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The Being School Podcast delves into the essence of being human through engaging conversations with a diverse array of individuals pursuing interesting endeavors. Through the power of story, this podcast aims to uncover the lessons and insights gained by these individuals, offering inspiration and education for listeners seeking a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Join us as we explore and learn what it means to be the creator of our own lives.
Ep_7
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[00:00:00] Hello, everyone. Welcome to episode seven. I am in the process of editing it here and it just, as I'm working through it. I wanted to share a little something with you that has come up. These, this is a lesson for me. I am seven episodes into this podcast. But I'll tell you, I'm reading the questions that the questions at the end of each of these chapters, and as I was working through these questions now, reading back, or looking back over the video, I'm putting this podcast together. This question, start to get a little personal and you have to do some serious introspection.
And that's one thing when you're doing it in your mind or you're writing in your journal and then no one's ever going to see, but it's a whole different thing. When you're sitting in front of a camera, you're recording it. You're going to post it on the internet. , And who knows who is going to see that, hear that, how it's going to land with people, something I'm becoming acutely aware of is trying to say things in a way.
I mean, you never want to offend anyone or. Be say anything that's going to be painful or [00:01:00] cause cause emotional hurt. Any, anything like that, but. But I think just as human nature, as we explore and work through things in our own mind and really come to grips with what our true feelings are. You know, we may say something that does cause pain and. I certainly don't want to do that. But at the same time, I don't know how to be authentic, how to express myself.
How to work through the feelings I have on the inside and be. I hate the word authentic, but just genuinely share what's really going on and share my truth. And you know, that's not going to land well with some people. It may not resonate with everyone. And. For so long being, a recovering people pleaser. You're so worried about how people are going to take things.
And if you're going to offend somebody, if they're going to take it wrong. And, all you ever want to do is just please and fit in. And what you eventually realized is that you do that at the expense of your [00:02:00] self and your own wants, needs, and desires. My goal with this whole podcast is really to. Not only, hopefully find some information I can share that help. Others, but at the same time, it is an unbelievable way to work through and clarify and start to really understand, get clarity for yourself on some of these different issues and topics.
I think that's a way of me just saying to you that. This journey is. It's a challenge. It really is a challenge to kind of look inward, share those thoughts and feelings with everyone. When that's something that you've been keeping inside your head this whole time or inside your heart this whole time. What I want you to know. , I will continue to show up. Be as genuine forthcoming and sharing as possible for my own growth, hopefully for your growth, maybe that'll give you some.
Impetus some courage to share your true feelings with friends [00:03:00] and others, and really start these dialogues.
Let's grow together. And if in here something I say. Strikes you the wrong way. And you're like, oh, I totally disagree with that. Well, you know what? It's okay for people to disagree. We can all have different opinions. As long as you're coming from the right motivation coming from a place of trying to grow and being positive.
That's one thing now. If you set out with the intention of trying to hurt others, trying to tear people down. That's very different. A lot of this has to do with the intention that I'm bringing forward and that you put forward as you move through the world. So just know that I'm doing everything from a positive place of. Growth and expression.
And my intention is never to cause. Hurt in any way, shape or form. I appreciate you. Thank you for being here. Now. We're going to dive into episode seven. And also I'll apologize. Now, if there's background noise or shaking. I'm recording this in the Airstream and the wind outside is blowing. 30 40 miles an hour.
We get these big gusts. If you hear that background noise, that's what's [00:04:00] going on. I appreciate you. Talk soon. Keep rolling. Enjoy episode seven.
Hello everyone. Here we go. Episode seven of the being school podcast. Today we are talking about this book, the being equation and chapter four in there. It is coincidentally Christmas day. Merry Christmas everyone. And if you're listening to this in a different day, then Christmas. Mary, whatever day it is for you.
Let's dig into it. We're going to jump straight to chapter four, if you're following along at home, page thirty nine. Chapter four. The physical body. The physical body is a combination of genetics and epigenetics of the being.
Have you ever deeply thought about where your physical body comes from and what controls its development? Your physical body forms the basis of how you interact with every being and everything in the physical world and how other beings see and interact with you. Your experience [00:05:00] as a being comes through your five physical senses, so understanding the physical body and the role it plays in the being equation and forming who you are is critical.
Just as source energy represents the source DNA that forms our spiritual body, the genetics and epigenetics of each being provide the literal DNA that supplies the template for the physical body. We all know that the genes we receive from our parents set the starting point for our physical body, but they also can control so much more.
Understanding genetics, the branch of biology concerned with the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms, and epigenetics, the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than the alteration of the genetic code itself, is critical to understanding the forces that create who we are.
This chapter will delve into the science of genetics and [00:06:00] epigenetics, and before we go too deep down that rabbit hole, I want to make one point clear. Some of our physical traits are fixed by our DNA, like eye color and hair color. However, for other physical traits, DNA only sets a spectrum of possibility, and the physical trait is the result of much more that is in our control, like physical stature or even height.
You are in control of much more than you may realize. Although the classic scientific approach has been one that trends towards reductionism, or studying smaller and smaller segments in isolation, the role of genetics, gene expression, and genetic variation needs to be viewed in the context of the environment and the environmental conditions in which the organism lives.
There has long been a discussion of the role of nurture versus nature in determining an organism's physical and behavioral expression of genes. We now realize that genes [00:07:00] can be turned on or off based on both behavioral and environmental conditions. So, a brief lesson on genetics. The phenomenon of nurture is exhibited in a classic study in which two identical plants This experiment holds nature constant by using genetically identical individuals.
So these two plants are planted in two different environments. One, arid and nutrient limited, low nurture, and one humid and nutrient rich. High nurture, although the plants are genetically identical. The one in the arid and environment, which is low nurture only grows to half the size of the human environment, which was high nurture.
This experiment shows the role nurture plays in determining the ability of an organism to reach its genetic. Potential. To reach its full genetic potential. A direct example of nature is more difficult to provide, and this [00:08:00] difficulty points to a simple truth. It is not possible to separate the role of nature versus nurture in determining the identity traits of an individual.
The genetics, the nature, of an individual directly influences the response to the nurture, external rearing or forming, and vice versa. Who we are as individuals is a combination of both nature and nurture. To give some context to genetics, let's briefly talk about the history of genetics. Some of the earliest writing in the field of genetics and heredity comes from the famous Hindu text, the Oh, I'm going to butcher the pronunciation.
Very sorry. The Charaka Samhita, dating from around the 2nd century BCE. The Charaka Samhita identifies four factors in determining the characteristics of human offspring. Those factors include, number one, those from the mother's reproductive material. Number [00:09:00] two, those from the father's sperm. Number three, those from the diet of the pregnant mother, and number four, those accompanying the soul that enters the fetus.
Later, works by Hippocrates and Aristotle, amongst others, during the Classical period from the 8th to the 6th century BCE, are credited with forming the basis of scientific knowledge in the fields of genetics and heredity in the West. In the mid 1800s, the famous Charles Darwin put forward this theory on genetics, coined Pangenesis.
During this same general time, Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian friar who lived from 1822 to 1884, put forth his theory of genetics in a scientific paper published in 1866. However, his theory only gained prominence more than three decades after his death when it was Rediscovered by three researchers in the early 1900s.
This rediscovery of Mendel's [00:10:00] work led to Mendel being considered the father of the field of genetics and to the proverbial floodgates opening in the field with the discovery of chromosomes in 1910, DNA in the 1940s, and the famous double helix structure of DNA in 1952, leading to the field of molecular biology.
The first gene was sequenced in 1972, and now, since 2019, you can swab your cheek and have your genome sequenced for about 100. The truth about DNA. So, why the history lesson on genetics? Each generation of human beings and scientific researchers thought they were on the cutting edge of knowledge and understanding, not just in genetics, but in all topics.
We, as humans, have a history of thinking we are on the cutting edge of understanding, and the suppositions we make from our understanding must be the truth. Our current level of understanding around genetics and the language we use exhibits this paradigm. [00:11:00] Our genetic blueprint consists of three 0. 42 billion nucleotides arranged in 23 pairs of linear chromosomes.
The variability in quantity and arrangement of nucleotides among species is vast, with no apparent connection being obvious between the size of individuals within a species and the quantity of nucleotides comprising their DNA or a correlation between the number of genes and complexity. And only a small percentage of an organism's DNA codes for proteins used to build bodies and catalyze reactions in cells.
Estimates of the percentage vary amongst scientists, but the current estimate is that only 2 8 percent of our DNA has a function under this definition. No one really knows the purpose for the remaining 92 98 percent of our DNA. Think about that for a second. We are on the cutting edge of technology and can now [00:12:00] sequence the entire genome of all living organisms on the planet, but only know the purpose of 2 8 percent of our DNA.
And since we don't know what this other 92 98 percent of our DNA does, scientists and researchers have labeled it quote, junk DNA. The commonly accepted term for this huge portion of our DNA speaks volumes as to how things that are not understood within science get labeled as insignificant or unimportant.
The 92 98 percent we don't understand is junk in the eyes of science. It may have some purpose, but until the purpose is known It's junk. That would be like reading this paragraph that's just 188 words long, and only being able to read 4 words, and deciding the other 184 must be junk because you don't know what they mean, and you don't know their purpose.
There is a major flaw in this logic, and if you, as the reader, did not see it, I don't believe I would be able to make it [00:13:00] any clearer for you in another 188 words. However, what may make it a bit clearer is a quote from one of the scientists involved in the study of junk DNA in a 2012 article from Scientific American entitled, hidden Treasures and Junk.
DNA Computational biologist Yuen Berney sums up the relative level of understanding about junk DNA in the field of genetics. He says, quote. I get this strong feeling that previously I was ignorant of my own ignorance, and now I understand my ignorance. It's slightly depressing as you realize how ignorant you are, but this is progress.
The first step in understanding these things is having a list of things that one has to understand. And that's what we've got here. Read this again and think about it. With all of this said, how do I treat the genetic component of the being equation? The physical genetic [00:14:00] component of each individual plays a role in determining the beings that we are.
We can look at parents and their offspring and visually see the physical similarities. Through the science of genetics, we definitively know that the genetic makeup of the parent organism gets transferred from each parent to the offspring. And that these expressed traits play an important role in the physical expression of the being.
Where things get dodgy and go far beyond my ability, and the ability of what we as humans understand, is exactly how much our genetics control the expression of who we are. What I mean by this is that we can use genetics to predict certain physical characteristics like eye color, hair color, skin color, etc.
But ultimately, there are far more intangible variables, some that we know, and some we do not know, that also play a role in determining these things. We base our science on odds, and that is why a computational biologist is involved in genetics. Because scientists [00:15:00] crunch big numbers on populations and make predictions based on the outcomes.
They predict outcomes for an individual based on results they observe in a huge population. They cannot predict a specific outcome for an individual. Put another way, a geneticist could have the entire genome of parent 1 and the entire genome of parent 2 and could know every bit of genetic information about each parent.
Yet, given this information, they cannot definitively with 100 percent certainty tell you exactly what offspring one will look like. Further, if parent one and parent two produce multiple offspring from the same fertilization event, and those offspring do not originate through identical twinning, then these offspring could have completely different genetics.
Think about this for a minute. It would make sense that if parent one is sharing half of their genetic makeup and parent two is sharing half of their genetic makeup, then the genetic makeup [00:16:00] they share at any given moment in time should be identical. All of the environmental and life history inputs that affect that individual all the way up to the exact moment the fertilization event occurred have been 99.
999 percent or more identical during the development of the gametes that are present at that particular time. Strictly speaking, from a human standpoint, why is there so much genetic variation and what traits are dominant, even from one sperm or one egg to the next within an individual? An average human male can produce between 40 million and 1.
2 billion sperm cells in each potential fertilization event. Of this quantity, only one is needed to fertilize a female egg. Each of those 40 million to 1. 2 billion, when combined with a female egg, can produce an entirely unique individual. And science cannot definitively say what that individual will look [00:17:00] like.
Science can only predict with some confidence intervals what they may look like. Science can only give odds. Why would we evolve with so much variation in our genetic makeup? Why wouldn't each male or female produce an identical set of gametes from any potential reproductive event? Wouldn't it be much simpler that way?
What purpose could all of this variation possibly serve? Given our current level of understanding, evolution is the best explanation. And that has been since Darwin put it forth in the 1800s. Regardless of whether Darwin's theory is accurate in explaining how beings change through time through variation and adaptation to the environment, it does nothing to say why all this variation in genetics is even around in the first place.
We are still dealing with and understanding just 2 8%. Remember that other 92 98 percent that was junk? Even if the theory of evolution is 100 percent right, [00:18:00] it is only explanatory, meaning that it just explains why populations evolve characteristics in the way they do. It does nothing to explain why we have so much variation and so much DNA in the first place, or what the other 98 percent of all this DNA does.
The theory of evolution is only a plausible explanation for what we understand at this particular point in time. It does nothing to explain why we have so much, quote, extra DNA in the first place. As we go through our lives as beings, we have experiences, and we generate interpretation of the world through these experiences.
The historic way of thinking about reproduction is that reproduction occurs, and the physical traits of the parent beings, in the case of male and female, come together in some combination to produce an offspring that is a genetic combination of the male and female. The offspring receives all of the physical information from the parents, and then it is up to the offspring to use those physical characteristics to the best [00:19:00] of its ability to learn about and thrive in the environment.
Other than a physical adaptation, we did not think specific behaviors or knowledge were passed from one generation to the next in any other form than instinct or learned behavior, meaning the parent rabbit teaches the offspring rabbits that they should run when a shadow moves overhead. But, what if some of the knowledge the parents had gained throughout their collective lifetimes of experience could be passed along to the offspring without any physical changes in the DNA, but only in changes to which sequence of DNA were turned on or turned off?
Think about this for a moment. We have always thought of DNA as a physical trait, which the idea that the traits that make an offspring best suited to an environment will be passed along. But physical traits are only a small portion of the information that an offspring can use to be successful. What about all of the life experiences and practices that parent beings learned through a lifetime of living?[00:20:00]
What if that information could be passed along as well without having to be taught as a learned behavior? What if innate knowledge of what happened to the parent being during their lifetime could be shared with offspring being? How valuable would the lessons learned during the parent's lifetime be to the offspring being's success?
Which brings us to Epigenetics. I'm going to have a quick drink.
You know, this is something I haven't picked up and read this book really since I wrote it. Again, going back to that, I don't want to say imposter syndrome, but it's, it's one of those weird things. You hear authors say that and you spend two years day in and day out with something. And now it's been really a year and a half, two years since I've read it word for word through the book.
And so this is really fun for me to go back and read through it and hopefully you're enjoying it as well.[00:21:00]
Alright, let's pick back up. You're following along. Page 47. Epigenetics. These questions bring us to epigenetics, the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than the alteration of the genetic code itself. Every cell in a body contains the entire DNA sequence for that being.
A skin cell, a liver cell, a brain cell, et cetera, from the same being, all have the same DNA sequence. What differentiates a skin cell from a liver cell from a brain cell is which genes or portions of genes within the DNA sequence get expressed. Another way to think of expression is like an on off switch.
If one portion of the gene is turned on, the trait will be expressed. If that portion of the gene is turned off, that portion of the gene will not be expressed. What is critical to note is that DNA is not being altered in any way. It is only the expression of the DNA that has changed. [00:22:00] DNA is composed of four fundamental chemical bases, adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine.
The sequence of these bases forms the instructions for all life functions. Genes can be thought of as specific sequences of these four bases. The specific sequences are instructions for how to make different proteins. Proteins are the triggers for various biological processes. These specific biological processes are what lead to cell specialization and differentiation, and what allows beings to become beings and do all the specialized things that make them what they are.
For differentiation and specialization to occur, certain genes have to be turned on or off. Keep in mind, the entire DNA sequence is preserved in this process, and the tags that turn genes on and off can theoretically be added or removed at any time. There are little, they are little chemical switches that can be [00:23:00] turned on and off in response to changing conditions without creating permanent changes in the DNA structure.
Here is what is important to understand about epigenetics and how it is different from the typical understanding of evolution. In traditional genetic evolution, a being has a genetic change in its DNA that makes it more fit for a particular environment. Let's say a fish has a change in its DNA that makes it brown instead of blue because being brown allows it to hide better from the bigger fish that would like to eat it.
Because it can hide better, it lives longer and reproduces more, and passes along its brown color through its DNA to more offspring, thereby giving its brown offspring a better chance at life and reproduction over its blue counterparts. This is a physical change in DNA that is passed to the offspring.
In epigenetics, the physical structure of the DNA is not changed, but the genes that are turned on and off are changed. For many years, it was thought that only physical changes in [00:24:00] DNA were passed to offspring, and epigenetic changes, those little on off switches, were not passed. However, recent studies show signs that these epigenetic on off switches potentially pass to offspring as well.
So what does all this mean? It makes sense that if there is a way to pass on physical traits and information to offspring that best suit it to an environment and give it the greatest likelihood of success, then it would also be advantageous to pass along the experiential, cultural information that would help them them.
Kind of a non verbal communication between parent and offspring saying, Hey, this all happened to me during my life, so you may want to be prepared for it. Imagine if you could sit down with your children or grandchildren and tell them all the things that happened to you, what traits or skills they should have for those situations, and what they should look out for and what you enjoyed, both pleasure and pain.
That's a super [00:25:00] simplification of epigenetics. But, this could be exactly what is happening. We just don't have the scientific knowledge to prove it. In order to bring the topic of epigenetics a little more clearly into focus, let's look at an example. In a study performed on mice, researchers taught male mice to fear the smell of acetaphenone, a smell that has been compared to cherries or almonds.
The researchers wafted the smell through a small chamber and then gave small electrical shocks to the male mice. The mice eventually learned to associate the smell with pain and shook when in the presence of acetaphenone, even when no shock was applied. This same reaction was passed down to the offspring of the male mice.
Despite the offspring never having encountered the smell of acetaphenone before in their lives, the offspring displayed signs of increased sensitivity and shook when presented with the smell, while offspring of male mice that had not gone [00:26:00] through Smell conditioning displayed no unusual behavior. Their quote, grandchildren or third generation descended from these male mice also exhibited this reaction to the smell of acetaphenone as well.
Researchers are unclear as to how this sensitivity could be passed down through the male sperm, but this is a very basic example of epigenetics. Due to the complexity that would be required, no official experimental studies regarding epigenetics have taken place in humans. But as our scientific understanding of epigenetics increases, there will likely be a greater understanding of when information is passed from parents to offspring through epigenetics.
At this point, it is important to understand that the environment, the physical and mental stresses that were experienced by your parents, grandparents, and potentially even further back in your genetic lineage, all play a role in shaping the person that you are today through epigenetics. This does [00:27:00] not mean that a parent makes a conscious choice to share this information with their offspring.
Quite the contrary. This information is included in the DNA whether they want it to be or not. It is a new concept for many that what your parents and grandparents experienced, whether you heard stories or even knew or know your parents, grandparents, or great grandparents, plays a direct role in shaping the person you are today.
What provides even more food for thought What provides even more food for thought is something which you can more directly influence. Is that what you are experiencing in your life could be passed to your offspring through epigenetics. Many people intuitively know that the physical health of the parents, especially the mother, at the time leading up to conception and through childbirth and nursing, plays a fundamental role in the health of the child.
What may not be obvious, and what epigenetics points towards, is that the mental and emotional well being of the [00:28:00] parents, especially the mother, due to the physical connection, is also critical in determining the health of the child. While most evidence pointing to this connection is anecdotal at this point, as studies involving human subjects fall far outside ethical guidelines, a little good old fashioned common sense can go a long way here.
Do you think a child would be affected differently by spending nine months in the womb of a mother in a kind, loving, well supported environment with plenty of resources and minimal outside stress, or a stressful, negative environment with conflict and limited resources that causes continuous worry and concern?
I am not a parent, but if I was planning to be, I would certainly focus as much attention on creating a positive and supportive mental and emotional environment as I did on prenatal physical health. If you already have children, reflect on the environment during their conception and prenatal development.
It is not something to look back [00:29:00] on and feel any sense of judgment. It is simply helpful to understand that just as your epigenetics shape you, your child's epigenetics shapes them. And it may be useful, and it may be a useful tool to think about in understanding who they are at this moment in time.
Now that you have a basic understanding, Of how genetics and epigenetics shapes the being you are today. Please also recognize that there's a tremendous amount of information we do not understand when it comes to genetics and epigenetics. This field is constantly expanding and we appear to be on the cusp of rapid advancements in this field.
In chapter 15, we will discuss how you can specifically affect this variable and the being equation. What I would like you to take away from this discussion are three main points. Number one, genetics and epigenetics are responsible for much [00:30:00] more than just our physical characteristics. Number two, epigenetics show us that we can turn certain portions of our DNA on or off without changing our DNA, and we can receive more than physical trait information from our ancestors.
Number three, The fields of genetics and epigenetics are rapidly evolving, and what we know now is likely to change in the future. So always stay curious. Questions to consider. What is my relationship to my physical body in this present moment? Okay, yeah, just like before I'm going to dig into these. wHat is my Relationship to my physical body in the present moment.
You go through and answer these questions as well as, as we talk about them. But to kind of give you an example, I'll work through these. This is something, I've focused on, much, much [00:31:00] more. But, I had an experience that really brought this home. It was about two years ago, I had been dealing with an Achilles issue.
I had what's called a Hagelin deformation on my left heel of my Achilles, which basically meant I had a bone spur growing out of the back of my Achilles, and it would strum the Achilles tendon. And what this meant was, I couldn't run for any distance, I couldn't plant or cut or move around. So I used to love to play basketball, softball, volleyball.
I'd run half marathons. Running was an active part of my kind of physical regimen, and I had that Achilles issue happen. And for a number of years, I couldn't do anything. And then about two years ago, I found a surgeon that did a specific procedure that could arthroscopically fix that and return me back to, you know, hopefully a higher level of physical health.
And so this was fantastic. I was excited about it, made connections to the surgeon, had the surgery done, and then I come home [00:32:00] from the hospital, been home 24 hours, was feeling good. I wasn't supposed to put any weight on that Achilles.
And then, I got this, starting, over the course of a couple hours, started getting pain in my back. And, debilitating pain, huge pain. And what it essentially did, my other leg, the sciatic nerve going down, I had to extrude a part of a disc between L4, L5. Or L5 S1 and that extrusion of the disc was pressing on the nerve and over the course of a couple of days I couldn't I was literally sleeping on the floor.
I couldn't move it was Incredibly incredibly painful and so I'd gone from physically fit and active to now Literally being in constant pain not being able to move never being able to get comfortable And and it was like almost a light switch that flipped and what it made me realize in that moment was how?
Incredibly Fragile our bodies can be and how important it is that we take care of of our bodies And that lesson more than any[00:33:00] has made me so much more conscious about Trying to take care of myself physically and realizing that if you don't have your physical function your mobility your health how it impacts everything how it impacts how you experience the world how it impacts the relationships you have with your Friends and family and others because when you're in pain or when you can't move around or when you can't interact properly that is to affect so many other aspects of your world.
Do you take your physical body and your physical mobility and those things for granted at the moment? Or are you grateful? That's another place. You can be grateful for those things and I can tell you i'm extremely grateful Next question. Do I like my physical body?
This opens up a can of worms Uh, yeah, this opens up a can of worms for sure I know It's typically I think this has become more and more into the public spotlight As of late, over the last number of years. But, this, this [00:34:00] notion, it was typically associated maybe historically with women. Although I don't want to stereotype in any way, shape, or form.
But, this body image thing is a real, a real issue. And it's, it was something I've, I think I've had all through growing up. And since, easily since middle school years. But I've always felt, you know, I'm a bigger person. I'm taller in stature, and therefore I can carry some weight and spread out, but it was one of those things that I was never really happy with my physical appearance.
I mean, I always had love handles, I always felt heavy, I can go back and look at photos and just not be happy with the way I look. Just really, really paranoid about those things. I was never someone that was like really strong in high school, For a lot of years, I just wasn't happy with the way I look and I'm still conscious of it, but I will say over the last two or three years since writing this book, since doing some other work and [00:35:00] being grateful for the things I have, I've really shifted that and I'm grateful to my body I don't focus on how it necessarily looks, what I'm grateful to my body for is the fact that it moves me through the world and allows me to do all the things that I want to do.
I treat it well, it treats me well. And so shifting the idea of liking your physical body specifically from an aesthetic viewpoint and shifting it to everything that it allows you to do and being grateful for how it transports you through the world and allows you to interact with others. So from that standpoint now, I feel like I have a very positive.
Positive image for my body, even to the point of this morning, as I said, it's Christmas day. Some friends, we went for a polar plunge up in the lake, uh, just up the road. So it was about 10 degrees outside, the wind chill was, it was howling. The water's freezing cold. And we go up and do the polar plunge.
And there was some, you know, people were taking some pictures and there's some video of that out there and it may [00:36:00] pop up. And two or three years ago I would have been I'd have just been worried. I'd be like, oh my gosh, if this makes it on some social media or something and people see this, I'm gonna be very self conscious and I've, and that would have been then.
Now, you know, I'm grateful that I was able to go up and do that. I love my body for who it is, what it allows me to do, and sure, do I wish I didn't have love handles or physically looked a bit different? Maybe, but at the same time, I'm not worried about that. If that's a thing that people want to judge me on, so be it.
My body is extremely functional. I'm so grateful for it, and therefore, I feel much more positive and in tune. So now I'm going to answer that question as, yeah. I do like my physical body. Do I take care of my physical body? Boy, this is one. It bounces around a lot. I definitely focus on trying to exercise four or five times a week.
I don't always eat the best. , I know that I To have some [00:37:00] habits that aren't great for the physical body, I could definitely stretch more, eat healthier, all of those things. I have a interesting history and relationship with alcohol, and so I'm trying to be very conscious about that. And, you know, between Andrew Huberman and everything that's come into the media over the last couple of years about, uh, Pros and cons of alcohol.
Truthfully, mostly cons of my own experimentation with how effects, sleep, and how physically active you can be, and performance, mental clarity, all of those things. That's for a whole different podcast, and yet I'm conscious of those things, and now I'm much more conscious about my body. So I do try to treat it much better than I did, but man, there's always room for improvement, right?
No judgment about what anyone else decides to do. Do I accept that I am in control of my body and appearance, or do I believe I am a victim of my genes? You know, we hear this so many times, there's so much, as we talked [00:38:00] about and worked through that chapter on genetics and epigenetics. We receive genes from our parents, so some of our physical stature is obviously controlled by those genetics, but so much more can be affected by, the things we put into our body.
What we eat, what we drink, what we consume, the environment we live in, all of those things affect our body. And I think sometimes And I've certainly done this, I'll be the first one to say, I've used genetics as an excuse for the way, for either an appearance or how I am, and that's a portion of it. But sometimes it's just a convenient excuse.
We really can be and are in much more control of our physical appearance than we realize. But I definitely use genetics as an expression sometimes to think, Oh, well, I'm, you know, the classic saying is I'm built just like my father. I'm built just like my mother or all the people on this side of the family are this way. And so. Yeah, but a lot of that can also be controlled through other things, diet, exercise, [00:39:00] positively and negatively.
Next question. Am I realizing my quote highest and best genetic potential, however I define highest and best? Now while there is no judgment in this question as to what highest and best means, you need to be honest with yourself about what it means to you. So, again, this is not about setting standards for what highest and best means, but like a question I like to think about sometimes is, what do I truly believe in the middle of the night as, as the truth? Do I believe physically I'm, I'm operating at my highest and best, or are there things that I could do to improve? There's different movements out there and I even hesitate to, , to walk into some of these because they can be such polarizing topics and my goal here is definitely not to be polarizing, but , I'm a huge fan of body positivity [00:40:00] aspect of things and that's, that's all great, but it can cross a line where, what's the best way to put this?
If, if you're using body positivity as. to not have the body image, the body physique, whatever you may want to get to. And you're using that as the, as the excuse to not be there. Then that's one thing. If you're thrilled with exactly where your body is in the middle of the night, when it's just you and you're happy with that, I keep using that saying in the middle of the night.
But what I mean is, When you wake up in the night and there's no other people around, you're not using, there's no social pressures or no judgment, if you're happy with yourself the way you are, then fantastic, wonderful. If you're not happy, just admit that to yourself and make changes and say, hey, you know what?
I'm happy, but I want to improve. And that's great. So, use that middle of the night question as a way to decide if whatever highest and best means to [00:41:00] you is the truth. And, it's nothing that happens every night or changes don't make you don't make changes every night, and there's no reason to beat yourself up as you move through the process of making changes in your physical body in any way, shape or form, but just be honest with yourself on what that means to you in terms of highest and best and then set that as something to work towards.
If you're there, wonderful. Enjoy it. And if you're not there, wonderful. Still enjoy it. Enjoy every day. Final question. Do I view my physical body as an asset or a liability? And why? Well this, again, this has changed for me a lot over the past couple of years. The shift has gone from looking at the appearance and using my physical body as how other people view me and transitioning from viewing the physical body that way to more of This physical body is how I move through the world and interact with the world and look at all the [00:42:00] amazing things it Lets me do I am So much happier about my physical body now than I was two or three years ago Just for making that switch where it's not about appearance It's not about the right photo the right filter the this or that It's like is your physical body allowing you to have the experiences and do the things and show up how you want to show up in the world that's the real question for me and the way I shifted that focus and when I, where I went from a negative idea about my physical body to a positive one because my physical body allows me to hike, run, bike.
It allows me to interact with others. A big focus and happiness thing for me is travel and adventure and being able to walk on my own two feet and carry a backpack, travel around. Have great mobility like that. I'm so grateful to my physical body for allowing me to have that. I have such a positive view of my body now from that switch.
I would encourage you, [00:43:00] how are you thinking about this question? Are you thinking about it strictly from an appearance standpoint? Or you think about it, make sure you think about it on what your physical body allows you to do and be, and how you can move and interact in the world. There we go. Chapter 4, In the Bag, Episode 7.
Next up we're going to have chapter 5 where we're going to move into the next variable of the being equation which is inputs. We're marching to that goal of having 10 podcasts for 2023. This is episode 7, so 3 more coming. Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for being interested.
If you have questions or comments, please post them. I'm happy to answer those. Reach out to me either via one of the social platforms. This will be on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, but you can email me through my website, Erik at erikhardy. com. The website itself is E R I K H A R D Y. com. I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for being here. Have a great night. [00:44:00] What rest? I was going to say rest of 2023, but we only have like six days left. Have a great 2024 and rest of 23 and we'll see you soon. Keep rolling.