The Big Four: Protocols for Healthy Living

It wasn’t that long ago that we didn’t know exactly why we slept, but we knew it was important.

Think about it. When we sleep we are literally in the most vulnerable state there is. It’s the perfect time for predators to get an easy meal, yet evolution has kept it as a requirement for almost all living creatures.

These days we know that our body does amazing things while we sleep such as cellular restoration and memory consolidation.

My base line protocols for sleep are as follows.

1․ Get at least 7 hours a night.

2․ Don’t take caffeine after 3pm.

3․ Get early morning and late afternoon sunlight.

4․ Avoid bright light at least 1 hour before bed.

5․ Stick to a regular sleep schedule as much as possible.

Nutrition is probably one of the most contested subjects in the field of health and wellness. There are new fad diets coming out all the time and with all the conflicting information out there it’s no wonder the general population is confused.

Well, here is some advice all the experts can agree on. And if your expert doesn’t agree with these basic nutrition tips, you need to follow a new expert.

1․ Minimize junk food including fast food, sweets, soda pop, and basically anything with loads of refined sugar.

2․ Eat lots of protein.

3․ Eat lots of vegetables.

4․ Make water your go-to drink.

I’ve gone through my specific exercise protocols in a previous post, but as a bare minimum, do something that raises your heart rate and makes you break a sweat for at least 30 minutes a day, 3 to 6 times a week.

The related post is called ‘Sam Fury’s Exercise Protocols.’

There are 3 things I recommend here.

The first is to follow all the protocols previously mentioned. When you sleep well, eat right, and exercise regularly your stress levels will naturally go down.

The second is to meditate or do some breathwork for at least 10 minutes a day. This will bring your overall stress levels down. You can find more information on this in my post titled ‘My 5 Favorite ‘Non-Meditation’ Techniques.’

And the last thing is a type of breathing method used to lower stress ‘in the moment.’ It is called ‘physiological sighs’ and is also covered in more detail in the post I just mentioned.

It is important to remember that all these things work together. For example, if you sleep poorly you will be unmotivated to exercise and will also make poor eating decisions.

Similarly, when you don’t exercise or eat well, your quality of sleep will suffer.

And as previously mentioned, all these things affect your ability to handle stress.

In short, one pillar is not more important than the other. Tend to all four of them.

Although I have said that these things are the minimum you should be doing, I understand that it can seem overwhelming for those starting from nought.

Make it easy for yourself. Just pick one thing and make it part of your routine. Once you are ready, add another. This is what stacking healthy habits is all about.

Don’t be so strict on yourself that you will give up. Set achievable goals and work your way up.

When you are ready to optimize or if you need a more detailed step-by-step guide of healthy habits to incorporate into your life, check out the Stack Healthy Habits program. www.StackHealthyHabits.com