Deciphering between proven diet and health tips versus fads and snake oil money grabs can be difficult in today’s world of social media and influencers pimping their latest fat burning supplement. My goal with the below information is to provide a quick comprehensive look at which activities and supplements I have found in my almost 10-years’ experience in the industry will actually push you towards better health. Give it a read, let me know what you think, and if I missed anything that’s been a game changer for you along your health and fitness journey, please tell me!
Implementing everything listed below into your life theoretically would yield the best results, but an over-arching consideration we must consider with this conversation for it be fruitful is balance. If dedicating yourself to every amazing healthy habit you can takes away from your time with family, friends or doing what you truly enjoy in life there becomes a diminishing return in the results you will see. For this reason, every person must think critically about what they can take on in respect to all their other responsibilities and commitments. My hope is you can choose a few things to try out and see how they impact you. I also have them listed from what I think it most important to maybe less important.
#1: Sleep – ah yes, sleep. The #1 indicator of a long and healthy life but seemingly the most ignored aspect of most Americans day-to-day life (with over 35% of us reporting less than 7 hrs per night[1]). How much and how well you sleep impacts metabolism, energy levels, mood, and immune health. And sleeping poorly has well-established connections to depression, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. A meta-analysis done by InsideTracker on over 1.3 million participants found that individuals who slept less than 6 hours had a 12% greater risk of all causes of mortality than those who slept between 6-9 hours1. On top of this, sleep can be considered even more important for individuals who regularly exercise, such as ourselves. Not getting enough sleep will inhibit our body’s ability to recover from the strenuous exercise we put ourselves through throughout the week and can create a cascading effect that ultimately leads to adrenal (hormonal) issues due to the high amount of accumulated stress. For these reasons sleep is #1 on my chart and takes the cake for most important activity we can focus on for health and longevity.
#2: Resistance Training – lifting weights isn’t just for the biceps and six-packs. Per Harvard Health, “The average 30-year-old will lose about a quarter of his or her muscle strength by age 70 and half of it by age 90. “Just doing aerobic exercise is not adequate,” says Dr. Robert Schreiber, physician-in-chief at Hebrew SeniorLife and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Unless you are doing strength training, you will become weaker and less functional.”[2] Increasing muscle mass while younger and working to maintain it as you age provides lifelong benefits that keep you mobile, independent, and able to enjoy life longer. If you didn’t know, this is the foundation of the CrossFit methodology! When Greg Glassman (Founder of CrossFit) started pushing this exercise regime out into the world it wasn’t to find the fittest athletes in the world at the CrossFit Games. It was to help increase people’s range of motion within their joints, get them stronger, keep them both mobile and stronger for longer, plus get better cardio for their heart health (more on this one next). I rank this at #2 because I truly believe maintaining our personally autonomy for as long as we can helps lead to happier golden years and the best way to do this is to lift weights. (If you need a visual, think of your grandparent who refused to stop doing yard work through their 90’s. They usually looked a lot better than some of their friends.)
#3: Cardio – the obvious one! I think everyone has a base-level understanding of why keeping your heart healthy is a good thing, but did you know that by just hitting a few cardio workouts a week you can regulate your blood sugar, improve your cholesterol, protect your brain against Alzheimer’s, fight osteoporosis, lower your blood pressure and boost your immune system?! Not to mention it will help you sleep better (cough, cough, see #1) and boost your mood! According to the Cleveland Clinic, all you need is roughly 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise per week to see these benefits. Cardio and resistance training are really tied for 2nd, both equally as important, I may have just been lifting weights before cause of the biceps.
#4: Daily Step Count – 100% the most accessible and easiest item on this list to implement. There is no magic number for what number of steps is best, but it is commonly agreed that the range of 7,000-10,000 is a good target to shoot for. The American Heart Association has stated the following, “The research team analyzed 17 studies that gathered data on step counts, deaths from all causes and specifically from cardiovascular problems. The 226,899 adults in the studies were followed for an average of 7.1 years. Each increase of 1,000 steps taken daily by the studies’ participants was associated with a 22% lower chance of dying from all causes, the researchers calculated. Each 500-step increment was linked to a 7% drop in cardiovascular-related deaths.”[3] Pretty powerful stuff! I find an easy way to get extra steps in is adding a quick walk around the neighborhood after dinner. Which also helps with digestion, and you guessed it, sleep!
Quick pause. There’s nothing fancy about the above information and likely nothing super new to a lot of you. The magic is in the consistent work you put in and the results come after years and years of doing this work. My advice is to embrace the grind and accept prioritizing health as part of your lifestyle and these things quickly become second nature.
Now for the sexier stuff you see all over Instagram.
#5: Anti-inflammatory Practices – saunas, cold plunges, and meditating have been marketed down our throats the past few years. One of the most popular products I’ve seen was a simple porcelain tub that retails for only, get this, $5,000. But it was on Shark Tank so it’s okay… I can see why people have written this off. Let’s dive in to all three options potential benefits.
Sauna – three 30-minute sauna sessions per week at or above 175 degrees F have been found to lower inflammation, reduce risk of heart issues including sudden cardiac death, fatal coronary heart disease, and fatal cardiovascular disease.[4] $30/month to EOS gives you unlimited access to a sauna or you can have one built in your house for about $1500. Obviously, not everyone will be able to introduce a daily sauna into there already busy routine but I think it’s important to consider thinking about how/ if you could get access to one since the benefits are well studied and proven.
Cold Plunge – when compared to active recovery (say a 15–20-minute walk), the National Institute of Health (NIH) found that cold water immersion is no more effective than the quick walk[5]. So although you will see every health guru preaching that a 5-minute dunk in 35 degree water is what separates the pros from joes, there currently is no real science to back this up. That being said, many people simply enjoy the sensation they get from a few minutes in the cold tub and choose to start their day with this practice versus let’s say a cup of coffee. If you are one of these people, there is nothing wrong with what you are doing, but just be clear that benefits stated online many times are over-exaggerated.
Meditation – I believe there are many tangible and intangible benefits from quieting your mind and getting better control on your ability to focus. But I will let the results from this peer reviewed study do most of the talking on this point.
Meditation involves psychophysical training which can result in a range of benefits including creating a calm mind and increasing self-awareness, relaxation, and tranquility. Increasing evidence, mostly based on short-term focused interventions, suggests that meditation-based activities may also have favorable effects on physical wellbeing including cellular aging… The findings of this comparative study add to the evidence on sustained benefits of meditation on wellbeing and healthy aging and supports incorporating meditation-based activities into lifestyle practices.[6]
Practicing mediation is also free and takes less time than both a sauna and cold plunge to see results. I recommend downloading a free guided meditation app to start and learn how it all works. My two favorites are Waking Up and Headspace.
#6: Supplements – the most beneficial way you can introduce supplements into your daily life is to first ensure you are eating a nutrient rich and well-balanced diet. Without this, supplements are useless. The second is to get tested for any vitamin deficiencies. For instance, if you are lacking vitamin D, taking supplemental vitamin D will have a large impact on your life; and if you aren’t lacking it, then don’t waste your hard-earned money on it. This can be true for any of the many vitamins and supplements on the market. The below three I’ve called out because they tend to have positive impacts for most people.
Creatine – this is a naturally occurring substance found in red meat and has been proven to promote general health as we age. More specifically, the NIH found creatine plays a critical role in cellular metabolism, meaning it may lessen the severity of injuries and disease conditions[7]. Creatine has become a staple in most professional athletes’ regimen, but it holds just as many benefits for everyday folks such as ourselves. There is no need to ‘load’ or cycle this supplement. Drink 5 milligrams a day and you will be better off from it!
Fish Oil – more specifically Omega-3 fatty acids. This is found in fish, flax seeds, chia seeds and many other foods but can also be taken via pills. Fish oil can play an important role in reducing inflammation within the body and may have health benefits for specific age-related diseases[8]. Roughly 1g of supplemental fish oil per day is plenty to reap the benefits[9].
Vitamin D – we get this one directly from the sun. Unfortunately, not everyone gets enough sun to have adequate amounts of vitamin D in their body. Per the NIH, “Deficiency of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the major circulating form of vitamin D, is associated with an increased risk of age-related chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cognitive impairment, and cancer.”[10] So especially during the winter, it’s important we take in supplemental vitamin D. Dosages between 600-800IU are sufficient.
To summarize, all these practices will be beneficial for you. And the more you do the better. But like I said, don’t lose yourself along this fitness journey and always try to maintain balance in your life. Of course, there are more things out there you can do to be healthy but I’ve found mastering these will put you above 99% of the population and give you a great foundation for a long healthy life.
Let me know what you try out and if you notice any differences!
[1] https://blog.insidetracker.com/sleep-duration-longevity
[2] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/want-to-live-longer-and-better-do-strength-training
[3] https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/11/03/upping-your-step-count-even-in-small-amounts-may-increase-life-span
[4] https://blog.insidetracker.com/sauna-bathing-impact-heart-health-longevity
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5285720/
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8931770/
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7910963/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5032683/
[9] https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/#h2
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5689451/
