1) Harmonious action:

seek first to take away what you don’t need before adding more
It is not uncommon to always be looking to add more of what we think we need instead of taking away what we don’t need. Adding more into a system that isn’t balanced to begin with throws us off balance, in disharmony with ourselves and our surroundings. In the case of exercise, some think that more is better, however, there are consequences for over-exercising such as: stagnation in progress, overtraining syndrome, overuse injuries, mental exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, etc. There needs to be a balance of work and rest in order to elicit a healthy change in the body. Yielding to challenges and trying not to control what we can not is a virtuous lesson indeed.  In the case of eating, many seeking weight loss goals look to add supplements instead of first taking away the poor food choices that are taking them further away from their goals. It seems to simple at first, however, supplements will never make up for good quality food. Seek first to add quality whole foods to balance the diet, then add what you feel is needed.

2) Dynamic Balance

choose movement that balances your lifestyle, not just what some expert thinks is best for you

Even though research can be important in helping us improve our health and fitness by providing statistically safe protocols, there are still many variables that cannot be controlled for. This is where instinct ultimately comes in handy. The body has a clever way of telling us what it needs if we learn to listen in. Even if a certain workout or nutrition program has been proven in a lab or by a certain group to be effective, it may not be ideal for you. The highest levels of health and fitness come from tuning into those instincts and finding where the balance lies within oneself. Some people can handle more cardiovascular exercise than others, whereas others can handle heavier bouts of resistance training. If it resonates with you and you feel good, you’re probably on the right track. We need to be cognizant of our lifestyles and choose a movement practice that complements our goals and supports our ambitions in the present.

Stress comes from disrupting the dynamic balance within oneself. Stress, for the purpose of this article, is measured by the distance between what one believes they should be doing and what one is actually doing at a given point in time. If you feel like you need to sweat today, then go for a run. If you feel tight, overworked and exhausted, maybe a light warm-up, some foam rolling, and mobility with some meditation thrown in might be a good call. Ultimately, no amount of super athlete workouts, precision set/rep schemes, or carb counting can account for the accuracy of instinct when one learns to tune in.

3) Oneness

You are not separate from the rest of the world, you are connected to the rest of the world.

How does your health and fitness choices relate to family health, friendships, social health, community, and/or global health? Does the exercise you participate in involve others or help to enrich the lives of others besides your own? Even though our society is more individualistic than ever before, it is important to stay healthy and do so in a way that helps raise the health of all those around us. Instead of going for a walk or going to the gym alone, why not call a friend to join you once in a while? Stay active by volunteering your time at a non-profit, such as a homeless shelter during a weekend or two throughout the year.

4) Cyclical Growth

Even though we have recreated an artificial environment for ourselves, amidst fluorescent lighting and manufactured air being pumped into to our houses and offices, we still are affected by the change in seasons.

Change up your routine, eat seasonally, always have a random variable in place. Specificity has a price and overtraining and overuse syndromes are directly related to repetitive stress by doing the same thing over and over again without variation. The human animal is the most diverse animal on the planet, having the ability to run, jump, skip, swim, climb, crawl, etc. Even though we are not the best at any one physical task, our movement should reflect the celebration of the myriad of movement possibilities. This will not only break the monotony in movement practice/training, but it will also help make a smarter motor system, resistant to injury, overtraining, and boredom. Even if one wishes to train for a specific event, such as a marathon or strongman competition, it is still important to vary the stimulus among training sessions and have a dedicated off-season of varied movement (e.g.-between workouts, change the movements slightly such as replacing a barbell bench press with dumbbell incline presses). I use the off-season time to try new things, recover, clear up any injuries from hard training, and have fun without filling the mind with competition.

Charlie Reid Uncategorized