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I heard the couch tearing up my wall… The ill-equipped movers were trying to jam my sectional through the front door. It was 10:05 p.m. and well past their 6:00 p.m. deadline. Then, one of the movers walked in carrying a heavy box. The box was clearly labeled “Kitchen” in big letters. He looked at Courtney and asked, “Where?” Courtney gave him that “Are you kidding me?” look. She shook her head and said, “The kitchen.” Rats. We were completely exhausted and losing our patience. Jagger was crying in the other room, and Kona was jumping on everyone. It was one of the hardest days of our young family's life. But somehow, in someway, we made it. We managed to survive the nightmarish days… We leaned into our new favorite term: #ChueyStrong (we call ourselves the Chueys…I know) And we're all moved in and finally getting some normalcy… The reason I'm sharing this with you is because life will test you. The chaos of life will absolutely ramp up the outside noise. If every day feels overwhelming, you need to pause. If you have a massive project or feel like you never have enough time, that isn't the moment to start a new fitness routine. When life brings the heat, it isn't the time to stress over hitting your calorie targets. First, you need to build better skills to bring down your stress load. Lighten the load, before you try and add more. Don't cut the grass when the house is on fire.
Sometimes you just need to survive the chaos today, so you can rebuild tomorrow. But once the smoke clears, then it's time to execute.
PS: Through the move, Jagger has had a cough, night terrors, and a hard time adjusting to our new home…so plot thickens. |
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It was Friday morning, the movers were coming, and we needed everything out by Sunday … I looked at the functional trainer. I looked at all the cables and the bolts that had to be removed. Then I looked at the tools I had. I wanted to just roll up into a fetal position and cry. There was no way I was going to take this apart and have it make sense.
But the chaos didn't stop there. Courtney was overwhelmed trying to pack up the studio for her Forensic Tales podcast. And in the middle of the night, Jagger woke up terrified. I tried to coddle him, but I couldn't stop him from crying. Courtney couldn't stop him from crying either. He was even screaming for Kona! But even our sweet six-year-old female golden retriever couldn't calm him down… I looked at Courtney, completely exasperated. “I just give up,” I said. Normally, I go to sleep at 7 pm every night. I wake up every day at 3 am to meditate and stretch. My body thrives on a solid schedule. But my sleep tanked to four broken hours. During the mess, I forgot to drink water. And my breathing struggled. The next morning, I was chugging strong black coffee with no sugar or creamer just to survive. I was irritated. I was making mistakes and forgetting my train of thought. My immune system crashed. My nose got stuffy. Rats… The reason I'm sharing this with you is because of what I realized that morning. When you ignore the fundamental three dominos, breathing, water and sleep. You're making life way harder that it has to be. You're playing life on expert level. If you don't get the right breathing mechanics, you're going to struggle. If you aren't properly hydrated, you'll get headaches. And if you get inadequate sleep, your body will break down. I see this all the time with my LivFit 365 clients. You might be frustrated that you aren't hitting your daily calorie goals. But you can't build a healthy life on a broken foundation. You don't need a complex plan. You just need to master the basics first. But simple, isn't always easy.
PS: Friday and Saturday were two of the toughest days for my family. But the Chueys always find a way…. To Be Continued .. |
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“Boom!” It was a loud noise coming from upstairs. I didn't know what it was. But it was followed by a terrifying scream. I knew it was bad. I ran upstairs as fast as I could. Courtney sprinted right behind me. There was little Jagger on the ground. Crying hard. I swept him up and held him tight. Tears poured down his little cheeks. “He fell, he fell,” I whispered. I tried to console him. That's exactly how our Monday morning started. Jagger jumped out of his crib. The thud was so loud it reverberated throughout the entire house… Luckily, he was okay. We just came together as a family. Courtney went straight to work doing research. Within minutes, we ordered a new toddler bed. My day shifted completely… Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for your family. Jagger and I drove to pick up the bed. I cut my workout early so I could come home and build it. I didn't know if the box would fit in the Tesla. But when they brought it out, I swear it could've fit in the glove box. That meant there were a lot of parts, a lot of parts… Rats… As I started building, I prepared myself mentally. Jagger had only ever slept in his crib. Switching him to a toddler bed the same day brought back flashbacks. I remembered the torturous sleep training days. Those days beat up both Courtney and I. But this time, we talked about it. We had a plan. We were emotionally prepared for the onslaught that night. After a few of taxing hours, I struggled to put the bed together. Jagger was jumping on me, “trying to help.” He's only two, so he can't exactly work a power drill. I was starting to get really frustrated. Finally the bed was built. Halleluiah! Now we needed to baby-proof the room. That meant moving the old crib out. We started moving it, but it didn't fit through the door… So, we unscrewed the door and took it off the hinges. Still no luck. “I guess we have to take the crib apart too,” I said in an irritated voice. There I was with a tiny Allen wrench, taking the crib apart piece by piece. Courtney jumped in to help me. Then it hit me. I felt that familiar feeling of being suffocated. The room was closing in on me, and I could feel my pupils dilate. My heart rate sped up. I could feel the cold sweat tingle down my back as I dropped the Allen wrench for the fifth time. I leaned into my breath and calmed down. Then something new happened during all of this. We both stayed completely calm. We worked extremely well together. We solved each puzzle one by one. We went to bed early to prepare for the long night ahead. “How do you think Jagger will do?” Courtney asked. I looked at her and referenced a line from Gladiator. “Hold the line.”
If we stay together as a united front, we can overcome anything. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because life's going to test you. You'll face a slew of competing demands and unexpected chaos. It's easy to let life's fire drills throw you completely off your game.
This is exactly why we practice the Body Throttle protocol and focus so much on lateral rib expansion. When chaos hits, your “fight or flight” system flares up. If you haven't automated that deep diaphragmatic breath, you'll forget to use it when you actually need it. You can't wait for the crisis to learn how to use your most powerful tool. You have to make it a daily habit. When you automate your breath, you can stay calm and hold the line. You can solve real fires… And your mind won't make up imaginary fires. You got this! 💪
PS: Oh, yeah, and we're moving this week… :/ (Life is on Level: Expert) |
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