Physical Wealth means working hard to keep your body healthy and strong.

When you take care of your body, it helps you grow in other ways too. It also shows you that you have the power to pursue and make good choices in your life.

This pursuit is grounded in consistent daily actions related to movement, nutrition, and recovery. It’s investing in your present self to become your highest self.

Your body is the only house you’ll ever truly inhabit.

So, treating it with care through consistent investment and maintenance is crucial for it to last and serve you well for many years.

P.S.: This is still a review from Sahil’s book – 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.

The Three Pillars of Physical Wealth

Achieving physical wealth doesn’t require complex routines; rather, it requires grounding yourself in three core pillars: Movement, nutrition, and recovery.

Achieving these pillars unlocks “easy mode” in the game of life, allowing you to build a vital present and prepare for a better future.

The First Pillar is Movement.

This involves daily body movement through a combination of cardiovascular exercise and resistance training, along with activities to promote stability and flexibility.

Exercise is the most potent tool for enhancing your health span and preventing cognitive and physical decline.

Within movement, there are three primary subcategories:

1. Cardiovascular Training: Strengthens the heart and blood vessels. It includes:

1. 1. • Aerobic: Low intensity (like hiking, biking, jogging) using oxygen to sustain activity, ideal for beginners and often referred to as zone 2 training, where you can hold a conversation.
      • Anaerobic: High intensity, using stored sugars for energy (like sprints, heavy lifting), typically involving short bursts with recovery periods, sometimes referred to as zone 5 training. Anaerobic training is more uncomfortable and recommended after establishing consistency in aerobic activities.
   2. Strength: Use resistance (weights, bands) to build muscle, power, and strength. This is essential for a healthy and enjoyable life.
   3. Stability and Flexibility: Stability is the cornerstone for delivering strength and performance safely and efficiently.

There are three levels for the Movement pillar:

1. Level 1: Move your body for at least thirty minutes daily.
2. Level 2: Move your body for at least thirty minutes daily, plus two to three specific cardiovascular training sessions and one to two resistance-training sessions per week.
3. Level 3: Move your body for at least thirty minutes per day, plus three or more cardiovascular training sessions per week (at least 120 minutes of aerobic and 20 minutes of anaerobic training) and at least three resistance-training sessions weekly incorporating stability and flexibility training.

The Second Pillar is Nutrition

Focus on consuming primarily whole, unprocessed foods to meet major nutrient needs and supplementing as necessary for micronutrients.

Building this pillar doesn’t require extreme regimens but is based on four core principles:

1. Overall Caloric Intake: Determines body weight and muscle development. Caloric surplus leads to weight gain, deficit to weight loss, and balance to weight stability.
2. Macronutrients: The major nutrients your body needs are:

Proteins: Building blocks for muscle growth and tissue repair. Prioritise protein intake and aim for a solid source at every meal. Also, target around 0.8 grams per pound of body weight.

Carbohydrates: A primary energy source.

Fats: Energy source supporting cell growth and organ health.

More importantly, focus on the cleanliness of your macronutrient sources. Prioritise whole, unprocessed foods with minimal ingredients.

3. Micronutrients: Essential vitamins and minerals needed in smaller quantities for healthy body functioning and disease prevention. These must be consumed through diet or supplements.
4. Hydration: Despite our need for water, many are chronically dehydrated.

The recommended baseline is thirteen cups per day for men and nine cups for women, which should be increased based on activity levels.

There are three levels for the Nutrition pillar:

1. Level 1: Eat whole, unprocessed foods 80 percent of the time (roughly seventeen out of twenty-one meals per week, assuming three meals per day).
2. Level 2: Eat whole, unprocessed foods 90 percent of the time. Prioritise daily protein intake (around 0.8 grams per pound of body weight) and overall macronutrient consumption and ensure adequate fluid intake.
3. Level 3: Eat whole, unprocessed foods 95 percent of the time. Prioritise daily protein intake and overall macronutrient consumption, supplement with key micronutrients as needed for a well-rounded profile and get the recommended amounts of fluid.

The Third Pillar of Physical Wealth is Recovery

Prioritise high-quality, consistent sleep and other recovery-promoting activities.

Sleep is called “nature’s miracle drug” and is often underappreciated. Core strategies for high-quality sleep include:

Amount: Seven to eight hours per night, with a consistent schedule for sleep and wake times.

Environment: A dark, quiet, and cool sleep setting.

Routine: A relaxing evening routine to promote the release of sleep signals. Viewing morning sunlight (5-10 minutes on clear days, 15-20 minutes on overcast days) and low-angle afternoon sunlight helps regulate cortisol and the circadian rhythm.

The three levels for the Recovery pillar are:

1. Level 1: Seven to eight hours of sleep per night.
2. Level 2: Seven to eight hours of sleep in an optimised sleep environment (dark, cool, quiet).
3. Level 3: Seven to eight hours of sleep in an optimised sleep environment, with a fixed sleeping time window and morning/afternoon sunlight exposure to regulate circadian rhythm and improve sleep quality.

Start at Level 1 for each pillar as a baseline for a healthy life in the present and future, then define your goals and work your way up through the levels.

Now, here are six proven systems for building Physical Wealth:

1. The Physical Wealth Thirty-Day Challenge

This is a jump-start through disciplined daily practices for one month, covering Movement, Nutrition, and Recovery.

It offers three levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold) with increasing intensity.  Track your progress and find an accountability partner.

Bronze: Move 30 minutes daily, eat whole unprocessed foods 80% of the time, sleep 7 hours nightly.

Silver: Execute a weekday morning routine, move 45 minutes daily, eat whole unprocessed foods 90% of the time, increase protein intake (0.8g/lb), sleep 7-8 hours nightly with fixed weekday times.

Gold: Drink 16 oz water upon waking, execute a weekday morning routine, move 60 minutes daily (including 3+ strength sessions/week), eat whole unprocessed foods 95% of the time, hit full macronutrient targets, sleep 8 hours nightly with fixed times, complete one additional recovery method daily.

2. A Science-Backed Morning Routine

Focus on implementing these principles in the first hour of your day for increased energy, focus, and productivity.

The five core principles are:

1. Wake up: Maintain a consistent wake time (weekdays and weekends, within 30-60 minutes of weekday time).
2. Hydrate: Drink sixteen ounces of water upon rising (consider adding lemon, electrolytes, or greens powder).
3. Move: Engage in 30-60 minutes of daily activity (strength, mobility, stretches, or whatever you enjoy).
4. Get Outside: Expose yourself to natural morning light (ideally during movement) for increased focus, mood improvement, and vitamin D.
5. Focus: Prioritise and work on your most important tasks for the day.

3. The Movement Plan: A Level 3 Training Plan That Works

This is a template for a training week once you reach Level 3 in movement.

It involves three full-body strength workouts, two sixty-minute aerobic cardio workouts, and one twenty-minute anaerobic cardio workout per week, with a day of rest/light recovery.

4. How to Become a Pro Sleeper: Eight Rules for Sleep

Here are basic, science-backed rules for optimal sleep performance:

1. Keep a regular sleep schedule.
2. View morning sunlight.
3. Control your sleep environment (cool, dark).
4. Avoid food and excessive liquids right before bed.
5. Avoid caffeine in the afternoons (within eight hours of bedtime).
6. Cut back on alcohol.
7. Create a wind-down routine (dim lights, avoid work devices, relax).
8. Avoid screens before bed (especially in the sleep environment).

5. How to Promote Calm: Science-Backed Breathing Protocols:

Use breathing techniques to manage stress and promote the low-stress recovery state.

An example is the Yerkes-Dodson Law (optimal stress for performance, low stress for recovery) which provides three techniques:

1. The 4-7-8 Method: Breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 7, exhaling for 8 (repeat 2-3 times), particularly effective for falling asleep.
2. The Lion’s Breath: Inhale deeply, stick your tongue out, exhale forcefully with a “Ha!” sound (repeat 2-3 times).
3. The Physiological Sigh: Two quick inhales through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth (repeat 2-3 times), effective for immediate stress reduction.

Stress is a necessary part of life, and learning to harness it to operate in optimal stress for important tasks and low stress for recovery is key to performing at your best.

6. The Common-Sense Diet: Principles and Foods

Here’s a set of eight simple principles for high-quality nutrition:

• 1. Eat well most of the time (80-90%), saving indulgences for loved foods.
  2. Prioritise single-ingredient, whole, unprocessed foods.
  3. Stop eating before you’re full (aim for 80% satiety).
  4. Avoid foods that make you feel and perform poorly.
  5. Drink plenty of water, but limit alcohol.
  6. Include whole vegetables, fruits, or both at every meal.
  7. Find a meal frequency that suits your life and avoid dogmatic approaches.
  8. Don’t let your diet prevent you from enjoying life experiences.

What It Truly Means to Build Physical Wealth

Ultimately, building Physical Wealth is about making investments today that will pay dividends for the rest of your life.

You are Player 1 in your Physical Wealth video game, starting at Level 1 and progressing as you define your goals. Avoiding anti-goals like neglecting fitness, daily movement, and sleep deprivation is crucial.

By implementing these principles and systems outlined, you can build a life of robust Physical Wealth, allowing you to live vitally in the present and prepare for a healthier and more fulfilling future, perhaps even dancing at your eightieth birthday party.

I hope this helps.

Godspeed and Cheers.

Zamai.

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