- The Movement Memo
- Posts
- 4 Reflections On My 15-Year Health Transformation:
4 Reflections On My 15-Year Health Transformation:
(I wish I had known this when I started)
Bobby Ryan
June 07, 2024
read on: themovementmemo.com
read time: 5 minutes
Welcome to The Movement Memo, a bi-weekly newsletter where I share actionable tips to help you live your best day ever, every day.
Today's Programming
Movement: All body chipper
Quote: Lounsbrough on learning from our past
Lesson: 4 reflections on my 15-year health transformation
Optimization: The crossing for cystic fibrosis
Today's Movement
Compete 5 rounds for time:
8 benchpress (135/115 lbs)
20 deadlift (225/ 155 lbs)
8 strict press (95/75 lbs)
20 walking lunges (135/115 lbs)
Everyone comes to Colorado for the winters… and then stays for summers!
Today's Quote
“Any new beginning is forged from the shards of the past, not from the abandonment of the past”
Innovation is born from experience.
The lessons and remnants of our past are the building blocks for our future.
Embracing our past, with all its triumphs and failures, is essential for genuine growth.
Ignoring our past means losing valuable insights that shape our next big success.
Evolution, not revolution, drives progress.
Today's Lesson Learned
4 Reflections On My 15-Year Health Transformation:
No Free Dopamine:
When dopamine is free and floods your system, it's going to have side effects.
We can all get a quick hit of dopamine from drugs, from alcohol, but some consequences come with it. So now I think of dopamine hits through the lens of how can I get it with no consequences.
I like being in flow state. I like feeling energized. I like that feeling of being high on life.
I like to live my life totally present and in an environment where I don’t want to be anywhere else.
This happens most when I get my dopamine from nature:Jumping in a cold body of water.
Getting in a sauna
Doing a hard workout
Going for a run
Going for a hike in nature
Having flow-state conversations with like-minded people
Prioritize dopamine that comes naturally and with no consequences.
2. Risk + Skill = Flow State
As a society, we're losing our ability to focus on one activity at a time.
In our modern world, there are so many distractions with technology, constant notifications, and easy access to everyone else.
So much of why I choose to partake in high-skill, high-risk activities is because it requires total concentration. Mountain biking and trail running require total focus because if your mind wanders, you’re going to find yourself falling down the side of the mountain.What I’ve found is this helps to train my brain to be fully present.
Now, when I’m having a conversation or spending quality time with someone I am fully in the moment.
3. Consistency > Specificity
When it comes to fitness, or building a healthier life, consistency is more important than specificity.
You don’t need to focus on a specific diet. You don’t need to become a CrossFit Games athlete.The best advice I ever received was to pick one pillar, and master that before moving on to the next. This is how I transformed my health.
First, I made training every day a habit. Then I fixed my diet and supplementation. After that, I focused on recovery. Next, I dialed in my community. And finally, I turned my attention to sleep.
This was a 15-year process that I am still actively partaking in every single day. The best way to improve your health is to pick one of the 5 pillars and make a change that you can commit to doing consistently.
4. "Living Life on My Terms"
In college, I wanted to be in the party crowd because that is what I thought this is what we were supposed to do.
I thought this is how you meet people. I thought that to be “cool”, I had to go out and party every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.
Over time I recognized I was chasing the public perception of success, not my own.
I was living my life based on other people's terms, so I drastically changed my life.
Now, I'm living life on my terms and I couldn’t be happier.
My day is based on wellness activities. I interact with the people who share the same values as me. I do business with friends. I can step outside my door to have easy access to nature, mountain biking, trail running, and sunlight. And I host people every night at my house for contrast therapy.
How I live my life today is drastically different from how I lived in my twenties, but I still love leaving others with these memorable experiences. (It’s just not the biggest party anymore!)
Today's Optimization
I'm taking on this amazing challenge for a cause I am extremely passionate about and I would love your support! On June 23rd, riding a Schiller water bike over 80 miles across the Atlantic Gulf Stream, from Bimini, Bahamas to Lake Worth Beach, Florida in a single day! All to raise awareness and funds for those living with cystic fibrosis. If you'd help support me and the Piper's Angels Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis by donating (no matter how big or small) through this page, I'd be truly grateful.
WHAT IS THE CROSSING?
The Crossing For Cystic Fibrosis is a long-distance endurance paddle challenge that takes paddlers 80 miles across the Gulf Stream from Bimini in the Bahamas back to the Florida mainland at Lake Worth Beach. The event was inspired because of the incredible health benefits of the ocean for those living with cystic fibrosis. Travis Suit's daughter Piper was diagnosed with CF when she was four years old and then in 2017, Travis created Piper's Angels Foundation which helps to support families and individuals inpacted by CF. To learn more please visit www.CrossingForCF.com.
ABOUT CYSTIC FIBROSIS
Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time. In people with CF, a defective gene causes a thick buildup of mucus in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. In the lungs, the mucus clogs the airways and traps bacteria, leading to infections, extensive lung damage and eventually, respiratory failure. In the pancreas, the mucus prevents the release of digestive enzymes that allow the body to break down food and absorb vital nutrients. There is no known cure, and the disease demands significant treatments every single day!
Know friends, training partners, or co-workers who would take value from weekly tips on a healthier lifestyle, enhanced accountability, and improved routines? Thanks for sharing!
WAS THIS FORWARDED TO YOU? Sign up here!
QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS? Reply to this email!
Publisher: Eric Hinman
Editor-in-chief: Bobby Ryan