Path of Wellness

Stretching back to the very earliest episodes, I reflect, on the very nature of a Path of Wellness. Be clear that every moment that you are capable of noticing in your life is a point along your journey to pause and observe the choices in front of you. So many moments in which to make a mindful decision based on what you've learned works for you along your personal Path of Wellness.

This episode gets us straight to the point of the pandicular story. Practicing purposeful pandiculation is a wonderful way to identify where physical issues exist within the body and to reconnect the parts of muscles we've forgotten about over our lifetime. Learn how to use this wonderful and ancient mechanism to help get physically well and stay that way along your personal Path of Wellness.

Get ready to connect a few dots and learn about the powerful and common phenomenon of yawning. A little bit of history and a little bit of science help along the way to understanding just how important the yawn is to our physical lives, and how it connects to the ancient process of Pandiculation. This episode will certainly get you thinking along your personal path of wellness.

It's the most important "stretch" that no one talks about. Dogs, cats, and even the squirrel in the back yard all experience the amazing ancient and usually unrollable phenomenon called pandiculation. If we're healthy enough, we should be experiencing pandiculation at least once a day. As we age or become less physically active, however, this process begins to shut down. This strange experience we think of as a morning stretch is so much more than that and can be used as one of the best and simplest forms of corrective exercise along our personal Path of Wellness.

This could easily have been the official book impact episode for Burkeman's 4,000 Weeks. Like so many of my stories, it twisted and turned unexpectedly and, by the end, truly became about that book's impact on my wellness journey. But it's much broader than that. It's a bout how one, newly discovered philosophy can fold into our existing philosophical frameworks to continue building a tool box of wellness strategies. And, bear with me while I, once again, reflect on my recent migraine to help explore recovery along my personal path of wellness.

After being forced to stop all nonessential activities in my life I was, thankfully, able to see a clear path back to health. And the first order of business had to be finding a way to live my best life without putting so much darn pressure on myself to do it in a specific way. In fact, I learned a very clear lesson on how to allow “nothing“ to occur far more often. Indeed, an unexpected addition to my way of thinking that helps provide peace and contentedness.

Sometimes we have to look inward, as I did when dealing with my mysterious leg issues. If we are lucky, it's a voluntary look. When we are unlucky, life throws another unexpected curveball that forces a deep search into the core for the truth of our actions. For me, the last year culminated in a traumatic event I won't soon forget and I, quite literally, stopped doing just about everything.

It's often a challenge to identify and overcome wellness obstacles...even when you choose to do so. But, sometimes the need to shift your wellness choices is forced on you and responding to the change with thoughtful intention is what matters most. Whether it takes weeks, months, or even years to figure out the best options, staying focused on the wellness levers that work for you will help make sure you're still headed in a healthy direction along your personal path of wellness.

It was a an important trip back to New York City several years ago that helped me overcome a troubling theme in my life. That trip and its vocal purpose reaffirmed the value of living with intention, a concept that continues to be a major factor along my personal Path of Wellness.

I wanted to do something extra special for this 50th episode. Something that would capture the essence and the overarching message of this podcast. I'm not sure another episode will follow so that makes this one even more important. Thankfully, I routinely look back at my ideas and the writing prompts I've jotted down over the years. One of those thoughts presented a perfect topic for this special episode along my very personal Path of Wellness.

Throughout this podcast, I've made clear that seeing the positives where negatives might dominate is very valuable for improving personal wellness. Examples of this are everywhere. Recently, however, I've had a chance to put this theory to work through an unexpected turn of events. Nothing more serious or impactful than what a lot of people deal with every day, I'm sure, but the circumstances gave me a chance to reflect on my own humility and strength, and the power of living life through a view of the tailwinds that are always blowing behind me.

Since paying closer attention to the birds, I've recognized, more clearly than ever, something about the world around me. The broader idea that all of the animals and plants around us seem to exist as one. A whole living system that, I'm pretty sure, humans are supposed to be a part of. It does seem obvious, though, that we have lost that connection to the natural world around us. A connection that might truly help us along our personal Path of Wellness.

Making sure you take some time to “smell the flowers“ can also include taking time to watch the birds. It's been a wonderful and eye opening summer of noticing things about bird behavior that I've never seen. Actually, I've seen it all but was never very mindful about what, exactly, I was looking at…until now.

A long-standing desire is finally being quenched. A decision that's been delayed and buried in doubt is a tough one to come to terms with but so important for continuing to peel away any fears of being wrong.

When something is happening that doesn't make sense, your brain will often just make something up to explain it. One of the brain's most important jobs, actually, is to put a story together that you can and will believe…no matter what the truth really is. And the shock of being caught in a candid camera joke, with clearly obvious clues being still so hidden and denied, has stayed with me for over 20 years.

For the longest time, I've wanted to do book reports. Share some of the books that had the most impact in my life. But, it turns out “report” isn't quite right and what I really care to do is discuss how and why they've impacted me. Kathryn Schulz's “Being Wrong” is the first and possibly most important of those selections, as it opened the door for objective and defense-free self exploration, a critical component of living an examined life along my personal Path of Wellness.

After talking about changing my "north star" of wellness, i thought I'd further explore what value my new star brings to my wellness journey. More broadly, what value a longevity mindset has brought to my life. Science can help define "how" I can achieve more than 130 years of healthy living, but "why" I would want to is entirely in my hands. And it's not in order to see what the future holds...it's more about getting me to that future, in the first place. The inspirations needed for, and gained from, a longevity mindset are critical for the journey along my personal Path of Wellness.

As I work with the various wellness factors in my life, moving towards my North Star of being the best version of me possible, it's important to be open to the changes that are needed along the way. Living an examined life allows me to encounter all those wellness opportunities I've explored, but it also provides opportunities to reassess the larger framework and map I've created to direct me along my personal Path of Wellness.

The things we choose to focus on will, in turn, dictate how we experience our lives. Is the focus on the obstacles that get in the way or on the good things that push us forward? It can certainly be both but it's likely one dominates over the other. And cultivating a clearer view of the blessings and possibilities can have a wonderful way of pushing you forward along your personal Path of Wellness.

Sometimes, the impact fear can have on our lives is immeasurable and long lasting. I've spoken of my depression and anxiety but haven't spent a lot of podcast time on fear. It certainly has had a very broad impact on me, driving doubt and causing immobility. And it is something, very much, worth exploring along my personal path of wellness.

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to get hit by it, does it still make an impact? Encountering wellness in our every day lives includes the obvious opportunities to improve our responses to people and circumstances but it also includes inspiration. Inspiration to help clarify problems or, perhaps more importantly, to see the importance of living every moment that we're lucky enough to have. Thankfully, we get to decide how to respond to the various lessons along our personal path of wellness.

What's the deal with stretching? It's hard to get used to and is often uncomfortable but is it really necessary? Put on your thinking caps and bring your pretzels because we're going to keep working your brain while we chew on some very important details about the nature and value of stretching. Spoiler alert - it's pretty darn important.

When your body is aligned, body parts well connected to each other and to the brain, amazing things can happen. Another level of strength and stability becomes possible, allowing you to withstand and recover from whatever life throws at you…even if it's an SUV.

I appreciate, every day, how lucky I am to have the training and practice of healthy movements in my life. And when I experience an unexpected ankle “twist“ during a run, I count on that experience to give me faith in the fact that I can recover. But avoiding a long-term injury as a result of this “twist” is going to depend on my response to it the moment. All the work I've done to practice good mechanics come in to play to help keep me Moving Smarter and Living Stronger

If all is well, movement has been a part of life since before birth...but that doesn't mean that the movement is healthy. Even the simplest movements, done incorrectly, can cause significant problems that might manifest as an immediate muscle spasm or cause years of micro injuries that create issues later in life. Incorporating the Standing Plank exercise into your daily movements is a great way to put your core to work while staying strong and stable through life. That's why building the skills to move with strength and stability has to involve a deeper understanding of the The Art of The Lean. Making sure you're "bending" or "leaning" over properly, as simple as it sounds, is another critical part of Moving Smarter and Living Stronger. Check out this video to see more - https://youtu.be/p1SoySeRuz0

Much of this episode is a verbatim transcript reading of a video I did several years ago called “standing planks“. I did my best to adapt it to this format but it's still very useful to check the video out here - https://youtu.be/_sFfS0lFz9M For anyone who has explored ways to strengthen the Core muscles, the plank exercise has certainly come up. Since these muscles are designed to maintain stability, a stabilizing exercise is what's needed. But floor planks are not the only way to do this and, more importantly, there are ways of thinking about the plank that allow it to be incorporated into your every day movements. Standing Planks are an invaluable practice for improving all postures and movements and can be done just about anywhere, any time.

Witnessing a mind blowing example of balance and stability, I began a deep dive into why a stability ball can play such a big role in improving health and wellness. This episode further explores how to find and intentionally activate the core, specifically the TVA, and continues to set the stage for stabilizing all the postures and movements of daily life. It is one of the key lessons I've carried with me to this day and continues to help keep me moving smarter and living stronger.

If we are going to strive to keep our bodies in motion as much as possible, shooting for some magical number of steps per day, we have to make sure that movement is healthy. All the movements of daily life require a certain amount of strength and stabilization and, for the most part, that stabilization comes from our core muscles. Learning why they are so important to healthy movement, as well as where and what they are, is a vital first step to make sure that you're moving smarter and living stronger.

I suppose, by now, there aren't too many people that haven't heard about 10,000 steps. For a wide variety of reasons, it's a pretty valuable goal to shoot for. But why 10,000? Where did it come from? What about 9000, 8000 or 7000? Regardless of the number, moving more each day has had a significant impact on my wellness, my health efficacy and, more broadly, how I think about moving through my life.

There is a lot talked about regarding the impact exercise has on our well-being but there are some key ideas within that concept that are worth exploring on this podcast. As I've continued my efforts to be the best me possible, physical movement has had a significant positive affect. Along with good sleep and nutrition, just keeping your body in motion can heal a lot of what ails us.

For me, critical tools against depression are a belief in the future and an ability to roll with what life throws at you. Understanding that doesn't happen overnight but it can begin in an instant. And if you are aware, attentive to the given moment in your life, it can become a strong piece of defense against darkness. Ironically, the critical moment that pushed darkness as far away as ever, was triggered by the bright orange flames of fire.

It certainly does feel good to be able to feel good. To live constantly in light and relative happiness, experiencing only the usual struggles of relationships and responsibilities. And it has been important to always recognize what puts me in that mindset and also what will keep me there. My tools to fight depression were plenty at this point and, thankfully, continued to develop during this fulfilling period of my life.

Thank goodness I experienced so many wonderful wins during that first college experience because I needed those growing “layers” of protection to continue pushing through. I continue to bounce around from one direction to another, all the while just compounding the struggles in my brain. But I pulled from the past, and saw how to continue towards the light…but something always seems to get in the way.

I definitely felt a growing ability to push back against darkness as I moved through this first college experience. Critical moments taught me what tools work to keep me from the deepest black of depression. Though I had started developing these tools, however, they were not as sharp as they are now. But I got lucky that an unexpected coincidence gave a little more strength to my efforts to keep moving forward.

It could have been the darkest of days when I was faced with the decision to turn away from the one thing that had brought such light into my life. But my time in the darkness taught me to never stop trying to move forward and to recognize even the slightest beam of hope. Feeling the “dead end kid” disappearing forever was the key to spotting a chance for growth and for nudging me in a new direction along my personal Path Of Wellness.

I discovered Theatre not long after discovering the mental health trouble I was in and it became a bright light in the darkness of my life. Through high school and into college, that was the group I kept going back to. But I was in for a very different experience with the theatre folks in college. One that I never could've seen coming. And one that has rippled through my life to this day, more than 30 years later.

It's one thing to recognize an unwanted behavior and to make the effort to change, but it's a much different thing to become aware of a significant mental health issue in yourself when you're just a kid. Knowing nothing about addressing the problem, not to mention any concept of behavior change, I made the mindful decision to fight. To fight to live and to search for the light whenever I feel darkness approaching.

Throughout this podcast, the way the topics are delivered has evolved. I've gone from thinking they'd be given like lessons in a text book to simply just telling stories about my encounters with wellness along my personal journey. And peppered in with the joy, the sleep, the song and the heartache have been references to many other wellness factors and domains. This episode marks the beginning of a deep dive into the most frequent of those passing references. How depression has presented itself in my life and what I've done to find the way from darkness to light has played the biggest role in my wellness journey and will shape the next several episodes of this Path of Wellness.

When you really want to do something for your wellness but the doing of that something might create anxiety, you've got yourself a wellness conflict. This issue is showing itself as I contemplate more broadly publicizing this podcast about my personal Path of Wellness. But doing so involves coming up against a major anxiety trigger that I can't let stop me.

Our lives are molded by so many decisions, both good and bad. Learning how to accept and live with the bad ones has been a major part of my personal wellness journey. Any moment in the future can become very different than what you expected and so every moment in the present should be held dear.

Finishing up my breakdown of Andrew and Polly's Forever Young, it's clear the song hit on some major themes for me. Being able to adjust to the unexpected, whether physical or emotional, and keeping a song in my heart all the while, have been critical factors contributing to my state of health. But engaging life with a youthful sense of awe and wonder and joy is an absolute “must have” as I travel along my personal path of wellness.

I continue breaking down one of my favorite children's songs. There's a lot about truth packed into a few lines of lyrics and, though I perceive it very difficult for a child to learn to be truthful to themselves and others, we might as well start teaching it as young as possible. It's a shame, however, that long before most kids grow to be thoughtful and true they leave the encouraging lyrics of kids music behind and we hope they continue to follow a parent's guidance and become the best they can be.

Unless an adult has small kids, I don't think too many are listening to children's music. But the messages we encourage our kids with can still apply no matter your age. Strip away the music and notice the words. Words to live by as you journey along your path of wellness.

In an unexpected “aha” moment I found myself reflecting on the songs that have meant the most to me during my life's journey. From the breakups to the joys, the lyrics of a song can teach, support and even guide us. And I encountered a particular favorite during an evening run that struck me with its directly positive and uplifting message. Even just reflecting on music that helped shape my life, unexpectedly pushes me along my personal path of wellness.

Taking care of yourself seems like a simple idea. You're just supposed to do it. But how do you know what's going to work for you. After deciding what wellness factors to work on how do you know what the best way is to get you to the goal? How do you know how to take care of yourself?

For one reason or another, there is an aspect to the sleep story that I have left out. It took a bit of work to overcome the seriously unsettling nature of sleeping on my back, which was an important and uncomfortable aspect of learning to sleep. Once again, sleeping becomes very personal but the resulting wins helped round out these important lessons of how to go to sleep.

I could never have recognized how important that “clear year” was to the rest of my life. Yes, I was working on long-term personal improvements but, reflecting back, I can see how much more was really happening. Using breath as a focus was extremely valuable, but it's what that breath pulled me from that's had the most impact. It encouraged me to let's all my troubled thoughts pass on by. I didn't know that I stumbled on a technique for improving my sense of wellness because I thought I was just learning how to go to sleep. I've learned that it was so much more than that.

Once my need for more sleep became very apparent I had to figure how to actually do it. Learning how to fall asleep in a healthy way was a game changer and the technique I stumbled upon is one I use to this day. There are many factors that affect our ability to sleep but having the confidence that you can, at least, fall asleep when time comes can have a huge impact on your sense of wellness and health efficacy.

Having fun, exploring new joys and learning about yourself are all important aspects of a healthy and positive journey along your Path Of Wellness. But that journey will be a very tiring one if good sleep isn't part of the plan. In fact, so much of the good we try to do for ourselves can be diminished if coupled with poor sleep habits…no matter how hard we try.

The idea of being “aware” of your actions and wellness choices has been one of the running themes in this podcast. So it made sense that I use this 10th episode to emphasize a particular major impact it's had on my life. Making use of an an ancient system of energy balance and awareness, I took some wellness steps along my Path of Wellness that, quite literally, brought me to where I am right now.

We can talk at length about all the different kinds of diets that are out there but the only important diet is the one that works for you. Spending the time exploring and learning how your brain and body respond to certain foods can be the single greatest contributor to your sense of wellness and health efficacy. Guiding you confidently along your personal path of wellness.