Principals I Try To Live By.
How it started
In my mid-forties, after having spent a lifetime investing in my own health through movement, nutrition and spiritual growth, I started to suffer from the pressure of growing demands from financial, professional and physical strains. I was in a permanent state of Fight or Flight and needed to press the reset button on both my mind and body. Like far too many corporate athletes, I wasn’t spending enough time on regeneration. As I skipped from one meeting to another and hopped on and off flights in different time zones with the added burden of looming deadlines, I gradually settled into a permanent stress-induced-state fueled by caffeine, sugar and adrenaline.
How it’s going
I decided to devise a system for myself that would build off four decades of active competition in varying sports, my extensive experience in corporate America as an executive leader and my mindfulness practice grounded in eastern martial arts and western spirituality. Fight Flee Flow evolved as a natural extension from my desire to use the tools at my disposal to find a sustainable way of living. My search would not only better my understanding of longevity as I aged and adapted but helped me restore greater balance in my life while maintaining the competitive edge needed for a fast paced business world and the demands of home life.
Grounded in the basic principle that we must often embrace opposing energies, Fight Flee Flow finds its source in balancing what pushes you towards, pulls you away or centers you.
Fight Flee Flow suggests that the pursuit of this three state ecosystem is key to optimizing your well-being in movement, in diet, in rest, in love and in life.
The Goal
My goal was for this system to work for me and for it to remain flexible enough to respond to the rigors of my everyday western life. My intention is not to monetize, prescribe or preach any specific doctrine. My hope is that anybody can adapt these intuitive principles to their own life and set of circumstances should they choose to. Hopefully Fight Flee Flow provides you that spark of inspiration or a new way of looking at your “life style”.
End Game
I’ve long believed that movement is medicine. Actively participating in a broad set of activities will create greater internal diversity so that your body and mind can begin to harmonize the benefits of complementary tasks and stimuli. Intuitively listening to the needs of your body over both the long and short term will lead to increased Health Span and Happiness. A Fight Flee Flow mindset should lead to stronger immunity, greater endurance, improved confidence and better well-being.
Fight Flee Flow helps me to function better as a partner, lover, worker, athlete, parent, citizen…human.
The Goal
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Fight
Fight: Represented by forward movement and actions traveling towards energy. One of the survival mechanisms, Fight symbolizes gain, aggression, giving, extension, promotion, inflation and attack. Some qualities that support this function involve strength, weight, pushing and lifting. You may fight for or against something. Examples include combat sports, tennis, polo, martial arts, explosive movements and strength training.
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Flee
Flee: Represented by retractive movement and actions traveling away from energy. One of the survival mechanisms, Flee symbolizes retreat. separation, receiving, agility, swiftness and evasiveness. Some qualities that support this function involve speed, lightness, pulling and endurance. You may flee away or towards something. Examples include climbing, swimming, cycling, skiing, running. calisthenics and aerobics.
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Flow
Flow: represented by internal stillness and actions traveling towards the center. This is a balanced state where the male and female energies are in harmony. One of the survival mechanisms, Flow symbolizes slowness, calmness, oneness, balance, equilibrium and timelessness. Some qualities that support this function involve inaction, regeneration, ingestion and meditation, Examples include sleeping, stretching, surfing, tai chi, dancing and diving.