Ten Simple Things
On being active and some esoteric health and wellness secrets "they" don't want you to know.
A few years ago, when I was on a big surfing kick1, Laird Hamilton was someone I thought a lot about. Laird is a big wave surfer, the guy who pioneered tow-in surfing2, and an all-around fit dude3. I read a lot of features on him, his workout plans, his underwater training routine and the celebrities who would train with him4. One name that kept coming up, though not so famous as others, was Don Wildman5.
Wildman, who died a few years ago at 85, was an absolute shot of life, downhill mountain biking and working out right up until his last breath6. But what has always stuck out to me was his reasoning for staying so fit, being so active: he loved to eat and wanted to continue doing so, and doing it well, for as long as possible.
That’s an ethos I can live by. When I’m not cooking, eating, or thinking about food, I’m trying to stay active. I’m trying to justify eating a pound and a half Australian/Wagyu bone-in ribeye by briskly jogging the length of a marathon with 40 pounds on my back. I’m trying to counter balance devouring a pound of mushroom pasta with climbing to the tops of some of the highest points in New England7. There’s a innate link between food and health — what nourishes the body nourishes the spirit nourishes the mind.
Perhaps that’s why I so enjoy
8. Rocky does an amazing job curating the best of food, of nutrition, of health in one beautifully laid out place. I look forward to the monthly drops, the recipes, the knowledge, the enlightenment. I also enjoy occasionally contributing.If you spend enough time on the internet, especially the “health and wellness” corner of the internet, you’ll come across all sorts of weird “hacks” to make you healthier. “Try this special supplement and see your ails disappear!” “Eat this certain way and you’ll instantly lose 10 pounds!” “Do this one exercise and you’ll gain immediate muscle!” There’s a lot of snake oil salesmanship out there — if you’re not careful, you might start thinking you’re doing everything wrong9. And don’t get those charlatans started on the ephemeral, shadowy, conspiratorial “They” who are out to get you!
I wrote a response to this mindset in last month’s issue of WARKITCHEN. Much like Don Wildman, who, when asked how he stayed fit well into his “old age,” responded simply, “stay active” — I wrote about Ten Simple Things that you can do to lead a better life. I’m reposting them here, slightly amended, to encourage you, too, to start taking advantage of this esoteric knowledge.
Just don’t let Them know where you learned it!
I’m going to tell you a secret10: You can instantly improve your life, your happiness, your wealth – all with almost no change to your day-to-day life.
You just need to do Ten Simple Things.
Ten Simple Things to make you happier, smarter, healthier, calmer.
Better looking, even.
They don’t want you to know these things.
They want you to keep going about life unthinking, unblinking, unwavering.
The status quo.
But, it doesn’t have to be that way.
With these Ten Simple Things, you can break free.
You can wrench yourself from the pattern, the mundane. You can take control.
You can make your life better.
You just need to do these Ten Simple Things.
You need to make real food. Stop with the take out, the DoorDash, the Uber Eats. Instead, cook at home and cook yourself more often. It need not be every night11, but it needs to be more. Anyone can scramble an egg. Anyone can make rice. Anyone can roast a chicken. You just need to make an effort. And when you cook…
You need to use better ingredients. Skip the industrial oils, the manufactured ingredients, the pre-made, pre-cooked shortcuts12. Use real butter, real olive oil. Fresh herbs, fresh vegetables. Meat that came from a single animal. Raw milk, raw cheese. Heirloom grains and vegetables. This is how you fuel your life.
You need to get outside. Your body wasn’t made to sit inside all day, never seeing the sun. You need to breathe fresh air, feel the ground beneath your feet. Get up early and watch the sunrise. Listen to the birds sing. Take a walk at lunch, cook dinner en plein air. Attune yourself to the rhythm of the day.
You need to grow something. As a society, we are disconnected from the Earth. There’s a generation of kids growing up thinking that bacon comes from a plant. This has to end. You need to put down roots13. You need to get your hands dirty. You can start small with flowers in a pot, an herb garden on the window sill. If you have the space, a medium-sized raised bed can provide vegetables throughout the spring and summer — and an appreciation for nature that lasts a lifetime.
You need to move. It’s been said we were born to run. And if you’re not running, you need to be walking or carrying heavy things or lifting them. You need to be sprinting up stairs, bounding down hills, leaping off curbs14. When you move your body, you move your spirit. “Shaking things up” is not just a turn of phrase —without movement, you atrophy. You decay. Movement is the key. But…
You need to be still. We live in a world of constant vibrations, of flashes, of notifications. You need to be aware of the stillness within yourself. Find time to step away. Breathe in. Breathe out. When you’re not moving your body, you need to quiet your mind. You need to find the calm, the stillness. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
You need to let go. There are things you can control and there are things you cannot. Don’t conflate the two. Let go of the things beyond your grasp, the things that don’t affect you. Focus on what is happening in your home, on your street — not what’s happening on the news, across the globe.
You need to make connections. Don’t live in a silo. Get to know your neighbors, the folks behind the counter at the grocer, the butcher shop, the coffee. shop Be part of a community. You’ll build a network, you’ll find opportunity. When you are enmeshed in your community, you find serendipity everywhere. The woman next door who raises sheep, sells duck eggs15. The guy a few doors down who lend you some nails. Within a community, life gives you what you need.
You need to wonder. Ask why16. Don’t take things for granted. Question what you’re doing, why you’re doing, why you need to do it. Don’t do it with an agenda, don’t fix your mind on whether it’s right or wrong — but ask questions. Know why things are why they are — and have the conviction to either honor or oppose. Above all, be curious, because you can.
You need to laugh. Think deeply of the world, but lightly of yourself. Laugh at your actions, laugh with others. Notice the little things — the smile of a baby, the silliness of life. There’s no reason to be so serious. There’s an effervescence to the world, so easy to overlook. Notice it. Embrace it. You’ll feel better instantly.
There you are. Ten Simple Things that will change your life. You can start today and, tomorrow, feel happier, healthier, wiser.
All it takes is you.
So what’s stopping you?
P.S.: While I have you: One Bonus Thing, to maximize your vigor.
You need to love. Embrace your family and your friends. Do it figuratively and do it literally. Share love with those around you. Say it out loud and show passion. Hug your kids. Kiss your spouse. Life is too short to do otherwise. You’ll immediately feel lighter, more at ease with the world.
I still love to surf, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve accepted that I will never be as good as Uncle Steady.
Amongst other innovations.
He’s also got a few great cookbooks — the squid recipe in Force of Nature was one of the very first “weird” dishes I ever made.
John McEnroe, James and Josh Brolin, Rick Rubin, Kenny Chesney, Orlando Bloom, and Will Smith — just to name a few!
What a helluva name!
Great feature on him at 75 here, which you should absolutely read.
Katadhin this summer with Ha and the Brothers CWD.
And maybe even fall victim to the “nocebo” effect — where you start feeling worse because you’re not doing something!
I wrote this for WARKITCHEN under the semi-pseudonym “Bovillus” — which is Latin for “Cow.” You’ll find on Twitter, where the type of “advice” I’m railing against here is most prevalent, many of the “gurus” adopt a Latin moniker and make their profile picture a Greek or Roman statue. This is me channeling my inner Juvenal against that.
And there are some things that are just better in a restaurant — I’m thinking, specifically, of sushi.
There is, of course, a time and place for these things — just make sure you’re not using them as a crutch or without reason!
Pun!
Or swimming outside, walking your dogs, lifting up toddlers!
This is actually the case for us, believe it or not!
quality wine and coffee : )
That's quite generous.