Last week my 85-year-old mother had a stroke.
Fortunately I happened to be visiting the Bay Area when it happened and was able to spend the past 10 days visiting her in the E.R., then the neurology ward, and now the acute rehab facility where she will spend the next couple weeks.
Naturally this sort of event has given me opportunities to reflect on my own health and well-being.
I have already been on a journey to improve my physical condition. I started a very gut-friendly probiotic nutrition plan a month or so ago and it has had a positive impact on how I feel (and, excuse the crudity, but also on the way I poop).
But gut health is just one part of the bigger picture of health.
Over the past week I’ve been thinking about all the things that contribute to optimal health and wellness. I can directly see how these things have impacted my mom’s condition and how they are assisting (or detracting from) her recovery.
So, without further ado, I’d like to share my …
Six S’s of Successes (for Health and Life)
(Thanks to my sister for coming up with this name.)
I put these in the order that I think they have the greatest impact on health — at least from my own experience. But really they are all pretty important so feel free to re-order them as needed for your own life.
S1: Sleep
This was one of the items emphasized the most by the acute rehab facility staff and medical professionals: getting enough sleep.
Sleep is when we heal. It is when we grow. It is when we detoxify, cleanse, and correct our imbalances.
Without good sleep everything else in our bodies (and lives) works sub-optimally.
All of the other 5 S’s can’t work the way they’re supposed to if you aren’t getting enough high quality sleep.
Cognitive decline. Physical ailments. Lack of focus. They’re all made that much worse without proper sleep.
How much sleep is enough sleep? Well, that sort of depends on you. For me, I feel like somewhere between 8 and 9 hours is perfect, but most nights I tend to do well with anything over 7 and a half hours. Your mileage may vary.
How to get good sleep is a topic worthy of its own blog post (or entire website), so this isn’t the time to dive super deep. But I will say that some of the best things we can do to optimize our sleep patterns are:
- Be consistent. Fall asleep at the same time every night.
- Relax. Do something to relax yourself in the hour before you go to bed.
- No screens. This is my greatest vice. I tend to watch things in bed. It’s a terrible habit and honestly it might just be better to leave my digital devices in a different room.
- No alarms. This is hard depending on your schedule and obligations, but the nights where I don’t set an alarm to wake up usually ends up giving me a much higher quality of sleep.
- No food. When I go to bed a little hungry my body can recuperate much better. Try not to eat at least 3 to 4 hours before going to bed. (This is also one I struggle with.)
- Hot shower/bath. The Japanese really have this one locked down. A hot shower or bath before bed does so many good things for the body. Google it.
This isn’t a comprehensive list, but it’s a start.
S2: Stress
Stress, as the saying goes, is a killer.
It raises cortisol, which increases inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.
It increases blood pressure which increases chances for coronary and cardiovascular issues (like strokes!).
It makes it hard to sleep. (See S1 above.)
Stress is different for everyone. And we all react to it in different ways. But here are a few things I think might help (and that I hope to implement in my own life).
- Exercise. There is something to be said for getting out our stress through physical exertion. Go hit a punching bag, or go all-out on a bike machine for 10 minutes and see how you feel after that.
- Meditation / Prayer. Having some time to be quiet and calm our minds can be super helpful. I need to do more of this.
- Deep Breathing. Deep diaphragmatic breathing is great for circulating lymph fluid and detoxing your body. It also just feels really good (endorphins, anyone?).
- Journaling. Sometimes we just need a place to write down all the craziness going on in our skull. Get it down in a (private) journal and release all that anxiety from your brain.
- Nature. Go outside. Look at the sky. Go barefoot in some grass. Dip your toes in a stream, lake or ocean. Connecting with and grounding yourself in nature does wonders.
S3: Staples
No, this isn’t referring to the office supply store (or the little metal bracket thingies). This is talking about the types of foods we eat.
Specifically, the whole foods that are a part of a balanced nutritional profile. Y’know … the types of foods that are recognizable as food for someone who lived in the 1800’s.
Originally the “S” was going to stand for “Sustainable Foods”, but I feel like that conjures images of researching the food supply chain for your tortilla chips or asking your waitstaff about the acreage of the farm where Colin the chicken grew up.
So, while “staple” foods might make you think of wheat, corn or oranges, I’m really talking about the types of foods that constituted those primal food types that our ancestors ate: Vegetables, lean proteins, beans, nuts, seeds … y’know … “food”.
Or, put another way, I guess you could also just cut out any processed or “manufactured” foods. If it comes in a wrapper or has more than 3 component ingredients, it is probably not super healthy.
Long story short: eat real food.
Here are things I tend to gravitate towards:
- Fermented and pro-biotic foods: yogurt, kefir, natto, kim chee, miso soup, etc.
- Fruits: I prefer berries and bananas myself, and occasionally some mandarin oranges. Not so much into melons or apples, but everyone has their preferences.
- Proteins: I like eggs, tofu, chicken and beef (grass-fed, when possible).
- Legumes and Nuts: Pinto beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts … stuff like that. I try to get nut mixes with low or no salt.
- Grains: I mostly just eat rice and try to avoid wheat products (with varying success). I’m going to start working on eating more wild rice than white rice since it has a better nutritional profile and doesn’t spike insulin as much.
I’m not perfect, and sometimes I give myself a treat. But this is the general list of things I would prefer to put in my body.
But if you happen to see me eat a hot dog at the movie theater, please don’t point fingers and call me a hypocrite. I am only human.
S4: Sugar-Free
I think this goes without saying, but sugar is really one of the worst things ever. It can cause all sorts of health issues. But this shouldn’t really be news to anyone. If sugar was added to what you’re putting in your mouth, then don’t put it in your mouth.
And, as the other side of that statement, if sugar is already a natural part of what you’re eating (i.e. fruit) then don’t sweat it. Eating a blueberry or some bananas isn’t going to give you diabetes — especially when eaten in their natural states which includes all that healthy fiber.
But if you eat a banana dipped in chocolate, covered in ice cream, and topped with sprinkles, then it has long since gone away from it’s original state.
The interesting thing about getting rid of sugar is that you initially feel a bit of loss. Foods might taste bitter or lack some sort of flavor. But the longer you go without sugary foods, the less conditioned your palate is to hyper-sweet foods and the less strange REAL food tastes.
You just have to get through that initial period of adjustment while your body discovers how its supposed to operate.
S5: Strength
The stronger we are, the healthier we are.
Or rather, if you have strength — both in your muscles and your ligaments/joints — your body is able to perform better. You are less prone to accidents. You are able to move about the world around you with better facility and agility.
I am not just talking about body building or creating massive muscles. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But before you try to compete at the Mr. Olympia competition, you should first aim for a healthy level of functional strength that helps you operate as a human being that isn’t falling apart like a rusty bicycle.
I would also include “suppleness” or “flexibility” as part of strength. Why? Because if you are only strong in a very limited range of motion (“ROM”), then you are actually more susceptible to injuries. If you can be strong in your full range of motion, then your body is significantly less prone to having issues when you fall, trip, or stumble.
Stretching (another S!) is part of this, but according to some studies (see here, here and here), flexibility is really just another version of strength. Apparently while the hypertrophic (muscle growth) effects of stretching are generally smaller than those from strength training, studies suggest that both modalities can complement each other, especially when targeting fascicle length and joint ROM improvements.
A few options that I think are easy gateways to strength training:
- Yoga: A great class and teacher-based environment to get guided training in building strength through your range of motion.
- Calisthenics: body-weight based training can scale with your level. Just starting out — just do wall pushes instead of pushups, or chair squats. As you get stronger, increase the challenge.
- Tai Chi: Naturally this is a favorite of mine. Slow, controlled movements that improve stability, breath control and joint mobility.
- Pilates: I haven’t done this myself, but it is another low-impact exercise system focused on core strength, balance, and flexibility.
- Resistance Bands: These are a great, travel-friendly option for those who don’t like pumping iron. They help build strength while enhancing flexibility and joint mobility, making them ideal for beginners.
Just a few options, but of course there are always free weights or weight machines too. Try a few and see which you like. Generally the more you enjoy something, the more likely you are to keep consistent with it.
S6: Stamina
Stamina, or endurance, is not just about the ability to sustain physical work and effort over time. I think of it as also an element of building a strong mental and spiritual framework.
Its about cultivating the mental endurance to remain steady in our pursuits when the road gets tough. It’s easy to be disciplined for a day, or even a week, but stamina is what makes discipline last over months and years.
Building stamina requires consistency and progressive overload — small but steady increases in effort over time.
Just as in physical exercise, where muscles grow stronger by repeatedly being pushed beyond their comfort zone, our mental and emotional stamina develop through consistent, mindful practice.
It’s not about huge, dramatic changes, but rather about those little, sustainable improvements that add up over time.
To improve stamina, you can focus on a few specific things:
- Routine: Establishing daily routines that support long-term goals.
- Rest: Prioritizing recovery time to avoid burnout, both mentally and physically.
- Incremental Progress: Setting small, manageable goals and gradually increasing the difficulty or scope.
Like James Clear talks about in his obnoxiously best selling book, Atomic Habits, the key to building habits is to start small and build on your (six s’s of) successes.
Don’t try to run 10 miles a day on day one. Instead. just make it a habit to put on your running shoes. That’s it. Then wait ten seconds and take them off.
When that act becomes a natural and unconscious part of your day, then add the act of stepping outside. Don’t walk or run. Just go outside and then come back inside. And then do that until it becomes engrained in your day.
Each time a habit becomes engrained add another act that is almost comically easy to do. Over time you will be amazed at how effortlessly you have created a life-changing habit.
I realize that might sound like a waste of time to approach building sustained habits (or stamina) in this way, but the bigger waste of time is to try to do too much, burn yourself out after a few days (or worse, injure yourself) and then never maintain the practice.
Stamina allows us to tackle the challenges of life with resilience, ensuring that we can not only achieve success but also maintain it.
Putting it all together
To be honest, I don’t really have a “put it all together” thing to add here.
The way you or I put this all together is going to be different. But hopefully this at least gives you something to think about.
And maybe you can even incorporate some of this into your life and routines.
None of these things are really revolutionary. I’m not reinventing the wheel. And you probably already knew how important these six S’s were.
Sometimes when an event like a family member’s health emergency has motivated us to take action to improve our lives, it is good to have a place to write down our thoughts so we can refer back to them when we lose motivation in the future.
So, future Mark. Consider this your reminder.
Now get out there and take action.