5 healthy habits I wish I would start doing earlier

Hey, and welcome to this week's peak meter fitness podcast. In today's episode, I'm talking about five habits, I wish I knew before I got into fitness and with these five habits, they have helped me to maintain my weight and become the healthiest version of myself at the age of 42. So, before jumping into this episode, these are kinds of things that I really didn't know, or maybe I have heard of these before, but I really didn't pay attention, or I didn't incorporate this into my daily life. And now within the past seven, eight years, I have been including them not at all, obviously, everything at the same time, but step by step, and that those these things have really helped me to become the healthiest version feeling the best I have ever felt in my life at the age of 42. And these are, this has nothing to do with counting calories, or becoming really obsessive with fitness, but just the simple habits, but you can also include into your life. So let's get started with the list. And number one must be in this list is a walking. So walking, I used to think that walking is not it's not really exercise, it's not counting because you don't burn calories, it doesn't feel that hard. And I didn't count it as an exercise. But now I have included, especially lately, for the past two, three years, really paid attention about my amount of steps, amount of walks, and not really even on tracking my steps every single day. But if I look back, I just recently looked back my average is how much how many steps I take on average. And my averages are it doesn't pay off just the random number doesn't have nothing to do with your activity. But I have between 12 to 18,000 steps in a day. And what I see drink is basically in the summertime or springtime in the winter is starting to get nicer. I have, on average a lot more steps than in colder months or when we have here in Italy. It's very hard time in summer, obviously at the time, I'm not walking deathmatch as I'm doing when weather is nice. So obviously that have something to do. But it's still kind of having the bare minimum even in those times and finding a race like it don't you don't have to necessarily get those steps outside. I personally it helps so much, especially if you get there, you'll have a possibility to get the first air, sunlight. And even there is a cloudy, better, you still get some sunlight exposure through the cloud. So that helps, especially with the mental health. And obviously, it's a it's for me, it's a way to keep kind of my mental health impairments. It's, I love to go to work with my wife, it's kind of i Obviously I enjoy spending time with her, and that our day walks or it doesn't happen every single day several times a week, it's our time for our relationship to kind of talk things it's time when we don't watch phones or, or listen something it's when we talk what have happened in a day or two euros. What is going well, and kind of spending time together. And that is also for our relationship has been the game changer. And I think that's why we have such a great relationship. Because we live in a time for us like we don't go for date nights or something our time together is literally just the daily simple walk. And it would be it's some days, it's 10 minutes, some days, it's 30 minutes, maybe on Sundays, it's a couple hours or three, four hours. But it's the basically just spending time together. So how I try to incorporate this into life and it's either if I don't have a workout, I usually walk in the morning. And then other thing what I really enjoyed after lunch, I tried to get 10 minute walk some days it's 20 minutes, but bare minimum five to 10 minute walk right after lunch. So getting getting the tells you to digest and that it also even it's only for a couple of minutes, but it helps so much with getting that activity level higher amount of steps. And then also I'm thinking like if I'm having a phone calls, if I'm doing group sessions, I try to walk during those times as much as possible getting like with the purpose some steps in and that has helped me to increase activity outside of my workouts. And that those are kind of things like thinking possibilities where you can be walking, do you need to sit? Do you can you get up? Can you do five minute 10 minute walk course, because it's especially for me even it's sometimes it's a very busy, hectic time in front of computer. And if I try to get work done for several hours in a row, I'm not going to be as productive as I take in between then 15 minute break and go for a walk presser and just get my brain out of the work and then get back on it. So it's it helps you to productivity too. So even you are spending less time in front of your computer, you are a dentist, I'm a lot more productive during that time. And I include some kind of breaks between my working hours. So then number two, it's, it's getting enough protein and fiber. So I'm pretty sure most of us, most of you have heard about importance of protein. Still, there are still so many people who don't understand what it means to eat, how much protein you are actually required, what are like, kind of recommendations, what you should be getting, and what you are actually eating because many people they know that what are sources of protein, like you can I'm sure you have heard about creaky old school or, or eggs or meat or fish. So there is no really surprises i i assume but then what I what I have seen with many clients that they don't really know how much they are eating so. So if you think like that, what is the bare minimum or what I like to like, especially if you're interested about your body composition 1.5 grams per kilo body weight is the main minimum, like if you look official like recommendations, from the H O, they might say even one gram per kilo body weight or 0.8, which is what is the difference because the difference is that with that amount you are staying alive. And if you want to feel the best version of yourself and if you are interested about maintaining your muscle, changing your body composition, or or even maintaining it, it's those requirements are a lot higher than that 1.5 grams per kilo body weight. So for example, if you're you weighed 70 kilos, it's around 100 grams a bit more. And that is that is kind of bare minimum recommendations or 1.6 to 2.2 I feel like that if you get that 1.5 It's pretty good already and you will feel significant differences and improvements and if you obviously if you aim for higher, especially in a calorie deficit more broad than you are getting in easier that calorie deficit is going to be so protein is definitely very very important for body composition, maintaining your muscle mass especially when dieting or trying to build muscle mass. So both in and to becoming aware of how much you are eating. So knowing like that one is seven grams of protein. So if that if your goal is 300 grams and you are eating one or 2x per day, you still need a lot of other protein sources to hit your goal. The other thing is that the fiber and that is something what many people are not listening, there is a big correlation between colon cancer, other health benefits gut health and how you are going to feel it's also meeting with the protein is the most satiating macronutrient and making you keep full. Hawaii in court incorporate these things like what is fiber recommendation is 14 calories, 14 grams of fiber per 1000 calories you're consuming so if your maintenance calories your what you are eating is 2000 It's 28 grams and that is like for most women and from men like for myself. My maintenance calories are around 3000 to five somewhere in there depending on my activity levels but it's aiming for 40 body to calories 40 or 42 grams of protein so Piper's sorry and I'm not even I'm not dragging them accurately it's that those are kind of I count them in my head and I have been my habits how I do them how I get the bare minimum like for example for protein I'm I'm kind of person I eat same foods, especially in the earlier in the day and my breakfast I have always seen protein sources so I have that 250 grams of Greek yogurt, I mix added a scoop of flavored protein powder so I have around 50 grams of protein from my breakfast. I will have usually two to three pieces of fluid already in my breakfast smoothie what I make every single day so how to get off fiber is basically it's all what are called sources, which are great sources of fiber, all kinds of like whole grain products, all vegetables, salads, beans, seeds, this kind of stuff. And that, and this is our latest around 10 grams of some kind of seeds. Like sometimes it's pumpkin seeds sometimes it's a Kia seeds to some kind of seeds into my protein smoothie and, and then obviously I tried to eat one big salad per day, so aiming to have at least some sorts of vegetables. So these are kind of my habits how I get that pretty close to my fiber call and also pro demo. So even in my worst days in after my breakfast, I try to aim for 20 grams of protein snack. And that I'd say it's basically every single day sometimes I have a second protein say if I don't have possibility data, it's obviously a lot better to have it from natural food sources. Other my favorite protein sources are oddities that we have here some great cheese, what I love it, some people don't enjoy the taste. And we are personally I enjoy it actually. And and sometimes it's a gallon of tuna. But that's doesn't happen often. But usually, it's those kinds of things, what I what I like to do with these habits what I have. So basically I start my day with high protein. And I have in my birthday, like I weighed at the moment, around 8890 kilos, so it might pull is to get around 240 150 grams every single day. And when I know when I know that, with my habits, what I have, I have 70 grams of protein already before my lunch. So it helps me do that I'm lucky, most likely eating a lot less calories in my lunch, I'm feeling already Fuller, I don't need to eat that much. So and then if I have, like for my Lance for my snacks for my dinner, it's relatively easy to get that another 70 grams. So if I have access, make sure that I have some source of protein at every meal. So I have there, it's that 25 grams per meal. And then maybe I have another snack with 20 grams. So that is kind of an even if it doesn't happen every, every single day, it's still I still have that 120 140 grams, basically every single day. And same thing with the fiber. So even in my worst days, even I don't count them accurately, I still do get really good. Bare minimum every single day, even in my worst days. So this is Habit number two, habit number three, I will say that is mobility exercises. So I'm a big believer of mobility exercises, I used to think like I'm born in 82. So at the time, it was all about stretching, stretching, stretching. And we need you never talk heard about somebody talking about mobility exercises. And stretching. This obviously is great, it's improving what is the difference, it's helping your flexibility, but mobility is kind of for joint mobility. And so trying to increase range of motion in your joints like your knees, elbows, shoulders, hips, ankle, and usually those are the things what are causing for me was my lack of my hip mobility was causing a lot of lower back pain and I see from many clients that ankle mobility is causing knee pain and it's not always that it goes you have to find a reason if you are struggling you are having some knee issues you have lower back pain for example, it's usually not necessarily your knees what our problem it's it often it comes from Latin mobility or in your ankles and and same thing with the lower back pain it's often the reason is hip mobility but first of all you have to get know where it's coming from if you are lacking mobility and that's why I left and my clients have left I buy new brand new mobility guide what I have all my for my clients in my membership coaching like all these guys, I've never sold them any separately but if you join it for any of my program you have the so it's kind of self test where you based through your body so you know where you are lacking of mobility and then you have four external exercises you can start to include into your workout routines and hopefully there's something I'm personally I never took time to add it into my workout. So I was thinking that it's not the birth of it kind of doing mobility workout, because I it doesn't make you feel obviously you feel good of doing it. But it doesn't feel that hard like that you are doing some cardio session or you do some string tests. And so you feel good about good about yourself. After you are chasing kind of that feeling after you get to work out and mobilities like that, okay, you did something but you don't feel like that you really worked out. But mobility is something that you should be incorporating into your warmups into your cooldowns. Even between two sets, if you have a specific if you have a longer rest, but rest time and you don't know what to do, and you don't want to not only your phone. So those are ways and I personally, I tried to include it into my warm ups, and doing maybe sometimes between the seats, because I'm not the guy who usually when workout is standing on, I'm going I'm not doing any pull down, I usually don't have time anymore for that. So So and but this is important thing is with mobility is that you don't need to do workouts don't need to be long, it's a good mobility workout is one to 10 minutes. So even if you do want to exercise is for your problem zones, or even maintaining those what you have good. Already good mobility, it's it's more than enough, it's more important is that you do it consistently. So mobility workout is definitely something what I didn't know what I wish I would know earlier, that those are just the greatest benefits of doing it. Then, number four is consistent strength training. So there are so many studies about improving how strength training helps like it's not that you don't need to, you don't become a bodybuilder that is not my co leader, but it says helps you to your health. There are so many health benefits, like I don't want to start listing them here. But it's a lot less what most people think what you need to do. So if you get to two to four workouts per week and wonder about let's say it's 20 to 45 minutes, that's more than enough to get a massive health benefits and feeling already so differently into your body and accuracy. Especially if you are older. At around the age of 3035 we are starting to lose naturally muscle mass. So including that strength training some form of it and doing it in a proper way using weights or some kind of resistance. You can do it obviously with the buddy way too. But it really aiming for that you are training close to failure. It doesn't mean you can do one to five exercises doing two to three sets eats exercise, and that is a good workout like including exercises like squats, some push ups, some back exercises, some kind of rowing exercises, pull ups, so just the basic exercises, it doesn't mean it doesn't need to be some fancy YouTube workouts what looks funny when you are looking like you are rapping like eight different types and looping the most viral videos. Those are really what are not most beneficial. most helpful. It says the basic exercises like squats, deadlifts, glances, four legs, four push ups, rowing exercises, just the simple solar presses. Those are the most beneficial exercises you could be doing and just doing anything consistently. And I I learned it I was earlier doing it. When I was playing ice hockey professionally, I wish I was in distinct training a lot to improve my performance. But now for the last three years I have been doing it consistently two to four times and not my workouts they have barely never lasted longer than one hour. Most of the times they are around 30 minute workouts and two to four times most of my aim for most of the weeks, three times per week. Some weeks it's going to be two some weeks. If I have more time, that much going on. I might try to aim for four times but that's very, very rare. So three times two to three times is for me kind of sweet spot where I'm aiming for. And then last habit what I feel that have been have had the most biggest or biggest impact in my life is my sleep. And this is something what you what they didn't understand when I was younger. Obviously you know you go out you sleep couple hours you are good to go. If you when I went out having some drinks late nights it was maybe it was like a little bit dizzy next morning. By 1112 o'clock in the morning you were like that nothing happened. It's okay. You could keep going. You could work out and now even after need it's a one two drinks and my sleep is how it's impacting for my sleep, alcohol or something I know that next day is basically permanently It's a fine drink, I happen to drink more than it's, you need like a lot more days to recover. So it takes two or three days to get back to that. But it's not about only about alcohol, it's, it's more more, what makes a bigger difference would have made for me is regular sleep routine. So I am for going to bed every single day, seven days a week at the same time. So it's for me, it's around 10 o'clock in the evening, getting up around six 630 depending like some days, I might fall asleep like 1030. But some days, it's 10 o'clock I go to bed bit earlier. And obviously, this is something that you can't always impact I'm still refereeing playing ice hockey myself or going sometimes out. So it's not, it's obviously not going to happen every single day. But still trying to keep that routine as much as possible, especially during the week because it's not about being perfect every single day. But aiming for to build that routine. So if you end up watching, Like obviously, sometimes you feel like that you would like to put some DVDs and various you are watching Netflix or something and one more, one more episode of some serious or do both. But I have made rules for myself that I gotta stop by the envelope latest, and then I'm starting my sleep routine going to bed. And I know that by 1030 Usually I'm falling asleep and that when you have that kind of sleep routine, it helps so much there is such a big health benefits. And if you looked at the studies like comparing like, I feel it to but if you look even studies, if you have usually less than seven hours you are most likely you're eating also study like comparing people who are eating who are sleeping six, or five to six hours comparing the full seven, eight hour night of sleep. And those people who slept less, on average at 300 calories more so you are creating more sweets more kind of unhealthy stuff to get the dopamine you are you don't have that kind of willpower to decide when you make decisions what you're going to eat. So it's, it's there's a study. So if you happen to have some hangover or you didn't have a good night of sleep, you are craving all the time, something sweet or like kind of junk food, there is a reason for that. And that is probably your sleep. So and other ways how it's impacting. Obviously, when you are not well rested, you don't have time to move around, you don't maybe even realize it. But it's all kind of it's not only about amount of steps, but all kinds of like the facial impressions. How you are if you are using your hands like we are here in Italy, people like to talk a lot of fit their hands. And it's all these kinds of things, what are affecting how many calories you are actually burning with your body needs outside of your workouts. And that obviously impacts also your body composition and makes things so much easier. So this is these are simple things, simple habits. If I think back what I wish I would know what I would try to prioritize as quickly as possible. And what I feel like that I have been doing pretty well obviously it's not, I'm not some saint or who is doing everything perfectly. So I pull out I have alcohol, I do things but I feel like that those basic, consistent everyday habits are pretty okay. And that makes me feel good about myself and how my health have been at least I know that I have done everything I could because it's not being about being perfect all the time. But making it as good as possible and giving yourself the best chance is to eat healthier, and live also quality life not only long life but improving quality of life, your life as long as possible. So, thank you so much for listening. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, I would really appreciate if you could leave a five star rating a dose. Thank you for all those who have done it in Spotify and Apple podcasts. They are helping a lot to reach more retail more people. And if you obviously if you have any thoughts about it, we'd love to hear from you. So feel free to send me a DM on my Instagram or shoot me an email to outfit mitra.com Thank you for listening and talk to you soon.