Puori Talks With Thomas Rode
Puori: How do you manage to stay healthy – and what does healthy mean to you?
Thomas Rode: I manage to stay fit mainly because I’m fully aware of what it feels like, and the costs of not being fit after a major lifestyle change back 2006 - 2007 and remember. Once I adapted to my new lifestyle and prospered by the benefits, becoming somewhat the best version of myself, I remember I thought to myself: I can never go back to my old lifestyle, I can never quite training or lose focus on my health. I have to do this for the rest of my life.
So to be the best version of yourself in order the be the best parents to your kids, the best spouse, the best colleague, the best friend etc. and to be able to do what life requires of you, is what being healthy means to me.
Puori: How do you keep yourself fit?
Thomas Rode: It’s easy. I have been inspired, motivated, taught and taught how to teach myself to eat and train in a healthy, fulfilling and satisfying way that appeals to me at makes me happy. It’s never a painful punishment to go to train or to cook a nice healthy meal. I do it because I love it ….. the health benefits are just an extra gift. My training regime is disciplined but also playful with a lot of variety to it. I mix open water swimming, with CrossFit®, MTB riding, Olympic Weightlifting, running and gymnastics and are always on a curious pursuit of being wiser, stronger and more skilled.
Puori: How do you fit training into a busy schedule?
Thomas Rode: I train with a high volume when I have the time and skip it when times are busy, and work requires my focus. Sometimes I try to fit in workouts and training while for instance, writing. But as a matter of fact, I prefer to be concentrated while training and concentrated while working, with the knowledge that I do what I can when I have the possibility, so I don’t have to be stressed about days where a workout just doesn’t fit in.
Puori: What do you feel are the biggest challenges in achieving a healthy lifestyle?
Thomas Rode: Unawareness and not to be able to relate to reality. Human beings are designed to work, to interact and to be social, to sleep, to love, to move and to eat certain foods, and by that to obtain the necessary essential nutrients. Life becomes critical and unhealthy when you ignore these facts. If you swop artificial “Frankenfood” for whole foods, if you swop adventures for other people’s lives on a screen, if you keep your self-awake with sugar, caffeine and also believes that that’s where energy comes from and if you ignore your body’s need for movement and believes that you get energy from saving it, you will encounter serious health problems. Unfortunately, that is the case for a lot of people.
Puori: What role do supplements play in your daily life?
Thomas Rode: I try to eat as nutritious as possible, with a focus on high-quality whole food, but realize that supplements are important if your life an active life, and use your body and your brain. High output in your everyday life, requires high input of the right fuel but also the right micronutrients like minerals and vitamins. For most people probiotics would also be very beneficial to effectively nourish your microbiome. Especially I’m very focused on my omega 3 intakes and believe it’s one of the biggest threats to common health, that there’s no public consensus about the necessity of high-quality fatty acids in the right form. I never go to bed without a proper dose of vitamin D, Magnesium and Omega 3
Puori: How did you first come across Puori?
Thomas Rode: I recon it was back in 2007 - 8, just after I seriously got caught by CrossFit®. I found myself really focused on improving in all aspects of my new lifestyle and was training vigorously to get in proper shape and to be able to learn and adapt to all these new things I had to learn and improve in. I started reading about restitution and the importance to supplement if you really meant business …. Which I did by that time. I believe that Puori was rising alongside the other big international brands as for instance Reebok and Rouge with CrossFit® and was a part of what we cross-fitters needed in order to get better, being on the same journey as the before mentioned brands, not only providing important products but also general and super useful awareness and knowledge of use to the CrossFit® community.
Puori: What is your favourite Puori product’s and why?
Thomas Rode: I believe that M3 is my all-time favourite and I must have swallowed a ton of M3 capsules during the years. I can’t really feel that I’m taking them, but I for sure can if I don’t. I obviously take them every day in my daily dose of P3 and use to up the dose up until a great physical endeavour. I used to do a couple of long-distance combat swimming, like 15K plus, and have experienced cramps in ankles and feet. But by increasing the dose in the week up to the events it's no problem!
Puori: How do you maintain balance in life?
Thomas Rode: Like mentioned above. I try to be realistic and pay a lot of attention to evolutionary science and strive to always have the facts and knowledge of evolutionary science in my mind (Of course using supplements is some sort of bio-hack but it derives from evolutionary science) I know that I can’t substitute essential stuff with artificial stuff, I know that I can’t substitute nutrition with “Frankenfood” just because it tastes good, I know I can’t substitute social life and contact with devices. I know if I focus on getting as much real, essential and good stuff, there’s also space for the guilty pleasures in the right amount. I know that I will never swoop the life I have, the way I feel, the people I have gotten to know, the things and experiences I’ve achieved because of the lifestyle change I choose to make back in 2007 because I eagerly wanted to strive after being the best version of myself.
