My Body Different

Summary

Summary of "My Body Different" – Shannon Cason's Homemade

In the July 17, 2024 episode of Shannon Cason's Homemade, titled "My Body Different," host Shannon Cason delves deep into the personal and often challenging journey of aging, self-awareness, and the physical transformations that accompany growing older. Through heartfelt storytelling and candid reflections, Shannon offers listeners an intimate glimpse into his struggles, realizations, and the gradual acceptance of his changing body. The episode is structured around key themes, each illustrated with poignant moments and memorable quotes.

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1. The Inevitable Passage of Time

Shannon opens the episode by contemplating the universal truth that aging affects everyone, regardless of background or lifestyle. He reflects on his youthful perception of age, sharing how he once viewed people over 40 as "so old" but now embraces his own age with a newfound perspective.

“One thing is certain. All of us, it don't matter who you are, every one of us is getting older.”
[00:28]

He emphasizes that while he still feels healthy and active, his priorities have shifted from striving to impress others to maintaining his well-being and minimizing aches and pains.

“My mission is to keep my ache and pain meter at a minimum, like as far down as I can for the rest of my life.”
[02:10]

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2. Realization and Reflection in His Mid-Twenties

Shannon recounts a pivotal moment in his late twenties when he began to notice the repercussions of his once carefree lifestyle. This realization was sparked by a confrontation with a friend, Alfredo, who bluntly pointed out Shannon's weight gain.

“Alfredo came to my apartment... ‘Shannon, I used to look up to you. Now you getting fat?’”
[03:08]

Initially dismissing Alfredo's comments, Shannon's self-perception started to shift when he looked in the mirror and acknowledged the changes.

“After he left, I looked at myself in the mirror and there I was. I was fat.”
[03:16]

This moment served as a catalyst for Shannon to embark on a journey toward better health, sparking changes in his diet and exercise habits.

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3. Struggles with Fitness and Lifestyle Changes

Determined to reclaim his physical health, Shannon explores various fitness regimes, including High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). He shares the challenges and frustrations of adhering to intense workout routines, particularly as his body began to show signs of wear.

“HIIT is a euphemism. Well, hell, Satan is a hit workout instructor.”
[07:00]

His attempts to integrate HIIT into his life were met with physical setbacks, such as injuries and increased fatigue, leading to a deeper understanding of his body's limitations.

“By the third time around the track, my left hamstring said sorry and I went tumbling to the turf.”
[09:00]

Shannon candidly discusses the balance between pushing himself to stay fit and recognizing when to listen to his body's signals.

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4. Embracing and Accepting Physical Changes

As Shannon progresses into his mid-forties, he adopts a more accepting attitude toward his body's inevitable changes. He candidly shares his experiences with various aches and pains, medical consultations, and the ongoing quest for remedies.

“I've made friends with my aches and pains.”
[10:47]

He details specific issues, such as a sore wrist from years of playing basketball and chronic neck pain, highlighting the persistent nature of aging-related discomforts.

“My neck. I have issues with C8 and C9 in my spine.”
[12:15]

Despite these challenges, Shannon finds solace in practices like acupuncture and emphasizes the importance of mental peace over relentless stress.

“I've accepted peace of mind over being overly stressed.”
[14:30]

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5. Gratitude and Contentment in Later Life

Throughout the episode, Shannon expresses profound gratitude for the non-material aspects of his life. He cherishes his relationships with family and friends, the stability of his home, and the fulfillment derived from doing what he loves.

“I see my mom, my dad, my daughter on a regular basis, which is priceless.”
[14:10]

He acknowledges that while he may not be a household name, the genuine connections and the ability to pursue his passions provide him with a sense of accomplishment and happiness.

“I'm doing what I love to do and I'm good at it. And I have an audience who listens. I have you and I'm blessed.”
[14:50]

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6. Humor and Light-hearted Interludes

Interspersed with his serious reflections, Shannon incorporates humor and playful interactions with Alfredo, adding levity to the episode. These moments serve to humanize Shannon and showcase his ability to find laughter amidst personal struggles.

“Layer up, man, pull your skirt down... You'll be a good boyfriend.”
[07:37]

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Conclusion: A Journey of Self-Acceptance

In "My Body Different," Shannon Cason navigates the complex emotions tied to aging and physical transformation with honesty and vulnerability. The episode serves as a relatable narrative for anyone grappling with similar changes, offering both challenges and moments of acceptance. Through his storytelling, Shannon encourages listeners to embrace their own journeys, find gratitude in their current state, and maintain a compassionate relationship with their bodies.

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Notable Quotes:

• Shannon Cason: “One thing is certain. All of us, it don't matter who you are, every one of us is getting older.”
  [00:28]

• Shannon Cason: “After he left, I looked at myself in the mirror and there I was. I was fat.”
  [03:16]

• Shannon Cason: “HIIT is a euphemism. Well, hell, Satan is a hit workout instructor.”
  [07:00]

• Shannon Cason: “I've made friends with my aches and pains.”
  [10:47]

• Shannon Cason: “I'm doing what I love to do and I'm good at it. And I have an audience who listens. I have you and I'm blessed.”
  [14:50]

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Through "My Body Different," Shannon Cason invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences with aging, encouraging a balance between striving for health and embracing the natural evolution of the body. His authentic narrative fosters a sense of connection and offers comfort to those navigating similar life transitions.

Transcript

[Shannon Casen]

Of course I want the best out of life. I want the best. You know, I'm ambitious, but let's be honest. Shannon Case's Homemade is proud to be supported by the friends of Homemade. Thank you to everyone who listens, enjoys and supports the stories. I'mma call you out if you supported me since the previous episode. To my friends, Kareem S.M. thank you for the Cash app. We be them. I agree. Ann Arbor in the house. Evan D. Thank you for the Patreon. All the way from Dublin, California, Jennifer D. Thank you for the Patreon. To my best friends. Adam W. Said he just want to support the stories. I appreciate you for the Patreon. Tony D in Chicago and Wisconsin, thank you for joining the Patreon. Thank you for all the coffee too. Metropolis Coffee in the house and follow Tony's TikTok at dadanddaughter 1017 and thank me later. I've been doing this new thing on Patreon called Fresh Homemade daily. Just tapping in wherever I am in the world and in Detroit. So join the Patreon for more and more stories and become a friend of the [e-mail] backslash Shannon casein homemade is totally friend funded. This is a totally friend funded podcast. So go to patreon.com Shannon Casen or $sign Shannon Casen on Cash app if you just like to be straight to the point. I appreciate you too. I appreciate all of you. Enjoy the show. Welcome to Homemade. Hey, I'm Shannon Caseman. One thing is certain. All of us, it don't matter who you are, every one of us is getting older. I remember seeing people the age I am now and I used to think that they were so old. I used to think that, you know what I'm saying, over 40 was old. But now I don't even think I'm old at all. You know, I still feel good. I'm healthy, I'm active. However, I am smarter. I don't even attempt to impress anyone. I'm not trying to lift the heaviest weight or run the fastest mile, any of that. I don't even play basketball anymore. My mission is to keep my ache and pain meter at a minimum, like as far down as I can for the rest of my life. And if I can look decent at the same time, I'm totally good. So this is a short essay about all the changes my body has been going through over the years. And I know you'll relate. I know you will. Everyone will eventually. I hope you enjoy.

[Alfredo]

My body different. I'm Breathing different. You understand what I'm saying? The doctor said I wasn't going to walk the scene. You understand what I'm saying? I'm out.

[Shannon Casen]

The realization hit me in my late 20s, before I was 25, I never really considered the consequences of my actions. Playing any and every sport at any time. Actually played in a midnight basketball league wearing my shoes a couple sizes smaller because size 14 Adidas top 10s look like Babalo boats. You have to be from Detroit to know Babalo boats. Every fence, dock, or flatbed truck was considered a dare to test my vertical leap. But the most oblivious was eating any and everything I wanted, whenever I wanted. I grew up in a household where my grandma would tell me to stay out of the kitchen. And that meant that the magic was happening. The food was brought to the table and piled high on the plate. And Grandma would ask, you want some sliced tomato with that boy? And I said, yes, Grandma. And she would bring a tomato to the table and she would slice it in her hand with a Ginsu sharp butcher knife right over my plate, then sprinkle some salt. Delicious. It was delicious. I didn't eat the plate because I had to. Some parents have to tell their kids to eat all the food. Did it ever come to mind that maybe you can't cook? Was that ever a thought? I finished my plate because I wanted to. I finished it because that's what I saw all the men in my family do. There was chicken, fried or baked green beans, hot water, cornbread, maybe some macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, of course, a slice of tomato in grandma's hand with the Ginsu knife with the salt. And the food was delicious. I ate like that until 25. At 25, I received the notice. I didn't notice. I received a notice. I never thought about calories. I never considered proteins, carbohydrates, or fats. What's the difference? That's for quizzes. In biology class, I ate till I was full and exercised whenever I felt like it. And I lived my life. But now my face, my thighs, and my belly were changing. A friend of mine put me on notice. Alfredo. Fred. I don't know if you listen to my podcast, Fred, but anyone who's named after a buttery, white creamy sauce shouldn't be making fun of anyone. But Alfredo came to my apartment in Auburn Hills, and we're on the back balcony overlooking the apartment's man made pond. And I got up to get us another beer and he said, damn, Shannon, I used to look up to you. Used to what? You mean, man, you kind of inspired me to start working out. Seriously. And now you getting fat? I blew it off. I'm not fat. I just got a lady who treats me well, that's all. Nah, you fat man. Fuck you. Get you a woman in talk shit. But after he left, I looked at myself in the mirror and there I was. I was fat. That was my heaviest ever. My metabolism was changing. I was in a bad relationship. I'm 6:3, but the scale got up to 280 or so. And if you're offended by the word fat, I was too. But hey, you know. And if you don't think 63280 is fat, dang, you really fat. You should be offended. You know, but in a motivational way, like I was. Thanks, Alfredo. So I worked a little harder in the gym. I ate a few less Domino's Pizzas, and I continued to argue with my girlfriend about baking the chicken instead of frying it Every time. You killing us. Frying everything. Fried pork chops, chicken, spaghetti, cornbread. No, I do appreciate it. I do. Look, look, I'm eating it. I'm eating it, baby. It's good. I'm good with it. I'm sorry. Will you marry me? That's how easy we fold, fellas. Stop folding so easy. That was marriage number one. At 35, I got another little nudge that my body was different.

[Alfredo]

Hey, man, pull your skirt down. B Streets is missing you. Yo, come on, man.

[Shannon Casen]

What?

[Alfredo]

You want to give all this shit up?

[Shannon Casen]

I was living in Chicago, recently separated from my first wife. And I was doing what every newly single 30 something will be doing in summertime Shy with sundresses and rompers and festivals and rooftop parties happening at all times. I was trying to have as much sex as possible, and I needed to lose some weight to optimize the sex. And I came upon. I came upon this exercise program called HIIT exercises. And the concept is you don't really need two hours in the gym. You don't really need one hour in the gym. You don't even need 45 minutes. If you bring yourself to the point of death, you can really get your workout done in 30 minutes. Hit. It sounds simple, right? Only 30 minutes? Anyone can do 30 minutes of high intensity interval training. No, anyone cannot do high intensity interval training for 30 minutes. Hit is a euphemism. Well, hell, Satan is a hit workout instructor. Listen to me. Fat people don't do hit. It's. It's setting you up for failure. It's easy. My hit plan was to do sprints in my south side neighborhood track in Chicago. I start with a few warm up exercises. 10 high jumps, 20 lunges, 50 butt kicks. The older people were walking around the track too. And they were getting in their low impact steady state activity for the day before they head back to their old folks home to eat yogurt and take naps. But I'm running sprints. It's hit, baby. I plan to do two miles, sprint for the hundred meter, and then walk the turns eight times around the track. Simple. In and out, 30 minutes. First time around the track. Okay, that was pretty hard. Second time around, wow. Third time around the track, my left hamstring said sorry and I went tumbling to the turf. An old lady was walking by like, you okay, baby? I could tell you was doing too much. Why don't you just walk? Since my hiit experiences, I've learned the significance of low impact steady state cardio, AKA walking and the importance of electrolytes. I've done other types of hit exercises in the past. Treadmills and kettlebells. And it's hell. It's all hell. All of its hell.

[Alfredo]

What the are you doing, man? Do you even know what you're doing, man?

[Shannon Casen]

Now at 45 plus, wow. I'm getting kind of old, you know, I'm over 45 now. The realization just hit me. But 48 ain't really old. But now with age and experience, I've gained wisdom, I've gained perspective, awareness, and most importantly, acceptance. Some things. I've just accepted being over 40 sounds. I'm gonna make some sounds. I've accepted my over 40 sounds. I've come to cherish my sounds. I have a collection of them getting out of the car. It's like a, like a, it's a muffled sound. I don't want to sound too old to the public, so I muffle it. So going upstairs sound and is is. Yep. It's like a, a sound that's telling my body to go up. It goes. Yep. My sound. When I'm tired and I'm. I'm getting my second win. It's a, it's a, it's like a lion sound. It's a growl. You know, some women like that sound. It goes. It goes. Then there's a sound when I made a mistake or something. Doesn't feel right. It's, it's. Oh. It's an exploratory sound. I'm checking all my systems. Oh. Oh. Pain. I've accepted certain aches and pains. I've done what I Can to correct them. I've been to the doctor. I've done the physical therapy. I've tried the YouTube advice. Nothing's worked yet. So in the midst of living my life, I've made friends with my aches and pains. My shoulder, my right shoulder. I had a rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder, and I'm just gonna feel it sometime with certain stretches and exercises. It's just there. My right wrist. A lifetime of playing basketball and other activities. My wrist seems to always be sore. My neck. I have issues with C8 and C9 in my spine. The other over 40 people know what I'm talking about. I did acupuncture, and it doesn't hurt anymore. I remember I was at the acupuncture guy's office, and I said, I feel better. And I started to try to find the pain, and he said, don't search for the pain. Enjoy the relief. So I'm enjoying the relief. My glutes are always tight because I walk a lot. I have to stretch my ass muscles. Pause, pause. But I do. I have to stretch my ass. Pause, pause. I know that's. That's atrocious. I'm saying that I have a limp. A limp. I've had a limp for over 10 years, and I've been to multiple doctors. Nobody's been able to figure out yet. I'm gonna try to fix it again when I feel like going to all these doctors, but I haven't felt like going to all these doctors again. It takes a lot of time. My kidneys. I drank too much one day and my kidneys started to hurt, and I knew it wasn't my lower back, so I thought it was my kidneys. And I took all the tests. I went to the doctor, took all the tests. Kidneys are fine. But now I don't drink as much anymore. One drink. One or two drinks. And I'm pretty good now. If you have any remedies to try for any of these aches and pains, send me a message. Leave it in the comment. Let's try to fix it. But until then, I got to live my life. Stress. I've accepted peace of mind over being overly stressed. Of course I want the best out of life. I want the best. You know, I'm ambitious, but let's be honest, you know, a few fail podcasts and businesses. I'm not a household name yet, but I'm cool. I'm grateful for the things that I have paid off. Car. I may get a new car soon, but right now I'm enjoying no car notes, living in a house with a mortgage. You know, it's a different when you living in something that the family is a part of relationship with my family and friends. I see my mom, my dad, my daughter on a regular basis, which is priceless. And you? I'm doing what I love to do and I'm good at it. And I have an audience who listens. I have you and I'm blessed. You know what?

[Alfredo]

You just need a little more recipe cover up. Get you some soup, some tea. Come on, man, you talking crazy, B. Hey, yo, take care of your man. Give him a thermometer, take his temperature assignment. I'm outta here, man.

[Shannon Casen]

Peace, baby. Thank you for listening. This episode was produced at home by me, Shannon Case. Subscribe to Shannon Casen on YouTube and @Shannon Casen on Instagram, Tik tok and all social media. Consider supporting the [e-mail] Shannon Casen or cash app $sign Shannon Casen be a friend of the stories. For more information on coaching, workshops, speaking engagements, all that stuff, go to shannoncas.com make sure you rate and review on Apple podcasts and Spotify and wherever you can rate. And this episode contains one of my favorite scenes from the movie Paid in Full with Cameron. Cameron did his best on that movie. If you haven't seen that movie at least seven times, what's wrong with you? Are you my friend? Really? I don't know. Go watch Paid in Full and come back for more and more stories. I'm gonna be back at you real soon. Thank you. Now that's homemade.