Why Coach K. Quit the Internet: The Power of Silence in The Information Age

(Obligatory boilerplate disclaimer: I am not a licensed mental health practitioner, and what follows is not to be interpreted as medical advice. If you or someone you love is struggling with any mental health issue, I implore you to please seek the care of a qualified and reputable expert.)

Fitness isn't just about the sanctity of the Body. In the ongoing (and, take my word on this, it never ends) journey toward fitness, the Body, Mind and Spirit have to be nourished and cared for with equal attention, as the three inseparable pillars of the Ideal Self.

In the Modern Era, many men and women who outwardly seem to be the very picture of health are waging a war on the inside - an uphill battle versus social anxiety, body dysmorphia, lingering malaise and a host of other insidious maladies of the Mind and Spirit. As a professional working with the public, specializing in the art and science of human transformation, I offer the following, first and foremost as an impassioned plea - you're far from alone, no matter how it may seem. I believe in you. And I'm NOT the only one.

With that out of the way, let me share some personal observations, and some advice gathered from personal experiences - the kind of advice that's (dare I say it? Intentionally) been lost among the constant white noise of the Information Age.

The World Is in Your Pocket...For Better or Worse

For the first time in human history, the majority of people in most industrialized nations have unprecedented, instantaneous, all-but-unfettered access to the entire sum of human knowledge, literally at their fingertips, thanks to the advent of the smartphone. The state of being once known as "boredom" has become an archaic, somewhat-quaint relic of days past. Countless thousands of apps, websites and social media platforms, from global giants to humble, grassroots fitness blogs (thanks for reading!) are now vying for the most precious commodity on the planet, the new Coin of the Realm - your attention.

Whether it's by covert or overt means, selling space to advertisers or selling a product or service directly to you, the consumer, these apps and websites (yes, all of them) are in business to make money. The business model may vary slightly but the endgame is simple; keep your eyes glued to the screen, as often as possible, for as long as possible. Or to put it simply - be addictive.

Ever notice how that little app icon for [insert social media platform here] is so colorful and exciting, just begging to be touched?

Ever notice how those notifications chime in several times a day (each app with its own, signature, attention-getting chime), and silencing those notifications sometimes requires (best-case scenario) sifting through not one but several Settings and Permissions screens, or (worst-case scenario) creative, violent use of a cinder block and/or crowbar?

Of course you noticed, because that means it's working.

Silence is Golden (But Kind of a Pain in The Ass)

Several years ago (well into the Smartphone Age but before the birth of Coach Kame), I tried an experiment. I turned off the WiFi connection at home, and traded my expensive, bleeding-edge flagship phone for a $30 clamshell phone, capable of voice calls and rudimentary text messages only. Yeah...the kind with a keypad. T9. Kids, ask your parents.

And I lived that way. Voluntarily, and quite happily. For eight months.

Over the first few days or weeks, there was a sense of intangible, ineffable dread as, for the first time in a long time, I heard and felt The Silence. No notifications. No YouTube or Netflix to fill the free hours with on-demand, bite-sized entertainment, wherever, whenever. No marathon sessions spent pwning n00bs in the latest video game. No scrolling through the latest exploits of friends and strangers on Facebook (remember, this was some time ago.)

There was the sense of panic, the sense of loss, now referred to as FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out.) Texting my wife from work with a simple "Be home ASAP, I Love You" was now a task that had to be relegated to lunch breaks because it took so damn long. Taking a wrong turn during one of my infrequent forays into neighboring Gulf Breeze was now an adventure, requiring actual human contact as I stopped to ask directions (because when you roll with a "detox phone", as they're now affectionately called, you're not Google Mapping sh**, you're just "lost.")

There were adjustments that had to be made. I came, in time and through hardship, to refer to these necessary adjustments as "skills."

I took time out from my schedule to call my wife, family and friends, having genuine conversations and engaging in real-time interaction. I learned to read a map, and to plan my route before I left home. I became an avid reader of books and an avid collector of DVDs (my "queue" no longer an ephemeral list of shows and movies, but now physical things, carefully curated and proudly displayed.) And I learned to not just appreciate, but revel in, The Silence.

Long walks on the beach took the place of binge-watching. Developmental reading took the place of doomscrolling. Playing board games with friends took the place of pwning n00bs. And then, something magical happened.

This Is Your Brain on Dopamine

Here's the thing; dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced by the human body that controls our emotions and behavior, the 'reward chemical' that reinforces a certain action or activity, making us associate it with feeling good, and wanting more (and more, and more) of that same sensation. This hormone is produced both by natural sources (the accomplishing of goals and reaching of milestones, abundant time outdoors, interacting with loved ones, (ahem) "intimate" relations, and you guessed it, physical exercise) and artificial sources (salty, fatty and processed foods, video games, alcohol, nicotine, illicit drugs and you guessed it...Internet apps and websites.)

The biggest difference? Artificial sources of dopamine are (generally) designed to be just that; they're deliberately engineered to maximize the amount of time and attention you're prepared to devote to them, to keep you coming back for more...and more...and more.

Think about it. That cheerful, exciting chime you hear when you 'level up' in a video game. That chipper, urgent-sounding alert when a friend likes your latest media post (seriously guys, thank you for reading and for all your support.) That painstakingly-crafted, feels-so-good-it's-gross rush of ecstasy when you bite into a greasy fast-food burger or tilt the French-fry container to your lips to savor the crunch of those last few salty mouthfuls (hey, we all do it. Coach don't judge.)

That's dopamine. And teams of engineers, software designers and (no lie) legit biochemists are in the business of feeding it to you in addictive, unnatural quantities.

So, what happens when you shut it all off?

There's intangible, ineffable dread. There's panic. There's loss. And then, your body and brain run screaming towards natural sources of dopamine. Things like quality time with family and friends. Things like time spent in the Great Outdoors. Things like exercise, finding your passion, and the achieving of goals and dreams.

Things that the aforementioned engineers and software designers and legit biochemists don't make a dime off of. Things that propel you towards your Ideal Self. And once you've felt the awesome power of natural, uncut dopamine coursing through your brain, you'll likewise want more...and more...and more. And less.

Less binge-watching. Less doomscrolling. Less pwning n00bs.

Take my word for it. Or better yet, don't.

But Coach, I NEED The Internet!

Yep, you do. And so do I.

To state the obvious (considering that it's coming from a guy with a website that you're reading on your phone right now,) our lives are now online, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. I, too, discovered that in order to reach the very people I aspired to coach, to help, and to transform, I would have to (deliberately, intentionally) incorporate the Internet into my daily life. With that goal in mind, the WiFi came back on (after seven years - yes, it's possible) and the fancy smartphone came down from the closet. Because I'm a Hermit, not a Neanderthal; the Internet is an invaluable, legitimately useful tool.

And like any other tool, using it improperly can lead to injury.

Excessive time spent pwning n00bs online can lead to a disconnect from, and apprehension toward, face-to-face human contact (social anxiety.) Excessive exposure to Instagram posts of 'fitfluencers' with perfect, airbrushed, and in many cases (ahem) "enhanced" physiques can lead to a nagging dissatisfaction with one's own shape, regardless of fitness level (body dysmorphia.) Excessive time scrolling through social media - post after post of beautiful people having glamorous adventures in exotic locales - make it easy for one to overlook the simple, humble blessings in one's own life (lingering malaise.)

Correlation doesn't always equal causation. That being said, the aforementioned maladies, along with a host of other mental health concerns, are at an all-time high in developed nations, particularly among the young. And this trend began recently. As in, the past few decades. As in, since the advent of the Information Age.

Just a thought.

I'm not suggesting that everyone go out and pull the proverbial Plug (because hey, man, you have a fitness blog to read.)

I'm simply advocating a sense of mindfulness regarding the perils and pitfalls of an interconnected world. Reminding ourselves that, every time we tap that screen, we check that feed, or (heavens forfend) we Tik that Tok, we're making a conscious choice in how we spend our precious and limited time, and to what (and whom) we devote our precious, limited attention. And as I previously stated, YOUR attention is now the world's most hotly-contested commodity.

I Believe In You. Like and Subscribe! - Coach K.