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The High Performance Journal

4 Minute Fridays: How To Make Your Brain 7.5 Years Younger, The Dangers Of Low Vitamin D & First World Problems

4 minute fridays Sep 01, 2023

Overview of Today:

  • One habit to make your brain 7.5 years younger
  • Watch out for these symptoms of low vitamin D
  • Harvard scientists found something interesting about first-world problems 

I've become a fan of this ​multivitamin​:

At the time of writing this, I'm 43 years old.

Thankfully, I'm not in a middle-aged crisis that usually hits people at this point. I'm not buying a Lambo nor am I trying to reclaim some aspect of my youthful freedom.

What I am focused on is longevity. My goal is to live for 150+ years and I think I might have a chance to get there.

Enter ​Mindbodygreen's Multivitamin+​ 

A lot of the multivitamins on the market today don't have enough of the nutrients your body needs. In many cases, they've got just trace amounts of those nutrients, making you think you’ve got enough of the right things when you actually don’t.

I’ve been working with this company and they do things differently. I've also known the founders for almost a decade.

Their multivitamin+ was created with longevity in mind. They use a high-potency formula with the right amount and type of antioxidants for scavenging free radicals in your body. This means that your body has less oxidative stress but your cells can still do their jobs

There are a lot of bioactive in multivitamin+, including antioxidant superstars like:

  • Glutathione
  • Resveratrol
  • Lycopene
  • Zeaxanthin

These help elevate your health at the cellular level, which is how you're going to live longer, feel stronger, and heal faster.

I've been taking these daily and I highly recommend them.

Use the discount code DAN20 for 20% off of Multivitamin+ for first-time customers.

Try Multivitamin+ Today!


Before starting this edition of the 4 Minute Friday I want to thank everyone for the kind words of support on last week's article​.

Our family is safe and we're back in our home. That's all we can ask for and we're thankful.

Something I've been reminded of lately is the topic of gratitude.

When life is great it's so easy to take things for granted, especially with the things we experience every day.

Having shelter over your head, clean water to drink, food on the table, good health, and family is something we enjoy but rarely give thanks for.

When you don't have these things they become the only thing you want in life.

In a world where it's become easy to complain, this is a reminder to be grateful for the little things because they are truly the bigger things in life.

On a related note, there was a study done by Harvard around this and our tendency to make problems bigger than they actually are. I talk about that in the 3rd section of today's 4MF.

That being said...

Here is your 4 Minute Friday:

1. How to make your brain 7.5 years younger

The pre-frontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for attention, planning, organization, and higher-order processing.

But as we age the pre-frontal cortex becomes thinner. However, research shows that meditation can preserve the thickness of the pre-frontal cortex even as we get older.

A ​study​ found that people who have been meditating for 20 years had brains that were, on average, 7.5 years younger than non-meditators.

Thankfully, you don't need to live in a cave or commit to meditating for 20 minutes a day. It's been shown that as little as 5 minutes of meditation a day can improve the gray matter in your brain.

Five minutes a day for a brain that's almost 10 years younger is a steal.

There are many ways to meditate. Find a way that works for you and stick to it. Your brain will thank you for it.

2. Symptoms of low vitamin D

As we're headed into September and the fall, this is a good time to be reminded to up your Vitamin D intake.

Vitamin D is critical to our well-being and cognitive function. Not getting enough can affect mood, mental clarity, and energy.

Vitamin D deficiency is something we should look out for if we live in areas that are not as sunny.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include:

  1. Fatigue
  2. Not sleeping well
  3. Bone pain or achiness
  4. Depression or feelings of sadness
  5. Hair loss
  6. Muscle weakness
  7. Loss of appetite
  8. Getting sick more easily
  9. Pale skin

Watch out for these as we head into quarter 4 of 2023. This just might save your brain and body.

The best way to get Vitamin D is to be outside. Even though it may not be sunny you're still getting sun through the clouds.

The 2nd best way is through supplementation. Here's the supplement I use for ​Vitamin D​.

One thing I also should mention about Vitamin D is that if you are deficient it should be paired with magnesium L-threonate (this is the one​ I use) as it increases absorption.

The best way to know your vitamin D levels is to get bloodwork done.

3. First world problems

In a series of studies​, Harvard psychologists discovered a unique problem facing modern-day humans.

The issue was called problem creep by Michael Easter or "prevalence-induced concept change."

The studies state that even though we see fewer problems in life we don't become more satisfied. We lower our standard for what becomes a "problem."

As the world improves our problems become more "hollow." We choose to create problems out of seemingly trivial things and this affects almost every one of us.

Because we're not fighting for survival or wondering where the next meal is coming from we create problems that wouldn't necessarily be there.

It's waiting in line at the airport. The traffic on the highway. That person who didn't smile when they served you coffee.

In general, if we don't have real problems we create them in our minds.

What's the solution to this? Zooming out and gratitude.

Zoom out to see how our parents were living in the 1960s and '70s. Be grateful for the simple things we take for granted.

Understand that most problems or annoyances are ones we create in our own mind then act accordingly.

Client of the week - Anthony Steele, Entrepreneur



Anthony is an entrepreneur who struggled with having a big belly and low energy.

In 6 months we dropped 48 lbs, increased his energy & doubled his income.


Our strategy:

  • Line up his diet to fit his lifestyle. Instead of restricting his favorite foods, we incorporated them into his diet so it could be more sustainable.
  • Got him off of circuit training and got him into muscle building. This kept his metabolism and made the workouts more enjoyable.
  • Took daily walks after work to deal with his stress and act as a form of cardio. This helped him avoid binge eating and burned a few calories as a result.

If you're an entrepreneur who wants to be confident in your body and increase energy in a way that fits your busy life click here for a strategy call.​ 

One Quote to Finish Your Week Strong

“You were also required to stay calm if things went wrong. Panic was the first step, everybody said, to drowning.”
 


Something I learned when surfing is that panic leads to drowning. When you wipeout from a big wave and get thrown deep into the ocean your first instinct is to rush to get to the top.

What we need to do is calm down. Let the wave do what it wants with you. After that's done make your way to the top in a calm fashion.

Panic leads to drowning.

- Dan

Whenever you’re ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape in a way that fits your busy lifestyle? â€‹Apply for private one-on-one coaching here.​​​

2. If you’re still looking to get lean, I’d recommend starting with an affordable course:

→ â€‹The Lean Body 90 System:​ Transform your body with the Lean Body 90 system. This comprehensive course will teach you the system I use to help my clients become lean and energetic in 90 days in only 90 minutes a week. â€‹Join 1000+ students here.​​

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