AWAKN Tribe Member Paul McCoy: Utilizing 80% rules and stand-up desks
Our AWAKN Tribe member series is a monthly series where we get to interview one of our awesome tribe members and learn how they're optimizing their life for longevity.
This month we are interview Paul McCoy, consultant and multisport athlete.
Enjoy!
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What do you do for fun (hobbies, etc)?
Well, I met Jonathan (and was introduced to Awakn) at a CrossFit class so you can probably guess I’m into staying active and try to keep it pretty diverse in addition to the aforementioned CrossFit style classes – recently completed my first half marathon with plans for another in early 2020, trying to plan as many ski trips as possible this winter, and have recently started to work on my horribly average golf game.
In addition to that, I love to pretend I know what I’m doing in the kitchen (turns out the secret is just having all the right gadgets), reliving the glory days from other sports like basketball and tennis, and I have a tiny cat named Fury running around the house that I have to answer to on occasion.
How do you optimize your nutrition? Any go-to healthy meals or snacks?
I’ve gone through quite a bit of trial and error on the nutrition front, and while far from perfect I’ve currently found a system that seems to work. In general, I try to follow the 80/20 rule on eating healthy because sometimes you just need to eat an entire pizza. On the healthy side, I keep it very simple – with every meal being lean meat, some type of carb, and some type of green veggie. I’m a big fan of the Sunday meal prep but have always struggled with making food that will taste good when reheated in a microwave – my current strategy is to stick with ground meats (turkey/chicken/bison) mixed with an easy carb like rice as they seem to microwave well, and I’ll pour in a little chicken stock prior to microwaving.
In terms of go-to snacks, I’m slightly less healthy than I should be, but can’t resist a good PB&J. If I’m looking for some (healthier) calories plus caffeine then Awakn definitely does the trick.
What’s your fitness routine like?
In a perfect world, I’d like to do some type of weight training (CrossFit, pure lifting, etc.), some type of stretching, and some type of cardio (usually rowing, running, or playing a sport) every day. Days, where I manage to squeeze in all 3, are far and few between, and sadly stretching seems to be the one I skip the most, but that’s always the goal when I wake up.
What do you do to stay focused and manage stress?
See previous response ;)
How many hours of sleep do you typically get? Any nighttime rituals that help you sleep?
I am a huge advocate of getting enough sleep, something I think most people (including myself) tend to sacrifice way too frequently. Typically I’ll set myself up for a full 8 hours, but with work/travel/social activities I’d say my average is around 7.
What’s one thing you’ve done recently to improve your quality of life?
Standing desk!!! I recently bought a standing desk for my office at home, and there is a significant difference in my productivity, energy levels, and how my body recovers from workouts on days when I am working from home vs. at the office or a client site. It also has the added benefit of doubling as a cat jungle gym for Fury.
What one piece of health advice you’ve learned and want to share with others?
The biggest change I’ve incorporated lately (with fantastic results) is the concept of “staying at 80%”. What I mean by that is going all out in every single workout (or any daily task) is simply not sustainable or beneficial to your overall health. My current approach is to treat every lift/run/WOD/etc. as if I need to leave enough in the tank to do something else active, whether or not that’s the plan for the day. This has helped me focus on technique and adding volume without chasing some number or time, reducing minor injuries (knocking on wood as I type), and living to fight another day.
What are your top 3 adventure or travel destinations?
Just 3??? Since ski season is here, I have to say somewhere in Colorado, we just took my annual family trip to Vail/Beaver Creek. I’m also a big fan of the occasional fishing trip down in Key Largo (also with the fam), and for a new place, I’d love to do a tour down under to Australia/New Zealand.
Where or how do you drink your AWAKN?
On the where I’d say anywhere – I always keep a few packs in my backpack while traveling (god forbid I suffer through hotel room coffee), but I drink it at home all the time as well. Typically I’ll go for a cup around mid-morning for the caffeine boost but also for some quick/healthy calories when I start getting hungry for lunch and realize it’s only 10AM. On the how I haven’t been bold enough to mix it cold (though have heard it’s great), so will typically just mix with boiling water and go to town.