You Get One Body, So Don't Neglect It Like I Did.

Maybe you’re grinding 24/7,

You’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and burnt out.

Results or not, you need to understand your body is truly a blessing.

How can you expect to see results if you’re neglecting the maintenance of your own body?

You can go far with success and money, but if your body starts failing throughout the process, it’s very difficult to bounce back without a good system in place.

When you try things and fail, you can always try again.

But when your body is pushed past its breaking point, there’s no reset button.

No quick fix.

No overnight solution.

Chasing success at the cost of my health is something I know all too well.

Think about it, you buy a high-spec car.

You wouldn’t run it on empty, skip on maintenance or ignore any signs or warning lights.

So why do we sacrifice our bodies for long-term success?

The goal will always be there, but the small steps you take daily matter the most.

I’m a big believer in the 1% rule. Keep it simple. Focus on making yourself 1% better each day. The results will add up.

But that’s only half the rule.

I also believe in lifting others.

Me as a writer and you as the reader have the ability to make someone else 1% better too.

True strength is improving yourself and others, and that’s how we all rise to new levels.

That’s why I want to share my journey in these newsletters.

I’ve been overwhelmed and burnt out many times.

There’s a chance you have too or will feel it throughout your journey.

So if I can help you reduce that feeling or help you bounce back from it, that’s the 1% that you may not have realised you needed.

It's a hard pill to swallow, thinking that I only started living within these last few years.

Time flew, and I wondered why I didn't implement the habits that I do today, earlier.

As I sit down to write this behind-the-scenes look, it's a reflection of how far I've come.

It's also a testament to the journey and what I'm building along the way.

If you're struggling to start, read below:

My fitness.

6-7 years of hitting the gym.

2 years of consistently playing football weekly.

Fast forward and I've imbedded them into my routine to the point that I feel weird if I miss a week of both (especially when traveling).

You will never hear anyone say they're too broke or don't have money to start the gym or some form of sport.

It's the best investment for you with the highest ROI.

Picture this: you feel depressed, tired or angry. I’ve never heard anyone say they felt worse after some movement.

I find it to be my cure for everything.

It’s a great break from my 9-5, and working from home means I need that movement even more, especially because I’m stuck at a desk for hours.

Your body needs movement. End of.

My nutrition.

Are you happy with how you look?

Actually, are you happy with how you feel?

The energy you have, your focus and your mood - it all starts with what's on your plate.

I'm not the biggest, definitely not the skinniest, but my body is a testament to the balance between my fitness journey and my nutrition habits.

That was the hardest thing for me to adjust to. Now, I'd say 90% of my week consists of high-protein sources, vegetables with every meal and water throughout the day.

Feeling lethargic and bloated are the worst kinds of feelings from eating, and they can definitely affect progress in anything you do.

Want that brain of yours to work at its absolute peak? Things like drinking water first thing in the morning and avoiding sugary foods overall can be little habits that make the difference.

My Language Learning.

My intentions at first were not always clear.

November 2023.

I wanted to learn French and Arabic for the wrong reasons. No real long-term goals.

As I started to travel more, I started to appreciate the cultures and people.

My desire for the culture and languages grew, and I started looking at the places I travelled to as places I’d want to live in the future.

Have you ever heard of anyone going backwards or not benefitting from learning a language?

It’s the one passion that has probably helped me the most in almost everything, relating it to my fitness and to my full-time job.

How can you expect your cognitive skills to improve when you spend all your time scrolling through memes or binging Dubai Bling?

My traveling.

Out of all my habits and interests, this is the one that truly takes time and money.

If I break it down, it takes time to plan, search for flights, places to visit etc.

I habit stack (Free guide here if you haven’t grabbed it yet) so I can still maintain some sort of consistency.

Every trip I've been on has benefited me in some sort of way.

But I’ve found that I can’t force deep work or heavy tasks. Frameworks such as energy mapping (more to come on this) have helped me to move away from the ‘all or nothing’ approach and I now do certain tasks based on my time and energy.

Sometimes you need that break, but my perspective on everything I do now has shifted because of all my experiences away from home.

We get caught up in our schedules but the world is so much bigger than that town or city you live in.

You were made to see it.

My writing.

Running a faceless health and wellness page for 2 years got me nowhere.

Or so I thought.

I dreaded sitting down after work or tweaking my website for the 5th time because I wasn't happy with it.

It wasn't getting me anywhere and I lowkey knew it.

Maybe it had potential; maybe it was on the come-up.

I've now picked up writing and documenting my journey; it's something I'm enjoying so I know I'll look to carry it on.

Someone once told me "Share your journey; someone needs your voice."

Whether it's future me, one person or many, I approach this with the intention of telling you to 'keep going.'

Doors will open, doors will close but ultimately I’ve noticed that the little steps of consistency and dedication are preparing me for bigger things.

My Religion.

Sharing my Ramadan journey for the first time ever this year exposed my weaknesses, but also helped display my strengths courtesy of reminders from others.

Born into Islam or not, we’ve all experienced periods where we try to do everything and become perfect.

It just doesn’t work.

One day you’re feeling great, you’re seeking knowledge and you’re on time for prayers.

Other days there might be difficulties and doubts.

I’ve beaten myself up before for not maintaining concentration in prayers, for praying late or for not being ‘as good’ as that Muslim Akhi online.

Just like everything else, we have to stay in our lane and focus on our own journey.

Sure others might give you the means to improve and better yourself, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.

I’ve learned to try to remain steadfast on the hard days.

Allah knows you’re trying your best. The baby steps always count and he recognises that, even if we don’t.

If you’re not a Muslim and you’re reading this, I want you to think about how you feel when you attempt some form of spirituality exercise.

Understand that our problems and issues are so minuscule, so have a bigger picture in mind because it provides you purpose in everything that you do.

So I talk about what worked for me in my journey, but understand that it starts with certain changes that I implemented.

When they say your body is a temple, it’s a fact.

If I treated my body like a trash can, I wouldn’t be here today.

I advocated routine, productivity and avoiding burnout but understand it’s not inherited or passed down.

It’s a work in progress that takes work and dedication.

Most of my results and potential future success come from the small habits I’ve been building up.

The Bottom Line.

All the elements of my journey started with doubt, difficulty and self-deceit.

My mind and body suffered until I fixed up on these things:

Mastering Sleep: Not just rest, but a mental recharge for the body and brain. 7-9 hours of sleep with optimum conditions and you’ll flourish.

Strategic Nutrition: Feeding ambition, not just hunger. A diet with clean proteins, carbs, and healthy fats. Balance is key, but self-control is more important so know when to say no to the bad foods.

Balanced Movement: Weight training builds the body and cardio clears the mind and helps burn the fat. Together, they create unstoppable momentum.

Mind Sanctuary: Creating space where clarity thrives with prayer and meditation. My five prayers a day and reading verses of the Quran ensure I’m not just focusing on the temporary successes of this world, but the world after.

Recovery: Understanding that sometimes, taking one step back means moving two steps forward. Hard work is only cool when you prioritise resting your body and mind.

Don’t make the same mistakes I did.

You can experience physical and mental burnout when you overwhelm yourself with too much of something.

The key is to find that right kind of balance.

You're playing the long game.

Your body isn't just carrying you through today's hustle; it's carrying you through life's entire journey.

The grind will always be there tomorrow. But you only get one body to carry you through it all.

Let's build success that lasts, starting with the foundation: You.

If you have any questions or want to discuss the content you just read, feel free to reach out on Instagram @liftlangleon.

Till next time, peace.

LiftLangLeon