Imagine your life as a boat. Every single event – no matter how big or small, fast or slow – either pushes your boat closer to the bottom of the ocean or keeps it afloat.
What is considered an event? What you ate for your last meal is an event. Each bite is a smaller event inside the bigger event. Reading a book or any piece of writing is an event. Doing one push-up or drinking a Mai Tai is an event.
I think you get the idea.
Sometimes you have complete control over the events in your life. Other times you don’t.
Additionally, what floats your boat may not float mine. This is explained well in the following passage from The Primal Connection on page 28 or location 354 for us kindle users:
We are all preprogrammed to interact with nature, to seek downtime for solitude and silence, to socialize with a smaller group of people than what populates our Facebook list, to get up and move throughout the day. However, the particulars of how you or I or anyone else satisfies these needs can and do vary wildly. Such is the spice of life and the power of personal preference. Don’t let any diet guru, life coach, or any other impure influence try to tell you differently. No one knows better how to float your boat than you.
Whatever floats your boat
“Whatever floats your boat”. I’ve been saying this to dozens of people for years. We are all on our own unique journeys and no one has the right to tell us how we should live.
Observing how others live is an exceptional learning tool. We all make mistakes so why not learn from those mistakes that our fellow human beings make? As the baby in the family with 3 siblings, I have most definitely taken advantage of this.
On the flip side, when it comes to your own individual body, it does not make sense to eat exactly how someone else eats, even if it’s working wonders for them (unless your life is exactly like theirs!). If there was one perfect diet for all it’s likely we would not have a disease epidemic since nutrition is possibly the biggest factor behind nearly all disease (I still think all forms of stress are bigger). Not to mention this world would be very boring too.
However, our differences are what make life so beautiful. Don’t you agree?
It’s also true that your individual nutrition needs change on a daily basis. It’s all dependent on your unique environment which includes but is not limited to the following factors: sleep, stress, activity, personal preference, climate and even the people you interact with. Most of these factors you are able to control while others are out of your hands.
What about movement?
We all need to move as Mark alluded to. But instead of exercising with machines at a gym just because you think it’s healthy, why not engage in activities that you actually enjoy? It’s a given that resistance exercises for both men and women are extremely beneficial. They make you feel great too! I personally rely solely on bodyweight exercises and I love every minute of it. But you may prefer lifting weights at the gym. Or CrossFit. Or MovNat.
Today, my boat stays afloat while engaging in bodyweight exercises more often than not, but my approach changes with every session. I dont’ have any particular set routine when I begin. Additionally, MovNat may float my boat in the near future since I’ll be living in Austin for 3 months beginning March 19, 2013.
Dancing on the other hand? I’ll always love this movement. And damn, it’s the best workout in the world! If you live in Austin or will be there for PaleoFX at the end of March and love to dance then please shoot me an email!
In the fitness arena, the only constant amongst all human beings is that we need to move frequently. Sitting for long periods of time is toxic to your body. This is a given too I expect.
When it comes to anything in life, take everything you read or hear with a grain of salt. I personally enjoy reading and listening to a variety of people from all walks of life on a variety of topics. I’ve learned that everyone has a unique story to tell that we can all learn from. This prevents us from repeating stupid mistakes if we have an open-mind. In today’s modern world, it’s easy to suffer from information overload which may leave you confused and thus action-less since everything contradicts each other. This is why I’m having a blast with self-experimentation.
What about you? What floats YOUR boat in regards to diet and fitness? In other areas of life? Leave a comment below if you wish.
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