Growth Mindset Tip #20: Clean Your Chain

<p> Hey there, it's Michael. Welcome to Whole Again, the show that's here in support of the person you're becoming and your quest to live a meaningful life. And it's Friday. Now, if you've been with me, you know what we do on Fridays here this year. But if you're new, let me tell you what we do. This year is the 25th anniversary of my last bad day, also known as my near-death cycling accident.</p>
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<p>And as a way to celebrate, I'm sharing weekly tips that you can put into your, as I'd like to say, your Toll House cookie recipe for the person you're becoming or your version of what a meaningful life looks like. We all have a different version. Yes, the recipe's on the bag, but, but I think most of us have our own little flair.</p>
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<p>We change up the recipe ever so slightly because there's no right way to do everything. And I'm not here to tell you, "You gotta do this," or, "You gotta do that." I wanna share different options with you and let you try things on, to experiment, to be curious. And so with these weekly tips that I'm sharing, some of them will hit the mark and you're like, "Oh yeah, that one is right up my alley."</p>
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<p>And others will be, as they said in the movie Major League, a bit outside. So leave that one behind. And this week we're up to number 20. Now, this being May, I shared with you upfront as we started the month that since May is National Bike Month, all the tips will have a cycling theme. And if you're not a cyclist, stay with me because each one of these has application whether you like to ride a bike or not.</p>
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<p>They all have application in helping you live a meaningful life and step into the person you're becoming. And this week, number 20, I'm calling Clean Your Bike Chain or Clean Your Chain. Here is the thing if you don't know, and I'm not talking about professional cyclists or top amateurs. They have to go after the 1%.</p>
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<p>They're looking for incremental gains because, well, it's their job. But most of us, most of us are, well, in the middle. Some of us may skew right, others may skew left, but overall, there's a group in the middle that most of us live in. One of the things I love about cycling is that it's a bit of a math problem, and I happen to like math Here's the thing.</p>
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<p>To get really fast at cycling, the math problem is how much power, as measured in watts, can you generate over set periods of time? That's all divided by your weight, usually in kilograms. So the higher that number, that ratio goes to seven, well, you're probably not listening to this. You're off racing the Tour de France Most people fall anywhere from one and a half to maybe closer to four.</p>
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<p>But once you push up past five, six into the sevens, then you can put out a lot of power relative to how much you weigh. Now, this simple math problem will generate so many different articles. How can you get more watts or how can you lose weight? Because both of those change the formula or ratio into your favor.</p>
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<p>Now, I've raced against, when I was younger, top elite amateurs, and I've been over to the Tour de France multiple times, although I'm not a pro. But those guys are, as they say in Boston, wicked skinny. In fact, there's a bit of a secretive eating disorder problem in cycling, although I do think it's gotten a bit better over the years.</p>
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<p>At least there's more awareness. But there was a big deal in trying to make your body as light as possible in order to improve that ratio. That said, a whole bunch of articles are out there on how you can get stronger, push out more watts, or, and/or how you can get lighter. Both of those can improve how fast you can go.</p>
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<p>The theory being the faster you go, the more enjoyment you'll have in the sport of cycling. Now, I think that's true, but I also believe because I am the slow is fast guy, all part of pause, breathe, reflect, that sometimes the best rides are the slow ones. You get to take in more. You get to see more. Going fast all the time is probably not good for your health, and I think you miss some of the enjoyment that you can get from riding your bike.</p>
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<p>And because of this focus, wellness influencers or cycling coaches will all have their stack, if you will, on how to drive watts or lower weight. Take this, take that. And the cycling manufacturers, they would love nothing more than to sell you a product that can help you improve your aerodynamics or drive more power, like buying a really cool aero bike or a three thousand dollar, yes, some wheels cost three thousand dollars.</p>
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<p>A three thousand dollar wheel set. Now, they'll save you a handful or two of watts, but it will also cost you twenty-five hundred to three thousand dollars to buy that fancy wheel set or that aero helmet. The list can go on and on, and I'm not gonna share the whole list with you today But what's really remarkable is that doing some of the basics like, like not wearing baggy clothes, which produces a drag.</p>
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<p>If you wear tighter fitting Lycra, that will save you some watts, and you can go faster. Or doing a proper bike fit that doesn't cost a lot of money, so you have the right position on the bike, so you can transfer all your strength in your body into power. That also is a big lift in that ratio. And the tip of the week, make sure you're riding with a clean chain.</p>
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<p>This is something I see all the time. On one end of the spectrum, people don't oil their chain at all. It's all rusty, it's squeaky, and it creates a bit of abrasion or resistance, so they're not getting the most out of their bicycle. Others just put on some lube every now and again. They never wipe it off Their chain becomes black and greasy and gritty, again, slowing the chain down so you can't transfer all that muscle mass and power that you have into watts.</p>
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<p>The simple thing is, is that when we take the time, and it doesn't take a lot of time, to do proper chain maintenance, wipe it down after your ride, lube it up right after, wipe it down before you start, all that allows the chain to last longer, and it performs better, and it actually gives you more watts.</p>
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<p>It's actually as good as or even better than buying one of those expensive wheel sets or that aero helmet or that new frame. You can get a better ratio from simply cleaning your chain. Now, you might be asking, "What does this have to do with life at all, Michael?" Let me tell you. We get all hung up on what wellness influencers will say as far as what supplements to take.</p>
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<p>I actually did a whole podcast on over-supplementation, which I think we're doing here in this country. But people will be quick to sell you supplements. "To take this stack. No, no, wait a second. Take that stack. Do this diet. No, no, no, do that diet." So people will work around the edges, all in a effort to make a buck.</p>
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<p>So if you really want to dial in your health, much like a cyclist can dial in their power-to-weight ratio, it's best to do the basics really well, like making sure you're moving for good aerobic health, making sure you're lifting heavy shit, as I like to say, for your muscular health, getting the proper rest and recovery, eating real food, making sure you're hydrated, and having social connections.</p>
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<p>If you did those five basics really well, then you're probably beating 95% of people. Now, you can go after the incremental gains, and if that's where you happen to be, if you've dialed in the basics really well and you wanna go after a little bit more, then you can experiment. But it's not worth going after the incremental gains if you're not doing the basics well, if you're not making sure your chain is clean.</p>
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<p>So stick to the basics. Do those really well. I know they're not sexy, but the basics never go out of style. Do those consistently, day in and day out, and that will take you far.</p>
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<p>As always, thank you for being here. Thank you for listening, and I hope you're checking out our new series that I'm doing called A Perfectly Imperfect Union. I'm talking to 102 real folk across our 50 states and the District of Columbia, and I'm asking about their reflections as America turns 250. Those episodes air every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and Whole Again is aired every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.</p>
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<p>So if you have someone that would like to share their perspective, let me know, or maybe it's you and you'd like to share your perspective or perspectives on America as she turns 250. So I hope you check out our next episode, which is tomorrow. And until then, let's celebrate our scars as golden symbols of our strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>And don't forget to have fun storming the castle.</p>
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<p>And if you wish to learn more about creating beautiful ripples and how to prevent a bad moment from turning into a bad day, please visit my website, michaelobrienshift.com, and sign up for my newsletter called The Ripple Effect. And join us each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday here at Whole Again, and discover how you can heal, grow, and become more resilient, and celebrate our scars as golden symbols of strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>Until then, remember, you can always come back to your breath. You've got this, and we've got you.</p>