Magic Sports Treadmill

[Favio Cassidy]

Iam an indie hacker and CTO in my mid-thirties, and my life improved so much a few years ago when morning activity magic clicked for me. After a period of burnout, reduced productivity, when I became older, and less excited in tech and programming, this was like a renaissance for me, when I was able to start a number of small SaaS businesses which required high concentration, new skills, and productivity, and one of major factors which allowed me to do this, and improved the quality of my life, is this morning "sports" thing I am writing in this post.

After being CTO for more than 8 years, when I decided I need to get back to real programming and create SaaS, I quickly realized that coding in 35 does not feel like coding in 20: you are not "hungry" anymore, and you don't have a customer who is waiting for his website, and youtube and reddit is just a click away.. I know there is plenty of advice on the internet on how to fight procrastination, but I want to share simple trick that clicked for me, and the results are 3 finished side projects (1 huge with months of development), first recurring money from side project, and great feeling of focus almost every day.

I am no stranger to sports (used to do weight lifting and bodybuilding in youth, on an amateur level, without any steroids or stuff like that), but since I've started using sports in a right way, it was a huge difference for me on reducing my brain fog and getting concentration.

I think lots of people know (or heard of) how sports magically helps you with being focused, but it's hard to overestimate this when you do right amount of sports, before breakfast: you get 100% of the benefit this way, comparing to the gym workout in the evening after the work.

Doing sports is hard only if you need to spend your mind energy on it, or if you are working out too hard. Remembering that I need to collect my gym bag used to be hard. Remembering that this exact day after lunch I need to go to gym was hard.

Another important point here is that you need to be careful choosing everyday sports. For example, doing real weightlifting every day may be physically exhausting, and too time consuming, especially if you need to commute.

Another friction for me was that I thought I can't work out effectively before breakfast, because I won't have energy (coming from bodybuilding past when I had issues gaining weight). Human body is amazing thing with huge amounts of energy stored inside, and even if you are hungry, when you start running - adrenaline is injected by your body into the bloodflow and you forget about hunger.

Before doing real jogging in a good tempo on a daily basis, make sure you have plenty of regular walking every day - if you don't get 10k of steps of walking daily - running is probably won't have a lot of benefits, you'd better do fast walking instead.

If you're anything like me, then getting to the gym can be a real slog. The thought of lifting heavy weights in monotimous repetition simply drives my over-active mind up the wall and I can only manage a couple of weeks staring at machines, exercise bikes and dumbbell racks before I become demotivated.

And when the mind loses interest, the body's ability to lift heavier, push through intense HIT workouts, and run for miles and miles on a treadmill also starts to deplete. Performance-enhancing supplements - both legal and sketchy - have been around for decades now, to both help bodybuilders get the edge on their opponents and help the average Joe get through a vigiourous workout without tapping out two minutes in.

You don't have to look far online to find an abundance of influencers and athletes flogging pre-workout powders, muscle gainers, energy drinks and replenishing potions - and those are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sports enhancement.

It's no secret that I need something to get me through a workout - I mean, at the age of 30, I'm no spring chicken. My back is shot to bits, the brain fog is real, and I've never had much willpower or appeal in me to repetitively pick up pieces of iron over and over again.

But with no chance of me ever taking steroids due to the legality and adverse physical and mental health effects associated, I'd much prefer to use something legal, on the market and easily obtainable via next-day delivery. I was doing a little research into the top-trending supplements last week, when I came across SILA - a vitamin and electrolyte-packed drink fronted by tennis ace Novak Djokovic.

These little hydration cubes are simply dropped into water to dissolve before being consumed, and are said to contain Sodium, Calcium and Magnesium - as well as Vitamins B1, B12 and C. Even better still, they don't contain caffeine - a real deal-breaker for me as I've never been able to stomach more than a couple of sips of those high-power energy drinks without seeing my bowel movements in a state of distress and sleeping pattern in tatters.

You get a pack of 12 cubes for the reasonable price of 11 - delivery included - so I popped some of the watermelon-flavoured ones in my basket and eagerly awaited their arrival. They turned up around three or four days later - when I was bed bound with the flu...no workout that weekend for me.

However, I did have the bright idea of trying one to see how it helped aid illness. I filled a glass with tap water and let a cube dissolve for around five minutes before slowly starting to sip the 'magic potion' in hope that it would somehow miraculous heal me - after all, I've read somewhere that electrolytes and vitamins - as well as rest - are key in mending from illness.

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First and foremost, the taste of the product is incredibly sweet and sugary - despite being a zero sugar product; think you're typical summer fruits diluted squash. The classic artificial watermelon flavouring was in the now pink-coloured water, and it was a treat to say the least.

In terms of curing my illness, did the SILA do it? No, of course not. I was bed bound for the best part of two days through that flu, sweating buckets and with absolutely no energy whatsoever. But in all fairness, it kept me nice and hydrated and kept the headaches at bay.

Earlier this week, when I was feeling fighting fit once again, I decided to trial SILA for its intended purpose of physical activity rather than a cure for illness. As I mentioned before, I'm not much of a gymgoer in your traditional sense - but I do go to kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes each evening Monday to Thursday, which offer arguably more of a workout that jogging on a treadmill does. After all, punching, kicking and grappling for an hour and a half every night is bound to tire even the most hyperactive of people out.

I loaded up on SILA and headed down to an advanced kickboxing session on Tuesday. The class entailed some technique work and drilling rounds with a partner, before about 20 minutes or so of sparring two-minute rounds, changing from partner to partner.

Now, in terms of BJJ sparring - or rolling as it's called - my fitness levels will only allow me to scramble with one or two guys before I'm lying in a pool of sweat, struggling to catch my breath, and having to sit out as the rest of the gym go on without me. But this time at kickboxing, it was a different state of affairs.

I was unsure if I was even going to make kickboxing sparring after the intense technique work that ensued beforehand, with my arms built-up with lactic acid, heart rate through the roof and profuse sweat turning my grey t-shirt at least four shades darker. However, I was able to push on and spar everyone in my class at least once; I may have got my nose jabbed off and my legs kicked to bits, but I made it through.

I also didn't feel dehydrated afterwards, which was incredibly pleasant. I usually have to go to the shop near mine and splurge on two or three bottles of Powerade to top my energy levels back up, but I didn't actually feel too depleted - instead settling for normal water.

So can SILA effectively assist a workout and give you that push to keep going when the going gets incredibly tough? Yes, I think it evidently can. I was able to spar harder and for far longer than I usually would, and I woke up this morning feeling relitavely fresh too - perhaps thanks to the influx of vitamins and minerals that the product has to offer.

You get 12 tablets for 11 per box, which is also incredibly reasonably priced considering your average isotonic sports drink will set you back around 1-1.50. The taste is pleasant enough, and you don't have to go through the jitters of caffeinated beverages to receive good bursts of energy.

The one downside to SILA is that it sometimes doesn't dissolve completely, leaving a gritty powder for the last gulp - but it's a small price to pay considering the benefits that it has to offer. If it's good enough for seven-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic, it's surely good enough for everyone, right?

The idea of lifting heavy weights in monotonous repetition simply sends my over-active mind into overdrive and I can only manage a couple of weeks staring at machines, exercise bikes and dumbbell racks before I lose motivation.

And when the mind loses interest, the body's ability to lift heavier, push through intense HIT workouts, and run for miles and miles on a treadmill also starts to wane. Performance-enhancing supplements - both legal and dubious - have been around for decades now, to both give bodybuilders an advantage over their competitors and help the average Joe endure a vigorous workout without giving up two minutes in.

You don't have to look far online to find a plethora of influencers and athletes peddling pre-workout powders, muscle gainers, energy drinks and replenishing potions - and those are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sports enhancement. It's no secret that I need something to get me through a workout - I mean, at the age of 30, I'm no spring chicken.

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