttons. I’m not linking to any of those because I don’t want to recommend them (yet). What have you bought recently and what experiments are you working on? - - - - - How to get ahold of me. I’m usually vague about how to get ahold of me because there are so many ways. So from now on, I’m going to say something specific, [message me on Twitter](. But all the other ways work too, i.e. responding to my email or posting a response to the Medium version. - - - - - Tips or feedback? [Send me a response on Twitter.]( Don’t miss out on the other issues by Coach Tony [Become a member for $5 per month]( Did you enjoy this issue? [Yes]( [No]( [Coach Tony]( Coach Tony [@tonystubblebine]( Tips, inspirations, and knowledge on productivity, happiness, health, and making an impact on our world. Official email of the Better Humans publication on Medium. (@bttrhumans) You can manage your subscription [here](. In order to unsubscribe, click [here](. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe [here](. Created with [Revue by Twitter](.