Body Performance - Part One
The Importance Of Emotional Stability
I’ve had success creating a body:
That can do cool stuff
That looks the way I want
I am going to combine the two and share lessons from my 54-year journey.
Start With The End In Mind
This article was inspired by Sophie’s tweet.
Sophie’s topic is always on my mind.
The only time I don’t want to lose weight is when I’m too light and underperforming.
Then, I think I’m “just right.”
:-)
So take time to notice:
What are my thoughts with respect to my body?
How have these thoughts served me in the past?
You do not need to change your thoughts.
To start, you need to notice them.
Then notice, what you…
Say
Write
Do
Sophie’s point about General Optimization touches on Body Performance:
What do you want to do?
What’s required to do that?
General Optimization is separate from how we look. It involves creating a body that can DO.
So what do you want to do?
Write It Down
Make It Real
My current list:
Finish ÖTILLÖ SwimRun World Championship
Sub-10 hour Ironman
My weight is a “small metric” with respect to my goals. Your weight is likely a small metric for your goals.1
Once you know where you want your body to take you, sit down and figure out what’s required to get there.
I’m building you site, and creating a community, to help.
Be dedicated to the performance.
Trust your body to adapt from the work you do.
Free yourself from expectations.
You don’t need to see the entire journey.
Start Here - literally, my “start here” page.
Let Your Body Find Its Way
While you are doing the work, your body will be adapting. Hopefully, successfully adapting.
As your body adapts, its COMPOSITION and CAPABILITES will change.
The weight?
It may, or may not, change.
Doesn’t matter.
Why?
Because if we are not happy at our current weight, then we will not be happy at any weight.2
Chronic weight loss is a game that cannot be won.
Three things help with my desire for chronic weight loss:
Focusing On Body Performance
Meeting My Emotional Needs
Staying At My Strongest Training Weight
Body Composition
Most people focus on more information, eating, not-eating, macros, counting, measuring, meat, no-meat, food group elimination strategies…
but it doesn’t work
and they don’t get anywhere
Why is that?
All of the above, fail to address the underlying issue.
Our current body composition is a reflection of our prior emotional state.
Sustainable body composition begins with having our emotional needs met.
With stability in our emotional lives:
We will have the wisdom to avoid depletion and self-harm.
We will have the courage to ask for help when we need it.
We won’t use overeating
for comfort
to forget
as a coping strategy
My best advice for body composition is summarized in my article, Dead Simple Nutrition.
You’ll find additional resources inside a thread of the 5 Truths of Transformation:
Fat Loss Is Not Driven By Exercise
You Will Not Notice Sustainable Change
Stress & Strain, Binges & Triggers
Replace Rather Than Remove
Understand Your Cycles
Information isn’t what limits us.
Emotional stability is the key.
In Part Two - I’ll get into the nuts of bolts of where to focus for different Body Performance goals.
Back To Table of Contents
Olav Aleksander Bu refers to small metrics in this piece I wrote. The big metrics are covered in another piece I wrote, which was inspired by Coach Bu.
If you can see this truth with respect to your weight, then it will help you in many areas of your life => financial wealth, external success, beauty, geographic location… even the weather.