Alphas live and lead themselves by personal guidelines or codes. It is how we conduct our lives on a daily basis; from our relationships, to our desires, our commitments, duties to self and others, our personal conduct, we first lead ourselves, constantly learning from those who have gone before, educating others along the way to their personal best, never hesitating to go after our dreams and goals. Living abundantly with passion in everything we do and say. When it comes to our health we know we alone are responsible and as such we follow these daily guidelines.
Never skip meals: More frequent meals are associated with higher energy and reduced hunger. Eat smaller meals more frequently. Think of food as fuel for the body and brain. Your body depends on the foods you eat on a cellular level!
Base each meal around a lean protein source: Fish, chicken, turkey, lean beef (occasionally), cheese, cottage cheese, legumes, or yogurt (plain, unsweetened). The serving size of protein should be about the size of the palm of your hand.
Eliminate high-glycemic carbohydrates: Bread, pasta, rice, cereals, candy, baked goods, pretzels, sweets (often, anything white in color). The processing of these foods leaves them devoid of nutrients and increases the glycemic index and load. This is especially important to achieve the full benefit of your hormone replacement program.
Eat at least 3 to 5 servings of fresh vegetables: and 1 to 2 servings of fresh fruit every day. Vegetables are an excellent source of phyto-nutrients and fiber. Choose whole fruits instead of fruit juice because juicing removes the fiber and increases the glycemic index. Limit starchy and root veggies (potatoes, corn, beets, parsnips, etc.), dried and tropical fruits (raisins, dates, pineapple, mango, papaya, melons, etc.).
Add healthy fats to your diet: Essential omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids are crucial for the prevention of heart disease, arthritis, joint problems and immune system weakness. Good sources include wild salmon and other ocean fish, almonds, walnuts, avocados, ground flaxseeds, olive oil, and fish oil supplements (with EPA/DHA).
Drink 8-10 12-ounce glasses of water daily! Drink one extra glass for every caffeinated beverage. If your urine is clear to pale yellow you are drinking enough water, if it is dark yellow and has a strong aroma you are not drinking enough water.
Keep alcohol intake to a minimum. While 4 to 8 ounces of red wine daily provides health benefits, more than that can increase health risk. Dry red wine is the best choice. Hard alcohols are also low glycemic. Everything in moderation.
Choose natural products. Avoid refined foods, hydrogenated oils, artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. Avoid fat-free products, which usually make up for a lack of taste by adding artificial ingredients and sugar. Shop the perimeter of your grocery store.
Take your supplements daily. Most work best by taking at 12-hour intervals to keep a consistent blood level. Regardless of how health you eat it is impossible to acquire all the essential nutrients to optimize your health and well-being. Supplementation fills in the gaps and creates the opportunity to enhance your body’s physiologic capabilities.
Get adequate restful sleep each and every night. Maintain a consistent rest-wake cycle as often as possible. Sleep is when your body rests, recuperates and repairs itself. I recommend taking the second dose of your supplements in the evening prior to sleep to provide your body the materials to help recharge and repair itself. Note: do not take any caffeinated supplementation prior to sleep.
Exercise daily! The synergy between healthful eating, drinking plenty of water, adequate rest, and meaningful exercise is remarkable and the foundation of proper body ownership and maintenance. The health rewards of exercise reach far beyond its benefit for specific disease. Exercise is so powerful it elevates mood, improves self-image, reduces stress, improves appearance, increases energy, transforms the shape of your body, balances hormones, creates positive lifestyle change, slows the process of aging, strengthens the cardiovascular system, clears the body of excess cholesterols, restores and promotes the proper functioning of all organs, muscles, joints and bones.
The nutrition guidance outlined for young and middle-aged adults also applies to older individuals and to the elderly. Specific additional recommendations pertinent to this age group are discussed below.
Aging is inevitable, but there is no reason to surrender to Old Age. Healthy habits in eating, physical exercise, socialization, and family ties are aids to growing older with class. The key for patients is “Moderation in all things.”
The health rewards of exercise extend far beyond its benefits for specific diseases. Exercise reduces blood clotting, enhances self-image, elevates mood, reduces stress, improves appearance, increases energy and gives the feeling of well-being. Exercise reinforces other positive lifestyle changes, including healthier eating habits and smoking cessation. Furthermore, the ability of exercise to restore function to organs, muscles, joints and bones is not shared by drugs or surgery. Paradoxically, conventional medical practice favors physical rest and inactivity during recovery from illness.
This finding suggests that as little as 90 minutes of aerobic exercise combined with 60 minutes of resistance exercise performed across three days each week is associated with considerable health benefits; a marked improvement in insulin resistance and functional limitation, reduction of abdominal and visceral fat, and an increase in relative and absolute skeletal muscle mass.
Remember these steps to advance daily your personal alpha male status!
Dr. Rob, Professional Alpha Male
