Step It Up

In this week's P.O. Box:

“I’ve never been one of those people who care about how many steps they’ve taken…”

I wrote that in a newsletter post back in October 2023 when talking about getting my first smart watch.

That was certainly true for awhile, but in the past few months I’ve somehow become…and I can’t believe I’m admitting this…a “steps bro” who obsesses over how many steps they’ve taken in a day.

I knew this was the case when the other day I failed to reach 10k steps for the first time in a few weeks and it massively tilted me.

I’m not sure exactly what got into me, but I’ve come to enjoy the light gamification it brings to my day and the gentle nudge it gives me to get up from my desk.

I now try to sneak in a walk whenever I can—in the morning with Lauren and April, after I lift, when I have a phone call to make, or even when I have an itch to draft.

Before my step obsession, I used to do a lot more distance running (like 3-6 miles), but I’ve now almost fully replaced it with walking.

The biggest benefit of the switch is that I’m not ravenous after a walk (unlike after a run), which previously had a way of quickly wiping out any calorie expenditure. Walking also seems to pair much better with my lifting program, making it easier to keep moving while recovering on off days.

That said, don’t invite me to one of those steps challenges. You know those things are just rife with corruption.

👑 DEPOSIT KINGDOM: How to pivot when your perfect draft plan goes awry. I plotted out my perfect Best Ball Mania draft and then tried to execute it. Operative word being "tried."

🤓 FANTASY LIFE: Late-Round RB Targets & Fades In Early Drafts. Part 1 of a series looking at which RBs are safe to target right now, and which backfields we need more clarity on before taking the plunge.

I write the Fantasy Life Newsletter three days/week right now. Get it in your inbox free every am:

☕️ BEST BALL BREAKFAST: The Value Hound Returns. Hayden Winks joins as our special guest.

🤠 FANTASY LIFE: Dynasty Court. Debated some dynasty football topics as a sassy southern lawyer.

☣️ LOLZ: How A.I. Could Reshape Fantasy & Betting. Also, Bric’s thoughts on the new Pope.

🚢 SHIP CHASING: Dynasty Rookie Mock w/ LateRoundQB & Danny Kelly. The chat made Davis do some “crazy” picks.

⏰ OFF & ON THE CLOCK: It’s A Sprint (Draft), Not A Marathon. Talked strategy for The Sprint contest with Jon and Nez.

💪 THE SWOLECAST: We Draft A Team That Would Make Dave Cry. Kitchen in Hawaii, but the show must go on.

📈 ADP CHASING: Be Careful With These 2 Veteran RB Risers. This sums things up nicely:

🥃 DFS AFTER DARK: Juicy Coachspeak Nuggs From The NFL Draft. Greg Bainos from The Coachspeak Index joined me to discuss interesting soundbites after the NFL Draft, whether he ever gets tired of watching press conferences, and the next big project(s) he's working on.

Best Ball After Dark returns Saturday night (8:00pm et) with special guest Scott Blumstein. Scott won the WSOP Main Event in 2017 for $8m, but has since lost an interest in poker. He joins me to discuss life after the big win, loving fantasy sports, and his next move.

You can become a YT member for access or subscribe on Spotify for a private RSS feed (I post the video/audio there directly after the show).

🐊 Book #4 for May (35%): Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades by Rebecca Renner

The author is juggling two main threads in this book. The history of alligator poaching in the Everglades, but also the more recent story of an undercover wildlife officer who had to infiltrate this world.

I find the latter part far more compelling, but Renner is a solid writer who keeps things moving throughout.

🍌 Book #3 for April (COMPLETED): The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen
💉 Book #2 for March (FINISHED): Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe.
🐃 Book #1 for February (FINISHED): The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry

Got a question for me? Reply to this e-mail and I’ll get back to you…