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Rich Roll, Vegan Ultra-Endurance Athlete

Jul 26, 2017 38m 40s 22 insights
Shortly before his 40th birthday, Rich Roll was walking up a flight of stairs when he suddenly felt like he was about to have a heart attack. That terrifying moment led the former entertainment attorney, who had already been through rehab for alcohol abuse, to overhaul his lifestyle and now he is a dedicated vegan who has completed some of the world's most grueling and extreme endurance races.
Actionable Insights

1. Make Sobriety Your Priority

If struggling with substance abuse, commit to sobriety as your number one priority and actively engage with a recovery community, as it can be life-saving and is crucial for sustained well-being.

2. Seize Crisis as Opportunity

When facing a significant health scare or existential crisis, recognize it as a “special moment” and a powerful opportunity to fundamentally change your life’s direction and course-correct your living.

3. Follow Your Inner Joy

Identify and pursue impulses that bring you simple, primal joy, even if it means diverging from societal expectations, to live more authentically and find deeper happiness.

4. Revisit Childhood Passions

Reflect on activities that brought you joy as a child and find ways to re-incorporate them into your current life, even in small ways during your free time, to express an underexpressed part of yourself and bring happiness.

5. Cultivate Daily Meditation Practice

Incorporate a structured, formalized meditation practice into your daily routine, as it offers qualitatively different benefits than often-distracted active pursuits and helps cultivate present moment awareness.

6. Anchor in the Present Moment

Practice meditation to develop the ability to observe your thinking mind and anchor yourself in the present moment, which allows you to distinguish self-defeating thoughts and make non-reactive decisions in all aspects of life, including athletics and family.

7. Embrace Plant-Based Living

Adopt a 100% plant-based diet, eliminating animal products and processed foods, to significantly reduce your risk of chronic lifestyle illnesses, lessen your environmental impact, and align with ethical considerations.

8. Experiment with Diet for Healing

Actively experiment with various diets and nutritional approaches to discover what allows your body to heal and feel better, as personal exploration can lead to profound health discoveries even as a last resort.

9. Re-engage with Physical Activity

Listen to impulses to get fit and gradually re-engage with physical activity, even starting with small steps like jogging, as exercise can bring back joy and improve physical health.

10. Commit to Big, Scary Goals

When a powerful, even illogical, impulse to pursue a challenging goal takes hold, commit to finding a way to achieve it, as such commitments can lead to transformative “journeys to wholeness” and spiritual adventures.

11. Seek Partner Support for Change

For major life changes or ambitious goals, actively seek and cultivate the support of your partner, as their backing is crucial for navigating personal transformations and achieving aspirations.

12. Go All-In on New Endeavors

If transitioning to a new career or passion, consider completely cutting ties with your old “lifeline” to fully commit to the new path, preventing reversion to old habits and forcing full immersion.

13. Simplify Meditation, Focus Breath

Keep your meditation practice simple, focusing on the breath and avoiding self-judgment or getting caught up in complex techniques, to make it more accessible and effective.

14. Handle Meditation Distractions

When distracted during meditation, gently release the thoughts and bring your focus back to the breath (or chosen anchor) without self-judgment, understanding that continually returning is the core of the practice.

15. Prioritize Plant-Based Transition

If considering a plant-based diet, consciously acknowledge and address internal barriers like “prioritization, laziness, and inertia” to make the lifestyle change a reality.

16. Navigate Plant-Based Socially

When eating out as a plant-based individual, learn social graces to navigate situations discreetly (e.g., talk to the waiter privately) and remember that others are generally self-obsessed and not judging your food choices as much as you might think.

17. Understand Protein Needs

Challenge common misconceptions about protein intake, understanding that most people get sufficient protein (about 10% of calories) from a varied plant-based diet without needing excessive focus or supplementation.

18. Increase Fiber Intake

Prioritize increasing fiber intake in your diet, as most people are deficient in this crucial nutrient for overall health.

19. Educate on Nutrition

Once you discover a beneficial dietary change, educate yourself further about diet and nutrition to reinforce and expand the positive impacts of your choices.

20. Learn Meditation from Experts

Seek out and learn from meditation teachers and practitioners (e.g., through podcasts or interviews) to understand the importance of meditation and how to incorporate it into your life.

21. Explore Yoga for Meditation

Attend yoga classes as a medium to be introduced to and explore meditation practices.

22. Support the Podcast

Subscribe, rate the podcast, tell friends about it, and spread the word on social media to support the show and help others find it.