Shortly after the birth of my second child, I became sick, very sick. After visiting every hospital I could, and after traveling from specialist to specialist, it was time for me to take matters into my own hands.
When you’re in tune with your body, you know when your body is out of tune. Deep inside I knew the answers to my sickness were out there. I just had to find them, and the clock was ticking.
After multiple lab tests, MRIs and CT scans, I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy. Bell’s Palsy, a condition named after the surgeon who first described its effects, Charles Palsy, is a sickness without a defined cause. This explains why I was never given an explanation for my severe headaches, numbness, and hypokalemia.
Instead of being a bystander, I became a disruptor, a disruptor for good. It may just be my rogue personality, whatever it is, I believe in assuming nothing, and pursuing everything, especially my health. So I immediately got to work. I studied functional medicine and researched ways to improve my diet. I built a biohacking lab behind my house and began to experiment. By engaging various biohacking methods, things started to change. I started to feel better, much better.
I quickly realized the unusual power we have to make ourselves healthier and stronger. It was after this life-changing experience that I began to quantify the process I followed to gain wellness. The Peak Performer Pyramid was officially born.
The pyramid is a system of interdependency. The whole only works when each individual part works. Peak performance is not an event. It is a lifestyle. One that’s easier to talk about than it is to live. Diets have been popular for decades for one reason alone, regression. When I say regression, I’m referring to our tendency to revert back to old eating habits. We then become inspired one day to eat better and go on a search for a new diet. It is a vicious cycle. But when a sickness like Bell’s Palsy comes your way, you quickly realize there is no time for games. You have to figure your body out now. Below is a general overview of the steps I took to take back my health.
- Sleep. You are getting plenty of it, the good kind, too. Every night. Your muscles are repairing, your hormones are balancing, your cardio system is recharging, your immune system is boosting, your sex drive is alive and well.
- Nutrition. You are not only eating smarter and healthier, but you are eating foods that work best for your body. No longer are you following what is good for the masses. You follow what is good for you, your body makeup, your nutritional needs.
- Body. You are listening to your body, day and night. You’ve learned everyone has a different metabolism. Everyone can’t work out the same. Some do great with cardio, some with weights. Some walk, some run. Tuning your body to the frequency that works best for you is your daily objective.
- Mind. You are in touch with your thought life. The mind must be exercised just like any other muscle. It must be worked out so it can be strong, flexible and able to handing more information just like a fit muscle can handle more weight.
- Soul. You’re fully aware of life beyond this human sphere. Your consciousness transcends your flesh and gray matter. You understand the eternal connectivity to all those around you.
How do we maintain this new information until it because habitual? Here are a few suggestions:
- Stay in the moment. If you’re feeling guilty about anything, you are living in the past. If you’re feeling anxious, you’re thinking too much about the future. Practice living in the moment – the right now – and don’t worry about things yesterday or tomorrow.
- Be grateful. Add this tip to your daily routine. Look around and see how fortunate you truly are – and count your blessings. Really, count them one by one.
- See the Big Picture. Think macro. Look at the long-term. Don’t get sidetracked by the nonsense of the day because at the end of your life you’ll never remember the foolishness.
- Own the situation. If you have done your best, simply accept the outcome. Let it be. Detach. If it happened, it was because it was supposed to happen.
- Judge not. Don’t judge yourself too harshly. You are only human and mistakes are part of this crazy cosmic game.
Today, I live a lifestyle called The Peak Performer. This lifestyle has helped many increase their confidence to heal themselves. Our accompanying pyramid clarifies our approach by creating sustainable, daily habits. I truly believe we can live a life that journeys from peak to peak. We can normalize excellence and good health. And we do so by first making the decision to stop observing our health from a distance, and instead, become the writer of our own health story. Biohacking is the pen that enables us to write.
Lian Pham is a passionate, disruptive entrepreneur helping people establish peak performance in their personal and professional lives through biohacking. Lian lives as The Peak Performer and co-founder of Peak Space both in Houston, Texas.