Thank you for taking the time to read Episode 2 of Mastering Monday. My name is Erik Bowman and I hope you are having a fantastic day, after all, it is the only like it you will ever experience. The primary reason we create financial plans at Bowman Financial Strategies is so you can live the life you want to live without worrying about finances. I like to think of it as creating a predictable Income Plan and an Exciting Retirement.

So in order to provide ideas, tools, life hacks and resources to help you enjoy your Retirement (or any phase of life for that matter) keep reading!

Below are areas of focus for me this week. I’d love to know if any of these ideas inspire you and how. Enjoy! You can listen to the audio version by clicking here: Mastering Mondays Episode #2.

Sauna. This one is too good to keep from you any longer. Sitting in a hot Sauna feels great but also seems to have scientifically proven health benefits. Here are the noticeable changes I have seen. First, after I Sauna, I just feel amazing. I feel calm, focused, relaxed and have and experience an elevated mood. Second, I have almost no post-workout muscle soreness since I started Sauna. Finally, when we do sauna at night, it feels like I’ve had a glass of wine and I sleep like a baby. If we have had a long day of work, we will sometimes go to the gym, skip the workout and just do Sauna. As I write this, I just came back from a second sauna session of the day. I admit I am addicted. If I have limited time, I will pick sauna over workout at this point and we have done so many times. This is a new lifelong habit I wish I would have started decades ago.

Sauna is a cultural tradition in Finland and thus provides a perfect cohort of people to study and evaluate the benefits of heat acclimation and sauna. For the details, click the link below to see a comprehensive Finnish Study reviewed by the Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext.

The study showed for example, a 62% reduction in Stroke, reduction in risk of Sudden Cardiac Death, protective effects from Nuero-Cognitive Disease, improved lung function, and 78% reduction in psychosis. The data are so astounding it’s hard to believe Sauna isn’t used by everyone. It seems to be gaining traction however. Interesting note, one of the most common behaviors of provably successful people in their field……Sauna!

My wife and I started Sauna about 2 months ago and we now use the sauna 5-6 days per week directly after a workout. Most fitness centers have them. We go to 24-hour fitness and they have a very nice, clean, dry-sauna. The first few times we went, it was a bit of shock and our duration was only a few minutes (3-7). However, after about a week we built up a tolerance and now stay in the sauna for 20-30 minutes at roughly 185 F. A few keys to successful sauna time; 1) bring a water bottle filled with ice and water. 2) Build up to 15-20 minutes as that is the recommended duration the studies have shown provide measurable cardiac benefits, 3) Use flip flops. The floor can get hot! In general, we change into a bathing suit (many stay in workout clothes) and sit on a towel on the upper bench. Within 3-6 minutes the sweat will begin to show. We sip ice water the entire time and have met some very interesting people during our visits. After our allotted time of 20-30 minutes, I immediately go into the coldest shower possible. That too was a shock the first few times. Now I just walk right into the cold water and it feels great. It immediately cools you down and forces the blood back to your body core. Another benefit of the cold shower is you won’t be sweating for the hour following the Sauna. Decrease the temperature gradually if your coldwater-phobic.

Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris. This book explores the daily habits of over 150 billionaires, icons and world class performers. What I like is that each person is asked similar questions and you can pick our tactics that are a good fit for you. Examining their approach to life and evaluating their habits (daily morning rituals), reading list, problem solving methods, techniques for controlling their emotional outlook and methods of communication provides some truly powerful information. You can skip around the book looking for people, or categories (i.e Athletes) that interest you. I have changed my entire workout routine and applied many principals learned from this book. It’s a book you will keep on your bedside table for a long time!

You won’t have a professional photographer with you when you at your grandchild’s birthday party or when you’re having dinner at your favorite restaurant. Listen to my 25-minute Podcast with professional Photographer Kristine Lynn to learn tips and techniques used by the pros to take better pictures with your phone or XLR camera. Topics include, staging a scene, lighting basics, framing a picture, and importantly convenient ways to back up your photos so you never lose a cherished memory due to space constraints on your phone.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking the link: Mastering Mondays Interview Segment 2 (time 26 minutes)

If you read these pages and think, “I really should do that” or, “I will read/do/drink/experiment with that”. Don’t wait ~Take action.

“It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Master your Monday and have a great week.

Erik