These 5 rules can add 10 years to your life.

Good morning from the mangroves!

I love writing, but what I love even more is writing from nature. Yesterday, I arrived at a beautiful hotel in the mangroves ahead of The FAB Cycling Festival, a cycling event we have put together for free, inclusive to everyone in Abu Dhabi.

I share this because just on the other side of the road, a mere 100 meters away, lies the hustle and bustle of the big city, with people wearing suits and rushing around the clock. For me, it feels as though I've taken a plane to the mountains of Sri Lanka.

Your environment is one of the biggest determinants of change and wellness, and you have the ability to influence it. EEG scans have been conducted on the brain, proving how simply walking in nature without technology can have a profound impact on your stress levels.

Let’s dive into 5 rules that can give you an extra decade:

1. Remove LED lights after 7 pm: LED household lighting that resembles daylight (on the blue end of the spectrum) is the worst purchase you can make for your household. When your brain detects that light, it thinks it is daytime and we should be awake. Try to swap intensive LED bulbs for those on the warmer end of the spectrum.

2. Keep your blood glucose low: Elevated blood glucose can lead to glycation, oxidative stress, and inflammation, contributing to various chronic diseases. Keep glucose levels below 100 mg/dL with a standard deviation of 15 mg/dL. Another study in 2019 looked at the non-diabetic range of blood glucose and found that people in the highest quartile of glucose variability had 2.67 times greater risk of mortality than those in the lowest quartile.

3. Don’t reduce junk food, remove it: There is no net benefit for you in consuming these if you have any of the 5 metabolic markers. If you are relatively healthy, practice the 80/20 rule where 80% of the calories come from whole ingredients and 20% from any source.

If we overdo and abuse processed foods, our blood levels will surge, and if we do this over and over again, this will overwhelm our ability to handle all those calories in a safe way.

4. As you age, increase protein intake: Aging is associated with a decline in muscle mass and strength, known as sarcopenia.

A study showed how 62-year-old seniors trained for 6 months and gained no muscle mass. However, there was another group who were given protein supplementation via protein shakes; those subjects added an average of about three pounds of lean mass.

5. Delay caffeine for 60 minutes in the morning: Cortisol levels naturally peak within the first hour after waking, known as the cortisol awakening response (CAR). Waiting at least 60 minutes before consuming caffeine allows cortisol levels to reach their peak, maximizing the stimulatory effects of caffeine while minimizing tolerance development and potential disruption of the CAR.

Also, If we drink a coffee at noon, by 6pm you still have half a cup in your system, now multiply this by the number of coffees you drink a day and work forward from the time of your last cup. If you have a double expresso at 3pm, you will have a full shot’s worth of caffeine in your system at 9.

I have heard this many times before: "I don’t stress about having a coffee later in the day because I take XYZ before I go to bed."

Most sleep drugs induce unconsciousness without improving sleep quality. Their use has also been associated with cognitive decline, and they are not normally recommended for adults beyond the short term. The goal of medications should be to improve sleep quality without next-day grogginess.

Listen, modern life systematically destroys our ability to sleep properly. We need to be strategic about it, and although I support taking sleep aid medication occasionally to fight events such as jet lag, it is not something proven to be healthy for your brain or body in the long run. Stay away from shortcuts; they rarely work.

If this was helpful, there are two ways I can help further:

1. When you’re ready to get rid of excess visceral fat and fix your health markers, The Lean Executive Method is the best choice. A science-based system for building and maintaining a lean body for life, this course is self-paced, and you can try the first two modules for free.

2. Are you an executive who wants to remove excess visceral fat, increase energy, and reach your ideal weight for good? Apply to work with me 1-1. Currently, there is a waiting list, and the next 2 slots will open May 18th.

Until the next time!

Diego Carrete

Chief Executive Officer @ FIT LIFE FZCO

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