10 Things You Can Do (Today) To Improve Your Health Forever
Here are some simple, minimal effort investments you can make to improve your health
Buy a shower filter
Most people don’t realize the type of heavy metal exposure they encounter daily - and it’s mostly through their shower water. Shower water is typically heavy in chlorine and other bacteria, fungus, and heavy metals. When your body comes under toxic stress, it increases our stress response and drains our body of minerals like Magnesium, in addition to causing cell damage and distress. Not to mention, the EPA compares chlorine to air pollution and calls it “the greatest crippler and killer of modern times”. The steam we inhale from our showers can contain 50x the amount of chlorine we experience through ingesting tap water!
Yeah…not good!
Here’s an excerpt from Chris Kresser on some of the research behind the harmful effects of the toxicity in our water:
Research has demonstrated that the cancer risk associated with chlorinated water may actually be due to showering and bathing, rather than drinking the disinfected water. (13, 14) This suggests that many health risks of chlorine may be specifically related to dermal and inhalation exposure. In fact, the chloroform dose from a single, ten minute shower is equal to, and possibly greater than, that from the average two liters of water ingestion on a daily basis.
Here’s an additional excerpt from the EPA on the potential carcinogenic effects of chlorinated drinking and shower water:
“There is a lot of well founded concern about chlorine. When chlorine is added to our water, it combines with other natural compounds to form Trihalomethanes (chlorination byproducts), or THMs. These chlorine byproducts trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage, and are highly carcinogenic. “Although concentrations of these carcinogens (THMs) are low, it is precisely these low levels that cancer scientists believe are responsible for the majority of human cancers in the United States.”
Recommendation: Radiant Life Filter or Berkey
2. Read a one-page daily
“Bro, one-page…what kind of advice is that?!”
Before you jump to conclusions, allow me to explain. Here’s my logic:
Habit formation: One-page per day results in 365 pages in the year (or roughly one book per year). 23% of Americans went the last calendar year without reading a book and small simple steps like this can help those currently not reading pick up a healthy habit.
Small time commitment: It’ll take you less than 5 minutes per day to accomplish this task. The time investment here is so minimal, but the payback can be monumental (especially if you’re reading the right books).
Force you to slow down: It’ll force you to slow down and absorb the information. I started reading one chapter from Tim Ferriss’s Tools of Titans at the start of the pandemic (each chapter is 3-4 pages). While not an overly ambitious goal on the surface, it led me down the path of reading more and the notes I took and information I absorbed allowed me to start applying what I was learning in a more meaningful way.
The science behind reading and its improvement on mental health and cognitive performance is hard to ignore as well:
I recommend a book that forces a deeper level of thinking for your one-page a day: philosophy, prose, or some sort of history book. I find these books typically contain dense wisdom that can give you 1-2 things to focus on for the rest of the day.
3. Invest in a water filter
Tap water is treated heavily to remove bacteria, and it’s again treated with our good friend chlorine. In addition to the chlorine you’ll be drinking, the EPA does allow trace amounts of toxic chemicals to be deemed acceptable for drinking water.
85% of the US population drinks tap water with over 300 contaminants (more than half of which are not regulated by the EPA). A good water filter can help capture some of these contaminents that cause issues related to:
Cancer
Brain damage
Fertility problems
Hormone disregulation
Nervous system disruptions
Here’s a great article from a database that tracks water quality in the United States from the EWG. The private organization created standards backed by science for acceptable drinking water.
I personally own a Berkey water filter and believe it’s the most simple, practical product on the market for water filtration. Still, other filters exist as well (in varying degrees of cost and effectiveness).
4. Go to bed before 10PM
Over the last 100 years, the average amount of sleep we are getting has dropped by a full hour. The effects of sleep deprivation on the mind and body are a quiet killer with problems such as:
By choosing to go to bed before 10PM, you are committing to getting at least 7 hours of sleep. Plus, you’re committing to rising earlier, which can give you a few quiet hours in the morning to tackle those first few tasks of the day uninterrupted. Here’s Matthew Walker’s tips for better sleep:
5. Meditate 3 minutes daily
Meditation can have a profound effect on your thinking and mood throughout the day. Just a simple 3 minutes of focused breathing can help you regulate your mood and center yourself at the beginning and end of the day. Meditation has also been linked to reducing depression and anxiety, while also improving sleep quality. A study out of Norway has linked certain meditation practices to improving the rested mind by letting the mind wander.
I have used the Head Space App in the past, and I found it particularly useful in developing a short meditation habit. Here’s the best video I know of on convincing people to try a meditation practice:
6. Keep a simple food journal
A food journal allows you to create a better conscious association with how your body interprets the food you consume. A food journal can also allow you to pick up on some of your eating habits you didn’t even know you had. Here are some of the things you should track in your food journal:
Protein amount: you should be shooting for 1g of protein for every pound of body weight (this number can vary based on BMI).
Time of Day: tracking when you eat can give you insights into how food effects your energy during the day and your sleep quality. We recommend not eating for 2-3 hours prior to sleeping and also trying to delay your first meal to benefit from some of the digestive benefits of a shorter eating window.
Types of Food: it’s important to gauge an understanding of how certain foods effect your mood, digestion, energy levels, skin health, and more.
We don’t recommend tracking calories. While it’s helped many people, for most we find tracking protein to be a more useful long-term habit since protein promotes satiety (and is generally easier to track).
We did a podcast full of information on keeping a food journal and why you should do it:
7. Spend 30 more minutes outside
Spending time in nature (and in the sun) can have a profound effect on your health. In a recent study of 330 kids, nearly 60% of the children tested had a vitamin D deficiency and roughly 42% of American adults suffer from Vitamin D deficiency. With people spending more times indoors, it’s important to intentionally find time to get outside and absorb some sunlight. Vitamin D plays a critical role in the body - here’s a quote from an article published by Harvard School of Public Health:
It is a fat-soluble vitamin that has long been known to help the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus; both are critical for building bone. Also, laboratory studies show that vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections and reduce inflammation. Many of the body’s organs and tissues have receptors for vitamin D, which suggest important roles beyond bone health, and scientists are actively investigating other possible functions.
8. Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Taking the stairs is a conscious mindset shift to invest a miniscule amount of energy into your health. While it may take a bit of extra effort, it helps reinforce the mindset of committing to better health. In addition, climbing the stairs is generally really good for your health:
One study showed 7 minutes of stairs per day over a 10 year period cut the risk of heart attack in half.
You use 7x more energy by taking the stairs and burn more calories than jogging.
Taking the stairs has also been proven to strengthen muscle and bones, in addition to reducing stress (all cardio activity generally does).
Here’s a great video on how success is a habit that is associated with, you guessed it, taking the stairs:
In reality, taking the stairs is a choice. And it’s a choice that indicates you are willing to embrace a moderate amount of difficulty as opposed to taking the “easier option”.
9. Stretch for 5 minutes upon waking up and before bed
A moderate stretching routine can go a long way in improving your health and longevity. It increases blood flow to your muscles and can alleviate tension and soreness in the body. Even if you aren’t an athlete, stretching should be part of your daily routine - especially if you spend most of your day sitting! Sitting all day can translate to poor posture, nerve damage, weight gain and muscular degeneration. The effect of some moderate stretching at the beginning of the day can mitigate many of these side effects of living a sedentary life. Stretching is also incredibly relaxing and meditative and get help you get your mind and body primed for the day. Here’s my favorite everyday stretching routine:
10. Go for a 15-minute walk before checking your phone, eating, or showering
Walking at the beginning of the day sets the tone for how you approach everything else. People use the expression circadian rhythm all the time, sometimes in excess, but for GREAT reasons. Setting your biological rhythm for the day can massively improve your general well-being from mood and energy, to sleep quality and disease prevention. Walking for 15-minutes before checking your e-mails or phone allows you to prioritize your body and mind before you dive into the day. You can address your first thoughts of the day through low-impact cardio and getting your blood moving.
In addition to these health benefits, I have personally found my focus and creativity to sky-rocket on my morning walks. I generally have my best ideas (which only come around once in a blue moon) when I am on my morning walk. It’s so easy to get caught up in the digital world & technology, but walking first thing in the morning allows me to rinse my mind of any digital deluge.
Hippocrates once said that “walking is the best medicine” and he could not be more right. Here’s a quick video to summarize the benefits of walking:
Let’s organize how you may be able to implement these 10 investments in your health:
Order two water filters - one for your shower and one for your drinking water
Create a simple morning routine to knock out 5 of these recommendations - walk, read one-page, stretch, spend time outside, & meditate - first thing in the morning or for the last hour of the day.
Become religious about three things - bed before 10pm, always take the stairs, and keeping a food log.
There we have it, Meat Mafia! 10 investments to make to dramatically improve your health for the long-term. Let us know what you think in the comments and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Ciao,
Clemenza
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