Good morning friends!
I am back in East Sussex this weekend, visiting my Mum and enjoying a short break from London life. I am writing this after a short 5k and a lovely time in the Sauna relaxing and sweating everything out.
On the theme of exercise and wellness, there is a well-known saying that "health is the most important thing in your life."
Many people, including myself, know this but often do not prioritise it. However, my perception of health, mainly the cost of health, has changed recently. Let me explain.
In my late teens, I was big into lifting, especially powerlifting. You wouldn't think it, given how I look, but you will just have to believe me 😅.
In the summer of 2018, I attempted a 175kg sumo deadlift, and something in my lower back pinged. After a few days, the pain subsided, but whenever I would squat or deadlift, I always felt slight discomfort.
Over time, I slowly stopped doing any strength exercises that would cause my lower back to flare up, and I now run and do more cardio exercises than resistance training.
Anyway, despite me cutting out certain exercises, my lower back pain just got worse and worse over the years, and it got to the point where I would be in agony, just bending over sometimes.
I remember mentioning it to my colleague at work, who pushed me to see someone about it. He had similar problems, and seeing a professional was super helpful. (I know, in hindsight, this is really obvious.)
What I missed from this story so far is that I saw a chiropractor in 2019, but it didn't help me that much in the long run. So, I was always quite sceptical of seeing someone again.
Nonetheless, I reached out to an Osteopath about a month ago from a referral, and honestly, I now feel better than I have been for at least the past two years!
I have only seen the Osteopath for three sessions, but his adjustment, knowledge and exercises he has given me have literally nearly cured all my pain and discomfort. It's incredible what can happen when you get expert advice.
Luckily, my issue wasn’t super serious, and I just needed the proper treatment and exercises to relieve my pain. But honestly, the euphoria I feel now makes me wonder if I lived for so long in consistent discomfort.
I didn't get this on insurance and paid ~£40 for each session. To me, especially now, you can't put a price on health. And yeah, people may say it's expensive, but as I have mentioned before, I don't drink. So, £40 is equivalent to about 5/6 pints or 4 cocktails here in London. I might even call it a bargain to relieve years-old back pain!
Don't get me wrong. I am fortunate that I can afford this, and other people may not be in the same position. What I am trying to say in the previous paragraph is that, as I said right at the beginning, it is always a question of perspective and priorities.
For me, not buying 4 cocktails covers the cost of an Osteopath session. One is a net positive for my health, and the other is a negative.
Again, I am not against drinking, and I do not think I am superior in any way because I don't drink. This is just an example of how I "frame" the cost of health in my brain relative to other things.
After this experience, I am much more willing to pay for specialist advice on health issues, as it is the most important thing in your life.
Weekly Favourites ❤️
📚 Book—The Psychology of Money. I am re-reading this, and there are so many lessons that I didn't pick up the first time. I really recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about finance and money and how your behaviours affect your wealth, not how much you earn.
✍️ Article — Build Your Brand, Not Your Business. I am big fan of
’s writing and newsletter, and this post he wrote a while back really resonates with me. The premise is that it's better to build your personal brand and gain an audience before you scale a business or product. It's all about having a distribution channel.🔨 Tool—Zoom H5. I recently bought an external audio recorder, so I no longer need to record my audio and video through the camera itself. It's not cheap—the Zoom H5 cost me £170—but its pre-amp and audio quality are much better than my camera's. It also has XLR inputs, which is helpful for when I transition to a big boy XLR microphone.
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