I never get headaches, ever. I have heard many people in my life complain about headaches, and I just never got it.  This past Saturday I woke up and went to the gym, I had the BIGGEST headache I have ever experienced, it was debilitating. I definitely feel for those that get them all the time. I had a meeting with a longtime member and friend, and then after open gym we taught our inaugural Advanced Theory Course session, our prerequisite for becoming a Coach at CrossFit Solid Core.

 At first, I thought it was a lack of coffee, no. Then I thought it was water so I pounded some water, still no.  I ended up going home, barely making it back and collapsing on the bed not knowing what to do.  My wife ended up massaging my neck (forcefully I might add, seriously I was screaming). I took a little nap and then when I woke, it was much better.  I think it was a tension headache.  My neck was so tight that it gave me that terrible headache. It was a stark reminder that health really does affect everything in life.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory of human motivation and behavior.  The theory has 5 levels of Psychological needs built into a pyramid.

The first level: Basic needs are at the bottom. Air, Food, Water, Shelter, Sleep, Clothing.
The second level: Safety needs.  Personal Security, Employment, Health, and Property.
Third level: Love and Belonging. Friendship, Intimacy, Family and sense of Belonging.
Fourth level: Esteem. Respect, Self Esteem, Status, Recognition, Freedom,
The Fifth and last level: Self Actualization and the desire to become the most that one can be.

The theory goes on to state that everyone has different levels of needs in any given level in their life. Everyone’s individual needs are different. Once the bottom of the pyramid’s needs are taken care of, only then can someone elevate to the next level.  Also, if you are up on the fourth, or fifth levels, and have a family problem, or a personal disaster, you need to take care of that problem before returning to that level. 

Health is found on the safety level, level 2.  Health is the only need that affects ALL the other needs.  It can slow or reverse the process of climbing the pyramid, and it can also increase the speed in which you scale it. I’ve seen it. I will argue that it is impossible to reach self-actualization and your full potential unless you are well, and on the way to becoming fit – we will define health later this week – For example, I had a friend from my childhood that had reached success at a young age being in a very successful band.  In that band, he developed a substance abuse problem. I have tried to help him, but seen him struggle with everyday life for years.  He is smart and very capable, but because of this problem, he is masking a bigger problem, struggles with maintaining friendships, and fluctuates between level 2 and 3. He will never be able to attempt to reach his full potential until he takes care of this. 

If you have good mental and physical health, everything in life becomes easier. If you let any one thing affect your health, you are holding yourself back from reaching your potential on that day, and in the long term.

I had not taken care of my health on Friday or Saturday morning, and it showed, I was sore from Friday’s workout, and I didn’t roll my neck to recover, I didn’t eat all that well either, I was dehydrated, and I did not get quality coffee that morning!  Everything else stopped in my life because of this, I couldn’t think, couldn’t move, and the interactions I had with members and friends on Saturday morning weren’t the best because I only was focused on one thing, my immediate health.

-Craig