Tag: Recovery

Lance Armstrong

True or true?

Still have an email saved from 2010 post brian surgery that I wrote to @lancearmstrong and will share what that email container in person one day. I just know it!

Until then, I’ll just continue to share my gratitude and perspective I’ve gained from Lance over the years.

When I was originally diagnosed with the first brain tumor in 2010, I was on top of the world living out my dream as a pro BMX athlete beyond what I ever fathomed being possible.

When the diagnosis hit, I was a fresh 21 year old sitting in the doctors office ALONE waiting to get a report from a concussion I had received a few days prior. Never did I imagine I would be diagnosed with a massive brain tumor on accident.

I’m thankful it all happened and has worked out the way it has and Lance is one of many I have to thank for the mindset that was instilled in me on top of what my family, BMX, and my own journey instilled in me at a young age.

After a 6-hr surgery, 75 staples, and 16 stitches later, I was back riding in 5 weeks!

The fact that I’m still alive and able to love my life better than before is why I work so hard and share all I share.

It’s called GRATITUDE and PERSPECTIVE.

Josh P. 💚🧠✌️

Persistence is How I Made It Here

Persistence to land a trick has taught me many invaluable lessons in life.

To accept this kind of pain just to land a trick on your bike changes you mentally and subconsciously in such profound ways.

I wasn’t aware of it in the beginning but in my last few years competing and progressing, I started to become conscious to what was going on.

Now I harness it all for my purpose to serve and support those around me and willing to hear what I have to say.

Josh P. 💚🧠✌️

Helmets Don’t Matter

We’ve always been told that wearing a helmet is important for our brains.

After @davemirra being diagnosed with CTE, I’ve become even more obsessed with 🧠 health and sharing with the BMX community and all of you.

Although I’m an advocate for helmets 100%, they don’t do much in terms of concussions and preventing CTE. They do protect the skull from fractures, tho, which is amazing!

🤓But, when we talk about the brain in regards to concussions, we have to understand the brains development, how the brain actually sits in the skull, and how a concussion occurs.

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🤦🏼‍♂️Helmets Don’t Matter🙈 . We’ve always been told that wearing a helmet is important for our brains. After @davemirra being diagnosed with CTE, I’ve become even more obsessed with 🧠 health and sharing with the BMX community and all of you. Although I’m an advocate for helmets 100%, they don’t do much in terms of concussions and preventing CTE. They do protect the skull from fractures, tho, which is amazing! . 🤓But, when we talk about the brain in regards to concussions, we have to understand the brains development, how the brain actually sits in the skull, and how a concussion occurs. I’ve seen many of my friends out cold while wearing a helmet. . 🧠@scottycranmer was wearing a helmet when his life altering TBI occurred. . 🧠I’ve seen @vincebyron out cold several times with a full face helmet on, the last gnarly one resulted in blood seeping out of his nose and ears. . 🧠 @davemirra crushed his face through his full face helmet one year at a contest. . 🧠I myself have had a few concussions where I had a seizure and my heart stopped, all while wearing a helmet. . 🙏🏼 That said, this isn’t a post advocating for not wearing a helmet. Very much the opposite and helmets serve an amazing tool for protecting our skull and mitigating issues if a head injury were to occur. . 🙏🏼 This post is to understand the implications of hitting our heads. It takes time or it can be immediately. . 🙌🏼 Part 2 from my trip to @doc_amen with @ryanplowery to get SPECT scans of our brains comes out Friday at 330pm EST! Dr. Ali will be explaining this topic much more along with our scan results with exogenous @justpruvit ketones and without, what the scans mean, why we are the way we are, and how we can change our brains with and without exogenous ketones. . 🤔Comment any questions or concerns and I’ll do a LIVE to answer those questions.🤗 . Josh P. 💚🧠✌️ . ‪#BeTheChange‬ ‪#BeTheChange🌎‬ ‪.‬ ‪#ProtectThisBrain‬ ‪.‬ ‪#braintumor #ketoathlete #lowcarbdiet #ketofam #brainhealth #bmx #ketogenicdiet #purposedriven #ketolife‬ #brainhealthmatters

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I’ve seen many of my friends out cold while wearing a helmet.

🧠@scottycranmer was wearing a helmet when his life altering TBI occurred.

🧠I’ve seen @vincebyron out cold several times with a full face helmet on, the last gnarly one resulted in blood seeping out of his nose and ears.

🧠 @davemirra crushed his face through his full face helmet one year at a contest.

🧠I myself have had a few concussions where I had a seizure and my heart stopped, all while wearing a helmet.

🙏🏼 That said, this isn’t a post advocating for not wearing a helmet. Very much the opposite and helmets serve an amazing tool for protecting our skull and mitigating issues if a head injury were to occur.

🙏🏼 This post is to understand the implications of hitting our heads. It takes time or it can be immediately.

🙌🏼 Part 2 from my trip to @doc_amen with @ryanplowery to get SPECT scans of our brains comes out Friday at 330pm EST!

Dr. Ali will be explaining this topic much more along with our scan results with exogenous @justpruvit ketones and without, what the scans mean, why we are the way we are, and how we can change our brains with and without exogenous ketones.

🤔Comment any questions or concerns and I’ll do a LIVE to answer those questions.🤗

Josh P. 💚🧠✌️

Adversity Cultivates Success

I was 21 when I was told I would never ride my bike again.

That’s the day I was also told I would die unless my head was cut open to remove a massive tumor taking up half my brain. Even then, I still had a chance I may not make it out alive.

This was one of the many challenges I have faced in life and not the first circumstance that put the fragility of my life into perspective.

I later learned, life is full of gifts in the form of adversity and it’s all a matter of perspective. I have overcome injuries, financial instability, abuse, cancer, heartbreak, living in my car, on couches, or in hallway closets, and even depression.

What most of us don’t seem to see, is that we all have choices. We have a choice to believe the things we’re told or to dismiss them as noise. We have a choice to see all of the abundance and success within our lives, or we can choose to see the failures, set-backs, and the things we lack in our lives.

We have a choice to give up or fight back to beat the odds. Prove people wrong and prove our support right. Some choices are hard to make. But those are the ones that mold who we are today. It’s these choices that make us stronger…and wiser…and allow us to grow. I believe it’s not the cards we are dealt, rather it’s how we CHOOSE to play those cards that determine the outcome of our lives.

Sometimes we fall down in life. It’s these falls that are some of the most important learning opportunities for us. Not failures; learning lessons on the path to success.

But, it’s how we choice get back up that defines us and determines our future. Not our past times when we fell down or failed. We’re defined by how we CHOOSE to move forward in life.

Adversity cultivates success and life is all about choices.

So choose wisely. 💚✌️

Be Proactive, Not ReActive

Starting the week off strong with a PR in hang power cleans (70kilo) and some @go_exxentric squats and 3 second decent bench press.

Be proactive rather than reactive! Take care of your body and mind as they work in a uniform reactive relationship to one another. Be pro-active when it comes to your health and goals with your life.

Don’ settle for the status quo and then react to negatives. Do what you can to prevent a negative from occurring in the first place. It’s never too early to take action towards your goals and your health.

I learned this the hard way. I blew out my knee in 2013 and decided to have it fixed in 2015. 2015 was the year I started to take this fitness bing serious in an effort to strengthen and protect my legs. The more I practiced, the more I experienced benefits in the mind and body. 💚✌️

What’s In Your Hand?

What would you do if this was your scan result after an MRI following a sports related head injury?

My path to making my dream of becoming a pro bmx athlete come true has never been an easy one.

I know things that are worth having don’t come easily. I have overcome financial instability, injuries, cancer, abuse, heartbreak, and depression. If the things we desire most in life were simple, we’d already have them.

I am a firm believer that it’s not the cards were dealt; rather it’s the way we CHOOSE to play those cards that determine the outcome of our life. 💚✌️

Did you get dealt a shit hand of cards? How are YOU CHOOSING to play them?

Quality over Quantity

We have been taught that a calorie is a calorie, doesn’t matter where it comes from. It’s all about “balance”.

The truth is, protein, fat, and carbohydrates interact with our biology completely different from one another. Epigenetic’s, the expression of our genes, is effected by which foods we choose to eat and their quality, amount, and timing.

You can literally turn on health promoting genes or turn off disease promoting genes. You can change the health, function, and make up of your brain. You’re not destined for anything negative or positive. You’re destined to have choices to manifest either what you want or don’t want.

80% of the American population has this reality, so it’s truly important to open your mind to this, educate yourself, and take accountability for your life. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

Brainy BMX – Providing Support & Inspiration

I believe in providing everyone with support in times of need. Even the strongest walks of life can’t do everything on their own.

From brain tumor patients to brain injury and disorder patients, I am raising funds for direct patient funding/care. Not research or awareness, although I believe those have their place. But funding for the people that need the help now and can’t wait for a scientific intervention and are already plenty aware of what’s going on. They need help with home expenses, treatment options and funding, healthy food, lifestyle choices that they can implement, and just someone to resonate with and not feel alone.

Being in the shoes of brain tumor and brian injury patients, I know this all too well. I’m grateful to be alive and thriving even with 4 brain tumors. I’ve combined my passion for bmx, nutrition, fitness, mindset practices, and supporting those to live as healthy and happy as possible into a touring live event around the world with the mission to inspire change and raise support for those in their biggest time of need.

Click this Link to learn more and see how you can help my mission along with The Athlete Recovery Fund. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

Stay Hydrated

I used to drink copious amounts of soda when I was a teenager-early twenties because it was cheap and I was addicted to sugar.

Nowadays, I value my brain and performance on and off the bike so much more that I prioritize my health by staying hydrated.

Did you know quality salt helps you stay hydrated? Not the white table salt that’s heated, treated with chemicals, and stripped of all important minerals that contribute to hydration. I use Redman’s Real Salt

I add a pinch or two to my water during riding/training and in my protein shakes afterwards. I also add some throughout the day on all my food. Tastes better and helps the body in so many ways beyond simple hydration. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

1 Year ACL Post-Op

About a year ago (November 10th, 2016) I had my knee operated on for an injury report consisting of 10 issues, 2 of which were ACL/Meniscus tears. I’m grateful for the experience because it taught me a lot about myself and fitness, fueled my drive to beat the odds and return better than before, and allowed me to acquire a new perspective on my life and the path I want to take.

-Josh P.