It doesn’t matter how. Be strong, be healthy, and know yourself. You may not want to lift dumbbells. You may love benching barbells. You may thrive outside. You may prefer air conditioning (or heat in the winter!). Just as you can be friends with people you disagree with, you can respect how others attain results /health goals and not have to get yours the same way.
I’m a gym rat sometimes, but currently I am getting hardcore lats in my back yard with a chainsaw and shovel. And cardio is swimming in the pool and the lake.
There’s something for you. In a world filled with billions of humans there are billions of ways. There’s no eating plan that will make you live forever. Skinny does not equal happy, and conversely “fat and happy” is a lie because you won’t be happy for long with high blood pressure and diabetes. You could kill yourself dieting and still gain weight if your stress level has your cortisol skyrocketing.
Let’s get real. Relax.
There are no magic potions…or powders. I put pea protein powder in my blender sometimes with spinach or kale and blueberries. It’s yummy. Sometimes I don’t.
But I’m not religious about it. Religion kills, man! I can tell when I need to add some protein because of how I feel. Know thyself.
Your ancestors may have been hunters, so go eat your buffalo, but the smell of meat cooking makes me want to throw up. This is possibly due to PTSD from church cookouts in Florida in 100 degree summer heat, but I prefer cold, fresh things. Except when it comes to coffee. Cold coffee is satanic mud water. I still love you if you worship satan and like iced coffee and of course we can be friends! Only give me a heads up and I’ll bring my French press.
You may prefer boxed cereal and milk and some Lays with French onion dip. That may not work out very well because prepackaged food often has things in it that mess with your endocrine system. OR you could have genetics of steel and the only vegetable you ever get is canned green beans and you live to 103. You have to do you. But if it’s not working- try something else until you find your fit. You’re free to decide. You don’t have to believe everything you hear. And ***you have permission to change your mind! ***You can ALSO change your opinions on things if you want. Even if you’ve told these opinions to other people.
You can nosh on Ben and Jerry’s on vacation even if you generally avoid sugar. You may be sleepy the next day, but probably won’t die. Let’s ease up and give ourselves some room.
I heard a fitness expert tell a woman one time that eating a banana she may as well eat a Hershey’s bar. She was SO confused! I encouraged her to use common sense. ASK back. “How much potassium does a Hershey’s bar have for my post workout recovery from dehydration?” Because it is NOT 422 milligrams (that’s how much a banana has)!!!! If a banana grows on a tree and a Hershey’s bar is concocted in a factory, how are they the same? Sure a banana has sugar- but it has fiber so you waste the sugar your body doesn’t use. Does a Hershey’s bar have fiber to help you waste the sugar it contains? People tout superior knowledge on Macronutrients/ Micronutrients, and it can be intimidating until you realize- you can get the SAME info on all of this for yourself. You can learn all of this and have every tool you need to make sound decisions. And the BEST deciding factor is how you feel in your own body after you eat, or exercise. Own you.
Try it- if it works -keep going- if it doesn’t, move on. There are lots of experts! But you’re the best expert on you. Get out there and show them what you know.
Like Dharma and Greg 