Tangy dressing, Calling on inspiration, Learning from everyone, and Reverse Plank
HALT on Hump Day 5/7/25
Nobody makes good decisions when they feel Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. HALT on Hump day looks at ways I manage those things in my life. Hopefully you’ll find something that will help your life.
HUNGRY
Every couple has a silly fight (or five) they come back to again and again. My wife and I have one about mustard. I love mustard and keep five to seven types in the refrigerator.
It’s no surprise, then, how I like my salad dressing: with plenty of tang. Not only do I use probably twice the mustard most recipes call for.
I also approach my oil to vinegar ratios like Maverick and Goose keeping up foreign relations. I invert them. It’s how my sister in law makes it, and now I do, too.
Finally, I like to use a Pike’s Peak Butcher’s rub to cap it off. It’s the best all-purpose seasoning I’ve found.
Here’s the full recipe:
1 part olive oil
2 parts vinegar (I like half rice wine vinegar and half apple cider vinegar myself).
One big spoonful of country Dijon Mustard.
For a creamier texture, use an immersion blender (I’m usually too impatient to get it out and dirty it.
Good thing we keep a few Bon Mamon jelly jars in the house for leftovers, and it makes a great vessel to shake dressing. Tighten the lid and shake until it combines.
ANGRY
The scariest part of every big project is starting off, but the real danger lies in the messy middle. It’s the point when you feel you’ve been working at something for a while, but you have gotten no results yet. Often the twists you’ve taken or obstacles you already overcame have also fogged the vision you set out with in the beginning.
Best practices tell you to do things like:
Reconnect with your why
Make sure you have smaller, measurable steps to use like bread crumbs
Fall in love with the process, so you don’t rely on the outcomes to keep you going.
All fine tactics. I want to add this prompt to the mix as well. It’s a cousin to another piece of advice to get through the middle: celebrate small wins.
But this is bigger.
It’s also close to reconnecting with your why.
But why can be so abstract, it’s hard to grab.
This prompt asks you to look back to an inspirational moment when you knew you were going the right way so you can draw on the memory of that feeling to keep you going.
What’s an inspiring moment or experience that confirmed you’re on the right path?
Use it to find a lighthouse in the fog.
LONELY
I write for a client who buys companies. He’s not a dumb guy, and I like the way he approaches business. One thing he says over and over will stick with me. He says, “I can learn something from everyone if I ask good questions and actually listen to them.”
He says this about entry level employees, his senior managers, and everyone in between. Now, does he actually do that? I don’t know. But I like the sentiment, and it got me thinking about this prompt.
We spend so much time working, and I’ve often fallen into the trap of believing I had things figured out and shutting myself off to learning from people I thought were more inexperienced than me. This prompt forces me to look from a different angle and open myself up.
What did you learn from a less experienced colleague this week? If nothing, when was the last time you did?
TIRED
People talk about planking for core strength (and I mean me…others, too but I do a lot), but here’s one I had forgotten about until recently. Reverse plank.
It builds strength in the core, glutes, hamstrings, back, and shoulders. Essentially it focuses on the backside of your body, while still strengthening the core, while regular plank builds strength along your front.
Additionally, I like the stretch in the chest and shoulders.
Sit on the ground with your legs straight out in front of you and hands just behind your butt with fingers pointed towards your feet.
Press your heels into the ground and lift your hips in the air until you form a straight line from your shoulders to heels.
Make sure to open your chest to the ceiling and look up to the ceiling. Squeeze your glutes, core, and back muscles and hold.
If you’re new to the exercise, give it a slow 10 count and build up to holding it for a minute or more.
Then, you have some options to increase the intensity. Raise one leg. Raise it all the way to 90° from your hips.
You can alternate pulling your knees to your chest while squeezing.
Lean your head back to open your chest even more.
Just keep your butt up so you keep a straight line from your heels to shoulders.
Thank you for reading. If you liked something in here, send it to a friend. There’s a good chance they will smile, I’ll definitely smile, and I bet you will, too. Trifecta!