The Fundamentals of Pillar Wellbeing Ethos - with Matteo Massaini
My name is Matteo, I am a Personal trainer, group and life coach at Pillar Wellbeing in London. I have been working in the health and fitness world for more than 10 years now. One takeaway from my close contact with clients is that many of us struggle to keep up with the world's evolution. From nutrition to technology, our natural body and mind evolution is millions of times slower than the times around us. For this reason, I am a firm believer that the only way to live a prosperous life is to take a step back and connect our body with Mother Earth. The first three steps I recommend starting with are also the fundamentals of Pillar Wellbeing ethos: Food, Train, Sleep.
Back to basics: The food industry has turned us on our heads with processed, cheap, and nutritionally empty food. We are bombarded with ultra-processed food that destroys our immune defenses, challenging us physically and psychologically. I focus on consuming a lot of greens, whole grains, and non-processed food. I supplement my nutrition with a mushroom blend for energy and focus, essential vitamins like Vitamin D in winter months when sunshine is lacking, and Vitamin C and collagen for a healthy immune system, skin, joints, and bones.
Movement that feels good: When it comes to training, I predominantly focus on strength and primal movements. Bodyweight and mobility are also great ways to be in tune with your body. It all starts with awareness within your body and mind. Understanding how your body works is fundamental to moving well. Find something that you love and makes you feel good; it will make it easy to maintain consistency. Understanding how your mind works can help in many facets of your life. I practice meditation daily to reduce stress, defragment, and make space in my head. Set small achievable goals to keep you accountable!
Prioritize recovery: Remember that you can eat and train well, but if your sleep hygiene isn’t right, your body will not reach top efficiency. We live in a technologically advanced world, and sleep is probably the most affected by it. We were not programmed by nature to have so much information intake. The whole world at our fingertips and blue light has scientifically proven to affect the way our body triggers sleep and diminish its quality. I try as much as possible to wind down 30 minutes before bed with minimum screen time, soft lighting, and some breath work to disconnect from the chaos of my daily routine.
Wrap up: We are all different, and some things work better for different individuals. There isn't a magic formula, but I am a firm believer that dialling back to a slow pace and natural life can really pivot the way you deal with stress.
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