Spoke #3 – Physical

Your body is a temple. The one sacred vessel that houses your soul and mind.

I was tempted to put the physical spoke as the most important, but I know first-hand that when you don’t take care of yourself spiritually and mentally, it can manifest itself in the form of physical illness and disease. I don’t attest that those are the only underlying root causes, but living your best life requires a holistic approach to caring for the soul, mind, and body.

If you know me personally or follow my social media, you know how passionate I am about health and wellness. When I was in high school, I suffered a herniated disc during a volleyball camp that cut my athletic career short. Not being able to participate in physical activity, I gained 30 pounds in 6 short months and have been battling that weight gain ever since.

It didn’t have to get to that point, but back then I had a victim mentality. Rather than being determined to do what it took to get back to playing sports, I skipped my physical therapy appointments and opted for fast-food sessions instead. I thought that I would wait until my parents would let me go to the chiropractor or just let me get surgery. At the time all I wanted was for people to feel sorry for me and wallow in my self-pity until provided the quick fix.

Fast forward a few years to college, my back seemed to heal itself once I got to Eugene. In hindsight, I wished I had used my spare time in those 4 years to get myself back to a peak physical state. My back felt better and all the resources were there at my disposal. But so was the trappings of college life.

Physical health is not only determined by your levels exercise and fitness, what you put into your body plays an even bigger role. I put some bad things in my body in college. I never did any hard drugs, but I definitely consumed excessive amounts of junk food and alcohol. By the time I had graduated I gained another 30 pounds. At 215, I would’ve had to fight the light heavyweights of the UFC.

It’s been 8 years since I graduated and in that time I have been on a never-ending seesaw with my weight. From 215 to 185 to 165 back up to 195 down to 165 up to 185 back down to 160 down to 155 back up to 170. You get the picture. I’ve tried every diet from Atkins to Bulking diets to Carb cycling. I’ve binged on whole pizzas and pints of ice cream in one meal. I’ve water fasted for 3 days. I’ve done an infinite number of different workout plans. I’ve gone months without exercise. I’ve done Insanity 4 times in one day with a sauna suit on. I got caught in the whirlwind of information and mis-information regarding health and wellness. It’s paralysis by analysis and I believe it deters most people from taking action to take care of their physical health.

Applying a frugal and simplistic approach I think is the key. My goal now with my physical health is to keep things as efficient as possible. Instead of torturing myself with 2.5 hour workouts, I aim to keep my time spent exercising to 60 to 90 minutes max. I keep my workouts very basic and have stopped jumping from program to program. Lately I have been working out twice a day but even then, my morning weight sessions are about 45 minutes and my evening cardio sessions are about 30 minutes.

When it comes to nutrition, I seek to have balance. I use an intermittent fasting approach which helps me to keep what I consume to a minimum. It requires me to eat only during a specific window of time. I skip breakfast and only eat between 1pm-9pm. Even though it’s a restrictive method it frees me from having to worry about preparing breakfast and helps me to not overeat. I very rarely eat fast food or any type of processed foods. I still eat mostly low-carb and I treat myself occasionally to sweets and alcohol but it’s never on a level of bingeing.

Applying minimalism to the physical spoke of my life has been very beneficial.  I have been able to maintain my weight around 160 for quite a while now. I don’t spend so much time thinking about what I’m going to do for my workouts or what I’m going to eat. I’ve gotten to a point where I can eat sweet potato, chicken breast, and broccoli at every meal and not get tired of it. I feel like my spiritual, mental, and physical selves are all in alignment. I am more content, less stressed, and have more energy and time to devote to my relationships, finances, and career.

 

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