No later than a couple of weeks back, I was having lunch with my colleagues, and the conversation revolved around each others lifestyle. Everyone had her say, until one of my work buddies said :
“I am going to the gym so I can eat whatever I want !”
The fork fell out of my hand, literally, as I almost choke in the process. WHAAAAATTTTT?????? ARE YOU SERIOUS???
It doesn’t for sure make sense to anyone who knows a bit about food and fitness in general. But most people consider it to be the truth : "I go to the gym so I can stuff myself with whatever I please". How on earth do people come to such a simplistic solution when they're not even facing the actual problem?
You live your life by what you want and not by what you need!
As some of you might know, I am an early riser, I go to the gym 5 times a week, I watch over my food and I go to bed early as well. That’s my choice, nobody forced me to do this, and I enjoy the process. Not to say that this answer shocked most of my colleagues who couldn't understand the hardship I did put myself through when I could be "just enjoying my life".
I have discovered the importance of a daily healthy routine about 10 years ago, when I was in London. Opportunities took me towards the fitness industry as a gym manager. It was a fantastic experience for me, which open doors towards personal development months later. That's when I started building my knowledge and my routine til this day.
Especially for you my dear steemians, I am going to share the French Londoner’s 3 Pillars of Health (I love the dramatic sound of this title), so you can make the best out of your body and your mind and start living your life to the fullest . With this basic knowledge, you will learn to master your energy levels, to settle your weight, potentially even lose weight, get thinking faster and smarter, and succeed in all areas of your life. And all it takes is to focus on 3 things... What a program!
Ready? Awesome.
First Pillar : Get the right amount of snooze time
Yeah? For real! It might be surprising for you to see “Sleep” as the first pillar but it is the most important thing of all. A good night sleep helps you in many ways :
- Improves memory
- Has you living longer
- Reduces inflammation
- Enhances creativity
- Improves performance
- Sharpen your attention
- Regulates your weight
- Lower stress
- Clears out depression
- and many more...
And if you belong to the steemians who sleep 5 hours tops on weekdays and wait for the weekend to catch up on sleep, think again. Sleep is all about balance.
An average person needs between 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night, every night and we are all different, so compromises might have to be made between early birds and night owls living together.
Remember that the best hours to get some proper rest are before midnight. So get that early bed time scheduled in, and turn off that computer of yours past 8pm to unwind. Be like Cinderella when it comes to your snooze and go count the pumpkins to go to sleep!
And if you wanna push the reflexion a little further, I recommend this TED Talk
Second Pillar : Watch the food you put in your mouth!
Food is the fuel to your engine, so choose it wisely. Diversify your sources, and eat more real food and less “out of a packet” food.
A great way to start working on your food regimen (diet is a horrible word since I notice that its built with “die” in it! Let’s keep things positive and alive here.) is to start with a good breakfast.
Please, please, please my steemian friend, stop skipping breakfast at once! It’s killing your metabolism to run on an empty tank most of the morning. Having a good breakfast will have you eating less throughout the day and will help regulate your appetite and energy. Here is a special article about breakfast, so you get a better start of your day.
Watch out the type of food you eat before bedtime as well so your sleep becomes much more of an ally, not only for energy recovery but also in terms of weight loss. So skip the pizzas before bed, and bring in the homemade green soup. :)
And by watching your food on the regular, you can allow yourself treats, like the lovely tea time I had in 86champs the other day! Be good to your body so you can indulge yourself once in a while. (And I said once in a while!)
Third Pillar : Let’s get sweaty!
Sport comes as the third pillar to this list. Surprising? Not really.
How can you push a kickass car without taking care of the fuel and the engine tuning first? The same thing is to consider for your body. Training everyday when you eat crap and are absolutely chattered is definitely not gonna help you get to where you want.
Using sport like a furnace to burn all the s*** you’ve been eating is going to generate pollution and create a potential disaster to your chimney pipe! A healthy practice of sport starts with your head on a pillow and with the content of your plate. (I could actually quote my trainer on this, but it wasn't his words per say!)
What comes with working out regularly is much more than sweat and cramps. It's mind training. Not many people like working out, they seriously don’t. So why do they do it? They do it for the satisfaction that comes after having finished their session. They have done it! They did workout today!
Last week I had a workout with my coach. I love going to the gym knowing that I’ll get to train with him. It was the most horrendous session ever. It was so freakin' hard, my body was burning, my throat was burning, I even cried nervously from the core exercises he had me doing.
But the best bit was that I got through it! I did it. I went through the hardship of this session, pushed through, and finished it.
And so is life. Life is not all sweet and happy bunnies, princesses and tiaras, fast cars and hot babes. I’ve got to work hard to get to where I want to be, to become the person I want to be. It takes a hell of a lot of pugnaciousness to get there, and working out everyday teaches you that.
Get to the gym, even when it hurts from the previous workout, and get things done, because they need to be done. They need to be done for me first, because I choose to.
Mastering the three pillars of health for yourself takes time, commitment and real motivation. It’s something I work on little by little everyday since 2008. Ten years I have been at it, and I am still learning from myself as my body and mind evolve. I live every day with the intention to optimise them the best I can so I put all the chances on my side to succeed. Life is not a smooth ride, and I need to adjust my trajectory all the time to get the best out of myself.
If there was one thing I cherish from this particular learning up until this day is this.
There is a difference between needs and wants. What my mind wants is not necessarily what I need. My needs are different from every other person.
I am the only one who knows what I need to get what I want, and I shall not negotiate with my mind or any other mind for what is good for me or not.
And if you like this post, vote for it, resteem it, and comment on it. And remember, life’s too short not to share good stuff with others! So share with me what you’ve learn from this post, or your point of view on the matter. I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time.
The French Londoner
(DISCLAIMER : Please bear in mind that I am no health practitioner and that all changes to your routine should be done under the supervision of a health or medical specialist.)
(Sources : all pics from Unsplash.com)