I recently took a health master class with one of planets top health, longevity, beauty and fitness experts, Ben Greenfield who fundamentally views the world in a new amazing way and busts all the myths and lies of the health and wellness industry. I also embarked on a period of intense training with someone who I consider to be (Yoga Journal agrees too!) one of the globes best yoga experts, Simon Park, I wanted to get to the TRUTH about many things that seem to be hidden from us in a whirlwind of commercial headaches.
I can clearly remember how my Mum, just in her late 50's started to die slowly, she lost all her muscle mass and the skin just hung over arms and legs, her back was so sore and she could hardly walk and her organs slowly collapsed dying, finally at 61. I then took a long hard look at myself at 37, I was a yoga teacher who just assumed that my profession would keep me naturally healthy but I was wrong. I was working so hard with my body and putting far too much pressure on myself to constantly achieve and grow that I was loosing my natural energy and vibrancy, I could see myself ageing rapidly and I started suffering from sore joints and I thought ENOUGH. I closed my yoga studio, changed my yoga method, changed my lifestyle and followed many of Ben's health hacks - within just a few weeks I feel more alive, more youthful, more focused than I can ever remember feeling.
Not only does Ben teach that things like 30 seconds to 4 minutes of exercise a day is way more efficient than spending time in a gym or doing 1 hour intense sessions, that one of the best anti-ageing strategy is starving yourself everyday (while you're asleep and it’s called intermittent fasting!) along with good air, that super slow workouts are much better than fast ones, he also reminded us that as we age we do not have to become elderly, that we do not need to loose our beauty and ability to repair and generate new cells. Here are a few health hacks that I learned from Ben - and remember that this isn't a vanity thing (and if you think it is, you might seriously need to check yourself on that), instead this is your right to living long, vibrantly and joyfully. Essentially, this is your responsibility for being blessed with this precious thing called L.I.F.E.
HACKS
. Ten minutes of light movement as soon as you wake-up before any food.
. 5 minute cold and hot contrast shower.
. Have a coffee or green tea before breakfast to support fat burning.
. Fast for at least 12 hours a day / 16 hours is best. So you have you last meal at 8pm and don't eat again until about 9/10am.
. Cancel your gym membership and go out and hike in nature with the people you love.
. You have to have the RIGHT kind of muscle, it's not the amount of muscle you have it's the quality and it should be lean, tight and look amazing. This will give you longevity. Ben loves slow push ups and Simon Park teaches the most mindful, precise and intelligent yoga system I’ve discovered so it might just be worth slowing down on the mat too. I can’t bear fast yoga, it makes me feel out of breath and sore and those two things are not conducive to health, beauty, fitness and longevity, be brave enough to shop around for a new teacher in town yogis.
. Squat for 30 seconds before meals to set up an inner health system.
. REMEMBER your SOUL is the most important element of your being, keep your soul healthy with good ethics, kind behaviour, gratitude, contentment and service and I highly recommend mantra meditation - you HAVE to have a method to get out of the thinking mind.
. And my personal top tip from the bottom of my heart is to realise that you are already enough, you don’t have to be constantly achieving more, getting richer, getting more status or more popularity - that is the biggest load of bullshit society has been feeding us and it’s time to break that commercial pattern and simply live our lives with ease and joy. Yes, I feel that passionate about it.
Last week, at 37 on an intensive training with Simon Park I realised my soul was light and my eyes were bright!
You are SO worth it, you are so so so so worth it.
You can take Ben’s free masterclass with MindValley here.
Love Kat xx