The Road to Well-being: My Personal Journey - Part 2.

Exploring Fitness, Diet, and Mindset Changes for a Better Me

Warning: Yes, I recognize that my posts can be cringe-inducing and might seem out of touch with reality. But, in my view, this is the path to improvement. It might seem ridiculous to some, and I might even find it amusing when I look back at it next year. But the point is, I've improved, and that's what matters.

Here is my first post from January 2023:

I promised to do my bloodwork, compare it with before and after photos, and report if I found any useful supplements (no magic supplements found). Photos will come in part 3 - December 2023. Here are my bloodwork from January 2023 and May 2023:

Some results.

I will go over the same topics I did last time

Overall Health and Wellness Progress:

My overall wellness is a lot better. I have never really optimized anything and never focused on health. I tried to raise my testosterone as a side quest for fun:

Total Testosterone:

• January: 25.8 nmol/L

• May: 26.3 nmol/L

Free Testosterone:

• January: 346 pmol/L

• May: 359 pmol/L

Well, it’s an improvement! Small steps. My biggest downfall is still sleeping, I sleep only six hours a night max. I listen to audiobooks, read, and ponder various things at night.

• Constantly focusing on the economy and politics can be unfruitful, especially when the situation seems unalterable. Rather than labeling everyone as ignorant and writing pessimistic blog posts about the government, a more constructive approach could be to build something positive. The goal is to assist and warn about the ongoing degradation, and there could be more efficient ways to do this. I don’t wish and hope that the world economy would collapse... But how is it wrong to promote healthier lifestyles and hard money?

• Maybe find a new hobby besides walking and watching what is happening in the market.

• Fewer podcasts - more audiobooks. Podcasts don’t add that much value if listening constantly. It is pretty much the same story every day, all day long. Hard to find any valuable knowledge.

• Try to have a more well-balanced life. I go either 100% full or 0%. Listen more about my body and mind when it needs some rest. Keto? Yes, 100% minced meat only. No need to be such a rigorous monk about finances - could chill sometimes?

• Be more open to other ideas and listen more to other people. I used to be exceptionally good at social intelligence and reading other people. Again I went 100% to the other side and said fuck you to everybody. Why not help others more? Listen to what they have to say - Maybe I could learn more. It is extremely dangerous to be 100% contrarian all the time.

→ I will not rest. Middle-life crisis for me is now a declaration of war. I will stop fighting the war with others and focus the battle 100% on myself.

GYM and Exercise Update:

I lift weights 5x a week for 30-40 minutes, classic bro split, one muscle group at a time. Definitely not optimal by no means, but it feels like it is working very nicely in my current lifestyle.

• I can focus that 30min entirely on training. I focus on the muscle, I did years just by going through the motion…

• I love going to the gym, so this way, I can go there almost every day. I have built my gym in my storage.

• I like to train very intensively. With 30min, it is possible to push some sets to the extreme limit. I would love it if I could train in some rigorous push/pull routine 6 times a week, 1-2h at a time. Sadly it is not possible at the moment. I must take my rest and recovery game to S-tier to train harder.

This works for me, and I like it a lot, so I will continue to do it. I should mix it up sometimes or take a small break during the summer of 2023. I should take rest weeks a little bit more often. Now I got Flu again after going 8 weeks hard.

All the work in the gym can be undone if our diet isn't in check.

Food

The sweat and effort in the gym are essential, but they're only half the battle. The other half is fought in the kitchen. I am still on a keto diet. I eat keto for 2-3 months, and then I have a 1-2 week break eating “normal” carbohydrates and a lot more sweets etc. I enjoy this regime quite a lot: Last time I had the 2-week break, I just did it for one week because I wanted to return to keto so much…

• Cooking is simple, I order 20kg of minced meat from a local farmer. Steaks on the weekend and then just minced meat… Fish and chicken very occasionally (I should eat more fish).

• I feel like I have more energy and don’t feel so hungry all the time. When I eat “normally,” I am hungry all the time.

• I lost weight -8kg from 83kg to 75kg. 72kg was the lowest point.

This is not the optimal regime for most - but it works for me, and I like it. Would I get 10x better workouts and results with low calories with carbohydrates vs KETO? Food is just fuel, and for me, this fuel works nicely. I don’t need that peak turbo performance for one hour, so I smoothly cruise on with KETO.

Not pretty?

In my recent blood tests, I've noticed a significant increase in my total cholesterol level. This is not pretty. Keto has helped me a lot, but this is not looking good. It is crucial to look at the broader health implications. Maybe eating 100% minced meat is not the best… More veggies, potatoes, and some fish from now on. I will report again in 6 months. The main ingredient will still be red meat. Keto is incredible that it forces you to eat clean. I will continue to eat clean and make my food.

Cardio

I am still following the walking regime. I walk 3-4 times a day and bike to work. I could not squeeze in the morning jogging, but I go now for a walk during lunchtime (small). I try to get a minimum of 10k and aim for 15-20k steps daily.

Work/life

I did stick to my plan overall pretty well - I still was riddled with my sickness in late 2022, I took two antibiotics courses (February and April), but now I could rest when I was sick. I think it resulted from me doing 5-6 six people’s jobs, I was super stressed and slept badly (only 3 nights at home), pulling all-nighters with the power of microwave pizza and energy drinks. I was riddled with a constant fever - two weeks healthy and one week with a fever - but I could not rest since I had to work. Looking back, I can’t understand how I survived. Well, the business was saved, and it now runs nicely: It was a massive shitshow and many unfortunate happenings, but that’s normal when running a business… It is not easy.

• I hired an accountant and outsourced all financial management to him. (My last accountant announced his retirement, which I knew was coming, but the timing couldn't have been worse - summer 2022.)

• I outsourced all delivery services.

• My production manager is back - She also had a terrible year in 2022 and had to take off most of 2022.

• I hired two students to help when it's busy, and they will also work through the summer.

Health is wealth, and I will never be this reckless again. Sure, my personal cash flow from business now sucks - but I could not care less about money anymore. My big theme for 2023 and beyond is to develop a better business or find a job I enjoy.

Sales and profits in my business… Yeah, covid wiped all my hard work.

I am no longer interested in pouring my heart and soul into this business; I will shift my focus elsewhere. Sometimes I still wonder how the chart would look if there were no covid… I would have much preferred the original plan and having the “reset” in the form of selling the business. My fruits of labor just started to flourish in 2019. Well, the reset came earlier in the form of a big pharma revenue grap. “Trust the science,” they said…Moral hazard everywhere, and big companies absorbed all the possible subsidies while small businesses got royally fucked up, but nobody cares that much anymore…

Sometimes, pain is a blessing as it may mold me into a better person.

No alcohol

This is my biggest life hack, and I recommend it to everybody. I still have a tough time at social events, and I tend to smoke cigarettes and use nicotine to reduce my anxiety, but it's getting better. My social confidence is getting better and better.

• Sleep is ten times better than it used to be.

• My mental clarity is 10x better. It feels like, I think, 10x faster. I read books, listen to books and podcasts, and constantly learn new. I even write this little blog. Try to do this while drinking beer or in a hangover…

• My gym training is way more effective; I get better results, and I am leaner.

• So much more time with family. I used to drink 4-6 beers Friday and Saturday evenings and sleep in the afternoon “reset”. Now I wake up at 6 am…

• I cope with stoicism, meditation, and walking instead of drinking to “relax”.

• More money.

• My mood is more stable. If I went to a party, I would be depressed for at least a week regretting how I spent so much money, said so much stupid shit, and acted like a douchebag. I still am annoying to deal with - but fuck it.

I don't want to drink, but let’s see how summer goes. It also can snowball quickly in the wrong direction, get sloppy with eating junk food, and skip some workouts. Why not a few beers?

Financial Health

My income has dropped significantly since I hired 4-5 people to help. I am still able to save some and invest. Our little family lives exceptionally prudently. If you think I am some monk, you should get to know my wife. She is a master of the coin. We also feel the squeeze; housing costs are up 10-15%, and food 10-20%.

Living without liabilities is a massive win. It is freedom. Freedom is massively undervalued.

+ What’s the price of that Stock? Bitcoin? Home? How much do I have in my bank account? I don’t give a fuck.

+ Less stress.

+ Even more minimalist lifestyle and low expenses (once debt free, you will do whatever to not drop into that trap again).

Enough is enough. Would it be better if I sold the business for 2-3milj? Would I be happier running it with 2milj revenue? I would want just more and more, next target 10milj. I'm not stepping away from work (I am a workaholic) but redefining success. It's no longer just about revenue and results but about finding purpose and satisfaction in what I do, even though I'm still figuring out what that looks like.

Writing everything I want and need on paper and figuring out how much money we need? It was not much. It's a simple yet powerful task that clarifies our desires and necessities.

This exercise can help us distinguish between what we think we want and what we genuinely need, and it often reveals that we require much less to be content than we initially believed.

What is enough for you?

Conclusion

My journey towards a healthier lifestyle continues to evolve, with a consistent weightlifting routine, a keto diet, and a commitment to walking and biking. While I've seen positive results, such as weight loss and increased energy, I've also encountered challenges, such as a rise in cholesterol levels, and I still get sick quite often.

→ Adjust the diet to be more well-rounded. Have a few more rest weeks.

In terms of work-life balance, I've learned that health is wealth after a challenging period of overwork and stress.

→ Focus on finding and making new and better businesses.

Ultimately, it's not about achieving perfection but finding a balance that works for me and brings me joy and fulfillment. I look forward to the future and to sharing my journey with you all.