Behaviors

Avoid inversion practices if you have glaucoma or are predisposed to glaucoma because inversion increases ocular pressure.

For posterior disc bulge-type pain: lie face down with hips in contact with the floor, toes pointed back, legs straight and together, head neutral; press up like a push-up while keeping hips on the floor. Do 8–10 repetitions and hold the final rep until you begin to quake slightly, then relax. Used to encourage the disc bulge back toward the center.

If pain is too severe for cobra push-ups, stand about 6 inches or so from a wall with hands on the wall and push the hips toward the wall; can be progressed later to floor cobra/up-dog style work.

Place fists under the jaw on either side of the chin; with tongue on roof of mouth and breathing through the nose, press the chin downward against the resistance of the fists for a 10-second static contraction. Do 3–4 repetitions of 10-second contractions for 2–5 sets.

Practice spreading the toes apart on both feet so none are touching; this can take a couple of weeks to learn. While sitting barefoot with toes spread, practice lifting toes independently, starting with lifting the big toes independently of the others. As a no-purchase aid, place firm paper towel or tissue between the toes to help learn toe spreading. Advanced option: strengthen individual toes with bands.

When at rest, relax the abdominal musculature and belly breathe: inhale so the belly moves out, exhale so the belly moves in.

When seated and during daily activities, especially if prone to posterior disc bulging or low-to-mid back pain, avoid rounding the lower back; keep it straight or slightly arched, but not overly arched.

Lie on your side as if preparing for a side plank but keep the lower leg on the floor; point the top foot's toe downward, bring that foot slightly in front to touch the floor, then extend the heel back toward the back wall and slightly toward the ceiling while maintaining the downward-pointed toe. Do 5–10 repetitions, then hold the final raised position for 10–20 seconds. Repeat on both sides. You can press into the top of the working-side glute with your thumb to feel it activate. May be repeated a couple of times per day if needed for pain relief, and can also be used as a leg-day warm-up.

Recommended posterior chain exercise for strengthening the back and posterior chain and maintaining power and posture with age.

Take a long lunge with one leg back and the other forward; raise the arm on the same side as the back leg overhead; turn the palm parallel to the ceiling/sky and rotate so the pinky turns toward the head. Hold 5–10 seconds while breathing normally, then switch sides. Intended to stretch the psoas and create a sense of spinal lengthening/open hips.

If you have shoulder or back tightness, make sure you do enough pulling exercises to balance pushing exercises like pushups, shoulder presses, and bench presses.

Weekly structure of 3 resistance training sessions, 3 cardiovascular training sessions, and 1 complete rest day; intended as a sustainable minimum-effective schedule. Resistance work can be organized as legs, torso, and arms/small body parts.

Include one weekly resistance session focused on quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and tibialis/anterior shin work.

Tailor exercise selection so you do not aggravate preexisting injuries or induce new injuries.

Include some neck strengthening work if additional neck strength is needed; can be added on torso day or small body parts day.

Include one weekly resistance session for smaller muscle groups that recover quickly, typically 45 to 50 minutes and up to 60 minutes maximum; can include biceps, triceps, calves, neck work, and abdominal work. Use additional small body part work when needed for balance, stabilization, or aesthetic reasons.

On the long cardio day, get outside and move as much as possible; try to get outdoors at least once per week for movement, nature exposure, and cardiovascular benefit.

If feeling run down, exposed to illness, or if training would require caffeine late in the day and disrupt sleep, skip the workout rather than forcing it and prioritize sleep and overall health.

Use isolation exercises on small body parts day, but if torso day was skipped, add compound torso movements too, such as chins, pull-ups, and dips, to make sure torso muscles are trained as well.

Best to complete the workout if it can be done safely and without compromising nighttime sleep.

Every 30 minutes or so, do 1–3 minutes of movement such as walking, light jogging, push-up breaks, air squat breaks, or soleus pushups; if needed, set timers. Framed as keeping glucose channels active and improving 24-hour glucose and insulin control.

At minimum, get annual metabolic testing including fasting glucose, fasting triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, hemoglobin A1C, total cholesterol, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Additional useful markers mentioned: ApoB, uric acid, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, hs-CRP, liver function tests, and GGT. Suggested retesting frequency: 3–4 times per year to assess whether diet and lifestyle strategies are working.

Try a strategy, retest in a few months, and use your own labs to see whether you are moving in the right direction rather than relying on ideology alone.

Shift more carbohydrate intake earlier in the day because the same meal later tends to produce higher glucose spikes.

Use a continuous glucose monitor as a learning tool rather than trying to game the system for perfectly flat glucose.

Use CGM to assess whether glucose peaks around 45 minutes after a meal and returns toward baseline by about 90 minutes to 2 hours; slower recovery may indicate insulin resistance.

Use CGM to assess how spiky glucose patterns are; lower glycemic variability is better.

Monitor the morning glucose rise on waking; she said she would want to see less than about a 10-point rise rather than 20–40 points.

Replace sugary snacks with options built around protein, fat, and fiber to reduce glucose spikes; examples given included grass-fed cheese, flax crackers, and a venison stick.

Before bed, repeatedly rehearse the intention that you will remember your dreams and instigate control in them to increase the probability of lucid dreaming.