Key tenants to #livelongerfeelbetter and #addlifetoyouryears

When it comes to living a longer, healthier life, there are four crucial areas you should consider when it comes to your daily decisions. Let’s begin 👇

1. Sleep 💤: Let us guess, you thought we’d start with training. If it were five years ago, we’d probably assume the same, but with recent studies and discoveries by some of the world's top scientists, we’re starting to understand just how significant of a role sleep plays in longevity and recovery. Here’s the thing- sleep is the number one gift you can give both your body and mind and there’s a few reasons why.
   
   
   • Sleep repairs muscle fibers, whether recovering from an intense workout, injury or everyday life. During sleep, your body's working overtime to restore and reset your muscular skeletal system to take on the next day’s load.
   
   
   • Sleep, specifically REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, helps strengthen neural connections in the brain which aids in memory consolidation. Studies have also shown that longer durations of quality sleep can lessen the risks of developing cognitive-related diseases. 🧠
   
   
   • Sleep may also help decrease the chances of developing diabetes, hormonal imbalances, and other chronic and fatal diseases.
   
   Trust us on this one- the “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality is OUT, and eight-hour sleep cycles are IN. Happy snoozing 😴




2. Nutrition 🥦🥩
   • We’ve all heard “abs are made in the kitchen”, but the truth is, all muscles originate in the kitchen. If you’re someone who has struggled with the thought of counting calories or measuring macros, fear no more because we’re about to simplify the sh*t out of this.
   
   
   • The main thing to focus on is consuming a high-protein diet, whether that’s through animal protein or plant protein. If you’re still a skeptic on plant protein delivering the same impact as that of animals, stay tuned- or check out this episode of The BodyBuilding.com Podcast.
   
   
   • Proteins provide the essential amino acids for muscle growth, regulating hunger, keeping you satiated longer, and serve as the foundation for building, maintaining and repairing muscle.
   
   
   • Ideally you aim to ingest a majority of your protein from whole foods, but it can be tricky if you’re aiming to hit the one gram of protein per pound of body weight. Opt for a whey or plant protein shake at some point in your day to help with the total count consumed.
   
   We’ll be discussing more nutritional tips throughout each week. Tell your friends. 🗣




3. Movement 🏃🏻‍♀️🏋️‍♂️
   • Oftentimes we complicate what types of movements we should be doing each day. While movement patterns surely matter when you have a specific sport or goal in mind, the key to working towards longevity, and a generally healthy lifestyle is to move your body every single day.
   
   
   • 🚨Now before the naysayers come out, read carefully.🚨 That didn’t say move your body extremely intensely every single day but you should be moving your body purposely every day. This could mean aiming for 10,000 steps, partaking in backyard games with the kids, or turning your favorite song on blast for a solo dance party in the middle of the kitchen while making dinner. The point here is to acknowledge your body, show your muscles some love, and lubricate the joints. Your body is a machine and machines like to move. 🕺 #MOVINGANDGROOVING
   
   
   • Now, if you lean on the goal oriented side of movement, and perhaps are training for an upcoming show or event, dedicate yourself to your program while listening to your body as it tells you what it needs to keep going.
   
   Move freely, move often and never take it for granted 💪




4. Stress Management: Just because it’s last, doesn’t mean it matters the least!
   
   
   • Stress comes in many forms. There’s physical stress, psychological stress, emotional stress; the list goes on. The kicker is that your body can’t tell the difference between each type and simply registers stress, as stress.
   
   
   • First, we can tackle how to set ourselves up for days that will inevitably come with stress, big or small
     1. Start your day with minimal digital stimulation. 🤳 Doom scrolling while laying in bed not only allows externally stressing factors to penetrate your mind in the morning,but forces the brain to skip the important theta and alpha stages, priming your brain for distraction throughout the day.
     
     
     2. Aim to start the day with sunlight to help maintain a healthy circadian rhythm and boost Vitamin D. ☀️ Deficiencies in Vitamin D can lead to depression-like symptoms, lower energy, and decreased bone density. This is especially important in winter months and areas with minimal sunlight.
     
     
     3. Breathwork. 🧘🏻‍♀️ The right breathing techniques can make all the difference when done first thing in the morning. Box breathing is an easy and efficient way to relax åΩ the breath for four seconds, exhale through your nose for four seconds, and hold the exhale for four seconds. Complete anywhere from six to 10 rounds or until you feel ready to begin your day.

🌙 Secondly, if you’re looking for ways to deregulate the central nervous system and wind down before bedtime, just reverse everything we just said. Kidding- kind of. The same goes for digital devices and breathing techniques. You’ll want to limit the amount of light entering the retinas at least two hours before sleeping, wrap up any work-related conservations or activity, and focus on relaxing hobbies that don't involve screens.

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with us. Some weeks this will be a short and sweet note, dare I say a mere Post It delivered to your inbox, whereas others will flex our knowledge muscles a bit more to make your life a bit better.