One of the things I like most about the sport brazilian jiu jitsu is the concept of leverage. The best fighter in jiu jitsu is rarely the strongest. They are usually the most tactical, with an intimate understanding of how to use their body in the most powerful ways.
Over the years I've learned that there's always a path of least resistance. Usually if you feel you need to force something, it is wrong. There's a way to be successful and graceful at the same time. In fact, I think the two are almost synonymous -- true success and brilliance, "looks easy", as they say.
Well, back to health: there's money to be made in complexity, not simplicity. And that is the MO of the medical industry today.
Whereas I think it's possible to be extremely healthy with very few simple, easy to implement hacks. Here are some of my favorite that I've been using.
#1. Stop eating food that irritates your gut: when something irritates your gut, it produces endotoxins which lead to stress & inflammation. These endotoxins, especially coupled with a leaky gut, are implicated in almost every disease.
#2 Cut seed oils (or other oils that have a heart healthy logo on it). I've written about seed oils a number of times, but these are pretty much public enemy #1 when it comes to disease. Two of the main ways they cause issues are the following (1) They suppress thyroid production and lower metabolism. (2) They break down into toxic lipid peroxides which are present in almost all diseases.
#3 Blue light blockers at night: blue light at night suppresses melatonin production and disturbs your circadian rythym
#4 Go to bed closer to sunset: If you've ever stayed up late, you know all too well that your thoughts get more and more demonic as it gets later. The earlier you go to bed, the happier you'll be
#5 Eat a raw carrot daily: anti parasitic, anti fungal, anti endotoxin
#6 Take some fresh breaths outside and look at a horizon for 5 minutes for every 30 minutes you stare at a screen. This helps to reduce eye strain from staring at something so close.
#7 Don't use your phone for at least an hour in the morning. A big stressor like a notification dump in the AM will set a negative tone for the entire day
#8 Ground barefoot for at least 10 minutes a day on the grass: reduces cortisol and reactive oxygen species
#9 Eat beef liver: one of the easiest and most potent ways to get many of the b vitamins you may be deficient in and vitamin A retinol.
#10 Eat when hungry: stop restricting calories. If you're eating the right fuel and you eat when you get hungry, you will not get fat. Your body is hungry because it needs the food. Listen.