Ted Spiker

Ted Talks: Mission Impossible

Despite the inspirational words that come from motivational speakers and flashy Instagram quotes, sometimes you have to realize that certain fitness feats will never happen. I accept, for example, that I will never be able to dunk a basketball, qualify… read more

Ted Talks: How Do You Measure Strength?

Strength —like beauty and perfect guac— is in the eye of the beholder. After all, one person’s strong is another person’s weak. Sure, there are universal standards for some medical categories (blood pressure, cholesterol and the like), and those benchmarks… read more

Ted Talks: The Stress Solutions

Right now, my mind feels like yours. Swirling with too much to do, too much to think about, just too much. Oh, I have my to-do lists and my priorities and my plans of action, but sometimes it feels so… read more

Ted Talks: An Epic Question

Last issue, I said something I shouldn’t have: “In January 2025, I will announce an epic-for-me goal.” While I have already sketched out some doable benchmarks this year that involve running, yoga-ing and whittling down the whiskey, I am missing… read more

Ted Talks: Game On … Or Off?

For years, my favorite weekly workout has been our old-guy pickup basketball game. Though I can get hotter than a habanero every once in a while, I am not very good (I have the vertical leap of a street curb,… read more

Ted Talks: Sole to Soul

On the 1–10 adventure scale (1 being snuggled in bed, 10 being an Everest attempt), I would probably rate myself at about a 4. Try new things? Yes. Do so when there is a high chance that you will plummet… read more

Ted Talks: Quitting Time

I think I can put my gastrointestinal résumé up against most folks’. When I was 12, I ate 12 tacos out of a 20-shell family pack. I once ground through 76 ounces of steak in the name of journalism. My college nickname? Hoover, because of… read more