You might laugh at me, but here goes.
A few months ago I found Liver King on Instagram. He’s a ridiculous character, but also, he has really helped me.
The last 2 years have been very repetitive for me. As you know, my wife and I love to live in routine because it helps us be at our highest selves.
But we are also love adventurer. We love to travel, go on hikes, take week long trips in random AirBnbs, climb mountains and continue to seek out new experiences.
With our two new babies, that’s been difficult to do.
I tell you that because I have felt very … “lame.” I’ve been feeling like a version of the modern man I’ve always promised myself I would never become.
The modern man is overweight and spends most of his time alone and on the phone. He orders Uber eats, goes to happy hour with his “buddies”, comes home from work and watches ESPN or Netflix.
To give myself a bit of credit, I’ve never fallen to that level.
I kept a strict fitness routine, I’ve continued to eat heathy whole foods and continued to go for walks every day with the family. A lot of that has been with the help of my wife and we hold each other accountable to our lifestyle.
But in truth, I can say that over the last two years, my life has become more “modern” than ever before.
And I think that’s why Liver King was so intriguing to me.
Here’s this guy, telling me that everything about modern living is counter productive to a life of health, wealth, happiness and fulfilment.
Liver King believes in “ancestorial living.” That’s a fancy way of saying he likes to live like a Cavemen. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this guy, but as he showed up every day on my Instagram, I started to really understand what it was he was telling me.
Modern living goes against so many of the impulses we have that make us human. It’s no wonder so many of us are depressed, anxious, have back and neck pain, have chronic headaches, are infertile and overweight. Modern living promotes that lifestyle.
I started doing the things that Liver King suggested, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that it’s gotten me back to feeling like a human, like a man, and like a person who has a thirst for adventure.
Here’s what I have been doing …
1. I started eating liver - After learning about organ meat, I’ve been baffled as to why modern Americans don’t eat organs. It’s where the vast majority of the nutrients are. In tribal societies, (and even in the wild with animals) the most valuable part of any kill is the organs. Many tribes give the “Ribeye” cut to the dogs.
I have no idea if it has gotten me to a different level of health, but I have enjoyed venturing out to foods that are taboo.
Last night I ate chicken livers. I’ve been getting beef livers at the farmers market every week and we’ve figured out how to cook them so that they taste pretty good. I’ve been eating bone marrow and I’m going to keep learning more.
It doesn’t make any sense that we discard the organs of animals. First off, it’s a huge waste of calories considering that there are hungry people on the streets. Second, it makes even less sense that we look at organs as if they’re “gross.” It’s the most nutrient dense part of the animal. I’m going to keep eating organ meat for the rest of my life.
2. I started getting grounded - Liver King believes in walking barefoot. I was listening to a podcast with him and he asked the question. “When’s the last time you had your bare feet on the earth?”
He said that most people answer “last time I was at the beach.”
I’ve spent a majority of my life making fun of barefoot hippies, but he’s right.
Modern men are hardly ever grounded to the earth anymore. We walk on floors or decks or patios, we sleep on elevated beds (we don’t have to get up and down from the floor or the ground) and we “protect” our feet with shoes.
Ironically, most of the shoes we wear destroy our posture, our arches, and give us back pain. So what the hell are we doing?
For the past two weeks, I’ve started each morning with a barefoot walk in my front lawn. I walk ten laps around my yard. The last few mornings have been very cold, but I breathe through it and by the end, I feel great.
Just like Liver King says, I feel “GROOOUUUUUNDEEDD!.”
3. Lastly, I started taking only cold showers again - I saved this one for last because the truth is that I have been an advocate of cold showers for years. Wim Hof opened my eyes to the power of cold therapy and deep breathing. It’s something I have practiced for almost 5 years.
But again, over the last year, I somehow found a reason to stop doing it. I wanted the comfort of the warmth. I wanted to “relax” because life is stressful and I deserve it.
As is always the case, an uncomfortable cold shower somehow turns into a routine that I love. The cold wakes you up and it sets a tone for the day.
Sometimes I start my showers with hot water and sometimes I end the shower with hot water. But for the last month I’ve been mostly cold showers, from beginning to end.
For anyone that does cold showers, you know how great it feels.
Thanks Liver King.
I mean it. I really am grateful to have found this guy and his message.
I’ve been writing a lot about how I’ve been feeling. I realized that the reason I keep writing about it is because it’s been hard for me to put a finger on exactly what it is I was feeling. I’m not depressed or sad. I’ve been feeling pretty good. I am happy and grateful. I am so blessed.
It wasn’t until I found Liver King that I realized my problem is that I feel safe. I feel stale and flimsy and safe and comfortable. That’s worse than being depressed.
In fact, I think our version of safety is a leading contributor to depression.
I’m happy to be back in danger.