This is not a threak about drugs or sex. It is a list of things that make me feel great 100% of the time, empirically tested.
1) Deep tissue massage (1 hr). Some old Chinese chicks downtown go to town on my back with elbows and forearms. My back is usually a knotty mess due to (I suspect) doing lots of squats/deadlifts and then sitting in an office chair all day. It hurts like hell...I fight not to scream out in pain as she grinds knots into bone, but then I remind myself that I can't let a skinny 55 year old Chinese grandma think I am a pussy. Once it's done though, my mind is completely clear, my body feels fantastic, and I feel like I am floating. Worth it every time. You can do this in Southeast Asia for $5, but in NYC a price of $55 for 60 minutes is a steal. Just got one now, actually.
2) Japanese onsen (hot springs). An amazing experience - alternating between too-hot-to-bear natural hot spring water and cold bucket showers. Repeat as many times as necessary. Staying in the hot spring without exiting briefly for too long will probably cause you to pass out, but the trick is to get close but not cross that line. After a few cycles of this, naked Japanese dudes notwithstanding, you will feel like a new man. Again, the same clear-minded, supremely-relaxed sensation will spread through your body and last for a good hour. Perhaps being in a hot tub or sauna accomplishes something similar, but I found the particular alternating between hot and cold to be great in itself.
3) Any kind of cardio...high-intensity interval training is particularly good in my experience. Afterward you are exhausted yet energized, and the mind is clear. I have to say though that this experience is not to the same magnitude as (1) and (2), but is a quick substitute.
4) Meditation. I am a total newb when it comes to this, but even 20 minutes of focusing on my breath in silence and keeping a clear mind leaves me calm and refreshed. This is great to do when you have a lot on your mind and can't focus or are not of a positive mind. It is kind of like a hard break on whatever is going on in your mind and allows you to start fresh without taking a three hour nap to achieve the same goal.
These are all obvious but I thought I would share.
1) Deep tissue massage (1 hr). Some old Chinese chicks downtown go to town on my back with elbows and forearms. My back is usually a knotty mess due to (I suspect) doing lots of squats/deadlifts and then sitting in an office chair all day. It hurts like hell...I fight not to scream out in pain as she grinds knots into bone, but then I remind myself that I can't let a skinny 55 year old Chinese grandma think I am a pussy. Once it's done though, my mind is completely clear, my body feels fantastic, and I feel like I am floating. Worth it every time. You can do this in Southeast Asia for $5, but in NYC a price of $55 for 60 minutes is a steal. Just got one now, actually.
2) Japanese onsen (hot springs). An amazing experience - alternating between too-hot-to-bear natural hot spring water and cold bucket showers. Repeat as many times as necessary. Staying in the hot spring without exiting briefly for too long will probably cause you to pass out, but the trick is to get close but not cross that line. After a few cycles of this, naked Japanese dudes notwithstanding, you will feel like a new man. Again, the same clear-minded, supremely-relaxed sensation will spread through your body and last for a good hour. Perhaps being in a hot tub or sauna accomplishes something similar, but I found the particular alternating between hot and cold to be great in itself.
3) Any kind of cardio...high-intensity interval training is particularly good in my experience. Afterward you are exhausted yet energized, and the mind is clear. I have to say though that this experience is not to the same magnitude as (1) and (2), but is a quick substitute.
4) Meditation. I am a total newb when it comes to this, but even 20 minutes of focusing on my breath in silence and keeping a clear mind leaves me calm and refreshed. This is great to do when you have a lot on your mind and can't focus or are not of a positive mind. It is kind of like a hard break on whatever is going on in your mind and allows you to start fresh without taking a three hour nap to achieve the same goal.
These are all obvious but I thought I would share.
