July 6, 2018
Welcome to Ben Greenfield's Weekly Roundup and Cool New Discoveries!
Ben Greenfield's discoveries from the latest news from the fronts of fitness, nutrition, health, wellness, biohacking and anti-aging research. I also recap my upcoming events and special announcements so you can keep up with giveaways, discounts, and more!
New Discoveries Of The Week: Cool New Things I'm Trying, Books I'm Reading, And More!
MY TRAVEL HABITS, TIPS & TOOLS
I don't think it's any secret that I'm currently at MindValley U in Tallin Estonia. Since this means I've been doing a heckuvalot of traveling, I figured I'd break the rules on this week's roundup and fill you in on my most potent travel tips, tricks and tools that allow me to keep some semblance of ritual and routine when I'm on the road.
After all, you’ve probably done it. You've set up your own personal, flawless, tried-and-true morning, afternoon and evening routines. You know when to eat, when to stretch, when to poop, when to exercise, when to meditate, when to journal and when to sit in your lucky chair. And then a week of travel strikes. Your entire routine goes to pot as you sit on an airplane during your normal morning walk time, you’re stuck in a hotel “business center” that keeps you from the habit-forming zone of your familiar office, and when you step into the health club, it’s a completely different scene than your customary gym. You suddenly feel out of control. Sound familiar?
As a guy who spends over one-third of the year traveling, I’ve had to figure out how to take my own elaborate rituals and routines “on the road” to allow me to optimize my body and brain when I travel. Here are a few of my own personal habits for travel that allow me to effectively “transfer” my habits into new environments:
15 Minutes Of “Me-Time” Upon Waking
– No matter where I am in the world, whether I have to be on stage speaking in an hour, my flight arrived at 3am the evening prior, or it’s snowing, sleeting or sunny outside, I always set the chronograph on my stopwatch to 15 minutes and spend 15 minutes “making my body better” when I wake up– usually doing the same tried-and-true stretch routine I do at home:
– 15 minutes yoga warriors and sun salutations
– 15 minutes of the ELDOA stretches I discuss here.
– 15 minutes foam rolling and deep tissue work
– Arm swings, leg swings and calisthenics (15 minutes)
– Meditative walk with deep nasal breathing and box breathing (15 minutes)
My Airplane Rules
– Even if I’m jet-lagged, tired as hell, or simply don’t want to budge my butt out of my comfy window seat on the plane, I have formed very specific rules and habits that make every flight better for my brain and body. I can replicate this routine no matter what. My rules are as follows:
– Every time I use the bathroom on the airplane I perform 20 air squats
– For every hour of flight time, I go to the back of the plane and perform a set toe-to-head stretch routine I know I can do in small spaces without annoying people, specifically: 10 ten calf raises with shoulder shrugs, ten deep squats, ten torso twists side-to-side, ten arm circles in each direction and ten neck circles.
– For airplane naps, I use foam earplugs, a very good light-blocking mask for my eyes, Sony noise-blocking headphones, the Sleepstream sleep app, a J-hook inflatable travel pillow and 2 packets of Four Sigmatic Reishi extract. I’ve trained myself to fall asleep very quickly on airplanes by using these airplane napping tools.
Grab even more airplane and jet lag tips here.
My Home Working & Sleeping Environment Replicated
– When I’m at a hotel or Airbnb, I do as much as I can to replicate my home office environment. Using the desk the TV is on, a kitchen counter, or a chair stacked on top of a coffee table, I fashion a standing workstation. I create a dark sleeping environment by fastening the clasps of closet hangers across the window curtains and unplugging everything in the room I don’t use (e.g. the microwave, the TV, etc.). I sprinkle lavender essential oil on the bed pillows, I set the room to exactly 66 degrees Fahrenheit and I hang the Do Not Disturb sign on the door.
My Travel Sleep Kit
– I may not be able to take a giant Chilipad, a knee pillow or red lamp with me when I travel, but I do have a minimalist sleep kit that neatly fits into a small, blue silk travel bag: a sleep mask, earplugs, noise-blocking headphones, lavender essential oil, a small portable “Flexpulse” PEMF device and typically some type of CBD, such as a CBD vape pen or CBD oil.
Just like a child can stay content and happy when traveling with their lucky teddy bear or precious sleep blankie, I’ve found that sticking to these specific tools, rituals and habits when I travel keeps me sane, well-rested and productive.
Podcasts I Recorded This Week
Every month, Ben Greenfield releases never-before-seen videos, audios and .pdf's inside the BenGreenfieldFitness “Premium” channel (just $10/year to access!). You can click here to go Premium and access an entire vault of protected content!
–The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion
Articles I Published This Week:
– The Hidden Health Killer Nobody Is Talking About (& 6 Ways To Protect Yourself From It).
My full article feed and all past archives of my articles are here if you want to check out past articles.
Articles & Podcasts Ben Greenfield Was Featured In This Week:
– Ben Greenfield: Biohacking and Reversing Cancer, Deuterium, Structured Water, & EMFs
– Here’s Exactly What Biohacking Is — And 4 Ways To Use It To Power Up Your Life
Special Announcements:
::: Get a Delicious “Ice Cream” Recipe From Organifi :::
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM! Organifi has some incredibly delicious recipes that are all neatly packaged in this bundle so you can make delicious, healthy ice cream at home yourself and with your family. My favorite is Golden Salted Caramel. Want to spread the love – this bundle is available, along with Organifi's “Ultimate Guide to Homemade Ice Cream” recipe guide! Share this link between now and Monday, July 9th, so you and yours can take advantage of this yummy deal! Get the recipes here.
::: How To Get Away With Consuming Gluten-Rich Foods :::
It doesn’t matter whether you to try to avoid gluten, or, like me, refuse to give it up…it doesn’t matter whether you think “gluten-free” is real or a total fad…the fact is gluten is in everything, even in seemingly “harmless” sources like curry powder, salad dressings and soy sauce. The good news is that there's an antidote to the adverse effects of consuming foods that contain gluten—it's a special nutrient with the ability to break down the gluten’s protein walls and render it non-toxic in your system.
That nutrient is what researchers call DPP-IV dipeptidyl peptidase IV), an enzyme complex which specifically breaks down gluten. DPP-IV Is gluten’s worst nightmare and Gluten Guardian includes the most potent source of DPP-IV on the planet. Try it 100% hassle-free with a money back guarantee today and get back to eating your favorite foods. Use special code “GREENFIELD” to receive 10% off your order at checkout.
::: The Truth About Fat With My Favorite New Author, Naomi Whittel :::
This just went live! Hands-down one of my favorite new authors, Naomi Whittel, is on a mission to spread the “real skinny on fat” and put an end to the debate on fat's effects on your health and longevity. This documentary is a good one to share with friends and family who are still on the fence and don't quite get the “big picture” just yet about healthy fats. I highly recommend you give this documentary series your full attention as the message is critical: In it, you're going to discover the remarkable science of “autophagy” and how it can help you quickly and simply lose weight and body-fat, gain incredible energy and help reverse the ravages of aging on your body. You'll also discover how this exact same science is helping people across the globe combat chronic disease, chronic pain and much more. Register today!
Upcoming Events:
JUNE
– June 28 – July 9, 2018: Mind Valley U, Tallinn, Estonia. Mindvalley U is a month-long transformational event that is designed to create a university style education model for all ages. This will be one of those things you look back on and say: it changed my life. Mind Valley U will be held in Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn, Estonia has one of the highest number of startups per capita and is one of the most cutting-edge tech nations in the world. Sign up, join me, and transform your life!
JULY
– July 14 – 15, 2018: Train to Hunt Nationals, Mesa, Colorado. Nationals are right around the corner and I'm eager to take the podium! If you are a hunter, then you understand how fitness can impact your season. There's no better way to prepare than through Train to Hunt challenges. Learn more here.
– July 19, 2018: Ancestral Health Symposium, Bozeman, Montana. “AHS” is a scientific conference which provides a forum so that learning and qualified discussion on all areas of human health can take place. Most noteworthy, at this conference you will go beyond diet and learn about the latest research across a wide range of topics, all united by an evolutionary perspective. speakers present on topics including diet, movement, sleep, stress, epigenetics, and more. Join me this summer!
AUGUST
– August 17 – 19, 2018: Colorado Rockies Ultra Beast and Sprint Weekend, Breckenridge, Colorado. The mountain is calling! This is an extra-special Spartan race. Team members from my company, Kion, and I are competing together in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Experience the immense beauty of Colorado while conquering climbs, crawls, carries and traverses. See you there!
FUTURE
– October 14-16, 2018: SPARK BioHacking Conference, Toronto, Ontario. The 2018 SPARK Bio-Hack Conference features a series of talks by leaders across a range of fields with an eye on optimizing human performance, recovery, and longevity. Researchers, medical specialists and other biohacking experts will share provocative, informative, and inspiring presentations meant to invigorate your curiosity about health and amplify your life journey. Registration is now open, secure your spot here.
– October 11 – 14, 2018: 2018 RUNGA California Immersion Retreat. Runga is going to Napa! Join me, my wife, Jessa, Joe DiStefano and a small, intimate group of like-minded individuals for a weekend-long getaway. We’ve rented a beautiful mansion located in one of the most iconic countrysides in America– Napa Valley. We’ve thought of everything that you could possibly need to gently “press the reboot button” on your body and completely tune in to your heart, mind, body, strength, and spirit. Join the waitlist!
– December 2-8, 2018: RUNGA Retreat, Dominican Republic. You're invited to join me at RUNGA in December 2018. Join me in the Dominican Republic, one of the most beautiful places in the Caribbean, for this retreat. In all RUNGA activities, RUNGA invites you to come home to yourself. To see everything you'll be getting into, just click here. Use code BEN when you register so you get your gift when you arrive! I'll be there, too. Join the waitlist here.
-View the Official Ben Greenfield Fitness Calendar Here
This Week's Most Popular Instagram Pic:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bknz7spHxuY/?taken-by=bengreenfieldfitness
This Week's Most Popular Tweet:
#Creatine increases #cognition, even in #healthy people: https://t.co/7IQU1ucssC
— Ben Greenfield (@bengreenfield) June 29, 2018
This Week's Most Popular Facebook Post:
https://www.facebook.com/BGFitness/posts/10157293818309179
This Week's Most Popular Snapchat Story:
This week I took a Snapbreak! I've been in Tallinn, Estonia, attending and speaking at MindValleyU along with my family. During my hiatus, I've been sampling all the “food porn” Estonia has to offer, shooting my bow in some spectacular places, and immersing myself in The Life Book, in which I deeply examine the 12 life-categories that make me and my wife, Jessa, our family and future generations who we are.
This Week's Most Popular Pin from Pinterest:
Ben Greenfield Fitness saved to “Ben's Recovery Tips.” Read the article here.
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Need Help Fully Optimizing Your Brain & Body?
Did you know you can consult one-on-one with me so that I can personalize a nutrition or fitness plan for you to reach your goals? Are you training for physical performance? Trying to shed fat or gain lean muscle as fast as possible? Ready to tap into the most cutting-edge health, fitness and longevity protocols? Contact me so I can get you exactly what you need to reach your goals as safely and quickly as possible.
Leave your comments below – and any news or discoveries that you think I missed!
Cheers,
Ben
Dear Ben, thank you for everything you do, have several of your books and I hope to be able to see you here in Japan. Your comment “It doesn’t matter whether you to try to avoid gluten, or, like me, refuse to give it up…” caught my attention. I thought you were mostly ketogenic… so do you use your night time when you usually get our of ketosis to consume things like gluten? Is Jessa´s sourdough bread one of those things you are still consuming that contain it? (by the way, its recipe is anywhere in the website?).
Could you elaborate more on that nutrient you mentioned?( DPP-IV dipeptidyl peptidase IV), even if it breaks down gluten, there are many more hazardous things in bread (gliadin, etc.) that make me skeptical about its utility.
Yes, but at least you're not getting the larger gluten proteins!