Suggested Products and Resources

For the body
- diet
- strength training
books

Before getting into the products and resources, I want to share some reflections on wholeness and its significance moving forward. Feel free to go straight to the products by clicking on the bulleted links above.

This past year’s pandemic was full of uncertainty and difficulty. But it also gave us opportunity to pause and reflect, to change and create, to reset and reinvent life for us and our families, our work, and even our souls.

Moving forward, how we spend our time will reflect our take aways from the Covid 19 experience. What we give consistent attention will reveal what we’ve learned, how we’ve developed, and what is truly most important to us. I hope you’ve resolved to prioritize your wholeness, ie. oneness of heart, mind, body, and soul. When all those parts work in unity, we are empowered to be and do our best for the long run. This not only means we’ll be healthier personally but also organizationally, at home and work.

Moreover, this radical integrity is the most positive way to empower future generations whether it be our own children or younger leaders who will take the reins at some point. Succession planning and implementation is actually a great indicator of our wholeness. When our mind, heart, body, and soul are dynamically working together, we more readily see others as they truly are as well as their potentials. We will also see more clearly the needs, challenges, and opportunities of our organizations (ie. family, business, nonprofit, etc). With wholeness, we are functioning healthily at high levels and thus able to positively contribute to the process.

Those who live and work without authentic personal integration commonly fail in passing on the baton; rather they leave behind chaos and divisiveness that detract from those who are left to pick up the mantle of leadership.

Do you see and live towards a bright expanding future? That’s your wholeness working.

Are you stuck with a scarcity mindset, bogged down with over thinking, anxiety, and overly busy schedules? Those indicate disintegration.

BOTTOM LINE: Commit to being an influencer primarily through your presence rather than relying on hierarchy and manipulative actions. Nothing is as effective in doing this as wholeness: our personal integration of heart, mind, body, and soul.

Below are resources that have contributed to my growth in bringing my heart, mind, body and soul together. They are Amazon affiliate links that will pay me commissions if you order from the page linked to my website. Just want to be transparent. But more importantly, I hope they will help you develop your wholeness to be healthy mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If you have any questions, please message me.

For the Body

I’ve been using the following items as part of my fasting break diet and exercise regimen for years and found beneficial. At 55, I’m 5’9”, weigh 165 lbs., at 13% body fat with a waistline of 31”. I can squat and deadlift more than 2x my body weight. I play tennis 2-4 times a week. I fish twice a month on average and I have no problem getting up at 3 or 4 am. I consistently get positive blood test results and I have plenty of energy to work and time to enjoy my family. If you’re considering trying these out, please consult with your physician before committing to consistent use and practice of what I’ve shared here. I also encourage you to do your own research to make good decisions about what to consistently put into your body as well as how to move your body for the long term.

DIET:

First thing that goes into my body each morning: Tall glass (~14-16 oz) of warm water with lemon juice (1 teaspoon) and a pinch of pink salt.

7 part concoction: These food items I take almost everyday with an occasional break (once or twice a week at most). I add boiling water and let it cool; then eat when I break my 16 hour fast around noon (almost daily; I will occasionally cut that down when I want to have breakfast with my family usually on weekends). This mixture contains essential nutrients, fiber, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, minerals and vitamins.

50/50 Mixture of regular oats and steel cut: 4 tablespoons; check out the benefits.

Soy Protein Isolate Unflavored Powder: half to one scoop (4-6 tablespoons); check out the benefits.

Roasted Black Sesame Seeds: 1-2 tablespoons; benefits.

Turmeric: around 1.5 teaspoons; benefits.

Walnuts: however much you can hold with your fist; benefits.

Ground Flaxseed: about a tablespoon; benefits.

Strength Training:

These items are basic suggestions. You can easily geek out and find what best suites your level of fitness and goals. The key thing is consistency and gradual increase in intensity. You don’t need to spend a lot of time if you have those 2 elements working for you. I do 10-15 minutes of work with bands, ab work and stretching 4-5 mornings a week. And I lift weights twice a week, usually an hour fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. I also walk 1-1.5 hrs. with my wife 2-3 times a week, usually involving a good hill.

It is important to eventually get up to heavy weights and that may be anything from a large percentage of your body weight to 2x or more of your body weight. This may not work for everyone, depending on your age and current physical condition. A good friend suggested a couple blogs from FitFatherproject.com that offer sound advice for men over 40.

If you’re just starting out or up again, definitely develop good form and slowly increase the load. Know your limits and challenge them little by little. Sustainability is key. But eventually increasing intensity is important. Please check out this video (or click on image) on the internal benefits of lifting heavy. Dr. Tyna Moore talks about benefits for women but it definitely applies to men as well.

equipment:

Pull Up Assistance Bands: I’ve been using these almost every morning to activate shoulder and upper back muscles. I loop it around a door knob where I can stand perpendicular to the knob and do face pulls. I also do splitters; holding the band in front with arms straight out from my body, I pull the band with arms going away from me until they’re all the way out to the side. My wife and daughter use them to assist their pull ups. We have a pull up bar in a door way and simply loop the band through itself. Cinch the band down on itself and step through the loop and pull yourself up. Stand on a stool to help get your foot into the loop. Then slowly step down into the loop, straightening your leg and gently lowering yourself to start position. You can find these and many other exercises on Youtube.

Full Length Orthotic Inserts with Arch Support : On one of our trips to Seoul, South Korea, we walked 10,000+ steps each day; sometimes 20,000+. I was using old shoes that initially felt fine but weren’t up to that level of wear. I ended up having plantar fasciitis. That was a good lesson in getting good support for my precious feet. When I got back from the trip, I made sure all my shoes either got thrown away or received a new quality insole. It took a few months of consistent support before my foot healed and felt strong again. Make sure you love your feet and they’ll take good care of you.

The rest of this equipment list supports the 3 best exercises for your entire body: the squat, deadlift and bench with the first 2 being must do’s for maximum benefits of mobility, overall strength, bone density, and innervation of muscles. They are compound joint movements and when you put significant load on these joints together, you’re telling your entire body you want it to move and to move with strength. This messaging gets your body to produce what it needs to adapt and evolve. Love your body in this way and it’ll love you back in the second half of life.

Adjustable Bench,Utility Weight Bench for Full Body Workout

Olympic Barbell Collar Quick Release Clamps (1 Pair, Red)

Squat Rack

Olympic Barbell

Olympic Weight Plate Set: If you’re just starting, you may want to get the smallest set (160 lbs). It’s important to get bumper plates in lower weights ie. 10-15 lbs. so you can deadlift properly without having to bend too far down when the weights are small. 10-15 lb bumpers are the same diameter as 45 lb iron plates which provide the appropriate bar height for deadlifts.

Books:

The books linked are audio books I’ve purchased through Audible.com. I recommend getting a subscription; it’s $14.95 per month for 1 credit, good for any book from Audible.com. You can also buy 3 credits for $35.88, dropping per credit cost to $11.96. Most books cost more than those credit prices. If you prefer Kindle or hard copy and you’d like to help me out, message me and I can send you an affiliate link for those versions. Thanks!

If you want to discuss any of these books or related topics, please message me! I’d be happy to hear your thoughts, share my take aways and process together.

Suggested Products and Resources

For the body

diet

strength training

books

For the Body

DIET:

Strength Training:

equipment:

Books:

Currently listening:

Next in my queue:

Completed: