Today I’m going to talk about how I approach personal health, because I think a lot of people want to accomplish more with their time or “feel” more active. If you think taking some substances to “enhance performance” is the answer, I think you’re wrong. Nothing works better than a healthy body, and I don’t think any kind of enhancement can be beneficial in the long run.
But wait, why did this article appear on a money making website and how does this apply to me, our reader might think? I will answer that the most direct thing is that making money takes time and effort, both physically, emotionally and mentally. And it’s not even about the money, it’s about the joyful feelings of life, moreover, will money bring you the pleasure of having it if you don’t feel healthy?
When I was still going to college, I slept no more than 5 hours to have time to do everything: earn money, study and spend time with my girlfriend and friends. I took several servings of Red Bull a day to stay awake. After six months or so I started getting headaches and had to stop. Anything you “need” to feel good or stay awake is bad in my opinion. This goes for coffee as well, even though it adds energy for a short time and generally scientists don’t give it a bad review. If you need a little boost, green tea is much better because it distributes the caffeine over a longer period of time.
So here is the plan that works well for me and should work for many others:
Diet: the need for proper nutrition
- Unless you are a professional athlete who needs it, no more than 3 meals a day, no snacking between meals. Condense everything you eat into meals. So if you want to snack, do it right at meal time
- No processed foods, cook fresh and quality ingredients whenever possible
- Drink only water and unsweetened teas
Drink about 0.5 gallons of pure water per day, depending on your height and weight. Water should be good quality, free of harmful impurities (check tap water if you use it), and I have the best experience with low mineral content. I believe that minerals should enter the body through food, not water.
- Eat vegetables with every meal
- I would suggest avoiding carbohydrates if you can do so
- Avoid seed oils and use quality olive oil instead
For me, this was very important. When you eat carbs, your insulin levels fluctuate and you usually feel more tired and sleepy after eating. If you cut carbs to a minimum, your energy levels will be more stable throughout the day and you will be full of energy all the time.
In terms of calories, aim for 60% fat, 30% protein, and 10% carbohydrates (from vegetables such as leafy greens). These are calories, not volume. Note that fat typically contains 4 times more calories than lean meat and more than 10 times more than zucchini.
Drink a green smoothie a day. I’ve also had good results with green powders such as Athletic greens AG1. It’s much faster.
If you are too busy to prepare meals, just prepare them a few days in advance or skip meals. Try to allow at least 12 hours between your last meal in the evening and your next meal the next day so that your body can recover during sleep. Do not fill your stomach right before going to bed, at least 2 hours should pass before you go to bed.
Supplements: it’s important for health
Despite what I said earlier about being against “enhancing substances”, vitamins and minerals are essential to your body.
It would be best if you get regular checkups to see what you need to supplement. As far as I know, your neighborhood doctor will not be able to help you with this in most cases, so see a specialist if you can afford it.
There is “orthomolecular medicine” that deals with this. Try to avoid protein powders and get your protein from natural sources. Farm raised eggs are your best friend. If you’re lacking something, you may not notice it right away, but it can cause some diseases later on and your body can’t function optimally if something is missing.
You can usually start with this because most people are deficient and it’s very important:
- 1000 mg of vitamin C (time-release)
- 4000 IU of vitamin D3 + K2
- Omega 3 EPA/DHA, about 800 mg
- 15 mg zinc
Workout: movement is life
Exercise 3-5 times (the more the better) per week. You should do strength training and cardio. Exercise for about 1 hour (40 minutes strength, 20 minutes cardio). Cardio is important to strengthen the cardiovascular system, which transports everything in the body.
- Cardio should be intense, something like “Tahabat” will do. Don’t do more than 20 minutes of cardio a day or the results will deteriorate.
- Never skip leg day, leg workout is very important. It also improves blood flow to the genitals, so things should improve there too. Pay attention to the calf muscles, they are called the “second heart”, they are responsible for blood circulation in the lower legs, which has a positive effect on the replacement and renewal of blood and lymph.
- Stretching is most important, especially if you sit in front of a computer all day. The pelvic bones and cortical muscles need to be mobile, this keeps the visceral fat from accumulating.
Meditate for at least 10-20 minutes a day to clear your mind. Don’t forget to take a walk in the fresh air, walking 1 hour a day will help “reset” your mind and switch to distracted thoughts. In a relaxed state, your brain makes better decisions, even if you haven’t thought about them before.
Healthy sleep and rest
Your bedroom should be cool, dark (use a sleep mask if necessary) and free of noise. You should get about 8 hours of sleep (check what works best for you). Ideally you should wake up without an alarm clock. Go to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends.
There’s nothing against watching Netflix or doing something else unproductive to relax. No one can be productive all the time. It’s like yin and yang, night and dark. You need balance everywhere.
If you work hard, you must also relax, but you must also do it to the fullest. If you are doing something relaxing, be in the moment and focus on it. If you’re watching Netflix, focus on the series. Don’t sit on your smartphone during this time and don’t think about work while relaxing.
Focus entirely on what you are doing
Same in reverse: if you are working, focus on that and nothing else. Many people think about free time when they are working and think about work in their free time and then wonder why they are stressed.
These rules are not immutable, we are humans, not robots. Try to stick to them for as long as possible and don’t get frustrated if you have any hiccups along the way. Discipline is the key to stability, when this way of healthy living becomes your permanent lifestyle, you will feel changes that you may not see in the first few months.
Conclusion
These are the basics that should give you most of the results. Taking a few pills seems much easier than following a regimen on a regular basis, but at the end of the day you want to be healthy all your life and have no problems in old age, and pills only give you a “feeling of health”.
As people age, they accumulate bad life decisions that they later regret, which is why older people feel more unhappy than younger people. Of course, aging can’t be avoided, but you can control how the process happens and what you will be like in the future.
*This article is written to share my experience, I do not give any personal recommendations, always think for yourself or consult with experts.
Are you ready to take responsibility for your results into your own hands?
Be healthy!
