As an ex-Olympic ski racer and professional athlete for many years, I know more than most what excessive training does to your body and mind.
I went through this period between the age of 12 to 20. I wound up sick often, had broken legs, and then a broken heart, when I crashed badly, I tore up my right leg.
I was young and believed I was indestructible — on top of the World, and I’d stay there forever.
But, in life, things mostly don’t pan out how you want them to!
After my crash and multiple operations to fix the knee and save the leg, I carried on with my life as best I could. I had to start over in a place I didn’t want to be.
I started training in the gym and running twice a day
I thought I was “tough and manly” by following this routine. It made me feel somewhat in charge again.
My body was bulked up, and my confidence was as high as the Empire State Building.
What I did not know or realize at the time was that I was:
1 — Damaging my fragile knee
2 — Eating junk food and everything I could get my hands on in between
3 — Constantly feeling low-energy ( I didn’t know why)
4 — Damaging my heart
5 — Getting fatter around my waistline
It took me 20 more years to figure out what I was doing wrong
I was pre-diabetic, not obese, but 60 lbs. overweight — all nicely stacked around my waist. I used to call it “love handles.”
I believed it was “normal” to add weight in your 30s and 40s and just go with the flow.
I will work out more — so I kept saying to myself — and I did. But nothing helped me lose weight or feel and look better.
Then in 2015, I had a stroke
That got me a little worried and sent an anxious and very stressful wake-up call to my brain.
I said to myself:
“Man, you gotta figure this out and change, or you might not make it past 50!”
That minor stroke was my lifesaver. It slapped me in the face, and I took action.
I studied all foods and what it “really” does to the body and mind. Then I became a modern nutritionist and changed my diet from terrible to excellent.
I cut the carbs and all sugars and started to cook homemade real food.
It only took me 2 months to shed my excess weight and become lean and healthy again.
Once I recovered my body, my mental health soon stabilized too — they are interconnected.
That was 8 years ago.
Today I wrote this story at 54, feeling better and stronger than ever, with endless energy, ideas, and power of mind, body, and soul.
Now I know I will make it to 100, and so can you!
My message to all the young-gun gym rats out there
Please stop wasting your time in the gym pumping iron, taking mirror selfies, and posting them on social media to get attention.
You’re not only wasting your time — you are overtraining, slowly ruining your heart, and most likely overeating, and none of that will lead to good health!
Instead, spend more time in nature, walking, jogging, swimming, doing easy bodyweight workouts, and a little sprinting once a week.
That’s all you need t do to stay fit, strong, lean, and save time and money!
If you follow my advice, I can guarantee you will feel and look better in less than 2 months!
Last but not least — stop gulping those protein shakes after your workout — I used to, too — because they were yummy, and that’s because they’re full of sugar that makes you fat and want to eat more!
A never-ending merry-go-around that will eventually burn you out and potentially serve you heart disease
Final Takeaways
1 — Go easy on yourself in body and mind. Life is hard enough as it is.
2 — Think about your heart and internal health instead of bulking up your muscles — you look silly when doing that, as it’s unnatural.
3 — Get off as many carbs as possible and remove all sugars from your diet.
4 — Spend time in nature: walking, swimming, working out, or chill.
5 — Leave your smartphone alone and stop posting “look at me” silly selfies, girls and guys — it’s immature and not helpful to your body or mind
Trust me — you’ll be better off that way.
Rob
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