NOURISH AND RESTORE.
COLD WATER IMMERSIONS
Whether its a cold shower, jumping in the pool, ocean or an all out ice bath - exposing your body to the cold has incredible benefits for the mind and body and is something we may not like, initially, but we all have access to. Nothing will centre you quicker than immersing yourself in the cold water. Some of the immediate benefits are:
Boost immunity
Huge releases of the feel good hormones
Improve circulation
Increase metabolism
Reduce inflammation
Relieve localized pain
So if you’re not already exposing yourself to cold water, now is the time to start. Personally when I have a morning shower, I jump in, do my thing on warm, then turn the warm off and cold on. Stay here until your breath returns to calm.
SHAKE YA BODY
Without getting too crazy on you just yet, we do big work when we sleep as this is when we connect to source. Some cultures believe we die every night and become reborn each day. Anyway, energetically we do work overnight, we process, we store information, as energy, in our cells all throughout our bodies. It’s important that we shift this energy, move it and the best way to do this it through movement first thing in the morning.
So get up and shake. Shake you hands, your legs, your arms, your hips.. do whatever you need to do to get moving. Jump. Run. Dance. Sway. Wiggle. Stretch or all of these things. Whatever feels good for you.
If you wake and feel less than average, or find yourself in a fun mood, don’t sit in it - shake.
It is a well documented practise for helping us reguate our nervous system. If you’ve ever watched a lion or the likes chase an animal it wants to eat on national geographic you’ll notice that if that animal escapes being eaten, it will stand and shake before it moves on.
For me personally, I try and do this outside with no shoes on. This way I ground, get the morning light in my eyes and can move abut freely. If it’s an early morning and i’m in a rush, i’ll do this in the shower. Again, there are no rules, but know this simple practise has incredible side effects. Take note too of where you feel stiff or sore.. where is your body storing and holding energy?
GROUNDING + TIME IN NATURE
Shoes off and get on the grass… or anywhere outside really. The earth has a magnetic current, so do we. When we spend all day in shoes indoors we lose this connection. The earth will literally charge us up. There are many studies to prove this alongside the thousands of years of gurus from all over telling us to get in nature. Sit, lay or stand and visualise yourself pulling light, colour or energy into your body through your feet. Do this whenever you can.
We will touch on this more thoughout the process but spend as much time in nature as possible. Nature is our greatest teacher and she will bring you home very quickly. Embrace the out doors.
SLEEP + SUNLIGHT
Sleep is so important. I cannot stress this enough. The more you sleep and the better quality your sleep is, the more efficient your metabolism will become, the better you will recover, manage stress, respond to stress, fat you will lose and the stronger you will get. Sleep is literally good for everything! Lack of sleep may slow the metabolism, increase blood pressure, increase ghrelin (makes you hungry), causes insulin resistance and increases cortisol. Sleep is also a huge cognitive enhancer and has incredible impact on your mood. Remember, when you feel good, good things happen. Manage your sleep!
Sleep in accordance with your circadian rhythms: 10pm – 6am or 11pm – 7am
If the above is not possible, try and create regular sleep + wake times, this helps set the circadian rhythem
Sleeping before midnight has shown to have benefits
Get 7-10 hours of sleep each night, 8 being optimal
Create a dark (pitch back if possible), quiet, cool room (19 degrees C has been shown to have the most benefits) for sleeping
Get exposed to daylight first thing, 10 minutes before 10am
Try and get outside around dusk, this helps the brain know the sun is setting and soon it will be time to sleep
Avoid screen time in the hours before bed
Avoid stimulants at night / late arvo. If you're sensitive, avoid them altogether
Take Vitamin D3 if blood levels are low. 60-80 ng/dL is optimal.
Tape your mouth so that you only breath through your nose
After dark, try to minimise over head lighting. It tricks the brain into thinking the sun is still up. Desk lamps, and salt lamps that usually sit below eye level are better choices.
Light from candles and fire do not affect melatonin production so these can be a good options too.
SUNLIGHT
Outside of all the benefits the sun has for our sleep, it has many other benefits also. Sunlight on our skin helps us produce melatonin which plays a large role in our libidos. Our sexual energy is the most powerful energy there is for manifesting and creating to harness and boost this will help you create and bring more into your life.
Observing sunrise and sunset is a practise that has been done for many many years. At these times we can look at the sun with our eyes directly, by doing this we are exposed to the sun energetic codes. This will literally change your DNA and help you on your way to your potential. The sun is the giver of all life on this planet and by making it a part of your daily rituals you will experience overwhelming feelings of vitality and wellbeing.
H20 + SALT
Put simply, drink good water when you're thirsty and add a good quality salt to your meals. There is no quicker way to experience a drastic decline in performance, health and wellbeing than not to maintain proper hydration. That means getting hydrated in the morning and looking to maintain this throughout the day.
When we see drastic declines in performance a lack of water is rarely the cause. It is usually due to being too low is sodium and potassium.
Too much water by itself can dehydrate you by diluting valuable minerals and electrolytes leading to potentially life-threatening condition knowns as hyponatremia. Peeing clear is not always a good thing.
We lose water daily through urination, sweating and breathing. As many of the processes within the body rely on water, we must replace our fluids regularly to compensate for losses.
You’ll hear the recommended “eight glasses of water a day” thrown around. That’s about about 1.9 litres of water. It doesn’t quite cut it..
So how much water should you drink?
Well it depends on many things but, if you can stick to somewhere in between 35ml – 40ml per kg of body weight per day you’ll be doing ok.
This means between 3.5L-4L per day for a 100kg individual, again if you require more, have more, I personally use the lower end as a minimum.
However, like all things it’s no good being dehydrated all day because you’ve not had anything to drink and then smashing 4L before bed.. this will do more damage than good.. so be mindful and drink water throughout the day.
I have a big water bottle that I take everywhere.. this was a game changer when it came to drinking more water.
Too I believe the quality of your water is massively important. I do recommend staying away from town/tap water where possible and buying your own.
There is a brand in the supermarkets that is chemical free, purea, otherwise if you have access to rain water or spring water go with these options.
Sometimes the local fruit and vegetable markets will have someone selling spring water. When I was on the Gold Coast I would go and buy 60L of spring water each week for myself and my family.
I know many supplies in Queensland that will deliver quality mineral water to your door as part of a subscription. If this is not a service in your area it could be a lucrative business opportunity as many people are starting to avoid tap water.
SALT
Performance athletes have been using salt forever. Salting all of your meals could be a huge performance enhancer and metabolism booster that may help you recover faster from workouts and have more stamina and endurance… salt will also help you hydrate.
Using salt pre & post workout has been shown to have many benefits too. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends 500mg of sodium before and after training.
More is not better when it comes to salt, too much can cause diarrhoea and affect blood pressure in people that are sensitive to salt. Adequate potassium and magnesium will prevent salt related hypertension in most people.
Personally I have a pinch of salt in a glass of water with lime juice when I first wake and 30 mins before training. I will also add 1g of salt to a glass of orange juice post training.
ELMINIATING TOXINS
We are constantly being exposed to toxins. Yes, there’s a huge rabbit hole you can go down when you look at all of the things that are no good for us.. the list is endless. This can be a pointless exercise as it’s impossible to eliminate all toxins… I do feel that creating awareness around some of the toxins we are exposed to often helps us make choices that can reduce our exposure. Below are things that I do or that I recommend:
Use a natural deoderant - and stop using spray on deodorant
No more mainstream sunscreen. Use zinc or tallow
Use a fluoride free tooth paste
Shop spray free or organic on food where you eat the skins - fruits and vegetables - or give them a wash in vinegar and water
Avoid tap/town water
Stop microwaving things - if you have to do it in glass containers. Not glad wrap and plastics.
Turn your phone onto aeroplane mode when you sleep
Turn your wifi off when you’re not using it - ie over night
Having indoor plants in your home has been shown to improve air quality and absorb toxins as well as calm us. Peace Lillys are great for this and are super easy to keep.
SUPPLEMENTS + NOOTROPICS + ADAPTOGENS
You don’t ‘need’ supplements. That being said, they do make a difference to performance, recovery, health, detoxing, reducing inflammation, energy, focus and cognitive function. The way I look at supplements is if they are going to help me with something, make something easier or faster, let’s do it. Over the years we have seen a huge decline in the quality of our soil which has in turn lead to less nutrient dense food. Food being produced on huge scales as fast as possible has been a huge contributor to this. Everyone looking to save a dollar and the price of our health is what some companies are willing to pay to turn a profit.
I buy my supplements from Life555 which is a small family business operated on the Sunshine Coast, these guys stock exceptional brands and from Bulk Nutrients - they always have good prices and use quality ingredients.
I’ve broken down supplements that I know, use and recommend into categories so that you can see if something maybe suitable for where you are at:
All time favourites:
Shilijat mineral resin - this has all the minerals and nutrients your body requires
Magnesium L-threonate - incredible for sleep and cognitive function
Beef liver, heart, kidney capsules - incredibly nutritious.
Ashwaghanda - relieves stress, promotes vitality, enhances adaptions and helps to normalise physiological function. Known to be anabolic and anti- arthritic. You can take this on its own or I really like Cymbiotikas adrenal super tonic.
Lions mane - mushroom that helps with clarity and focus. Can take it on its own or Cymbiotikas golden mind is amazing.
Immune boosting, cold, flu or run down:
Olive leaf extract
Vitamin C
Echancea
Astragalus
Overall health + wellbeing:
Curcumin
Omega (fish/krill oil etc)
Vitamin D3 – 5000iu daily
Zinc
Athletic Performance:
Creatine Monohydrate – 3-5g per day, Peri-workout.
Caffeine – 1mg-4mg per kg body weight, not all the time, before and/or after training. Personally I don’t use caffeine but I know many that do and have great benefits.
Protein – Whey Isolate, Casein
HOM - Perform
Adaptogens:
Shiitake - for hair, skin, nails - known as the beauty mushroom
Lions mane - cognitive function, focus, memory, attention
Cordyceps - great for energy, a good alternative to coffee
Turkey tail - immunity and gut health
Reishi - calming, grounding, relaxing
Chaga - anti-aging and powerful antioxidant
Nootropics:
Alpha GPC
Huperzine A
Lion's Mane
Bacopa Monnieri
Ginkgo Biloba
L-theanine
L-tyrosine