Longevity is more than a kale salad

We eat our greens, we sip our water and we sweat like a beast in the gym. We look good, we feel good, and on top of that sweet cherry we know that we are improving our health together with our longevity.

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Forever young – We can unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) not stay literally young forever but with the right lifestyle choices we can feel, and let’s be honest, look the part for as long as possible.

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The holy authorities of the health world have always preached a consistent healthy diet, exercise, and some good sleep to stay young and healthy. These are all very important factors in staying fresher than a motherf*ucker, but there’s actually an additional element which we don’t really put that much “health craze” around – our social life.

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In the era of “one man shows” and individualism, a trusted wolf pack is the missing piece of the puzzle for optimal health. I think most of us can relate to the fact that when you spend time with people who make you happy and inspire you, you feel really good. It gives you a sense of belonging. No matter how much of a “lone wolf” you might consider yourself, it’s a basic human need to feel loved and belonged. The lack of this feeling isolates us as tight as a tight ass, and we slowly turn into the feelings of loneliness. We all know that loneliness comes as a package deal together with a bunch of negative psychological illnesses like anxiety and depression.

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Social media – In the era of social media we are actually becoming less social and our real social connections are dropping like it’s hot on the dance floor – meaning that we are loosing them. We create isolation and start to “exist” in a virtual social community instead of actually interacting with people face to face. Don’t get me wrong, social media is amazing when you actually take these new connections and build real intimate friendships. If not, you’ll simply feel more lonely and isolated.

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Drop the text and make a call – Life is hectic and we don’t always have time to meet our friends and family as often as we wish. To check in with a simple “how was your day?” text can go a long way, but what’s better than actually picking up the phone and giving the other person a little hotline bling? A simple phone call has a lot of mood boosting benefits. Why? When we exchange a conversation, even if it’s just over the phone we hear the persons voice, we feel the emotions from the other person in a way a text message really can’t provide.

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Blue zones – Also know as places where people live the longest on the planet. If you happen to live in any of these areas, congratulations young lad! These five places are: Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, Loma Linda in California, and Nicoya in Costa Rica. What these places have in common is first of all mainly a plant based diet and regular movement. The third thing is the value of family and community. They live together in tighter communities, constantly surrounded by one another. If it’s not a spouse, you have other family members or a tight network of friends. You care for other people and you know that you are cared for.

Isolation and habituation – You are a human, surpriiiiise!!! We are creatures who adapt over time to become habituated to whatever environment we are living in for maximum survival. Isolation works the same way. Just as you can build up a habit of regular exercise and clean eating, you can as easily get habituated to your new found isolation. The more lonely you are, the more “used” to the feeling you’ll get and the more comfortable you’ll get with these feelings. After a while, isolation becomes so engraved in you that you’ll start to avoid, almost hate meeting people. This is obviously not a good trait to adapt, but as humans – this is how we work.

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Smash down the isolation wall – Since we habituate so easy it can be hard to break down the wall and start letting people in again. To break this very unhealthy habit you need to approach it the way you’d approach any kind of bad habit – small steps. Challenge yourself to call people, even send text messages to make plans. Be open and honest about the way you’re feeling with someone you trust. By doing this you will realize that people actually do care about you more than you might think.

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Appreciate people – Always appreciate people and make sure to tell them. No matter if it’s a new friendship or a life long connection. Communicate how happy and blessed you are that these people take valuable time out of their lives to spend it with you. Not only will you make them feel more appreciated, but you will also remind yourself how much other people care and appreciate you.

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A ripped six pack doesn’t mean shit to our health if they are the only friends we have. Tight social connections and a community provides just as many vitamins as your kale salad.

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Get out in the world and make some friends!

Let go, let God

Stressful times hits us all from time to time. Everything is going left and we are all over the place and lost in a clutter sphere where we can’t seem to find the right grip to pull us through.

When this happens to me, I first of all get a major anxiety rush that comes to visit pretty frequently. Then I try to do everything that I need to do at the same time, while I’m trying to figure out other things that I need to, or should add onto that list. It  all becomes a big mess, I end up not doing anything while feeling like shit, and then the pattern repeats.

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“Let Go, Let God” – a phrase we often associate with reckless behavior and a more proper way of saying “YOLO”. In the case of this post, that is not what I want to say. Please don’t go out and go all crazy, partying until dawn and sniffing up all the bad drugs there are out there. No. Please, do not do this! Ever.

By letting go and let God, or faith take the wheel for a while can be a good refreshing boost to clear your mind. For a couple of days, just forget about everything. You need to focus on mind cleansing activities and just be in the present moment of yourself. After doing this for a few days, you will (trust me) find a way to jump back into your chaos and clean it up.

Now you may ask, how can I just let my shit go when there’s so much going on!? You have to allow yourself to do the right things when you’re clearing your mind. Don’t spend this time locked up in your house feeling sorry for yourself. No lil mamas and papas, you need to get all the positive endorphins going in your brain.

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Shake what yo mama gave ya – Exercising and moving our bodies is a remedy for a lot of things. As I have mentioned before, you don’t need to be doing hard core workouts everyday or aspire to be a body builder. Just move. Take a walk around the block, clear you mind. Get a little sweat on. Exercise is an endorphin booster aka the happy hormones, and we need them during stressful times.

Fuel up RIGHT – When we feel stressed out we tend to turn to junk food to find comfort. Do your best to avoid this to all costs!! A stressed and anxious mind will become even more anxious when nourished with the wrong foods.

Give gratitude – When life feel shitty you might not be in the mood to be grateful for anything. You might not even see things to be grateful for. Let me tell you something, there is always something to be grateful for. Are you breathing today? Do you have a functioning body? Are you waking up in a bed? Have you had food today? Do you have people who love you? Did you arrive safe to work? Are you a sexy piece of ass? Yes, you are. Even though life can feel like a bitch sometimes, life is also a blessing that was given to you at random. Think about that.

What can you change and what can you notWhat about your situation do you actually have control over and what are the things that are totally out of your control? Write it down if it helps. When you do know the things you can control, focus on them. The other things you should just take and throw in the trash.

Surround yourself with positive people – People who complain and make you feel shitty you should avoid at all costs during these times. Honestly, you should avoid these people all the time. Spend some quality time with people who are positive and happy, who make you feel good!

Clean out clutter – How we feel in our mind can be a reflection of our home. If you have  a cluttered space, clean it out! Right now! The more mess you have around you the more it subconsciously creates a mess within you.

Be present!!! You need to be present as f**k. When we are stressed we tend to loose the ability of being in tune with our self. This leads to us missing out on signs and opportunities that life and the universe is giving to us all the time. Life is a sneaky little guy like that.

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Focus on yourself for a few days. Do these things I’ve mentioned above, and let the universe guide you. Allow yourself to give the time to clean out your messy mind and return stronger, more confident, and with the feeling of being in full control over your situation. Trust me, you’ve got this! Go out and freaking kill it!!

Nourish your inner child

Do you ever look at a little baby and think “damn, how is that little tiny shit going to become an grown ass person?” That little tiny body is going to expand and turn into this individual who can either do amazing things or fuck shit up completely. Such an innocent lump, just craving some boob milk and love, with a whole life of unknown in front of it. I don’t look at a baby and think  “Omg that’s a cute baby”, no my thoughts go deep.

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We have all been babies, duuh. We have all been children. We have all been through crazy phases of life experiences, body changes, personality changes, and so much more. At what point do we define the end of being a child? When we reach a certain age? When we get into puberty? When we become x amounts of inches tall? Who, what, and when defines the end of our childhood? Well, at a certain point we have to take care of ourselves, but why does this have to mean that we loose this other part of us that was the true person we were when we entered this world?

I love to look at pictures of myself as a child. Yes, I’m just that into myself. I can’t get enough of this version, so I have to revisit the past and check out that cute little sassy child. No, but I think it’s fascinating. Somewhere along my life, I just turned into the person I am now. You don’t realize these changes until you actually look at yourself. And honestly, I frikkin love that little child-me that I see when I look at the photos. She was such a go-getter, bubbly, sassy, creative, she was just such a bad ass!

Self love is something that gets lost in the process of growing up. We become hard on ourselves and put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Something that’s so amazing about looking back at old photos is that you see yourself living care free and full of joy. You did you, and that was it. There was never something that made you doubt in yourself, because you just never had the time to think about stupid shit like that. If you had ideas, you made them happen. You played, you laughed, you cried, and you did it whenever and wherever.

When you judge yourself, doubt yourself, or look down on yourself I want you to take a look at a photo of yourself as a child. A photo that you really like and that brings joy to you. Look at this child, would you ever want something bad to happen to it? Would you ever want someone to harm or hurt it? No, right? So why are you hurting and harming yourself with toxic thoughts and actions? Take care of this child. Nourish it, help it to become the best it can be – Nourish you, and help you to become the best it can be. Just as your future self one day will look back at this version of you, and take care of you.

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