Healthy body, healthy mind : How I conquered my demons

 

A wise man once said something about a healthy body leading to a healthy mind. As a writer and a creative person it is important to look after your mind and body. In the stories we write there is a protagonist who has a goal and an antagonist who is trying to stop him from achieving said goal. There is conflict between the hero and the villain that ends in a climax. Either the protagonist overcomes the antagonist or he or she is defeated. However, in the real world, we are often our own antagonists. Our desires often work against us. Some would call those inclinations, sinful desires or demons. I am not a religious person thanks to Richard Dawkins and his great book The God Delusion but I truly believe there a dark energies, call them demons if you will. And I struggled with my demons for many years until I had had enough. Out of the seven deadly sins I battled sloth, lust and gluttony.

My New Year's Resolutions were to quit smoking, quit porn, quit over-eating, quit masturbation, start exercising and looking after my health. So far so good. I used to be a fat unhealthy slob with no motivation. I was your typical starving artist, the writer with a cigarette between the lips typing furiously at the keyboard. Four months into 2025 and I am well on my way to a healthy lifestyle.  This is how I made the righteous steps.

HOW I QUIT SMOKING 

Firstly, I stopped associating with so-called friends who smoked. Hanging out every day with chimneys is one sure way to continue smoking. So I blocked their calls and ignored their invitations to late night parties. 

I first tried to go cold turkey and just quit but I was unsuccessful. The stress of daily life drove me back into the cigarette's arms. I tried nicotine chewing gums but they did not have the nicotine kick. I watched anti-smoking adverts but they did not scare me enough. Then one day I walked into a store and saw ZYN, the nicotine pouch. It was cheap and affordable. And I bought one. I used four pouches every day for about 3 weeks. Then after that 3 weeks I was able to quit my nicotine addiction, the urge was there but very mild. Four weeks of no nicotine and I beat my addiction. Thanks to ZYN I am totally quit smoking. And I would urge anyone struggling with tobacco use to try ZYN. It is cheap and does not destroy your lungs.

ZYN helped me quit smoking

I QUIT PORN AND MASTURBATION

The deadly sin of lust was a great antagonist. I watched porn, masturbated daily and wasted money on hookers. Quitting porn, hookers and daily masturbation was the best decision I ever made. Masturbation made me lazy and unambitious. I would wake up and masturbate before work, come back home and masturbate again. And this made me lazy at work and I was too lazy to do anything productive around the house. I used to think if I didnt masturbate I would go crazy but instead I felt alive. I felt energetic, clear headed. I could feel the testosterone increase in my body. I have more motivation in my work and I am no longer too lazy to exercise. Once I stopped masturbation there was no reason to watch porn. I used to waste hours watching porn but now I spend that time exercising, reading and writing. 

I QUIT RELIGION

Religion has always been a money making scam. I wasted money by giving it to the church. Religion is the shadow, politics casts over society to hoodwink the simple. Karl Marx called religion the opium of the masses. It is more like the opium of the poor masses. And it really does work like a drug. You begin to hallucinate about religious experiences and talk to an imaginary friend. You waste your money giving it to your local hustler/pastor. After I read Richard Dawkins The God Delusion, I had a new appreciation for life. Once you realise there is no afterlife, you enjoy life more. Little things dont bother you as much because it doesnt matter, you die in the end and there is nothing beyond the grave. Moreover, if there is no sin, there is no guilt or need of forgiveness. Without a sky daddy judging my every thought and deed I am truly free. Instead of wasting time reading bronze age literature I consume more informative books and media instead of filling my head with myths and legends.

 

Two of the greatest books ever written

I QUIT OVER-EATING

Gluttony is a deadly sin I had difficulty trying to overcome. We live in a very unique time where  more people struggle with over-eating than hunger. I love food and for a while it showed. I had a pot belly and two chins. I hated what I saw in the mirror. I tried to eat less but my stomach would growl and demand more food, I tried taking smaller bites. That didnt work. I tried chewing slower. That didn't work. I ate fruits. I was still fat. I tried drinking water after meals. That just made me urinate more. Then I tried drinking water BEFORE eating my meals. That did the trick. I drank a litre of water before every meal and I found that I got sated very soon and ate less. And with the food I urinated a lot less. Four months later my pot belly is gone.

A litre right before a meal keeps the hunger away

I STARTED EXERCISING 

The deadly sin of sloth was another antagonist in my journey to self-improvement. Without porn, masturbation and over-eating to distract me I had more time to exercise. I bought my scale, jumping rope, yoga mat, ab wheel got to work. I started doing push ups every morning and evening. When I began I could barely do 8 and now after a month I am doing 15. I do leg raises and crunches and planks for my abdomen and now I can see six pack forming. I jump rope once a week for about an hour. Exercising is now my new addiction!

Push ups are nature's free gym membership to the world

I STARTED SLEEPING EARLY AND EATING RIGHT

Getting a good night's sleep is very important. I used to sleep after midnight watching Youtube videos. And I would wake up feeling like shit. Then I started sleeping at 10 pm. I now wake up early, feeling alive and fresh and ready to kick the world's ass.

I used to eat fast food and junk food but now I make sure I eat fruits, vegetables, proteins, milk, eggs etc. You are what you eat and if you eat unhealthy food you will look unhealthy. I take multi-vitamins every day and I havent had a cold in months.

LOOKING AFTER MY DENTAL AND BODILY HYGIENE

Uncleanliness should be added as the eighth deadly sin in my opinion. And I struggled with personal hygiene. I really didnt care much for my teeth until I broke a tooth and had to spend money to go to the dentist to get a filling. The dentist told me to start flossing and I followed his advice. Now I floss my teeth, use mouthwash daily, brush my teeth twice a day, change my toothbrush every three months and go for a dental cleaning every sixth months.

I makes sure I shave my armpits, use roll on, cut my nails, cut my hair and shave my beard. I have also started wearing slippers and slopes instead of shoes. Slippers are more comfortable and they don't make your feet smell. Moreover, I now bath with cold water at least once a week because cold water bathing has health benefits like increasing your metabolism, improved skin and better sleep.

The next thing I plan on doing for my bodily hygiene is to get circumcised. A circumcised penis is cleaner and reduces the chances of getting sexually transmitted diseases.

Flossing and brushing every day keeps the dentist away

CONCLUSION

So that is my journey in 2025 as I combat my flaws. In life sometimes we are our own biggest enemies. Before conquering the world one must first conquer one's self.