I have sad news that my cousin died of a brain hemorrhage aged 37 last week. She left behind 5 kids and a husband. A successful entrepreneur with a thriving restaurant and was just about to open a sports store too.
I was sad and angry.
Sad because we were close, she was too young to die. Angry because she reached out to me in January during the lockdown to support her online with her health & fitness. She signed up for online training, started training but it was short lived citing " I am too busy" or " I am too tired" or "it's just not the right time right now". In addition, I was being "nice" by not holding her accountable to her goals. In Nua's case, hindsight was hopeless.
She had high blood pressure and she needed to stop living the way she was living. Working hard, staying up late, juggling a crazy home life until she was taken to hospital where the doctors couldn't save her. I can't help think life could have been different if I spoke up and said enough is enough and its time to change.....but I didn't and now she's gone.
In Hong Kong, I have seen many people over the past 21 years, who know they need to make the changes but pull out because they are "Too tired", "Have no time", "No energy", the stories go on. For those people who choose to burn themselves out & have a "sleep when I am dead" mentality, consider what life will be like without you being around......and it's just not sustainable into your 40's+. You might get lucky and last all the way until you're 80 but then again, you may not. But if you continue on the lifestyle that we lived in our 20's & 30's, it is likely that you won't. Believe it.
So next time, you think that you should move more, eat better, lead a healthier lifestyle and then your other little voice says: "Oh, i am too tired", "Man, I have no energy" or the one we control the most is "I don't have time" think of of your 1st thought and who should you do it for.
In order have sustained fun while living longer, my personal advice is to:
1. Plan your week that includes more movement, planned breakfast, lunch and dinner breaks. Write down your WHY & put all of this in your diary, into reality.
2. Move more. You don't have time to exercise? Then start little. Try a minute today, 2 minutes tomorrow. Utilize your travel to involve walking each day. Enroll your family, friends and colleagues in what you want to do. Have a training buddy or have a PT that will hold you accountable. You don't have energy? Start with slow walking, light weights, Qi Gong, Pilates, Yoga and start with just enough that you feel energized not wiped out and build up intensity from there.
3. Eat well 80% of the time so that it soaks up the 20% of the time of eating rubbish foods. You can still eat good food that is healthy.
4. Drink good quality water - Evian, Australian Spring Water, Volvic are high quality mineral water brand. Add a pinch of sea salt or use Restore (its been a game changer for me to stay hydrated) to your water. Drink half your body weight in ounces/day FORMULA for kgs: BW(kg) x .03 = ideal water each day. NOTE: There is no substitute to plain water. No juice, soft drink, alcohol.
5. Have down time in your day for as long as you can afford. High stress causes all sorts of problems - depression/anxiety, high blood pressure, really high or really low energy, and even, poor sex drive. Reading a book, watching the sunrise/sunset, meditating, or breath-work are all powerful ways to bring stress levels down. These are not hard to do. They just take planning & execution.
6. Get quality and quantity of sleep. Everyone is different but if you wake up to an alarm everyday, you may find you are not getting enough sleep. 7-8 hours are standard. Quality can be dictated by how much alcohol you drink, lacking in magnesium or an overactive mind. Lots of stuff out there on how to improve your sleep and if you need help watch my video on it. Get to bed on time: 1030pm is ideal, 1am is not.
7. Finally, have time for your loved ones. You can make all the money you want but you will never get back precious time with those special people. Appreciate the little moments. My 10 year old, daughter clips my beard once a week and as she is clipping it, I look at her face, her eyes, her lips, her ears. I marvel how much she has grown up. These moments are priceless. If you don't find these moments like this fulfilling enough, consider seeking mindset support. We all need it. Courses I have done are by Tony
Robbins, Landmark Forum, Psychologists, Mens group, my mates, priests, even strangers. I have learnt being in your head can be a dangerous place to be.
R.I.P. Nua, you will be remembered and I promise you, so will your legacy.