How to crush your birthday

It happened, the day came that I never thought would come. I turned 30. I always had the term “youth” associated with your teens and twenties. When we start dropping numbers like 30 and 38, it just seems like you are officially an adult and there is no turning back.

On October 15th every year, I try to work my schedule around taking half of the day off work to fit in all my favorite things. My plan this year was to try to cram my 7 favorite things into a 24-hour window.

6:00 AM. Help my wife get the kids out the door.
My wife and I have 3 wild little boys ranging from 2 – 7. Every school day consists of getting them fed and out the door on time, which may or may not happen.

6:45 AM. Crush a CrossFit Workout.
I try to work out as much as I can, it doesn’t happen every day but I very much enjoy staying active and keeping myself in shape. Every successful person I’ve talked to has told me not to go 3 days without exercise, I try to take this advice to heart.

7:30 AM. Ride the local mountain bike trails at Cumberland Mountain State Park.
Recently our local bike shop, Hurrican Cycles, received a grant to build a new trail system and the Cumberland Mountain State Park. This is literally 5 minutes from my house and opens up a new way to recreate when we don’t have water to kayak!

9:00-1:00 Work, Work, Work.
As much as I would have loved to take a day off, the hustle never stops.
I love creating content for my clients and working with my employees.
Exercise and staying active keeps your mind fresh and provides new insights for problems that arise daily.

1:30 Driving Range and the Golf Course.
Another hobby that I have is golfing, it’s a complex blend of muscle memory mixed with precision. It’s not the most physically challenging sport, but probably the hardest to master in my opinion.

2:00 Flat Water Kayak Training.
At the time of writing this, the southeast is in a major drought.
I have always kayaked on my birthday for the past 5 or 6 years, but this year there was zero whitewater within a 300-mile radius.
So my best option was to load up my boat and head to a nearby lake for some flatwater training.
2:30 Pick the family up from school and head to the mountains. My trophy wife, Martha, works at the school where our kids attend, we loaded up the family for some hiking, bouldering, and all-around silliness. Our family of 5 loves to spend every minute we can outside, the less time they spend around TV and devices the better in my opinion. My wife and I are trying to cultivate a love for the outdoors in our three boys.

6:00 JiuJitsu Training
Along with kayaking and working out, I’ve been training Brazilian JiuJitsu. Just like kayaking, it’s a complex combination of physical endurance and mental fortitude. I have loved every second of it so far and have added this to my list of activities to stay in shape. Just guessing, but I’m sure you burn about 800-1,000 calories per session/workout. It’s crazy how exhausted you feel after training.

So there it is, the best way to crush your birthday is to do all of your favorite things in one day! Try it, you won’t be disappointed!
What are your favorite things to do on your birthday? Email me at Chad@plateaucreative.com.