Water

Foundations of Health

acompoundinglife

Health = Wealth

This may be a cliché, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. The a rich person who isn’t healthy would trade their wealth for health any day because they can’t enjoy their wealth if they are debilitated from being unhealthy.

Many believe as you age, your inevitably health declines, but this is not true. You have the power to maintain your health long past your youth, but the habits must start in your youth to increase your chances of success.

In your 20’s it is easy to neglect your health as your body is naturally able to maintain a high metabolism, recover from injury, and maintain muscle mass. This is not the case forever, so you must focus on establishing the habits the will provide the foundation of health throughout your life.

A foundational principle of Compounding, is to start early. The earlier you prioritize your health, the greater the benefit as you age. So the sooner you implement these four foundations and maintain consistency in applying them, the longer you will benefit from them.

The Four Foundations of Health

Eating Healthy

You are what you eat

  • This doesn’t mean eating salads for the rest of your life. It means eating in a wholistic way that is enjoyable, diverse, and consistent
  • It is often thought that eating healthy means restricting yourself, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Calories intake is important but if you are eating the right foods, counting calories can become less of a focus
  • Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats are the three macronutrients that are the basis of every meal. Eating these in the right ratios can improve your weight, health and overall well-being
  • Focus on eating as many fresh and non-processed foods as possible in every meal. By doing this you are eating more like how humans have eaten for 1,000s of years

Exercise Often

If you don’t use it, you lose it

  • Your body was designed to move and move heavy things. As society continues to accelerate towards a sedentary lifestyle, those who prioritize physical fitness via weight training and high intensity cardio will separate themselves from the pack
  • Muscles that are put under stress become stronger and stronger muscles create lasting health
  • Aiming for 3 to 4 days of exercise should be your goal. Lift and run with intensity and consistency to get maximum results that efficiently build a strong body

Drinking Water

Your body is made up of over 70% water

  • Given your body is mostly water, it’s safe to assume daily water intake is critical to your health and your body operating optimally
  • Drinking water essential for maintaining a healthy weight, energy levels and flushing toxins out of your body
  • Drinking water has a secondary benefit of keeping you feeling full, so you are less likely to overeat. If you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water first
  • Aim for drinking at least six to eight 8 oz. of water daily

Sound Sleep

You body’s natural way to recover

  • It is obvious, yet underestimated, on the how large an impact that good sleep has on your health
  • Sleep contributes to weight management, cognitive clarity & focus, physical performance, and reduction of inflammation & improved immune response
  • Everyone knows 7 to 8 hours is ideal, but how are you ensuring you get this? Reduce exposure to screens prior to bed, maintain consistency when you go to bed and wake up even on weekends, develop a relaxing routine before bedtime, and reduce caffeine and alcohol intake as they impair your bodies ability to get good sleep

Four Foundations of Health Combined

All four of these foundations are related and impacted by each other. If one is out of balance or neglected, you won’t be operating optimally. Getting all four aligned and in-sync with one another will fuel the compound effect improving your health to a greater degree over time!

If you are struggling with one or multiple of these four foundations, take small steps that you can do consistently to get on the right track.

  • If it is eating healthy, try cooking 1 to 2 dinners that can become staples in your weekly routine
  • If it is exercising often, have a goal of working out 2 times a week for a month straight
  • If it is drinking water, have a tall glass next to you with a goal of drinking 3 to 4 glasses a day and check it off in a notebook every time you do
  • If it is sleep, try not looking at your phone right before you go to bed or listen to relaxing music, or take time to meditate

By focusing on these four building blocks and maintaining a focus on them early in life, you will set up the pinwheel that causes the benefits of each of these foundations to feed each other which will allow for your health to continue to compound over time and not decline.