The purpose of this article is to briefly acknowledge the scope of challenges faced by those of us who assume humanity is good and therefore aim to realize our potential as human beings. On this ‘stack I talk about holistic health and fitness. As it is, putting in the work to establish positive health behaviors is a challenge in the absence of adversaries. Unfortunately there are malign forces that must be addressed if you don’t want your human performance optimization efforts to be derailed by enemy action.
Fifth Generation Warfare (5GW)
For an overview of what 5GW is, I highly recommend you read this article. If you’re simply in too much of a hurry I’ll excerpt a quick definition:
[5GW is characterized by] data-driven, non-kinetic military action designed to take advantage of existing cognitive biases and create new cognitive biases… [T]he deliberate manipulation of an observer’s context in order to achieve a desired outcome
It is a continuous challenge to look inward and overcome or even be mindful of our cognitive biases by nature. When there are factions actively encouraging people to do the opposite it makes it a much more difficult feat. One of the messages I’ve been trying to get across here is that spirituality is central to health and fitness, and that this spirituality is inextricably linked to the innate values of each individual. What I haven’t addressed is that the way these values are understood can be manipulated. The apparatus that has emerged to accomplish exactly that is vast and complex. As noted in the linked article, attribution to individual or group actors responsible for such is often difficult or even impossible. To even get a sense for why and how those who view the human spirit as a repugnant impediment to “progress” requires deep research and time that most of us don’t have. Fortunately we have people like Robert Barnes, Whitney Webb, and hundreds of folks on Substack and other alternative media platforms trying to untie this Gordian Knot. Unfortunately, even astute synopses can only scratch the surface of what we face, and even then, it is difficult to decide who to trust let alone the best way to direct our energies to resist the darkness.
Enter H2F
Of all the moves available to us, investing time and attention into establishing positive health behaviors is a speculation that has a very high probability of paying off. For one thing, there is overwhelming scientific evidence that lifestyle interventions pertaining to nutrition, sleep, and exercise can prevent the development of a wide range of medical issues from heart disease to musculoskeletal injuries. For another, I think it tends to improve cognition and resilience to deal with the uncertainties inherent to the 5GW battlefield we all inhabit. The Army’s H2F manual is designed to provide an overview of five domains of readiness with practical methods of optimizing each. I think it’s a great resource. If you’re a Soldier, go attend the Master Resiliency Trainer (MRT) Course. If you’re not, maybe consider taking the University of Pennsylvania’s Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization Course. It looks like there’s a 7-day free trial, then it’s 79$/month. I might do this myself and write a review down the road, but I know MRT is based on this work so I bet it’s a great course.
Other Stuff To Try
The ‘holistic’ in H2F refers to the interdependent nature of the various domains of health and fitness. In order to appreciate this, you need to be able to step back and see the big picture. In the Grey Dynamics article on 5GW they provide vague recommendations to “meditate.” I’d like to provide guidance that is a little more specific. To see the big picture, I’m a huge fan of using McGilchrist’s paradigm highlighting the importance of brain hemispheric dominance. To be able to appreciate the whole and not get myopically fixated on the parts, your right hemisphere needs to be dominant. Perhaps achieving this is easier said than done, but if you want to try something practical to promote the activation/dominance of your right hemisphere, why not take a few minutes and try the routine outlined here by John Carter?
I’ve helped multiple readers and friends over the years to incorporate incline treadmill walking into their daily routines. I’ve only ever gotten positive feedback about using this as a training modality to kick start a fitness program. There are an infinite number of ways you could get started, but if you’ve been thinking you should start exercising it is a really great way to get your feet wet.
If you’re looking to get started with some resistance training, here’s a quick full body workout you could do with no equipment up to 1x/day:
I need to give credit to my old mentor Chad Reilly for the inspiration for the 3min lunge parameter and “floor rows.” On that note, he has a good product called Spinal Flow Yoga that is a full body exercise program that only requires a yoga mat. Especially if you have back pain and you’re not willing to go to a gym or buy equipment, you should check it out. Whatever you do, you’ll continue to make progress as long as you follow Greg Doucette’s sage advice regarding how hard you should train. The answer to this very important question is always “Harder Than Last Time.” You don’t need to kill yourself, just train a little harder than last time and you’ll keep getting better!
Abandon the Dark Side of the Force. This aligns with the recommendation to leverage positive psychology but bears repeating. Our 5GW enemies view the economy as a zero-sum game. In this conception, coercion and the hate and disgust that animate it as a strategy are justifiable and even desirable sources of energy. Hate and anger don’t facilitate the kind of purposeful action that will lead to a better world, however. Keeping your eyes on the horizon looking for opportunities to cooperate with your fellow man will be much more psychologically and spiritually nutritious thereby providing the kind of sustained energy necessary to keep the enemy out of your decision cycle (and perhaps down the road get into theirs).
Trust on the 5GW Battlefield
Are lifestyle interventions worth your time? What does your doctor say? If your blood pressure is high, do you need to take medication for that, or can lifestyle bring it within normal range? Is high cholesterol a problem that requires immediate prescription of a statin, or can lifestyle give you all of the benefits without the increased risk of T2DM that accompanies that standard medication? If you’re feeling a little depressed should you go ahead and try an SSRI, or maybe try to implement the lifestyle recommendations outlined in a book like The Depression Cure? What do the experts say? What do I say? Why trust me over say, Rachel Levine?
Rachel is the second in command at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She would probably disagree with a lot of what I’m saying. She might say the most important thing to do going into the holiday season is get your flu shot and COVID booster. Not only is she a 4-star Admiral, she’s a medical doctor. Not only is she a medical doctor, she went to Harvard for her undergraduate degree.
As of this writing I’m still an Army Captain. I’m a physical therapist with an undergraduate degree from… Arizona State!?!? Why trust me? Because I look healthy? Hasn’t postmodernism told us that this is just an illusion? Not only that, but just look at the color of my skin and my grotesque cisgendered features… disgusting. What could I know or teach anyone about health and fitness since my privileged brain is incapable of understanding the lived experience of anyone who has ever struggled? It actually takes a lot of time and effort to argue that convincingly against a well trained postmodernist. If you need to hear those arguments before you take action, then I’m probably not your guy, but then, you probably wouldn’t be here either. I don’t expect anyone to take my word for anything, you should try stuff for yourself then consider your results. If the results suck, then maybe check your premises. If the results are great, hold what you’ve got there, Airborne.
Resilience: The Solution to the Volatility Inherent to 5GW
I don’t know what the future holds. I’ve got a lot of concerns and I think I see a lot of potential solutions, but I can’t know for sure. I’m working on it. I presume many of my readers are working on it too. I’ll tell you that if you’re struggling with your health, or you’re not exercising at all, this is one of those things that has a very high likelihood of being helpful down the road. A little goes a long way, and if you end up dependent on the system for medical care, well, looking at the clinical reasoning on display from most institutional providers I wouldn’t count on anyone being around to give you sound advice that your life depends on. But they have a monopoly on the provision of many life saving drugs and treatments so… an ounce of prevention might be redeemable for more and more cure as inflation progresses from an uncomfortable heat to life-threatening inferno. I’ll be working on a book exploring political solutions for our side on this 5GW battlefield over the next couple months and suspending regular posting to accommodate the workload. I wanted to provide my dear readers with some stuff to check out in the meantime to that might be used to enhance your holistic health and fitness. The better we understand reality, the better we can align our actions with our purpose in order to achieve meaning, but understanding reality is getting incredibly difficult. If you’re feeling overwhelmed going into the holiday season and into the new year, consider prioritizing establishing some habits you are most confident will provide you with a good return on investment. Health and fitness supporting habits are often a great choice, but perhaps you have other priorities, don’t bite off more than you can chew! Don’t forget to reserve some of your energy for enjoying time with family and friends. If you’re anything like me, this is one of those things that makes all of the effort required to pursue any of these recommendations worth it. Happy Holidays!
Life Before Death, Strength Before Weakness, Journey Before Destination
-Brandon Sanderson
You are practical and your advice is given in good cheer: to take care of yourself and manage what is within your control. I agree, thanks.
The point about not giving in to the dark side is a very important one. I would add that one good way to remind yourself of the good is to make a conscious effort to praise or otherwise reward people doing things you think are praiseworthy. I know for myself I had been much more inclined to point out when someone was doing something bad, but fairly quiet when someone did something good. One of the things Adam Smith taught me was that while not everything one should do deserves praise, not praising things that deserve it is as unjust as not offering blame for what deserves it.
The side effect of that, beyond just being a more just individual, has been to make me thinking more seriously about the good things I see people do. Did they just meet propriety, or did they go above and beyond? What praise is proper? What praise would I expect or want?
The fact that many people are surprised when you go out of your way to say "Hey, that was really good of you. I appreciate it." shows that rewarding the good is lacking in society; it is also kind of funny to see their reactions.
Speaking of funny, I about snarfed my coffee when you did a compare contrast with Admiral Balltuck there. Was your picture your application shot for being the next Captain America in film?