Did you know that thinking you aren’t doing enough exercise can be worse for you than not doing enough?

I find this a fascinating area because when I work with people looking to improve their health and performance with lifestyle medicine, I consistently underestimate how important mindset is. 

For example, aside from my work with scoliosis, I specialize in helping busy professionals reach optimal performance at work and in life. 

Usually, someone comes to me with a problem or a goal. They may have high cholesterol and want to bring it down naturally, or they may want to optimize their lifestyle for longevity and continued high performance at work. As an aside, I find that osteopaths and other manual therapists need this type of coaching the most, and I’ll explain why in a minute. 

But first, I want to share with you this research study. Stanford University researchers conducted it and suggested that how people perceive themselves can be linked to shorter lifespans. The researchers found that individuals with negative self-perceptions, such as thinking they were less physically capable or less active than others, were more likely to experience health problems and die earlier than those with positive self-perceptions.

The study analyzed data from over 6,000 participants, who were followed for several years. The researchers considered factors like age, socioeconomic status, and overall health to ensure these variables did not influence the results. Surprisingly they noticed that the people who thought they were less physically capable or less active than others had a higher risk of developing health issues, including heart disease and other chronic conditions, ultimately leading to a shorter lifespan.

This is why it’s important that busy professionals, including all my osteopathic colleagues, pay attention to this. While you are busy building your business and serving your clients, you are also exposed to an insidious feed from social media and mainstream media. It’s telling you to move more, to exercise more, and if you know it’s important but continually put self-care in second place in your life, it can affect you. 

The key is to plan your days, weeks, months, etc, so that you build the right amount of activity for you. This doesn’t have to be gym time; for example, one of my clients in New York just gets off the subway one stop earlier than before, and she manages to get 40 minutes extra walking into her day without a huge time sacrifice. 

In addition to movement, we must pay attention to sleep, nutrition, community, stress, and what we put into and on our bodies. 

Companies like Hintsa have used this holistic approach to performance coaching to help the best athletes in the world sustain high performance (Lewis Hamiton uses a Hinsta coach) and can also help busy professionals enjoy a fast-paced life while avoiding burnout and unseen pitfalls. 

If you want to know more about mindset and health, below is a link to a recent video I made, but also you can DM me if you have any questions about your situation. 

 

Sources:

Self-perceptions linked to shorter lifespans

 

I recently had a chance to go on a survival course in the heart of the jungle on the side of El Hoyo, a volcano, outside the city of Leon in Nicaragua.

It was an experience that challenged me both mentally and physically. Over three days and two nights, I returned to nature by learning to hunt and move quietly through the forest. What was striking to me was how much I moved my body. Ducking under branches, climbing over fallen trees, holding my breath, and trying not to sweat as something to hunt came into view.

In the evenings, we built a fire and cooked what we had caught, in our case, an Iguana and a rabbit…the volcano provides…

But I was amazed at how sore I was.

I’m meant to be a movement guy. I recently ran 50 miles and climbed seven volcanoes, all within two weeks, not even a pulled muscle.

However, there is a difference between hiking and hunting.

In just 3 days, my ears got better at identifying bird calls and judging distances. I worked my jaw and teeth hard, picking the meat of the unusual bones.

My breath control became more acute, and somehow, my balance improved.

(I’m not recommending everyone go hunting, but simply bird-watching or trying to take animal photos will have the same effect). 

In the evenings, I sat cross-legged by the fire; this position was once my nemesis. I fixed that by removing the chairs in my house and sitting on the floor for a year. Now, sitting crossed-legged isn’t a pleasure, but it’s tolerable. 

But sitting there, tending the fire, and thinking about how humans have been hunting and sitting by fires for tens of thousands of years, and yet most people in the ‘developed world have yet to do it.

It seems like such a waste of our innate skills, like driving a Ferrari and never taking it out of first gear. 

Our bodies are capable of much more than what we use them for.

I now know a few physicians that prescribe camping for stress, and I fully agree. Getting out there and going through a nature reset can profoundly change your physiology and state of mind.

If you want to learn more about how lifestyle medicine can help you obtain optimal help, just email or DM me, and I’ll get back to you. 

If you want to see a short video of my adventures, check out my new YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/FG_jOtlVLkA