300in30 - Health Habits

Our lives are being challenged in ways unforseen. Some turn to vices to cope, others to old habits. And hopefully many of us to new streams overflowing with properties of personal growth. Perhaps more than anything, today requires an armored state of resilience.

I have struggled in the last months, so have you. With focus, mindset, strength, and purpose. The third installment of this topic du mois comes from this place. Habits are not fulfilled with repetition in 30 days. 60 days. Or 90 days. Habits are habitual. If you want something to stick, you just do it. It's an intentional and lasting practice in perpetuity. The greatest marathoner to ever grace our presence tells us,

So I'm treating this #30in30 a little differently.

We're making this visceral, personal, and communal. Each day I'll share a video and sources of an element of Health Habits. Scroll down for a preview of what I'll be covering each day...

This so much will not change. I am also going to host a few conversations with experts and people more educated in these concepts in the form of LinkedIn/Instagram Live from time to time. This is for those of you who may be interested in more than 2-3 minutes of me sharing what I'm learning each morning.

But to supplement that I'm going to invest in one more commitment, one which includes YOUR participation.

1. I'm going to run 300 miles in 30 days. 300 miles. ~10 miles per day. 30 days. May not be a big deal to an avid runner, but since my college days I haven't crossed the threshold of ~50 miles in a week. This would be an average of 70. It's a hefty test. I was signed up for the Chicago and New York Marathons. They're not happening (I expect Chicago to be cancelled). So this is my challenge. I cannot think of a better way to put these Health Habits to good use in assisting me on this journey. But below is the real motivation and where you can play a part.
2. Black Lives Matter. Here's my ask: for every mile I run, I am inviting you to become an Active Ally with me. The fun part - for every mile, I am using RallyUp to raise as much money as I can in the 30 days, starting on Monday, July 6th, ending on August 4th. 100% of what is pledged will be donated to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (EIN/Tax ID: 77-0071852) run by BLM's charity arm Thousand Currents. This is the nonprofit foundation behind the pervasive BLM movement we are all so aware of today. To summarize, your total donation will equal the value of dollars pledged for total miles completed (up to 300 miles). So ten cents per mile is a donation of $30 if I'm able to complete all 300 miles in 30 days ($0.10 x 300 miles = $30). It's as simple as that. I will publicly track my progress in Strava* and will finish my videos with a quick live glimpse of the tracker. Click HERE to contribute! No pledge is too small. If you are unable, please feel free to share this!

Underpinning the nature of resilience is believing in something far greater than yourself and aligning to a common purpose. I can think of no better purpose today. Join me, I look forward to growing with you.

With gratitude,

G

--

Full Health Habits List with Sources Below & LinkedIn Videos (just click on the health habits title)

1. Refueling from Sleep - Not only do we lose a decent amount of water when we sleep (mostly from evaporation through our sweat glands), our body in the morning is actively thirsting for a boost as our lymphatic system and kidneys got to work while we rested and our toxins were being dealt with. With a body and brain composed of ~60%/70%+ water respectively, this is really the fuel to our means of production. 16 oz of water (two glasses) can help with a lot - metabolize our body for future digestion, finalizing the toxin flush, and boost energy. Each morning I also consume a cocktail of warm water, Himalayan salt and lemon. Himalayan salt tastes great, and while similar to normal salt, has some more trace minerals that may or may not add some supporting function. Lemon as we know has a ton of vitamin c, which boosts our immune system among other benefits. Wake up, drink water. Simple as that.
2. Cold Showers?! - Improved circulatory function, weight loss, energy boosting, depressive inhibitor, the list is extensive as to why cold showers should be a part of our daily routines. Wim Hof is maybe today's most active advocate for cold water immersion, with his scientifically tested methods being pushed to the mainstream thanks to millions of followers. The advocates, whether doctors or health nuts may have something here...
3. Recovery - Misconceptions and What's Real - Looking forward to having a live conversation with Dr. Olufemi Sonubi and John Ly, two practitioners in physical health that have largely transformed my personal approach and mentality on recovery. Tune in at 6:15pm EST Live on LinkedIn & Instagram... link to watch HERE! Some of the main learnings - the idea of recovery has become embellished for many, the secret to success is cheap and accessible - sleep well, hydrate, consume healthy. The effects of fancy techniques, programs, products can be great in that they may provide a psychological boost, but the science and longstanding proof lies in those three mentioned paradigms. The body naturally recovers mightily during sleep, water will always be our body's fuel and provides the means for our systems to rid toxins and address inflammation, and eating properly will assist with sustenance and fuel.
4. When to stretch and how? - Of everything I've listened to, read about, there is really two agreements on the tendentious topic of stretching. First, there is fairly unified agreement that there is a lack of really well-written and performed research to give us a definitive sense of the answer to this prompt - is stretching good? And when and how to do it? Leading to the second point - that in discussion on the traditional definition of stretching (static stretching), there is a lack of proof that it is helpful for preventing injury, improving performance, or assisting in recovery. But alternatives abound, which have greater ancillary benefits to the body, like dynamic stretching before physical activity or even starting your day, rebounding (bouncing), strength training, and yoga.
5. Tough to get, VITAL nutrients - Supplement use has skyrocketed over the last decade. Running unregulated, the industry has allowed for just about anyone to enter its open doors and sell cure-alls. It's not all unsafe, thankfully there are a few bodies that do test for supplement purity and efficacy, but do we still really need them? The fast answer is no. Because we can get all minerals and nutrients in supplements from nature (its a method of convenience), the source offers the best means to actually absorb the nutrients we need and has greater benefit. But if you do run a deficit, make sure that your supplement labels show their stamp of approval for the few agencies that do keep an eye on the space. This podcast from Stuff You Should Know is a great starter for information.
6. What are Blue Zones? - If you want to be a centenarian and you have the money, you can certainly try all of the fancy, expensive biohacking technology that is being tested... or you can focus on time-tested traditions. This is the focus of National Geographic fellow Dan Buettner, who has spent the last couple of decades studying the lifestyles of what he calls the five Blue Zones of the world. Areas where people have lived longest in the world. Each share nine common traits, which in turn forms the makeup of their communities such that they have easier access to better foods, they optimize for active means of transportation for community, and live well-rounded lifestyles. Two of my favorite podcasts with Dan Buettner are with Rich Roll and Dr. Hyman.
7. Adaptogens & Mushrooms - This is one of my favorite topics. Partially because it's rarely discussed outside of small mycology and biohacking circles, but really because it's incredibly fascinating. For instance, fungi shares up to 50% of our DNA. Fungi breath in oxygen like humans, and largely is responsible for being the network of communication between plants on earth. Fungi is spread all over our landmass, we walk on it everyday without noticing, yet its been there for over 1.5 billion years (before us or plants). Functional use of adaptogens and mushrooms is both compelling and misunderstood, which is why I am so fortunate to know Alexis Fernandez, a Clinical Herbalist based in Portland. Can't wait to dive into this world with him. LIVE RECORDING HERE!
8. Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen - We are what we eat. So eating foods with pesticides and chemical toxins completely offset their nutritional value for our bodies. We feed this not just to ourselves, but our kids, which is particularly troubling when we think about how good fruits and vegetables are for us. Thankfully, the EWG has our back and puts together an annual report called the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, outlining which foods we really need to buy organic vs. conventional. Be sure to check out their website for more information.
9. What to feed your brain? - About 1% of Alzheimer's cases can be traced back to genetic defects. Just 1%. The rest is due to lifestyle and nutritional habits. The use of food as medicine and brain fuel has never been more evident, yet most of us don't think about eating to help our brain. Our brain, while separated from our body by the fascinating blood brain barrier, still carefully allows in a select number of nutrients necessary for it's neurons' super function. Foods rich in DHA and omega-3 fatty acids, flavanoids and carotenoids are especially helpful to our cognitive sustenance. Some great sources to quickly read through or listen to - EHE Health, Cleveland Clinic, Max Lugavere, Dr. Lisa Mosconi.
10. American Processing - Tale of Oils and Sugar - The U.S. has had an interesting history with food predicated on access, convenience and profit. We've seen this manifested in the food oil industry, where processed oils like canola have taken main stage largely because of their lack of taste, allowing large food manufacturers to use it without adding additional taste and saving money along the way. The reality is that over-consumption of these processed things has been the leading driver to our obesity epidemic and why heart disease is the most prevalent killer in our country. Not to mention, about 1/3 of our population is pre or fully blown diabetic. I was so enthralled to share a conversation with my own mother, who has gone through her own journey through food and nutrition. From growing up in a large American household to dealing with some health issues, to now growing her own garden. Live conversation, chalk full of lessons and great sources can be found HERE!
11. Our Second Brain, the Gut - From regulating mood to inflammation to energy levels, the second brain influences a litany of bodily states. Our gut microbiome, the ecosystem that plays host to all of the microbiota and cellular structures is complex as it is fascinating. Possibly most interesting is that it offers shelter to the millions of bacterial organisms that live symbiotically in our bodies, fighting viruses and sending messages via neurotransmitters through this enteric nervous system that is in constant communication with the brain in our heads. The main lesson here - what we put into our bodies has a direct influence on this microbiome, and may be the root to a significant number of our health problems (and consistent health). Be sure to follow Dr. Hyman for a steady stream of gut knowledge, and if interested, I am reading this book currently.
12. Our Lymphatic System - Our lymph (shout out to the creator of this word) is part of our vast immune system, and while under valued in day-to-day wellness conversation, could be the key to unlocking our longevity. Our lymph system is made up of an amalgamation of vessels and capillaries, with a primary function of transferring lymph fluid to lymph nodes, where white blood cells are heavily focused and join to destroy pathogens and virus from our body. An important note - our lymph system does not have a central pump like the heart. Its function is maintained through muscle contraction. So our lifestyle (hydration, movement, breathing) plays a front and center role in ensuring its effectiveness.
13. Our Immune System - The bodyguard of our body, our immune system serves as our military against pathogens and invaders in our body. It's a fascinating, extensive and extremely complex system. At its core, our white blood cells play the heroes. Lymphocytes patrol for antigens, or foreign bodies and each actually creates their own singular antibody and copies them once they come across pathogens. Their role is to mark invaders for destruction and remember which organisms are foreign vs. innate. This is where phagocytes come into play and destroy those pathogens. Over time, this creates immunity. To ensure immunity and boost this overall system, the above health habits are all incredibly helpful.
14. How do we use energy? - The consumption of carbs, fat and protein really originates this process. If we don't eat, we die. But once we attain these compounds, chemical energy is created and obtained, and delivered to other cells by adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. This is our energy's quarterback. ATP does this infinite times in a given day. The important concept to focus on is how each compound we consume (carbs, fat, protein) is utilized dependent on our output. High-interval or short burst moments lean on our carbohydrate sources, where longer-endurance and low intensity outputs lean on our fat stores. Protein largely helps to rebuild our muscle fibers to continue in optimal output.
15. Inflammation, our #1 enemy - While we rely upon our inflammatory response to ensure our injuries heal, some factors can thrust this response to be overdone. And if continued, the effects can be especially damaging. Many health experts consider chronic inflammation to be at the core of many of the serious illnesses our population suffers from today. Our inflammation spectrum is effected by a number of factors, mainly our lifestyle and diet. and stress. Keeping stress in check and maintaining a healthy diet ensures inflammation remains as a healthy, protective function of our immune system.
16. Stoicism - The black belt of philosophy, Stoicism prescribes us to the fundamental idea that should we accept the moment as it presents itself, and maintain a repudiation towards being controlled by desires and freedom of pain. This entails practicing uncomfortable mindfulness, internalizing that the world is full of cause-and-effect outside of our control. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a founding cornerstone to this mentality. Ryan Holiday presents a modernist view, both in his Daily Stoic platform and in his countless books.
17. The Science behind Journaling - Being intentional with expressive writing has not historically been my strong suite. At least consistently. Beyond augmenting a state of mindfulness, there's actually a decent amount of science to tell us why it's helpful for our mental health. Our immune system and inflammatory triggers, for instance, benefit from the act of writing as stress is a primary cause of issues to those physical responses. Writing helps as a stress identification and release tool. The art of letting go by putting pen to paper also has shown to be incredibly assistive in mental health practices, from anxiety-induced individuals to those dealing with depression and PTSD. James Pennebaker is our modern day pioneer in this space for more info.
18. Exercise *srsly?!* but why - Exercise can seem like a chore. Another activity sprung onto us in order to maintain our figure and deflect judgment. But beyond the understandable physical benefits and feeling good about yourself, exercise has been proved to be a most critical health habit as any for our mental well being. Exercise is stress on the body, stimulating an ensuing response from our flight & fight chemical reactions (cortisol) to be released. The more we workout, the less stress is felt, resulting in a lower amount of cortisol is needed, which has a spillover effect to how we respond to psychological and emotional life situations. Exercise also stimulates an endorphin release, which can have downstream effects of flooding our blood stream with an increase of dopamine and serotonin, which in turn help regulate our mood and stave off depressive states.
19. What is Mindfulness really? - The catch-all phrase of wellness today, mindfulness is not misunderstood, but could probably be understood more in light of its pervasive use. In its truest form, mindfulness entails a practice of being as present as you can, fully situated in your current moment, but importantly without judgement. This has become quite difficult in our modern stimuli-induced state, but arguably more important than ever in our management of stress and decision making. The scientific research on its benefit in effectiveness with mental health is extensive, and worth checking out. Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of many practitioners in using mindfulness as a therapy with his school of thought called MBSR, or mindfulness-based stress reduction.
20. Breathwork - Beyond diaphragmatic breathing (covered in our 12th video on the limbic system), there are plenty of breath-focused practices that can be incredibly assistive for our mental well being, decreasing stress and anxiety and promoting stillness and mindfulness. Today we're going to talk about that and melt into a practice ourselves. Excited to go live at noon EST with Stefan Karadzic, owner of After Ego. Recording posted here after!
21. Exercise for Longevity - Dr. Peter Attia is a leading researcher (and content creator) on the subject of applied science for longevity. One of his hallmark contributions is the idea of the Centenarian Olympics. Dr. Attia speaks to the idea that instead of just doing exercise to check a box, we should consider the process of thinking about what would we most like to do when we are in old age, and work inversely to focus on the functional exercises that will enable that reality. He shares with us the difference between healthspan and lifespan, or the length of time by which we are active vs. being born to time of death. Ideally, we want to actually LIVE as long as we can, and Dr. Attia has some extensively helpful thoughts rooted in science on this.
22. The Benefits of Discomfort - Today marked the final day of the running portion of this #300in30 series. We ran 300 miles. In 30 days. We raised over $11,000. What a journey. This would never have come without the intention to feel discomfort. Pushing our physical limits beyond our circles of comfort enable our circles to grow. Studies have shown a direct correlation that the more "pain" or "suffering" one willingly endures over time in physical training, the more their pain tolerance increases in general to other life events. If we stayed within our means, our stress responses will simply continue to stay the same as we move along. The fitter we get physically, the fitter we get mentally in response to stress.
23. Periodization - Peep today's video for highlights from yesterday's final day of running. Greg Laraia, founding member of NYC Run Club Streets 101 also joined me for a live conversation on his own journey through running, how he's handling training during COVID and how to properly approach your training in endurance sport. Hint - periodization.
24. Laird Hamilton - A legendary surfer, who made himself famous by surfing what nobody else could, Laird now inspires and pushes others through his ethos of leading a lifestyle rooted around fitness. He and his wife created Extreme Performance Training, taking a holistic approach to building strength and endurance to find resilience, as well as founded Laird Superfoods to fuel the body. Here are a couple of sources you'll find helpful that are fantastic places to find some inspiration in approaching life more actively: Joe Rogan Podcast (video), LinkedIn Speaker Series (video), Tim Ferriss Podcast, XPT, Men's Health Fitness Hacks, GQ.
25. #dontstop. Running. - Thrilled to bring Frankie Ruiz into the conversation on physical health habits. This is someone who cofounded the Miami Marathon at the age of 24, is Nike's Head Coach to the SE United States, has won 10 State Championships as the Head Coach of the cross country team at Belen Jesuit, and founded and leads one of the largest run clubs in the country. These are all current endeavors, each with the central theme of physical betterment, community and just not stopping. Enjoy our live conversation here.
26. The 4 Agreements - My good friend Ross Gordon runs an exceptionally well executed (I experienced this firsthand) newsletter called Gridology. He uses a 2x2 matrix to help us approach the questions of life with thoughtfulness. Today, we collaborated using The Four Agreements, applying them to the question, "how can I become more resilient"? View the newsletter here. The Four Agreements are given to us by Don Miguel Ruiz, a Mexican author of spiritual work. They come from Toltec spiritual wisdom, advocating personal freedom from self-limiting beliefs that may cause suffering and limitation in a person's life. Check out the article and think about where you find yourself on the grid!
27. Yoga Nidra - Sleep is the toughest health habit for me to master. I have an ever-moving monkey brain and I just find it so difficult to find consistency day-to-day. Yoga Nidra may be the answer. It takes in ancient guided meditation techniques from India, with a focus on achieving a “hypnagogic state” — the state between wakefulness and sleep. It's been shown that a 45 minute session can have similar effects to 2 hours of deep sleep. The benefits extend from increased dopamine production to anxiety and PTSD relief. Some wonderful guided Yoga Nidra sessions on YouTube: Bulletproof, Amrit Yoga Institute, Lizzy Hill.
28. Intention with Yoga - Yoga is a practice of focusing inwards, origin deriving from Sanksrit, meaning "union". BKS Iyengar stated referring to yoga, "yoga does not transform the way we sees things, it transforms the person who sees." I was lucky enough to catch up with Brooke Fiquette of Alo Yoga to talk through her beginnings in wellness coming from St. Louis, through to the wellness hotbed that is Los Angeles today. We discussed how yoga has transformed her life, her wish for others in finding benefit, and her intention to make yoga as attainable as possible for everyone. Yoga is innately a practice of self-compassion, patience, community and non-judgement. I loved the way Brooke explains her intention and use of Yoga in building resilience. You can watch the live stream here.
29. Meditation - I was lucky enough to chat with Paul Allen Silitsky, founder of Innergy Meditation, a studio that operated for five years in Miami, welcoming thousands of people into its doors from all walks of life. In our conversation, Paul shared his story of growing up fast in the Lower East Side, to losing his voice for two years at the apex of his career, to finding beauty, grace and hope in meditation during the tumultuous time. His main message is that in stillness we can find purpose and the help we need to find answers and make decisions. We must slow down and be truly present to understand. He points to two wonderful sources in starting your meditation practice - Jon Kabat Zinn's Wherever You Go, There You Are and The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer.
30. Gratitude - We finish our 300in30 on health habits no other way but in expression of reflection, thankfulness and love. This has been an incomparable experience in putting this all together and I have all of those who have followed along to thanks. My hope is that you are able to find a means to resilience through one or two lessons from this series. Watch today's video for my full message. This is a WRAP! Much love to all.

--

*Strava is a public athlete profile that shows the mileage I run each day as it is integrated with my Garmin Forerunner 235 smartwatch, which has a built in GPS and will serve as the source of truth for mileage in this challenge. The RallyUp donation page will also show my day-to-day progress.

**Pledges/donations will not be incurred until the challenge is over. By pledging, you are committing to donating according to the amount of mileage I am able to successfully complete. If I run 2 miles all month, that's what you'll donate for. But I will not incur donations if I surpass 300 miles.