I hope this inspires you to reach for even BETTER HEALTH than you ever thought possible!
Since it’s Men’s Health Month, and as the only guy on the Regenerate Health / Regenerate Strength team, I wanted to share what it’s been like to go from your “Average Joe”, drinking, partying, poor diet, no physical activity, to a finely tuned healthy machine (with room to grow). In reading about my health and fitness journey, I hope it inspires you to reach for even better health than you ever thought possible
I used to destroy my health. There wasn’t much that I was willing to do FOR it, let alone improve upon it. Sports bars, dives bars, clubs, parties, you name it, if it involved booze, I was there!
Was that intentional? No. It was just a lack of knowledge and understanding of what I was doing to myself. It was also a product of my up bringing with my family.
My father (RIP), was an alcoholic (who also got help and stopped drinking later in life), so I really didn’t know any different. I mean, I can be honest, I knew deep down that boozing and crappy food weren’t the ticket to ideal health, but I also didn’t really understand the long term implications of what my daily choices were doing to my body.
After graduating and making my way into the working world for a large corporation, I started to notice countless examples of people that just looked unhappy and unhealthy after years behind a desk. Dying a slow death under the glare of artificial light, like some lab rat waiting to hit the feeder for another pellet.
That is not something/someone I wanted to become, and after picking up some really bad lifestyle habits in college, where accountability is pretty much non-existent, I felt that I needed to seek out alternative ways to keeping myself healthy. In hindsight it was great timing, as I had already been on some pharma meds that someone in their mid-20’s probably shouldn’t be having to deal with.
Eventually, loving the feeling of accomplishment after a hard workout and noticing the changes in my body!
I started with bootcamps. Hating every minute of it. Feeling how toxic my body was from all of the horrible food, alcohol & pharma meds. But I pushed through, and slowly started making better decisions that wouldn’t make me feel so horrible before, during or after a workout. Eventually, loving the feeling of accomplishment after a hard workout and noticing the changes in my body as a result of having a focused attention on something that was good for me!
Three times per week at a bootcamp eventually became a 5-6 days per week LA Fitness gym membership. Full court basketball for 2-3 hours before or after a workout was not uncommon. This whole working out and being healthy thing started to evolve and I was seeking more challenges than what I was doing.
In came CrossFit, which is where I met my future wife and mother of our soon to be born daughter! CrossFit led into the journey of having a Coach, which led to me seeking out the education to become one myself.
Now, here I sit 17+ years since my health and fitness journey really began, knowing that the journey is really just beginning and after all those years of treating myself poorly, there’s still work to be done to repair the damage.
It just goes to show you that no matter what stage of life you’re in, there is never a bad time to start working towards a better, healthier you.
I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a wife who is a Naturopathic Doctor and starting Regenerate Health with her has been the best thing that ever happened to me. She has been a huge part of my health transformation and really the only reason why I have gained the knowledge I have about the optimization of my hormones, improving my gut function, going through detoxification and creating the right protocols about how to get rid of unwanted toxins in the body, plus much more!
It just goes to show you that no matter what stage of life you’re in, there is never a bad time to start working towards a better, healthier you.
Being healthy does actually take a lot of work. You have to be focused, disciplined and have the ability to say no. You also have to understand the things that are necessary to maintaining good health as you age.
Here are some things that I do on a regular basis to maintain my physical, mental and emotional health, so that I can then pass on this knowledge to not only my daughter, but to all of my clients, friends or anyone who shows an interest.
Physical Health:
- Train weights (create strength, confidence, beneficial hormonal response)
- Train jiu jitsu (humility, discipline, skill & also for mental health)
- Infrared Sauna (detoxification)
- Guided PEMF Therapy
- IV Nutrient Therapy (mixed nutrients, ozone, etc..)
- Liver/Gallbladder flushes (detoxification from the horrible lifestyle choices of my youth)
- Heavy Metal detoxification via IV Chelation
- Colonics (more detoxification)
- In bed by 9pm every night
- Reduce exposure to EMF’s (no wi-fi, turn off electrical fields at night via kill switch, no smart devices, no wearables)
- Avoid processed sugar & alcohol (liver/gallbladder health)
- Nutritional supplementation from my Naturopathic Medical Doctor & wife, Dr. ACE
Mental Health:
- Daily Guided Meditation (clear the mind)
- Get out in nature (reconnect / reground)
- Train Weapons (learn skills, stay proficient)
- Train Survival Skills (build confidence in multiple situations)
- Maintain a solid connection with my wife (date night, workout together, staycations, etc..)
- Keep and maintain a solid group of friends (connect with likeminded people who care about you)
Emotional Health:
- Somatic Therapy (understand how to deal with and express emotions and not hold them in)
- Tell my wife (or your significant other) I love her, everyday!
- Tell my little French Bulldog what a gift she is to us, daily.
- Smile, laugh and remember what a blessing and gift life is.
BEFORE
AFTER
June might be “Men’s Health Month”, but I propose that us men take a look at our health and well being as a critical part of holding the fabric of society together.
Not taking care of your self is unacceptable. This should be the mentality of EVERY father, husband and friend. You owe it to yourself, your family, your friends and your community to be disciplined enough to take care of yourself.
Not taking care of your self is unacceptable. This should be the mentality of EVERY father, husband and friend. You owe it to yourself, your family, your friends and your community to be disciplined enough to take care of yourself.
If not, then seek out the help from other men who do and are willing to help you get to that place. Let’s go from destroying our health to creating it and flourishing.
Till next time, this has been Coach’s Corner.
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