Combining the Wisdom of Pillars 2 + 3

Pillar 3 = You are Nature

Human Beings are biologically attuned to the greater world around us — whether that be our larger community, ecosystems or Nature

Pillar 2 = Energy In + Energy Out

We consider Energy from the logical perspective: Food. And we dig into the rhythms of your Daily Energy Cycles to gather a full picture of your behaviors with Food. 

We also consider energy from the less-obvious, though more consequential perspective, of your emotional + mental setpoints: What is your relationship to stress? How do you handle it? What subconscious hunger is presenting itself in your habits? What choices are you making to harmonize, or sabotage, your Energy Balance? (yes, choices are movements, too) 

Winter, in the larger cycle of Nature, is for energy restoration. We’re not separate from these rhythms, though you might think differently, in observing the manufactured busyness to which many of us ascribe.

It’s not natural. It’s self-inflicted. It’s all a mismanagement of energy.

The New Year often brings with it the hope of change. We’re given the blank page of January to begin anew.

Though, let’s stop for a moment and reconnect to the rhythm of Winter, because it doesn’t end until March…

We live in a time where it is encouraged to remain action-oriented amidst a season meant to be for slowness + reflection. Biologically, in order to maintain progress, there must be a period where enough energy is cultivated and stored so it can be used for cyclical growth later. Our body is attuned to this natural rhythm, yet our socio-cultural programming (in our minds) has us currently scrambling towards Action (hello, resolutions).

Let us not forget that SPRING is the time for action, rejuvenation + anew-ness. This would be the most-appropriate time for making those resolutions; utilizing all of the integrated wisdom we’ve gained from Winter’s reflections and the stored energy from physically slowing down.

We grow in cycles. We shift in seasons. While some of those are natural rhythms (seasonal, lunar, solar for example), many of us are on our own trajectory of growth depending on our age or season in life (marriage, children, perimenopause, retirement, etc).

Further, our Training Program is designed to work in phases and mirror the wisdom of the Natural Cycles. This allows us to build in periods that mimic Winter-like periods of reflection + integration. We must bring self-examination to the front of our awareness at all times, should we care to progress in any facet of growth, at any layer of our experience.

Attuning Awareness to your Energy Level to Affect Your Training Progress

Energy In: What do you put in your body? How is your current state fueled? Do you rest when you need to? How’s your sleep? Do you know what nourishes you? How’s your connection to food? Does stress own you or do you manage the inputs (hello, boundaries).

Energy Out: How do you use your energy? How much do you move daily? Do you *exercise*? Do you actively build relationships? Do you know how to regulate your Nervous System? Do you have excess energy that builds as tension +/ has become chronic pain? 

These questions can begin to help you focus on where you are over-investing and under-investing your energy. When we show up to train we must take inventory of how “ready” we are to perform. Your state of readiness (current energy reserve) will affect your performance and determine how well-stimulated your body is during training (adequate energy out). Conversely, if you worked hard during your session, your body will need adequate recovery (energy BACK IN, whether that be rest or nutrients) to build muscle/strength. It is a CYCLE. And a cycle doesn’t necessarily have a beginning or an end, but a continuous feedback loop of Energy Balance.

We will assume you want to feel mental clarity, steady energy level and readiness to perform your activities during the day. We will also assume you want to feel like you are progressing towards a healthy, strong, capable body that moves with ease. It’s within your best interests for long + short-term health, then, to get straight about where your choices are affecting your energy level.

Strong Choices lead to Strong Energy Balance

The only place to start assessing your energy level is now, the present moment.

Take Inventory of how you feel. Use proprioception + interoception to do this.

Ask:

• How much has my body moved today?

• How do I feel right now, mood-wise.

• How is my energy level? Low, High, Steady?

• How clear is my brain/thinking/cognition?

• What have I eaten?

• How has my heart rate been affected today? (stress, exercise, sleep, substances, etc.)

• Have I had/do I have a headache or other pains?

Depending on the answers to your questions, you might have to dig a little deeper into your choices:

• Have I eaten nutritious food today, so far? Have I ingested any substances today (medication, alcohol/marijuana) or yesterday?

• Have I hydrated sufficiently so far?

• Have I had any conflict today or a conflict hangover from yesterday/lately?

• Have I slept well lately? (please don’t forget that processed foods, alcohol and other substances affect your sleep)

• Have I trained heavy today or yesterday?

• Have I worked particularly hard doing other intellectual/phyiscal/emotional pursuits?

Choices are movements. We can have strong movement patterns of choosing (habits) or we can choose to not pay attention/surrender our choosing to outside stimulus.

Real-Talk Alert: Whether you are stressed out, whether you have poor sleep, whether you have acute/chronic pain is a choice. Often our state is a sum-total of choices from days, months, years of inaction or ignoring the body’s signals. While of course, there are happenings beyond our choice (age-related health conditions, blunt Trauma from outside forces, etc), and of course happenings that we just simply don’t have the power/awareness to affect, most circumstances can be changed from choice. How deeply we want to peel back the layers of our choices to see the affects of them over time, will determine our ability to change.

The Art of Choosing actions that align with our highest self is the real flex for the next training cycle. Radical Honesty with ourselves is the only way to get truly strong. Strength Training is a great way to begin seeing the outcomes of our choices on our Energy Balance. When we start to calibrate that balance is when we start to see and feel the shift towards strength.

To Health + Strength in the next energy cycle,

Kate