In 2023 Google revealed that people are searching I am tired at a rate higher than any other point in human history. Let me tell you why. See every day when you wake up you have an energy bank account.
Throughout the day you make withdrawals and deposits of that energy. Every time you eat garbage food you have to give up some of that energy. Every time you hang out with those friends you know the ones who are really energy vampires you again you have to pay the price in energy.
See the problem with most people is just like money management they have terrible energy management. So the majority of us live an energy poor life low sex drive brain fog bags under the eyes tired during the day. Does this sound like you or someone know?
See the modern world is normalizing being tired but we are not supposed to feel that way. This new normal is something we should not accept. And so I searched the internet to try to find a video that could provide a comprehensive plan to help get a person's energy back on track.
I couldn't find it so I made it. This is that video on how to become energy. Rich.
Now what is more important than energy? The first thing people tell me is money. Now if you had all the money in the world but no energy you wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Next people say time is more important than energy. I mean what's more valuable than time? Well you could have all the time in the world but if you don't have the energy to utilize and enjoy that time it's like you never had it at all.
The truth is we are not even human. We are energy. And I can prove it.
Say you had a friend named Jim and Jim just died on the operating table. The doctor says time of death 1215. But Jim's body is still there.
His race, his gender, all of that. In fact the brain is still firing electrical signals hours after death. But Jim died because we both know that deep down Jim was not his body.
Jim was the life force energy that animated his body. See this is why energy management is so important. Because it's not about energy management at all.
It's about life management. When we look out in the world at the people with the most energy we arrive at two members in our society. Athletes and children.
In the Tao Te Ching it says A newborn child. Its bones are soft, its muscles are weak, but its grip is powerful. So intense is its vital power it can scream its head off all day.
Yet it never becomes hoarse. So complete is its harmony. You see a child has boundless energy and we'll get into why and how we can replicate that later.
Now let's look at an athlete. An athlete is someone who not just uses but has mastered their energy for a living. If you want to be energy rich then you must start looking at yourself as an athlete.
A busy mom is an athlete. I mean taking kids to and from soccer games picking up groceries. An executive is an athlete running from meeting to meeting selling to customers balancing ideas and budgets.
A student is an athlete. See we are all different kinds of athletes but we are athletes and so we need to train like athletes, eat like athletes and sleep like athletes if we want to become energy rich. And by the end of this video you will know the best energy practices used by Olympic athletes so that you can play at the highest level in your field.
You will have more energy than you ever had and people will come up to you asking you what is your secret. Without further ado let's jump into it. How to become energy rich.
The first thing we need to understand is we are electric. You ever wonder why a defibrillator works? I mean really have you ever thought about this?
How crazy is this device? It shoots electricity into a dead body to bring it back to life. Do you know what those lines on an EKG are?
Like what does it represent? It represents your You remember from school we all learned about mitochondria the powerhouse of the cell. It's probably the only thing we remember from school but unfortunately like many things in school we didn't connect the dots and realize how important it was to our actual real lives.
They supply ATP or energy to the heart and we see that energy expressed on an EKG machine. So if your mitochondria stops working well we know what happens. Game over.
So how do we supercharge our mitochondria? Well the first thing we need to do is avoid what's draining it. So let's talk about the 10 energy vampires that are killing your energy and making you tired.
The people you are around is the single most important factor to how your life turns out. You ever caught an STD from a person? I know I know we're all ashamed but listen to this scientists have recently discovered that you can catch an ETD from someone.
This is brand new see an ETD can be more dangerous and last longer than an STD especially if you don't get checked. You catch the ETD or energy transmitted disease from those toxic people. The people who you know you know after you spend time with them you just don't feel good.
You know they snatch your energy like like Shang's son from combat. Stay away from these people. Hang out with rainbows not drain bowls.
It is crucial that you get quality good energy people in your life. Cortisol the stress hormone is also contagious. Neuroscientist Dr Tara Stewart says that stress can can literally leak through the skin and transmit to other people you're around.
I mean you ever thought about like like why when when someone else yawns you yawn? It's because our brains are connected connected by mirror neurons monkey see monkey do right. If you're around somebody exhibiting bad behavior and having poor energy you will not just pick up on that it will start to show up in your own life.
Energy is very real in our society we call it good vibes and bad vibes. Get those energy drainers out of your life. It's true what they say bees evolved to live in a hive and humans evolved to live in a tribe.
So you have to be wise with who you allow in your tribe so you can thrive. The next energy vampire is the chair. You are literally low energy because you are sitting all day.
You remember the movie Wally? It wasn't a movie it was a documentary. See our culture is is screwed up right we spend the first 12 months of our children's lives teaching them how to walk and talk and then the next 12 years telling them to sit down and shut up.
Studies show that sitting for more than three hours a day can cut two years off of your life expectancy even if you exercise regularly. Imagine making it to heaven and you start talking to the people there and they're like hey what are you here for? Somebody says oh man I had a heart attack.
Hey how about you? Oh man car accident it was bad. How about you?
Oh well you know the chair got me. They're like what? Yep a terminal disease.
I sat in the terminal at my office for too long and it killed me. Scientists say that sitting is the new smoking. The chair is the new cigarette but actually sitting is much worse.
According to one study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine they found that those who sit for example just watching tv for an hour reduce their lifespan by 22 minutes whereas smokers shorten their lifespan by 11 minutes on average per cigarette. Now what is the solution? Standing.
A 2015 study revealed just getting up from a chair every hour for a mere two minutes of light activity was associated with a 33% less risk of dying prematurely of any cause. Literally just standing for three hours a day instead of sitting has the equivalent calorie consumption benefit is get this as running 10 marathons a year. That's right so go get you a standing desk.
I recommend also an anti-fatigue mat that you can stand on and when you do shift your position every so often place your foot on something like books or a small stool to increase circulation and take pressure off your lower back. Walking can be even better. Studies show that walking vastly increases blood flow memory and response times especially when compared to sitting.
It was German philosopher and scholar Friedrich Nietzsche who The next energy vampire is food. You ever gone into the grocery store and walked into the health food section? I always thought if that's the health food section then what the heck is everything else?
The sick food section? I mean it sounds funny but they do put the truth right in our faces right hidden in plain sight. If you want to live a vibrant electric life how do plan to extract real energy from this?
A lot of this stuff isn't even food it's a food like product. Remember this fast food equals short life. I mean this is what the world gives us and we wonder why a child born in the year 2000 will have a one in three chance to be diagnosed with diabetes.
They will be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents. We have a culture where we literally we reward kids for good performance with candy. I mean how crazy is that?
Sugar which what does that do? Sugar creates unfocused scattered thinking. Guys you have to start looking at food as either energy giving or energy taking as either information or inflammation.
The word diet comes from the Greek word diata meaning way of life. Most diets in today's world are not a way of life they are a quick fix and it's no wonder why we call them crash diets because most people end up a total wreck during and after them. Here are some of the many diets out right now.
We have all these diets yet somehow we're getting sicker and more unhealthy. Something ain't working right? All of these smart doctors nutritionists writing all of these books.
My question is are they really smart or are they trying to make a quick buck? I'll let you be the judge of that. This is why I personally look at cultures that actually have healthy people in it.
Places I'm going to simplify for you. What do they do? What makes them so healthy and happy and live until they're 100 and 120?
Well they eat real foods. My favorite acronym to remember the healthiest foods on the planet is g-bombs plus wild caught fish. What are g-bombs?
Dark leafy greens beans onions mushrooms berries seeds that's it plus the wild caught fish salmon sardines. The g-bomb diet is so good it's full of prebiotic and probiotic foods that will keep your brain sharp and your gut healthy. Scientists have started to call it the second brain.
Your microbiome in your gut holds 80 percent of your immune system. When people today say oh I'm depressed I have low serotonin. Well did you know that 95 percent of the serotonin in your body is not made in the brain but in the gut?
Did you know that we have more bacteria cells in our body than human cells? See so you ain't white you ain't black you're bacteria. I mean think of your body like this.
Your body is a hotel. The guests are the bacteria. The good bacteria are like those you know the great model tenants in a hotel building they pay their bills on time they're polite they keep the place tidy and they clean up.
The bad bacteria well they pee in the elevator they steal from other tenants they graffiti the wall they start fights and set things on fire. That's inflammation. So if we want a healthy body we got to eat real foods foods with ingredients we can pronounce.
We must feed the good bacteria and starve the bad. Now let's talk quickly about how much to eat because many people feel tired and sluggish after they eat and it's because one of two reasons right it because of a blood sugar spike or you're eating a heavy meal and your body's working over time to digest it. The first thing you need to do is get rid of the clean your plate mentality.
Adopt the secret that they use in Okinawa which is why they live so long it's called Harajachi -bu or only eat until 80 percent full. Now as far as the blood sugar spike which if you don't know is basically what happens when you eat food carbs some carbs and they give you energy but later the energy drops rapidly. Well if you eat G-bombs you shouldn't be seeing that anymore and here's another hack to pretty much guarantee you'll never see it.
Drnk apple cider vinegar diluted with water before you eat and go for a 10 minute walk after you eat. Do this before you eat your meals especially before you eat those and you will not have a big blood sugar spike it's an incredible hack. These two small things will make a huge difference in your health and energy levels.
By the way quick plug if you want to get my entire plan including the menu then you got to join my 21 day super human focused detox. I put the link in the description below. Now what you eat is important but it's also important what you don't eat.
Which brings me to fasting. I got a question for you. Which will take up more energy in your life?
Is it A. exercise B. digestion is it C.
sex or is it D. your job or career? The answer is B.
digestion. You will use more energy digesting food in your lifetime than just about anything else you do. We literally digest about 70 tons of food in lives.
Put that in perspective that's 12 fully grown elephants. So if energy is being used to digest these huge heavy meals that's taking energy away that you could be using to enjoy life and to build a life that is worth living. And so that's why I mention fasting.
Fasting is one of the best things you can do for your lifespan and for your mitochondria. Fasting gets rid of pre-cancerous cells through autophagy. It reduces oxidative stress and increases brain function.
Now healthy people with no underlying medical conditions and not taking diabetes medication can really benefit from fasting. Now I have practiced fasting for over a decade and I've felt tremendous benefits in my life. But if you've never done it before here's my advice.
Ease into it. One way to ease into it is by only eating fruit before 12 noon. Do this for a few weeks or a few months and then you can get into trying to eat your food within that 8 hour window.
Fasting is a great tool. Now is it a miracle? It has some miracle properties.
Does it work for everyone? No. Is it necessary for everyone?
No. Eating healthy food split up throughout the day is just fine as well. But fasting is indeed a powerful tool that can make a big difference.
Not to mention you can save 15% of your yearly food bill when you switch to not Geico but a 24 hour fast once a week. Now let's quickly talk about water. Scientists say our bodies are between 70 and 90% water.
When I did my DNA test it told me that I was 67% West African. So technically I'm more water than black. That's a joke.
Here's another. Somebody said we're so much water we are drowning at all times. See one energy vampire is lack of water.
One survey showed that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. 75%. If you're just 2% dehydrated you start to have trouble focusing your attention.
Now how do you know you're dehydrated? Well here are three signs. Number one your lips are dry.
Number two yellow pee. If it's a dark tea color you're severely dehydrated. And three lastly you're thirsty.
Yes once you feel thirsty you're already dehydrated. The thing is all water is not created equally. Plain water really doesn't hydrate you.
You need minerals in that water. Spring water has great minerals. But if you want to supercharge your hydration then do what Tom Brady has called his secret to health.
After reading the book the TB12 method I found out that Tom Brady puts electrolytes in all the water he drinks. Drnking lots of water is one of the simplest keys to success. Electrolytes amplify hydration by letting your body fully absorb the water you drink and also help replenish the minerals your body loses when you're working out.
Now are electrolytes the secret to him playing at a high level at such an old age? No but it definitely helped. Now are electrolytes?
Well the key ones are magnesium, potassium, sodium. Let's start with magnesium. Millions of people are deficient in this mineral.
Almost 80% of us. You probably are too. And see magnesium is like oil to our car.
Too much stress literally burns it out of your body. Therefore if you can get more of it you can literally reverse the effects of stress in your brain. I mean they don't call it nature's prozac for nothing.
It can cure headaches. It activates over 300 important enzymes in your body. Now it can be hard to get adequate amounts in food due to soil depletion and farming practices.
So me personally I try to eat cacao nibs in my smoothies and I also supplement a magnesium. Now the magnesium I take is called magnesium threonate. It passes the blood brain barrier and it has been a total game changer for me.
I take it before bed. Now the other electrolytes potassium and sodium are vital as well. See this is why I recommend putting a dash of himalayan or celtic sea salt in your lemon water in the morning.
If you're sodium sensitive like I am use very little and focus instead on potassium citrate. Coconut water and cucumbers is also a great source of healthy electrolytes. My advice is get you some trace minerals or a filler free electrolyte mix for ease.
You can just throw it into your water. Oh and beware of alcohol coffee and soda because if you drink these you will have to drink more water because they can and will dehydrate you. When it comes to how much water you drink well that depends on your activity level and how much you sweat.
But try to get 0. 5 to 1 ounce per every pound you weigh. So if you're 156 pounds get between 78 and 156 ounces of water each day.
Do like me I mean I carry around this bright water bottle you know it keeps me keeps me honest right so I can I can see it. Adding mint in your water can also add a nice taste and a pep of energy. Now what about supplements for superhuman energy?
Well first of all let me say this you can't out supplement a bad diet right look at that word supplement it's supplemental right in addition right there's no magic pill kind of. It's this old saying how do you know unless you look here's some facts. People suffering from depression also often suffer from low levels of vitamin b6 and iron.
Did you know that more than 90 percent of people diagnosed with depression have also depleted plasma zinc so with that being said here's some low-hanging fruits before I get into the super charging supplements. Number one b vitamins deficiency and b vitamins can lead to fatigue and low energy levels. Number two vitamin d and k2.
Three good old magnesium and four zinc. I take all of these supplements every day to make sure my levels are on point. Now if you do want to super charge your energy I mean take it to another level consider my boundless energy stack.
Now caution now all of these are safe however you have to check with your physician before taking it because if you're on medications already there may be contraindications so check with your physician. Now here's what I take that has had a big impact on me. Number one coq10.
Coq10 is a vital antioxidant enzyme that is produced in every cell of your body taking it with food enhances its effectiveness and it will contribute significantly to your overall well-being. Number two shilajit. It's a resin like tar from the himalayas.
Don't take it in a powder or capsule it's got to be the tar. It's known for its anti-inflammatory properties, mood enhancement, fertility benefits and is particularly known for boosting energy and get this it's referred to as the destroyer of weakness. Take shilajit with coq10 and you will have a powerful synergistic effect.
Number three tyrosine. Tyrosine is an amino acid that boosts alertness and mental energy. It plays a key role in producing no epinephrine leading to increased attentiveness.
Now I took this for the first time a few years ago and I felt incredible. I can't explain it other than I felt like I was more of me. Number four rhodiola.
Rhodiola is effective in obliterating stress. I mean this supplement enhances energy cognition and mental stamina. I take it before I work out but you can take it any time of the day probably not before sleep but it aids in improving concentration, calculation speed, perception and it also can reduce depressive symptoms.
Now the next supplement is Siberian ginseng. This is a potent adaptogen that shields against stress and boosts nervous system function. It enhances attentiveness and energy levels in a more balanced way compared to the stimulating effects of coffee.
Number six bacopa. Bacopa is a revered Indian herb. It is noted for improving concentration, memory and focus making it a valuable supplement for mental clarity.
I call it the natural limitless pill. Now lastly I can't forget to mention nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a molecule that increases energy in our bodies.
This is why me and a bunch of Olympic athletes take beetroot juice an hour before working out or endurance racing. It increases performance like crazy and it's so healthy for you. The next energy vampire is Look at a river versus a pond.
A pond is stagnant, right? No oxygen. It's a breeding ground for parasites.
A river is flowing, it's vibrant. Its energy is moving forward, right? Constantly circulating.
Well get this. The human body is 70 to 90 percent water and if you're feeling stagnant in your life it's probably because your energy is like that of the pond. You're not moving forward.
You're not circulating and see the law of nature is that a person is like a bicycle. See a bike maintains its poison equilibrium as long as it's going forward. See like that bike we need to be constantly progressing in life moving forward.
See so many people are low on energy not because of what they're eating but because of what's eating them. We talk about celebrities all the time, right? Selling their soul.
So and so sold if you think about it the average person is kind of sold their soul every day if they get up and go to a job they hate. A job that's sucking the soul out of them. One study showed that 85 percent of people are going to a job they don't like.
It's draining you every day because you know you're missing part of your purpose. A job is what you get paid for. A calling is what you're made for.
So the question you have to ask yourself constantly is are you working to live or living to work? I guarantee you if you're living to work you will live a life climbing a ladder and if you get to the top you will realize man it was leaning against the wrong wall. They say never become too good at something you hate because they will make you do it for the rest of your life.
So find your why. Having a why is one of the biggest energy hacks in the world. In Japan they call it your ikigai.
The reason you get out of the bed. One of my favorite books is Viktor Frankl's Man Search for Meaning. See you may think you have it bad but Viktor Frankl he survived concentration camps.
His wife, his father, his mother, his daughter were all killed but he said the people who survived weren't the strongest. They were the ones who put meaning for what was going on. The ones who said when I get out of here I'm going to tell my story or I'm going to help somebody else.
They created a why and as Nietzsche once said a man or woman with a strong enough why can overcome any how. When you find your why you will find your energy. The next energy vampire I will talk about is it's well it's everywhere.
It was the first creation of God according to the Hebrew Bible. Any guesses? It's light.
See light is so important to mankind that ancient cultures such as the Egyptians they they worship the sun for its life-giving properties. People don't realize this but light is a nutrient. It can either drain you or it can energize you depending on the quality of that light.
Now the light from the sun has been with us for millions of years right. It gives us vitamin D3 at a correct balance. It activates thousands of health properties in our bodies.
Of course too much can drain us and damage our DNA. Now all light is not created equally. Unfortunately the light in our office spaces and homes can often have unnatural spectrums and can do us damage.
Some scientists have started calling it junk light and just like junk food junk light gets into our cells. It drains us of energy and it can cause inflammation. LED can emit a lot of blue light and create what's called flicker stress.
Fluorescent lights should also be avoided if possible. Now the old school incandescent lights right they have the full spectrum of the sun. Unfortunately governments around the world have banned it because of its low energy efficiency.
Now look you should be getting the best light you possibly can which is natural sunlight. Now LED light won't kill you. Don't use flicker free low color temperature light bulbs.
The key here is all about optimizing your circadian rhythm. You do this by making sure the first thing you do in the morning within 30 to 60 minutes of waking up you should allow natural sunlight to penetrate your eyes. Of course not looking directly at the sun.
But by doing this you actually pretty much guarantee great sleep that night. Now I want to warn you as well don't look at your phone in the morning right. The blue light from the phone that is a no no that's artificial light.
You need to be getting natural light first thing in the morning. You can also optimize your circadian rhythm by avoiding bright lights between 10 p. m.
and 4 a. m. Blue light blockers are a great tool in the modern world.
Overall though my rule is to try to be outside as much as you are inside. Not only do you get the benefit of light but also the fresh air. Now the next energy vampire is lack of sleep.
This is an easy one. You probably guessed this was on the list. But here's the thing let me show you how important it is.
If you forget everything else I said and just focused on quality sleep you will be winning. See the bed is the human charging station. So many experts and athletes have talked about sleep and it's important.
I won't repeat what they've said. But I'll summarize it. I really do think it comes down to this.
The shorter you sleep the shorter your life. And when I say life I don't just mean lifespan. I mean health span.
Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister of the UK famously slept four hours a night. I'm sure you've heard people even today doing the same thing. But did you know after she was out of office she suffered from severe cognitive impairment and stress related challenges at end of her life.
Former President Bill Clinton only slept five hours a night. He ended up having a quadruple bypass. And today Bill Clinton gives speeches on the importance of sleep.
Now here are my eight bedroom rules. I call them my cave rules. Number one do not do anything other than sleep in your bedroom.
And of course that other thing that I won't say off is YouTube friendly. Number two temperature your bedroom temperature should be between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit for optimum sleep. Number three get your TV out of your bedroom.
Number four never sleep with your phone in your room. If you do make sure it's off not charging far away from your bed. Number five use 100 percent blackout curtains.
Do not allow any light to enter your room. You got to be ruthless about this. It must be black dark as night.
Right you have photoreceptors on your skin and if light touches your skin it can actually disturb your sleep. Number six install dimmer switches. Number seven block out all of the junk light LEDs in your house.
The blue light on the electrical equipment cover it with black tape. It can disturb your sleep. And number eight invest in good mattress.
Right we spend one third of our lives asleep. Make sure you're comfortable there and flip that mattress over every six months. Now before I finish the sleep section I want to say this.
Stop using melatonin supplements. In the 1960s melatonin was known as the anti-gonad hormone. Human equivalent doses of one to two milligrams were shown to reduce organs in rats and impair their fertility.
Now of course rats are people but to assume there's no effect is crazy. But that's not all. When the purity of melatonin supplements on the market was tested two thirds of the melatonin products from health food stores contained unidentified impurities.
Now instead of melatonin supplements try pistachios. Did you know only two pistachios can give you a physiological dose of melatonin. A handful of them is like taking a high dose melatonin supplement.
The next energy vampire is seriousness. You know those people who walk around like they just lost their best friend. No it's not good.
Your seriousness is killing you. The average child laughs 400 times a day. How many times do you think the average adult laughs?
Is it A 100, B 50, C 25 times or D 15 times? It's D 15. That's the average.
Many people are laughing way less than that. But if that's the average then where did the other 385 laughs go? See this is why George Bernard Shaw said we don't stop playing because we grow old.
We grow old because we stop playing. Every animal in nature continues to play even in adulthood. Except us smart humans.
Neuroscientist at University of Leftbridge, Sergio Peles says that there's a link between brain size and playfulness in mammals. He said the more they play the bigger the brain. See we're all searching for the fountain of youth but maybe it was in that water hose that we all drank out of as kids.
So my question to you have you played today? Alan Watts said the real secret of life is to be completely engaged in what you're doing and instead of calling it work realize it's play. I mean life without play is life without books, movies, learning.
Life without play is no life at all because play energizes us. Dr Stuart Brown author of play how it shapes the brain opens the imagination and invigorates the soul. He says that animals that play a lot they learn how to navigate the world and adapt to it.
In short they're smarter. Remember this focus follows fun. Focus follows fun.
When we're not having fun we are less productive and less creative. There's an old saying from a Chinese sage who says when the archer shoots for no particular prize he has all of his skills. When he shoots to win a brass buckle he's already nervous.
When he shoots for a gold prize he goes blind. He sees two targets and he's out of his mind. His skill has not changed but the prize divides him.
He cares. He thinks more of winning than of shooting and the need to win drains him. Power our seriousness is draining us.
When we relax we're going to be a lot more effective. We're going to have more energy. I mean who can live a life of total unexcited.
I'm going to say this you need to be laughing at least 20 times a day. This is a non-negotiable because good moods enhance ability because good moods will enhance your ability to think flexibly and make it easier for you to find solutions to any problem. Stanford University found that for the average person 58 minutes out of every hour are spent in the past or the future.
Did you hear what I just said? 58 out of 60 minutes are spent in the past or the future. We're never in the moment.
We go to concerts and focus more on the phone than on the stage. You bought the ticket yeah but did you really go? When we're at home we're thinking about work.
When we're at work we're thinking about home. We're going a hundred miles an hour down the road of life with our eyes firmly fixed on the rear view mirror. My advice be here now.
Did you know a chess player can burn up to 6,000 calories a day when playing in a tournament? They aren't moving but the cognitive load is so much that they're burning immense amounts of energy. A calorie is a unit of energy.
So I asked you how much energy are you burning? Worrying, regretting, overthinking. In his book Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers Robert Sapolsky speaks about zebras seeing a lion in one minute and being stressed out in a fight or flight and then in the next minute they are sipping a cool drink from a water hole totally relaxed.
They have this stress on, stress off effect which is why the name of the book is the name of the book Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. Now humans today are constantly stress on. We don't turn off which is why we see more disease in our species than any other.
Our nervous systems are constantly overstimulating. Did you know the number one reason for ER visits is stress? We also look out in the world and we see an obesity epidemic right?
I mean news reports speak of surges and oversized caskets but the reason isn't because these people lack willpower. It's because I think the main reason is they're overstressed and when you're in a fear state your body it wants to eat more because it is impossible to be stressed and eat at the same time so overeating is a defense mechanism so see people who are overweight it's not about what they are eating as much as it's about what's eating them. So we have to learn how to switch from our sympathetic to our parasympathetic nervous system and we do that with relaxation techniques.
Here are two powerful relaxation techniques that have changed my life. One is called calm mind calm body. After doing it for one week you will be able to bring your body into a state of relaxation on command.
Step number one lay down or sit in a comfortable chair and imagine your body is made up of balloons. There are two valves on your feet they open and the air escapes from your legs and your legs they they collapse until they are empty and just lay limply on the bed then a valve opens in your chest and your whole body collapses limply against the bed or chair. Continue with your arms neck shoulders and head as the air escapes envision your worries fizzing away with it as the last of the air leaves your body say to yourself over and over calm body calm mind.
Do this day after day. The time it takes to start feeling relaxed will shorten. In seven days you will be able to feel relaxed on command.
In three weeks just by thinking about the command you will create a lessening of tension physically and mentally. So doing this you are setting up the ability to instantly relax anywhere at any time and when you can perform in a relaxed state you will be able to perform at a peak state. The next technique is the hum.
If you want to relax instantly use the humming bee breath. See when a mother hums to their child they they calm down almost immediately. Monks they they chant om to reach deeper states of consciousness.
You see this humming practice it's a stress eraser and this particular technique actually has been shown to raise nitric oxide levels up to 15 times. It improves concentration and it can even help you sleep. Now here's what you do.
Do this about five to ten times and let me know in the comments how you feel. Step number one put your thumbs in your ear cartilage like so and kind of close your ears off. Step number two put your index and ring finger over your eyes closing them.
Step number three allow your other fingers to to rest on your face comfortably. Step number four with your mouth closed hum as you exhale. Step number five focus on the sound of the humming.
Step number six do this about five to ten times and watch your stress disappear. That's powerful. Exercise is the number one thing you can do for your mitochondria.
See circulation is literally the name of the game but you want to know the best form of exercise for energy. Well it's the type of exercise you enjoy. Now that's the easy answer.
Objectively speaking there is a specific type of exercise that increases mitochondrial function better than anything else and it is called zone two training. Zone two is a heart rate zone. It's 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate so it's low intensity.
Basically endurance. There are devices that you can use to track your heart rate to make sure you're in zone two but if you don't want to get an extra device it's relatively simple to find out if you're in zone two. You walk or cycle at a fast enough pace where you're doing work but you can keep up a conversation.
To get the most benefits for your mitochondrial health dedicate about 45 minutes two to three times a week to zone two training. Now did you know there is a certain sport that can reduce your risk of dying by 47 percent? Is it swimming?
Nope. Is it football or soccer? No actually those were some of the worst.
After studying 8,000 people over a period of 20 years researchers found that racket sports can add nearly 10 years to your life. Now it's likely due to the increase of vo2 max from the short interval bursts and the low injury risk and the social component. I guess that's good news for you pickleball players.
Now having said all that I'm about to make a bold claim. Exercise is overrated. Did you know the first use of a treadmill was as a torture device?
It's true. It was invented in England in the 19th century as a form of punishment for prisoners and well not much has changed. Our exercises today are kind of like punishment and while sick people like me we love it and get off on that I must admit that exercise is vastly overrated.
People who live in blue zones the places where you live the longest healthiest lives they don't do crossfit or deadlifts. They don't exercise. They have they walk the hills in their neighborhood they squat down in the gardens but most importantly they are moving throughout the day.
I'm going to make a bold claim but it's backed up by evidence constant movement is better than exercise. Now let's talk about hormesis. Hormesis is a fancy word for good stress.
Exercise is a form of hormesis and one form that I recommend to energy levels is the sauna. Now the infrared sauna specifically penetrates and activates the mitochondria a bit more than the dry sauna but they both are incredible. I highly advise doing the sauna a few times per week but please please hydrate with electrolytes.
Now before I get into the last energy drainer I want to ask you a question. When you work out and lose fat where does the fat go? How does it leave the body?
It's interesting not too many people actually know. See I've asked trainers and nutritionists and they've never given me the correct answer. See when I found this out I was shocked.
The way that fat leaves your body is through breath. So if you're not breathing properly you will never reach your health goals. You can go months without food, weeks without water.
How long can you go without breath? Breath it contains your life force energy. All ancient societies they knew this.
The Hindus they called it prana. The Chinese they called it chi. The Japanese called it ki.
The Egyptians called it ka. The problem with our modern society is we don't value breath and we when you're worried stressed out anxious or inhale exhale. The exhale is the most powerful part of the breath.
A long exhale can bring you quickly out of fight or flight and into a calm and relaxed state. See laughing feels so good to us because it forces us to exhale. You ever heard of a sigh of relief?
See the exhalation is so powerful. So remember this when you're in hell exhale. When people ask me why am I lower energy Prince?
Why am I low on energy? I tell them the the answer really is right under your nose. It's a deep breath.
See did you know that newborns breathe absolutely perfectly? They belly breathe until about the age of 10 when they have had their files corrupted in school and anxiety worries and stress and then their breath goes from the belly up to the chest and then they start to chest breathe to shallow breathe and as we become adults which is the worst thing you can be we keep on with this shallow breathing or we go through life constantly holding our breath which puts us in fight or flight. One of the fastest ways to get out of that fight or flight is through the breath.
The breath is the commander of the mind state and the mood. When you become upset your breath does too. When you become anxious or sad your breath does too.
But when you breathe deeply diaphragmatically from the belly you create space and immediate presence. You send oxygen to your brain resulting in your thinking becoming more clear. You send oxygen to the cells in your body creating more energy.
Maybe even as saying this you were starting to notice your breath slow down. Comment below if that's you. The cure is to begin to go back to the newborn and start to belly breathe.
So here's how you do it. When you inhale from your nose your stomach goes out. Touch your belly to make sure your stomach is going out and when you exhale your stomach goes in all the way in.
Let every drop of air out. This is how you properly breathe. Okay now let's recap all of the energy drainers and their solutions.
Number one is people. Energy is contagious. Don't catch an ETD.
Hang out with rainbows not drain bros. Number two the chair. Sitting is the new smoking.
The chair is the new cigarette. Work out of your standing desk or even better start walking. Number three processed food.
I want you to eat G-bombs. That's dark leafy greens beans onions mushrooms berries seeds plus wild-caught fish. Specifically wild-caught.
Number four lack of purpose. Find your why right. Find your why.
You find your energy. Someone with a strong enough why can overcome any how. Number five light.
Stay away from junk light in the office and screens and try to get as much natural light as you can. Try to be outside just as much as you are inside. Number six sleep.
Sleep is the human charging station. It is the Swiss army knife of health. Master your sleep and you will have the biggest impact on your energy.
Number seven seriousness. Listen play is a non-negotiable. We don't stop playing because we grow old.
We grow old because we stop playing. Number eight the constant stress right. Take time to adopt relaxation techniques like the humming bee and the calm mind calm body meditation every day.
Number nine exercise. Movement is medicine. Zone two training is the best for your mitochondria.
Racquet sports are the best for your longevity. Movement is the key continuous movement throughout the day. Number ten breathing.
Breath is life. Practice diaphragmatically breathing to shut off the fight or flight response to release trapped energy in your body and re-energize your nervous system. That's it.
If you do that you will become energy rich and if you're one of those people who want to take things to the next level join my superhuman energy and focus course. I will give you tips to 10x your focus productivity and energy in 21 days or less. Click the link in the description below and I'll see you there.
Peace.
