Nature Is Medicine

Nature is medicine

We live in a fast-paced world, surrounded by technology and endless responsibilities. With so much to do, it’s easy to overlook the importance of connecting with nature.

Many of us intuitively recognize that spending time in nature can be restorative. But, did you know that it can also have a positive impact on our physical and mental health?

The benefits of spending time in nature are undeniable and well-documented and many experts now consider time in the outdoors to be a form of medicine for the mind and body.

As we’re squarely in the middle of winter here in NJ, we wanted to provide some food for thought (and motivation!) to get outside.

What we can learn from the Nordics:

For those living in regions that experience cold winters and shorter/darker days, it’s convenient to not spend time outdoors during the winter months.

However, we can learn quite a lot from the Nordics. Those in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland experience notoriously long and harsh winters yet find time to embrace the outdoors year-round.

Some of the things we can learn from them include:

  1. Dress appropriately: People in cold Nordic countries have learned to dress in layers and wear warm clothing to stay comfortable in harsh weather conditions.
  2. Stay active: People in these countries are known to be active, and they often engage in outdoor activities such as skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking, which can provide numerous physical and mental health benefits.
  3. Incorporate friends + community: Spending time outdoors is often a social activity in Nordic countries, and people there have developed a strong sense of community through their shared love of nature.
  4. Soak in natural light: During the winter months, there is limited daylight in many Nordic countries, and people there have learned the importance of getting outside and exposing themselves to natural light to boost their mood and counteract the effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

While many still believe that we “catch a cold” from time spent in the cold outdoors, consider that exposure to cold temperatures can actually increase the production of white blood cells and other immune system components to fight off infection and disease.

Translation: Spending time in the cold may actually improve our immune system and help to build resilience.

What we can learn from the Japanese:

In recent years the Japanese practice of “shinrin-yoku,” or forest bathing, has gained traction globally.

Forest bathing? Yes. Forest bathing.

Forest bathing involves spending time in forests and other natural environments to improve physical and mental health. The concept is based on the idea that spending time in nature can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being by stimulating the senses and promoting a deep connection with the natural world.

In 2016, after seeing a growing body of research supporting the benefits of forest bathing, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries even launched a national forest therapy program, with the goal of promoting the health benefits of spending time in forests.

Some forest bathing best practices:

  1. Disconnect from technology: Turn off your phone and other devices to fully immerse yourself in the natural environment.
  2. Slow down and focus on your senses: Use your senses to engage with the environment, such as by paying attention to the sounds, smells, and textures of the forest.
  3. Walk slowly and mindfully: Take a slow, leisurely walk, paying attention to your body and breathing.
  4. Do it regularly: Regularly spending time in nature (ideally 5hrs/wk) can help to sustain the benefits over time.

Grounding:

Perhaps not a great winter activity, grounding (also known as earthing) is a practice that involves direct physical contact with the earth, such as walking barefoot on grass, sand, or soil.

Now, before you check to see if our tin foil hats are strapped on too tight, hear us out.

The idea behind grounding is that it helps to reduce inflammation and improve overall health by promoting the transfer of electrons from the earth to the body.

The earth is a source of free electrons, which are negatively charged particles that can help to neutralize positively charged particles in the body that contribute to inflammation and other health problems.

When we walk barefoot on the ground, the soles of our feet come into direct contact with the earth, allowing us to absorb these free electrons into our bodies.

While current research is still preliminary, many people report feeling improved physical and mental well-being after spending time grounded, and there is a growing body of scientific evidence to support the potential health benefits of this practice.

Noted benefits include reducing inflammation, stress, and anxiety. It’s also believed that grounding can have an impact on the nervous system and the circadian rhythm, helping to regulate the production of hormones and improve sleep.

Some grounding best practices:

  1. Spend time barefoot outside: Spend time walking barefoot on grass, sand, or soil, or sit with bare feet on the ground, to allow for direct physical contact with the earth.
  2. Use grounding products: There are a variety of grounding products available, such as mats and sheets, that can help to promote the transfer of electrons from the earth to the body.
  3. Practice mindfulness: Combine grounding with mindfulness practices, such as meditation, to help focus your attention on the present moment and enhance the benefits of grounding.
  4. Incorporate it daily: Make grounding a regular part of your daily routine, such as by spending time barefoot outside each morning or evening.

What the studies say:

Numerous studies have shown that spending time in nature can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being.

A few of them:

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health:

Study found that exposure to forest environments resulted in lower levels of cortisol, lower blood pressure, improved mood, reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improvements in overall life satisfaction.

Environmental Science & Technology:

Study found that just five minutes of exposure to nature can lower stress levels and improve overall mood.

American Journal of Public Health:

Study found that people who live in areas with higher levels of green space have a lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Journal of Affective Disorders:

Study found that participation in nature-based therapy reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with major depressive disorder. Additionally, outdoor light therapy was an effective treatment for season affective disorder (SAD), and a review of existing research found that exposure to natural light, especially during the winter months, can have a positive impact on SAD symptoms.

PLOS ONE:

Study found that participants who took a two-hour forest bath showed a significant decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as improved sleep and overall well-being.

Journal of Inflammation Research:

Study found that grounding reduced inflammation markers in the body.

Additional Sources:

Final Thoughts:

We all want to feel our best, especially in the thick of winter.

Whether it’s bundling up like the Nordics, forest bathing like the Japanese, or grounding like your tin-foil-hat-wearing financial planners (ehmm… Dennis), your time outdoors will pay dividends for your health.

Make the investment (i.e. get outside!) and reap the returns for mind, body, and soul.

Health is Wealth: Virtual Event (client-only)

Health is Wealth

BIG NEWS!

In 2023, we are partnering with Stevyn Guinnip, a financially-focused health coach and founder of Grow Wellthy!

Over the course of 2023 we’ll be offering four virtual events that will help our clients look at their financial plans through the lens of health.

Event Details:

  • Topic: “Health Is Wealth”
  • Date: Wednesday, January 25th
  • Time:  4pm ET

Why Are We Doing This?

With lifespans getting longer and healthcare costs staying high, the impact of poor (as well as exceptionally good) health will have major implications for your household finances.

When working with you and your finances, we never want to miss the forest for the trees.

Good health – whether physical, mental, or emotional – is critical for creating the life of your dreams.

 Remember: Even the most bulletproof financial plans mean nothing if health is lost along the way.

 Statements that might resonate with your health journey: 

  • “I feel like I mortgaged my health to grow my career.”
  • “I wish I could get healthier, but I can’t fit it into my schedule.”
  • “I’ve tried different health kicks, but nothing seems to stick.”

If any of these sound familiar, we encourage you to join us for this virtual event.

Sign up & mark your calendar

Follow this LINK EXPIRED and enter the registration code “WHEALTH” when signing up.

We’ll see you there!

Optimizing Your Nervous System

This Wellness blog was first featured in our December 2022 monthly newsletter. Similar to that month’s financial contribution, this article is written 99.9% by AI. The first sentence started “At whealthfa.com, we believe…” and I amended to “At wHealth Advisors…”.

What I asked ChatGPT to do:

“Write whealthfa.com blog about the dangers of our nervous system being in sympathetic state too often, and the benefits of being in a parasympathetic state.”

Optimizing Your Nervous System

At wHealth Advisors, we believe that maintaining a balance between the body’s parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems is crucial for overall health and well-being. In this post, we’ll explore the dangers of the sympathetic nervous system being in a constant state of activation, and the benefits of supporting the parasympathetic system.

First, it’s important to understand the role of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems in the body. The parasympathetic system is responsible for promoting relaxation and rest, while the sympathetic system is responsible for the body’s fight-or-flight response. When the body is in a state of balance, these two systems work together to maintain overall health and well-being. However, when the sympathetic system becomes overactive, it can have negative effects on the body.

One of the dangers of the sympathetic nervous system being in a constant state of activation is that it can lead to feelings of chronic stress and anxiety. When the body is in a state of chronic stress, it can have negative effects on the immune system, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being. This can lead to a variety of health problems, including headaches, insomnia, and digestive issues.

Another danger of the sympathetic nervous system being in a constant state of activation is that it can lead to increased levels of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is released by the body in response to stress, and it has many important functions in the body. However, when cortisol levels are constantly elevated, it can have negative effects on the body, including weight gain, decreased immunity, and impaired cognitive function.

On the other hand, the benefits of supporting the parasympathetic nervous system are numerous. When the parasympathetic system is active, the body is able to relax and rest, which can promote overall health and well-being. The parasympathetic system can also help to regulate the body’s stress response, and can support the immune, digestive, and cardiovascular systems.

In conclusion, the sympathetic nervous system plays an important role in the body’s fight-or-flight response. However, when the sympathetic system is in a constant state of activation, it can have negative effects on the body. On the other hand, supporting the parasympathetic system can promote relaxation and rest, and can support overall health and well-being. By incorporating techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and regular exercise into our daily routine, we can support the parasympathetic system and maintain a healthy balance between the two nervous systems.

72-Hour Longevity Fast (Nov 2022)

Without wasting time – this is an invitation to join me in an upcoming 72hr longevity fast. If this isn’t your cup of tea – totally get it, feel free to ignore this and get on with life. For those interested… read on!

Many of you will be familiar with “intermittent fasting” – it’s quite popular these days.

For the past three years I (Dennis) have been practicing a form of IF known as time-restricted eating (TRE) – that is, only eating food between 1pm-7pm. I’ve been practicing this 4-5 days a week, typically Monday through Thursday.

Giving the body a 12-18hr rest from eating has been linked to improved metabolic health (particularly due to the caloric restriction).

Multi-day fasting, on the other hand, offers it’s own range of potential health and lifespan-promoting benefits. After learning of these wide ranging benefits, I performed my first 72hr fast at the start of 2022. Over the summer I followed up with another 60hr fast.

I’ve openly shared these experiences on Instagram (@thewhealthadvisor) and, since then, have received both questions and potential interest from friends, colleagues, clients, and beyond.

As such, I figured I’d formally invite any interested individuals to share in the experience of my upcoming fast. Doing a multi-day fast isn’t exactly the most pleasant experience, but the benefits seem (to me) to be worth the effort.

Let’s dig in.

Autophagy:

The main thing that got me interested in extended fasting – that is, fasting beyond 24hrs – was the process known as autophagy. Derived from Greek, autophagy means “to eat oneself.”

On October 3rd 2016, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Yoshinori Ohsumi for his discoveries of mechanisms for Autophagy.

Put simply, autophagy is the body’s mechanism of getting rid of all the broken down, old cell machinery (organelles, proteins and cell membranes) when there’s no longer enough energy to sustain it. It is a regulated, orderly process to degrade and recycle cellular components.

Autophagy Benefits:

Research suggests that some of the most important autophagy benefits include:

  • Providing cells with molecular building blocks and energy
  • Recycling damaged proteins, organelles and aggregates
  • Regulating functions of cells’ mitochondria, which help produce energy but can be damaged by oxidative stress
  • Clearing damaged endoplasmic reticulum and peroxisomes
  • Protecting the nervous system and encouraging growth of brain and nerve cells. Autophagy seems to improve cognitive function, brain structure and neuroplasticity.
  • Supporting growth of heart cells and protecting against heart disease
  • Enhancing the immune system by eliminating intracellular pathogens
  • Defending against misfolded, toxic proteins that contribute to a number of amyloid diseases
  • Protecting stability of DNA
  • Preventing damage to healthy tissues and organs (known as necrosis)
  • Potentially fighting cancer, neurodegenerative disease and other illnesses

One of the most reliable ways to get your body to begin autophagy is through nutrient deprivation. For those new to fasting, doing a 24-36hr fast could be one way to explore a fasting practice and still reap many of the benefits of autophagy.

Researchers believe that autophagy is a survival mechanism that has anti-aging benefits.
It helps cleanse waste from the body, provides energy, and potentially fights cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and other chronic illnesses.
My original goal was to do a 48-72hr fast each quarter of the year. I missed my Q2 fast but am very much looking forward to this one.

Upcoming Fasting Schedule + Preparation:

Personally, my upcoming fast will begin after finishing lunch (around 12pm) on Wednesday (11/2) and will end with lunch on Saturday (11/5).
In advance of the fast, I am hosting a virtual group meet-up on Zoom on Monday (10/24) at 8pm ET.

We’ll discuss:

  • what to avoid 48hrs prior to fasting
  • how to enter the fast
  • what you can consume during your fast
  • staying hydrated + electrolyte supplements
  • easing the hunger pangs
  • how to break your fast (gently & slowly)

For those interested, I’ve also created a WhatsApp group where all those participating can ask questions, provide moral support, and commiserate with each other.

DISCLAIMERS:

  • THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. Please consult with a doctor or medical professional before participating.
  • Only a handful of studies measuring fasting and autophagy exist in humans. More research is needed to fully understand the benefits and implications of autophagy.

Interested in joining? Curious to learn more?

  • Watch the video (below)
  • Explore the resources (below the video)
  • Send me an email expressing your interest and plan to join us on the virtual meet-up on Monday (10/24) at 8pm!

You can’t enjoy wealth if you’re not in good health.

Additional Resources:

72-Hour Fast: Benefits And Dangers

How to renew your body: Fasting and autophagy

Fasting for Health and Longevity: Nobel Prize Winning Research on Cell Aging

What Actually Happens To Your Body During A Fast, Hour By Hour

A Comprehensive Guide To Fasting

Men’s Health: The Wisemen Retreat “FIRE” Experience

The Wisemen Project is a men’s group that melds proven, ancient techniques of movement, breath work and meditation with cutting edge scientific research.

The group was formed as a powerful antidote to the seemingly endless noise, stress, disease and disconnection in our modern world.

The primary pillars center around:

Fuel:

Our food and what we “feed” our brains.

Mind:

Cultivating resiliency and proper brain function.

Move: 

Movement to heal the mind, body and soul.

Rest:

Dialing in the proper amount, type, and frequency of rest to allow mind and body to recover and grow.

Social:

Community is interwoven within the fibers of our ancestral DNA, helps to reduce stress/anxiety, improve mental health, and increase our lifespan.

Wealth:

Perspective, action, discipline, and reflection to cultivate an abundance mindset.

Retreat Details:

What: 

This “Fire” retreat is carefully designed to eliminate that which may be weighing you down (extra unwanted weight, poor patterns, negativity, anxiety etc.) and ignite your true potential within.

Where: 

Woodridge, NY

When: 

October 13-16

Men – consider investing in yourself and spending a weekend with a community that empowers you from within, so you can show up for yourself, and for the ones you love.

If you decide to join, be sure to use the code “friend5” for a 5% discount at checkout.

DISCLAIMER: There is no financial incentive or underlying remuneration for wHealth Advisors in promoting this event.

Improving Longevity Through Relationships

Improving longevity through relationships is a crucial health pillar that receives far less attention than it deserves.  As we’ve discussed before when it comes to longevity, it’s well documented that only about 20% of how long the average person lives is dictated by genes, the other 80% is influenced by lifestyle and environment.

While longevity is inherently tied to a myriad of factors, Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and founder of the Blue Zones Project, has identified a few regions around the world – now recognized as “Blue Zones” – where people reach age 100 at 10 times greater rates than in the US.

One might assume that factors such as air quality/pollution, proportion of people who are obese, and the amount of daily physical activity might largely influence outcomes. However, it’s been found that these factors only have a small influence on overall lifespan.

It turns out that relationships are one of the most impactful predictors of longevity.

The Science of Relationships

A research project that followed data across 308,849 individuals for 7.5 years indicated that individuals with adequate social relationships have a 50% greater likelihood of survival compared to those with poor or insufficient social relationships. The magnitude of this effect is comparable with quitting smoking and it exceeds many well-known risk factors for mortality (e.g., obesity, physical inactivity).

When multidimensional assessments of social relationships were considered, the odds of mortality increased by 91% among the socially isolated.

Hormones are believed to play a significant role in the causal connection between relationships and lifespan.

For instance, face to face interactions promote the release of a multitude of neurotransmitters. When we interact with others, our dopamine and oxytocin levels increase and our cortisol (i.e. stress hormone) levels decrease.

Said another way, face-to-face interaction increases our confidence, happiness, and empathy and lowers our inflammation-inducing stress.

Dunbar’s Number

The Oxford evolutionary psychologist, Robin Dunbar, is best known for his namesake “Dunbar’s number.” At it’s core, Dunbar’s number is the number of meaningful and stable relationships you can have at any one time. That includes extended family as well as friends.

The proposed number is 150 although the range of variation is somewhere between 100 and 250.

When examining historical, anthropological, and contemporary psychological data about group sizes, Dunbar found remarkable consistency around the number 150.

This number aligns closely to early hunter-gatherer societies as well as many modern groupings: offices, communes, factories, military organizations, 11th Century English villages, even Christmas card lists.

When the number exceeds 150, a network is unlikely to last long or cohere well.

However, after spending decades studying the complexities of friendship, Dunbar discovered many more numbers that shape our close relationships.

Turns out, Dunbar’s number is less of an absolute numerical threshold than a series of concentric circles, each standing for different kinds of relationships.

A quick summary of these layers:

  • 1.5: Our most intimate, romantic relationship.
  • 5: Our “shoulders-to-cry-on” friendships. They are the ones who will drop everything to support us when our world falls apart.
  • 15: Includes the previous five, these are our core social partners – our best friends. They are our main social companions.
  • 50: Our big-weekend-barbecue people.
  • 150: Our weddings and funerals group who would come to a once-in-a-lifetime event.
  • 500: Our acquaintances
  • 1500: The people whose name you know
  • 5000: Number of known faces.

Relationships Are An Investment

The strength of a given relationship is directly correlated with how much time and effort is invested.

Ironically, despite living in the most “socially connected” time in human history, technology has diluted many of our relationships.

Instead of relying on apps/email/social media to stay in touch, use technology for good – leverage it as a conduit for scheduling a deeper, more meaningful check-in (ideally in-person).

In a country that spends more than $100 billion annually on diets, health club memberships, and nutritional supplements – investing the time/energy into the social fabric of our lives is free, low-hanging fruit with immense ROI.

Curating Healthy Relationships

Many relationships change with the seasons.

We evolve and we grow – so, too, our relationships.

As relationships come and go throughout our lifetimes, the loss of certain relationships shouldn’t be viewed negatively, but rather as healthy pruning. 

As Dunbar reminds us, we have a limited bandwidth for maintaining relationships: every fizzled relationship presents an opportunity to welcome a new one.

One of the commonalities of the world’s longest-lived people in the Blue Zones is that they often “curate” social circles that support healthy behaviors.

Healthy habits and behavior are, quite literally, contagious. Conversely, deleterious behaviors (i.e. obesity, smoking, excessive drinking, loneliness, unhappiness) are also contagious.

Jim Rohn was famously quoted as saying that “we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”

The best way to improve longevity through relationships is to begin by surrounding yourself with relationships that fill your cup.

Men’s Health:

Relationships are crucial for men and women in all stages of life.

However, men – especially as they age – are more likely to lack deep, meaningful friendships.

This lack of connection typically leads to one of the most frequent stressors in mens’ lives: loneliness.

CALL TO ACTION:

Men – consider joining me (Dennis) in Woodridge, NY between October 13-16 at the next retreat hosted by The Wisemen Project.

The weekend will combine ancient wisdom with modern science and include:

  • mobility and functional movement
  • yoga and qigong
  • meditative practices and breathwork
  • hiking
  • cold and heat immersion
  • organic chef prepared meals
  • human connection
  • and so much more

For those interested in learning more, feel free to reach out to me directly. If you decide to join, be sure to use the code “friend5” for a 5% discount at checkout.

Attention: Our True Source of Wealth

Attention

Time is often cited as one of the most (if not the most) valuable currencies.

In his recent feature on the Tim Ferriss Show, Sam Harris disputes this.

Sam posits that attention, not time, is our most valuable form of wealth.

Time’s shortcoming: distraction.

Consider how much of our attention is spent on:

  • thinking about the daily tasks that need to get done
  • deciding what to eat
  • buying things (or thinking about buying things)
  • our exercise routine
  • our sleep
  • our social interactions
  • our dependents
  • an “important” thing coming up next week/month
  • social media
  • entertainment (i.e. Netflix, podcasts etc.)

From one thing to the next, there is always something competing for our precious attention.

The problem arises, though, when we attempt to juggle multiple tasks that each individually require our full attention.

Ever try having a live, in-person conversation while typing on your phone (or computer) at the same time? Most (if not all) of us have. Besides the rude factor, juggling these two tasks – or really, any two tasks – happens to be impossible.

Studies show that our brains are incapable of multitasking. Anytime that you believe you are successfully multitasking, you are really just switching your attention from one task to another.

Besides being mentally taxing, multitasking incurs a “switch cost” each time we hop from one task to another. Consequently, it almost always takes longer to complete two tasks simultaneously compared to monotasking.

Research indicates that this “switching cost” may cost as much as 40% of our productive time.

Living An Examined Life

Each time we do something – pleasant or not – it’s worth recognizing that while we’re doing it, it may be our last time.

For instance:

  • there will be a last time that your baby wakes up in the middle of the night crying.
  • there will be a last time that your child asks you to read a bedtime story.
  • there will be a last time that you go to the beach.
  • there will be a last time that you get to enjoy dinner, or a phone call, with a certain loved one.

Embracing our finitude – as morbid as it may seem – can add beauty to all areas of life, even the inconveniences.

Additionally, embracing the fleetingness of life can also help us prioritize how to direct our attention.

Prioritizing Your Attention

We largely become the things we pay attention to.

By cultivating mindfulness and finding peace in the present we’re better able to prioritize what we direct our attention towards.

Are our thought patterns so ingrained that we’re stuck on autopilot as forever victims to distraction?

Or, is it possible for us to ignore the things not worthy of our attention and focus solely on the things that make us better versions of ourselves?

Rising above being passive “victims” of life’s distractions begins with prioritizing presence: being here, now.

Final Thoughts

During the podcast, Sam Harris references the “ghost of mediocrity” that can sometimes loom over the present.

If we’re mindful, we can feel it hanging over us when a conversation is not going well, or when a workout is lacking motivation, or when you’re feeling uninspired/unproductive.

With mindful, focused attention, we can:

  • recognize these moments as they happen
  • cast aside the immediate past
  • and make all that’s ahead from the present moment forward better.

Life is comprised of fleeting moments, finite opportunities, and distractions.

Guard your focus and connect more deeply with what matters most.

Lastly, if you haven’t already tried, visit our previous blog about Living Your Eulogy Virtues. This can be another good exercise for living a more intentional, examined life.

The Changing Longevity Landscape

die young late

Living beyond age 100 may become commonplace.

Now, before I go down this rabbit hole, a disclaimer: Extending lifespan beyond known biological bounds is still sci-fi stuff.

However, also consider modern innovations that were also once considered sci-fi:

  • Airflight (planes/jets/helicopters/jetpacks)
  • Space travel
  • Landing on the moon
  • The International Space Station
  • Driverless cars
  • Mobile phones
  • The internet
  • Lab-grown meat
  • Machine learning
  • Video calls
  • 3D printing
  • Smart homes
  • Underwater exploration
  • Online metaverse
  • Wearable tech
  • DNA sequencing

So with an open mind, let’s dive in.

Aging = A Disease

Research focused on the root causes of human mortality is increasingly pointing towards one common denominator: aging.

Aging? As the cause of mortality? Yes, bear with me.

At it’s most basic level, aging is nothing more than an accumulation of damage: breakages in the machinery of your cells combined with build ups of metabolic waste which lead to the failure of biological systems. With the exception of acute accidents, the most common causes of death (heart disease, cancer, neurological disease/degeneration) all increase as we age.

On June 18, 2018, the World Health Organization even added a new disease code which every country in the world is encouraged to use. The code was MG2A: old age.

Aging From 30,000 Feet:
  • Lifestyle and genetics influence cellular health.
  • Cellular health determines our rate of aging.
  • The process of aging leads to biological misfires, cellular breakdown, and disease/death.

Two Theories of Aging:

While slowing down the process of aging could help in forestalling disease, it’s still unclear to what degree aging can be slowed, paused, or reversed.

As it stands now, there are two basic theories surrounding aging/lifespan:

  1. Biological Limit on Life: According to this theory, humans (along with all other species) have a natural limit to their lifespans that cannot be exceeded. Using mathematical modeling, researchers from the journal Nature Communications predict that after 120 to 150 years of age the human body loses its ability to recover from illness and injury.
  2. Longevity Escape Velocity: Also known as age escape velocity and actuarial escape velocity, this is the situation in which technology extends a person’s life expectancy at a faster rate than they are aging. In other words, the potential for immortality. Some gerontologists believe that the odds of LEV are as high as 50% and that we could learn the answer within the next 15 years.

Regardless of which theory ultimately ends up proving correct, it is quite likely that lifespans will continue to be extended (perhaps dramatically) beyond the averages of today. According to the CDC, the average life expectancy for a female in the US is 80.5, for males it is 75.1.

Odds of living to 100 (with vitality)

Simply making it to the triple digit milestone is currently out of reach for many. Per data from the Social Security Administration, for a married couple where both spouses are 65 years old, there is a 8.7% chance that at least one member of the couple will live to 100.

Now, while the US does have the highest number of centenarians globally (approx. 97,000 people, or 0.03% of the US population), they are a rare bunch.

Getting to 115 is currently a 1-in-100-million proposition. And reaching 130 is a mathematical improbability of the highest order. At least it is right now.

However, for those able to invest in their health and maintain physical and cognitive function over these next 10-15 years, the future is looking bright.

According to Dr. David Sinclair, author of Lifespan and co-director for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, “if even a few of the therapies and treatments that are most promising come to fruition, it is not an unreasonable expectation for anyone who is alive and healthy today to reach 100 in good health—active and engaged at levels we’d expect of healthy 50-year-olds today.”

The Science

You may have heard the following:

Genetics load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Studies of family genealogies and identical twins place the genetic influences on longevity at between 10% and 25% which, by any estimation, is surprisingly low. Conversely, your lifestyle accounts for 75%-90%.

In other words: Our DNA is not our destiny, lifestyle plays an outsized role.

With recent advancements in both technology and medicine, our longevity rates may be increasing faster than many realize.

Perhaps the greatest leap forward occurred in 2012 when Shinya Yamanaka discovered what he referred to as the “elixir of life.”

And no, the “elixir” was not a trendy food or supplement. It was the discovery of a process called “reprogramming” – that is, in a crude oversimplified sense: using genome-editing CRIPR technology to revert mature cells into younger cells.

This discovery would earn Yamanaka the Nobel Prize of Medicine.

Following Yamanaka’s discovery, we’ve entered a period of exponential medicine: genome sequencing, RNA transcriptomics, Wnt pathway modifiers, vaccines, liquid biopsies, CAR-T cells, gene therapy, exosomes, and stem cells are just a sampling of the technologies (many of which the world’s billionaires are fast-tracking).

The ability to reprogram cells along with these other interventions could prove revolutionary in delaying biological decline.

For instance, when it comes to cancer, the body is always producing cancer it’s just that our immune system zaps the cancer 99% of the time. Early stage cancers, those in stage 1 and stage 2, are highly curable. It’s when a cancer metastasizes beyond those initial stages that the fight typically becomes more difficult.

In the case of cancer, as opposed to being reactive to the symptoms before it’s too late, there is now proactive screening for 60+ different cancers to catch them in the earlier, more treatable stages.

Proactive care, as opposed to reactive treatment, is the future of healthcare.

Lifespan vs. Healthspan

In a previous blog on the Centenarian Olympics, we discussed the idea of “backcasting” – or reverse engineering – the tasks that you would need to be able to complete at age 100 to maintain independence and how you could begin training for them today. The reason for this is that, for many of us, the goal is not to simply increase the quantity of years lived. Instead, it’s to increase the quality of our years by decreasing the number of years nursing disease.

Between 1950 and 2020 the world population swelled from 2.9B people to 7.8B people. During that same window of time, average (global) life expectancy rose 26 years, from 47 to 73 years of age. While life expectancy has risen, maintaining health, function, and overall quality of life has lagged.

Unlike the average lifespan, which is now 79.3 years in the US, the average healthspan (i.e. period of one’s life that one is healthy) is only 63.1 years old. In other words, roughly 1/5 of an individual’s life is now spent managing end of life morbidity.

With new medical advancements and lifestyle improvements it’s looking more and more likely that there are solutions to close the gap between the quantity of your years (lifespan) and the quality of them (healthspan).

Financial Planning & Playing the Long Game

At wHealth Advisors, we view the traditional definition of “wealth” – your investments, salary, net worth etc. – as a bit limiting and one dimensional. Like the term “success”, true “wealth”… ehmm wHealth… is more nuanced, nebulous, and unique to each of us. What is optimal for me may not be optimal for you.

Therefore, the wHealthy person is the one with a uniquely optimized balance of financial independence, health (mental/physical/emotional/spiritual), rest, and social connection. They are also likely to have sufficient degree of autonomy and purpose in their professional and/or personal life.

All the returns in life – whether in finances, health, knowledge, or relationships – are the product of good decisions being compounded over long periods. Therefore, improving our overall wHealth is not typically something we can change dramatically overnight, it’s incremental.

Final Thoughts

As financial planners, we feel immense responsibility – and gratitude – in applying our technical expertise to empower our clients to be the people, and live the lives, they’ve always dreamed of.

The maxim of “health is wealth” is all too cliché and oftentimes not met with action. Like with finances as is the case with health – the best time to have started investing in it was 10 years ago… the second best time is today.

So, assuming that you could live with vitality to (or beyond!) age 100 – how might that change the way you make decisions today?

Would you make any changes to your current lifestyle?

Would you invest more into (or divest from) certain relationships?

Would you dedicate more attention to any areas of your overall health (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual etc.)?

Would you make different career decisions/transitions?

Would you invest more time, energy, and intention into closing the gap between who you are today and the best version of yourself?

Let us know so we can begin planning for that future today!

Conscious Breathing: Our Hardwired Superpower

Depression, anxiety, and sleep dysfunction rates among both children and adults have reached epidemic levels and are getting increasingly worse. To our own detriment, many of us go through life not aware of the benefits of conscious breathing.

Out of all the daily self-care modalities available, conscious breathing is arguably the lowest hanging fruit. It does not require much time, it is accessible to individuals of all abilities, and it is free.

Benefits:

One of the greatest benefits of conscious breathing – an umbrella term encapsulating different types of breathwork – is its ability to reprogram our nervous system and combat low-grade, chronic stress.

Physiologically, as opposed to the sympathetic “fight or flight” system, conscious breathing turns on the parasympathetic system – also referred to as the “rest and digest” system – which is essential for overall health and longevity.

Breathwork is essentially our inner pharmacy to calm the mind, relax the body, and even provide us with a boost of energy/clarity. It’s no wonder that the Department of Defense and Navy Seals ascribe to different forms of conscious breathing.

Personally, breathwork can be helpful before, during, or after a difficult, or stressful event. It can help keep us calm in traffic or down-regulate our thoughts/emotions before bed. Professionally, it can calm our nerves before a meeting or speaking engagement.

Interoceptive Awareness

Just as we’re attune to our body’s need to eat or to go to the bathroom, so too should we be mindful of our body telling us we need to breathe. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl wrote:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

By getting more in touch with what’s going on within us we can better control how we respond to the world around us.

Explore for yourself and consider teaching your children about the benefits of conscious breathing before their sporting events, exams, and during any moments of anxiousness.

Resources

In our blog post on cold therapy, we shared the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Linked below are some additional videos that we’ve found helpful:

5 Ways To Improve Your Breathing with James Nestor (12 minutes)

Breathing Techniques (4 minutes)

Nervous System Reset – Guided Breathwork (22 minutes)

 

The Centenarian Olympics

Training for the Centenarian Olympics

Training for a long, healthful, and functional life is not the same as training for performance. Eminent longevity doctor, Dr. Peter Attia, notes that, for most people, the body will fail before the other systems (brain, heart, etc.).

To identify the training protocols that would allow one to compete in what he refers to as “The Centenarian Olympics,” Dr. Attia suggests we should “backcast” (i.e. the opposite of forecast), or reverse engineer, the activities that we would need to do at age 100 and begin training for them today.

Some things your 100-year-old self may need to do:

  • Play with your potential future grandkids and great grandkids
  • Lift a 30lb suitcase into an overhead bin
  • Get up from the ground
  • Go grocery shopping and carry two 10lb grocery bags up/down two flights of stairs
  • Bathe, shower, and dress yourself independently

Dr. Attia has said: “If you have the aspiration of kicking ass when you’re 85, you can’t afford to be average when you’re 50.”

When backcasting these activities, the training protocols are based around a few essential pillars:

  • Stability
  • Strength
  • Aerobic Performance
  • Anaerobic Output

Let’s talk about each of these:

Stability: 

The foundation of the four exercise components – most people start to fail first with their stability. Dr. Attia recommends working with a qualified Postural Restoration Institute professional. You can also practice stability focused routines/exercises which include Pilates, yoga, and tai chi, to name a few. For those striving to be functional 100-year-olds, light stretching should be part of the daily routine and longer 60-minutes stability-focused sessions can be completed weekly.

Strength: 

Aging robs us of our strength – we lose 35-40% of our strength between age 20 and 80. Approximately 1-2% of our strength is lost each year after age 50. In fact, grip strength alone is shown to be a reliable biomarker for future injury (and death) prevention. To maintain strength, longevity experts suggest strength training three days per week. Some longevity-focused strength training exercises are linked here.

Aerobic Performance: 

Aerobic exercise consists of less intense, longer bouts of activity. Dr. Attia is a big proponent of Zone 2 heart rate training for aerobic performance – that is, the highest metabolic output/work that you can sustain while keeping your heartrate 60-70% of your max + lactate level below two millimole per liter.

In other words, for many of us, this might translate to walking uphill on a treadmill at a 15% incline going 3-3.4mph. Another option is riding a stationary bicycle at a pace that allows you to carry a conversation, but the conversation feels a bit strained (the person you’re speaking with would know you’re exercising). Zone 2 aerobic training should, ideally, account for 2-4hrs of your overall activity per week.

Anaerobic Output: 

Anaerobic activities are much more efficient and therefore do not require as much time as aerobic. This type of activity is more intense and focused on your Zone 5 heart rate (i.e. 90-100% of maximum HR). Anaerobic-focused workouts include HIIT, Tabata, and different boot-camp type workouts. However, they can be even shorter (30-60sec) “all-out” bursts of exertion performed by running/rowing/cycling or anything that gets your HR to Zone 5.

Less discussed, but arguably just as important as your physical training for the long haul, is the quality of your sleep. Take a look at our past blog for ways to improve your sleep and increase your quality of life.

Sleep Hacking: Proven Tips For Better Sleep

By “hacking” your sleep – that is, following proven tips to optimize both the quality and duration of your sleep – you can set yourself up for a successful, productive day.

Impacts of Insufficient Sleep

If having a successful day is not the motivator you need, consider that consistent inadequate sleep is strongly associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. Other potential problems include obesity, depression, impairment in immunity and lower sex drive.

For those in their 50s and 60s, the NIH recently concluded a study which indicated that getting six or less hours of sleep per night was linked to developing dementia.

So, whether you’re interested in optimizing your day, or you just care about your health…

Consider the following sleep hacking tips for getting a good night’s rest:

  1. Increase bright light exposure during the day. Living in alignment to the circadian cycle helps your body’s hormones. Daytime bright light exposure can improve sleep quality and duration. Spending 30-45 minutes getting direct sunlight exposure into your eyes (note: exposure, not staring at the sun!) within the first hour after waking is best. If getting daily sunlight exposure is not practical, consider investing in artificial light boxes for your workspace.
  2. Reduce blue light exposure in the evening. Translation: Have a “digital sunset” and do your best to not look at blue light emitting devices like smartphones and computers. Reason: Blue light tricks your body’s hormones into thinking it’s daytime and reduces melatonin levels. If staying away from blue light feels unrealistic, consider blue light blocking glasses (or blue light lens that clip onto your prescription glasses) and/or downloading free apps such as f.lux to block blue light on your laptop/computer.
  3. Drink your coffee, strategically. The best time to drink coffee is mid- to late-morning when cortisol levels are lower. Upon waking, your cortisol spikes (telling body: time to start the day!) but it dips back down after 2-4hrs of being awake (i.e. between 9:30-11:30am for most people). Aim to drink your coffee during this trough and to be finished at least 6hrs before bed (caffeine can stay elevated in blood for 6-8hrs).
  4. Avoid alcohol at night. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that can induce relaxation and sleepiness. While it may help you fall asleep it severely impacts the quality of your sleep due to it’s affects on your melatonin and human growth hormone production. In one 2018 study, low alcohol consumption (< 1 drink for women, < 2 drinks for men) decreased sleep quality by 9.3%. Moderate consumption (1 drink for women, 2 drinks for men) decreased sleep quality by 24%. High alcohol consumption (>1 drink for women, >2 drinks for men) decreased sleep quality by 39.2%.
  5. Optimize your bedroom environment. Minimize external noise, light, and artificial light from devices like alarm clocks. Sleep in a comfortble temperature, for many people this is around 70°F or lower as increased body/room temperature can increase wakefulness.
  6. Don’t eat late in the evening. Consuming food late at night may affect sleep quality and the natural release of HGH and melatonin. Aim to finish eating (including snacks) at least 2hrs before bed.
  7. Relax, clear your mind. Whether it’s reading a book, taking a bath, or doing guided breathwork/meditation/visualization exercises, the goal is to calm the body and prepare for sleep. Apps such as Headspace, Calm, and even Peloton have sleep-specific meditations (but wear your blue light blockers if using your phone/tablet/computer!).
  8. Rule out a sleep disorder. It’s thought that 24% of men, 9% of women, and 3% of children may have sleep apnea. Signs include snoring, mouth breathing, breathing pauses during sleep, and daytime sleepiness. If you think you may have sleep apnea, discuss this with your doctor, functional dentist, or a sleep specialist that can recommend a sleep study or polysomnogram to diagnose it.
  9. Mouth tape. Say what? This may sound bizarre but many of us breathe through our mouths when we sleep, and the health benefits of nose breathing are undeniable. Mouth taping increases nitric oxide intake (which is produced in the sinuses), reduces teeth grinding, and reduces dry mouth (which is harmful to your oral microbiome & dental health). There are specific types of tape for mouth taping however you can also use medical grade (sensitive) tape which is more affordable.

By making some of these small, yet intentional sleep hacking decisions over the course of our day we can optimize our sleep and improve our lives.

Reminder: Gents – the inaugural Wisemen Experience men’s health retreat still has room available. Consider joining if interested in applying ancient/science-based wellness modalities to improve your life as a partner, parent, professional… and beyond.

Finances for Fathers: Episode 64 of the Dad.Work Podcast

Dennis McNamara had the opportunity to connect with Curt Storring, the host of the Dad.Work podcast, in a wide ranging conversation focused on finances for fathers.

Some highlights from the finances for fathers discussion:

  • The fundamentals of fiscal fitness and why fathers need to figure this stuff out
  • Finding a balance between time, money and health
  • The return on investment (ROI) of doing men’s work
  • Dennis’ quarantine struggles and doubling down on health protocols to come out the other side stronger
  • Being confident, living with intention and having a more deep and more engaged relationship with those around you
  • The importance of an emergency fund
  • And way more depth than you’d usually find in a conversation about finances for fathers!

Dennis’ Dad.Work Bio:

Dennis McNamara is a dad to a three year old, a husband to his college sweetheart, and a comprehensive financial planner at, and co-founder of, wHealth (pronounced “wealth”) Advisors in Red Bank, NJ.

After graduating university in 2011 Dennis was teetering on a mental and emotional breakdown. With $7,000 to his name, Dennis spent a year exchanging his physical labor for a roof over his head on permaculture farms in Portugal and Costa Rica. After learning more about himself through these experiences he dedicated himself to rigorously pursuing purposeful work instead of job titles.

Since then, he’s been the US Director of Business Development at a social enterprise firm, a financial analyst at the private wealth management arm of Goldman Sachs, and most recently – in 2019 – made the leap to establish his own financial planning firm – wHealth Advisors.

Dennis has been mentioned in Forbes, US News & World Report, and Financial Advisor Magazine. He holds the financial designations of Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), and is a Certified Student Loan Professional (CSLP).

Outside of wHealth Advisors he is passionate about compounding healthy habits so that he can show up as the best version of himself – whether that be as a parent, a partner, or a professional.

You can follow along his Instagram @thewhealthadvisor or find more about the work he does with wHealth Advisors at whealthfa.com. There, you can also subscribe to his monthly newsletter which is as much about finances as it is about wellness, personal optimization, and taking meaningful steps to upgrading your life.

Streaming:

The podcast streams on Apple, Spotify, or directly from Dad.Work.

The Benefits of Cold Exposure

As you may know, cold exposure – also known as cold thermogenesis – has numerous benefits, from muscle recovery and fat loss to mental health, mood enhancement, insulin resistance, and immune function.

There’s no better time to explore (and embrace) cold therapy then when nature turns down the thermostat.

The discomfort of the cold is central to many of the benefits that are derived from it – doing hard sh*t makes us more resilient! It also allows us to train our brain and body for the hard things we inevitably must face in life.

Below are some tips and a breathwork exercise to help you start to become more comfortable during deliberate cold exposure.

Tips for Cold Exposure:

  1. Water temperatures at or below 59°F showed clinical benefits/improvements.
  2. Meet the cold with a relaxed, calm, mind and body
  3. Do a breathwork to calm your nervous system (see example below).
  4. Start with switching between cold and hot water during your shower. 15 seconds cold and 15 seconds hot. Increase the time of cold exposure as you progress. Repeat this 5x or for a few minutes.
  5. Try to expose your head and back of the neck at times. The back of the neck is where the vagus nerve connects to the brain.
  6. Try to incorporate cold exposure post-workout as it helps make the cold more tolerable. Your body also becomes more relaxed/tired after a workout, limiting the fight or flight response.

Pre-Cold Exposure Breathwork:

You can use this breathing exercise as priming before you cold plunge, and during to regulate your “fight or flight” response. The 4-7-8 breathing is a great way to calm your nervous system, release tension and calm your mind:

  • 4-7-8 Priming/ 2-3 min
    Breathe in deep through your nose for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds. Exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds
  • 2-3 rounds of 10 nostril breaths followed by a long active exhalation. Your exhale should make a “huuuuh” sound. Hold your breath at the end of each set as long as you can. Please do not pass out – be aware of your limits!

H/T to The Wisemen Project for summarizing the many benefits of cold exposure.

Reminder: Gents – the inaugural Wisemen Experience men’s health retreat still has room available. Consider joining if interested in applying ancient/science-based wellness modalities to improve your life as a partner, parent, professional… and beyond.

Living Your Eulogy Virtues

Awhile back in our piece on Minimalism we touched on the topic of death. Inspired by John’s January newsletter reflections on the passing of both John Madden and Betty White, let’s take a moment to reflect on our own mortality.

After noting “be proactive” as habit #1, Steven Covey, author of the “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” suggests in his 2nd habit that we “begin with the ultimate end in mind.” The ultimate end being our funeral.

This advice is not new.

Seneca, the ancient Stoic, tells us something similar. He famously suggested that a helpful way to understand if we’re living in integrity with what we know to be true is to rehearse our death.

Enter the eulogy virtues.

Let’s flash forward to the future.

You walk into a funeral and realize it’s your funeral.

You see people there to celebrate you and your life. You take a seat and listen to the eulogies.

Who says what? What would your spouse or significant other say? Your kids? Your friends? Colleagues? Random people you may have helped at some point in life?

What qualities would they mention? And what virtues would you hope to be remembered for?

Your kindness? Your courage? Your generosity? Your commitment?

How would your life change if you embodied these qualities and began living in integrity with your virtues today?

 A Quick Trip to Hell

Now, imagine you’re sitting there listening to these eulogies and a door in the back of the room opens and someone walks in.

You turn around to see who it is. They look oddly familiar. They have a radiance and a confidence – a grounded power that’s palpable.

That astonishingly, radiantly alive person is you.

Well, technically, it’s who you could have become if you actually lived in integrity with what you knew to be true. Some would say meeting that version you, the person you could have become had you reached your potential, is hell.

Now pause.

Picture that awesome version of you.

What is one thing they do consistently that the current version of you doesn’t do consistently… yet?

Is today a good day to get started on that? 

New Year’s Resolutions

For the 50% of your that feel like Michael Scott, this may not be for you.

However, If you’re one of 31% of people planning to make a New Year’s resolution this year, or one of the 19% that are still undecided, now is a great time to reflect on the previous 11 (almost 12) months and begin setting some intentions for the year ahead.

Some New Year’s Resolution stats:

The most popular resolutions for 2021 are exercising more and improving fitness (50% of participants), losing weight (48%), saving money (44%), and improving diet (39%).

  • Of those who make a New Year’s resolution, after 1 week 75% are still successful in keeping it.
    • After two weeks, the number drops to 71%.
    • After 1 month, the number drops again to 64%.
    • After 6 months, 46% of people who make a resolution are still successful in keeping it.
    • After 1 year, 35% kept all their resolutions, 49% kept some of their resolutions, and only 16% failed at keeping any of their resolutions.

So, looking out to 2022, what are the steps you can take to increase the likelihood of being part of the 35% cohort that keeps all of their resolutions?

How to make (and keep!) your New Year’s Resolution

A recent NYT article by Jen Miller provides some helpful guidance on this topic:

“Your goals should be smart — and SMART. That’s an acronym coined in the journal Management Review in 1981 for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It may work for management, but it can also work in setting your resolutions, too.”

  • Your resolution should be absolutely clear. “Making a concrete goal is really important rather than just vaguely saying ‘I want to lose weight.’ You want to have a goal: How much weight do you want to lose and at what time interval?” said Katherine L. Milkman, an associate professor of operations information and decisions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “Five pounds in the next two months — that’s going to be more effective.”
  • This may seem obvious if your goal is a fitness or weight loss related one, but it’s also important if you’re trying to cut back on something, too. If, for example, you want to stop biting your nails, take pictures of your nails over time so you can track your progress in how those nails grow back out, said Jeffrey Gardere, a psychologist and professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. Logging progress into a journal or making notes on your phone or in an app designed to help you track behaviors can reinforce the progress, no matter what your resolution may be.
  • Achievable. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have big stretch goals. But trying to take too big a step too fast can leave you frustrated, or affect other areas of your life to the point that your resolution takes over your life — and both you and your friends and family flail. So, for example, resolving to save enough money to retire in five years when you’re 30 years old is probably not realistic, but saving an extra $100 a month may be. (And if that’s easy, you can slide that number up to an extra $200, $300 or $400 a month).
  • Relevant. Is this a goal that really matters to you, and are you making it for the right reasons? “If you do it out of the sense of self-hate or remorse or a strong passion in that moment, it doesn’t usually last long,” said Dr. Michael Bennett, a psychiatrist and co-author of two self-help books. “But if you build up a process where you’re thinking harder about what’s good for you, you’re changing the structure of your life, you’re bringing people into your life who will reinforce that resolution, then I think you have a fighting chance.”
  • Time-bound. Like “achievable,” the timeline toward reaching your goal should be realistic, too. That means giving yourself enough time to do it with lots of smaller intermediate goals set up along the way. “Focus on these small wins so you can make gradual progress,” Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit” and a former New York Times writer, said. “If you’re building a habit, you’re planning for the next decade, not the next couple of months.”

New Year’s resolutions not for you?

Consider setting some basic intentions.

11 ways to make the most of 2022 (written by Diego Perez, @yung_pueblo):

  1. let yourself change
  2. make rest a high priority
  3. say no without feeling bad
  4. stop jumping to conclusions
  5. do not rush important things
  6. build your own idea of success
  7. make more time for key friends
  8. appreciate the small steps forward
  9. stay aligned with your highest goals
  10. take the risk when your intuition says yes
  11. build with people who are open to growth

Godspeed and good luck.

IG Live: wHealth Advisors speaks with The Wisemen Project

Wisemen

wHealth Advisors co-founder, Dennis McNamara, recently spoke with Christian Valeriani of The Wisemen Project regarding men’s health and the constant juggling of priorities men face as parents, partners, and professionals.

The conversation centers on the intersection of health and habits and making “investments” in your health to maximize your long-term ROI (both personally and financially).

Instagram Live: Dennis McNamara & Christian Valeriani talk shop

NOTE: Conversation gets going around the 4-minute mark.

If this conversation piqued your interest be sure check out the upcoming Wisemen Experience and note that the early bird discount has been extended to January 1st, 2022.

Four simple tips to take back your health

Take back your health

While genetics certainly play a role, the overwhelming majority of our health outcomes are a product of our nourishment (including the content our brains consume!), rest, activity, and habits. Wherever you are in your health journey, consider these four steps to improve your health.

1. Eat The Rainbow

Phytonutrients—special plant chemicals that interact with your biology – can act like switches on your DNA to heal your body (called epigenetics). Phytonutrients can be found in blueberries, arugula, broccoli, bok choy, raspberries, purple cabbage, and more. Functional medicine practitioner, Dr. Mark Hyman, suggests making vegetables the bulk of your meals, and add in a small serving of quality protein, like grass-fed meats, organic or pasture-raised poultry, or wild-caught fish, while also being generous with healthy fats (think: avocado, nuts, seeds, and olive oil).

2. Do Not Neglect Your Sleep

Our screens (TVs, laptops, smartphones etc.) all emit blue light. This confuses our body and suppresses melatonin which impacts the quality of our sleep and can disturb our circadian rhythm. Consider purchasing blue light blocking glasses and/or not looking at your phone or TV for at least one hour (ideally two) before going to sleep.

Upon waking up, consider starting your morning with meditation/journaling, 15 minutes of sunlight, and a tall glass of water.

Keeping your room cool and dark and maintaining a consistent sleep and wake schedule also help support a healthy sleep routine.

3. Move Your Body

No, you don’t need a gym. All you need is your body and a little bit of space for some HIIT, yoga, or stretching. Exercise increases the number of mitochondria – or the “powerhouse” of the cell –  improving your body’s ability to produce energy. In other words, the more mitochondria you have, the more energy you can generate during exercise, the faster and longer you can exercise, and the more resilient you become to aging, illness, and disease.

Here are three workouts on YouTube. They are for different levels of fitness, so be sure to consult your trainer or physician if you’re just getting started:

4. Reduce Stress and Anxiety

One of the risk factors for worsened COVID-19 is fear and anxiety, which, let’s face it, most folks have been struggling with throughout 2020 and 2021. We can’t change the facts, but we can change our response to what is happening around us. Just taking the time to breathe, do a digital detox, spend time in nature, connect with loved ones, and do joyful things can significantly reduce anxiety. Eating whole, balanced meals reduces anxiety because it keeps our blood sugar balanced.

Take note of how you spend your time daily and what sorts of inputs you allow into your life. If you are constantly doing things that feed your anxiety, it’s time for some habit changes. Make a list of things that reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, and make time for them daily.

Takeaway:

Start with these four simple strategies to improve your health, and you’ll be surprised at how much better you feel. For the men, also be aware of the upcoming Men’s Health Retreat with The Wisemen Project.

Men’s Health: The Wisemen Retreat

The Wisemen Retreat

About The Wisemen Project

The Wisemen Project is a men’s holistic health group that melds proven, ancient techniques of movement, breath work and meditation with cutting edge scientific research. The group was formed as a powerful antidote to the seemingly endless noise, stress, disease and disconnection in our modern world.

The primary pillars center around:

  • Fuel: Our food and what we “feed” our brains.
  • Mind: Cultivating resiliency and proper brain function.
  • Move: Movement to heal the mind, body and soul.
  • Rest: Dialing in the proper amount, type, and frequency of rest to allow mind and body to recover and grow.
  •  Social: Community is interwoven within the fibers of our ancestral DNA, helps to reduce stress/anxiety, improve mental health, and increase our lifespan.
  • Wealth: Perspective, action, discipline, and reflection to cultivate an abundance mindset.

About The Retreat:

Tucked in the northern-most terrain of the Pocono Mountains, situated a couple of hours away from NYC and Philadelphia, the retreat will be hosted at The Barn at Boyd’s Mills.

The retreat aims to be an opportunity to disconnect from modern stressors and practice proven principles to optimize your health.

Activities:

  • Exercise, functional movement
  • Daily hikes
  • Deep & extensive breath work
  • Cold baths & fire
  • Grounding/earthing
  • Stress reduction modalities
  • Qigong/meditation
  • Nourishing and sustainable foods, chef prepared meals
  • Human connection/reconnection

Why wHealth Advisors is sharing:

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

– Mahatma Ghandi

Our long-term goals, visions, and portfolios are more likely to be derailed if we neglect our health. Health itself is a priceless wealth and we strongly support investing in it while you can.

As someone who is personally passionate about men’s health and follows evidence-based protocols for personal health optimization, I (Dennis) am very much looking forward to the activities and connection that this retreat is sure to offer.

Please feel free to pass this info along to anyone you think could benefit. There are 16 seats available and the early bird discount ends in December.

SIGN UP:

The early bird discount ends on 12/1/2021 – sign up now while seats are available.

Disclaimer:

There is no financial incentive or underlying remuneration for wHealth Advisors in promoting this event.

 

Seven Types of Rest You Need

In a perfect world, we’d all get 8hrs of quality sleep each night. In reality, many of us fall short on this – either in terms of length (i.e. getting more like 6-7hrs) and/or quality (i.e. restlessness).

However, according to physician Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D., author of Sacred Rest, “If you’re waking up (after sleeping) and still exhausted, the issue probably isn’t sleep. It’s likely a rest deficit.”

Listening to your body, and getting a better understanding of which type of rest you’re in need of is essential to recharging your battery and feeling your best.

Physical Rest:

Sign you need it: Physically exhausted, struggle to keep eyes open.

Rest to get: Go to sleep 30mins earlier, swap out the morning HIIT class for some restorative yoga.

Mental Rest:

Sign you need it: Brain feels like it’s going to mush. You’ve been staring at the same page for 10 minutes. You just sent a barely comprehensible email.

Rest to get: Turn off your screens. Repeat a calming mantra. Meditate or follow a guided meditation via Youtube or a meditation app (i.e. Calm, Headspace).

Social Rest:

Sign you need it: You feel alone, or disconnected/disengaged from friends and family.

Rest to get: Social rest feels like interacting with another person and leaving fuller than you started. It comes from meaningful interactions where there is no fear of disapproval or rejection – to be completely authentic with another human.

Social Rest – ideas to consider: Talk to a friend or close family member on the phone (NOT via text). Set aside time (15-30mins) to discuss day and emotions with spouse or partner. Go on a walk (or schedule one!) with a friend. Join a book club. Setup a coffee date with a friend. Plan a double date with another couple. Plan a getaway with your spouse or a friend.

Creative Rest:

Sign you need it: Sluggishness in solving problems or brainstorming new ideas.

Rest to get: Take some time to STOP doing and instead to observe, to think, to journal, to explore. Go on a walk in nature, or read an engrossing book. Anything to take the pressure to create off your mind.

Emotional Rest:

Sign you need it: Tolerance for strong feelings is a lot lower, you lose your temper more easily, you reach the tears threshold faster than usual.

Rest to get: Remove emotional triggers (like social media), give yourself space where you don’t have to react to others’ emotions and where you can be alone to process your own. Schedule a regular therapy session. Find people with whom you can be 100% yourself.

Spiritual Rest:

Sign you need it: Feeling afloat or unanchored. Feeling a lack of purpose or fulfillment.

Rest to get: Engage in something greater than yourself. Consider adding prayer, meditation, or even volunteerism/community involvement into your routine.

Sensory Rest:

Sign you need it: Your senses feel overwhelmed. This can be due to bright lights or noisy places, too much screen time, too many people talking to you at once etc.

Rest to get: Intentional sensory deprivation. Close your eyes for a minute in the middle of the day. Put down the screens past a certain time. Try to get yourself to a quiet place with minimal sensory distractions and let yourself take deep breaths away from all the input.

Minimalism: Financially prudent, environmentally responsible… the shortest route to happiness?

What could eschewing the non-essential mean for your life? A quicker path to financial freedom? A reduced environmental footprint? More joy while living and less regrets on your deathbed? Yes, yes, and (hopefully) yes.

In the most basic sense, minimalism is about intentionality: promoting the things that matter most while discarding the distractions. It’s a way to help us identify and actually prioritize what we deem to be of utmost importance.

Finances: A minimalist lifestyle is less expensive and creates room to either earn less or increase savings – both paths that speed up the journey to financial independence. A less expensive lifestyle means it’s also easier to create, and alter, an intentional/purposeful budget and to payoff bad debts (i.e. credit card debt).

Environment: Financial minimalism and environmental stewardship are often (but not always) intertwined. When you need less, you buy less. By buying less, you consume less.

A minimalist lifestyle should naturally lessen your environmental footprint, however completely abstaining from new purchases is not realistic for most. So, when buying, consider prioritizing quality over quantity and purchases that are energy efficient. While not always the case, these buying strategies can also be f inancially prudent ones over the long haul.

Happiness: You can’t buy your way to happiness. Minimalism is simply a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from avoidable stresses, burdens, and fears. Freedom to prioritize your health and relationships. Freedom to reclaim your time, or to live in the moment. Freedom to create more, to grow as an individual. Real freedom.

Final Thoughts:

Minimalism is not about searching for happiness through things, but through life itself. Thus, it’s up to you to determine what is necessary and what is superfluous in your life.

Additional Reading:

5 Things People Regret Most on their Deathbed