The key here is to just move. For many of us, that’s the actual first step. Not an improvement on some already ongoing fitness routine. Else you wouldn’t need to read this page.
Part Two – Exercise
This is a tough one for those of us pressed for time and for those of us who are so bipolar that going out into the world has become the Great Impossibility.
But the human body is designed to move. Too much holding still causes breakdown. The physical breakdown leads to mental breakdown.
The inactive life births mental breakdown just due to lack of stimulation. The boredom and lack of challenge will rot your mind just as much as the physical deterioration will.
Remember: the body and mind are one. Bodymind.
Take care of one and the other stands a better chance of being OK. And they both like a challenge.
What I found was, after I’d given the supplements and Holosync a few months to work on me, I calmed down and perked up enough to get back to the gym and begin hiking in the woods again. The woods came first as I didn’t have to face any people there.
For you this may mean a walk around the block or a bike ride. If you have a stationary bike in storage, dig it out and get on it.
Just MOVE in some fashion
Take a swim
Walk the dog
Do yard work
Lift weights
Do bodyweight exercises
Do housework
Cook
Shoot some hoops
Go hiking
Have a solitary game of handball
Join Planet Fitness if a regular gym is too intense
Explore yoga or Tai Chi
Try Cross Fit
Hire a personal trainer and do his plan
Cut/split/stack firewood
Whatever you’d like. Just MOVE!
The sooner you can begin to move again, the faster your body will clear out any buildup of psychotropics lingering within you. And the faster all toxins will begin to leave your body.
I know how incredibly hard it is to restart exercise. It’s even harder if you’ve never been much of an athlete in the past. Well, your brand new life starts as soon as you can get yourself moving.
Following my system is not just a way to remove bipolar from your life
It’s a new WAY of life. This process I am leading you through is going to open doors in life you can’t possibly foresee right now. Just trust me on that.
But these doors need opening. And you have to find them before you can open them.
By having bipolar, you have been marked as one who MUST take on this challenge, in order to survive.
Sorry, there it is. And this includes regular exercise.
Action Plan for Step 6b:
I have no program of my own to share with you yet. I grew up in the shadows of Joe Weider and Arnold(You’re hoping for a link? Are you serious?! 😉 ) and all my training mirrored theirs. So, go find material written by them and you’ll find my approach.
And although I have loads to say about weight lifting, I feel it would be best if you followed the plans of those who have a concrete track record of verifiable successes under their belts.
I’ve Shared 3 Systems I Trust Lower Down The Page.
To Start, Pick Something That Suits All Aspects Of Your Reality
Consider what you already know you like and plan to return to that.
If injuries or some other tragedy has befallen you and you can’t return to your old training methods, then it’s time to consider something new. Just do a search for “fitness training” in “your city or zip” and see what’s offered nearby. Then suck it up and make the new thing be a good thing. (Think “gym rat to bodyweight training”.)
If it involves money that you don’t have, then do a search on Google for “that thing” and “at home”. See what you find.
If you crap out there, then pick something free that gets you moving, even if it’s not exactly what you’d like to be doing long term. Moving is the key here.
Do some sort of manual labor on your property or at a friend’s or family member’s place. Offer to do things for people that will cause you to break a sweat. No friends or family? Offer to help a neighbor or find a charity that needs workers of some sort.
Take headphones with you and keep the event enjoyable that way, if silence would be a stopper.
Get an accountability partner. Someone who’d support you in a positive fashion and without judgment. Someone to join you on this ride who’d either do their own training as well, or just keep you honest by being someone you can report your results to.
Baby steps are the key
Rack up tiny victories as you go and you will gain the confidence to shoot for larger ones.
Start easy and choose goals you cannot possibly miss: 10 minutes on the stationary bike, or five, doesn’t matter. Short walk around the block, park, or woods. Brief bike ride.
Will’s “The Sports Supplement Bible” mentioned in Step 6 Part One: Eating Right will also be a big help to restarting your exercise plan.
Exercise Related Supplementation
I realize this is the exercise portion of the show but to do it right, you must address the beginning of the process, as I mentioned earlier in this book.
I’m referring to exercise specific nutrients.
Initially, don’t worry about any supplements for exercise, beyond whey protein isolate or whey protein complex (all of the whey), maybe glutamine and/or glucosamine sulfate, and definitely fish oil.
Whey protein enhances your immune system, as well as heals your muscles the most efficiently.
Glutamine is a healer of all things in the body and glucosamine heals your joints to some degree.
Fish oil heals head AND body issues of all sorts. It has hundreds of documented wellness effects.
But for training purposes, it helps heal the joints and keeps the nervous system operating smoothly. Those two areas are the ones that can easily become overwhelmed and need extra attention to help you maximize your exercise efforts.
But if money’s tight, (for purely training purposes) just go with the whey protein isolate or complete whey complex.
Keep It Real for Real Results
You need a protein and supplement source that is just as adamant about keeping everything as honest with product formation and quality, as Will is with sharing his info.
I chose the full whey complex, rather than a whey isolate to get as much benefit as possible from the whey. I also wanted nothing BUT whey: no additives. And I needed it processed in a way that did not denature the whey. This product fits the bill.
I wanted a “kitchen sink” mix that was also all natural. All your vitamins and mineral needs are covered, as well as your probiotics, some enzymes and a bunch else. But the probiotics and enzymes are both needed to digest anything at all. And we never have enough of either.
(For bipolar people: stick to Truehope’s EMP+ until you’re out of the woods at least.)
Again, I wanted a nice clean source of Omega3s, processed in a way that didn’t nullify the benefits. When you push yourself while training, your joints and nervous system become taxed. While omega3s are a goldmine of awesomeness for your entire being, they do a great job of repairing those two systems directly. Keeps you working out longer and healing faster, while maintaining a chipper mood about it all!
(For bipolar people: stick to OmegaBrite Fish Oil until you’re out of the woods at least.)
Do A “Soft” Return
If you’ve been out of commission for a while, ease back into the gym gently. If you lifted or trained before, it will all come back to you. If you’re new to it, then you are in the perfect spot to experience the greatest gains you’ll ever experience. Your potential is at its highest.
Or, to play it safe, invest in a personal trainer to help you get underway. Fully explain your situation and they will adopt the appropriate training plan for you.
Become a (Socially Acceptable) Peeper
Can’t afford a trainer? Watch anyone who looks like you want to look (without being stalker-ish) and reverse engineer what they are doing.
Watch how they place their feet
How they breathe or hold their breath
How they hold their body when doing a certain lift
Hand grip
Arm or hand spacing
Foot spacing
Position on machine
Where equipment touches their body or how it travels, etc.
Once you’re up for some conversation, wait for the person to complete the set they’re doing, and then ask them why they’re doing a particular lift.
Most people in the gym LOVE it when you ask them for their guidance. It is verification that they look good or you wouldn’t consider them knowledgeable about what they’re doing. BIG ego boost!
Will Brink to the rescue again!
Visit www.brinkzone.com and begin the rebuild. Attention: You do NOT have to be a hardcore gym rat to be helped by this book and Will exposes some critical scams within the supplement industry.
Matt Furey: Bodyweight Training Expert and Personal Development
I’ve been following Matt Furey for years. I used one of his bodyweight programs to rehab my back after 2 years of downtime before returning to the gym.
He is many things and a master in all his chosen fields. Regarding his physical being, he is probably one of the toughest men on the planet.
Yet he’s one of the calmest teachers I’ve ever studied under.
I’ve learned a lot from him and follow him to this day. I like his attitude of not filtering his opinion on why life is as it is and how he feels people can do better.
Having said all of that, I used one of Matt’s products over 10 years ago to rehab myself at home, before being able (psychologically, as well as physically) to brave my public reentry to the local gym.
Bipolar disorder had robbed me of my fitness and filled me with pain. Matt’s material was easy to follow and unlike anything I’d ever done, to include my training on Parris Island as a Marine recruit.
His programs are hard but doable and you don’t need any equipment.
If you’d like to get into the powerful life success trainings of Matt’s then visit www.psycho-cybernetics.com
Craig Ballantyne: Bodyweight Training Expert and Business Growth
Craig Ballantyne influenced my life heavily and regularly, right up until a short while ago.
To be honest, I didn’t use his program Turbulence Training when I learned of it, for that was not why I was following Craig.
He is also a master of other areas of life, two of them being marketing and personal development, which is what I wanted to know more about at the time.
But to prove his points, he discussed TT often, showing us all its pieces and the positive results his members were having with their fitness and weight loss goals.
Knowing what I already knew about training, I had no problem agreeing with his approach with TT.
Now add to that the stellar esteem in which I held Craig, I’ve concluded that if you need a non-gym approach to better fitness, this is a solid way to go.
I faithfully consumed everything I could afford and 100% of everything free that Craig produced for years. I would have remained a devout follower except he moved into a more executive level of business thinking and teaching that no longer suited where I was at.
Key point being, he succeeded so damn well, he entered a world I could not yet join him in. Yet. LOL
But his Turbulence Training remains and I send you to him with complete faith that he’ll do right by you.
Naked Whey Protein Powder
Athletic Greens Superfood
Athletic Greens Omega3 TG
Craig Ballantyne