Disciplining Your Body

"The body should be treated more rigorously, that it might not be disobedient to the mind."
- Seneca the Younger

The immortal words of one of the greatest thinkers and writers to ever live offer us a perfect framework for today's discussion. A disciplined and healthy body is an essential component to a healthy mind. If you don't believe me, trying staying up all night and then going to work all day without eating. Chances are you won't be at your best. A mind truly is a terrible thing to waste, and if you're not taking proper care of its housing, you are wasting it.

The Right Fuel

Your body is a complex biological machine, and it needs the right fuel to function properly just like any other machine. You wouldn't put dirty water in your car's gas tank, so stop putting garbage in your body.

What you put in your body on a daily basis has a direct impact on how it functions, and studies are even showing a direct link to your mental health as well. To this end, you need to, as I like to tell my friends, family, and personal clients, "put down the cheeseburger." 

Your body is better fueled by certain foods than others, and that's just a fact. If you subsist mainly on food that comes out of a box or drive through window and beverages full of sugar, then you are putting incredible amounts of unnecessary strain on your body. You are doing what my old Army cadre would call "setting yourself up for failure," not to mention fatigue and a number of other health complications.

While I won't get into detailed recipes here (contact me directly for more direct and in depth assistance with cleaning up your nutrition), I will make this incredible simple for you: Eat real food. What counts as real food? Read the label. If you can't pronounce the ingredient list, it's probably not real.

Protein Sources

First and foremost, you need protein in your diet. I personally am a ravenous meat eater, but this still applies if you are vegetarian or even vegan. Your personal values are no excuse to get lazy or treat yourself badly.

If you're going to eat meat, make sure it's real meat. This means actually going to the grocery store and getting actual, direct from an animal fresh or frozen meat, bringing it home, and cooking it. If you don't know how to do that, the all-knowing internet is there for you. If you don't want to figure it out, contact me and I'll give you instructions that are soldier-proof. 

Vegetables

Yes, your mother was right. You need to eat your vegetables. If you want to get serious about it, avoid brown and red potatoes and stick to sweet potatoes. But the important thing is that you eat real, yes, real, vegetables. Fresh or frozen, doesn't matter. Just get half your plate full of them.

What You Drink

First things first, you need to drink more water. Yes, more. Unless you're one of those people that already drinks a gallon or more of water a day, you need to drink more water. Proper hydration is quite possibly one of the most neglected aspects of nutrition, so get chugging.

Other than that, you need to put down the soda and drink either straight black coffee(a reasonable amount, which isn't 6 cups a day) or loose leaf tea. Don't mess with all of those supposedly "healthy" energy drinks and juices. Just drink what's provably good for you.

Fitness

Now that we have you fueling your body, it's time to put it work.

Lift Heavy

I've spoken before about about how the best exercise is the kind you actually do. But for my money, there's nothing that disciplines your body better than heavy lifting. Get a barbell in your hands and start doing the core lifts. The next time you lift, add 5 pounds. Programs and systems abound for the best way to seriously get into this. Contact me directly for details on some of the best beginner systems and how to implement them. If you combine this with proper nutrition, you will very quickly see and feel results.

Stretch

Some basic flexibility is an extremely good idea. Whether you take up formal Yoga, or just some simple stretches at home in the morning, this can only benefit you.

It's Worth it

It undeniably takes work to bring your body to healthy and disciplined state, especially if you've let yourself slip. It is, however, unquestionably worth it to put in this work. Physical strength isn't everything, but it can only help you.

Tell us your stories and experiences with your own journey towards physical strength and health. Tell us how you have rigorously disciplined your body.