Where Have I Been?
Needless to say, it’s been a while since I’ve dropped a fresh post or article on the site.
After months of consistent writing over fitness, the mind, and life, I haven’t written much of anything for a few months.
Why?
Let me tell you what’s up and where we’re going now.
The head injury
In mid July I sustained a pretty bad head blow that led to a nasty concussion which has since manifested itself into something known as Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS).
For about a month I was a mess mentally, physically, and emotionally.
I could barely get out of bed and do your typical every day tasks, let alone keep hitting the iron hard and being a productivity powerhouse like I’ve been so accustomed to. My work output has obviously suffered. Relationships suffered.
To put it simply, you could say I lost my way of life and sense of self.
Every day was a struggle and felt like a reoccurring nightmare of sleepless nights, pounding headaches, confusion, anxiety, panic attacks, and this feeling of sadness knowing that I couldn’t do what I loved to do and put more good out in the world.
Doctors didn’t have many answers and couldn’t recommend much besides just take it easy and let time do its thing.
Or take this medicine which will make you feel worse than before you even took it.
All I wanted to do was sleep but I couldn’t sleep much and the sleep I did get was more like a string of naps than a sound night’s sleep.
Which of course only made things worse.
Recovery
Little by little, I found ways to get by.
I celebrated the little victories like cooking for myself, going out in public again to get a haircut, lifting some 8 pound dumbbells, and actually having text conversations without feeling like the world was spinning.
I couldn’t write, research, or plot, so I got into art more to do something mentally stimulating and get my focus off of the symptoms. I started off with coloring books which later got boring because it doesn’t contribute to anything meaningful and is just filling up time.
So I got more into photography and editing.
This was a major part of my recovery. It enabled me to spend hours immersed in something I like, get out and see people again, and feel like I was working on myself again in a positive way.
You can see my photography work on my Instagram.
Even just being up and moving around with a camera in my hand helped me to get re-accustomed to being physical again.
As much as I hate cardio, I put in the time every morning to hit the elliptical and get some blood flow going to my brain. First 10 minutes, then 15, then 20, and so on.
Eventually I got more comfortable with my body again and started to hit the weights little by little. First with low volume, submaximal weights, and then building up accordingly.
In the meantime, I was continuing to coach online and prep competitors for shows which let me live vicariously through others and celebrate their progress along with them.
I felt like I was getting myself back again.
I still have a ways to go before I’m 100%, but for now I’m happy being able to live and do things that I enjoy.
Where do we go from here?
So that’s what’s up and where I’ve been.
Now what’s next?
For starters, I’m going to keep focusing on getting back to 100%.
I’ve also been enjoying a nice lean bulk first to get my old size back but now to even make some improvements to my physique which I hadn’t done in a while and love to be back in the swings of things.
I’m going to keep enjoying some photography and linking up with more young talent (if you’re in the Houston area, hit me up!)
I’ve got a lot of unfinished articles lined up, so I’m going to be working to get those wrapped up so I can drop some fresh new content for you guys to make you better.
And lastly, I’m accepting clients again for online coaching, so if you’ve been needing some solid evidence based fitness guidance, hire me to be your coach today and let’s get the ball rolling.
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