4 Minute Fridays: The exercise that grows your brain, a great stretch for desk workers & the shake I drink every day
The exercise that grows your brain, a great stretch for desk workers & the shake I drink every day
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The other day I was feeling a bit down and low energy.
Out of curiosity, I took a look at my step counter and found out that I had taken a total of 2000 steps by 3pm.
I was so focused on work that I forgot to get up and move.
This happens to a lot of people as well.
The average American gets 3000 to 4000 steps a day, which pales in comparison to our hunter-gatherer ancestors who got 16,000 to 17,000 steps.
Walking has a massive impact not only on your physical health but your mental health.
It increases neuroplasticity, brain volume, and BDNF (brain fertilizer).
With that in mind, I turned on my treadmill desk and started walking for 30 minutes.
Miraculously, I was more awake, alert, and my mood was elevated.
As the saying goes,
Your brain and body will thank you.
That being said...
Here is your 4 Minute Friday:
1. Do this exercise to grow your brain
The hippocampus plays a key role in your brain health. It's responsible for learning, memory, and emotional regulation.
Unfortunately, it is the structure of the brain that tends to shrink as we age.
A study was done to see what would happen if older adults walked for 40 minutes 3 times a week.
What they found was that those who walked had a 2% increase in hippocampal volume over a year. Those that did not walk saw a 1.4% decrease.
While a 2% increase may not sound like much it's been shown to reverse age-related cognitive loss by 1-2 years.
Aside from the physical benefits you get from walking, I'm most excited about your cognitive benefits.
This is why I promote walking as the main form of cardio in our private coaching programs and Lean Body 90 course.
It's the most underrated exercise on the planet.
2. A great stretch for desk workers
When we sit for long periods 2 things happen:
- Your hips get tight
- Your lats and upper back get tight
Both can lead to low back issues and poor posture.
This is why I love this stretch.
It's called the Crab Reach and it mobilizes your hips, lats, and upper back while activating your glutes 👇🏼
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I love this stretch because it also acts as a way to turn on your nervous system because you're linking several moves together at once.
I do this stretch in between desk sessions and before my workouts.
Try it out and see how your body feels afterward.
3. I drink this shake every day (Sponsored Post)
Protein is the most important nutrient on the planet.
You know that you need it for building muscle but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Protein also reduces appetite & hunger (especially at night), builds healthy bones, lowers blood pressure, helps maintain healthy weight loss, and whey protein in particular has been shown to improve gut health.
For clients, I recommend that they get at least .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day but that can be hard to hit for a lot of people, especially me.
My solution for this is to drink a whey protein shake in the morning or midday.
Here's what I add to my protein shake:
Creatine: For improved cognition and increased muscle.
Psyllium Husk: For gut health and fiber intake.
PB2 peanut butter: Low-calorie peanut butter for taste.
I put 2 scoops of protein powder in there and it's enough to fill me up for a couple of hours.
The protein powder I use is this grass-fed whey protein isolate from Mindbodygreen.
The reason I take it is because my stomach is pretty sensitive. Many other protein shakes come with additives and other things that can make me feel a bit queasy after drink them.
Mindbodygreen's is grass-fed made with natural ingredients (see the label) and works perfectly for my protein needs.
If you're looking to get a high quality protein shake I highly recommend it.
Client of the week - B.C. - Entrepreneur
Brent is an entrepreneur who was working out but wasn't seeing any results. His goal was to drop 30 lbs off his body while increasing his energy.
His biggest struggles were bad eating habits, poor sleep, and lack of willpower.
In 12 weeks, he's dropped 34 pounds, boosted his energy, and lost 5 inches from his waistline.
Our strategy:
- Cleaned up his diet from ordering UberEats to meal prep delivery.
- Changed his workouts from circuit training to strength training.
- Instead of cardio we walked 8-10k steps a day
There are nuances I'm leaving out but those are the big rocks. Must add that we added a major dose of accountability and used coaching to help him stick to his healthy habits.
One Quote to Finish Your Week Strong
Your biggest changes with your body will come from identifying with the things that are making you healthy.
When you evolve them from things you "have" to do to things that are a part of who you are as a person you know you've made it.
- Dan
When you're ready, here is 1 way I can help:
1. Promote yourself to 477,110+ subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter.
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