Are you part of a tribe?

Do you have a so-called tribe? It could be family, friends, coworkers, a team, or just about any group of people with whom you feel closely connected.

Jason Ryer / Zen Strength Update

You’ll learn more about connecting with a tribe soon enough, but first here’s what’s in this update:

[+] my progress with keto

[+] 4th of July at USA STEAK99

[+] my escape to nature at “The River Whisper”

[+] the difference between coconut cider vinegar and apple cider vinegar

[+] grass drinking straws

[+] mycoprotein in Quorn

[+] opting out of meditation

[+] benefits of fasting and a “fasting mimicking diet” – especially for women

[+] and of course, connecting with my tribe at the first Biohackers Chiang Mai meetup…

Your tribal benefits

What are the benefits of having a close group of friends? According to the Mayo Clinic, there are many:

• Increase your sense of belonging and purpose
• Boost your happiness and reduce your stress
• Improve your self-confidence and self-worth
• Help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss or the death of a loved one
• Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive drinking or lack of exercise

Biohacking tribe

I’ve admittedly spent half of this year in Chiang Mai without much of a tribe to speak of. Well, I feel like that’s going to quickly change because I hosted our first Biohackers Chiang Mai meetup (link to Telegram).

Although there were only 3 of us there, it was great to have some like-minded people to connect with. The conversation teetered from something as simple as what we eat for breakfast – all the way to the possibility of living forever.

Read more about the first Biohacking Social, Biohackers Chiang Mai meetup here.

Keto isn’t so bad.

In the last update, I told you that keto sucks.

Yes, I’m still trying to do keto (but may be more like ultra-low carb because I’m not sure how much time I’m really spending in ketosis).

Last time I was reporting some stomach issues and associated brain fog.

This time I’m feeling much better so maybe it’s “working” (whatever that means!)

Anyway, I’ll keep you updated with anything interesting that comes up.

4th of July in Thailand

With no plans, I used the holiday as a good reason to celebrate. I found a restaurant called “USA STEAK99”, invited some friends and had some okay food with some great people.

My Escape to Nature at The River Whisper

Amphika, Poom and I escaped from the city and found a beautiful place to spend some time in nature where we chilled out and played in the river.

The University of Minnesota describes some of the many benefits of nature:

Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.

In the News

Here are some interesting articles I’ve read recently that may interest you too…

Have you tried coconut cider vinegar?

It turns out that coconut cider vinegar shares the same benefits and the major difference is that it’s very slightly more sweet and less sour.

And, because coconuts are everywhere here, I think it makes sense for me to use coconut cider vinegar.

I’ll mix it with salt water in the morning and drink it down.

Read more about coconut cider vinegar here.

Grass drinking straws

With so much plastic around it’s good to see an alternative. I’m just wondering how these grass straws compare to existing alternatives – like bamboo, steel and glass – in terms of their health, economic and ecological effects.

I tried a glass straw and broke it after using it just one time!

Straws Made Of Wild Grass Are Vietnam’s Newest Zero-Waste Option

WTF is Quorn – and mycoprotein?!

WTF is Quorn? Supposedly it contains mycoproteins that have been shown more effective for building muscle than milk protein.

I’d like to see how these compare to taking EAAs (essential amino acids), in theory a more direct way to get what you need to build muscle.

Quorn protein builds muscle better than milk protein

Do you feel like you should meditate?

With all the interest in meditation these days, you may feel pressured into thinking you should meditate.

If this is you, don’t worry and no, you don’t need to meditate. But do read this article to understand why – and other things you can do.

Can We End the Meditation Madness?

Fasting can be VERY good for you.

As you may know, I’m a big fan of fasting. So much so, that I offer coaching and courses teaching people all about it and helping them reap many of the rewards. Things like:

[+] You burn fat.
[+] You “detox” your body.
[+] You boost your productivity.

And MANY more – like these 21 surprising benefits of fasting I wrote about last year.

I bring up fasting here because I recently listened to a podcast and I think you too can listen and learn the benefits of fasting and a “fasting mimicking diet” – especially for women.

How Women Can Maximize the Benefits of Fasting

What else am I up to?

Aside from working a full-time job, studying the Thai language, and working on my business on the side, I’m thinking about how I’m going to spend August because I have the month off of Thai class.

I’m planning to visit a permaculture farm that’s about 5 hours from Chiang Mai where I will continue doing my job and business; and will hopefully have time to spend in nature as well.

What about you?

What are your thoughts and experiences with keto, independence day, nature, coconut cider vinegar, drinking straws, mycoprotein, meditation, fasting, and connecting with your tribe?

Leave a reply below and let me know.