Choosing to Care for Yourself
Choosing to Care for Yourself
My number one priority in life, above my happiness, above my family, above my work, is my own health. It starts with my physical health. Second, it’s my mental health. Third, it’s my spiritual health. Then, it’s my family’s health. Then, it’s my family’s wellbeing. After that, I can go out and do whatever I need to do with the rest of the world. [4]
Nothing like a health problem to turn up the contrast dial for the rest of life.
What about the modern world steers us away from the way humans are meant to live?
There are many, many things.
There are a number on the physical side. We have diets we are not evolved to eat. A correct diet should probably look closer to a paleo diet, mostly eating vegetables with a small amount of meat and berries.
In terms of exercise, we’re probably meant to play instead of running on a treadmill. We’re probably evolved to use all of our five senses equally as opposed to favoring the visual cortex. In modern society, almost all of our inputs and communication are visual. We’re not meant to walk in shoes. A lot of back and foot problems come from shoes. We’re not meant to have clothes keep us warm all of the time. We’re meant to have some cold exposure. It kickstarts your immune system.
We’re not evolved to live in a perfectly sterile and clean environment. It leads to allergies and an untrained immune system. This is known as the hygiene hypothesis. We’re evolved to live in much smaller tribes and to have more family around us. I partially grew up in India, and in India, everybody is in your business. There’s a cousin, an aunt, an uncle who is in your face, which makes it hard to be depressed, because you are never alone. (I’m not referring to people with chemical depression. I’m talking more about the existential angst and malaise teenagers seem to go through.) But on the other hand, you have no privacy, so you can’t be free. There are trade-offs.
We’re not meant to check our phone every five minutes. The constant mood swings of getting a “like” then an angry comment makes us into anxious creatures. We evolved for scarcity but live in abundance. There’s a constant struggle to say no when your genes always want to say yes. Yes to sugar. Yes to staying in this relationship. Yes to alcohol. Yes to drugs. Yes, yes, yes. Our bodies don’t know how to say no. [8]
When everyone is sick, we no longer consider it a disease.
DIET
Outside of math, physics, and chemistry, there isn’t much “settled science.” We’re still arguing over what the optimal diet is.
Do you have an opinion on the ketogenic diet?
It seems really difficult to follow. It makes sense for the brain and the body to have a backup mechanism. For example, in the Ice Ages, humans evolved without many plants available. At the same time, we have been eating plants for thousands of years…I don’t think plants are bad for you, but something closer to the paleo diet is probably correct.
I think the interplay between sugar and fat is really interesting. Fat is what makes you satiated. Fatty foods make you feel full. The easiest way to feel full is to go on a ketogenic diet, where you’re eating tons of bacon all the time, and you’re going to feel almost nauseous and not want to look at fat anymore.
Sugar makes you hungry. Sugar signals to your body, “There’s this incredible food resource in the environment we’re not evolved for,” so you rush out to get sugar. The problem is the sugar effect dominates the fat effect. If you eat a fatty meal and you throw some sugar in, the sugar is going to deliver hunger and fat is going to deliver the calories and you’re just going to binge. That’s why all desserts are large combinations of fat and carbs together. In nature, it’s very rare to find carbs and fat together.
In nature, I find carbs and fat together in coconuts, in mangoes, maybe in bananas, but it’s basically tropical fruits. The combination of sugar and fat together is really deadly. You’ve got to watch out for that in your diet.
I’m not an expert, and the problem is diet and nutrition are like politics: everybody thinks they’re an expert. Their identity is wrapped up in it because what they’ve been eating or what they think they should be eating is obviously the correct answer. Everybody has a little religion—it’s just a really difficult topic to talk about. I will just say in general, any sensible diet avoids the combination of sugar and fat together. [2]
Dietary fat drives satiety. Dietary sugar drives hunger. The sugar effect dominates. Control your appetite accordingly.
Most fit and healthy people focus much more on what they eat than how much. Quality control is easier than (and leads to) quantity control. [11]
Ironically, fasting (from a low-carb/paleo base) is easier than portion control. Once the body detects food, it overrides the brain. [11]
What I wonder about Wonder Bread is how it can stay soft at room temperature for months. If bacteria won’t eat it, should you? [11]
It has been five thousand years, and we’re still arguing over whether meat is poisonous or plants are poisonous. Ditch the extremists and any food invented in the last few hundred years. [11]
When it comes to medicine and nutrition, subtract before you add. [11]
My trainer sends me photos of his meals, and it reminds me we are all flavor addicts. [11]
World’s simplest diet: The more processed the food, the less one should consume.
EXERCISE
The harder the workout, the easier the day.
What habit would you say most positively impacts your life?
The daily morning workout. That has been a complete game-changer. It’s made me feel healthier, younger. It’s made me not go out late. It came from one simple thing, which is everybody says, “I don’t have time.” Basically, whenever you throw any so-called good habit at somebody, they’ll have an excuse for themselves. Usually the most common is “I don’t have time.” “I don’t have time” is just another way of saying “It’s not a priority.” What you really have to do is say whether it is a priority or not. If something is your number one priority, then you will do it. That’s just the way life works. If you’ve got a fuzzy basket of ten or fifteen different priorities, you’re going to end up getting none of them.
What I did was decide my number one priority in life, above my happiness, above my family, above my work, is my own health. It starts with my physical health. [4] Because my physical health became my number one priority, then I could never say I don’t have time. In the morning, I work out, and however long it takes is how long it takes. I do not start my day until I’ve worked out. I don’t care if the world is imploding and melting down, it can wait another thirty minutes until I’m done working out.
It’s pretty much every day. There are a few days where I’ve had to take a break because I’m traveling, or I’m injured or sick or something. I can count on one hand the number of breaks I take every year. [4]
One month of consistent yoga and I feel 10 years younger. To stay flexible is to stay young.
How you make a habit doesn’t matter. Do something every day. It almost doesn’t matter what you do. The people who are obsessing over whether to do weight training, tennis, Pilates, the high-intensity interval training method, “The Happy Body,” or whatever. They’re missing the point. The important thing is to do something every day. It doesn’t matter what it is. The best workout for you is one you’re excited enough to do every day. [4]
Walking meetings:
• Brain works better
• Exercise & sunlight
• Shorter, less pleasantries
• More dialogue, less monologue
• No slides
• End easily by walking back
Like everything in life, if you are willing to make the short-term sacrifice, you’ll have the long-term benefit. My physical trainer (Jerzy Gregorek) is a really wise, brilliant guy. He always says, “Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.”
Basically, if you are making the hard choices right now in what to eat, you’re not eating all the junk food you want, and making the hard choice to work out. So, your life long-term will be easy. You won’t be sick. You won’t be unhealthy. The same is true of values. The same is true of saving up for a rainy day. The same is true of how you approach your relationships. If you make the easy choices right now, your overall life will be a lot harder. [4]
选择关爱自己
我人生中的第一优先事项，超越我的幸福，超越我的家庭，超越我的工作，是我自己的健康。首先是我的身体健康，其次是我的心理健康，再其次是我的精神健康。然后才是我家人的健康，接着是家人的福祉。只有在这些都得到保障之后，我才能着手处理与外界相关的一切事物。 [4]
健康问题最能让我们看清生活的对比度。
现代世界中有哪些方面使我们偏离了人类应有的生活方式？
有很多很多方面。
在生理方面有不少问题。我们的饮食并不是我们进化过程中适应的。合理的饮食可能更接近于古饮食，主要是吃蔬菜，辅以少量的肉类和浆果。
在运动方面，我们也许更适合玩乐，而不是跑步机上的重复运动。我们也许进化为使用五种感官同等重要，而不是只偏重视觉。在现代社会，几乎所有的输入和沟通都是视觉的。我们不应该穿鞋走路，许多背部和足部问题就源于鞋子。我们也不该总是穿衣服来保暖，适当的寒冷暴露可以启动免疫系统。
我们也没有进化为生活在完全无菌和干净的环境中，这会导致过敏和免疫系统的不成熟，这被称为卫生假说。我们更适合生活在小得多的部落中，并且身边有更多家人。我部分成长于印度，在印度，每个人都插手你的生活，总有堂兄弟姐妹、姑姑舅舅参与其中，这让人很难感到沮丧，因为你永远不孤单。（我不是指化学性抑郁的人，我更多是指那些青少年似乎经历的存在性焦虑和无力感。）但另一方面，你没有隐私，所以无法完全自由。这些都有利弊。
我们不应该每五分钟检查一次手机。不断的情绪波动，从收到一个“赞”到看到一个愤怒的评论，让我们变得焦虑。我们为稀缺而进化，但生活在丰裕中。我们总是与内心的欲望作斗争，而基因却总想说“是”。对糖分说是，对这段关系说是，对酒精、毒品说是，是、是、是。我们的身体不知道如何说“不”。 [8]
当每个人都生病时，我们不再认为这是一种病。
饮食
除了数学、物理和化学，几乎没有什么是“定论”的科学。我们仍在争论最优的饮食是什么。
你对生酮饮食有何看法？
这看起来真的很难坚持。大脑和身体有备用机制是合理的。例如，在冰河时期，人类在没有许多植物的情况下进化。同时，我们已经吃了数千年的植物……我不认为植物对我们有害，但更接近古饮食可能是正确的。
我认为糖和脂肪之间的相互作用非常有趣。脂肪是让你感到饱足的物质。富含脂肪的食物会让你有饱腹感。最简单的饱腹方式是生酮饮食，你会摄入大量的培根，直到感觉几乎反胃，再也不想看到脂肪。
糖会让你饥饿。糖向你的身体发出信号：“环境中有一种我们进化过程中未适应的不可思议的食物资源。”于是你会冲出去获取糖分。问题在于，糖的效应胜过脂肪的效应。如果你吃了一顿富含脂肪的餐，然后加了些糖，糖会引发饥饿，而脂肪会提供热量，你只会吃得更多。这也是为什么所有的甜点都是脂肪和碳水化合物的组合。在自然界中，很少能找到同时含有碳水和脂肪的食物。
在自然界中，我在椰子、芒果，也许香蕉中找到了脂肪和碳水化合物的结合，但基本上都是热带水果。糖和脂肪的结合确实非常致命，在饮食中必须谨慎对待。
我不是专家，问题在于饮食和营养就像政治：每个人都认为自己是专家。因为他们的身份与他们的饮食或他们认为应该吃的食物息息相关，每个人都有一套小宗教——这真的很难讨论。我只能说，一般而言，任何明智的饮食都应该避免糖和脂肪的结合。[2]
饮食中的脂肪带来饱足感，饮食中的糖分引发饥饿。糖的效应占据上风，因此要相应地控制食欲。
大多数健美和健康的人更注重吃什么，而不是吃多少。质量控制比数量控制更容易（并且能够导致数量控制）。[11]
具有讽刺意味的是，禁食（从低碳水/古饮食开始）比控制分量更容易。一旦身体检测到食物，它就会压倒大脑的信号。[11]
我对奇迹面包（Wonder Bread）感到好奇的是，它如何在常温下保持柔软数月。如果细菌都不愿意吃它，你应该吃吗？[11]
五千年过去了，我们仍在争论到底是肉类有毒还是植物有毒。远离极端主义者和近几百年才发明的任何食物。[11]
在医学和营养领域，先减少再增加。[11]
我的健身教练会给我发他餐食的照片，这让我意识到我们都是味觉成瘾者。[11]
世界上最简单的饮食：食物越加工，摄入量就应越少。
运动
训练越艰苦，生活越轻松。
你认为最积极影响你生活的习惯是什么？
每天早晨的锻炼。这是一个彻底的改变者。它让我感到更健康、更年轻，也让我不再熬夜。这个习惯源于一个简单的想法：每当你给别人提出所谓的“好习惯”时，他们总会有借口。通常最常见的借口就是“我没有时间”。“我没有时间”只是说“这不是我的优先事项”的另一种方式。你真正需要做的是明确它是不是你的优先事项。如果某件事是你的首要任务，那么你就一定会去做，这就是生活的规律。如果你有一堆模糊的十到十五个优先事项，最后你可能一个都做不好。
我所做的就是决定我的首要任务，超越我的幸福、家庭和工作的是我的健康。从我的身体健康开始。[4] 因为身体健康成为了我的头等大事，所以我再也不能说“我没有时间”。早晨我会锻炼，无论需要多久，就练多久。在我锻炼完之前，我一天都不会开始。不管外界发生了什么，哪怕世界崩溃、天塌地陷，也要等我锻炼完再说。
几乎是每天都会锻炼。偶尔会有一些天不得不休息，因为旅行、受伤或生病。一年里我能数得过来休息的天数。[4]
一个月的持续瑜伽让我感觉年轻了十岁。保持灵活就是保持年轻。
你如何养成习惯并不重要。每天做点什么，不管是什么。那些纠结于做力量训练、网球、普拉提、高强度间歇训练、“快乐身体”或其他什么运动的人们，他们没有抓住重点。关键是每天做点什么，做什么并不重要。最适合你的锻炼方式是你愿意每天都去做的那一种。[4]
走路会议：
• 头脑更清晰
• 运动和阳光
• 更短、更少寒暄
• 更多对话、更少独白
• 无需幻灯片
• 回程即可自然结束
生活中的一切都是如此，如果你愿意做出短期牺牲，你就能获得长期的好处。我的私人教练（Jerzy Gregorek）是一个非常聪明、智慧的人。他总是说：“轻松的选择，艰难的人生。艰难的选择，轻松的人生。”
基本上，如果你现在在饮食方面做出艰难的选择，不吃所有你想吃的垃圾食品，做出艰难的选择去锻炼，那么你的长期生活会更加轻松。你不会生病，你不会不健康。这在价值观上同样适用，也适用于为雨天存钱的方法，以及你处理关系的方式。如果你现在做出了轻松的选择，你的整体生活将会更艰难。[4]