Diet & Health Philosophy

As of 1.29.19

I wrote this out for my parents who are interested in getting healthier. I figured it may be helpful post this up. This is essentially my diet, health philosophy, and exercise routine that is constantly evolving. I’m no expert, but this stuff seems to work for me.

Diet and exercise are not one size fits all, so do your own research, test it out, and see what works best for your body type.

Also good to note, my energy level is naturally higher (see hyper-active) than average to put it lightly, so I need a lot of physical activity to wear me out, help me stay focused, and not drive my better half insane. So it’s understandable if you don’t need/want to exercise 7x/week.

At the end of 2018, I read The Longevity Diet by Dr. Valter Longo. Essentially this book focuses on the diet that will help you live a longer and healthier life.

THE BASICS

• Mental Health/Mindfulness/Sleep
  • 7.5-8 hrs of sleep per night
    • Try to stop looking at technology/screens 1 hour before bed. Read a book.
  • Download the Headspace App, a very popular meditation app, try the basics course for FREE
  • Download Waking Up by Sam Harris and try his introductory meditation courses for FREE

• Health Podcasts, Newsletters/Websites, Books
  • Paleo Leap – Newsletter + great recipes/healthy guides
  • The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
  • Paleo Solution Podcast
  • Mark’s Daily Apple – Sign up for his newsletter
  • Keto Reset by Mark Sisson
    • This diet is very trendy. I think it is only good to do maybe once or twice a year. I don’t think it is healthy to be in a constant state of ketosis.
  • Found My Fitness website + podcast
  • Dr Drew’s Podcast (when health related)
  • Joe Rogan Experience (when he has health professionals on)
  • The Drive with Peter Attia Podcast
  • Revolution Health Radio with Chris Kresser

EXERCISE

• 3-5x per week
  
  • Aim for 5x/week
  • M/W/F: Strength + Interval training
  • T/Sat: Cardio + Bodyweight (sprints, bike + air squats, push/pull ups, etc)
  • Thurs/Sun: Active Rest for 1 hr at least (yoga, hike, walk, surf, etc)
  • Stretch 7x/week
  • Bicycle to work 2-5x/week if possible
    • Healthy and you’re helping the planet!
  • Sauna (174℉+  for 20-30 mins) 5-7x/week
  • My ideal week is 3-4 days interval training (weights/bodyweight + cardio) with 2 days of  restorative yoga (stretching). Biking to work, AM surf sessions, and hikes mixed in.

DIET

Remember, abs start in the kitchen!

• Cheat sheet for restaurants/eating out/weekly meals
  • Lean meats (fish, chicken, turkey, pork), minimal red meat, lots of green vegetables, minimal fruit, water

• Daily water consumption cheat sheet: Divide body weight in half, drink that in ounces.
  • Ex: 170 lbs, 85 oz water/day.
  • Use a water bottle that lists ounces to make it easy for yourself
  • If you get hungry, drink a glass of water and see if it passes. Dehydration is mistaken for hunger, your body sends you the same signal

• No refined carbs
  • No bread, popcorn, or pasta
  • Remember, you’re not cutting out carbs. You get HEALTHY carbs from green vegetables like spinach, broccoli, etc

• Cook with healthy fats
  • Kerrygold grassfed butter or Clarified Ghee (Trader Joe’s)
  • Unrefined Coconut Oil (Must be unrefined. I buy Kirkland’s from Costco)
  • Organic EVOO

• Lettuce
  • Instead of iceberg/romaine use organic spinach/arugula, more nutrients

• Dairy
  • Try to cut out all dairy. If that’s too hard, make sure it’s all organic, high fat, and doesn’t have a bunch of garbage preservatives in it
    • Paleo =  no dairy
    • Keto = dairy OK as long as high fat/organic

• Alcohol
  • If you must have a drink: tequila (100% agave) with club soda/water and lime.

• Safe starches are OK
  • White & sweet potatoes (sweet is superior), white rice, bananas/plantains

• Legumes (Green Beans, Black Beans) are OK if your body digests them well and said to be part of healthy diet of most centenarians (people who live to be over 100)

ETC

• This quick start guide from Robb Wolf is wonderful
  • • The only thing I disagree with here is eating 3-4x/day. Eat when you’re hungry, not because you feel like you need to. And if you’re doing Weight Watchers/counting calories via an app, then that will help

• Living a healthy lifestyle is mostly diet, then exercise. I’d argue diet more important than exercise. If you’re eating like shit, you’re not going to lose any weight and more importantly feel better. So many elements of your life can be improved by a healthy diet, regular sleep pattern, and physical activity.

• Any recipe I see that looks amazing, I look for something similar on Paleo Leap’s website, it is such a useful source that I trust
  • https://paleoleap.com/paleo-diet-recipes/

• As I was putting together a 30 Day Meal Plan, I stumbled on this from Robb Wolf. Definitely a great starting point for anyone new to Paleo or changing up their diet
  • https://robbwolf.com/shop-old/products/30-day-total-transformation/

• Remember, it’s only 30 days! Stick with it! You can do anything for one month! And good habits form in 21 days.
  • “Conquer the inner bitch!” as Rogan says.
  • Don’t let the negative voice in your head win!

• After the 30 day challenge/restart, continue with the good habits!
  • Slowly introduce cheat days back into your diet. I think a good rule of thumb is one cheat day a week (or three cheat meals throughout the week if you’re clever).

• Time Restricted Eating
  • Try to eat within the same window everyday, 12 hours, so 8am-8pm. No food before or after, just water
  • Lots of stuff coming out right now for intermittent fasting. I haven’t noticed any difference personally, so I’m still trying to figure this out.

Any books or podcasts you think I should check out? Any questions or need more guidance? Let me know in the comments!