Challenges

21 Day Challenges, Challenges

No Social Media: And I’m not Going Back

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Hi, my name is Dean and I used to scroll like my life depended on it. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat. All of it. I’d pop open one app, then the next, then circle back like I was checking some invisible mail. And it added up. I was averaging 10 hours of social media a week, every week, without fail. For what? A few laughs, a bunch of dog videos, and a steady stream of other people’s highlight reels. I didn’t like how that felt. I didn’t like who it made me. So I deleted them. Cold turkey. And I started a 21-day no social media challenge. The 21-Day No Social Media Challenge For 21 days, I committed to deleting Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat from my phone. I didn’t set out to be some tech-hermit or productivity guru; I just wanted to reclaim my attention and see who I was without the noise. This challenge was about mental toughness, but more importantly, mental freedom. Understand the Challenge The rules were simple: no Instagram, no Facebook, no Twitter, no Snapchat. I didn’t count LinkedIn or Slack (because I needed them for work), but I probably should have cut Reddit too… that one snuck in through the backdoor. This wasn’t about perfection. It was about intentionality. And for the first time in a long time, my phone wasn’t the boss of me. Clarify Your Intent I wanted my brain back. I was sick of the comparison loop, the endless scrolling, the dopamine dips. I knew I wasn’t actually connecting with anyone through these apps; I was just numbing out. For the next 21 days, I am committing to removing social media from my phone to practice mental discipline and reclaim clarity, presence, and self-respect. Set Your Personal Baseline Here’s where I started: Finalize Your Plan I removed all the main offenders from my phone. Reddit? I left it… big mistake. That became the digital methadone of this detox. But even so, I tightened things up as the weeks went on. I gave myself grace but didn’t let myself off the hook. For the next 21 days, I will delete Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat from my phone. I will track my screen time weekly and reflect on how my mindset changes. My goal is to reduce social comparison, increase presence, and build digital boundaries that actually serve me. Schedule the Work This challenge wasn’t about adding tasks to a calendar. It was about removing distractions from it. I set a reminder every Sunday night to check my screen time and journal a few notes. Just enough structure to stay honest. Pro tip? Turn your phone grayscale. It makes everything look like a sad 1940s newspaper and totally kills the urge to scroll. Establish Accountability I didn’t make a big public announcement. No “I’m leaving social media for my mental health” farewell post. I just did it. But I tracked the data and checked in with myself weekly. If you’re doing this, tell one friend. Or shoot me a message; I’ll cheer you on and hold you to it. Commit to Your Plan Here’s a sample message you could send if you’re doing this too: Hey [Name], I’m doing a 21-day no social media challenge to reset my brain. I’ve deleted Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat from my phone. Can you check in on me once a week and make sure I’m still holding the line? I might need a meme or two to get through it 😂 Week-by-Week Recap Bonus Insights: The No-Social Effect on Sleep and Recovery I didn’t just scroll less; I slept better, moved more intentionally, and hit optimal recovery zones more consistently. 🖐️ Final Reflections I don’t miss it. The likes. The posts. The constant performance. I do miss the dog videos, but I’m okay letting them go too. I’m comparing myself to others less. I’m feeling more present. I’m spending time being rather than watching. I feel better and not in a “look at me being productive” way. In a quiet, content, grounded way. Next up? I’m thinking about going grayscale full-time, maybe deleting Reddit and LinkedIn too. This isn’t just a detox. It’s a reset. A new normal. Ready to Try? Delete your apps. Reclaim your attention. Feel better. The dog videos will be there when you get back. But you might not want to go back at all.

21 Day Challenges, Challenges

Stretching Challenge: Loosen Up or Fall Apart

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Loosen Up or Fall Apart: My 21-Day Stretching Challenge You’re Not Supposed to Feel This Old at 30 A few months ago, I started waking up with a stiff neck. A long car ride would leave my lower back barking. My knees hurt on runs. And honestly? I felt old. Not wise-old or confident-old. Just creaky-old. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the culprit: mobility—or the lack of it. I train hard and stay active, but I wasn’t doing jack for recovery. So I launched into a 21-day challenge to fix that, one stretch at a time. The 21-Day Stretching Challenge What it is: Stretch for at least 10 minutes every day for 21 days. What it’s for: Build full-body mobility. Get looser, more athletic, and less breakable. The virtue: Discipline. The kind that shows up daily—before the world gets loud, before excuses creep in. Understand the Challenge This isn’t a yoga retreat or a month in Bali. It’s 10 minutes of stretching. Every. Single. Day. You can target certain areas (I learned the hard way my hamstrings are made of rebar), or go full-body. For me, it was about feeling younger, moving smoother, and hurting less. Clarify Your Intent My why? “For the next 21 days, I am committing to stretch for 10 minutes every morning to practice discipline, increase mobility, and feel better in my body.” Set Your Personal Baseline Progress needs a starting line. I chose three benchmark stretches: I took baseline photos on Day 1 right after leg day. Big mistake, they’re embarrassing and I won’t be sharing them. But hey, at least I’m being honest. Finalize Your Plan My plan was simple: Final Commitment: “I will stretch for 10 minutes every morning using guided routines from the Peloton app to improve my mobility, support recovery, and create a sustainable daily habit.” Schedule the Work No ambiguity here. Stretching became part of my morning routine: I even started associating my yoga mat with coffee. It had the same level of non-negotiable. Establish Accountability I told my girlfriend about the challenge, and while I didn’t ask her to check in daily, she occasionally asked if I got my stretching in. Just knowing she was aware of it added a subtle layer of accountability. I wasn’t doing it for her but the idea of slacking off and having to admit it? That was motivation enough. Commit to Your Plan Need a sample message to lock this in? Try this: “Hey [Friend/Girlfriend/Mom], I’m doing a 21-day challenge to stretch every day for 10 minutes to improve my mobility and avoid feeling like an old man at 30. Can you check in with me each night to make sure I did it?” Overview of the First Week Day 1: Post-leg day stretch = humbling. My pigeon pose looked like a wrestling injury. But I showed up. Day 2: Morning stretch done. Lower body focused. Felt sore but looser. Easy to slide into routine. Day 3: Hamstrings and hip flexors are toast. Eye-opening just how tight I’ve become. Still feels good to move. Day 4: Upper body stretch today. Shoulders thanked me. Recovery at 69% according to Whoop, better than expected. Day 5: Back focus. Skipped a workout the day before. Combined with stretching, recovery score soared to 94%. Day 6: Forward fold still a mess. Knees shoot up like jack-in-the-boxes. Tightness = opportunity. Day 7: Toe touches = torture. But consistency is building. Even with a low recovery score (40%), I stretched. Final Reflections By the end of week two, I felt like a new version of myself. My body recovered faster, soreness faded quicker, and I started lifting heavier in the gym. The back pain? Gone. And I wasn’t just tolerating my morning stretches anymore, I was actually looking forward to them. Stretching had become a kind of ritual, not a chore. Sure, I may not keep it up every single day going forward, but this challenge carved out a new habit I’m committed to. Mobility doesn’t just happen. You have to earn it. Quote to Carry: “Discipline is doing what needs to be done – even when you don’t feel like doing it.” You in? Next challenge starts soon.

21 Day Challenges, Challenges

Caffeine Reset: Tired, Exhausted and Deprived

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The 21-Day Caffeine-Free Challenge: Breaking the Habit That Owned Me Hi, my name is Dean and I’m an addict. I need it. I depend on it. I don’t even know how I would function without it. I rely on caffeine to survive each and every day. Monday or Sunday, work or chill, it doesn’t matter. My days start with caffeine, and the moment I dip in energy, I go back for more. But a few months back, something shifted. I went to Oregon, where there are espresso stands on every corner. I indulged. Lattes, Americanos, black coffee in the afternoon. When I got home, the habit didn’t stop. I was clocking three or more servings a day: matcha at breakfast, drip coffee by 10am, espresso after lunch, and sometimes another one just to coast to dinner. I didn’t feel energized; just not tired. And that’s when I realized I was addicted to caffeine. So I decided to reset. Resetting my caffeine tolerance with 21 days of NO caffeine. Understand the Challenge This one’s simple to explain, but brutal to execute: eliminate all caffeine for 21 days. No coffee, no tea, no soda, no caffeine pills if that’s your kind of thing. Nothing that gives you that artificial jolt. Clarify Your Intent My goal? Reset my caffeine tolerance. I don’t want to rely on anything external to get through my day. I want to reclaim my energy, not rent it. I also saw this as a test of self-control. I love coffee. Whether it’s the smell, the taste, or just the ritual of grabbing a cup. But this was about proving that I could choose discomfort, every single day. Commitment: “For the next 21 days, I am committing to have zero caffeine to practice self-control and rebuild natural energy.” Set Your Personal Baseline I was averaging 3+ caffeine hits per day. My WHOOP data backed up my burnout: I expected sleep quality to jump. More REM. Better recovery. Sharper mornings. Let’s see if that held up. Finalize Your Plan No caffeine. Cold turkey. I boxed up my coffee beans, matcha powder, and tea bags and stashed them in a closet far from reach. I made the barrier annoying on purpose. Those few extra seconds of friction was all I needed to snap out of autopilot. If you’re doing this yourself, scale it to your level. But remember: The goal is not to make it easy. The goal is to make it count. Schedule the Work You can’t “accidentally” quit caffeine. I prepped like it was a work project: Establish Accountability No surprise, but my girlfriend was my accountability partner. Except this time she did the challenge with me. She had been experiencing migraines and she wanted to see fi this would help! Commit to Your Plan Need a template? Steal this: “Hey [Name], I’m starting a 21-day caffeine-free challenge to reset my energy and test my self-control. Can you check in with me once a day to make sure I’m sticking to it? It’ll be brutal, but I’m determined to do it.” Daily Log Highlights Final Reflections This challenge taught me a few surprising things: Instead, I’ll keep doing mini-resets: 2-3 days off caffeine here and there to keep my tolerance low and my dependence in check. Bottom line: I broke the habit that owned me. Now I own it. “You don’t rise to the level of your motivation. You fall to the level of your systems.” – James Clear

Challenges, The Big Ones

My First Ultra Marathon: From Regret to Redemption

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My First Ultra Marathon: From Regret to Redemption On a sunny morning at Malibu Creek State Park, my girlfriend and I were lounging under a small tree with coffee and books, looking out at the Santa Monica Mountains. But this wasn’t just another relaxing day. It was race day for the Bulldog Ultra, a notoriously tough 50k trail race with nearly 6,000 feet of elevation gain. And I wasn’t running it. I was watching. Watching other runners take on a challenge I had once signed up for. A race I had trained for. A race I pulled out of. The truth? I let fear win. I had started training for the Bulldog Ultra, ramping from 4 to 10 miles, but life hit hard. I got COVID (for the 3rd time…), had numerous work trips, and time slipping away. With just one week to go, I removed myself from the waitlist. The moment I sent the email, I regretted it. Seeing those runners push through the course made something in me snap. I needed to redeem myself. That night, I signed up for another 50k – a race in the Santa Monica Mountains with SAMO Trail Runs. I had just over two months. No room for excuses. The Training My plan: two midweek runs, a long weekend trail run, and strength training twice a week. I cleaned up my diet, focused on recovery with stretching, foam rolling, hot tub sessions, and ate clean, mostly vegetarian meals from local farmers markets. But the road was rough. A brutal 16-mile run on the hottest day of the year nearly broke me. I finished, but barely. And the setbacks didn’t stop. I got food poisoning. I traveled. I missed my longest training run. But I kept moving. I made the commitment, and I was going to follow through. Race Week Race prep was chaotic – sickness, work travel, and stress. But Friday night before the race was perfect. I cooked a big pasta dinner, prepped my gear, and got in bed by 8pm. Race morning: 4:30am. I was nervous. Excited. Ready. I laced up my Hoka Speedgoats and toed the line with ~75 other runners at Will Rogers State Park. As we set off in the dark, headlamps lit the trail. The climb began immediately. I looked back and saw the glow of L.A. below and dozens of headlamps flickering behind me. The sun rose over the ridgelines. I was flying. At mile 14, I was in 8th place. The Suffering Then it hit. At mile 21, the pain in my knees flared. Each downhill step felt like a knife to the kneecap. My pace slowed. The sun climbed higher. My hydration pack ran dry. By mile 27, I was in survival mode. The last 7 miles were brutal. I shuffled. Stretched. Sweat. I was out of water and filled with pain. But I knew this was the moment I came for. The suffering was the point. At last, I crested the final descent. I pushed through the last mile and crossed the finish line to cheers from my girlfriend, her mom, and a friend. I had done it. Recovery & Reflection The pain set in fast, especially in my knees and joints. But mentally? I felt incredible. I took pride in the struggle, in the fact that I hadn’t quit when things got hard. The next day brought soreness in unexpected places (like my biceps from pumping my arms!) but also a quiet sense of accomplishment. What I Learned “I put another cookie in my cookie jar.” —David Goggins This race taught me that discomfort isn’t a problem. It’s the path. And I’ll be back for more. Gear List: This was my first ultra. But it won’t be my last.

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