Building Healthy Habits

Question 1

What are some easy tips to ensure you get 3-4 servings of vegetables each day?

Answer 1

1. Drink veggie smoothies
2. Order or make salads
3. Keep veggies on your grocery list
4. Keep veggie snacks on your desk or on the counter
5. Eat your veggies first at each meal

Remember that a diet rich in vegetables can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar, which can help keep your appetite in check.

Question 2

What are some life hacks to ensure you drink 8 cups of water each day?

(or about 3 standard refill bottles)

Answer 2

1. Keep a water bottle handy
2. Set a goal for how many times to refill your bottle each day (depending on its size)
3. Try to make your pee consistently clear(ish)
4. Use bathroom breaks as your “get up & stretch” breaks
5. Chug a bottle right when you wake up. (It’s more effective than coffee for your dehydrated morning brain!)

Remember that staying hydrated will improve your performance, boost your energy, enhance your mood, sharpen your focus, manage your appetite & body weight, and promote the health of your kidneys, bladder, liver, and overall well-being.

Question 3

What are some tips to limit your alcohol consumption?

Answer 3

1. Remember that you are social & cool enough without alcohol. Most people actually respect abstinence more than indulgence
2. Order something like a club soda with lime instead of (or between) adult beverages, so it still “feels” more exciting than just water
3. Offer to be the designated driver so you won’t feel the peer pressure to drink
4. Stop drinking at least an hour before bed (Bonus: This helps avoid hangover)

And if you need a reminder for why not to abuse alcohol, just picture “future you” tomorrow morning – and how much better you’ll feel waking up fresh and with the energy to get stuff done, while your friends lament their night-before choices!

Question 4

What are the top mental strategies for changing a habit?

Answer 4

1. Change your identity (e.g. Not “I’m trying to quit smoking” but “I don’t smoke.”)
2. Tell people your intentions (e.g. “I’m going to run a half marathon”)
3. Make it convenient (e.g. Lay out your morning workout clothes before you go to bed)
4. Be consistent (e.g. 3 mins of guitar practice a day is better than an hour every Sunday)
5. Don’t just wait until you’re motivated. (Accept that your mind might try to sabotage you with cravings, laziness, or negative self-talk. But just F’ing do the new habit anyway. Remember that “discipline eats motivation for breakfast.”)

Question 5

What are some hacks to improve your energy quickly without caffeine?

Besides more sleep, of course.

Answer 5

1. Do some quick exercise (e.g. air squats, arm raises).
2. Chug some water (you may be dehydrated!)
3. Eat a lean protein snack (e.g. beans, nuts, or jerky).
4. Sit up straight & powerfully
5. Practice gratitude
6. Get sunlight exposure.

Question 6

What food ingredients are most likely to deplete your energy, focus, and social wit?

Answer 6

1. Breads & pastas
2. Vegetable oils & seed oils
3. Refined sugars
4. Artificial sweeteners

Processed foods and drinks (even “sugar free”) are often the biggest culprits of lethargy and “brain fog”. If you have an important event coming up, it’s better to prepare your brain with natural vegetables, lean meats, fish, nuts, water, and maybe some coffee or tea.

Question 7

What does this equation mean?

Answer 7

Daily habits are everything!

1% better each day is 38x better in a year! i.e A little extra work 365 days a year compounds exponentially, while doing less than average every day will deteriorate your results over time. The natural state of inaction is atrophy.

Question 8

What are some of the most effective sleep tips during the day?

Answer 8

During the day:

1. Limit caffeine within 8 hours before bed.
2. Limit screen time (esp. blue light) within 1 hour before bed.
3. Don’t eat within at least 1 hour before bed.
4. Wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day.
5. Get exposure to outdoor sunlight as soon as possible upon waking.
6. Exercise regularly throughout the day.

Question 9

What are some of the most effective sleep tips while already in bed?

Answer 9

While lying in bed already:

1. Tense then relax one body part at a time, from toe to head.
2. Mentally replay every moment of your day in detail.
3. Write down any to-do items that may be consuming your thoughts.
4. Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique for five minutes.
5. LOVE your insomnia, as a gift to help you reflect on your day. If you genuinely release your frustration, you may actually get to sleep faster.

Question 10

What are some benefits of taking freezing cold showers every day?

Answer 10

1. Increase alertness & focus
2. Refine hair & skin
3. Improve immunity & circulation
4. Stimulate weight loss
5. Speed up muscle recovery
6. Ease stress
7. Boost confidence
8. Combat depression
9. Develop resilience
10. Build willpower
11. Strengthen resistance to anger

Tips for learning to endure cold showers:

• Start by just making the last 5-10 seconds of your shower ice cold, then gradually increase until you can do an entire cold shower
• Try completely relaxing. Just notice that the water is freezing, but don’t fight it
• If relaxing doesn’t work, try getting psyched about the freezing water. “Is that all you got, water?!!”

Question 11

What are some things you can do while brushing your teeth, to make those 2 minutes more productive?

Answer 11

1. Hold a deep squat
2. Hold a deep lunge
3. Do calf raises
4. Stand on one foot w/ eyes closed (practice balance)
5. Practice gratitude
6. Repeat your daily mantras mentally

Really, you can do these things any time you are stuck waiting for something. It’s just easiest to establish good habits when you associate them with a daily “cue” like brushing your teeth or waiting for food to cook.

Question 12

What’s an easy way to build a habit of exercising every morning?

Answer 12

The night beforehand, lay out your workout clothes next to your bed (or even sleep in them!).

Other tips for increasing accountability & habit adherence:

• Schedule the early workout times on your calendar.
• Plan to meet a workout buddy.
• Join a team/club that has mandatory practices.
• Book a workout class with a no-show fee.