recently, i read about a concept called “alive time and dead time” by Robert Greene. alive time is when you are in control, when you make every second count and when you are learning, growing and improving and applying the learnings into your own life to see what works and what doesn’t. dead time means when you just sit around and wait until things happen to you and you just live in a default mode – where you do things as and when they come.
this made me reflect on my current life structure – from past few years, my degree of living life with intention has increased, where i am doing things with proper objective and measurement.
below are 6 such intentional practices i do everyday:
😴 sleeping between 9.30 and 10p and waking up in between 5.30 and 6a every day
since my childhood, i have been a morning person – i remember waking up at 5 everyday to study. this routine got entirely disturbed during my college days. but then i restarted it when i started working.
sleeping and waking up at the same time almost everyday has greatly enhanced my sleep depth and quality. studies have shown that consistent sleep time puts your circadian biology in a rhythm that improves cognitive performance, mood, energy levels and immune function. (check out these podcasts by huberman – sleep toolkit, master your sleep)
i have tried and tested different timings for sleep, but this routine has been the most effective. one major benefit has been that my mornings are slow and i do not have to rush to complete things.
☕️ two cups of black coffee (consumption objective – more for pleasure than for energy)
i LOVE black coffee (check out my coffee insta page) and enjoy every aspect of it – from brewing to consuming it. every day, i drink 2 cups of coffee and the consumption is more for pleasure than for getting energy out of it.
i brew my first coffee in the morning after my walk (usually 60-90 mins after waking up) and i consume it while reading a book or an essay. i have my second cup of coffee around 2p.
studies have shown positive effects of having limited/ adequate amount of caffeine:
- improves coordination, memory and overall feelings
- has neuroprotective effects – increases dopamine and norepinephrine that enhance motivation, alertness and drive
check out huberman podcast – using caffeine to optimize mental & physical performance
🧠 reading for atleast 30 mins and engaging in a new activity to preserve brain health
i have become an avid reader in the past 2-3 years – i read for atleast 30 mins every day in the morning while enjoying my coffee. majorly i read non-fictional books and at times spend time reading blogs or essays. one of my favourite essays i read recently is on Mimetic Theory.
apart from reading, i am also learning spanish using the Duolingo app. many studies have shown that engaging in such cognitive activities everyday slows the cognitive decline.
last month i also wrote about brain plasticity – check it out here.
🚶🏻morning walk of atleast 30 mins/ 3 kms and minimum 10,000 steps every day
last year, i made a goal to atleast walk 10,000 steps everyday – this month i am averaging ~12,600 steps!
there are multiple ways through which i ensure I am getting 10K steps daily – going for a 30 mins walk in the morning everyday, taking minimum 10 mins walk post meal, walking while talking over a phone call etc.
walking everyday and being active improves attention and heart health and updates neural circuitry, maintaining health brain-body relationship.
🥗 intermittent fasting for 16-18 hours and eating low-carb, high protein and high fat foods
intermittent fasting and low carb, high protein and high fat diet help me manage my blood sugars and keep me energetic throughout the day. (check this blog – 2023 in review)
high carb and processed foods have shown to have negative effect on the health – energy crash in the middle of the day due to blood sugar fluctuations and in long term leads to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, alzheimer’s disease etc. whereas low carb, high protein diet can improve focus, attention, cognitive function and energy management throughout the day.
i generally eat lots of veggies, chicken, eggs, seafood, nuts, paneer (cottage cheese) and greek yogurt.
🏋️♀️ strength train 2-3x per week (started recently and building consistency)
by the end of 2024, I want to get into the best shape and for that i have been building a habit of strength training atleast 3x a week. this is still in an experimentation where i am trying to understand things such as what is the best time for me to do the training (morning vs. evening), when to consume food (before vs. after the training), how does it affect my energy and other biomarkers etc.
dr. Peter Attia in his book Outlive has highlighted the importance of strength training in improving longevity and healthspan.
check out optimal protocols to build strength & grow muscles podcast by huberman also.
azeem panjwani 