Gym, a cook's Robin

I have been wanting to write this for some time now but it is no silly "top ten" list. This subject matter has the potential to affect lives. I have had to think hard, plan & delve deeper into darker corners of my own psyche so as to offer first hand references. 

In this post, in the wake of recent spotlights on Chef's & their mental states, I will attempt to emphasize the importance of youngsters in the culinary industry maintaining strong mental & physical health. It takes absolute fortitude to make it in a professional kitchen, but we are not immortal...

I have been called "Old School". I'm not that old though, 16 odd years in this industry starting as a waiter, eventually attaining a Chef Diploma. Why I was referred to as old school is the fact that I maintain the older traditions relating to kitchen hierarchies. I did not rush to head my first kitchen. I took my time (and beatings) with pride, revelling in the kitchen underground. Along the way I saw cooks crumble. Moving to finance, IT or becoming washed out managers of failing enterprises. Kitchens exact a sometimes devastating toll. 

As life moves on, day to day pressures increase. Family life is not as straightforward as it once was. Jobs are scarce. Cost of living has sky rocketed. Kitchen life is not immune. 

Suicide rates amongst kitchen staff has risen. Now more then ever it is vital for senior Chefs to instill the need to develop a healthy mind & body alongside great technique or product knowledge. Enter that establishment few cooks I know Visit. The Gym.

Chefs already have a cool factor thanks to the Media realising we live in worlds of excess. Excess work = excess stress = excess stress relief. These excesses have dramatic effects over the long term. The study "Work Related Stress and Depressive Disorders" published by The Journal of Psychosomatic Research (2001) sites many a link between stressful work environments and depression over various time spans etc.  Can read said study here 👉 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399901002550.

So how does hitting the gym help? 

Let's first tackle the issues of time. Most people in the F&B industry will moan about not having time for the gym. You're all wrong. Its called time management. The author Gretchen Reynolds wrote extensively in her book 'The First 20 Minutes' about the benefits of exercise lasting only 20 min, including prolonged life & reduced risk of disease among many others. I workout an average of 20 to 40 mins, 6 times a week and I see substantial results. If we spent less time sluggish, hungover & otherwise just in a sour mood, we would have that 20 mins. 

Now let's get to the exciting bit. 

It is incredibly important for us Chefs to be on top of a fury of scenarios playing out in the kitchen. Its only 7am & the new sculler is pissed, vomiting in the guest bathroom, table eight found a blonde hair in the porridge...wait...none of the staff is blonde! Its stock take today, did Jason prep the shanks? Shareholders want the autumn menu & there's a wedding at 12:00. So we need to be sharp but its been a month of 10 plus hour shifts, you're tired, wifey is waiting for you to get home so she can vent on you about your job and not being around, didn't the little one have something important at school? Shit! Etc etc etc.

Enter BDNF & ENDORPHINS. 

Supplier: The Gym. (Or any exercise)

When we gym, our bodies interpret the work out as muscle stress. To protect itself it releases BDNF (Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor). This is a protective & reparative protein that almost resets the thought processes. Think thought overload reset button. This is why people often speak of having a clearer mind after exercise. An effect so potent you will notice the benefits from day one. Endorphins provide a euphoric feeling very much akin to morphine, further relaxing you before adding to a far more positive outlook on life in general. So in other words hitting the gym gives you a boost of all natural, healthy drugs. Not only do we relax but we improve stamina, thought processes, fitness, strength, patience..... I could go on but I believe the point is made. 

A while back I was in a dark patch mentally. Things just wouldn't come right. I got back into the gym after years of absence and people battle to keep up with me. I still eat pretty much what I want, drink what I want. No special diets or supplements. Working out has changed the way I eat though in the sense that my body craves differently. In this regard, I cannot stress how important it is to listen to your system. 

Its competitive out there. We cannot afford to slow down, but we cannot afford to succumb to depression or fatigue, over exertion. We as Cooks need to protect ourselves. Take steps. Take the right steps. Pissed off, hit the gym, not the liquor store. Your family will thankyou, your colleagues will respect you & your competition will get left behind. 

Seniors, get the youngsters on board and inline with this. They are looking at you to steer them through this moshpit of an industry. Give them weapons. 

I hope this helps even one person out there. We need to change the way we look at the world, especially in ZA. Life is not so dark. 

If things go to far please talk to someone, I've included a helpline below. 

Cheers for Now

Chef DC

South African Depression and Anxiety Group helpline: 0800 21 22 23