I gained about 30 pounds during the pandemic and then lost it again during the last year. Who knows if Covid is coming back this winter, but I damn sure won't gain that weight again.
My anxiety about the vaccine, lockdowns, and being away from my family and friends for so long was sky-high. I was eating crazy, ordering Uber Eats quite frequently, using many Uber gift cards, neglecting workouts, and playing a lot of Call of Duty and Fifa (add me if you play, azmi24). I didn't realize how fast I would accumulate weight from that sedentary lifestyle, and I wanted to get back in shape quickly.
Regarding diet, I did it by fasting one or two days a week and substituting all the junk food in the house with fruits and vegetables. Concerning physical activity, I started playing pick-up basketball almost every other day, power walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes at an incline of 10, hiking and walking throughout the day, and choosing to take the stairs as much as possible.
I know everybody and their momma is tired of hearing people talk about fasting. Still, it has been shown to have many potential health benefits, including weight loss, improved mental clarity, and reduced inflammation. It can also help improve heart health and longevity. Some people also find that fasting helps them feel more in control of their eating habits, which can lead to a healthier overall lifestyle.
To start fasting, the first step is to decide on the type of fast you want. Some common fasts include intermittent fasting, where you only eat during certain hours, and alternate-day fasting, where you eat every other day. Once you have decided on a type of fast, you can start by gradually reducing your food intake and increasing the length of your fasts.
If you're not a gym rat like me, it might be easier to get your cardio in if you can play pick-up sports like basketball, soccer, flag football, and ultimate frisbee. Playing a sport can be great because it combines physical activity with enjoying competition and teamwork. This can make it more fun and engaging than other forms of exercise, which can help you stay motivated and stick with it over the long term.
Playing a sport can also provide a full-body workout, improving your cardiovascular fitness, building strength, and improving your flexibility and coordination. In addition, many sports require quick decision-making and strategic thinking, which can help improve your mental agility and cognitive function.
Having a kettlebell at home also did wonders for me. I did a lot of Russian kettlebell swings (we should call them something else) at home while watching movies and listening to podcasts and during the waiting room in Modern Warfare.
But one of the things that made the most significant difference for me was not allowing junk food into my home.
My discipline could be better, and if there's junk food available, I will eat it. Replacing junk food with healthy snacks was everything. Everyone knows eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to improve your overall health and well-being. A straightforward way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables is to include at least one serving of fruit or vegetable at each meal, or snacking on fruits and vegetables throughout the day, such as pomegranates, grapefruits, carrot sticks, apple slices, or a handful of berries.
The biggest reason I got hooked on fruits and salads wasn't because of physical results but mental clarity. With all the research about ultra-processed foods and the connections to dementia and other diseases, it's become so important to me to eat stuff that supports brain health and improves the ability to think.
Eating fruits and salads can help you think better in a few different ways. First, fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals essential for proper brain function. They can help improve blood flow to the brain, which can help you think more clearly and improve your concentration. Additionally, fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber, which can help keep you feeling full and satisfied. This can help prevent you from getting distracted by hunger, which can make it difficult to think clearly.
Here are a few tips for remembering to eat fruits:
Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter or dining table where you can see it easily. This can serve as a visual reminder to eat fruit.
Set a daily reminder on your phone or calendar to eat fruit at a particular time.
Plan ahead and include fruits in your meal prep for the week. This can make it easier to incorporate fruits into your diet regularly.
Keep a supply of frozen or canned fruits on hand when fresh fruit isn't available.
Make fruit a part of your routine, such as having a piece of fruit as a mid-morning snack or adding fruit to your breakfast daily.
Experiment with different types of fruit to find ones that you enjoy and are convenient for you to eat. This can make it more likely that you will eat the fruit and not forget it.
By the way, drink a ton of water. My rule is to drink almost a liter with every meal and not leave the table until you do. Most of us are dehydrated. Water makes up about 75% of the human brain. The brain is composed of neurons and glial cells, which support and protect the neurons. Neurons are particularly sensitive to changes in hydration levels, and even a slight decrease in the amount of water in the brain can significantly affect brain function. It's essential to stay hydrated by drinking enough water to support proper brain function and overall health.
Two books that helped me get back in shape were The 4-Hour Body and The Mind-Gut Connection.
In The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferris conveyed thrilling information about body recomposition and increased performance. He doesn't offer the usual advice about eating more greens, reducing saturated fat, and burning more calories. His approach is uncommon, and he provides many unusual solutions.
Ferris proposes reducing body fat percentage with small doses of garlic, sugar cane, and tea extracts, extending the fat-burning half-life of caffeine with naringenin (a molecule in grapefruit juice). He also talks about increasing insulin sensitivity by adding cinnamon to pastries, drinking pre-meal lemon juice to burn more fat, and increasing cold exposure for better sleep.
Tim Ferris isn't a doctor nor a Ph.D., but he has access to some of the best athletes and scientists worldwide. His book's ideas made me think that my current understanding of dietary and nutritional guidelines needs revision. The book is suitable for skipping around and focusing on what you want, whether that's rapid fat loss, muscle or rapid strength gain, or total well-being. There's practical information in every chapter.
In The Mind-Gut Connection, Emeran Mayer does an excellent job discussing how to heal the gut with a plant-based diet, balancing the microbiome with fermented foods and probiotics, and the benefits of fasting and cutting out sugar and processed foods. Emeran Mayer shares excellent information about detoxifying, creating healthy digestion, and achieving maximum nutrient absorption.
Between both books, you will understand how to improve your overall well-being and develop a happier mindset. The authors provide a wealth of information that reminds us that our behavior results from our neurophysiological state. Our internal representations and physiology work together in a cybernetic loop to determine our actions and reactions. By understanding this relationship, we can better understand ourselves and work to improve our mental and emotional health.
Ralph Waldo Emerson's words, "The ancestor of every action is a thought," highlight the importance of mindfulness in shaping our behavior. By paying attention to things like muscle tension, posture, breathing, diet, and overall biochemical functioning, we can gain control over our neurophysiological state and consciously direct our internal representations. This allows us to more efficiently manage and direct our behavior, tapping into our personal power and unlocking our full potential.
Good luck in your journey inward and the journey toward personal fitness, and remember, if it scares you, say yes.