HW Blog: “Out of Alignment”

“I’m not that fat.” 

If I had a dollar for every time I looked in the mirror and said that to myself over the decade that preceded the collapse of my health…

Well, I might not be rich but I wouldn’t be poor. 

When it comes to hard truths, specifically about ourselves, it’s hard to admit failure. We take it as a statement of our worth and identity. Those statements are false. Failure is not what defines you. What you do with your failure is.

Stop believing that you’ll always be the way you are, that the road to change is too steep, or that your other priorities are more important. Those are also lies and distortions. 

So how do I know if I’m believing lies about my health or if I do have issues that need to be addressed?

You need a diagnostic. You need to do an assessment.

Here’s a quick Physical Health Assessment to help you know where you stand and what areas to fix:

Body

• What does the Mirror say?

• How does your body look? — Fit? Flabby? Muscular? Saggy? 
• How does your face look? — Tired? Energized? Vibrant? Dull?
• What would you change if it cost you nothing and why?

• What does the Scale say?

• Scales should never be the sole influencer of our physical health as there are a number of variables to consider 
• If you’re a male who’s under 6’ tall and over 200 pounds then you better be very physically active or an anomaly (you are not an anomaly)
• And if you’re 215 pounds or more, you’re in what I call “the danger zone”
• The danger zone is 20 pounds or more overweight
• It becomes dangerous because once you reach this weight it’s A) easier to accept that you’re fat than to B) put in the months of work that it will now take to lose the weight effectively

• How does your Body feel?

• How are your joints and tendons? 
• What is sore or tender?
• Do you get winded walking stairs or bending over?
• How often are you physically tired?

Nutrition

There are three things to consider regarding the food you eat:

#1 — Intolerable 

• What foods are you not able to eat without real consequences (severe stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.)
• How many of these foods impact you and are they still in your diet?

#2 — Disagreeable

• Do you know what foods are unhelpful to your digestion (bloating, discomfort) or energy levels (make you feel lethargic or give you spikes of energy and then crashes)?
• How often are you eating out?
• How much caffeine are you consuming?
• How much alcohol?
• How much snacking do you do?

#3 — Not Productive

• Do you know what foods are easiest for you to digest and give you the most energy?
• Do you know how much protein you should be consuming for your size and activity?
• Do you know how much fat you take in on a regular day and is this number consistent?
• These questions are vital for your physical health as protein preserves and enable the creation of muscle while fat helps maintain brain health and testosterone. 
• Eating too little or too much could have consequences, not only to your physical but to your mental and emotional states as well.

Recovery

• Sleep

• Do you fall asleep quickly? Struggle with insomnia? Snore or have sleep apnea?
• Do you wake refreshed and energized or tired and still exhausted? 
• Do you need caffeine in the morning to wake you up and get you going?
• How often do you get tired throughout the day (track to see patterns)

• Rest

• Is how you rest and relax intentional and effective in rejuvenating you?
• Do your days off of work have specific routines for rest and rejuvenation?
• Are you still tired after a day of doing nothing?

So, how do you rate yourself? 

Remember, you’re not trying to prove anything. Be honest.

If you’re out of alignment with your body, nutrition, or recovery then assess and adjust accordingly.

If you’re significantly out of alignment (20+ pounds overweight, waking up tired and exhausted often, not feeling refreshed after a day off) then you need to raise your hand and get some help. 

Here are some tools to get you started:

• My Fitness Pal — start tracking your calories; even if you eat poorly you need to see how many calories you’re putting into your engine

• Sleep Tracker — start getting stats on your sleep

• Scale & Pictures — start the morning by taking a daily picture of yourself in the mirror without your shirt on before you eat and then weigh yourself (keep a log and only assess the info once a week to notice changes; adjust nutrition and activity accordingly)

The FIT Programs

Consider joining one of the FIT Programs launching the last week of August. 

Click the links for more details.