Health recommendations
These are practical and effective tips to help you make a difference to your health without going to extremes. No 4am cold plunges here. Just straightforward advice you can easily integrate into your daily routine and actually stick with.
General
(good tricks)
Maintenance
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Use a Shakti mat to treat lower back pain
A Shakti mat is a form of acupressure therapy that involves lying on a mat covered with small plastic spikes. The spikes apply pressure to specific points on the body, stimulating blood flow and releasing muscle tension. I found a Shakti mat to be the easiest and most effecitve way of quickly releasing a tight back after only 10 mins
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Use a tongue scraper when waking up
Start your day with a tongue scraper to improve oral hygiene. It removes bacteria, food debris, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue, reducing bad breath and improving oral hygiene
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Use a nasal wash bottle to clear your nostrils when waking up
Many people find that their nasal passages are clogged or dry upon waking, especially if they live in dry climates. Using a saline nasal wash helps flush out dust, pollen, and mucus. You can easily find a reusable bottle with a nozzle
Sleep
(Sleep better)
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Enhance your sleep quality by taking sleep vitamins
More important that sleep amount is sleep quality. Taking supplements like Magnesium Glycinate, L Theanine and Apigenin help relax muscle, calm the nervous system and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.
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Avoid stimulation just before bed. Do some breathwork
Minimize stimulation before bedtime by avoiding intense exercise, bright screens, and heavy meals. Do some breathwork or reflection instead. These practices can significantly improve your sleep quality
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Avoid coffee after 2pm
Caffeine has a half-life of about 5-6 hours, meaning that half of the caffeine you consume will still be in your system after this time. So, if you drink a cup of coffee at 3pm, you may still have significant levels of caffeine in your body when you're trying to fall asleep at 11pm. By cutting off caffeine earlier in the day, you can give your body time to metabolize it and reduce its impact on your sleep quality. Ideally, avoid coffee altogether
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Make sure your room is properly aired using a CO2 monitor
High levels of CO2 decreases sleep quality. Monitoring and adjusting the ventilation in your room leads to better sleep
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Use night shift on devices after sunset
Activate the Night Shift feature on your electronic devices after sunset to reduce blue light exposure. Blue light can inhibit melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep.
Nutrition
eat better
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Eat more protein than you think you need
Most people benefit from consuming more protein that they think. Incorporate high-quality sources like whey protein and eggs into your diet. Make sure you understand that not all proteins are equal due to their different digestibility scores and amino acid profiles.
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The only supplements you likely need are Vitamin D + Magnesium + Zinc + Vit B
While a balanced diet is the best way to obtain essential nutrients, some vitamins and minerals are commonly deficient in modern diets. Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins are among the most important supplements to consider.
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Mushroom nootropics to help with focus
Look into mushroom nootropics like Lion's Mane, which help you focus over extended periods of time.
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Apply basic nutrition hygiene
Maintain basic nutrition hygiene by avoiding calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods such as sugary drinks and fried items. Opt for whole, unprocessed foods to maximize nutrient intake and support overall health
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Drink warm water before food
Drinking warm water before meals can aid digestion by warming your stomach and preparing it for food intake
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Practice mindful eating
Practice mindful eating by eating slowly and avoiding distractions like TV or phones while eating. When you do something else while eating, your brain doesn't properly process the fact that you are meant to be digesting
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Chew very well
Chewing your food thoroughly is a simple but often overlooked aspect of healthy eating. It helps with digestion and better absorption of nutrients
Sports
this
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Strength workouts
Incorporate strength training into your fitness routine to build muscle, increase metabolic rate, and improve overall healthspan. Compound exercises like pull ups, push ups, squats, deadlifts, and rows are particularly effective for building overall strength and muscle mass
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Warm up properly before working out
Always begin your workout sessions with a proper warm-up to prepare your body for exercise and reduce the risk of injury. Dynamic stretches and light aerobic warmup can increase blood flow to the muscles and improve flexibility
Mental
this
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Don't use your phone when you have 1 minute to space
Resist the urge to check your phone during brief moments of downtime. Take a few deep breaths, stretch your body, or simply observe the world around you. You need to give your brain space and time to digest all the sensory inputs it's constantly exposed to. When you do, you will find that your brain fog lifts
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Don't chase insights
It's easy to fall into the trap of constantly seeking new insights, tips, hacks. While people feel guilty if they watch something that’s purely funny or entertaining, reading or watching insightful things feels like productive work. When the reality is that loading up insights leads to information overload and overconfidence bias.
Other
misc
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Use a CGM from time to time
A continuous glucose monitor is a small blood sugar monitoring device you attach to your arm. It tracks your blood sugar levels through an application on your phone. It's typically used by people with diabetes but it can help anyone optimize their metabolic health. The goal is to manage and minimize glucose spikes by understand what foods and habits impact them.
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Use an Apple Watch to track various metrics
An Apple Watch is useful to monitor health metrics like heart rate, steps, exercise intensity, and sleep. The data provides you with a better picture of your health trends
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Get an air purifier to clean particles
An air purifier improves indoor air quality by removing pollutants, allergens, and particles from your environment
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Get a CO2 monitor to determine when to have to air a room
By monitoring CO2, you can determine the best times to ventilate your space. A build up of CO2 causes fatigue and headaches. In fact, if you sleep in a room with a closed door you'll be surprised by how much it rises. That may be why you wake up tired on some days
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Get a Bluetooth weighing scale
A Bluetooth weighing scale syncs your weight and body composition data directly to your health app to track trends over time
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Invest in a standing desk and under desk treadmill
Prolonged sitting causes so many health issues but especially impacts your heart, breathing and lower back. A standing desk allows you to easily alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day. And for an even better setup, consider adding a treadmill to walk at a slow pace while doing light work.