I gauge my physical health on a several parameters. Not by how much I can bench press, squat or deadlift. I used to judge my physical strength on those standards in my 20s and early 30s. I’d do the old warm up with 135 and then ascend to 165, 185, 205, 225. On my max days I’d skip the two in the middle and put tiny plates past 225 to see how far up I could go. I’ve hit 275 one time in my life and it was probably closer to 265 with my spotter giving me a finger or two of help.

I’ll never ever bench 275 again in my life and have no urge to. Those years of slinging heavy weights around take their toll on your body. If I were to give you one piece of advice to anyone who wants to lift weights, I’d tell you to focus on mobility and body weight strength. Don’t get me wrong weights are essential. Just not all of them on one bar.

Squatting or deadlifts I never hit any outrageous PRs. Just look at my legs. My genetics made my legs for running and boogying. When you’re 5’11” with a 34 in inseam high powered squats aren’t going to be your theme. I’m all legs and arms. I can climb the fuck out of a tree.

I use mostly kettlebells and TRX ropes now. My joints thank me for it.

My little checklist for “hey you’re doing great Chad” is simple

50 pushups

20 pull ups

1 mile run under 8:30 minutes or to be able to run 3 miles under 30 minutes.

A few other essentials is to be able to always touch my toes

Do a one legged mountain pose (I actually do quite a bit of yoga) so a few yoga poses are essential to me.

To be able to get myself off the floor from a lying position unassisted (no hands) it’s harder than you think as you get older

No I don’t mean to do this as a workout everyday but I’ll incorporate a lot of these in my daily routine to keep myself in check. Except for the running. I’m semi retired. That’s another thing I’d share with the younger audience. Not all bodies are meant for long distance running. Mine sure as hell wasn’t.

I also try to keep my weight in check no more than 175 lbs. I know my body and frame better than anyone. I’ve had 20 extra lbs of muscle and fat on that frame and it doesn’t like to carry that much around. I got up to 195 when I was at my heaviest drinking. I looked jacked. I felt like a tick full of sludge. Your gut health is directly connected to your mental health.

I got down to about 150 lbs when I opened Southern. I was running about 40 miles a week and not eating. I looked sickly.

I’m at 170 now. I’m happy with it. The days of obsessing over 6 packs are long gone. I’ve never been one to walk around shirtless anyway.

I posted yesterday about my little run up Looking Glass mountain. I had no intentions of hiking when i woke up yesterday I was more in a frame of mind to set my day on cruise control and drive on the parkway. As I started my truck up I had a change of heart. 5 hours driving didn’t appeal to me. Also it was Sunday and the parkway would be packed. We all know how I feel about packed things.

My confidence in myself was flailing a little bit over the past few months. Post 50’s reared its ugly head. I pulled a muscle in my shoulder while building Graze, had covid for a solid three weeks and pulled my lower back trying to move a cooler. I felt weak mentally and physically. My physical health is just as important to me as my mental health. They are tied together and are meant to be harmonious. Even during my drinking days I pushed myself physically to stay in shape. In fact the mixture of drinking daily, working 60 plus hours a week and working out up to 8 hours a week was turning me into a maniac. Not a physical fit maniac just a fucking maniac.

As I quit drinking I also cut my physical fitness back several notches. When you stop consuming 1000 sugar filled calories a day there’s no need to try to kill yourself on a treadmill daily.

The last three months I’ve been to the gym probably 6 times. My body was beat up with opening the deli. I tried to do some pushups about a month ago and I got 20 in before my left shoulder said fuck you and shut down again. I don’t drop and give anyone 20. I have to get things oiled up first nowadays. Still didn’t work.

I was feeling mighty frail for a bit and it gets in my head. When you have a mouth like mine it’s smart to keep yourself in shape. Trust me

I did my morning yoga routine and said “fuck it” and dropped and gave myself 50. I struggled but I did it and my mind said “there ya go you pussy are you happy now?”

And I was.

I changed my goal from a drive to a hike and headed up to Pisgah in Brevard. Don’t sleep on Brevard y’all. It’s a beautiful little town and the Square Root is my favorite restaurant in NC. Pisgah opens its forest right in Brevard. Davison River, Looking Glass Rock and falls. It’s an outdoor Mecca and it’s only an hour away. I’ve hiked up Looking Glass probably more than any hike available to me. It’s 6 miles round trip. 1600 foot climb and you when get to the top it’s breathtaking. I used to run up this mountain, rain, sleet or snow it didn’t matter.

My body was beat. I haven’t adjusted to being on my feet like this. It takes a while.

I told the story in my post yesterday.

Blah blah I got in my feels and ran up the mountain like an idiot. I went from sofa to almost a 10k in 30 seconds. When I was about a 1/4 mile from my truck my body was breaking down quick. I got a little lightheaded (I had an English muffin about 4 hours before) and my 16oz water bottle was in my backpack, I was too caught up in the moment to stop and take a swig. Once I got to the bottom I had to stretch. I could feel the cramps in my toes trying to get them to cross over each other. This mountain for whatever reason feels the need to challenge me. It was about 8 years ago that I got a little hypothermia while running down this same exact mountain in the pouring rain and sleet. I had to take my shoes off halfway down to rub my toes to get circulation back to them. I ended up soaking my feet in a Walmart bathroom sink in warm water. My toes tingled for two days.

Back to my run

Today my legs feel like a hundred little elves struck everything attached to me from the waist down with tiny blunt hammers.

But

10/10 recommend

My body feels like a bag of smashed assholes

but

I fucking feel great.

I needed this confidence boost.

Speaking from a man’s point of view as you get older the louder the voice in your head begins to speak “I’m not the man I once was” I’ve been trying to change the trajectory of that statement into something more positive.

We strive to always stay strong. It’s in our genetic fabric that’s been weaved over thousands of years.

For each instance I feel I may have lost a step I try to make up for it in attitude and a new resolution. When I was younger I was strong man. I won’t ever be that strong again but my mind is still lifting its own weights and it’s just a healthy.

I get caught up in a lot of self doubt as I get older because of the lingering thought of “you’re not a strong as you used to be” and we’ll fuck off Chad.

Growth has more meaning than 2 plates on each side of an Olympic bar. I’d fuck up the 25 year old Chad in a match of wisdom and real strength.

Sometimes, at least for me it’s important to say these things to myself. I’m constantly evaluating my progress as a carbon breathing life form and these moments help that progress. It’s just self awareness of me.

Yesterday was a good day. I feel like hell right now but I’m smiling.

That’s what it’s all about right?

“Kill the doubt that strangles myself worth” Saguine ~Avett Bros