Health in the modern world can feel like a moving target. New diet fads, workout routines, gadgets, and shifting food trends conspire to muddy the view on good health. And that’s all before one chooses whether to look at health through the lens of traditional medicine, or a more holistic one. But maybe our health should be focused on the individual, with a push towards listening to our bodies in the search for what works? XPT Co-founder, health guru, and former pro volleyball player Gabby Reece and two-time big wave world champion Paige Alms discuss health in the modern world and finding the sweet spot when it comes to feeling good. Foundation Training Founder Dr. Eric Goodman moderated this important panel on finding the best health solution for the individual at The Inertia’s first-ever EVOLVE Summit.
Reece offered an enlightened view on her approach to fitness – especially after the completion of a professional athletic career.
“It’s not like, “Oh I’m ripped. I shred. What’d you bench? What’d you overhead snap?” said Gabby Reece. “There’s an element of that if it improves your performance, but also, ‘Can I be more clear as a person? Can I be more compassionate? Can I continue to grow and change?’ So I think that is definitely a part of that for me now that I’m not competing any longer.”
When considering how to continue to maintain health as time passes, Reece insisted that diversity is key.
“The only dangerous part of when you get older and you get good enough at a few things is that those are the things you keep doing,” said Reece. “I don’t mean jumping on every trend or fad. If you see something and think, ‘There’s something about that that resonates with me, and I’m gonna try it.’ That is where the growth happens.”
When asked about how she manages to travel with little sleep on long flights to surf gigantic waves, Alms admitted that it’s taxing. Ultimately, it’s less physical than it is mental.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” said Paige Alms. “Those last-minute swells and last-minute plane rides are the hardest. But I think it’s also just your mindset. If that’s what you’re after and what you want to chase you’re going to do anything in your power to get there and to do it. It’s all about your mind.”
