Individual Rules

Many of us in todays fitness and nutrition community are bombarded with what works, what doesn’t, how many, for how long, when to eat, what time, etc., etc. Not only is it exhausting to hear all the different rules that apply to us, but they can all be very misleading. For this blog, I have listed my own personal list of top 10 rules that I stick to for my own path to optimal wellness. Remember this journey is about YOUR body, not anyone else’s so stick with that theme for your own rules to live by.

1. How much exercise per week- This can vary for a lot of us, but my current rule allows myself 7 hours of exercise per week. For some this sounds exhausting, but for others it might be a rest and recovery week. Why I chose 7? Well currently I am on a plan where I lift weights for 30 minutes and then either run or swim for 30 minutes. Before that I would sometimes only workout for 30 minutes in a day, while I might have a day that gets up to 1.5 hours, but never more than 7 hours in a week.
2. Veggies every meal- Out of all my rules in this blog, this is the most “nonnegotiable.” Why is this? Well I am a firm believer in getting as many veggies in your daily diet as possible. I eat 3x a day and every meal includes a veggie. There are days, where its not feasible, but if thats the case then I will simply eat 2x veggies at the next meal for a total of 3x for the day.
3. Sleep- This one is REALLY close to nonnegotiable, but I allow for flexibility. From years of living ( I am an old 45 now:) I have found out my body needs 8 hours of shut eye every night. Often I find I need more like 9 if I have a super busy day, but 8 works great most of the time. My wife needs less (she naps), so she often will give me a hard time with being so obsessive with the amount of sleep I need. On days where I get less than 8, I typically will play catch up on a night or two and will average 56 for an entire week all said and done.
4. Limitations- This is the one item on my list that gets harder to face as we get older (especially for those of us just starting to slow down!) My own personal limitations come from several bone breaks on the left side of my body (skiing, cycling, soccer), and I constantly have to be aware of what I can and can’t do.  A few examples are- squats (smith machine only for my neck), abs (some exercises hurt my low back from having a long torso and rounded shoulders), leg press ( my flexibility can cause an issue with the eccentric phase), and bicep curls (my left arm isn’t 100% straight.)
5. Sunshine- Getting the proper amount of sunlight is vital to optimal health. Not only does sunlight increase Vitamin D levels, but will also increase serotonin, lower blood pressure, and help with sleep. My own goal is one hour of sunlight everyday, which I get 1/4 of that from exercising. I am also prone to lower Vitamin D levels (olive skin, athlete), so when I don’t get my one hour, I will supplement (skin color is a good indicator for levels.) Like everything else, find what your needs are and get outside as often as you can!
6. Rest days- This can vary quite a bit depending on your own needs. Some people might define rest days as not working out, but for me rest is COMPLETE down time. I like to have one day a week with no commitments and I can relax most of the day. Relaxing for me means reading, or lounging with my wife, but whatever your rest day is defined as make sure you follow this advice. Most of live a busy life and have way too much stimulation going on, so to keep stress levels I recommend at a bare minimum of one rest day a week.
7. Workout time- One of the biggest obstacles most people have with maintaining a fitness plan is when to workout. In my 20 years of helping people with their fitness plans, I have always been a fan of morning exercise sessions. Most of us would benefit from the advantages of a morning workout. Not only will exercise give you a nice boost of energy for the day, but it will also help stimulate your metabolism for the day ahead. The biggest advantage being that quite often what we have planned for the day gets sidetracked and if you workout first thing, then you are guaranteed to get that session is. Making exercise is a priority and should be equally important as everything else.
8. Cheat meals- When most of us hear the phrase cheat meal we usually think a reward meal or maybe even earned meal. A cheat meal is simply that one meal a week where you can have anything you want to eat. For myself that usually means donuts, for others it could mean more alcohol than normal. Whatever your cheat meal is, just make sure you keep it minimal and don’t use this as an excuse to set records for how much in one setting 🙂
9. IF- Simply stands for intermittent fasting and it is something I have done for over 15 years now. My own eating window is usually 8 hours long. My first meal is around 12 PM, second around 4, and dinner around 8. I don’t “force” these times, but my body has gotten accustomed to this eating plan. IF has numerous health benefits like increasing insulin sensitivity, decreasing body fat, improve heart health, improve brain function, as well as making your meal prep more efficient. Finding the right eating window is tricky and can take some adjusting based on your work schedule, family dinners, and time of day you exercise.
10. Urine color- We have all read we need “X” number of ounces of fluids in a day. I have always wondered where they got this number from considering none of us weigh the same, have different sweat rates, take different supplements/meds, and have vastly different activity levels. One of the best indicators to show how hydrated you are is the color of your urine. Some of you are laughing reading this, but in my experience it can work quite nicely. I like to use 3 different color indicators-  a. clear- this means you are hydrated for the next several hours and will only need access to fluids if you are about to do an extreme amount of exercise/sweating   b. pale yellow- this color seems to be the most optimal for us, and means you are in a perfect balance of fluids   c. dark brown- this can mean you need water ASAP and can feel the effects of being dehydrated (fatigue, headache, dizziness.)