The Best Kind of Face Time

YHC always likes to look at what events have transpired throughout history on the days he serves as Q, and, among other things, June 29th bestows upon us an interesting anniversary – 13 years ago, the iPhone debuted, heralding the age of the smartphone.

The benefits of smartphones are as numerous as they are significant. More than two billion people around the world use these devices to call, text and email one another, to line up transportation, to see in real time where dangerous weather is, and so on. Smartphones inform us with news about the world and our friends. They entertain us with gaming, videos and music. New apps emerge daily, yielding more benefits and convenience. Smartphones and their attendant applications are, in a word, amazing.

Yet there is a view among some researchers that these devices entangle us in something of a Faustian bargain. Coincidence or not, studies have found that as smartphones were introduced in countries across the world, rates of depression and suicides – particularly among the young – substantially increased, becoming particularly noticeable when phone penetration breached 50% of the population. Some behavioral scientists have theorized that while smartphones bring us together like never before, they can also engender feelings of isolation. Put simply, while it’s easier than ever to be included in a group – e.g., this Slack board you are now engaged with – it’s also easier than ever to see where and when you’ve been excluded.

As YHC noted at the start of today’s workout, I am not a fitness professional. Nor am I a mental health expert. If you are interested in this subject, do some research on the subject of smartphones and mental health and reach your own conclusions; I’d love to hear what you think. I’ll humbly offer a point as someone who lived through the emergence and mass adoption of the smartphone at the same time my children came of age, and that is this: As fathers, our core responsibility is the same today as it was before the smartphone came along. However, smartphones, with all the good they provide, hold the potential to influence our children in ways we’d rather they not, so now more than ever, it is incumbent upon us to provide our children with face time – not the Apple version, but real, actual, physical, face-to-face time.

Inevitably, children will encounter content on their phones that upsets them or creates false, unrealistic expectations for them. As fathers, we are in unique positions to build the character of our children so that when this crap happens (and it will), they’ll be able to rise above these potential emotional whipsaws and draw on their inner strength and self-confidence to handle it. How do you develop that? You know the answer. A key foundation for any well-rooted child is the love they receive via the attention of their parents. Love builds self-esteem. Self-esteem bolsters self-confidence. And self-confidence provides the ability to deal with the bad stuff that inevitably will come their way in life, be it on their smartphone or in person.

I’ll get off the soap box with one last comment. With their incessant audio alerts and visual pop-ups, smartphones relentlessly compete for our attention. The iPhone will show you how much screen time you rack up each day, providing a daily average for the week. It’s interesting insight. Take a look at that and ask yourself, how does the amount of time you spend on your phone each day compare to your face time — the best kind of face time — with your kids.

On to the workout…

Welcome / Warm-Up
• Welcome! Disclaimer.
• Michael Phelps / Big Baby Arm Circles Forward and Back / The Snaggle / SSHs / Reacher / Tempo Merkins / 20 LBCs

Note: Today’s new warm-up exercise, The Snaggle, is a hip twist simulating a glorious, over-the-shoulder touchdown catch. This was named in honor of The Snaggle’s admittedly impressive TD catch on Saturday, in which he somehow (!) got behind the secondary and hauled in what he insists will forever in F3 football beach lore be known as The Catch. (The Snaggle insists “The Catch” has not been used in the past to describe other historic TD receptions, including any involving Joe Montana and Dwight Clark.) There’s no denying that a play of that caliber deserves its own warm-up exercise! #snagglerocks!

The Thang
• I’m Goin’ Down: Hold high plank while The Boss sings the various stanzas of I’m Goin’ Down, then every time he says “down” in the refrain, perform part of a merkin, so two “downs” = one full merkin. Fortunately, YHC cued up the studio version of the song instead of the live version, which features a 6-minute sax solo by The Big Man, Clarence Clemons (RIP). The three-minute version got the job done…

At this point we were joined by the Double Downers! Great work, guys, and great to see some familiar (hello Pyro!) and newer faces (at least for YHC) from in town showing up. It should be noted that led by the indomitable Aquaman, these guys ran to HN after participating in what was no doubt a remorseless beatdown by Hat Trick at Davis Park, and then they ran back to DP. #beasts

• Stations: 24, two rounds, first round 35 seconds of work followed by eight seconds rest / transition to next station. Second round was 17 seconds of work and eight seconds rest / transition.
o Squat thrust with slam ball (clearly labeled, much to the delight of Flo)
o Mountain climbers
o Brickins (two stations of Brickins, much to the delight of G-Train)
o Bulgarian split squat, right leg up
o Bulgarian split squat, left leg up
o Derkins
o Groiners
o Monkey humpers
o Flutter kicks
o Crawl bear / bear crawl
o Low plank / hover
o Jump rope (Aquaman worked that thing like a young Sugar Ray Leonard)
o Dips
o Side plank, left arm down, right leg raise
o Side plank, right arm down, left leg raise
o Burpees
o Side raises with bricks (shoulders)
o Curls
o Plank jacks
o Hello Dolly… and three more stations that YHC forgot

COT
• F2 Happy Hour this Wednesday PVO
• July 4th Boondocks convergence – bring a coupon
• July 11th Fleming Island launch

Prayers for…
• McD’s surgery, friends with COVID-19, guys on IR, for peace out of this social unrest and relief from the pandemic.

Closed with the Pledge of Allegiance (nice call Eileen).

Always a pleasure and an honor to serve this group of high-character men. Have a great day and week, gentlemen.