Your Longevity Plan

I like to consume a lot of information.

No, not Facebook posts and Twitter feeds. Books…

It’s something I learned from my dad.

And I have to admit, he was right.

“Reading is one of the best ways to learn” ~ Jack Dolan

That’s what he used to tell me and my brother growing up. But it didn’t sink in until I was in my 20’s. I guess you can say I was a slow learner… but not anymore.

Today, there are many ways to improve your reading habit. The obvious one is with a good old-fashioned hardcover or paperback book.

And reading is so easy thanks to technology.

Ordering with Amazon is a snap, which is my primary method.

But there are some titles or topics that I prefer reading on my iPhone with the Kindle app. And for driving, walking, or when I’m on the go, I like to maximize that time with the Audible app, and listen.

Each format gives you a distinct perspective. And there’s so much variety, so I just don’t understand how anyone can say “I don’t have time to read”; or even worse, “I’m bored”.

Really?

Stop making excuses and find a way. There’s so much to learn!

And if you feel that you’re a slow reader, and it’s become an obstacle, you can lose that excuse with an Audible subscription.

How cool is that?

So why am I writing about reading?

And what does this have to do with health & wellness?

Well, I’m just finishing up an Audible book titled The Longevity Plan: Seven Life-Transforming Lessons from Ancient China. And I love it!

It’s about a small village in China once known as Longevity Village. One of the few areas in the world claiming to have a large number of centenarians.

Reading

There’s a lot to learn from these people. And the interesting thing is, that you can find a way to incorporate just a few of their healthy habits and you’ll begin to gain massive results!

You can browse to 4 different formats of this book on Amazon by clicking here.

Here’s the Amazon description:

From a renowned Johns Hopkins- and Stanford-educated cardiologist at Intermountain Medical Center — comes the story of his time living in Longevity Village in China, and the seven lessons he learned there that lead to a happy, healthy, long life.

At forty-four, acclaimed cardiologist John Day was overweight and suffered from insomnia, degenerative joint disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. On six medications and suffering constant aches, he needed to make a change.

While lecturing in China, he’d heard about a remote mountainous region known as Longevity Village, a wellness Shangri-La free of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, dementia, depression, and insomnia, and where living past one hundred—in good health—is not uncommon.

In the hope of understanding this incredible phenomenon, Day, a Mandarin speaker, decided to spend some time living in Longevity Village. He learned everything he could about this place and its people, and met its centenarians.

His research revealed seven principles that work in tandem to create health, happiness, and longevity—rules he applied to his own life. Six months later, he’d lost thirty pounds, dropped one hundred points off his cholesterol and twenty-five points off his blood pressure, and was even cured of his acid reflux and insomnia.

In 2014, he began a series of four-month support groups comprised of patients who worked together to apply the lessons of Longevity Village to their lives. Ninety-two percent of the participants were able to adhere to their plans and stay on pace to reach their health goals.

Now Dr. Day shares his story and proven program to help you feel sharper, more motivated, productive, and pain-free. The Longevity Plan is not only a fascinating travelogue but also a practical, accessible, and groundbreaking guide to a better life.

I highly recommend reading or listening to The Longevity Plan: Seven Life-Transforming Lessons from Ancient China.

And since we’re on the topic of reading, I can’t help but also highly recommend 3 other books that can help you get in great shape and build better habits in many areas of your life.

This includes:

  1. Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle (Tom Venuto) Great book about getting lean, naturally.
  2. The Compound Effect (Darren Hardy) This book can transform your life.
  3. Essentialism (Greg McKeown) – Learn how to simplify your life by doing “less but better”.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

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I Do…

I am so excited!!! My daughter got married this weekend!

It was an incredible celebration. Hearing Niki and Chris exchange their vows and say “I do” made me think a lot about commitment.

And of course, I had to find a way to tie a current event into a teachable moment about health & wellness. Full disclosure, (don’t worry Barb) I wasn’t thinking about this blog during the ceremony.

But there’s a great lesson to learn or simply remind ourselves of.

Commitment

Here’s a commitment example.

We want to get in shape by building healthier habits, but somehow life gets in the way. And then tests our true commitment to the change we want to make.

These challenges can disrupt our good intentions, but hopefully not derail them entirely.

So, speaking of “I do’s”, what is something you’ve been wanting to do to improve your health & vitality, but for whatever reason, haven’t been able to accomplish? Need some ideas?

Here’s a sample start doing list:

  • Walk 10K a day
  • Drink 3 to 4 liters of water
  • Add one more workout every week
  • Get 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep every night
  • Eat one more fruit or vegetable with every meal

Or, you can approach it from the other side.

Instead of “I do”, try… “I don’t” as an alternative.

Here’s a sample stop doing list:

  • Quit smoking
  • Eliminate sugary drinks
  • Stop going to the drive-thru
  • Replace a processed snack with nuts
  • Avoid late nights so you can exercise tomorrow

As with any habit, pick one and focus on it for the next month. Identify WHY you want to make this change, and then just do it.

Take action and track your WINS!

So what new commitment will you make this week?

Congratulations Niki and Chris!!! Wishing you all the best as you enter this new chapter in your lives…

Commitment

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

Click here to subscribe. You’ll receive an email with a link to each new post. And if you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them.

This Is Incredible News!

Nutrition and exercise

This is incredible news! For years we have been hearing…

If we want to lose weight and live longer, that diet and exercise are 2 things we need to change. But that’s kind of vague.

I agree that nutrition and exercise are important. But to be more specific, I believe we need to consistently consume the highest quality foods, exercise regularly with intensity, and get 8 hours of sleep every night if we wish to live longer. And have more vitality…

I like to call it The Health Triad. And the article I reference below gives hope and reinforcement to this valuable advice.

One of my main motivators for eating clean, exercising with intensity, and getting 8 hours of sleep on most nights has been a desire to keep my arteries clear.

Hey, I don’t want to have a heart attack or stroke. So there’s only one way to do my part to prevent it. I’ve gotta take care of myself.

After reading this article, I’m going to enhance my description about keeping my arteries clear, to keeping my arteries “clear and flexible”.

Here are 2 takeaways from the article:

One: There are 7 risk factors that age us faster. These include:

  1. High blood pressure
  2. Elevated cholesterol
  3. High blood sugar
  4. Inactivity
  5. Poor diet
  6. Obesity
  7. Smoking

Two: We can lower the risk of heart disease by staying active and eating well, which works to keep our blood vessels healthy and keep our arteries youthful.

I’m not a doctor, but here’s my belief. Unless you have a serious lifelong medical condition, you have control over every one of these conditions.

Nutrition and exercise

And the prescription is nutrition, exercise and sleep – period.

I’m in! How ‘bout you?

Still not convinced. Read the article…

You CAN be as a healthy as a 20-year-old in your 70s: Staying active and eating well keeps arteries youthful and lowers the risk of heart disease by up to 55%. Researchers from Boston University found being physically active, eating well and not smoking increases the health of our blood vessels by up to 10 times, lowering our heart disease risk.

’70 is the new 20′ seems like a bit of a stretch.

But even if these best practices add 20 or 30 years to your life, it sure seems worth the effort.

Click here to read the full story.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

Click here to subscribe. You’ll receive an email with a link to each new post. And if you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them.

A New Approach To Wellness

This week, I’m sharing a podcast episode that I believe resonates with this blog’s focus. It’s titled “A New Approach To Wellness”.

Wellness

In it, Chris Kresser discusses how a healthy diet can reverse many of the health conditions that sideline 50% of American adults.

Chronic illnesses that are preventable!

These preventable illnesses include:

  1. Heart disease
  2. Stroke
  3. Cancer
  4. Type 2 diabetes
  5. Obesity

I firmly believe that these illnesses can be prevented, reversed, and eliminated by what I refer to as “The Health Triad”.

Wellness

This is where nutrition, exercise, and sleep become the foundation to a healthy lifestyle that’s focused on longevity and vitality. Instead of inactivity and instant gratification.

Great health & wellness only happens when you have a long-term vision, and blend consistency with healthy habits that get results.

Or, on rare occasions when a medical emergency strikes (as a result of facing one of the 5 preventable illnesses due to years of neglect), and you’re forced to make significant lifestyle changes.

But unfortunately, this isn’t even enough of a motivator to make those necessary changes, many times.

If better health & vitality interests you, then you’ll find a wealth of information and takeaways here. And I hope you learn from and enjoy this wellness podcast as much as I did.

Here’s the link:

A New Approach To Wellness podcast

And if you’d like to learn more about Chris Kresser, go to www.chriskresser.com.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

Click here to subscribe. You’ll receive an email with a link to each new post. And if you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them.

Your Independence

July 4th marks an exciting time in American history. It’s when we declared our independence.

The 4th of July holiday in America commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, where we declared our independence from Great Britain.

The Thirteen Colonies of America declared themselves to be states and no longer part of the British Empire, though the revolutionary war continued for some time after.

What a great reminder to declare your independence from unhealthy habits.

You know what they are. Especially if you follow this blog.

Things like:

  • Poor choices
  • Late nights
  • Not doing what you know you need and should do

That result in:

  • Unfulfilled goals
  • Regret
  • Bigger sizes
  • Lack of sleep

The year is only half over.

There’s plenty of time to get back on track. If you have unfulfilled goals, treat this as an opportunity and reclaim your independence. Restart the clock today.

IndependenceNow is the best time to get in shape for “next” summer.

So go out and have fun. Enjoy your favorite food and drink in moderation on this 4th of July.

Cheers to a safe and happy holiday! And to YOUR independence!!!

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

Click here to subscribe. You’ll receive an email with a link to each new post. And if you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them.