27 Wishes

Today is my 27th birthday.  This year, instead of one wish, I have 27...and they're for YOU. 

As a gift to you (and me), try to implement at least one of these tips into your life.

1. Substitute cereal or oatmeal at breakfast for eggs with bacon/ham/sausage.
2. Eat the whole egg...every time.  
3. If you train yourself, lift heavier weights.  Increase the weight at least every other workout, even if the increase is just a pound.
4. Stop stretching (unless you truly enjoy it).  Research shows that you aren't gaining anything positive from it.  
5. Eat 2-4 meals per day with lots of water in-between.
6. Try fasting at least 14 hours from your last meal of one day to your first meal of the next day.
7. Trade in your morning juice for water, coffee with cream, or an unsweetened hot tea.
8. Buy grass-fed red meat (try Whole Foods or you can order from U.S. Wellness Meats)
9. Use butter or coconut oil to cook your food with.
10. Buy organic ketchup (and remember to store it in the refrigerator).  Heinz has high fructose corn syrup.
11. Trade your soy protein powder for whey or casein protein isolate...
12. Or better yet, stop eating processed foods altogether.  If if didn't come from the earth or an animal looking as it does now, don't eat it.  You'll be amazed by how much better you will feel after the subtraction of processed foods. Real food does not have a long list of ingredients.
13. Strengthen your lower back (you can find examples of exercises that do this in #2 of the exercise routine I suggest).  So few people actually strengthen their lower backs, and so many people have lumbar spine pain.
14. Eat meat, fish, eggs, or poultry as the center of every meal.
15. When eating vegetables or poultry, add in a fat to aid vitamin and mineral absorption.  Butter, cheese, avocado, and nuts are all good fats.
16. Stop eating peanut butter and replace it with almond butter or some other nut butter.
17. When dining out, substitute the starch out of your meal for a vegetable, cheese, or more meat/fish.  You'll be surprised by how accommodating most restaurants can be.  
18. Instead of eating the bread at a restaurant, quickly order a non-fried meat, fish, or salad appetizer with your drinks.  You can always turn the bread away as well.
19. If you are going to eat yogurt, eat full fat Greek yogurt.  
20. Eat full fat cheese only.  
21. Turn your TV off and get at least seven hours of sleep per night.
22. If you are a runner, cyclist, or other endurance athlete, don't train for 48 hours after strength training your legs (the same goes for swimmers and strength training the upper body).  If need be, run, cycle, etc. before your workout, but give yourself the rest of that day and the next day off.  Remember: strength training is only the stimulus for change in your body.  The stimulus needs time to become the actual change you are looking for.
23. Listen to your body.  If you feel a sharp pain on an exercise, adjust something or leave out the exercise.  If you are tired, cut your exercise/activity level down or sleep more.  
24. Give yourself at least a few minutes outside, every other day, with no sunscreen on.  Sunscreen blocks the rays which help your body produce vitamin D.  Be smart: gradually-increased exposure to the sun without sunscreen is the optimal way to attain vitamin D and avoid cancer.
25. Avoid fruit smoothies from commercial locations.  The fruit is often stored in syrup.
26. Avoid fruit cups for the same reason.
27. Realize that you don't "burn" meals off. When you eat a bad meal or eat poorly for a whole day, go back to a regular healthy eating lifestyle (featuring lots of meat, fish, eggs, and veggies).  Don't stress yourself and spend unusually high amounts of time exercising the next few days.  This will put you in an illogical race that you will never win and will only cause unnecessary stress.  Stay the course, and one error in your diet will be of no significance to your overall health or fitness.
28. ("One for good luck").  Share Health-Actualization with everyone you know!