This YouTube video by Tom Bilyeu lists tips for getting better sleep at night. Sleep is an undervalued component of health, and effects one’s life and career. It regulates our hormones and metabolism. Bilyeu has compiled clips of interviews for this comprehensive guide.
Get more sunlight: Spend 30 minutes outside in the morning.
Set aside 90 minutes without technology before bed.
Exercise 5 minutes in the morning.
Make sleep a priority.
Avoid eating 3 hours before bed.
Reduce stress; try daily meditation, don’t eat for 45 minutes after waking up
In this YouTube video by Gravity Transformation, we learn 6 health benefits of taking cold showers. We also get advice for building tolerance for them. Cold showers can enhance fitness and slow the aging process.
They improve your mood and mental health
They reduce inflammation
They can constrict your blood vessels temporarily, which builds up the immune system.
They improve mental toughness, which helps you deal with stress
They help burn fat by activating “brown fat” and kickstarting metabolism
And they build up endurance
The video moves on to some strategies for getting used to cold showers. You can start with lukewarm showers and progress to colder ones over time; you can also run very cold water for a few seconds and resume with warm water; or you can alternate between cold and warm showers, or alternate between cold and warm water during the same shower; finally, you can use cold showers in combination with sauna time. None of these strategies are better than the others, and you should try them to find the one best suited to you.
In this post, we have another metabolic, full body dumbbell workout by Funk Roberts. You can do it in 18 to 20 minutes, using dumbbells ranging in weight from 10 to 30 lbs. Metabolic training lets one build lean muscle and burn fat simultaneously.
Here, you will perform 3 rounds with 6 exercises each. You will do as many reps of each exercise as possible in 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds, and move to the next exercise. Each exercise is a compound movement that works a primary muscle group, and surrounding muscles along the way. The exercises are reverse lunges, supinated bent over dumbbell rows, chest press with glute bridge, clutch curls, standing triceps extensions, and bent over side raises.
Some tips: the reverse lunges may be difficult during the first round, especially if you have stiff knees. Take your time and do the exercise with good form. I find the movement gets easier in the second and third rounds, so you can push yourself then. Lunges are great for improving balance and stability. When doing the row, keep your elbows pointed back and arms close to the torso. This way, you work your lats, which is good if you can’t do pullups. Adding a glute bridge to the chest press is great, because it lets you do more work for your legs while working your upper body. Bent over side raises work the rear deltoids, which are very often neglected. They can also work your upper back.
This YouTube video by Team Ki presents a cardio and endurance workout. It’s a Tabata style workout, in which you work hard for 20 seconds, take a 10 second break, and repeat for a set number of rounds. The host Kenichi Sato performs basic Karate techniques, called “kihon,” turning this into a practice drill session.
The workout includes blocks, punches, kicks, and other types of hand strikes. There are 6 blocks of exercises, with 4 techniques each, and each technique is practiced with both sides of the body. This gives us 48 rounds total, for a 24 minute workout.
In this YouTube video, we have another dumbbell workout by Funk Roberts. This one is 25 minutes long and utilizes metabolic conditioning and high intensity interval training (HIIT.)
There are 8 exercises, several of which are combinations. That way, you can work multiple muscle groups in less time. You perform as many reps of each exercise as possible in 40 seconds, rest 20 seconds, and perform the next exercise in the sequence. The 8 exercises will be done for 3 rounds.
How much weight you use is your choice, but it’s good to have dumbbells ranging from 15 lbs to 30 lbs. If you use a lighter weight, you can perform more reps and build muscle. If you use heavy weights, you’ll perform fewer reps and build strength. By using HIIT principles, your body will burn fat for days after doing the workout.
In this YouTube video by Yoga With Tim, we are guided in a 25 minute yoga workout meant to detox the body and improve the nervous system. The instructor Tim Sinesi provides variations of the exercises to match one’s skill level. If you haven’t practiced yoga before, or haven’t for many months like me, this is an easy workout to get into.
