Tips on How to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

I have wanted to write this post since the first of the year. Were all working hard on our goals, trying to burn off a little holiday pounds and avoiding the cold and flu bug.

Were all trying to live a healthy lifestyle. We want to be vibrant and immune from disease.

But lets face it — many of us are busy. We often work a little too much in an office space with a not so great lunch and then we bolt across town through traffic showing up a little late for a quick workout.

Its time to slow down just a tad and take in these few tips (and avoid injury and the flu).

#TIP 1
Nutrition
Pack a good healthy lunch. Load up on lean meats like tuna and chicken breast. Throw in some raw carrots or broccoli. Add in a small bag of cashews or walnuts and pecans. The nuts are great as these have great essential oils to help you recover. You can pick up a 2 lb bag of trail mix at the local grocery store for about $8 – the price of a fast food meal. It will give you 50 or more handfuls of good snacks to replenish your mind and body.

#TIP 2
Avoid bad stress
Try to stay out of heavy traffic. Put your cell phone on airplane mode. Take your time driving through traffic to get to the gym. This will lower your stress. Listen to a good audio to improve your mind and learn.

#TIP 3
Warmup
Get in a good mobility warmup before you start your workout.

Here is a link to a mobility workout for SEALgrinderPT <—–

Shoulder mobility workout

#TIP 4
Listen to your body
Workout hard – but don’t overdo it. Learn when to drop or weight or stop when needed. Yes; its great to push and have intensity – but don’t injure yourself. If your injured – your on the bench and that is no good for anyone. Push Yourself – but listen to your body.

#TIP 5
Recovery workout
After a hard workout you will want to cool down. Instead of jumping in your car and driving home. Take a few extra minutes to cool down with a short mobility workout. Use a band to stretch your shoulders and hips. Walk it out in the parking lot and let your breathing come back to normal. Sit on the floor and touch your toes. Do the yoga downward dog position (hands on floor butt up/ butt down).

#TIP 6
Multi-Vitamin
Many of us dont get enough nutrients in the food that we eat. If you eat any fast food at all you are definitely not getting the extra nutrients you need. I personally take a multivitamin or a green supplement to help me rebuild my body.

TIP #7
Sleep
Get a good 8 hours of sleep a night. Many of us don’t sleep enough and we wake up tired and slog through the day. Take your recovery days seriously and get a good night of sleep to let your muscles restore. Log your sleep patterns in your training log book. If your getting 6.5 hours – that not be enough.

Check out this SGPT article on rest, recovery and sleep for athletes.

TIP #8
Get Outside. Soak up some sunshine. Do a trail run. Sign up with your buddies for a Spartan Race or Tough Mudder. Enjoy all that is around you in the wild and wooly world.

Check out this SGPT article on ruck hiking.

#TIP 9
Supplements
Only take supplements after you have done all of the above. I only take a few supplements – the minimum amount.
* A hydrolized whey protein
* A fish oil for recovery
* a green drink supplement for absorption of nutrients
Just put it in a water bottle and mix it up. It goes down easy and doesnt clump up.

Question: I am always tired in the afternoon and can not find the energy to go and workout. How can I fix this?

Answer: There are several quick “hacks” you can do to get more energy in the afternoon. The first is to make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of good sleep a night.

The second is to avoid excess carbs (cookies, brownies, muffins) and sugars that give you a quick boost of energy that don’t last long. Instead eat a boiled egg, some carrots or a handful of mixed nuts (walnuts, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, etc.). These fuels have a longer sustained burn so you don’t have the crashes and cravings you get with sugar and carbs.

Every morning when I wake up I drink 2 cups of coffee with coconut oil or I may add a little bit of MCT oil. The coconut oil gives your body a few calories in the morning but also has a longer slower burn of fuel so it will sustain you longer in the day than processed carbs and sugars.

Try a brain supplement. There has been a recent surge in nootropics (supplements to help the brain). One of the ones that we have recently taken is Alpha Brain by Onnit.

Email me and let me know what “YOU” do to avoid injuries and the flu. Email me now here – (seriously) — I answer all emails and really enjoy hearing from athletes around the globe.

Earlier today I got an email from an athlete in Brazil — wow – that fires me up – as this young athlete was working hard on his English and was psyched to be working out.

I am here working online at home now — getting ready for a Big day tomorrow

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brad McLeod is married with two kids and an all around average family guy. His SGPT motivational audios have been downloaded in 30 countries around the world.

He grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and despite training all the wrong ways – made it to Navy SEAL training in Coronado, California.

He flunked out of Navy SEAL BUD/S training after making it over half way through (6 months of grueling training). After a year in the Fleet Navy on the USS Cleveland (LPD-7) he came back to graduate BUDS and serve on SEAL Team Four.

His story is simple–Don’t Ever Quit on your Dream! Put one foot in front of the other and fall forward.

Proceeds from this website go to help raise funds for the Navy SEAL Foundation.