Recommendation Categories
Disclaimer: I don’t know you or your specific health situation. This list and everything written below is for entertainment purposes only and is not a specific recommendations for any individual. Please consult your own personal family doctor or health care provider before making any changes to your lifestyle. Be smart, make good informed decisions with your own health practitioner who knows the ins and outs of your specific health situation. Some of the links below are affiliate links, some are not. It doesn’t cost you anymore to use them, but it does benefit me. With that said, everything that I recommend in this list I stand behind and have personally purchased with my own money.
Behaviors
Get 10,000 Steps.
WHY:
10K isn't a magic number, but it is a good litmus test for how active you are throughout the day.
Low-intensity walking burns calories and can help improve other health metrics, such as cholesterol and blood pressure.
Walking is low intensity enough that it is unlikely to conflict with the physical demands of resistance training workouts or other sporting/recreational activities.
If its totally unfeasible for right now to get 10k steps find a way to slowly increase your step count until you can get there consistently.
HOW:
Most smartphones have built-in pedometers, but alternatives like an Apple Watch or Fitbit can keep you motivated and provide additional health insights.
Start Early: Begin your day with a 15-20 minute morning walk. This not only boosts your metabolism but also provides a substantial chunk of your 10,000-step goal.
Incremental Goals: If you're new to walking, set an initial goal of 4,000-5,000 steps and aim to increment by 500 steps every few days.
Scheduled Walks: Designate specific times of day for short walks. For instance, a 10-minute walk after each meal can easily add up.
Desk Breaks: If you have a sedentary job, aim for 250 steps every hour, which is manageable during a 5-minute break.
2 x Resistance Training Workouts Per Week.
Ideally full body workout to cover all of your bases. It doesn’t have to be much. Four exercises for three sets (12 Total Set per Workout) twice per week. Get more if you can. Two days is the minimum.
8 Hour Of Sleep Opportunity
This is probably the most important one. If you’re not well rested, you wont want to train hard, eat well or perform at whatever your profession may be.
90 Minutes Of “Zone-2” Cardio Per Week
Getting the 10k steps can be part of this. Zone-2 is roughly 60%-70% of your max heart rate (220-age). Another rule of thumb is you should be able to hold a conversation on the phone, but the other person will know by the sound of your voice that you are exercising.
3 x 30g Protein Meals
30g of protein three times a day is the base, ideally more. Someone who is more active might choose to consume 3 x 50g Pro/500 Cal meals giving a base of 150g of protein and 1500 cals leaving the rest as discretionary calories to be used as they see fit based on their individual goals.
80/20 The Protein Rule
It’s easy, 80% of whatever you’re eating should have 10%* of the total calories as gram of protein. Example: 100 cals snack should have at least 10g of protein or more to pass the test.
If it doesn’t pass the test then it should be something you really like and come out of the 20% of discretionary calories
*It’s not actually 10%. Its actually 40%. 10g of protein is 40 calories. 40 out of 100 calories is 40%. The 10% works better when quickly glancing at nutrition labels so go with it.
Consumables
Under Construction…
Physical Products
Sleep Products:
Hatch Restore 2
WHY:
If you've never experienced a light alarm, you truly don't know what you're missing out on. Being gently awakened by a soft glow is infinitely more pleasant than the jarring sound of a traditional alarm.
What's more, it can rouse you during a lighter sleep stage, making the wake-up process smoother. This often sets the tone for an early and more effortless start to your day.
Another significant advantage is its built-in white noise feature, perfect for those residing in apartments or near noisy surroundings like busy roads.
Additionally, the clock's display can be turned off to maintain a completely dark room.
All these features are seamlessly integrated with a user-friendly app, granting you comprehensive control. You can customize the alarm's onset and brightness duration. It's pricey, but unquestionably a worthy investment.
HOW:
Waking up early has never been so easy. Using the app, you can configure your personalized wake-up time, or even set separate alarms for both you and your spouse.
From this point, you have the flexibility to determine the duration it takes for the light to achieve its maximum brightness.
For instance, if you absolutely need to be awake by 6:30 AM, you can program the light to begin its gradual illumination at 6:00 AM (or earlier/later), starting with just a faint glow.
As the minutes pass, it progressively brightens. By 6:30 AM, it reaches its peak luminosity and begins its auditory alarm, which is typically a calming sound that is selectable from the app.
More often than not, the gentle illumination alone will wake you earlier, leaving you feeling rejuvenated, much like how a sunlit Saturday morning naturally awakens you when you were a kid.
Casper Glow Light
WHY:
Before investing in the Hatch Restore 2, I owned this device, and they function quite similarly.
It allows you to program various alarms for distinct times and days, ensuring effortless mornings. However, this one doesn't have an auditory alarm, so it's advisable to set a backup alarm on your phone. That said, I rarely, if ever, rely on it, as the light typically wakes me up first.
Another standout feature is its ability to serve as a wind-down light prior to bedtime. It radiates a gentle glow that's easy on the eyes and gradually dims over time almost like an hourglass (if it was a light). This makes it ideal for bedtime reading. If you wish to prolong the dimming phase, simply twist it clockwise, akin to a traditional dimmer switch.
A convenient feature is if you need to navigate in the dark, such as a late night bathroom trip, a quick shake emits just enough light for you to see without being overpowering or disrupting your sleep.
Lastly, a feature that many might overlook is that the device essentially functions as a battery-powered light, charging on its stand every night. Should there be a power outage, it can sustain for a few days, ideally lasting until power is restored.
HOW:
I still use this almost every night as part of my wind-down routine.
About an hour before bed, I switch off all regular lights and rely on this as my primary light source while I read, shower, brush my teeth, and so on. If the light diminishes too much, a simple twist re-illuminates it.
Should I need to get up in the middle of the night, I just grab it, give it a slight shake, and do whatever I need to do.
Even though the Hatch 2 serves as my primary alarm now, I keep this as a backup (adhering to the principle 'two is one, one is none').
My only criticism regarding this product is the necessity to ensure it's correctly positioned on the charger. I've encountered a few instances where it didn't charge for a few days, only for it not to work when I needed it.
Apps/Software
Under Construction…
Services
Under Construction…