Poverty here is meant to merely describe simple living as opposed to the high-stress fast-paced environments of western industrialized countries inundated by modern technology and 24/7 convenience.

When was the last time that you only ate once in a day? When was the last time you read a book outside in Nature without the constant blaze of the TV? When was the last time you ate something that you pulled off a tree with your bare hands?

What Has Modern Living replaced?

It is common place to look down upon third world or developing countries in the 21st century. It's the western civilization bias to think ourselves better than those living in South America, Africa, Asia, or Eastern Europe. Even inside first world countires like the US, Uk, or Australia, there are perceived levels of living from the ultra wealthy to the urban neighborhoods. I draw up these comparisons because it almost laughable how backwards these notions are.

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Many westerners pride themselves on their technology and ability to go without need for seemingly ever. Little do most know that that is the problem. It is those living life less distracted by entertainment and superiority, that ultimately gain the most.

Poverty, Traditional Living, and Community

What kinds of traits does a person coming from poverty possess? They have a true sense of family and togetherness that has slowly been falling apart in western culture. There is usually more connection with severel generations because grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins often live very close by or together. There is less distraction from the endless rat race of social media and materialism, although this is spreading. There is a mental toughness hard to quantify that drives many Naturals as well. An inherent drive to rise up and achieve more.

A better community brings with it more opportunity for free play and competition away from the endless money grab of pay-to-play youth football and camps.

This creates a positive environment from an early age for the Natural to prosper on the court.

This doesn't mean you should move to the poorest area or that top players only come from there, but we should learn why and apply it best we can. There are many positives that traditional simple living brings with it by default that modern living has tossed out in exchange for convenience.

Many traditional cooking and preparation methods that have become forgotten about in modern times also fulfilled essential roles for digestion and nutrient bioavailability. Things like fermenting vegetables and grains, soaking nuts and seeds, and other ways of making foods less harmful for the gut. Nowadays, people are so used to medicating our bodies that we don't even notice when food is poorly prepared or of low quality. People more in line with Nature were far more attentive to proper nourishment because there was more on the line if they eat damaging foods.

Local Grown Food and Limited Access

What does poverty mean for how you eat? Usually this means eating simple and having less meals. Depending on the area, this could also mean eating only fresh and local foods. Naturally fasting more often by necessity has many athletic and health benefits that modern bodybuilding ideals cast aside.

It is common advice to eat 5-6 times a day in order to keep your metabolism "firing" in bodybuilding circles. This stems from the idea of constantly spiking your insulin so your body stays in a anabolic state (building mass). In modern western countries we have become accustomed to constantly having any kind of food available no matter the season, weather, or time of day.

When you understand how circadian biology acts as your body's internal clock that controls the growth, repair, and function of almost everything in your body and mind, you'll understand why the human body thrives on simple eating. Less processed foods from the grocery store. More whole foods from the farmers market. No snacking all day because you're bored.

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NATURALLY ONLY HAVING ACCESS TO LOCALLY GROWN FOOD MEANS MULTIPLE THINGS

🔑 Food is a light story. Eating food grown in other regions with different light spectrums has a terrible effect on your circadian rhythms. You also avoid the garbage of processed foods from grocery stores and fast food chains. Another critical aspect is that you naturally eat seasonally. This means eating summer foods in the summer and vice versa. Eating food in the Winter that should only be available in the Summer is disastrous for your circadian biology and mitochondria.

Think back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, they would hunt for their food. That most likely means running and hunting all day on an empty stomach and then feasting after the hunt. It is the duality of feast and famine that puts the body through its paces to level up.

What's happening under the hood? You are causing cellular stress by training fasted, which you'll recover stronger. You are setting off hormone creation demands for increased mitochondrial function.

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Less snacking and tighter eating windows will optimze your circadian clock and allow your body to do more rest and recover as opposed to constant digestion. This was common place for the Natural who wasn't spoiled for choice all throughout the day.

Poverty or really just simple natural living creates a better environment for optimal health and performance when properly protected. Our modern world has damaged many of these mechanisms but we can learn and apply the knowledge to our own circumstance when possible.

Learning Points

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• Try having less meals each day. Prioritize eating early in the day and definitely not at night. Experiment with doing a workout fasted in the morning a few times a week.

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• Eat simple local whole food. Shop at your local farmer's market, Don't fall for the marketing of "organic" food packaged in plastic at the health food store. Think about what is in season in the region you live.

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• Think about how you can develop a community of fellow footballers to play with and challenge your ability. This could be a local pickup court or a group of friends you meet up with at a park. Having a tribe can push you to greater heights than you alone.

Further Reading:

The Benefits of Early Time-Restricted Eating | NutritionFacts.org

Eating in 10-hour window can override disease-causing genetic defects, nurture health - Salk Institute for Biological Studies