Since I turned 40 recently, I thought I'd put together a list of the sage wisdom and knowledge I've accumulated over four decades. It was crazy hard to do - I think my brain has a leak.
I'm releasing it in four parts, generally around the themes of health, money/work/time, relationships, and just life.
I hope you enjoy Part 1. Especially number 8. I'm ready for the haters.
1. Your body is a long-term investment.
There's a lot of stuff you can do to your body that's short-term. You can make it appear better for now, feel better for now, shut it up or ignore it for now. You can look tan for now, but your skin pays a price down the road. You can numb your pain for now, but it doesn't solve the root cause. You can lose or gain a ton of weight in a short amount of time, but is it sustainable?
Ultimately, there's no way around these three: sleep, diet, and exercise/movement. (The fourth big factor is genetics, but we can't change much there.) You can try any other magic treatment or product, but consistency in sleep, diet, and exercise will largely determine your health and how you fare long-term.
2. Learn your actual shoe size.
I know somebody, who shall remain nameless, who went most of his adult life wearing his shoes a full size too small. It wasn't until this past year when he went to a shoe guy, got his actual measurement, that he realized it. Solved all kinds of problems.
Glad I did that. I mean…glad he did that.
3. Stairs are a young person's game…
…so take them more, not less. You get older faster because you stop doing things that keep you younger.
I joke about it, but I really do take the stairs as much as I can because it's about a mindset: I'm going to keep doing the things that keep my body as young as possible.
It's "use it or lose it.
4. In a bad mood? Take a shower or eat.
Solves like 97% of problems.
5. Listen to your body.
We do this with cars a lot - crank up the volume on the stereo and never stop to listen to what's going on with the car. You can catch a lot of problems early this way.
Your head hurts? Your body aches? Your tendon is sore? Your body's trying to tell you something.
Don't ignore it. Pay attention. Investigate.
6. Vinegar is the solution to most issues.
I'm talking about cleaning issues mostly, but maybe we should try dousing the country in some vinegar, too. Honorable mention: blue Dawn dish soap.
7. Focus on what you need more than what you should avoid.
A lot of people approach their food intake daily or weekly in terms of what they can't do: no sugar, no cholesterol, etc. Obviously, if you have an allergy or specific ingredient you have to avoid, there's no way around that. And there are things that are just straight-up terrible for you.
I've found it helpful, though, to identify what it is I need: a certain amount of protein, certain fruit or vegetables, certain vitamins or minerals, a certain quality of food.
Prioritize and focus on getting those, and a lot of the "bad" stuff usually takes a back seat without a lot of mental energy spent. Plus, if you know you're getting what you need, you buy yourself a little more wiggle room for some Sour Patch Watermelons, you know?
8. S'mores are super overrated.
Everyone thinks they want them at a campfire, but they're messier than what they're worth, and each individual ingredient is mediocre. Yeah, I said it.
Mountain pies are superior in every way. Or at least sub out the chocolate for a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
Thank me later.
9. I used to think sleep was for chumps.
Turns out, I was an idiot.
Prioritize sleep. It leads to and helps with longevity, recovery, repair, cognition, mood, performance, higher Wordle scores, more people laughing at your jokes. Most of that list is true.
10. You only get one body.
(Until we figure out how to transfer our consciousness into a robot's body.)
Stop treating it like you treated your first beater car your parents gave you.
Be good to it! Listen to it! Get it what it needs - for the long-term!