102: Lessons for Hannah - Health

Hello Misfit Nation! Welcome to another edition of "Lessons for Hannah!"

In November of 2016, we introduced a new format that we are putting alongside our regular episodes called “Lessons for Hannah.” Hannah is my daughter and one of the main inspirations for the Misfit Entrepreneur. I wanted to have a place where she could go and learn from her daddy and his Misfit friends throughout her life….even after I am gone. If you haven’t listened to the first episode of "Lessons for Hannah," I urge you to as it gives some more background and tells the amazing story of how Hannah came to be in our lives.

"Lessons for Hannah" are short, very useful, and sometimes comical lessons, that I have learned which I want to share with you and give to Hannah to help in your lives. Because I want Hannah to have these for her life, I’m going to speak as though I am talking directly to her. These episodes are a lot of fun and if you think there is a lesson that we should include in these episodes, please don’t hesitate to send it over to us at [e-mail]. We’d love to share it.

This week’s Lesson for Hannah

Hannah, I want to talk to you about your health. You have grown up with your mother and I and we have done the best we can to model a healthy lifestyle for you. Your health and fitness should be a focus in your life because good health and fitness habits impact all areas of your life from your work to how you feel about yourself to your relationships.

I want to share a few of the best tips that have allowed me to get into even better shape now than I was when I played college football and that make a huge difference in all areas of my life, including success.

Before we begin, let me say this – Your body is a temple. It is absolutely amazing. If you just sit back and think about it for a second, it is truly magnificent how everything works the way it does, how each cell knows what to do as part of each organ, how our brains work, our hearts, how everything comes together to work in an almost perfect harmony. It really is a wonder and deserves tremendous respect. I have realized this more as I have gotten older. Like a lot of people, I was not as kind to it in my younger years, but I have always believed in the benefits of healthy eating and exercise – maybe with glass of good wine or a beer or two sprinkled in from time to time. You’ve gotta enjoy life too!

But, what I am about to share with you starts with a respect for your body no matter what. No matter what society tells you about “perfection” or some airbrush picture displays – none of that matters. Focus on your body with a sense of love and gratitude because as I have said before, for us to even be alive is a miracle. In fact, the chances of any of us being alive right now are 1 in 10 to the 2,685th power…or virtually zero. Seriously, It’s the probability of 2.5 million people getting together — about the population of San Diego — each to play a game of dice with trillion-sided dice. They each roll the dice — and they all come up the exact same number — say, 550,343,279,001.

Ok, enough of my soapbox, here are the top 10 things I have found that you or anyone can do fairly easily to have a great impact on your health.

1. Wake up and go to bed at the same time each day – even weekends. This small habit makes such a big difference in your ability to be productive. Keeping consistent in your go to bed and wake up times helps you to have more energy and for me, I have found helps me to think clearer and keeps my body in better sync for training.
2. Drink a full glass of water within 15 minutes of waking up. This really helps with your hydration. Most people live in a constant state of being dehydrated. Water is essential to life and to your body’s performance. Starting out the day by feeding it what it needs, not only helps you to be more hydrated, so you have more energy through the day, but also gives it to critical substance it needs to survive.
3. Workout in some form or fashion every day. This will be different for everyone, but if you can put in 30-60 minutes of some sort of weight training or cardiovascular exercise each day, you will be much better off. I’m not tell you anything you’ve haven’t heard a million times here. But, what I am challenging you to do is to be disciplined in this area and to be consistent – every day.
4. Schedule your workouts to help you be more productive (giving you a 2-for). This one has really made a difference for me. Once you start to get into a routine, you will start to notice what I call your “peak times” during the day. These are times where you are at your best. You want to schedule your most important work for these times. For example, my first peak time of the day is from 6am-8am. I am fresh off a good night’s rest, had a good breakfast, and am ready to go. After about 2 hours of solid work, though, I need a break, and I need to re-energize. That is when I go to work out. Most days I work out from 8:30-10:30 am and this energizes me for the rest of the day. I return and get a solid block in before lunch. And the complete the day. Believe it or not, because of my workout fueling my energy, one of my other peak times is right after lunch.
5. Take a multi-vitamin daily. No matter what you do in today’s age, it is almost impossible to get every nutrient and serving you are supposed to have daily. A good multi-vitamin will fill the gap.
6. Stretch! Every day for 10-15 mins if possible. Wow does this make a difference. If you can make stretching part of your workout routine every day or find time to do so, it helps in so many ways. It helps prevent injury. It helps reduce tension. It gives balance to your body’s muscles. It will even help with better sleep.
7. Meditate for 10-15 mins each day. I do this in the morning before I start into my first peak time. There are so many ways to do this, but what matters is that you take 10-15 minutes to center yourself for the day. My routine is simple and you can use it if you like. I write down 3 things that I am grateful for in life – usually they are about you and mommy or something surrounding our family. I then write down my 3 most important items that must be accomplished for the day. And then I say a prayer. A lot of times I will add in a 5-min guided meditation from an app like Headspace.
8. As far as food and drink. Drink water throughout the day instead of soda or sugary drinks – duh. Limit alcohol intake. I have a rule of no more than 2 drinks in a sitting and it has served me well over the years. Do your best to eat a consistent diet. For example, I have a set eating routine for breakfast and lunch each day of the week that makes sure I get ample servings of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, good carbs, etc. For dinner, just eat for balance – good food lower in fat, etc.
9. Get a standing desk. Greatest office investment ever! Sitting all day is hard. First off, it’s just hard to do. Second, it’s hard on your body. Our bodies were made to move and perform, so prolonged sitting it just tough all around. In fact, you should be getting up at least once every hour during the day and walking a little bit at minimum any way. A standing desk helps so much in this area, especially if you need to work for a long period of time, 2 to 3 hours nonstop or so. You can stand and keep cranking. Studies have shown that standing can help you be more productive than sitting. If you haven’t tried a standing desk before, I would urge you to. You can get one for a couple hundred bucks on Amazon. You will definitely see a difference in your work. In fact, I am writing this episode while standing right now!
10. Rest one day each week. This is one that I admit has been a struggle for me over the years, but I am getting better. Scheduling and planning for it has helped. You should take one day a week to rest. This does not mean you do nothing. For example, maybe you stretch or get a massage, take a light walk, etc. But, it does mean you give your body time to recover. When it comes to work, that also means taking the day off. Read a book or focus on a hobby or project. If you are like me and can seemingly find some excuse to do work every day of the week, at first this will be tough. As I mentioned above, it was a real struggle for me not to plug in for a few hours on a Sunday and “get stuff done.” But, then as a commitment to our family and my coach, I started scheduling Sunday’s off – and you know, it is amazing how I still get everything done. I have found that many times, because we all work hard and are driven as entrepreneurs and high performers, we just look for things to do. It’s the nature of the world in which we operate. My advice, re-invent the system. Give yourself at least 1 day or more each week where you completely tune out from work related items and focus on the amazing life you have and the incredible world around you.

Hannah, I know that you have either seen or heard me talk about these health tips before, but I wanted to get them all in one place for you. I hope that you find a way to incorporate them into your life and use them to keep yourself healthy and enjoy life to the fullest.

I love you, Daddy.

 

Best Quote: “Your body is a temple. It is absolutely amazing. If you just sit back and think about it for a second, it is truly magnificent how everything works the way it does"

 

Misfit 3:

1. Good health and fitness habits impact all areas of your life from your work to how you feel about yourself to your relationships.
2. Your body is a temple and deserves tremendous respect.
3. It is a miracle that any of us are even alive, so cherish it and make the most out of it by making sure to care for your health.