Strip Back Your Fitness Lifestyle And Live Your Best Life

Strip Back Your Fitness Lifestyle And Live Your Best Life

The fitness industry is going through a huge boom at the moment, especially through social media platforms. This means there’s a lot of misinformation, fad diets and complication out there. This onslaught can make things seem hugely overwhelming, but just think for a minute about where our ancestors came from, how they survived being within the food chain and how they shaped the world for us today.

Our ancestors were, at times, prey but they were also hunters. Being lean, fast, strong and agile were essential qualities to have to endure and survive. The modern world has it’s own parallel challenges, but those simple instincts have been lost somewhat. But keeping healthy, fit and well runs alongside how our ancestors lived (excuse the pun).

Through our own training we can strip things back, make things simpler and create a more positive mental and emotional attitude, leading to greater happiness fulfilment and ultimately better training. But how can we go about making sure we are getting back to our ancestral lifestyle in the best way?

Well removing complication is a great start. In terms of training, if you’re struggling through complicated movements or skills, strip back those exercises, focus on their component parts and regress movements back to their original forms, but add weight to compensate. This way you can always work, on the fundamentals and keep your form on point, whilst also moving through all the planes of motion with full range.

Diet is another area that can be overcomplicated, especially with so much misinformation on weight loss out there. Simply creating a caloric deficit and eating less calories than you’re burning is the way to start, but making sure you’re being consistent and not overly restrictive is also very important. Food is delicious, so make sure any treats you’re having, you’re enjoying in moderation – and also make sure you’re consuming as much as possible from whole food sources, with enough protein. Nothing else needed here really – just the simple stuff.

Even just increasing your time outside, whether walking, running or enjoying your hobbies can help us regain a sense of oneness with the world and nature. This is easier in the warmer weather of course, but just starting to breathe in that fresh air and sunlight helps us to become recentred. Spending less time at a desk helps too, even if it’s only for shorter periods during the day. Every hour or so take a break and go outside briefly if you can, or just do some stretches at your desk, just to keep mobile. Our ancestors were constantly on the move, so any movement is definitely going to get you back into your ancestral mindset. 

For some it could be spending less time with technology or on social media. Try not to use technology too close to bed time, just to give yourself a break. Maybe deleting social media apps in short bursts, or cutting down on their usage, will help you recentre. Just make sure this is done gradually. Going cold turkey with anything can be overly restrictive, so just do it with mini steps and you’ll get back to basics.

For some this might not be as simple and free form as just following these steps, you may need to make a routine and plan for these types of events and circumstances. I know I do!

Creating a plan for how you want to train going forward, and having a structure, is essential. Even if you find it ends up being less effective for you down the line. We only learn by making mistakes and this helps us to find and hone our weaknesses, and correct them, to live our strongest lives possible.

Emotionally some people like to journal to put thoughts and emotions down on a page, this can help cast negativity away from you so you can focus on your achievements and the positive steps you’ve made to live a simpler and better life.

Recalibrating and simplifying ones life is so important, so make sure to take stock every few months or so, like you would as a business owner, to make sure you’re on the right track for you. This way you won’t get stuck into the overly complicated small things. Keep yourself accountable and in check and you should manage just fine, and you’ll be able to go back to living a simpler, better life. Ask for help when you need it, get to know new people and explore new communities and you never know where your new ancestral life might take you!