Key Health Fundamentals and “Principles” For Optimizing Your Lifespan & Healthspan according to BengreenField
Age is not a barrier; for good health
In short the quality of your life healthwise is what is known as "health span" rather than life span.
One of the most powerful question I ask my future-self is:
"Do you want to be a burden to others as you age or rather an inspiration?"
I've read his book "Boundless" before. No surprise, as he's been an influence in my life since when I got interested in fitness and nutrition.
- Dry skin
- Dark-colored urine,
- Hard and dry stools;
- Weak and low energy,
1. Walk
In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks - John Muir.
Movement is a powerful way to increase your overall health. I believe everyone should incorporate walking into their lifestyle. If for anything it keeps you younger and plays a key role in stabilizing your sugar levels (especially after eating).
Taking it another level is Sprinting which is a form of high intensity exercise.
Movement is medicine.
Bottom line: Walk 10,000-20,000 steps per day on as many days of the week as possible.
2. Heat
For the record - I've been practicing cold showers for a while now. But here's one thing most people forget - almost everyone that practices cold shower has a practice of using a form of heat daily including Wim Holf.
The few people still using woods to cook primarily in lower income parts of the world are always directly in front of their fires while cooking. Saunas are a a big thing in most homes today.
The key is to raise your body temperature as safe as possible e.g. exercise, saunas, hot baths, moderate sunlight exposure so you can release toxins through sweat.
He cited: Most notably, using the sauna four to five times a week for 20-45 minutes can decrease most causes of all-risk mortality, dementia, and Alzheimer's, particularly in men.
Bottom line: Get into a deep sweat OR do a sauna three to five days a week, for 20-45 minutes.
3. Cold
Benefits:
- Can act as a form of stressor to the body that produces positive benefits just like heat that can boost strength, speed and endurance.
- Fat loss
- Improve sleep
- Slow down aging
- Secondary benefits such as practicing Discomfort popular in the personal development world.
Alternating to heat is the easiest way to learn to tolerate cold. Start with hot ...then end with cold showers.
Bottom line: Whether via cold shower, cold bath, cryotherapy chamber, or any other method, try to be uncomfortably cold for at least three minutes every day.
4. Strength
Lift weights as "nearly every biological system in your body benefits from being under some sort of heavy load several times per week."
Benefits includes become stronger physically, increasing muscle mass and boosting mental health.
Resistance training is indeed a pillar for good health.
Bottom line: Do a full-body strength training session two to three times per week, pushing the muscles as close to failure as you can with good form, either with heavy loads (preferred) or many reps (e.g. if you must do bodyweight training, for example).
5. Breath
We got used to shallow breathing (from the chest) when people normalized sitting for long without interruption.
Another reason why we need to get up and move around more often.
A good way to relax is Belly breathing.
Bottom line: Focus on your breath (meditation, breathwork, prayer, etc.) for at least five minutes in the morning, and five minutes in the evening.
6. Light
The sunlight during the day and darkness at night would help regulate your circadian rhythm.
Blue light at night can decrease melatonin significantly which would affect sleep quality.
"Your circadian rhythm—your body's internal clock—regulates your digestion, mental health, immune system, sleep, and more, and when it's disrupted by artificial light, the results can be catastrophic. I talk more about the negative health consequences of artificial light in this article, which include endocrine and cellular disruption, breast cancer, and severe retinal damage, among many others."
Bottom line: Be outside for at least 60 minutes per day, especially early in the day, even if there's cloud cover (the sun gets through!).
7. Electricity
EMF (electromagnetic frequency) radiation is a form of environmental pollution that is a direct result of this age of technology.
Uncontrolled use of EMPF can result to headaches, vision problems, anxiety, irritability, depression, nausea, fatigue, disturbed sleep, poor physical performance, and loss of motivation.
He recommends as Bottom line:
Turn off your WiFi router unless absolutely necessary to have WiFi/Bluetooth on.
8. Water
You don't need:
Kick-start your day by drinking water early at mornings.
Drink water every time you eat - aids digestion.
Eliminating most junk foods would immediately boost your hydration levels.Dry skin
Bottom line: "Drink filtered water only from glass bottles and invest in a good water filtration system for your office/home."
9. Nutrition
The key is not just focusing on REAL foods, fresh to nature as possible but:
- incorporating fasting regularly.
- Eating in a parasympathetic state with habits such as chewing each bite thoroughly and engaging in relaxing conversation during meals.
Bottom line: Audit your entire kitchen/pantry/refrigerator to eliminate as much packaged food as possible, especially if it has vegetable oil and refined carbohydrates in it.
10. Spirit
Nothing is more important than caring for your soul."
Nurturing your soul is the key to defeat unfulfillment, unhappiness, and diseases related to pent-up negative emotions.
Bottom line: Do a form of journaling, prayer, gratitude, service, self-examination & purpose every day. Include your entire family if you have one and you can.
Want to Learn the other two? Check it out here:
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