Feb 26, 2021
Why I’m Thankful For The Coronavirus.
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I opened my gym in 2013 after spending 7 years as a firefighter in Miami Dade County. I thought I would be a hero saving people for a fiery death but being a firefighter in a major metropolitan area is more about running medical calls than putting our fires. With over 40% of Americans obese there are much more people with high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease than there are fires thanks to modern building codes and fire-resistant materials.
Today being a firefighter means being the first people on the scene for heart attacks, strokes, gunshot wounds, stab wounds, car accidents, and the occasional leg pain from squats. (That last one was at 3 am!!!)
What I realized after about 5 years of being a glorified taxi driver is that America is lacking in education. We know math (some of us) science (a little bit) language arts (not my strong suit), and way too much about sports (guilty as charged) or celebrities, but like Jon Snow, we know nothing about what really matters in our modern lives. The more time I spent as a public servant the more I realized we know nothing about nutrition, exercise, stress relief, finances, or just about anything else that is important to be healthy and happy.
That’s when I decided to forgo the salary, benefits, and pension to change people's lives. Starting from scratch I went from having a job to living a mission! I spent my life savings, cashed out my IRA, and went into crippling debt to make it happen but I was happier than ever!
I was in charge of my time, my earning potential, and I was going to truly make a difference, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. For the first couple of years we basically broke even as a business because I was focused on fitness. I was really good at getting people fit but I wasn’t as focused on changing people's lives. Then about 2 years ago I made a switch. I wanted to be more than fitness, I wanted to create a lifestyle brand that allowed people to be healthy, happy, and free to do anything they could imagine. I stopped working in the business and starting working on the business, and guess what it worked!!!
In my 6th year, we generated over 60k more in revenue than in the previous years, growing to over 200 members and everyone was having a blast. Members were getting results, coaches were making good money, and my dream was becoming a reality. Unfortunately no one could foresee the black swan event that shook everyone to their core.
The Coronavirus.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how devastating 2020 was, but to summarize we lost half our membership at one point (Thank you to everyone who stayed, you saved this community), were forced to shut down for 3 months, and my mother passed away. (I miss you mom) Talk about tough times. It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, because we made it through the storm a stronger, healthier, more aware society, and that’s why I’m thankful for the Coronavirus.
The Coronavirus has done in one year what I have struggled to do over the last 7. Shine a spotlight on how fundamental being strong and healthy is to being happy and fulfilled. The virus showed people that being healthy is not a luxury but a necessity. Without our health we have nothing. That’s right nothing, not even our autonomy. We become a literal burden on our family and our community. My mom hated having to be driven to the hospital every week because she was too weak to do it herself. Why do you think health insurance is so high? Not because we are healthy, it’s because everyone is sick!
Thanks to the virus everyone now know the dangers of having underlying conditions. It’s not as simple as taking medications anymore. You can be on meds and still die. You can be healthy and still die! Your only shot at beating this virus is making holistic health the foundation of your life. Not your job, not school, hell not even your family, because when you get sick they suffer right alongside you.
Making your health the foundation of your life IS putting family first. You also set an example for them to follow by showing them what a healthy lifestyle looks like. You want your kids and grandkids to be healthy? Get your ass to the gym, feed your family whole foods, meditate in front of them, and make everyone in the house put down the phone 1 hour before bed.
The same things I say today are the same things I having been saying for years, but thanks to the Coronavirus people are actually listening now.
Disease happens, but we can prevent them with a focus on holistic health. We can put our health at the center of our lives and avoid most preventable diseases through proper nutrition, exercise, meditation, and sleep. I’m talking about taking full responsibility for our health and living in a way that strengthens our immune system.
You may remember at the beginning of all this I put out a IG video describing ways you could strengthen your immune system to better prepare yourself against any disease. Today we will be giving you a refresher on some of the best ways to actually make your immune system stronger and better prepare yourself for anything that may come your way.
- Avoid Staying Up Late
They say nothing good happens after midnight, and most of the time they are right. For hundreds of thousands of years, our species rose with the sun and sleep with the dark. Our bodies aren’t meant to stay up late at night and our immune system reflects that. Shift work like being a nurse, firefighter, or police officer has profound negative effects on your health. So does staying up late watching tv, working, or partying.
Getting less than 7 hours of sleep lowers your white blood cell count and reduces the level of cytokines in your body. Think of white blood cells as your immunity cells. In a sense, they are always at war. They flow through your bloodstream to fight viruses, bacteria, and other foreign invaders that threaten your health. Cytokines are a group of proteins secreted by cells of the immune system that act as chemical messengers. Cytokines released from one cell affect the actions of other cells by binding to receptors on their surface. Through this process, cytokines help regulate the immune response. Both of these are vital to a healthy immune response, and bad sleep can compromise both.
I can attest to this from experience. This February I decided to get up at 430 am for the first time in an effort to be more productive on a busy day. I got up, did some school work, and then went to school for 8 hours. I sat next to a woman who was very sick and as the day went on I got weaker and weaker. By the time I got home that day I had the flu. Several people were at our table but only I got sick because I was the only one on limited sleep. So make sleep a priority by developing a routine where you go to sleep at the same time every night and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This will keep your body in a rhythm, and that’s exactly what your body likes.
2. Reduce Sugar Intake
We all know how bad sugar is for us but I bet you didn’t know that sugar actually prohibits vitamin C from reaching white blood cells resulting in weakened immunity. This can last for hours too, keeping you in a weakened state long after the food is digested. If you have a craving for sweets try to stick to nature’s candy, fruit. Fruits have fiber, polyphenols, and vitamins and minerals which actually can improve immunity.
3. Reduce Alcohol
Yet another reason to give up America’s most socially acceptable drug, Alcohol has been proven to lower white blood cells, tax the liver, and disrupt the digestive process. It also dehydrates you and being dehydrated lowers immunity🤯 Double Whammy!!!
4. No Smoking
Are you smoking cigarettes? If you are, then stop, it’s really that simple. It’s not 1950 anymore.
5. Avoid Too Much Caffeine
We all love a nice cup of coffee in the morning but did you know excessive caffeine stimulates your nervous system and increases stress levels in the body. This increases cortisol and when cortisol is elevated for extended periods of the day( you only want it elevated in the morning) you can disrupt the immune system, the cardiovascular system, and impair sleep (remember reason number 1). If you do like caffeine then stick to a little in the morning and avoid coffee, 5-hour energy, monster, and your pre-workout after 12pm. Yet another reason to train in the morning:)
6. Avoid A Sedentary Lifestyle
You knew this was coming right? Sitting down literally puts your body into hibernation. Movement is the catalyst that allows all of our systems to function optimally, and the immune system is no exception. Movement and more specifically exercise actually raises your white blood cell count. Exercising also keeps you from developing other preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease allowing your immune system to function at the highest level because it doesn’t have to battle against those chronic conditions. Exercise also increases your body temperature and an elevated temperature reduces bacterial growth on your skin.
7. Don’t Exercise Too Much
What? You just told me to avoid being sedentary, and now you’re telling me to not work out too much? That’s right too much INTENSE exercise lowers your immune system and actually makes you more susceptible to illness. Life is about balance and so is training. Too little training you get sick, too much training you get sick, what you want is just the right amount of strength, high-intensity conditioning, low-intensity conditioning, mobility, plyometrics, stretching, and prehab exercises.
If you are confused don’t be it’s literally what we do at Live Free Miami. Our professional coaches take great effort and time in constructing our monthly programming and take all of these factors into account.
Thanks to the Coronavirus we are now acutely aware of the importance of our health, but unfortunately our education hasn’t caught up yet. Luckily for you I know exactly what it takes to live a life that focuses on health and it’s my mission to help you learn how to do it. So come to the gym or join our online community and let me help you build a foundation that can ride out any storm.
See you soon. JK
