Recap of 10 Rules with Updates and Tips
Don’t worry, I have more tips coming (including a health nugget tomorrow), but since we hit 10 weeks, I thought I would post a recap with some new tips and even some recent studies I have read or seen. We should take stock of our health quarterly. Are we meeting our goals? Is there something that is working particularly well for you? Is there something that has not really worked? What could we do better next quarter?
I hope to do a recap quarterly so you can take a breadth, review, and see what might be worth doing. Above all, remember to use these to enjoy life more, not less! Make your body a fortress of steel at home so you can enjoy life when you are out with friends and loved ones.
Rule 1: Avoid Ultra-Processed Food
Remember, these are low in nutrients, low in protein, and don’t fill you up. Not much to like about them but they make up 60% of the average American’s diet!
The Harvard School of Health recently analyzed the diets of 114,000 Americans. What they found shouldn’t surprise you: “High intake of ultra-processed foods—particularly processed meats, sugary breakfast foods, and sugar- or artificially sweetened beverages—may increase risk of early death.”1
Rule 2: Stay Hydrated. Drink Clean Water!
Have you gotten that reverse osmosis countertop filter for your home yet? Clean water is a simple way to take care of your health. Remember what Dhru Purhoit says, “Either you have a filter, or you become a filter.” A recent study estimated “that at least one PFAS could be detected in about 45% of US drinking-water samples.”2
Go back and review Rule 2 for tips on staying hydrated etc.
Rule 3: Sugar, not fat, is the enemy!
The studies just keep coming out demonstrating that sugar is a real problem. Combining Rules 3 and 10 can really help with this. Remember start the day with a savory breakfast. Read labels. And take a walk after you eat to counteract the glucose spike that comes from any sugar or bad carbohydrates in your meal.
Rule 4: Some, but not all things, should be Organic.
Here is a handy card EWG let me reproduce so you could keep it on your phone when you shop. Take advantage of it!
Rule 5: Sleep is your Superpower!
Remember the seven tips posted about sleep in Rule 5. Are you getting at least 7 hours a night? In a recent email, Rhonda Patrick noted that “a single night of poor sleep can reduce your insulin sensitivity by up to 25%, fueling glycation-induced cellular damage that cumulatively accelerates biological aging.” And as I noted in my post a lack of sleep has so many detrimental effects on your health.
And now there is a new study that analyzed the effect of one’s diet on their sleep. A recent study of 5,000 people in Japan found that “those who followed diets rich in protein and fiber slept longer compared to those eating high-calorie, fatty foods.”3
To the best of your ability, try to get into a sleep routine where you go to bed and get up around the same time each day. It will help your body generate consistent, restful sleep.
Rule 6: Fitness is your Second Superpower!
Fun fact: “An entrepreneur tracked the growth of companies with CEOs that lifted weights or did fight sports compared to the S&P500. He found this ‘deadlift ETF’ fund outperformed the S&P500 by 140%, or 2.4 times over the last four years.”4
Causation or correlation, I don’t know but still fun to think about. There is no doubt in my mind that fitness contributes to success.
And while we are at it, a 2015 study found that “Grip strength was a stronger predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality than systolic blood pressure.”5 Here is an article on how to improve your grip strength. But the best way to do it is get in the gym and start working out. Regular strength workouts—especially those with compound exercises and or things like pull ups and farmers carries—will help build grip strength as well as overall strength (which is what many strength trainers believe grip strength is a proxy for). Peter Attia talks about the benefits of a farmer’s carry here.
Rule 7: Demand Certain Bloodwork from your Doctor!
This one is self-explanatory. We can’t take control of our health unless we know what is going on inside of us. The best way to prevent disease is to stop it in its tracks. Know your bloodwork and you are on a path to better health. If you haven’t read this one and Rule 8, I highly encourage you do so.
Rule 8: Consider Certain Supplements
This is another one I would highly encourage you to read. Most Americans are deficient in Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Omega-3. If you are one of them, supplements are an easy way too make up for it.
And as I tried to emphasize, consider adding Creatine to your supplement list. If you want more information on Creatine, Rhonda Patrick has a great new podcast on Creatine.
Have you made protein a priority? Are you getting enough? We should strive for 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight. For most of us, this is tough, but 30 grams a meal should not be overly difficult if we plan appropriately.
Rule 10: Walk Often/Timing Matters
Are you walking 10 to 15 minutes after each meal? The health benefits are immense and the time minimal!
Thanks, as always, for reading. A health nugget tomorrow and then a new post next Saturday.
https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/ultra-processed-foods-some-more-than-others-linked-to-early-death/#:~:text=Over%20the%20course%20of%20the,a%20May%209%20CNN%20article.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023003069?via%3Dihub; I also hyperlinked this study above.
https://www.womanandhome.com/health-wellbeing/health-wellbeing-news/diet-linked-to-longer-and-better-sleep/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jodiecook/2024/08/21/could-your-gym-routine-be-the-key-to-business-success/
Leong DP, Teo KK, Rangarajan S, Lopez-Jaramillo P, Avezum A Jr, Orlandini A, Seron P, Ahmed SH, Rosengren A, Kelishadi R, Rahman O, Swaminathan S, Iqbal R, Gupta R, Lear SA, Oguz A, Yusoff K, Zatonska K, Chifamba J, Igumbor E, Mohan V, Anjana RM, Gu H, Li W, Yusuf S; Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study investigators. Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Lancet. 2015 Jul 18;386(9990):266-73. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62000-6. Epub 2015 May 13. PMID: 25982160.