Today I received a gift. I was given 12 years of my life back. How did I receive this gift? Well, I completed one of these assessments at the gym. You know, where they take all kinds of readings – body fat, height, weight, blood pressure, pulse etc.
When the PT (personal trainer) asked me my age – and I said 37 – he seemed shocked. And this was before putting the data in! “Really?!” He asked. “Well, whatever you’re doing must be working for you.”
“Not just me,” I said “But others can get this too if they follow some basic principles.”
And that’s the crux of it. People don’t want to follow basic principles. They want complicated. They want solutions done for them – or to them. Quick-fix. 7 lbs in 7 days, and so on.
Look, my “metabolic age” came in at 25! That’s a full 12 years younger than what I am. Was it an accident? Good genes? Luck?
No. There are some basic principles – and I’m about to reveal to you in a very simple short way “the secrets” here (and do myself out of a job perhaps!).
This is it. The way to a healthier younger you (I’m fitter and healthier now than I was 12 years ago!)
- Eat REAL FOOD (virtually eliminate, if not completely, things that come in packets, boxes, with adverts, marketing campaigns, celebrity endorsements, processed). At least 80-90% of your food you should recognise as it came out the ground or off the land. If you can’t recognise it, chances are your digestive system can’t either.
- Drink LOTS OF WATER – we’re made up of 60-70%. Certain organs even more. You foods should be water rich. i.e. plenty of vegetables. I aim for 3-4 litres a day. I’m 76kg though. Rule of thumb is half your body weight in pounds (lbs) drink in fluid ounces.
So, 76kg -> 167lbs (2.2 x 76), which then means 84 fluid ounces. Which is 3 litres (84 ÷ 28, as roughly 28 ml to one fluid ounce)
A quick way to work it out is
0.04 x (weight in kg).
e.g. Female weighing 50kg should drink (rule of thumb) 0.04 x 50 = 2 litres a day (min).
When exercising, talking a lot, moving a lot, you should go a little higher. Drink consistently throughout the day and if you’re off the mark, then increase gradually over several days and weeks until you hit your numbers.
- SLEEP – Quality sleep that is. I’ll be making a whole video course on sleep, but suffice it to know that you need 7 – 9 hrs a night (for 98% of us). And get as many hours before midnight as possible. Primetime which you want a lot of is 10pm – 2am. So going to sleep (not bed) at 10pm and waking up at 6am would be ideal for the vast majority of people.
- Manage STRESS – look for ways to deal with stress. Yoga, Tai ‘Chi, Qi Qong, Meditation, alone time, deep breathing – are all great ways to deal with stress. I’d caution away from vigorous exercise as a method, although some believe it works for them, there are reasons not to (another blog post perhaps).
- EXERCISE – but not too much. Ideally just lots of movement throughout the day will be enough. No need for gym memberships. Big topic, but all you really need to do is MOVE. A lot. Whenever you can. Aim for 12,000 steps a day.
- Get OUTSIDE – spend time outside and in nature whenever you can. There are measured healing benefits to being in nature. I’ll write a post about it sometime.
- FORGIVE & live with GRATITUDE – harbouring resentment, or negative feelings does affect your biochemistry. It’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to get ill. Be grateful for what you have and you’ll receive more. If you’re not grateful for what you do have, what makes you think you’ll be grateful in the future for anything else. Write 3 things a day that you can be grateful for and do this – well, forever.
There’s a lot more I could share on this topic so if you want to find out more, then my online course on healthy, well-being and energy gives my blueprint for living with energy and which when followed, could also make you 12 years younger! More here: http://thethoughtgym.com/superenergy/
