The Results from 1 Year of Living a "Year Of The Opposite"

How I lost 62 lbs, cured my depression, fixed my high blood pressure, & became a better human by living a #YearOfTheOpposite. I'll share what I learned, how I did it, & the science behind it.

Today marks the last day of my Year Of The Opposite. I started this journey 1 year ago because I was struggling with clinical depression for the first time in my life. It was brought on in part by grief from my friends dying. 

The big question has been: What do I do now? For Year 2 of The Opposite, I’m going to create. 

Today I’m launching this Newsletter: “Year Of The Opposite - How I lost 62 lbs, cured my depression, fixed my high blood pressure, & became a better human by living a #YearOfTheOpposite.  I'll share what I learned, how I did it, & the science behind it.”

I hope that you’ll subscribe because I am trying to build a Newsletter for people that don’t subscribe to newsletters.  

I’m offering a paid subscription for 1 reason: If people subscribe it will force me to consistently write and share my thoughts. So if you want to send me a kick-in-the-britches to keep writing, getting a paid subscription is a good way to do that. 

I plan to release a new piece of content every week. It might be a blog post, it might be a podcast, or it might be a collection of links that I find interesting.  

Here are the upcoming topics on Year Of The Opposite Newsletter:  

• What is The Year Of The Opposite? Why did I do it and what did I learn? 

• How to live a Year Of The Opposite. 

• How I Lost 62 lbs & built a habit of working out everyday.

• The science behind my addiction to the Cold Plunge.

• Why running barefoot and backwards is actually good for you. 

• How I cured my depression in 2 months. 

• How I fixed my high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and stopped taking pharmaceuticals in 6 months. 

• The Pros and Cons of quitting drinking and giving up marijuana.  

• How Daily Journaling & Evaluation made me a more grateful and happier person.

• The science of longevity: How to live a long life and die quickly. 

• Why giving up the news was the fastest way to improve my mental health. 

• What an atheist learned from attending church every Sunday. 

Please subscribe to Year Of The Opposite on Substack if you would like to support this endeavor.  Thank you! 

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Here is a list of some of the things I did during the Year Of The Opposite.

**Keep in mind, NONE of these activities are exceptional in any way. The point isn’t that this is and impressive list of accomplishments. The point is that they are the opposite of what I have done my entire life. The point of Living A Year Of The Opposite for me was to challenge myself to change. It was to force myself out of my comfort zone. It was to say YES to everything.

Mental Clarity & Discipline 

• No Alcohol

• No weed

• No news

• Ignore politics 

• Meditate 

• Rate my satisfaction with Life, Work, & Family every day

• Keep a daily journal every night. 

• Wake up early (Used to sleep in until noon)

Improve health 

• Fixed my high blood pressure

• Fixed my high triglycerides 

• Fixed my high cholesterol

• Got off all medications

• Fixed VO2 Max. From Below Average Vo2 Max to Above Average. 

Fitness - Get in shape

• Lost 62lbs

• Held my breath underwater for 2:44 

• 20 mile bike ride

• Work out every day

• Swim a half mile across a lake

• Ran 14 miles (Half Marathon) 

• Ran a mile in under 8 minutes

• Ran 7 miles barefoot

• Ran 1 mile backwards

• Ran in a competitive 5K race

• 5 unassisted pull ups 

• Cold water ice bath at 40 degrees for 9 minutes

Spiritual Exploration

• Attended church weekly (Previously atheist) 

• Read the stoic philosophers. 

• Attended a Jewish Synagogue 

Be More Social - Attend more things

• Became a Rotarian of Lansing Rotary Club

• Joined Elle’s Place Community Board of Directors

• Joined a Monthly CEO Peer Group

• Attended 3-day meditation retreats

• Scheduled meetings every week

• Go to our cabin more

• Say YES to almost all invitations 

• Ridealong with the Lansing Police Department 

Hobbies

• Golf

• Archery

• Slalom Skiing 

• Gun & Archery target shooting

• Kayaking

• Paddle boarding

• Antique Collecting

• Pickleball

Nutrition

• No pop (Soda)

• 3 day fast

• Eat Very Spicy Foods (Won the Blazin Wing Challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings) 

• Eat everything. Tomatoes, Mushrooms, yogurt, etc

Physical Appearance 

• Lost 62lbs

• Mustache

• Nose & Eyebrow wax

• Dressed up everyday.