It’s Not About How You Look (And you may not like this)

Let me start with this is not a blog of abuse. Even if you get pissed off with me after the first couple of paragraphs because I will probably hit a nerve with some. Please read to the end. Thank You. 
 
I don’t do ‘Fitness’, I don’t do ‘Weight Loss’ and seriously, I don’t care about what you look like naked.
 
When are people going to rise above all the bullshit out there at the moment? There is only one thing we all need to focus on and that’s OPTIMUM HEALTH.
 
Optimum health will sort your excess body fat, eating disorders of any type (Under and Over Eating), Cholesterol, Liver Health, Thyroid Health, Acidity, Depression, Aggression, Fatigue, Sleep, Hormones, Metabolic Flexibility, Muscle Flexibility, Mobility, Core Stability, Overall Strength and Fitness. You name it, there is a great chance that striving towards optimum health will fix it.
 
I recently got into a discussion with overweight women about how they talk about being ‘Real Women’ or loving their ‘Curves’ but it is often just a way of hiding from the real problem that being obese is a health risk and it’s not safe for them and it’s not a good example for their children.
 
Listen, I know it’s bold and I come across like an ass but the reality is that us Irish are on our way to being the Fattest and Unhealthiest country in the whole of the EU. Our government are doing sweet F.A about it so I believe you need people like me to slap you in the face with reality. People often get pissed at me but only because I say it as it is. I won’t offer you a doughnut and tell you that it's ok. I’m sure you’re a fantastic person but your health sucks and sooner or later you’ll be a statistical strain on the health system and a burden on your family.
 
I’ve said it a million times, it’s not about living longer it’s just about living a better quality of life. I’d happily die in my sleep at 80 having still being able to wipe my own arse the day before. People often refer to ‘Living a little’ as eating cake or getting drunk. To me living a little is being capable of teaching my kids to climb trees, going for jogs with them, actually playing in the playground with them or walking for hours around European cities and never be physically challenged by any of it.
 
When are you going to wake up and stop feeling sorry for yourself? I believe a lot of you are actually depressed and aren’t even aware of it. Now I have suffered at two points in my life with mental health so yes I do know what I’m talking about from Personal Experience first and Education second.
 
The truth is you probably look at yourself in the mirror and see too many problems, you do probably hate your body, you’re comparing yourself to everyone you see that’s your perception of healthy. For overweight people it’s generally just looking at slimmer people but just because they’re thin doesn’t mean they’re healthy.
 
I get it, I genuinely do but running and hiding from it is never the answer. When people look at me they just see me as I am today but don’t realise that I am an accumulation of 32 years’ experience with Sport, Travel, Jobs, Education, Depression, Abuse, Illness, Children, a Wife and everything else in between.
 
I have had my ups and downs and was lucky enough to learn to get my shit together at a young enough age.
 
So where are you going to start? Do you need to be worrying straight away about fluoridated water or how many grams of protein you’re consuming? That’s probably a little more specific than you need right now. Let’s go for the big hitters to get you started.
 
Here is the order I recommend to get your shit together, it’s not in stone but just take one at a time and just because these are only a few lines on a page, individually they could take months to get right but please don’t let time discourage you. Trust me, it’s going to pass anyway.
 
Make sure you acknowledge all the love and happiness in your life
This alone plays such an important part to all human life. We are social creatures, we need people around us for love and support. Be open with your partner, let them know how you truly feel and ask for their support in getting you to a better place. Also if you have kids, embrace the unconditional love of your child. They don’t really need expensive toys and gadgets. Get on the floor and play or colour. If you’ve older children just sit down with the TV off and music in the background and just talk. When was the last time you just chatted with your child just like you would a friend?
 
Stimulants and depressants aren’t going to help. 
Drink, Drugs and even Coffee are just a way of escaping from reality. Particularly if you’re on anti-depressants you need to stop drinking and stay away from other drugs whether they’re Street, Prescription or Neurophen. You need to get your head sorted, all these stimulants and depressants aren’t going to help.
 
Sleep
This kind of goes hand in hand with the previous point. In eliminating the above you will get a far better hormone response when you’re sleeping. You should be aiming for 9 hours a night. Madness I know but believe me when you develop a pattern of going to bed at 9pm and truly sleeping you’ll soon realise the amount of time wasted on numbing your brain staring at a TV at night. Anyone who tells me how it’s the only time they get to sit down and ‘Enjoy’ in my opinion has never experienced the joy of a solid night’s sleep.
 
Drink Water
Water is so underrated by the public. When people tell me how little water they drink I often wonder how they’re still standing. Rule of thumb is to aim for 1 litre per 25kgs of bodyweight but never more than 700ml in any given hour.
 
It’s time to acknowledge your nutrition
Gluten and Sugar. I've posted other blogs specifically on this that go more in depth but there is so much research in the last few years of how these can affect your mental health. By eliminating gluten (Wheat, Barley and Rye) and reducing sugar to a bare minimum you’ll get rid of so much shit food out of your diet. This is not the time to be worrying about specifics. For where you’re at just have a plentiful diet of Poultry, Meat, Fish, Fruit, Veg, Nuts, Seeds and oils and you’ll be on the right track.
 
Activity
Get out daily. Again we don’t need to get specific about training we just need to get you out of the house. Go for a walk, swim or cycle. Do it somewhere nice that will clear your head. I live out on the coast so for me it’s staring out at the emptiness of the horizon but that’s just me. We have plenty of beautiful places in this country to clear our heads from parks to lakes, hills and mountains. Just get out and enjoy it.
 
Don’t be afraid of yourself
My last point is an important one. When you hear mediation you probably think of having your legs crossed and saying Ohm to yourself over and over. There are tonnes of different ways to meditate but they all pretty much chase the same thing. Stilling your mind and/or acknowledging your thoughts. Don’t be afraid to just sit in silence. You don’t have to sit a certain way or practice breathing techniques just sit still and relax your mind. Starting off you’ll have tonnes of thoughts of all sorts but all you do is isolate a thought, acknowledge it, accept it and move on to the next. Over time you’ll have processed so much and will start to control your thoughts and still your mind.
 
These are just some of the big stuff I have experienced over the years and have had to sort. If you feel you have all above sorted and I mean truly believe. No one else can hear your thoughts so you’re not doing yourself any favours lying to yourself. But if it is all good and you’re ready to move on to more specific habits please use my previous blogs as a reference or contact me with any questions.
 
Now this post was only inspired by me talking with some plus size women but it’s not a post on weight loss. Remember no matter what you look like these are the big points you should be aiming for to get you on the path towards optimum health.
 
If I’ve offended anyone with this post I do apologise but at the same time ask yourself could you do better with certain areas in your life? A lot of my posts are published with only good intentions and plenty of Love and Happiness attached.
 
Until next week,
 
John T