Engage in activities you’d prefer not to do, even for 5 minutes daily or weekly, to grow your anterior mid-cingulate cortex, which is linked to willpower, tenacity, and sustained cognitive function.
Prioritize the six fundamental pillars of health: sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress management, sunlight exposure, and social connection, as these are the most important for overall wellbeing.
Engage in three distinct cardio sessions weekly: one long (1-1.5 hr, slow), one medium (35 min, fast-paced), and one short (12 min, high-intensity interval) to build comprehensive readiness for various physical demands.
Dedicate three weekly sessions to resistance training, focusing on legs one day, torso and neck another, and smaller body parts (including calves, biceps, triceps) on a third day, ensuring all muscle groups are hit directly or indirectly twice a week.
If feeling unwell, skip workouts and prioritize rest, hot showers, and early sleep to allow your body to recover and prevent spreading illness.
Get 5-10 minutes of afternoon or early evening sunlight in your eyes to adjust retinal sensitivity, which can reduce the suppressive effect of artificial lights on melatonin by 50%.
Dim all lights in the evening and consider using red light bulbs in areas where you spend time before sleep, as this eliminates stimulating blue wavelengths and can promote sleepiness by reducing cortisol.
Place evening lights low in your room rather than overhead, as overhead lights direct more photons into your eyes, activating alertness systems more strongly.
Activate your phone’s accessibility function to create a triple-click shortcut that switches the display to red-only, eliminating stimulating blue light in the evening for free.
Regularly practice Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) or Yoga Nidra during the day to develop self-directed relaxation skills, which can then be used to fall back asleep if you wake up at night.
If you wake up and can’t sleep, use long exhale breathing to calm yourself and facilitate falling back asleep.
When struggling to fall back asleep, consciously relax your face and jaw, then proceed with progressive body relaxation to promote calmness.
Refrain from looking at the time if you wake up in the middle of the night, as this habit can make it harder to fall back asleep.
Reduce fluid intake in the last few hours before bed and avoid going to sleep with a full stomach to prevent waking up during the night.
If you frequently wake up after falling asleep with melatonin, reconsider its regular use, as common dosages can be too high and may disrupt sleep later in the night.
If you cannot fall back asleep after waking, accept that you can function after one night of minimal sleep, reducing anxiety about sleep loss.
While tracking sleep scores (e.g., from Oura, Whoop) can be useful, avoid letting individual daily scores dictate your perceived ability to perform; instead, focus on averages and subjective feelings.
If you wake before sunrise or live in dark regions, turn on bright overhead artificial lights or a 10,000 lux light panel for 5-10 minutes to stimulate wakefulness.
If morning light is unavailable, take a cold shower to get an early-day adrenaline bump, which aids in waking up.
Aim for resistance training workouts of 40-60 minutes (plus 10 min warm-up) at 6-8 out of 10 intensity, and limit long cardio to 90 minutes, allowing for consistent training without over-exertion.
Regularly assess your sleep quality, appetite consistency, general mood, and energy levels for workouts as key subjective metrics of overall health and recovery.
Measure your morning resting pulse rate; if it’s substantially elevated without stress, consider reducing workout intensity to aid recovery.
Schedule blood work every six months to monitor key health markers and identify potential issues that may require attention.
Get regular eye exams, including the air puff test for glaucoma, as vision is precious and early detection allows for effective treatment.
To gain strength without significant hypertrophy, focus on lifting very heavy weights for 1-3 repetitions per set, or up to 5 repetitions, with sufficient rest between sets.
To minimize hypertrophy when training with heavy weights (1-3 reps), ensure long rest periods between sets (more than 2 minutes) to prevent compounding effects that can stimulate muscle growth.
For a weaker limb, prioritize unilateral exercises, perform more sets for the weaker side, or even temporarily reduce intensity on the stronger side to allow the weaker limb to catch up.
When lifting, grip the weight tightly and focus on actively contracting the target muscle, using weights you can control, as this neural connection enhances strength and performance.
Understand that building strength and developing a strong mind-muscle connection takes time; avoid rushing the process and enjoy the journey of consistent training.
Embrace and learn to enjoy the process of training hard, as this mindset can foster consistency and long-term adherence to your fitness goals.
Practice the 8-minute “falling back asleep” hypnosis on the Reverie app during the day, then use it at night if you wake up to self-direct relaxation and aid sleep.
If taking theanine causes vivid dreams that lead to waking up, reduce or eliminate its dosage to improve sleep continuity.
While full body MRI scans can provide valuable health data and detect issues like tumors or disc bulges, be prepared for potential anxiety and medical decisions if benign or minor findings are discovered.
Before getting a dog, especially breeds with high needs like bulldogs, ensure you can commit to providing excellent care and anticipate significant annual medical expenses; consider adopting from a shelter if possible.
For insights into early childhood development, attachment, and emotional regulation, consult Allan Schore’s books, which offer a detailed and technical perspective.